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Yi W, Reichard M, Rücklin M, Richardson MK. Parasitic fish embryos do a "front-flip" on the yolk to resist expulsion from the host. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2310082121. [PMID: 38377205 PMCID: PMC10907307 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2310082121] [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: 06/18/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Embryonic development is often considered shielded from the effects of natural selection, being selected primarily for reliable development. However, embryos sometimes represent virulent parasites, triggering a coevolutionary "arms race" with their host. We have examined embryonic adaptations to a parasitic lifestyle in the bitterling fish. Bitterlings are brood parasites that lay their eggs in the gill chamber of host mussels. Bitterling eggs and embryos have adaptations to resist being flushed out by the mussel. These include a pair of projections from the yolk sac that act as an anchor. Furthermore, bitterling eggs all adopt a head-down position in the mussel gills which further increases their chances of survival. To examine these adaptations in detail, we have studied development in the rosy bitterling (Rhodeus ocellatus) using molecular markers, X-ray tomography, and time-lapse imaging. We describe a suite of developmental adaptations to brood parasitism in this species. We show that the mechanism underlying these adaptions is a modified pattern of blastokinesis-a process unique, among fish, to bitterlings. Tissue movements during blastokinesis cause the embryo to do an extraordinary "front-flip" on the yolk. We suggest that this movement determines the spatial orientation of the other developmental adaptations to parasitism, ensuring that they are optimally positioned to help resist the ejection of the embryo from the mussel. Our study supports the notion that natural selection can drive the evolution of a suite of adaptations, both embryonic and extra-embryonic, via modifications in early development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenjing Yi
- Institute of Biology, University of Leiden, Sylvius Laboratory, Leiden2333BE, The Netherlands
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno603 65, Czech Republic
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei430072, People’s Republic of China
| | - Martin Reichard
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno603 65, Czech Republic
- Department of Ecology and Vertebrate Zoology, University of Lodz, Lodz90-237, Poland
- Faculty of Science, Department of Botany and Zoology, Masaryk University, Brno611 37, Czech Republic
| | - Martin Rücklin
- Vertebrate Evolution, Development and Ecology group, Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden2333 CR, The Netherlands
| | - Michael K. Richardson
- Institute of Biology, University of Leiden, Sylvius Laboratory, Leiden2333BE, The Netherlands
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2
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Hauber ME, Nagy J, Sheard C, Antonson ND, Street SE, Healy SD, Lala KN, Mainwaring MC. Nest architecture influences host use by avian brood parasites and is shaped by coevolutionary dynamics. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20231734. [PMID: 38196369 PMCID: PMC10777141 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.1734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Brood (social) parasites and their hosts exhibit a wide range of adaptations and counter-adaptations as part of their ongoing coevolutionary arms races. Obligate avian brood parasites are expected to use potential host species with more easily accessible nests, while potential hosts are expected to evade parasitism by building more concealed nests that are difficult for parasites to enter and in which to lay eggs. We used phylogenetically informed comparative analyses, a global database of the world's brood parasites, their host species, and the design of avian host and non-host nests (approx. 6200 bird species) to examine first, whether parasites preferentially target host species that build open nests and, second, whether host species that build enclosed nests are more likely to be targeted by specialist parasites. We found that species building more accessible nests are more likely to serve as hosts, while host species with some of the more inaccessible nests are targeted by more specialist brood parasites. Furthermore, evolutionary-transition analyses demonstrate that host species building enclosed nests frequently evolve to become non-hosts. We conclude that nest architecture and the accessibility of nests for parasitism represent a critical stage of the ongoing coevolutionary arms race between avian brood parasites and their hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark E. Hauber
- Advanced Science Research Center and Program in Psychology, Graduate Center of the City University of New York, 85 St Nicholas Terrace, New York, NY 10031, USA
| | - Jenő Nagy
- HUN-REN-UD Conservation Biology Research Group, Department of Botany, University of Debrecen, Egyetem tér 1, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Catherine Sheard
- School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 2TZ, UK
| | - Nicholas D. Antonson
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
| | - Sally E. Street
- Department of Anthropology, Durham University, Durham DH1 3LE, UK
| | - Susan D. Healy
- School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 9TH, UK
| | - Kevin N. Lala
- School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 9TH, UK
| | - Mark C. Mainwaring
- School of Environmental and Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor LL57 2DG, UK
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3
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Revell LJ. phytools 2.0: an updated R ecosystem for phylogenetic comparative methods (and other things). PeerJ 2024; 12:e16505. [PMID: 38192598 PMCID: PMC10773453 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.16505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Phylogenetic comparative methods comprise the general endeavor of using an estimated phylogenetic tree (or set of trees) to make secondary inferences: about trait evolution, diversification dynamics, biogeography, community ecology, and a wide range of other phenomena or processes. Over the past ten years or so, the phytools R package has grown to become an important research tool for phylogenetic comparative analysis. phytools is a diverse contributed R library now consisting of hundreds of different functions covering a variety of methods and purposes in phylogenetic biology. As of the time of writing, phytools included functionality for fitting models of trait evolution, for reconstructing ancestral states, for studying diversification on trees, and for visualizing phylogenies, comparative data, and fitted models, as well numerous other tasks related to phylogenetic biology. Here, I describe some significant features of and recent updates to phytools, while also illustrating several popular workflows of the phytools computational software.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liam J. Revell
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, USA
- Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción, Concepción, Chile
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4
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Reichard M, Koblmüller S, Blažek R, Zimmermann H, Katongo C, Bryjová A, Bryja J. Lack of host specialization despite selective host use in brood parasitic cuckoo catfish. Mol Ecol 2023; 32:6070-6082. [PMID: 37861460 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17173] [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: 06/28/2023] [Revised: 09/30/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
Host-parasite dynamics involve coevolutionary arms races, which may lead to host specialization and ensuing diversification. Our general understanding of the evolution of host specialization in brood parasites is compromised by a restricted focus on bird and insect lineages. The cuckoo catfish (Synodontis multipunctatus) is an obligate parasite of parental care of mouthbrooding cichlids in Lake Tanganyika. Given the ecological and taxonomic diversity of mouthbrooding cichlids in the lake, we hypothesized the existence of sympatric host-specific lineages in the cuckoo catfish. In a sample of 779 broods from 20 cichlid species, we found four species parasitized by cuckoo catfish (with prevalence of parasitism of 2%-18%). All parasitized cichlids were from the tribe Tropheini, maternal mouthbrooders that spawn over a substrate (rather than in open water). Phylogenetic analysis based on genomic (ddRAD sequencing) and mitochondrial (Dloop) data from cuckoo catfish embryos showed an absence of host-specific lineages. This was corroborated by analyses of genetic structure and co-ancestry matrix. Within host species, parasitism was not associated with any individual characteristic we recorded (parent size, water depth), but was costly as parasitized parents carried smaller clutches of their own offspring. We conclude that the cuckoo catfish is an intermediate generalist and discuss costs, benefits and constraints of host specialization in this species and brood parasites in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Reichard
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
- Department of Ecology and Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland
| | | | - Radim Blažek
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Holger Zimmermann
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
- Institute of Biology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Cyprian Katongo
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia
| | - Anna Bryjová
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Josef Bryja
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
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5
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Kennerley JA, Somveille M, Hauber ME, Richardson NM, Manica A, Feeney WE. The overlooked complexity of avian brood parasite-host relationships. Ecol Lett 2022; 25:1889-1904. [PMID: 35763605 PMCID: PMC9543277 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Revised: 05/13/2022] [Accepted: 05/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The relationships between avian brood parasites and their hosts are widely recognised as model systems for studying coevolution. However, while most brood parasites are known to parasitise multiple species of host and hosts are often subject to parasitism by multiple brood parasite species, the examination of multispecies interactions remains rare. Here, we compile data on all known brood parasite-host relationships and find that complex brood parasite-host systems, where multiple species of brood parasites and hosts coexist and interact, are globally commonplace. By examining patterns of past research, we outline the disparity between patterns of network complexity and past research emphases and discuss factors that may be associated with these patterns. Drawing on insights gained from other systems that have embraced a multispecies framework, we highlight the potential benefits of considering brood parasite-host interactions as ecological networks and brood parasitism as a model system for studying multispecies interactions. Overall, our results provide new insights into the diversity of these relationships, highlight the stark mismatch between past research efforts and global patterns of network complexity, and draw attention to the opportunities that more complex arrangements offer for examining how species interactions shape global patterns of biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Marius Somveille
- Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, University College London, London, UK
| | - Mark E Hauber
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | | | - Andrea Manica
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - William E Feeney
- Department of Biosciences, Durham University, Durham, UK.,Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Starnberg, Germany
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6
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Go JS, Lee JW, Yoo JC. Variations of Hawk Mimicry Traits in the Four Sympatric Cuculus Cuckoos. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.702263] [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
A well-known visual signal, hawk-like features such as yellow eyes and feet, and barred underparts have been recognized as coevolutionary traits obtained against host defense in Cuculus cuckoos. However, the variation of these traits within and among species remains poorly understood because empirical studies quantifying these traits are limited in terms of the number of studies and the number of species concerned, and mostly depend on museum collections. In this study, we quantified and compared these traits as well as other new features (e.g., inner wing spot and underpart background color) in the four sympatric Cuculus cuckoos (Cuculus poliocephalus, Cuculus micropterus, Cuculus optatus, and Cuculus canorus) that were wild-captured in South Korea. We found that the yellow color of the eye ring and feet was fairly consistent across the four species. However, the iris color appeared to vary within a species (e.g., between sexes) and varied more substantially among species from nearly black in C. micropterus to bright yellow in C. canorus. In addition, there were significant differences among species with respect to the thickness of the underpart bars, from the thinnest in C. canorus to the thickest in C. micropterus. We also found that the underpart color (pure white versus yellowish brown) and the number of inner wing spots varied within and among species. These results indicate that although hawk-like traits are widely present in Cuculus cuckoos, detailed quantitative features of these traits vary across species. We discuss the potential reasons that generate such variations and suggest future directions to increase our understanding of visual signals in avian brood parasitism.
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7
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Nahid MI, Fossøy F, Stokke BG, Abernathy V, Begum S, Langmore NE, Røskaft E, Ranke PS. No evidence of host-specific egg mimicry in Asian koels. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0253985. [PMID: 34242287 PMCID: PMC8270166 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0253985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2021] [Accepted: 06/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Avian brood parasitism is costly for the host, in many cases leading to the evolution of defenses like discrimination of parasitic eggs. The parasite, in turn, may evolve mimetic eggs as a counter-adaptation to host egg rejection. Some generalist parasites have evolved host-specific races (gentes) that may mimic the eggs of their main hosts, while others have evolved ‘jack-of-all-trades’ egg phenotypes that mimic key features of the eggs of several different host species. The Asian koel (Eudynamys scolopaceus) is a widely distributed generalist brood parasite that exploits a wide range of host species. Based on human vision, previous studies have described Asian koel eggs as resembling those of its main host, the house crow (Corvus splendens). Using measurements of egg length and breadth, digital image analysis, reflectance spectrophotometry and avian visual modelling, we examined Asian koel egg variation and potential mimicry in egg size and shape, and eggshell pattern and color in three sympatrically occurring host species in Bangladesh: the common myna (Acridotheres tristis), house crow, and long-tailed shrike (Lanius schach). We found some differences among Asian koel eggs laid in different host nests: a) Asian koel eggs in long-tailed shrike nests were larger than those laid in common myna and house crow nests, and b) Asian koel eggs in house crow nests were less elongated than those in common myna nests. However, these changes in Asian koel egg volume and shape were in the opposite direction with respect to their corresponding host egg characteristics. Thus, our study found no evidence for Asian koel host-specific egg mimicry in three sympatrically occurring host species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mominul Islam Nahid
- Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway
- Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka, Bangladesh
- * E-mail:
| | - Frode Fossøy
- Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Trondheim, Norway
| | - Bård G. Stokke
- Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Trondheim, Norway
| | - Virginia Abernathy
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Sajeda Begum
- Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Naomi E. Langmore
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Eivin Røskaft
- Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway
| | - Peter S. Ranke
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics (CBD), Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway
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8
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Lee JW, Moon HK, Noh HJ, Kim MS, Yoo JC. Host-dependent dispersal demonstrates both-sex host specificity in cuckoos. Behav Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/araa122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
In a parasite species, the dispersal of individuals should be dependent on the host species to which they are specialized; thus, any sexual/individual difference in host specificity may influence their dispersal patterns and, hence, population genetic structures. However, such predictions remain poorly verified in generalist avian brood parasites that are composed of multiple lineages of host-specific races. Here, we show the dispersal consequences inferred from spatial genetic structures and their association with host specificity in brood parasitic common cuckoos Cuculus canorus in which female-specific host race formation has been widely accepted. Genetic sampling from adult cuckoos confirmed restricted dispersal in both sexes and resultant genetic structures between populations where different host species breed allopatrically, whereas it was not the case between distant areas inhabited by the same host species. Contrary to the female host race hypothesis, our results demonstrate that male cuckoos may also have host specificity and disperse accordingly, conclusively allowing us to hypothesize the formation of a host race including both sexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin-Won Lee
- Korea Institute of Ornithology, Kyung Hee University, Kyungheedae-ro, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Biology, Kyung Hee University, Kyungheedae-ro, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Hye-Kyoung Moon
- Department of Biology, Kyung Hee University, Kyungheedae-ro, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Hee-Jin Noh
- Korea Institute of Ornithology, Kyung Hee University, Kyungheedae-ro, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Biology, Kyung Hee University, Kyungheedae-ro, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Myun-Sik Kim
- Korea Institute of Ornithology, Kyung Hee University, Kyungheedae-ro, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jeong-Chil Yoo
- Korea Institute of Ornithology, Kyung Hee University, Kyungheedae-ro, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Biology, Kyung Hee University, Kyungheedae-ro, Seoul, Republic of Korea
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9
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Attisano A, Hlebowicz K, Gula R, Theuerkauf J. Threat recognition and response in an avian brood-parasite host from New Caledonia. Curr Zool 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoaa061] [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
Abstract
Nest predation and avian brood parasitism are the main sources of nest failure in many passerine birds. Large predators threaten both brood and parents, whereas brood parasites pose only a danger to eggs or nestlings. The fan-tailed gerygone Gerygone flavolateralis from New Caledonia is subjected to high rates of nest predation by the New Caledonian crow Corvus moneduloides (responsible for about 20–40% of predation) and moderate rates of brood parasitism by the shining bronze-cuckoo Chalcites lucidus (parasitizing about 18% of nests), which also depredates nests that are too advanced for parasitism (13% of nests). To test if fan-tailed gerygones are able to discriminate predators from brood parasites, we presented 3 bird models at active gerygone nests: a brood parasite/small nest predator (shining bronze-cuckoo), a large nest predator (crow), and a small non-native bird (common chaffinch Fringilla coelebs), which is unknown to the gerygone, as a control. We assessed the response of adult gerygones to the presentation of each model by measuring the minimum approach distance, number of alarm calls, number of attacks, and time to first nest visit after the presentation (latency). Adult gerygones often attacked the cuckoo, approached but never attacked the chaffinch and always avoided the crow. Latency was shorter after an attack response and during brooding, but similar among models. We did not find any link between the cuckoo model presentation and later ejection of cuckoo nestlings. We conclude that adult fan-tailed gerygones discriminate between different models and respond accordingly to the level of threat, but do not show awareness of parasitism risk and increase of nestling ejection rates following exposure to the cuckoo model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alfredo Attisano
- Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | | | - Roman Gula
- Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Jörn Theuerkauf
- Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
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10
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Medina I, Kilner RM, Langmore NE. From micro- to macroevolution: brood parasitism as a driver of phenotypic diversity in birds. Curr Zool 2020; 66:515-526. [PMID: 33293930 PMCID: PMC7705515 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoaa033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2020] [Accepted: 06/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
A fundamental question in biology is how diversity evolves and why some clades are more diverse than others. Phenotypic diversity has often been shown to result from morphological adaptation to different habitats. The role of behavioral interactions as a driver of broadscale phenotypic diversity has received comparatively less attention. Behavioral interactions, however, are a key agent of natural selection. Antagonistic behavioral interactions with predators or with parasites can have significant fitness consequences, and hence act as strong evolutionary forces on the phenotype of species, ultimately generating diversity between species of both victims and exploiters. Avian obligate brood parasites lay their eggs in the nests of other species, their hosts, and this behavioral interaction between hosts and parasites is often considered one of the best examples of coevolution in the natural world. In this review, we use the coevolution between brood parasites and their hosts to illustrate the potential of behavioral interactions to drive evolution of phenotypic diversity at different taxonomic scales. We provide a bridge between behavioral ecology and macroevolution by describing how this interaction has increased avian phenotypic diversity not only in the brood parasitic clades but also in their hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iliana Medina
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Victoria, 3010, Australia
| | - Rebecca M Kilner
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EJ, UK
| | - Naomi E Langmore
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia
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11
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Antonson ND, Rubenstein DR, Hauber ME, Botero CA. Ecological uncertainty favours the diversification of host use in avian brood parasites. Nat Commun 2020; 11:4185. [PMID: 32826898 PMCID: PMC7442637 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-18038-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2020] [Accepted: 07/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Adaptive responses to ecological uncertainty may affect the dynamics of interspecific interactions and shape the course of evolution within symbioses. Obligate avian brood parasites provide a particularly tractable system for understanding how uncertainty, driven by environmental variability and symbiont phenology, influences the evolution of species interactions. Here, we use phylogenetically-informed analyses and a comprehensive dataset on the behaviour and geographic distribution of obligate avian brood parasites and their hosts to demonstrate that increasing uncertainty in thermoregulation and parental investment of parasitic young are positively associated with host richness and diversity. Our findings are consistent with the theoretical expectation that ecological risks and environmental unpredictability should favour the evolution of bet-hedging. Additionally, these highly consistent patterns highlight the important role that ecological uncertainty is likely to play in shaping the evolution of specialisation and generalism in complex interspecific relationships. Nearly 17% of all bird species are hosts to obligate brood parasites like the common cuckoo. Antonson et al. show that parasite species hedge their reproductive bets by outsourcing parental care to a greater variety of host species when the rearing environment for their young is more unpredictable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas D Antonson
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 505 S. Goodwin Ave., Urbana, IL, 61801, USA.
| | - Dustin R Rubenstein
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, 1200 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY, 10027, USA
| | - Mark E Hauber
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 505 S. Goodwin Ave., Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
| | - Carlos A Botero
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, 1 Brookings Dr, St. Louis, MO, 63130, USA.
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12
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Morelli F, Benedetti Y, Pape Møller A. Diet specialization and brood parasitism in cuckoo species. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:5097-5105. [PMID: 32551085 PMCID: PMC7297776 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2019] [Revised: 02/05/2020] [Accepted: 03/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Brood parasitism is a breeding strategy adopted by many species of cuckoos across the world. This breeding strategy influences the evolution of life histories of brood parasite species.In this study, we tested whether the degree on diet specialization is related to the breeding strategy in cuckoo species, by comparing brood parasite and nonparasite species. We measured the gradient of diet specialization of cuckoos, by calculating the Gini coefficient, an index of inequality, on the multiple traits describing the diet of species. The Gini coefficient is a measure of statistical dispersion on a scale between 0 and 1, reflecting a gradient from low to high specialization, respectively. First, we tested the strength of the phylogenetic signal of diet specialization index among cuckoo species worldwide. Then, we ran phylogenetic generalized least square (PGLS) models to compare diet specialization, distribution range, and body mass of parasitic and nonparasitic cuckoo species, considering the phylogenetic signal of data.After adjusting for the phylogenetic signal of the data and considering both, species distribution range and species body mass, brood parasitic cuckoos were characterized by higher diet specialization than nonbrood parasitic species. Brood parasitic species were also characterized by a larger breeding distribution range than nonparasitic species.The findings of this study provide an additional understanding of the cuckoos' ecology, relating diet and breeding strategies, information that could be important in conservation ecology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico Morelli
- Faculty of Environmental SciencesDepartment of Applied Geoinformatics and Spatial PlanningCzech University of Life Sciences PragueCzech Republic
- Faculty of Biological SciencesUniversity of Zielona GóraZielona GóraPoland
| | - Yanina Benedetti
- Faculty of Environmental SciencesDepartment of Applied Geoinformatics and Spatial PlanningCzech University of Life Sciences PragueCzech Republic
| | - Anders Pape Møller
- Ecologie Systématique EvolutionUniversité Paris‐SudCNRSUniversité SaclayOrsay CedexFrance
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14
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Rouchet R, Smith C, Liu H, Methling C, Douda K, Yu D, Tang Q, Reichard M. Avoidance of host resistance in the oviposition-site preferences of rose bitterling. Evol Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s10682-017-9907-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Soler JJ, Soler M. Evolutionary change: facultative virulence by brood parasites and tolerance and plastic resistance by hosts. Anim Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Smith C. Bayesian inference supports the host selection hypothesis in explaining adaptive host specificity by European bitterling. Oecologia 2016; 183:379-389. [PMID: 27888335 PMCID: PMC5306149 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-016-3780-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2016] [Accepted: 11/12/2016] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Generalist parasites have the capacity to infect multiple hosts. The temporal pattern of host specificity by generalist parasites is rarely studied, but is critical to understanding what variables underpin infection and thereby the impact of parasites on host species and the way they impose selection on hosts. Here, the temporal dynamics of infection of four species of freshwater mussel by European bitterling fish (Rhodeus amarus) was investigated over three spawning seasons. Bitterling lay their eggs in the gills of freshwater mussels, which suffer reduced growth, oxygen stress, gill damage and elevated mortality as a result of parasitism. The temporal pattern of infection of mussels by European bitterling in multiple populations was examined. Using a Bernoulli Generalized Additive Mixed Model with Bayesian inference it was demonstrated that one mussel species, Unio pictorum, was exploited over the entire bitterling spawning season. As the season progressed, bitterling showed a preference for other mussel species, which were inferior hosts. Temporal changes in host use reflected elevated density-dependent mortality in preferred hosts that were already infected. Plasticity in host specificity by bitterling conformed with the predictions of the host selection hypothesis. The relationship between bitterling and their host mussels differs qualitatively from that of avian brood parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carl Smith
- School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK. .,Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Brno, Czech Republic. .,Bell-Pettigrew Museum of Natural History, University of St Andrews, Bute Building, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9TS, UK.
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