scholarly journals Is Sexual Conflict a Driver of Speciation? A Case Study With a Tribe of Brush-footed Butterflies

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Paula S Carvalho ◽  
Ryan A St Laurent ◽  
Emmanuel F A Toussaint ◽  
Caroline Storer ◽  
Kelly M Dexter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Conflict ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Evolutionary Mechanisms ◽  
Diversification Rates ◽  
Exon Capture ◽  
Key Driver ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
Analytical Approaches ◽  
Acting In Concert

Abstract Understanding the evolutionary mechanisms governing the uneven distribution of species richness across the tree of life is a great challenge in biology. Scientists have long argued that sexual conflict is a key driver of speciation. This hypothesis, however, has been highly debated in light of empirical evidence. Recent advances in the study of macroevolution make it possible to test this hypothesis with more data and increased accuracy. In the present study, we use phylogenomics combined with four different diversification rate analytical approaches to test whether sexual conflict is a driver of speciation in brush-footed butterflies of the tribe Acraeini. The presence of a sphragis, an external mating plug found in most species among Acraeini, was used as a proxy for sexual conflict. Diversification analyses statistically rejected the hypothesis that sexual conflict is associated with shifts in diversification rates in Acraeini. This result contrasts with earlier studies and suggests that the underlying mechanisms driving diversification are more complex than previously considered. In the case of butterflies, natural history traits acting in concert with abiotic factors possibly play a stronger role in triggering speciation than does sexual conflict. [Acraeini butterflies; arms race; exon capture phylogenomics; Lepidoptera macroevolution; sexual selection; sphragis.]

Reproductive behavior

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Olzer ◽  
Rebecca L. Ehrlich ◽  
Justa L. Heinen-Kay ◽  
Jessie Tanner ◽  
Marlene Zuk
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Sexual Conflict ◽  
Female Choice ◽  
Reproductive Behavior ◽  
Mating Systems ◽  
Insect Behavior ◽  
Sequential Approach ◽  
Evolutionary Mechanisms ◽  
Anatomy And Physiology ◽  
Males And Females

Sex and reproduction lie at the heart of studies of insect behavior. We begin by providing a brief overview of insect anatomy and physiology, followed by an introduction to the overarching themes of parental investment, sexual selection, and mating systems. We then take a sequential approach to illustrate the diversity of phenomena and concepts behind insect reproductive behavior from pre-copulatory mate signalling through copulatory sperm transfer, mating positions, and sexual conflict, to post-copulatory sperm competition, and cryptic female choice. We provide an overview of the evolutionary mechanisms driving reproductive behavior. These events are linked by the economic defendability of mates or resources, and how these are allocated in each sex. Under the framework of economic defendability, the reader can better understand how sexual antagonistic behaviors arise as the result of competing optimal fitness strategies between males and females.

scholarly journals Association between Green Space Structure and the Prevalence of Asthma: A Case Study of Toronto

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (11) ◽  
pp. 5852
Author(s):  
Yuping Dong ◽  
Helin Liu ◽  
Tianming Zheng
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Green Space ◽  
Normalized Difference Vegetation Index ◽  
Chronic Inflammatory Disease ◽  
Space Structure ◽  
Tree Diversity ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
Index Tree

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease that can be caused by various factors, such as asthma-related genes, lifestyle, and air pollution, and it can result in adverse impacts on asthmatics’ mental health and quality of life. Hence, asthma issues have been widely studied, mainly from demographic, socioeconomic, and genetic perspectives. Although it is becoming increasingly clear that asthma is likely influenced by green spaces, the underlying mechanisms are still unclear and inconsistent. Moreover, green space influences the prevalence of asthma concurrently in multiple ways, but most existing studies have explored only one pathway or a partial pathway, rather than the multi-pathways. Compared to greenness (measured by Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, tree density, etc.), green space structure—which has the potential to impact the concentration of air pollution and microbial diversity—is still less investigated in studies on the influence of green space on asthma. Given this research gap, this research took Toronto, Canada, as a case study to explore the two pathways between green space structure and the prevalence of asthma based on controlling the related covariates. Using regression analysis, it was found that green space structure can protect those aged 0–19 years from a high risk of developing asthma, and this direct protective effect can be enhanced by high tree diversity. For adults, green space structure does not influence the prevalence of asthma unless moderated by tree diversity (a measurement of the richness and diversity of trees). However, this impact was not found in adult females. Moreover, the hypothesis that green space structure influences the prevalence of asthma by reducing air pollution was not confirmed in this study, which can be attributed to a variety of causes.

scholarly journals Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus) density and environmental gradients at their biogeographical range edge

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin G. Wessling ◽  
Paula Dieguez ◽  
Manuel Llana ◽  
Liliana Pacheco ◽  
Jill D. Pruetz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pan Troglodytes ◽  
Habitat Heterogeneity ◽  
Environmental Gradients ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Habitat Characteristics ◽  
Pan Troglodytes Verus ◽  
Range Limit ◽  
Range Edge ◽  
Food Species ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms

ABSTRACTIdentifying ecological gradients at the range edge of a species is an essential step in revealing the underlying mechanisms and constraints that limit the species’ geographic range. We aimed to describe the patterns of variation in chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus) density and habitat characteristics perpendicular to the northern edge of their range and to investigate potential environmental mechanisms underlying chimpanzee distribution in a savanna-mosaic habitat. We estimated chimpanzee densities at six sites forming a 126 km latitudinal gradient at the biogeographical range edge of the western chimpanzee in the savanna-mosaic habitats of southeastern Senegal. To accompany these data, we used systematically placed vegetation plots to characterize the habitats at each site for habitat heterogeneity, tree density and size, floral assemblages, among other variables. We found that both biotic and abiotic factors are potential determinants of the chimpanzee range limit in this ecoregion. Specifically, chimpanzee-occupied landscapes at the limit had smaller available floral assemblages, less habitat heterogeneity, and contained fewer closed canopy habitats in which chimpanzees could seek refuge from high temperatures than landscapes farther from the range limit. This pattern was accompanied by a decline in chimpanzee density with increasing proximity to the range limit. Our results provide several indications of the potential limits of food species diversity, thermal refuge, and water availability to the chimpanzee niche and the implications of these limits for chimpanzee biogeography, especially in the face of climate change predictions, as well as to species distributional modeling more generally.

scholarly journals Sports Coverage on BBC ALBA: Content, Value, and Position in the Scottish Broadcasting Landscape

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 221-243 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xavier Ramon ◽  
Richard Haynes
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Diversity ◽  
Mixed Method ◽  
Current Position ◽  
Financial Situation ◽  
Sports Programming ◽  
Sports Coverage ◽  
Key Driver ◽  
Complex Scenario ◽  
Method Approach

Through a mixed-method approach, we examine the sports programming offered by BBC ALBA between 2008 and 2016 and identify the value that the channel creates in Scotland through its diverse sports portfolio. In an increasingly cluttered and complex scenario where pay-TV giants Sky and BT hold a plethora of top-tier rights and BBC Scotland and STV cannot fit more sport into their schedules, BBC ALBA serves Gaelic-speaking and national audiences with a regular diet of quality sports programming. Beyond being instrumental to filling schedules, sports content has been a gateway for Gaelic, a key driver of BBC ALBA’s investment in the creative sector and a contributor to the development of grassroots sport in Scotland. However, the financial situation under which the channel operates makes it very difficult to sustain and improve its current position. This case study demonstrates that sport broadcasting offers genuine opportunities to maintain linguistic and cultural diversity in small nations, even in a context characterized by escalating competition, dwindling resources, and the proliferation of multiple viewing portals.

الاشتراكُ الدلاليُّ في لفظِ (الرأس)

2021 ◽  
pp. arabic cover-english cover
Author(s):  
لعبيدي بو عبد الله ◽  
شيماء عبد الله عبد الغفور
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Linguistics ◽  
Body Part ◽  
Human Cognition ◽  
Semantic Field ◽  
Cognitive Approach ◽  
Human Environment ◽  
Semantic Domain ◽  
History Of ◽  
Analytical Approaches

تُعَدُّ ظاهرةُ الاشتراكِ الدلاليّ ظاهرة مركزية في جميع اللغاتِ الإنسانيّةِ، فهي تستمدُ كينونتها من الهيكل المفاهيمي للإنسان، ومن تفاعل إدراكه مع العالم الخارجي. وقد جاءَتْ هذه الورقة لتقارب ظــاهرة الاشتراك الدلاليّ إدراكيًّا في المعجم العربي -وفق منهج وصفي تحليلي-، متخذةً من كلمة (الرأس) أنموذجًا. وتهدفُ هذه الدراسة للإجابة عن التساؤلات الآتية: ما البنية الإدراكية الكامنة وراء حدوث ظاهرة الاشتراك الدلاليّ في ألفاظ أجزاء الجسد عامة وكلمة (رَأْس) خاصةً؟ وما الحقول الدلاليّة التي امتد إليها واتساعاتها الاستعارية والكنائية؟ كما تعمل الدراسة على الكشف عن البنية الإدراكية التي تجمع المعاني المتعددة للفظ (الرأس) بالإضافة إلى الكشف عن شبكة العلاقات الدلاليّة بين المعاني المتعددة التي يضمها. وقد خَلُصَتْ هذه الورقة البحثية إلى كون التوسعاتِ الدلاليّةِ، والاستعمالاتِ الاستعاريّةِ، والكنائيّةِ لكلمة (رَأْس) تتصلُ بنسقنا التصوّري، وبالتفاعل الدائم بين تجاربنا اليوميّة مع رؤوسنا والعالم الخارجي. الكلمات المفتاحية: (الاشتراك الدلاليّ، اللسانيات الإدراكية، تاريخ اللسانيات الإدراكية، الجسد، رأس) Abstract Polysemy is a central phenomenon in all languages. It shows the interaction between human cognition and human environment. This paper aims to answer the following questions: what is the language mechanisms that is used among Arabs and makes sense of body part terms extend to a new semantic domain? And What are the semantic domains that the word ‘head’ extended to? To achieve the objectives this paper, the researchers adopted the cognitive approach. As well as the descriptive and analytical approaches using the word ‘head’ as a case study and traced its meaning as it developed through metaphor and metonymy. Also, it crossed over from one semantic field to another. It will show that demonstrate of ‘head’ and its semantic extensions derive directly from conceptual patterns that were created as a result of experiences and interaction between our heads, and the outside world. Key words: (polysemy, cognitive linguistics, the history of cognitive linguistics, body, head).

Green Manufacturing

2020 ◽  
pp. 416-422
Author(s):  
Saurabh Sen ◽  
Ruchi L. Sen
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Manufacturing Sector ◽  
Green Manufacturing ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
Industrial Activity ◽  
Key Driver ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Way

The manufacturing sector has greater responsibility for conducting and operating its business. The primary objective of every unit is to maximize profits. The manufacturing sector is the key driver of energy consumption and if an automobile consumes high fuel or if the resources are under-utilized, it is definitely the fault of the manufacturer. If we seriously need a solution to these problems, we need to change the way we design, manufacture, and sell the products. The manufacturing sector must use energy and resources efficiently. ‘Green Manufacturing' or sustainable industrial activity is the need of the hour and the Government of India requires the manufacturing sector to play a bigger role in the country's economy. This paper focuses on the initiative taken by the industries to make the environment eco-friendly. The paper further will emphasize upon a case study of Hero MotoCop.

scholarly journals Disambiguating “Mechanisms” in Pharmacy: Lessons from Mechanist Philosophy of Science

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
pp. 1833 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmad Yaman Abdin ◽  
Claus Jacob ◽  
Lena Kästner
Keyword(s):  
Philosophy Of Science ◽  
Contemporary Philosophy ◽  
Scientific Diagrams ◽  
Multi Level ◽  
Multiple Levels ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
In Vivo Effects ◽  
Shed Light

Talk of mechanisms is ubiquitous in the natural sciences. Interdisciplinary fields such as biochemistry and pharmacy frequently discuss mechanisms with the assistance of diagrams. Such diagrams usually depict entities as structures or boxes and activities or interactions as arrows. While some of these arrows may indicate causal or componential relations, others may represent temporal or operational orders. Importantly, what kind of relation an arrow represents may not only vary with context but also be underdetermined by empirical data. In this manuscript, we investigate how an analysis of pharmacological mechanisms in terms of producing and underlying mechanisms—as discussed in the contemporary philosophy of science—may shed light on these issues. Specifically, we shall argue that while pharmacokinetic mechanisms usually describe causal chains of production, pharmacodynamics tends to focus on mechanisms of action underlying the in vivo effects of a drug. Considering the action of thyroid gland hormones in the human body as a case study, we further demonstrate that pharmacodynamic schemes tend to incorporate entities and interactions on multiple levels. Yet, traditional pharmacodynamic schemes are sketched “flat”, i.e., non-hierarchically. We suggest that transforming flat pharmacodynamic schemes into mechanistic multi-level representations may assist in disentangling the different kinds of mechanisms and relations depicted by arrows in flat schemes. The resulting Baumkuchen model provides a powerful and practical alternative to traditional flat schemes, as it explicates the relevant mechanisms and relations more clearly. On a more general note, our discussion demonstrates how pharmacology and related disciplines may benefit from applying concepts from the new mechanist philosophy to guide the interpretation of scientific diagrams.

With the Right Map, Survey Key Driver Analysis Can Help Get Organizations to the Right Destination

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 290-298
Author(s):  
Charles A. Scherbaum ◽  
Justin Black ◽  
Sara P. Weiner
Keyword(s):  
Data Analysis ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Survey Data ◽  
Analytical Techniques ◽  
Opinion Survey ◽  
Key Driver ◽  
Driver Analysis ◽  
Employee Opinion Survey ◽  
The Right ◽  
Analytical Approaches

Cucina, Walmsley, Gast, Martin, and Curtin (2017) raise an important issue in evaluating whether our current approaches for key driver analysis on employee opinion survey data are indeed best practices. As has been argued elsewhere (Putka & Oswald, 2016; Scherbaum, Putka, Naidoo, & Youssefnia, 2010), there is and can be misalignment between current and best practices. We agree with Cucina et al. that our field should engage in larger discussion of these issues. That discussion is critical, as industrial and organizational (I-O) psychologists are competing with those outside our field who have either little knowledge of best practices in data analysis (but who have been empowered by technology that automates the analysis) or little knowledge of psychology (but a great deal of knowledge in big data analytical techniques). I-O psychologists are in the vanguard of survey data analysis (Ducey et al., 2015), and we have a responsibility to maintain the standards of our field as well as to wield our influence to guide other practitioners outside our field on sound theoretical and analytical approaches.

scholarly journals Sexual conflict mediated by ecological sex differences can generate diverse patterns of transgenerational plasticity

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan William Burke ◽  
Shinichi Nakagawa ◽  
Russell Bonduriansky
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Sexual Conflict ◽  
Evolutionary Mechanisms ◽  
Transgenerational Plasticity ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Sex Limitation ◽  
Sexually Antagonistic Selection ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Health Cognition

ABSTRACTTransgenerational plasticity (TGP) occurs when the environment experienced by parents induces changes in traits of offspring and/or subsequent generations. Such effects can be adaptive or non-adaptive and are increasingly recognised as key determinants of health, cognition, development and performance across a wide range of taxa, including humans. While the conditions that favour maternal TGP are well understood, rapidly accumulating evidence indicates that TGP can be maternal or paternal, and offspring responses can be sex-specific. However, the evolutionary mechanisms that drive this diversity are unknown. We used an individual-based model to investigate the evolution of TGP when the sexes experience different ecologies. We find that adaptive TGP rarely evolves when alleles at loci that determine offspring responses to environmental information originating from the mother and father are subject to sexually antagonistic selection. By contrast, duplication and sex-limitation of such loci can allow for the evolution of a variety of sex-specific responses, including non-adaptive sex-specific TGP when sexual selection is strong. Sexual conflict could therefore help to explain why adaptive TGP evolves in some species but not others, why sons and daughters respond to parental signals in different ways, and why complex patterns of sex-specific TGP may often be non-adaptive.

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