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McNamara KB, Dungan AM, Blackall LL, Simmons LW. Microbial biomarkers as indicators of sperm viability in an insect. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2024; 11:240734. [PMID: 39309259 PMCID: PMC11416813 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.240734] [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: 05/03/2024] [Revised: 08/02/2024] [Accepted: 08/05/2024] [Indexed: 09/25/2024]
Abstract
Our understanding of microbial variation in male reproductive tissues is poorly understood, both regarding how it varies spatially across different tissues and its ability to affect male sperm and semen quality. To redress this gap, we explored the relationship between male sperm viability and male gut and reproductive tract microbiomes in the Pacific field cricket, Teleogryllus oceanicus. We selected cohorts of males within our populations with the highest and lowest natural sperm viability and characterized the bacterial microbiota present in the gut, testes, seminal vesicle, accessory glands and the spermatophore (ejaculate) using 16S ribosomal RNA gene metabarcoding. We identified bacterial taxa corresponding to sperm viability, highlighting for the first time an association between the host's microbial communities and male competitive fertilization success. We also found significant spatial variation in bacterial community structure of reproductive tissue types. Our data demonstrate the importance of considering the microbial diversity of both the host gut and reproductive tract when investigating male fertility in wildlife and potentially human clinical settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn B. McNamara
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Royal Parade, Parkville, Victoria3010, Australia
| | - Ashley M. Dungan
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Royal Parade, Parkville, Victoria3010, Australia
| | - Linda L. Blackall
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Royal Parade, Parkville, Victoria3010, Australia
| | - Leigh W. Simmons
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology & School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley 6009, Western Australia, Australia
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Morimoto J. Optimum ratio of dietary protein and carbohydrate that maximises lifespan is shared among related insect species. Aging Cell 2024; 23:e14067. [PMID: 38093527 PMCID: PMC10928577 DOI: 10.1111/acel.14067] [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: 10/12/2023] [Revised: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Animals often regulate the intake and quantity of nutrients to maximise fitness through life-history traits such as lifespan, but we still lack a proper understanding of how specific nutrients influence these traits. Here, I developed an algorithm which allowed me to create a nutrient-specific database from literature data, and investigated how the requirements of protein (P) and carbohydrate (C) needed to maximise lifespan evolved across nine insect species. I found moderate evidence of a phylogenetic signal on the optimal ratio of protein to carbohydrate ratio (PC ratio) that maximised lifespan, suggesting that optimal PC ratio for lifespan could have evolved non-independently among related species. I also found evidence for weak-to-strong sex-specific optimal PC ratios for lifespan, suggesting that sex-specific nutritional needs to maximise lifespan can emerge and persist in some species. Although limited in the number of species, the approach adopted here is portable to experiments withn number of nutrients and, thus, can be used in complex comparative precision nutrition studies for insights into the evolution of animal nutrition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliano Morimoto
- Institute of Mathematics, University of Aberdeen, King's CollegeAberdeenUK
- Programa de Pós‐graduação em Ecologia e ConservaçãoUniversidade Federal do ParanáCuritibaBrazil
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Simmons LW, Chan HL. Male responses to sperm competition risk associated with increased macronutrient intake and reduced lifespan. Biol Lett 2023; 19:20230336. [PMID: 37875160 PMCID: PMC10597675 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2023.0336] [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: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/06/2023] [Indexed: 10/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Increased expenditure on the ejaculate is a taxonomically widespread male response to sperm competition. Increased ejaculate expenditure is assumed to come at a cost to future reproduction, otherwise males should always invest maximally. However, the life-history costs of strategic ejaculation are not well documented. Macronutrient intake is known to affect the trade-off between reproduction and lifespan. Intakes of protein and carbohydrate that maximize reproduction often differ from those that maximize lifespan. Here, we asked whether strategic expenditure on the ejaculate by male crickets, Teleogryllus oceanicus, is mediated by macronutrient intake, and whether it comes at a cost of reduced lifespan. Males were exposed to rival song throughout their lifespan or were held in a silent non-competitive environment. Males exposed to song had a higher intake of both protein and carbohydrate, they reached adulthood sooner, produced ejaculates of higher quality, and died sooner than males living in a silent environment. Our findings provide a rare example of both the mechanisms and life-history costs associated with strategic ejaculation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leigh W. Simmons
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley 6009, Australia
| | - Hwei-Ling Chan
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley 6009, Australia
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Simmons LW, Lovegrove M, Du X(B, Ren Y, Thomas ML. Humidity stress and its consequences for male pre- and post-copulatory fitness traits in an insect. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10244. [PMID: 37404700 PMCID: PMC10316369 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10244] [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: 05/15/2023] [Revised: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 07/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Global declines in insect abundance are of significant concern. While there is evidence that climate change is contributing to insect declines, we know little of the direct mechanisms responsible for these declines. Male fertility is compromised by increasing temperatures, and the thermal limit to fertility has been implicated as an important factor in the response of insects to climate change. However, climate change is affecting both temperature and hydric conditions, and the effects of water availability on male fertility have rarely been considered. Here we exposed male crickets Teleogryllus oceanicus to either low or high-humidity environments while holding temperature constant. We measured water loss and the expression of both pre- and postmating reproductive traits. Males exposed to a low-humidity environment lost more water than males exposed to a high-humidity environment. A male's cuticular hydrocarbon profile (CHC) did not affect the amount of water lost, and males did not adjust the composition of their CHC profiles in response to hydric conditions. Males exposed to a low-humidity environment were less likely to produce courtship song or produced songs of low quality. Their spermatophores failed to evacuate and their ejaculates contained sperm of reduced viability. The detrimental effects of low-humidity on male reproductive traits will compromise male fertility and population persistence. We argue that limits to insect fertility based on temperature alone are likely to underestimate the true effects of climate change on insect persistence and that the explicit incorporation of water regulation into our modeling will yield more accurate predictions of the effects of climate change on insect declines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leigh W. Simmons
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological SciencesThe University of Western AustraliaPerthWestern AustraliaAustralia
| | - Maxine Lovegrove
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological SciencesThe University of Western AustraliaPerthWestern AustraliaAustralia
| | - Xin (Bob) Du
- Harry Butler InstituteMurdoch UniversityPerthWestern AustraliaAustralia
| | - Yonglin Ren
- Harry Butler InstituteMurdoch UniversityPerthWestern AustraliaAustralia
| | - Melissa L. Thomas
- Harry Butler InstituteMurdoch UniversityPerthWestern AustraliaAustralia
- CSIRO Health and BiosecurityCSIRO Land and WaterFloreatWestern AustraliaAustralia
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Malod K, Archer CR, Hunt J, Nicolson SW, Weldon CW. Selection on female reproductive schedules in the marula fly, Ceratitis cosyra (Diptera: Tephritidae) affects dietary optima for female reproductive traits but not lifespan. FRONTIERS IN INSECT SCIENCE 2023; 3:1166753. [PMID: 38469485 PMCID: PMC10926420 DOI: 10.3389/finsc.2023.1166753] [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: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 04/28/2023] [Indexed: 03/13/2024]
Abstract
Introduction A changing environment can select on life-history traits and trade-offs in a myriad of ways. For example, global warming may shift phenology and thus the availability of host-plants. This may alter selection on survival and fertility schedules in herbivorous insects. If selection on life-histories changes, this may in turn select for altered nutrient intake, because the blend of nutrients organisms consume helps determine the expression of life-history traits. However, we lack empirical work testing whether shifts in the timing of oviposition alter nutrient intake and life-history strategies. Methods We tested in the marula fruit fly, Ceratitis cosyra, how upward-selection on the age of female oviposition, in comparison with laboratory adapted control flies, affects the sex-specific relationship between protein and carbohydrate intake and life-history traits including lifespan, female lifetime egg production and daily egg production. We then determined the macronutrient ratio consumed when flies from each selection line and sex were allowed to self-regulate their intake. Results Lifespan, lifetime egg production and daily egg production were optimised at similar protein to carbohydrate (P:C) ratios in flies from both selection lines. Likewise, females and males of both lines actively defended similar nutrient intake ratios (control =1:3.6 P:C; upward-selected = 1:3.2 P:C). Discussion Our results are comparable to those in non-selected C. cosyra, where the optima for each trait and the self-selected protein to carbohydrate ratio observed were nearly identical. The nutrient blend that needs to be ingested for optimal expression of a given trait appeared to be well conserved across laboratory adapted and experimentally selected populations. These results suggest that in C. cosyra, nutritional requirements do not respond to a temporal change in oviposition substrate availability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin Malod
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Hatfield, South Africa
| | - C. Ruth Archer
- Institute for Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - John Hunt
- School of Science, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, Australia
| | - Susan W. Nicolson
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Hatfield, South Africa
| | - Christopher W. Weldon
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Hatfield, South Africa
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Morimoto J. Nutrigonometry IV: Thales' theorem to measure the rules of dietary compromise in animals. Sci Rep 2023; 13:7466. [PMID: 37156830 PMCID: PMC10167223 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-34722-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2023] [Accepted: 05/06/2023] [Indexed: 05/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Diet specialists and generalists face a common challenge: they must regulate the intake and balance of nutrients to achieve a target diet for optimum nutrition. When optimum nutrition is unattainable, organisms must cope with dietary imbalances and trade-off surplus and deficits of nutrients that ensue. Animals achieve this through compensatory rules that dictate how to cope with nutrient imbalances, known as 'rules of compromise'. Understanding the patterns of the rules of compromise can provide invaluable insights into animal physiology and behaviour, and shed light into the evolution of diet specialisation. However, we lack an analytical method for quantitative comparisons of the rules of compromise within and between species. Here, I present a new analytical method that uses Thales' theorem as foundation, and that enables fast comparisons of the rules of compromise within and between species. I then apply the method on three landmark datasets to show how the method enables us to gain insights into how animals with different diet specialisation cope with nutrient imbalances. The method opens new avenues of research to understand how animals cope with nutrient imbalances in comparative nutrition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliano Morimoto
- Institute of Mathematics, University of Aberdeen, King's College, Aberdeen, AB24 3FX, Scotland.
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Zoology Building, Tillydrone Ave, Aberdeen, AB24 2TZ, Scotland.
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia e Conservação, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, 82590-300, Brazil.
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Fernlund Isaksson E, Fitzpatrick JL. Examining the potential for resource-dependent female reproductive fluid-sperm interactive effects in a livebearing fish. J Evol Biol 2023; 36:709-719. [PMID: 36891998 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14166] [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: 07/05/2022] [Revised: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2023] [Indexed: 03/10/2023]
Abstract
Sexually selected traits can be costly to produce and maintain. The amount of resources available to an individual is therefore expected to influence investment in costly sexual traits. While resource-dependent expression of sexually selected traits has traditionally been examined in males, resource limitation can also influence how sexual selection operates in females. Female reproductive fluids are thought to be costly to produce and may play an important role in shaping the outcome of postcopulatory sexual selection by influencing sperm performance. However, we know surprisingly little about whether and how female reproductive fluids are influenced by resource limitation. Here, we examine if resource restriction influences female reproductive fluid-sperm interactive effects in the pygmy halfbeak (Dermogenys collettei), a small internally fertilizing freshwater fish where females store sperm. After experimentally altering female diets (high vs. restricted diets), we compared how female reproductive fluids influence two key metrics of sperm quality: sperm viability and velocity. While female reproductive fluids enhanced sperm viability and velocity, we found no evidence that female diet influenced the interactive effect between female reproductive fluids and sperm viability or velocity. Our findings build on the growing evidence that female reproductive fluids influence sperm performance and call for further attention to be devoted to understanding how resource quantity and quality influence how female reproductive fluids affect sperm performance.
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Morimoto J, Conceição P, Smoczyk K. Nutrigonometry III: curvature, area and differences between performance landscapes. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 9:221326. [PMID: 36465681 PMCID: PMC9709515 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.221326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 11/04/2022] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Nutrition is one of the underlying factors necessary for the expression of life-histories and fitness across the tree of life. In recent decades, the geometric framework (GF) has become a powerful framework to obtain biological insights through the construction of multidimensional performance landscapes. However, to date, many properties of these multidimensional landscapes have remained inaccessible due to our lack of mathematical and statistical frameworks for GF analysis. This has limited our ability to understand, describe and estimate parameters which may contain useful biological information from GF multidimensional performance landscapes. Here, we propose a new model to investigate the curvature of GF multidimensional landscapes by calculating the parameters from differential geometry known as Gaussian and mean curvatures. We also estimate the surface area of multidimensional performance landscapes as a way to measure landscape deviations from flat. We applied the models to a landmark dataset in the field, where we also validate the assumptions required for the calculations of curvature. In particular, we showed that linear models perform as well as other models used in GF data, enabling landscapes to be approximated by quadratic polynomials. We then introduced the Hausdorff distance as a metric to compare the similarity of multidimensional landscapes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliano Morimoto
- Institute of Mathematics, University of Aberdeen, King’s College, Aberdeen AB24 3FX, UK
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Zoology Building, Tillydrone Avenue, Aberdeen AB24 2TZ, UK
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia e Conservação, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba 82590-300, Brazil
- Institute of Differential Geometry, Riemann Centre for Geometry and Physics, Welfengarten 1, Hannover 30167, Germany
| | - Pedro Conceição
- Institute of Mathematics, University of Aberdeen, King’s College, Aberdeen AB24 3FX, UK
| | - Knut Smoczyk
- Institute of Differential Geometry, Riemann Centre for Geometry and Physics, Welfengarten 1, Hannover 30167, Germany
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9
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Morimoto J. Nutrigonometry II: Experimental strategies to maximize nutritional information in multidimensional performance landscapes. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e9174. [PMID: 35949523 PMCID: PMC9353123 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9174] [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: 03/01/2022] [Revised: 07/04/2022] [Accepted: 07/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals regulate their nutrient consumption to maximize the expression of fitness traits with competing nutritional needs ("nutritional trade-offs"). Nutritional trade-offs have been studied using a response surface modeling approach known as the Geometric Framework for nutrition (GF). Current experimental design in GF studies does not explore the entire area of the nutritional space resulting in performance landscapes that may be incomplete. This hampers our ability to understand the properties of the performance landscape (e.g., peak shape) from which meaningful biological insights can be obtained. Here, I tested alternative experimental designs to explore the full range of the performance landscape in GF studies. I compared the performance of the standard GF design strategy with three alternatives: hexagonal, square, and random points grid strategies with respect to their accuracy in reconstructing baseline performance landscapes from a landmark GF dataset. I showed that standard GF design did not reconstruct the properties of baseline performance landscape appropriately particularly for traits that respond strongly to the interaction between nutrients. Moreover, the peak estimates in the reconstructed performance landscape using standard GF design were accurate in terms of the nutrient ratio but incomplete in terms of peak shape. All other grid designs provided more accurate reconstructions of the baseline performance landscape while also providing accurate estimates of nutrient ratio and peak shape. Thus, alternative experimental designs can maximize information from performance landscapes in GF studies, enabling reliable biological insights into nutritional trade-offs and physiological limits within and across species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliano Morimoto
- Institute of MathematicsKing's College, University of AberdeenAberdeenUK
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of AberdeenAberdeenUK
- Programa de Pós‐graduação em Ecologia e ConservaçãoUniversidade Federal do ParanáCuritibaBrazil
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10
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McDiarmid CS, Hurley LL, Le Mesurier M, Blunsden AC, Griffith SC. The impact of diet quality on sperm velocity, morphology and normality in the zebra finch Taeniopygia guttata. J Exp Biol 2022; 225:275326. [PMID: 35403680 PMCID: PMC9163447 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.243715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Sperm traits can influence fertilisation success, but there is still much we do not understand about sperm condition dependence, that is, how much sperm traits depend on the male's energy acquisition and allocation. This is especially pronounced in avian taxa, despite extensive observational studies and sampling in wild populations. In this study we collected sperm samples before and after experimentally reducing diet quality of wild-derived captive zebra finches in small mixed-sex groups, which we compared to individuals on a control diet. We measured the length of sperm components (head, midpiece, flagellum and total sperm length), the proportion of sperm with normal morphology, the proportion of sperm that were progressively motile, and swimming velocity (curvilinear velocity; VCL). The only sperm trait we found to be impacted by reduced diet quality was a significant decrease in sperm midpiece length. This is consistent with emerging evidence in other non-model systems, as well the fact that diet can alter mitochondrial density and structure in other tissue types. There was also a significant decrease in sperm velocity and the proportion of motile sperm over the course of the experiment for both experimental groups (i.e. unrelated to diet). That in the control group experienced this decrease in sperm velocity was marked by no change in any sperm morphological measure highlights the existence of other important determinants of sperm velocity in passerine birds, likely including variation in other components of the seminal fluid.
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Affiliation(s)
- Callum S. McDiarmid
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Laura L. Hurley
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Madiline Le Mesurier
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Andrew C. Blunsden
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Simon C. Griffith
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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12
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Simmons LW, Ng SH, Lovegrove M. Condition‐dependent seminal fluid gene expression and intergenerational paternal effects on ejaculate quality. Funct Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Leigh W. Simmons
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology School of Biological Sciences The University of Western Australia Crawley WA Australia
| | - Soon Hwee Ng
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology School of Biological Sciences The University of Western Australia Crawley WA Australia
| | - Maxine Lovegrove
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology School of Biological Sciences The University of Western Australia Crawley WA Australia
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McMahon S, Matzke M, Tuni C. Food Limitation but Not Enhanced Rates of Ejaculate Production Imposes Reproductive and Survival Costs to Male Crickets. Cells 2021; 10:cells10061498. [PMID: 34203610 PMCID: PMC8232169 DOI: 10.3390/cells10061498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2021] [Revised: 06/07/2021] [Accepted: 06/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Estimating costs of ejaculate production is challenging. Metabolic investment in ejaculates may come at the expense of other physiological functions and may negatively affect future reproduction and/or survival. These trade-offs are especially likely to occur under constrained resource pools (e.g., poor nutrition). Here, we investigated costs of ejaculate production via trade-offs in the field cricket Gryllus bimaculatus. We experimentally increased rates of ejaculate production, while keeping an unmanipulated group, in adult males kept at high and low feeding regimes and tested the effects of our treatments on (i) somatic maintenance (i.e., changes in male body mass), (ii) future reproduction (i.e., the likelihood of producing a spermatophore and the viability of its sperm), and (iii) lifetime survival and longevity. We predicted investment in ejaculates to impinge upon all measured responses, especially in low-fed individuals. Instead, we only found negative effects of food limitation, suggesting low or undetectable costs of spermatophore production. High mating rates may select for males to maximize their capacity of ejaculate production, making ejaculate traits less prone to trade-offs with other fitness-related life history traits. Nevertheless, males were impaired due to nutrient deficiency in producing viable ejaculates, suggesting condition-dependent costs for ejaculate production.
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Pini T, Raubenheimer D, Simpson SJ, Crean AJ. Obesity and Male Reproduction; Placing the Western Diet in Context. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2021; 12:622292. [PMID: 33776921 PMCID: PMC7991841 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2021.622292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2020] [Accepted: 02/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
There is mounting evidence that obesity has negative repercussions for reproductive physiology in males. Much of this evidence has accumulated from rodent studies employing diets high in fat and sugar ("high fat" or "western" diets). While excessive fats and carbohydrates have long been considered major determinants of diet induced obesity, a growing body of research suggests that the relationships between diet composition and obesity are more complex than originally thought, involving interactions between dietary macronutrients. However, rodent dietary models have yet to evolve to capture this, instead relying heavily on elevated levels of a single macronutrient. While this approach has highlighted important effects of obesity on male reproduction, it does not allow for interpretation of the complex, interacting effects of dietary protein, carbohydrate and fat. Further, the single nutrient approach limits the ability to draw conclusions about which diets best support reproductive function. Nutritional Geometry offers an alternative approach, assessing outcomes of interest over an extended range of dietary macronutrient compositions. This review explores the practical application of Nutritional Geometry to study the effects of dietary macronutrient balance on male reproduction, including experimental considerations specific to studies of diet and reproductive physiology. Finally, this review discusses the promising use of Nutritional Geometry in the development of evidence-based pre-conception nutritional guidance for men.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Angela J. Crean
- Charles Perkins Centre, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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15
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Reyes-Ramírez A, Rocha-Ortega M, Córdoba-Aguilar A. Dietary macronutrient balance and fungal infection as drivers of spermatophore quality in the mealworm beetle. CURRENT RESEARCH IN INSECT SCIENCE 2021; 1:100009. [PMID: 36003606 PMCID: PMC9387488 DOI: 10.1016/j.cris.2021.100009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2020] [Revised: 01/07/2021] [Accepted: 01/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Males of many insects deliver ejaculates with nutritious substances to females in the form of a spermatophore. Different factors can affect spermatophore quality. We manipulated males' diet and health to determine the balance of macronutrients deposited in the spermatophores of Tenebrio molitor beetles. For diet, we varied the concentration of proteins and carbohydrates, while for health status we used a fungal infection. Males with different condition copulated with unmanipulated females, and spermatophores were extracted to measure the amount of proteins, lipids and carbohydrates. Diet and infection had an effect on the quality of the spermatophore. Diets with high protein and low carbohydrate contents produced spermatophores with higher protein, carbohydrate, and lipid contents. In contrast, diets with little protein and high in carbohydrates led to low quality spermatophores. Infected males produced spermatophores with the highest amount of all three macronutrients. In general, spermatophore content was carbohydrates>proteins>=lipids. The fact that sick males produced richer spermatophores can be explained as a terminal investment strategy. The large investment of carbohydrates may be related to the preparation of spermatozoa in males, and eggs in females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alicia Reyes-Ramírez
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Apdo. P. 70-275, Circuito Exterior, Ciudad Universitaria, 04510 Coyoacán, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Maya Rocha-Ortega
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Apdo. P. 70-275, Circuito Exterior, Ciudad Universitaria, 04510 Coyoacán, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Alex Córdoba-Aguilar
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Apdo. P. 70-275, Circuito Exterior, Ciudad Universitaria, 04510 Coyoacán, Ciudad de México, México
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Leeson SA, Kennington WJ, Evans TA, Simmons LW. Phenotypic plasticity but no adaptive divergence in cuticular hydrocarbons and desiccation resistance among translocated populations of dung beetles. Evol Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s10682-020-10074-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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17
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Konvalina JD, Stanley JW, Trauth SE, Plummer MV. No Sperm Morphometric Differences between Two Populations of Diamond-backed Watersnakes (Nerodia rhombifer) with Varying Resource Availability. COPEIA 2020. [DOI: 10.1643/cg-17-692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- John D. Konvalina
- Department of Biology, University of Central Florida, 4000 Central Florida Boulevard, Orlando, Florida 32816; . Send reprint requests to this address
| | - Jonathan W. Stanley
- Department of Biological Sciences, Arkansas State University, P.O. Box 599, State University, Arkansas 72467;
| | - Stanley E. Trauth
- Department of Biological Sciences, Arkansas State University (Emeritus), P.O. Box 599, State University, Arkansas 72467;
| | - Michael V. Plummer
- Department of Biology, Harding University (Emeritus), Box 12251, Searcy, Arkansas 72143;
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Ng SH, Simpson SJ, Simmons LW. Sex differences in nutrient intake can reduce the potential for sexual conflict over fitness maximization by female and male crickets. J Evol Biol 2019; 32:1106-1116. [DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2018] [Revised: 07/03/2019] [Accepted: 07/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Soon Hwee Ng
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology School of Biological Sciences University of Western Australia Crawley WA Australia
| | - Stephen J. Simpson
- Charles Perkins Centre and School of Life and Environmental Sciences The University of Sydney SydneyNSW Australia
| | - Leigh W. Simmons
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology School of Biological Sciences University of Western Australia Crawley WA Australia
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Ng SH, Stat M, Bunce M, Simpson SJ, Simmons LW. Protein and carbohydrate intakes alter gut microbial community structure in crickets: a Geometric Framework approach. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2019; 95:5528308. [PMID: 31271418 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiz106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2019] [Accepted: 07/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Proteins and carbohydrates have profound impacts on the ecology of gut microbiota, but disentangling the single and interactive effects of different dietary constituents is challenging. Here, we used a multidimensional approach, the Geometric Framework, to study the interactions between nutrition and bacterial abundances with respect to protein and carbohydrate intakes in field cricket, Teleogryllus oceanicus. Our study revealed that species richness decreased as crickets consumed more macronutrients, and species evenness peaked at high intake of protein-rich diets. Sex and protein:carbohydrate (P:C) ratios in diets were the primary factors influencing the gut bacterial community, but most of the microbial operational taxonomic units (OTUs) that were significantly different between males and females were present in low abundance. In contrast, protein intake had a greater influence than carbohydrate consumption on the relative abundances of the core bacterial taxa, as an increase in dietary protein availability could remove the growth constraint imposed by limited nitrogen. Taken together, the use of the Geometric Framework provides a deeper insight into how nutritional intakes influence the relative abundances of gut microbes, and could be a useful tool to integrate the study of gut microbiome and fitness traits in a host.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soon Hwee Ng
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia
| | - Michael Stat
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan NSW 2308, Australia.,Trace and Environmental DNA (TrEnD) Laboratory, Department of Environment and Agriculture, Curtin University, Perth, Australia
| | - Michael Bunce
- Trace and Environmental DNA (TrEnD) Laboratory, Department of Environment and Agriculture, Curtin University, Perth, Australia
| | - Stephen J Simpson
- Charles Perkins Centre and School of Life and Environmental Sciences, D17, Charles Perkins Centre Research and Education Hub, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Leigh W Simmons
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia
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Berson JD, Simmons LW. A costly chemical trait: phenotypic condition dependence of cuticular hydrocarbons in a dung beetle. J Evol Biol 2018; 31:1772-1781. [DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2018] [Revised: 08/08/2018] [Accepted: 08/28/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jacob D. Berson
- School of Biological Sciences Centre for Evolutionary Biology The University of Western Australia Crawley WA Australia
| | - Leigh W. Simmons
- School of Biological Sciences Centre for Evolutionary Biology The University of Western Australia Crawley WA Australia
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