1
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Meter B, Kratochvíl L, Starostová Z, Kučera T, Kubička L. Complex ontogeny of sexual size dimorphism in a female-larger gecko: Implications of determinate growth for lizard body size and life-history evolution. Evol Dev 2024:e12490. [PMID: 39129398 DOI: 10.1111/ede.12490] [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: 01/29/2024] [Revised: 07/26/2024] [Accepted: 07/26/2024] [Indexed: 08/13/2024]
Abstract
Ectothermic vertebrates such as reptiles were assumed to be indeterminate growers, which means that there is no terminal point in time or size for growth in their lifetime. In recent years, evidence for the determinate nature of growth in lizards has accumulated, necessitating a re-examination of models of their ontogeny and evolution of sexual size dimorphism (SSD). In the female-larger gecko Paroedura vazimba, we monitored post-embryonic growth over a period of 15 months. After hatching, females grew faster than males but also reached their final body size, that is, closed growth of their vertebrae, earlier than males. The closure of bone growth in females correlates with the onset of reproductive maturation. We compared this pattern with the previously minutely studied, male-larger species Paroedura picta, where we documented determinate growth as well. We propose a model to explain the evolutionary switches in the direction of SSD in lizards based on bipotential effects of ovarian hormones on growth. In this model, male growth is assumed to require no male-specific growth modifier, such as sex-limited hormonal regulators, while growth is feminized by ovarian hormones in females. Low levels of ovarian hormones can promote bone growth, but high levels associated with maturation of the reproductive organs promote senescence of bone growth plates and thus cessation of bone growth. We suggest that models on growth, life-history and evolution of body size in many lizards should acknowledge their determinate nature of growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon Meter
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Lukáš Kratochvíl
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Zuzana Starostová
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Tomáš Kučera
- Institute of Histology and Embryology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Lukáš Kubička
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
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2
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Lara-Godínez SAL, Valenzuela-Galván D, Cuarón AD. Home range and activity patterns of the Critically Endangered endemic pygmy raccoon of Cozumel Island, México. J Mammal 2022. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyac097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Individuals from island and continental mammal populations have shown a number of differences in their behavioral ecology. We predicted that, like other island carnivores exhibiting dwarfism, the pygmy raccoon (Procyon pygmaeus), a Critically Endangered carnivore endemic to Cozumel Island, México, would show differences in its home ranges and activity patterns when compared to its mainland counterpart, the racoon, P. lotor. We radio-tracked 11 individuals (six males, five females) from February to July 2017 and used location data derived from triangulation to estimate the home range size, diel activity patterns, and distances traveled of pygmy raccoons. Individuals showed an average home range size between 96.9 ± 18.8 ha (95% minimum convex polygon) and 123.3 ± 31.2 ha (95% fixed kernel). Home ranges of males (109.4–142.8 ha) were larger than those of females (81.8–99.9 ha). Average home ranges were in the lower extreme of those reported for continental raccoons. Activity patterns of pygmy raccoons generally begin at sunset and continue up to 04:00 with rare activity peaks during the day; there were no significant differences in activity patterns between sexes. Data on spatial needs of individuals, and differences between sexes or insular versus continental populations have implications for conservation planning and management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofía Ana Lucrecia Lara-Godínez
- Maestría en Biología Integrativa de la Biodiversidad y la Conservación, Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Conservación (CIByC), Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, Avenida Universidad 1001 , 62209 Cuernavaca, Morelos , México
| | - David Valenzuela-Galván
- Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Conservación, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos (CIByC-UAEM), Avenida Universidad 1001 , 62209 Cuernavaca, Morelos , México
| | - Alfredo D Cuarón
- SACBÉ – Servicios Ambientales, Conservación Biológica y Educación A.C. , Coyoacán, 04010 Ciudad de México , México
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3
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Stadler SR, Brock KM, Bednekoff PA, Foufopoulos J. More and bigger lizards reside on islands with more resources. J Zool (1987) 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.13036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- S. R. Stadler
- School for Environment and Sustainability University of Michigan, Ann Arbor Ann Arbor MI USA
| | - K. M. Brock
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, College of Natural Resources University of California, Berkeley Berkeley CA USA
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology University of California, Berkeley Berkeley CA USA
| | - P. A. Bednekoff
- Department of Biology Eastern Michigan University Ypsilanti MI USA
| | - J. Foufopoulos
- School for Environment and Sustainability University of Michigan, Ann Arbor Ann Arbor MI USA
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4
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Liang T, Wang L, Shi L. Sexual and natural selection interplay in sexual head shape dimorphism of two sympatric racerunners (Squamata: Lacertidae). Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.1016885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Both natural and sexual selection can shape sexual dimorphism. However, determination of the contribution of these selection pressures is challenging. In lizards, sexual selection can contribute to the larger head size of males than that of females. However, males and females can also diverge in their head size to prey on different food resources under conditions of limited resources (and/or high competitors). Here, 109 individuals from two sympatric desert racerunners (Eremias grammica: 28 males and 30 females; Eremias velox: 25 males and 26 females) were studied to determine their sexual head shape (head length, width, and depth). Additionally, 191 and 169 feces samples of E. grammica and E. velox, respectively, were collected to assess the niche divergence hypothesis (a proxy for natural selection). We found that both species had dimorphic head shapes; male heads (i.e., length, width, and depth) were significantly larger than female heads (P < 0.05, in all cases) in E. grammica, and male heads of E. velox were significantly longer than those of females (P < 0.05). Chi-square test revealed that there were significant differences in the proportion (Hymenopteran and Orthopteran) and sizes of prey type between the two sexes of E. grammica; conspecific males and females of E. velox differed in the proportion of Coleopteran and Hymenopteran prey. Both males and females of these two species had a high niche overlap index (range from ∼ 0.78 to 0.99) with each other. There were also significant differences in the sizes of the heads and prey between the two species (P < 0.05). However, the interspecific differences were mainly caused by interspecific male–male differences in morphological and prey traits. In summary, we believe that both natural (pressures from resource competition) and sexual selection drive sexual head shape dimorphism in these two sympatric lizards, owing to high food resource competition in arid regions. Therefore, head trait divergence can reduce competition by resulting in a preference for different prey types.
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5
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Stuart YE, Sherwin JW, Kamath A, Veen T. Male and female Anolis carolinensis maintain their dimorphism despite the presence of novel interspecific competition. Evolution 2021; 75:2708-2716. [PMID: 34528711 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2020] [Revised: 07/15/2021] [Accepted: 08/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Natural selection favors sexual dimorphism that reduces resource competition between the sexes of the same species. However, niche partitioning among interspecific competitors should counter such divergence, as partitioning the niche results in smaller total niche widths for each individual species, leaving less room for the sexes to diverge. A straightforward (and long-standing) hypothesis emerges: species in competitor-rich ecological communities should show less sexual dimorphism than species in competitor-poor ecological communities. Here, we test this prediction using a well-documented natural experiment generated by the recent arrival of Anolis sagrei to a set of small islands in Mosquito Lagoon, Florida, containing Anolis carolinensis. Despite known interspecific habitat partitioning and rapid evolution in habitat-use traits by A. carolinensis in this system, sexual dimorphism between male and female A. carolinensis was not reduced as predicted on two-species islands relative to islands with only A. carolinensis. This is consistent with a small but growing body of empirical tests of the dimorphism-richness hypothesis that have been ambiguous in their support at best. A rethinking of the validity of this intuitive hypothesis is needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoel E Stuart
- Department of Biology, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, 60660
| | | | - Ambika Kamath
- Miller Institute for Basic Research in Science & Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California
| | - Thor Veen
- Quest University, Squamish, British Columbia, Canada
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6
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Liang T, Meiri S, Shi L. Sexual size dimorphism in lizards: Rensch's rule, reproductive mode, clutch size, and line fitting method effects. Integr Zool 2021; 17:787-803. [PMID: 34216109 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Rensch's rule relates to a pattern whereby sexual size dimorphism is more female-biased in small-sized species and more male-biased in large-sized ones. We collected literature and museum data on the body size of males and females belonging to 4032 lizard species, as well as data on their reproductive modes and clutch sizes. We used phylogenetic comparative analyses, and general linear mixed models, to test Rensch's rule and examined how reproductive mode and clutch size affect sexual size dimorphism. Sexual size dimorphism was independent of clutch size in lizard species with variable clutch sizes and in oviparous lizards. Large litters were associated with female-biased sexual dimorphism in viviparous and in scincomorph lizards. Inference regarding Rensch's rule depended on the analytical method used to identify it. The widely used, but less conservative, reduced major axis regression usually support Rensch's rule while ordinary least squares regressions mostly show isometric relationships. The rule tended to apply more to oviparous than to viviparous lizards. We infer that Rensch's rule is, at best, a weak pattern in lizards. This is especially true in viviparous lineages where females reproduce infrequently and therefore evolve large sizes to maximise fecundity, resulting in female-biased dimorphism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Liang
- College of Animal Science, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China.,College of Forestry, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Shai Meiri
- School of Zoology & the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Lei Shi
- College of Animal Science, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China
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7
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Li XY, Kokko H. Sexual dimorphism driven by intersexual resource competition: Why is it rare, and where to look for it? J Anim Ecol 2021; 90:1831-1843. [PMID: 33759459 PMCID: PMC8453853 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Sexes often differ more obviously in secondary sexual characteristics than in traits that appear naturally selected, despite conceivable benefits to intersexual niche partitioning. Genetic constraints may play a role in limiting sex‐specific niche evolution; however, it is not clear why this limit should apply to naturally selected traits more than those under sexual selection; the latter routinely produces dimorphism. We ask whether ecological factors and/or features of the mating system limit dimorphism in resource use, or conversely, what conditions are the most permissible ones for sexual niche differences. The scale of mating competition and spatial variation in resource availability can help predict sexually dimorphic niches or the lack thereof. We investigate why and when dimorphism might fail to evolve even if genetic covariation between the sexes posed no constraint. Our analytical model incorporates the first aspect of spatial interactions (scale of mating competition). It is followed by simulations that explore broader conditions, including multiple resources with habitat heterogeneity, genetic correlations and non‐Gaussian resource‐use efficiency functions. We recover earlier known conditions for favourable conditions for the evolution of niche partitioning between sexes, such as narrow individual niche and low degrees of genetic constraint. We also show spatial considerations to alter this picture. Sexual niche divergence occurs more readily when local mating groups are small and different resources occur reliably across habitats. Polygyny (medium‐sized or large mating groups) can diminish the prospects for dimorphism even if no genetic constraints are present. Habitat heterogeneity typically also disfavours niche dimorphism but can also lead to polymorphism within a sex, if it is beneficial to specialize to be very competitive in one habitat, even at a cost to performance in the other. Sexual conflict is usually used to explain dimorphic traits or behaviours. Our models highlight that introducing conflict (achieved by switching from monogamy to polygamy) can also be responsible for sexual monomorphism. Under monogamy, males benefit from specializing to consume other resources than what feeds the female best. Polygyny makes males disregard this female benefit, and both sexes compete for the most profitable resource, leading to overlapping niches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiang-Yi Li
- Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Hanna Kokko
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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8
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Slavenko A, Allison A, Meiri S. Elevation is a stronger predictor of morphological trait divergence than competition in a radiation of tropical lizards. J Anim Ecol 2021; 90:917-930. [PMID: 33410529 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2020] [Accepted: 12/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Adaptations for efficient performance are expected to shape animal morphology based on selection for microhabitat use and ecological forces. The presence of competitor species is predicted to cause niches to contract and enhance trait divergence. Therefore, increased species richness is expected to lead to greater trait divergence, and to result in reduced overlap and similarity between morphologies of sympatric species. We examined patterns of morphospace occupancy and partitioning in the skink fauna of New Guinea, the world's largest tropical island. Because skink species richness is largely decoupled from elevation in New Guinea, we could examine the effects of both factors (as proxies for competition and abiotic conditions), on morphospace occupancy and partitioning. We measured 1,860 specimens from 79 species of skinks throughout Papua New Guinea, and examined their morphospace occupancy in a spatial context. We calculated, for each assemblage within equal-area cells, the volume of morphospace occupied by all skinks, the mean volume occupied per species, and the mean distance and overlap between all species pairs. We then examined whether these metrics are related to species richness and elevation. Elevation is a stronger predictor of morphospace occupancy than species richness. As elevation increases, intraspecific variation decreases and morphologies become more similar to each other such that overall morphospace occupancy decreases. Highland skinks are, on average, smaller, thinner and shorter limbed than lowland species. We hypothesise that harsh climates in the New Guinea highland habitats impose strong selection on skinks to occupy specific areas of morphospace that facilitate efficient thermoregulation in suboptimal thermal conditions. We conclude that the effect of competition on trait divergence on a community and assemblage scale is eclipsed by abiotic selection pressures in these harsh environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Slavenko
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | | | - Shai Meiri
- School of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.,The Steinhardt Museum of Natural History, Tel Aviv, Israel
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9
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Adams DC, Glynne E, Kaliontzopoulou A. Interspecific allometry for sexual shape dimorphism: Macroevolution of multivariate sexual phenotypes with application to Rensch's rule. Evolution 2020; 74:1908-1922. [PMID: 32578880 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2020] [Accepted: 06/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Allometric trends in the degree of sexual dimorphism with body size have long fascinated evolutionary biologists. Many male-biased clades display more prominent sexual dimorphism in larger taxa (Rensch's rule), with most examples documenting this pattern for body size dimorphism. Although sexual dimorphism in traits other than body size is equally functionally relevant, characterizing allometric patterns of sexual dimorphism in such traits is hampered by lack of an analytical framework that can accommodate multivariate phenotypes. In this article, we derive a multivariate equivalency for investigating trends in sexual dimorphism-relative to overall body size-across taxa and provide a generalized test to determine whether such allometric patterns correspond with Rensch's rule. For univariate linear traits such as body size, our approach yields equivalent results to those from standard procedures, but our test is also capable of detecting trends in multivariate datasets such as shape. Computer simulations reveal that the method displays appropriate statistical properties, and an empirical example in Mediterranean lizards provides the first demonstration of Rensch's rule in a multivariate phenotype (head shape). Our generalized procedure substantially extends the analytical toolkit for investigating macroevolutionary patterns of sexual dimorphism and seeking a better understanding of the processes that underlie them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dean C Adams
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, 50011
| | - Elizabeth Glynne
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, 50011
| | - Antigoni Kaliontzopoulou
- CIBIO Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, InBIO, Universidade do Porto, Campus de Vairão, Vila do Conde, Porto, 4099-002, Portugal
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10
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Schwarz R, Itescu Y, Antonopoulos A, Gavriilidi IA, Tamar K, Pafilis P, Meiri S. Isolation and predation drive gecko life-history evolution on islands. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blz187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Insular animals are thought to be under weak predation pressure and increased intraspecific competition compared with those on the mainland. Thus, insular populations are predicted to evolve ‘slow’ life histories characterized by fewer and smaller clutches of larger eggs, a pattern called the ‘island syndrome’. To test this pattern, we collected data on egg volume, clutch size and laying frequency of 31 Aegean Island populations of the closely related geckos of the Mediodactylus kotschyi species complex. We tested how predation pressure, resource abundance, island area and isolation influenced reproductive traits. Isolation and predation were the main drivers of variation in life-history traits. Higher predator richness seemed to promote faster life histories, perhaps owing to predation on adults, whereas the presence of boas promoted slower life histories, perhaps owing to release from predation by rats on the eggs of geckos. Insular geckos followed only some of the predictions of the ‘island syndrome’. Predation pressure seemed to be more complex than expected and drove life histories of species in two opposing directions. Our results highlight the importance of considering the identity of specific predators in ecological studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel Schwarz
- School of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Yuval Itescu
- School of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Antonis Antonopoulos
- Department of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Ioanna-Aikaterini Gavriilidi
- Department of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
- Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Karin Tamar
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC – Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Panayiotis Pafilis
- Department of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Shai Meiri
- School of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- The Steinhardt Museum of Natural History, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
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11
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Tsuji K, Fukami T. Sexual Dimorphism and Species Diversity: from Clades to Sites. Trends Ecol Evol 2020; 35:105-114. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2019.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2019] [Revised: 08/23/2019] [Accepted: 09/10/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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12
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Pagh S, Pertoldi C, Petersen HH, Jensen TH, Hansen MS, Madsen S, Kraft DCE, Iversen N, Roslev P, Chriel M. Methods for the identification of farm escapees in feral mink (Neovison vison) populations. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0224559. [PMID: 31710608 PMCID: PMC6852605 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0224559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2019] [Accepted: 10/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
In Denmark, American mink (Neovison vison) have been bred for
their fur since the mid-1920s. Mink escaping from farms may supply the feral
population. Often, it is of biological and management interest to separate the
population of feral mink (i.e. mink caught in the wild) in two groups: 1) mink
born on farms i.e., escapees, and 2) mink born in the wild. In this study, two
methods were used for separating feral mink into the two groups: a) Comparison
of body length of farmed mink and feral mink, and b) Presence of a biomarker
(tetracycline: an oral antibiotic used on mink farms). A total of 367 wild
caught mink (from the mainland of Denmark and the island of Bornholm), and 147
mink from farms, collected during the period 2014–2018, were used for the
analysis of body length. For the testing of tetracycline (TC) as a biomarker, 78
mink from farms where there was knowledge about TC treatment (with or without)
were examined for fluorescent markings in the canine teeth. Results from both
univariate analyses and Gaussian mixture model analysis demonstrated clear
divisions between the mean body length (mean ± S.E., range) of farmed males
(52.1 cm ± 0.4, 48–68) and farmed females (mean 44.0 ± 0.2, 40–50), and between
farmed mink and wild caught mink. Mixture analysis identified two groups within
each sex of the wild caught mink, one assigned to farmed mink (born in
captivity) and another group of smaller mink suspected of being born in the
wild. On Bornholm, the mean (±SD, range) length of males born in the wild was
43.7cm (± 0.3, 36–57) and for females 37.5cm (± 0.3, 32–45). The mean length
(±SD, range) of males born in the wild in the mainland of Denmark was 42.5cm (±
2.3, 36–46) and for females 36.1cm (± 1.0, 34–37). Among the feral mink from
mainland Denmark, 28.4% of males and 21.6% of females were identified as
escapees, while 0% of the males and 1% of the females were identified as
escapees among the wild caught mink on Bornholm. Eight percent of mink from
farms using tetracycline were false negatives, while no false positives were
found among mink from farms not using TC. TC fluorescence was found in five of
217 mink caught in the wild equivalent to 22% escapees in mainland Denmark. No
TC markings were found in mink caught in the wild on Bornholm. In conclusion,
both methods a) the body length of mink, and b) fluorescent biomarkers in canine
teeth are considered as useful tools to identifing mink that have escaped from
farms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sussie Pagh
- Department of Chemistry and Bioscience—Section of Biology and
Environmental Science, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
- * E-mail:
| | - Cino Pertoldi
- Department of Chemistry and Bioscience—Section of Biology and
Environmental Science, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
- Aalborg Zoo, Aalborg, Denmark
| | - Heidi Huus Petersen
- National Veterinary Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs,
Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Trine Hammer Jensen
- Department of Chemistry and Bioscience—Section of Biology and
Environmental Science, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
- Aalborg Zoo, Aalborg, Denmark
| | - Mette Sif Hansen
- National Veterinary Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs,
Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Sussi Madsen
- Department of Dentistry and Oral Health, University of Aarhus, Aarhus,
Denmark
| | | | - Niels Iversen
- Department of Chemistry and Bioscience—Section of Biology and
Environmental Science, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
| | - Peter Roslev
- Department of Chemistry and Bioscience—Section of Biology and
Environmental Science, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
| | - Mariann Chriel
- National Veterinary Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs,
Lyngby, Denmark
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13
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Puga y Colmenares MC, Ramírez-Bautista A, Cruz-Elizalde R, García-Rosales A, Hernández-Salinas U. Feeding Ecology and Its Relationship with Head Structures in Two Populations of the Lizard Sceloporus minor (Squamata: Phrynosomatidae) from Northern Mexico. COPEIA 2019. [DOI: 10.1643/ch-19-182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- María Concepción Puga y Colmenares
- Laboratorio de Ecología de Poblaciones, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, Instituto de Ciencias Básicas e Ingeniería, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo, Km 4.5 Carretera Pachuca-Tulancingo, 42184, Mineral de La Reforma, Hidalgo, México
| | - Aurelio Ramírez-Bautista
- Laboratorio de Ecología de Poblaciones, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, Instituto de Ciencias Básicas e Ingeniería, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo, Km 4.5 Carretera Pachuca-Tulancingo, 42184, Mineral de La Reforma, Hidalgo, México
| | - Raciel Cruz-Elizalde
- Laboratorio de Ecología de Poblaciones, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, Instituto de Ciencias Básicas e Ingeniería, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo, Km 4.5 Carretera Pachuca-Tulancingo, 42184, Mineral de La Reforma, Hidalgo, México
| | - Aaron García-Rosales
- Laboratorio de Ecología de Poblaciones, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, Instituto de Ciencias Básicas e Ingeniería, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo, Km 4.5 Carretera Pachuca-Tulancingo, 42184, Mineral de La Reforma, Hidalgo, México
| | - Uriel Hernández-Salinas
- Instituto Politécnico Nacional, CIIDIR Unidad Durango, Sigma 119, Fraccionamiento 20 de Noviembre II, Durango, Durango 34220, México;
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14
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Kappeler PM, Nunn CL, Vining AQ, Goodman SM. Evolutionary dynamics of sexual size dimorphism in non-volant mammals following their independent colonization of Madagascar. Sci Rep 2019; 9:1454. [PMID: 30723219 PMCID: PMC6363729 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-36246-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2018] [Accepted: 11/15/2018] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
As predicted by sexual selection theory, males are larger than females in most polygynous mammals, but recent studies found that ecology and life history traits also affect sexual size dimorphism (SSD) through evolutionary changes in either male size, female size, or both. The primates of Madagascar (Lemuriformes) represent the largest group of mammals without male-biased SSD. The eco-evo-devo hypothesis posited that adaptations to unusual climatic unpredictability on Madagascar have ultimately reduced SSD in lemurs after dispersing to Madagascar, but data have not been available for comparative tests of the corresponding predictions that SSD is also absent in other terrestrial Malagasy mammals and that patterns of SSD changed following the colonization of Madagascar. We used phylogenetic methods and new body mass data to test these predictions among the four endemic radiations of Malagasy primates, carnivorans, tenrecs, and rodents. In support of our prediction, we found that male-biased SSD is generally absent among all Malagasy mammals. Phylogenetic comparative analyses further indicated that after their independent colonization of Madagascar, SSD decreased in primates and tenrecs, but not in the other lineages or when analyzed across all species. We discuss several mechanisms that may have generated these patterns and conclude that neither the eco-evo-devo hypothesis, founder effects, the island rule nor sexual selection theory alone can provide a compelling explanation for the observed patterns of SSD in Malagasy mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter M Kappeler
- Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
- Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Unit, German Primate Center - Leibniz Institute of Primatology, Göttingen, Germany.
- Department Sociobiology/Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.
| | - Charles L Nunn
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Alexander Q Vining
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Steven M Goodman
- Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL, USA
- Association Vahatra, Antananarivo, Madagascar
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15
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Hernández‐Salinas U, Ramírez‐Bautista A, Cruz‐Elizalde R, Meiri S, Berriozabal‐Islas C. Ecology of the growth of Anolis nebulosus (Squamata: Dactyloidae) in a seasonal tropical environment in the Chamela region, Jalisco, Mexico. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:2061-2071. [PMID: 30847092 PMCID: PMC6392371 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2018] [Revised: 12/05/2018] [Accepted: 12/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Juvenile growth rates are thought to be restricted by available food resources. In animals that grow throughout the year, such as tropical lizards, growth is therefore predicted to be faster during the rainy season. We test this prediction using a population of Anolis nebulosusby describing the growth trajectories of both sexes using nonlinear regression models, and we then correlate the growth rates of individuals with food available in the environment, precipitation, and temperature. The Von Bertalanffy model fits the growth rates of the females better, while the logistic-by-length model fits the males better. According to both models, the males grew faster than females, reaching slightly smaller sizes at adulthood. Males reached sexual maturity when 35 mm long, at an age of seven months, and females matured at 37 mm (SVL), taking nine months to reach this size. In 1989, juvenile males and females grew more in both seasons (rainy and dry) than adults; for 1990, there were no differences by season or between age classes. These results are interesting since in the 1989 and 1990 rainy seasons, practically the same orders of prey and the greatest abundance of prey available in the environment were registered. A possible explanation could be that predation was more intense in 1990 than in 1989. There is little evidence that food, temperature, and humidity affect growth rates of A. nebulosus, refuting our predictions. This is mainly due to the low variation in growth observed in 1990. Therefore we think that the growth of this species reflects a complex combination of ecological and genetic factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Uriel Hernández‐Salinas
- Instituto Politécnico NacionalCentro Interdisciplinario de Investigación para el Desarrollo Integral Regional (CIIDIR) Unidad DurangoDurangoMéxico
| | - Aurelio Ramírez‐Bautista
- Laboratorio de Ecología de Poblaciones, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, Instituto de Ciencias Básicas e IngenieríaUniversidad Autónoma del Estado de HidalgoMineral de La ReformaMéxico
| | - Raciel Cruz‐Elizalde
- Laboratorio de Ecología de Poblaciones, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, Instituto de Ciencias Básicas e IngenieríaUniversidad Autónoma del Estado de HidalgoMineral de La ReformaMéxico
| | - Shai Meiri
- School of ZoologyTel Aviv UniversityTel AvivIsrael
- Steinhardt Museum for Natural HistoryTel Aviv UniversityTel AvivIsrael
| | - Christian Berriozabal‐Islas
- Laboratorio de Ecología de Poblaciones, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, Instituto de Ciencias Básicas e IngenieríaUniversidad Autónoma del Estado de HidalgoMineral de La ReformaMéxico
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16
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Hodder DP, Larsen KW, Crowley SM. Effects of Scale and Gender on Winter Habitat Selection by American Mink. AMERICAN MIDLAND NATURALIST 2018. [DOI: 10.1674/0003-0031-179.2.261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Dexter P. Hodder
- John Prince Research Forest, P.O. Box 2378, Fort St. James, British Columbia, Canada, V0J1P0
| | - Karl W. Larsen
- Department of Natural Resource Science, Thompson Rivers University, 900 McGill Road, Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada, V2C 0C8
| | - Shannon M. Crowley
- John Prince Research Forest, P.O. Box 2378, Fort St. James, British Columbia, Canada, V0J1P0
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Reaney AM, Saldarriaga-Córdoba M, Pincheira-Donoso D. Macroevolutionary diversification with limited niche disparity in a species-rich lineage of cold-climate lizards. BMC Evol Biol 2018; 18:16. [PMID: 29409440 PMCID: PMC5801843 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-018-1133-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2017] [Accepted: 01/31/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Life diversifies via adaptive radiation when natural selection drives the evolution of ecologically distinct species mediated by their access to novel niche space, or via non-adaptive radiation when new species diversify while retaining ancestral niches. However, while cases of adaptive radiation are widely documented, examples of non-adaptively radiating lineages remain rarely observed. A prolific cold-climate lizard radiation from South America (Phymaturus), sister to a hyper-diverse adaptive radiation (Liolaemus), has extensively diversified phylogenetically and geographically, but with exceptionally minimal ecological and life-history diversification. This lineage, therefore, may offer unique opportunities to investigate the non-adaptive basis of diversification, and in combination with Liolaemus, to cover the whole spectrum of modes of diversification predicted by theory, from adaptive to non-adaptive. Using phylogenetic macroevolutionary modelling performed on a newly created 58-species molecular tree, we establish the tempo and mode of diversification in the Phymaturus radiation. RESULTS Lineage accumulation in Phymaturus opposes a density-dependent (or 'niche-filling') process of diversification. Concurrently, we found that body size diversification is better described by an Ornstein-Uhlenbeck evolutionary model, suggesting stabilizing selection as the mechanism underlying niche conservatism (i.e., maintaining two fundamental size peaks), and which has predominantly evolved around two major adaptive peaks on a 'Simpsonian' adaptive landscape. CONCLUSIONS Lineage diversification of the Phymaturus genus does not conform to an adaptive radiation, as it is characterised by a constant rate of species accumulation during the clade's history. Their strict habitat requirements (rocky outcrops), predominantly invariant herbivory, and especially the constant viviparous reproduction across species have likely limited their opportunities for adaptive diversifications throughout novel environments. This mode of diversification contrasts dramatically with its sister lineage Liolaemus, which geographically overlaps with Phymaturus, but exploits all possible microhabitats in these and other bioclimatic areas. Our study contributes importantly to consolidate these lizards (liolaemids) as promising model systems to investigate the entire spectrum of modes of species formations, from the adaptive to the non-adaptive extremes of the continuum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley M. Reaney
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Ecology of Adaptations, School of Life Sciences, University of Lincoln, Brayford Campus, Lincoln, Lincolnshire LN6 7DL UK
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Buckhurst Road, Ascot, Berkshire, SL5 7PY UK
| | - Mónica Saldarriaga-Córdoba
- Centro de Investigación en Recursos Naturales y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Bernardo O’Higgins, Santiago, Chile
| | - Daniel Pincheira-Donoso
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Ecology of Adaptations, School of Life Sciences, University of Lincoln, Brayford Campus, Lincoln, Lincolnshire LN6 7DL UK
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Itescu Y, Schwarz R, Meiri S, Pafilis P. Lizard tail-loss rates on islands are not governed by longer life spans. Isr J Ecol Evol 2017. [DOI: 10.1163/22244662-06301011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
We recently studied whether, on islands, predation or intraspecific aggression is the main driver of tail-loss, a common defense mechanism among lizards. We concluded the latter was the stronger driver (Itescu et al. 2017). Werner (2017) suggested that we failed to falsify an alternative hypothesis. He claims that on low-predation islands lizards live longer. Thus while tail loss is caused by predators, it accumulates over longer periods, resulting in overall higher tail-loss rates in populations experiencing weak predation. Here we test this hypothesis and three other arguments he presented, and fail to support them. We therefore adhere to our original conclusion that intraspecific aggression is the main driver of lizard tail loss on islands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuval Itescu
- aSchool of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Rachel Schwarz
- aSchool of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Shai Meiri
- aSchool of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Panayiotis Pafilis
- bSection of Zoology and Marine Biology, Department of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimioupolis, Ilissia, Athens 157-84, Greece
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Pincheira-Donoso D, Hunt J. Fecundity selection theory: concepts and evidence. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2015; 92:341-356. [PMID: 26526765 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2015] [Revised: 09/28/2015] [Accepted: 09/30/2015] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Fitness results from an optimal balance between survival, mating success and fecundity. The interactions between these three components of fitness vary depending on the selective context, from positive covariation between them, to antagonistic pleiotropic relationships when fitness increases in one reduce the fitness of others. Therefore, elucidating the routes through which selection shapes life history and phenotypic adaptations via these fitness components is of primary significance to understanding ecological and evolutionary dynamics. However, while the fitness components mediated by natural (survival) and sexual (mating success) selection have been debated extensively from most possible perspectives, fecundity selection remains considerably less studied. Here, we review the theoretical basis, evidence and implications of fecundity selection as a driver of sex-specific adaptive evolution. Based on accumulating literature on the life-history, phenotypic and ecological aspects of fecundity, we (i) suggest a re-arrangement of the concepts of fecundity, whereby we coin the term 'transient fecundity' to refer to brood size per reproductive episode, while 'annual' and 'lifetime fecundity' should not be used interchangeably with 'transient fecundity' as they represent different life-history parameters; (ii) provide a generalized re-definition of the concept of fecundity selection as a mechanism that encompasses any traits that influence fecundity in any direction (from high to low) and in either sex; (iii) review the (macro)ecological basis of fecundity selection (e.g. ecological pressures that influence predictable spatial variation in fecundity); (iv) suggest that most ecological theories of fecundity selection should be tested in organisms other than birds; (v) argue that the longstanding fecundity selection hypothesis of female-biased sexual size dimorphism (SSD) has gained inconsistent support, that strong fecundity selection does not necessarily drive female-biased SSD, and that this form of SSD can be driven by other selective pressures; and (vi) discuss cases in which fecundity selection operates on males. This conceptual analysis of the theory of fecundity selection promises to help illuminate one of the central components of fitness and its contribution to adaptive evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Pincheira-Donoso
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Ecology of Adaptations, School of Life Sciences, University of Lincoln, Brayford Campus, Lincoln, Lincolnshire, LN6 7DL, U.K
| | - John Hunt
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Penryn, Cornwall, TR10 9EZ, U.K
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Kappeler PM, Fichtel C. Eco-evo-devo of the lemur syndrome: did adaptive behavioral plasticity get canalized in a large primate radiation? Front Zool 2015; 12 Suppl 1:S15. [PMID: 26816515 PMCID: PMC4722368 DOI: 10.1186/1742-9994-12-s1-s15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Comprehensive explanations of behavioral adaptations rarely invoke all levels famously admonished by Niko Tinbergen. The role of developmental processes and plasticity, in particular, has often been neglected. In this paper, we combine ecological, physiological and developmental perspectives in developing a hypothesis to account for the evolution of 'the lemur syndrome', a combination of reduced sexual dimorphism, even adult sex ratios, female dominance and mild genital masculinization characterizing group-living species in two families of Malagasy primates. RESULTS We review the different components of the lemur syndrome and compare it with similar adaptations reported for other mammals. We find support for the assertion that the lemur syndrome represents a unique set of integrated behavioral, demographic and morphological traits. We combine existing hypotheses about underlying adaptive function and proximate causation by adding a potential developmental mechanism linking maternal stress and filial masculinization, and outline an evolutionary scenario for its canalization. CONCLUSIONS We propose a new hypothesis linking ecological, physiological, developmental and evolutionary processes to adumbrate a comprehensive explanation for the evolution of the lemur syndrome, whose assumptions and predictions can guide diverse future research on lemurs. This hypothesis should also encourage students of other behavioral phenomena to consider the potential role of developmental plasticity in evolutionary innovation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter M Kappeler
- Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Unit, German Primate Center, Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Claudia Fichtel
- Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Unit, German Primate Center, Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
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21
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Pincheira-Donoso D, Harvey LP, Ruta M. What defines an adaptive radiation? Macroevolutionary diversification dynamics of an exceptionally species-rich continental lizard radiation. BMC Evol Biol 2015; 15:153. [PMID: 26245280 PMCID: PMC4527223 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-015-0435-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2015] [Accepted: 07/29/2015] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Adaptive radiation theory posits that ecological opportunity promotes rapid proliferation of phylogenetic and ecological diversity. Given that adaptive radiation proceeds via occupation of available niche space in newly accessed ecological zones, theory predicts that: (i) evolutionary diversification follows an 'early-burst' process, i.e., it accelerates early in the history of a clade (when available niche space facilitates speciation), and subsequently slows down as niche space becomes saturated by new species; and (ii) phylogenetic branching is accompanied by diversification of ecologically relevant phenotypic traits among newly evolving species. Here, we employ macroevolutionary phylogenetic model-selection analyses to address these two predictions about evolutionary diversification using one of the most exceptionally species-rich and ecologically diverse lineages of living vertebrates, the South American lizard genus Liolaemus. RESULTS Our phylogenetic analyses lend support to a density-dependent lineage diversification model. However, the lineage through-time diversification curve does not provide strong support for an early burst. In contrast, the evolution of phenotypic (body size) relative disparity is high, significantly different from a Brownian model during approximately the last 5 million years of Liolaemus evolution. Model-fitting analyses also reject the 'early-burst' model of phenotypic evolution, and instead favour stabilizing selection (Ornstein-Uhlenbeck, with three peaks identified) as the best model for body size diversification. Finally, diversification rates tend to increase with smaller body size. CONCLUSIONS Liolaemus have diversified under a density-dependent process with slightly pronounced apparent episodic pulses of lineage accumulation, which are compatible with the expected episodic ecological opportunity created by gradual uplifts of the Andes over the last ~25My. We argue that ecological opportunity can be strong and a crucial driver of adaptive radiations in continents, but may emerge less frequently (compared to islands) when major events (e.g., climatic, geographic) significantly modify environments. In contrast, body size diversification conforms to an Ornstein-Uhlenbeck model with multiple trait optima. Despite this asymmetric diversification between both lineages and phenotype, links are expected to exist between the two processes, as shown by our trait-dependent analyses of diversification. We finally suggest that the definition of adaptive radiation should not be conditioned by the existence of early-bursts of diversification, and should instead be generalized to lineages in which species and ecological diversity have evolved from a single ancestor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Pincheira-Donoso
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Ecology of Adaptations, School of Life Sciences, University of Lincoln, Brayford Campus, Lincoln, LN6 7DL, UK.
| | - Lilly P Harvey
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Ecology of Adaptations, School of Life Sciences, University of Lincoln, Brayford Campus, Lincoln, LN6 7DL, UK.
| | - Marcello Ruta
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Palaeobiology, School of Life Sciences, University of Lincoln, Brayford Campus, Lincoln, LN6 7DL, UK.
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