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Male color polymorphism in populations of reef geckos (Sphaerodactylus notatus) reduces the utility of visual signals in sex recognition. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-022-03272-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
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Piersanti S, Salerno G, Di Pietro V, Giontella L, Rebora M, Jones A, Fincke OM. Tests of search image and learning in the wild: Insights from sexual conflict in damselflies. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:4399-4412. [PMID: 33976818 PMCID: PMC8093675 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2020] [Revised: 01/26/2021] [Accepted: 01/27/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Search image formation, a proximal mechanism to maintain genetic polymorphisms by negative frequency-dependent selection, has rarely been tested under natural conditions. Females of many nonterritorial damselflies resemble either conspecific males or background vegetation. Mate-searching males are assumed to form search images of the majority female type, sexually harassing it at rates higher than expected from its frequency, thus selectively favoring the less common morph. We tested this and how morph coloration and behavior influenced male perception and intersexual encounters by following marked Ischnura elegans and noting their reactions to conspecifics. Contrary to search image formation and associative learning hypotheses, although males encountered the minority, male-like morph more often, sexual harassment and clutch size were similar for both morphs. Prior mating attempts or copula with morphs did not affect a male's subsequent reaction to them; males rarely attempted matings with immature females or males. Females mated early in the day, reducing the opportunity for males to learn their identity beforehand. Once encountered, the male-like morph was more readily noticed by males than the alternative morph, which once noticed was more likely to receive mating attempts. Flexible behavior gave morphs considerable control over their apparency to males, influencing intersexual encounters. Results suggested a more subtle proximal mechanism than male learning maintains these color polymorphisms and call for inferences of learning to be validated by behavior of wild receivers and their signalers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvana Piersanti
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Biologia, e BiotecnologieUniversity of PerugiaPerugiaItaly
| | - Gianandrea Salerno
- Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Alimentari e AmbientaliUniversity of PerugiaPerugiaItaly
| | - Viviana Di Pietro
- Department of Life Science and SystemticsUniversity of TorinoTorinoItaly
| | - Leonardo Giontella
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Biologia, e BiotecnologieUniversity of PerugiaPerugiaItaly
| | - Manuela Rebora
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Biologia, e BiotecnologieUniversity of PerugiaPerugiaItaly
| | - Albyn Jones
- Department of MathematicsReed CollegePortlandORUSA
| | - Ola M. Fincke
- Department of BiologyUniversity of OklahomaNormanOKUSA
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Khan MK. Female prereproductive coloration reduces mating harassment in damselflies. Evolution 2020; 74:2293-2303. [PMID: 32573766 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2019] [Revised: 05/09/2020] [Accepted: 06/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Conspicuous female coloration can evolve through male mate choice or via female-female competition thereby increasing female mating success. However, when mating is not beneficial, such as in pre-reproductive females, selection should favor cryptic rather than conspicuous coloration to avoid male detection and the associated harassment. Nevertheless, conspicuous female coloration occurs in many prereproductive animals, and its evolution remains an enigma. Here, I studied conspicuous female coloration in Agriocnemis femina damselflies, in which the conspicuous red color of the immature females changes to a less conspicuous green approximately a week after their emergence. I measured body size, weight, and egg numbers of the female morphs and found that red females are smaller and lighter and do not carry developed eggs. Finally, I calculated the occurrence frequency and mating frequency of red and green females in several populations over a three-year period. The results demonstrate that red females mated less frequently than green females even when red females were the abundant morph in the populations. I concluded that conspicuous female coloration is likely to function as a warning signal of sexual unprofitability, thereby reducing sexual harassment for females and unprofitable mating for males.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md Kawsar Khan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet, 3114, Bangladesh
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Flanary KM, Johnson JB. Anal fin pigmentation in Brachyrhaphis fishes is not used for sexual mimicry. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0194121. [PMID: 29554139 PMCID: PMC5858833 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0194121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2017] [Accepted: 02/12/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Mimicry can occur in several contexts, including sexual interactions. In some cases, males mimic females to gain access to potential mates. In contrast, there are relatively few examples of species where females mimic males, and we know very little about what drives these patterns. Two hypotheses have been advanced to explain female mimicry of males. The first is that mimicry is used to reduce harassment of females by males. The second is that mimicry is used to display dominance over other females. In this study, we tested these hypotheses in Brachyrhaphis fishes, wherein females of several species have pigmentation on their anal fin of the same coloration and shape, and in the same location, as the genitalia of males. To test if female mimicry of males reduces male harassment, we experimentally manipulated female pigmentation and observed male preference for females with and without male-like pigmentation. To test the effect that female mimicry of males has on female dominance, we observed how females respond to anal fin pigmentation patterns of companion females. We found that neither of these hypotheses was supported by our data. We conclude that similarities in anal fin pigmentation between male and female Brachyrhaphis fishes is not an adaptation to reduce male harassment or to signal dominance between females. Alternative explanations must exist, including the possibility that these similarities are simply non-adaptive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kandace M. Flanary
- Evolutionary Ecology Laboratories, Department of Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, United States of America
| | - Jerald B. Johnson
- Evolutionary Ecology Laboratories, Department of Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, United States of America
- Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, United States of America
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7
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Field tests of multiple sensory cues in sex recognition and harassment of a colour polymorphic damselfly. Anim Behav 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.12.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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Simon S, Sagasser S, Saccenti E, Brugler MR, Schranz ME, Hadrys H, Amato G, DeSalle R. Comparative transcriptomics reveal developmental turning points during embryogenesis of a hemimetabolous insect, the damselfly Ischnura elegans. Sci Rep 2017; 7:13547. [PMID: 29051502 PMCID: PMC5648782 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-13176-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2017] [Accepted: 09/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Identifying transcriptional changes during embryogenesis is of crucial importance for unravelling evolutionary, molecular and cellular mechanisms that underpin patterning and morphogenesis. However, comparative studies focusing on early/embryonic stages during insect development are limited to a few taxa. Drosophila melanogaster is the paradigm for insect development, whereas comparative transcriptomic studies of embryonic stages of hemimetabolous insects are completely lacking. We reconstructed the first comparative transcriptome covering the daily embryonic developmental progression of the blue-tailed damselfly Ischnura elegans (Odonata), an ancient hemimetabolous representative. We identified a "core" set of 6,794 transcripts - shared by all embryonic stages - which are mainly involved in anatomical structure development and cellular nitrogen compound metabolic processes. We further used weighted gene co-expression network analysis to identify transcriptional changes during Odonata embryogenesis. Based on these analyses distinct clusters of transcriptional active sequences could be revealed, indicating that embryos at different development stages have their own transcriptomic profile according to the developmental events and leading to sequential reprogramming of metabolic and developmental genes. Interestingly, a major change in transcriptionally active sequences is correlated with katatrepsis (revolution) during mid-embryogenesis, a 180° rotation of the embryo within the egg and specific to hemimetabolous insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina Simon
- Biosystematics Group, Wageningen University & Research, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, 6708 PB, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
- Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West and 79th St., New York, NY, 10024, USA.
| | - Sven Sagasser
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Karolinska Institutet, 17177, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Edoardo Saccenti
- Laboratory of Systems and Synthetic Biology, Wageningen University & Research, Stippeng 4, 6708 WE, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Mercer R Brugler
- Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West and 79th St., New York, NY, 10024, USA
- Biological Sciences Department, NYC College of Technology, City University of New York, 300 Jay Street, Brooklyn, New York, 11201, USA
| | - M Eric Schranz
- Biosystematics Group, Wageningen University & Research, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, 6708 PB, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Heike Hadrys
- Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West and 79th St., New York, NY, 10024, USA
- ITZ, Ecology&Evolution, University of Veterinary Medicine Hanover, Buenteweg 17d, D-30559, Hannover, Germany
- Yale University, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, 165 Prospect Street, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - George Amato
- Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West and 79th St., New York, NY, 10024, USA
| | - Rob DeSalle
- Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West and 79th St., New York, NY, 10024, USA
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Barnard AA, Fincke OM, McPeek MA, Masly JP. Mechanical and tactile incompatibilities cause reproductive isolation between two young damselfly species. Evolution 2017; 71:2410-2427. [PMID: 28744900 DOI: 10.1111/evo.13315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2017] [Revised: 07/10/2017] [Accepted: 07/11/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
External male reproductive structures have received considerable attention as a cause of reproductive isolation (RI), because the morphology of these structures often evolves rapidly between populations. This rapid evolution presents the potential for mechanical incompatibilities with heterospecific female structures during mating and could thus prevent interbreeding between nascent species. Although such mechanical incompatibilities have received little empirical support as a common cause of RI, the potential for mismatch of reproductive structures to cause RI due to incompatible species-specific tactile cues has not been tested. We tested the importance of mechanical and tactile incompatibilities in RI between Enallagma anna and E. carunculatum, two damselfly species that diverged within the past ∼250,000 years and currently hybridize in a sympatric region. We quantified 19 prezygotic and postzygotic RI barriers using both naturally occurring and laboratory-reared damselflies. We found incomplete mechanical isolation between the two pure species and between hybrid males and pure species females. Interestingly, in mating pairs for which mechanical isolation was incomplete, females showed greater resistance and refusal to mate with hybrid or heterospecific males compared to conspecific males. This observation suggests that tactile incompatibilities involving male reproductive structures can influence female mating decisions and form a strong barrier to gene flow in early stages of speciation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra A Barnard
- Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Program, Department of Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma
| | - Ola M Fincke
- Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Program, Department of Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma
| | - Mark A McPeek
- Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire
| | - John P Masly
- Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Program, Department of Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma
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Sanmartín-Villar I, Rivas-Torres A, Gabela-Flores MV, Encalada AC, Cordero-Rivera A. Female polymorphism and colour variability in Argia oculata (Coenagrionidae: Zygoptera). NEOTROPICAL BIODIVERSITY 2017. [DOI: 10.1080/23766808.2017.1398037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Iago Sanmartín-Villar
- ECOEVO Lab, Universidade de Vigo, Escola de Enxeñaría Forestal, Campus A Xunqueira, Pontevedra, Spain
| | - Anais Rivas-Torres
- ECOEVO Lab, Universidade de Vigo, Escola de Enxeñaría Forestal, Campus A Xunqueira, Pontevedra, Spain
| | - María Virginia Gabela-Flores
- Laboratorio de Ecología Acuática, Instituto BIOSFERA, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Diego de Robles y Vía Interoceánica, Campus Cumbayá, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Andrea C. Encalada
- Laboratorio de Ecología Acuática, Instituto BIOSFERA, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Diego de Robles y Vía Interoceánica, Campus Cumbayá, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Adolfo Cordero-Rivera
- ECOEVO Lab, Universidade de Vigo, Escola de Enxeñaría Forestal, Campus A Xunqueira, Pontevedra, Spain
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Futahashi R. Color vision and color formation in dragonflies. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2016; 17:32-39. [PMID: 27720071 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2016.05.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2016] [Revised: 05/20/2016] [Accepted: 05/21/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Dragonflies including damselflies are colorful and large-eyed insects, which show remarkable sexual dimorphism, color transition, and color polymorphism. Recent comprehensive visual transcriptomics has unveiled an extraordinary diversity of opsin genes within the lineage of dragonflies. These opsin genes are differentially expressed between aquatic larvae and terrestrial adults, as well as between dorsal and ventral regions of adult compound eyes. Recent topics of color formation in dragonflies are also outlined. Non-iridescent blue color is caused by coherent light scattering from the quasiordered nanostructures, whereas iridescent color is produced by multilayer structures. Wrinkles or wax crystals sometimes enhances multilayer structural colors. Sex-specific and stage-specific color differences in red dragonflies is attributed to redox states of ommochrome pigments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryo Futahashi
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Central 6, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8566, Japan.
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Domingue MJ, Lelito JP, Myrick AJ, Csóka G, Szöcs L, Imrei Z, Baker TC. Differences in spectral selectivity between stages of visually guided mating approaches in a buprestid beetle. J Exp Biol 2016; 219:2837-2843. [PMID: 27401761 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.137885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2016] [Accepted: 06/29/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Spectral mating preferences were examined in male Agrilus angustulus (Buprestidae: Coleoptera), a member of a taxon known for its high species diversity and striking metallic coloration. The spectral emission profile of a typical A. angustulus female displays low chroma, broadly overlapping that of the green oak leaves they feed and rest upon, while also including longer wavelengths. To pinpoint behaviorally significant spectral regions for A. angustulus males during mate selection, we observed their field approaches to females of five Agrilus planipennis color morphs that have greater chroma than the normal conspecific female targets. Agrilus angustulus males would initially fly equally frequently toward any of the three longest wavelength morphs (green, copper and red) whose spectral emission profiles all overlap that of typical A. angustulus females. However, they usually only completed approaches toward the two longest wavelength morphs, but not the green morphs. Thus, spectral preference influenced mate selection by A. angustulus males, and their discrimination of suitable targets became greater as these targets were approached. This increasing spectral discrimination when approaching targets may have evolved to allow female emissions to remain somewhat cryptic, while also being visible to conspecifics as distinct from the background vegetation and heterospecific competitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Domingue
- The Pennsylvania State University, Department of Entomology, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Jonathan P Lelito
- United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Plant Protection and Quarantine, Brighton, MI 48116, USA
| | - Andrew J Myrick
- The Pennsylvania State University, Department of Entomology, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - György Csóka
- NARIC Forest Research Institute, Department of Forest Protection, Mátrafüred 3232, Hungary
| | - Levente Szöcs
- NARIC Forest Research Institute, Department of Forest Protection, Mátrafüred 3232, Hungary
| | - Zoltan Imrei
- Plant Protection Institute, Centre for Agricultural Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest 1022, Hungary
| | - Thomas C Baker
- The Pennsylvania State University, Department of Entomology, University Park, PA 16802, USA
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Scent of a Dragonfly: Sex Recognition in a Polymorphic Coenagrionid. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0136697. [PMID: 26305118 PMCID: PMC4549108 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0136697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2015] [Accepted: 08/05/2015] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
In polymorphic damselflies discrimination of females from males is complex owing to the presence of androchrome and gynochrome females. To date there is no evidence that damselflies use sensory modalities other than vision (and tactile stimuli) in mate searching and sex recognition. The results of the present behavioural and electrophysiological investigations on Ischnura elegans, a polymorphic damselfly, support our hypothesis that chemical cues could be involved in Odonata sex recognition. The bioassays demonstrate that males in laboratory prefer female to male odour, while no significant difference was present in male behavior between stimuli from males and control. The bioassays suggest also some ability of males to distinguish between the two female morphs using chemical stimuli. The ability of male antennae to perceive odours from females has been confirmed by electrophysiological recordings. These findings are important not only to get insight into the chemical ecology of Odonata, and to shed light into the problem of olfaction in Paleoptera, but could be useful to clarify the controversial aspects of the mating behavior of polymorphic coenagrionids. Behavioural studies in the field are necessary to investigate further these aspects.
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