1
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Xia Q, Anwar U, Weijian Y, Yingshuai W, Hui L. Genetic characteristics of spouse selection based on short tandem repeats in DNA and lunula count on fingertip. Genes Environ 2023; 45:26. [PMID: 37864262 PMCID: PMC10588066 DOI: 10.1186/s41021-023-00281-6] [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: 04/10/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/22/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to assess the correlation of spouse selection with short tandem repeats (STRs) in DNA and with the number of fingertip lunulae to investigate the role of heredity in spouse selection. METHODS We randomly selected a total of 286 couples (husband and wife) as a couple group while 200 paired subjects (a man randomly matched with a woman as a pair of subjects) were selected as a non-spouse group for DNA typing, and to investigate lunulae in spouse selection, a total of 554 couples were selected as a couple group and 500 pairs of subjects were selected as a control group. RESULTS A significant difference of STR matching number (a large value implies a higher genetic similarity) between spouse group and non-spouse group were observed (12.3 ± 2.7 vs. 11.8 ± 2.6; p < 0.05). A significant difference of the lunula matching number (difference of lunula counts between a paired subjects, a lower value implies a higher genetic similarity) between two groups were also observed for the lunula counts (1.55 ± 1.88 vs. 3.53 ± 2.40; p < 0.01). CONCLUSION Significant and unprecedented relationships were found between the couples and polymorphic STRs, and between spouse selection and lunula counts. Polymorphic STRs and fingertip lunulae counts provide an initial insight into the potentially important contributions that genetic characteristics may play a key role in spouse selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qi Xia
- College of Medical Laboratory, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, 116044, China
| | - Ullah Anwar
- College of Medical Laboratory, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, 116044, China
| | - Yu Weijian
- College of Medical Laboratory, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, 116044, China
| | - Wang Yingshuai
- College of Medical Laboratory, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, 116044, China
| | - Liu Hui
- College of Medical Laboratory, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, 116044, China.
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2
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Auer KE, Primus J, Istel S, Dahlhoff M, Rülicke T. Mate genetic similarity affects mating behaviour but not maternal investment in mice. Sci Rep 2023; 13:10536. [PMID: 37386286 PMCID: PMC10310752 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-37547-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2023] [Accepted: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 07/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Maternal investment can affect the survival and development of offspring. Here we experimentally investigated in mice, whether females alter implantation rates and pup survival after embryo transfer depending on the genetic similarity with their vasectomised mating partner. We selected the MHC genotype and genetic background of males and paired females either with males that shared the same MHC haplotype and genetic background (CBA/J inbred males, isogenic group), that shared half of the MHC haplotype and genetic background (B6CBAF1 hybrid males, semi-isogenic group), or that had a different MHC haplotype and genetic background (C57BL/6N inbred males, allogenic group). We performed 304 pairings, resulting in 81 vaginal plugs, which confirmed mating. Plug rates were significantly higher in the semi-isogenic group (36.9%) compared to the isogenic group (19.5%), but not the allogenic group (26%). We found no difference in the number of implantation sites, the number of born or surviving pups until weaning, or litter weight or sex ratio between groups. Even though we found a mating bias, we found no difference in maternal investment under laboratory conditions. At least under pathogen-free conditions our study does not provide any evidence for differential maternal investment when females could increase offspring genetic diversity or heterozygosity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kerstin E Auer
- Institute of in vivo and in vitro Models, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Jasmin Primus
- Institute of in vivo and in vitro Models, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Sonja Istel
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Maik Dahlhoff
- Institute of in vivo and in vitro Models, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas Rülicke
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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3
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Martinossi-Allibert I, Ament-Velásquez SL, Saupe SJ, Johannesson H. To self or not to self? Absence of mate choice despite costly outcrossing in the fungus Podospora anserina. J Evol Biol 2023; 36:238-250. [PMID: 36263943 PMCID: PMC10092876 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2022] [Revised: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Fungi have a large potential for flexibility in their mode of sexual reproduction, resulting in mating systems ranging from haploid selfing to outcrossing. However, we know little about which mating strategies are used in nature, and why, even in well-studied model organisms. Here, we explored the fitness consequences of alternative mating strategies in the ascomycete fungus Podospora anserina. We measured and compared fitness proxies of nine genotypes in either diploid selfing or outcrossing events, over two generations, and with or without environmental stress. We showed that fitness was consistently lower in outcrossing events, irrespective of the environment. The cost of outcrossing was partly attributed to non-self recognition genes with pleiotropic effects on fertility. We then predicted that when presented with options to either self or outcross, individuals would perform mate choice in favour of the reproductive strategy that yields higher fitness. Contrary to our prediction, individuals did not seem to avoid outcrossing when a choice was offered, in spite of the fitness cost incurred. Our results suggest that, although functionally diploid, P. anserina does not benefit from outcrossing in most cases. We outline different explanations for the apparent lack of mate choice in face of high fitness costs associated with outcrossing, including a new perspective on the pleiotropic effect of non-self recognition genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivain Martinossi-Allibert
- Systematic Biology, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.,Institut de Biochimie et de Génétique Cellulaire, UMR 5095 CNRS, Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux CEDEX, France.,Department of Biology, Realfagbygget, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | | | - Sven J Saupe
- Institut de Biochimie et de Génétique Cellulaire, UMR 5095 CNRS, Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux CEDEX, France
| | - Hanna Johannesson
- Systematic Biology, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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4
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Sinsch U, Hecht K, Kost S, Grenat PR, Martino AL. Asymmetric Male Mating Success in Lek-Breeding Rhinella arenarum. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12233268. [PMID: 36496788 PMCID: PMC9740229 DOI: 10.3390/ani12233268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2022] [Revised: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Mate choice is the attempt of an individual to gain higher reproductive fitness by preferring to mate with some individuals and not with others. We studied the role of mate choice in the mating system of the neotropical toad Rhinella arenarum by assessing male reproductive tactics for mate acquisition and the contribution of female choice for pair formation. In a shallow pond in central Argentina, we estimated male mating success and the corresponding reproductive tactics by focal observation. The variation of phenotypic and genotypic traits (size and shape, longevity, vocalization features, heterozygosity) was related to the observed mating success in 110 males. The phonotactic response of 21 reproductive females to conspecific advertisement call features was tested in arena experiments. Mating success was limited to 32 males, pair formation was size-assortative. The dominant reproductive tactics were advertising from call positions near suitable breeding sites and pre-mating fights with intruding males, whereas the interception of amplectant pairs and the displacement of mated males were never observed. Female phonotaxis was directed to conspecific choruses but complex and simple call structures were not distinguished. We conclude that the mating system is a lek combining pre-mating fights among males and female choice of slightly smaller males. Fights interfere with female choice, undermining size-assortative mating. This is a unique system in the R. marina species group, in which interception behavior dominates reproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulrich Sinsch
- Institute of Integrated Sciences, Department of Biology, University of Koblenz-Landau, D-56070 Koblenz, Germany
- Correspondence:
| | - Katharina Hecht
- Institute of Integrated Sciences, Department of Biology, University of Koblenz-Landau, D-56070 Koblenz, Germany
| | - Silvia Kost
- Institute of Integrated Sciences, Department of Biology, University of Koblenz-Landau, D-56070 Koblenz, Germany
| | - Pablo R. Grenat
- Ecología, Departamento de Ciencias Naturales, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físico-Químicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto, Ruta Nacional N° 36—km 601, Río Cuarto X5804BYA, Argentina
- Instituto de Ciencias de la Tierra, Biodiversidad y Sustentabilidad Ambiental (ICBIA), Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto-CONICET, Río Cuarto X5804BYA, Argentina
| | - Adolfo L. Martino
- Ecología, Departamento de Ciencias Naturales, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físico-Químicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto, Ruta Nacional N° 36—km 601, Río Cuarto X5804BYA, Argentina
- Instituto de Ciencias de la Tierra, Biodiversidad y Sustentabilidad Ambiental (ICBIA), Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto-CONICET, Río Cuarto X5804BYA, Argentina
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5
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Sperm tendency to agglutinate in motile bundles in relation to sperm competition and fertility duration in chickens. Sci Rep 2022; 12:18860. [PMID: 36344554 PMCID: PMC9640612 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-22049-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2022] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
A unique sperm behavior was observed in Egyptian chickens. Sperm showed a tendency to agglutinate forming motile thread-like bundles. Sperm agglutination behavior, kinematics, and some morphometric measures were studied in relation to sperm competition and fertility duration in Sharkasi and Dandarawi chickens. Sperm tendency to agglutinate was assessed by examining sperm morphology using scanning electron microscopy, Acridine orange-stained semen smears using fluorescence microscopy, and recording videos of sperm under phase contrast microscope. Sperm velocity and morphometric measures were evaluated using image-J software. To assess sperm competition, Sharkasi and Dandarawi hens were artificially inseminated by semen pools possessing equal number of Sharaksi and Dandarawi sperm. Artificial insemination was repeated ten times. The eggs obtained were incubated, and the hatchlings were discriminated as descending from Sharkasi or Dandarawi fathers according to their phenotype. To assess the fertility duration, Sharkasi and Dandarawi hens were inseminated by semen collected from roosters of the same strain. Eggs were collected for a period of 28 days post-insemination and incubated. Sharkasi spermatozoa showed higher tendency to agglutinate forming longer and thicker motile bundles. No significant differences were observed in sperm curvilinear and straight line velocity and in sperm morphometric measures between Sharkasi and Dandarawi chickens. Sharkasi roosters fathered 81.6% and 67.7% of the hatchlings produced by Sharkasi and Dandarawi mothers, respectively. The fertility period in Sharkasi and Dandarawi was 22 and 14 days, respectively. We suggest that the differences seen in sperm competitiveness and fertility duration can be attributed to sperm agglutination behavior.
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6
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Petersen RM, Bergey CM, Roos C, Higham JP. Relationship between genome-wide and MHC class I and II genetic diversity and complementarity in a nonhuman primate. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e9346. [PMID: 36311412 PMCID: PMC9596323 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2021] [Revised: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Although mate choice is expected to favor partners with advantageous genetic properties, the relative importance of genome‐wide characteristics, such as overall heterozygosity or kinship, versus specific loci, is unknown. To disentangle genome‐wide and locus‐specific targets of mate choice, we must first understand congruence in global and local variation within the same individual. This study compares genetic diversity, both absolute and relative to other individuals (i.e., complementarity), assessed across the genome to that found at the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), a hyper‐variable gene family integral to immune system function and implicated in mate choice across species. Using DNA from 22 captive olive baboons (Papio anubis), we conducted double digest restriction site‐associated DNA sequencing to estimate genome‐wide heterozygosity and kinship, and sequenced two class I and two class II MHC loci. We found that genome‐wide diversity was not associated with MHC diversity, and that diversity at class I MHC loci was not correlated with diversity at class II loci. Additionally, kinship was a significant predictor of the number of MHC alleles shared between dyads at class II loci. Our results provide further evidence of the strong selective pressures maintaining genetic diversity at the MHC in comparison to other randomly selected sites throughout the genome. Furthermore, our results indicate that class II MHC disassortative mate choice may mediate inbreeding avoidance in this population. Our study suggests that mate choice favoring genome‐wide genetic diversity is not always synonymous with mate choice favoring MHC diversity, and highlights the importance of controlling for kinship when investigating MHC‐associated mate choice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel M. Petersen
- Department of AnthropologyNew York UniversityNew YorkNew YorkUSA,New York Consortium in Evolutionary PrimatologyNew YorkNew YorkUSA
| | - Christina M. Bergey
- Department of Genetics and the Human Genetics Institute of New JerseyRutgers UniversityPiscatawayNew JerseyUSA
| | - Christian Roos
- Gene Bank of Primates and Primate Genetics LaboratoryGerman Primate CenterLeibniz Institute for Primate ResearchGöttingenGermany
| | - James P. Higham
- Department of AnthropologyNew York UniversityNew YorkNew YorkUSA,New York Consortium in Evolutionary PrimatologyNew YorkNew YorkUSA
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7
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Nichols HJ, Fuchs B, Paijmans AJ, Lewis G, Bonin CA, Goebel ME, Hoffman JI. Where are the beachmasters? Unexpectedly weak polygyny among southern elephant seals on a South Shetland Island. J Zool (1987) 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- H. J. Nichols
- Department of Biosciences Swansea University Swansea UK
- Department of Animal Behaviour University of Bielefeld Bielefeld Germany
| | - B. Fuchs
- Department of Animal Behaviour University of Bielefeld Bielefeld Germany
| | - A. J. Paijmans
- Department of Animal Behaviour University of Bielefeld Bielefeld Germany
| | - G. Lewis
- Department of Biosciences Swansea University Swansea UK
| | - C. A. Bonin
- Department of Marine and Environmental Sciences Hampton University Hampton USA
| | - M. E. Goebel
- Institute of Marine Sciences University of California Santa Cruz Santa Cruz CA USA
| | - J. I. Hoffman
- Department of Animal Behaviour University of Bielefeld Bielefeld Germany
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8
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Fogel AS, McLean EM, Gordon JB, Archie EA, Tung J, Alberts SC. Genetic ancestry predicts male-female affiliation in a natural baboon hybrid zone. Anim Behav 2021; 180:249-268. [PMID: 34866638 PMCID: PMC8635413 DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.07.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Opposite-sex social relationships are important predictors of fitness in many animals, including several group-living mammals. Consequently, understanding sources of variance in the tendency to form opposite-sex relationships is important for understanding social evolution. Genetic contributions are of particular interest due to their importance in long-term evolutionary change, but little is known about genetic effects on male-female relationships in social mammals, especially outside of the mating context. Here, we investigate the effects of genetic ancestry on male-female affiliative behaviour in a hybrid zone between the yellow baboon, Papio cynocephalus, and the anubis baboon, Papio anubis, in a population in which male-female social bonds are known predictors of life span. We place our analysis within the context of other social and demographic predictors of affiliative behaviour in baboons. Genetic ancestry was the most consistent predictor of opposite-sex affiliative behaviour we observed, with the exception of strong effects of dominance rank. Our results show that increased anubis genetic ancestry is associated with a subtle, but significantly higher, probability of opposite-sex affiliative behaviour, in both males and females. Additionally, pairs of anubis-like males and anubis-like females were the most likely to socially affiliate, resulting in moderate assortativity in grooming and proximity behaviour as a function of genetic ancestry. Our findings indicate that opposite-sex affiliative behaviour partially diverged during baboon evolution to differentiate yellow and anubis baboons, despite overall similarities in their social structures and mating systems. Furthermore, they suggest that affiliative behaviour may simultaneously promote and constrain baboon admixture, through additive and assortative effects of ancestry, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arielle S. Fogel
- University Program in Genetics and Genomics, Duke University, Durham, NC, U.S.A
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, U.S.A
| | - Emily M. McLean
- University Program in Genetics and Genomics, Duke University, Durham, NC, U.S.A
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, U.S.A
- Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Oxford College of Emory University, Oxford, GA, U.S.A
| | | | - Elizabeth A. Archie
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, U.S.A
- Institute of Primate Research, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Jenny Tung
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, U.S.A
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, U.S.A
- Institute of Primate Research, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
- Duke Population Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, U.S.A
| | - Susan C. Alberts
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, U.S.A
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, U.S.A
- Institute of Primate Research, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
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9
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Auld HL, Jacobson DP, Rhodes AC, Banks MA. Differences in Mate Pairings of Hatchery- and Natural-Origin Coho Salmon Inferred from Offspring Genotypes. Integr Org Biol 2021; 3:obab020. [PMID: 34409260 PMCID: PMC8363981 DOI: 10.1093/iob/obab020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2020] [Revised: 05/20/2021] [Accepted: 06/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Captive breeding can affect how sexual selection acts on subsequent generations. One context where this is important is in fish hatcheries. In many salmon hatcheries, spawning is controlled artificially and offspring are reared in captivity before release into the wild. While previous studies have suggested that hatchery- and natural-origin fish may make different mate choice decisions, it remains to be determined how hatchery fish may be making different mate choice decisions compared with natural-origin fish at a genetic level. Using genotyping-by-sequencing, we identify single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with variation in mate pairings from a natural context involving hatchery- and natural-origin coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch). In both natural-origin and hatchery mate pairs, we observed more SNPs with negative assortment than positive assortment. However, only 3% of the negative assortment SNPs were shared between the two mating groups, and 1% of the positive assortment SNPs were shared between the two mating groups, indicating divergence in mating cues between wild and hatchery-raised salmon. These findings shed light on mate choice in general and may have important implications in the conservation management of species as well as for improving other captive breeding scenarios. There remains much to discover about mate choice in salmon and research described here reflects our intent to test the potential of ongoing advances in population genomics to develop new hatchery practices that may improve the performance of hatchery offspring, lessening the differences and thus potential impacts upon wild stocks.
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Affiliation(s)
- H L Auld
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | - D P Jacobson
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | - A C Rhodes
- Coastal Oregon Marine Experiment Station, Hatfield Marine Science Center, Oregon State University, Newport, OR 97365, USA
| | - M A Banks
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
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10
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Fan Q, E M, Wei Y, Sun W, Wang H. Mate Choice in Double-Breeding Female Great Tits ( Parus Major): Good Males or Compatible Males. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:ani11010140. [PMID: 33440643 PMCID: PMC7826884 DOI: 10.3390/ani11010140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2020] [Revised: 01/04/2021] [Accepted: 01/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Double breeding is a common reproductive strategy among temperate passerines to increase annual fecundity. To produce two clutches in the same breeding season and to ensure offspring quality, choosing a good mate is important for females. Uncovering the method used in social mate choice for genetic benefits adopted by double-breeding females would provide a better understanding of the life history and rules of female choice. In the present study, we tested the effects of the date of the first egg of the first brood and of female quality on double breeding, and good genes and genetic compatibility hypotheses on mate choice for double breeding female great tits (Parus major) in a population breeding inside nest boxes of Zuojia Natural Reserve in northeast China. The date of the first egg of the first brood did not affect initiation of a second brood, and female individual heterozygosity slightly influenced initiation of a second breeding. Female great tits choose males with both compatible genes and good genes in double-breeding mating. Double-breeding females prefer males with large breast stripes, high heterozygosity, and lower relatedness. The number of offspring of the first clutch did not affect the pairing status of male great tits in double breeding. The genetic quality of offspring from double-breeding pairs was higher than that of those from single-breeding pairs (higher heterozygosity and lower individual F). Abstract Producing two broods within the same season may be a good strategy by which short-lived species can maximize reproductive success. To produce two clutches in the same breeding season and to ensure offspring quality, choosing a good mate is important for females. Previous studies on double breeding focused on the associated influencing factors, and few studies examined how females choose social mates. Good genes and genetic compatibility are the two main hypotheses of the genetic benefit that females obtain from choosing mates. Uncovering the method used in mate choice for genetic benefits adopted by double-breeding females would provide a better understanding of the life history and rules of female choice. The great tit is an optionally double-breeding species in temperate-latitude populations. Here, we used a dataset for a Chinese population monitored between 2014 and 2016 to test two hypotheses on double-breeding female mate choice. A total of 30.1% of the breeding pairs initiated second breeding attempts, always remating with the same mate. The date of the first egg of the first brood did not affect initiation of a second brood, and female individual heterozygosity slightly influenced initiation of a second breeding. Female great tits choose males with both compatible genes and good genes in double-breeding mating. Double-breeding females prefer males with large breast stripes, high heterozygosity, and lower relatedness, while tarsus length, repertoire size, and individual F are not the main factors considered by females when selecting males for double breeding. The number of offspring of the first clutch did not affect the pairing status of male great tits in double breeding. The genetic quality of offspring from double-breeding pairs was higher than that of those from single-breeding pairs (higher heterozygosity and lower individual F). Taken together, our results showed that double breeding female great tits adopt multiple methods for genetic benefits to choose mates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qianxi Fan
- Jilin Engineering Laboratory for Avian Ecology and Conservation Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Renmin Street 5268, Changchun 130024, China; (Q.F.); (M.E); (Y.W.)
- Key Laboratory for Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, Renmin Street 5268, Changchun 130024, China
| | - Mingju E
- Jilin Engineering Laboratory for Avian Ecology and Conservation Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Renmin Street 5268, Changchun 130024, China; (Q.F.); (M.E); (Y.W.)
- School of Life Sciences, Changchun Normal University, 677 Changjibei Road, Changchun 130032, China
| | - Yusheng Wei
- Jilin Engineering Laboratory for Avian Ecology and Conservation Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Renmin Street 5268, Changchun 130024, China; (Q.F.); (M.E); (Y.W.)
| | - Wei Sun
- Key Laboratory for Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, Renmin Street 5268, Changchun 130024, China
- Correspondence: (W.S.); (H.W.)
| | - Haitao Wang
- Jilin Engineering Laboratory for Avian Ecology and Conservation Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Renmin Street 5268, Changchun 130024, China; (Q.F.); (M.E); (Y.W.)
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Renmin Street 5268, Changchun 130024, China
- Correspondence: (W.S.); (H.W.)
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Tatler J, Prowse TA, Roshier DA, Cairns KM, Cassey P. Phenotypic variation and promiscuity in a wild population of pure dingoes (
Canis dingo
). J ZOOL SYST EVOL RES 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/jzs.12418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jack Tatler
- Centre for Applied Conservation Science and School of Biological Sciences University of Adelaide Adelaide South Australia Australia
| | - Thomas A.A. Prowse
- School of Mathematical Sciences University of Adelaide Adelaide South Australia Australia
| | - David A. Roshier
- Australian Wildlife Conservancy Subiaco East Western Australia Australia
- Centre for Ecosystem Science University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia
| | - Kylie M. Cairns
- Centre for Ecosystem Science University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia
| | - Phillip Cassey
- Centre for Applied Conservation Science and School of Biological Sciences University of Adelaide Adelaide South Australia Australia
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12
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Zhang BY, Hu HY, Song CM, Huang K, Dunn DW, Yang X, Wang XW, Zhao HT, Wang CL, Zhang P, Li BG. MHC-Based Mate Choice in Wild Golden Snub-Nosed Monkeys. Front Genet 2020; 11:609414. [PMID: 33408742 PMCID: PMC7779673 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2020.609414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2020] [Accepted: 11/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The genes of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) are an important component of the vertebrate immune system and play a significant role in mate choice in many species. However, it remains unclear whether female mate choice in non-human primates is based on specific functional genes and/or genome-wide genes. The golden snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana) lives in a multilevel society, which consists of several polygynous one-male-several-female units. Although adult females tend to mainly socialize with one adult male, females often initiate extra-pair copulations with other males resulting in a high proportion of offspring being fathered by extra-pair males. We investigated the effects of adaptive MHC genes and neutral microsatellites on female mate choice in a wild R. roxellana population. We sequenced 54 parent-offspring triads using two MHC class II loci (Rhro-DQA1 and Rhro-DQB1) and 20 microsatellites from 3 years of data. We found that the paternities of offspring were non-randomly associated with male MHC compositions not microsatellite genotypes. Our study showed that the fathers of all infants had significantly less variance for several estimates of genetic similarity to the mothers compared with random males at both MHC loci. Additionally, the MHC diversity of these fathers was significantly higher than random males. We also found support for choice based on specific alleles; compared with random males, Rhro-DQA1∗ 05 and Rhro-DQB1∗ 08 were more common in both the OMU (one-male unit) males and the genetic fathers of offspring. This study provides new evidence for female mate choice for MHC-intermediate dissimilarity (rather than maximal MHC dissimilarity) and highlights the importance of incorporating multiple MHC loci and social structure into studies of MHC-based mate choice in non-human primates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bing-Yi Zhang
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - Han-Yu Hu
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - Chun-Mei Song
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - Kang Huang
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - Derek W Dunn
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - Xi Yang
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | | | - Hai-Tao Zhao
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China.,Shaanxi Institute of Zoology, Xi'an, China
| | - Cheng-Liang Wang
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China.,Shaanxi Institute of Zoology, Xi'an, China
| | - Pei Zhang
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - Bao-Guo Li
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China.,Xi'an Branch of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an, China
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13
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Botero-Delgadillo E, Quirici V, Vásquez RA, Kempenaers B. Heterozygosity-Fitness Correlations in a Continental Island Population of Thorn-Tailed Rayadito. J Hered 2020; 111:628-639. [PMID: 33277658 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esaa056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2020] [Accepted: 12/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Heterozygosity-fitness correlations (HFCs) have been used to monitor the effects of inbreeding in threatened populations. HFCs can also be useful to investigate the potential effects of inbreeding in isolated relict populations of long-term persistence and to better understand the role of inbreeding and outbreeding as drivers of changes in genetic diversity. We studied a continental island population of thorn-tailed rayadito (Aphrastura spinicauda) inhabiting the relict forest of Fray Jorge National Park, north-central Chile. This population has experienced a long-term, gradual process of isolation since the end of the Tertiary. Using 10 years of field data in combination with molecular techniques, we tested for HFCs to assess the importance of inbreeding depression. If inbreeding depression is important, we predict a positive relationship between individual heterozygosity and fitness-related traits. We genotyped 183 individuals at 12 polymorphic microsatellite loci and used 7 measures of reproductive success and estimates of apparent survival to calculate HFCs. We found weak to moderate statistical support (P-values between 0.05 and 0.01) for a linear effect of female multi-locus heterozygosity (MLH) on clutch size and nonlinear effects on laying date and fledging success. While more heterozygous females laid smaller clutches, nonlinear effects indicated that females with intermediate values of MLH started laying earlier and had higher fledging success. We found no evidence for effects of MLH on annual fecundity or on apparent survival. Our results along with the long-term demographic stability of the study population contradict the hypothesis that inbreeding depression occurs in this population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esteban Botero-Delgadillo
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Plank Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Verónica Quirici
- Departamento de Ecología y Biodiversidad, Facultad de Ecología y Recursos Naturales, Universidad Andrés Bello, Santiago, Chile.,Centro de investigación para la sustentabilidad, Universidad Andrés Bello, Santiago, Chile
| | - Rodrigo A Vásquez
- Instituto de Ecología y Biodiversidad, Departamento de Ciencias Ecológicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Bart Kempenaers
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Plank Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
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14
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Johnson SL, Borziak K, Kleffmann T, Rosengrave P, Dorus S, Gemmell NJ. Ovarian fluid proteome variation associates with sperm swimming speed in an externally fertilizing fish. J Evol Biol 2020; 33:1783-1794. [PMID: 33034086 PMCID: PMC7719593 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13717] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2020] [Revised: 09/02/2020] [Accepted: 09/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Sperm velocity is a key trait that predicts the outcome of sperm competition. By promoting or impeding sperm velocity, females can control fertilization via postcopulatory cryptic female choice. In Chinook salmon, ovarian fluid (OF), which surrounds the ova, mediates sperm velocity according to male and female identity, biasing the outcome of sperm competition towards males with faster sperm. Past investigations have revealed proteome variation in OF, but the specific components of OF that differentially mediate sperm velocity have yet to be characterized. Here we use quantitative proteomics to investigate whether OF protein composition explains variation in sperm velocity and fertilization success. We found that OF proteomes from six females robustly clustered into two groups and that these groups are distinguished by the abundance of a restricted set of proteins significantly associated with sperm velocity. Exposure of sperm to OF from females in group I had faster sperm compared to sperm exposed to the OF of group II females. Overall, OF proteins that distinguished between these groups were enriched for vitellogenin and calcium ion interactions. Our findings suggest that these proteins may form the functional basis for cryptic female choice via the biochemical and physiological mediation of sperm velocity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheri L. Johnson
- Department of Zoology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Kirill Borziak
- Biology Department, Center for Reproductive Evolution, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, USA
| | - Torsten Kleffmann
- Department of Biochemistry, Centre for Protein Research, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Patrice Rosengrave
- Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
- AgResearch, Biocontrol and Biosecurity, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Steve Dorus
- Biology Department, Center for Reproductive Evolution, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, USA
| | - Neil J. Gemmell
- Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
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15
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Dolotovskaya S, Roos C, Heymann EW. Genetic monogamy and mate choice in a pair-living primate. Sci Rep 2020; 10:20328. [PMID: 33230212 PMCID: PMC7683532 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-77132-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
In pair-living mammals, genetic monogamy is extremely rare. One possible reason is that in socially monogamous animals, mate choice can be severely constrained, increasing the risk of inbreeding or pairing with an incompatible or low-quality partner. To escape these constraints, individuals might engage in extra-pair copulations. Alternatively, inbreeding can be avoided by dispersal. However, little is known about the interactions between mating system, mate choice, and dispersal in pair-living mammals. Here we genotyped 41 wild individuals from 14 groups of coppery titi monkeys (Plecturocebus cupreus) in Peruvian Amazon using 18 microsatellite loci. Parentage analyses of 18 young revealed no cases of extra-pair paternity, indicating that the study population is mostly genetically monogamous. We did not find evidence for relatedness- or heterozygosity-based mate choice. Despite the lack of evidence for active inbreeding avoidance via mate choice, mating partners were on average not related. We further found that dispersal was not sex-biased, with both sexes dispersing opportunistically over varying distances. Our findings suggest that even opportunistic dispersal, as long as it is not constrained, can generate sufficient genetic diversity to prevent inbreeding. This, in turn, can render active inbreeding avoidance via mate choice and extra-pair copulations less necessary, helping to maintain genetic monogamy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofya Dolotovskaya
- Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Unit, German Primate Center, Göttingen, Germany. .,Primate Genetics Laboratory, German Primate Center, Göttingen, Germany.
| | - Christian Roos
- Primate Genetics Laboratory, German Primate Center, Göttingen, Germany.,Gene Bank of Primates, German Primate Center, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Eckhard W Heymann
- Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Unit, German Primate Center, Göttingen, Germany
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16
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17
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Botero-Delgadillo E, Gilsenan C, Mueller JC, Kempenaers B. Negative effects of individual heterozygosity on reproductive success in a wild bird population. Mol Ecol 2020; 29:3196-3216. [PMID: 32668071 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2020] [Accepted: 07/03/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The evolutionary consequences of individual genetic diversity are frequently studied by assessing heterozygosity-fitness correlations (HFCs). The prevalence of positive and negative HFCs and the predominance of general versus local effects in wild populations are far from understood, partly because comprehensive studies testing for both inbreeding and outbreeding depression are lacking. We studied a genetically diverse population of blue tits in southern Germany using a genome-wide set of 87 microsatellites to investigate the relationship between proxies of reproductive success and measures of multilocus and single-locus individual heterozygosity (MLH and SLH). We used complimentary measures of MLH and partitioned markers into functional categories according to their position in the blue tit genome. HFCs based on MLH were consistently negative for functional loci, whereas correlations were rather inconsistent for loci found in nonfunctional areas of the genome. Clutch size was the only reproductive variable showing a general effect. We found evidence for local effects for three measures of reproductive success: arrival date at the breeding site, the probability of breeding at the study site and male reproductive success. For these, we observed consistent, and relatively strong, negative effects at one functional locus. Remarkably, this marker had a similar effect in another blue tit population from Austria (~400 km to the east). We suggest that a genetic local effect on timing of arrival might be responsible for most negative HFCs detected, with carry-over effects on other reproductive traits. This effect could reflect individual differences in the distance between overwintering areas and breeding sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esteban Botero-Delgadillo
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Plank Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Carol Gilsenan
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Plank Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Jakob C Mueller
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Plank Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Bart Kempenaers
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Plank Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
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18
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Tolentino M, Anciães M. Display above courts of White‐throated manakins: A new view about its display behavior. Ethology 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mariana Tolentino
- Programa de Pós‐Graduação em Ecologia Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia Manaus Brazil
- Laboratório de Biologia Evolutiva e Comportamento Animal Coordenação de Biodiversidade Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia Manaus Brazil
| | - Marina Anciães
- Laboratório de Biologia Evolutiva e Comportamento Animal Coordenação de Biodiversidade Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia Manaus Brazil
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19
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Cousseau L, Van de Loock D, Githiru M, Vangestel C, Lens L. Female need for paternal care shapes variation in extra-pair paternity in a cooperative breeder. Behav Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arz215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Socially monogamous females regularly mate with males outside the pair bond. The prevailing explanation for this behavior is that females gain genetic benefits resulting from increased fitness of extra-pair offspring. Furthermore, because of the risk of reduced paternal care in response to cuckoldry, females are expected to seek extra-pair copulations when they can rear offspring with little help from their social partner (“constrained female” hypothesis). We tested these hypotheses and analyzed variation in paternal care in the Afrotropical, facultative cooperative breeding placid greenbul (Phyllastrephus placidus). Overall, approximately 50% of the offspring resulted from extra-pair (and extra-group) mating. Identified extra-pair males were in most cases neighboring dominant males, yet never within-group subordinates. As predicted by the constrained female hypothesis, the occurrence of extra-pair paternity (EPP) increased with the number of cooperative helpers (and not with total group size). However, dominant males did not adjust their food provisioning rates in response to EPP. Although extra-pair males were more strongly related to the dominant female and less heterozygous than the latter’s social mate, this did not result in more inbred extra-pair offspring, likely because identified extra-pair males were not representative of the extra-pair male population. While earlier studies on EPP mainly focused on male genetic quality, results from this study provide evidence that female’s social context may affect extra-pair strategies too.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurence Cousseau
- Terrestrial Ecology Unit, Ghent University, K. L. Ledeganckstraat 35, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Dries Van de Loock
- Terrestrial Ecology Unit, Ghent University, K. L. Ledeganckstraat 35, Ghent, Belgium
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, University of Antwerp, Campus Drie Eiken, Universiteitsplein 1, Wilrijk, Belgium
- Ornithology Section, Department of Zoology, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Mwangi Githiru
- Ornithology Section, Department of Zoology, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
- Wildlife Works, Voi, Kenya
| | - Carl Vangestel
- Terrestrial Ecology Unit, Ghent University, K. L. Ledeganckstraat 35, Ghent, Belgium
- Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Vautierstraat 26, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Luc Lens
- Terrestrial Ecology Unit, Ghent University, K. L. Ledeganckstraat 35, Ghent, Belgium
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20
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Wang D, Forstmeier W, Martin K, Wilson A, Kempenaers B. The role of genetic constraints and social environment in explaining female extra-pair mating. Evolution 2019; 74:544-558. [PMID: 31883103 DOI: 10.1111/evo.13905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2019] [Revised: 11/26/2019] [Accepted: 12/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Why do females of socially monogamous species engage in extra-pair copulations? This long-standing question remains a puzzle, because the benefits of female promiscuous behavior often do not seem to outweigh the costs. Genetic constraint models offer an answer by proposing that female promiscuity emerges through selection favoring alleles that are either beneficial for male reproductive success (intersexual pleiotropy hypothesis) or beneficial for female fecundity (intrasexual pleiotropy hypothesis). A previous quantitative genetic study on captive zebra finches, Taeniopygia guttata, reported support for the first, but not for the second hypothesis. Here, we re-examine both hypotheses based on data from lines selected for high and low male courtship rate. In contrast to previous conclusions, our new analyses clearly reject the hypothesis that male and female promiscuity are genetically homologous traits. We find some support for a positive genetic correlation between female promiscuity and fecundity. This study also shows that the behavioral outcome of extra-pair courtships primarily depends on individual-specific female preferences and not on the "attractiveness" of the social mate. In contrast, patterns of paternity are strongly influenced by the social partner and the pair bond, presumably reflecting variation in copulation behavior, fertility, or sperm competitiveness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daiping Wang
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, 82319, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Forstmeier
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, 82319, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Katrin Martin
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, 82319, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Alastair Wilson
- Centre of Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Cornwall, TR10 9FE, United Kingdom
| | - Bart Kempenaers
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, 82319, Seewiesen, Germany
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21
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Lindsay WR, Andersson S, Bererhi B, Höglund J, Johnsen A, Kvarnemo C, Leder EH, Lifjeld JT, Ninnes CE, Olsson M, Parker GA, Pizzari T, Qvarnström A, Safran RJ, Svensson O, Edwards SV. Endless forms of sexual selection. PeerJ 2019; 7:e7988. [PMID: 31720113 PMCID: PMC6839514 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.7988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2019] [Accepted: 10/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
In recent years, the field of sexual selection has exploded, with advances in theoretical and empirical research complementing each other in exciting ways. This perspective piece is the product of a “stock-taking” workshop on sexual selection and sexual conflict. Our aim is to identify and deliberate on outstanding questions and to stimulate discussion rather than provide a comprehensive overview of the entire field. These questions are organized into four thematic sections we deem essential to the field. First we focus on the evolution of mate choice and mating systems. Variation in mate quality can generate both competition and choice in the opposite sex, with implications for the evolution of mating systems. Limitations on mate choice may dictate the importance of direct vs. indirect benefits in mating decisions and consequently, mating systems, especially with regard to polyandry. Second, we focus on how sender and receiver mechanisms shape signal design. Mediation of honest signal content likely depends on integration of temporally variable social and physiological costs that are challenging to measure. We view the neuroethology of sensory and cognitive receiver biases as the main key to signal form and the ‘aesthetic sense’ proposed by Darwin. Since a receiver bias is sufficient to both initiate and drive ornament or armament exaggeration, without a genetically correlated or even coevolving receiver, this may be the appropriate ‘null model’ of sexual selection. Thirdly, we focus on the genetic architecture of sexually selected traits. Despite advances in modern molecular techniques, the number and identity of genes underlying performance, display and secondary sexual traits remains largely unknown. In-depth investigations into the genetic basis of sexual dimorphism in the context of long-term field studies will reveal constraints and trajectories of sexually selected trait evolution. Finally, we focus on sexual selection and conflict as drivers of speciation. Population divergence and speciation are often influenced by an interplay between sexual and natural selection. The extent to which sexual selection promotes or counteracts population divergence may vary depending on the genetic architecture of traits as well as the covariance between mating competition and local adaptation. Additionally, post-copulatory processes, such as selection against heterospecific sperm, may influence the importance of sexual selection in speciation. We propose that efforts to resolve these four themes can catalyze conceptual progress in the field of sexual selection, and we offer potential avenues of research to advance this progress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Willow R Lindsay
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Göteborg, Sweden
| | - Staffan Andersson
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Göteborg, Sweden
| | - Badreddine Bererhi
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Göteborg, Sweden
| | - Jacob Höglund
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Arild Johnsen
- Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Charlotta Kvarnemo
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Göteborg, Sweden
| | - Erica H Leder
- Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Jan T Lifjeld
- Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Calum E Ninnes
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Göteborg, Sweden.,Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States of America
| | - Mats Olsson
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Göteborg, Sweden
| | - Geoff A Parker
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Tommaso Pizzari
- Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Anna Qvarnström
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Rebecca J Safran
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, United States of America
| | - Ola Svensson
- School of Natural Sciences, Technology and Environmental Studies, Södertörn University, Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Scott V Edwards
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States of America.,Gothenburg Centre for Advanced Studies in Science and Technology, Chalmers University of Technology, Göteborg, Sweden
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22
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Barker AM, Frazier BS, Gelsleichter J, Grubbs RD, Hollenbeck CM, Portnoy DS. High Rates of Genetic Polyandry in the Blacknose Shark, Carcharhinus acronotus. COPEIA 2019. [DOI: 10.1643/cg-19-180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Amanda M. Barker
- Marine Genomics Laboratory, Department of Life Sciences, Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi, 6300 Ocean Dr., Corpus Christi, Texas 78412; (AMB) ; and (DSP) . Send reprint requests to AMB
| | - Bryan S. Frazier
- South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Marine Resources Research Institute, 217 Ft. Johnson Rd., Charleston, South Carolina 29412;
| | | | - R. Dean Grubbs
- Florida State University Coastal and Marine Laboratory, 3618 Hwy 98, St. Teresa, Florida 32358;
| | | | - David S. Portnoy
- Marine Genomics Laboratory, Department of Life Sciences, Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi, 6300 Ocean Dr., Corpus Christi, Texas 78412; (AMB) ; and (DSP) . Send reprint requests to AMB
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23
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Michálková R, Tomášek O, Adámková M, Kreisinger J, Albrecht T. Extra-pair paternity patterns in European barn swallows Hirundo rustica are best explained by male and female age rather than male ornamentation. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-019-2725-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
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24
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Benítez Saldívar MJ, Miño CI, Massoni V. Genetic mating system, population genetics and effective size of Saffron Finches breeding in southern South America. Genetica 2019; 147:315-326. [PMID: 31350624 DOI: 10.1007/s10709-019-00072-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2019] [Accepted: 07/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Thraupidae (Tanagers and allies) show a remarkable array of behaviors, ecologies, morphologies and plumage colors, offering a great opportunity to investigate the evolution of avian mating strategies. We characterize the population genetics and mating system of Sicalis flaveola pelzelni, a socially monogamous Neotropical songbird with biparental care. We found moderate to high levels of neutral genetic variation, similar across three breeding seasons, consistent with large and stable populations, and no temporal genetic structure. Parentage analyses of 114 adults and 198 nestlings (54 nests) revealed 31.8% of extra-pair offspring (EPO) and 51.8% of broods with at least one extra-pair chick. Extra-pair paternity (EPP) rates varied across seasons and were significantly higher in 2014/2015. Neither breeding synchrony nor pair genetic relatedness was significantly associated to EPP rates. Males paired with females in nests with and without EPO were equally heterozygous, and EPO were significantly less heterozygous than within-pair offspring, not supporting the 'indirect genetic benefits' hypotheses. Females were more related to their extra-pair mates than to their social mates, not supporting the 'inbreeding avoidance' hypothesis. The non-monogamous genetic mating system uncovered here seems not to lower the effective size of the population, which was higher than the sample size of adult breeders. We report and discuss possible cases of quasi-parasitism, as indicated by maternity exclusion patterns. We contribute novel information to expand the knowledge about the largely unexplored genetic mating systems of Thraupidae. Our findings also set the stage for further studies examining if plumage coloration or song traits predict paternity gain or loss in Saffron Finches.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Juliana Benítez Saldívar
- Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución - IEGEBA, Universidad de Buenos Aires - UBA/Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas - CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, CONICET, FCEFyN, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Carolina Isabel Miño
- Instituto de Biología Subtropical - IBS, Universidad Nacional de Misiones - U.Na.M./Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas - CONICET, Posadas, Misiones, Argentina
| | - Viviana Massoni
- Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución - IEGEBA, Universidad de Buenos Aires - UBA/Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas - CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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25
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Parrott ML, Nation A, Selwood L. Female mate choice significantly increases captive breeding success, and scents can be frozen to determine choice, in the stripe-faced dunnart. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2019.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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26
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O’Brien DM, Keogh JS, Silla AJ, Byrne PG. Female choice for related males in wild red-backed toadlets (Pseudophryne coriacea). Behav Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arz031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
AbstractMate choice for genetic benefits is assumed to be widespread in nature, yet very few studies have comprehensively examined relationships between female mate choice and male genetic quality in wild populations. Here, we use exhaustive sampling and single nucleotide polymorphisms to provide a partial test of the “good genes as heterozygosity” hypothesis and the “genetic compatibility” hypothesis in an entire population of terrestrial breeding red-backed toadlets, Pseudophryne coriacea. We found that successful males did not display higher heterozygosity, despite a positive relationship between male heterozygosity and offspring heterozygosity. Rather, in the larger of 2 breeding events, we found that successful males were more genetically similar to their mate than expected under random mating, indicating that females can use pre- or post-copulatory mate choice mechanisms to bias paternity toward more related males. These findings provide no support for the good genes as heterozygosity hypothesis but lend support to the genetic compatibility hypothesis. A complete test of this hypothesis will now require evaluating how parental genetic similarity impacts offspring fitness. Terrestrial toadlets show a high degree of site fidelity, high levels of genetic structuring between populations, and frequently hybridize with sister species. As such, female mate choice for related males may be an adaptive strategy to reduce outbreeding depression. Our findings provide the first population-wide evidence for non-random preferential inbreeding in a wild amphibian. We argue that such reproductive patterns may be common in amphibians because extreme genetic differentiation within meta-populations creates an inherently high risk of outbreeding depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel M O’Brien
- School of Earth, Atmospheric and Lifesciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
| | - J Scott Keogh
- Ecology & Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
| | - Aimee J Silla
- School of Earth, Atmospheric and Lifesciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Phillip G Byrne
- School of Earth, Atmospheric and Lifesciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
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27
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Cornec C, Robert A, Rybak F, Hingrat Y. Male vocalizations convey information on kinship and inbreeding in a lekking bird. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:4421-4430. [PMID: 31031916 PMCID: PMC6476769 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2018] [Revised: 01/15/2019] [Accepted: 01/21/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Kinship and inbreeding are two major components involved in sexual selection and mating system evolution. However, the mechanisms underlying recognition and discrimination of genetically related or inbred individuals remain unclear. We investigated whether kinship and inbreeding information is related to low-frequency vocalizations, "booms," produced by males during their courtship in the lekking houbara bustard (Chlamydotis undulata undulata). Based on a captive breeding program where the pedigree of all males is known, we investigated the similarity of booms' acoustic parameters among captive males more or less individually inbred and therefore genetically related with each other. In the wild, we investigated the relationship between the spatial distribution of males within leks and the similarity of acoustic parameters of their booms. In the captive population, we found (a) a relationship between the individual inbreeding level of captive males and their vocalization parameters; (b) that kin share similar frequency and temporal characteristics of their vocalizations. In the wild, we found no evidence for spatial structuring of males based on their acoustic parameters, in agreement with previous genetic findings on the absence of kin association within houbara bustard leks. Overall, our results indicate that genetic information potentially related to both the identity and quality of males is contained in their vocalizations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clément Cornec
- Institut des Neurosciences Paris‐SaclayUniversité Paris‐Sud, CNRS (UMR 9197)OrsayFrance
- Emirates Center for Wildlife PropagationMissourMorocco
| | - Alexandre Robert
- Centre d'Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation (CESCO), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Centre National de la Recherche ScientifiqueSorbonne‐UniversitéParisFrance
| | - Fanny Rybak
- Institut des Neurosciences Paris‐SaclayUniversité Paris‐Sud, CNRS (UMR 9197)OrsayFrance
| | - Yves Hingrat
- Reneco International Wildlife Consultants LLCAbu DhabiUAE
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28
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Bose APH, Henshaw JM, Zimmermann H, Fritzsche K, Sefc KM. Inclusive fitness benefits mitigate costs of cuckoldry to socially paired males. BMC Biol 2019; 17:2. [PMID: 30700283 PMCID: PMC6354359 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-018-0620-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2018] [Accepted: 12/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background In socially monogamous species, reproduction is not always confined to paired males and females. Extra-pair males commonly also reproduce with paired females, which is traditionally thought to be costly to the females’ social partners. However, we suggest that when the relatedness between reproducing individuals is considered, cuckolded males can suffer lower fitness losses than otherwise expected, especially when the rate of cuckoldry is high. We combine theoretical modeling with a detailed genetic study on a socially monogamous wild fish, Variabilichromis moorii, which displays biparental care despite exceptionally high rates of extra-pair paternity. Results We measured the relatedness between all parties involved in V. moorii spawning events (i.e. between males and females in social pairs, females and their extra-pair partners, and paired males and their cuckolders), and we reveal that males are on average more related to their cuckolders than expected by chance. Queller–Goodnight estimates of relatedness between males and their cuckolders are on average r = 0.038 but can range up to r = 0.64. This also increases the relatedness between males and the extra-pair offspring under their care. These intriguing results are consistent with the predictions of our mathematical model, which shows that elevated relatedness between paired males and their cuckolders can be adaptive for both parties when competition for fertilizations is strong. Conclusions Our results show how cuckoldry by relatives can offset males’ direct fitness losses with inclusive fitness gains, which can be substantial in systems where males face almost certain paternity losses. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12915-018-0620-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aneesh P H Bose
- Institute of Biology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010, Graz, Austria
| | - Jonathan M Henshaw
- Institute of Biology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010, Graz, Austria
| | - Holger Zimmermann
- Institute of Biology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010, Graz, Austria
| | - Karoline Fritzsche
- Institute of Biology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010, Graz, Austria
| | - Kristina M Sefc
- Institute of Biology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010, Graz, Austria.
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29
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Vuarin P, Bouchard A, Lesobre L, Levêque G, Chalah T, Saint Jalme M, Lacroix F, Hingrat Y, Sorci G. No evidence for prezygotic postcopulatory avoidance of kin despite high inbreeding depression. Mol Ecol 2018; 27:5252-5262. [PMID: 30565783 DOI: 10.1111/mec.14951] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2018] [Accepted: 10/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Offspring resulting from mating among close relatives can suffer from impaired fitness through the expression of recessive alleles with deleterious effects. Postcopulatory sperm selection (a prezygotic mechanism of cryptic female choice) has been suggested to be an effective way to avoid inbreeding. To investigate whether postcopulatory female choice allows the avoidance of fertilization by close kin, we performed artificial inseminations in a promiscuous bird, the houbara bustard (Chlamydotis undulata undulata). Females were inseminated with a mix of sperm from triads of males, each constituted of a male genetically unrelated to the female, a first cousin and a half-sibling. When counting the number of eggs sired by unrelated males, cousins or half-siblings, we found a significant deviation from the expected random distribution, with more eggs sired by unrelated males. However, offspring sired by cousins, and especially by half-siblings suffered from high prehatching mortality, suggesting that the observed paternity skew towards unrelated males might reflect differential offspring mortality rather than sperm selection. In agreement with this hypothesis, within-triad siring success was similar for the three parental relatedness categories, but the relationship between siring and hatching success differed across categories. In clutches with high hatching success, unrelated males had the highest success while in clutches with high failure rate, half-siblings had the highest success. Offspring sired by half-siblings also suffered from reduced growth rate during the first three months and higher posthatching mortality. Hence, despite substantial fitness costs associated with fertilization by close relatives, females do not seem to select sperm of unrelated males.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pauline Vuarin
- Emirates left for Wildlife Propagation, Missour, Morocco.,Biogéosciences, UMR 6282 CNRS, Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
| | - Alice Bouchard
- Emirates left for Wildlife Propagation, Missour, Morocco
| | - Loïc Lesobre
- Reneco International Wildlife Consultants LLC, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | | | - Toni Chalah
- Reneco International Wildlife Consultants LLC, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Michel Saint Jalme
- Centre d'Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation, UMR 7204 MNHN CNRS-UPMC, Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France
| | - Frédéric Lacroix
- Reneco International Wildlife Consultants LLC, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Yves Hingrat
- Reneco International Wildlife Consultants LLC, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Gabriele Sorci
- Biogéosciences, UMR 6282 CNRS, Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
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30
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Garant D, Bourret A, Schmitt C, Turcotte A, Pelletier F, Bélisle M. Effects of blood parasite infection and innate immune genetic diversity on mating patterns in a passerine bird breeding in contrasted habitats. PeerJ 2018; 6:e6004. [PMID: 30505637 PMCID: PMC6254242 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.6004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2018] [Accepted: 10/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetic diversity at immune genes and levels of parasitism are known to affect patterns of (dis)assortative mating in several species. Heterozygote advantage and/or good genes should shape mate choice originating from pathogen/parasite-driven selection at immune genes. However, the stability of these associations, and whether they vary with environmental conditions, are still rarely documented. In this study, we describe mating patterns in a wild population of tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) over 4 years and assess the effects of haemosporidian parasite infection and immune genetic diversity at β-defensin genes on those patterns within two habitats of contrasting environmental quality, in southern Québec, Canada. We first show that mating patterns were only very weakly related to individual status of infection by haemosporidian parasites. However, we found a difference between habitats in mating patterns related to infection status, which was likely due to a non-random distribution of individuals, as non-infected mating pairs were more frequent in lower quality habitats. Mating patterns also differed depending on β-defensin heterozygosity at AvBD2, but only for genetic partners outside of the social couple, with heterozygous individuals pairing together. Our study underlines the importance of considering habitat heterogeneity in studies of sexual selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dany Garant
- Département de Biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada
| | - Audrey Bourret
- Département de Biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada
| | - Clarence Schmitt
- Institut d'Ecologie et des Sciences de l'Environnement de Paris, Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, UPEC, Paris 7, CNRS, INRA, IRD, Paris, France
| | - Audrey Turcotte
- Département de Biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada
| | - Fanie Pelletier
- Département de Biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada
| | - Marc Bélisle
- Département de Biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada
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31
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Moss JB, Gerber GP, Schwirian A, Jackson AC, Welch ME. Evidence for dominant males but not choosy females in an insular rock iguana. Behav Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ary131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jeanette B Moss
- Biological Sciences Department, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS, USA
| | - Glenn P Gerber
- Institute for Conservation Research, San Diego Zoo Global, Escondido, CA, USA
| | - Aumbriel Schwirian
- Biological Sciences Department, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS, USA
| | - Anna C Jackson
- Biological Sciences Department, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS, USA
| | - Mark E Welch
- Biological Sciences Department, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS, USA
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32
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Lenz TL, Hafer N, Samonte IE, Yeates SE, Milinski M. Cryptic haplotype-specific gamete selection yields offspring with optimal MHC immune genes. Evolution 2018; 72:2478-2490. [PMID: 30246285 PMCID: PMC6282957 DOI: 10.1111/evo.13591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2018] [Accepted: 08/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Females choose specific mates in order to produce fitter offspring. However, several factors interfere with females' control over fertilization of their eggs, including sneaker males and phenotypically unpredictable allele segregation during meiosis. Mate choice at the individual level thus provides only a poor approximation for obtaining the best genetic match. Consequently, postcopulatory sperm selection by female oocytes has been proposed as a mechanism to achieve complementary combinations of parental haplotypes. Here, using controlled in vitro fertilization of three‐spined stickleback eggs, we find haplotype‐specific fertilization bias toward gametes with complementary major histocompatibility complex (MHC) immunogenes. The resulting zygote (and thus offspring) genotypes exhibit an intermediate level of individual MHC diversity that was previously shown to confer highest pathogen resistance. Our finding of haplotype‐specific gamete selection thus represents an intriguing mechanism for fine‐tuned optimization of the offspring's immune gene composition and an evolutionary advantage in the Red Queen dynamics of host‐parasite coevolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias L Lenz
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, August-Thienemann-Str. 2, 24306 Plön, Germany
| | - Nina Hafer
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, August-Thienemann-Str. 2, 24306 Plön, Germany
| | - Irene E Samonte
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, August-Thienemann-Str. 2, 24306 Plön, Germany
| | - Sarah E Yeates
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, August-Thienemann-Str. 2, 24306 Plön, Germany.,Current Address: School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7TJ, United Kingdom
| | - Manfred Milinski
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, August-Thienemann-Str. 2, 24306 Plön, Germany
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33
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Macedo RH, Podos J, Graves JA, Manica LT. Breeding clusters in birds: ecological selective contexts, mating systems and the role of extrapair fertilizations. Anim Behav 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2018.01.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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34
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Yu L, Nie Y, Yan L, Hu Y, Wei F. No evidence for MHC-based mate choice in wild giant pandas. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:8642-8651. [PMID: 30271533 PMCID: PMC6157678 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2018] [Revised: 07/02/2018] [Accepted: 07/04/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Major histocompatibility complex genes (MHC), a gene cluster that controls the immune response to parasites, are regarded as an important determinant of mate choice. However, MHC-based mate choice studies are especially rare for endangered animals. The giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), a flagship species, has suffered habitat loss and fragmentation. We investigated the genetic variation of three MHC class II loci, including DRB1, DQA1, and DQA2, for 19 mating-pairs and 11 parent-pairs of wild giant pandas based on long-term field behavior observations and genetic samples. We tested four hypotheses of mate choice based on this MHC variation. We found no supporting evidence for the MHC-based heterosis, genetic diversity, genetic compatibility and "good gene" hypotheses. These results suggest that giant pandas may not use MHC-based signals to select mating partners, probably because limited mating opportunities or female-biased natal dispersal restricts selection for MHC-based mate choice, acknowledging the caveat of the small sample size often encountered in endangered animal studies. Our study provides insight into the mate choice mechanisms of wild giant pandas and highlights the need to increase the connectivity and facilitate dispersal among fragmented populations and habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lijun Yu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation BiologyInstitute of ZoologyChinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
- University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Yonggang Nie
- CAS Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation BiologyInstitute of ZoologyChinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
- Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and GeneticsChinese Academy of SciencesKunmingChina
| | - Li Yan
- CAS Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation BiologyInstitute of ZoologyChinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Yibo Hu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation BiologyInstitute of ZoologyChinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
- Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and GeneticsChinese Academy of SciencesKunmingChina
| | - Fuwen Wei
- CAS Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation BiologyInstitute of ZoologyChinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
- University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
- Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and GeneticsChinese Academy of SciencesKunmingChina
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35
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Brandies PA, Grueber CE, Ivy JA, Hogg CJ, Belov K. Disentangling the mechanisms of mate choice in a captive koala population. PeerJ 2018; 6:e5438. [PMID: 30155356 PMCID: PMC6108315 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.5438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2017] [Accepted: 07/23/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Successful captive breeding programs are crucial to the long-term survival of many threatened species. However, pair incompatibility (breeding failure) limits sustainability of many captive populations. Understanding whether the drivers of this incompatibility are behavioral, genetic, or a combination of both, is crucial to improving breeding programs. We used 28 years of pairing data from the San Diego Zoo koala colony, plus genetic analyses using both major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-linked and non-MHC-linked microsatellite markers, to show that both genetic and non-genetic factors can influence mating success. Male age was reconfirmed to be a contributing factor to the likelihood of a koala pair copulating. This trend could also be related to a pair's age difference, which was highly correlated with male age in our dataset. Familiarity was reconfirmed to increase the probability of a successful copulation. Our data provided evidence that females select mates based on MHC and genome-wide similarity. Male heterozygosity at MHC class II loci was associated with both pre- and post-copulatory female choice. Genome-wide similarity, and similarity at the MHC class II DAB locus, were also associated with female choice at the post-copulatory level. Finally, certain MHC-linked alleles were associated with either increased or decreased mating success. We predict that utilizing a variety of behavioral and MHC-dependent mate choice mechanisms improves female fitness through increased reproductive success. This study highlights the complexity of mate choice mechanisms in a species, and the importance of ascertaining mate choice mechanisms to improve the success of captive breeding programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parice A. Brandies
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Catherine E. Grueber
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- San Diego Zoo Global, San Diego, CA, USA
| | | | - Carolyn J. Hogg
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Katherine Belov
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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36
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Morgado-Santos M, Magalhães MF, Vicente L, Collares-Pereira MJ. Mate choice driven by genome in an allopolyploid fish complex. Behav Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ary117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- M Morgado-Santos
- Centro de Ecologia, Evolução e Alterações Climáticas (cE3c), Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - M F Magalhães
- Centro de Ecologia, Evolução e Alterações Climáticas (cE3c), Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - L Vicente
- Centro de Filosofia das Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa (CFCUL), Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - M J Collares-Pereira
- Centro de Ecologia, Evolução e Alterações Climáticas (cE3c), Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
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37
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Phenotype-dependent mate choice and the influence of mixed-morph lineage on the reproductive success of a polymorphic and aposematic moth. Evol Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s10682-018-9944-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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38
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Schull Q, Viblanc VA, Dobson FS, Robin JP, Zahn S, Cristofari R, Bize P, Criscuolo F. Assortative pairing by telomere length in King Penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus) and relationships with breeding success. CAN J ZOOL 2018. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2017-0094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Telomeres are noncoding genetic repeats protecting the ends of linear chromosomes. Long telomeres are often associated with high individual survival, and interindividual variation in telomere length has recently been proposed as a proxy for individual quality. Therefore, one might expect individuals of either sex with long telomeres to be of higher intrinsic quality and to be preferred in the context of mate choice. Thus, in sexually monomorphic species where individuals discriminate mates on the basis of signals of intrinsic quality, mate choice should lead to assortative pairing by telomere length, and it should be associated with breeding performance. We tested these two predictions in the King Penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus J.F. Miller, 1778), a sexually monomorphic seabird. Over 3 years of study and 73 penguin pairs under contrasting environmental conditions, we found strong assortative pairing by telomere length. Interestingly, only female telomere length was positively associated to chick survival up to fledging, and this relationship was only apparent when foraging conditions at sea were average. The positive link between telomere length and breeding success confirmed that telomere length is somehow related to individual biological state at a given time. The proximate mechanisms by which birds assess individual state related to telomere length remain to be discovered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quentin Schull
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178, 67000 Strasbourg, France
| | | | | | | | - Sandrine Zahn
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178, 67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - Robin Cristofari
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178, 67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - Pierre Bize
- University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB24 2TZ, United Kingdom
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39
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de Boer RA, Eens M, Müller W. Sex-specific effects of inbreeding on reproductive senescence. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 285:20180231. [PMID: 29794043 PMCID: PMC5998105 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.0231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2018] [Accepted: 04/24/2018] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Inbreeding depression plays a significant role in evolutionary biology and ecology. However, we lack a clear understanding of the fitness consequences of inbreeding depression. Studies often focus on short-term effects of inbreeding in juvenile offspring, whereas inbreeding depression in adult traits and the interplay between inbreeding depression and age are rarely addressed. Inbreeding depression may increase with age and accelerate the decline in reproductive output in ageing individuals (reproductive senescence), which could be subject to sex-specific dynamics. We test this hypothesis with a longitudinal experimental study in a short-lived songbird. Adult inbred and outbred male and female canaries were paired in a 2 × 2 factorial design, and survival and annual reproductive performance were studied for 3 years. We found inbreeding depression in female egg-laying ability, male fertilization success and survival of both sexes. Annual reproductive success of both males and females declined when paired with an inbred partner independent of their own inbreeding status. This shows that inbreeding can have fitness costs in outbred individuals when they mate with an inbred individual. Further, inbred females showed faster reproductive senescence than outbred females, confirming that inbreeding depression and age can interact to affect fitness. By contrast, there was no evidence for an interaction between inbreeding depression and reproductive senescence in male fertilization success. Our findings highlight the importance of considering sex-specific effects and age to determine the full range of fitness consequences of inbreeding and demonstrate that inbreeding depression can accelerate reproductive senescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raïssa A de Boer
- Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Marcel Eens
- Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Wendt Müller
- Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
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40
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Abstract
Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD), a highly contagious cancer, has decimated Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) numbers in the wild. To ensure its long-term survival, a captive breeding program was implemented but has not been as successful as envisaged at its launch in 2005. We therefore investigated the reproductive success of 65 captive devil pair combinations, of which 35 produced offspring (successful pairs) whereas the remaining 30 pairs, despite being observed mating, produced no offspring (unsuccessful pairs). The devils were screened at six MHC Class I-linked microsatellite loci. Our analyses revealed that younger females had a higher probability of being successful than older females. In the successful pairs we also observed a higher difference in total number of heterozygous loci, i.e. when one devil had a high total number of heterozygous loci, its partner had low numbers. Our results therefore suggest that devil reproductive success is subject to disruptive MHC selection, which to our knowledge has never been recorded in any vertebrate. In order to enhance the success of the captive breeding program the results from the present study show the importance of using young (2-year old) females as well as subjecting the devils to MHC genotyping.
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41
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Durand S, Loiseau V, Prigot C, Braquart‐Varnier C, Beltran‐Bech S. Producing offspring inArmadillidium vulgare: Effects of genetic diversity and inbreeding. Evol Dev 2018; 20:65-77. [DOI: 10.1111/ede.12248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sylvine Durand
- Laboratoire Ecologie et Biologie des Interactions, Equipe Ecologie, Evolution, SymbioseUniversité de PoitiersUMR CNRS 7267PoitiersFrance
| | - Vincent Loiseau
- Laboratoire Ecologie et Biologie des Interactions, Equipe Ecologie, Evolution, SymbioseUniversité de PoitiersUMR CNRS 7267PoitiersFrance
| | - Cybèle Prigot
- Laboratoire Ecologie et Biologie des Interactions, Equipe Ecologie, Evolution, SymbioseUniversité de PoitiersUMR CNRS 7267PoitiersFrance
| | - Christine Braquart‐Varnier
- Laboratoire Ecologie et Biologie des Interactions, Equipe Ecologie, Evolution, SymbioseUniversité de PoitiersUMR CNRS 7267PoitiersFrance
| | - Sophie Beltran‐Bech
- Laboratoire Ecologie et Biologie des Interactions, Equipe Ecologie, Evolution, SymbioseUniversité de PoitiersUMR CNRS 7267PoitiersFrance
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42
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Sanchez-Donoso I, Vilà C, Puigcerver M, Rodríguez-Teijeiro JD. Mate guarding and male body condition shape male fertilization success and female mating system in the common quail. Anim Behav 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.12.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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43
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Hartnett CM, Parrott ML, Mulder RA, Coulson G, Magrath MJ. Opportunity for female mate choice improves reproductive outcomes in the conservation breeding program of the eastern barred bandicoot (Perameles gunnii). Appl Anim Behav Sci 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2017.10.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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44
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Foote I, Godfrey SS, Robertson BC. Mate choice explains high genetic diversity in a small founding population of the New Zealand sea lion (Phocarctos hookeri). AUST J ZOOL 2018. [DOI: 10.1071/zo19023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Founder populations are susceptible to reduced genetic diversity, which can hinder successful population establishment. A new genetic lineage of the New Zealand sea lion (Phocarctos hookeri) has recently colonised the historical range of the New Zealand mainland (Otago Peninsula). Despite a small founding population, previous research indicated that nuclear genetic diversity in the Otago Peninsula population is similar to that of the larger source population (Sandy Bay, Auckland Islands). Our research aimed to identify whether mechanisms of female mate choice could help to explain the unexpectedly high level of genetic diversity in the founder population. We used genetic data at 12 microsatellite loci for mother–pup pairs from both populations, and the software COLONY to identify putative paternal genotypes inferred from allele sharing between known mother–pup pairs. We found that mating pairs were, on average, more related at the Otago Peninsula location. However, Sandy Bay females were mating with males more related to themselves than expected by chance, while the Otago Peninsula females were not. These findings suggest that female choice in this otariid species appears important, although may be constrained in some situations. Our findings also help to explain how the recently founded population is able to maintain a viable, growing population.
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45
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de Boer RA, Eens M, Müller W. 'Out of tune': consequences of inbreeding on bird song. Proc Biol Sci 2017; 283:rspb.2016.1142. [PMID: 27466453 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.1142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2016] [Accepted: 07/07/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The expression of bird song is expected to signal male quality to females. 'Quality' is determined by genetic and environmental factors, but, surprisingly, there is very limited evidence if and how genetic aspects of male quality are reflected in song. Here, we manipulated the genetic make-up of canaries (Serinus canaria) via inbreeding, and studied its effects upon song output, complexity, phonetics and, for the first time, song learning. To this end, we created weight-matched inbred and outbred pairs of male fledglings, which were subsequently exposed to the same tutor male during song learning. Inbreeding strongly affected syllable phonetics, but there were little or no effects on other song features. Nonetheless, females discriminated among inbred and outbred males, as they produced heavier clutches when mated with an outbred male. Our study highlights the importance of song phonetics, which has hitherto often been overlooked.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raïssa A de Boer
- Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Marcel Eens
- Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Wendt Müller
- Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
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46
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Barati A, Andrew RL, Gorrell JC, McDonald PG. Extra-pair paternity is not driven by inbreeding avoidance and does not affect provisioning rates in a cooperatively breeding bird, the noisy miner (Manorina melanocephala). Behav Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arx158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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47
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Indykiewicz P, Podlaszczuk P, Surmacki A, Kudelska K, Kosicki J, Kamiński M, Minias P. Scale-of-choice effect in the assortative mating by multiple ornamental and non-ornamental characters in the black-headed gull. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-017-2411-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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48
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Bocedi G, Reid JM. Feed-backs among inbreeding, inbreeding depression in sperm traits, and sperm competition can drive evolution of costly polyandry. Evolution 2017; 71:2786-2802. [PMID: 28895138 PMCID: PMC5765454 DOI: 10.1111/evo.13363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2016] [Revised: 08/28/2017] [Accepted: 08/31/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Ongoing ambitions are to understand the evolution of costly polyandry and its consequences for species ecology and evolution. Emerging patterns could stem from feed-back dynamics between the evolving mating system and its genetic environment, defined by interactions among kin including inbreeding. However, such feed-backs are rarely considered in nonselfing systems. We use a genetically explicit model to demonstrate a mechanism by which inbreeding depression can select for polyandry to mitigate the negative consequences of mating with inbred males, rather than to avoid inbreeding, and to elucidate underlying feed-backs. Specifically, given inbreeding depression in sperm traits, costly polyandry evolved to ensure female fertility, without requiring explicit inbreeding avoidance. Resulting sperm competition caused evolution of sperm traits and further mitigated the negative effect of inbreeding depression on female fertility. The evolving mating system fed back to decrease population-wide homozygosity, and hence inbreeding. However, the net overall decrease was small due to compound effects on the variances in sex-specific reproductive success and paternity skew. Purging of deleterious mutations did not eliminate inbreeding depression in sperm traits or hence selection for polyandry. Overall, our model illustrates that polyandry evolution, both directly and through sperm competition, might facilitate evolutionary rescue for populations experiencing sudden increases in inbreeding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Greta Bocedi
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of AberdeenZoology BuildingTillydrone AvenueAberdeen AB24 2TZUnited Kingdom
| | - Jane M. Reid
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of AberdeenZoology BuildingTillydrone AvenueAberdeen AB24 2TZUnited Kingdom
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49
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Franckowiak RP, Ridgway MS, Wilson CC. Genetic mating system and mate selection in smallmouth bass. Ecol Evol 2017; 7:8864-8875. [PMID: 29152183 PMCID: PMC5677493 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2017] [Revised: 07/26/2017] [Accepted: 08/03/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Mating systems are an important factor influencing the variance in reproductive success among individuals within natural populations and thus have important ecological and evolutionary implications. We used molecular pedigree reconstruction techniques with microsatellite DNA data to characterize the genetic mating system and mate selection in adult smallmouth bass spawning in Lake Opeongo. The genetic mating system of smallmouth bass in this system can be characterized as predominantly monogamous with a low rate of polygynandry particularly among larger individuals. Iteroparous individuals showed a complete absence of interannual mate fidelity, presumably due to the low annual return rate of spawning adults. Within a season, individuals from both sexes pursued additional mating opportunities with males showing greater variance in mate number than females. Female mate selection appeared to be largely random with little evidence for elevated levels of inbreeding in this population. Multiple mating females pursued additional males to whom they were less related than the first male with which they spawned within a given season, however, this pattern varied among years. The mating pattern observed in this population would likely limit the strength of sexual selection and thus could account for the lack of sexual dimorphism and the absence of alternative reproductive tactics in this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan P Franckowiak
- Environmental and Life Sciences Graduate Program Trent University Peterborough ON Canada
| | - Mark S Ridgway
- Harkness Laboratory of Fisheries Research Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry Aquatic Research and Monitoring Section Trent University Peterborough ON Canada
| | - Chris C Wilson
- Conservation and Genetics Laboratory Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry Aquatic Research and Monitoring Section Trent University Peterborough ON Canada
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50
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Zandberg L, Gort G, van Oers K, Hinde CA. Direct fitness benefits explain mate preference, but not choice, for similarity in heterozygosity levels. Ecol Lett 2017; 20:1306-1314. [PMID: 28868784 PMCID: PMC5639373 DOI: 10.1111/ele.12827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2017] [Revised: 04/18/2017] [Accepted: 07/19/2017] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Under sexual selection, mate preferences can evolve for traits advertising fitness benefits. Observed mating patterns (mate choice) are often assumed to represent preference, even though they result from the interaction between preference, sampling strategy and environmental factors. Correlating fitness with mate choice instead of preference will therefore lead to confounded conclusions about the role of preference in sexual selection. Here we show that direct fitness benefits underlie mate preferences for genetic characteristics in a unique experiment on wild great tits. In repeated mate preference tests, both sexes preferred mates that had similar heterozygosity levels to themselves, and not those with which they would optimise offspring heterozygosity. In a subsequent field experiment where we cross fostered offspring, foster parents with more similar heterozygosity levels had higher reproductive success, despite the absence of assortative mating patterns. These results support the idea that selection for preference persists despite constraints on mate choice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lies Zandberg
- Behavioural Ecology GroupWageningen University and ResearchDe Elst 16708 WDWageningenThe Netherlands
- Department of Animal EcologyNetherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO‐KNAW)Droevendaalsesteeg 106708 PBWageningenThe Netherlands
| | - Gerrit Gort
- Department of BiometrisWageningen University and ResearchDroevendaalsesteeg 16708 PBWageningenThe Netherlands
| | - Kees van Oers
- Department of Animal EcologyNetherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO‐KNAW)Droevendaalsesteeg 106708 PBWageningenThe Netherlands
| | - Camilla A. Hinde
- Behavioural Ecology GroupWageningen University and ResearchDe Elst 16708 WDWageningenThe Netherlands
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