1
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Bell MA, Lim G, Caldwell C, Emlen DJ, Swanson BO. Rhinoceros beetle (Trypoxylus dichotomus) cuticular hydrocarbons contain information about body size and sex. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0299796. [PMID: 38483942 PMCID: PMC10939270 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0299796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 03/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Japanese rhinoceros beetle (Trypoxylus dichotomus) males have exaggerated horns that are used to compete for territories. Larger males with larger horns tend to win these competitions, giving them access to females. Agonistic interactions include what appears to be assessment and often end without escalating to physical combat. However, it is unknown what information competitors use to assess each other. In many insect species chemical signals can carry a range of information, including social position, nutritional state, morphology, and sex. Specifically, cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs), which are waxes excreted on the surface of insect exoskeletons, can communicate a variety of information. Here, we asked whether CHCs in rhinoceros beetles carry information about sex, body size, and condition that could be used by males during assessment behavior. Multivariate analysis of hydrocarbon composition revealed patterns associated with both sex and body size. We suggest that Rhinoceros beetles could be communicating information through CHCs that would explain behavioral decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Micah A. Bell
- Department of Biology, Gonzaga University, Spokane, Washington, United States of America
| | - Garrett Lim
- Department of Biology, Gonzaga University, Spokane, Washington, United States of America
| | - Chelsey Caldwell
- Division of Biological Sciences, The University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, United States of America
| | - Douglas J. Emlen
- Division of Biological Sciences, The University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, United States of America
| | - Brook O. Swanson
- Department of Biology, Gonzaga University, Spokane, Washington, United States of America
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2
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Mc Auley MT. An evolutionary perspective of lifespan and epigenetic inheritance. Exp Gerontol 2023; 179:112256. [PMID: 37460026 DOI: 10.1016/j.exger.2023.112256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2023] [Revised: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/21/2023]
Abstract
In the last decade epigenetics has come to the fore as a discipline which is central to biogerontology. Age associated epigenetic changes are routinely linked with pathologies, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, and Alzheimer's disease; moreover, epigenetic clocks are capable of correlating biological age with chronological age in many species including humans. Recent intriguing empirical observations also suggest that inherited epigenetic effects could influence lifespan/longevity in a variety of organisms. If this is the case, an imperative exists to reconcile lifespan/longevity associated inherited epigenetic processes with the evolution of ageing. This review will critically evaluate inherited epigenetic effects from an evolutionary perspective. The overarching aim is to integrate the evidence which suggests epigenetic inheritance modulates lifespan/longevity with the main evolutionary theories of ageing.
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3
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Fricke C, Sanghvi K, Emery M, Lindenbaum I, Wigby S, Ramm SA, Sepil I. Timeless or tainted? The effects of male ageing on seminal fluid. Front Ecol Evol 2023. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2023.1066022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Reproductive ageing can occur due to the deterioration of both the soma and germline. In males, it has mostly been studied with respect to age-related changes in sperm. However, the somatic component of the ejaculate, seminal fluid, is also essential for maintaining reproductive function. Whilst we know that seminal fluid proteins (SFPs) are required for male reproductive success across diverse taxa, age-related changes in SFP quantity and composition are little understood. Additionally, only few studies have explored the reproductive ageing of the tissues that produce SFPs, and the resulting reproductive outcomes. Here we provide a systematic review of studies addressing how advancing male age affects the production and properties of seminal fluid, in particular SFPs and oxidative stress, highlighting many open questions and generating new hypotheses for further research. We additionally discuss how declines in function of different components of seminal fluid, such as SFPs and antioxidants, could contribute to age-related loss of reproductive ability. Overall, we find evidence that ageing results in increased oxidative stress in seminal fluid and a decrease in the abundance of various SFPs. These results suggest that seminal fluid contributes towards important age-related changes influencing male reproduction. Thus, it is essential to study this mostly ignored component of the ejaculate to understand male reproductive ageing, and its consequences for sexual selection and paternal age effects on offspring.
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4
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Gunathilaka RAKM, Jayatunga DPW, Ganehiarachchi GASM. Effect of delayed mating on reproductive performance and life-history parameters of dengue vector Aedes aegypti. BULLETIN OF ENTOMOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2023; 113:126-132. [PMID: 36065760 DOI: 10.1017/s0007485322000396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Dengue is a fast-spreading mosquito-borne viral disease in the world. The primary vector of the disease is Aedes aegypti of the family Culicidae. It is a container breeder. Since a vaccine or a drug has not been developed against dengue, vector control appears to be the best method so far to control dengue. The current study was conducted to determine the effect of delayed mating on fecundity, fertility, life-history parameters, and longevity of Ae. aegypti, because such information can help formulate integrated vector control strategies involving the release of sub-fertile males into the environment. During this study, mating was delayed by 0, 2, 5, and 8 days after emergence. Males and females were separated by hand at the pupal stage using the apparent size difference of the sexes. The separated pupae were kept in separate cages until emergence. When mating was delayed for 8 days, the number of eggs laid by the female declined by 38%, and the percentage number of eggs that hatched reduced by 24%. However, the percentage of larval mortality, duration of the larval and pupal periods, and adult longevity were not significantly affected. The current results indicate that delayed mating has a negative effect on the reproductive performance of vector mosquitoes.
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Affiliation(s)
- R A K M Gunathilaka
- Department of Zoology and Environmental Management, University of Kelaniya, Kelaniya, Sri Lanka
| | - D P W Jayatunga
- Department of Zoology and Environmental Management, University of Kelaniya, Kelaniya, Sri Lanka
| | - G A S M Ganehiarachchi
- Department of Zoology and Environmental Management, University of Kelaniya, Kelaniya, Sri Lanka
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5
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Food abundance in men before puberty predicts a range of cancers in grandsons. Nat Commun 2022; 13:7507. [PMID: 36473854 PMCID: PMC9726939 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-35217-1] [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: 01/30/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Nutritional conditions early in human life may influence phenotypic characteristics in later generations. A male-line transgenerational pathway, triggered by the early environment, has been postulated with support from animal and a small number of human studies. Here we analyse individuals born in Uppsala Sweden 1915-29 with linked data from their children and parents, which enables us to explore the hypothesis that pre-pubertal food abundance may trigger a transgenerational effect on cancer events. We used cancer registry and cause-of-death data to analyse 3422 cancer events in grandchildren (G2) by grandparental (G0) food access. We show that variation in harvests and food access in G0 predicts cancer occurrence in G2 in a specific way: abundance among paternal grandfathers, but not any other grandparent, predicts cancer occurrence in grandsons but not in granddaughters. This male-line response is observed for several groups of cancers, suggesting a general susceptibility, possibly acquired in early embryonic development. We observed no transgenerational influence in the middle generation.
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6
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Anderson CE, Malek MC, Jonas-Closs RA, Cho Y, Peshkin L, Kirschner MW, Yampolsky LY. Inverse Lansing Effect: Maternal Age and Provisioning Affecting Daughters' Longevity and Male Offspring Production. Am Nat 2022; 200:704-721. [PMID: 36260845 DOI: 10.1086/721148] [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] [Indexed: 03/06/2024]
Abstract
AbstractMaternal age effects on offspring life history are known in a variety of organisms, with offspring of older mothers typically having lower life expectancy (the Lansing effect). However, there is no consensus on the generality and mechanisms of this pattern. We tested predictions of the Lansing effect in several Daphnia magna clones and observed clone-specific magnitude and direction of the maternal age effect on offspring longevity. We also report ambidirectional, genotype-specific effects of maternal age on the propensity of daughters to produce male offspring. Focusing on two clones with contrasting life histories, we demonstrate that maternal age effects can be explained by lipid provisioning of embryos by mothers of different ages. Individuals from a single-generation maternal age reversal treatment showed intermediate life span and intermediate lipid content at birth. In the clone characterized by the "inverse Lansing effect," neonates produced by older mothers showed higher mitochondrial membrane potential in neural tissues than their counterparts born to younger mothers. We conclude that an inverse Lansing effect is possible and hypothesize that it may be caused by age-specific maternal lipid provisioning creating a calorically restricted environment during embryonic development, which in turn reduces fecundity and increases life span in offspring.
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7
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Sharman P, Young AJ, Wilson AJ. Evidence of maternal and paternal age effects on speed in thoroughbred racehorses. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 9:220691. [PMID: 36249332 DOI: 10.5061/dryad.qbzkh18m0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 09/16/2022] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Effects of parental age on offspring viability have been reported in a wide range of species. However, to what extent parental age influences offspring traits beyond viability remains unclear. Moreover, previous research has primarily focused on maternal age effects. The purpose of this study was to test for paternal and maternal age effects on offspring speed in thoroughbred racehorses. We analysed over 900 000 race performances by over 100 000 horses on British racecourses between 1996 and 2019. With knowledge of the age of all 41 107 dams and 2 887 sires at offspring conception, we jointly modelled maternal and paternal age effects using a 'within-individual centring' approach. Within-parents, we identified a significant effect of maternal age on offspring speed of -0.017 yards s-1 yr-1 and a corresponding paternal age effect of -0.011 yards s-1 yr-1. Although maternal age effects were stronger (more negative), the existence and magnitude of paternal effects is particularly noteworthy, given thoroughbred sires have no involvement in parental care. Our results also suggest that the selective disappearance of both sires and dams is ongoing. These findings could potentially be used to optimize thoroughbred racehorse breeding decisions, and more generally, add to the increasing body of evidence that both maternal and paternal age affect a range of offspring characteristics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Sharman
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK
| | - Andrew J Young
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK
| | - Alastair J Wilson
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK
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8
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Sharman P, Young AJ, Wilson AJ. Evidence of maternal and paternal age effects on speed in thoroughbred racehorses. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 9:220691. [PMID: 36249332 PMCID: PMC9532991 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.220691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 09/16/2022] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Effects of parental age on offspring viability have been reported in a wide range of species. However, to what extent parental age influences offspring traits beyond viability remains unclear. Moreover, previous research has primarily focused on maternal age effects. The purpose of this study was to test for paternal and maternal age effects on offspring speed in thoroughbred racehorses. We analysed over 900 000 race performances by over 100 000 horses on British racecourses between 1996 and 2019. With knowledge of the age of all 41 107 dams and 2 887 sires at offspring conception, we jointly modelled maternal and paternal age effects using a 'within-individual centring' approach. Within-parents, we identified a significant effect of maternal age on offspring speed of -0.017 yards s-1 yr-1 and a corresponding paternal age effect of -0.011 yards s-1 yr-1. Although maternal age effects were stronger (more negative), the existence and magnitude of paternal effects is particularly noteworthy, given thoroughbred sires have no involvement in parental care. Our results also suggest that the selective disappearance of both sires and dams is ongoing. These findings could potentially be used to optimize thoroughbred racehorse breeding decisions, and more generally, add to the increasing body of evidence that both maternal and paternal age affect a range of offspring characteristics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Sharman
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK
| | - Andrew J. Young
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK
| | - Alastair J. Wilson
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK
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9
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Sharman P, Young AJ, Wilson AJ. Evidence of maternal and paternal age effects on speed in thoroughbred racehorses. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 9:220691. [PMID: 36249332 DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.c.6228607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 09/16/2022] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Effects of parental age on offspring viability have been reported in a wide range of species. However, to what extent parental age influences offspring traits beyond viability remains unclear. Moreover, previous research has primarily focused on maternal age effects. The purpose of this study was to test for paternal and maternal age effects on offspring speed in thoroughbred racehorses. We analysed over 900 000 race performances by over 100 000 horses on British racecourses between 1996 and 2019. With knowledge of the age of all 41 107 dams and 2 887 sires at offspring conception, we jointly modelled maternal and paternal age effects using a 'within-individual centring' approach. Within-parents, we identified a significant effect of maternal age on offspring speed of -0.017 yards s-1 yr-1 and a corresponding paternal age effect of -0.011 yards s-1 yr-1. Although maternal age effects were stronger (more negative), the existence and magnitude of paternal effects is particularly noteworthy, given thoroughbred sires have no involvement in parental care. Our results also suggest that the selective disappearance of both sires and dams is ongoing. These findings could potentially be used to optimize thoroughbred racehorse breeding decisions, and more generally, add to the increasing body of evidence that both maternal and paternal age affect a range of offspring characteristics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Sharman
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK
| | - Andrew J Young
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK
| | - Alastair J Wilson
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK
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10
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Aich U, Chowdhury S, Jennions MD. Separating the effects of paternal age and mating history: Evidence for sex-specific paternal effect in eastern mosquitofish. Evolution 2022; 76:1565-1577. [PMID: 35544673 PMCID: PMC9543789 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2021] [Revised: 03/20/2022] [Accepted: 03/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Paternal age and past mating effort by males are often confounded, which can affect our understanding of a father's age effects. To our knowledge, only a few studies have standardized mating history when testing for effects of paternal age, and none has simultaneously disentangled how paternal age and mating history might jointly influence offspring traits. Here, we experimentally manipulated male mating history to tease apart its effects from those of paternal age on female fertility and offspring traits in the eastern mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki). Male age did not affect female fertility. However, males with greater past mating effort produced significantly larger broods. Paternal age and mating history interacted to affect sons' body size: sons sired by old-virgin males were larger than those sired by old-mated males, but this was not the case for younger fathers. Intriguingly, however, sons sired by old-virgin males tended to produce fewer sperms than those sired by old-mated males, indicating a potential trade-off in beneficial paternal effects. Finally, neither paternal age nor mating history affected daughter's fitness. Our results highlight that variation in offspring traits attributed to paternal age effect could partly arise due to a father's mating history, and not simply to his chronological age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Upama Aich
- Division of Ecology & EvolutionResearch School of BiologyThe Australian National UniversityCanberraAustralia,School of Biological SciencesMonash UniversityClaytonVictoriaAustralia
| | - Shawan Chowdhury
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of QueenslandSaint LuciaQueenslandAustralia
| | - Michael D. Jennions
- Division of Ecology & EvolutionResearch School of BiologyThe Australian National UniversityCanberraAustralia
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11
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Shenoi VN, Brengdahl MI, Grace JL, Eriksson B, Rydén P, Friberg U. A genome-wide test for paternal indirect genetic effects on lifespan in Drosophila melanogaster. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20212707. [PMID: 35538781 PMCID: PMC9091837 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.2707] [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] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Exposing sires to various environmental manipulations has demonstrated that paternal effects can be non-trivial also in species where male investment in offspring is almost exclusively limited to sperm. Whether paternal effects also have a genetic component (i.e. paternal indirect genetic effects (PIGEs)) in such species is however largely unknown, primarily because of methodological difficulties separating indirect from direct effects of genes. PIGEs may nevertheless be important since they have the capacity to contribute to evolutionary change. Here we use Drosophila genetics to construct a breeding design that allows testing nearly complete haploid genomes (more than 99%) for PIGEs. Using this technique, we estimate the variance in male lifespan due to PIGEs among four populations and compare this to the total paternal genetic variance (the sum of paternal indirect and direct genetic effects). Our results indicate that a substantial part of the total paternal genetic variance results from PIGEs. A screen of 38 haploid genomes, randomly sampled from a single population, suggests that PIGEs also influence variation in lifespan within populations. Collectively, our results demonstrate that PIGEs may constitute an underappreciated source of phenotypic variation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jaime L. Grace
- Department of Biology, Loyola University Chicago, 1032 W. Sheridan Rd., Chicago, IL 60660, USA
| | - Björn Eriksson
- Unit of Chemical Ecology, Department of Plant Protection Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sundsvägen 14, Box 102, 230 53 Alnarp, Sweden
| | - Patrik Rydén
- Department of Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics, Umeå University, 901 87 Umeå, Sweden,Computational Life Science Cluster (CLiC), Umeå University, 901 87 Umeå, Sweden
| | - Urban Friberg
- IFM Biology, Linköping University, 581 83 Linköping, Sweden
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12
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Camilleri T, Piper MDW, Robker RL, Dowling DK. Maternal and paternal sugar consumption interact to modify offspring life history and physiology. Funct Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.14024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Rebecca L. Robker
- School of Biomedicine Robinson Research Institute The University of Adelaide Adelaide SA Australia
- School of Biomedical Sciences Monash University Clayton VIC Australia
| | - Damian K. Dowling
- School of Biological Sciences Monash University Clayton VIC Australia
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13
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Promislow DEL, Flatt T, Bonduriansky R. The Biology of Aging in Insects: From Drosophila to Other Insects and Back. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ENTOMOLOGY 2022; 67:83-103. [PMID: 34590891 PMCID: PMC8940561 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ento-061621-064341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
An enormous amount of work has been done on aging in Drosophila melanogaster, a classical genetic and molecular model system, but also in numerous other insects. However, these two extensive bodies of work remain poorly integrated to date. Studies in Drosophila often explore genetic, developmental, physiological, and nutrition-related aspects of aging in the lab, while studies in other insects often explore ecological, social, and somatic aspects of aging in both lab and natural populations. Alongside exciting genomic and molecular research advances in aging in Drosophila, many new studies have also been published on aging in various other insects, including studies on aging in natural populations of diverse species. However, no broad synthesis of these largely separate bodies of work has been attempted. In this review, we endeavor to synthesize these two semi-independent literatures to facilitate collaboration and foster the exchange of ideas and research tools. While lab studies of Drosophila have illuminated many fundamental aspects of senescence, the stunning diversity of aging patterns among insects, especially in the context of their rich ecology, remains vastlyunderstudied. Coupled with field studies and novel, more easily applicable molecular methods, this represents a major opportunity for deepening our understanding of the biology of aging in insects and beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel E L Promislow
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA;
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - Thomas Flatt
- Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, CH-1700 Fribourg, Switzerland;
| | - Russell Bonduriansky
- Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia;
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14
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Angell CS, Janacek R, Rundle HD. Maternal and paternal age effects on male antler flies: a field experiment. Am Nat 2021; 199:436-442. [DOI: 10.1086/718236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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15
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Travers LM, Carlsson H, Lind MI, Maklakov AA. Beneficial cumulative effects of old parental age on offspring fitness. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20211843. [PMID: 34641727 PMCID: PMC8511764 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.1843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Old parental age is commonly associated with negative effects on offspring life-history traits. Such parental senescence effects are predicted to have a cumulative detrimental effect over successive generations. However, old parents may benefit from producing higher quality offspring when these compete for seasonal resources. Thus, old parents may choose to increase investment in their offspring, thereby producing fewer but larger and more competitive progeny. We show that Caenorhabditis elegans hermaphrodites increase parental investment with advancing age, resulting in fitter offspring who reach their reproductive peak earlier. Remarkably, these effects increased over six successive generations of breeding from old parents and were subsequently reversed following a single generation of breeding from a young parent. Our findings support the hypothesis that offspring of old parents receive more resources and convert them into increasingly faster life histories. These results contradict the theory that old parents transfer a cumulative detrimental 'ageing factor' to their offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura M Travers
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Hanne Carlsson
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Martin I Lind
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Animal Ecology, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18D, 75236 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Alexei A Maklakov
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK
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16
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Morimoto J. Parental ecological history can differentially modulate parental age effects on offspring physiological traits in Drosophila. Curr Zool 2021; 68:391-399. [PMID: 36090145 PMCID: PMC9450179 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoab081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2021] [Accepted: 09/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Parents adjust their reproductive investment over their lifespan based on their condition, age, and social environment, creating the potential for inter-generational effects to differentially affect offspring physiology. To date, however, little is known about how social environments experienced by parents throughout development and adulthood influence the effect of parental age on the expression of life-history traits in the offspring. Here, I collected data on Drosophila melanogaster offspring traits (i.e., body weight, water content, and lipid reserves) from populations where either mothers, fathers both, or neither parents experienced different social environments during development (larval crowding) and adulthood. Parental treatment modulated parental age effects on offspring lipid reserves but did not influence parental age effects on offspring water content. Importantly, parents in social environments where all individuals were raised in uncrowded larval densities produced daughters and sons lighter than parental treatments which produced the heaviest offspring. The peak in offspring body weight was delayed relative to the peak in parental reproductive success, but more strongly so for daughters from parental treatments where some or all males in the parental social environments were raised in crowded larval densities (irrespective of their social context), suggesting a potential father-to-daughter effect. Overall, the findings of this study reveal that parental ecological history (here, developmental and adult social environments) can modulate the effects of parental age at reproduction on the expression of offspring traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliano Morimoto
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Zoology Building, Tillydrone Avenue, Aberdeen AB24 2TZ, UK
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17
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Abstract
Abstract
Maternal age has long been described to influence a broad range of offspring life-history traits, including longevity. However, relatively few studies have tested experimentally for the effects of paternal age and even fewer the potential interactive effects of father and mother age on offspring life-history traits from conception to death. To tackle these questions, I performed a factorial experimental design where I manipulated the age of both male and female field crickets (Gryllus bimaculatus) and subsequently assessed their effects over the offspring’s entire lifetime. I found that, despite coming from larger eggs, the embryos of old females grew up at a slower rate, took more time to develop, and showed lower hatching success than those of young females. Offspring postnatal viability was unaffected by female age but, at adulthood, the offspring of old females were bigger and lived shorter than those of young females. Male age effects were mostly present during offspring postnatal development as nymphs sired by old males having increased early mortality. Moreover, father age strongly influenced the development of offspring adult personality as revealed by the shyer personality of crickets sired by an old male. My results indicate that father and mother age at reproduction have different effects that affect offspring traits at different stages of their development. The results further suggest that father and mother age effects could be mediated by independent mechanisms and may separately influence the evolution of aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Carlos Noguera
- Grupo de Ecología Animal, Universidad de Vigo, Fonte das Abelleiras, PC 36310, Vigo, Spain
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18
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Vuarin P, Lesobre L, Levêque G, Saint Jalme M, Lacroix F, Hingrat Y, Sorci G. Paternal age negatively affects sperm production of the progeny. Ecol Lett 2021; 24:719-727. [PMID: 33565248 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2020] [Revised: 12/28/2020] [Accepted: 01/06/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Parental age has profound consequences for offspring's phenotype. However, whether patrilineal age affects offspring sperm production remains unknown, despite the importance of sperm production for male reproductive success in species facing post-copulatory sexual selection. Using a longitudinal dataset on ejaculate attributes of the houbara bustard, we showed that offspring sired by old fathers had different age-dependent trajectories of sperm production compared to offspring sired by young fathers. Specifically, they produced less sperm (-48%) in their first year of life, and 14% less during their lifetime. Paternal age had the strongest effect, with weak evidence for grandpaternal or great grandpaternal age effects. These results show that paternal age can affect offspring reproductive success by reducing sperm production, establishing an intergenerational link between ageing and sexual selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pauline Vuarin
- Reneco International Wildlife Consultants LLC, Abu Dhabi, PoBox 61741, United Arab Emirates.,Biogéosciences, UMR 6282 CNRS, Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté, 6 boulevard Gabriel, Dijon, 21000, France
| | - Loïc Lesobre
- Reneco International Wildlife Consultants LLC, Abu Dhabi, PoBox 61741, United Arab Emirates
| | - Gwènaëlle Levêque
- Emirates Center for Wildlife Propagation, BP 47, route de Midelt, Missour, 33250, Morocco
| | - Michel Saint Jalme
- Centre d'Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation, UMR 7204 MNHN CNRS-UPMC, Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 43 et 61 rue Buffon, Paris, 75005, France
| | - Frédéric Lacroix
- Reneco International Wildlife Consultants LLC, Abu Dhabi, PoBox 61741, United Arab Emirates
| | - Yves Hingrat
- Reneco International Wildlife Consultants LLC, Abu Dhabi, PoBox 61741, United Arab Emirates
| | - Gabriele Sorci
- Biogéosciences, UMR 6282 CNRS, Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté, 6 boulevard Gabriel, Dijon, 21000, France
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19
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Hellmann JK, Bukhari SA, Deno J, Bell AM. Sex-specific plasticity across generations I: Maternal and paternal effects on sons and daughters. J Anim Ecol 2020; 89:2788-2799. [PMID: 33191518 PMCID: PMC7902357 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2020] [Accepted: 09/15/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Intergenerational plasticity or parental effects-when parental environments alter the phenotype of future generations-can influence how organisms cope with environmental change. An intriguing, underexplored possibility is that sex-of both the parent and the offspring-plays an important role in driving the evolution of intergenerational plasticity in both adaptive and non-adaptive ways. Here, we evaluate the potential for sex-specific parental effects in a freshwater population of three-spined sticklebacks Gasterosteus aculeatus by independently and jointly manipulating maternal and paternal experiences and separately evaluating their phenotypic effects in sons versus daughters. We tested the adaptive hypothesis that daughters are more responsive to cues from their mother, whereas sons are more responsive to cues from their father. We exposed mothers, fathers or both parents to visual cues of predation risk and measured offspring antipredator traits and brain gene expression. Predator-exposed fathers produced sons that were more risk-prone, whereas predator-exposed mothers produced more anxious sons and daughters. Furthermore, maternal and paternal effects on offspring survival were non-additive: offspring with a predator-exposed father, but not two predator-exposed parents, had lower survival against live predators. There were also strong sex-specific effects on brain gene expression: exposing mothers versus fathers to predation risk activated different transcriptional profiles in their offspring, and sons and daughters strongly differed in the ways in which their brain gene expression profiles were influenced by parental experience. We found little evidence to support the hypothesis that offspring prioritize their same-sex parent's experience. Parental effects varied with both the sex of the parent and the offspring in complicated and non-additive ways. Failing to account for these sex-specific patterns (e.g. by pooling sons and daughters) would have underestimated the magnitude of parental effects. Altogether, these results draw attention to the potential for sex to influence patterns of intergenerational plasticity and raise new questions about the interface between intergenerational plasticity and sex-specific selective pressures, sexual conflict and sexual selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer K Hellmann
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA, 61801
| | - Syed Abbas Bukhari
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA, 61801
| | - Jack Deno
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA, 61801
| | - Alison M Bell
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA, 61801
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA, 61801
- Program in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA, 61801
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20
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Hellmann JK, Carlson ER, Bell AM. Sex-specific plasticity across generations II: Grandpaternal effects are lineage specific and sex specific. J Anim Ecol 2020; 89:2800-2812. [PMID: 33191513 PMCID: PMC7902365 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2020] [Accepted: 07/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Transgenerational plasticity (TGP) occurs when the environment encountered by one generation (F0) alters the phenotypes of one or more future generations (e.g. F1 and F2). Sex selective TGP, via specific lineages or to only male or female descendants, has been underexplored in natural systems, and may be adaptive if it allows past generations to fine-tune the phenotypes of future generations in response to sex-specific life-history strategies. We sought to understand if exposing males to predation risk can influence grandoffspring via sperm in three-spined stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus. We specifically tested the hypothesis that grandparental effects are transmitted in a sex-specific way down the male lineage, from paternal grandfathers to F2 males. We reared F1 offspring of unexposed and predator-exposed F0 males under 'control' conditions and used them to generate F2s with control grandfathers, a predator-exposed maternal grandfather (i.e. predator-exposed F0 males to F1 daughters to F2s), a predator-exposed paternal grandfather (i.e. predator-exposed F0 males to F1 sons to F2s) or two predator-exposed grandfathers. We then assayed male and female F2s for a variety of traits related to antipredator defence. We found little evidence that transgenerational effects were mediated to only male descendants via the paternal lineage. Instead, grandpaternal effects depended on lineage and were mediated largely across sexes, from F1 males to F2 females and from F1 females to F2 males. When their paternal grandfather was exposed to predation risk, female F2s were heavier and showed a reduced change in behaviour in response to a simulated predator attack relative to grandoffspring of control, unexposed grandparents. In contrast, male F2s showed reduced antipredator behaviour when their maternal grandfather was exposed to predation risk. However, these patterns were only evident when one grandfather, but not both grandfathers, was exposed to predation risk, suggesting the potential for non-additive interactions across lineages. If sex-specific and lineage effects are common, then grandparental effects are likely underestimated in the literature. These results draw attention to the importance of sex-selective inheritance of environmental effects and raise new questions about the proximate and ultimate causes of selective transmission across generations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer K Hellmann
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA, 61801
| | - Erika R Carlson
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA, 61801
| | - Alison M Bell
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA, 61801
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA, 61801
- Program in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA, 61801
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21
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Aich U, Bonnet T, Fox RJ, Jennions MD. An experimental test to separate the effects of male age and mating history on female mate choice. Behav Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/araa092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Should females prefer older males as mates? Male survival to old age might indicate the presence of fitness-enhancing genes that increase offspring fitness. However, many correlational studies show that mating with older males can lower female fecundity and even reduce offspring fitness due to epigenetic or germline mutation effects. One problem in quantifying female choice based on male age is that age is usually confounded with mating history. This begs a question: Do females choose males based on their age or their mating history? The answer requires an experimental approach, but few such studies exist. Here, we test if experimentally induced variation in the mating history of old and young males (12-week difference in postmaturity age) affects female choice in the eastern mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki). To vary mating history, adult males were either allowed to freely mate with females for 3 weeks or they only had visual contact with females. Immediately thereafter, we ran four-choice mating trials, using association time, to test the effects of male age and mating history (2 × 2 design) on male attractiveness. Females did not show a clear preference for males based on either characteristic. This was not due to a lack of female choice: females spent significantly more time with larger males. In addition, female choice was significantly repeatable across four trials: twice as a virgin and twice as a nonvirgin. Finally, female mating status (virgin or nonvirgin) did not affect her choice of mate, although virgin females spent significantly more time associating with test males.
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Affiliation(s)
- Upama Aich
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Acton, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Timothee Bonnet
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Acton, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Rebecca J Fox
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Acton, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Michael D Jennions
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Acton, Canberra, ACT, Australia
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22
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Monaghan P, Maklakov AA, Metcalfe NB. Intergenerational Transfer of Ageing: Parental Age and Offspring Lifespan. Trends Ecol Evol 2020; 35:927-937. [PMID: 32741650 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2020.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2020] [Revised: 07/06/2020] [Accepted: 07/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The extent to which the age of parents at reproduction can affect offspring lifespan and other fitness-related traits is important in our understanding of the selective forces shaping life history evolution. In this article, the widely reported negative effects of parental age on offspring lifespan (the 'Lansing effect') is examined. Outlined herein are the potential routes whereby a Lansing effect can occur, whether effects might accumulate across multiple generations, and how the Lansing effect should be viewed as part of a broader framework, considering how parental age affects offspring fitness. The robustness of the evidence for a Lansing effect produced so far, potential confounding variables, and how the underlying mechanisms might best be unravelled through carefully designed experimental studies are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pat Monaghan
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, MVLS, Graham Kerr Building, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK.
| | - Alexei A Maklakov
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Neil B Metcalfe
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, MVLS, Graham Kerr Building, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
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23
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Spagopoulou F. Transgenerational maternal age effects in nature: Lessons learnt from Asian elephants. J Anim Ecol 2020; 89:936-939. [PMID: 32249424 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2020] [Accepted: 03/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
IN FOCUS Reichert, S., Berger, V., Jackson, J., Chapman, S. N., Htut, W., Mar, K. U., & Lummaa, V. (2019). Maternal age at birth shapes offspring life-history trajectory across generations in long-lived Asian elephants. Journal of Animal Ecology, 89, 996-1007. Parental age can have strong effects on offspring life history, but the prevalence and magnitude of such effects in natural populations remain poorly understood. Using a multigenerational dataset of semi-captive Asian elephants, Reichert et al. (2019) studied the effects of maternal and grandmaternal age on offspring performance and found that offspring from old mothers have lower survival, but higher body condition and reproductive success than offspring from younger mothers. Importantly the observed consequences on survival are long-lasting and span more than one generation, with grand-offspring of old grandmothers also showing reduced survival. These findings suggest that persistent transgenerational effects of maternal age on fitness can shape the individual variation in ageing patterns in nature and ultimately the evolution of life histories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Foteini Spagopoulou
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Animal Ecology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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24
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Wylde Z, Spagopoulou F, Hooper AK, Maklakov AA, Bonduriansky R. Parental breeding age effects on descendants' longevity interact over 2 generations in matrilines and patrilines. PLoS Biol 2019; 17:e3000556. [PMID: 31765371 PMCID: PMC6901263 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2019] [Revised: 12/09/2019] [Accepted: 11/07/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Individuals within populations vary enormously in mortality risk and longevity, but the causes of this variation remain poorly understood. A potentially important and phylogenetically widespread source of such variation is maternal age at breeding, which typically has negative effects on offspring longevity. Here, we show that paternal age can affect offspring longevity as strongly as maternal age does and that breeding age effects can interact over 2 generations in both matrilines and patrilines. We manipulated maternal and paternal ages at breeding over 2 generations in the neriid fly Telostylinus angusticollis. To determine whether breeding age effects can be modulated by the environment, we also manipulated larval diet and male competitive environment in the first generation. We found separate and interactive effects of parental and grand-parental ages at breeding on descendants' mortality rate and life span in both matrilines and patrilines. These breeding age effects were not modulated by grand-parental larval diet quality or competitive environment. Our findings suggest that variation in maternal and paternal ages at breeding could contribute substantially to intrapopulation variation in mortality and longevity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachariah Wylde
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Foteini Spagopoulou
- Uppsala Centre for Evolution and Genomics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Amy K. Hooper
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Alexei A. Maklakov
- Uppsala Centre for Evolution and Genomics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, United Kingdom
| | - Russell Bonduriansky
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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