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Mhalhel K, Briglia M, Aragona M, Porcino C, Abbate F, Guerrera MC, Laurà R, Krichen Y, Guerbej H, Germanà A, Levanti M, Montalbano G. Nothobranchius as a model for anorexia of aging research: an evolutionary, anatomical, histological, immunohistochemical, and molecular study. Ann Anat 2023; 250:152116. [PMID: 37302430 DOI: 10.1016/j.aanat.2023.152116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2023] [Revised: 05/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/29/2023] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Anorexia of aging, defined as a decrease in appetite and a preponderant loss of body weight occurring in late life, is one of the most common diseases affecting older people. The peptide hormone cholecystokinin (Cck) is known to play a key role in regulating food intake and satiety in higher vertebrates. In humans as well as in rats, an increased concentration of Cck was described as the basis of appetite loss in elderly. However, the role of increased plasma Cck concentrations in mediating the age-related decrease in appetite remains to be established. Although in vitro studies are an excellent resource for investigating aging, the use of a model organism that shares and imitates the human physiological processes guarantees a better understanding of the in vivo mechanisms. African annual fishes from the genus Nothobranchius are emerging as a prominent model organism in biogerontology and developmental biology due to their short captive lifespan. Therefore, in the current study, we aimed to investigate the possibility of using the genus Nothobranchius to model the anorexia of aging and their potential contribution to better understanding the pathway by which Cck induce appetite loss in older people providing a comparative/evolutionary localization of the current study model among the aging canonicals models, the morphology of its gastrointestinal tract and its Cck expression pattern. METHODS The comparative/evolutionary investigation was conducted using the NCBI blastp (protein-protein BLAST) and NCBI Tree Viewer. The macroscopic morphology, histological features, ultrastructural organization of Nothobranchius rachovii gastrointestinal tract were investigated using stereomicroscope, Masson's trichrome and alcian blue-PAS staining, and transmission electron microscopy, respectively. The cck expression pattern was studied through immunofluorescence labeling, western blotting, and quantitative RT-PCR. RESULTS The intestine was folded into different segments divided into an anterior intestine made of a rostral intestinal bulb and an intestinal annex of lower diameter, mid and posterior intestine. The gradual transition from the rostral intestinal bulb to the posterior intestine sections's epithelium is characterized by a gradual reduction in the striated muscular bundles, villi height, and goblet mucous cells count. The lining epithelium of the intestinal villi was characterized by a typical brush border enterocytes full of mitochondria. Moreover, Cck expression was detected in scattered intraepithelial cells concentrated in the anterior tract of the intestine. CONCLUSIONS Our study introduces Nothobranchius rachovii as a model for anorexia of aging, giving the first bases on the gastrointestinal tract morphology and cck expression pattern. Future studies on young and elderly Notobranchius can divulge the contribution of cck in the mechanisms of anorexia associated with aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kamel Mhalhel
- Zebrafish Neuromorphology Lab, Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, Via G. Palatucci snc, 98168 Messina, Italy.
| | - Marilena Briglia
- Zebrafish Neuromorphology Lab, Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, Via G. Palatucci snc, 98168 Messina, Italy
| | - Marialuisa Aragona
- Zebrafish Neuromorphology Lab, Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, Via G. Palatucci snc, 98168 Messina, Italy
| | - Caterina Porcino
- Zebrafish Neuromorphology Lab, Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, Via G. Palatucci snc, 98168 Messina, Italy
| | - Francesco Abbate
- Zebrafish Neuromorphology Lab, Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, Via G. Palatucci snc, 98168 Messina, Italy
| | - Maria Cristina Guerrera
- Zebrafish Neuromorphology Lab, Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, Via G. Palatucci snc, 98168 Messina, Italy
| | - Rosaria Laurà
- Zebrafish Neuromorphology Lab, Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, Via G. Palatucci snc, 98168 Messina, Italy
| | | | - Hamadi Guerbej
- National Institute of Marine Sciences and Technologies, 5000 Monastir, Tunisia
| | - Antonino Germanà
- Zebrafish Neuromorphology Lab, Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, Via G. Palatucci snc, 98168 Messina, Italy
| | - Maria Levanti
- Zebrafish Neuromorphology Lab, Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, Via G. Palatucci snc, 98168 Messina, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Montalbano
- Zebrafish Neuromorphology Lab, Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, Via G. Palatucci snc, 98168 Messina, Italy
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Szlachcic E, Dańko MJ, Czarnoleski M. Rapamycin supplementation of Drosophila melanogaster larvae results in less viable adults with smaller cells. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:230080. [PMID: 37351490 PMCID: PMC10282583 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.230080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023]
Abstract
The intrinsic sources of mortality relate to the ability to meet the metabolic demands of tissue maintenance and repair, ultimately shaping ageing patterns. Anti-ageing mechanisms compete for resources with other functions, including those involved in maintaining functional plasma membranes. Consequently, organisms with smaller cells and more plasma membranes should devote more resources to membrane maintenance, leading to accelerated intrinsic mortality and ageing. To investigate this unexplored trade-off, we reared Drosophila melanogaster larvae on food with or without rapamycin (a TOR pathway inhibitor) to produce small- and large-celled adult flies, respectively, and measured their mortality rates. Males showed higher mortality than females. As expected, small-celled flies (rapamycin) showed higher mortality than their large-celled counterparts (control), but only in early adulthood. Contrary to predictions, the median lifespan was similar between the groups. Rapamycin administered to adults prolongs life; thus, the known direct physiological effects of rapamycin cannot explain our results. Instead, we invoke indirect effects of rapamycin, manifested as reduced cell size, as a driver of increased early mortality. We conclude that cell size differences between organisms and the associated burdens of plasma membrane maintenance costs may be important but overlooked factors influencing mortality patterns in nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ewa Szlachcic
- Life History Evolution Group, Institute of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
| | - Maciej J. Dańko
- Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany
| | - Marcin Czarnoleski
- Life History Evolution Group, Institute of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
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3
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Pupal size as a proxy for fat content in laboratory-reared and field-collected Drosophila species. Sci Rep 2022; 12:12855. [PMID: 35896578 PMCID: PMC9329298 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-15325-0] [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: 02/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
In arthropods, larger individuals tend to have more fat reserves, but data for many taxa are still missing. For the vinegar fly Drosophila melanogaster, only few studies have provided experimental data linking body size to fat content. This is rather surprising considering the widespread use of D. melanogaster as a model system in biology. Here, we hypothesized that fat content in D. melanogaster is positively correlated with body size. To test this, we manipulated the developmental environment of D. melanogaster by decreasing food availability. We then measured pupal size and quantified fat content of laboratory-reared D. melanogaster. We subsequently measured pupal size and fat content of several field-caught Drosophila species. Starvation, crowding, and reduced nutrient content led to smaller laboratory-reared pupae that contained less fat. Pupal size was indeed found to be positively correlated with fat content. The same correlation was found for field-caught Drosophila pupae belonging to different species. As fat reserves are often strongly linked to fitness in insects, further knowledge on the relationship between body size and fat content can provide important information for studies on insect ecology and physiology.
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Seifert CL, Strutzenberger P, Fiedler K. Ecological specialisation and range size determine intraspecific body size variation in a speciose clade of insect herbivores. OIKOS 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.09338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Carlo L. Seifert
- Dept of Nature Forest Conservation, Georg‐August‐Univ. of Göttingen Göttingen Germany
| | | | - Konrad Fiedler
- Dept of Botany and Biodiversity Research, Univ. of Vienna Vienna Austria
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Molleman F, Granados‐Tello J, Chapman CA, Tammaru T. Fruit‐feeding butterflies depend on adult food for reproduction: Evidence from longitudinal body mass and abundance data. Funct Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.14103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Freerk Molleman
- Department of Systematic Zoology Institute of Environmental Biology, Faculty of Biology, A. Mickiewicz University Poznań Poland
| | | | - Colin A. Chapman
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology The George Washington University Washington DC USA
| | - Toomas Tammaru
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences University of Tartu Tartu Estonia
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6
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A comparative study on insect longevity: tropical moths do not differ from their temperate relatives. Evol Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10682-021-10150-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
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Holtze S, Gorshkova E, Braude S, Cellerino A, Dammann P, Hildebrandt TB, Hoeflich A, Hoffmann S, Koch P, Terzibasi Tozzini E, Skulachev M, Skulachev VP, Sahm A. Alternative Animal Models of Aging Research. Front Mol Biosci 2021; 8:660959. [PMID: 34079817 PMCID: PMC8166319 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2021.660959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Most research on mechanisms of aging is being conducted in a very limited number of classical model species, i.e., laboratory mouse (Mus musculus), rat (Rattus norvegicus domestica), the common fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) and roundworm (Caenorhabditis elegans). The obvious advantages of using these models are access to resources such as strains with known genetic properties, high-quality genomic and transcriptomic sequencing data, versatile experimental manipulation capabilities including well-established genome editing tools, as well as extensive experience in husbandry. However, this approach may introduce interpretation biases due to the specific characteristics of the investigated species, which may lead to inappropriate, or even false, generalization. For example, it is still unclear to what extent knowledge of aging mechanisms gained in short-lived model organisms is transferable to long-lived species such as humans. In addition, other specific adaptations favoring a long and healthy life from the immense evolutionary toolbox may be entirely missed. In this review, we summarize the specific characteristics of emerging animal models that have attracted the attention of gerontologists, we provide an overview of the available data and resources related to these models, and we summarize important insights gained from them in recent years. The models presented include short-lived ones such as killifish (Nothobranchius furzeri), long-lived ones such as primates (Callithrix jacchus, Cebus imitator, Macaca mulatta), bathyergid mole-rats (Heterocephalus glaber, Fukomys spp.), bats (Myotis spp.), birds, olms (Proteus anguinus), turtles, greenland sharks, bivalves (Arctica islandica), and potentially non-aging ones such as Hydra and Planaria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanne Holtze
- Department of Reproduction Management, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ekaterina Gorshkova
- Center for Precision Genome Editing and Genetic Technologies for Biomedicine, Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
- Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Stan Braude
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Alessandro Cellerino
- Biology Laboratory, Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa, Italy
- Leibniz Institute on Aging – Fritz Lipmann Institute, Jena, Germany
| | - Philip Dammann
- Department of General Zoology, Faculty of Biology, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
- Central Animal Laboratory, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Thomas B. Hildebrandt
- Department of Reproduction Management, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Andreas Hoeflich
- Division Signal Transduction, Institute for Genome Biology, Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology, Dummerstorf, Germany
| | - Steve Hoffmann
- Computational Biology Group, Leibniz Institute on Aging – Fritz Lipmann Institute, Jena, Germany
| | - Philipp Koch
- Core Facility Life Science Computing, Leibniz Institute on Aging – Fritz Lipmann Institute, Jena, Germany
| | - Eva Terzibasi Tozzini
- Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Naples, Italy
| | - Maxim Skulachev
- Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Vladimir P. Skulachev
- Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Arne Sahm
- Computational Biology Group, Leibniz Institute on Aging – Fritz Lipmann Institute, Jena, Germany
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Evidence for the 'rate-of-living' hypothesis between mammals and lizards, but not in birds, with field metabolic rate. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2020; 253:110867. [PMID: 33307204 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2020.110867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2020] [Revised: 12/04/2020] [Accepted: 12/04/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Longevity, an important life-history trait, is determined by extrinsic and/or intrinsic causing mortality. Here, we used body mass (BM), field metabolic rate (FMR), longevity, and female maturity data reported from 300 amniote species to test whether 1) longevity was related to BM, FMR and female maturity, and 2) FMR, female maturity, or both, had a direct effect on longevity and whether an indirect effect of FMR on female maturity improved model fit. The results showed that BM was positively correlated with longevity and FMR, but negatively correlated with mass-specific FMR (mFMR) in amniotes. Phylogenetic confirmatory path analysis showed that, in the best model, longevity had a direct negative correlation with mFMR in lizards, and an indirect negative correlation with mFMR through female maturity in mammals. However, longevity had a direct positive correlation with mFMR in birds. Furthermore, longevity was positively correlated with female maturity in endotherms (birds and mammals) but weakly correlated with female maturity in ectotherms (lizards). Thus, our results are consistent with the life-history theory and the "rate-of-living" hypothesis in lizards and mammals but not support them in birds.
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Halali S, van Bergen E, Breuker CJ, Brakefield PM, Brattström O. Seasonal environments drive convergent evolution of a faster pace-of-life in tropical butterflies. Ecol Lett 2020; 24:102-112. [PMID: 33099881 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2020] [Revised: 07/22/2020] [Accepted: 09/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
New ecological niches that may arise due to climate change can trigger diversification, but their colonisation often requires adaptations in a suite of life-history traits. We test this hypothesis in species-rich Mycalesina butterflies that have undergone parallel radiations in Africa, Asia, and Madagascar. First, our ancestral state reconstruction of habitat preference, using c. 85% of extant species, revealed that early forest-linked lineages began to invade seasonal savannahs during the late Miocene-Pliocene. Second, rearing replicate pairs of forest and savannah species from the African and Malagasy radiation in a common garden experiment, and utilising published data from the Asian radiation, demonstrated that savannah species consistently develop faster, have smaller bodies, higher fecundity with an earlier investment in reproduction, and reduced longevity, compared to forest species across all three radiations. We argue that time-constraints for reproduction favoured the evolution of a faster pace-of-life in savannah species that facilitated their persistence in seasonal habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sridhar Halali
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EJ, UK
| | - Erik van Bergen
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EJ, UK.,Research Centre of Ecological Change, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Helsinki Institute of Life Science HiLIFE, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Casper J Breuker
- Department of Biological and Medical Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, OX3 0BP, UK
| | - Paul M Brakefield
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EJ, UK
| | - Oskar Brattström
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EJ, UK.,School of Health and Life Sciences, University of West Scotland, Paisley, PA1 2BE, Scotland
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10
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A new framework for growth curve fitting based on the von Bertalanffy Growth Function. Sci Rep 2020; 10:7953. [PMID: 32409646 PMCID: PMC7224396 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-64839-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2019] [Accepted: 04/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
All organisms grow. Numerous growth functions have been applied to a wide taxonomic range of organisms, yet some of these models have poor fits to empirical data and lack of flexibility in capturing variation in growth rate. We propose a new VBGF framework that broadens the applicability and increases flexibility of fitting growth curves. This framework offers a curve-fitting procedure for five parameterisations of the VBGF: these allow for different body-size scaling exponents for anabolism (biosynthesis potential), besides the commonly assumed 2/3 power scaling, and allow for supra-exponential growth, which is at times observed. This procedure is applied to twelve species of diverse aquatic invertebrates, including both pelagic and benthic organisms. We reveal widespread variation in the body-size scaling of biosynthesis potential and consequently growth rate, ranging from isomorphic to supra-exponential growth. This curve-fitting methodology offers improved growth predictions and applies the VBGF to a wider range of taxa that exhibit variation in the scaling of biosynthesis potential. Applying this framework results in reliable growth predictions that are important for assessing individual growth, population production and ecosystem functioning, including in the assessment of sustainability of fisheries and aquaculture.
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Molleman F, Javoiš J, Davis RB, Whitaker MRL, Tammaru T, Prinzing A, Õunap E, Wahlberg N, Kodandaramaiah U, Aduse‐Poku K, Kaasik A, Carey JR. Quantifying the effects of species traits on predation risk in nature: A comparative study of butterfly wing damage. J Anim Ecol 2019; 89:716-729. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2019] [Accepted: 09/23/2019] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Freerk Molleman
- Department of Systematic Zoology Faculty of Biology Institute of Environmental Biology A. Mickiewicz University Poznań Poland
- IISER‐TVM Centre for Research and Education in Ecology and Evolution (ICREEE) IISER Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram India
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences University of Tartu Tartu Estonia
| | - Juhan Javoiš
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences University of Tartu Tartu Estonia
| | - Robert B. Davis
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences University of Tartu Tartu Estonia
| | - Melissa R. L. Whitaker
- Museum of Comparative Zoology Harvard University Cambridge MA USA
- Entomological Collection ETH Zürich Zürich Switzerland
| | - Toomas Tammaru
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences University of Tartu Tartu Estonia
| | - Andreas Prinzing
- Université de Rennes 1Ecosystèmes Biodiversité Evolution (ECOBIO)Rennes France
| | - Erki Õunap
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences University of Tartu Tartu Estonia
| | | | - Ullasa Kodandaramaiah
- IISER‐TVM Centre for Research and Education in Ecology and Evolution (ICREEE) IISER Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram India
| | - Kwaku Aduse‐Poku
- Department of Biology University of Richmond Richmond VA USA
- Department of Zoology University of Cambridge Cambridge UK
| | - Ants Kaasik
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences University of Tartu Tartu Estonia
| | - James R. Carey
- Department of Entomology University of California, Davis Davis CA USA
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Bakewell AT, Davis KE, Freckleton RP, Isaac NJB, Mayhew PJ. Comparing Life Histories across Taxonomic Groups in Multiple Dimensions: How Mammal-Like Are Insects? Am Nat 2019; 195:70-81. [PMID: 31868535 DOI: 10.1086/706195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Explaining variation in life histories remains a major challenge because they are multidimensional and there are many competing explanatory theories and paradigms. An influential concept in life-history theory is the fast-slow continuum, exemplified by mammals. Determining the utility of such concepts across taxonomic groups requires comparison of the groups' life histories in multidimensional space. Insects display enormous species richness and phenotypic diversity, but testing hypotheses like the fast-slow continuum has been inhibited by incomplete trait data. We use phylogenetic imputation to generate complete data sets of seven life-history traits in orthopterans (grasshoppers and crickets) and examine the robustness of these imputations for our findings. Three phylogenetic principal components explain 83%-96% of variation in these data. We find consistent evidence of an axis mostly following expectations of a fast-slow continuum, except that "slow" species produce larger, not smaller, clutches of eggs. We show that the principal axes of variation in orthopterans and reptiles are mutually explanatory, as are those of mammals and birds. Essentially, trait covariation in Orthoptera, with "slow" species producing larger clutches, is more reptilelike than mammal-like or birdlike. We conclude that the fast-slow continuum is less pronounced in Orthoptera than it is in birds and mammals, reducing the universal relevance of this pattern and the theories that predict it.
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Frogs with denser group-spawning mature later and live longer. Sci Rep 2019; 9:13776. [PMID: 31551505 PMCID: PMC6760165 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-50368-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2019] [Accepted: 09/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The understanding of the intrinsic and extrinsic causes of longevity variation has deservedly received much attention in evolutionary ecologist. Here we tested the association between longevity and spawning-site groups across 38 species of Chinese anurans. As indicators of group-spawning we used spawning-site group size and spawning-site density, which we measured at 152 spawning sites in the field. We found that both spawning-site density and group size were positively associated with longevity. Male group-spawning (e.g., male spawning-site density and male spawning-site group size) was also positively correlated with longevity. A phylogenetic path analysis further revealed that longevity seems directly associated with spawning-site density and group size, and that the association in part depend on the 'groups-spawning-age at first reproduction' association. Our findings suggest that the increased group-spawning are likely to benefit in declining extrinsic mortality rates and living longer through improving total anti-predator behaviour under predation pressure.
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Holm S, Javoiš J, Molleman F, Davis RB, Õunap E, Roininen H, Tammaru T. No Indication of High Host-Plant Specificity in Afrotropical Geometrid Moths. JOURNAL OF INSECT SCIENCE (ONLINE) 2019; 19:5482269. [PMID: 31039585 PMCID: PMC6490970 DOI: 10.1093/jisesa/iez028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Specificity is one of the fundamental concepts in ecology. Host specificity of phytophagous insects has been of particular interest because of its crucial role in diversification and life-history evolution. However, the majority of tropical insects remain insufficiently explored with respect to their host-plant relations. A lack of respective data is also hindering the debate over whether higher levels of host-plant specificity prevail in tropical insects compared to temperate ones. We investigated host-plant specificity of forest geometrid moths (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) in equatorial Africa using host-plant acceptability trials with neonate larvae, with the addition of field observations. We compare our experimental data to the (well-known) host-specificity patterns of closely related temperate (hemiboreal) species. Similarly to the temperate region, there were broadly polyphagous tropical species in several clades of Geometridae utilizing hosts belonging to different plant families. Phylogenetic comparative analysis returned no significant differences in host specificity between the two regions. Our study contributes to the evidence that host-plant specificity of herbivores is not necessarily substantially higher in tropical than temperate regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sille Holm
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Vanemuise, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Juhan Javoiš
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Vanemuise, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Freerk Molleman
- Department of Systematic Zoology, Institute of Environmental Biology, Faculty of Biology, A. Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
| | - Robert B Davis
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Vanemuise, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Erki Õunap
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Vanemuise, Tartu, Estonia
- Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Heikki Roininen
- Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science and Forestry, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland
| | - Toomas Tammaru
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Vanemuise, Tartu, Estonia
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Javoiš J, Davis RB, Tammaru T. A comparative morphometric study of sensory capacity in geometrid moths. J Evol Biol 2019; 32:380-389. [DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2018] [Revised: 01/27/2019] [Accepted: 01/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Juhan Javoiš
- Department of ZoologyInstitute of Ecology and Earth SciencesUniversity of Tartu Tartu Estonia
| | - Robert B. Davis
- Department of ZoologyInstitute of Ecology and Earth SciencesUniversity of Tartu Tartu Estonia
| | - Toomas Tammaru
- Department of ZoologyInstitute of Ecology and Earth SciencesUniversity of Tartu Tartu Estonia
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16
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Stark G, Tamar K, Itescu Y, Feldman A, Meiri S. Cold and isolated ectotherms: drivers of reptilian longevity. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/bly153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Gavin Stark
- School of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Karin Tamar
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC – Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Anat Feldman
- School of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Shai Meiri
- School of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Steinhardt Museum of Natural History, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
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17
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Tammaru T, Johansson NR, Õunap E, Davis RB. Day-flying moths are smaller: evidence for ecological costs of being large. J Evol Biol 2018; 31:1400-1404. [PMID: 29904956 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2018] [Accepted: 06/12/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Research on evolutionary forces determining optimal body sizes has primarily relied on experimental evaluation of respective selective pressures. Accounting for among-species variation through application of phylogenetic comparative methods is a complementary although little used approach. It enables the direct association of body size values with particular environments. Using phylogenetically explicit comparative analyses, we show that small body size is associated with diurnal (rather than nocturnal) activity of adults among temperate species of the moth family Geometridae. The association of an exclusively adult trait with species-specific body size suggests that optimal body sizes are at least partly determined by the costs being a large adult, as opposed to the more frequently considered costs of attaining large size. It appears likely that size-selective predation by insectivorous birds is the primary factor responsible for selection against large body size in day-flying moths.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toomas Tammaru
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Niko R Johansson
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Erki Õunap
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia.,Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Robert B Davis
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
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18
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Holm S, Javoiš J, Õunap E, Davis RB, Kaasik A, Molleman F, Tasane T, Tammaru T. Reproductive behaviour indicates specificity in resource use: phylogenetic examples from temperate and tropical insects. OIKOS 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.04959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Sille Holm
- Inst. of Ecology and Earth Sciences, Univ. of Tartu; Vanemuise 46 EE-51014 Tartu Estonia
| | - Juhan Javoiš
- Inst. of Ecology and Earth Sciences, Univ. of Tartu; Vanemuise 46 EE-51014 Tartu Estonia
| | - Erki Õunap
- Inst. of Ecology and Earth Sciences, Univ. of Tartu; Vanemuise 46 EE-51014 Tartu Estonia
- Inst. of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Estonian Univ. of Life Sciences; Tartu Estonia
| | - Robert B. Davis
- Inst. of Ecology and Earth Sciences, Univ. of Tartu; Vanemuise 46 EE-51014 Tartu Estonia
| | - Ants Kaasik
- Inst. of Ecology and Earth Sciences, Univ. of Tartu; Vanemuise 46 EE-51014 Tartu Estonia
| | - Freerk Molleman
- Inst. of Ecology and Earth Sciences, Univ. of Tartu; Vanemuise 46 EE-51014 Tartu Estonia
- Dept of Systematic Zoology; Inst. of Environmental Biology, Faculty of Biology, A. Mickiewicz Univ.; Poznań Poland
| | - Tõnis Tasane
- Inst. of Ecology and Earth Sciences, Univ. of Tartu; Vanemuise 46 EE-51014 Tartu Estonia
| | - Toomas Tammaru
- Inst. of Ecology and Earth Sciences, Univ. of Tartu; Vanemuise 46 EE-51014 Tartu Estonia
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