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Evolutionary and demographic consequences of temperature-induced masculinization under climate warming: the effects of mate choice. BMC Ecol Evol 2021; 21:16. [PMID: 33541263 PMCID: PMC7860201 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-021-01747-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2020] [Accepted: 01/14/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Background One of the dangers of global climate change to wildlife is distorting sex ratios by temperature-induced sex reversals in populations where sex determination is not exclusively genetic, potentially leading to population collapse and/or sex-determination system transformation. Here we introduce a new concept on how these outcomes may be altered by mate choice if sex-chromosome-linked phenotypic traits allow females to choose between normal and sex-reversed (genetically female) males. Results We developed a theoretical model to investigate if an already existing autosomal allele encoding preference for sex-reversed males would spread and affect demographic and evolutionary processes under climate warming. We found that preference for sex-reversed males (1) more likely spread in ZW/ZZ than in XX/XY sex-determination systems, (2) in populations starting with ZW/ZZ system, it significantly hastened the transitions between different sex-determination systems and maintained more balanced adult sex ratio for longer compared to populations where all females preferred normal males; and (3) in ZW/ZZ systems with low but non-zero viability of WW individuals, a widespread preference for sex-reversed males saved the populations from early extinction. Conclusions Our results suggest that climate change may affect the evolution of mate choice, which in turn may influence the evolution of sex-determination systems, sex ratios, and thereby adaptive potential and population persistence. These findings show that preferences for sex-linked traits have special implications in species with sex reversal, highlighting the need for empirical research on the role of sex reversal in mate choice.
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Spickler JL, Swaddle JP, Gilson RL, Varian-Ramos CW, Cristol DA. Sexually selected traits as bioindicators: exposure to mercury affects carotenoid-based male bill color in zebra finches. ECOTOXICOLOGY (LONDON, ENGLAND) 2020; 29:1138-1147. [PMID: 32862260 DOI: 10.1007/s10646-020-02271-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/11/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
To examine whether sexually selected traits are particularly sensitive bioindicators of environmental toxicants, we assessed the effects of exposure to environmentally relevant dietary concentrations of the pollutant methylmercury on pigment coloration in zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata). First, we tested whether effects of methylmercury on coloration were influenced by timing of exposure. Birds were either exposed developmentally (up to 114 days after hatching), as adults (after reaching sexual maturity), or for their entire life. Bill coloration, which is a carotenoid-based, sexually selected trait, was less red in males with lifetime exposure to methylmercury, compared to controls. Neither adult, nor developmental exposure influenced bill color in adult males, with the possible exception of early exposure of nestlings. Among females, where bill color is not under strong sexual selection, neither lifetime nor adult exposure to methylmercury affected bill color. For males and females, there was no effect of either lifetime or adult methylmercury exposure on coloration of back feathers, which is a non-sexually-dimorphic, melanin-based trait that is not likely the result of sexual selection. This study is a comprehensive experimental test of the proposal that sexually selected traits may be particularly useful bioindicators of the stress imposed by environmental toxins such as methylmercury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica L Spickler
- Department of Biology, Institute for Bird Behavior Studies, William & Mary, Williamsburg, VA, 23187, USA
| | - John P Swaddle
- Institute for Integrative Conservation, William & Mary, Williamsburg, VA, 23187, USA
| | - Rebecca L Gilson
- Department of Biology, Institute for Bird Behavior Studies, William & Mary, Williamsburg, VA, 23187, USA
| | | | - Daniel A Cristol
- Department of Biology, Institute for Bird Behavior Studies, William & Mary, Williamsburg, VA, 23187, USA.
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Hernandez Scudder ME, Weinberg A, Thompson L, Crews D, Gore AC. Prenatal EDCs Impair Mate and Odor Preference and Activation of the VMN in Male and Female Rats. Endocrinology 2020; 161:5874569. [PMID: 32692847 PMCID: PMC7448938 DOI: 10.1210/endocr/bqaa124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2020] [Accepted: 07/16/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Environmental endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) disrupt hormone-dependent biological processes. We examined how prenatal exposure to EDCs act in a sex-specific manner to disrupt social and olfactory behaviors in adulthood and underlying neurobiological mechanisms. Pregnant rat dams were injected daily from embryonic day 8 to 18 with 1 mg/kg Aroclor 1221 (A1221), 1 mg/kg vinclozolin, or the vehicle (6% DMSO in sesame oil). A1221 is a mixture of polychlorinated biphenyls (weakly estrogenic) while vinclozolin is a fungicide (anti-androgenic). Adult male offspring exposed to A1221 or vinclozolin, and females exposed to A1221, had impaired mate preference behavior when given a choice between 2 opposite-sex rats that differed by hormone status. A similar pattern of impairment was observed in an odor preference test for urine-soaked filter paper from the same rat groups. A habituation/dishabituation test revealed that all rats had normal odor discrimination ability. Because of the importance of the ventrolateral portion of the ventromedial nucleus (VMNvl) in mate choice, expression of the immediate early gene product Fos was measured, along with its co-expression in estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) cells. A1221 females with impaired mate and odor preference behavior also had increased neuronal activation in the VMNvl, although not specific to ERα-expressing neurons. Interestingly, males exposed to EDCs had normal Fos expression in this region, suggesting that other neurons and/or brain regions mediate these effects. The high conservation of hormonal, olfactory, and behavioral traits necessary for reproductive success means that EDC contamination and its ability to alter these traits has widespread effects on wildlife and humans.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Amy Weinberg
- Division of Pharmacology & Toxicology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
| | - Lindsay Thompson
- Division of Pharmacology & Toxicology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
| | - David Crews
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
| | - Andrea C Gore
- Institute for Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
- Division of Pharmacology & Toxicology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
- Correspondence: Andrea C. Gore, PhD, University of Texas at Austin, 107 W. Dean Keeton St., Box C0875, Austin, TX, 78712. E-mail:
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Tudor MS, Lopez-Anido RN, Yocius CA, Conlin SM, Hamlin HJ. Ecologically relevant arsenic exposure alters female mate preference and anxiety-like behavior in Betta splendens. Heliyon 2019; 5:e02646. [PMID: 31687501 PMCID: PMC6820098 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e02646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2019] [Revised: 07/12/2019] [Accepted: 10/09/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Arsenic is a metalloid pollutant that is commonly found in surface and groundwater worldwide. Toxicological effects of arsenic are relatively well-known, but much less studied are its effects on behavioral endpoints, which may have considerable evolutionary and population-level consequences. Here we investigated the effects of exposure to environmentally relevant concentrations of arsenic (0, 10 and 100 μg/L) for 96-hours on female preference for male color (i.e. red versus blue) in Betta splendens, an increasingly popular fish model for contaminant-induced behavioral dysfunction. Further, we examined whether arsenic exposure altered anxiety-like behaviors using a standard scototaxis test (preference for light or dark), as well as measured tissue cortisol concentrations to increase our understanding of possible mechanisms driving behavioral responses. We found exposure to 100 μg/L arsenic results in a loss of female preference for red males, and arsenic exposed females showed increased anxiety-like behavior. The loss in preference for male coloration may have been driven by anxiety, as preference for red was negatively correlated with anxiety-like behavior for all fish. Interestingly, increase in anxiety-like behavior occurred without a parallel increase in cortisol. Female preference for red colored males may confer fitness benefits, and this study highlights important arsenic-induced behavioral changes that could have population level consequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Scarlett Tudor
- University of Maine Cooperative Extension Aquatic Animal Health Laboratory, 17 Godfrey Drive, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04473 USA.,Aquaculture Research Institute, Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center, York Complex #4, Orono, ME 04469, USA
| | - Rebecca N Lopez-Anido
- School of Marine Sciences, 5751 Murray Hall, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469 USA
| | - Charly A Yocius
- School of Marine Sciences, 5751 Murray Hall, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469 USA
| | - Sarah M Conlin
- School of Marine Sciences, 5751 Murray Hall, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469 USA
| | - Heather J Hamlin
- School of Marine Sciences, 5751 Murray Hall, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469 USA.,Aquaculture Research Institute, Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center, York Complex #4, Orono, ME 04469, USA
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Candolin U, Wong BBM. Mate choice in a polluted world: consequences for individuals, populations and communities. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2019; 374:20180055. [PMID: 31352882 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2018.0055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Pollution (e.g. by chemicals, noise, light, heat) is an insidious consequence of anthropogenic activity that affects environments worldwide. Exposure of wildlife to pollutants has the capacity to adversely affect animal communication and behaviour across a wide range of sensory modalities-by not only impacting the signalling environment, but also the way in which animals produce, perceive and interpret signals and cues. Such disturbances, particularly when it comes to sex, can drastically alter fitness. Here, we consider how pollutants disrupt communication and behaviour during mate choice, and the ecological and evolutionary changes such disturbances can engender. We explain how the different stages of mate choice can be affected by pollution, from encountering mates to the final choice, and how changes to these stages can influence individual fitness, population dynamics and community structure. We end with discussing how an understanding of these disturbances can help inform better conservation and management practices and highlight important considerations and avenues for future research. This article is part of the theme issue 'Linking behaviour to dynamics of populations and communities: application of novel approaches in behavioural ecology to conservation'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulrika Candolin
- Organsimal and Evolutionary Biology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Bob B M Wong
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
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Gore AC, Holley AM, Crews D. Mate choice, sexual selection, and endocrine-disrupting chemicals. Horm Behav 2018; 101:3-12. [PMID: 28888817 PMCID: PMC5845777 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2017.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2017] [Revised: 08/26/2017] [Accepted: 09/05/2017] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Humans have disproportionately affected the habitat and survival of species through environmental contamination. Important among these anthropogenic influences is the proliferation of organic chemicals, some of which perturb hormone systems, the latter referred to as endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs). EDCs are widespread in the environment and affect all levels of reproduction, including development of reproductive organs, hormone release and regulation through the life cycle, the development of secondary sexual characteristics, and the maturation and maintenance of adult physiology and behavior. However, what is not well-known is how the confluence of EDC actions on the manifestation of morphological and behavioral sexual traits influences mate choice, a process that requires the reciprocal evaluation of and/or acceptance of a sexual partner. Moreover, the outcomes of EDC-induced perturbations are likely to influence sexual selection; yet this has rarely been directly tested. Here, we provide background on the development and manifestation of sexual traits, reproductive competence, and the neurobiology of sexual behavior, and evidence for their perturbation by EDCs. Selection acts on individuals, with the consequences manifest in populations, and we discuss the implications for EDC contamination of these processes, and the future of species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea C Gore
- Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, USA.
| | - Amanda M Holley
- Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, USA; Department of Integrative Biology, College of Natural Sciences, USA
| | - David Crews
- Department of Integrative Biology, College of Natural Sciences, USA.
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Barrett ES, Patisaul HB. Endocrine disrupting chemicals and behavior: Re-evaluating the science at a critical turning point. Horm Behav 2017; 96:A1-A6. [PMID: 28947077 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2017.09.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2017] [Accepted: 09/16/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Emily S Barrett
- Department of Epidemiology, Rutgers School of Public Health, Piscataway, NJ 08854, United States; Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, United States.
| | - Heather B Patisaul
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, United States; Center for Human Health and the Environment, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, United States
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Wright DS, Demandt N, Alkema JT, Seehausen O, Groothuis TGG, Maan ME. Developmental effects of visual environment on species-assortative mating preferences in Lake Victoria cichlid fish. J Evol Biol 2016; 30:289-299. [DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2016] [Revised: 10/10/2016] [Accepted: 10/18/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- D. S. Wright
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES); University of Groningen; Groningen The Netherlands
| | - N. Demandt
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES); University of Groningen; Groningen The Netherlands
| | - J. T. Alkema
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES); University of Groningen; Groningen The Netherlands
| | - O. Seehausen
- Institute of Ecology & Evolution; University of Bern; Bern Switzerland
- Department Fish Ecology & Evolution; Eawag, Center for Ecology, Evolution and Biogeochemistry; Kastanienbaum Switzerland
| | - T. G. G. Groothuis
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES); University of Groningen; Groningen The Netherlands
| | - M. E. Maan
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES); University of Groningen; Groningen The Netherlands
- Institute of Ecology & Evolution; University of Bern; Bern Switzerland
- Department Fish Ecology & Evolution; Eawag, Center for Ecology, Evolution and Biogeochemistry; Kastanienbaum Switzerland
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