1
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Poirier AC, Melin AD. Smell throughout the life course. Evol Anthropol 2024; 33:e22030. [PMID: 38704704 DOI: 10.1002/evan.22030] [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: 09/18/2023] [Revised: 04/12/2024] [Accepted: 04/18/2024] [Indexed: 05/07/2024]
Abstract
The sense of smell is an important mediator of health and sociality at all stages of life, yet it has received limited attention in our lineage. Olfaction starts in utero and participates in the establishment of social bonds in children, and of romantic and sexual relationships after puberty. Smell further plays a key role in food assessment and danger avoidance; in modern societies, it also guides our consumer behavior. Sensory abilities typically decrease with age and can be impacted by diseases, with repercussions on health and well-being. Here, we critically review our current understanding of human olfactory communication to refute outdated notions that our sense of smell is of low importance. We provide a summary of the biology of olfaction, give a prospective overview of the importance of the sense of smell throughout the life course, and conclude with an outline of the limitations and future directions in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice C Poirier
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Amanda D Melin
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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2
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Mariencheck CL. The immunity gap in primates. Evol Anthropol 2024; 33:e22038. [PMID: 38877873 DOI: 10.1002/evan.22038] [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: 11/24/2023] [Revised: 05/21/2024] [Accepted: 05/22/2024] [Indexed: 08/09/2024]
Abstract
Vertebrates exhibit sexual dimorphism in response to infectious diseases and in morbidity and mortality rates to various pathogens. Females are generally more immunocompetent than males, despite their increased reproductive burden and the immunosuppressive effects of gestation. In addition, females generally have lower incidences of cancer compared to males; however, they have higher rates of autoimmune disorders. These sex differences may be a result of life history differences, sexual selection, genetics, and/or the physiological effects of hormones. As highly social mammals with complex life histories, primates offer a unique opportunity to investigate the evolution of enhanced female immunocompetence. This review aims to examine the evidence of this immunity gap, understand current hypotheses for its evolution, and explore the potential role of X chromosome specific genes and heterozygosity within this framework.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clara L Mariencheck
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
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3
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Cox E, Collins-Pisano C, Montgomery L, Katz JS. A comparative evaluation of the role of olfaction in attachment. Anim Cogn 2024; 27:54. [PMID: 39080076 PMCID: PMC11289241 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-024-01891-5] [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: 04/08/2024] [Accepted: 07/05/2024] [Indexed: 08/02/2024]
Abstract
Olfactory information plays an important role in the attachment and bonding processes for both humans and non-human animals. Odor cues obtained via individual body odor facilitate attachment and bonding processes across species with regard to both mate selection and mother-infant bonding. The purpose of the present paper is to summarize the role of odor as it pertains to bond formation and maintenance in the mother-infant bond for human infants and non-human animal infants, and for mate selection among human adults and non-human animals. We then synthesize this summary with literature on attachment and existing evidence for the relationships between olfaction and attachment processes. Finally, we suggest avenues for areas of future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma Cox
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Auburn University, 226 Thach Hall, AL, 36849, USA.
| | | | - Lane Montgomery
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Auburn University, 226 Thach Hall, AL, 36849, USA
| | - Jeffrey S Katz
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Auburn University, 226 Thach Hall, AL, 36849, USA
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4
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Pollo P, Lagisz M, Yang Y, Culina A, Nakagawa S. Synthesis of sexual selection: a systematic map of meta-analyses with bibliometric analysis. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2024. [PMID: 38982618 DOI: 10.1111/brv.13117] [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: 10/17/2023] [Revised: 06/16/2024] [Accepted: 06/19/2024] [Indexed: 07/11/2024]
Abstract
Sexual selection has been a popular subject within evolutionary biology because of its central role in explaining odd and counterintuitive traits observed in nature. Consequently, the literature associated with this field of study became vast. Meta-analytical studies attempting to draw inferences from this literature have now accumulated, varying in scope and quality, thus calling for a synthesis of these syntheses. We conducted a systematic literature search to create a systematic map with a report appraisal of meta-analyses on topics associated with sexual selection, aiming to identify the conceptual and methodological gaps in this secondary literature. We also conducted bibliometric analyses to explore whether these gaps are associated with the gender and origin of the authors of these meta-analyses. We included 152 meta-analytical studies in our systematic map. We found that most meta-analyses focused on males and on certain animal groups (e.g. birds), indicating severe sex and taxonomic biases. The topics in these studies varied greatly, from proximate (e.g. relationship of ornaments with other traits) to ultimate questions (e.g. formal estimates of sexual selection strength), although the former were more common. We also observed several common methodological issues in these studies, such as lack of detailed information regarding searches, screening, and analyses, which ultimately impairs the reliability of many of these meta-analyses. In addition, most of the meta-analyses' authors were men affiliated to institutions from developed countries, pointing to both gender and geographical authorship biases. Most importantly, we found that certain authorship aspects were associated with conceptual and methodological issues in meta-analytical studies. Many of our findings might simply reflect patterns in the current state of the primary literature and academia, suggesting that our study can serve as an indicator of issues within the field of sexual selection at large. Based on our findings, we provide both conceptual and analytical recommendations to improve future studies in the field of sexual selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pietro Pollo
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Gate 9 High St., Kensington, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Malgorzata Lagisz
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Gate 9 High St., Kensington, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Yefeng Yang
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Gate 9 High St., Kensington, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Antica Culina
- Ruđer Bošković Institute, Bijenička Cesta 54, Zagreb, 10000, Croatia
| | - Shinichi Nakagawa
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Gate 9 High St., Kensington, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
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5
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Ando A, Matsubara T, Suzuki S, Imaeda N, Takasu M, Shigenari A, Miyamoto A, Ohshima S, Kametani Y, Shiina T, Kulski JK, Kitagawa H. Genetic Links between Reproductive Traits and Amino Acid Pairwise Distances of Swine Leukocyte Antigen Alleles among Mating Partners in Microminipigs. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:7362. [PMID: 39000468 PMCID: PMC11242825 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25137362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2024] [Revised: 06/23/2024] [Accepted: 07/02/2024] [Indexed: 07/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Previously, we found that a greater dissimilarity in swine leukocyte antigen (SLA) class I and class II alleles between mating partners resulted in increased farrowing rates in a highly inbred population of Microminipigs (MMPs). In this follow-up study, we have analyzed the effects of dissimilarity in SLA alleles between mating partners for seven different reproductive traits, including litter size and the number of stillborn and live or dead weaned piglets. We determined the relationships among reproductive traits within each mating event and the amino acid distances of SLA alleles as markers of diversity between mating partners. Our results indicate that mating partners with greater amino acid pairwise genetic distances in the SLA-1 class I gene or DQB1 class II gene alleles were associated with significantly larger litter sizes and higher numbers of live piglets at birth and weaning. Also, partners with greater pairwise distances in the SLA-2 class I gene alleles exhibited fewer pre-weaning deaths. These findings suggest that the dissimilarity in SLA class I and class II alleles between mating partners may affect not only farrowing rates but also other key reproductive traits such as litter size and improved piglet survival rates. Consequently, SLA alleles could serve as valuable genetic markers for selecting mating partners in breeding programs and for conducting epistatic studies on various reproductive traits in MMPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asako Ando
- Department of Molecular Life Science, Division of Basic Medical Science and Molecular Medicine, Tokai University School of Medicine, Isehara 259-1193, Japan; (S.S.); (A.S.); (A.M.); (S.O.); (Y.K.); (T.S.); or (J.K.K.)
| | - Tatsuya Matsubara
- Joint Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Applied Biological Sciences, Gifu University, Gifu 501-1193, Japan; (T.M.); (N.I.)
| | - Shingo Suzuki
- Department of Molecular Life Science, Division of Basic Medical Science and Molecular Medicine, Tokai University School of Medicine, Isehara 259-1193, Japan; (S.S.); (A.S.); (A.M.); (S.O.); (Y.K.); (T.S.); or (J.K.K.)
| | - Noriaki Imaeda
- Joint Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Applied Biological Sciences, Gifu University, Gifu 501-1193, Japan; (T.M.); (N.I.)
| | - Masaki Takasu
- Gifu University Institute for Advanced Study, Gifu University, Gifu 501-1193, Japan;
- Center for One Medicine Innovative Translational Research (COMIT), Gifu University, Gifu 501-1193, Japan
| | - Atsuko Shigenari
- Department of Molecular Life Science, Division of Basic Medical Science and Molecular Medicine, Tokai University School of Medicine, Isehara 259-1193, Japan; (S.S.); (A.S.); (A.M.); (S.O.); (Y.K.); (T.S.); or (J.K.K.)
| | - Asuka Miyamoto
- Department of Molecular Life Science, Division of Basic Medical Science and Molecular Medicine, Tokai University School of Medicine, Isehara 259-1193, Japan; (S.S.); (A.S.); (A.M.); (S.O.); (Y.K.); (T.S.); or (J.K.K.)
| | - Shino Ohshima
- Department of Molecular Life Science, Division of Basic Medical Science and Molecular Medicine, Tokai University School of Medicine, Isehara 259-1193, Japan; (S.S.); (A.S.); (A.M.); (S.O.); (Y.K.); (T.S.); or (J.K.K.)
| | - Yoshie Kametani
- Department of Molecular Life Science, Division of Basic Medical Science and Molecular Medicine, Tokai University School of Medicine, Isehara 259-1193, Japan; (S.S.); (A.S.); (A.M.); (S.O.); (Y.K.); (T.S.); or (J.K.K.)
| | - Takashi Shiina
- Department of Molecular Life Science, Division of Basic Medical Science and Molecular Medicine, Tokai University School of Medicine, Isehara 259-1193, Japan; (S.S.); (A.S.); (A.M.); (S.O.); (Y.K.); (T.S.); or (J.K.K.)
| | - Jerzy K. Kulski
- Department of Molecular Life Science, Division of Basic Medical Science and Molecular Medicine, Tokai University School of Medicine, Isehara 259-1193, Japan; (S.S.); (A.S.); (A.M.); (S.O.); (Y.K.); (T.S.); or (J.K.K.)
- Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, School of Biomedical Science, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Hitoshi Kitagawa
- Joint Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Applied Biological Sciences, Gifu University, Gifu 501-1193, Japan; (T.M.); (N.I.)
- Laboratory of Veterinary Internal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Okayama University of Science, 1-3 Ikoino-oka, Imabari, Ehime 794-8555, Japan
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6
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Ferreira D, San‐Jose LM, Roulin A, Gaigher A, Fumagalli L. Limited associations between MHC diversity and reproductive success in a bird species with biparental care. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e10950. [PMID: 38384825 PMCID: PMC10879840 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/23/2024] Open
Abstract
The selective pressure from pathogens on individuals can have direct consequences on reproduction. Genes from the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) are central to the vertebrate adaptive immune system and pathogen resistance. In species with biparental care, each sex has distinct reproductive roles and levels of investment, and due to a trade-off with immunity, one can expect different selective regimes acting upon the MHC of each parent. Here, we addressed whether couples combine each other's variation at MHC loci to increase their breeding success. Specifically, we used a 23-year dataset from a barn owl population (Tyto alba) to understand how MHC class Iα and IIβ functional divergence and supertypes of each parent were associated with clutch size and fledging success. We did not detect associations between MHC diversity and supertypes with the clutch size or with the fledging success. In addition, to understand the relative contribution from the MHC of the genetic parents and the social parents, we analyzed the fledging success using only a cross-fostered dataset. We found several associations of weak-to-moderate effect sizes between the father's MHC and fledging success: (i) lower MHC-Iα divergence in the genetic father increases fledging success, which might improve paternal care during incubation, and (ii) one and two MHC-IIβ DAB2 supertypes in the social father decrease and increase, respectively, fledging success, which may affect the paternal care after hatching. Furthermore, fledging success increased when both parents did not carry MHC-IIβ DAB1 supertype 2, which could suggest conditional effects of this supertype. Although our study relied on a substantial dataset, we showed that the associations between MHC diversity and reproductive success remain scarce and of complex interpretation in the barn owl. Moreover, our results highlighted the need to incorporate more than one proxy of reproductive success and several MHC classes to capture more complex associations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Ferreira
- Laboratory for Conservation Biology, Department of Ecology and Evolution, BiophoreUniversity of LausanneLausanneSwitzerland
| | - Luis M. San‐Jose
- Laboratoire Évolution and Diversité Biologique, UMR 5174, CNRSUniversité Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, IRDToulouseFrance
| | - Alexandre Roulin
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, BiophoreUniversity of LausanneLausanneSwitzerland
| | - Arnaud Gaigher
- CIBIO‐InBIO, Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic ResourcesUniversity of PortoVairãoPortugal
- Research Unit for Evolutionary Immunogenomics, Department of BiologyUniversity of HamburgHamburgGermany
| | - Luca Fumagalli
- Laboratory for Conservation Biology, Department of Ecology and Evolution, BiophoreUniversity of LausanneLausanneSwitzerland
- Swiss Human Institute of Forensic Taphonomy, University Centre of Legal Medicine Lausanne‐GenevaLausanne University Hospital and University of LausanneLausanneSwitzerland
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7
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Mahdjoub H, Khelifa R, Roy J, Sbilordo SH, Zeender V, Perdigón Ferreira J, Gourgoulianni N, Lüpold S. Interplay between male quality and male-female compatibility across episodes of sexual selection. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadf5559. [PMID: 37774022 PMCID: PMC10541500 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adf5559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 10/01/2023]
Abstract
The processes underlying mate choice profoundly influence the dynamics of sexual selection and the evolution of male sexual traits. Consistent preference for certain phenotypes may erode genetic variation in populations through directional selection, whereas divergent preferences (e.g., genetically compatible mates) provide one mechanism to maintain such variation. However, the relative contributions of these processes across episodes of selection remain unknown. Using Drosophila melanogaster, we followed the fate of male genotypes, previously scored for their overall reproductive value and their compatibility with different female genotypes, across pre- and postmating episodes of selection. When pairs of competitor males differed in their intrinsic quality and their compatibility with the female, both factors influenced outcomes from mating success to paternity but to a varying degree between stages. These results add further dimensions to our understanding of how the interactions between genotypes and forms of selection shape reproductive outcomes and ultimately reproductive trait evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hayat Mahdjoub
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
- Biology Department, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke St. W., Montreal QC H4B 1R6, Canada
| | - Rassim Khelifa
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
- Biology Department, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke St. W., Montreal QC H4B 1R6, Canada
| | - Jeannine Roy
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Sonja H. Sbilordo
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Valérian Zeender
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jhoniel Perdigón Ferreira
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Natalia Gourgoulianni
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Stefan Lüpold
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
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8
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Loos HM, Schaal B, Pause BM, Smeets MAM, Ferdenzi C, Roberts SC, de Groot J, Lübke KT, Croy I, Freiherr J, Bensafi M, Hummel T, Havlíček J. Past, Present, and Future of Human Chemical Communication Research. PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2023:17456916231188147. [PMID: 37669015 DOI: 10.1177/17456916231188147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/06/2023]
Abstract
Although chemical signaling is an essential mode of communication in most vertebrates, it has long been viewed as having negligible effects in humans. However, a growing body of evidence shows that the sense of smell affects human behavior in social contexts ranging from affiliation and parenting to disease avoidance and social threat. This article aims to (a) introduce research on human chemical communication in the historical context of the behavioral sciences; (b) provide a balanced overview of recent advances that describe individual differences in the emission of semiochemicals and the neural mechanisms underpinning their perception, that together demonstrate communicative function; and (c) propose directions for future research toward unraveling the molecular principles involved and understanding the variability in the generation, transmission, and reception of chemical signals in increasingly ecologically valid conditions. Achieving these goals will enable us to address some important societal challenges but are within reach only with the aid of genuinely interdisciplinary approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helene M Loos
- Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
- Department of Sensory Analytics and Technologies, Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV
| | - Benoist Schaal
- Development of Olfactory Cognition and Communication Lab, Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l'Alimentation, CNRS UMR 6265, Université de Bourgogne
| | - Bettina M Pause
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf
| | | | - Camille Ferdenzi
- Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon, CNRS UMR 5292, Inserm U1028, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Centre Hospitalier Le Vinatier
| | | | | | - Katrin T Lübke
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf
| | - Ilona Croy
- Institute for Psychology, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena
| | - Jessica Freiherr
- Department of Sensory Analytics and Technologies, Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
| | - Moustafa Bensafi
- Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon, CNRS UMR 5292, Inserm U1028, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Centre Hospitalier Le Vinatier
| | - Thomas Hummel
- Smell and Taste Clinic, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, TU Dresden
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9
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Horváth G, Garamszegi LZ, Herczeg G. Phylogenetic meta-analysis reveals system-specific behavioural type-behavioural predictability correlations. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:230303. [PMID: 37680498 PMCID: PMC10480700 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.230303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023]
Abstract
The biological significance of behavioural predictability (environment-independent within-individual behavioural variation) became accepted recently as an important part of an individual's behavioural strategy besides behavioural type (individual mean behaviour). However, we do not know how behavioural type and predictability evolve. Here, we tested different evolutionary scenarios: (i) the two traits evolve independently (lack of correlations) and (ii) the two traits' evolution is constrained (abundant correlations) due to either (ii/a) proximate constraints (direction of correlations is similar) or (ii/b) local adaptations (direction of correlations is variable). We applied a set of phylogenetic meta-analyses based on 93 effect sizes across 44 vertebrate and invertebrate species, focusing on activity and risk-taking. The general correlation between behavioural type and predictability did not differ from zero. Effect sizes for correlations showed considerable heterogeneity, with both negative and positive correlations occurring. The overall absolute (unsigned) effect size was high (Zr = 0.58), and significantly exceeded the null expectation based on randomized data. Our results support the adaptive scenario: correlations between behavioural type and predictability are abundant in nature, but their direction is variable. We suggest that the evolution of these behavioural components might be constrained in a system-specific way.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gergely Horváth
- Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology, Institute of Biology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
- ELKH-ELTE-MTM Integrative Ecology Research Group, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - László Zsolt Garamszegi
- Centre for Ecological Research, Institute of Ecology and Botany, Alkotmány u. 2-4, 2163 Vácrátót, Hungary
- National Laboratory for Health Security, Centre for Ecological Research, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Gábor Herczeg
- Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology, Institute of Biology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
- ELKH-ELTE-MTM Integrative Ecology Research Group, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
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10
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Chaves PB, Strier KB, Di Fiore A. Paternity data reveal high MHC diversity among sires in a polygynandrous, egalitarian primate. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20231035. [PMID: 37528707 PMCID: PMC10394425 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.1035] [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: 05/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Evidence from human and nonhuman primates suggests that females avoid breeding with close kin and may choose mates based on MHC diversity, which can improve offspring survival. In despotic societies, female mate choice may be hindered by male sexual coercion, but in egalitarian societies, females may be less constrained. Among northern muriquis-an egalitarian, polygynandrous primate with male philopatry-analyses of new data on paternity and variation at microsatellite and MHC loci, combined with behavioural and life-history data, revealed that sires showed higher MHC diversity than expected by chance and were never close kin of dams, consistent with predictions of female mate choice and close inbreeding avoidance. However, females did not differentially reproduce with males who were more distantly related to them or more dissimilar at the MHC than expected by chance, nor with those who had more MHC alleles distinct from their own. The lack of male dominance may permit females to identify and reproduce preferentially with non-offspring males and with males who are more diverse at the MHC. Nonetheless, the absence of disassortative mating at the MHC and neutral loci suggests that female mate choice may be limited by other factors impacting male fertilization success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paulo B. Chaves
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, USA
- Department of Anthropology and the Primate Molecular Ecology and Evolution Laboratory, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, USA
| | - Karen B. Strier
- Department of Anthropology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Anthony Di Fiore
- Department of Anthropology and the Primate Molecular Ecology and Evolution Laboratory, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, USA
- Tiputini Biodiversity Station, College of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Cumbayá, Ecuador
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11
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Phillips SR. MHC-B Diversity and Signs of Respiratory Illness in Wild, East African Chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii ). BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.08.02.551731. [PMID: 37577711 PMCID: PMC10418158 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.02.551731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/15/2023]
Abstract
Many traits, intrinsic and extrinsic to an organism, contribute to interindividual variation in immunity in wild habitats. The vertebrate Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) includes genes encoding antigen-presenting molecules that are highly variable, and that variation often predicts susceptibility/resistance to and recovery from pathogen infection. I compare MHC-B variation at two long-term chimpanzee research sites, Kibale National Park in Uganda and Gombe National Park in Tanzania. Using decades of respiratory health data available for these chimpanzees, I test hypotheses associated with maintenance of diversity at MHC loci, including heterozygote, divergent allele, and rare allele advantage hypotheses, and predictions for unique function of MHC-B in great apes. I found, despite confirmation of recent shared ancestry between Kibale and Gombe chimpanzees, including an overlapping MHC-B allele repertoire and similar MHC-B phenotype compositions, chimpanzees from the two research sites experienced differences in the occurrence of respiratory signs and had different associations of MHC-B diversity with signs of respiratory illness. Kibale chimpanzees with heterozygous genotypes and different peptide-binding supertypes were observed less often with respiratory signs than those homozygous or possessing the same supertypes, but this same association was not observed among Gombe chimpanzees. Gombe chimpanzees with specific MHC-B phenotypes that enable engagement of Natural Killer (NK) cells were observed more often with respiratory signs than chimpanzees with other phenotypes, but this was not observed at Kanyawara. This study emphasizes local adaptation in shaping genetic and phenotypic traits in different infectious disease contexts, even among close genetic relatives of the same subspecies, and highlights utility for continued and simultaneous tracking of host immune genes and specific pathogens in wild species.
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12
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Do humans agree on which body odors are attractive, similar to the agreement observed when rating faces and voices? EVOL HUM BEHAV 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2023.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/16/2023]
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13
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Lam DK, Frantz AC, Burke T, Geffen E, Sin SYW. Both selection and drift drive the spatial pattern of adaptive genetic variation in a wild mammal. Evolution 2023; 77:221-238. [PMID: 36626810 DOI: 10.1093/evolut/qpac014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2021] [Revised: 10/03/2022] [Accepted: 11/04/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) has been intensively studied for the relative effects of different evolutionary forces in recent decades. Pathogen-mediated balancing selection is generally thought to explain the high polymorphism observed in MHC genes, but it is still unclear to what extent MHC diversity is shaped by selection relative to neutral drift. In this study, we genotyped MHC class II DRB genes and 15 neutral microsatellite loci across 26 geographic populations of European badgers (Meles meles) covering most of their geographic range. By comparing variation of microsatellite and diversity of MHC at different levels, we demonstrate that both balancing selection and drift have shaped the evolution of MHC genes. When only MHC allelic identity was investigated, the spatial pattern of MHC variation was similar to that of microsatellites. By contrast, when functional aspects of the MHC diversity (e.g., immunological supertypes) were considered, balancing selection appears to decrease genetic structuring across populations. Our comprehensive sampling and analytical approach enable us to conclude that the likely mechanisms of selection are heterozygote advantage and/or rare-allele advantage. This study is a clear demonstration of how both balancing selection and genetic drift simultaneously affect the evolution of MHC genes in a widely distributed wild mammal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Derek Kong Lam
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Alain C Frantz
- Musée National d'Histoire Naturelle, Luxembourg, Luxembourg
| | - Terry Burke
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Eli Geffen
- School of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Simon Yung Wa Sin
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
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14
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Fieder M, Huber S. Facial attractiveness is only weakly linked to genome-wide heterozygosity. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1009962. [PMID: 37151335 PMCID: PMC10157054 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1009962] [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: 08/02/2022] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 05/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction It has been frequently suggested that overall genomic heterozygosity and, particularly, heterozygosity of loci on the so-called major histocompatibility complex (MHC), which is responsible for the recognition of foreign substances/ pathogens and the recognition of self and non-self, is associated with better health and better resistance to infections and parasites. It has further been speculated that such a potentially beneficial heterozygosity can be detected through body odor and facial attractiveness. Methods On the basis of genome wide SNP data (713,014 SNPs) of participants from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, we therefore investigated whether homozygosity either on the MHC (measured as inbreeding coefficient) or genome-wide (measured as runs of homozygosity and inbreeding coefficient) is associated with rated facial attractiveness. Results Although we found that the genome-wide average length of homozygous segments and the genome-wide inbreeding coefficient are significantly negatively associated with some measures of facial attractiveness, if corrected for multiple testing, any significant association was no longer formally significant after correction. In addition, the variance in facial attractiveness explained by the genome wide homozygosity is very low (<0.15%). We did not find any significant association between the inbreeding coefficient on the MHC and facial attractiveness. Discussion We only find a weak association of genome- wide heterozygosity and facial attractiveness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Fieder
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology and Network of Human Evolution and Archeological Sciences (HEAS), University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Religion and Transformation in Contemporary Society, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- *Correspondence: Martin Fieder,
| | - Susanne Huber
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology and Network of Human Evolution and Archeological Sciences (HEAS), University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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15
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Origin and persistence of polymorphism in loci targeted by disassortative preference: a general model. J Math Biol 2022; 86:4. [PMID: 36441252 DOI: 10.1007/s00285-022-01832-1] [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: 03/25/2022] [Revised: 10/17/2022] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The emergence and persistence of polymorphism within populations generally requires specific regimes of natural or sexual selection. Here, we develop a unified theoretical framework to explore how polymorphism at targeted loci can be generated and maintained by either disassortative mating choice or balancing selection due to, for example, heterozygote advantage. To this aim, we model the dynamics of alleles at a single locus A in a population of haploid individuals, where reproductive success depends on the combination of alleles carried by the parents at locus A. Our theoretical study of the model confirms that the conditions for the persistence of a given level of allelic polymorphism depend on the relative reproductive advantages among pairs of individuals. Interestingly, equilibria with unbalanced allelic frequencies were shown to emerge from successive introduction of mutants. We then investigate the role of the function linking allelic divergence to reproductive advantage on the evolutionary fate of alleles within the population. Our results highlight the significance of the shape of this function for both the number of alleles maintained and their level of genetic divergence. Large number of alleles are maintained with substantial replacement of alleles, when disassortative advantage slowly increases with allelic differentiation . In contrast, few highly differentiated alleles are predicted to be maintained when genetic differentiation has a strong effect on disassortative advantage. These opposite effects predicted by our model explain how disassortative mate choice may lead to various levels of allelic differentiation and polymorphism, and shed light on the effect of mate preferences on the persistence of balanced and unbalanced polymorphism in natural population.
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16
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Li ZL, Hummel T, Zou LQ. Sniffing of Body Odors and Individual Significance of Olfaction Are Associated with Sexual Desire: A Cross-Cultural Study in China, India, and the USA. ARCHIVES OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR 2022; 51:3703-3713. [PMID: 35997908 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-022-02398-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2021] [Revised: 08/06/2022] [Accepted: 08/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Olfactory sensations contribute to sexual desire and sexual behavior. However, the degree to which individual importance of olfactory function and body odors relate to sexual desire is not known. This study was conducted to preliminarily examine these relationships among Chinese college students (N = 1903) via the Importance of Olfaction Questionnaire, the Body Odor Sniffing Questionnaire, and the Sexual Desire Inventory, which were used to measure subjective significance of olfaction, frequency of sniffing self or others, and sexual desire, respectively. Individuals who assigned higher importance to olfaction or engaged more in body odor sniffing showed stronger sexual desire. We further explored these associations in different cultures to determine whether cultural consistency existed. We conducted a second study to make cross-cultural comparisons between Indian (N = 313) and US (N = 249) populations. For both countries, a higher importance placed on olfaction and a higher prevalence of body odor sniffing were consistently associated with stronger sexual desire. In conclusion, our study confirmed that people who placed more value on olfactory function or engaged more in body odor sniffing showed stronger sexual desire. These correlations were consistent for both sexes and across different cultures, further indicating the importance of olfaction in sexuality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zi-Lin Li
- Chemical Senses and Mental Health Lab, Department of Psychology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, No. 1023 Shatainan Road, Guangzhou, 510515, Guangdong, China
| | - Thomas Hummel
- Smell and Taste Clinic, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Lai-Quan Zou
- Chemical Senses and Mental Health Lab, Department of Psychology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, No. 1023 Shatainan Road, Guangzhou, 510515, Guangdong, China.
- Department of Psychiatry, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
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17
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Petersen RM, Bergey CM, Roos C, Higham JP. Relationship between genome-wide and MHC class I and II genetic diversity and complementarity in a nonhuman primate. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e9346. [PMID: 36311412 PMCID: PMC9596323 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9346] [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: 09/22/2021] [Revised: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Although mate choice is expected to favor partners with advantageous genetic properties, the relative importance of genome‐wide characteristics, such as overall heterozygosity or kinship, versus specific loci, is unknown. To disentangle genome‐wide and locus‐specific targets of mate choice, we must first understand congruence in global and local variation within the same individual. This study compares genetic diversity, both absolute and relative to other individuals (i.e., complementarity), assessed across the genome to that found at the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), a hyper‐variable gene family integral to immune system function and implicated in mate choice across species. Using DNA from 22 captive olive baboons (Papio anubis), we conducted double digest restriction site‐associated DNA sequencing to estimate genome‐wide heterozygosity and kinship, and sequenced two class I and two class II MHC loci. We found that genome‐wide diversity was not associated with MHC diversity, and that diversity at class I MHC loci was not correlated with diversity at class II loci. Additionally, kinship was a significant predictor of the number of MHC alleles shared between dyads at class II loci. Our results provide further evidence of the strong selective pressures maintaining genetic diversity at the MHC in comparison to other randomly selected sites throughout the genome. Furthermore, our results indicate that class II MHC disassortative mate choice may mediate inbreeding avoidance in this population. Our study suggests that mate choice favoring genome‐wide genetic diversity is not always synonymous with mate choice favoring MHC diversity, and highlights the importance of controlling for kinship when investigating MHC‐associated mate choice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel M. Petersen
- Department of AnthropologyNew York UniversityNew YorkNew YorkUSA,New York Consortium in Evolutionary PrimatologyNew YorkNew YorkUSA
| | - Christina M. Bergey
- Department of Genetics and the Human Genetics Institute of New JerseyRutgers UniversityPiscatawayNew JerseyUSA
| | - Christian Roos
- Gene Bank of Primates and Primate Genetics LaboratoryGerman Primate CenterLeibniz Institute for Primate ResearchGöttingenGermany
| | - James P. Higham
- Department of AnthropologyNew York UniversityNew YorkNew YorkUSA,New York Consortium in Evolutionary PrimatologyNew YorkNew YorkUSA
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18
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Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) Diversity of the Reintroduction Populations of Endangered Przewalski's Horse. Genes (Basel) 2022; 13:genes13050928. [PMID: 35627313 PMCID: PMC9140943 DOI: 10.3390/genes13050928] [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: 04/29/2022] [Revised: 05/17/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes are the most polymorphic in vertebrates and the high variability in many MHC genes is thought to play a crucial role in pathogen recognition. The MHC class II locus DQA polymorphism was analyzed in the endangered Przewalski’s horse, Equus przewalskii, a species that has been extinct in the wild and all the current living individuals descend from 12 founders. We used the polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) to detect the polymorphism within the MHC DQA in 31 Przewalski’s horses from two reintroduced populations. Consequently, only seven alleles were identified, with only four presenting in each population. In comparison with other mammals, the Przewalski’s horse demonstrated less MHC variation. The nucleotide genetic distance of the seven ELA-DQA alleles was between 0.012 and 0.161. The Poisson corrected amino acid genetic distance of the founded alleles was 0.01–0.334. The allele and genotype frequencies of both reintroduced populations of Przewalski’s horse deviated from the Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium. Specific MHC DQA alleles may have been lost during the extreme bottleneck event that this species underwent throughout history. We suggest the necessity to detect the genetic background of individuals prior to performing the reintroduction project.
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19
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Sperm Physiological Response to Female Serum-Potential New Insights into the Reproductive Incompatibility Diagnostics. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23073428. [PMID: 35408797 PMCID: PMC8998597 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23073428] [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: 02/02/2022] [Revised: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 03/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Infertility is assumed to arise exclusively from male- and female-dependent pathological factors. However, recent studies have indicated that reproductive failure may also result from the reproductive incompatibility of the partners. Selection against such incompatibilities likely occurs via female-derived reproductive secretions, including follicular fluid (FF), that mediate gamete-level mate choice towards the sperm of specific males. To facilitate potential development of diagnostic tests for human reproductive incompatibility, we examined whether sperm physiological response to female serum indicate male–female compatibility in the presence of FF. We performed a full-factorial experiment, in which the sperm of 10 males were treated with the FF and serum of 6 healthy females. We found that sperm motility and viability in both biofluids were highly similar and that in 70% of the males, sperm serum treatment predicted male–female compatibility. We also identified male human leucocyte antigen (HLA) alleles and female (FF and serum) anti-HLA antibodies and tested whether the number of allele–antibody matches predict sperm physiological response to female fluids. However, no association was found between measured sperm traits and the number of allele–antibody matches. Overall, the present results may open novel possibilities for the future development of reproductive incompatibility tests and may pave the way towards more accurate infertility diagnostics and treatments.
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20
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Fiurašková K, Roberts SC, Kaňková Š, Hlaváčová J, Calda P, Havlíček J. Oral contraceptive use during relationship formation and current relationship satisfaction: Testing the congruency hypothesis in couples attending pregnancy and fertility clinics. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2022; 135:105451. [PMID: 34741980 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2021.105451] [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: 08/01/2021] [Revised: 10/12/2021] [Accepted: 10/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
According to the congruency hypothesis, relationship satisfaction is predicted by the congruency (or non-congruency) between current use of oral contraceptives (OC) and their use during relationship formation. This is based on findings that OC may alter women's mate preferences, so that attraction to their partner may have changed in non-congruent women. Indeed, some studies find that women in a non-congruent state were less sexually satisfied with their partner, although they were more satisfied in non-sexual aspects of the relationship. However, some other studies have produced null results, calling the hypothesis into question. In this study, we tested the congruency hypothesis in two samples of pregnant women, and in two samples of couples attending a fertility clinic. In all four samples, couples completed questionnaires on relationship and sexual satisfaction and the women also reported their previous and current contraceptive use. In one sample of pregnant women, we found that women who used OC during relationship formation were more sexually satisfied with their partner compared to women who did not use OC at that time; this pattern has previously been interpreted as supporting the congruency hypothesis in view of certain similarities in hormonal profile between OC use and pregnancy. We did not find any significant effect of OC use during relationship formation on sexual and relationship satisfaction in the other sample of pregnant women, either sample attending the fertility clinic, or in the male partners of any of our samples. Our results thus provide mixed support for the congruency hypothesis. Finally, we discuss recommendations for future studies such as use of within-subject designs and more structured assessment of sexual satisfaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kateřina Fiurašková
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.
| | | | - Šárka Kaňková
- Department of Philosophy and History of Science, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Jana Hlaváčová
- Department of Philosophy and History of Science, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Pavel Calda
- Fetal Medicine Centre, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and General University Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Havlíček
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
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21
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Versluys TMM, Flintham EO, Mas-Sandoval A, Savolainen V. Why do we pick similar mates, or do we? Biol Lett 2021; 17:20210463. [PMID: 34813721 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2021.0463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Humans often mate with those resembling themselves, a phenomenon described as positive assortative mating (PAM). The causes of this attract broad interest, but there is little agreement on the topic. This may be because empirical studies and reviews sometimes focus on just a few explanations, often based on disciplinary conventions. This review presents an interdisciplinary conceptual framework on the causes of PAM in humans, drawing on human and non-human biology, the social sciences, and the humanities. Viewing causality holistically, we first discuss the proximate causes (i.e. the 'how') of PAM, considering three mechanisms: stratification, convergence and mate choice. We also outline methods to control for confounders when studying mate choice. We then discuss ultimate explanations (i.e. 'the why') for PAM, including adaptive and non-adaptive processes. We conclude by suggesting a focus on interdisciplinarity in future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas M M Versluys
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Buckhurst Road, Ascot, Berkshire SL5 7PY, United Kingdom
| | - Ewan O Flintham
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Buckhurst Road, Ascot, Berkshire SL5 7PY, United Kingdom
| | - Alex Mas-Sandoval
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Buckhurst Road, Ascot, Berkshire SL5 7PY, United Kingdom
| | - Vincent Savolainen
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Buckhurst Road, Ascot, Berkshire SL5 7PY, United Kingdom
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22
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Agey E, Morris A, Chandy M, Gaulin SJC. Arranged Marriage Often Subverts Offspring Mate Choice: An HRAF‐Based Study. AMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGIST 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/aman.13656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Agey
- Department of Anthropology University of California Santa Barbara USA
| | - Addison Morris
- Department of Anthropology University of California Santa Barbara USA
| | - Maya Chandy
- Department of Anthropology University of California Santa Barbara USA
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23
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Hubená P, Horký P, Slavík O. Fish self-awareness: limits of current knowledge and theoretical expectations. Anim Cogn 2021; 25:447-461. [PMID: 34655023 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-021-01566-5] [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: 02/25/2021] [Revised: 09/15/2021] [Accepted: 10/08/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Animal self-awareness is divided into three levels: bodily, social, and introspective self-awareness. Research has focused mainly on the introspection of so-called higher organisms such as mammals. Herein, we turn our attention to fish and provide opinions on their self-awareness based on a review of the scientific literature. Our specific aims are to discuss whether fish (A) could have a neural substrate supporting self-awareness and whether they display signs of (B) social and (C) introspective self-awareness. The present knowledge does not exclude the possibility that fish could have a simple neocortex or other structures that support certain higher cognitive processes, as the function of the primate cerebral cortex can be replaced by other neurological structures. Fish are known to display winner, loser, and audience effects, which could be interpreted as signs of social self-awareness. The audience effect may be explained not only by ethological cost and benefit theory but also by the concept of public self-awareness, which comes from human studies. The behavioural and neural manifestations of depression may be induced in fish under social subordination and may be viewed as certain awareness of a social status. The current findings on fish introspective self-awareness have been debated in the scientific community and, therefore, demand replication to provide more evidence. Further research is needed to verify the outlined ideas; however, the current knowledge indicates that fish are capable of certain higher cognitive processes, which raises questions and implications regarding ethics and welfare in fish-related research and husbandry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pavla Hubená
- Department of Zoology and Fisheries, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, Prague 6, 165 00, Suchdol, Czech Republic.
| | - Pavel Horký
- Department of Zoology and Fisheries, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, Prague 6, 165 00, Suchdol, Czech Republic
| | - Ondřej Slavík
- Department of Zoology and Fisheries, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, Prague 6, 165 00, Suchdol, Czech Republic
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24
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Meta-analytic evidence that animals rarely avoid inbreeding. Nat Ecol Evol 2021; 5:949-964. [PMID: 33941905 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-021-01453-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2020] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Animals are usually expected to avoid mating with relatives (kin avoidance) as incestuous mating can lead to the expression of inbreeding depression. Yet, theoretical models predict that unbiased mating with regards to kinship should be common, and that under some conditions, the inclusive fitness benefits associated with inbreeding can even lead to a preference for mating with kin. This mismatch between empirical and theoretical expectations generates uncertainty as to the prevalence of inbreeding avoidance in animals. Here, we synthesized 677 effect sizes from 139 experimental studies of mate choice for kin versus non-kin in diploid animals, representing 40 years of research, using a meta-analytical approach. Our meta-analysis revealed little support for the widely held view that animals avoid mating with kin, despite clear evidence of publication bias. Instead, unbiased mating with regards to kinship appears widespread across animals and experimental conditions. The significance of a variety of moderators was explored using meta-regressions, revealing that the degree of relatedness and prior experience with kin explained some variation in the effect sizes. Yet, we found no difference in kin avoidance between males and females, choice and no-choice experiments, mated and virgin animals or between humans and animals. Our findings highlight the need to rethink the widely held view that inbreeding avoidance is a given in experimental studies.
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25
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Spence C. The scent of attraction and the smell of success: crossmodal influences on person perception. Cogn Res Princ Implic 2021; 6:46. [PMID: 34173932 PMCID: PMC8233629 DOI: 10.1186/s41235-021-00311-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2021] [Accepted: 06/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
In recent decades, there has been an explosion of research into the crossmodal influence of olfactory cues on multisensory person perception. Numerous peer-reviewed studies have documented that a variety of olfactory stimuli, from ambient malodours through to fine fragrances, and even a range of chemosensory body odours can influence everything from a perceiver's judgments of another person's attractiveness, age, affect, health/disease status, and even elements of their personality. The crossmodal and multisensory contributions to such effects are reviewed and the limitations/peculiarities of the research that have been published to date are highlighted. At the same time, however, it is important to note that the presence of scent (and/or the absence of malodour) can also influence people's (i.e., a perceiver's) self-confidence which may, in turn, affect how attractive they appear to others. Several potential cognitive mechanisms have been put forward to try and explain such crossmodal/multisensory influences, and some of the neural substrates underpinning these effects have now been characterized. At the end of this narrative review, a number of the potential (and actual) applications for, and implications of, such crossmodal/multisensory phenomena involving olfaction are outlined briefly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles Spence
- Crossmodal Research Laboratory, Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Anna Watts Building, Oxford, OX2 6BW, UK.
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26
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Magris M, Jokiniemi A, Kuusipalo L, Ritari J, Koskela S, Partanen J, Kekäläinen J. Structural dissimilarity of partners' immune genes increases sperm viability in women's reproductive tract. J Evol Biol 2021; 34:1125-1132. [PMID: 34056789 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2020] [Revised: 05/04/2021] [Accepted: 05/07/2021] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Human leucocyte antigen (HLA) genes appear to mediate pre- and post-copulatory mate choice towards HLA-dissimilar ('compatible') partners. However, since genetically distinct alleles often have similar immunogenic properties, genetic dissimilarity is not necessarily an accurate predictor of the functional compatibility of HLA alleles and, hence, may not reflect partners' true compatibility. Furthermore, it has remained unclear whether other genes of the immune system could also play a role in male-female compatibility. We studied whether the immunoglobulin binding regions (eplets) of HLA molecules and the immunoglobulin structural dissimilarity of the partners affect their gamete-level compatibility. We exposed sperm of multiple men to follicular fluid or cervical mucus of multiple women and tested whether sperm viability in these reproductive secretions was influenced by HLA eplet and immunoglobulin structural dissimilarity between partners. We found that eplet dissimilarity positively affects sperm viability in follicular fluid, whereas immunoglobulin dissimilarity enhanced sperm viability in cervical mucus. Together, these findings indicate that structural characteristics of both HLA alleles and immunoglobulins may facilitate cryptic female choice towards immunologically compatible partners. Our results, thus, indicate that partners' genetic compatibility may have wider immunological basis than traditionally has been assumed. Relative contribution of different immunogenetic factors to overall compatibility of the reproductive partners needs to be clarified in future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Magris
- Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland
| | - Annalaura Jokiniemi
- Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland
| | | | - Jarmo Ritari
- Finnish Red Cross Blood Service, Research and Development, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Satu Koskela
- Finnish Red Cross Blood Service, Research and Development, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jukka Partanen
- Finnish Red Cross Blood Service, Research and Development, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jukka Kekäläinen
- Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland
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27
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Winternitz JC, Schubert N, Nichols HJ. Let’s keep alternative hypotheses on the table: a response to comments on Schubert et al. Behav Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arab039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jamie C Winternitz
- Department of Animal Behavior, Bielefeld University, Konsequenz, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Nadine Schubert
- Department of Animal Behavior, Bielefeld University, Konsequenz, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Hazel J Nichols
- Department of Animal Behavior, Bielefeld University, Konsequenz, Bielefeld, Germany
- Department of Biosciences, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea, Wales, UK
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28
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Huang W, Pilkington JG, Pemberton JM. Patterns of MHC-dependent sexual selection in a free-living population of sheep. Mol Ecol 2021; 30:6733-6742. [PMID: 33960549 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2020] [Revised: 02/18/2021] [Accepted: 04/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The MHC is one of the most polymorphic gene clusters in vertebrates and play an essential role in adaptive immunity. Apart from pathogen-mediated selection, sexual selection can also contribute to the maintenance of MHC diversity. MHC-dependent sexual selection could occur via several mechanisms but at present there is no consensus as to which of these mechanisms are involved and their importance. Previous studies have often suffered from limited genetic and behavioural data and small sample size, and were rarely able to examine all the mechanisms together, determine whether signatures of MHC-based non-random mating are independent of genomic effects or differentiate whether MHC-dependent sexual selection takes place at the pre- or post-copulatory stage. In this study, we use Monte Carlo simulation to investigate evidence for non-random MHC-dependent mating patterns by all three mechanisms in a free-living population of Soay sheep. Using 1710 sheep diplotyped at the MHC class IIa region and genome-wide SNPs, together with field observations of consorts, we found sexual selection against a particular haplotype in males at the pre-copulatory stage and sexual selection against female MHC heterozygosity during the rut. We also found MHC-dependent disassortative mating at the post-copulatory stage, along with strong evidence of inbreeding avoidance at both stages. However, results from generalized linear mixed models suggest that the pattern of MHC-dependent disassortative mating could be a by-product of inbreeding avoidance. Our results therefore suggest that while multiple apparent mechanisms of non-random mating with respect to the MHC may occur, some of them have alternative explanations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Huang
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology,School of Biological Science, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Jill G Pilkington
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology,School of Biological Science, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Josephine M Pemberton
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology,School of Biological Science, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
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Abstract
Odors may be pleasant or unpleasant and in practice, pleasant odors are attractive while unpleasant odors are repellent. However, an odor that is noxious to one species may be attractive to another. Plants, predators, and pathogens may enhance their transmission by manipulating these signals. This may be especially significant when odors attract arthropod disease vectors. Odor detection may also be important in small prey species for evasion of macropredators such as large carnivores. Conversely, pleasant odors may identify family members, parents, or sexual partners. They may also generate signals of good health or fitness and contribute to the process of mate selection. In this review, we seek to integrate these odor-driven processes into a coherent pattern of behaviors that serve to complement the innate and adaptive immune systems. It may be considered the 'behavioral immune system'.
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Infection threat shapes our social instincts. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2021; 75:47. [PMID: 33583997 PMCID: PMC7873116 DOI: 10.1007/s00265-021-02975-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2020] [Revised: 01/05/2021] [Accepted: 01/11/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
We social animals must balance the need to avoid infections with the need to interact with conspecifics. To that end we have evolved, alongside our physiological immune system, a suite of behaviors devised to deal with potentially contagious individuals. Focusing mostly on humans, the current review describes the design and biological innards of this behavioral immune system, laying out how infection threat shapes sociality and sociality shapes infection threat. The paper shows how the danger of contagion is detected and posted to the brain; how it affects individuals’ mate choice and sex life; why it strengthens ties within groups but severs those between them, leading to hostility toward anyone who looks, smells, or behaves unusually; and how it permeates the foundation of our moral and political views. This system was already in place when agriculture and animal domestication set off a massive increase in our population density, personal connections, and interaction with other species, amplifying enormously the spread of disease. Alas, pandemics such as COVID-19 not only are a disaster for public health, but, by rousing millions of behavioral immune systems, could prove a threat to harmonious cohabitation too.
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Abstract
AbstractKin recognition plays an important role in social behavior and evolution, but the proximate mechanisms by which individuals recognize kin remain poorly understood. In many species, individuals form a "kin template" that they compare with conspecifics' phenotypes to assess phenotypic similarity-and, by association, relatedness. Individuals may form a kin template through self-inspection (i.e., self-referencing) and/or by observing their rearing associates (i.e., family referencing). However, despite much interest, few empirical studies have successfully disentangled self-referencing and family referencing. Here, we employ a novel set of breeding crosses using the Trinidadian guppy (Poecilia reticulata) to disentangle referencing systems by manipulating exposure to kin from conception onward. We show that guppies discriminate among their full and maternal half siblings, which can be explained only by self-referencing. Additional behavioral experiments revealed no evidence that guppies incorporate the phenotypes of their broodmates or mother into the kin template. Finally, by manipulating the format of our behavioral tests, we show that olfactory communication is both necessary and sufficient for kin discrimination. These results provide robust evidence that individuals recognize kin by comparing the olfactory phenotypes of conspecifics with their own. This study resolves key questions about the proximate mechanisms underpinning kin recognition, with implications for the ontogeny and evolution of social behavior.
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Croy I, Ritschel G, Kreßner-Kiel D, Schäfer L, Hummel T, Havlíček J, Sauter J, Ehninger G, Schmidt AH. Marriage does not relate to major histocompatibility complex: a genetic analysis based on 3691 couples. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20201800. [PMID: 33023409 PMCID: PMC7657850 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.1800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2020] [Accepted: 09/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Optimization of chances for healthy offspring is thought to be one of the factors driving mate choice and compatibility of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) is assumed to determine the offspring's fitness. While humans have been claimed to be able to perceive information of MHC compatibility via the olfactory channel, it remains unknown whether humans use such information for mate choice. By investigation of 3691 married couples, we observed that the high polymorphism of MHC leads to a low chance for homozygous offspring. MHC similarity between couples did not differ from chance, we hence observed no MHC effect in married couples. Hormonal contraception at the time of relationship initiation had no significant effect towards enhanced similarity. A low variety of alleles within a postcode area led to a higher likelihood of homozygous offspring. Based on this data, we conclude that there is no pattern of MHC dis-assortative mating in a genetically diverse Western society. We discuss the question of olfactory mate preference, in-group mating bias and the high polymorphism as potential explanations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilona Croy
- Department of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic Medicine, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Dresden, Germany
| | - Gerhard Ritschel
- Department of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic Medicine, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Dresden, Germany
| | - Denise Kreßner-Kiel
- Department of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic Medicine, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Dresden, Germany
| | - Laura Schäfer
- Department of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic Medicine, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Dresden, Germany
| | - Thomas Hummel
- Interdisciplinary Center ‘Smell & Taste’, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Dresden, Germany
| | - Jan Havlíček
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | | | | | - Alexander H. Schmidt
- DKMS gemeinnützige GmbH, Tübingen, Germany
- DKMS Life Science Laboratory GmbH, Dresden, Germany
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Cruz-López M, Fernández G, Hipperson H, Palacios E, Cavitt J, Galindo-Espinosa D, Gómez Del Angel S, Pruner R, Gonzalez O, Burke T, Küpper C. Allelic diversity and patterns of selection at the major histocompatibility complex class I and II loci in a threatened shorebird, the Snowy Plover (Charadrius nivosus). BMC Evol Biol 2020; 20:114. [PMID: 32912143 PMCID: PMC7488298 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-020-01676-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2019] [Accepted: 08/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Understanding the structure and variability of adaptive loci such as the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes is a primary research goal for evolutionary and conservation genetics. Typically, classical MHC genes show high polymorphism and are under strong balancing selection, as their products trigger the adaptive immune response in vertebrates. Here, we assess the allelic diversity and patterns of selection for MHC class I and class II loci in a threatened shorebird with highly flexible mating and parental care behaviour, the Snowy Plover (Charadrius nivosus) across its broad geographic range. Results We determined the allelic and nucleotide diversity for MHC class I and class II genes using samples of 250 individuals from eight breeding population of Snowy Plovers. We found 40 alleles at MHC class I and six alleles at MHC class II, with individuals carrying two to seven different alleles (mean 3.70) at MHC class I and up to two alleles (mean 1.45) at MHC class II. Diversity was higher in the peptide-binding region, which suggests balancing selection. The MHC class I locus showed stronger signatures of both positive and negative selection than the MHC class II locus. Most alleles were present in more than one population. If present, private alleles generally occurred at very low frequencies in each population, except for the private alleles of MHC class I in one island population (Puerto Rico, lineage tenuirostris). Conclusion Snowy Plovers exhibited an intermediate level of diversity at the MHC, similar to that reported in other Charadriiformes. The differences found in the patterns of selection between the class I and II loci are consistent with the hypothesis that different mechanisms shape the sequence evolution of MHC class I and class II genes. The rarity of private alleles across populations is consistent with high natal and breeding dispersal and the low genetic structure previously observed at neutral genetic markers in this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Medardo Cruz-López
- Posgrado en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, 04510, Cd. México, Mexico.
| | - Guillermo Fernández
- Unidad Académica Mazatlán, Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Apartado Postal 811, 82040, Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico
| | - Helen Hipperson
- NERC Biomolecular Analysis Facility, Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
| | - Eduardo Palacios
- Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada, Unidad La Paz, Miraflores 334, Col. Bellavista, 23050, La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico
| | - John Cavitt
- Avian Ecology Laboratory Department of Zoology, Weber State University, Ogden, UT, 84408, USA
| | - Daniel Galindo-Espinosa
- Departamento Académico de Ciencias Marinas y Costeras, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur, Carretera al Sur km 5.5, A.P. 19-B, 23080, La Paz, B.C.S., Mexico
| | - Salvador Gómez Del Angel
- Posgrado en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, 04510, Cd. México, Mexico
| | - Raya Pruner
- Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, Panama City, FL, USA
| | - Oscar Gonzalez
- Grupo Aves del Perú, Gómez del Carpio 135, Barrio Medico, 34, Lima, Peru.,Department of Natural Sciences, Emmanuel College, Franklin Springs, GA, 30369, USA
| | - Terry Burke
- NERC Biomolecular Analysis Facility, Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
| | - Clemens Küpper
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Eberhard-Gwinner-Strasse, 82319, Seewiesen, Germany.
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Jokiniemi A, Magris M, Ritari J, Kuusipalo L, Lundgren T, Partanen J, Kekäläinen J. Post-copulatory genetic matchmaking: HLA-dependent effects of cervical mucus on human sperm function. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20201682. [PMID: 32811307 PMCID: PMC7482290 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.1682] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Several studies have demonstrated that women show pre-copulatory mating preferences for human leucocyte antigen (HLA)-dissimilar men. A fascinating, yet unexplored, possibility is that the ultimate mating bias towards HLA-dissimilar partners could occur after copulation, at the gamete level. Here, we explored this possibility by investigating whether the selection towards HLA-dissimilar partners occurs in the cervical mucus. After combining sperm and cervical mucus from multiple males and females (full factorial design), we found that sperm performance (swimming velocity, hyperactivation, and viability) was strongly influenced by the male–female combination. This indicates that sperm fertilization capability may be dependent on the compatibility between cervical mucus (female) and sperm (male). We also found that sperm viability was associated with partners' HLA dissimilarity, indicating that cervical mucus may selectively facilitate later gamete fusion between immunogenetically compatible partners. Together, these results provide novel insights into the female-mediated sperm selection (cryptic female choice) in humans and indicate that processes occurring after copulation may contribute to the mating bias towards HLA-dissimilar partners. Finally, by showing that sperm performance in cervical mucus is influenced by partners' genetic compatibility, the present findings may promote a deeper understanding of infertility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annalaura Jokiniemi
- Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, PO Box 111, 80101 Joensuu, Finland
| | - Martina Magris
- Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, PO Box 111, 80101 Joensuu, Finland
| | - Jarmo Ritari
- Finnish Red Cross Blood Service, Research and Development, Haartmaninkatu 8, 00290 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Liisa Kuusipalo
- North Karelia Central Hospital, Tikkamäentie 16, 80210 Joensuu, Finland
| | - Tuulia Lundgren
- Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, PO Box 111, 80101 Joensuu, Finland
| | - Jukka Partanen
- Finnish Red Cross Blood Service, Research and Development, Haartmaninkatu 8, 00290 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jukka Kekäläinen
- Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, PO Box 111, 80101 Joensuu, Finland
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Jokiniemi A, Kuusipalo L, Ritari J, Koskela S, Partanen J, Kekäläinen J. Gamete-level immunogenetic incompatibility in humans-towards deeper understanding of fertilization and infertility? Heredity (Edinb) 2020; 125:281-289. [PMID: 32747723 DOI: 10.1038/s41437-020-0350-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2019] [Revised: 07/22/2020] [Accepted: 07/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) immune genes play an important role in partner selection, but it has remained unclear if nonrandom pairing with respect to parental HLA genes could occur at the level of the gametes. We tested this possibility by investigating whether the sperm fertilization competence in humans is dependent on HLA genotype combination of the partners. We conducted a full-factorial experiment, in which the sperm physiological preparation for fertilization among multiple males was studied in the presence of follicular fluid (oocyte surrounding bioactive liquid) of several females. All the studied sperm pre-fertilization physiological parameters (motility, hyperactivation, acrosome reaction, and viability) were strongly dependent on male-female combination. In other words, follicular fluids (women) that induce strong sperm physiological response in some males often induce much weaker response in the other(s). Sperm physiological responses were stronger in HLA-dissimilar male-female pairs than in HLA-similar combinations, but none of the measured sperm traits were associated with genome-wide similarity. Together, these findings shed new light on the evolutionary and immunological mechanisms of fertilization. Furthermore, our results raise an intriguing possibility that against currently prevailing WHO's definition, infertility may not represent exclusively a pathological condition, but may also result from immunogenetic incompatibility of the gametes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annalaura Jokiniemi
- Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 111, FI-80101, Joensuu, Finland
| | - Liisa Kuusipalo
- North Karelia Central Hospital, Tikkamäentie 16, FI-80210, Joensuu, Finland
| | - Jarmo Ritari
- Research and Development, Finnish Red Cross Blood Service, Haartmaninkatu 8, FI-00290, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Satu Koskela
- Research and Development, Finnish Red Cross Blood Service, Haartmaninkatu 8, FI-00290, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jukka Partanen
- Research and Development, Finnish Red Cross Blood Service, Haartmaninkatu 8, FI-00290, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jukka Kekäläinen
- Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 111, FI-80101, Joensuu, Finland.
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Murray DR, Moran JB, Prokosch ML, Kerry N. No evidence for a relationship between MHC heterozygosity and life history strategy in a sample of North American undergraduates. Sci Rep 2020; 10:10140. [PMID: 32576939 PMCID: PMC7311407 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-67406-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2019] [Accepted: 06/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Although allelic diversity at the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) has implications for adaptive immunity, mate choice, and social signalling, how diversity at the MHC influences the calibration of life history strategies remains largely uninvestigated. The current study investigated whether greater MHC heterozygosity was associated with markers of slower life history strategies in a sample of 789 North American undergraduates. Contrary to preregistered predictions and to previously published findings, MHC heterozygosity was not related to any of the psychological life history-relevant variables measured (including short- vs. long-term sexual strategy, temporal discounting, the Arizona life history battery, past and current health, disgust sensitivity, and Big Five personality traits). Further, no meaningful effects emerged when analysing women and men separately. Possible reasons for why the current results are inconsistent with previous work are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Damian R Murray
- Department of Psychology, Tulane University, 2007 Percival Stern Hall, New Orleans, LA, 70118, USA.
| | - James B Moran
- Department of Psychology, Tulane University, 2007 Percival Stern Hall, New Orleans, LA, 70118, USA
| | - Marjorie L Prokosch
- Department of Psychology, Tulane University, 2007 Percival Stern Hall, New Orleans, LA, 70118, USA
| | - Nicholas Kerry
- Department of Psychology, Tulane University, 2007 Percival Stern Hall, New Orleans, LA, 70118, USA
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Fitzpatrick JL, Willis C, Devigili A, Young A, Carroll M, Hunter HR, Brison DR. Chemical signals from eggs facilitate cryptic female choice in humans. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20200805. [PMID: 32517615 PMCID: PMC7341926 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.0805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Mate choice can continue after mating via chemical communication between the female reproductive system and sperm. While there is a growing appreciation that females can bias sperm use and paternity by exerting cryptic female choice for preferred males, we know surprisingly little about the mechanisms underlying these post-mating choices. In particular, whether chemical signals released from eggs (chemoattractants) allow females to exert cryptic female choice to favour sperm from specific males remains an open question, particularly in species (including humans) where adults exercise pre-mating mate choice. Here, we adapt a classic dichotomous mate choice assay to the microscopic scale to assess gamete-mediated mate choice in humans. We examined how sperm respond to follicular fluid, a source of human sperm chemoattractants, from either their partner or a non-partner female when experiencing a simultaneous or non-simultaneous choice between follicular fluids. We report robust evidence under these two distinct experimental conditions that follicular fluid from different females consistently and differentially attracts sperm from specific males. This chemoattractant-moderated choice of sperm offers eggs an avenue to exercise independent mate preference. Indeed, gamete-mediated mate choice did not reinforce pre-mating human mate choice decisions. Our results demonstrate that chemoattractants facilitate gamete-mediated mate choice in humans, which offers females the opportunity to exert cryptic female choice for sperm from specific males.
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Affiliation(s)
- John L Fitzpatrick
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Svante Arrhenius väg 18B, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden.,Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PT, UK
| | - Charlotte Willis
- Maternal and Fetal Health Research Centre, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Sciences Centre, Manchester, UK
| | - Alessandro Devigili
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Svante Arrhenius väg 18B, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Amy Young
- Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PT, UK
| | - Michael Carroll
- Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester M1 5GD, UK
| | - Helen R Hunter
- Department of Reproductive Medicine, Saint Mary's Hospital, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester Academic Health Sciences Centre, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9WL, UK
| | - Daniel R Brison
- Maternal and Fetal Health Research Centre, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Sciences Centre, Manchester, UK.,Department of Reproductive Medicine, Saint Mary's Hospital, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester Academic Health Sciences Centre, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9WL, UK
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Havlíček J, Winternitz J, Roberts SC. Major histocompatibility complex-associated odour preferences and human mate choice: near and far horizons. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 375:20190260. [PMID: 32306884 PMCID: PMC7209936 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) is a core part of the adaptive immune system. As in other vertebrate taxa, it may also affect human chemical communication via odour-based mate preferences, with greater attraction towards MHC-dissimilar partners. However, despite some well-known findings, the available evidence is equivocal and made complicated by varied approaches to quantifying human mate choice. To address this, we here conduct comprehensive meta-analyses focusing on studies assessing: (i) genomic mate selection, (ii) relationship satisfaction, (iii) odour preference, and (iv) all studies combined. Analysis of genomic studies reveals no association between MHC-dissimilarity and mate choice in actual couples; however, MHC effects appear to be independent of the genomic background. The effect of MHC-dissimilarity on relationship satisfaction was not significant, and we found evidence for publication bias in studies on this area. There was also no significant association between MHC-dissimilarity and odour preferences. Finally, combining effect sizes from all genomic, relationship satisfaction, odour preference and previous mate choice studies into an overall estimate showed no overall significant effect of MHC-similarity on human mate selection. Based on these findings, we make a set of recommendations for future studies, focusing both on aspects that should be implemented immediately and those that lurk on the far horizon. We need larger samples with greater geographical and cultural diversity that control for genome-wide similarity. We also need more focus on mechanisms of MHC-associated odour preferences and on MHC-associated pregnancy loss. This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue 'Olfactory communication in humans'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Havlíček
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, 128 42 Prague 2, Czech Republic
| | - Jamie Winternitz
- Department of Animal Behaviour, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld 33615, Germany
| | - S. Craig Roberts
- Division of Psychology, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, UK
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39
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40
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Plasil M, Wijkmark S, Elbers JP, Oppelt J, Burger PA, Horin P. The major histocompatibility complex of Old World camelids: Class I and class I-related genes. HLA 2020; 93:203-215. [PMID: 30828986 DOI: 10.1111/tan.13510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2018] [Revised: 01/14/2019] [Accepted: 02/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
The genomic structure of the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) region and variation in selected MHC class I related genes in Old World camels, Camelus bactrianus and Camelus dromedaries were studied. The overall genomic organization of the camel MHC region follows a general pattern observed in other mammalian species and individual MHC loci appear to be well conserved. Selected MHC class I genes B-67 and BL3-7 exhibited unexpectedly low variability, even when compared to other camel MHC class I related genes MR1 and MICA. Interspecific SNP and allele sharing are relatively common, and frequencies of heterozygotes are usually low. Such a low variation in a genomic region generally considered as one of the most polymorphic in vertebrate genomes is unusual. Evolutionary relationships between MHC class I related genes and their counterparts from other species seem to be rather complex. Often, they do not follow the general evolutionary history of the species concerned. Close evolutionary relationships of individual MHC class I loci between camels, humans and dogs were observed. Based on the results of this study and on our data on MHC class II genes, the extent and the pattern of polymorphism of the MHC region of Old World camelids differed from most mammalian groups studied so far. Camels thus seem to be an important model for our understanding of the role of genetic diversity in immune functions, especially in the context of unique features of their immunoglobulin and T-cell receptor genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Plasil
- Department of Animal Genetics, Veterinary and Pharmaceutical University, Brno, Czech Republic.,Ceitec VFU, RG Animal Immunogenomics, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Sofia Wijkmark
- Department of Animal Genetics, Veterinary and Pharmaceutical University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Jean P Elbers
- Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, Department of Integrative Biology and Evolution, Vienna, Austria
| | - Jan Oppelt
- Ceitec MU, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic.,Faculty of Science, National Centre for Biomolecular Research, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Pamela A Burger
- Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, Department of Integrative Biology and Evolution, Vienna, Austria
| | - Petr Horin
- Department of Animal Genetics, Veterinary and Pharmaceutical University, Brno, Czech Republic.,Ceitec VFU, RG Animal Immunogenomics, Brno, Czech Republic
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Drea CM. Design, delivery and perception of condition-dependent chemical signals in strepsirrhine primates: implications for human olfactory communication. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 375:20190264. [PMID: 32306880 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
The study of human chemical communication benefits from comparative perspectives that relate humans, conceptually and empirically, to other primates. All major primate groups rely on intraspecific chemosignals, but strepsirrhines present the greatest diversity and specialization, providing a rich framework for examining design, delivery and perception. Strepsirrhines actively scent mark, possess a functional vomeronasal organ, investigate scents via olfactory and gustatory means, and are exquisitely sensitive to chemically encoded messages. Variation in delivery, scent mixing and multimodality alters signal detection, longevity and intended audience. Based on an integrative, 19-species review, the main scent source used (excretory versus glandular) differentiates nocturnal from diurnal or cathemeral species, reflecting differing socioecological demands and evolutionary trajectories. Condition-dependent signals reflect immutable (species, sex, identity, genetic diversity, immunity and kinship) and transient (health, social status, reproductive state and breeding history) traits, consistent with socio-reproductive functions. Sex reversals in glandular elaboration, marking rates or chemical richness in female-dominant species implicate sexual selection of olfactory ornaments in both sexes. Whereas some compounds may be endogenously produced and modified (e.g. via hormones), microbial analyses of different odorants support the fermentation hypothesis of bacterial contribution. The intimate contexts of information transfer and varied functions provide important parallels applicable to olfactory communication in humans. This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue 'Olfactory communication in humans'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine M Drea
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708-0383, USA.,Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708-0383, USA
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Ferdenzi C, Richard Ortegón S, Delplanque S, Baldovini N, Bensafi M. Interdisciplinary challenges for elucidating human olfactory attractiveness. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 375:20190268. [PMID: 32306873 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Many species use chemicals to communicate. In humans, there is increasing evidence that chemicals conveyed by the body are extremely important in interpersonal relationships. However, many aspects of chemical communication remain to be explored to fully understand this function in humans. The aim of this article is to identify relevant challenges in this field, with a focus on human attractiveness in the context of reproduction, and to put forward roadmaps for future studies that will hopefully extend to a wider range of social interactions. The first challenge consists in not being limited to body (mal)odours from the axilla. Preliminary data on how the odour of the face and head is perceived are presented. Second, there is a crucial need to increase our knowledge of the chemical bases of human chemical communication. Third, cross-cultural approaches must not be overlooked, because they have a major input in understanding the universal and culture-specific aspects of chemical communication. Fourth, the influence of specific cultural practices such as contraceptive and fragrance use is likely to be prominent and, therefore, needs to be well described. The fifth and last challenge for research projects in this field is the integration of different disciplines such as behavioural sciences, social sciences, neurosciences and microbiology. This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue 'Olfactory communication in humans'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camille Ferdenzi
- Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon, CNRS UMR 5292, INSERM U1028, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Centre Hospitalier Le Vinatier, F-69675 Bron Cedex, France
| | - Stéphane Richard Ortegón
- Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon, CNRS UMR 5292, INSERM U1028, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Centre Hospitalier Le Vinatier, F-69675 Bron Cedex, France
| | - Sylvain Delplanque
- Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, CH-1202 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Nicolas Baldovini
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, CNRS UMR 7272, Université Côte d'Azur, F-06108 Nice, France
| | - Moustafa Bensafi
- Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon, CNRS UMR 5292, INSERM U1028, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Centre Hospitalier Le Vinatier, F-69675 Bron Cedex, France
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Radwan J, Babik W, Kaufman J, Lenz TL, Winternitz J. Advances in the Evolutionary Understanding of MHC Polymorphism. Trends Genet 2020; 36:298-311. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2020.01.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 106] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2019] [Revised: 01/13/2020] [Accepted: 01/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
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Delclos PJ, Forero SA, Rosenthal GG. Divergent neurogenomic responses shape social learning of both personality and mate preference. J Exp Biol 2020; 223:jeb220707. [PMID: 32054683 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.220707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2019] [Accepted: 02/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Behavior plays a fundamental role in shaping the origin and fate of species. Mating decisions can act to promote or restrict gene flow, as can personality traits that influence dispersal and niche use. Mate choice and personality are often both learned and therefore influenced by an individual's social environment throughout development. Likewise, the molecular pathways that shape these behaviors may also be co-expressed. In this study on swordtail fish (Xiphophorus birchmanni), we show that female mating preferences for species-typical pheromone cues are entirely dependent on social experience with adult males. Experience with adults also shapes development along the shy-bold personality axis, with shy behaviors arising from exposure to risk-averse heterospecifics as a potential stress-coping strategy. In maturing females, conspecific exposure results in a strong upregulation of olfaction and vision genes compared with heterospecific exposure, as well as immune response genes previously linked to anxiety, learning and memory. Conversely, heterospecific exposure involves an increased expression of genes important for neurogenesis, synaptic plasticity and social decision-making. We identify subsets of genes within the social decision-making network and with known stress-coping roles that may be directly coupled to the olfactory processes females rely on for social communication. Based on these results, we conclude that the social environment affects the neurogenomic trajectory through which socially sensitive behaviors are learned, resulting in adult phenotypes adapted for specific social groupings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo J Delclos
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
- Centro de Investigaciones Científicas de las Huastecas 'Aguazarca', A. C., Calnali, Hidalgo 43233, Mexico
- Department of Biology & Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77004, USA
| | - Santiago A Forero
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
| | - Gil G Rosenthal
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
- Centro de Investigaciones Científicas de las Huastecas 'Aguazarca', A. C., Calnali, Hidalgo 43233, Mexico
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Dandine-Roulland C, Laurent R, Dall'Ara I, Toupance B, Chaix R. Genomic evidence for MHC disassortative mating in humans. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 286:20182664. [PMID: 30890093 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.2664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Although pervasive in many animal species, the evidence for major histocompatibility complex (MHC) disassortative mating in humans remains inconsistent across studies. Here, to revisit this issue, we analyse dense genotype data for 883 European and Middle Eastern couples. To distinguish MHC-specific effects from socio-cultural confounders, the pattern of relatedness between spouses in the MHC region is compared to the rest of the genome. Couples from Israel exhibit no significant pattern of relatedness across the MHC region, whereas across the genome, they are more similar than random pairs of individuals, which may reflect social homogamy and/or cousin marriages. On the other hand, couples from The Netherlands and more generally from Northern Europe are significantly more MHC-dissimilar than random pairs of individuals, and this pattern of dissimilarity is extreme when compared with the rest of the genome. Our findings support the hypothesis that the MHC influences mate choice in humans in a context-dependent way: MHC-driven preferences may exist in all populations but, in some populations, social constraints over mate choice may reduce the ability of individuals to rely on such biological cues when choosing their mates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire Dandine-Roulland
- Eco-Anthropologie, UMR 7206, CNRS, MNHN, Université Paris Diderot , Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris , France
| | - Romain Laurent
- Eco-Anthropologie, UMR 7206, CNRS, MNHN, Université Paris Diderot , Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris , France
| | - Irene Dall'Ara
- Eco-Anthropologie, UMR 7206, CNRS, MNHN, Université Paris Diderot , Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris , France
| | - Bruno Toupance
- Eco-Anthropologie, UMR 7206, CNRS, MNHN, Université Paris Diderot , Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris , France
| | - Raphaëlle Chaix
- Eco-Anthropologie, UMR 7206, CNRS, MNHN, Université Paris Diderot , Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris , France
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Achorn AM, Rosenthal GG. It’s Not about Him: Mismeasuring ‘Good Genes’ in Sexual Selection. Trends Ecol Evol 2020; 35:206-219. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2019.11.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2019] [Revised: 11/24/2019] [Accepted: 11/26/2019] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
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Bentkowski P, Radwan J. Mating preferences can drive expansion or contraction of major histocompatibility complex gene family. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20192706. [PMID: 32097586 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.2706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-based mating rules can evolve as a way to avoid inbreeding or to increase offspring immune competence. While the role of mating preference in shaping the MHC diversity in vertebrates has been acknowledged, its impact on individual MHC diversity has not been considered. Here, we use computer simulations to investigate how simple mating rules favouring MHC-dissimilar partners affect the evolution of the number of MHC variants in individual genomes, accompanying selection for resistance to parasites. We showed that the effect of such preferences could sometimes be dramatic. If preferences are aimed at avoiding identical alleles, the equilibrium number of MHC alleles is much smaller than under random mating. However, if the mating rule minimizes the ratio of shared to different alleles in partners, MHC number is higher than under random mating. Additionally, our simulations revealed that a negative correlation between the numbers of MHC variants in mated individuals can arise from simple rules of MHC-disassortative mating. Our results reveal unexpected potential of MHC-based mating preferences to drive MHC gene family expansions or contractions and highlight the need to study the mechanistic basis of such preferences, which is currently poorly understood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Piotr Bentkowski
- Evolutionary Biology Group, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poznań 61-614, Poland
| | - Jacek Radwan
- Evolutionary Biology Group, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poznań 61-614, Poland
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Abstract
Seminal fluid is often assumed to have just one function in mammalian reproduction, delivering sperm to fertilize oocytes. But seminal fluid also transmits signaling agents that interact with female reproductive tissues to facilitate conception and .pregnancy. Upon seminal fluid contact, female tissues initiate a controlled inflammatory response that affects several aspects of reproductive function to ultimately maximize the chances of a male producing healthy offspring. This effect is best characterized in mice, where the female response involves several steps. Initially, seminal fluid factors cause leukocytes to infiltrate the female reproductive tract, and to selectively target and eliminate excess sperm. Other signals stimulate ovulation, induce an altered transcriptional program in female tract tissues that modulates embryo developmental programming, and initiate immune adaptations to promote receptivity to implantation and placental development. A key result is expansion of the pool of regulatory T cells that assist implantation by suppressing inflammation, mediating tolerance to male transplantation antigens, and promoting uterine vascular adaptation and placental development. Principal signaling agents in seminal fluid include prostaglandins and transforming growth factor-β. The balance of male signals affects the nature of the female response, providing a mechanism of ‟cryptic female choiceˮ that influences female reproductive investment. Male-female seminal fluid signaling is evident in all mammalian species investigated including human, and effects of seminal fluid in invertebrates indicate evolutionarily conserved mechanisms. Understanding the female response to seminal fluid will shed new light on infertility and pregnancy disorders and is critical to defining how events at conception influence offspring health.
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Affiliation(s)
- John E Schjenken
- Robinson Research Institute and Adelaide Medical School, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Sarah A Robertson
- Robinson Research Institute and Adelaide Medical School, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
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Abstract
The rapidly decreasing costs of generating genetic data sequencing and the ease of new DNA collection technologies have opened up new opportunities for anthropologists to conduct field-based genetic studies. An exciting aspect of this work comes from linking genetic data with the kinds of individual-level traits evolutionary anthropologists often rely on, such as those collected in long-term demographic and ethnographic studies. However, combining these two types of data raises a host of ethical questions related to the collection, analysis and reporting of such data. Here we address this conundrum by examining one particular case, the collection and analysis of paternity data. We are particularly interested in the logistics and ethics involved in genetic paternity testing in the localized settings where anthropologists often work. We discuss the particular issues related to paternity testing in these settings, including consent and disclosure, consideration of local identity and beliefs and developing a process of continued community engagement. We then present a case study of our own research in Namibia, where we developed a multi-tiered strategy for consent and community engagement, built around a double-blind procedure for data collection, analysis and reporting. Paternity testing in anthropology raises ethical and methodological issues. We summarize these and describe a novel double-blind method used in our work.
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Gaigher A, Burri R, San-Jose LM, Roulin A, Fumagalli L. Lack of statistical power as a major limitation in understanding MHC-mediated immunocompetence in wild vertebrate populations. Mol Ecol 2019; 28:5115-5132. [PMID: 31614047 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2018] [Revised: 10/07/2019] [Accepted: 10/11/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Disentangling the sources of variation in developing an effective immune response against pathogens is of major interest to immunoecology and evolutionary biology. To date, the link between immunocompetence and genetic variation at the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) has received little attention in wild animals, despite the key role of MHC genes in activating the adaptive immune system. Although several studies point to a link between MHC and immunocompetence, negative findings have also been reported. Such disparate findings suggest that limited statistical power might be affecting studies on this topic, owing to insufficient sample sizes and/or a generally small effect of MHC on the immunocompetence of wild vertebrates. To clarify this issue, we investigated the link between MHC variation and seven immunocompetence proxies in a large sample of barn owls and estimated the effect sizes and statistical power of this and published studies on this topic. We found that MHC poorly explained variation in immunocompetence of barn owls, with small-to-moderate associations between MHC and immunocompetence in owls (effect size: .1 ≥ r ≤ .3) similar to other vertebrates studied to date. Such small-to-moderate effects were largely associated with insufficient power, which was only sufficient (>0.8) to detect moderate-to-large effect sizes (r ≥ .3). Thus, studies linking MHC variation with immunocompetence in wild populations are underpowered to detect MHC effects, which are likely to be of generally small magnitude. Larger sample sizes (>200) will be required to achieve sufficient power in future studies aiming to robustly test for a link between MHC variation and immunocompetence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arnaud Gaigher
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Laboratory for Conservation Biology, Biophore, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Department of Computational Biology, Génopode, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.,CIBIO-InBIO, Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, University of Porto, Vairão, Portugal
| | - Reto Burri
- Department of Population Ecology, Institute of Ecology & Evolution, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Luis M San-Jose
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Biophore, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Laboratoire Évolution & Diversité Biologique, UMR 5174, CNRS, Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
| | - Alexandre Roulin
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Biophore, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Luca Fumagalli
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Laboratory for Conservation Biology, Biophore, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
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