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Romano A, Liker A, Bazzi G, Ambrosini R, Møller AP, Rubolini D. Annual egg productivity predicts female-biased mortality in avian species. Evolution 2022; 76:2553-2565. [PMID: 36117282 PMCID: PMC9828124 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2021] [Revised: 07/08/2022] [Accepted: 08/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Among avian species, the differential cost entailed by either sex in competition for mates has been regarded as the main evolutionary influence on sex differences in mortality rates. However, empirical evidence suggests that sex-biased adult mortality is mainly related to differential energy investment in gamete production, with a greater annual mass devoted to egg production leading to higher female mortality. We explicitly tested the generality of this pattern in a comparative framework. Annual egg production can be relatively large in some species (up to 200% of female body mass) and annual mortality is generally biased toward females. We showed that greater annual egg productivity resulted in higher mortality rates of females relative to males. Mating system was secondarily important, with species in which males were more involved in mating competition having more equal mortality rates between the sexes. However, both traits explained only a limited fraction of the interspecific variation in female-biased mortality. Other traits, such as sexual size dimorphism and parental care, had much weaker influences on female-biased mortality. Our results suggest that both annual mass devoted to gamete production by females and mating system contribute to the evolution of the fundamental life-history trade-off between reproduction and survival in avian taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Romano
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Politiche AmbientaliUniversità degli Studi di MilanoMilan20133Italy
| | - András Liker
- ELKH‐PE Evolutionary Ecology Research GroupUniversity of PannoniaVeszprém8210Hungary
- Behavioral Ecology Research Group, Center for Natural SciencesUniversity of PannoniaVeszprém8210Hungary
| | - Gaia Bazzi
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Politiche AmbientaliUniversità degli Studi di MilanoMilan20133Italy
- Area per l'Avifauna Migratrice (BIO‐AVM)Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale (ISPRA)Ozzano dell'Emilia40064Italy
| | - Roberto Ambrosini
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Politiche AmbientaliUniversità degli Studi di MilanoMilan20133Italy
| | - Anders P. Møller
- Laboratoire d'Ecologie, Systématique et Evolution, CNRS UMR 8079Université Paris‐SaclayOrsay Cedex91405France
| | - Diego Rubolini
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Politiche AmbientaliUniversità degli Studi di MilanoMilan20133Italy
- Istituto di Ricerca sulle AcqueIRSA‐CNRBrugherio20861Italy
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2
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Ellis SL, Lohman MG, Sedinger JS, Williams PJ, Riecke TV. Long-term trends and drought: Spatiotemporal variation in juvenile sex ratios of North American ducks. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e9099. [PMID: 35845362 PMCID: PMC9280441 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9099] [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: 10/30/2021] [Revised: 06/12/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Sex ratios affect population dynamics and individual fitness, and changing sex ratios can be indicative of shifts in sex-specific survival at different life stages. While climate and landscape changes alter sex ratios of wild bird populations, long-term, landscape scale assessments of sex ratios are rare. Further, little work has been done to understand changes in sex ratios in avian communities. In this manuscript, we analyze long-term (1961-2015) data on five species of ducks across five broad climatic regions of the United States to estimate the effects of drought and long-term trends on the proportion of juvenile females captured at banding. As waterfowl have a 1:1 sex ratio at hatch, we interpret changes in sex ratios of captured juveniles as changes in sex-specific survival rates during early life. Seven of 12 species-region pairs exhibited evidence for long-term trends in the proportion of juvenile females at banding. The proportion of juvenile females at banding increased for duck populations in the western United States and typically declined for duck populations in the eastern United States. We only observed evidence for an effect of drought in two of the 12 species-region pairs, where the proportion of females declined during drought. As changes to North American landscapes and climate continue and intensify, we expect continued changes in sex-specific juvenile survival rates. More broadly, we encourage further research examining the mechanisms underlying long-term trends in juvenile sex ratios in avian communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sage L. Ellis
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental ScienceUniversity of NevadaRenoNevadaUSA
| | - Madeleine G. Lohman
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental ScienceUniversity of NevadaRenoNevadaUSA
- Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation BiologyUniversity of NevadaRenoNevadaUSA
| | - James S. Sedinger
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental ScienceUniversity of NevadaRenoNevadaUSA
| | - Perry J. Williams
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental ScienceUniversity of NevadaRenoNevadaUSA
| | - Thomas V. Riecke
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental ScienceUniversity of NevadaRenoNevadaUSA
- Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation BiologyUniversity of NevadaRenoNevadaUSA
- Swiss Ornithological InstituteSempachSwitzerland
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3
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Slattery SM, Clark RG. Annual survival in female white‐winged scoters and lesser scaup. J Wildl Manage 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.21674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Stuart M. Slattery
- Ducks Unlimited Canada, Institute for Wetland and Waterfowl Research, PO Box 1160 Stonewall MB R0C 2Z0 Canada
| | - Robert G. Clark
- Environment and Climate Change Canada115 Perimeter Road Saskatoon SK S7N 0X4 Canada
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4
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Giery ST, Layman CA. Ecological Consequences Of Sexually Selected Traits: An Eco-Evolutionary Perspective. QUARTERLY REVIEW OF BIOLOGY 2019. [DOI: 10.1086/702341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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5
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Cain KE, Hall ML, Medina I, Leitao AV, Delhey K, Brouwer L, Peters A, Pruett-Jones S, Webster MS, Langmore NE, Mulder RA. Conspicuous Plumage Does Not Increase Predation Risk: A Continent-Wide Test Using Model Songbirds. Am Nat 2019; 193:359-372. [PMID: 30794446 DOI: 10.1086/701632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
The forces shaping female plumage color have long been debated but remain unresolved. Females may benefit from conspicuous colors but are also expected to suffer costs. Predation is one potential cost, but few studies have explicitly investigated the relationship between predation risk and coloration. The fairy-wrens show pronounced variation in female coloration and reside in a wide variety of habitats across Australasia. Species with more conspicuous females are found in denser habitats, suggesting that conspicuousness in open habitat increases vulnerability to predators. To test this, we measured attack rates on 3-D-printed models mimicking conspicuously colored males and females and dull females in eight different fairy-wren habitats across Australia. Attack rates were higher in open habitats and at higher latitudes. Contrary to our predictions, dull female models were attacked at similar rates to the conspicuous models. Further, the probability of attack in open habitats increased more for both types of female models than for the conspicuous male model. Across models, the degree of contrast (chromatic and achromatic) to environmental backgrounds was unrelated to predation rate. These findings do not support the long-standing hypothesis that conspicuous plumage, in isolation, is costly due to increased attraction of predators. Our results indicate that conspicuousness interacts with other factors in driving the evolution of plumage coloration.
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6
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Miller MP, Haig SM, Ballou JD, Steel EA. Estimating Inbreeding Rates in Natural Populations: Addressing the Problem of Incomplete Pedigrees. J Hered 2017; 108:574-582. [PMID: 28398480 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esx032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2016] [Accepted: 04/05/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding and estimating inbreeding is essential for managing threatened and endangered wildlife populations. However, determination of inbreeding rates in natural populations is confounded by incomplete parentage information. We present an approach for quantifying inbreeding rates for populations with incomplete parentage information. The approach exploits knowledge of pedigree configurations that lead to inbreeding coefficients of F = 0.25 and F = 0.125, allowing for quantification of Pr(I|k): the probability of observing pedigree I given the fraction of known parents (k). We developed analytical expressions under simplifying assumptions that define properties and behavior of inbreeding rate estimators for varying values of k. We demonstrated that inbreeding is overestimated if Pr(I|k) is not taken into consideration and that bias is primarily influenced by k. By contrast, our new estimator, incorporating Pr(I|k), is unbiased over a wide range of values of k that may be observed in empirical studies. Stochastic computer simulations that allowed complex inter- and intragenerational inbreeding produced similar results. We illustrate the effects that accounting for Pr(I|k) can have in empirical data by revisiting published analyses of Arabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx) and Red deer (Cervus elaphus). Our results demonstrate that incomplete pedigrees are not barriers for quantifying inbreeding in wild populations. Application of our approach will permit a better understanding of the role that inbreeding plays in the dynamics of populations of threatened and endangered species and may help refine our understanding of inbreeding avoidance mechanisms in the wild.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark P Miller
- US Geological Survey Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, 3200 SW Jefferson Way, Corvallis, OR 97331; Smithsonian National Zoological Park, Conservation Biology Institute, Front Royal, VA; and USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station, Seattle, WA
| | - Susan M Haig
- US Geological Survey Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, 3200 SW Jefferson Way, Corvallis, OR 97331; Smithsonian National Zoological Park, Conservation Biology Institute, Front Royal, VA; and USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station, Seattle, WA
| | - Jonathan D Ballou
- US Geological Survey Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, 3200 SW Jefferson Way, Corvallis, OR 97331; Smithsonian National Zoological Park, Conservation Biology Institute, Front Royal, VA; and USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station, Seattle, WA
| | - E Ashley Steel
- US Geological Survey Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, 3200 SW Jefferson Way, Corvallis, OR 97331; Smithsonian National Zoological Park, Conservation Biology Institute, Front Royal, VA; and USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station, Seattle, WA
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7
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Møller AP, Cuervo JJ. SPECIATION AND FEATHER ORNAMENTATION IN BIRDS. Evolution 2017; 52:859-869. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1558-5646.1998.tb03710.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/1997] [Accepted: 02/18/1998] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- A. P. Møller
- Laboratoire d'Ecologie, CNRS URA 258; Université Pierre et Marie Curie; Bât. A, 7ème étage, 7 quai St. Bernard, Case 237, F-75252 Paris Cedex 5 France
| | - J. J. Cuervo
- Estación Biológica de Doñana; Pabellón del Peru; Avda. de María Luisa s/n E-41013 Sevilla Spain
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8
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Martin TE, Badyaev AV. SEXUAL DICHROMATISM IN BIRDS: IMPORTANCE OF NEST PREDATION AND NEST LOCATION FOR FEMALES VERSUS MALES. Evolution 2017; 50:2454-2460. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1558-5646.1996.tb03631.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/1995] [Accepted: 04/19/1996] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas E. Martin
- US National Biological Service Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, University of Montana Missoula Montana 59812
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9
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Cuervo JJ, Møller AP. Colonial, more widely distributed and less abundant bird species undergo wider population fluctuations independent of their population trend. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0173220. [PMID: 28253345 PMCID: PMC5333898 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0173220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2016] [Accepted: 02/17/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding temporal variability in population size is important for conservation biology because wide population fluctuations increase the risk of extinction. Previous studies suggested that certain ecological, demographic, life-history and genetic characteristics of species might be related to the degree of their population fluctuations. We checked whether that was the case in a large sample of 231 European breeding bird species while taking a number of potentially confounding factors such as population trends or similarities among species due to common descent into account. When species-specific characteristics were analysed one by one, the magnitude of population fluctuations was positively related to coloniality, habitat, total breeding range, heterogeneity of breeding distribution and natal dispersal, and negatively related to urbanisation, abundance, relative number of subspecies, parasitism and proportion of polymorphic loci. However, when abundance (population size) was included in the analyses of the other parameters, only coloniality, habitat, total breeding range and abundance remained significantly related to population fluctuations. The analysis including all these predictors simultaneously showed that population size fluctuated more in colonial, less abundant species with larger breeding ranges. Other parameters seemed to be related to population fluctuations only because of their association with abundance or coloniality. The unexpected positive relationship between population fluctuations and total breeding range did not seem to be mediated by abundance. The link between population fluctuations and coloniality suggests a previously unrecognized cost of coloniality. The negative relationship between population size and population fluctuations might be explained by at least three types of non-mutually exclusive stochastic processes: demographic, environmental and genetic stochasticity. Measurement error in population indices, which was unknown, may have contributed to the negative relationship between population size and fluctuations, but apparently only to a minor extent. The association between population size and fluctuations suggests that populations might be stabilized by increasing population size.
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Affiliation(s)
- José J. Cuervo
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, Madrid, Spain
| | - Anders P. Møller
- Ecologie Systématique Evolution, Université Paris-Sud, CNRS, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, Orsay, France
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10
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Edwards DB. Immune investment is explained by sexual selection and pace-of-life, but not longevity in parrots (Psittaciformes). PLoS One 2012; 7:e53066. [PMID: 23300862 PMCID: PMC3531452 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0053066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2012] [Accepted: 11/28/2012] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Investment in current reproduction should come at the expense of traits promoting future reproduction, such as immunity and longevity. To date, comparative studies of pace-of-life traits have provided some support for this, with slower paced species having greater immune function. Another means of investment in current reproduction is through secondary sexual characters (SSC). Investment in SSC's is considered costly, both in terms of immunity and longevity, with greater costs being borne by species with more elaborate traits. Yet within species, females prefer more ornate males and those males are typically immunologically superior. Because of this, predictions about the relationship between immunity and SSC's across species are not clear. If traits are costly, brighter species should have reduced immune function, but the opposite is true if SSC's arise from selection for more immunocompetent individuals. My approach was to investigate immune investment in relation to SSC's, pace-of-life and longevity while considering potentially confounding ecological factors. To do so I assessed leukocyte counts from in a novel group, the Psittaciformes. Investment in SSC's best explained investment in immunity: species with brighter plumage had higher leukocyte counts and those with a greater degree of sexual dichromatism had fewer. Ecological variables and pace-of-life models tended to be poor predictors of immune investment. However, shorter incubation periods were associated with lower leukocyte counts supporting the notion that species with a fast pace-of-life invest less in immunity. These results suggest that investment in reproduction in terms of fast pace-of-life and sexual dichromatism results in reduced immunity; however, investment in plumage colour per se does not impose a cost on immunity across species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darryl B Edwards
- Department of Biology, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada.
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11
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Abstract
Competition over mates takes many forms and has far-reaching consequences for many organisms. Recent work suggests that relative reproductive rates of males and females, sperm competition and quality variation among mates affect the strength of sexual selection. Song, other display, body size, visual ornaments and material resource offerings are often sexually selected. There is much empirical evidence of mate choice, and its evolution is clarified by mathematical models. Recent advances in theory also consider costs of choice, effects of deleterious mutations, fast and slow evolution of preferences and preferred traits, and simultaneous preferences for several traits. Contests over mates are important; so is sperm competition, scrambles, endurance rivalry, and coercion. The latter mechanisms have received less attention than mate choice. Sexual selection may explain puzzling aspects of plant pollination biology.
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12
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TOBIAS JA, SEDDON N. Sexual selection and ecological generalism are correlated in antbirds. J Evol Biol 2009; 22:623-36. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2008.01678.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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13
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14
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Stuart-Fox DM, Ord TJ. Sexual selection, natural selection and the evolution of dimorphic coloration and ornamentation in agamid lizards. Proc Biol Sci 2005; 271:2249-55. [PMID: 15539350 PMCID: PMC1691857 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2004.2802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 162] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Both sexual selection and natural selection can influence the form of dimorphism in secondary sexual traits. Here, we used a comparative approach to examine the relative roles of sexual selection and natural selection in the evolution of sexually dimorphic coloration (dichromatism) and ornamentation in agamid lizards. Sexual dimorphism in head and body size were used as indirect indicators of sexual selection, and habitat type (openness) as an index of natural selection. We examined separately the dichromatism of body regions "exposed to" and "concealed from" visual predators, because these body regions are likely to be subject to different selection pressures. Dichromatism of "exposed" body regions was significantly associated with habitat type: males were typically more conspicuously coloured than females in closed habitats. By contrast, dichromatism of "concealed" body regions and ornament dimorphism were positively associated with sexual size dimorphism (SSD). When we examined male and female ornamentation separately, however, both were positively associated with habitat openness in addition to snout-vent length and head SSD. These results suggest that natural selection constrains the evolution of elaborate ornamentation in both sexes as well as sexual dichromatism of body regions exposed to visual predators. By contrast, dichromatism of "concealed" body regions and degree of ornament dimorphism appear to be driven to a greater degree by sexual selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Devi M Stuart-Fox
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, South Africa
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15
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Liker A, Székely T. MORTALITY COSTS OF SEXUAL SELECTION AND PARENTAL CARE IN NATURAL POPULATIONS OF BIRDS. Evolution 2005. [DOI: 10.1554/04-560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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16
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Abstract
The relationship between sexual selection and extinction risk has rarely been investigated. This is unfortunate because extinction plays a key role in determining the patterns of species richness seen in extant clades, which form the basis of comparative studies into the role that sexual selection may play in promoting speciation. We investigate the extent to which the perceived risk of extinction relates to four different estimates of sexual selection in 1030 species of birds. We find no evidence that the number of threatened species is distributed unevenly according to a social mating system, and neither of our two measures of pre-mating sexual selection (sexual dimorphism and dichromatism) was related to extinction risk, after controlling for phylogenetic inertia. However, threatened species apparently experience more intense post-mating sexual selection, measured as testis size, than non-threatened species. These results persisted after including body size as a covariate in the analysis, and became even stronger after controlling for clutch size (two known correlates of extinction risk). Sexual selection may therefore be a double-edged process-promoting speciation on one hand but promoting extinction on the other. Furthermore, we suggest that it is post-mating sexual selection, in particular, that is responsible for the negative effect of sexual selection on clade size. Why this might be is unclear, but the mean population fitness of species with high intensities of post-mating sexual selection may be especially low if costs associated with multiple mating are high or if the selection load imposed by post-mating selection is higher relative to that of pre-mating sexual selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward H Morrow
- Uppsala University, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Norbyvägen 18D, SE-752 36 Uppsala, Sweden.
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17
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Doherty PF, Sorci G, Royle JA, Hines JE, Nichols JD, Boulinier T. Sexual selection affects local extinction and turnover in bird communities. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2003; 100:5858-62. [PMID: 12682284 PMCID: PMC156291 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0836953100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 114] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2002] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Predicting extinction risks has become a central goal for conservation and evolutionary biologists interested in population and community dynamics. Several factors have been put forward to explain risks of extinction, including ecological and life history characteristics of individuals. For instance, factors that affect the balance between natality and mortality can have profound effects on population persistence. Sexual selection has been identified as one such factor. Populations under strong sexual selection experience a number of costs ranging from increased predation and parasitism to enhanced sensitivity to environmental and demographic stochasticity. These findings have led to the prediction that local extinction rates should be higher for speciespopulations with intense sexual selection. We tested this prediction by analyzing the dynamics of natural bird communities at a continental scale over a period of 21 years (1975-1996), using relevant statistical tools. In agreement with the theoretical prediction, we found that sexual selection increased risks of local extinction (dichromatic birds had on average a 23% higher local extinction rate than monochromatic species). However, despite higher local extinction probabilities, the number of dichromatic species did not decrease over the period considered in this study. This pattern was caused by higher local turnover rates of dichromatic species, resulting in relatively stable communities for both groups of species. Our results suggest that these communities function as metacommunities, with frequent local extinctions followed by colonization. Anthropogenic factors impeding dispersal might therefore have a significant impact on the global persistence of sexually selected species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul F Doherty
- Laboratoire d'Ecologie, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique-Unité Mixte de Recherche 7625, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, 7 Quai Saint Bernard, F-75252 Paris Cedex 05, France.
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18
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Cummings ME, Rosenthal GG, Ryan MJ. A private ultraviolet channel in visual communication. Proc Biol Sci 2003; 270:897-904. [PMID: 12803903 PMCID: PMC1691327 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2003.2334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 146] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Although private communication is considered an important diversifying force in evolution, there is little direct behavioural evidence to support this notion. Here, we show that ultraviolet (UV) signalling in northern swordtails (Xiphophorus) affords a channel for communication that is not accessible to their major predator, Astyanax mexicanus, the Mexican tetra. Laboratory and field behavioural experiments with swordtails (X. nigrensis) and predators (A. mexicanus) demonstrate that male UV ornamentation significantly increases their attractiveness to females but not to this predator, which is less sensitive to UV. UV reflectance among swordtail species correlates positively with tetra densities across habitats, and visual contrast estimates suggest that UV signals are highly conspicuous to swordtails in their natural environment. Cross-species comparisons also support the hypothesis that natural selection drives the use of UV communication. We compared two species, one with high (X. nigrensis) and one with low (X. malinche) Mexican tetra densities. Xiphophorus nigrensis males reflect significantly more UV than X. malinche, exhibit significant UV sexual dimorphism, and UV is a salient component of the sexual communication system. In X. malinche, however, males reflect minimally in the UV, there is no UV sexual dimorphism, and UV does not play a part in its communication system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Molly E Cummings
- Section of Integrative Biology C0930, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712, USA.
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19
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Morrow EH, Pitcher TE, Arnqvist G. No evidence that sexual selection is an 'engine of speciation' in birds. Ecol Lett 2003. [DOI: 10.1046/j.1461-0248.2003.00418.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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20
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Freckleton RP, Harvey PH, Pagel M. Phylogenetic Analysis and Comparative Data: A Test and Review of Evidence. Am Nat 2002; 160:712-26. [PMID: 18707460 DOI: 10.1086/343873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1662] [Impact Index Per Article: 75.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- R P Freckleton
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX13PS, United Kingdom
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21
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Tubaro PL, Lijtmaer DA. Hybridization patterns and the evolution of reproductive isolation in ducks. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2002. [DOI: 10.1046/j.1095-8312.2002.00096.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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22
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Møller, Hedenström. Comparative evidence for costs of secondary sexual characters: adaptive vane emargination of ornamented feathers in birds. J Evol Biol 2001. [DOI: 10.1046/j.1420-9101.1999.00034.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Møller
- Laboratoire d’Ecologie, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, F‐75252 Paris, France
| | - Hedenström
- Department of Ecology, Theoretical Ecology, Ecology Building, S‐223 62 Lund, Sweden
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23
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24
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Lindström K. Effects of Resource Distribution on Sexual Selection and the Cost of Reproduction in Sandgobies. Am Nat 2001; 158:64-74. [DOI: 10.1086/320867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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25
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26
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27
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Badyaev AV, Hill GE, Stoehr AM, Nolan PM, McGraw KJ. THE EVOLUTION OF SEXUAL SIZE DIMORPHISM IN THE HOUSE FINCH. II. POPULATION DIVERGENCE IN RELATION TO LOCAL SELECTION. Evolution 2000. [DOI: 10.1554/0014-3820(2000)054[2134:teossd]2.0.co;2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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