1
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Autofluorescent Biomolecules in Diptera: From Structure to Metabolism and Behavior. Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27144458. [PMID: 35889334 PMCID: PMC9318335 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27144458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Revised: 07/08/2022] [Accepted: 07/08/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Light-based phenomena in insects have long attracted researchers’ attention. Surface color distribution patterns are commonly used for taxonomical purposes, while optically-active structures from Coleoptera cuticle or Lepidoptera wings have inspired technological applications, such as biosensors and energy accumulation devices. In Diptera, besides optically-based phenomena, biomolecules able to fluoresce can act as markers of bio-metabolic, structural and behavioral features. Resilin or chitinous compounds, with their respective blue or green-to-red autofluorescence (AF), are commonly related to biomechanical and structural properties, helpful to clarify the mechanisms underlying substrate adhesion of ectoparasites’ leg appendages, or the antennal abilities in tuning sound detection. Metarhodopsin, a red fluorescing photoproduct of rhodopsin, allows to investigate visual mechanisms, whereas NAD(P)H and flavins, commonly relatable to energy metabolism, favor the investigation of sperm vitality. Lipofuscins are AF biomarkers of aging, as well as pteridines, which, similarly to kynurenines, are also exploited in metabolic investigations. Beside the knowledge available in Drosophila melanogaster, a widely used model to study also human disorder and disease mechanisms, here we review optically-based studies in other dipteran species, including mosquitoes and fruit flies, discussing future perspectives for targeted studies with various practical applications, including pest and vector control.
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2
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Narayan VP, Wilson AJ, Chenoweth SF. Genetic and social contributions to sex differences in lifespan in Drosophila serrata. J Evol Biol 2022; 35:657-663. [PMID: 35290690 PMCID: PMC9314142 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13992] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2021] [Revised: 02/08/2022] [Accepted: 02/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Sex differences in lifespan remain an intriguing puzzle in evolutionary biology. While explanations range from sex differences in selection to sex differences in the expression of recessive lifespan‐altering mutations (via X‐linkage), little consensus has been reached. One unresolved issue is the extent to which genetic influences on lifespan dimorphism are modulated by the environment. For example, studies have shown that sex differences in lifespan can either increase or decrease depending upon the social environment. Here, we took an experimental approach, manipulating multiple axes of the social environment across inbred long‐ and short‐lived genotypes and their reciprocal F1s in the fly Drosophila serrata. Our results reveal strong genetic effects and subtle yet significant genotype‐by‐environment interactions for male and female lifespan, specifically due to both population density and mating status. Further, our data do not support the idea that unconditional expression of deleterious X‐linked recessive alleles in heterogametic males accounts for lower male lifespan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vikram P Narayan
- The School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia.,College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK
| | - Alastair J Wilson
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK
| | - Stephen F Chenoweth
- The School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia
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3
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Webb JL, Moe SM, Bolstad AK, McNeill EM. Identification of conserved transcriptome features between humans and Drosophila in the aging brain utilizing machine learning on combined data from the NIH Sequence Read Archive. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0255085. [PMID: 34379632 PMCID: PMC8357136 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0255085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2020] [Accepted: 07/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Aging is universal, yet characterizing the molecular changes that occur in aging which lead to an increased risk for neurological disease remains a challenging problem. Aging affects the prefrontal cortex (PFC), which governs executive function, learning, and memory. Previous sequencing studies have demonstrated that aging alters gene expression in the PFC, however the extent to which these changes are conserved across species and are meaningful in neurodegeneration is unknown. Identifying conserved, age-related genetic and morphological changes in the brain allows application of the wealth of tools available to study underlying mechanisms in model organisms such as Drosophila melanogaster. RNA sequencing data from human PFC and fly heads were analyzed to determine conserved transcriptome signatures of age. Our analysis revealed that expression of 50 conserved genes can accurately determine age in Drosophila (R2 = 0.85) and humans (R2 = 0.46). These transcriptome signatures were also able to classify Drosophila into three age groups with a mean accuracy of 88% and classify human samples with a mean accuracy of 69%. Overall, this work identifies 50 highly conserved aging-associated genetic changes in the brain that can be further studied in model organisms and demonstrates a novel approach to uncovering genetic changes conserved across species from multi-study public databases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joe L. Webb
- Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, United States of America
| | - Simon M. Moe
- Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, United States of America
| | - Andrew K. Bolstad
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, United States of America
| | - Elizabeth M. McNeill
- Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, United States of America
- Neuroscience Interdepartmental Graduate program, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, United States of America
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4
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Abstract
Invertebrates are becoming more popular and, as collections age, clients may seek veterinary intervention where the welfare of the animal must be considered. This article covers aging in many invertebrate species but with a focus on species likely to be seen in general practice. Supportive care may be an option to prolong life, but euthanasia must be considered for invertebrates with age-related unmanageable conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Pellett
- Animates Veterinary Clinic, 2 The Green, Thurlby, Lincolnshire PE10 0EB, UK.
| | - Michelle O'Brien
- Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, Newgrounds Lane, Slimbridge, Gloucestershire GL2 7BT, UK
| | - Benjamin Kennedy
- Anton Vets, Anton Trading Estate, Anton Mill Road, Andover SP10 2NJ, UK
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5
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Křemenová J, Balvín O, Otti O, Pavonič M, Reinhardt K, Šimek Z, Bartonička T. Identification and age-dependence of pteridines in bed bugs (Cimex lectularius) and bat bugs (C. pipistrelli) using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Sci Rep 2020; 10:10146. [PMID: 32576867 PMCID: PMC7311437 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-66919-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2019] [Accepted: 05/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Determining the age of free-living insects, particularly of blood-sucking species, is important for human health because such knowledge critically influences the estimates of biting frequency and vectoring ability. Genetic age determination is currently not available. Pteridines gradually accumulate in the eyes of insects and their concentrations is the prevailing method. Despite of their stability, published extractions differ considerably, including for standards, for mixtures of pteridines and even for light conditions. This methodological inconsistency among studies is likely to influence age estimates severely and to hamper their comparability. Therefore we reviewed methodological steps across 106 studies to identify methodological denominators and results across studies. Second, we experimentally test how different pteridines vary in their age calibration curves in, common bed (Cimex lectularius) and bat bugs (C. pipistrelli). Here we show that the accumulation of particular pteridines varied between a) different populations and b) rearing temperatures but not c) with the impact of light conditions during extraction or d) the type of blood consumed by the bugs. To optimize the extraction of pteridines and measuring concentrations, we recommend the simultaneous measurement of more than one standard and subsequently to select those that show consistent changes over time to differentiate among age cohorts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jana Křemenová
- Masaryk University, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Botany and Zoology, Brno, 61137, Czech Republic.
| | - Ondřej Balvín
- Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Faculty of Environmental Science, Department of Ecology, Prague, 16521, Czech Republic
| | - Oliver Otti
- Universität Bayreuth, Animal Ecology I, Animal Population Ecology, Bayreuth, 95440, Germany
| | - Michal Pavonič
- Masaryk University, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Botany and Zoology, Brno, 61137, Czech Republic
| | - Klaus Reinhardt
- Technische Universität Dresden, Department of Biology, Applied Zoology, Dresden, 01069, Germany
| | - Zdeněk Šimek
- Masaryk University, Research Centre for Toxic Compounds in the Environment, Brno, 62500, Czech Republic
| | - Tomáš Bartonička
- Masaryk University, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Botany and Zoology, Brno, 61137, Czech Republic
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6
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Hartmann C, Heinze J, Bernadou A. Age-dependent changes in cuticular color and pteridine levels in a clonal ant. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2019; 118:103943. [PMID: 31518554 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2019.103943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2019] [Revised: 09/09/2019] [Accepted: 09/10/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Social insects are emerging models for studying aging and the longevity/fecundity trade-off. Research on the demography of colonies and populations are hampered by the lack of reliable age markers. Here we investigate the suitability of cuticular pigmentation and pteridine fluorescence for age grading individuals of the clonal ant Platythyrea punctata. We found that both traits varied with age. Cuticular color darkened with individual's age until 25-30 days after hatching. For pteridine fluorescence, we found that P. punctata workers show a decrease in head pteridine levels over time until 70-80 days of age. Together with other markers, such as age-based behavior, cuticular coloration and pteridine fluorescence may help to estimate the age structure of colonies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clara Hartmann
- Zoology / Evolutionary Biology, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.
| | - Jürgen Heinze
- Zoology / Evolutionary Biology, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Abel Bernadou
- Zoology / Evolutionary Biology, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
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7
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Cooption of the pteridine biosynthesis pathway underlies the diversification of embryonic colors in water striders. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:19046-19054. [PMID: 31484764 PMCID: PMC6754612 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1908316116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding how existing genomic content can be reused to generate new phenotypes is important for understanding how species diversify. Here, we address this question by studying the origin of a phenotype consisting of bright coloration in the embryos of water striders. We found that the pteridine biosynthesis pathway, originally active in the eyes, has been coopted in the embryo to produce various colors in the antennae and legs. The coopted pathway remained stable for over 200 million years, yet resulted in a striking diversification of colors and color patterns during the evolution of water striders. This work demonstrates how the activation of a complete pathway in new developmental contexts can drive the evolution of novelty and fuel species diversification. Naturalists have been fascinated for centuries by animal colors and color patterns. While widely studied at the adult stage, we know little about color patterns in the embryo. Here, we study a trait consisting of coloration that is specific to the embryo and absent from postembryonic stages in water striders (Gerromorpha). By combining developmental genetics with chemical and phylogenetic analyses across a broad sample of species, we uncovered the mechanisms underlying the emergence and diversification of embryonic colors in this group of insects. We show that the pteridine biosynthesis pathway, which ancestrally produces red pigment in the eyes, has been recruited during embryogenesis in various extraocular tissues including antennae and legs. In addition, we discovered that this cooption is common to all water striders and initially resulted in the production of yellow extraocular color. Subsequently, 6 lineages evolved bright red color and 2 lineages lost the color independently. Despite the high diversity in colors and color patterns, we show that the underlying biosynthesis pathway remained stable throughout the 200 million years of Gerromorpha evolutionary time. Finally, we identified erythropterin and xanthopterin as the pigments responsible for these colors in the embryo of various species. These findings demonstrate how traits can emerge through the activation of a biosynthesis pathway in new developmental contexts.
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8
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Zajitschek F, Zajitschek S, Bonduriansky R. Senescence in wild insects: Key questions and challenges. Funct Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Felix Zajitschek
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia
| | - Susanne Zajitschek
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia
| | - Russell Bonduriansky
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia
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9
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Leech T, Sait SM, Bretman A. Sex-specific effects of social isolation on ageing in Drosophila melanogaster. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2017; 102:12-17. [PMID: 28830760 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2017.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2017] [Revised: 08/18/2017] [Accepted: 08/18/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Social environments can have a major impact on ageing profiles in many animals. However, such patterns in variation in ageing and their underlying mechanisms are not well understood, particularly because both social contact and isolation can be stressful. Here, we use Drosophila melanogaster fruitflies to examine sex-specific effects of social contact. We kept flies in isolation versus same-sex pairing throughout life, and measured actuarial (lifespan) and functional senescence (declines in climbing ability). To investigate underlying mechanisms, we determined whether an immune stress (wounding) interacted with effects of social contact, and assessed behaviours that could contribute to differences in ageing rates. Pairing reduced lifespan for both sexes, but the effect was greater for males. In contrast, pairing reduced the rate of decline in climbing ability for females, whereas for males, pairing caused more rapid declines with age. Wounding reduced lifespan for both sexes, but doubled the negative effect of pairing on male lifespan. We found no evidence that these effects are driven by behavioural interactions. These findings suggest that males and females are differentially sensitive to social contact, that environmental stressors can impact actuarial and functional senescence differently, and that these effects can interact with environmental stressors, such as immune challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Leech
- School of Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK.
| | - Steven M Sait
- School of Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK.
| | - Amanda Bretman
- School of Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK.
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10
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Edalat H, Akhoundi M, Basseri H. Age-dependance of pteridines in the malaria vector, Anopheles stephensi. Pteridines 2017. [DOI: 10.1515/pterid-2017-0009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Determining the accurate age of malaria vectors is crucial to measure the risk of malaria transmission. A group of fluorescent chemicals derived from a pyrimidine-pyrazine ring structure known as pteridines from the head, thorax and whole body of adult female Anopheles stephensi were identified and evaluated as a tool for chronological and physiological age determination of malaria vectors. The female mosquitoes were collected from an insectary colony at an interval of every 5 days, up to 30 days, and the pteridines of head, thorax and whole body were detected fluorometrically by high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) using excitation and emission wavelengths of 365 and 455 nm, respectively. In addition, alteration of the pteridines compounds was compared between blood and sugar fed mosquito groups. Although four pteridines including pterin-6-carboxylic acid, biopterin, xanthopterin and isoxanthopterin were detected, some of them were absent in the head or thorax of mosquitoes. Levels of all four pteridines were similarly decreased in a linear manner throughout 30 days. No significant difference in alteration of pteridine compounds was observed between the two groups of blood or sugar fed mosquitoes. This result indicates that diet has a little effect on pteridines alteration. Age determination based on pteridines, as an age-grading technique, could be used for field collected mosquitoes, which have either sugar or blood meal. In addition, analyzing total pteridine fluorescence from only whole body could be a convenient method to estimate the age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hamideh Edalat
- Department of Medical Entomology and Vector Control , School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences , Tehran , Iran
| | - Mohammad Akhoundi
- Department of Medical Entomology and Vector Control , School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences , Tehran , Iran
| | - Hamidreza Basseri
- Department of Medical Entomology and Vector Control , School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences , Tehran , Iran
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11
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Rinkevich FD, Margotta JW, Pittman JM, Ottea JA, Healy KB. Pteridine levels and head weights are correlated with age and colony task in the honey bee, Apis mellifera. PeerJ 2016; 4:e2155. [PMID: 27413635 PMCID: PMC4933093 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.2155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2016] [Accepted: 05/31/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background. The age of an insect strongly influences many aspects of behavior and reproduction. The interaction of age and behavior is epitomized in the temporal polyethism of honey bees in which young adult bees perform nurse and maintenance duties within the colony, while older bees forage for nectar and pollen. Task transition is dynamic and driven by colony needs. However, an abundance of precocious foragers or overage nurses may have detrimental effects on the colony. Additionally, honey bee age affects insecticide sensitivity. Therefore, determining the age of a set of individual honey bees would be an important measurement of colony health. Pteridines are purine-based pigment molecules found in many insect body parts. Pteridine levels correlate well with age, and wild caught insects may be accurately aged by measuring pteridine levels. The relationship between pteridines and age varies with a number of internal and external factors among many species. Thus far, no studies have investigated the relationship of pteridines with age in honey bees. Methods. We established single-cohort colonies to obtain age-matched nurse and forager bees. Bees of known ages were also sampled from colonies with normal demographics. Nurses and foragers were collected every 3-5 days for up to 42 days. Heads were removed and weighed before pteridines were purified and analyzed using previously established fluorometric methods. Results. Our analysis showed that pteridine levels significantly increased with age in a linear manner in both single cohort colonies and colonies with normal demography. Pteridine levels were higher in foragers than nurses of the same age in bees from single cohort colonies. Head weight significantly increased with age until approximately 28-days of age and then declined for both nurse and forager bees in single cohort colonies. A similar pattern of head weight in bees from colonies with normal demography was observed but head weight was highest in 8-day old nurse bees and there was no relationship of head weight with age of foragers. Discussion. Although the relationship between pteridine levels and age was significant, variation in the data yielded a +4-day range in age estimation. This allows an unambiguous method to determine whether a bee may be a young nurse or old forager in colonies with altered demographics as in the case of single cohort colonies. Pteridine levels in bees do not correlate with age as well as in other insects. However, most studies used insects reared under tightly controlled laboratory conditions, while we used free-living bees. The dynamics of head weight change with age is likely to be due to growth and atrophy of the hypopharyngeal glands. Taken together, these methods represent a useful tool for assessing the age of an insect. Future studies utilizing these methods will provide a more holistic view of colony health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank D Rinkevich
- Department of Entomology, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, LA, United States; Honey Bee Breeding, Genetics, and Physiology Laboratory, USDA-ARS, Baton Rouge, LA, United States
| | - Joseph W Margotta
- Department of Entomology, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center , Baton Rouge , LA , United States
| | - Jean M Pittman
- Department of Entomology, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center , Baton Rouge , LA , United States
| | - James A Ottea
- Department of Entomology, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center , Baton Rouge , LA , United States
| | - Kristen B Healy
- Department of Entomology, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center , Baton Rouge , LA , United States
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12
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Nguyen TTX, Moehring AJ. Accurate Alternative Measurements for Female Lifetime Reproductive Success in Drosophila melanogaster. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0116679. [PMID: 26125633 PMCID: PMC4488368 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0116679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2014] [Accepted: 12/11/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Fitness is an individual's ability to survive and reproduce, and is an important concept in evolutionary biology. However, accurately measuring fitness is often difficult, and appropriate fitness surrogates need to be identified. Lifetime reproductive success, the total progeny an organism can produce in their lifetime, is thought to be a suitable proxy for fitness, but the measure of an organism's reproductive output across a lifetime can be difficult or impossible to obtain. Here we demonstrate that the short-term measure of reproductive success across five days provides a reasonable prediction of an individual's total lifetime reproductive success in Drosophila melanogaster. However, the lifetime reproductive success of a female that has only mated once is not correlated to the lifetime reproductive success of a female that is allowed to mate multiple times, demonstrating that these measures should not serve as surrogates nor be used to make inferences about one another.
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13
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Roach DA, Carey JR. Population Biology of Aging in the Wild. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ECOLOGY EVOLUTION AND SYSTEMATICS 2014. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-120213-091730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Empirical studies reveal aging occurs in wild populations. Consideration of the ecological and evolutionary consequences of these findings is critical for many areas of research, including life-history evolution, sexual selection, behavior, and applied ecology. Variation in the patterns of age-dependent declines of phenotypic traits has been found both within and among individuals, and this raises future questions aimed at understanding what determines these trajectories across traits and across the tree of life. The presence of older, aging, individuals in populations can have transgenerational effects on offspring and can influence how individuals interact. In some species older individuals in populations can have positive impacts, influencing knowledge and leadership, postreproductive care, and population cycle stabilization. Aging and long life span also need to be recognized in an applied ecology context including management plans, vector-borne disease transmission, and ecotoxicology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deborah A. Roach
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904
| | - James R. Carey
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Davis, California 95616 and Center for the Economics and Demography of Aging, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720
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14
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Etges WJ, de Oliveira CC. Premating isolation is determined by larval rearing substrates in cactophilic Drosophila mojavensis. X. Age-specific dynamics of adult epicuticular hydrocarbon expression in response to different host plants. Ecol Evol 2014; 4:2033-45. [PMID: 25360246 PMCID: PMC4201419 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.1088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2013] [Revised: 02/28/2014] [Accepted: 04/03/2014] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Analysis of sexual selection and sexual isolation in Drosophila mojavensis and its relatives has revealed a pervasive role of rearing substrates on adult courtship behavior when flies were reared on fermenting cactus in preadult stages. Here, we assessed expression of contact pheromones comprised of epicuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) from eclosion to 28 days of age in adults from two populations reared on fermenting tissues of two host cacti over the entire life cycle. Flies were never exposed to laboratory food and showed significant reductions in average CHC amounts consistent with CHCs of wild-caught flies. Overall, total hydrocarbon amounts increased from eclosion to 14–18 days, well past age at sexual maturity, and then declined in older flies. Most flies did not survive past 4 weeks. Baja California and mainland populations showed significantly different age-specific CHC profiles where Baja adults showed far less age-specific changes in CHC expression. Adults from populations reared on the host cactus typically used in nature expressed more CHCs than on the alternate host. MANCOVA with age as the covariate for the first six CHC principal components showed extensive differences in CHC composition due to age, population, cactus, sex, and age × population, age × sex, and age × cactus interactions. Thus, understanding variation in CHC composition as adult D. mojavensis age requires information about population and host plant differences, with potential influences on patterns of mate choice, sexual selection, and sexual isolation, and ultimately how these pheromones are expressed in natural populations. Studies of drosophilid aging in the wild are badly needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- William J Etges
- Department of Biological Sciences, Program in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology 1 University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas, 72701
| | - Cassia C de Oliveira
- Department of Biological Sciences, Program in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology 1 University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas, 72701
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15
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Bretman A, Westmancoat JD, Gage MJG, Chapman T. COSTS AND BENEFITS OF LIFETIME EXPOSURE TO MATING RIVALS IN MALEDROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER. Evolution 2013; 67:2413-22. [DOI: 10.1111/evo.12125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2012] [Accepted: 03/21/2013] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Bretman
- School of Biological Sciences; University of East Anglia; Norwich Research Park Norwich NR4 7TJ United Kingdom
- School of Biology; University of Leeds; Leeds LS2 9JT United Kingdom
| | - James D. Westmancoat
- School of Biological Sciences; University of East Anglia; Norwich Research Park Norwich NR4 7TJ United Kingdom
| | - Matthew J. G. Gage
- School of Biological Sciences; University of East Anglia; Norwich Research Park Norwich NR4 7TJ United Kingdom
| | - Tracey Chapman
- School of Biological Sciences; University of East Anglia; Norwich Research Park Norwich NR4 7TJ United Kingdom
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16
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Zhu GH, Ye GY, Li K, Hu C, Xu XH. Determining the age of adult flesh flies, Boettcherisca peregrina, using pteridine fluorescence. MEDICAL AND VETERINARY ENTOMOLOGY 2013; 27:59-63. [PMID: 22845466 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2915.2012.01021.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
To assess the potential application of pteridine fluorescence in determining the age of adult Boettcherisca peregrina (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) Robineau-Desvoidy and further for the postmortem interval, the age-dependent changes of pteridine fluorescence were investigated for the adults maintained at five constant temperatures. From the results, significant linear relationships were found between pteridine fluorescence and the age of the adults maintained at 16, 20, 24, 28 or 32 °C (P < 0.001, r(2) > 0.85). In addition, the relationships between the rate of pteridine accumulation and temperature were well described using linear equations for adult females and males. Then for each cohort of the flies at the ambient temperature, a calendar was constructed and used to determine the ages of females and males, respectively, in which was recorded in reverse time order the amount of pteridine accumulated per hour by the flies and their expected pteridine level when they emerged at the specified time. A significant linear relationship between estimated ages and chronological ages was observed for female or male adults, with the mean errors of the estimated ages of ±1.82 days for females and ±1.58 days for males. It is suggested that pteridine fluorescence analysis has a potential value in determining the age of adult B. peregrina.
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Affiliation(s)
- G H Zhu
- Institute of Insect Sciences, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
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17
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Using near-infrared spectroscopy to resolve the species, gender, age, and the presence of Wolbachia infection in laboratory-reared Drosophila. G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS 2012; 2:1057-65. [PMID: 22973543 PMCID: PMC3429920 DOI: 10.1534/g3.112.003103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2012] [Accepted: 06/29/2012] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The aim of the study was to determine the accuracy of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) in determining species, gender, age, and the presence of the common endosymbiont Wolbachia in laboratory-reared Drosophila. NIRS measures the absorption of light by organic molecules. Initially, a calibration model was developed for each study. An independent set with flies not involved in initial cross-validation was then used to validate the accuracy of each calibration model. Flies from the independent sets were correctly classified into Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila simulans with 94% and 82% accuracy, respectively, whereas flies were successfully classified by gender with accuracy greater than 90%. In the age grading test, correlation plots of the actual and predicted age for males and females of D. melanogaster and D. simulans were shown to be overlapping between the adjacent age groups. It is, however, possible to predict the age of flies as less than 9 days of age with 62–88% accuracy and flies that are equal to or older than 9 days of age with 91–98% accuracy. Finally, we used NIRS to detect the presence of Wolbachia in flies. Flies from the independent sets were successfully identified as infected or not infected with Wolbachia with approximately 90% accuracy. These results suggest that NIRS has the potential to quantify the species, gender, and presence of Wolbachia in fly populations. However, additional optimization of the protocol may be necessary before the technique can reliably estimate fly age.
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18
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Robson SKA, Crozier RH. An evaluation of two biochemical methods of age determination in insects (pteridines and lipofuscins) using the antPolyrhachis sexpinosaLatrielle (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2009. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1440-6055.2009.00692.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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19
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Kawasaki N, Brassil CE, Brooks RC, Bonduriansky R. Environmental effects on the expression of life span and aging: an extreme contrast between wild and captive cohorts of Telostylinus angusticollis (Diptera: Neriidae). Am Nat 2008; 172:346-57. [PMID: 18710341 DOI: 10.1086/589519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Most research on life span and aging has been based on captive populations of short-lived animals; however, we know very little about the expression of these traits in wild populations of such organisms. Because life span and aging are major components of fitness, the extent to which the results of many evolutionary studies in the laboratory can be generalized to natural settings depends on the degree to which the expression of life span and aging differ in natural environments versus laboratory environments and whether such environmental effects interact with phenotypic variation. We investigated life span and aging in Telostylinus angusticollis in the wild while simultaneously estimating these parameters under a range of conditions in a laboratory stock that was recently established from the same wild population. We found that males live less than one-fifth as long and age at least twice as rapidly in the wild as do their captive counterparts. In contrast, we found no evidence of aging in wild females. These striking sex-specific differences between captive and wild flies support the emerging view that environment exerts a profound influence on the expression of life span and aging. These findings have important implications for evolutionary gerontology and, more generally, for the interpretation of fitness estimates in captive populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noriyoshi Kawasaki
- Evolution and Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney 2052, New South Wales, Australia
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20
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Abstract
The use of transcriptional profiles for predicting mosquito age is a novel solution for the longstanding problem of determining the age of field-caught mosquitoes. Female mosquito age is of central importance to the transmission of a range of human pathogens. The transcriptional age-grading protocol we present here was developed in Aedes aegypti, principally as a research tool. Age predictions are made on the basis of transcriptional data collected from mosquitoes of known age. The abundance of eight candidate gene transcripts is quantified relative to a reference gene using quantitative reverse transcriptase-PCR (RT-PCR). Normalized gene expression (GE) measures are analyzed using canonical redundancy analysis to obtain a multivariate predictor of mosquito age. The relationship between the first redundancy variate and known age is used as the calibration model. Normalized GE measures are quantified for wild-caught mosquitoes, and ages are then predicted using this calibration model. Rearing of mosquitoes to specific ages for calibration data can take up to 40 d. Molecular analysis of transcript abundance, and subsequent age predictions, should take approximately 3-5 d for 100 individuals.
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21
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Cook PE, Hugo LE, Iturbe-Ormaetxe I, Williams CR, Chenoweth SF, Ritchie SA, Ryan PA, Kay BH, Blows MW, O'Neill SL. The use of transcriptional profiles to predict adult mosquito age under field conditions. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2006; 103:18060-5. [PMID: 17110448 PMCID: PMC1838706 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0604875103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2006] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Age is a critical determinant of an adult female mosquito's ability to transmit a range of human pathogens. Despite its central importance, relatively few methods exist with which to accurately determine chronological age of field-caught mosquitoes. This fact is a major constraint on our ability to fully understand the relative importance of vector longevity to disease transmission in different ecological contexts. It also limits our ability to evaluate novel disease control strategies that specifically target mosquito longevity. We report the development of a transcriptional profiling approach to determine age of adult female Aedes aegypti under field conditions. We demonstrate that this approach surpasses current cuticular hydrocarbon methods for both accuracy of predicted age as well as the upper limits at which age can be reliably predicted. The method is based on genes that display age-dependent expression in a range of dipteran insects and, as such, is likely to be broadly applicable to other disease vectors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter E. Cook
- *School of Integrative Biology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Leon E. Hugo
- *School of Integrative Biology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
- Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Herston, Queensland 4029, Australia
| | - Iñaki Iturbe-Ormaetxe
- *School of Integrative Biology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Craig R. Williams
- Anton Breinl Centre for Public Health and Tropical Medicine, James Cook University, Cairns, Queensland 4870, Australia; and
| | - Stephen F. Chenoweth
- *School of Integrative Biology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Scott A. Ritchie
- Anton Breinl Centre for Public Health and Tropical Medicine, James Cook University, Cairns, Queensland 4870, Australia; and
- Tropical Population Health Unit, Queensland Health, Cairns, Queensland 4870, Australia
| | - Peter A. Ryan
- Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Herston, Queensland 4029, Australia
| | - Brian H. Kay
- Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Herston, Queensland 4029, Australia
| | - Mark W. Blows
- *School of Integrative Biology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Scott L. O'Neill
- *School of Integrative Biology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
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