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Chaves PB, Strier KB, Di Fiore A. Paternity data reveal high MHC diversity among sires in a polygynandrous, egalitarian primate. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20231035. [PMID: 37528707 PMCID: PMC10394425 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.1035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Evidence from human and nonhuman primates suggests that females avoid breeding with close kin and may choose mates based on MHC diversity, which can improve offspring survival. In despotic societies, female mate choice may be hindered by male sexual coercion, but in egalitarian societies, females may be less constrained. Among northern muriquis-an egalitarian, polygynandrous primate with male philopatry-analyses of new data on paternity and variation at microsatellite and MHC loci, combined with behavioural and life-history data, revealed that sires showed higher MHC diversity than expected by chance and were never close kin of dams, consistent with predictions of female mate choice and close inbreeding avoidance. However, females did not differentially reproduce with males who were more distantly related to them or more dissimilar at the MHC than expected by chance, nor with those who had more MHC alleles distinct from their own. The lack of male dominance may permit females to identify and reproduce preferentially with non-offspring males and with males who are more diverse at the MHC. Nonetheless, the absence of disassortative mating at the MHC and neutral loci suggests that female mate choice may be limited by other factors impacting male fertilization success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paulo B. Chaves
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, USA
- Department of Anthropology and the Primate Molecular Ecology and Evolution Laboratory, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, USA
| | - Karen B. Strier
- Department of Anthropology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Anthony Di Fiore
- Department of Anthropology and the Primate Molecular Ecology and Evolution Laboratory, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, USA
- Tiputini Biodiversity Station, College of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Cumbayá, Ecuador
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2
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Huang W, Pilkington JG, Pemberton JM. Patterns of MHC-dependent sexual selection in a free-living population of sheep. Mol Ecol 2021; 30:6733-6742. [PMID: 33960549 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2020] [Revised: 02/18/2021] [Accepted: 04/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The MHC is one of the most polymorphic gene clusters in vertebrates and play an essential role in adaptive immunity. Apart from pathogen-mediated selection, sexual selection can also contribute to the maintenance of MHC diversity. MHC-dependent sexual selection could occur via several mechanisms but at present there is no consensus as to which of these mechanisms are involved and their importance. Previous studies have often suffered from limited genetic and behavioural data and small sample size, and were rarely able to examine all the mechanisms together, determine whether signatures of MHC-based non-random mating are independent of genomic effects or differentiate whether MHC-dependent sexual selection takes place at the pre- or post-copulatory stage. In this study, we use Monte Carlo simulation to investigate evidence for non-random MHC-dependent mating patterns by all three mechanisms in a free-living population of Soay sheep. Using 1710 sheep diplotyped at the MHC class IIa region and genome-wide SNPs, together with field observations of consorts, we found sexual selection against a particular haplotype in males at the pre-copulatory stage and sexual selection against female MHC heterozygosity during the rut. We also found MHC-dependent disassortative mating at the post-copulatory stage, along with strong evidence of inbreeding avoidance at both stages. However, results from generalized linear mixed models suggest that the pattern of MHC-dependent disassortative mating could be a by-product of inbreeding avoidance. Our results therefore suggest that while multiple apparent mechanisms of non-random mating with respect to the MHC may occur, some of them have alternative explanations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Huang
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology,School of Biological Science, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Jill G Pilkington
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology,School of Biological Science, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Josephine M Pemberton
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology,School of Biological Science, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
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3
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Zhang BY, Hu HY, Song CM, Huang K, Dunn DW, Yang X, Wang XW, Zhao HT, Wang CL, Zhang P, Li BG. MHC-Based Mate Choice in Wild Golden Snub-Nosed Monkeys. Front Genet 2020; 11:609414. [PMID: 33408742 PMCID: PMC7779673 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2020.609414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2020] [Accepted: 11/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The genes of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) are an important component of the vertebrate immune system and play a significant role in mate choice in many species. However, it remains unclear whether female mate choice in non-human primates is based on specific functional genes and/or genome-wide genes. The golden snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana) lives in a multilevel society, which consists of several polygynous one-male-several-female units. Although adult females tend to mainly socialize with one adult male, females often initiate extra-pair copulations with other males resulting in a high proportion of offspring being fathered by extra-pair males. We investigated the effects of adaptive MHC genes and neutral microsatellites on female mate choice in a wild R. roxellana population. We sequenced 54 parent-offspring triads using two MHC class II loci (Rhro-DQA1 and Rhro-DQB1) and 20 microsatellites from 3 years of data. We found that the paternities of offspring were non-randomly associated with male MHC compositions not microsatellite genotypes. Our study showed that the fathers of all infants had significantly less variance for several estimates of genetic similarity to the mothers compared with random males at both MHC loci. Additionally, the MHC diversity of these fathers was significantly higher than random males. We also found support for choice based on specific alleles; compared with random males, Rhro-DQA1∗ 05 and Rhro-DQB1∗ 08 were more common in both the OMU (one-male unit) males and the genetic fathers of offspring. This study provides new evidence for female mate choice for MHC-intermediate dissimilarity (rather than maximal MHC dissimilarity) and highlights the importance of incorporating multiple MHC loci and social structure into studies of MHC-based mate choice in non-human primates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bing-Yi Zhang
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - Han-Yu Hu
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - Chun-Mei Song
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - Kang Huang
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - Derek W Dunn
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - Xi Yang
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | | | - Hai-Tao Zhao
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China.,Shaanxi Institute of Zoology, Xi'an, China
| | - Cheng-Liang Wang
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China.,Shaanxi Institute of Zoology, Xi'an, China
| | - Pei Zhang
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - Bao-Guo Li
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China.,Xi'an Branch of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an, China
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4
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Silveira L, Garner SR, Neff BD. Similarity at the major histocompatibility complex class II does not influence mating patterns in bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-020-2822-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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5
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Gaigher A, Burri R, San-Jose LM, Roulin A, Fumagalli L. Lack of statistical power as a major limitation in understanding MHC-mediated immunocompetence in wild vertebrate populations. Mol Ecol 2019; 28:5115-5132. [PMID: 31614047 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2018] [Revised: 10/07/2019] [Accepted: 10/11/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Disentangling the sources of variation in developing an effective immune response against pathogens is of major interest to immunoecology and evolutionary biology. To date, the link between immunocompetence and genetic variation at the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) has received little attention in wild animals, despite the key role of MHC genes in activating the adaptive immune system. Although several studies point to a link between MHC and immunocompetence, negative findings have also been reported. Such disparate findings suggest that limited statistical power might be affecting studies on this topic, owing to insufficient sample sizes and/or a generally small effect of MHC on the immunocompetence of wild vertebrates. To clarify this issue, we investigated the link between MHC variation and seven immunocompetence proxies in a large sample of barn owls and estimated the effect sizes and statistical power of this and published studies on this topic. We found that MHC poorly explained variation in immunocompetence of barn owls, with small-to-moderate associations between MHC and immunocompetence in owls (effect size: .1 ≥ r ≤ .3) similar to other vertebrates studied to date. Such small-to-moderate effects were largely associated with insufficient power, which was only sufficient (>0.8) to detect moderate-to-large effect sizes (r ≥ .3). Thus, studies linking MHC variation with immunocompetence in wild populations are underpowered to detect MHC effects, which are likely to be of generally small magnitude. Larger sample sizes (>200) will be required to achieve sufficient power in future studies aiming to robustly test for a link between MHC variation and immunocompetence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arnaud Gaigher
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Laboratory for Conservation Biology, Biophore, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Department of Computational Biology, Génopode, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.,CIBIO-InBIO, Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, University of Porto, Vairão, Portugal
| | - Reto Burri
- Department of Population Ecology, Institute of Ecology & Evolution, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Luis M San-Jose
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Biophore, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Laboratoire Évolution & Diversité Biologique, UMR 5174, CNRS, Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
| | - Alexandre Roulin
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Biophore, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Luca Fumagalli
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Laboratory for Conservation Biology, Biophore, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
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Meléndez-Rosa J, Bi K, Lacey EA. Genomic analysis of MHC-based mate choice in the monogamous California mouse. Behav Ecol 2018; 29:1167-1180. [PMID: 30214134 PMCID: PMC6129947 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ary096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2017] [Revised: 06/13/2018] [Accepted: 06/22/2018] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Variation at Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) genes is thought to be an important mechanism underlying mate choice in vertebrates, with individuals typically predicted to prefer MHC-dissimilar reproductive partners. However, analyses based on individual MHC loci have generated contradictory results regarding the role of these genes in mate-choice decisions. To provide a more comprehensive assessment of relationships between MHC variation and mating behavior, we used an exome capture strategy to characterize variability at 13 MHC loci, 312 innate immune system genes, and 1044 nonimmune genes in 25 obligate monogamous pairs of California mice (Peromyscus californicus) from 2 free-living populations of this species in Monterey County, California. Pairwise genotypic comparisons and analyses of SNP-based allelic differences failed to detect disassortative mating based on MHC variability; reproductive partners were not more dissimilar than randomly generated male-female pairs at MHC, innate or nonimmune loci. Within populations, individuals tended to be more closely related at MHC genes than at innate or nonimmune genes. Consistent with the functional role of immunogenes, the 2 study populations were highly differentiated at MHC and innate genes but not at nonimmune loci. Collectively, our results suggest that MHC genetic variation in California mice reflects local differences in pathogen exposure rather than disassortative mating based on variability at MHC Class I and II genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesyka Meléndez-Rosa
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley Valley Life Sciences Bldg., Berkeley, CA
| | - Ke Bi
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley Valley Life Sciences Bldg., Berkeley, CA
- Computational Genomics Resource, MC University of California, Berkeley, CA
| | - Eileen A Lacey
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley Valley Life Sciences Bldg., Berkeley, CA
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Hoover B, Alcaide M, Jennings S, Sin SYW, Edwards SV, Nevitt GA. Ecology can inform genetics: Disassortative mating contributes to MHC polymorphism in Leach's storm-petrels (Oceanodroma leucorhoa). Mol Ecol 2018; 27:3371-3385. [PMID: 30010226 DOI: 10.1111/mec.14801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2018] [Revised: 05/31/2018] [Accepted: 06/20/2018] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Studies of MHC-based mate choice in wild populations often test hypotheses on species exhibiting female choice and male-male competition, which reflects the general prevalence of females as the choosy sex in natural systems. Here, we examined mutual mate-choice patterns in a small burrow-nesting seabird, the Leach's storm-petrel (Oceanodroma leucorhoa), using the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). The life history and ecology of this species are extreme: both partners work together to fledge a single chick during the breeding season, a task that requires regularly travelling hundreds of kilometres to and from foraging grounds over a 6- to 8-week provisioning period. Using a 5-year data set unprecedented for this species (n = 1078 adults and 925 chicks), we found a positive relationship between variation in the likelihood of female reproductive success and heterozygosity at Ocle-DAB2, a MHC class IIB locus. Contrary to previous reports rejecting disassortative mating as a mechanism for maintaining genetic polymorphism in this species, here we show that males make significant disassortative mate-choice decisions. Variability in female reproductive success suggests that the most common homozygous females (Ocle-DAB2*01/Ocle-DAB2*01) may be physiologically disadvantaged and, therefore, less preferred as lifelong partners for choosy males. The results from this study support the role of mate choice in maintaining high levels of MHC variability in a wild seabird species and highlight the need to incorporate a broader ecological framework and sufficient sample sizes into studies of MHC-based mating patterns in wild populations in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian Hoover
- Graduate Group in Ecology, University of California, Davis, California
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, University of California, Davis, California
| | - Miguel Alcaide
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Sarah Jennings
- Graduate Group in Ecology, University of California, Davis, California
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, University of California, Davis, California
| | - Simon Yung Wa Sin
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
| | - Scott V Edwards
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Gabrielle A Nevitt
- Graduate Group in Ecology, University of California, Davis, California
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, University of California, Davis, California
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Riffell JA, Rowe AH. Neuroecology: Neural Mechanisms of Sensory and Motor Processes that Mediate Ecologically Relevant Behaviors: An Introduction to the Symposium. Integr Comp Biol 2016; 56:853-855. [DOI: 10.1093/icb/icw109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
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