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Case BF, Groffen J, Galligan TM, Bodinof Jachowski CM, Hallagan JJ, Hildreth SB, Alaasam V, Keith Ray W, Helm RF, Hopkins WA. Androgen and glucocorticoid profiles throughout extended uniparental paternal care in the eastern hellbender salamander (Cryptobranchus a. alleganiensis). Gen Comp Endocrinol 2024; 355:114547. [PMID: 38772453 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2024.114547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2023] [Revised: 05/08/2024] [Accepted: 05/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/23/2024]
Abstract
The behavioral endocrinology associated with reproduction and uniparental male care has been studied in teleosts, but little is known about hormonal correlates of uniparental male care in other ectotherms. To address this gap, we are the first to document the seasonal steroid endocrinology of uniparental male hellbender salamanders during the transition from pre-breeding to nest initiation, and through the subsequent eight months of paternal care. In doing so, we investigated the correlates of nest fate and clutch size, exploring hellbenders' alignment with several endocrinological patterns observed in uniparental male fish. Understanding the endocrinology of hellbender paternal care is also vital from a conservation perspective because high rates of nest failure were recently identified as a factor causing population declines in this imperiled species. We corroborated previous findings demonstrating testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) to be the primary androgens in hellbender reproduction, and that cortisol circulates as the most abundant glucocorticoid. However, we were unable to identify a prolactin or a "prolactin-like" peptide in circulation prior to or during parental care. We observed ∼ 80 % declines in both primary androgens during the transition from pre-breeding to nest initiation, and again as paternal care progressed past its first month. In the days immediately following nest initiation, testosterone and DHT trended higher in successful individuals, but did not differ with males' clutch size. We did not observe meaningful seasonality in baseline glucocorticoids associated with breeding or nesting. In contrast, stress-induced glucocorticoids were highest at pre-breeding and through the first two months of care, before declining during the latter-most periods of care as larvae approach emergence from the nest. Neither baseline nor stress-induced glucocorticoids varied significantly with either nest fate or clutch size. Both stress-induced cortisol and corticosterone were positively correlated with total length, a proxy for age in adult hellbenders. This is consistent with age-related patterns in some vertebrates, but the first such pattern observed in a wild amphibian population. Generally, we found that nesting hellbenders adhere to some but not all of the endocrinological patterns observed in uniparental male teleosts prior to and during parental care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian F Case
- Virginia Tech, Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA.
| | - Jordy Groffen
- Virginia Tech, Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
| | - Thomas M Galligan
- Virginia Tech, Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
| | | | - John J Hallagan
- Virginia Tech, Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
| | - Sherry B Hildreth
- Virginia Tech, Fralin Life Sciences Institute, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
| | - Valentina Alaasam
- Virginia Tech, Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
| | - W Keith Ray
- Virginia Tech, Fralin Life Sciences Institute, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
| | - Richard F Helm
- Virginia Tech, Department of Biochemistry, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
| | - William A Hopkins
- Virginia Tech, Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
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2
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Blom EL, Dekhla IK, Bertram MG, Manera JL, Kvarnemo C, Svensson O. Anthropogenic noise disrupts early-life development in a fish with paternal care. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 935:173055. [PMID: 38723952 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2023] [Revised: 05/06/2024] [Accepted: 05/06/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024]
Abstract
Anthropogenic noise is a global pollutant but its potential impacts on early life-stages in fishes are largely unknown. Here, using controlled laboratory experiments, we tested for impacts of continuous or intermittent exposure to low-frequency broadband noise on early life-stages of the common goby (Pomatoschistus microps), a marine fish with exclusive paternal care. Neither continuous nor intermittent noise exposure had an effect on filial cannibalism, showing that males were capable and willing to care for their broods. However, broods reared in continuous noise covered a smaller area and contained fewer eggs than control broods. Moreover, although developmental rate was the same in all treatments, larvae reared by males in continuous noise had, on average, a smaller yolk sac at hatching than those reared in the intermittent noise and control treatments, while larvae body length did not differ. Thus, it appears that the increased consumption of the yolk sac reserve was not utilised for increased growth. This suggests that exposure to noise in early life-stages affects fitness-related traits of surviving offspring, given the crucial importance of the yolk sac reserve during the early life of pelagic larvae. More broadly, our findings highlight the wide-ranging impacts of anthropogenic noise on aquatic wildlife living in an increasingly noisy world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva-Lotta Blom
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå SE-907 36, Sweden.
| | - Isabelle K Dekhla
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Box 463, SE-405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Michael G Bertram
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå SE-907 36, Sweden; Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm 114 18, Sweden; School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne 3800, Australia
| | - Jack L Manera
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne 3800, Australia
| | - Charlotta Kvarnemo
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Box 463, SE-405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden; The Linnaeus Centre for Marine Evolutionary Biology, University of Gothenburg, Box 460, SE-405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Ola Svensson
- The Linnaeus Centre for Marine Evolutionary Biology, University of Gothenburg, Box 460, SE-405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden; Department of Educational Work, University of Borås, SE-501 90 Borås, Sweden
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3
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Pollo P, Lagisz M, Yang Y, Culina A, Nakagawa S. Synthesis of sexual selection: a systematic map of meta-analyses with bibliometric analysis. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2024. [PMID: 38982618 DOI: 10.1111/brv.13117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2023] [Revised: 06/16/2024] [Accepted: 06/19/2024] [Indexed: 07/11/2024]
Abstract
Sexual selection has been a popular subject within evolutionary biology because of its central role in explaining odd and counterintuitive traits observed in nature. Consequently, the literature associated with this field of study became vast. Meta-analytical studies attempting to draw inferences from this literature have now accumulated, varying in scope and quality, thus calling for a synthesis of these syntheses. We conducted a systematic literature search to create a systematic map with a report appraisal of meta-analyses on topics associated with sexual selection, aiming to identify the conceptual and methodological gaps in this secondary literature. We also conducted bibliometric analyses to explore whether these gaps are associated with the gender and origin of the authors of these meta-analyses. We included 152 meta-analytical studies in our systematic map. We found that most meta-analyses focused on males and on certain animal groups (e.g. birds), indicating severe sex and taxonomic biases. The topics in these studies varied greatly, from proximate (e.g. relationship of ornaments with other traits) to ultimate questions (e.g. formal estimates of sexual selection strength), although the former were more common. We also observed several common methodological issues in these studies, such as lack of detailed information regarding searches, screening, and analyses, which ultimately impairs the reliability of many of these meta-analyses. In addition, most of the meta-analyses' authors were men affiliated to institutions from developed countries, pointing to both gender and geographical authorship biases. Most importantly, we found that certain authorship aspects were associated with conceptual and methodological issues in meta-analytical studies. Many of our findings might simply reflect patterns in the current state of the primary literature and academia, suggesting that our study can serve as an indicator of issues within the field of sexual selection at large. Based on our findings, we provide both conceptual and analytical recommendations to improve future studies in the field of sexual selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pietro Pollo
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Gate 9 High St., Kensington, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Malgorzata Lagisz
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Gate 9 High St., Kensington, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Yefeng Yang
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Gate 9 High St., Kensington, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Antica Culina
- Ruđer Bošković Institute, Bijenička Cesta 54, Zagreb, 10000, Croatia
| | - Shinichi Nakagawa
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Gate 9 High St., Kensington, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
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4
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Kuroda KO, Fukumitsu K, Kurachi T, Ohmura N, Shiraishi Y, Yoshihara C. Parental brain through time: The origin and development of the neural circuit of mammalian parenting. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2024; 1534:24-44. [PMID: 38426943 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.15111] [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] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
This review consolidates current knowledge on mammalian parental care, focusing on its neural mechanisms, evolutionary origins, and derivatives. Neurobiological studies have identified specific neurons in the medial preoptic area as crucial for parental care. Unexpectedly, these neurons are characterized by the expression of molecules signaling satiety, such as calcitonin receptor and BRS3, and overlap with neurons involved in the reproductive behaviors of males but not females. A synthesis of comparative ecology and paleontology suggests an evolutionary scenario for mammalian parental care, possibly stemming from male-biased guarding of offspring in basal vertebrates. The terrestrial transition of tetrapods led to prolonged egg retention in females and the emergence of amniotes, skewing care toward females. The nocturnal adaptation of Mesozoic mammalian ancestors reinforced maternal care for lactation and thermal regulation via endothermy, potentially introducing metabolic gate control in parenting neurons. The established maternal care may have served as the precursor for paternal and cooperative care in mammals and also fostered the development of group living, which may have further contributed to the emergence of empathy and altruism. These evolution-informed working hypotheses require empirical validation, yet they offer promising avenues to investigate the neural underpinnings of mammalian social behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kumi O Kuroda
- RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, Japan
- School of Life Sciences and Technologies, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Kansai Fukumitsu
- RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, Japan
- Department of Physiology, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, Toyoake, Japan
| | - Takuma Kurachi
- RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, Japan
- Department of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Nami Ohmura
- RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, Japan
- Center for Brain, Mind and Kansei Sciences Research, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Yuko Shiraishi
- RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, Japan
- Kawamura Gakuen Woman's University, Chiba, Japan
| | - Chihiro Yoshihara
- RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, Japan
- School of Life Sciences and Technologies, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Kanagawa, Japan
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5
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Li GY, Li YC, Liu H. Maternal Care Behavior and Its Consequences in Competition. INSECTS 2024; 15:236. [PMID: 38667366 PMCID: PMC11050391 DOI: 10.3390/insects15040236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2024] [Revised: 03/26/2024] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
Parental care behavior has evolved as a life history strategy to improve reproductive success, particularly in organisms facing challenging environments. However, the variation in maternal care, such as egg-guarding behavior in response to the social environment and the associated ecological consequence of competition, remains largely unknown. This study addresses a gap in current knowledge by examining the plasticity of maternal care behavior in the predatory mite C. eruditus and its impact on offspring survival and intra- and interspecific competition. Our results demonstrated that the reproductive females frequently exhibit egg-guarding behaviors, with enhanced maternal care efforts when the interspecific competitor is present. Egg masses are significantly more vulnerable to predation in the absence of maternal care. Guarding females increased egg survival rates and adversely influenced the survival of both con- and heterospecific competitors, with higher mortality rates being detected. Our findings highlight the ecological significance of maternal care behaviors and suggest that releasing C. eruditus and Neoseiulus cucumeris (Oudemans) together is not recommended for pest management in storage products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guang-Yun Li
- Key Laboratory of Entomology and Pest Control Engineering, College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Biosafety and Green Production of Upper Yangtze River (Ministry of Education), Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Yu-Chuang Li
- Key Laboratory of Entomology and Pest Control Engineering, College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Biosafety and Green Production of Upper Yangtze River (Ministry of Education), Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Huai Liu
- Key Laboratory of Entomology and Pest Control Engineering, College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Biosafety and Green Production of Upper Yangtze River (Ministry of Education), Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
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6
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Moran AL, Lobert GT, Toh MWA. Spawning and larval development of Colossendeis megalonyx, a giant Antarctic sea spider. Ecology 2024; 105:e4258. [PMID: 38343147 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.4258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Revised: 11/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Amy L Moran
- School of Life Sciences, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
| | - Graham T Lobert
- School of Life Sciences, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
| | - Ming Wei Aaron Toh
- School of Life Sciences, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
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7
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Valencia-Aguilar A, Ringler E, Lüpold S, Guayasamin JM, Prado CPA. Evolutionary trade-offs between testes size and parenting in Neotropical glassfrogs. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20240054. [PMID: 38351799 PMCID: PMC10865008 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2024.0054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2024] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024] Open
Abstract
In males, large testes size signifies high sperm production and is commonly linked to heightened sperm competition levels. It may also evolve as a response to an elevated risk of sperm depletion due to multiple mating or large clutch sizes. Conversely, weapons, mate or clutch guarding may allow individuals to monopolize mating events and preclude sperm competition, thereby reducing the selection of large testes. Herein, we examined how paternal care, sexual size dimorphism (SSD), weaponry and female fecundity are linked to testes size in glassfrogs. We found that paternal care was associated with a reduction in relative testes size, suggesting an evolutionary trade-off between testes size and parenting. Although females were slightly larger than males and species with paternal care tended to have larger clutches, there was no significant relationship between SSD, clutch size and relative testes size. These findings suggest that the evolution of testes size in glassfrogs is influenced by sperm competition risk, rather than sperm depletion risk. We infer that clutch guarding precludes the risk of fertilization by other males and consequently diminishes selective pressure for larger testes. Our study highlights the prominent role of paternal care in the evolution of testes size in species with external fertilization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anyelet Valencia-Aguilar
- Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, Evolução e Biodiversidade, Instituto de Biociências, São Paulo State University (Unesp), Rio Claro, São Paulo 13506-900, Brazil
- Division of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, 3032 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Eva Ringler
- Division of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, 3032 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Stefan Lüpold
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Juan M. Guayasamin
- Instituto Biósfera USFQ, Laboratorio de Biología Evolutiva, Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ Cumbayá, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Cynthia P. A. Prado
- Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, Evolução e Biodiversidade, Instituto de Biociências, São Paulo State University (Unesp), Rio Claro, São Paulo 13506-900, Brazil
- Departamento de Morfologia e Fisiologia Animal, FCAV, São Paulo State University (Unesp), Jaboticabal, São Paulo 14884-900, Brazil
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8
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Machado G, Macedo-Rego RC. Benefits and costs of female and male care in amphibians: a meta-analytical approach. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20231759. [PMID: 37935362 PMCID: PMC10645127 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.1759] [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: 08/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The origin of parental care is a central question in evolutionary biology, and understating the evolution of this behaviour requires quantifying benefits and costs. To address this subject, we conducted a meta-analysis on amphibians, a group in which parental care has evolved multiple times. We found that both male and female parents increase egg survival, regardless of whether the breeding site is concealed or exposed. Parental care also increases survival and growth of tadpoles and juveniles, independent of the caring sex. However, parental care reduces parental body condition, particularly when parents remain stationary near the offspring. Females tend to experience higher reproductive costs, but sample size is restricted to few species. In some frog species, paternal care increases male reproductive success because females prefer caring males. The benefits of parental care in amphibians resembles those reported for arthropods but differ from fish, in which parental care does not improve offspring survival. Moreover, the decrease in body condition, which is not found in fish, is influenced by the form of parental care, suggesting a trade-off between caring and foraging, as already reported for certain arthropods. Finally, the reproductive costs of parental care for both sexes remain unexplored and deserve further research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Glauco Machado
- LAGE do Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Renato C. Macedo-Rego
- LAGE do Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- Departamento de Biologia Geral, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil
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9
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Chau KD, Shamekh M, Huisken J, Rehan SM. The effects of maternal care on the developmental transcriptome and metatranscriptome of a wild bee. Commun Biol 2023; 6:904. [PMID: 37709905 PMCID: PMC10502028 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05275-2] [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: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Maternal care acts as a strong environmental stimulus that can induce phenotypic plasticity in animals and may also alter their microbial communities through development. Here, we characterize the developmental metatranscriptome of the small carpenter bee, Ceratina calcarata, across developmental stages and in the presence or absence of mothers. Maternal care had the most influence during early development, with the greatest number and magnitude of differentially expressed genes between maternal care treatments, and enrichment for transcription factors regulating immune response in motherless early larvae. Metatranscriptomic data revealed fungi to be the most abundant group in the microbiome, with Aspergillus the most abundant in early larvae raised without mothers. Finally, integrative analysis between host transcriptome and metatranscriptome highlights several fungi correlating with developmental and immunity genes. Our results provide characterizations of the influence of maternal care on gene expression and the microbiome through development in a wild bee.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jesse Huisken
- Department of Biology, York University, Toronto, Canada
| | - Sandra M Rehan
- Department of Biology, York University, Toronto, Canada.
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10
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Zimmermann H, Sefc KM, Bose APH. Single fathers sacrifice their broods and re-mate quickly in a socially monogamous cichlid. Behav Ecol 2023; 34:881-890. [PMID: 37744163 PMCID: PMC10516675 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arad045] [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: 01/26/2023] [Revised: 03/27/2023] [Accepted: 05/20/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023] Open
Abstract
When one of two parents disappears in the midst of caring for offspring, the remaining parent is left with several options. They can either (1) desert the brood, (2) continue caring on their own and reject propositions from new potential partners, or (3) continue caring but remain receptive to re-mating opportunities. The presence of a brood may increase re-mating success of single parents, either because brood care is perceived as a signal of partner quality, or because prospective mates perceive the brood as potential energy source. In this field experiment, we used the socially monogamous, biparental cichlid fish Variabilichromis moorii to examine the re-mating strategy of males with or without dependent offspring after the loss of their female partner. Partner vacancies were filled quickly by new females, and these females engaged in high levels of affiliative behavior with the males. The new females engaged in territorial defense, but focused primarily against intruding conspecifics, likely as a means to repel rivals. The males, in turn, took over the majority of territorial defense against intruding heterospecifics. Interestingly, males that still had offspring from their previous partnerships did not show aggression toward their new female partners, even when those females were infanticidal and cannibalizing the males' current offspring. Overall, our experiment shows that single fathers of a biparental species will re-mate quickly even at the detriment to their current offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Holger Zimmermann
- Institute of Biology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010 Graz, Austria
| | - Kristina M Sefc
- Institute of Biology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010 Graz, Austria
| | - Aneesh P H Bose
- Institute of Biology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010 Graz, Austria
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11
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Chung MHJ, Barber I, Head ML. Long-term environmental stability does not erode plasticity in nest building responses to changing ambient conditions. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20220154. [PMID: 37427465 PMCID: PMC10331907 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0154] [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: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 07/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The primary function of animal nests is to protect developing offspring from hostile and fluctuating environments. Animal builders have been shown to adjust nest construction in response to changes in their environment. However, the extent of this plasticity, and its dependence on an evolutionary history of environmental variability, is not well understood. To test whether an evolutionary history with flowing water impacts male ability to adjust nests in response to flow regime, we collected three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) from three lakes and three rivers, and brought them into reproductive condition in controlled laboratory aquaria. Males were then allowed to nest under both flowing and static conditions. Nest building behaviour, nest structure and nest composition were all recorded. In comparison to males building nests under static conditions, males building in flowing water took longer to construct their nests and invested more in nesting behaviour. Moreover, nests built in flowing water contained less material, were smaller, more compact, neater and more elongated than nests built under static conditions. Whether males came from rivers or lakes had little impact on nesting activities, or male capacity to adjust behaviours in response to flow treatment. Our findings suggest that aquatic animals which have experienced a stable environment over a long period of time retain plasticity in nest-building behaviours that allow them to adjust nests to ambient flow conditions. This ability may prove crucial in coping with the increasingly unpredictable flow regimes found in anthropogenically altered waterways and those resulting from global climate change. This article is part of the theme issue 'The evolutionary ecology of nests: a cross-taxon approach'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng-Han Joseph Chung
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, 2601, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Iain Barber
- Department of Life Sciences, Aberystwyth University, SY23 3DA, Aberystwyth, UK
| | - Megan L. Head
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, 2601, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
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12
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Solís-Mendoza M, Chassin-Noria O, Pérez Hernández CL, Mendoza-Cuenca L. Reproductive benefits and reduced investment in parental care behavior associated with reproductive groups of males in Abudefduf troschelii. PeerJ 2023; 11:e15804. [PMID: 37576512 PMCID: PMC10414026 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.15804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Fishes of the family Pomacentridae present a wide diversity of mating systems, ranging from polygyny to promiscuity and from individual territorial defense to the establishment of reproductive colonies of males. The damselfish species Abudefduf troschelii has a reproductive colony mating system, in which males temporarily aggregate in reproductive areas to court and attract females. Males defend an individual territory where they receive eggs and perform paternal care behaviors for their offspring. The present study evaluated the advantages of the colonial mating system in A. troschelii. During an entire reproductive period, in a breeding colony within a rocky reef, we located, marked, geo-referenced, and measured the distances between the territories of all males. We quantified the variance among males in their patterns of paternal care investment, eggs acquired, hatching success, reproductive success, body size, and changes in body coloration. We found that males spatially distributed their nests in groups or independently (i.e., solitary nests). Nesting groups are formed by larger males that show intense nuptial coloration during the entire receptivity period. They are located centrally to the colony and consist of three to six males whose territories overlap. In contrast, small solitary males that fail to acquire or maintain nuptial coloration during the receptivity period establish their nests peripherally to the colony, away from the territories of other males. Our results highlight that the reproductive benefits of colonial nesting are unequal for males, as the spatial distribution of nests within the colony determines the reproductive success of males. Group nesting confers the highest reproductive benefits to males regarding eggs obtained, hatching success, and relative fitness and also enables males to reduce their parental investment in brood care behaviors. The preference of females for oviposition could be associated with greater intrasexual competitiveness, defense ability, body condition, or experience of group-nesting males located at the center of the colony or because their progeny will have a lower probability of predation than they would in solitary nests males.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariana Solís-Mendoza
- Facultad de Biología/Centro Multidisciplinario de Estudios en Biotecnología, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico
| | - Omar Chassin-Noria
- Facultad de Biología/Centro Multidisciplinario de Estudios en Biotecnología, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico
| | - Carlos Levi Pérez Hernández
- Laboratorio de Ecología de la Conducta/Facultad de Biología, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico
| | - Luis Mendoza-Cuenca
- Laboratorio de Ecología de la Conducta/Facultad de Biología, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico
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13
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Lika K, Augustine S, Kooijman SALM. The comparative energetics of the ray-finned fish in an evolutionary context. CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 10:coac039. [PMID: 35811597 PMCID: PMC9258789 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coac039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2021] [Revised: 04/13/2022] [Accepted: 06/30/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
To address challenges in management and conservation of fishes and fisheries it is essential to understand their life histories and energetics. The Add-my-Pet (AmP) collection of data on energetics and Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) parameters currently contains 1150 of the 40000 extant species of fish. It gives 250-280 traits per species, depending on the model type that was applied, such as maximum reserve capacity, lifespan, specific respiration and precociality index, based on which the ray-finned fish (Actinopterygii) was compared with the four other fish classes (Cyclostomata, Chondrichthyes, Actinistia, Dipnoi) and the Tetrapoda. The Actinopterygii are the only vertebrate class that shows metabolic acceleration, and clearly so in only three sub-clades. Different from chondrichthyans, quite a few species follow the waste-to-hurry strategy, especially small bodied freshwater fish such as tropical annual killifish, but also in small minnows and darters in continental climates. We briefly discuss links between waste-to-hurry, which is associated with a large specific somatic maintenance, and sensitivity for pesticides. We discuss why this interferes with the physical co-variation between maximum reserve capacity and ultimate structural length or weight and explains why maximum reserve capacity increases with body length in chondrichthyans, but not in actinopterygians. Reserve capacity has relevance, e.g. mass-specific maintenance, starvation and the kinetics of lipophyllic compounds (such as pesticides), since reserve is relatively rich in lipids in fish. Also, unlike chondrichthyans, the size at birth is very small and not linked to ultimate size; we discuss the implications. Actinopterygians allocate more to soma, compared with chondrichthyans; the latter allocate more to maturity or reproduction. Actinopterygians, Actinistia and Dipnoi are near the supply-end of the supply-demand spectrum, while chondrichthyans clearly show demand properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Konstadia Lika
- Department of Biology, University of Crete, Voutes University Campus, 70013, Heraklion, Greece
| | - Starrlight Augustine
- Akvaplan-niva, Fram High North Research Centre for Climate and the Environment, Postboks 6606, 9296 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Sebastiaan A L M Kooijman
- Department of Theoretical Biology, VU University Amsterdam, de Boelelaan 1087, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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14
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Abecia JE, King AJ, Luiz OJ, Crook DA, Wedd D, Banks SC. Diverse parentage relationships in paternal mouthbrooding fishes. Biol Lett 2022; 18:20210576. [PMID: 35506241 PMCID: PMC9065974 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2021.0576] [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] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
While mouthbrooding is not an uncommon parental care strategy in fishes, paternal mouthbrooding only occurs in eight fish families and is little studied. The high cost of paternal mouthbrooding to the male implies a low risk of investment in another male's offspring but genetic parentage patterns are poorly known for paternal mouthbrooders. Here, we used single-nucleotide polymorphism genetic data to investigate parentage relationships of broods of two mouthbrooders of northern Australian rivers, mouth almighty Glossamia aprion and blue catfish Neoarius graeffei. For N. graeffei, we found that the parentage pattern was largely monogamous with the brooder male as the sire. For G. aprion, the parentage pattern was more heterogeneous including observations of monogamous broods with the brooder male as the sire (73%), polygyny (13%), cuckoldry (6%) and a brood genetically unrelated to the brooder male (6%). Findings demonstrate the potential for complex interrelationships of male care, paternity confidence and mating behaviour in mouthbrooding fishes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janine E Abecia
- Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University, Ellengowan Drive, Casuarina, NT 0810, Australia
| | - Alison J King
- Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University, Ellengowan Drive, Casuarina, NT 0810, Australia.,Centre for Freshwater Ecosystems, La Trobe University, Albury/Wodonga Campus, Vic 3690, Australia
| | - Osmar J Luiz
- Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University, Ellengowan Drive, Casuarina, NT 0810, Australia
| | - David A Crook
- Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University, Ellengowan Drive, Casuarina, NT 0810, Australia.,Centre for Freshwater Ecosystems, La Trobe University, Albury/Wodonga Campus, Vic 3690, Australia
| | - Dion Wedd
- Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University, Ellengowan Drive, Casuarina, NT 0810, Australia
| | - Sam C Banks
- Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University, Ellengowan Drive, Casuarina, NT 0810, Australia
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15
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Lin T, Liu X, Zhang D, Li S. Extensive parental care experience of male seahorses increases their future mating attractiveness. Curr Zool 2022; 69:106-108. [PMID: 36974142 PMCID: PMC10039172 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoac017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2022] [Accepted: 03/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Tingting Lin
- Key Laboratory of East China Sea Fishery Resources Exploitation, Ministry of Agriculture; East China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Shanghai, 200090, China
| | - Xin Liu
- Key Laboratory of East China Sea Fishery Resources Exploitation, Ministry of Agriculture; East China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Shanghai, 200090, China
| | - Dong Zhang
- Key Laboratory of East China Sea Fishery Resources Exploitation, Ministry of Agriculture; East China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Shanghai, 200090, China
| | - Siping Li
- Key Laboratory of East China Sea Fishery Resources Exploitation, Ministry of Agriculture; East China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Shanghai, 200090, China
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16
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Crowley PH, Tentelier C. Resolving conflict over within-pair mating rate in external fertilizers. J Theor Biol 2022; 532:110926. [PMID: 34627862 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2021.110926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2021] [Revised: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Besides egg fertilization, females of many taxa obtain direct fitness benefits from male mates, such as food, protection or paternal care. But males often increase their own fitness by mating with several females, among which they distribute sperm along with the above-mentioned benefits, reducing the benefits to individual females. These diverging interests lead to a conflict in which each female may try to ensure male fidelity and get exclusive access to male-provided benefits. Here, we use a theoretical model to show how a female of an externally fertilizing species may achieve mate fidelity by soliciting copulations at such a rate that the male has insufficient sperm left to increase his fitness with additional females. We show that three alternative condition-dependent evolutionarily stable mating relationships emerge in this scenario, based on whether one mate's preference for mating rate dominates, or the conflict is resolved by what amounts to negotiation. We demonstrate how these outcomes depend on some features of physiology, ecology, and behavior. In particular, a greater reproductive benefit to a female from exclusive access to a male partner-or the occasional tendency of females to withhold eggs during mating-can increase male fidelity; and continuous sperm regeneration rather than an initially-set stock of sperm allows for multiple within-pair mating across all three mating patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip H Crowley
- Department of Biology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506, USA; Universite de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, E2S UPPA, INRAE, ECOBIOP, Saint-Pée-sur-Nivelle, France.
| | - Cédric Tentelier
- Universite de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, E2S UPPA, INRAE, ECOBIOP, Saint-Pée-sur-Nivelle, France.
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17
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Hellmann JK, Carlson ER, Bell AM. The interplay between sperm-mediated and care-mediated paternal effects in threespine sticklebacks. Anim Behav 2021; 179:267-277. [PMID: 34658382 PMCID: PMC8513676 DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The environment experienced by one generation can influence the phenotypes of future generations. Because parental cues can be conveyed to offspring at multiple points in time, ranging from fertilization to posthatching/parturition, offspring can potentially receive multiple cues from their parents via different mechanisms. We have relatively little information regarding how different mechanisms operate in isolation and in tandem, but it is possible, for example, that offspring phenotypes induced by nongenetic changes to gametes may be amplified by, mitigated by, or depend upon parental care. Here, we manipulated paternal experience with predation risk prior to fertilization in threespine stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus, and then examined the potential of paternal care to mitigate and/or amplify sperm-mediated paternal effects. Specifically, we compared (1) offspring of predator-exposed fathers who were reared without paternal care, (2) offspring of predator-exposed fathers who were reared with paternal care, (3) offspring of control (unexposed) fathers who were reared without paternal care and (4) offspring of control fathers who were reared with paternal care. We found that offspring of predator-exposed fathers were less active and had higher cortisol following a simulated predator attack. Although predator-exposed males shifted their paternal care behaviours - reduced fanning early in egg development and increased fanning right before egg hatching compared to control males - this shift in paternal behavior did not appear to affect offspring traits. This suggests that paternal care neither amplifies nor compensates for these phenotypic effects induced by sperm and that nongenetic changes induced by sperm may occur independently of nongenetic changes induced by paternal care. Overall, these results underscore the importance of considering how parents may have multiple nongenetic mechanisms by which they can influence offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer K. Hellmann
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, U.S.A
| | - Erika R. Carlson
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, U.S.A
| | - Alison M. Bell
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, U.S.A
- Program in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, U.S.A
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Goldberg RL, Downing PA, Griffin AS, Green JP. The costs and benefits of paternal care in fish: a meta-analysis. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20201759. [PMID: 32933439 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.1759] [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] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Male-only parental care, while rare in most animals, is a widespread strategy within teleost fish. The costs and benefits to males of acting as sole carer are highly variable among fish species making it challenging to determine the selective pressures driving the evolution of male-only care to such a high prevalence. We conducted a phylogenetic meta-analysis to examine the costs and benefits of paternal care across fish species. We found no evidence that providing care negatively affects male condition. In contrast with other taxa, we also found limited evidence that male care has evolved as a strategy to improve offspring survival. Instead, we found that males already caring for a brood are preferred by females and that this preference is strongest in those species in which males work harder to care for larger broods. Thus, in fish, investment in offspring care does not constrain a male's mating success but rather augments it, suggesting that the relatively high prevalence of male-only care in fish may be in part explained by sexual selection through female preference for caring males.
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