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Harvey-Carroll J, Stevenson TJ, Spencer KA. Maternal developmental history alters transfer of circadian clock genes to offspring in Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica). J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2024; 210:399-413. [PMID: 37589732 PMCID: PMC11106187 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-023-01666-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Revised: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 08/02/2023] [Indexed: 08/18/2023]
Abstract
Maternal signals shape embryonic development, and in turn post-natal phenotypes. RNA deposition is one such method of maternal signalling and circadian rhythms are one trait thought to be maternally inherited, through this mechanism. These maternal circadian gene transcripts aid development of a functioning circadian system. There is increasing evidence that maternal signals can be modified, depending on prevailing environmental conditions to optimise offspring fitness. However, currently, it is unknown if maternal circadian gene transcripts, and consequently early embryonic gene transcription, are altered by maternal developmental conditions. Here, using avian mothers who experienced either pre-natal corticosterone exposure, and/or post-natal stress as juveniles we were able to determine the effects of the timing of stress on downstream circadian RNA deposition in offspring. We demonstrated that maternal developmental history does indeed affect transfer of offspring circadian genes, but the timing of stress was important. Avian mothers who experienced stress during the first 2 weeks of post-natal life increased maternally deposited transcript levels of two core circadian clock genes, BMAL1 and PER2. These differences in transcript levels were transient and disappeared at the point of embryonic genome transcription. Pre-natal maternal stress alone was found to elicit delayed changes in circadian gene expression. After activation of the embryonic genome, both BMAL1 and PER2 expression were significantly decreased. If both pre-natal and post-natal stress occurred, then initial maternal transcript levels of BMAL1 were significantly increased. Taken together, these results suggest that developmental stress differentially produces persistent transgenerational effects on offspring circadian genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Harvey-Carroll
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, South Street, St Andrews, KY16 9JP, UK.
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Medicinaregatan 18A, 413 90, Gothenburg, Sweden.
| | - Tyler J Stevenson
- School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G36 1QH, UK
| | - Karen A Spencer
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, South Street, St Andrews, KY16 9JP, UK
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2
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Lafond J, Angers B. Maternal ploidy shapes reproductive pathways in the triploid hybrid Chrosomus eos × eos-neogaeus. Mol Ecol 2024; 33:e17264. [PMID: 38205506 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17264] [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: 09/29/2023] [Revised: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
Elements transferred from a mother to her eggs may strongly influence the phenotype of her offspring. Such maternal effects depend on the genotype of the mother, and while multiple ploidy levels occur naturally in some vertebrate species, studies evaluating the impact of maternal ploidy on offspring are scarce. This paper aimed to test whether maternal ploidy is responsible for the two reproductive phenotypes observed in the triploid fish Chrosomus eos × eos-neogaeus. Indeed, these hybrids have two different maternal origins (diploid or triploid) and display two reproductive phenotypes, ameiotic and meiotic hybridogenesis, resulting in diploid and haploid eggs, respectively. To this end, we first conducted a genomic survey to identify epigenetic variations in triploid larvae reared under common garden conditions, concordantly with their maternal origin. The results revealed that the polymorphic epigenetic loci of the larvae clustered into two highly distinct groups consistently with the ploidy of their mother. Diagnostic epigenetic loci were then tested in triploid adult females whose reproductive pathways were already known, to infer their own maternal origin. Altogether, the results suggest that triploid larvae from diploid and triploid mothers will develop the ameiotic and meiotic hybridogenesis pathway, respectively. This confirms that the development of a given reproductive pathway in triploid females results from the ploidy of their mother. Overall, this study supports a strong maternal effect, introducing maternal ploidy and reproductive pathways as additional cause and effect of maternal effects, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joëlle Lafond
- Department of Biological Sciences, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Bernard Angers
- Department of Biological Sciences, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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3
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Pettersen AK, Metcalfe NB, Seebacher F. Intergenerational plasticity aligns with temperature-dependent selection on offspring metabolic rates. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2024; 379:20220496. [PMID: 38186279 PMCID: PMC10772613 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 10/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Metabolic rates are linked to key life-history traits that are thought to set the pace of life and affect fitness, yet the role that parents may have in shaping the metabolism of their offspring to enhance survival remains unclear. Here, we investigated the effect of temperature (24°C or 30°C) and feeding frequency experienced by parent zebrafish (Danio rerio) on offspring phenotypes and early survival at different developmental temperatures (24°C or 30°C). We found that embryo size was larger, but survival lower, in offspring from the parental low food treatment. Parents exposed to the warmer temperature and lower food treatment also produced offspring with lower standard metabolic rates-aligning with selection on embryo metabolic rates. Lower metabolic rates were correlated with reduced developmental and growth rates, suggesting selection for a slow pace of life. Our results show that intergenerational phenotypic plasticity on offspring size and metabolic rate can be adaptive when parent and offspring temperatures are matched: the direction of selection on embryo size and metabolism aligned with intergenerational plasticity towards lower metabolism at higher temperatures, particularly in offspring from low-condition parents. These findings provide evidence for adaptive parental effects, but only when parental and offspring environments match. This article is part of the theme issue 'The evolutionary significance of variation in metabolic rates'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda K. Pettersen
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia
- School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine,, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Neil B. Metcalfe
- School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine,, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Frank Seebacher
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia
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4
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Amer NR, Stoks R, Antoł A, Sniegula S. Microgeographic differentiation in thermal and antipredator responses and their carry-over effects across life stages in a damselfly. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0295707. [PMID: 38394143 PMCID: PMC10889876 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0295707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Global warming and invasive species, separately or combined, can impose a large impact on the condition of native species. However, we know relatively little about how these two factors, individually and in combination, shape phenotypes in ectotherms across life stages and how this can differ between populations. We investigated the non-consumptive predator effects (NCEs) imposed by native (perch) and invasive (signal crayfish) predators experienced only during the egg stage or during both the egg and larval stages in combination with warming on adult life history traits of the damselfly Ischnura elegans. To explore microgeographic differentiation, we compared two nearby populations differing in thermal conditions and predator history. In the absence of predator cues, warming positively affected damselfly survival, possibly because the warmer temperature was closer to the optimal temperature. In the presence of predator cues, warming decreased survival, indicating a synergistic effect of these two variables on survival. In one population, predator cues from perch led to increased survival, especially under the current temperature, likely because of predator stress acclimation phenomena. While warming decreased, predator cues increased larval development time with a proportionally stronger effect of signal crayfish cues experienced during the egg stage, indicating a negative carry-over effect from egg to larva. Warming and predator cues increased mass at emergence, with the predator effect driven mainly by exposure to signal crayfish cues during the egg stage, indicating a positive carry-over effect from egg to adult. Notably, warming and predator effects were not consistent across the two studied populations, suggesting a phenotypic signal of adaptation at a microgeographic scale to thermal conditions and predator history. We also observed pronounced shifts during ontogeny from synergistic (egg and early larval stage) toward additive (late larval stage up to emergence) effects between warming and predator stress. The results point out that population- and life-stage-specific responses in life-history traits to NCEs are needed to predict fitness consequences of exposure to native and invasive predators and warming in prey at a microgeographic scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nermeen R. Amer
- Department of Biodiversity, Institute of Nature Conservation, Polish Academy of Sciences, Krakow, Poland
- Department of Entomology, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt
| | - Robby Stoks
- Department of Evolutionary Stress Ecology and Ecotoxicology, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Andrzej Antoł
- Department of Biodiversity, Institute of Nature Conservation, Polish Academy of Sciences, Krakow, Poland
| | - Szymon Sniegula
- Department of Biodiversity, Institute of Nature Conservation, Polish Academy of Sciences, Krakow, Poland
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5
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Smaga CR, Bock SL, Johnson JM, Rainwater T, Singh R, Deem V, Letter A, Brunell A, Parrott BB. The influence of incubation temperature on offspring traits varies across northern and southern populations of the American alligator ( Alligator mississippiensis). Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e10915. [PMID: 38371857 PMCID: PMC10869887 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2023] [Revised: 01/10/2024] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Maternal provisioning and the developmental environment are fundamental determinants of offspring traits, particularly in oviparous species. However, the extent to which embryonic responses to these factors differ across populations to drive phenotypic variation is not well understood. Here, we examine the contributions of maternal provisioning and incubation temperature to hatchling morphological and metabolic traits across four populations of the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis), encompassing a large portion of the species' latitudinal range. Our results show that whereas the influence of egg mass is generally consistent across populations, responses to incubation temperature show population-level variation in several traits, including mass, head length, head width, and residual yolk mass. Additionally, the influence of incubation temperature on developmental rate is greater at northern populations, while the allocation of maternal resources toward fat body mass is greater at southern populations. Overall, our results suggest that responses to incubation temperature, relative to maternal provisioning, are a larger source of interpopulation phenotypic variation and may contribute to the local adaptation of populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher R. Smaga
- Eugene P. Odum School of EcologyUniversity of GeorgiaAthensGeorgiaUSA
- The University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology LaboratoryAikenSouth CarolinaUSA
| | - Samantha L. Bock
- Eugene P. Odum School of EcologyUniversity of GeorgiaAthensGeorgiaUSA
- The University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology LaboratoryAikenSouth CarolinaUSA
| | - Josiah M. Johnson
- Eugene P. Odum School of EcologyUniversity of GeorgiaAthensGeorgiaUSA
- The University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology LaboratoryAikenSouth CarolinaUSA
| | - Thomas Rainwater
- Belle W. Baruch Institute of Coastal Ecology and Forest ScienceClemson UniversityGeorgetownSouth CarolinaUSA
- Tom Yawkey Wildlife CenterGeorgetownSouth CarolinaUSA
| | - Randeep Singh
- Belle W. Baruch Institute of Coastal Ecology and Forest ScienceClemson UniversityGeorgetownSouth CarolinaUSA
| | - Vincent Deem
- Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation CommissionGainesvilleFloridaUSA
| | - Andrew Letter
- Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation CommissionGainesvilleFloridaUSA
| | - Arnold Brunell
- Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation CommissionGainesvilleFloridaUSA
| | - Benjamin B. Parrott
- Eugene P. Odum School of EcologyUniversity of GeorgiaAthensGeorgiaUSA
- The University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology LaboratoryAikenSouth CarolinaUSA
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6
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Hellmann JK, Keagy J, Carlson ER, Kempfer S, Bell AM. Predator-induced transgenerational plasticity of parental care behaviour in male three-spined stickleback fish across two generations. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20232582. [PMID: 38196352 PMCID: PMC10777160 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.2582] [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: 06/15/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Parental care is a critical determinant of offspring fitness, and parents adjust their care in response to ecological challenges, including predation risk. The experiences of both mothers and fathers can influence phenotypes of future generations (transgenerational plasticity). If it is adaptive for parents to alter parental care in response to predation risk, then we expect F1 and F2 offspring who receive transgenerational cues of predation risk to shift their parental care behaviour if these ancestral cues reliably predict a similarly risky environment as their F0 parents. Here, we used three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) to understand how paternal exposure to predation risk prior to mating alters reproductive traits and parental care behaviour in unexposed F1 sons and F2 grandsons. Sons of predator-exposed fathers took more attempts to mate than sons of control fathers. F1 sons and F2 grandsons with two (maternal and paternal) predator-exposed grandfathers shifted their paternal care (fanning) behaviour in strikingly similar ways: they fanned less initially, but fanned more near egg hatching. This shift in fanning behaviour matches shifts observed in response to direct exposure to predation risk, suggesting a highly conserved response to pre-fertilization predator exposure that persists from the F0 to the F1 and F2 generations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer K. Hellmann
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Jason Keagy
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Erika R. Carlson
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Shayne Kempfer
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Alison M. Bell
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
- Program in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
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7
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Hope SF, Angelier F. Effects of the temperature during embryonic development on adult reproduction and the phenotype of the second generation in zebra finches. J Therm Biol 2024; 119:103787. [PMID: 38281314 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2024.103787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Revised: 01/08/2024] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 01/30/2024]
Abstract
Across taxa, the temperature experienced by individuals early in life can have large effects on their development. However, comparatively little is known about whether the effects of this thermal developmental environment can be long-lasting or transgenerational. In birds, one important aspect of the developmental environment is incubation and, in general, eggs incubated at low temperatures produce offspring with smaller morphology, suboptimal physiology, and even lower long-term survival. Yet, little is known about whether incubation temperature may affect avian reproduction in adulthood, and nothing is known about whether the effects of avian incubation temperature may be transgenerational. To investigate this, we incubated zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) eggs at two different temperatures: 37.5 °C ('control') and 36.3 °C ('low'), raised nestlings until adulthood, and allowed same-temperature treatment pairs to reproduce. We found that F1 individuals incubated at the low temperature had shorter beaks at the start of reproduction than those incubated at the control temperature. Further, compared to those from control parents, F2 offspring from parents incubated at the low temperature had lighter body masses at 5 days-old and had shorter beaks at 30 days-old. However, we found little evidence that incubation temperature affected other aspects of reproduction, with no effect on latency to lay, clutch size, egg mass, incubation period, hatching success/asynchrony, fledging, or the number of offspring that ultimately survived until independence. Overall, we found some evidence that a difference in the early thermal developmental environment can have lasting morphological effects into the next generation. However, future work is needed to determine whether the incubation temperature that birds experience as embryos may influence parental care behaviors or lifetime reproductive success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sydney F Hope
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, CNRS - La Rochelle Université, UMR 7372, Villiers en Bois, 79360, France.
| | - Frédéric Angelier
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, CNRS - La Rochelle Université, UMR 7372, Villiers en Bois, 79360, France
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8
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Palacios-Marquez JJ, Guevara-Fiore P. Parasitism in viviparous vertebrates: an overview. Parasitol Res 2023; 123:53. [PMID: 38100003 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-023-08083-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023]
Abstract
The reproductive mode of viviparity has independently evolved in various animal taxa. It refers to the condition in which the embryos or young develop inside the female's body during gestation, providing advantages such as protection, nutrition, and improved survival chances. However, parasites and diseases can be an evolutionary force that limit the host's resources, leading to physiological, morphological, and behavioral changes that impose additional costs on both the pregnant female and her offspring. This review integrates the primary literature published between 1980 and 2021 on the parasitism of viviparous hosts. We describe aspects such as reproductive investment in females, offspring sex ratios, lactation investment in mammals, alterations in birth intervals, current reproductive investment, variations between environments, immune system activity in response to immunological challenges, and other factors that can influence the interaction between viviparous females and parasites. Maintaining pregnancy incurs costs in managing the mother's resources and regulating the immune system's responses to the offspring, while simultaneously maintaining an adequate defense against parasites and pathogens. Parasites can significantly influence this reproductive mode: parasitized females adjust their investment in survival and reproduction based on their life history, environmental factors, and the diversity of encountered parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan J Palacios-Marquez
- Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Blvd. Valsequillo y Av. San Claudio, Edificio Bio-1, Ciudad Universitaria, Col. Jardines de San Manuel, 72580, Puebla, CP, Mexico
| | - Palestina Guevara-Fiore
- Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Blvd. Valsequillo y Av. San Claudio, Edificio Bio-1, Ciudad Universitaria, Col. Jardines de San Manuel, 72580, Puebla, CP, Mexico.
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9
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Martin RA, Riesch R, Plath M, Al Hanoosh NA, Wronski T. Reproductive biology of Gazella arabica: Predictors of offspring weight and short- and long-term offspring survival. Curr Zool 2023; 69:643-653. [PMID: 37876648 PMCID: PMC10591149 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoac084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/13/2022] [Indexed: 10/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Reproductive traits are central to organismal fitness, and so the factors influencing patterns of reproduction and offspring survival are at the heart of biology. Making use of breeding data collected over 16 years at the King Khalid Wildlife Research Centre in Saudi Arabia, we investigated the reproductive biology of Arabian gazelles Gazella arabica. Offspring survival was mainly a function of birth weight, with heavier offspring having higher survival rates than lighter offspring. However, while sons were heavier than daughters, daughters had higher survival rates. We could not find evidence that giving birth to sons negatively impacts offspring weight in the following year. We uncovered large narrow-sense heritability (h2) in offspring weight at birth, while maternal effects (m2) on birth weight were of lesser importance. However, maternal effects on offspring survival were strong until weaning age, while paternal effects dominated survival to sexual maturity and first reproduction. We propose that variation in maternal postnatal care might overshadow the effects of maternal inheritance of birth weights, while the overall strong heritability of weight at birth and the paternal effects on survival illustrates strong variance in sire fitness based on genetic quality, suggesting a role for sexual selection by female mate choice in wild populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan A Martin
- Department of Biology, DeGrace Hall, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Rüdiger Riesch
- Department of Biological Sciences, Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey, UK
- CEFE, CNRS, Univ Montpellier, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Martin Plath
- College of Nursing of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Avenida Bandeirantes 3900, 14040-902, Brazil
| | - Naif A Al Hanoosh
- National Center for Wildlife, King Khalid Wildlife Research Center, Thumamah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Torsten Wronski
- Faculty of Science, School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
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10
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Kralj-Fišer S, Kuntner M, Debes PV. Sex-specific trait architecture in a spider with sexual size dimorphism. J Evol Biol 2023; 36:1428-1437. [PMID: 37702091 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2022] [Revised: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/14/2023]
Abstract
Sexual dimorphism, or sex-specific trait expression, may evolve when selection favours different optima for the same trait between sexes, that is, under antagonistic selection. Intra-locus sexual conflict exists when the sexually dimorphic trait under antagonistic selection is based on genes shared between sexes. A common assumption is that the presence of sexual-size dimorphism (SSD) indicates that sexual conflict has been, at least partly, resolved via decoupling of the trait architecture between sexes. However, whether and how decoupling of the trait architecture between sexes has been realized often remains unknown. We tested for differences in architecture of adult body size between sexes in a species with extreme SSD, the African hermit spider (Nephilingis cruentata), where adult female body size greatly exceeds that of males. Specifically, we estimated the sex-specific importance of genetic and maternal effects on adult body size among individuals that we laboratory-reared for up to eight generations. Quantitative genetic model estimates indicated that size variation in females is to a larger extent explained by direct genetic effects than by maternal effects, but in males to a larger extent by maternal than by genetic effects. We conclude that this sex-specific body-size architecture enables body-size evolution to proceed much more independently than under a common architecture to both sexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simona Kralj-Fišer
- ZRC SAZU, Institute of Biology, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies, University of Primorska, Koper, Slovenia
| | - Matjaž Kuntner
- ZRC SAZU, Institute of Biology, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Department of Organisms and Ecosystems Research, National Institute of Biology, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Paul Vincent Debes
- Department of Aquaculture and Fish Biology, Hólar University, Sauðárkrókur, Iceland
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11
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Quintanilla JM, Malca E, Lamkin J, García A, Laiz-Carrión R. Evidence of isotopic maternal transmission influence on bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) larval growth. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 190:106112. [PMID: 37523845 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2023.106112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Revised: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/02/2023]
Abstract
Pre-flexion stages of Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) larvae were collected in 2014 during the peak of spawning in the two main spawning areas: Gulf of Mexico (GOM) and Mediterranean Sea (MED). We examined daily growth, otolith biometry, and stable isotopes and found that the GOM grew at a faster rate, had larger otoliths, wider daily increments, and significantly lower values of δ15N when compared to the MED. In addition, an intra-population comparative analysis between slow- and fast-growing individuals (deficient vs. optimal growth groups, respectively) showed that optimal growth groups had significantly lower δ15N within each spawning area, implying a direct relationship between growth potential, development, and maternal transmission of isotopic signatures. A third pre-flexion larval group that was aquaculture-reared also exhibited the same pattern to the wild larval groups. In addition, for the first time, we estimated the maternal trophic niches using models developed with field-captured pre-flexion larvae. The estimated maternal trophic niches for the GOM were narrower than the MED, implying differences in the maternal trophodynamics from each nursery area. Overall, the inter-population (GOM vs. MED) and intra-population growth groups (deficient vs. optimal) grew faster and had narrower maternal niches. This study shows the advantages that larval SIA research can aid in the understanding of the trophodynamics of their breeders by examining the trophic relationship of a spawning stock jointly with the development of growth potential in offspring within the same breeding season.
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Affiliation(s)
- José M Quintanilla
- Centro Oceanográfico de Málaga, Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO-CSIC), Fuengirola, Málaga, Spain.
| | - Estrella Malca
- Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies, Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, University of Miami, Miami, Florida, USA; Southeast Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Miami, FL, USA
| | - John Lamkin
- Southeast Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Alberto García
- Centro Oceanográfico de Málaga, Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO-CSIC), Fuengirola, Málaga, Spain
| | - Raúl Laiz-Carrión
- Centro Oceanográfico de Málaga, Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO-CSIC), Fuengirola, Málaga, Spain
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12
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Pettersen AK, Ruuskanen S, Nord A, Nilsson JF, Miñano MR, Fitzpatrick LJ, While GM, Uller T. Population divergence in maternal investment and embryo energy use and allocation suggests adaptive responses to cool climates. J Anim Ecol 2023; 92:1771-1785. [PMID: 37340858 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/22/2023]
Abstract
The thermal sensitivity of early life stages can play a fundamental role in constraining species distributions. For egg-laying ectotherms, cool temperatures often extend development time and exacerbate developmental energy cost. Despite these costs, egg laying is still observed at high latitudes and altitudes. How embryos overcome the developmental constraints posed by cool climates is crucial knowledge for explaining the persistence of oviparous species in such environments and for understanding thermal adaptation more broadly. Here, we studied maternal investment and embryo energy use and allocation in wall lizards spanning altitudinal regions, as potential mechanisms that enable successful development to hatching in cool climates. Specifically, we compared population-level differences in (1) investment from mothers (egg mass, embryo retention and thyroid yolk hormone concentration), (2) embryo energy expenditure during development, and (3) embryo energy allocation from yolk towards tissue. We found evidence that energy expenditure was greater under cool compared with warm incubation temperatures. Females from relatively cool regions did not compensate for this energetic cost of development by producing larger eggs or increasing thyroid hormone concentration in yolk. Instead, embryos from the high-altitude region used less energy to complete development, that is, they developed faster without a concomitant increase in metabolic rate, compared with those from the low-altitude region. Embryos from high altitudes also allocated relatively more energy towards tissue production, hatching with lower residual yolk: tissue ratios than low-altitude region embryos. These results are consistent with local adaptation to cool climate and suggest that this is underpinned by mechanisms that regulate embryonic utilisation of yolk reserves and its allocation towards tissue, rather than shifts in maternal investment of yolk content or composition.
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Affiliation(s)
- A K Pettersen
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - S Ruuskanen
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - A Nord
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - J F Nilsson
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - M R Miñano
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | - L J Fitzpatrick
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | - G M While
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | - T Uller
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
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13
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Tkaczynski PJ, Mafessoni F, Girard-Buttoz C, Samuni L, Ackermann CY, Fedurek P, Gomes C, Hobaiter C, Löhrich T, Manin V, Preis A, Valé PD, Wessling EG, Wittiger L, Zommers Z, Zuberbuehler K, Vigilant L, Deschner T, Wittig RM, Crockford C. Shared community effects and the non-genetic maternal environment shape cortisol levels in wild chimpanzees. Commun Biol 2023; 6:565. [PMID: 37237178 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04909-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2022] [Accepted: 05/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Mechanisms of inheritance remain poorly defined for many fitness-mediating traits, especially in long-lived animals with protracted development. Using 6,123 urinary samples from 170 wild chimpanzees, we examined the contributions of genetics, non-genetic maternal effects, and shared community effects on variation in cortisol levels, an established predictor of survival in long-lived primates. Despite evidence for consistent individual variation in cortisol levels across years, between-group effects were more influential and made an overwhelming contribution to variation in this trait. Focusing on within-group variation, non-genetic maternal effects accounted for 8% of the individual differences in average cortisol levels, significantly more than that attributable to genetic factors, which was indistinguishable from zero. These maternal effects are consistent with a primary role of a shared environment in shaping physiology. For chimpanzees, and perhaps other species with long life histories, community and maternal effects appear more relevant than genetic inheritance in shaping key physiological traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick J Tkaczynski
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
- Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.
- School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK.
| | - Fabrizio Mafessoni
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
- Weizmann Institute of Science, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Rehovot, Israel.
| | - Cédric Girard-Buttoz
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
- The Ape Social Mind Lab, Institut des Sciences Cognitives, CNRS UMR 5229, Lyon, France
| | - Liran Samuni
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Centre for Social Learning & Cognitive Evolution, School of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
| | - Corinne Y Ackermann
- Universite de Neuchatel, Institut de Biologie, Cognition Compare, Neuchatel, Switzerland
| | - Pawel Fedurek
- Division of Psychology, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK
| | - Cristina Gomes
- Tropical Conservation Institute, Institute of Environment, College of Arts, Science and Education, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Catherine Hobaiter
- Centre for Social Learning & Cognitive Evolution, School of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
| | - Therese Löhrich
- World Wide Fund for Nature, Dzanga Sangha Protected Areas, BP 1053, Bangui, Central African Republic
- Robert Koch Institute, Epidemiology of Highly Pathogenic Microorganisms, Berlin, Germany
| | - Virgile Manin
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
| | - Anna Preis
- Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
| | - Prince D Valé
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
- Unité de Formation et de Recherche Agroferesterie, Université Jean Lorougnon Guédé, Daloa, Côte d'Ivoire
| | - Erin G Wessling
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Zinta Zommers
- Perry World House, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
| | - Klaus Zuberbuehler
- Universite de Neuchatel, Institut de Biologie, Cognition Compare, Neuchatel, Switzerland
| | - Linda Vigilant
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Tobias Deschner
- Institute of Cognitive Science, Comparative BioCognition, University of Osnabrück, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Roman M Wittig
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
- The Ape Social Mind Lab, Institut des Sciences Cognitives, CNRS UMR 5229, Lyon, France
| | - Catherine Crockford
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
- The Ape Social Mind Lab, Institut des Sciences Cognitives, CNRS UMR 5229, Lyon, France
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14
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Fortuna R, Paquet M, Biard C, Élard L, Ferreira AC, Leroux-Coyaux M, Parenteau C, Silva LR, Théron F, Covas R, Doutrelant C. Egg components and offspring survival vary with group size and laying order in a cooperative breeder. Oecologia 2023; 202:129-142. [PMID: 37148378 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-023-05379-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Prenatal resource allocation to offspring can be influenced by maternal environment and offspring value, and affect offspring survival. An important pathway for flexible maternal allocation is via egg components such as nutrients and hormones. In cooperative breeders, females with helpers may increase resource allocation to eggs-'differential allocation'-or reduce it-'load-lightening'. Yet, helper effects on egg composition have been poorly studied. Moreover, it is unknown how helpers' presence modulates laying order effects on egg content and survival. Here, we investigated how maternal allocation varied with group size and laying order in the cooperatively breeding sociable weaver (Philetairus socius). We estimated interactive effects of helpers and laying order on allocation to egg mass, yolk nutrients-yolk mass, proteins, lipids, carotenoids, vitamin A and vitamin E-and hormones-testosterone, androstenedione, and corticosterone. Results concurred with the 'differential allocation' predictions. Females with more helpers produced later-laid eggs with heavier yolks and more lipids, and laid eggs overall richer in lipids. Proteins, antioxidants, and hormones were not found to vary with helper number. We then analyzed how helper number modulated laying order effects on survival. Females with more helpers did not specifically produce later-laid eggs with higher survival, but eggs laid by females with more helpers were overall more likely to fledge. These findings show that some egg components (yolk mass, lipids) can positively vary according to females' breeding group size, which may improve offspring fitness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rita Fortuna
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal.
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, 4099-002, Porto, Portugal.
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal.
- Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, CEFE, CNRS, Univ Montpellier, EPHE, IRD, 34293, Montpellier, France.
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics, Institutt for Biologi, NTNU, Trondheim, Norway.
| | - Matthieu Paquet
- Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 7044, 75007, Uppsala, Sweden
- Institute of Mathematics of Bordeaux, University of Bordeaux, CNRS, Bordeaux INP, Talence, France
| | - Clotilde Biard
- Sorbonne Université, UPEC, CNRS, IRD, INRA, Institut d'Écologie et des Sciences de l'Environnement de Paris, IEES, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Loïc Élard
- Sorbonne Université, UPEC, CNRS, IRD, INRA, Institut d'Écologie et des Sciences de l'Environnement de Paris, IEES, 75005, Paris, France
| | - André C Ferreira
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal
- Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, CEFE, CNRS, Univ Montpellier, EPHE, IRD, 34293, Montpellier, France
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Mathieu Leroux-Coyaux
- Sorbonne Université, UPEC, CNRS, IRD, INRA, Institut d'Écologie et des Sciences de l'Environnement de Paris, IEES, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Charline Parenteau
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, CNRS-La Rochelle Université, Villiers-en-Bois, France
| | - Liliana R Silva
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal
| | - Franck Théron
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal
- Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, CEFE, CNRS, Univ Montpellier, EPHE, IRD, 34293, Montpellier, France
| | - Rita Covas
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal
- DST-NRF Centre of Excellence, FitzPatrick Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Claire Doutrelant
- Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, CEFE, CNRS, Univ Montpellier, EPHE, IRD, 34293, Montpellier, France
- DST-NRF Centre of Excellence, FitzPatrick Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
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15
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Virgin EE, Lewis EL, Lidgard AD, Kepas ME, Marchetti JR, Hudson SB, Smith GD, French SS. Egg viability and egg mass underlie immune tradeoffs and differences between urban and rural lizard egg yolk physiology. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2023; 337:114258. [PMID: 36870544 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2023.114258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Revised: 01/25/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023]
Abstract
Urbanization can cause innumerable abiotic and biotic changes that have the potential to influence the ecology, behavior, and physiology of native resident organisms. Relative to their rural conspecifics, urban Side-blotched Lizard (Uta stansburiana) populations in southern Utah have lower survival prospects and maximize reproductive investment via producing larger eggs and larger clutch sizes. While egg size is an important predictor of offspring quality, physiological factors within the egg yolk are reflective of the maternal environment and can alter offspring traits, especially during energetically costly processes, such as reproduction or immunity. Therefore, maternal effects may represent an adaptive mechanism by which urban-dwelling species can persist within a variable landscape. In this study, we assess urban and rural differences in egg yolk bacterial killing ability (BKA), corticosterone (CORT), oxidative status (d-ROMs), and energy metabolites (free glycerol and triglycerides), and their association with female immune status and egg quality. Within a laboratory setting, we immune challenged urban lizards via lipopolysaccharide injection (LPS) to test whether physiological changes associated with immune system activity impacted egg yolk investment. We found urban females had higher mite loads than rural females, however mite burden was related to yolk BKA in rural eggs, but not urban eggs. While yolk BKA differed between urban and rural sites, egg mass and egg viability (fertilized vs. unfertilized) were strong predictors of yolk physiology and may imply tradeoffs exist between maintenance and reproduction. LPS treatment caused a decrease in egg yolk d-ROMs relative to the control treatments, supporting results from previous research. Finally, urban lizards laid a higher proportion of unfertilized eggs, which differed in egg yolk BKA, CORT, and triglycerides in comparison to fertilized eggs. Because rural lizards laid only viable eggs during this study, these results suggest that reduced egg viability is a potential cost of living in an urban environment. Furthermore, these results help us better understand potential downstream impacts of urbanization on offspring survival, fitness, and overall population health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily E Virgin
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, 5305 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322, USA; Ecology Center, Utah State University, 5205 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322, USA.
| | - Erin L Lewis
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, 5305 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322, USA; Ecology Center, Utah State University, 5205 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322, USA
| | - Audrey D Lidgard
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, 5305 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322, USA
| | - Megen E Kepas
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, 5305 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322, USA; Ecology Center, Utah State University, 5205 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322, USA; Department of Biological Sciences, Utah Tech University, St. George, UT 84770, USA
| | - Jack R Marchetti
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, 5305 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322, USA; Ecology Center, Utah State University, 5205 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322, USA
| | - Spencer B Hudson
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, 5305 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322, USA; Ecology Center, Utah State University, 5205 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322, USA
| | - Geoffrey D Smith
- Department of Biological Sciences, Utah Tech University, St. George, UT 84770, USA
| | - Susannah S French
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, 5305 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322, USA; Ecology Center, Utah State University, 5205 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322, USA
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16
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Palacios MG, Bronikowski AM, Amer A, Gangloff EJ. Transgenerational effects of maternal corticosterone across early life in a viviparous snake. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2023; 331:114162. [PMID: 36356645 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2022.114162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2022] [Revised: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 11/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Glucocorticoids (GCs) are central mediators of vertebrate responses to intrinsic and extrinsic stimuli. Among the sources of variation in circulating GCs are transgenerational effects mediated by mothers. Here we studied potential maternal effects mediated by GCs on offspring phenotype in a live-bearing reptile, the western terrestrial garter snake (Thamnophis elegans). We evaluated the association between baseline corticosterone (CORT) levels during gestation (i.e., preparturition) in field-captured mothers and 1) reproductive success and offspring sex ratios, 2) birth phenotypic traits of offspring born under common-garden laboratory conditions, and 3) neonate (age 3 months) and juvenile (age 12 months) traits of offspring raised under two thermal regimes ('warm' and 'cool') during their first year of life. Reproductive success and offspring sex ratios were not associated with preparturition maternal CORT, but pregnant snakes with higher CORT levels gave birth to smaller, lighter offspring, which tended to grow faster to age three months. Neonate baseline CORT varied with preparturition maternal CORT in a sex-specific manner (positive trend for females, negative for males). Maternal CORT effects on offspring phenotype were no longer detectable in juveniles at age one year. Instead, juvenile phenotypes were most influenced by rearing environment, with offspring raised under the cool regime showing higher baseline CORT and slower growth than those raised under warmer conditions. Our findings support the notion that offspring phenotype might be continuously adjusted in response to environmental cues -both pre- and post-natal- and that the strength of maternal CORT effects declines as offspring develop and experience unique environmental challenges. Our results contribute to a growing literature on transgenerational effects of hormones and help to fill a gap in our knowledge of these effects in ectothermic amniotes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria G Palacios
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA; Centro Para el Estudio de Sistemas Marinos, CCT CONICET-CENPAT, Blvd. Brown 2915, Puerto Madryn, Chubut, Argentina.
| | - Anne M Bronikowski
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA; Kellogg Biological Station, Michigan State University, Hickory Corners, MI, USA
| | - Ali Amer
- Department of Biological Sciences, Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, OH, USA
| | - Eric J Gangloff
- Department of Biological Sciences, Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, OH, USA
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17
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Brooks OL, Talbott‐Swain EN, Rimmele BN, Dugas MB. Tadpole plasticity shapes the potential benefits of egg feeding to poison frog parents. Ethology 2023. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Olivia L. Brooks
- School of Biological Sciences Illinois State University Normal Illinois USA
| | | | - Brianne N. Rimmele
- School of Biological Sciences Illinois State University Normal Illinois USA
| | - Matthew B. Dugas
- School of Biological Sciences Illinois State University Normal Illinois USA
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18
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Bagni T, Siaussat D, Maria A, Couzi P, Maïbèche M, Massot M. The impact of temperature on insecticide sensitivity depends on transgenerational effects. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 851:158140. [PMID: 35987238 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2022] [Revised: 08/08/2022] [Accepted: 08/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The combined effects of insecticides and temperature are increasingly being studied because species are expected to change their responses to insecticides with climate warming. As recently highlighted, the impact of temperature on insecticide sensitivity might be influenced by the environment experienced by the previous generation. However, a pioneering study that showed this transgenerational effect in the mosquito Culex pipiens needs to be confirmed because two other studies did not show similar results. Here, we performed an experiment on the moth Spodoptera littoralis to test this hypothesis. We analysed reaction norms among experimental families to test transgenerational effects, i.e., the variation in the response of families to the combined effects of the insecticide chlorpyrifos and developmental temperature. Reaction norm analyses revealed that the responses of the families to chlorpyrifos and temperature differed for developmental time and larval survival, two key parameters in S. littoralis. Crucially, for larval survival, a family effect influenced the impact of temperature on chlorpyrifos sensitivity. This finding confirms the pioneering study on C. pipiens that showed transgenerational effects on the combined effects of insecticides and temperature. This result also highlights that transgenerational plasticity can be important to consider in ecotoxicology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thibaut Bagni
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, INRAe, Institut d'Ecologie et des Sciences de l'Environnement de Paris, iEES-Paris, F-75005 Paris, France
| | - David Siaussat
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, INRAe, Institut d'Ecologie et des Sciences de l'Environnement de Paris, iEES-Paris, F-75005 Paris, France
| | - Annick Maria
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, INRAe, Institut d'Ecologie et des Sciences de l'Environnement de Paris, iEES-Paris, F-75005 Paris, France
| | - Philippe Couzi
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, INRAe, Institut d'Ecologie et des Sciences de l'Environnement de Paris, iEES-Paris, F-75005 Paris, France
| | - Martine Maïbèche
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, INRAe, Institut d'Ecologie et des Sciences de l'Environnement de Paris, iEES-Paris, F-75005 Paris, France
| | - Manuel Massot
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, INRAe, Institut d'Ecologie et des Sciences de l'Environnement de Paris, iEES-Paris, F-75005 Paris, France.
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19
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van Veelen HPJ, Salles JF, Matson KD, van Doorn GS, van der Velde M, Tieleman BI. The microbial environment modulates non-genetic maternal effects on egg immunity. Anim Microbiome 2022; 4:44. [PMID: 35902980 PMCID: PMC9331593 DOI: 10.1186/s42523-022-00195-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 06/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background In a diverse microbial world immune function of animals is essential. Diverse microbial environments may contribute to extensive variation in immunological phenotypes of vertebrates, among and within species and individuals. As maternal effects benefit offspring development and survival, whether females use cues about their microbial environment to prime offspring immune function is unclear. To provide microbial environmental context to maternal effects, we asked if the bacterial diversity of the living environment of female zebra finches Taeniopygia guttata shapes maternal effects on egg immune function. We manipulated environmental bacterial diversity of birds and tested if females increased immunological investment in eggs in an environment with high bacterial diversity (untreated soil) versus low (gamma-sterilized soil). We quantified lysozyme and ovotransferrin in egg albumen and IgY in egg yolk and in female blood, and we used 16S rRNA gene sequencing to profile maternal cloacal and eggshell microbiotas. Results We found a maternal effect on egg IgY concentration that reflected environmental microbial diversity: females who experienced high diversity deposited more IgY in their eggs, but only if maternal plasma IgY levels were relatively high. We found no effects on lysozyme and ovotransferrin concentrations in albumen. Moreover, we uncovered that variation in egg immune traits could be significantly attributed to differences among females: for IgY concentration in yolk repeatability R = 0.80; for lysozyme concentration in albumen R = 0.27. Furthermore, a partial least squares path model (PLS-PM) linking immune parameters of females and eggs, which included maternal and eggshell microbiota structures and female body condition, recapitulated the treatment-dependent yolk IgY response. The PLS-PM additionally suggested that the microbiota and physical condition of females contributed to shaping maternal effects on egg immune function, and that (non-specific) innate egg immunity was prioritized in the environment with low bacterial diversity. Conclusions The microbial environment of birds can shape maternal effects on egg immune function. Since immunological priming of eggs benefits offspring, we highlight that non-genetic maternal effects on yolk IgY levels based on cues from the parental microbial environment may prove important for offspring to thrive in the microbial environment that they are expected to face. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s42523-022-00195-8.
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20
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Sparks AM, Hammers M, Komdeur J, Burke T, Richardson DS, Dugdale HL. Sex-dependent effects of parental age on offspring fitness in a cooperatively breeding bird. Evol Lett 2022; 6:438-449. [PMID: 36579166 PMCID: PMC9783413 DOI: 10.1002/evl3.300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2021] [Revised: 09/05/2022] [Accepted: 09/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Parental age can have considerable effects on offspring phenotypes and health. However, intergenerational effects may also have longer term effects on offspring fitness. Few studies have investigated parental age effects on offspring fitness in natural populations while also testing for sex- and environment-specific effects. Further, longitudinal parental age effects may be masked by population-level processes such as the selective disappearance of poor-quality individuals. Here, we used multigenerational data collected on individually marked Seychelles warblers (Acrocephalus sechellensis) to investigate the impact of maternal and paternal age on offspring life span and lifetime reproductive success. We found negative effects of maternal age on female offspring life span and lifetime reproductive success, which were driven by within-mother effects. There was no difference in annual reproductive output of females born to older versus younger mothers, suggesting that the differences in offspring lifetime reproductive success were driven by effects on offspring life span. In contrast, there was no association between paternal age and female offspring life span or either maternal or paternal age and male offspring life span. Lifetime reproductive success, but not annual reproductive success, of male offspring increased with maternal age, but this was driven by between-mother effects. No paternal age effects were found on female offspring lifetime reproductive success but there was a positive between-father effect on male offspring lifetime reproductive success. We did not find strong evidence for environment-dependent parental age effects. Our study provides evidence for parental age effects on the lifetime fitness of offspring and shows that such effects can be sex dependent. These results add to the growing literature indicating the importance of intergenerational effects on long-term offspring performance and highlight that these effects can be an important driver of variation in longevity and fitness in the wild.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra M. Sparks
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, School of BiologyUniversity of LeedsLeedsLS2 9JTUnited Kingdom,School of BiosciencesUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldS10 2TNUnited Kingdom
| | - Martijn Hammers
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life SciencesUniversity of GroningenGroningen9712 CPThe Netherlands,Aeres University of Applied SciencesAlmere1325 WBThe Netherlands
| | - Jan Komdeur
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life SciencesUniversity of GroningenGroningen9712 CPThe Netherlands
| | - Terry Burke
- School of BiosciencesUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldS10 2TNUnited Kingdom
| | - David S. Richardson
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of East AngliaNorwichNR4 7TJUnited Kingdom,Nature SeychellesMahéRepublic of Seychelles
| | - Hannah L. Dugdale
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, School of BiologyUniversity of LeedsLeedsLS2 9JTUnited Kingdom,Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life SciencesUniversity of GroningenGroningen9712 CPThe Netherlands
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21
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Predator-induced transgenerational plasticity in animals: a meta-analysis. Oecologia 2022; 200:371-383. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-022-05274-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Accepted: 10/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
AbstractThere is growing evidence that the environment experienced by one generation can influence phenotypes in the next generation via transgenerational plasticity (TGP). One of the best-studied examples of TGP in animals is predator-induced transgenerational plasticity, whereby exposing parents to predation risk triggers changes in offspring phenotypes. Yet, there is a lack of general consensus synthesizing the predator–prey literature with existing theory pertaining to ecology and evolution of TGP. Here, we apply a meta-analysis to the sizable literature on predator-induced TGP (441 effect sizes from 29 species and 49 studies) to explore five hypotheses about the magnitude, form and direction of predator-induced TGP. Hypothesis #1: the strength of predator-induced TGP should vary with the number of predator cues. Hypothesis #2: the strength of predator-induced TGP should vary with reproductive mode. Hypothesis #3: the strength and direction of predator-induced TGP should vary among offspring phenotypic traits because some traits are more plastic than others. Hypothesis #4: the strength of predator-induced TGP should wane over ontogeny. Hypothesis #5: predator-induced TGP should generate adaptive phenotypes that should be more evident when offspring are themselves exposed to risk. We found strong evidence for predator-induced TGP overall, but no evidence that parental predator exposure causes offspring traits to change in a particular direction. Additionally, we found little evidence in support of any of the specific hypotheses. We infer that the failure to find consistent evidence reflects the heterogeneous nature of the phenomena, and the highly diverse experimental designs used to study it. Together, these findings set an agenda for future work in this area.
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22
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Roy T, Arlinghaus R. Size-selective mortality fosters ontogenetic changes in collective risk-taking behaviour in zebrafish, Danio rerio. Oecologia 2022; 200:89-106. [PMID: 36181546 PMCID: PMC9547785 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-022-05256-y] [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: 09/08/2021] [Accepted: 09/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Size-selective mortality is common in fish populations and can operate either in a positive size-selective fashion by harvesting larger-than-average fish or be negatively size-selective by harvesting smaller-than-average fish. Through various mechanisms (like genetic correlations among behaviour and life-history traits or direct selection on behaviour co-varying with growth rate or size-at-maturation), size-selection can result in evolutionary changes in behavioural traits. Theory suggests that both positive and negative size-selection without additional selection on behaviour favours boldness, while evolution of shyness is possible if the largest fish are harvested. Here we examined the impact of size-selective mortality on collective boldness across ontogeny using three experimental lines of zebrafish (Daniorerio) generated through positive (large-harvested), negative (small-harvested) and random (control line) size-selective mortality for five generations and then relaxed selection for 10 generations to examine evolutionarily fixed outcomes. We measured collective risk-taking during feeding (boldness) under simulated aerial predation threat, and across four contexts in presence/absence of a cichlid. Boldness decreased across ontogeny under aerial predation threat, and the small-harvested line was consistently bolder than controls. The large and small-harvested lines showed higher behavioural plasticity as larvae and developed personality earlier compared to the controls. The large-harvested line showed increased variability and plasticity in boldness throughout ontogeny. In the presence of a live predator, fish did not differ in boldness in three contexts compared to the controls, but the large-harvested line showed reduced behavioural plasticity across contexts than controls. Our results confirmed theory by demonstrating that size-selective harvesting evolutionarily alters collective boldness and its variability and plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamal Roy
- Department of Fish Biology, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Müggelseedamm 310, 12587, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Robert Arlinghaus
- Department of Fish Biology, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Müggelseedamm 310, 12587, Berlin, Germany.,Division of Integrative Fisheries Management, Department of Crop and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Philippstrasse 13, Haus 7, 10115, Berlin, Germany
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23
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Genetic, maternal, and environmental influences on sociality in a pedigreed primate population. Heredity (Edinb) 2022; 129:203-214. [PMID: 36056208 PMCID: PMC9519975 DOI: 10.1038/s41437-022-00558-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Revised: 07/26/2022] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Various aspects of sociality in mammals (e.g., dyadic connectedness) are linked with measures of biological fitness (e.g., longevity). How within- and between-individual variation in relevant social traits arises in uncontrolled wild populations is challenging to determine but is crucial for understanding constraints on the evolution of sociality. We use an advanced statistical method, known as the 'animal model', which incorporates pedigree information, to look at social, genetic, and environmental influences on sociality in a long-lived wild primate. We leverage a longitudinal database spanning 20 years of observation on individually recognized white-faced capuchin monkeys (Cebus capucinus imitator), with a multi-generational pedigree. We analyze two measures of spatial association, using repeat sampling of 376 individuals (mean: 53.5 months per subject, range: 6-185 months per subject). Conditioned on the effects of age, sex, group size, seasonality, and El Niño-Southern Oscillation phases, we show low to moderate long-term repeatability (across years) of the proportion of time spent social (posterior mode [95% Highest Posterior Density interval]: 0.207 [0.169, 0.265]) and of average number of partners (0.144 [0.113, 0.181]) (latent scale). Most of this long-term repeatability could be explained by modest heritability (h2social: 0.152 [0.094, 0.207]; h2partners: 0.113 [0.076, 0.149]) with small long-term maternal effects (m2social: 0.000 [0.000, 0.045]; m2partners: 0.000 [0.000, 0.041]). Our models capture the majority of variance in our behavioral traits, with much of the variance explained by temporally changing factors, such as group of residence, highlighting potential limits to the evolvability of our trait due to social and environmental constraints.
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24
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Camillo CS, Valenzuela N, Johnson SA. Effects of semi-constant temperature on embryonic and hatchling phenotypes of six-tubercled Amazon River turtles, Podocnemis sextuberculata. J Therm Biol 2022; 108:103292. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2022.103292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2022] [Revised: 05/21/2022] [Accepted: 07/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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25
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Bestion E, Teyssier A, Rangassamy M, Calvez O, Guillaume O, Richard M, Braem A, Zajitschek F, Zajitschek S, Cote J. Adaptive maternal effects shape offspring phenotype and survival in natal environments. Am Nat 2022; 200:773-789. [DOI: 10.1086/721873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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26
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Afseth C, Shim A, Anderson S, Bell AM, Hellmann JK. Vertical transmission of horizontally acquired social information in sticklebacks: implications for transgenerational plasticity. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20220571. [PMID: 35855606 PMCID: PMC9297010 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.0571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
There is growing evidence that offspring receive information about their environment vertically, i.e. from their parents (environmental parental effects or transgenerational plasticity). For example, parents exposed to predation risk may produce offspring with heightened antipredator defences. At the same time, organisms can gain information about the environment horizontally, from conspecifics. In this study, we provide some of the first evidence that horizontally acquired social information can be transmitted vertically across generations. Three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) fathers produced larval offspring with altered antipredator behaviour when fathers received visual and olfactory cues from predator-chased neighbours. Although fathers did not personally witness their neighbours being chased (i.e. they never saw the predator), changes in offspring traits were similar to those induced by direct paternal exposure to predation risk. These findings suggest that two different non-genetic pathways (horizontal transfer of social information, vertical transfer via sperm-mediated paternal effects) can combine to affect offspring phenotypes. The implications of simultaneous horizontal and vertical transmission are widely appreciated in the context of disease and culture; our results suggest that they could be equally important for the maintenance of phenotypic variation and could have profound consequences for the rate at which information flows within and across generations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cassandra Afseth
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behavior, University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Andrew Shim
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behavior, University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Samantha Anderson
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behavior, University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Alison M. Bell
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behavior, University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA,Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA,Program in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation, University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Jennifer K. Hellmann
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behavior, University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
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27
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Yilmaz AR, Yoder A, Diamond SE, Martin RA. Adaptation to urban heat islands enhances thermal performance following development under chronic thermal stress, but not benign conditions in the terrestrial isopod Oniscus asellus. Physiol Biochem Zool 2022; 95:302-316. [DOI: 10.1086/720333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
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28
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Fracasso G, Heylen D, Van Dongen S, Elst J, Matthysen E. Predictors of individual performance and evolutionary potential of life-history traits in a hematophagous ectoparasite. Evolution 2022; 76:799-816. [PMID: 35238032 PMCID: PMC9314103 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2021] [Revised: 11/12/2021] [Accepted: 01/07/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Little is known about the intraspecific variation of parasite life-history traits and how this variation may affect parasite fitness and evolution. We investigated how life-history traits predict success of individual tree-hole ticks Ixodes arboricola and estimated their evolutionary potential, as well as genetic correlations within stages and phenotypic correlations within and across stages. Ticks were followed individually over two generations while allowed to feed on great tits Parus major. After accounting for host and tick maternal effects, we found that short feeding times and high engorgement weights strongly increased molting success. Molting time was also positively correlated with feeding success in adults. In larvae and nymphs, we found negative phenotypic correlations between engorgement weight and both feeding and molting time, the latter supported by a negative genetic correlation. We found sex-related differences in feeding time (longer in male nymphs) and molting time (longer in male larvae but shorter in male nymphs). Also, time since the last feeding event (set experimentally) reduced larval and nymphal fitness, whereas it increased adult female fitness. Furthermore, we found significant heritability and evolvability, that is, the potential to respond to selection, for engorgement weight and molting time across all stages but no significant heritability for feeding time. Our findings suggest that variation in tick fitness is shaped by consistent individual differences in tick quality, for which engorgement weight is a good proxy, rather than by life-history trade-offs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerardo Fracasso
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, Department of BiologyUniversity of AntwerpWilrijkB‐2610Belgium
| | - Dieter Heylen
- Interuniversity Institute for Biostatistics and statistical BioinformaticsHasselt UniversityDiepenbeekB‐3590Belgium
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyPrinceton UniversityPrincetonNew Jersey08544
- Eco‐Epidemiology Group, Department of Biomedical SciencesInstitute of Tropical MedicineAntwerpB‐2000Belgium
| | - Stefan Van Dongen
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, Department of BiologyUniversity of AntwerpWilrijkB‐2610Belgium
| | - Joris Elst
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, Department of BiologyUniversity of AntwerpWilrijkB‐2610Belgium
| | - Erik Matthysen
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, Department of BiologyUniversity of AntwerpWilrijkB‐2610Belgium
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29
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Paitz RT, Dugas MB. Steroid levels in frog eggs: Manipulations, developmental changes, and implications for maternal steroid effects. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY. PART A, ECOLOGICAL AND INTEGRATIVE PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 337:293-302. [PMID: 34905660 DOI: 10.1002/jez.2566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2021] [Revised: 11/21/2021] [Accepted: 11/23/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Exposure to maternally derived steroids during embryonic development can elicit phenotypic effects in the resulting offspring. Studies of maternal steroid effects, especially rich in mammals and birds, have offered exciting insights into the evolution of maternal effects in vertebrates. To extend this literature, we quantified levels of steroids in the eggs of four neotropical dendrobatid frogs that lay terrestrial clutches, a reproductive strategy that has evolved multiple times in amphibians. Building on our observational results, we then manipulated levels of pregnenolone and progesterone in eggs of one species and examined how this affected steroid levels during development. Eggs of all four species had detectable steroids levels, with progestogens being more abundant than androgens and glucocorticoids. Estrogens could not be detected. Immersion of frog eggs in a solution containing pregnenolone and progesterone resulted in elevated levels of both steroids early in development, but levels declined and were similar to those in unmanipulated eggs by the end of development. Treated eggs also exhibited a transient increase in levels of steroids that can be produced from pregnenolone and progesterone. Overall, our findings demonstrate that frog eggs contain steroids similar to what has been observed in other egg-laying vertebrates. During development, steroid levels are dynamic, further suggesting developing embryos regulate exposure to maternal steroids. These results set the stage for investigating the causes and consequences of maternal steroid effects in frogs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan T Paitz
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois, USA
| | - Matthew B Dugas
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois, USA
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30
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Gervais L, Morellet N, David I, Hewison AJM, Réale D, Goulard M, Chaval Y, Lourtet B, Cargnelutti B, Merlet J, Quéméré E, Pujol B. Quantifying heritability and estimating evolutionary potential in the wild when individuals that share genes also share environments. J Anim Ecol 2022; 91:1239-1250. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2021] [Accepted: 02/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- L. Gervais
- Université de Toulouse, INRAE, CEFS, Castanet‐Tolosan, France ZA France
- PSL Université Paris : EHPE‐UPVD‐CNRS Perpignan France
| | - N. Morellet
- Université de Toulouse, INRAE, CEFS, Castanet‐Tolosan, France ZA France
| | - I. David
- Université de Toulouse Castanet Tolosan France
| | - A. J. M. Hewison
- Université de Toulouse, INRAE, CEFS, Castanet‐Tolosan, France ZA France
| | - D. Réale
- Département des sciences biologiques Université du Québec à Montréal QC Canada
| | - M. Goulard
- Université de Toulouse Castanet‐Tolosan France
| | - Y. Chaval
- Université de Toulouse, INRAE, CEFS, Castanet‐Tolosan, France ZA France
| | - B. Lourtet
- Université de Toulouse, INRAE, CEFS, Castanet‐Tolosan, France ZA France
| | - B. Cargnelutti
- Université de Toulouse, INRAE, CEFS, Castanet‐Tolosan, France ZA France
| | - J. Merlet
- Université de Toulouse, INRAE, CEFS, Castanet‐Tolosan, France ZA France
| | - E. Quéméré
- Université de Toulouse, INRAE, CEFS, Castanet‐Tolosan, France ZA France
- INRAE, DECOD (Ecosystem Dynamics and Sustainability), Institut Agro, IFREMER Rennes France
| | - B. Pujol
- PSL Université Paris : EHPE‐UPVD‐CNRS Perpignan France
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31
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Bleu J, Meylan S, Clobert J, Massot M. Grandmaternal age at reproduction affects grandoffspring body condition, reproduction and survival in a wild population of lizards. Funct Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Josefa Bleu
- Université de Strasbourg CNRS Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien (UMR 7178 F‐67000 Strasbourg France
| | - Sandrine Meylan
- Sorbonne Université CNRS Institut d’Ecologie et des Sciences de l’Environnement de Paris, iEES Paris F‐75005 Paris France
| | - Jean Clobert
- CNRS USR 2936, Station d’Écologie Expérimentale du CNRS, route du CNRS 09200 Moulis France
| | - Manuel Massot
- Sorbonne Université CNRS Institut d’Ecologie et des Sciences de l’Environnement de Paris, iEES Paris F‐75005 Paris France
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32
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Topping NE, Valenzuela N. Turtle Nest-Site Choice, Anthropogenic Challenges, and Evolutionary Potential for Adaptation. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.808621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Oviparous animals, such as turtles, lay eggs whose success or demise depends on environmental conditions that influence offspring phenotype (morphology, physiology, and in many reptiles, also sex determination), growth, and survival, while in the nest and post-hatching. Consequently, because turtles display little parental care, maternal provisioning of the eggs and female nesting behavior are under strong selection. But the consequences of when and where nests are laid are affected by anthropogenic habitat disturbances that alter suitable nesting areas, expose eggs to contaminants in the wild, and modify the thermal and hydric environment experienced by developing embryos, thus impacting hatchling survival and the sexual fate of taxa with temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD) and genotypic sex determination (GSD). Indeed, global and local environmental change influences air, water, and soil temperature and moisture, which impact basking behavior, egg development, and conditions within the nest, potentially rendering current nesting strategies maladaptive as offspring mortality increases and TSD sex ratios become drastically skewed. Endocrine disruptors can sex reverse TSD and GSD embryos alike. Adapting to these challenges depends on genetic variation, and little to no heritability has been detected for nest-site behavior. However, modest heritability in threshold temperature (above and below which females or males develop in TSD taxa, respectively) exists in the wild, as well as interpopulation differences in the reaction norm of sex ratio to temperature, and potentially also in the expression of gene regulators of sexual development. If this variation reflects additive genetic components, some adaptation might be expected, provided that the pace of environmental change does not exceed the rate of evolution. Research remains urgently needed to fill current gaps in our understanding of the ecology and evolution of nest-site choice and its adaptive potential, integrating across multiple levels of organization.
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33
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Udino E, George JM, McKenzie M, Pessato A, Crino OL, Buchanan KL, Mariette MM. Prenatal acoustic programming of mitochondrial function for high temperatures in an arid-adapted bird. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20211893. [PMID: 34875198 PMCID: PMC8651415 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.1893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Sound is an essential source of information in many taxa and can notably be used by embryos to programme their phenotypes for postnatal environments. While underlying mechanisms are mostly unknown, there is growing evidence for the involvement of mitochondria-main source of cellular energy (i.e. ATP)-in developmental programming processes. Here, we tested whether prenatal sound programmes mitochondrial metabolism. In the arid-adapted zebra finch, prenatal exposure to 'heat-calls'-produced by parents incubating at high temperatures-adaptively alters nestling growth in the heat. We measured red blood cell mitochondrial function, in nestlings exposed prenatally to heat- or control-calls, and reared in contrasting thermal environments. Exposure to high temperatures always reduced mitochondrial ATP production efficiency. However, as expected to reduce heat production, prenatal exposure to heat-calls improved mitochondrial efficiency under mild heat conditions. In addition, when exposed to an acute heat-challenge, LEAK respiration was higher in heat-call nestlings, and mitochondrial efficiency low across temperatures. Consistent with its role in reducing oxidative damage, LEAK under extreme heat was also higher in fast growing nestlings. Our study therefore provides the first demonstration of mitochondrial acoustic sensitivity, and brings us closer to understanding the underpinning of acoustic developmental programming and avian strategies for heat adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eve Udino
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Victoria 3288, Australia
| | - Julia M. George
- Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA
| | - Matthew McKenzie
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Victoria 3288, Australia
| | - Anaïs Pessato
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Victoria 3288, Australia
| | - Ondi L. Crino
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Victoria 3288, Australia
| | - Katherine L. Buchanan
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Victoria 3288, Australia
| | - Mylene M. Mariette
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Victoria 3288, Australia
- Estación Biológica de Doñana EBD-CSIC, Seville, 41092, Spain
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MacLeod KJ, While GM, Uller T. Viviparous mothers impose stronger glucocorticoid-mediated maternal stress effects on their offspring than oviparous mothers. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:17238-17259. [PMID: 34938505 PMCID: PMC8668768 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2021] [Revised: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 10/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Maternal stress during gestation has the potential to affect offspring development via changes in maternal physiology, such as increases in circulating levels of glucocorticoid hormones that are typical after exposure to a stressor. While the effects of elevated maternal glucocorticoids on offspring phenotype (i.e., "glucocorticoid-mediated maternal effects") have been relatively well established in laboratory studies, it remains poorly understood how strong and consistent such effects are in natural populations. Using a meta-analysis of studies of wild mammals, birds, and reptiles, we investigate the evidence for effects of elevated maternal glucocorticoids on offspring phenotype and investigate key moderators that might influence the strength and direction of these effects. In particular, we investigate the potential importance of reproductive mode (viviparity vs. oviparity). We show that glucocorticoid-mediated maternal effects are stronger, and likely more deleterious, in mammals and viviparous squamate reptiles compared with birds, turtles, and oviparous squamates. No other moderators (timing and type of manipulation, age at offspring measurement, or type of trait measured) were significant predictors of the strength or direction of the phenotypic effects on offspring. These results provide evidence that the evolution of a prolonged physiological association between embryo and mother sets the stage for maladaptive, or adaptive, prenatal stress effects in vertebrates driven by glucocorticoid elevation.
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35
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Past insecticide exposure reduces bee reproduction and population growth rate. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2109909118. [PMID: 34810261 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2109909118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Pesticides are linked to global insect declines, with impacts on biodiversity and essential ecosystem services. In addition to well-documented direct impacts of pesticides at the current stage or time, potential delayed "carryover" effects from past exposure at a different life stage may augment impacts on individuals and populations. We investigated the effects of current exposure and the carryover effects of past insecticide exposure on the individual vital rates and population growth of the solitary bee, Osmia lignaria Bees in flight cages freely foraged on wildflowers, some treated with the common insecticide, imidacloprid, in a fully crossed design over 2 y, with insecticide exposure or no exposure in each year. Insecticide exposure directly to foraging adults and via carryover effects from past exposure reduced reproduction. Repeated exposure across 2 y additively impaired individual performance, leading to a nearly fourfold reduction in bee population growth. Exposure to even a single insecticide application can have persistent effects on vital rates and can reduce population growth for multiple generations. Carryover effects had profound implications for population persistence and must be considered in risk assessment, conservation, and management decisions for pollinators to mitigate the effects of insecticide exposure.
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36
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Massot M, Bagni T, Maria A, Couzi P, Drozdz T, Malbert-Colas A, Maïbèche M, Siaussat D. Combined influences of transgenerational effects, temperature and insecticide on the moth Spodoptera littoralis. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2021; 289:117889. [PMID: 34358866 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.117889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2021] [Revised: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 07/30/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Climate warming is expected to impact the response of species to insecticides. Recent studies show that this interaction between insecticides and temperature can depend on other factors. Here, we tested for the influence of transgenerational effects on the Insecticide × Temperature interaction in the crop pest moth Spodoptera littoralis. Specifically, we analysed reaction norms among experimental clutches based on a split-plot design crossing the factors temperature, insecticide and clutch. The study was performed on 2280 larvae reared at four temperatures (23, 25, 27 and 29 °C), and their response to the insecticide deltamethrin (three concentrations and a control group) was tested. Temperature had a global influence with effects on larval survival, duration of development, pupal body mass, and significant reaction norms of the clutches for temperature variations of only 2 °C. In addition to the expected effect of deltamethrin on mortality, the insecticide slightly delayed the development of S. littoralis, and the effects on mortality and development differed among the clutches. Projection models integrating all the observed responses illustrated the additive effects of deltamethrin and temperature on the population multiplication rate. Variation in the response of the clutches showed that transgenerational effects influenced the impact of insecticide and temperature. Although no evidence indicated that the Insecticide × Temperature interaction depended on transgenerational effects, the studies on the dependence of the Insecticide × Temperature interaction on other factors continue to be crucial to confidently predict the combined effects of insecticides and climate warming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel Massot
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, INRAe, Institut d'Ecologie et des Sciences de l'Environnement de Paris, iEES-Paris, F-75005, Paris, France.
| | - Thibaut Bagni
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, INRAe, Institut d'Ecologie et des Sciences de l'Environnement de Paris, iEES-Paris, F-75005, Paris, France.
| | - Annick Maria
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, INRAe, Institut d'Ecologie et des Sciences de l'Environnement de Paris, iEES-Paris, F-75005, Paris, France.
| | - Philippe Couzi
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, INRAe, Institut d'Ecologie et des Sciences de l'Environnement de Paris, iEES-Paris, F-75005, Paris, France.
| | - Thomas Drozdz
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, INRAe, Institut d'Ecologie et des Sciences de l'Environnement de Paris, iEES-Paris, F-75005, Paris, France.
| | - Aude Malbert-Colas
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, INRAe, Institut d'Ecologie et des Sciences de l'Environnement de Paris, iEES-Paris, F-75005, Paris, France.
| | - Martine Maïbèche
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, INRAe, Institut d'Ecologie et des Sciences de l'Environnement de Paris, iEES-Paris, F-75005, Paris, France.
| | - David Siaussat
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, INRAe, Institut d'Ecologie et des Sciences de l'Environnement de Paris, iEES-Paris, F-75005, Paris, France.
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37
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Levine BA, Yackel Adams AA, Douglas MR, Douglas ME, Nafus MG. Female persistence during toxicant treatment predicts survival probability of offspring in invasive brown treesnakes (Boiga irregularis). Glob Ecol Conserv 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2021.e01827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
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38
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Sarraude T, Hsu BY, Ruuskanen S, Groothuis T. Is maternal thyroid hormone deposition subject to a trade-off between self and egg because of iodine? An experimental study in rock pigeon. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:272570. [PMID: 34605889 PMCID: PMC8545739 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.242203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2021] [Accepted: 09/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Maternal hormones constitute a key signalling pathway for mothers to shape offspring phenotype and fitness. Thyroid hormones (THs; triiodothyronine, T3; and thyroxine, T4) are metabolic hormones known to play crucial roles in embryonic development and survival in all vertebrates. During early developmental stages, embryos exclusively rely on exposure to maternal THs, and maternal hypothyroidism can cause severe embryonic maldevelopment. The TH molecule includes iodine, an element that cannot be synthesised by the organism. Therefore, TH production may become costly when environmental iodine availability is low. This may yield a trade-off for breeding females between allocating the hormones to self or to their eggs, potentially to the extent that it even influences the number of laid eggs. In this study, we investigated whether low dietary iodine may limit TH production and transfer to the eggs in a captive population of rock pigeons (Columba livia). We provided breeding females with an iodine-restricted (I−) diet or iodine-supplemented (I+) diet and measured the resulting circulating and yolk iodine and TH concentrations and the number of eggs laid. Our iodine-restricted diet successfully decreased both circulating and yolk iodine concentrations compared with the supplemented diet, but not circulating or yolk THs. This indicates that mothers may not be able to independently regulate hormone exposure for self and their embryos. However, egg production was clearly reduced in the I− group, with fewer females laying eggs. This result shows that restricted availability of iodine does induce a cost in terms of egg production. Whether females reduced egg production to preserve THs for themselves or to prevent embryos from exposure to low iodine and/or THs is as yet unclear. Summary: Restricted dietary iodine in captive rock pigeons reduces egg production in some females, thus inducing a trade-off between offspring quality and offspring quantity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom Sarraude
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turku, Finland.,Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Bin-Yan Hsu
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turku, Finland
| | - Suvi Ruuskanen
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turku, Finland.,Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Seminaarinkatu 15, FI-40014, Finland
| | - Ton Groothuis
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
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Šet J, Turk E, Golobinek R, Lokovšek T, Gregorič M, Lebrón SGQ, Kuntner M, Haddad CR, Čandek K, Kralj-Fišer S. Sex-specific developmental trajectories in an extremely sexually size dimorphic spider. Naturwissenschaften 2021; 108:54. [PMID: 34648079 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-021-01754-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2021] [Revised: 08/06/2021] [Accepted: 09/01/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Adult body size, development time, and growth rates are components of organismal life histories, which crucially influence fitness and are subject to trade-offs. If selection is sex-specific, male and female developments can eventually lead to different optimal sizes. This can be achieved through developmental plasticity and sex-specific developmental trajectories. Spiders present suitable animals to study differences in developmental plasticity and life history trade-offs between the sexes, because of their pronounced sexual dimorphism. Here, we examine variation in life histories in the extremely sexually size dimorphic African hermit spider (Nephilingis cruentata) reared under standardized laboratory conditions. Females average 70 times greater body mass (and greater body size) at maturity than males, which they achieve by developing longer and growing faster. We find a small to moderate amount of variability in life history traits to be caused by family effects, comprising genetic, maternal, and early common environmental effects, suggesting considerable plasticity in life histories. Remarkably, family effects explain a higher variance in male compared to female life histories, implying that female developmental trajectories may be more responsive to environment. We also find sex differences in life history trade-offs and show that males with longer development times grow larger but exhibit shorter adult longevity. Female developmental time also correlates positively with adult body mass, but the trade-offs between female adult mass, reproduction, and longevity are less clear. We discuss the implications of these findings in the light of evolutionary trade-offs between life history traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janko Šet
- Institute of Biology, Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Eva Turk
- Institute of Biology, Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Rok Golobinek
- Institute of Biology, Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Tjaša Lokovšek
- Institute of Biology, Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Matjaž Gregorič
- Institute of Biology, Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | | | - Matjaž Kuntner
- Institute of Biology, Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Department of Organisms and Ecosystems Research, Evolutionary Zoology Laboratory, National Institute of Biology, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Charles R Haddad
- Department of Zoology & Entomology, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
| | - Klemen Čandek
- Department of Organisms and Ecosystems Research, Evolutionary Zoology Laboratory, National Institute of Biology, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Simona Kralj-Fišer
- Institute of Biology, Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
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40
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Chevin LM, Leung C, Le Rouzic A, Uller T. Using phenotypic plasticity to understand the structure and evolution of the genotype-phenotype map. Genetica 2021; 150:209-221. [PMID: 34617196 DOI: 10.1007/s10709-021-00135-5] [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: 05/28/2021] [Accepted: 09/22/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Deciphering the genotype-phenotype map necessitates relating variation at the genetic level to variation at the phenotypic level. This endeavour is inherently limited by the availability of standing genetic variation, the rate of spontaneous mutation to novo genetic variants, and possible biases associated with induced mutagenesis. An interesting alternative is to instead rely on the environment as a source of variation. Many phenotypic traits change plastically in response to the environment, and these changes are generally underlain by changes in gene expression. Relating gene expression plasticity to the phenotypic plasticity of more integrated organismal traits thus provides useful information about which genes influence the development and expression of which traits, even in the absence of genetic variation. We here appraise the prospects and limits of such an environment-for-gene substitution for investigating the genotype-phenotype map. We review models of gene regulatory networks, and discuss the different ways in which they can incorporate the environment to mechanistically model phenotypic plasticity and its evolution. We suggest that substantial progress can be made in deciphering this genotype-environment-phenotype map, by connecting theory on gene regulatory network to empirical patterns of gene co-expression, and by more explicitly relating gene expression to the expression and development of phenotypes, both theoretically and empirically.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis-Miguel Chevin
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Univ Paul Valéry Montpellier 3, Montpellier, France.
| | - Christelle Leung
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Univ Paul Valéry Montpellier 3, Montpellier, France
| | - Arnaud Le Rouzic
- Laboratoire Évolution, Génomes, Comportement, Écologie, CNRS, IRD, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Tobias Uller
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
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41
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Xu H, Niu C. Effect of maternal ammonia stress on population dynamics of the rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus offspring. AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY (AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS) 2021; 239:105960. [PMID: 34500379 DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2021.105960] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2021] [Revised: 08/29/2021] [Accepted: 08/30/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Maternal effects play important roles in phenotypic variations among individuals and are thus considered to regulate population performance in responses to environmental stress. High ammonia levels are known to suppress population growth of the rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus. However, it remains unclear whether maternal environmental ammonia stress influences the offspring phenotypic variation and, if so, how it affects the offspring population dynamics in the rotifer. The present work examined variations in life history, morphology, feeding and digestive activities of B. calyciflorus offspring affected by maternal ammonia stress and the effect of the above variations on offspring population dynamics. We observed increased fitness in the offspring population affected by the cumulative maternal effect. There was a trade-off between offspring (F1) survival and reproductive investment under maternal (F0) ammonia stress. Population growth of the offspring possibly increased via decreasing body size and posterolateral spine length while enhancing cellulase activity. Moreover, the absence of the posterolateral spine of the rotifer was a sensitive response to maternal ammonia stress. These findings underscore maternal environmental stress as an important source of phenotypic variations and highlight these multiple responses work together to affect population dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huanhuan Xu
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Cuijuan Niu
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
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42
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Malalaharivony HS, Fichtel C, Heistermann M, Kappeler PM. Maternal stress effects on infant development in wild Verreaux's sifaka (Propithecus verreauxi). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-021-03085-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Maternal effects mediated by nutrients or specific endocrine states of the mother can affect infant development. Specifically, pre- and postnatal maternal stress associated with elevated glucocorticoid (GC) output is known to influence the phenotype of the offspring, including their physical and behavioral development. These developmental processes, however, remain relatively poorly studied in wild vertebrates, including primates with their relatively slow life histories. Here, we investigated the effects of maternal stress, assessed by fecal glucocorticoid output, on infant development in wild Verreaux’s sifakas (Propithecus verreauxi), a group-living Malagasy primate. In a first step, we investigated factors predicting maternal fecal glucocorticoid metabolite (fGCM) concentrations, how they impact infants’ physical and behavioral development during the first 6 months of postnatal life as well as early survival during the first 1.5 years of postnatal life. We collected fecal samples of mothers for hormone assays and behavioral data of 12 infants from two birth cohorts, for which we also assessed growth rates. Maternal fGCM concentrations were higher during the late prenatal but lower during the postnatal period compared to the early/mid prenatal period and were higher during periods of low rainfall. Infants of mothers with higher prenatal fGCM concentrations exhibited faster growth rates and were more explorative in terms of independent foraging and play. Infants of mothers with high pre- and postnatal fGCM concentrations were carried less and spent more time in nipple contact. Time mothers spent carrying infants predicted infant survival: infants that were more carried had lower survival, suggesting that they were likely in poorer condition and had to be cared for longer. Thus, the physical and behavioral development of these young primates were impacted by variation in maternal fGCM concentrations during the first 6 months of their lives, presumably as an adaptive response to living in a highly seasonal, but unpredictable environment.
Significance statement
The early development of infants can be impacted by variation in maternal condition. These maternal effects can be mediated by maternal stress (glucocorticoid hormones) and are known to have downstream consequences for behavior, physiology, survival, and reproductive success well into adulthood. However, the direction of the effects of maternal physiological GC output on offspring development is highly variable, even within the same species. We contribute comparative data on maternal stress effects on infant development in a Critically Endangered primate from Madagascar. We describe variation in maternal glucocorticoid output as a function of ecological and reproductive factors and show that patterns of infant growth, behavioral development, and early survival are predicted by maternal glucocorticoids. Our study demonstrates how mothers can influence offspring fitness in response to challenging environmental conditions.
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43
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McFarlane SE, Ålund M, Sirkiä PM, Qvarnström A. Low Heritability but Significant Early Environmental Effects on Resting Metabolic Rate in a Wild Passerine. Am Nat 2021; 198:551-560. [PMID: 34559605 DOI: 10.1086/715842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
AbstractPredicting the impact of climate change on biodiversity requires understanding the adaptation potential of wild organisms. Evolutionary responses depend on the additive genetic variation associated with the phenotypic traits targeted by selection. We combine 5 years of cross-fostering experiments, measurements of resting metabolic rate (RMR) on nearly 200 wild collared flycatcher (Ficedula albicollis) nestlings, and animal models using a 17-year pedigree to evaluate the potential for an evolutionary response to changing environmental conditions. Contrary to other avian studies, we find no significant heritability of whole-organism, mass-independent, or mass-specific RMR, but we report a strong effect of nest environment instead. We therefore conclude that variation in nestling RMR is explained by variation in the early-life environment provided by the parents. We discuss possible underlying specific parental effects and the importance of taking different mechanisms into account to understand how animals phenotypically adapt (or fail to adapt) to climate change.
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Tregenza T, Rodríguez-Muñoz R, Boonekamp JJ, Hopwood PE, Sørensen JG, Bechsgaard J, Settepani V, Hegde V, Waldie C, May E, Peters C, Pennington Z, Leone P, Munk EM, Greenrod STE, Gosling J, Coles H, Gruffydd R, Capria L, Potter L, Bilde T. Evidence for genetic isolation and local adaptation in the field cricket Gryllus campestris. J Evol Biol 2021; 34:1624-1636. [PMID: 34378263 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13911] [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: 01/12/2021] [Accepted: 07/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Understanding how species can thrive in a range of environments is a central challenge for evolutionary ecology. There is strong evidence for local adaptation along large-scale ecological clines in insects. However, potential adaptation among neighbouring populations differing in their environment has been studied much less. We used RAD sequencing to quantify genetic divergence and clustering of ten populations of the field cricket Gryllus campestris in the Cantabrian Mountains of northern Spain, and an outgroup on the inland plain. Our populations were chosen to represent replicate high and low altitude habitats. We identified genetic clusters that include both high and low altitude populations indicating that the two habitat types do not hold ancestrally distinct lineages. Using common-garden rearing experiments to remove environmental effects, we found evidence for differences between high and low altitude populations in physiological and life-history traits. As predicted by the local adaptation hypothesis, crickets with parents from cooler (high altitude) populations recovered from periods of extreme cooling more rapidly than those with parents from warmer (low altitude) populations. Growth rates also differed between offspring from high and low altitude populations. However, contrary to our prediction that crickets from high altitudes would grow faster, the most striking difference was that at high temperatures, growth was fastest in individuals from low altitudes. Our findings reveal that populations a few tens of kilometres apart have independently evolved adaptations to their environment. This suggests that local adaptation in a range of traits may be commonplace even in mobile invertebrates at scales of a small fraction of species' distributions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom Tregenza
- Centre for Ecology & Conservation, School of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK
| | | | - Jelle J Boonekamp
- Centre for Ecology & Conservation, School of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK.,Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health & Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Paul E Hopwood
- Centre for Ecology & Conservation, School of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK
| | - Jesper Givskov Sørensen
- Genetics, Ecology & Evolution Section, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Jesper Bechsgaard
- Genetics, Ecology & Evolution Section, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Virginia Settepani
- Genetics, Ecology & Evolution Section, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Vinayaka Hegde
- Centre for Ecology & Conservation, School of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK
| | - Callum Waldie
- Centre for Ecology & Conservation, School of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK
| | - Emma May
- Centre for Ecology & Conservation, School of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK
| | - Caleb Peters
- Centre for Ecology & Conservation, School of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK
| | - Zinnia Pennington
- Centre for Ecology & Conservation, School of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK
| | - Paola Leone
- Centre for Ecology & Conservation, School of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK
| | - Emil M Munk
- Genetics, Ecology & Evolution Section, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Samuel T E Greenrod
- Genetics, Ecology & Evolution Section, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Joe Gosling
- Centre for Ecology & Conservation, School of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK
| | - Harry Coles
- Centre for Ecology & Conservation, School of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK
| | - Rhodri Gruffydd
- Centre for Ecology & Conservation, School of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK
| | - Loris Capria
- Centre for Ecology & Conservation, School of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK
| | - Laura Potter
- Centre for Ecology & Conservation, School of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK
| | - Trine Bilde
- Genetics, Ecology & Evolution Section, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
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Mentesana L, Andersson MN, Casagrande S, Goymann W, Isaksson C, Hau M. Natural variation in yolk fatty acids, but not androgens, predicts offspring fitness in a wild bird. Front Zool 2021; 18:38. [PMID: 34353328 PMCID: PMC8340462 DOI: 10.1186/s12983-021-00422-z] [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: 05/04/2021] [Accepted: 07/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In egg-laying animals, mothers can influence the developmental environment and thus the phenotype of their offspring by secreting various substances into the egg yolk. In birds, recent studies have demonstrated that different yolk substances can interactively affect offspring phenotype, but the implications of such effects for offspring fitness and phenotype in natural populations have remained unclear. We measured natural variation in the content of 31 yolk components known to shape offspring phenotypes including steroid hormones, antioxidants and fatty acids in eggs of free-living great tits (Parus major) during two breeding seasons. We tested for relationships between yolk component groupings and offspring fitness and phenotypes. RESULTS Variation in hatchling and fledgling numbers was primarily explained by yolk fatty acids (including saturated, mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids) - but not by androgen hormones and carotenoids, components previously considered to be major determinants of offspring phenotype. Fatty acids were also better predictors of variation in nestling oxidative status and size than androgens and carotenoids. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that fatty acids are important yolk substances that contribute to shaping offspring fitness and phenotype in free-living populations. Since polyunsaturated fatty acids cannot be produced de novo by the mother, but have to be obtained from the diet, these findings highlight potential mechanisms (e.g., weather, habitat quality, foraging ability) through which environmental variation may shape maternal effects and consequences for offspring. Our study represents an important first step towards unraveling interactive effects of multiple yolk substances on offspring fitness and phenotypes in free-living populations. It provides the basis for future experiments that will establish the pathways by which yolk components, singly and/or interactively, mediate maternal effects in natural populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucia Mentesana
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Eberhard-Gwinner-Str., 82319, Seewiesen, Germany.
| | - Martin N Andersson
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, 223 62, Lund, Sweden
| | - Stefania Casagrande
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Eberhard-Gwinner-Str., 82319, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Goymann
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Eberhard-Gwinner-Str., 82319, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Caroline Isaksson
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, 223 62, Lund, Sweden
| | - Michaela Hau
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Eberhard-Gwinner-Str., 82319, Seewiesen, Germany.,University of Konstanz, Universitätsstraße 10, 78464, Konstanz, Germany
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46
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Lissowsky N, Kralj-Fišer S, Schneider JM. Giant and dwarf females: how to explain the fourfold variation in body size and fecundity in Trichonephila senegalensis (Aranea: Nephilidae). Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blab059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Variation in life-history traits within a population is caused by genetic, maternal and environmental factors. We explored the high variability in development time, adult body weight and fecundity in females of the sexually size dimorphic spider Trichonephila senegalensis. Their mothers originated from two habitats—strongly seasonal Namibia and mildly seasonal South Africa—and we reared F1 females under standardized laboratory conditions. We found that a considerable part of the variability in recorded life-history traits is caused by family-specific effects, comprising genetic, maternal and early environmental influences. Furthermore, we show population differences in development time, where females originating from Namibia matured within shorter periods than females from South Africa. Also, the relationship between development time and adult weight differs between the two populations, as a significant correlation is only found in females with Namibian origin. Against common wisdom, there was a weak overall correlation between adult weight and clutch mass. We also found that females make different life-history decisions under increasing rather than under decreasing daylength. Although a considerable part of variability in life-history traits is family-specific, we discuss how the between-population differences in life histories and their trade-offs reflect adaptation to diverse habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nelli Lissowsky
- Department of Biology, Institute of Zoology, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Simona Kralj-Fišer
- Evolutionary Zoology Laboratory, Institute of Biology, Scientific and Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Jutta M Schneider
- Department of Biology, Institute of Zoology, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
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47
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Effects of early life adversity on maternal effort and glucocorticoids in wild olive baboons. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-021-03056-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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48
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Moore MP, Hersch K, Sricharoen C, Lee S, Reice C, Rice P, Kronick S, Medley KA, Fowler-Finn KD. Sex-specific ornament evolution is a consistent feature of climatic adaptation across space and time in dragonflies. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:e2101458118. [PMID: 34260398 PMCID: PMC8285952 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2101458118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Adaptation to different climates fuels the origins and maintenance of biodiversity. Detailing how organisms optimize fitness for their local climates is therefore an essential goal in biology. Although we increasingly understand how survival-related traits evolve as organisms adapt to climatic conditions, it is unclear whether organisms also optimize traits that coordinate mating between the sexes. Here, we show that dragonflies consistently adapt to warmer climates across space and time by evolving less male melanin ornamentation-a mating-related trait that also absorbs solar radiation and heats individuals above ambient temperatures. Continent-wide macroevolutionary analyses reveal that species inhabiting warmer climates evolve less male ornamentation. Community-science observations across 10 species indicate that populations adapt to warmer parts of species' ranges through microevolution of smaller male ornaments. Observations from 2005 to 2019 detail that contemporary selective pressures oppose male ornaments in warmer years; and our climate-warming projections predict further decreases by 2070. Conversely, our analyses show that female ornamentation responds idiosyncratically to temperature across space and time, indicating the sexes evolve in different ways to meet the demands of the local climate. Overall, these macro- and microevolutionary findings demonstrate that organisms predictably optimize their mating-related traits for the climate just as they do their survival-related traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael P Moore
- Living Earth Collaborative, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130;
| | - Kaitlyn Hersch
- Department of Biology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130
| | | | - Sarah Lee
- Department of Biology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130
| | - Caitlin Reice
- Department of Biology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130
| | - Paul Rice
- Department of Biology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130
| | - Sophie Kronick
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130
| | - Kim A Medley
- Living Earth Collaborative, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130
- Tyson Research Center, Washington University, Eureka, MO 63025
| | - Kasey D Fowler-Finn
- Living Earth Collaborative, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130
- Department of Biology, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO 63103
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49
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Gauzere J, Walling CA, Pick JL, Watt K, Jack P, Morris A, Morris S, Pemberton JM. The role of maternally transferred antibodies in maternal performance in red deer. Ecol Lett 2021; 24:2065-2076. [PMID: 34245475 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13834] [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: 02/15/2021] [Revised: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 06/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Maternal effects are ubiquitous. Yet, the pathways through which maternal effects occur in wild mammals remain largely unknown. We hypothesise that maternal immune transfer is a key mechanism by which mothers can affect their offspring fitness, and that individual variation in maternally derived antibodies mainly depends on a mother's characteristics and the environmental conditions she experiences. To test this, we assayed six colostrum-derived antibodies in the plasma of 1447 neonates in a wild red deer population. Neonatal antibody levels were mainly affected by maternal genes, environmental variation and costs of prior reproductive investment. We found consistent heterogeneity in maternal performance across traits, with mothers producing the heaviest calves also having calves with more antibodies. Unexpectedly, antibody levels were not associated with calf survival. We provide a unique example of how evolutionary theory on maternal effects can be used to gain insight into the causes of maternal effects in wild populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Gauzere
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3FL, UK
| | - Craig A Walling
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3FL, UK
| | - Joel L Pick
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3FL, UK
| | - Kathryn Watt
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3FL, UK
| | - Penny Jack
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3FL, UK
| | - Alison Morris
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3FL, UK
| | - Sean Morris
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3FL, UK
| | - Josephine M Pemberton
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3FL, UK
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50
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The role of maternal effects on offspring performance in familiar and novel environments. Heredity (Edinb) 2021; 127:52-65. [PMID: 33824537 PMCID: PMC8249602 DOI: 10.1038/s41437-021-00431-y] [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: 11/26/2020] [Revised: 03/22/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Maternal effects are an important evolutionary force that may either facilitate adaptation to a new environment or buffer against unfavourable conditions. The degree of variation in traits expressed by siblings from different mothers is often sensitive to environmental conditions. This could generate a Maternal-by-Environment interaction (M × E) that inflates estimates of Genotype-by-Environment effects (G × E). We aimed to test for environment-specific maternal effects (M × E) using a paternal full-sib/half-sib breeding design in the seed beetle Callosobruchus maculatus, where we split and reared offspring from the same mother on two different bean host types-original and novel. Our quantitative genetic analysis indicated that maternal effects were very small on both host types for all the measured life-history traits. There was also little evidence that maternal oviposition preference for a particular host type predicted her offspring's performance on that host. Further, additive genetic variance for most traits was relatively high on both hosts. While there was higher heritability for offspring reared in the novel host, there was no evidence for G × Es, and most cross-host genetic correlations were positive. This suggests that offspring from the same family ranked similarly for performance on both host types. Our results point to a genetic basis of host adaptation in the seed beetle, rather than maternal effects. Even so, we encourage researchers to test for potential M × Es because, due to a lack of testing, it remains unclear how often they arise.
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