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Schlicht L, Santema P, Kempenaers B. Start and end of daily activity predict extrapair siring success independently of age in male blue tits. Anim Behav 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2023.01.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/23/2023]
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2
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Intrinsic individual variation in daily activity onset and plastic responses on temporal but not spatial scales in female great tits. Sci Rep 2022; 12:18022. [PMID: 36289438 PMCID: PMC9605954 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-22935-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 10/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
In a variety of species, individuals appear to be consistent in the daily timing of their activity onset. Such consistent among-individual differences can result from both intrinsic factors, as individuals may e.g. differ genetically, and extrinsic factors, as the environment may vary on spatial and temporal scales. However, previous studies typically did not differentiate between their respective contributions on individual variation in the timing of activities. Here, we repeatedly measured the onset of activity in female great tits (Parus major) on consecutive days during the egg laying phase of the breeding season in four consecutive years. Subsequently, we used a variance partitioning analysis in order to determine which part of the total variation could be attributed to intrinsic (female identity) and extrinsic (nest box identity) factors. Overall, 27% of the total variation could be attributed to female identity. In addition, we found temporal variation in the activity onset, indicating that individuals can plastically adjust their timing. Yet despite their general ability to change the timing of activities over time, spatial environmental factors did not contribute significantly to the observed variation. Individuals may choose a habitat that matches the preferred timing of activities, or might not benefit from adjusting their timing to environmental factors that might vary on spatial scales.
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3
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Meijdam M, Müller W, Thys B, Eens M. No relationship between chronotype and timing of breeding when variation in daily activity patterns across the breeding season is taken into account. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e9353. [PMID: 36188525 PMCID: PMC9490139 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Revised: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 09/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
There is increasing evidence that individuals are consistent in the timing of their daily activities, and that individual variation in temporal behavior is related to the timing of reproduction. However, it remains unclear whether observed patterns relate to the timing of the onset of activity or whether an early onset of activity extends the time that is available for foraging. This may then again facilitate reproduction. Furthermore, the timing of activity onset and offset may vary across the breeding season, which may complicate studying the above‐mentioned relationships. Here, we examined in a wild population of great tits (Parus major) whether an early clutch initiation date may be related to an early onset of activity and/or to longer active daylengths. We also investigated how these parameters are affected by the date of measurement. To test these hypotheses, we measured emergence and entry time from/into the nest box as proxies for activity onset and offset in females during the egg laying phase. We then determined active daylength. Both emergence time and active daylength were related to clutch initiation date. However, a more detailed analysis showed that the timing of activities with respect to sunrise and sunset varied throughout the breeding season both within and among individuals. The observed positive relationships are hence potentially statistical artifacts. After methodologically correcting for this date effect, by using data from the pre‐egg laying phase, where all individuals were measured on the same days, neither of the relationships remained significant. Taking methodological pitfalls and temporal variation into account may hence be crucial for understanding the significance of chronotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marjolein Meijdam
- Department of Biology, Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group University of Antwerp Wilrijk Belgium
| | - Wendt Müller
- Department of Biology, Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group University of Antwerp Wilrijk Belgium
| | - Bert Thys
- Department of Biology, Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group University of Antwerp Wilrijk Belgium
| | - Marcel Eens
- Department of Biology, Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group University of Antwerp Wilrijk Belgium
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4
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Population-specific association of Clock gene polymorphism with annual cycle timing in stonechats. Sci Rep 2022; 12:7947. [PMID: 35562382 PMCID: PMC9106710 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-11158-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2021] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Timing is essential for survival and reproduction of organisms across the tree of life. The core circadian clock gene Clk is involved in the regulation of annual timing events and shows highly conserved sequence homology across vertebrates except for one variable region of poly-glutamine repeats. Clk genotype varies in some species with latitude, seasonal timing and migration. However, findings are inconsistent, difficult to disentangle from environmental responses, and biased towards high latitudes. Here we combine field data with a common-garden experiment to study associations of Clk polymorphism with latitude, migration and annual-cycle timing within the stonechat species complex across its trans-equatorial distribution range. Our dataset includes 950 records from 717 individuals from nine populations with diverse migratory strategies. Gene diversity was lowest in resident African and Canary Island populations and increased with latitude, independently of migration distance. Repeat length and annual-cycle timing was linked in a population-specific way. Specifically, equatorial African stonechats showed delayed timing with longer repeat length for all annual-cycle stages. Our data suggest that at low latitudes with nearly constant photoperiod, Clk genotype might orchestrate a range of consistent, individual chronotypes. In contrast, the influence of Clk on annual-cycle timing at higher latitudes might be mediated by its interactions with genes involved in (circadian) photoperiodic pathways.
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Das B, de Bekker C. Time-course RNASeq of Camponotus floridanus forager and nurse ant brains indicate links between plasticity in the biological clock and behavioral division of labor. BMC Genomics 2022; 23:57. [PMID: 35033027 PMCID: PMC8760764 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-021-08282-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 12/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Circadian clocks allow organisms to anticipate daily fluctuations in their environment by driving rhythms in physiology and behavior. Inter-organismal differences in daily rhythms, called chronotypes, exist and can shift with age. In ants, age, caste-related behavior and chronotype appear to be linked. Brood-tending nurse ants are usually younger individuals and show “around-the-clock” activity. With age or in the absence of brood, nurses transition into foraging ants that show daily rhythms in activity. Ants can adaptively shift between these behavioral castes and caste-associated chronotypes depending on social context. We investigated how changes in daily gene expression could be contributing to such behavioral plasticity in Camponotus floridanus carpenter ants by combining time-course behavioral assays and RNA-Sequencing of forager and nurse brains. Results We found that nurse brains have three times fewer 24 h oscillating genes than foragers. However, several hundred genes that oscillated every 24 h in forager brains showed robust 8 h oscillations in nurses, including the core clock genes Period and Shaggy. These differentially rhythmic genes consisted of several components of the circadian entrainment and output pathway, including genes said to be involved in regulating insect locomotory behavior. We also found that Vitellogenin, known to regulate division of labor in social insects, showed robust 24 h oscillations in nurse brains but not in foragers. Finally, we found significant overlap between genes differentially expressed between the two ant castes and genes that show ultradian rhythms in daily expression. Conclusion This study provides a first look at the chronobiological differences in gene expression between forager and nurse ant brains. This endeavor allowed us to identify a putative molecular mechanism underlying plastic timekeeping: several components of the ant circadian clock and its output can seemingly oscillate at different harmonics of the circadian rhythm. We propose that such chronobiological plasticity has evolved to allow for distinct regulatory networks that underlie behavioral castes, while supporting swift caste transitions in response to colony demands. Behavioral division of labor is common among social insects. The links between chronobiological and behavioral plasticity that we found in C. floridanus, thus, likely represent a more general phenomenon that warrants further investigation. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12864-021-08282-x.
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Affiliation(s)
- Biplabendu Das
- Department of Biology, College of Sciences, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, 32816, USA. .,Genomics and Bioinformatics Cluster, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, 32816, USA.
| | - Charissa de Bekker
- Department of Biology, College of Sciences, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, 32816, USA. .,Genomics and Bioinformatics Cluster, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, 32816, USA.
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6
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de Bekker C, Beckerson WC, Elya C. Mechanisms behind the Madness: How Do Zombie-Making Fungal Entomopathogens Affect Host Behavior To Increase Transmission? mBio 2021; 12:e0187221. [PMID: 34607463 PMCID: PMC8546595 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01872-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Transmission is a crucial step in all pathogen life cycles. As such, certain species have evolved complex traits that increase their chances to find and invade new hosts. Fungal species that hijack insect behaviors are evident examples. Many of these "zombie-making" entomopathogens cause their hosts to exhibit heightened activity, seek out elevated positions, and display body postures that promote spore dispersal, all with specific circadian timing. Answering how fungal entomopathogens manipulate their hosts will increase our understanding of molecular aspects underlying fungus-insect interactions, pathogen-host coevolution, and the regulation of animal behavior. It may also lead to the discovery of novel bioactive compounds, given that the fungi involved have traditionally been understudied. This minireview summarizes and discusses recent work on zombie-making fungi of the orders Hypocreales and Entomophthorales that has resulted in hypotheses regarding the mechanisms that drive fungal manipulation of insect behavior. We discuss mechanical processes, host chemical signaling pathways, and fungal secreted effectors proposed to be involved in establishing pathogen-adaptive behaviors. Additionally, we touch on effectors' possible modes of action and how the convergent evolution of host manipulation could have given rise to the many parallels in observed behaviors across fungus-insect systems and beyond. However, the hypothesized mechanisms of behavior manipulation have yet to be proven. We, therefore, also suggest avenues of research that would move the field toward a more quantitative future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charissa de Bekker
- Department of Biology, College of Sciences, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA
- Genomics and Bioinformatics Cluster, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA
| | - William C. Beckerson
- Department of Biology, College of Sciences, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA
- Genomics and Bioinformatics Cluster, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA
| | - Carolyn Elya
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
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7
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Elderbrock EK, Hau M, Greives TJ. Sex steroids modulate circadian behavioral rhythms in captive animals, but does this matter in the wild? Horm Behav 2021; 128:104900. [PMID: 33245879 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2020.104900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [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: 07/14/2020] [Revised: 10/21/2020] [Accepted: 11/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Nearly all organisms alter physiological and behavioral activities across the twenty-four-hour day. Endogenous timekeeping mechanisms, which are responsive to environmental and internal cues, allow organisms to anticipate predictable environmental changes and time their daily activities. Among-individual variation in the chronotype, or phenotypic output of these timekeeping mechanisms (i.e. timing of daily behaviors), is often observed in organisms studied under naturalistic environmental conditions. The neuroendocrine system, including sex steroids, has been implicated in the regulation and modulation of endogenous clocks and their behavioral outputs. Numerous studies have found clear evidence that sex steroids modulate circadian and daily timing of activities in captive animals under controlled conditions. However, little is known about how sex steroids influence daily behavioral rhythms in wild organisms or what, if any, implication this may have for survival and reproductive fitness. Here we review the evidence that sex steroids modulate daily timing in vertebrates under controlled conditions. We then discuss how this relationship may be relevant for the reproductive success and fitness of wild organisms and discuss the limited evidence that sex steroids modulate circadian rhythms in wild organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily K Elderbrock
- North Dakota State University, Department of Biological Sciences, Fargo, ND, USA.
| | - Michaela Hau
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Evolutionary Physiology Research Group, Seewiesen, Germany; University of Konstanz, Department of Biology, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Timothy J Greives
- North Dakota State University, Department of Biological Sciences, Fargo, ND, USA
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9
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Leinonen PH, Salmela MJ, Greenham K, McClung CR, Willis JH. Populations Are Differentiated in Biological Rhythms without Explicit Elevational Clines in the Plant Mimulus laciniatus. J Biol Rhythms 2020; 35:452-464. [PMID: 32628567 PMCID: PMC7534027 DOI: 10.1177/0748730420936408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Environmental variation along an elevational gradient can yield phenotypic differentiation resulting from varying selection pressures on plant traits related to seasonal responses. Thus, genetic clines can evolve in a suite of traits, including the circadian clock, that drives daily cycling in varied traits and that shares its genetic background with adaptation to seasonality. We used populations of annual Mimulus laciniatus from different elevations in the Sierra Nevada in California to explore among-population differentiation in the circadian clock, flowering responses to photoperiod, and phenological traits (days to cotyledon emergence, days to flowering, and days to seed ripening) in controlled common-garden conditions. Further, we examined correlations of these traits with environmental variables related to temperature and precipitation. We observed that the circadian period in leaf movement was differentiated among populations sampled within about 100 km, with population means varying by 1.6 h. Significant local genetic variation occurred within 2 populations in which circadian period among families varied by up to 1.8 h. Replicated treatments with variable ecologically relevant photoperiods revealed marked population differentiation in critical day length for flowering that ranged from 11.0 to 14.1 h, corresponding to the time period between late February and mid-May in the wild. Flowering time varied among populations in a 14-h photoperiod. Regardless of this substantial population-level diversity, obvious linear clinality in trait variability across elevations could not be determined based on our genotypic sample; it is possible that more complex spatial patterns of variation arise in complex terrains such as those in the Sierra Nevada. Moreover, we did not find statistically significant bivariate correlations between population means of different traits. Our research contributes to the understanding of genetic variation in the circadian clock and in seasonal responses in natural populations, highlighting the need for more comprehensive investigations on the association between the clock and other adaptive traits in plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Päivi H Leinonen
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.,Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Matti J Salmela
- Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Helsinki, Finland
| | - Kathleen Greenham
- Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
| | - C Robertson McClung
- Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
| | - John H Willis
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
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10
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Maury C, Serota M, Williams T. Plasticity in diurnal activity and temporal phenotype during parental care in European starlings, Sturnus vulgaris. Anim Behav 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
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11
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Greives TJ, Bowden RM. The World Is Not Flat: Accounting for the Dynamic Nature of the Environment as We Move Beyond Static Experimental Manipulations. Integr Comp Biol 2019; 59:1033-1037. [PMID: 31504583 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icz131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Although we have long understood that environmental variation affects both physiology and behavior, historically, most studies have limited or simplified environmental variation to focus more directly on traits of interest. Recently, a number of investigators have turned their focus toward attempting to incorporate such variation into studies of physiology and behavior, and not surprisingly, are finding that the results from studies that include more realistic variation, both from the environment as well as in physiological processes within individuals, can differ substantially from those of studies that attempt to hold the parameters constant. Understanding the role that this dynamic variation plays in shaping phenotypes is critical given that, under most predictions from future climate change models, increased variability in factors such as temperature and rainfall are predicted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy J Greives
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Dakota State University, 201 Stevens Hall, 1340 Bolley Drive, Fargo, ND 58108-6050, USA
| | - Rachel M Bowden
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL 61790-4120, USA
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12
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Rittenhouse JL, Robart AR, Watts HE. Variation in chronotype is associated with migratory timing in a songbird. Biol Lett 2019; 15:20190453. [PMID: 31455169 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2019.0453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Like many organisms, birds exhibit daily (circadian) and seasonal biological rhythms, and within populations both daily and seasonal timing often vary among individuals. Because photoperiod interacts with the circadian rhythms of many organisms to induce seasonal changes in behaviour and physiology, it is hypothesized that differences in daily timing, called chronotypes, underpin differences among individuals in the timing of seasonal events. For seasonal events stimulated by increasing daylength, this hypothesis predicts a positive relationship between the timing of daily and seasonal activities of individuals, with advanced chronotypes expressing events earlier in the year. The few previous tests of this hypothesis have focused on seasonal reproductive timing in birds. However, the hypothesis predicts that this relationship should extend to other photoinduced seasonal events. Therefore, we tested whether variation in chronotype was associated with variation in spring migratory timing in a captive songbird model, the pine siskin (Spinus pinus). We found that pine siskins expressing migratory restlessness exhibited repeatable chronotypes in their timing of nocturnal activity. Further, chronotype was significantly associated with the onset date of migratory behaviour, consistent with the hypothesized relationship between chronotype and seasonal timing.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ashley R Robart
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Heather E Watts
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA.,Center for Reproductive Biology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
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13
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Graham JL, Needham KB, Bertucci EM, Pearson AA, Bauer CM, Greives TJ. Onset of Daily Activity in a Female Songbird Is Related to Peak-Induced Estradiol Levels. Integr Comp Biol 2019; 59:1059-1067. [DOI: 10.1093/icb/icz112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Research in captive birds and mammals has demonstrated that circadian (i.e., daily) behavioral rhythms are altered in response to increases in sex-steroid hormones. Recently, we and others have demonstrated a high degree of individual repeatability in peak (gonadotropin-releasing hormone [GnRH]-induced sex) steroid levels, and we have found that these GnRH-induced levels are highly correlated with their daily (night-time) endogenous peak. Whether or not individual variation in organization and activity of the reproductive endocrine axis is related to daily timing in wild animals is not well known. To begin to explore these possible links, we tested the hypothesis that maximal levels of the sex steroid hormone estradiol (E2) and onset of daily activity are related in a female songbird, the dark-eyed junco (Junco hyemalis). We found that females with higher levels of GnRH-induced E2 departed from their nest in the morning significantly earlier than females with lower stimulated levels. We did not observe a relationship between testosterone and this measure of onset of activity. Our findings suggest an interaction between an individual’s reproductive endocrine axis and the circadian system and variation observed in an individuals’ daily activity onset. We suggest future studies examine the relationship between maximal sex-steroid hormones and timing of daily activity onset.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica L Graham
- Ecologie Comportementale, Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE), Centre National De La Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), 1919 Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier 5, France
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Dakota State University, 201 Stevens Hall, 1340 Bolley Drive, Fargo, ND 58108-6050, USA
| | - Katie B Needham
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Dakota State University, 201 Stevens Hall, 1340 Bolley Drive, Fargo, ND 58108-6050, USA
| | - Emily M Bertucci
- School of Ecology, University of Georgia, 140 E Green Street, Athens, GA 30602-2202, USA
| | - Alexis A Pearson
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Dakota State University, 201 Stevens Hall, 1340 Bolley Drive, Fargo, ND 58108-6050, USA
| | - Carolyn M Bauer
- Department of Biology, Adelphi University, 1 South Ave, Garden City, NY 11530, USA
| | - Timothy J Greives
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Dakota State University, 201 Stevens Hall, 1340 Bolley Drive, Fargo, ND 58108-6050, USA
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14
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Salmela MJ, Weinig C. The fitness benefits of genetic variation in circadian clock regulation. CURRENT OPINION IN PLANT BIOLOGY 2019; 49:86-93. [PMID: 31302588 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2019.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2018] [Revised: 05/31/2019] [Accepted: 06/04/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Functional circadian clocks are essential for fitness in diverse ecosystems, facilitating detection of predictable light-dark and temperature cycles. The molecular basis of endogenous clocks is variable across the tree of life, but it has one omnipresent attribute: natural genetic diversity that manifests as variation for instance in circadian period length around the hypothesised optimum of 24 hours. Latitudinal variation in photoperiod alone is unlikely to account for the vast diversity documented in varied organisms, but we have yet to achieve a solid understanding of the interplay between clock variability and natural selection. Recent circadian studies sampling populations have drawn attention to the hierarchical structure of genetic diversity in the wild, unveiling pronounced genetic variation even on a scale of metres.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matti J Salmela
- Natural Resources Institute Finland, Latokartanonkaari 9, 00790 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Cynthia Weinig
- Department of Botany, 3165, University of Wyoming, 1000 E. University Ave., Laramie, WY 82071, USA; Program in Ecology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071, USA; Department of Molecular Biology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071, USA.
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15
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Gwinner H, Capilla-Lasheras P, Cooper C, Helm B. 'Green incubation': avian offspring benefit from aromatic nest herbs through improved parental incubation behaviour. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 285:rspb.2018.0376. [PMID: 29875299 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.0376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2018] [Accepted: 05/14/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Development of avian embryos requires thermal energy, usually from parents. Parents may, however, trade off catering for embryonic requirements against their own need to forage through intermittent incubation. This dynamically adjusted behaviour can be affected by properties of the nest. Here, we experimentally show a novel mechanism by which parents, through incorporation of aromatic herbs into nests, effectively modify their incubation behaviour to the benefit of their offspring. Our study species, the European starling, includes in its nest aromatic herbs which promote offspring fitness. We provided wild starlings with artificial nests including or excluding the typically selected fresh herbs and found strong support for our prediction of facilitated incubation. Herb effects were not explained by thermal changes of the nests per se, but by modified parental behaviours. Egg temperatures and nest attendance were higher in herb than herbless nests, egg temperatures dropped less frequently below critical thresholds and parents started their active day earlier. These effects were dynamic over time and particularly strong during early incubation. Incubation period was shorter in herb nests, and nestlings were heavier one week after hatching. Aromatic herbs hence influenced incubation in beneficial ways for offspring, possibly through pharmacological effects on incubating parents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helga Gwinner
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max-Planck-Institut für Ornithologie, 82319 Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Pablo Capilla-Lasheras
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Cornwall TR10 9EZ, UK
| | - Caren Cooper
- Department of Forestry & Environmental Resources, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27601, USA.,North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, NC 27601, USA
| | - Barbara Helm
- BAHCM, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK .,Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
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16
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Martorell-Barceló M, Campos-Candela A, Alós J. Fitness consequences of fish circadian behavioural variation in exploited marine environments. PeerJ 2018; 6:e4814. [PMID: 29796349 PMCID: PMC5961624 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.4814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2018] [Accepted: 04/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The selective properties of fishing that influence behavioural traits have recently gained interest. Recent acoustic tracking experiments have revealed between-individual differences in the circadian behavioural traits of marine free-living fish; these differences are consistent across time and ecological contexts and generate different chronotypes. Here, we hypothesised that the directional selection resulting from fishing influences the wild circadian behavioural variation and affects differently to individuals in the same population differing in certain traits such as awakening time or rest onset time. We developed a spatially explicit social-ecological individual-based model (IBM) to test this hypothesis. The parametrisation of our IBM was fully based on empirical data; which represent a fishery formed by patchily distributed diurnal resident fish that are exploited by a fleet of mobile boats (mostly bottom fisheries). We ran our IBM with and without the observed circadian behavioural variation and estimated selection gradients as a quantitative measure of trait change. Our simulations revealed significant and strong selection gradients against early-riser chronotypes when compared with other behavioural and life-history traits. Significant selection gradients were consistent across a wide range of fishing effort scenarios. Our theoretical findings enhance our understanding of the selective properties of fishing by bridging the gaps among three traditionally separated fields: fisheries science, behavioural ecology and chronobiology. We derive some general predictions from our theoretical findings and outline a list of empirical research needs that are required to further understand the causes and consequences of circadian behavioural variation in marine fish.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Andrea Campos-Candela
- Instituto Mediterráneo de Estudios Avanzados, IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB), Esporles, Spain.,Universidad de Alicante, Alicante, Spain
| | - Josep Alós
- Instituto Mediterráneo de Estudios Avanzados, IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB), Esporles, Spain
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17
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Salmela MJ, McMinn RL, Guadagno CR, Ewers BE, Weinig C. Circadian Rhythms and Reproductive Phenology Covary in a Natural Plant Population. J Biol Rhythms 2018; 33:245-254. [DOI: 10.1177/0748730418764525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Robby L. McMinn
- Department of Botany, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming
- Program in Ecology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming
| | | | - Brent E. Ewers
- Department of Botany, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming
- Program in Ecology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming
| | - Cynthia Weinig
- Department of Botany, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming
- Program in Ecology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming
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Helm B, Visser ME, Schwartz W, Kronfeld-Schor N, Gerkema M, Piersma T, Bloch G. Two sides of a coin: ecological and chronobiological perspectives of timing in the wild. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2017; 372:20160246. [PMID: 28993490 PMCID: PMC5647273 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2016.0246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/20/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Most processes within organisms, and most interactions between organisms and their environment, have distinct time profiles. The temporal coordination of such processes is crucial across levels of biological organization, but disciplines differ widely in their approaches to study timing. Such differences are accentuated between ecologists, who are centrally concerned with a holistic view of an organism in relation to its external environment, and chronobiologists, who emphasize internal timekeeping within an organism and the mechanisms of its adjustment to the environment. We argue that ecological and chronobiological perspectives are complementary, and that studies at the intersection will enable both fields to jointly overcome obstacles that currently hinder progress. However, to achieve this integration, we first have to cross some conceptual barriers, clarifying prohibitively inaccessible terminologies. We critically assess main assumptions and concepts in either field, as well as their common interests. Both approaches intersect in their need to understand the extent and regulation of temporal plasticity, and in the concept of 'chronotype', i.e. the characteristic temporal properties of individuals which are the targets of natural and sexual selection. We then highlight promising developments, point out open questions, acknowledge difficulties and propose directions for further integration of ecological and chronobiological perspectives through Wild Clock research.This article is part of the themed issue 'Wild Clocks: integrating chronobiology and ecology to understand timekeeping in free-living animals'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Helm
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Graham Kerr Building, Glasgow G128QQ, UK
| | - Marcel E Visser
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), PO 50, 6700 AB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - William Schwartz
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 55 Lake Avenue North, Worcester, MA, USA
| | | | - Menno Gerkema
- Chronobiology, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Theunis Piersma
- NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Department of Coastal Systems and Utrecht University, 1790 AB Den Burg, Texel, The Netherlands
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Guy Bloch
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, The A. Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Hebrew University, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
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