scholarly journals Gone with the rain: negative effects of rainfall on male reproductive success in a nest-building arachnid

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 1145-1156
Author(s):  
Andrés Rojas ◽  
Diego Solano-Brenes ◽  
Danilo G Muniz ◽  
Glauco Machado
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Costa Rican ◽  
Nest Building ◽  
Male Reproductive Success ◽  
Offspring Survival ◽  
Nest Structure ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Nest Quality

AbstractIn nest-building species, offspring survival and reproductive success of parental individuals are strongly influenced by nest quality. Thus, quantifying the influence of abiotic conditions on nest integrity is important to predict the effects of weather variability on the fitness of parental individuals. Here, we investigated how rainfall affects nest integrity and how nest integrity influences males’ attractiveness and nest tenure. Our study species was the harvestman Quindina limbata, in which males build mud nests on fallen logs and protect the eggs against predators and fungi. Our data set comprises 12 months of regular inspections of 149 nests in a Costa Rican rainforest. We found that almost 50% of the nests were destroyed by rainfall. The drag force caused by rainfall running on the fallen log surface negatively affected nest integrity. Fungi cover on nests was influenced by an interaction between rainfall and nest position on the fallen log. Irrespective of their body size, males in nests with high integrity received more eggs than males in nests with low integrity. Fungi cover did not influence the number of eggs received by the males. Finally, nest integrity and fungi cover did not affect nest tenure, but males that did not receive eggs for a long time tended to abandon their nests. Considering that intense rainfall occurs all year long in tropical forests, males should build their nests in protected sites that preserve nest structure. Protected sites may keep nest structure better preserved, improve offspring survival, attract more females, and increase males’ reproductive success.

scholarly journals Polygyny and Extra-Pair Paternity in a Population of Southwestern Willow Flycatchers

The Condor ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 108 (3) ◽  
pp. 571-578
Author(s):  
Talima Pearson ◽  
Mary J. Whitfield ◽  
Tad C. Theimer ◽  
Paul Keim
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Microsatellite Markers ◽  
Mating Strategy ◽  
Male Reproductive Success ◽  
Offspring Survival ◽  
Extra Pair Paternity ◽  
Study Population ◽  
Willow Flycatcher ◽  
Empidonax Traillii ◽  
Disproportionate Number

Abstract Although polygyny can potentially increase male reproductive success, the benefits of this strategy could be offset by losses to extra-pair paternity or reduced offspring survival. We developed microsatellite markers to assess the influence of extra-pair offspring (EPO) on reproductive success and paternity in monogamous and polygynous pairs of the facultatively polygynous Southwestern Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii extimus). Based on genotypes of 140 offspring from 56 clutches over six years, 14% of nestlings in our study population were extra-pair offspring, with 23% of all successful nests containing at least one EPO. We found that polygynous males produced 2.11 ± 0.35 offspring per season, compared to 1.15 ± 0.18 for monogamous males. This increased reproductive success was due primarily to the increased number of nests of polygynous males, as the number of offspring per pair did not differ between monogamous and polygynous males. Twenty of the 140 genotyped nestlings were extra-pair offspring. Sires could be assigned to 16 of these; one polygynous male sired two EPO in one nest, two monogamous males sired eight EPO in two nests, and four nonterritorial males sired six EPO in four nests. Overall, these results indicate that in this population, females of polygynous males did not raise a disproportionate number of EPO as a result of the polygynous mating strategy of their mate, and that both territorial and nonterritorial males sired EPO.

scholarly journals Behavior outweighs body size in mediating male reproductive success in a nest-building fish, bluehead chub

2020 ◽  
Vol 74 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Seoghyun Kim ◽  
Kasey C. Pregler ◽  
Elizabeth L. Cushman ◽  
Tanya L. Darden ◽  
Yoichiro Kanno
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Nest Building ◽  
Male Reproductive Success

scholarly journals Genetic analysis of male reproductive contributions in Chamaelirium luteum (L.) gray (Liliaceae).

Genetics ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 136 (1) ◽  
pp. 313-322
Author(s):  
P E Smouse ◽  
T R Meagher
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Genetic Analysis ◽  
Statistical Methods ◽  
Reproductive Performance ◽  
Iterative Procedure ◽  
Male Reproductive Success ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Captive Populations ◽  
Paternal Success ◽  
Phases Of Development

Abstract Genealogical analysis is a powerful tool for analysis of reproductive performance in both natural and captive populations, but assignment of paternity has always been a stumbling block for this sort of work. Statistical methods for determining paternity have undergone several phases of development, ranging from straightforward genetic exclusion to assignment of paternity based on genetic likelihood criteria. In the present study, we present a genetic likelihood-based iterative procedure for fractional allocation of paternity within a progeny pool and apply this method to a population of Chamaelirium luteum, a dioecious member of the Liliaceae. Results from this analysis clearly demonstrate that different males make unequal contributions to the overall progeny pool, with many males contributing essentially nothing to the next generation. Furthermore, the distribution of paternal success among males shows a highly significant departure from (Poisson) randomness. The results from the present analysis were compared with earlier results obtained from the same data set, using likelihood-based categorical paternity assignments. The general biological pattern revealed by the two analyses is the same, but the estimates of reproductive success are only modestly (though significantly) correlated. The iterative procedure makes more complete use of the data and generates a more sharply resolved distribution of male reproductive success.

scholarly journals Postweaning maternal care increases male chimpanzee reproductive success

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (38) ◽  
pp. eaaz5746
Author(s):  
Catherine Crockford ◽  
Liran Samuni ◽  
Linda Vigilant ◽  
Roman M. Wittig
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Parental Investment ◽  
Maternal Care ◽  
Parental Loss ◽  
Male Reproductive Success ◽  
Complex Societies ◽  
Successful Reproduction ◽  
Using Data

Humans are unusual among animals for continuing to provision and care for their offspring until adulthood. This “prolonged dependency” is considered key for the evolution of other notable human traits, such as large brains, complex societies, and extended postreproductive lifespans. Prolonged dependency must therefore have evolved under conditions in which reproductive success is gained with parental investment and diminished with early parental loss. We tested this idea using data from wild chimpanzees, which have similarly extended immature years as humans and prolonged mother-offspring associations. Males who lost their mothers after weaning but before maturity began reproducing later and had lower average reproductive success. Thus, persistent mother-immature son associations seem vital for enhancing male reproductive success, although mothers barely provision sons after weaning. We posit that these associations lead to social gains, crucial for successful reproduction in complex social societies, and offer insights into the evolution of prolonged dependency.

scholarly journals Subway Gearbox Fault Diagnosis Algorithm Based on Adaptive Spline Impact Suppression

Entropy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. 660
Author(s):  
Zhongshuo Hu ◽  
Jianwei Yang ◽  
Dechen Yao ◽  
Jinhai Wang ◽  
Yongliang Bai
Keyword(s):  
Fault Diagnosis ◽  
Spline Interpolation ◽  
Reference Value ◽  
High Amplitude ◽  
Engineering Practice ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Time Domain Signal ◽  
Gearbox Vibration ◽  
Long Time

In the signal processing of real subway vehicles, impacts between wheelsets and rail joint gaps have significant negative effects on the spectrum. This introduces great difficulties for the fault diagnosis of gearboxes. To solve this problem, this paper proposes an adaptive time-domain signal segmentation method that envelopes the original signal using a cubic spline interpolation. The peak values of the rail joint gap impacts are extracted to realize the adaptive segmentation of gearbox fault signals when the vehicle was moving at a uniform speed. A long-time and unsteady signal affected by wheel–rail impacts is segmented into multiple short-term, steady-state signals, which can suppress the high amplitude of the shock response signal. Finally, on this basis, multiple short-term sample signals are analyzed by time- and frequency-domain analyses and compared with the nonfaulty results. The results showed that the method can efficiently suppress the high-amplitude components of subway gearbox vibration signals and effectively extract the characteristics of weak faults due to uniform wear of the gearbox in the time and frequency domains. This provides reference value for the gearbox fault diagnosis in engineering practice.

scholarly journals Effects of management decisions on genetic evaluation of simulated calving records using random regression

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
M D MacNeil ◽  
J W Buchanan ◽  
M L Spangler ◽  
E Hay
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Simulated Data ◽  
Genetic Evaluation ◽  
Random Regression ◽  
Management Decisions ◽  
Third Order ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Binary Phenotype ◽  
Random Regression Model ◽  
Missing Observation

Abstract The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of various data structures on the genetic evaluation for the binary phenotype of reproductive success. The data were simulated based on an existing pedigree and an underlying fertility phenotype with a heritability of 0.10. A data set of complete observations was generated for all cows. This data set was then modified mimicking the culling of cows when they first failed to reproduce, cows having a missing observation at either their second or fifth opportunity to reproduce as if they had been selected as donors for embryo transfer, and censoring records following the sixth opportunity to reproduce as in a cull-for-age strategy. The data were analyzed using a third order polynomial random regression model. The EBV of interest for each animal was the sum of the age-specific EBV over the first 10 observations (reproductive success at ages 2-11). Thus, the EBV might be interpreted as the genetic expectation of number of calves produced when a female is given ten opportunities to calve. Culling open cows resulted in the EBV for 3 year-old cows being reduced from 8.27 ± 0.03 when open cows were retained to 7.60 ± 0.02 when they were culled. The magnitude of this effect decreased as cows grew older when they first failed to reproduce and were subsequently culled. Cows that did not fail over the 11 years of simulated data had an EBV of 9.43 ± 0.01 and 9.35 ± 0.01 based on analyses of the complete data and the data in which cows that failed to reproduce were culled, respectively. Cows that had a missing observation for their second record had a significantly reduced EBV, but the corresponding effect at the fifth record was negligible. The current study illustrates that culling and management decisions, and particularly those that impact the beginning of the trajectory of sustained reproductive success, can influence both the magnitude and accuracy of resulting EBV.

scholarly journals Mediating distributive politics: political alignment and electoral business cycle effects on municipality financing in Greece

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anastasios Kitsos ◽  
Antonios Proestakis
Keyword(s):  
Business Cycle ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Intergovernmental Transfers ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
National Elections ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Resource Misallocation ◽  
Run Up ◽  
Political Alignment

AbstractWe examine the role of political alignment and the electoral business cycle on municipality revenues in Greece for the period 2003–2010. The misallocation of resources for political gain represents a waste of resources with significant negative effects on local growth and effective decentralization. The focus of our analysis is municipality mayors since they mediate the relationship between central government and voters and hence can influence the effectiveness of any potential pork-barrelling activity. A novel panel data set combining the results of two local and three national elections with annual municipality budgets is used to run a fixed-effects econometric model. This allows us to identify whether the political alignment between mayors and central government affects municipality financing. We examine this at different stages of local and national electoral cycles, investigating both direct intergovernmental transfers (grants) and the remaining sources of local revenues (own revenues, loans). We find that total revenues are significantly higher for aligned municipalities in the run-up to elections due to higher intergovernmental transfers. We also find evidence that the 2008 crisis has reduced such pork-barrelling activity. This significant resource misallocation increases vertical networking dependency and calls for policy changes promoting greater decentralization and encouraging innovation in local revenue raising.

scholarly journals Effect of regional skill gaps and skill shortages on firm productivity

2019 ◽  
Vol 52 (5) ◽  
pp. 933-952 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Morris ◽  
Enrico Vanino ◽  
Carlo Corradini
Keyword(s):  
Spillover Effects ◽  
Firm Productivity ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Regional Productivity ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Industrial Sectors ◽  
Skill Gaps ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Skill Shortages

This paper contributes to the literature on regional productivity, complementing previous education and skill-level perspectives with a novel approach analysing the impact of regional skill gaps and skill shortages. This allows us to reflect the idiosyncratic needs of the regional economic structure better, considering both the demand and supply side of the skills equation in localised labour markets. Controlling for unobserved time-invariant firm-level heterogeneity and other region–industry effects across a longitudinal data set for the period 2008–2014, our analysis reveals a negative direct effect of skill shortages on firm productivity. We further find negative spillover effects for both skill gaps and skill shortages in related industries and proximate regions. Results are also shown to be heterogeneous with respect to agglomeration levels and industrial sectors. Stronger negative effects are found in industries defined by a knowledge-intensive skill base, pointing to the loss of learning effects in the presence of skill deficiencies. Conversely, agglomeration effects appear to moderate the impact of skill deficiencies through more efficient matching in the local labour market. The findings presented thus suggest that policies aimed at improving productivity and addressing the increasing regional productivity divide cannot be reduced to a simple space-neutral support for higher education and skill levels but need to recognise explicitly the presence and characteristics of place-specific skills gaps and shortages.

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