1
|
Clark CJ, Hutchinson JR, Garland T. The Inverse Krogh Principle: All Organisms Are Worthy of Study. Physiol Biochem Zool 2023; 96:1-16. [PMID: 36626844 DOI: 10.1086/721620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
AbstractKrogh's principle states, "For such a large number of problems there will be some animal of choice, or a few such animals, on which it can be most conveniently studied." The downside of picking a question first and then finding an ideal organism on which to study it is that it will inevitably leave many organisms neglected. Here, we promote the inverse Krogh principle: all organisms are worthy of study. The inverse Krogh principle and the Krogh principle are not opposites. Rather, the inverse Krogh principle emphasizes a different starting point for research: start with a biological unit, such as an organism, clade, or specific organism trait, then seek or create tractable research questions. Even the hardest-to-study species have research questions that can be asked of them: Where does it fall within the tree of life? What resources does it need to survive and reproduce? How does it differ from close relatives? Does it have unique adaptations? The Krogh and inverse Krogh approaches are complementary, and many research programs naturally include both. Other considerations for picking a study species include extreme species, species informative for phylogenetic analyses, and the creation of models when a suitable species does not exist. The inverse Krogh principle also has pitfalls. A scientist that picks the organism first might choose a research question not really suited to the organism, and funding agencies rarely fund organism-centered grant proposals. The inverse Krogh principle does not call for all organisms to receive the same amount of research attention. As knowledge continues to accumulate, some organisms-models-will inevitably have more known about them than others. Rather, it urges a broader search across organismal diversity to find sources of inspiration for research questions and the motivation needed to pursue them.
Collapse
|
2
|
Krause JS, Watkins T, Reid AMA, Cheah JC, Pérez JH, Bishop VR, Ramenofsky M, Wingfield JC, Meddle SL. Gene expression of sex steroid metabolizing enzymes and receptors in the skeletal muscle of migrant and resident subspecies of white-crowned sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys). Oecologia 2022; 199:549-562. [PMID: 35732927 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-022-05204-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2021] [Accepted: 05/27/2022] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
Circulating sex steroid concentrations vary dramatically across the year in seasonally breeding animals. The ability of circulating sex steroids to effect muscle function can be modulated by changes in intracellular expression of steroid metabolizing enzymes (e.g., 5α-reductase type 2 and aromatase) and receptors. Together, these combined changes in plasma hormones, metabolizing enzymes and receptors allow for seasonally appropriate changes in skeletal muscle function. We tested the hypothesis that gene expression of sex steroid metabolizing enzymes and receptors would vary seasonally in skeletal muscle and these changes would differ between a migrant and resident life history strategy. We quantified annual changes in plasma testosterone and gene expression in pectoralis and gastrocnemius skeletal muscles using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) in free-living migrant (Zonotrichia leucophrys gambelii) and resident (Z. l. nuttalli) subspecies of white-crowned sparrow during breeding, pre-basic molt, and wintering life history stages. Pectoralis muscle profile was largest in migrants during breeding, while residents maintained large muscle profiles year-round. Circulating testosterone peaked during breeding in both subspecies. Pectoralis muscle androgen receptor mRNA expression was lower in females of both subspecies during breeding. Estrogen receptor-α expression was higher in the pectoralis muscle, but not gastrocnemius, of residents throughout the annual cycle when compared to migrants. Pectoralis aromatase expression was higher in resident males compared to migrant males. No differences were observed for 5α-reductase 2. Between these two subspecies, patterns of plasma testosterone and androgen receptors appear to be conserved, however estrogen receptor gene expression appears to have diverged.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jesse S Krause
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada Reno, 1664 N. Virginia Street, Sarah Fleischmann 109, Reno, NV, 89557, USA. .,Department of Neurobiology Physiology Behavior, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA.
| | - Trevor Watkins
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada Reno, 1664 N. Virginia Street, Sarah Fleischmann 109, Reno, NV, 89557, USA
| | - Angus M A Reid
- Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Crewe Road South, Edinburgh, EH4 2XU, Scotland, UK.,The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Midlothian, EH25 9RG, Scotland, UK
| | - Jeffrey C Cheah
- Department of Neurobiology Physiology Behavior, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Jonathan H Pérez
- Department of Biology, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL, 36688, USA
| | - Valerie R Bishop
- The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Midlothian, EH25 9RG, Scotland, UK
| | - Marilyn Ramenofsky
- Department of Neurobiology Physiology Behavior, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - John C Wingfield
- Department of Neurobiology Physiology Behavior, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Simone L Meddle
- The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Midlothian, EH25 9RG, Scotland, UK
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Schuppe ER, Tobiansky D, Goller F, Fuxjager MJ. Specialized androgen synthesis in skeletal muscles that actuate elaborate social displays. J Exp Biol 2022; 225:275472. [PMID: 35587151 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.243730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2021] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Androgens mediate the expression of many reproductive behaviors, including the elaborate displays used to navigate courtship and territorial interactions. In some vertebrates, males can produce androgen-dependent sexual behavior even when levels of testosterone (T) is low in the bloodstream. One idea is that select tissues make their own androgens from scratch to support behavioral performance. We first study this phenomenon in the skeletal muscles that actuate elaborate sociosexual displays in downy woodpeckers and two songbirds. We show that the woodpecker display muscle maintains elevated T when the testes are regressed in the non-breeding season. Both the display muscles of woodpeckers, as well as the display muscles in the avian vocal organ (syrinx or SYR) of songbirds, express all transporters and enzymes necessary to convert cholesterol into bioactive androgens locally. In a final analysis, we broaden our study by looking for these same transporters and enzymes in mammalian muscles that operate at different speeds. Using RNA-seq data, we find that the capacity for de novo synthesis is only present in "superfast" extraocular muscle. Together, our results suggest that skeletal muscle specialized to generate extraordinary twitch-times and/or extremely rapid contractile speeds may depend on androgenic hormones produced locally within the muscle itself. Our study therefore uncovers an important new dimension of androgenic regulation of behavior.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eric R Schuppe
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, 215 Tower Road, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
| | - Daniel Tobiansky
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Brown University, 171 Meeting Street, Providence, RI 02912, USA
| | - Franz Goller
- Department of Biology, University of Utah, USA.,Institute for Zoophysiology, University of Münster, Germany
| | - Matthew J Fuxjager
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Brown University, 171 Meeting Street, Providence, RI 02912, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Abstract
AbstractTrade-offs and constraints are inherent to life, and studies of these phenomena play a central role in both organismal and evolutionary biology. Trade-offs can be defined, categorized, and studied in at least six, not mutually exclusive, ways. (1) Allocation constraints are caused by a limited resource (e.g., energy, time, space, essential nutrients), such that increasing allocation to one component necessarily requires a decrease in another (if only two components are involved, this is referred to as the Y-model, e.g., energy devoted to size versus number of offspring). (2) Functional conflicts occur when features that enhance performance of one task decrease performance of another (e.g., relative lengths of in-levers and out-levers, force-velocity trade-offs related to muscle fiber type composition). (3) Shared biochemical pathways, often involving integrator molecules (e.g., hormones, neurotransmitters, transcription factors), can simultaneously affect multiple traits, with some effects being beneficial for one or more components of Darwinian fitness (e.g., survival, age at first reproduction, fecundity) and others detrimental. (4) Antagonistic pleiotropy describes genetic variants that increase one component of fitness (or a lower-level trait) while simultaneously decreasing another. (5) Ecological circumstances (or selective regime) may impose trade-offs, such as when foraging behavior increases energy availability yet also decreases survival. (6) Sexual selection may lead to the elaboration of (usually male) secondary sexual characters that improve mating success but handicap survival and/or impose energetic costs that reduce other fitness components. Empirical studies of trade-offs often search for negative correlations between two traits that are the expected outcomes of the trade-offs, but this will generally be inadequate if more than two traits are involved and especially for complex physiological networks of interacting traits. Moreover, trade-offs often occur only in populations that are experiencing harsh environmental conditions or energetic challenges at the extremes of phenotypic distributions, such as among individuals or species that have exceptional athletic abilities. Trade-offs may be (partially) circumvented through various compensatory mechanisms, depending on the timescale involved, ranging from acute to evolutionary. Going forward, a pluralistic view of trade-offs and constraints, combined with integrative analyses that cross levels of biological organization and traditional boundaries among disciplines, will enhance the study of evolutionary organismal biology.
Collapse
|
5
|
Anderson NK, Gururaja KV, Mangiamele LA, Netoskie EC, Smith S, Fuxjager MJ, Preininger D. Insight into the Evolution of Anuran Foot Flag Displays: A Comparative Study of Color and Kinematics. ICHTHYOLOGY & HERPETOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1643/h2020160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Nigel K. Anderson
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912; (NKA) ; and (MJF) . Send reprint requests to NKA
| | - K. V. Gururaja
- Research and Development Center and Science Media Center, Indian Institute of Science Campus, Gubbi Labs, Bengaluru 560012, India;
| | - Lisa A. Mangiamele
- Department of Biological Sciences, Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts 01063; (LAM) ; and (SS)
| | - Erin C. Netoskie
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Juniata College, Huntingdon, Pennsylvania 16652;
| | - Sarah Smith
- Department of Biological Sciences, Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts 01063; (LAM) ; and (SS)
| | - Matthew J. Fuxjager
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912; (NKA) ; and (MJF) . Send reprint requests to NKA
| | - Doris Preininger
- Vienna Zoo, 1130 Vienna, Austria; Department of Evolutionary Biology, University Vienna, Austria;
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Anderson NK, Grabner M, Mangiamele LA, Preininger D, Fuxjager MJ. Testosterone amplifies the negative valence of an agonistic gestural display by exploiting receiver perceptual bias. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20211848. [PMID: 34784769 PMCID: PMC8595994 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.1848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2021] [Accepted: 10/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Many animals communicate by performing elaborate displays that are incredibly extravagant and wildly bizarre. So, how do these displays evolve? One idea is that innate sensory biases arbitrarily favour the emergence of certain display traits over others, leading to the design of an unusual display. Here, we study how physiological factors associated with signal production influence this process, a topic that has received almost no attention. We focus on a tropical frog, whose males compete for access to females by performing an elaborate waving display. Our results show that sex hormones like testosterone regulate specific display gestures that exploit a highly conserved perceptual system, evolved originally to detect 'dangerous' stimuli in the environment. Accordingly, testosterone makes certain gestures likely to appear more perilous to rivals during combat. This suggests that hormone action can interact with effects of sensory bias to create an evolutionary optimum that guides how display exaggeration unfolds.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nigel K. Anderson
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
| | - Martina Grabner
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna 1090, Austria
| | - Lisa A. Mangiamele
- Department of Biological Sciences, Smith College, Northampton, MA 01063, USA
| | - Doris Preininger
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna 1090, Austria
- Vienna Zoo, Vienna 1130, Austria
| | - Matthew J. Fuxjager
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Performance Trade-Offs in Elite Swimmers. ADAPTIVE HUMAN BEHAVIOR AND PHYSIOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s40750-021-00179-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
|
8
|
Janisch J, Mitoyen C, Perinot E, Spezie G, Fusani L, Quigley C. Video Recording and Analysis of Avian Movements and Behavior: Insights from Courtship Case Studies. Integr Comp Biol 2021; 61:1378-1393. [PMID: 34037219 PMCID: PMC8516111 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icab095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Video recordings are useful tools for advancing our understanding of animal movements and behavior. Over the past decades, a burgeoning area of behavioral research has put forward innovative methods to investigate animal movement using video analysis, which includes motion capture and machine learning algorithms. These tools are particularly valuable for the study of elaborate and complex motor behaviors, but can be challenging to use. We focus in particular on elaborate courtship displays, which commonly involve rapid and/or subtle motor patterns. Here, we review currently available tools and provide hands-on guidelines for implementing these techniques in the study of avian model species. First, we suggest a set of possible strategies and solutions for video acquisition based on different model systems, environmental conditions, and time or financial budget. We then outline the available options for video analysis and illustrate how different analytical tools can be chosen to draw inference about animal motor performance. Finally, a detailed case study describes how these guidelines have been implemented to study courtship behavior in golden-collared manakins (Manacus vitellinus).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Judith Janisch
- Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, 1160 Vienna, Austria
| | - Clementine Mitoyen
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Elisa Perinot
- Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, 1160 Vienna, Austria
| | - Giovanni Spezie
- Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, 1160 Vienna, Austria
| | - Leonida Fusani
- Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, 1160 Vienna, Austria
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Cliodhna Quigley
- Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, 1160 Vienna, Austria
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
- Vienna Cognitive Science Hub, University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Alfonso C, Jones BC, Vernasco BJ, Moore IT. Integrative Studies of Sexual Selection in Manakins, a Clade of Charismatic Tropical Birds. Integr Comp Biol 2021; 61:1267-1280. [PMID: 34251421 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icab158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2021] [Revised: 05/07/2021] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The neotropical manakins (family Pipridae) provide a great opportunity for integrative studies of sexual selection as nearly all of the 51 species are lek-breeding, an extreme form of polygyny, and highly sexually dimorphic both in appearance and behavior. Male courtship displays are often elaborate and include auditory cues, both vocal and mechanical, as well as visual elements. In addition, the displays are often extremely rapid, highly acrobatic, and, in some species, multiple males perform coordinated displays that form the basis of long-term coalitions. Male manakins also exhibit unique neuroendocrine, physiological, and anatomical adaptations to support the performance of these complex displays and the maintenance of their intricate social systems. The Manakin Genomics Research Coordination Network (Manakin RCN, https://www.manakinsrcn.org) has brought together researchers (many in this symposium and this issue) from across disciplines to address the implications of sexual selection on evolution, ecology, behavior, and physiology in manakins. The objective of this paper is to present some of the most pertinent and integrative manakin research as well as introducing the papers presented in this issue. The results discussed at the manakin symposium, part of the 2021 Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology Conference, highlight the remarkable genomic, behavioral, and physiological adaptations as well as the evolutionary causes and consequences of strong sexual selection pressures that are evident in manakins.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Camilo Alfonso
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - Blake C Jones
- Science and Mathematics, Bennington College, 1 College Dr., Bennington, VT 05201, USA
| | - Ben J Vernasco
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Ignacio T Moore
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Janisch J, Perinot E, Fusani L, Quigley C. Deciphering choreographies of elaborate courtship displays of golden‐collared manakins using markerless motion capture. Ethology 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Judith Janisch
- Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna Austria
| | - Elisa Perinot
- Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna Austria
| | - Leonida Fusani
- Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna Austria
- Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Biology University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Cliodhna Quigley
- Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna Austria
- Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Biology University of Vienna Vienna Austria
- Vienna Cognitive Science Hub University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Mitoyen C, Quigley C, Boehly T, Fusani L. Female behaviour is differentially associated with specific components of multimodal courtship in ring doves. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.12.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
|
12
|
Knight K. Testosterone soups up golden-collared manakin roll-snap at expense of endurance. J Exp Biol 2020. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.227017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
|