1
|
Abstract
Sexual conflict can arise when males evolve traits that improve their mating success but in doing so harm females. By reducing female fitness, male harm can diminish offspring production in a population and even drive extinction. Current theory on harm is based on the assumption that an individual's phenotype is solely determined by its genotype. But the expression of most sexually selected traits is also influenced by variation in biological condition (condition-dependent expression), such that individuals in better condition can express more extreme phenotypes. Here, we developed demographically explicit models of sexual conflict evolution where individuals vary in their condition. Because condition-dependent expression readily evolves for traits underlying sexual conflict, we show that conflict is more intense in populations where individuals are in better condition. Such intensified conflict reduces mean fitness and can thus generate a negative association between condition and population size. The impact of condition on demography is especially likely to be detrimental when the genetic basis of condition coevolves with sexual conflict. This occurs because sexual selection favors alleles that improve condition (the so-called good genes effect), producing feedback between condition and sexual conflict that drives the evolution of intense male harm. Our results indicate that in presence of male harm, the good genes effect in fact easily becomes detrimental to populations.
Collapse
|
2
|
Anwer H, O'Dea RE, Mason D, Zajitschek S, Klinke A, Reid M, Hesselson D, Noble DWA, Morris MJ, Lagisz M, Nakagawa S. The effects of an obesogenic diet on behavior and cognition in zebrafish (
Danio rerio
): Trait average, variability, repeatability, and behavioral syndromes. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e9511. [DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2022] [Revised: 10/20/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Hamza Anwer
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia
- Diabetes and Metabolism Division Garvan Institute of Medical Research Sydney New South Wales Australia
| | - Rose E. O'Dea
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia
| | - Dominic Mason
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia
- Diabetes and Metabolism Division Garvan Institute of Medical Research Sydney New South Wales Australia
| | - Susanne Zajitschek
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia
- Diabetes and Metabolism Division Garvan Institute of Medical Research Sydney New South Wales Australia
- Liverpool John Moores University School of Biological and Environmental Sciences Liverpool UK
| | - Annabell Klinke
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia
| | - Madeleine Reid
- Diabetes and Metabolism Division Garvan Institute of Medical Research Sydney New South Wales Australia
| | - Daniel Hesselson
- Diabetes and Metabolism Division Garvan Institute of Medical Research Sydney New South Wales Australia
- Centenary Institute and Faculty of Medicine and Health University of Sydney Sydney New South Wales Australia
| | - Daniel W. A. Noble
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology The Australian National University Canberra Australian Capital Territory Australia
| | - Margaret J. Morris
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medical Sciences University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia
| | - Malgorzata Lagisz
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia
- Diabetes and Metabolism Division Garvan Institute of Medical Research Sydney New South Wales Australia
| | - Shinichi Nakagawa
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia
- Diabetes and Metabolism Division Garvan Institute of Medical Research Sydney New South Wales Australia
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
de Jong M, Phillips BL, Llewelyn J, Chapple DG, Wong BBM. Effects of developmental environment on animal personality in a tropical skink. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-022-03240-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Developmental environments play a significant role in shaping animal phenotype, including behavior. Within a species, individuals often differ in behavior in a consistent and repeatable way (i.e., demonstrate animal personality). This consistency in behavior can be affected by differences in conditions experienced early in life. It is, however, unclear whether effects of developmental environments on animal personality are driven by changes in within- or between-individual variation. To investigate this, we measured activity, exploration, sociability, and boldness in adult male southern rainforest sunskinks, Lampropholis similis, incubated at either 23 °C or 26 °C, and compared behavioral phenotypes between these incubation treatments. We also compared the behavior of these incubation groups to a cohort of wild-caught skinks to determine whether rearing in captivity also affected the personality of the lizards. Skinks that had been incubated at a higher temperature were more explorative and demonstrated personality in a larger suite of traits compared to lizards incubated at a lower temperature or caught in the wild. These differences among developmental environment were primarily driven by within-individual variation, which tended to be higher among the high incubation treatment. We also found no evidence for a behavioral syndrome in either captive- or wild-reared skinks. Our results suggest the potential for greater behavioral plasticity in skinks incubated at a higher temperature, which may enable them to cope with environmental change, such as climate warming, in the short term. Overall, we show that effects of developmental environment are complex and play a pivotal role in shaping animal personality.
Significance statement
Experiences during development are expected to influence how animals develop, including their behavior. We tested early environment effects on behavior in adult southern rainforest sunskinks by comparing lizards incubated at different temperatures as well as comparing those reared in the wild with those reared in captive environments. We found that lizards incubated at the higher temperature were more exploratory. Furthermore, both incubation temperature and captivity/wild-rearing had pronounced effects on the consistency of behavior—in different directions for different traits—demonstrating developmental environments have strong effects on animal personality. Such changes in behavioral traits likely have flow-on effects for the animal’s fitness and biotic interactions.
Collapse
|
4
|
Kelleher SR, Silla AJ, Hunter DA, McFadden MS, Byrne PG. Captive diet does not influence exploration behavior upon reintroduction to the wild in a critically endangered amphibian. FRONTIERS IN CONSERVATION SCIENCE 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fcosc.2022.985545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Exploration behavior can have profound effects on individual fitness. Consequently, knowledge of the proximate mechanisms underpinning exploration behavior may inform conservation breeding programs (CBPs) for threatened species. However, the environmental factors that influence exploration behavior in captivity and during the reintroduction process remain poorly understood. Dietary micronutrients, such as carotenoids, are known to affect the expression of energetically costly behavioral traits, and theoretically may also influence the degree of exploration behavior in various contexts. Here, we investigate whether dietary β-carotene supplementation in captivity influences exploration behavior upon reintroduction to the wild in the critically endangered southern corroboree frog, Pseudophryne corroboree. We conducted a manipulative dietary experiment where captive bred P. corroboree were supplemented with different doses of β-carotene for 40 weeks prior to release. Frogs (n = 115) were reintroduced to the wild using a soft-release approach, where they were released into field enclosures specifically designed for this species. Upon reintroduction, the frogs’ initial exploration behavior was measured using a standardized behavioral assay. There was no effect of diet treatment on any measure of exploration behavior (mean latency to leave the initial refuge, time spent mobile within the release apparatus and latency to disperse into the field enclosure). However, there was a significant relationship between individual body size and latency to leave the refuge, whereby smaller individuals left the refuge more rapidly. While these findings provide no evidence that β-carotene at the dosages tested influences P. corroboree exploration behavior in a reintroduction context, the effect of body size draws attention to the potential for bodily state to influence exploration behavior. We discuss the need for ongoing research investigating the influence of captive diet on post release behavior, and highlight how knowledge concerning state-dependent behavior might help to inform and direct reintroduction programs.
Collapse
|
5
|
Schwanke A, Dancy K, Neave H, Penner G, Bergeron R, DeVries T. Effects of concentrate allowance and individual dairy cow personality traits on behavior and production of dairy cows milked in a free-traffic automated milking system. J Dairy Sci 2022; 105:6290-6306. [DOI: 10.3168/jds.2021-21657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 03/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
|
6
|
Bouchebti S, Cortés-Fossati F, Vales Estepa Á, Plaza Lozano M, S. Calovi D, Arganda S. Sex-Specific Effect of the Dietary Protein to Carbohydrate Ratio on Personality in the Dubia Cockroach. INSECTS 2022; 13:insects13020133. [PMID: 35206707 PMCID: PMC8879078 DOI: 10.3390/insects13020133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2021] [Revised: 01/23/2022] [Accepted: 01/25/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Simple Summary Animal personality is modulated by genetic and environmental factors. To explore the modulatory effect of nutrition on personality, we investigated whether diets varying in their relative content of proteins and carbohydrates might modulate the behavior of the Dubia cockroach. Over a period of eight weeks, we fed adult cockroaches, both males and females, five different diets, and we measured diet consumption, survival, and personality traits by recording their exploratory and mobility behaviors. After eight weeks, females gained more body mass and had higher survival than males. We found that females preferred carbohydrate-rich diets and avoided ingesting too many proteins by consuming less food on high-protein diets. The diet had no effect on their personality. However, males showed a bolder personality when fed with high-protein diets while consuming the same amount of food, regardless of the protein content in the diet. These sex differences could be beneficial for the species in stressful nutritional environments, allowing males to discover new food resources while ovoviviparous females could spend more time protected in shelters. Abstract Animal personality, defined by behavioral variations among individuals consistent over contexts or time, is shaped by genetic and environmental factors. Among these factors, nutrition can play an important role. The Geometric Framework of Nutrition has promoted a better understanding of the role of the macronutrient proportion in animal development, survival, reproduction, and behavior, and can help to disentangle its modulatory effect on animal personality. In this study, we investigated the effects of protein to carbohydrate (P:C) ratio in the personality of the cockroach Blaptica dubia. Newly emerged adults were fed over a period of eight weeks on five different diets varying in their P:C ratio and their diet consumption, mass variation, survival, exploratory behavior, and mobility were assessed. We found that females, unlike males, were able to regulate their nutrient intake and preferred carbohydrate-rich diets. Females also gained more body mass and lived longer compared to males. In addition, their behavior and mobility were not affected by the diet. In males, however, high-protein diets induced a bolder personality. We suggest that the sex-specific effects observed on both survival and behavior are related to the nutrient intake regulation capacity and might improve the species’ fitness in adverse nutritional conditions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sofia Bouchebti
- Departamento de Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, 28933 Madrid, Spain; (F.C.-F.); (Á.V.E.); (M.P.L.); (S.A.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Fernando Cortés-Fossati
- Departamento de Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, 28933 Madrid, Spain; (F.C.-F.); (Á.V.E.); (M.P.L.); (S.A.)
| | - Ángela Vales Estepa
- Departamento de Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, 28933 Madrid, Spain; (F.C.-F.); (Á.V.E.); (M.P.L.); (S.A.)
| | - Maria Plaza Lozano
- Departamento de Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, 28933 Madrid, Spain; (F.C.-F.); (Á.V.E.); (M.P.L.); (S.A.)
| | - Daniel S. Calovi
- Department of Collective Behaviour, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, 78464 Konstanz, Germany;
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, 78464 Konstanz, Germany
| | - Sara Arganda
- Departamento de Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, 28933 Madrid, Spain; (F.C.-F.); (Á.V.E.); (M.P.L.); (S.A.)
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Harrison LM, Noble DWA, Jennions MD. A meta-analysis of sex differences in animal personality: no evidence for the greater male variability hypothesis. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2021; 97:679-707. [PMID: 34908228 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2021] [Revised: 11/13/2021] [Accepted: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The notion that men are more variable than women has become embedded into scientific thinking. For mental traits like personality, greater male variability has been partly attributed to biology, underpinned by claims that there is generally greater variation among males than females in non-human animals due to stronger sexual selection on males. However, evidence for greater male variability is limited to morphological traits, and there is little information regarding sex differences in personality-like behaviours for non-human animals. Here, we meta-analysed sex differences in means and variances for over 2100 effects (204 studies) from 220 species (covering five broad taxonomic groups) across five personality traits: boldness, aggression, activity, sociality and exploration. We also tested if sexual size dimorphism, a proxy for sex-specific sexual selection, explains variation in the magnitude of sex differences in personality. We found no significant differences in personality between the sexes. In addition, sexual size dimorphism did not explain variation in the magnitude of the observed sex differences in the mean or variance in personality for any taxonomic group. In sum, we find no evidence for widespread sex differences in variability in non-human animal personality.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lauren M Harrison
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, 46 Sullivans Creek Road, Canberra, ACT, 2600, Australia
| | - Daniel W A Noble
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, 46 Sullivans Creek Road, Canberra, ACT, 2600, Australia
| | - Michael D Jennions
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, 46 Sullivans Creek Road, Canberra, ACT, 2600, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Edmunds D, Wigby S, Perry JC. 'Hangry' Drosophila: food deprivation increases male aggression. Anim Behav 2021; 177:183-190. [PMID: 34290451 PMCID: PMC8274700 DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Revised: 02/01/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Aggressive interactions are costly, such that individuals should display modified aggression in response to environmental stress. Many organisms experience frequent periods of food deprivation, which can influence an individual's capacity and motivation to engage in aggression. However, because food deprivation can simultaneously decrease an individual's resource-holding potential and increase its valuation of food resources, its net impact on aggression is unclear. Here, we tested the influence of increasingly prolonged periods of adult food deprivation on intermale aggression in pairs of fruit flies, Drosophila melanogaster. We found that males displayed increased aggression following periods of food deprivation longer than a day. Increased aggression in food-deprived flies occurred despite their reduced mass. This result is probably explained by an increased attraction to food resources, as food deprivation increased male occupancy of central food patches, and food patch occupancy was positively associated with aggression. Our findings demonstrate that aggressive strategies in male D. melanogaster are influenced by nutritional experience, highlighting the need to consider past nutritional stresses to understand variation in aggression.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Stuart Wigby
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, U.K
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behaviour, Institute of Infection, Veterinary & Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, U.K
| | - Jennifer C. Perry
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, U.K
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, U.K
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Legros J, Tang G, Gautrais J, Fernandez MP, Trannoy S. Long-Term Dietary Restriction Leads to Development of Alternative Fighting Strategies. Front Behav Neurosci 2021; 14:599676. [PMID: 33519392 PMCID: PMC7840567 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2020.599676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2020] [Accepted: 12/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
In competition for food, mates and territory, most animal species display aggressive behavior through visual threats and/or physical attacks. Such naturally-complex social behaviors have been shaped by evolution. Environmental pressure, such as the one imposed by dietary regimes, forces animals to adapt to specific conditions and ultimately to develop alternative behavioral strategies. The quality of the food resource during contests influence animals' aggression levels. However, little is known regarding the effects of a long-term dietary restriction-based environmental pressure on the development of alternative fighting strategies. To address this, we employed two lines of the wild-type Drosophila melanogaster Canton-S (CS) which originated from the same population but raised under two distinct diets for years. One diet contained both proteins and sugar, while the second one was sugar-free. We set up male-male aggression assays using both CS lines and found differences in aggression levels and the fighting strategies employed to establish dominance relationships. CS males raised on a sugar-containing diet started fights with a physical attack and employed a high number of lunges for establishing dominance but displayed few wing threats throughout the fight. In contrast, the sugar-free-raised males favored wing threats as an initial aggressive demonstration and used fewer lunges to establish dominance, but displayed a higher number of wing threats. This study demonstrates that fruit flies that have been raised under different dietary conditions have adapted their patterns of aggressive behavior and developed distinct fighting strategies: one favoring physical attacks, while the other one favoring visual threats.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jeanne Legros
- Research Center on Animal Cognition (CRCA), Center for Integrative Biology, Toulouse University, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse, France
| | - Grace Tang
- Department of Neuroscience and Behavior, Barnard College of Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Jacques Gautrais
- Research Center on Animal Cognition (CRCA), Center for Integrative Biology, Toulouse University, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse, France
| | - Maria Paz Fernandez
- Department of Neuroscience and Behavior, Barnard College of Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Séverine Trannoy
- Research Center on Animal Cognition (CRCA), Center for Integrative Biology, Toulouse University, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse, France
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Different diets can affect attractiveness of Drosophila melanogaster males via changes in wing morphology. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
|
11
|
Moran NP, Sánchez‐Tójar A, Schielzeth H, Reinhold K. Poor nutritional condition promotes high‐risk behaviours: a systematic review and meta‐analysis. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2020; 96:269-288. [DOI: 10.1111/brv.12655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2020] [Revised: 09/09/2020] [Accepted: 09/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas P. Moran
- Evolutionary Biology Bielefeld University Morgenbreede 45 Bielefeld 33615 Germany
- Centre for Ocean Life DTU‐Aqua Technical University of Denmark Building 201, Kemitorvet Kgs. Lyngby 2800 Denmark
| | | | - Holger Schielzeth
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution Friedrich Schiller University Jena Dornburger Straße 159 Jena 07743 Germany
| | - Klaus Reinhold
- Evolutionary Biology Bielefeld University Morgenbreede 45 Bielefeld 33615 Germany
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Liedtke J, Fromhage L. Modelling the evolution of cognitive styles. BMC Evol Biol 2019; 19:234. [PMID: 31881934 PMCID: PMC6935132 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-019-1565-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2019] [Accepted: 12/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Individuals consistently differ in behaviour, exhibiting so-called personalities. In many species, individuals differ also in their cognitive abilities. When personalities and cognitive abilities occur in distinct combinations, they can be described as 'cognitive styles'. Both empirical and theoretical investigations produced contradicting or mixed results regarding the complex interplay between cognitive styles and environmental conditions. RESULTS Here we use individual-based simulations to show that, under just slightly different environmental conditions, different cognitive styles exist and under a variety of conditions, can also co-exist. Co-existences are based on individual specialization on different resources, or, more generally speaking, on individuals adopting different niches or microhabitats. CONCLUSIONS The results presented here suggest that in many species, individuals of the same population may adopt different cognitive styles. Thereby the present study may help to explain the variety of styles described in previous studies and why different, sometimes contradicting, results have been found under similar conditions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jannis Liedtke
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyvaskyla, Box 35, 40014, Jyvaskyla, PO, Finland.
| | - Lutz Fromhage
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyvaskyla, Box 35, 40014, Jyvaskyla, PO, Finland
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Nichols H, Carter AW, Paitz RT, Bowden RM. Red-eared slider hatchlings (Trachemys scripta) show a seasonal shift in behavioral types. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART 2019; 331:485-493. [PMID: 31436909 DOI: 10.1002/jez.2315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2019] [Revised: 08/01/2019] [Accepted: 08/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Correlated and repeatable patterns of behavior, termed behavioral types, can affect individual fitness. The most advantageous behavioral type may differ across predictable environments (e.g., seasonally), and maternally mediated effects may match hatchling behavior to the environment. We measured righting response, an indicator of behavioral type, of juvenile red-eared slider turtles (Trachemys scripta) emerging from early and late season clutches to understand if the production of behavioral types differs across the nesting season. There was a significant effect of season, with early season hatchlings righting more quickly than late season hatchlings, and we explored two potential underlying mechanisms, maternal estrogens and maternal investment (e.g., yolk allocation). We dosed early season eggs with an estrogen mixture to mimic late season eggs and assayed hatchling righting response, but found no significant effect of this maternal effect. We assessed maternal investment by measuring egg, hatchling, and residual yolk masses. We found a seasonal pattern in yolk allocation, where early season eggs have more yolk than late season eggs. Early season hatchlings used more yolk for growth rather than maintenance of existing tissues, resulting in larger hatchlings. Interestingly, across both seasons, hatchlings that received less maternal yolk appeared to be more efficient at converting yolk to tissue, but we found no direct correlation with righting behavior. We demonstrate that the prevalence of behavioral types varies across the nesting season, creating correlated suites of seasonal phenotypes in turtle hatchlings, but it appears that neither maternal estrogens or investment in yolk directly underlie this shift in behavior.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Haley Nichols
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois
| | - Amanda W Carter
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee
| | - Ryan T Paitz
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois
| | - Rachel M Bowden
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Han CS, Gosden TP, Dingemanse NJ. Protein deprivation facilitates the independent evolution of behavior and morphology. Evolution 2019; 73:1809-1820. [PMID: 31318455 DOI: 10.1111/evo.13802] [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: 08/04/2018] [Revised: 06/12/2019] [Accepted: 07/08/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Ecological conditions such as nutrition can change genetic covariances between traits and accelerate or slow down trait evolution. As adaptive trait correlations can become maladaptive following rapid environmental change, poor or stressful environments are expected to weaken genetic covariances, thereby increasing the opportunity for independent evolution of traits. Here, we demonstrate the differences in genetic covariance among multiple behavioral and morphological traits (exploration, aggression, and body weight) between southern field crickets (Gryllus bimaculatus) raised in favorable (free-choice) versus stressful (protein-deprived) nutritional environments. We also quantify the extent to which differences in genetic covariance structures contribute to the potential for the independent evolution of these traits. We demonstrate that protein-deprived environments tend to increase the potential for traits to evolve independently, which is caused by genetic covariances that are significantly weaker for crickets raised on protein-deprived versus free-choice diets. The weakening effects of stressful environments on genetic covariances tended to be stronger in males than in females. The weakening of the genetic covariance between traits under stressful nutritional environments was expected to facilitate the opportunity for adaptive evolution across generations. Therefore, the multivariate gene-by-environment interactions revealed here may facilitate behavioral and morphological adaptations to rapid environmental change.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chang S Han
- Behavioural Ecology, Department of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany.,School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia.,Current Address: Department of Biology, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Thomas P Gosden
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia
| | - Niels J Dingemanse
- Behavioural Ecology, Department of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Kelleher SR, Silla AJ, Niemelä PT, Dingemanse NJ, Byrne PG. Dietary carotenoids affect the development of individual differences and behavioral plasticity. Behav Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arz074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
AbstractNutritional conditions experienced during development are expected to play a key role in shaping an individual’s behavioral phenotype. The long term, irreversible effects of nutritional conditions on behavioral variation among and within individuals remains largely unexplored. This study aimed to investigate how long-term carotenoid availability (representing low vs. high quality nutritional conditions) during both larval and adult life stages influences the expression of among-individual variation (animal personality) and within-individual variation (behavioral plasticity). We tested for personality and plasticity along the exploration/avoidance behavioral axis in the Southern Corroboree frog (Pseudophryne corroboree). We predicted that treatment groups receiving carotenoids during early development would be more exploratory and have greater among- and within-individual variation compared with individuals that did not receive carotenoids (i.e., silver spoon hypothesis). Superior nutritional conditions experienced during development are expected to provide individuals with resources needed to develop costly behaviors, giving them an advantage later in life irrespective of prevailing conditions. Unexpectedly, frogs that did not receive carotenoids as larvae expressed greater among-individual variance in exploration behavior. Additionally, frogs that did not receive carotenoids at either life stage displayed greater within-individual variance. Our findings provide no support for the silver spoon hypothesis but suggest that inconsistent nutritional conditions between life stages may adversely affect the development of behavioral phenotypes. Overall, our results indicate that early and late life nutritional conditions affect the development of personality and plasticity. They also highlight that nutritional effects on behavior may be more complex than previously theorized.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shannon R Kelleher
- School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Aimee J Silla
- School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Petri T Niemelä
- Behavioural Ecology, Department of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Niels J Dingemanse
- Behavioural Ecology, Department of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Phillip G Byrne
- School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Maiti U, Sadowska ET, ChrzĄścik KM, Koteja P. Experimental evolution of personality traits: open-field exploration in bank voles from a multidirectional selection experiment. Curr Zool 2018; 65:375-384. [PMID: 31413710 PMCID: PMC6688576 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoy068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Revised: 12/21/2017] [Accepted: 08/31/2018] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Evolution of complex physiological adaptations could be driven by natural selection acting on behavioral traits. Consequently, animal personality traits and their correlation with physiological traits have become an engaging research area. Here, we applied a unique experimental evolution model-lines of bank voles selected for (A) high exercise-induced aerobic metabolism, (H) ability to cope with low-quality herbivorous diet, and (P) intensity of predatory behavior, that is, traits shaping evolutionary path and diversity of mammals-and asked how the selection affected the voles' personality traits, assessed in an open field test. The A- and P-line voles were more active, whereas the H-line voles were less active, compared those from unselected control lines (C). H-line voles moved slower but on more meandering trajectories, which indicated a more thorough exploration, whereas the A- and P-line voles moved faster and on straighter trajectories. A-line voles showed also an increased escape propensity, whereas P-line voles tended to be bolder. The remarkable correlated responses to the selection indicate a common genetic underlying mechanism of behavioral and physiological traits, and support the paradigm of evolutionary physiology built around the concept of correlated evolution of behavior and physiology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Uttaran Maiti
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa, Kraków, Poland
| | - Edyta T Sadowska
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa, Kraków, Poland
| | - Katarzyna M ChrzĄścik
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa, Kraków, Poland
| | - Paweł Koteja
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa, Kraków, Poland
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Guenther A, Groothuis AGG, Krüger O, Goerlich-Jansson VC. Cortisol during adolescence organises personality traits and behavioural syndromes. Horm Behav 2018; 103:129-139. [PMID: 29953885 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2018.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2017] [Revised: 06/22/2018] [Accepted: 06/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Despite the growing evidence for the importance of developmental experiences shaping consistent individual differences in behaviour and physiology, the role of endocrine factors underlying the development and maintenance of such differences across multiple traits, remains poorly understood. Here, we investigated how an experimental manipulation of circulating glucocorticoids during early adolescence affects behavioural and physiological variation and covariation later in life in the precocial cavy (Cavia aperea). Plasma cortisol concentrations were experimentally elevated by administering cortisol via food for 3 weeks. Struggle docility, escape latency, boldness, exploration and social behaviour were then tested three times after individuals attained sexual maturity. In addition, blood samples were taken repeatedly to monitor circulating cortisol concentrations. Exogenous cortisol affected mean trait expression of plasma cortisol levels, struggle docility and escape latency. Repeatability of cortisol and escape latency was increased and repeatability of struggle docility tended to be higher (approaching significance) in treated individuals. Increased repeatability was mainly caused by an increase of among-individual variance. Correlations among docility, escape latency and cortisol were stronger in treated animals compared to control animals. These results suggest that exposure to elevated levels of cortisol during adolescence can alter animal personality traits as well as behavioural syndromes. Social and risk-taking traits showed no correlation with cortisol levels and were unaffected by the experimental manipulation, indicating behavioural modularity. Taken together, our data highlight that cortisol can have organising effects during adolescence on the development of personality traits and behavioural syndromes, adding to the increasing evidence that not only early life but also adolescence is an important sensitive period for behavioural development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- A Guenther
- Department of Animal Behaviour, Bielefeld University, Germany; GELIFES - Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, the Netherlands.
| | - A G G Groothuis
- GELIFES - Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - O Krüger
- Department of Animal Behaviour, Bielefeld University, Germany
| | - V C Goerlich-Jansson
- Department of Animals in Science and Society, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 2, 3508, TD, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Cabrera D, Andres D, McLoughlin PD, Debeffe L, Medill SA, Wilson AJ, Poissant J. Island tameness and the repeatability of flight initiation distance in a large herbivore. CAN J ZOOL 2017. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2016-0305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Antipredator behaviours can be lost relatively quickly in populations that are relieved of predation, as is known for several species inhabiting islands. Flight initiation distance (FID) is often studied in the context of island tameness; however, little is known about the factors that influence and maintain FID variation in predation-free populations. Here, we studied FID in foals of an isolated predator-free population of feral horses (Equus caballus L., 1758) on Sable Island, Canada, to determine if FID could be used for research on consistent individual differences in risk aversion and island tameness. In addition to testing for temporal, spatial, and sex effects on FID, we compared repeatability estimates at two temporal scales (within and among days). Similar FID for measurements obtained on the same day and for males and females indicated an absence of short-term desensitization and sex effects. In contrast, FID decreased for measurements made on subsequent days and from east to west, which could reflect habituation to human presence and (or) other temporal and spatial processes. Repeatability was high (0.42 ± 0.06), but tended to decrease with increasing time intervals. This study highlights the potential of FID for individual-based research on the ecology and evolutionary dynamics of risk aversion in predation-free populations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Doreen Cabrera
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Penryn, TR10 9FE, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel Andres
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, 112 Science Place, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5E2, Canada
| | - Philip D. McLoughlin
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, 112 Science Place, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5E2, Canada
| | - Lucie Debeffe
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, 112 Science Place, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5E2, Canada
| | - Sarah A. Medill
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, 112 Science Place, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5E2, Canada
| | - Alastair J. Wilson
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Penryn, TR10 9FE, United Kingdom
| | - Jocelyn Poissant
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Penryn, TR10 9FE, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Peiman KS, Robinson BW. Comparative Analyses of Phenotypic Trait Covariation within and among Populations. Am Nat 2017; 190:451-468. [PMID: 28937814 DOI: 10.1086/693482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Many morphological, behavioral, physiological, and life-history traits covary across the biological scales of individuals, populations, and species. However, the processes that cause traits to covary also change over these scales, challenging our ability to use patterns of trait covariance to infer process. Trait relationships are also widely assumed to have generic functional relationships with similar evolutionary potentials, and even though many different trait relationships are now identified, there is little appreciation that these may influence trait covariation and evolution in unique ways. We use a trait-performance-fitness framework to classify and organize trait relationships into three general classes, address which ones more likely generate trait covariation among individuals in a population, and review how selection shapes phenotypic covariation. We generate predictions about how trait covariance changes within and among populations as a result of trait relationships and in response to selection and consider how these can be tested with comparative data. Careful comparisons of covariation patterns can narrow the set of hypothesized processes that cause trait covariation when the form of the trait relationship and how it responds to selection yield clear predictions about patterns of trait covariation. We discuss the opportunities and limitations of comparative approaches to evaluate hypotheses about the evolutionary causes and consequences of trait covariation and highlight the importance of evaluating patterns within populations replicated in the same and in different selective environments. Explicit hypotheses about trait relationships are key to generating effective predictions about phenotype and its evolution using covariance data.
Collapse
|
20
|
Hewes ME, Delventhal K, Chaves-Campos J. Behavioral plasticity and consistency in the naked-footed mouse (Peromyscus nudipes) with habitat disturbance. J ETHOL 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s10164-017-0517-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
|
21
|
Han CS, Dingemanse NJ. You are what you eat: diet shapes body composition, personality and behavioural stability. BMC Evol Biol 2017; 17:8. [PMID: 28073352 PMCID: PMC5223362 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-016-0852-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2016] [Accepted: 12/15/2016] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Behavioural phenotypes vary within and among individuals. While early-life experiences have repeatedly been proposed to underpin interactions between these two hierarchical levels, the environmental factors causing such effects remain under-studied. We tested whether an individual's diet affected both its body composition, average behaviour (thereby causing among-individual variation or 'personality') and within-individual variability in behaviour and body weight (thereby causing among-individual differences in residual within-individual variance or 'stability'), using the Southern field cricket Gryllus bimaculatus as a model. We further asked whether effects of diet on the expression of these variance components were sex-specific. METHODS Manipulating both juvenile and adult diet in a full factorial design, individuals were put, in each life-stage, on a diet that was either relatively high in carbohydrates or relatively high in protein. We subsequently measured the expression of multiple behavioural (exploration, aggression and mating activity) and morphological traits (body weight and lipid mass) during adulthood. RESULTS Dietary history affected both average phenotype and level of within-individual variability: males raised as juveniles on high-protein diets were heavier, more aggressive, more active during mating, and behaviourally less stable, than conspecifics raised on high-carbohydrate diets. Females preferred more protein in their diet compared to males, and dietary history affected average phenotype and within-individual variability in a sex-specific manner: individuals raised on high-protein diets were behaviourally less stable in their aggressiveness but this effect was only present in males. Diet also influenced individual differences in male body weight, but within-individual variance in female body weight. DISCUSSION This study thereby provides experimental evidence that dietary history explains both heterogeneous residual within-individual variance (i.e., individual variation in 'behavioural stability') and individual differences in average behaviour (i.e., 'personality'), though dietary effects were notably trait-specific. These findings call for future studies integrating proximate and ultimate perspectives on the role of diet in the evolution of repeatedly expressed traits, such as behaviour and body weight.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chang S Han
- Behavioural Ecology, Department of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich, Großhaderner Str. 2, 82152, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany. .,Current address: School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, 4072, Australia.
| | - Niels J Dingemanse
- Behavioural Ecology, Department of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich, Großhaderner Str. 2, 82152, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Royauté R, Dochtermann NA. When the mean no longer matters: developmental diet affects behavioral variation but not population averages in the house cricket (Acheta domesticus). Behav Ecol 2016. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arw164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
|
23
|
Han CS, Jäger HY, Dingemanse NJ. Individuality in nutritional preferences: a multi-level approach in field crickets. Sci Rep 2016; 6:29071. [PMID: 27356870 PMCID: PMC4928176 DOI: 10.1038/srep29071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2016] [Accepted: 06/14/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Selection may favour individuals of the same population to differ consistently in nutritional preference, for example, because optimal diets covary with morphology or personality. We provided Southern field crickets (Gryllus bimaculatus) with two synthetic food sources (carbohydrates and proteins) and quantified repeatedly how much of each macronutrient was consumed by each individual. We then quantified (i) whether individuals were repeatable in carbohydrate and protein intake rate, (ii) whether an individual's average daily intake of carbohydrates was correlated with its average daily intake of protein, and (iii) whether short-term changes in intake of carbohydrates coincided with changes in intake of protein within individuals. Intake rates were individually repeatable for both macronutrients. However, individuals differed in their relative daily intake of carbohydrates versus proteins (i.e., 'nutritional preference'). By contrast, total consumption varied plastically as a function of body weight within individuals. Body weight-but not personality (i.e., aggression, exploration behaviour)-positively predicted nutritional preference at the individual level as large crickets repeatedly consumed a higher carbohydrate to protein ratio compared to small ones. Our finding of level-specific associations between the consumption of distinct nutritional components demonstrates the merit of applying multivariate and multi-level viewpoints to the study of nutritional preference.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chang S Han
- Behavioural Ecology, Department of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Heidi Y Jäger
- Behavioural Ecology, Department of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Niels J Dingemanse
- Behavioural Ecology, Department of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| |
Collapse
|