scholarly journals Much more than a clasp: evolutionary patterns of amplexus diversity in anurans

2020 ◽  
Vol 129 (3) ◽  
pp. 652-663 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan D Carvajal-Castro ◽  
Yelenny López-Aguirre ◽  
Ana María Ospina-L ◽  
Juan C Santos ◽  
Bibiana Rojas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Morphological Traits ◽  
Sexual Size Dimorphism ◽  
Phylogenetic Signal ◽  
Evolutionary Relationships ◽  
Behavioural Ecology ◽  
Ancestral State ◽  
Evolutionary Patterns ◽  
Evolutionary Transitions ◽  
Size Dimorphism ◽  
Reproductive Modes

Abstract The evolution and diversification of animal reproductive modes have been pivotal questions in behavioural ecology. Amphibians present the highest diversity of reproductive modes among vertebrates, involving various behavioural, physiological and morphological traits. One such feature is the amplexus, which is the clasp or embrace of males on females during reproduction and is found almost universally in anurans. Hypotheses about the origin of amplexus are limited and have not been tested thoroughly, nor have they taken into account evolutionary relationships in most comparative studies. However, these considerations are crucial to an understanding of the evolution of reproductive modes. Here, using an evolutionary framework, we reconstruct the ancestral state of amplexus in 685 anuran species. We investigate whether the type of amplexus has a strong phylogenetic signal and test whether sexual size dimorphism could have influenced amplexus type or male performance while clasping females. Overall, we found evidence of ≥34 evolutionary transitions in amplexus type across anurans. We found that amplexus type exhibits a high phylogenetic signal and that amplexus type does not evolve in association with sexual size dimorphism. We discuss the implications of our findings for the diversity of amplexus types across anurans.

scholarly journals Much more than a clasp: Evolutionary pattern of amplexus diversity in anurans

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan D. Carvajal-Castro ◽  
Yelenny López-Aguirre ◽  
Ana María Ospina-L ◽  
Juan C. Santos ◽  
Bibiana Rojas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Behavioral Ecology ◽  
Morphological Traits ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Sexual Size Dimorphism ◽  
Phylogenetic Signal ◽  
Ancestral State ◽  
Evolutionary Transitions ◽  
Size Dimorphism ◽  
Evolutionary Pattern ◽  
Reproductive Modes

ABSTRACTThe evolution and diversification of animal reproductive modes have been pivotal questions in behavioral ecology. Amphibians present the highest diversity of reproductive modes among vertebrates, involving various behavioral, physiological and morphological traits. One of such features is the amplexus, the clasp or embrace of males on females during reproduction, which is almost universal to anurans. Hypotheses about the origin amplexus are limited and have not been thoroughly tested, nor had they taken into account evolutionary relationships in most comparative studies. However, these considerations are crucial to understand the evolution of reproductive modes. Here, using an evolutionary framework, we reconstruct the ancestral state of amplexus in 686 anuran species; investigate whether the amplexus type is a conserved trait; and test whether sexual size dimorphism (SSD) could have influenced the amplexus type or male performance while clasping females. Overall, we found evidence of at least 35 evolutionary transitions in amplexus type across anurans. We also found that amplexus exhibits a high phylogenetic signal (it is conserved across Anura evolutionary history) and the amplexus type does not evolve in association with SSD. We discuss the implications of our findings on the diversity of amplexus types across anurans.

scholarly journals Are evolutionary transitions in sexual size dimorphism related to sex determination in reptiles?

2021 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 594-603
Author(s):  
Gergely Katona ◽  
Balázs Vági ◽  
Zsolt Végvári ◽  
András Liker ◽  
Robert P. Freckleton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sex Determination ◽  
Sexual Size Dimorphism ◽  
Evolutionary Transitions ◽  
Size Dimorphism

Plasticity in sexual size dimorphism and Rensch’s rule in Mediterranean blennies (Blenniidae)

2008 ◽  
Vol 86 (10) ◽  
pp. 1173-1178 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Lengkeek ◽  
K. Didderen ◽  
I. M. Côté ◽  
E. M. van der Zee ◽  
R. C. Snoek ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Variation ◽  
Sexual Size Dimorphism ◽  
Fine Scale ◽  
Evolutionary Patterns ◽  
Rensch’S Rule ◽  
Size Dimorphism ◽  
Rensch's Rule ◽  
Close Proximity ◽  
Species Comparisons ◽  
Aidablennius Sphynx

Comparative analyses of sexual size dimorphism (SSD) across species have led to the discovery of Rensch’s rule. This rule states that SSD increases with body size when males are the largest sex, but decreases with increasing size when females are larger. Within-species comparisons of SSD in fish are rare, yet these may be a valuable tool to investigate evolutionary patterns on a fine scale. This study compares SSD among closely related populations of three species of Mediterranean blennies (Blenniidae): Microlipophrys canevae (Vinciguerra, 1880), Parablennius incognitus (Bath 1968), and Aidablennius sphynx (Valenciennes, 1836). SSD varied more among populations than among species and Rensch’s rule was confirmed within two species. It is not likely that the variation among populations in SSD mirrors genetic variation, as many of the populations were in close proximity of one another, with a high potential for genetic exchange. This study complements larger scale analyses of other taxa and demonstrates the fine scale on which evolutionary processes responsible for Rensch’s rule may be operating.

scholarly journals Evolution of sexual size dimorphism and its relationship with sex ratio in carabid beetles of Genus Ceroglossus Solier

2013 ◽  
Vol 59 (6) ◽  
pp. 769-777 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hugo A. Benítez ◽  
Jorge Avaria-Llautureo ◽  
Cristian B. Canales-Aguirre ◽  
Viviane Jerez ◽  
Luis E. Parra ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sex Ratio ◽  
Sexual Size Dimorphism ◽  
Phylogenetic Signal ◽  
Comparative Method ◽  
Carabid Beetles ◽  
Entire Group ◽  
Geometrical Shape ◽  
Specific Level ◽  
Size Dimorphism ◽  
Morphological Studies

Abstract Although the degree of mate competition, given extreme differences in sex ratio, explains much of the pattern of male-biased size dimorphism among diverse taxa, it fails for some species which have potential for intense male competition for mates and yet exhibit little or no sexual size dimorphism (SSD). This fact suggest that species with low SSD should be express the effect of evolutionary pressure in non-obvious geometrical shape promoted by sex ratio in an evolutionary time scale. To evaluate this hypothesis we used phylogenetic comparative method in a Bayesian framework to investigate the evolution of SSD and the role of sex ratio at inter-specific level in the species of Ceroglossus (Coleoptera: Carabidae). In our results the proportion farthest from 1:1 is associated with more disparate body shape, even though the entire group has minimum variation in sex ratio, which is an intrinsic life history character of this group considering its phylogenetic conservatism or phylogenetic signal. We suggest that the sex ratio has determined the dimorphism degree during evolution of this group, since both traits have increased or decreased together during the species divergence (i.e. positive phylogenetic correlation: r2≈0.85). We suggest that morphological studies of SSD will benefit from using comparative method with Bayesian approaches to assess the effect of phylogenetic history and its uncertainty. Finally, this will be allow to researchers to quantify the uncertainty of specific evolutionary hypotheses accounting for observed sexual dimorphism patterns.

Testing Rensch’s rule in Acanthoscelides macrophthalmus, a seed-feeding beetle infesting Leucaena leucocephala plants

2019 ◽  
Vol 97 (4) ◽  
pp. 304-311
Author(s):  
M.N. Rossi ◽  
E.B. Haga
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Leucaena Leucocephala ◽  
Morphological Traits ◽  
Genetic Basis ◽  
Sexual Size Dimorphism ◽  
The Body ◽  
Rensch’S Rule ◽  
Size Dimorphism ◽  
Rensch's Rule ◽  
Males And Females

Rensch’s rule states that males vary more in size than females when body size increases. The main cause of Rensch’s rule has been credited to sexual selection. However, different degrees of plasticity between the sexes have also been proven to be useful for describing variations in sexual size dimorphism, particularly within an intraspecific context. For insects, in general, this rule has rarely been tested within species. Here, we tested whether Acanthoscelides macrophthalmus (Schaeffer, 1907) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Bruchinae) followed Rensch’s rule when individuals emerged from seeds immediately after fruit collection and when they were reared for one generation, by measuring three morphological traits. Rensch’s rule was not followed for any of the morphological traits. Variations in body size were similar in males and females for bruchines that first emerged from seeds and for those that were reared for one generation. These findings suggest that environmental conditions (e.g., temperature, humidity, and seasonality) are unlikely to drive differential plasticity in males and females of this seed-feeding beetle. It is possible that changes in the body size of A. macrophthalmus have a genetic basis. However, regardless of whether variations in body size have a genetic basis, our findings provide no support for Rensch’s rule.

scholarly journals Nuclear genomic signals of the ‘microturbellarian’ roots of platyhelminth evolutionary innovation

eLife ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher E Laumer ◽  
Andreas Hejnol ◽  
Gonzalo Giribet
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Protein ◽  
Phylogenetic Signal ◽  
Evolutionary Relationships ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Evolutionary Transitions ◽  
Protein Coding ◽  
Protein Coding Genes ◽  
Evolutionary Innovation ◽  
Genomic Signals ◽  
Shed Light

Flatworms number among the most diverse invertebrate phyla and represent the most biomedically significant branch of the major bilaterian clade Spiralia, but to date, deep evolutionary relationships within this group have been studied using only a single locus (the rRNA operon), leaving the origins of many key clades unclear. In this study, using a survey of genomes and transcriptomes representing all free-living flatworm orders, we provide resolution of platyhelminth interrelationships based on hundreds of nuclear protein-coding genes, exploring phylogenetic signal through concatenation as well as recently developed consensus approaches. These analyses robustly support a modern hypothesis of flatworm phylogeny, one which emphasizes the primacy of the often-overlooked ‘microturbellarian’ groups in understanding the major evolutionary transitions within Platyhelminthes: perhaps most notably, we propose a novel scenario for the interrelationships between free-living and vertebrate-parasitic flatworms, providing new opportunities to shed light on the origins and biological consequences of parasitism in these iconic invertebrates.

Sexual size dimorphism, morphological traits and jump performance in seven species of desert fleas (Siphonaptera)

2003 ◽  
Vol 261 (2) ◽  
pp. 181-189 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. R. Krasnov ◽  
S. A. Burdelov ◽  
I. S. Khokhlova ◽  
N. V. Burdelova
Keyword(s):  
Morphological Traits ◽  
Sexual Size Dimorphism ◽  
Jump Performance ◽  
Size Dimorphism

Sexual Size Dimorphism and Sex Identification using Morphological Traits of Two Aegithalidae Species

2010 ◽  
Vol 27 (12) ◽  
pp. 946-951 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianqiang Li ◽  
Ning Wang ◽  
Yong Wang ◽  
Songtao Lin ◽  
Qi Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Morphological Traits ◽  
Sexual Size Dimorphism ◽  
Sex Identification ◽  
Size Dimorphism

scholarly journals Global geographic patterns of sexual size dimorphism in birds: Support for a latitudinal trend?

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas R Friedman ◽  
Vladimír Remeš
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Size Dimorphism ◽  
Phylogenetic Signal ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Explanatory Power ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Physical Geography ◽  
Size Dimorphism ◽  
The North ◽  
Sexual Selection Theory ◽  
Latitudinal Trend

Sexual size dimorphism (SSD) is widespread among animals, and is a common indication of differential selection among males and females. Sexual selection theory predicts that SSD should increase as one sex competes more fiercely for access to mates, but it is unclear what effect spatial variation in ecology may have on this behavioral process. Here, we examine SSD across the class Aves in a spatial and phylogenetic framework, and test several a priori hypotheses regarding its relationship with climate. We mapped the global distribution of SSD from published descriptions of body size, distribution, and phylogenetic relationships across 2581 species of birds. We examined correlations between SSD and nine predictor variables representing a priori models of physical geography, climate, and climate variability. Our results show guarded support for a global latitudinal trend in SSD based on a weak prevalence of species with low or female-biased SSD in the North, but substantial spatial heterogeneity. While several stronger relationships were observed between SSD and climate predictors within zoogeographical regions, no global relationship emerged that was consistent across multiple methods of analysis. While we found support for a global relationship between climate and SSD, this support lacked consistency and explanatory power. Furthermore the strong phylogenetic signal and conspicuous lack of support from phylogenetically corrected analyses suggests that any such relationship in birds is likely due to the idiosyncratic histories of different lineages. In this manner, our results broadly agree with studies in other groups, leading us to conclude that the relationship between climate and SSD is at best complex. This suggests that SSD is linked to behavioral dynamics that may at a global scale be largely independent of environmental conditions.

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