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Tang C, Han Z, Liu Z, Li W, Shen J, Zhang K, Mai S, Li J, Sun X, Chen X, Li H, Wang L, Liang J, Liao M, Feng J, Wang C, Wang J, Ye L, Yang Y, Xie S, Shi X, Zeng K, Zhang X, Cheng X, Zhang K, Guo Y, Yang H, Xu Y, Tong Q, Yu H, Chen P, Peng H, Sun X. A Soft-Fiber Bioelectronic Device with Axon-Like Architecture Enables Reliable Neural Recording In Vivo under Vigorous Activities. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2024; 36:e2407874. [PMID: 39054698 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202407874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2024] [Revised: 07/15/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024]
Abstract
Implantable neural devices that record neurons in various states, including static states, light activities such as walking, and vigorous activities such as running, offer opportunities for understanding brain functions and dysfunctions. However, recording neurons under vigorous activities remains a long-standing challenge because it leads to intense brain deformation. Thus, three key requirements are needed simultaneously for neural devices, that is, low modulus, low specific interfacial impedance, and high electrical conductivity, to realize stable device/brain interfaces and high-quality transmission of neural signals. However, they always contradict each other in current material strategies. Here, a soft fiber neural device capable of stably tracking individual neurons in the deep brain of medium-sized animals under vigorous activity is reported. Inspired by the axon architecture, this fiber neural device is constructed with a conductive gel fiber possessing a network-in-liquid structure using conjugated polymers and liquid matrices and then insulated with soft fluorine rubber. This strategy reconciles the contradictions and simultaneously confers the fiber neural device with low modulus (300 kPa), low specific impedance (579 kΩ µm2), and high electrical conductivity (32 700 S m-1) - ≈1-3 times higher than hydrogels. Stable single-unit spike tracking in running cats, which promises new opportunities for neuroscience is demonstrated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chengqiang Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Department of Macromolecular Science, Institute of Fiber Materials and Devices, and Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Zhengqi Han
- Vision Research Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Ziwei Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Department of Macromolecular Science, Institute of Fiber Materials and Devices, and Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Wenjun Li
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Department of Macromolecular Science, Institute of Fiber Materials and Devices, and Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Jiahao Shen
- Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China
| | - Kailin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Department of Macromolecular Science, Institute of Fiber Materials and Devices, and Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Shuting Mai
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Department of Macromolecular Science, Institute of Fiber Materials and Devices, and Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Jinyan Li
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Department of Macromolecular Science, Institute of Fiber Materials and Devices, and Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Xiao Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Department of Macromolecular Science, Institute of Fiber Materials and Devices, and Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Xingfei Chen
- Vision Research Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Hongjian Li
- Vision Research Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Liyuan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Department of Macromolecular Science, Institute of Fiber Materials and Devices, and Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Jiaheng Liang
- Vision Research Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Meng Liao
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Department of Macromolecular Science, Institute of Fiber Materials and Devices, and Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Jianyou Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Department of Macromolecular Science, Institute of Fiber Materials and Devices, and Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Chuang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Department of Macromolecular Science, Institute of Fiber Materials and Devices, and Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Jiajia Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Department of Macromolecular Science, Institute of Fiber Materials and Devices, and Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Lei Ye
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Department of Macromolecular Science, Institute of Fiber Materials and Devices, and Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Yiqing Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Department of Macromolecular Science, Institute of Fiber Materials and Devices, and Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Songlin Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Department of Macromolecular Science, Institute of Fiber Materials and Devices, and Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Xiang Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Department of Macromolecular Science, Institute of Fiber Materials and Devices, and Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Kaiwen Zeng
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Department of Macromolecular Science, Institute of Fiber Materials and Devices, and Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Xuefeng Zhang
- School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China
| | - Xiangran Cheng
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Department of Macromolecular Science, Institute of Fiber Materials and Devices, and Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Kun Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Department of Macromolecular Science, Institute of Fiber Materials and Devices, and Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Yue Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Department of Macromolecular Science, Institute of Fiber Materials and Devices, and Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Han Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Department of Macromolecular Science, Institute of Fiber Materials and Devices, and Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Yifei Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Department of Macromolecular Science, Institute of Fiber Materials and Devices, and Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Qi Tong
- Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China
| | - Hongbo Yu
- Vision Research Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Peining Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Department of Macromolecular Science, Institute of Fiber Materials and Devices, and Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Huisheng Peng
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Department of Macromolecular Science, Institute of Fiber Materials and Devices, and Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Xuemei Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Department of Macromolecular Science, Institute of Fiber Materials and Devices, and Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
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Dantzer B. Frank Beach Award Winner: The centrality of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in dealing with environmental change across temporal scales. Horm Behav 2023; 150:105311. [PMID: 36707334 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2023.105311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2022] [Revised: 01/02/2023] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Understanding if and how individuals and populations cope with environmental change is an enduring question in evolutionary ecology that has renewed importance given the pace of change in the Anthropocene. Two evolutionary strategies of coping with environmental change may be particularly important in rapidly changing environments: adaptive phenotypic plasticity and/or bet hedging. Adaptive plasticity could enable individuals to match their phenotypes to the expected environment if there is an accurate cue predicting the selective environment. Diversifying bet hedging involves the production of seemingly random phenotypes in an unpredictable environment, some of which may be adaptive. Here, I review the central role of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and glucocorticoids (GCs) in enabling vertebrates to cope with environmental change through adaptive plasticity and bet hedging. I first describe how the HPA axis mediates three types of adaptive plasticity to cope with environmental change (evasion, tolerance, recovery) over short timescales (e.g., 1-3 generations) before discussing how the implications of GCs on phenotype integration may depend upon the timescale under consideration. GCs can promote adaptive phenotypic integration, but their effects on phenotypic co-variation could also limit the dimensions of phenotypic space explored by animals over longer timescales. Finally, I discuss how organismal responses to environmental stressors can act as a bet hedging mechanism and therefore enhance evolvability by increasing genetic or phenotypic variability or reducing patterns of genetic and phenotypic co-variance. Together, this emphasizes the crucial role of the HPA axis in understanding fundamental questions in evolutionary ecology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben Dantzer
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, MI 48109 Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, MI 48109, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
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Gavriilidi I, De Meester G, Van Damme R, Baeckens S. How to behave when marooned: the behavioural component of the island syndrome remains underexplored. Biol Lett 2022; 18:20220030. [PMID: 35440235 PMCID: PMC9039784 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2022.0030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 03/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals on islands typically depart from their mainland relatives in assorted aspects of their biology. Because they seem to occur in concert, and to some extent evolve convergently in disparate taxa, these changes are referred to as the 'island syndrome'. While morphological, physiological and life-history components of the island syndrome have received considerable attention, much less is known about how insularity affects behaviour. In this paper, we argue why changes in personality traits and cognitive abilities can be expected to form part of the island syndrome. We provide an overview of studies that have compared personality traits and cognitive abilities between island and mainland populations, or among islands. Overall, the pickings are remarkably slim. There is evidence that animals on islands tend to be bolder than on the mainland, but effects on other personality traits go either way. The evidence for effects of insularity on cognitive abilities or style is highly circumstantial and very mixed. Finally, we consider the ecological drivers that may induce such changes, and the mechanisms through which they might occur. We conclude that our knowledge of the behavioural and cognitive responses to island environments remains limited, and we encourage behavioural biologists to make more use of these 'natural laboratories for evolution'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ioanna Gavriilidi
- Functional Morphology Lab, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
- Section of Zoology and Marine Biology, Department of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece
| | - Gilles De Meester
- Functional Morphology Lab, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Raoul Van Damme
- Functional Morphology Lab, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Simon Baeckens
- Functional Morphology Lab, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
- Evolution and Optics of Nanostructures Lab, Department of Biology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
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4
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Killen SS, Cortese D, Cotgrove L, Jolles JW, Munson A, Ioannou CC. The Potential for Physiological Performance Curves to Shape Environmental Effects on Social Behavior. Front Physiol 2021; 12:754719. [PMID: 34858209 PMCID: PMC8632012 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2021.754719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2021] [Accepted: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
As individual animals are exposed to varying environmental conditions, phenotypic plasticity will occur in a vast array of physiological traits. For example, shifts in factors such as temperature and oxygen availability can affect the energy demand, cardiovascular system, and neuromuscular function of animals that in turn impact individual behavior. Here, we argue that nonlinear changes in the physiological traits and performance of animals across environmental gradients—known as physiological performance curves—may have wide-ranging effects on the behavior of individual social group members and the functioning of animal social groups as a whole. Previous work has demonstrated how variation between individuals can have profound implications for socially living animals, as well as how environmental conditions affect social behavior. However, the importance of variation between individuals in how they respond to changing environmental conditions has so far been largely overlooked in the context of animal social behavior. First, we consider the broad effects that individual variation in performance curves may have on the behavior of socially living animals, including: (1) changes in the rank order of performance capacity among group mates across environments; (2) environment-dependent changes in the amount of among- and within-individual variation, and (3) differences among group members in terms of the environmental optima, the critical environmental limits, and the peak capacity and breadth of performance. We then consider the ecological implications of these effects for a range of socially mediated phenomena, including within-group conflict, within- and among group assortment, collective movement, social foraging, predator-prey interactions and disease and parasite transfer. We end by outlining the type of empirical work required to test the implications for physiological performance curves in social behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaun S Killen
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Daphne Cortese
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Lucy Cotgrove
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Jolle W Jolles
- Center for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (CREAF), Campus de Bellaterra (UAB), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Amelia Munson
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Christos C Ioannou
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
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5
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Yap KN, Yamada K, Zikeli S, Kiaris H, Hood WR. Evaluating endoplasmic reticulum stress and unfolded protein response through the lens of ecology and evolution. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2020; 96:541-556. [PMID: 33164297 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2020] [Revised: 10/13/2020] [Accepted: 10/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Considerable progress has been made in understanding the physiological basis for variation in the life-history patterns of animals, particularly with regard to the roles of oxidative stress and hormonal regulation. However, an underappreciated and understudied area that could play a role in mediating inter- and intraspecific variation of life history is endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, and the resulting unfolded protein response (UPRER ). ER stress response and the UPRER maintain proteostasis in cells by reducing the intracellular load of secretory proteins and enhancing protein folding capacity or initiating apoptosis in cells that cannot recover. Proper modulation of the ER stress response and execution of the UPRER allow animals to respond to intracellular and extracellular stressors and adapt to constantly changing environments. ER stress responses are heritable and there is considerable individual variation in UPRER phenotype in animals, suggesting that ER stress and UPRER phenotype can be subjected to natural selection. The variation in UPRER phenotype presumably reflects the way animals respond to ER stress and environmental challenges. Most of what we know about ER stress and the UPRER in animals has either come from biomedical studies using cell culture or from experiments involving conventional laboratory or agriculturally important models that exhibit limited genetic diversity. Furthermore, these studies involve the assessment of experimentally induced qualitative changes in gene expression as opposed to the quantitative variations that occur in naturally existing populations. Almost all of these studies were conducted in controlled settings that are often quite different from the conditions animals experience in nature. Herein, we review studies that investigated ER stress and the UPRER in relation to key life-history traits including growth and development, reproduction, bioenergetics and physical performance, and ageing and senescence. We then ask if these studies can inform us about the role of ER stress and the UPRER in mediating the aforementioned life-history traits in free-living animals. We propose that there is a need to conduct experiments pertaining to ER stress and the UPRER in ecologically relevant settings, to characterize variation in ER stress and the UPRER in free-living animals, and to relate the observed variation to key life-history traits. We urge others to integrate multiple physiological systems and investigate how interactions between ER stress and oxidative stress shape life-history trade-offs in free-living animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kang Nian Yap
- Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, 101 Rouse Life Science Building, Auburn, AL, 36849, U.S.A
| | - KayLene Yamada
- Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, 101 Rouse Life Science Building, Auburn, AL, 36849, U.S.A
| | - Shelby Zikeli
- Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, 101 Rouse Life Science Building, Auburn, AL, 36849, U.S.A
| | - Hippokratis Kiaris
- Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, and Peromyscus Genetic Stock Center, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 29208, U.S.A
| | - Wendy R Hood
- Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, 101 Rouse Life Science Building, Auburn, AL, 36849, U.S.A
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Wang AZ, Husak JF. Endurance and sprint training affect immune function differently in green anole lizards ( Anolis carolinensis). J Exp Biol 2020; 223:jeb232132. [PMID: 32917817 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.232132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2020] [Accepted: 09/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Limited resources must be partitioned among traits that enhance fitness. Although survival-related traits often trade off with reproduction, survival-related traits themselves may trade off with each other under energy limitations. Whole-organism performance and the immune system both enhance survival, yet are costly, but it is unclear how the two might trade off with each other under energy-limited conditions. Resources can be allocated to very different types of performance (e.g. aerobic endurance versus anaerobic sprinting), just as they can be allocated to different components of the immune system (e.g. innate versus acquired) to maximize survival. We forced allocation to different performance traits in green anole lizards (Anolis carolinensis) using specialized exercise training, to determine how different components of the immune system would be impacted by shifts in energy use. We measured immunocompetence in endurance-trained, sprint-trained and untrained control lizards by evaluating swelling response to phytohemagglutinin (cell-mediated immunity), antibody response to sheep red blood cells (acquired humoral immunity) and wound healing (integrated immunity). Endurance-trained lizards had reduced cell-mediated immunity, whereas sprint-trained lizards had reduced rates of wound healing. The acquired immune response was not affected by either type of training. Because each immune measure responded differently to the different types of training, our results do not support the hypothesis that simple energy limitation determines overall investment in immunity. Instead, different components of the immune system appear to be affected in ways specific to how energy is invested in performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Z Wang
- Department of Biology, University of St Thomas, St. Paul, MN 55105, USA
| | - Jerry F Husak
- Department of Biology, University of St Thomas, St. Paul, MN 55105, USA
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Bauer U, Poppinga S, Müller UK. Mechanical Ecology-Taking Biomechanics to the Field. Integr Comp Biol 2020; 60:820-828. [PMID: 32275745 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icaa018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Synopsis Interdisciplinary research can have strong and surprising synergistic effects, leading to rapid knowledge gains. Equally important, it can help to reintegrate fragmented fields across increasingly isolated specialist sub-disciplines. However, the lack of a common identifier for research "in between fields" can make it difficult to find relevant research outputs and network effectively. We illustrate and address this issue for the emerging interdisciplinary hotspot of "mechanical ecology," which we define here as the intersection of quantitative biomechanics and field ecology at the organism level. We show that an integrative approach crucially advances our understanding in both disciplines by (1) putting biomechanical mechanisms into a biologically meaningful ecological context and (2) addressing the largely neglected influence of mechanical factors in organismal and behavioral ecology. We call for the foundation of knowledge exchange platforms such as meeting symposia, special issues in journals, and focus groups dedicated to mechanical ecology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulrike Bauer
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Simon Poppinga
- Plant Biomechanics Group, Botanic Garden, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany.,Freiburg Materials Research Center (FMF), University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | - Ulrike K Müller
- Department of Biology, California State University Fresno, Fresno, CA, USA
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8
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Endothelin neurotransmitter signalling controls zebrafish social behaviour. Sci Rep 2019; 9:3040. [PMID: 30816294 PMCID: PMC6395658 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-39907-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2018] [Accepted: 01/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The formation of social groups is an adaptive behaviour that can provide protection from predators, improve foraging and facilitate social learning. However, the costs of proximity can include competition for resources, aggression and kleptoparasitism meaning that the decision whether to interact represents a trade-off. Here we show that zebrafish harbouring a mutation in endothelin receptor aa (ednraa) form less cohesive shoals than wild-types. ednraa−/− mutants exhibit heightened aggression and decreased whole-body cortisol levels suggesting that they are dominant. These behavioural changes correlate with a reduction of parvocellular arginine vasopressin (AVP)-positive neurons in the preoptic area, an increase in the size of magnocellular AVP neurons and a higher concentration of 5-HT and dopamine in the brain. Manipulation of AVP or 5-HT signalling can rescue the shoaling phenotype of ednraa−/− providing an insight into how the brain controls social interactions.
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9
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Serota MW, Williams TD. Adjustment of total activity as a response to handicapping European starlings during parental care. Anim Behav 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2018.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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11
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Yap KN, Dick MF, Guglielmo CG, Williams TD. Effects of experimental manipulation of hematocrit on avian flight performance in high- and low-altitude conditions. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018; 221:jeb.191056. [PMID: 30266786 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.191056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2018] [Accepted: 09/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Despite widely held assumptions that hematocrit (Hct) is a key determinant of aerobic capacity and exercise performance, this relationship has not often been tested rigorously in birds and results to date are mixed. Migration in birds involves high-intensity exercise for long durations at various altitudes. Therefore, it provides a good model system to examine the effect of Hct on flight performance and physiological responses of exercise at high altitude. We treated yellow-rumped warblers (Setophaga coronata) with avian erythropoietin (EPO) and anti-EPO to experimentally manipulate Hct and assessed flight performance at low and high altitudes using a hypobaric wind tunnel. We showed that anti-EPO-treated birds had lower Hct than vehicle- and EPO--treated birds post-treatment. Anti-EPO-treated birds also had marginally lower exercise performance at low altitude, committing a higher number of strikes (mistakes) in the first 30 min of flight. However, anti-EPO-treated birds performed significantly better at high altitude, attaining a higher altitude in a ramped altitude challenge to 3000 m equivalent altitude, and with a longer duration of flight at high altitude. Birds exercising at high altitude showed decreased Hct, increased glucose mobilization and decreased antioxidant capacity, regardless of treatment. In summary, we provide experimental evidence that the relationship between Hct and exercise performance is dependent on altitude. Future studies should investigate whether free-living birds adaptively modulate their Hct, potentially through a combination of erythropoiesis and plasma volume regulation (i.e. hemodilution), based on the altitude they fly at during migratory flight.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kang Nian Yap
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Morag F Dick
- Department of Biology, Advanced Facility for Avian Research, University of Western Ontario, 1393 Western Road, London, ON, N6G 1G9, Canada
| | - Christopher G Guglielmo
- Department of Biology, Advanced Facility for Avian Research, University of Western Ontario, 1393 Western Road, London, ON, N6G 1G9, Canada
| | - Tony D Williams
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6, Canada
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12
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McClelland GB, Scott GR. Evolved Mechanisms of Aerobic Performance and Hypoxia Resistance in High-Altitude Natives. Annu Rev Physiol 2018; 81:561-583. [PMID: 30256727 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-physiol-021317-121527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Comparative physiology studies of high-altitude species provide an exceptional opportunity to understand naturally evolved mechanisms of hypoxia resistance. Aerobic capacity (VO2max) is a critical performance trait under positive selection in some high-altitude taxa, and several high-altitude natives have evolved to resist the depressive effects of hypoxia on VO2max. This is associated with enhanced flux capacity through the O2 transport cascade and attenuation of the maladaptive responses to chronic hypoxia that can impair O2 transport. Some highlanders exhibit elevated rates of carbohydrate oxidation during exercise, taking advantage of its high ATP yield per mole of O2. Certain highland native animals have also evolved more oxidative muscles and can sustain high rates of lipid oxidation to support thermogenesis. The underlying mechanisms include regulatory adjustments of metabolic pathways and to gene expression networks. Therefore, the evolution of hypoxia resistance in high-altitude natives involves integrated functional changes in the pathways for O2 and substrate delivery and utilization by mitochondria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grant B McClelland
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4K1, Canada;
| | - Graham R Scott
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4K1, Canada;
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Williams TD. Physiology, activity and costs of parental care in birds. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018; 221:221/17/jeb169433. [PMID: 30201656 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.169433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Parental care is assumed to be costly in that it requires sustained, high-intensity activity sufficient to cause costs of reproduction (decreased survival and future fecundity of parents). Costs of reproduction are, in turn, thought to have a physiological basis where intense activity causes a decrease in parental condition. However, attempts to identify the physiological basis of costs of reproduction have produced mixed results. Here, I argue that in birds, the central idea that parental care represents sustained, high-intensity work might be incorrect. Specifically: (a) the duration of intense activity associated with chick-rearing might be quite limited; (b) flight, the most obvious sustained, high-intensity activity, might only represent a small component of an individual's overall activity budget; (c) some (high-quality) individuals might be able to tolerate costs of intense activity, either owing to their physiological state or because they have access to more resources, without perturbation of physiological homeostasis; and (d) individuals might utilise other mechanisms to modulate costs of activity, for example, mass loss, again avoiding more substantial physiological costs. Furthermore, I highlight the important fact that life-history theory predicts that reproductive trade-offs should only be expected under food stress. Most birds breed in spring and early summer precisely because of seasonal increases in food abundance, and so it is unclear how often parents are food stressed. Consequently, I argue that there are many reasons why costs of reproduction, and any physiological signature of these costs, might be quite rare, both temporally (in different years) and among individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tony D Williams
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada V5A 1S6
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Hollins J, Thambithurai D, Koeck B, Crespel A, Bailey DM, Cooke SJ, Lindström J, Parsons KJ, Killen SS. A physiological perspective on fisheries-induced evolution. Evol Appl 2018; 11:561-576. [PMID: 29875803 PMCID: PMC5978952 DOI: 10.1111/eva.12597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2017] [Revised: 12/22/2017] [Accepted: 01/08/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
There is increasing evidence that intense fishing pressure is not only depleting fish stocks but also causing evolutionary changes to fish populations. In particular, body size and fecundity in wild fish populations may be altered in response to the high and often size‐selective mortality exerted by fisheries. While these effects can have serious consequences for the viability of fish populations, there are also a range of traits not directly related to body size which could also affect susceptibility to capture by fishing gears—and therefore fisheries‐induced evolution (FIE)—but which have to date been ignored. For example, overlooked within the context of FIE is the likelihood that variation in physiological traits could make some individuals within species more vulnerable to capture. Specifically, traits related to energy balance (e.g., metabolic rate), swimming performance (e.g., aerobic scope), neuroendocrinology (e.g., stress responsiveness) and sensory physiology (e.g., visual acuity) are especially likely to influence vulnerability to capture through a variety of mechanisms. Selection on these traits could produce major shifts in the physiological traits within populations in response to fishing pressure that are yet to be considered but which could influence population resource requirements, resilience, species’ distributions and responses to environmental change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jack Hollins
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine University of Glasgow Glasgow UK
| | - Davide Thambithurai
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine University of Glasgow Glasgow UK
| | - Barbara Koeck
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine University of Glasgow Glasgow UK
| | - Amelie Crespel
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine University of Glasgow Glasgow UK
| | - David M Bailey
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine University of Glasgow Glasgow UK
| | - Steven J Cooke
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental Science Carleton University Ottawa ON Canada
| | - Jan Lindström
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine University of Glasgow Glasgow UK
| | - Kevin J Parsons
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine University of Glasgow Glasgow UK
| | - Shaun S Killen
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine University of Glasgow Glasgow UK
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