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Pollo P, Lagisz M, Yang Y, Culina A, Nakagawa S. Synthesis of sexual selection: a systematic map of meta-analyses with bibliometric analysis. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2024. [PMID: 38982618 DOI: 10.1111/brv.13117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2023] [Revised: 06/16/2024] [Accepted: 06/19/2024] [Indexed: 07/11/2024]
Abstract
Sexual selection has been a popular subject within evolutionary biology because of its central role in explaining odd and counterintuitive traits observed in nature. Consequently, the literature associated with this field of study became vast. Meta-analytical studies attempting to draw inferences from this literature have now accumulated, varying in scope and quality, thus calling for a synthesis of these syntheses. We conducted a systematic literature search to create a systematic map with a report appraisal of meta-analyses on topics associated with sexual selection, aiming to identify the conceptual and methodological gaps in this secondary literature. We also conducted bibliometric analyses to explore whether these gaps are associated with the gender and origin of the authors of these meta-analyses. We included 152 meta-analytical studies in our systematic map. We found that most meta-analyses focused on males and on certain animal groups (e.g. birds), indicating severe sex and taxonomic biases. The topics in these studies varied greatly, from proximate (e.g. relationship of ornaments with other traits) to ultimate questions (e.g. formal estimates of sexual selection strength), although the former were more common. We also observed several common methodological issues in these studies, such as lack of detailed information regarding searches, screening, and analyses, which ultimately impairs the reliability of many of these meta-analyses. In addition, most of the meta-analyses' authors were men affiliated to institutions from developed countries, pointing to both gender and geographical authorship biases. Most importantly, we found that certain authorship aspects were associated with conceptual and methodological issues in meta-analytical studies. Many of our findings might simply reflect patterns in the current state of the primary literature and academia, suggesting that our study can serve as an indicator of issues within the field of sexual selection at large. Based on our findings, we provide both conceptual and analytical recommendations to improve future studies in the field of sexual selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pietro Pollo
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Gate 9 High St., Kensington, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Malgorzata Lagisz
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Gate 9 High St., Kensington, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Yefeng Yang
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Gate 9 High St., Kensington, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Antica Culina
- Ruđer Bošković Institute, Bijenička Cesta 54, Zagreb, 10000, Croatia
| | - Shinichi Nakagawa
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Gate 9 High St., Kensington, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
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2
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Rodriguez-Santiago M, Ruppert A, Gall MD, Hoke K, Bee MA, Baugh AT. In your CORT: Corticosterone and its receptors in the brain underlie mate choosiness in female Cope's gray treefrogs (Hyla chrysoscelis). Horm Behav 2024; 159:105477. [PMID: 38245919 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2024.105477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2023] [Revised: 01/08/2024] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
Selecting an attractive mate can involve trade-offs related to investment in sampling effort. Glucocorticoids like corticosterone (CORT) are involved in resolving energetic trade-offs. However, CORT is rarely studied in the context of mate choice, despite its elevated levels during reproductive readiness and the energetic transitions that characterize reproduction. Few systems are as well suited as anuran amphibians to evaluate how females resolve energetic trade-offs during mate choice. Phonotaxis tests provide a robust bioassay of mate choice that permit the precise measurement of inter-individual variation in traits such as choosiness-the willingness to pursue the most attractive mate despite costs. In Cope's gray treefrogs (Hyla chrysoscelis), females exhibit remarkable variation in circulating CORT as well as choosiness during mate choice, and a moderate dose of exogenous CORT rapidly (<1 h) and reliably induce large increases in choosiness. Here we measured the expression of glucocorticoid (GR) and mineralocorticoid (MR) receptors in the brains of females previously treated with exogenous CORT and tested for mate choosiness. We report a large decrease in GR expression in the hindbrain and midbrain of females that were treated with the moderate dosage of CORT-the same treatment group that exhibited a dramatic increase in choosiness following CORT treatment. This association, however, does not appear to be causal, as only forebrain GR levels, which are not affected by CORT injection, are positively associated with variation in choosiness. No strong effects were found for MR. We discuss these findings and suggest future studies to test the influence of glucocorticoids on mate choice.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Annika Ruppert
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, 1479 Gortner Ave, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA
| | - Megan D Gall
- Department of Biology, Vassar College, 124 Raymond Ave., Poughkeepsie, NY 12604, USA
| | - Kim Hoke
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, 200 W Lake St., Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Mark A Bee
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, 1479 Gortner Ave, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA; Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, 321 Church Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Alexander T Baugh
- Department of Biology, Swarthmore College, 500 College Avenue, Swarthmore, PA 19081, USA.
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3
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Associations Between Sexual Desire and Within-Individual Testosterone and Cortisol in Men and Women. ADAPTIVE HUMAN BEHAVIOR AND PHYSIOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s40750-022-00184-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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4
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Cronin AD, Smit JAH, Muñoz MI, Poirier A, Moran PA, Jerem P, Halfwerk W. A comprehensive overview of the effects of urbanisation on sexual selection and sexual traits. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2022; 97:1325-1345. [PMID: 35262266 PMCID: PMC9541148 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2021] [Revised: 02/11/2022] [Accepted: 02/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Urbanisation can affect mating opportunities and thereby alter inter- and intra-sexual selection pressures on sexual traits. Biotic and abiotic urban conditions can influence an individual's success in pre- and post-copulatory mating, for example through impacts on mate attraction and mate preference, fertilisation success, resource competition or rival interactions. Divergent sexual selection pressures can lead to differences in behavioural, physiological, morphological or life-history traits between urban and non-urban populations, ultimately driving adaptation and speciation. Most studies on urban sexual selection and mating interactions report differences between urban and non-urban populations or correlations between sexual traits and factors associated with increased urbanisation, such as pollution, food availability and risk of predation and parasitism. Here we review the literature on sexual selection and sexual traits in relation to urbanisation or urban-associated conditions. We provide an extensive list of abiotic and biotic factors that can influence processes involved in mating interactions, such as signal production and transmission, mate choice and mating opportunities. We discuss all relevant data through the lens of two, non-mutually exclusive theories on sexual selection, namely indicator and sensory models. Where possible, we indicate whether these models provide the same or different predictions regarding urban-adapted sexual signals and describe different experimental designs that can be useful for the different models as well as to investigate the drivers of sexual selection. We argue that we lack a good understanding of: (i) the factors driving urban sexual selection; (ii) whether reported changes in traits result in adaptive benefits; and (iii) whether these changes reflect a short-term ecological, or long-term evolutionary response. We highlight that urbanisation provides a unique opportunity to study the process and outcomes of sexual selection, but that this requires a highly integrative approach combining experimental and observational work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew D Cronin
- Department of Ecological Sciences, Vrije Universiteit, De Boelelaan 1085, Amsterdam, 1081 HV, The Netherlands
| | - Judith A H Smit
- Department of Ecological Sciences, Vrije Universiteit, De Boelelaan 1085, Amsterdam, 1081 HV, The Netherlands
| | - Matías I Muñoz
- Department of Ecological Sciences, Vrije Universiteit, De Boelelaan 1085, Amsterdam, 1081 HV, The Netherlands
| | - Armand Poirier
- Department of Ecological Sciences, Vrije Universiteit, De Boelelaan 1085, Amsterdam, 1081 HV, The Netherlands
| | - Peter A Moran
- Department of Ecological Sciences, Vrije Universiteit, De Boelelaan 1085, Amsterdam, 1081 HV, The Netherlands
| | - Paul Jerem
- Department of Ecological Sciences, Vrije Universiteit, De Boelelaan 1085, Amsterdam, 1081 HV, The Netherlands
| | - Wouter Halfwerk
- Department of Ecological Sciences, Vrije Universiteit, De Boelelaan 1085, Amsterdam, 1081 HV, The Netherlands
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5
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Lutermann H, Butler KB, Bennett NC. Parasite-Mediated Mate Preferences in a Cooperatively Breeding Rodent. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.838076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Females of many species discriminate among males when choosing a mate and this can bear indirect and direct benefits including the avoidance of parasite transmission from infested males. In rodents, this may be mediated by androgen hormones that affect the expression of urinary odors. Female choosiness may also vary with a female’s infestation status, with infested females being less choosy. In the current study we tested the preference of cooperatively breeding highveld mole-rat (Cryptomys hottentotus hottentotus) females for male urinary odors from healthy males and those naturally infested with a cestode (Mathevotaenia sp.). Thirty females (15 healthy, 15 infested) were allowed to explore a Y-maze with urine samples from healthy and infested males and the frequency of entering choice arms and chambers as well as the duration spend with each odor sample was recorded. Infestation status did neither affect male body mass, urinary testosterone, nor cortisol levels or the body condition of females. Although overall female activity was not affected by infestation status, infested females entered choice arms and chambers significantly less frequently than healthy females. Surprisingly, healthy females preferred odors from infested males while the opposite was true for infested females, independent of male hormone levels. As the study species lives in groups that tend to share the same infestation status, we suggest that highveld mole-rat females may exhibit a preference for unfamiliar odors, possibly as an indicator of genetic diversity, rather than discriminate between infestation status of males. Similar mechanisms may also play a role in other social species.
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Greenberg D, Snyder KP, Filazzola A, Mastromonaco GF, Schoof VAM. Hormonal correlates of male dominance rank, age, and genital colouration in vervet monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus). Gen Comp Endocrinol 2022; 316:113948. [PMID: 34826430 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2021.113948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2021] [Revised: 11/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Primates are the most colourful members of the Mammalian clade. In vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus), males are characterized by their red penis and blue scrotum. Such colour signals are often used in conspecific communication, and thus could be used to convey signaller condition. We quantified scrotal and penile colour characteristics using digital photographs between May-June 2016 from males in two neighboring groups along the shores of Lake Nabugabo, Uganda. We examined the relationship between fecal hormones, male dominance rank, age (adult vs. immature), and colour. Adult males were higher ranking than immatures, but there were no rank or age differences in fecal hormone levels. Glucocorticoids and androgens were positively correlated in immature, but not adult males. All scrotal characteristics were predicted by age, with adult males having more teal (i.e., less blue, more green) and more luminant scrota. Within adult males, those with higher androgens levels had more saturated blue scrotal colouration and higher-ranking males were more luminant. Penile colouration was also associated with age and rank. High-ranking males had a more saturated red penis, and adult male penile colour was more luminant and bluer than in immature males. Our findings are consistent with previous reports that scrotal colouration advertises sexual or reproductive maturity (i.e., age), but we also find that within adult males, colour also advertises dominance rank and may be mediated by androgen levels. Penile colouration also appears to signal information about male age and dominance rank but does not appear to be mediated by hormones.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Greenberg
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada
| | - K P Snyder
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada
| | - A Filazzola
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada; Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - G F Mastromonaco
- Reproductive Sciences Unit, Toronto Zoo, 361A Old Finch Avenue, Toronto, ON M1B 5K7, Canada
| | - V A M Schoof
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada; Bilingual Biology Program, Department of Multidisciplinary Studies, Glendon College, York University, 2275 Bayview Avenue, Toronto, ON M4N 3M6, Canada.
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7
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Cinar O, Nakagawa S, Viechtbauer W. Phylogenetic multilevel meta‐analysis: A simulation study on the importance of modelling the phylogeny. Methods Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.13760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ozan Cinar
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology School for Mental Health and Neuroscience Faculty of Health, Medicine, and Life Sciences Maastricht University Maastricht The Netherlands
| | - Shinichi Nakagawa
- Evolution & Ecology Centre, and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences BEES University of New South Wales Sydney NSW Australia
| | - Wolfgang Viechtbauer
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology School for Mental Health and Neuroscience Faculty of Health, Medicine, and Life Sciences Maastricht University Maastricht The Netherlands
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8
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Leary CJ, Crocker-Buta S, Holloway A, Kennedy JGC. Glucocorticoid-Mediated Changes in Male Green Treefrog Vocalizations Alter Attractiveness to Females. Integr Comp Biol 2021; 61:283-291. [PMID: 33940612 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icab053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Adrenal glucocorticoids (GCs) are increasingly recognized as important modulators of male courtship signals, suggesting that circulating levels of these steroids can play a central role in sexual selection. However, few studies have examined whether GC-mediated effects on male sexual signals actually impact mate choice by females. Here, we examine how corticosterone (CORT)-mediated changes in the vocalizations of male green treefrogs, Dryophytes cinereus, influence attractiveness to females. In this species, agonistic acoustic signaling between rival males competing for mates increases circulating CORT levels in contest losers. Acute elevations in CORT, in turn, decrease the duration of male advertisement calls and increase the latency between successive calls, resulting in a net reduction in vocal effort (the amount of signaling per unit time) that occurs independently of changes in circulating androgens. Based on known preferences for acoustic features in D. cinereus, and other anuran species, the direction of CORT-mediated effects on temporal call characteristics is expected to compromise attractiveness to females, but whether they are of sufficient magnitude to impact female mate choice decisions is unclear. To examine whether CORT-mediated effects on male advertisement calls reduce attractiveness to females, we broadcast vocalizations in dual speaker playback experiments approximating the mean and 1 SD above and below the mean call duration and vocal effort values (the two primary vocal features impacted by elevated CORT) of males with low and high CORT levels. Results revealed strong preferences by females for the calls characteristic of males with low CORT in tests using the approximate mean and 1 SD above the mean call duration and vocal effort values, but females did not show a preference for calls of males with low CORT in trials using call values approximating 1 SD below the mean. Overall, females preferred males with signal traits predictive of low CORT, however this effect was nonlinear with attenuated preferences when signal alternatives differed only marginally indicating a possible thresholding effect. Specifically, females appeared to discriminate between males with low versus high CORT based primarily on differences in call rates associated with CORT-mediated changes in call duration and vocal effort. Our results highlight that changes in circulating CORT during male-male vocal interactions can decrease attractiveness to females, suggesting that circulating levels of CORT can play a critical role in both intra- and intersexual selection.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Ashli Holloway
- Department of Biological Sciences, Alcorn State University, Lorman, MS 39096, USA
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9
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Dougherty LR. Meta-analysis reveals that animal sexual signalling behaviour is honest and resource based. Nat Ecol Evol 2021; 5:688-699. [PMID: 33723423 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-021-01409-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2020] [Accepted: 02/05/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Animals often need to signal to attract mates and behavioural signalling may impose substantial energetic and fitness costs to signallers. Consequently, individuals often strategically adjust signalling effort to maximize the fitness payoffs of signalling. An important determinant of these payoffs is individual state, which can influence the resources available to signallers, their likelihood of mating and their motivation to mate. However, empirical studies often find contradictory patterns of state-based signalling behaviour. For example, individuals in poor condition may signal less than those in good condition to conserve resources (ability-based signalling) or signal more to maximize short-term reproductive success (needs-based signalling). To clarify this relationship, I systematically searched for published studies examining animal sexual signalling behaviour in relation to six aspects of individual state: age, mated status, attractiveness, body size, condition and parasite load. Across 228 studies and 147 species, individuals (who were predominantly male) invested more into behavioural signalling when in good condition. Overall, this suggests that animal sexual signalling behaviour is generally honest and ability-based. However, the magnitude of state-dependent plasticity was small and there was a large amount of between-study heterogeneity that remains unexplained.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liam R Dougherty
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behaviour, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.
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10
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Baugh AT, Gall MD, Silver SC, Bee MA. Moderately elevated glucocorticoids increase mate choosiness but do not affect sexual proceptivity or preferences in female gray treefrogs. Horm Behav 2021; 130:104950. [PMID: 33556376 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2021.104950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2020] [Revised: 01/15/2021] [Accepted: 01/30/2021] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Glucocorticoids (GCs) are rarely studied in the context of female mate choice, despite the expression of receptors for these products in sexual, sensory and decision-making brain areas. Here we investigated the effects of GC concentrations on three aspects of female sexual behavior in breeding Cope's gray treefrogs (Hyla chrysoscelis): proceptivity-a measure of sexual motivation, intraspecific mate preferences, and mate choosiness. To our knowledge this is the first experimental study on the endocrine basis of mate choosiness. We predicted that mate choosiness-forfeiting an initial mate preference to pursue a suddenly more attractive mate-would be particularly impacted by elevated GCs with moderate GC levels associated with greater choosiness. We found support for this predicted inverted-U relationship. Females in the control group (no injection) showed no change in choosiness across timepoints. In contrast, females in the vehicle, Low (20 ng g-1) and High (180 ng g-1) corticosterone groups exhibited a nominal decline in choosiness after injection, suggesting that the experience of injection has little or perhaps slightly suppressive effects on female choosiness. Females in the moderate dose group (60 ng g-1), however, exhibited a significant increase (>100%) in choosiness. Further, we found no effect of elevated GCs on sexual proceptivity or the species-typical preference for longer calls. These findings may reflect a buffering of primary sensory areas in the brain against elevated GCs. The recruitment of other cognitive processes during active decision-making, however, may facilitate GC modulation of mate choosiness, thereby promoting tactical plasticity at this critical life history juncture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander T Baugh
- Department of Biology, Swarthmore College, 500 College Avenue, Swarthmore, PA 19081, USA.
| | - Megan D Gall
- Department of Biology, Vassar College, 124 Raymond Ave., Poughkeepsie, NY 12604, USA
| | - Stewart C Silver
- Department of Biology, Swarthmore College, 500 College Avenue, Swarthmore, PA 19081, USA
| | - Mark A Bee
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, 1479 Gortner Ave, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA; Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, 321 Church Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
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11
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Intrasexual Selection: How Males Compete. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-82879-0_9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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12
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Spickler JL, Swaddle JP, Gilson RL, Varian-Ramos CW, Cristol DA. Sexually selected traits as bioindicators: exposure to mercury affects carotenoid-based male bill color in zebra finches. ECOTOXICOLOGY (LONDON, ENGLAND) 2020; 29:1138-1147. [PMID: 32862260 DOI: 10.1007/s10646-020-02271-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/11/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
To examine whether sexually selected traits are particularly sensitive bioindicators of environmental toxicants, we assessed the effects of exposure to environmentally relevant dietary concentrations of the pollutant methylmercury on pigment coloration in zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata). First, we tested whether effects of methylmercury on coloration were influenced by timing of exposure. Birds were either exposed developmentally (up to 114 days after hatching), as adults (after reaching sexual maturity), or for their entire life. Bill coloration, which is a carotenoid-based, sexually selected trait, was less red in males with lifetime exposure to methylmercury, compared to controls. Neither adult, nor developmental exposure influenced bill color in adult males, with the possible exception of early exposure of nestlings. Among females, where bill color is not under strong sexual selection, neither lifetime nor adult exposure to methylmercury affected bill color. For males and females, there was no effect of either lifetime or adult methylmercury exposure on coloration of back feathers, which is a non-sexually-dimorphic, melanin-based trait that is not likely the result of sexual selection. This study is a comprehensive experimental test of the proposal that sexually selected traits may be particularly useful bioindicators of the stress imposed by environmental toxins such as methylmercury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica L Spickler
- Department of Biology, Institute for Bird Behavior Studies, William & Mary, Williamsburg, VA, 23187, USA
| | - John P Swaddle
- Institute for Integrative Conservation, William & Mary, Williamsburg, VA, 23187, USA
| | - Rebecca L Gilson
- Department of Biology, Institute for Bird Behavior Studies, William & Mary, Williamsburg, VA, 23187, USA
| | | | - Daniel A Cristol
- Department of Biology, Institute for Bird Behavior Studies, William & Mary, Williamsburg, VA, 23187, USA.
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13
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The application of meta-analytic (multi-level) models with multiple random effects: A systematic review. Behav Res Methods 2020; 52:2031-2052. [DOI: 10.3758/s13428-020-01373-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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14
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Leary CJ, Baugh AT. Glucocorticoids, male sexual signals, and mate choice by females: Implications for sexual selection. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2020; 288:113354. [PMID: 31830474 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2019.113354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2019] [Revised: 12/01/2019] [Accepted: 12/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
We review work relating glucocorticoids (GCs), male sexual signals, and mate choice by females to understand the potential for GCs to modulate the expression of sexually selected traits and how sexual selection potentially feeds back on GC regulation. Our review reveals that the relationship between GC concentrations and the quality of male sexual traits is mixed, regardless of whether studies focused on structural traits (e.g., coloration) or behavioral traits (e.g., vocalizations) or were examined in developmental or activational frameworks. In contrast, the few mate choice experiments that have been done consistently show that females prefer males with low GCs, suggesting that mate choice by females favors males that maintain low levels of GCs. We point out, however, that just as sexual selection can drive the evolution of diverse reproductive strategies, it may also promote diversity in GC regulation. We then shift the focus to females where we highlight evidence indicating that stressors or high GCs can dampen female sexual proceptivity and the strength of preferences for male courtship signals. Hence, even in cases where GCs are tightly coupled with male sexual signals, the strength of sexual selection on aspects of GC physiology can vary depending on the endocrine status of females. Studies examining how GCs relate to sexual selection may shed light on how variation in stress physiology, sexual signals, and mate choice are maintained in natural populations and may be important in understanding context-dependent relationships between GC regulation and fitness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher J Leary
- Department of Biology, University of Mississippi, PO Box 1848, University, MS 38677, USA.
| | - Alexander T Baugh
- Department of Biology, Swarthmore College, 500 College Avenue, Swarthmore, PA 19081, USA
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16
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Béziers P, Ducrest AL, San-Jose LM, Simon C, Roulin A. Expression of glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid receptor genes co-varies with a stress-related colour signal in barn owls. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2019; 283:113224. [PMID: 31323230 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2019.113224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2018] [Revised: 07/04/2019] [Accepted: 07/15/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Glucocorticoid hormones are important intermediates between an organism and its environment. They enable an organism to adjust its behavioural and physiological processes in response to environmental changes by binding to mineralocorticoid receptors (MR) and glucocorticoid receptors (GR) expressed in many tissues, including the integument. The regulation of glucocorticoids co-varies with melanin-based colouration in numerous species, an association that might result from pleiotropic effects of genes in the melanocortin system and evolve within a signalling context. Most studies have focused on the circulating levels of glucocorticoids disregarding the receptors that mediate their action, and that might partly account for the covariation between the regulation of stress and melanin-based colouration. We investigated the association of the expression levels of GR and MR genes with melanin-based colouration in the growing feathers of nestling barn owls (Tyto alba). We also explored the association between GR and MR expression levels and the expression of genes related to the melanocortin system and melanogenesis to better understand the origin of the link between the expression of receptors to which corticosterone binds and melanin-based colouration. Nestling barn owls displaying larger eumelanic black feather spots expressed GR and MR at lower levels than smaller-spotted individuals. However, we found that the expression of the GR and MR genes was positively rather than negatively correlated with the expression of genes involved in the deposition of melanin pigments at the time we sampled the nestlings. This provides mixed evidence of the association between melanin-based traits and MR and GR gene expression. The finding that the expression of GR and MR was positively associated with the expression of the PCSK2 gene (encoding one of the protein convertase responsible for the production of hormone peptide ACTH and α-MSH) suggests that the melanocortin system may be implicated in the establishment of the covariation between melanin-based colour and the expression of receptors to which glucocorticoids bind. However, further studies investigating the expression of melanin-based traits with stress-related endpoints at different time points of feather development will be necessary to understand better the proximate mechanism linking melanin-based traits with stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Béziers
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Anne-Lyse Ducrest
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Luis M San-Jose
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Céline Simon
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Alexandre Roulin
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
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17
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Hegyi G, Jenni-Eiermann S, Boross N, Garamszegi LZ, Laczi M, Kötél D, Krenhardt K, Jablonszky M, Markó G, Nagy G, Rosivall B, Szász E, Török J. Ornaments and condition: plumage patch sizes, nutritional reserve state, reserve accumulation, and reserve depletion. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-019-2701-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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18
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MacLeod KJ, McCormick GL, Langkilde T. Glucocorticoids do not influence a secondary sexual trait or its behavioral expression in eastern fence lizards. Sci Rep 2019; 9:5229. [PMID: 30914721 PMCID: PMC6435798 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-41596-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2018] [Accepted: 03/12/2019] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Secondary sexual traits and associated behaviors can be influenced by environmental factors such as exposure to stressors. Such effects may be mediated by the physiological stress response, which is typified by the release of glucocorticoid hormones. The effects of glucocorticoids on sexual traits such as plumage and display coloration have most commonly been studied in isolation rather than in conjunction with other pertinent aspects of signalling, such as behavior and habitat use, though these have substantial potential to alter signal perception. Here we test the effects of corticosterone (CORT), a common glucocorticoid, on a secondary sexual trait (badge coloration) in male eastern fence lizards (Sceloporus undulatus), and behaviors associated with its expression. We show that neither baseline nor experimentally manipulated CORT levels were associated with badge coloration. Further, elevation of CORT levels in the field did not alter signalling or associated territorial behaviors. There was a trend for CORT-treatment to influence perch height selection, which may influence signal perception. We suggest that future studies investigating the effects of environmental stressors and associated physiological changes on secondary sexual traits should consider behaviors and ecology relevant to signal perception in order to best understand the influence of stressors in nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- K J MacLeod
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, The Pennsylvania State University, Forest Resources Building, University Park, PA, 16802, USA. .,Department of Biology, Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, and Center for Brain, Behavior and Cognition, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
| | - G L McCormick
- Department of Biology, Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, and Center for Brain, Behavior and Cognition, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - T Langkilde
- Department of Biology, Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, and Center for Brain, Behavior and Cognition, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
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19
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Sarpong K, Madliger CL, Harris CM, Love OP, Doucet SM, Bitton PP. Baseline corticosterone does not reflect iridescent plumage traits in female tree swallows. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2019; 270:123-130. [PMID: 30392885 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2018.10.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2018] [Revised: 10/03/2018] [Accepted: 10/23/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
The production of high quality secondary sexual traits can be constrained by trade-offs in the allocation of energy and nutrients with other metabolic activities, and is mediated by physiological processes. In birds, the factors influencing male plumage quality have been well studied; however, factors affecting female plumage quality are poorly understood. Furthermore, it remains uncertain which physiological traits mediate the relationship between body condition and ornaments. In this three-year study of after-second-year female tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor), we investigated (1) the relationship between baseline corticosterone near the end of the brood-rearing period (CORTBR) and feather colour characteristics (hue, saturation, brightness) the following year, and (2) the relationship between baseline corticosterone measured during incubation (CORTI) and brood rearing (CORTBR), and feather colour in the same year. To control for reproductive effort, we included reproductive parameters as covariates in all analyses. In this first study between CORT and the plumage colour characteristics of a species bearing iridescent feathers, we did not find any relationship between CORTBR and the colour of subsequently-produced feathers, nor did we find any relationship between CORT and the colour of feathers displayed during that breeding season. If CORT levels at the end of breeding carry over to influence the immediately subsequent moult period as we expect, our results generally indicate that structural plumage quality may not be as sensitive to circulating CORT levels compared to carotenoid-based colouration. Future studies, particularly those employing experimental manipulations of CORT during moult in species with iridescent traits, are necessary to fully determine the role glucocorticoids play in mediating the quality of secondary sexual characteristics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keneth Sarpong
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario N9B 3P4, Canada.
| | - Christine L Madliger
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario N9B 3P4, Canada.
| | - Christopher M Harris
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario N9B 3P4, Canada.
| | - Oliver P Love
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario N9B 3P4, Canada.
| | - Stéphanie M Doucet
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario N9B 3P4, Canada.
| | - Pierre-Paul Bitton
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario N9B 3P4, Canada.
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20
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Hormonal and social correlates of courtship signal quality and behaviour in male green treefrogs. Anim Behav 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2018.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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21
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Scalera A, Tomaszycki ML. Acute exogenous corticosterone treatments have few effects on courtship and pair bonding in zebra finches. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2018; 268:121-127. [PMID: 30102882 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2018.08.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2018] [Revised: 06/26/2018] [Accepted: 08/07/2018] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Stress impacts social relationships. In turn, social relationships buffer the stress response in some species. Studies that have investigated the role of corticosterone (CORT) on courtship, mate choice, mating, and pairing have found mixed results. We therefore tested the role of CORT in these steps of the pairing process in the monogamous zebra finch. Male and female zebra finches received either one of 2 doses of corticosterone (CORT, 10 μg and 20 μg, referred to as low and high dose) or a vehicle control (peanut oil). Subjects were then given the opportunity to pair in mixed sex aviaries. Courtship and pair bonding behaviors were observed over 3 days. Overall, zebra finches of both sexes were equally likely to pair or not pair regardless of treatment, although a high dose of CORT increased the latency to form a pair bond. There were no effects of CORT on courtship behavior in either sex, though the low dose increased undirected (non-courtship) singing in males relative to the high dose. Animals treated with CORT, regardless of dose, engaged in fewer copulations than did control animals. When we examined pairing behaviors, we found a decrease in co-nesting in low dose animals. Our results suggest that acute CORT has few effects on pair bonding, suggesting species-specific effects of CORT on behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy Scalera
- Department of Psychology, Program in Neuroscience, Lafayette College, Easton, PA 18042, United States
| | - Michelle L Tomaszycki
- Department of Psychology, Program in Neuroscience, Lafayette College, Easton, PA 18042, United States.
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22
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Berger-Tal O, Greggor AL, Macura B, Adams CA, Blumenthal A, Bouskila A, Candolin U, Doran C, Fernández-Juricic E, Gotanda KM, Price C, Putman BJ, Segoli M, Snijders L, Wong BBM, Blumstein DT. Systematic reviews and maps as tools for applying behavioral ecology to management and policy. Behav Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ary130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Oded Berger-Tal
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet Ben Gurion, Israel
| | - Alison L Greggor
- Institute for Conservation Research, San Diego Zoo Global, Escondido, CA, USA
| | - Biljana Macura
- Mistra EviEM, Stockholm Environment Institute, Linnégatan, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Carrie Ann Adams
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Arden Blumenthal
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Amos Bouskila
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet Ben Gurion, Israel
- Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Ulrika Candolin
- Department of Biosciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Carolina Doran
- Department of Biology and Ecology of Fishes, Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Müggelseedamm, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Kiyoko M Gotanda
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Catherine Price
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Breanna J Putman
- Section of Herpetology and Urban Nature Research Center, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Exposition Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Michal Segoli
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet Ben Gurion, Israel
| | - Lysanne Snijders
- Department of Biology and Ecology of Fishes, Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Müggelseedamm, Berlin, Germany
| | - Bob B M Wong
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Victoria, Australia
| | - Daniel T Blumstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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23
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Henschen AE, Whittingham LA, Dunn PO. Male stress response is related to ornamentation but not resistance to oxidative stress in a warbler. Funct Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Amberleigh E. Henschen
- Behavioral and Molecular Ecology GroupDepartment of Biological SciencesUniversity of Wisconsin‐Milwaukee Milwaukee WI USA
| | - Linda A. Whittingham
- Behavioral and Molecular Ecology GroupDepartment of Biological SciencesUniversity of Wisconsin‐Milwaukee Milwaukee WI USA
| | - Peter O. Dunn
- Behavioral and Molecular Ecology GroupDepartment of Biological SciencesUniversity of Wisconsin‐Milwaukee Milwaukee WI USA
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24
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Leary CJ, Crocker‐Buta S. Rapid effects of elevated stress hormones on male courtship signals suggest a major role for the acute stress response in intra‐ and intersexual selection. Funct Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
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25
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Goldberg JK, Wallace AK, Weiss SL. Skin lipids of the striped plateau lizard (Sceloporus virgatus) correlate with female receptivity and reproductive quality alongside visual ornaments. Naturwissenschaften 2017; 104:81. [PMID: 28913635 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-017-1503-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2017] [Revised: 09/01/2017] [Accepted: 09/04/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Sex pheromones can perform a variety of functions ranging from revealing the location of suitable mates to being honest signals of mate quality, and they are used in the mate selection process by many species of reptile. In this study, we determined whether the skin lipids of female striped plateau lizards (Sceloporus virgatus) can predict the reproductive quality of females, thereby having the potential to serve as pheromones. Using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, we identified 17 compounds present in skin lipids of female lizards. Using principal component analysis to compare the skin lipid profile of receptive and non-receptive females, we determined that an uncharacterized compound may allow for chemical identification of receptive mates. We also compared extracted principal components to measures of female fitness and reproductive qualities and found that the level of two 18 carbon fatty acids present in a female's skin lipids may indicate her clutch size. Finally, we compared the information content of the skin lipids to that of female-specific color ornaments to assess whether chemical and visual cues transmit different information or not. We found that the chroma of a female's orange throat patch is also related to her clutch size, suggesting that chemical signals may reinforce the information communicated by visual ornamentation in this species which would support the "backup signals" hypothesis for multiple signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jay K Goldberg
- Department of Biology, University of Puget Sound, 1500 N. Warner Street, Tacoma, WA, 98416, USA.,Department of Biology, Indiana University, 107 S. Indiana Avenue, Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA
| | - Alisa K Wallace
- Department of Biology, University of Puget Sound, 1500 N. Warner Street, Tacoma, WA, 98416, USA
| | - Stacey L Weiss
- Department of Biology, University of Puget Sound, 1500 N. Warner Street, Tacoma, WA, 98416, USA.
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Fanson KV, Németh Z, Ramenofsky M, Wingfield JC, Buchanan KL. Inter‐laboratory variation in corticosterone measurement: Implications for comparative ecological and evolutionary studies. Methods Ecol Evol 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.12821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kerry V. Fanson
- Centre for Integrative Ecology School of Life and Environmental Sciences Deakin University Geelong Australia
| | - Zoltán Németh
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior University of California Davis Davis CA USA
- Department of Evolutionary Zoology MTA‐DE “Lendület” Behavioural Ecology Research Group University of Debrecen Debrecen Hungary
| | - Marilyn Ramenofsky
- Centre for Integrative Ecology School of Life and Environmental Sciences Deakin University Geelong Australia
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior University of California Davis Davis CA USA
| | - John C. Wingfield
- Centre for Integrative Ecology School of Life and Environmental Sciences Deakin University Geelong Australia
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior University of California Davis Davis CA USA
| | - Katherine L. Buchanan
- Centre for Integrative Ecology School of Life and Environmental Sciences Deakin University Geelong Australia
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27
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Moore FR, Shuker DM, Dougherty L. A response to comments on stress and sexual signaling: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Behav Ecol 2016. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arw034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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28
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Buchanan KL, Mariette MM, Crino OL. Stress and sexual traits: why are there no clear relationships? A comment on Moore et al. Behav Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arv222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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30
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