1
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Auguin E, Guinet C, Mourier J, Clua E, Gasco N, Tixier P. Behavioural heterogeneity across killer whale social units in their response to feeding opportunities from fisheries. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11448. [PMID: 38799391 PMCID: PMC11116761 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2023] [Revised: 05/06/2024] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Intra-population heterogeneity in the behavioural response of predators to changes in prey availability caused by human activities can have major evolutionary implications. Among these activities, fisheries, while extracting resources, also provide new feeding opportunities for marine top predators. However, heterogeneity in the extent to which individuals have responded to these opportunities within populations is poorly understood. Here, we used 18 years of photo-identification data paired with statistical models to assess variation in the way killer whale social units within a subantarctic population (Crozet Islands) interact with fisheries to feed on fish caught on fishing gear (i.e., depredation behaviour). Our results indicate large heterogeneity in both the spatial and temporal extents of depredation across social units. While some frequently depredated on fishery catches over large areas, others sporadically did so and in small areas consistently over the years. These findings suggest that killer whale social units are exposed to varying levels of impacts of depredation, both negative (potential retaliation from fishers) and positive (food provisioning), on their life history traits, and may explain the contrasted demographic patterns observed within the declining population at Crozet but also potentially within the many other killer whale populations documented depredating on fisheries catches worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erwan Auguin
- UMR MARBECUniversité de Montpellier‐CNRS‐IFREMER‐IRDSèteFrance
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC)UMR 7372 CNRS‐La Rochelle Université – CNRSVilliers‐en‐BoisFrance
| | - Christophe Guinet
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC)UMR 7372 CNRS‐La Rochelle Université – CNRSVilliers‐en‐BoisFrance
| | - Johann Mourier
- UMR MARBECUniversité de Montpellier‐CNRS‐IFREMER‐IRDSèteFrance
| | - Eric Clua
- Université Paris Sciences & Lettres (PSL), CRIOBE USR3278, EPHE‐CNRS‐UPVDUniversité de PerpignanPerpignanFrance
- Laboratoire D'Excellence LabEX CORAILCRIOBE, Baie OpunohuPapetoaiFrench Polynesia
| | - Nicolas Gasco
- Laboratoire de Biologie Des Organismes et Ecosystèmes Aquatiques (BOREA)UMR 8067 – MNHN, CNRS, IRD, Su, UCN, UAParisFrance
| | - Paul Tixier
- UMR MARBECUniversité de Montpellier‐CNRS‐IFREMER‐IRDSèteFrance
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2
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Kerjean E, van de Waal E, Canteloup C. Social dynamics of vervet monkeys are dependent upon group identity. iScience 2024; 27:108591. [PMID: 38299029 PMCID: PMC10829874 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2023] [Revised: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 02/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Traditions are widespread across the animal realm. Here, we investigated inter-group variability of social dynamics in wild vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus). We analyzed 84,704 social interactions involving 247 individuals collected over nine years in three neighboring groups of wild vervet monkeys. We found that in one group - Ankhase - individuals had a higher propensity to be affiliative (i.e., sociality) and grooming interactions were more reciprocal. Despite yearly fluctuations in sociality, differences between groups remained stable over time. Moreover, our statistical model predictions confirmed that these findings were maintained for similar sex ratios, age distributions, and group sizes. Strikingly, our results suggested that dispersing males adapted their sociality to the sociality of the group they integrated with. As a whole, our study sheds light on the existence of stable social dynamics dependent upon group identity in wild vervet monkeys and suggests that at least part of this variability is socially mediated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Kerjean
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland
- Research Center on Animal Cognition, Center of Integrative Biology, University of Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
| | - Erica van de Waal
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland
- Inkawu Vervet Project, Mawana Game Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
- Center for Functional Biodiversity, School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
- The Sense Innovation and Research Center, Lausanne and Sion, Vaud, Switzerland
| | - Charlotte Canteloup
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland
- Inkawu Vervet Project, Mawana Game Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
- Center for Functional Biodiversity, School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
- The Sense Innovation and Research Center, Lausanne and Sion, Vaud, Switzerland
- Laboratory of Cognitive & Adaptive Neurosciences, CNRS - UMR 7364, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
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3
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van Leeuwen EJ, Staes N, Brooker JS, Kordon S, Nolte S, Clay Z, Eens M, Stevens JM. Group-specific expressions of co-feeding tolerance in bonobos and chimpanzees preclude dichotomous species generalizations. iScience 2023; 26:108528. [PMID: 38144453 PMCID: PMC10746535 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Revised: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Bonobos are typically portrayed as more socially tolerant than chimpanzees, yet the current evidence supporting such a species-level categorization is equivocal. Here, we used validated group-level co-feeding assays to systematically test expressions of social tolerance in sixteen groups of zoo- and sanctuary-housed bonobos and chimpanzees. We found that co-feeding tolerance substantially overlaps between the species, thus precluding categorical inference at the species level. Instead, marked differences were observed between groups, with some bonobo communities exhibiting higher social tolerance than chimpanzee communities, and vice versa. Moreover, considerable intergroup variation was found within species living in the same environment, which attests to Pan's behavioral flexibility. Lastly, chimpanzees showed more tolerance in male-skewed communities, whereas bonobos responded less pronounced to sex-ratio variation. We conclude that the pervasive dichotomy between the tolerant bonobo and the belligerent chimpanzee requires quantitative nuance, and that accurate phylogenetic tracing of (human) social behavior warrants estimations of intraspecific group variation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edwin J.C. van Leeuwen
- Animal Behaviour and Cognition, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, Utrecht 3584 CA, the Netherlands
- Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
- Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, Koningin Astridplein 26, 2018 Antwerp, Belgium
- Department for Comparative Cultural Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Nicky Staes
- Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
- Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, Koningin Astridplein 26, 2018 Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Jake S. Brooker
- Psychology Department, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UK
| | - Stephanie Kordon
- Psychology Department, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UK
| | - Suska Nolte
- Animal Behaviour and Cognition, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, Utrecht 3584 CA, the Netherlands
| | - Zanna Clay
- Psychology Department, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UK
| | - Marcel Eens
- Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Jeroen M.G. Stevens
- Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
- Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, Koningin Astridplein 26, 2018 Antwerp, Belgium
- SALTO Agro- and Biotechnology, Odisee University College, Hospitaalstraat 23, 9100 Sint Niklaas, Belgium
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4
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Schneider J, Brun L, Taberlet P, Fumagalli L, van de Waal E. Molecular assessment of dietary variation in neighbouring primate groups. Methods Ecol Evol 2023. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.14078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Judith Schneider
- Laboratory for Conservation Biology, Department of Ecology and Evolution University of Lausanne Lausanne Switzerland
| | - Loïc Brun
- Laboratory for Conservation Biology, Department of Ecology and Evolution University of Lausanne Lausanne Switzerland
- Inkawu Vervet Project, Mawana Game Reserve Swart Mfolozi South Africa
| | - Pierre Taberlet
- Laboratoire d'Ecologie Alpine Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS Grenoble France
- UiT – The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø Museum Tromsø Norway
| | - Luca Fumagalli
- Laboratory for Conservation Biology, Department of Ecology and Evolution University of Lausanne Lausanne Switzerland
- Swiss Human Institute of Forensic Taphonomy, University Centre of Legal Medicine Lausanne‐Geneva Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne Lausanne Switzerland
| | - Erica van de Waal
- Inkawu Vervet Project, Mawana Game Reserve Swart Mfolozi South Africa
- Department of Ecology and Evolution University of Lausanne Lausanne Switzerland
- Centre for Functional Biodiversity, School of Life Sciences University of KwaZulu‐Natal Pietermaritzburg South Africa
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5
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Pal A, Mahato S, Leca JB, Sinha A. Blowing the lid off! Bottle-directed, extractive foraging strategies in synurbic bonnet macaques Macaca radiata in southern India. Front Psychol 2023; 13:973566. [PMID: 36755978 PMCID: PMC9900441 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.973566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2022] [Accepted: 11/18/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Nonhuman individuals and groups, living in anthropogenic landscapes, often adopt adaptive foraging strategies, mediated by their day-to-day interactions with humans and their artefacts. Exploring such novel behavioral manifestations, especially in the Anthropocene, offers us insights into behavioral innovations and their transmission in such rapidly changing ecologies. In this study, employing field experiments, we investigated an example of human-induced, extractive foraging behavior - the extraction of liquid contents from plastic bottles - in a synurbic bonnet macaque Macaca radiata population. The main aims of the study were to examine the distribution, diversity, inter-individual variability and intra-individual flexibility of bottle-directed manipulative behaviors, and to explore the social and environmental factors driving this behavioral practice. We video-recorded the manipulation of partially filled plastic bottles and the extraction of liquid across four groups of bonnet macaques in southern India. Two socio-demographic factors - age class and group membership - and one environmental factor - food provisioning - were identified as major determinants of inter-individual variation in the performance of sophisticated manipulative techniques and in bottle-opening success. Our results also suggest that age-related physical maturation, experiential trial-and-error learning, and possibly social learning contributed to the acquisition of foraging competence in this task. These findings illuminate the mechanisms underlying inter-individual behavioral variability and intra-individual behavioral flexibility amongst free-ranging individuals of a cercopithecine primate species, traditionally known for its ecological adaptability and behavioral plasticity. Finally, this study documents how the presence of humans, their artefacts and their activities facilitate the development of certain behavioral traditions in free-ranging nonhuman populations, thus providing valuable insights into how human-alloprimate relations can be restructured within the increasingly resource-competitive environments of the Anthropocene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arijit Pal
- Animal Behaviour and Cognition Programme, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore, India
| | - Santanu Mahato
- Biopsychology Laboratory and Institution of Excellence, University of Mysore, Mysore, India
| | - Jean-Baptiste Leca
- Animal Behaviour and Cognition Programme, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore, India.,Department of Psychology, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
| | - Anindya Sinha
- Animal Behaviour and Cognition Programme, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore, India.,Centre for Neuroscience, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India.,College of Humanities, Exeter University, Exeter, United Kingdom
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6
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Nolte S, Sterck EHM, van Leeuwen EJC. Does tolerance allow bonobos to outperform chimpanzees on a cooperative task? A conceptual replication of Hare et al., 2007. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:220194. [PMID: 36686553 PMCID: PMC9810421 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.220194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2022] [Accepted: 12/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Across various taxa, social tolerance is thought to facilitate cooperation, and many species are treated as having species-specific patterns of social tolerance. Yet studies that assess wild and captive bonobos and chimpanzees result in contrasting findings. By replicating a cornerstone experimental study on tolerance and cooperation in bonobos and chimpanzees (Hare et al. 2007 Cur. Biol. 17, 619-623 (doi:10.1016/j.cub.2007.02.040)), we aim to further our understanding of current discrepant findings. We tested bonobos and chimpanzees housed at the same facility in a co-feeding and cooperation task. Food was placed on dishes located on both ends or in the middle of a platform. In the co-feeding task, the tray was simply made available to the ape duos, whereas in the cooperation task the apes had to simultaneously pull at both ends of a rope attached to the platform to retrieve the food. By contrast to the published findings, bonobos and chimpanzees co-fed to a similar degree, indicating a similar level of tolerance. However, bonobos cooperated more than chimpanzees when the food was monopolizable, which replicates the original study. Our findings call into question the interpretation that at the species level bonobos cooperate to a higher degree because they are inherently more tolerant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suska Nolte
- Animal Behaviour and Cognition, Department of Biology, University Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Department of Comparative Cultural Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Elisabeth H. M. Sterck
- Animal Behaviour and Cognition, Department of Biology, University Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Animal Science Department, Biomedical Primate Research Centre, Rijswijk, The Netherlands
| | - Edwin J. C. van Leeuwen
- Animal Behaviour and Cognition, Department of Biology, University Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Department of Comparative Cultural Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
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7
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Bain M, Nagrani A, Schofield D, Berdugo S, Bessa J, Owen J, Hockings KJ, Matsuzawa T, Hayashi M, Biro D, Carvalho S, Zisserman A. Automated audiovisual behavior recognition in wild primates. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:eabi4883. [PMID: 34767448 PMCID: PMC8589313 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abi4883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2021] [Accepted: 09/23/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Large video datasets of wild animal behavior are crucial to produce longitudinal research and accelerate conservation efforts; however, large-scale behavior analyses continue to be severely constrained by time and resources. We present a deep convolutional neural network approach and fully automated pipeline to detect and track two audiovisually distinctive actions in wild chimpanzees: buttress drumming and nut cracking. Using camera trap and direct video recordings, we train action recognition models using audio and visual signatures of both behaviors, attaining high average precision (buttress drumming: 0.87 and nut cracking: 0.85), and demonstrate the potential for behavioral analysis using the automatically parsed video. Our approach produces the first automated audiovisual action recognition of wild primate behavior, setting a milestone for exploiting large datasets in ethology and conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Max Bain
- Visual Geometry Group, Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Arsha Nagrani
- Visual Geometry Group, Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Daniel Schofield
- Primate Models for Behavioural Evolution Lab, Institute of Human Sciences, School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Sophie Berdugo
- Primate Models for Behavioural Evolution Lab, Institute of Human Sciences, School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Social Body Lab, Institute of Human Sciences, School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Joana Bessa
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Jake Owen
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Kimberley J. Hockings
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Tetsuro Matsuzawa
- Division of the Humanities and Social Sciences, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Blvd., MC 228-77, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | | | - Dora Biro
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Susana Carvalho
- Primate Models for Behavioural Evolution Lab, Institute of Human Sciences, School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Gorongosa National Park, Sofala, Mozambique
- Centre for Functional Ecology, Department of Life Sciences, Coimbra University, Coimbra, Portugal
- Interdisciplinary Centre for Archaeology and Evolution of Human Behaviour, Algarve University, Faro, Portugal
| | - Andrew Zisserman
- Visual Geometry Group, Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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8
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Leeuwen EJ, Van Donink S, Eens M, Stevens JM. Group‐level variation in co‐feeding tolerance between two sanctuary‐housed communities of chimpanzees (
Pan troglodytes
). Ethology 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Edwin J.C. Leeuwen
- Department of Biology Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group University of Antwerp Wilrijk Belgium
- Centre for Research and Conservation Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp Antwerp Belgium
- Department of Comparative Cultural Psychology Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology Leipzig Germany
| | - Sanne Van Donink
- 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
| | - Jeroen M.G. Stevens
- Department of Biology Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group University of Antwerp Wilrijk Belgium
- Centre for Research and Conservation Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp Antwerp Belgium
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9
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Chimpanzees' behavioral flexibility, social tolerance, and use of tool-composites in a progressively challenging foraging problem. iScience 2021; 24:102033. [PMID: 33521600 PMCID: PMC7820130 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.102033] [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: 05/06/2020] [Revised: 09/01/2020] [Accepted: 12/31/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Behavioral flexibility is a critical ability allowing animals to respond to changes in their environment. Previous studies have found evidence of inflexibility when captive chimpanzees are faced with changing task parameters. We provided two groups of sanctuary-housed chimpanzees with a foraging task in which solutions were restricted over time. Initially, juice could be retrieved from within a tube by hand or by using tool materials, but effective solutions were then restricted by narrowing the tube, necessitating the abandonment of previous solutions and adoption of new ones. Chimpanzees responded flexibly, but one group increased their use of effective techniques to a greater extent than the other. Tool-composite techniques emerged in both groups, but primarily in the more flexible group. The more flexible group also showed higher rates of socio-positive behaviors at the task. In conjunction, these findings support the hypothesis that social tolerance may facilitate the emergence and spread of novel behaviors. Chimpanzees adapted their tool use to a change in foraging constraints Groups differed significantly in the level of behavioral flexibility observed The more flexible group showed higher rates of socio-positive behaviors at the task Tool-composite techniques were observed, primarily in the more flexible group
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10
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van Leeuwen EJC, DeTroy SE, Kaufhold SP, Dubois C, Schütte S, Call J, Haun DBM. Chimpanzees behave prosocially in a group-specific manner. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:7/9/eabc7982. [PMID: 33627415 PMCID: PMC7904267 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abc7982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2020] [Accepted: 01/14/2021] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Chimpanzees act cooperatively in the wild, but whether they afford benefits to others, and whether their tendency to act prosocially varies across communities, is unclear. Here, we show that chimpanzees from neighboring communities provide valuable resources to group members at personal cost, and that the magnitude of their prosocial behavior is group specific. Provided with a resource-donation experiment allowing free (partner) choice, we observed an increase in prosocial acts across the study period in most of the chimpanzees. When group members could profit (test condition), chimpanzees provided resources more frequently and for longer durations than when their acts produced inaccessible resources (control condition). Strikingly, chimpanzees' prosocial behavior was group specific, with more socially tolerant groups acting more prosocially. We conclude that chimpanzees may purposely behave prosocially toward group members, and that the notion of group-specific sociality in nonhuman animals should crucially inform discussions on the evolution of prosocial behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edwin J C van Leeuwen
- University of St Andrews, Westburn Lane, KY16 9JP St Andrews, Scotland.
- Behavioral Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
- Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, K. Astridplein 26, B 2018 Antwerp, Belgium
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Sarah E DeTroy
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
- Leipzig Research Centre for Early Child Development & Department for Early Child Development and Culture, Faculty of Education, Leipzig University, Jahnallee 59 04109, Germany
| | - Stephan P Kaufhold
- Department of Cognitive Science, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, San Diego, CA 92093, USA
| | - Clara Dubois
- Leipzig Research Centre for Early Child Development & Department for Early Child Development and Culture, Faculty of Education, Leipzig University, Jahnallee 59 04109, Germany
| | - Sebastian Schütte
- Department of Cognitive Science, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, San Diego, CA 92093, USA
| | - Josep Call
- University of St Andrews, Westburn Lane, KY16 9JP St Andrews, Scotland
| | - Daniel B M Haun
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
- Leipzig Research Centre for Early Child Development & Department for Early Child Development and Culture, Faculty of Education, Leipzig University, Jahnallee 59 04109, Germany
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11
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Roldan ERS. Assessments of sperm quality integrating morphology, swimming patterns, bioenergetics and cell signalling. Theriogenology 2020; 150:388-395. [PMID: 32093962 DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2020.02.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2020] [Accepted: 02/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Spermatozoa are diverse in form and function and these differences impact on their fertilizing capacity. Because of considerable inter-male and inter-species differences in sperm traits, assessments of sperm quality demand that we consider variations at different levels. We should thus pay attention not only to average values but also intra- and inter-sperm population variations and subpopulation structure. Sperm shape and size evolve in reponse to postcopulatory sexual selection. Assessments of morphological variation, with conventional microscopy or with computer-assisted systems, should bear this in mind. In rodents sperm head shape is asymmetric so it requires more complex tools, such as geometric morphometrics. Sperm function also evolves under postcopulatory sexual selection and this could be used as a basis to assess sperm performance. Sperm cells swim actively to overcome barriers in the female tract and develop a peculiar motility pattern in the final stages prior to and during fertilization. Both types of movement can be analyzed by computer-assisted microscopy systems. Sperm have high energetic demands for cell homeostasis, motility, and signalling. Bioenergetics can be analyzed by various means, including extracellular flux analyses to characterize glycolysis and mitochondrial respiration. Finally, cell signalling during capacitation has received much attention and can be assessed by microscopy (conventional or computer-assisted) or flow cytometry. Recent advances in image-flow cytometry affords analyses of high cell numbers with spatial localization of subcellular changes, which will have a big impact in the development of functional tests for the andrology clinic and in sperm preservation and use in artificial insemination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eduardo R S Roldan
- Department of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC), c/José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006, Madrid, Spain.
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