1
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Amer A, Spears S, Vaughn PL, Colwell C, Livingston EH, McQueen W, Schill A, Reichard DG, Gangloff EJ, Brock KM. Physiological phenotypes differ among color morphs in introduced common wall lizards (Podarcis muralis). Integr Zool 2024; 19:505-523. [PMID: 37884464 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
Many species exhibit color polymorphisms which have distinct physiological and behavioral characteristics. However, the consistency of morph trait covariation patterns across species, time, and ecological contexts remains unclear. This trait covariation is especially relevant in the context of invasion biology and urban adaptation. Specifically, physiological traits pertaining to energy maintenance are crucial to fitness, given their immediate ties to individual reproduction, growth, and population establishment. We investigated the physiological traits of Podarcis muralis, a versatile color polymorphic species that thrives in urban environments (including invasive populations in Ohio, USA). We measured five physiological traits (plasma corticosterone and triglycerides, hematocrit, body condition, and field body temperature), which compose an integrated multivariate phenotype. We then tested variation among co-occurring color morphs in the context of establishment in an urban environment. We found that the traits describing physiological status and strategy shifted across the active season in a morph-dependent manner-the white and yellow morphs exhibited clearly different multivariate physiological phenotypes, characterized primarily by differences in plasma corticosterone. This suggests that morphs have different strategies in physiological regulation, the flexibility of which is crucial to urban adaptation. The white-yellow morph exhibited an intermediate phenotype, suggesting an intermediary energy maintenance strategy. Orange morphs also exhibited distinct phenotypes, but the low prevalence of this morph in our study populations precludes clear interpretation. Our work provides insight into how differences among stable polymorphisms exist across axes of the phenotype and how this variation may aid in establishment within novel environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Amer
- Department of Biological Sciences, Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, Ohio, USA
| | - Sierra Spears
- Department of Biological Sciences, Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, Ohio, USA
| | - Princeton L Vaughn
- Department of Biological Sciences, Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, Ohio, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - Cece Colwell
- Department of Biological Sciences, Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, Ohio, USA
| | - Ethan H Livingston
- Department of Biological Sciences, Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, Ohio, USA
| | - Wyatt McQueen
- Department of Biological Sciences, Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, Ohio, USA
| | - Anna Schill
- Department of Biological Sciences, Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, Ohio, USA
- Department of Biology, Idaho State University, Pocatello, Idaho, USA
| | - Dustin G Reichard
- Department of Biological Sciences, Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, Ohio, USA
| | - Eric J Gangloff
- Department of Biological Sciences, Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, Ohio, USA
| | - Kinsey M Brock
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, College of Natural Resources, University of California, Berkeley, USA
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, USA
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2
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Keren-Rotem T, Main DC, Barocas A, Donaire-Barroso D, Haddas-Sasson M, Vila C, Shaharabany T, Wolf L, Tolley KA, Geffen E. Genetic and behavioural factors affecting interpopulation colour pattern variation in two congeneric chameleon species. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2024; 11:231554. [PMID: 38234439 PMCID: PMC10792394 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.231554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024]
Abstract
We conducted a study on interpopulation variation of colour patterns in two congeneric chameleon species, which have an analogous life history. Both species are able to rapidly change colour pattern, and their context-dependent colour patterns often vary across a wide geographical range. Specifically, we tested four hypotheses that can explain the observed interpopulation variation of colour patterns by a series of behavioural field trials where the colour patterns of individuals were recorded and later analysed by a deep neural network algorithm. We used redundancy analysis to relate genetic, spectral and behavioural predictors to interpopulation colour pattern distance. Our results showed that both isolation by distance (IBD) and alternative mating tactics were significant predictors for interpopulation colour pattern variation in Chamaeleo chamaeleon males. By contrast, in Chamaeleo dilepis, the interpopulation colour pattern variation was largely explained by IBD, and evidence for alternative mating tactics was absent. In both chameleon species, the environmental colours showed no evidence of influencing chameleon interpopulation colour pattern variation, regardless of sex or behavioural context. This contrasting finding suggests that interpopulation context-dependent colour pattern variations in each species are maintained under a different set of selective pressures or circumstances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tammy Keren-Rotem
- Ecology Department, Israel Nature and Parks Authority, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Devon C. Main
- Centre for Ecological Genomics and Wildlife Conservation, University of Johannesburg, Auckland Park Campus, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Adi Barocas
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, Escondido, CA, USA
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | | | | | - Carles Vila
- Doñana Biological Station (EBD-CSIC), Seville, Spain
| | - Tal Shaharabany
- The Faculty of Engineering, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Lior Wolf
- School of Computer Science, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Krystal A. Tolley
- Centre for Ecological Genomics and Wildlife Conservation, University of Johannesburg, Auckland Park Campus, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Kirstenbosch Research Centre, South African National Biodiversity Institute, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Eli Geffen
- School of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
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3
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Boersma J, Enbody ED, Ketaloya S, Watts HE, Karubian J, Schwabl H. Does capacity to produce androgens underlie variation in female ornamentation and territoriality in White-shouldered Fairywren (Malurus alboscapulatus)? Horm Behav 2023; 154:105393. [PMID: 37331309 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2023.105393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Revised: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 06/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/20/2023]
Abstract
Historic bias toward study of sex hormones and sexual ornamentation in males currently constrains our perspective of hormone-behavior-phenotype relationships. Resolving how ornamented female phenotypes evolve is particularly important for understanding the diversity of social signals across taxa. Studies of both males and females in taxa with variable female phenotypes are needed to establish whether sexes share mechanisms underlying expression of signaling phenotypes and behavior. White-shouldered Fairywren (Malurus alboscapulatus) subspecies vary in female ornamentation, baseline circulating androgens, and response to territorial intrusion. The moretoni ornamented female subspecies is characterized by higher female, but lower male baseline androgens, and a stronger pair territorial response relative to pairs from the lorentzi unornamented female subspecies. Here we address whether subspecific differences in female ornamentation, baseline androgens, and pair territoriality are associated with ability to elevate androgens following gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) challenge and in response to simulated territorial intrusion. We find that subspecies do not differ in their capacity to produce androgens in either sex following GnRH or simulated territorial intrusion (STI) challenges. STI-induced androgens were predictive of degree of response to territorial intrusions in females only, but the direction of the effect was mixed. GnRH-induced androgens did not correlate with response to simulated intruders, nor did females sampled during intrusion elevate androgens relative to flushed controls, suggesting that increased androgens are not necessary for the expression of territorial defense behaviors. Collectively, our results suggest that capacity to produce androgens does not underlie subspecific patterns of female ornamentation, territoriality, and baseline plasma androgens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan Boersma
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA; Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA; Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
| | - Erik D Enbody
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, USA; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Serena Ketaloya
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA; Porotona Village, Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea
| | - Heather E Watts
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA; Center for Reproductive Biology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Jordan Karubian
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Hubert Schwabl
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA; Center for Reproductive Biology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
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4
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Albuquerque RL, Zani PA, Garland T. Lower-level predictors and behavioral correlates of maximal aerobic capacity and sprint speed among individual lizards. J Exp Biol 2023; 226:286757. [PMID: 36700411 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.244676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 01/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
The standard paradigm of organismal biology views lower-level traits (e.g. aspects of physiology) as determining organismal performance ability (e.g. maximal sprint speed), which in turn constrains behavior (e.g. social interactions). However, few studies have simultaneously examined all three levels of organization. We used focal observations to record movement behaviors and push-up displays in the field for adult male Sceloporus occidentalis lizards during the breeding season. We then captured animals, measured aspects of their physiology, morphology and performance, and counted ectoparasites and endoparasites as potential predictors of sprint speed and maximal oxygen consumption (V̇O2,max). Field behaviors were statistically repeatable, but not strongly so. Sprint speed and V̇O2,max were repeatable using residuals from regressions on body mass (speed: r=0.70; V̇O2,max: r=0.88). Both calf [standardized partial regression (path) coefficient B=0.53] and thigh [B=-0.37] muscle mass (as residuals from regressions on body mass) were significant predictors of sprint speed; hemoglobin concentration (B=0.42) was a predictor of V̇O2,max. In turn, V̇O2,max predicted the maximum number of four-legged push-ups per bout (B=0.39). In path analysis, log likelihood ratio tests indicated no direct paths from lower-level traits to behavior, supporting the idea that morphology, in the broad sense, only affects behavior indirectly through measures of performance. Our results show that inter-individual variation in field behaviors can be related to performance ability, which in turn reflect differences in morphology and physiology, although not parasite load. Given the low repeatability of field behaviors, some of the relationships between behavior and performance may be stronger than suggested by our results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ralph L Albuquerque
- Department of Evolution Ecology and Organismal Biology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA.,Departamento de Sistemática e Ecologia, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, João Pessoa, PB, 58050-585, Brazil
| | - Peter A Zani
- Department of Biology, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Stevens Point, WI 54481-3897, USA
| | - Theodore Garland
- Department of Evolution Ecology and Organismal Biology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
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5
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Mould MC, Huet M, Senegas L, Milá B, Thébaud C, Bourgeois Y, Chaine AS. Beyond morphs: Inter-individual colour variation despite strong genetic determinism of colour morphs in a wild bird. J Evol Biol 2023; 36:82-94. [PMID: 36484624 PMCID: PMC10107803 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14124] [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: 11/18/2020] [Revised: 05/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Categorizing individuals into discrete forms in colour polymorphic species can overlook more subtle patterns in coloration that can be of functional significance. Thus, quantifying inter-individual variation in these species at both within- and between-morph levels is critical to understand the evolution of colour polymorphisms. Here we present analyses of inter-individual colour variation in the Reunion grey white-eye (Zosterops borbonicus), a colour polymorphic wild bird endemic to the island of Reunion in which all highland populations contain two sympatric colour morphs, with birds showing predominantly grey or brown plumage, respectively. We first quantified colour variation across multiple body areas by using a continuous plumage colour score to assess variation in brown-grey coloration as well as smaller scale variation in light patches. To examine the possible causes of among-individual variation, we tested if colour variation in plumage component elements could be explained by genotypes at two markers near a major-effect locus previously related to back coloration in this species, and by other factors such as age, sex and body condition. Overall, grey-brown coloration was largely determined by genetic factors and was best described by three distinct clusters that were associated to genotypic classes (homozygotes and heterozygote), with no effect of age or sex, whereas variation in smaller light patches was primarily related to age and sex. Our results highlight the importance of characterizing subtle plumage variation beyond morph categories that are readily observable since multiple patterns of colour variation may be driven by different mechanisms, have different functions and will likely respond in different ways to selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maya C Mould
- Station d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale du CNRS and Université Paul Sabatier (Toulouse III), UPR 2001, Moulis, France
| | - Michèle Huet
- Station d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale du CNRS and Université Paul Sabatier (Toulouse III), UPR 2001, Moulis, France
| | - Lou Senegas
- Station d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale du CNRS and Université Paul Sabatier (Toulouse III), UPR 2001, Moulis, France
| | - Borja Milá
- National Museum of Natural Sciences, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Christophe Thébaud
- Laboratoire Évolution et Diversité Biologique (EDB), UMR 5174 Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), Université Paul Sabatier (Toulouse III), Toulouse Cedex, France
| | - Yann Bourgeois
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK
| | - Alexis S Chaine
- Station d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale du CNRS and Université Paul Sabatier (Toulouse III), UPR 2001, Moulis, France.,Institute for Advanced Studies in Toulouse, Toulouse, France
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6
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Yu S, Wang Z, Zhang L, Nie Y, Deng Y, Liu R, Diao J, Zhou Z. Possible changes in trade-off strategy in female lizards (Eremias argus) during hibernation following exposure to chlorantraniliprole: Impact on the HPG axis and the energy mobilization. PESTICIDE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 184:105059. [PMID: 35715026 DOI: 10.1016/j.pestbp.2022.105059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2021] [Revised: 02/17/2022] [Accepted: 02/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Hibernation is a short-term survival strategy for ectotherms to cope with cold weather and food shortages. The energy sources stored before hibernation are used not only in the winter, but also in preparation for reproduction. Reproductive physiology and behavior are primarily regulated by the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonad (HPG) axis. In this study, we examined endocrine hormone changes in the HPG axis of female lizards (Eremias argus) after chlorantraniliprole insecticide (CAP) exposure during hibernation. The levels of gonadotropin-releasing hormone, luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone and progesterone were significantly decreased and the level of testosterone (T) was significantly increased after 135d experiment. This study verified the possible endocrine disrupting effects of CAP. More energy material consumption was observed in CAP treated group. Female E. argus preferred to invest energy to present survival when exposed to CAP, rather than to reserve material for following reproductive activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simin Yu
- Department of Applied Chemistry, China Agricultural University, No. 2 West Yuanmingyuan Road, Beijing 100193, PR China
| | - Zikang Wang
- Department of Applied Chemistry, China Agricultural University, No. 2 West Yuanmingyuan Road, Beijing 100193, PR China
| | - Luyao Zhang
- Department of Applied Chemistry, China Agricultural University, No. 2 West Yuanmingyuan Road, Beijing 100193, PR China
| | - Yufan Nie
- Department of Applied Chemistry, China Agricultural University, No. 2 West Yuanmingyuan Road, Beijing 100193, PR China
| | - Yue Deng
- Department of Applied Chemistry, China Agricultural University, No. 2 West Yuanmingyuan Road, Beijing 100193, PR China
| | - Rui Liu
- Department of Applied Chemistry, China Agricultural University, No. 2 West Yuanmingyuan Road, Beijing 100193, PR China
| | - Jinling Diao
- Department of Applied Chemistry, China Agricultural University, No. 2 West Yuanmingyuan Road, Beijing 100193, PR China
| | - Zhiqiang Zhou
- Department of Applied Chemistry, China Agricultural University, No. 2 West Yuanmingyuan Road, Beijing 100193, PR China.
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7
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Lattanzio MS. Climate mediates color morph turnover in a species exhibiting alternative reproductive strategies. Sci Rep 2022; 12:8474. [PMID: 35589926 PMCID: PMC9120169 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-12300-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Sexual selection is considered the primary driver of morph turnover in many color polymorphic taxa, yet the potential for other factors (like climate) to contribute to polymorphism maintenance and evolution remains unclear. Appreciation for a role of environmental conditions in the maintenance and evolution of color polymorphisms has grown in recent years, generating evidence suggesting that color morphs linked to sexual selection may also diverge in climate sensitivity. Focusing on the three color components contributing to the male tree lizard (Urosaurus ornatus) color morphs, I reveal a marked concordance between patterns of turnover over space and time, with a general affinity of orange- and yellow-colored males to hotter, more variable conditions, and blue colored males to wetter, cooler conditions. An assessment of long-term turnover in the blue color component in response to recent climate change over the past 60 years reinforces these findings. Overall, behavioral asymmetries attributed to sexual selection likely expose competing morphs to divergent environmental conditions in heterogeneous habitats, creating opportunity for natural selection to shape climate sensitivities that also drive turnover in morph color composition. Ultimately, these processes may favor stark asymmetries in morph persistence over the coming decades.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew S Lattanzio
- Department of Organismal and Environmental Biology, Christopher Newport University, Newport News, VA, 23606, USA.
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8
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Abstract
AbstractTrade-offs and constraints are inherent to life, and studies of these phenomena play a central role in both organismal and evolutionary biology. Trade-offs can be defined, categorized, and studied in at least six, not mutually exclusive, ways. (1) Allocation constraints are caused by a limited resource (e.g., energy, time, space, essential nutrients), such that increasing allocation to one component necessarily requires a decrease in another (if only two components are involved, this is referred to as the Y-model, e.g., energy devoted to size versus number of offspring). (2) Functional conflicts occur when features that enhance performance of one task decrease performance of another (e.g., relative lengths of in-levers and out-levers, force-velocity trade-offs related to muscle fiber type composition). (3) Shared biochemical pathways, often involving integrator molecules (e.g., hormones, neurotransmitters, transcription factors), can simultaneously affect multiple traits, with some effects being beneficial for one or more components of Darwinian fitness (e.g., survival, age at first reproduction, fecundity) and others detrimental. (4) Antagonistic pleiotropy describes genetic variants that increase one component of fitness (or a lower-level trait) while simultaneously decreasing another. (5) Ecological circumstances (or selective regime) may impose trade-offs, such as when foraging behavior increases energy availability yet also decreases survival. (6) Sexual selection may lead to the elaboration of (usually male) secondary sexual characters that improve mating success but handicap survival and/or impose energetic costs that reduce other fitness components. Empirical studies of trade-offs often search for negative correlations between two traits that are the expected outcomes of the trade-offs, but this will generally be inadequate if more than two traits are involved and especially for complex physiological networks of interacting traits. Moreover, trade-offs often occur only in populations that are experiencing harsh environmental conditions or energetic challenges at the extremes of phenotypic distributions, such as among individuals or species that have exceptional athletic abilities. Trade-offs may be (partially) circumvented through various compensatory mechanisms, depending on the timescale involved, ranging from acute to evolutionary. Going forward, a pluralistic view of trade-offs and constraints, combined with integrative analyses that cross levels of biological organization and traditional boundaries among disciplines, will enhance the study of evolutionary organismal biology.
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9
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Svensson EI, Blaimont P, Calsbeek R, Lancaster LT, McAdam A, Mills SC. In Memoriam: Barry Sinervo 1961-2021. Evolution 2021. [PMID: 34881444 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Erik I Svensson
- Evolutionary Ecology Unit, Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, SE-223 62, Sweden
| | - Pauline Blaimont
- Department of Biology, Behavioral Neuroscience and Health Sciences, Rider University, Lawrenceville, New Jersey, 08648
| | - Ryan Calsbeek
- Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, 03755
| | - Lesley T Lancaster
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB24 2TZ, UK
| | - Andrew McAdam
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, 80309
| | - Suzanne C Mills
- PSL Université Paris, EPHE-UPVD-CNRS, USR 3278 CRIOBE, 98729 Papetoai, Moorea, French Polynesia.,Laboratoire d'Excellence, CORAIL, 58 avenue Paul Alduy, CEDEX, 668 60, France
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10
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Cruz-Cano NB, Sánchez-Rivera UÁ, Álvarez-Rodríguez C, Dávila-Govantes R, Cárdenas-León M, Martínez-Torres M. Sex steroids are correlated with environmental factors and body condition during the reproductive cycle in females of the lizard Sceloporus torquatus. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2021; 314:113921. [PMID: 34606744 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2021.113921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2020] [Revised: 09/25/2021] [Accepted: 09/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/06/2022]
Abstract
Reproduction is regulated by multiple factors that influence physiology and behavior to ensure the continuity of species. However, more work is needed to examine the complex relationships between environmental factors and endocrine transducers that modulate reproductive cycles, particularly in lizards. Here, we aimed to characterize the variation in plasma sex steroid levels in different stages of the reproductive cycle in the lizard Sceloporus torquatus and assess whether sex steroid levels were related to environmental factors (temperature, photoperiod, precipitation, and relative humidity) and body condition. Plasma concentrations of estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P4) from blood samples were quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and radioimmunoanalysis (RIA), respectively. Our results indicate that sex steroid concentrations were positively related to follicular development but negatively related to temperature and precipitation. E2 increased as the follicles grew, and its concentrations were highest in the preovulatory phase. P4 showed a similar pattern and persisted during pregnancy. Changes in body condition were non-significant and mainly unrelated to the reproductive stage and plasma sex steroids. Our findings indicate that sex steroids change depending on the season and reproductive stage. We observed high concentrations of E2 and P4 in the late vitellogenic and preovulatory stages, probably because of their role in promoting vitellogenesis and ovulation. Additionally, we observed that follicular development is correlated with temperature and photoperiod. To better understand the mechanisms underlying reproduction, future studies of captive populations where environmental factors can be manipulated are needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Norma Berenice Cruz-Cano
- Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Edificio D, 1° Piso, Circuito de Posgrados, Ciudad Universitaria, Coyoacán, Ciudad de México, México; Laboratorio de Biología de la Reproducción, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Avenida de los Barrios s/n, Los Reyes Iztacala, Tlalnepantla, Estado de México, C.P. 54110, México.
| | - Uriel Ángel Sánchez-Rivera
- Laboratorio de Biología de la Reproducción, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Avenida de los Barrios s/n, Los Reyes Iztacala, Tlalnepantla, Estado de México, C.P. 54110, México
| | - Carmen Álvarez-Rodríguez
- Laboratorio de Biología de la Reproducción, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Avenida de los Barrios s/n, Los Reyes Iztacala, Tlalnepantla, Estado de México, C.P. 54110, México
| | - Rodrigo Dávila-Govantes
- Laboratorio de Biología de la Reproducción, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Avenida de los Barrios s/n, Los Reyes Iztacala, Tlalnepantla, Estado de México, C.P. 54110, México
| | - Mario Cárdenas-León
- Laboratorio de Biología de la Reproducción, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Avenida de los Barrios s/n, Los Reyes Iztacala, Tlalnepantla, Estado de México, C.P. 54110, México; Laboratorio de Hormonas Proteicas, Departamento de Biología de la Reproducción, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Avenida Vasco de Quiroga No. 15, Colonia Belisario Domínguez Sección XVI, Delegación Tlalpan, C.P. 14080, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Martín Martínez-Torres
- Laboratorio de Biología de la Reproducción, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Avenida de los Barrios s/n, Los Reyes Iztacala, Tlalnepantla, Estado de México, C.P. 54110, México.
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11
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Abdala CS, Paz MM, Semhan RV, García N, Aguilar-Kirigin AJ, Farías ME, Valladares P, Poblete RG, Quipildor MA, Valdes J, Langstroth R. Increasing knowledge of the denizens of saline environments through integrative taxonomy: new Argentinian endemic taxa of Liolaemus (Iguania: Liolaemidae) and their evolutionary relationships. SYST BIODIVERS 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/14772000.2020.1844818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Cristian S. Abdala
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET) – Unidad ejecutora Lillo (UEL), San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo (IML), Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina
| | - Marcos M. Paz
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET) – Unidad ejecutora Lillo (UEL), San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina
| | - Romina V. Semhan
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET) – Unidad ejecutora Lillo (UEL), San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina
| | - Noelia García
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET) – Unidad ejecutora Lillo (UEL), San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina
| | - Alvaro J. Aguilar-Kirigin
- Red de Investigadores en Herpetología. La Paz. Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia. Área de Herpetología, Colección Boliviana de Fauna. Campus Universitario de Cota Cota, Facultad de Ciencias Puras y Naturales, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, La Paz, Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia
| | - María E. Farías
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos (PROIMI), San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina
| | - Pablo Valladares
- Laboratorio de Zoología Integrativa, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Tarapacá, Arica, Chile
| | | | - Matías A. Quipildor
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Instituto de Bio y Geociencias del Noroeste Argentino (IBIGEO), Salta, Argentina
| | - Julián Valdes
- Laboratorio de Herpetología. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales y Agrimensura, Universidad Nacional del Nordeste, Corrientes, Argentina
| | - Robert Langstroth
- Red de Investigadores en Herpetología. La Paz. Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia. Área de Herpetología, Colección Boliviana de Fauna. Campus Universitario de Cota Cota, Facultad de Ciencias Puras y Naturales, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, La Paz, Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia
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12
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Coladonato AJ, Mangiacotti M, Scali S, Zuffi MAL, Pasquariello C, Matellini C, Buratti S, Battaiola M, Sacchi R. Morph-specific seasonal variation of aggressive behaviour in a polymorphic lizard species. PeerJ 2020; 8:e10268. [PMID: 33240621 PMCID: PMC7682419 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.10268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2020] [Accepted: 10/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The persistence of colour polymorphism (CP) within a given population is generally associated with the coexistence of alternative reproductive strategies, each one involving specific trade-offs among behavioural, morphological, physiological, and other life histories. Common wall lizard (Podarcis muralis), is a medium-sized diurnal lizard, showing CP in three main colours (yellow, white, and red) on throat and belly, and a morph-specific pattern for both immunocompetence and seasonal variation of T levels. Yellow males show low stamina with high plasma T levels at the beginning of the season, while white males show high stamina with a higher plasma T levels at the end of the season. We hypothesised the presence of two strategies: a risky one, characterised by high aggressiveness played by yellow-morph, and a conservative one by white morph with low aggressiveness. Thus, we tested the aggressive response to conspecifics of yellow and white morphs using a mirror inserted into their cage, mimicking an intrusion of a stranger in their territories, throughout the breeding season (from April to July, 117 trials). We considered three types of aggressive response, with different levels of aggressiveness: (i) bite against the image reflected in the mirror, (ii) seconds spent by the individuals into the half mirrored cage, and (iii) number of times the lizard entered the half mirrored cage. We also considered the number of tongue flicking as explorative behaviour variable. All lizards were tested after a period of acclimatisation to the captivity conditions. Results demonstrate that yellow males showed a higher aggressive response in the early season and a decrease aggressive response towards the end, whereas white males showed an opposite pattern.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Marco Mangiacotti
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
- Museo di Storia Naturale di Milano, Milano, Italy
| | | | | | | | - Cristian Matellini
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Simone Buratti
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Mara Battaiola
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Roberto Sacchi
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
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13
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Stuart‐Fox D, Aulsebrook A, Rankin KJ, Dong CM, McLean CA. Convergence and divergence in lizard colour polymorphisms. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2020; 96:289-309. [DOI: 10.1111/brv.12656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2020] [Revised: 09/24/2020] [Accepted: 09/25/2020] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Devi Stuart‐Fox
- School of BioSciences The University of Melbourne Royal Parade Parkville VIC 3010 Australia
| | - Anne Aulsebrook
- School of BioSciences The University of Melbourne Royal Parade Parkville VIC 3010 Australia
| | - Katrina J. Rankin
- School of BioSciences The University of Melbourne Royal Parade Parkville VIC 3010 Australia
| | - Caroline M. Dong
- School of BioSciences The University of Melbourne Royal Parade Parkville VIC 3010 Australia
- Sciences Department Museums Victoria 11 Nicholson Street Carlton Gardens VIC 3053 Australia
| | - Claire A. McLean
- School of BioSciences The University of Melbourne Royal Parade Parkville VIC 3010 Australia
- Sciences Department Museums Victoria 11 Nicholson Street Carlton Gardens VIC 3053 Australia
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14
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Durso AM, Smith GD, Hudson SB, French SS. Stoichiometric and stable isotope ratios of wild lizards in an urban landscape vary with reproduction, physiology, space and time. CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2020; 8:coaa001. [PMID: 32082575 PMCID: PMC7019090 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coaa001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2018] [Revised: 12/13/2019] [Accepted: 01/08/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Spatial and temporal variation in stoichiometric and stable isotope ratios of animals contains ecological information that we are just beginning to understand. In both field and lab studies, stoichiometric or isotopic ratios are related to physiological mechanisms underlying nutrition or stress. Conservation and ecosystem ecology may be informed by isotopic data that can be rapidly and non-lethally collected from wild animals, especially where human activity leaves an isotopic signature (e.g. via introduction of chemical fertilizers, ornamental or other non-native plants or organic detritus). We examined spatial and temporal variation in stoichiometric and stable isotope ratios of the toes of Uta stansburiana (side-blotched lizards) living in urban and rural areas in and around St. George, Utah. We found substantial spatial and temporal variation as well as context-dependent co-variation with reproductive physiological parameters, although certain key predictions such as the relationship between δ15N and body condition were not supported. We suggest that landscape change through urbanization can have profound effects on wild animal physiology and that stoichiometric and stable isotope ratios can provide unique insights into the mechanisms underlying these processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew M Durso
- Department of Biology and the Ecology Center, Utah State University, 5305 Old Main Hill, Logan UT 84321 USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Gulf Coast University, 10501 FGCU Blvd S, Fort Myers, FL 33965 USA
| | - Geoffrey D Smith
- Department of Biology and the Ecology Center, Utah State University, 5305 Old Main Hill, Logan UT 84321 USA
- Biological Sciences Department, Dixie State University, 225 S. University Avenue, St. George, UT 84770 USA
| | - Spencer B Hudson
- Department of Biology and the Ecology Center, Utah State University, 5305 Old Main Hill, Logan UT 84321 USA
| | - Susannah S French
- Department of Biology and the Ecology Center, Utah State University, 5305 Old Main Hill, Logan UT 84321 USA
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15
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Lipshutz SE, George EM, Bentz AB, Rosvall KA. Evaluating testosterone as a phenotypic integrator: From tissues to individuals to species. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2019; 496:110531. [PMID: 31376416 PMCID: PMC6731036 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2019.110531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2019] [Revised: 06/14/2019] [Accepted: 07/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Hormones have the potential to bring about rapid phenotypic change; however, they are highly conserved over millions of years of evolution. Here, we examine the evolution of hormone-mediated phenotypes, and the extent to which regulation is achieved via independence or integration of the many components of endocrine systems. We focus on the sex steroid testosterone (T), its cognate receptor (androgen receptor) and related endocrine components. We pose predictions about the mechanisms underlying phenotypic integration, including coordinated sensitivity to T within and among tissues and along the HPG axis. We then assess these predictions with case studies from wild birds, asking whether gene expression related to androgenic signaling naturally co-varies among individuals in ways that would promote phenotypic integration. Finally, we review how mechanisms of integration and independence vary over developmental or evolutionary time, and we find limited support for integration.
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Affiliation(s)
- S E Lipshutz
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA.
| | - E M George
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA; Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA
| | - A B Bentz
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA; Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA
| | - K A Rosvall
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA; Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA
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16
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Nugent BM, Stiver KA, Hofmann HA, Alonzo SH. Experimentally induced variation in neuroendocrine processes affects male reproductive behaviour, sperm characteristics and social interactions. Mol Ecol 2019; 28:3464-3481. [PMID: 30586201 DOI: 10.1111/mec.14999] [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: 07/25/2018] [Revised: 11/17/2018] [Accepted: 11/27/2018] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
While extensive research has focused on how social interactions evolve, the fitness consequences of the neuroendocrine mechanisms underlying these interactions have rarely been documented, especially in the wild. Here, we measure how the neuroendocrine mechanisms underlying male behaviour affect mating success and sperm competition in the ocellated wrasse (Symphodus ocellatus). In this species, males exhibit three alternative reproductive types. "Nesting males" provide parental care, defend territories and form cooperative associations with unrelated "satellites," who cheat by sneaking fertilizations but help by reducing sperm competition from "sneakers" who do not cooperate or provide care. To measure the fitness consequences of the mechanisms underlying these social interactions, we used "phenotypic engineering" that involved administering an androgen receptor antagonist (flutamide) to wild, free-living fish. Nesting males treated with flutamide shifted their aggression from sneakers to satellite males and experienced decreased submissiveness by sneaker males (which correlated with decreased nesting male mating success). The preoptic area (POA), a region controlling male reproductive behaviours, exhibited dramatic down-regulation of androgen receptor (AR) and vasotocin 1a receptor (V1aR) mRNA following experimental manipulation of androgen signalling. We did not find a direct effect of the manipulation on male mating success, paternity or larval production. However, variation in neuroendocrine mechanisms generated by the experimental manipulation was significantly correlated with changes in behaviour and mating success: V1aR expression was negatively correlated with satellite-directed aggression, and expression of its ligand arginine vasotocin (AVT) was positively correlated with courtship and mating success, thus revealing the potential for sexual selection on these mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bridget M Nugent
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut.,Department of Integrative Biology, Institute for Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
| | - Kelly A Stiver
- Department of Psychology, Southern Connecticut State University, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Hans A Hofmann
- Department of Integrative Biology, Institute for Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
| | - Suzanne H Alonzo
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, California
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17
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Gilman CA, Corl A, Sinervo B, Irschick DJ. Genital morphology associated with mating strategy in the polymorphic lizard, Uta stansburiana. J Morphol 2018; 280:184-192. [PMID: 30592530 DOI: 10.1002/jmor.20930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2018] [Revised: 09/30/2018] [Accepted: 11/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Sexual selection can lead to rapid evolution of sexual traits and striking morphological diversity across taxa. In populations where competition for mates is intense, males sometimes evolve distinct behavioral strategies along with morphological differences that help them secure mating opportunities. Strong postcopulatory selection and differential resource allocation across male strategy type can result in strategy-specific differences in sexual traits, such as sperm morphology, ejaculate components, and testis size. Some polymorphic species also have strategy-specific genital morphology. Thus far, among vertebrates, this has only been observed in fish. Here, we present the first morphological description of the intromittant copulatory organ, the hemipenis, of the three mating types of the side-blotched lizard, Uta stansburiana, from a population that exhibits alternative mating strategies. We found that the isometrically scaling hemipenis was shortest in the nonterritorial (yellow) morph that sneaks copulations with other males' mates. Although the hemipenes were generally the same shape across morphs, the usurping territorial (orange) morph had a significantly wider apical horn than the nonterritorial sneaker morph. Sneaker males also had smaller relative body masses than both the mate-guarding (blue) morph and the usurper morph, and shorter tibia than the usurper morph. This study using a small sample of males suggests that strong sexual selection may drive genital trait differentiation across morphs within populations of terrestrial vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Casey A Gilman
- Department of Biology, Graduate Program in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts
| | - Ammon Corl
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California
| | - Barry Sinervo
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California
| | - Duncan J Irschick
- Department of Biology, Graduate Program in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts.,Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts
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18
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Behavioral and physiological polymorphism in males of the austral lizard Liolaemus sarmientoi. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2017; 204:219-230. [DOI: 10.1007/s00359-017-1233-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2017] [Revised: 11/15/2017] [Accepted: 11/23/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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19
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Moulherat S, Chaine A, Mangin A, Aubret F, Sinervo B, Clobert J. The roles of plasticity versus dominance in maintaining polymorphism in mating strategies. Sci Rep 2017; 7:15939. [PMID: 29162832 PMCID: PMC5698437 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-15078-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2017] [Accepted: 10/20/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Although natural selection is expected to reduce variability, polymorphism is common in nature even under strong selective regimes. Discrete polymorphisms in mating strategies are widespread and offer a good opportunity to understand the genetic processes that allow the maintenance of polymorphism in relatively simple systems. Here we explored the genetic mechanism underlying the expression of discrete mating strategies in the rock-paper-scissors (RPS) game. Heterozygotes carry the genetic information for two different strategies, yet little attention has been devoted to the mechanisms underpinning heterozygote phenotype and its consequences for allele frequency dynamics. We explored the maintenance of polymorphism under 1) genetic dominance or 2) plasticity, as mechanisms driving the expression of alternative strategies in males. We developed an alternative mating strategy model and analysed allele frequency dynamics using time series analyses. Our results show that both genetic mechanisms can maintain polymorphism depending on population demographic characteristics but that plasticity can enhance the likelihood that polymorphism is maintained relative to dominance. Time series analysis on simulation outcomes show that the RPS game is mostly driven by a single strategy, but the importance of this strategy on long term dynamics is stronger when gene expression shows dominance rather than plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sylvain Moulherat
- Station d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale du CNRS (UMR5321), 2 route du CNRS, 09200, Moulis, France.,TerrOïko, 2 rue Clémence Isaure, 31250, Revel, France
| | - Alexis Chaine
- Station d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale du CNRS (UMR5321), 2 route du CNRS, 09200, Moulis, France.,Institute for Advanced Studies in Toulouse, Toulouse School of Economics, 21 allée de Brienne, 31015, Toulouse, France
| | - Alain Mangin
- Station d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale du CNRS (UMR5321), 2 route du CNRS, 09200, Moulis, France
| | - Fabien Aubret
- Station d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale du CNRS (UMR5321), 2 route du CNRS, 09200, Moulis, France.
| | - Barry Sinervo
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Earth and Marine Sciences Building, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, USA
| | - Jean Clobert
- Station d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale du CNRS (UMR5321), 2 route du CNRS, 09200, Moulis, France
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20
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Conservation Evo-Devo: Preserving Biodiversity by Understanding Its Origins. Trends Ecol Evol 2017; 32:746-759. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2017.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2017] [Revised: 06/27/2017] [Accepted: 07/03/2017] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
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21
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Pollock NB, Feigin S, Drazenovic M, John-Alder HB. Sex hormones and the development of sexual size dimorphism: 5α-dihydrotestosterone inhibits growth in a female-larger lizard ( Sceloporus undulatus). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017; 220:4068-4077. [PMID: 28912255 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.166553] [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: 07/14/2017] [Accepted: 09/11/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Sexual differences in adult body size [sexual size dimorphism (SSD)] and color (sexual dichromatism) are widespread, and both male- and female-biased dimorphisms are observed even among closely related species. A growing body of evidence indicates testosterone can regulate growth, thus the development of SSD, and sexual dichromatism. However, the mechanism(s) underlying these effects are conjectural, including possible conversions of testosterone to estradiol (E2) or 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT). In the present study, we hypothesized that the effects of testosterone are physiological responses mediated by androgen receptors, and we tested two specific predictions: (1) that DHT would mimic the effects of testosterone by inhibiting growth and enhancing coloration, and (2) that removal of endogenous testosterone via surgical castration would stimulate growth. We also hypothesized that females share downstream regulatory networks with males and predicted that females and males would respond similarly to DHT. We conducted experiments on eastern fence lizards (Sceloporus undulatus), a female-larger species with striking sexual dichromatism. We implanted Silastic® tubules containing 150 µg DHT into intact females and intact and castrated males. We measured linear growth rates and quantified color for ventral and dorsal surfaces. We found that DHT decreased growth rate and enhanced male-typical coloration in both males and females. We also found that, given adequate time, castration alone is sufficient to stimulate growth rate in males. The results presented here suggest that: (1) the effects of testosterone on growth and coloration are mediated by androgen receptors without requiring aromatization of testosterone into E2, and (2) females possess the androgen-receptor-mediated regulatory networks required for initiating male-typical inhibition of growth and enhanced coloration in response to androgens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas B Pollock
- Graduate Program in Ecology and Evolution, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
| | - Stephanie Feigin
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
| | - Marko Drazenovic
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
| | - Henry B John-Alder
- Graduate Program in Ecology and Evolution, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA.,Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
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22
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Tylan C, Langkilde T. Local and systemic immune responses to different types of phytohemagglutinin in the green anole: Lessons for field ecoimmunologists. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART 2017; 327:322-332. [PMID: 29356446 DOI: 10.1002/jez.2108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2017] [Revised: 08/13/2017] [Accepted: 08/21/2017] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
The phytohemagglutinin (PHA) skin test is commonly used by ecologists to assess cell-mediated immune function of wild animals. It can be performed quickly and easily in the field, involving injection of PHA and measurement of the resultant swelling. There are multiple formulations of PHA used in ecological studies, with potentially differing outcomes that could produce inconsistent results. We tested two common types of PHA in the green anole (Anolis carolinensis) to identify local and systemic immune responses underlying the resultant swelling at 6, 18, 24, and 48 hr post injection. There were differences in both local (injection site) and systemic (blood) leukocyte responses to PHA-L versus PHA-P. PHA-P injection produced a greater overall increase in local heterophil count at the injection site compared with PHA-L, and this response was greatest at 6 and 24 hr post injection. Systemically, heterophil percentage was higher in the blood of PHA-P- versus PHA-L-injected anoles at 24 hr post injection; the time point at which heterophil percentage peaked in PHA-P-injected anoles. These results indicate that although both PHA types are effective tests of immune function in green anoles, the PHA-P swelling response invokes a much stronger heterophilic response. PHA-L is a more specific test of lymphocyte function, particularly at 24 hr post injection, making it preferable for ecoimmunology studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine Tylan
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Tracy Langkilde
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA.,Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, The Center for Brain, Behavior and Cognition, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
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23
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Cain KE, Pryke SR. Testosterone production in response to exogenous gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH challenge) depends on social environment and color polymorphism. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2017; 244:77-85. [PMID: 26752245 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2015.12.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2015] [Revised: 12/29/2015] [Accepted: 12/31/2015] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Testosterone is an important mediator of behavior, morphology and physiology. A cascade of signals regulates the amount of testosterone (T) circulating in the plasma; in response to stimulus the hypothalamus releases gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), which triggers secretion of gonadotropins from the pituitary, stimulating the synthesis and release of T from the gonads. Previous work has shown that changes to the social environment can alter circulating T-levels, which may have important fitness consequences, but it is currently unclear whether these changes are due to alterations in the signal from the brain, or changes in the ability of the pituitary and gonads to respond to this signal. Further, the strength and direction of response to a changing environment may differ according to life-history strategy. Species with genetically determined alternative strategies offer a pathway for examining these differences. Here we use a finch with a genetically determined polymorphism, the Gouldian finch (Erythrura gouldiae), to determine whether T-levels change in response to social environment. We also use injections of GnRH to determine whether these changes are due to alterations in the ability of the pituitary and gonads to respond to this signal. We found that social environment (presence of females) had a rapid effect on male circulating T-levels, and that this difference was reflected in responsiveness to GnRH. We observed no overall morph differences in T-levels, but we did observe morph differences in the pattern of T secretion across environments, and morph differences in the repeatability of T-levels across time and environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristal E Cain
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 0200, Australia.
| | - Sarah R Pryke
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 0200, Australia
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24
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LaDage LD, Roth TC, Downs CJ, Sinervo B, Pravosudov VV. Increased Testosterone Decreases Medial Cortical Volume and Neurogenesis in Territorial Side-Blotched Lizards ( Uta stansburiana). Front Neurosci 2017; 11:97. [PMID: 28298883 PMCID: PMC5331184 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2017.00097] [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: 01/14/2017] [Accepted: 02/14/2017] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Variation in an animal's spatial environment can induce variation in the hippocampus, an area of the brain involved in spatial cognitive processing. Specifically, increased spatial area use is correlated with increased hippocampal attributes, such as volume and neurogenesis. In the side-blotched lizard (Uta stansburiana), males demonstrate alternative reproductive tactics and are either territorial—defending large, clearly defined spatial boundaries—or non-territorial—traversing home ranges that are smaller than the territorial males' territories. Our previous work demonstrated cortical volume (reptilian hippocampal homolog) correlates with these spatial niches. We found that territorial holders have larger medial cortices than non-territory holders, yet these differences in the neural architecture demonstrated some degree of plasticity as well. Although we have demonstrated a link among territoriality, spatial use, and brain plasticity, the mechanisms that underlie this relationship are unclear. Previous studies found that higher testosterone levels can induce increased use of the spatial area and can cause an upregulation in hippocampal attributes. Thus, testosterone may be the mechanistic link between spatial area use and the brain. What remains unclear, however, is if testosterone can affect the cortices independent of spatial experiences and whether testosterone differentially interacts with territorial status to produce the resultant cortical phenotype. In this study, we compared neurogenesis as measured by the total number of doublecortin-positive cells and cortical volume between territorial and non-territorial males supplemented with testosterone. We found no significant differences in the number of doublecortin-positive cells or cortical volume among control territorial, control non-territorial, and testosterone-supplemented non-territorial males, while testosterone-supplemented territorial males had smaller medial cortices containing fewer doublecortin-positive cells. These results demonstrate that testosterone can modulate medial cortical attributes outside of differential spatial processing experiences but that territorial males appear to be more sensitive to alterations in testosterone levels compared with non-territorial males.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lara D LaDage
- Division of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Penn State University Altoona Altoona, PA, USA
| | - Timothy C Roth
- Department of Psychology, Franklin and Marshall College Lancaster, PA, USA
| | | | - Barry Sinervo
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, CA, USA
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25
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Geographic variation and within-individual correlations of physiological stress markers in a widespread reptile, the common garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis). Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2017; 205:68-76. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2016.12.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2016] [Revised: 12/16/2016] [Accepted: 12/16/2016] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
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26
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Lancaster LT, Morrison G, Fitt RN. Life history trade-offs, the intensity of competition, and coexistence in novel and evolving communities under climate change. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2017; 372:20160046. [PMID: 27920390 PMCID: PMC5182441 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2016.0046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/06/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The consequences of climate change for local biodiversity are little understood in process or mechanism, but these changes are likely to reflect both changing regional species pools and changing competitive interactions. Previous empirical work largely supports the idea that competition will intensify under climate change, promoting competitive exclusions and local extinctions, while theory and conceptual work indicate that relaxed competition may in fact buffer communities from biodiversity losses that are typically witnessed at broader spatial scales. In this review, we apply life history theory to understand the conditions under which these alternative scenarios may play out in the context of a range-shifting biota undergoing rapid evolutionary and environmental change, and at both leading-edge and trailing-edge communities. We conclude that, in general, warming temperatures are likely to reduce life history variation among competitors, intensifying competition in both established and novel communities. However, longer growing seasons, severe environmental stress and increased climatic variability associated with climate change may buffer these communities against intensified competition. The role of life history plasticity and evolution has been previously underappreciated in community ecology, but may hold the key to understanding changing species interactions and local biodiversity under changing climates.This article is part of the themed issue 'Human influences on evolution, and the ecological and societal consequences'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lesley T Lancaster
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 2TZ, UK
| | - Gavin Morrison
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 2TZ, UK
| | - Robert N Fitt
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 2TZ, UK
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Pellitteri-Rosa D, Bellati A, Cocca W, Gazzola A, Martín J, Fasola M. Urbanization affects refuge use and habituation to predators in a polymorphic lizard. Anim Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2016.11.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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28
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Mokkonen M, Koskela E, Mappes T, Mills SC. Evolutionary Conflict Between Maternal and Paternal Interests: Integration with Evolutionary Endocrinology. Integr Comp Biol 2016; 56:146-58. [DOI: 10.1093/icb/icw053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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Environmental experiences influence cortical volume in territorial and nonterritorial side-blotched lizards, Uta stansburiana. Anim Behav 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2016.01.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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Foo YZ, Nakagawa S, Rhodes G, Simmons LW. The effects of sex hormones on immune function: a meta-analysis. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2016; 92:551-571. [DOI: 10.1111/brv.12243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 220] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2015] [Revised: 10/30/2015] [Accepted: 11/06/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yong Zhi Foo
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders, School of Psychology, University of Western Australia; 35 Stirling Hwy Crawley Western Australia 6009 Australia
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Animal Biology, University of Western Australia; 35 Stirling Hwy Crawley Western Australia 6009 Australia
| | - Shinichi Nakagawa
- Department of Zoology; University of Otago; 340 Great King Street Dunedin 9016 New Zealand
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales; UNSW Sydney NSW 2052 Australia
| | - Gillian Rhodes
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders, School of Psychology, University of Western Australia; 35 Stirling Hwy Crawley Western Australia 6009 Australia
| | - Leigh W. Simmons
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders, School of Psychology, University of Western Australia; 35 Stirling Hwy Crawley Western Australia 6009 Australia
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Animal Biology, University of Western Australia; 35 Stirling Hwy Crawley Western Australia 6009 Australia
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Husak JF. Measuring Selection on Physiology in the Wild and Manipulating Phenotypes (in Terrestrial Nonhuman Vertebrates). Compr Physiol 2015; 6:63-85. [PMID: 26756627 DOI: 10.1002/cphy.c140061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
To understand why organisms function the way that they do, we must understand how evolution shapes physiology. This requires knowledge of how selection acts on physiological traits in nature. Selection studies in the wild allow us to determine how variation in physiology causes variation in fitness, revealing how evolution molds physiology over evolutionary time. Manipulating phenotypes experimentally in a selection study shifts the distribution of trait variation in a population to better explore potential constraints and the adaptive value of physiological traits. There is a large database of selection studies in the wild on a variety of traits, but very few of those are physiological traits. Nevertheless, data available so far suggest that physiological traits, including metabolic rate, thermal physiology, whole-organism performance, and hormone levels, are commonly subjected to directional selection in nature, with stabilizing and disruptive selection less common than predicted if physiological traits are optimized to an environment. Selection studies on manipulated phenotypes, including circulating testosterone and glucocorticoid levels, reinforce this notion, but reveal that trade-offs between survival and reproduction or correlational selection can constrain the evolution of physiology. More studies of selection on physiological traits in nature that quantify multiple traits are necessary to better determine the manner in which physiological traits evolve and whether different types of traits (dynamic performance vs. regulatory) evolve differently.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jerry F Husak
- Department of Biology, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
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32
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Limeri LB, Morehouse NI. The evolutionary history of the ‘alba’ polymorphism in the butterfly subfamily Coliadinae (Lepidoptera: Pieridae). Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/bij.12697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lisa B. Limeri
- Department of Biological Sciences; University of Pittsburgh; 4249 Fifth Ave Pittsburgh PA 15232 USA
| | - Nathan I. Morehouse
- Department of Biological Sciences; University of Pittsburgh; 4249 Fifth Ave Pittsburgh PA 15232 USA
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33
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Plasman M, Reynoso VH, Nicolás L, Torres R. Multiple colour traits signal performance and immune response in the Dickerson’s collared lizard Crotaphytus dickersonae. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-015-1892-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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San-Jose LM, Peñalver-Alcázar M, Milá B, Gonzalez-Jimena V, Fitze PS. Cumulative frequency-dependent selective episodes allow for rapid morph cycles and rock-paper-scissors dynamics in species with overlapping generations. Proc Biol Sci 2015; 281:20140976. [PMID: 24943372 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2014.0976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Rock-paper-scissors (RPS) dynamics, which maintain genetic polymorphisms over time through negative frequency-dependent (FD) selection, can evolve in short-lived species with no generational overlap, where they produce rapid morph frequency cycles. However, most species have overlapping generations and thus, rapid RPS dynamics are thought to require stronger FD selection, the existence of which yet needs to be proved. Here, we experimentally demonstrate that two cumulative selective episodes, FD sexual selection reinforced by FD selection on offspring survival, generate sufficiently strong selection to generate rapid morph frequency cycles in the European common lizard Zootoca vivipara, a multi-annual species with major generational overlap. These findings show that the conditions required for the evolution of RPS games are fulfilled by almost all species exhibiting genetic polymorphisms and suggest that RPS games may be responsible for the maintenance of genetic diversity in a wide range of species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis M San-Jose
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne 1015, Switzerland Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología, (IPE-CSIC), Jaca 22700, Spain Department of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), Madrid 28006, Spain
| | - Miguel Peñalver-Alcázar
- Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología, (IPE-CSIC), Jaca 22700, Spain Department of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), Madrid 28006, Spain
| | - Borja Milá
- Department of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), Madrid 28006, Spain
| | - Virginia Gonzalez-Jimena
- Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología, (IPE-CSIC), Jaca 22700, Spain Department of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), Madrid 28006, Spain
| | - Patrick S Fitze
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne 1015, Switzerland Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología, (IPE-CSIC), Jaca 22700, Spain Department of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), Madrid 28006, Spain Fundación Araid, Zaragoza 50018, Spain
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Pappano DJ, Beehner JC. Harem-holding males do not rise to the challenge: androgens respond to social but not to seasonal challenges in wild geladas. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2014; 1:140081. [PMID: 26064526 PMCID: PMC4448764 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.140081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2014] [Accepted: 08/12/2014] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
The challenge hypothesis has been enormously successful in predicting interspecific androgen profiles for vertebrate males. Nevertheless, in the absence of another theoretical framework, many researchers 'retrofit' the challenge hypothesis, so that its predictions also apply to intraspecific androgen comparisons. We use a wild primate, geladas (Theropithecus gelada), to illustrate several considerations for androgen research surrounding male contests that do not necessarily fit within the challenge hypothesis framework. Gelada society comprises harem-holding males (that can mate with females) and bachelor males (that cannot mate with females until they take over a harem). Using 6 years of data from known males, we measured androgens (i.e. faecal testosterone (fT) metabolites) both seasonally and across specific male contests. Seasonal androgen variation exhibited a very different pattern than variation resulting from male contests. Although harem-holding males had higher testosterone levels than bachelors across the year, bachelors had higher testosterone during the annual 'takeover season'. Thus, harem-holding males did not 'rise to the challenge' exactly when needed most. Yet, androgen profiles across male contests indicated that both sets of males exhibit the expected fT rise in response to challenges. Results from male geladas also support the idea that the context before (e.g. male condition) and after (e.g. contest outcome) a contest are critical variables for predicting hormones and behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- David J. Pappano
- Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Jacinta C. Beehner
- Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
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36
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Lancaster LT, McAdam AG, Hipsley CA, Sinervo BR. Frequency-dependent and correlational selection pressures have conflicting consequences for assortative mating in a color-polymorphic lizard, Uta stansburiana. Am Nat 2014; 184:188-97. [PMID: 25058279 DOI: 10.1086/676645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Genetically determined polymorphisms incorporating multiple traits can persist in nature under chronic, fluctuating, and sometimes conflicting selection pressures. Balancing selection among morphs preserves equilibrium frequencies, while correlational selection maintains favorable trait combinations within each morph. Under negative frequency-dependent selection, females should mate (often disassortatively) with rare male morphotypes to produce conditionally fit offspring. Conversely, under correlational selection, females should mate assortatively to preserve coadapted gene complexes and avoid ontogenetic conflict. Using controlled breeding designs, we evaluated consequences of assortative mating patterns in color-polymorphic side-blotched lizards (Uta stansburiana), to identify conflict between these sources of selection. Females who mated disassortatively, and to conditionally high-quality males in the context of frequency-dependent selection, experienced highest fertility rates. In contrast, assortatively mated females experienced higher fetal viability rates. The trade-off between fertility and egg viability resulted in no overall fitness benefit to either assortative or disassortative mating patterns. These results suggest that ongoing conflict between correlational and frequency dependent selection in polymorphic populations may generate a trade-off between rare-morph advantage and phenotypic integration and between assortative and disassortative mating decisions. More generally, interactions among multiple sources of diversity-promoting selection can alter adaptations and dynamics predicted to arise under any of these regimes alone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lesley T Lancaster
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Zoology Building, Tillydrone Avenue, Aberdeen AB24 2TZ, United Kingdom
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37
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Aerts D, Broekaert J, Czachor M, Kuna M, Sinervo B, Sozzo S. Quantum structure in competing lizard communities. Ecol Modell 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2014.02.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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38
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Noble DWA, Fanson KV, Whiting MJ. Sex, androgens, and whole-organism performance in an Australian lizard. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/bij.12252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel W. A. Noble
- Department of Biological Sciences; Macquarie University; Sydney NSW 2109 Australia
| | - Kerry V. Fanson
- Department of Biological Sciences; Macquarie University; Sydney NSW 2109 Australia
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences; Deakin University; Geelong VIC 3216 Australia
| | - Martin J. Whiting
- Department of Biological Sciences; Macquarie University; Sydney NSW 2109 Australia
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39
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Sacchi R, Pellitteri-Rosa D, Bellati A, Di Paoli A, Ghitti M, Scali S, Galeotti P, Fasola M. Colour variation in the polymorphic common wall lizard (Podarcis muralis): An analysis using the RGB colour system. ZOOL ANZ 2013. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jcz.2013.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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40
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41
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Meylan S, Miles DB, Clobert J. Hormonally mediated maternal effects, individual strategy and global change. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2012; 367:1647-64. [PMID: 22566673 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2012.0020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
A challenge to ecologists and evolutionary biologists is predicting organismal responses to the anticipated changes to global ecosystems through climate change. Most evidence suggests that short-term global change may involve increasing occurrences of extreme events, therefore the immediate response of individuals will be determined by physiological capacities and life-history adaptations to cope with extreme environmental conditions. Here, we consider the role of hormones and maternal effects in determining the persistence of species in altered environments. Hormones, specifically steroids, are critical for patterning the behaviour and morphology of parents and their offspring. Hence, steroids have a pervasive influence on multiple aspects of the offspring phenotype over its lifespan. Stress hormones, e.g. glucocorticoids, modulate and perturb phenotypes both early in development and later into adulthood. Females exposed to abiotic stressors during reproduction may alter the phenotypes by manipulation of hormones to the embryos. Thus, hormone-mediated maternal effects, which generate phenotypic plasticity, may be one avenue for coping with global change. Variation in exposure to hormones during development influences both the propensity to disperse, which alters metapopulation dynamics, and population dynamics, by affecting either recruitment to the population or subsequent life-history characteristics of the offspring. We suggest that hormones may be an informative index to the potential for populations to adapt to changing environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandrine Meylan
- Laboratoire Ecologie-Evolution, CNRS UMR 7625, Université Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris 6, 7 quai Saint Bernard, 75252 Paris cedex 05, France
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42
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Palacios MG, Sparkman AM, Bronikowski AM. Corticosterone and pace of life in two life-history ecotypes of the garter snake Thamnophis elegans. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2012; 175:443-8. [PMID: 22178432 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2011.11.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2011] [Revised: 11/21/2011] [Accepted: 11/24/2011] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Glucocorticoids are main candidates for mediating life-history trade-offs by regulating the balance between current reproduction and survival. It has been proposed that slow-living organisms should show higher stress-induced glucocorticoid levels that favor self-maintenance rather than current reproduction when compared to fast-living organisms. We tested this hypothesis in replicate populations of two ecotypes of the garter snake (Thamnophis elegans) that exhibit slow and fast pace of life strategies. We subjected free-ranging snakes to a capture-restraint protocol and compared the stress-induced corticosterone levels between slow- and fast-living snakes. We also used a five-year dataset to assess whether baseline corticosterone levels followed the same pattern as stress-induced levels in relation to pace of life. In accordance with the hypothesis, slow-living snakes showed higher stress-induced corticosterone levels than fast-living snakes. Baseline corticosterone levels showed a similar pattern with ecotype, although differences depended on the year of study. Overall, however, levels of glucocorticoids are higher in slow-living than fast-living snakes, which should favor self-maintenance and survival at the expense of current reproduction. The results of the present study are the first to relate glucocorticoid levels and pace of life in a reptilian system and contribute to our understanding of the physiological mechanisms involved in life-history evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria G Palacios
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA.
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43
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DIJKSTRA PD, WIEGERTJES GF, FORLENZA M, van der SLUIJS I, HOFMANN HA, METCALFE NB, GROOTHUIS TGG. The role of physiology in the divergence of two incipient cichlid species. J Evol Biol 2011; 24:2639-52. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2011.02389.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
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Lancaster LT, McAdam AG, Sinervo B. Maternal adjustment of egg size organizes alternative escape behaviors, promoting adaptive phenotypic integration. EVOLUTION; INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ORGANIC EVOLUTION 2010; 64:1607-21. [PMID: 20624182 DOI: 10.1111/j.1558-5646.2010.00941.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Numerous integrated traits contribute to any aspect of organismal performance, but favorable trait combinations are difficult to maintain in the face of genetic recombination. We investigated the role of maternal effects in promoting integration of alternative reproductive strategies (throat colors) with antipredator traits (escape behaviors and dorsal patterns) in the side-blotched lizard (Uta stansburiana). Previously, we reported that maternally derived estradiol adaptively pairs dorsal patterns with progeny throat colors. Here we show adaptive maternal effects on escape behaviors within each throat color morph. Specifically, yellow-throated females and all females mated to yellow-throated sires lay larger eggs. Larger eggs produce stockier offspring, who remain stockier throughout life. Stockiness promotes evasive escape behaviors (e.g., reversals), which are adaptive in barred, yellow-throated offspring. Orange-throated females lay smaller eggs, producing leaner hatchlings who perform vertical escape behaviors (e.g., jumping). Vertical behaviors enhance survival in striped, orange-throated progeny. Escape behavior was not heritable, but was organized by natural or experimental egg size variation. Maternal effects on adaptive phenotypic integration are likely common in polymorphic species, because recombination otherwise breaks apart beneficial trait combinations. Furthermore, our results provide insight into the role of body shape in organizing (and constraining) evolution of integrated reproductive and antipredator strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lesley T Lancaster
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, 1156 High St., Santa Cruz, California 95064, USA.
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45
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MCKINNON JEFFREYS, PIEROTTI MICHELEER. Colour polymorphism and correlated characters: genetic mechanisms and evolution. Mol Ecol 2010; 19:5101-25. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-294x.2010.04846.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 231] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
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46
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Lancaster LT, McAdam AG, Sinervo B. MATERNAL ADJUSTMENT OF EGG SIZE ORGANIZES ALTERNATIVE ESCAPE BEHAVIORS, PROMOTING ADAPTIVE PHENOTYPIC INTEGRATION. Evolution 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1558-5646.2009.00941.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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47
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Gowan TA, McBrayer LD, Rostal DC. Seasonal variation in testosterone and performance in males of a non-territorial lizard species. Physiol Behav 2010; 100:357-63. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2010.03.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2009] [Revised: 03/10/2010] [Accepted: 03/17/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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48
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McGlothlin J, Whittaker D, Schrock S, Gerlach N, Jawor J, Snajdr E, Ketterson E. Natural Selection on Testosterone Production in a Wild Songbird Population. Am Nat 2010; 175:687-701. [DOI: 10.1086/652469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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49
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Ruiz M, French SS, Demas GE, Martins EP. Food supplementation and testosterone interact to influence reproductive behavior and immune function in Sceloporus graciosus. Horm Behav 2010; 57:134-9. [PMID: 19800885 PMCID: PMC2814879 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2009.09.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2009] [Revised: 09/22/2009] [Accepted: 09/27/2009] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The energetic resources in an organism's environment are essential for executing a wide range of life-history functions, including immunity and reproduction. Most energetic budgets, however, are limited, which can lead to trade-offs among competing functions. Increasing reproductive effort tends to decrease immunity in many cases, and increasing total energy via supplemental feedings can eliminate this effect. Testosterone (T), an important regulator of reproduction, and food availability are thus both potential factors regulating life-history processes, yet they are often tested in isolation of each other. In this study, we considered the effect of both food availability and elevated T on immune function and reproductive behavior in sagebrush lizards, Sceloporus graciosus, to assess how T and energy availability affect these trade-offs. We experimentally manipulated diet (via supplemental feedings) and T (via dermal patches) in males from a natural population. We determined innate immune response by calculating the bacterial killing capability of collected plasma exposed to Escherichia coli ex vivo. We measured reproductive behavior by counting the number of courtship displays produced in a 20-min sampling period. We observed an interactive effect of food availability and T-patch on immune function, with food supplementation increasing immunity in T-patch lizards. Additionally, T increased courtship displays in control food lizards. Lizards with supplemental food had higher circulating T than controls. Collectively, this study shows that the energetic state of the animal plays a critical role in modulating the interactions among T, behavior and immunity in sagebrush lizards and likely other species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mayté Ruiz
- Department of Biology and Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA.
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50
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Mills SC, Grapputo A, Jokinen I, Koskela E, Mappes T, Poikonen T. FITNESS TRADE-OFFS MEDIATED BY IMMUNOSUPPRESSION COSTS IN A SMALL MAMMAL. Evolution 2010; 64:166-79. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1558-5646.2009.00820.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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