scholarly journals Reproductive dynamics shapes genomotype composition in an allopolyploid complex

2016 ◽  
Vol 283 (1831) ◽  
pp. 20153009 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Morgado-Santos ◽  
S. Carona ◽  
M. F. Magalhães ◽  
L. Vicente ◽  
M. J. Collares-Pereira
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Random Mating ◽  
Fertilization Rate ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Free Access ◽  
Offspring Survival ◽  
Wild Populations ◽  
Offspring Production ◽  
Relevant Role ◽  
Hybrid Complexes

Hybrid complexes are composed of organisms with multiple combinations of parental genomes (genomotypes) that interconnect through nets of crosses. Although several such complexes are well established without speciation or extinction, mechanisms shaping their dynamics remain poorly understood. In this study, we quantified the reproductive success of the allopolyploid Iberian fish Squalius alburnoides in experimental free-access and directional crosses involving the most common genomotypes. Specifically, we analysed the paternity of the offspring produced when females had free access to male genomotypes and quantified variations in egg allocation, fertilization rate, and offspring survival among crosses involving each male genomotype. The composition of the offspring produced from free-access crosses varied significantly from that expected from random mating, suggesting that offspring production and viability are not independent of parental male genomotype. Moreover, directional crosses producing the genomotype most commonly found in wild populations appeared to be the most successful, with females laying more eggs, and fertilization rate and offspring survival being the highest. These results suggest that reproductive dynamics plays a relevant role in structuring the genomotype composition of populations and opens a path to future research on the ecology and evolutionary biology of allopolyploids and their multiplicity of possible evolutionary pathways.

scholarly journals Obligately silent males sire more offspring than singers in a rapidly evolving cricket population

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (7) ◽  
pp. 20190198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justa L. Heinen-Kay ◽  
Ellen M. Urquhart ◽  
Marlene Zuk
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Rapid Evolution ◽  
Calling Song ◽  
Wild Populations ◽  
Field Crickets ◽  
Offspring Production ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Sexual Traits ◽  
Acoustic Experience ◽  
Older Males

How sexual traits are gained and lost in the wild remains an important question in evolutionary biology. Pacific field crickets ( Teleogryllus oceanicus ) in Hawaii provide an unprecedented opportunity to investigate the factors facilitating evolutionary loss of a sexual signal in real time. Natural selection from an acoustically orienting parasitoid fly drove rapid evolution of a novel, silent male morph. While silent (flatwing) males enjoy protection from the fly, they face difficulty attracting mates. We tested how offspring production varies in association with three male attributes affected by the spread of flatwing: wing morph (flatwing or normal-wing), age (flatwings should survive longer than singers) and exposure to calling song during rearing (wild populations with many flatwings lack ambient calling song). Per mating event, flatwings sired more offspring than singers and older males were mounted more quickly by females when presented with standard courtship song. Despite prior work showing that male age and acoustic experience influence sperm characteristics associated with fertilization, age and song exposure had no influence on male offspring production per mating. This represents the first evidence that the silent male morph possesses a reproductive advantage that may help compensate for precopulatory barriers to mate attraction.

Evolution of stickleback spines through independent cis-regulatory changes at HOXDB

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia I Wucherpfennig ◽  
Timothy R Howes ◽  
Jessica N Au ◽  
Eric H Au ◽  
Garrett A Roberts Kingman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Gasterosteus Aculeatus ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Wild Populations ◽  
Gene Variation ◽  
Regulatory Changes ◽  
Fundamental Goal ◽  
Apeltes Quadracus ◽  
Genetic Mechanisms

Understanding the genetic mechanisms leading to new traits is a fundamental goal of evolutionary biology. We show that HOXDB regulatory changes have been used repeatedly in different stickleback fish species to alter the length and number of bony dorsal spines. In Gasterosteus aculeatus, a variant HOXDB allele is genetically linked to shortening an existing spine and adding a spine. In Apeltes quadracus, a variant allele is associated with lengthening an existing spine and adding a spine. The alleles alter the same conserved non-coding HOXDB enhancer by diverse molecular mechanisms, including SNPs, deletions, and transposable element insertions. The independent cis-acting regulatory changes are linked to anterior expansion or contraction of HOXDB expression. Our findings support the long-standing hypothesis that natural Hox gene variation underlies key morphological patterning changes in wild populations and illustrate how different mutational mechanisms affecting the same region may produce opposite gene expression changes with similar phenotypic outcomes.

scholarly journals Molecular Evolution of Calcium Signaling and Transport in Plant Adaptation to Abiotic Stress

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (22) ◽  
pp. 12308
Author(s):  
Tao Tong ◽  
Qi Li ◽  
Wei Jiang ◽  
Guang Chen ◽  
Dawei Xue ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Abiotic Stress ◽  
Calcium Signaling ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Regulatory Networks ◽  
Cascade Reactions ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Spatiotemporal Pattern ◽  
Green Plants ◽  
Signaling Components

Adaptation to unfavorable abiotic stresses is one of the key processes in the evolution of plants. Calcium (Ca2+) signaling is characterized by the spatiotemporal pattern of Ca2+ distribution and the activities of multi-domain proteins in integrating environmental stimuli and cellular responses, which are crucial early events in abiotic stress responses in plants. However, a comprehensive summary and explanation for evolutionary and functional synergies in Ca2+ signaling remains elusive in green plants. We review mechanisms of Ca2+ membrane transporters and intracellular Ca2+ sensors with evolutionary imprinting and structural clues. These may provide molecular and bioinformatics insights for the functional analysis of some non-model species in the evolutionarily important green plant lineages. We summarize the chronological order, spatial location, and characteristics of Ca2+ functional proteins. Furthermore, we highlight the integral functions of calcium-signaling components in various nodes of the Ca2+ signaling pathway through conserved or variant evolutionary processes. These ultimately bridge the Ca2+ cascade reactions into regulatory networks, particularly in the hormonal signaling pathways. In summary, this review provides new perspectives towards a better understanding of the evolution, interaction and integration of Ca2+ signaling components in green plants, which is likely to benefit future research in agriculture, evolutionary biology, ecology and the environment.

scholarly journals “THIS ISN’T ME!”: The Role of Age-Related Self- and User Images for Robot Acceptance by Elders

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melanie Dudek ◽  
Stefanie Baisch ◽  
Monika Knopf ◽  
Thorsten Kolling
Keyword(s):  
Social Acceptance ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Perceived Usefulness ◽  
Future Research ◽  
User Characteristics ◽  
Robot Acceptance ◽  
Self Image ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Relevant Role ◽  
Individual Self

Abstract Although companion-type robots are already commercially available, little interest has been taken in identifying reasons for inter-individual differences in their acceptance. Elders’ age-related perceptions of both their own self (self-image) and of the general older robot user (user image) could play a relevant role in this context. Since little is known to date about elders’ companion-type robot user image, it is one aim of this study to investigate its age-related facets, concentrating on possibly stigmatizing perceptions of elder robot users. The study also addresses the association between elders’ age-related self-image and robot acceptance: Is the association independent of the user image or not? To investigate these research questions, N = 28 adults aged 63 years and older were introduced to the companion-type robot Pleo. Afterwards, several markers of robot acceptance were assessed. Actual and ideal self- and subjective robot user image were assessed by a study-specific semantic differential on the stereotype dimensions of warmth and competence. Results show that participants tended to stigmatize elder robot users. The self-images were not directly related to robot acceptance, but affected it in the context of the user image. A higher fit between self- and user image was associated with higher perceived usefulness, social acceptance, and intention to use the robot. To conclude, elders’ subjective interpretations of new technologies play a relevant role for their acceptance. Together with elders’ individual self-images, they need to be considered in both robot development and implementation. Future research should consider that associations between user characteristics and robot acceptance by elders can be complex and easily overlooked.

scholarly journals Captive-bred Atlantic salmon released into the wild have fewer offspring than wild-bred fish and decrease population productivity

2020 ◽  
Vol 287 (1937) ◽  
pp. 20201671
Author(s):  
Ronan James O'Sullivan ◽  
Tutku Aykanat ◽  
Susan E. Johnston ◽  
Ger Rogan ◽  
Russell Poole ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Atlantic Salmon ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Mixed Population ◽  
Lifetime Reproductive Success ◽  
Wild Relative ◽  
Offspring Survival ◽  
Wild Populations ◽  
Annual Productivity ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Analyse Data

The release of captive-bred animals into the wild is commonly practised to restore or supplement wild populations but comes with a suite of ecological and genetic consequences. Vast numbers of hatchery-reared fish are released annually, ostensibly to restore/enhance wild populations or provide greater angling returns. While previous studies have shown that captive-bred fish perform poorly in the wild relative to wild-bred conspecifics, few have measured individual lifetime reproductive success (LRS) and how this affects population productivity. Here, we analyse data on Atlantic salmon from an intensely studied catchment into which varying numbers of captive-bred fish have escaped/been released and potentially bred over several decades. Using a molecular pedigree, we demonstrate that, on average, the LRS of captive-bred individuals was only 36% that of wild-bred individuals. A significant LRS difference remained after excluding individuals that left no surviving offspring, some of which might have simply failed to spawn, consistent with transgenerational effects on offspring survival. The annual productivity of the mixed population (wild-bred plus captive-bred) was lower in years where captive-bred fish comprised a greater fraction of potential spawners. These results bolster previous empirical and theoretical findings that intentional stocking, or non-intentional escapees, threaten, rather than enhance, recipient natural populations.

scholarly journals Biogeography and ecology: towards the integration of two disciplines

2011 ◽  
Vol 366 (1576) ◽  
pp. 2438-2448 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert E. Ricklefs ◽  
David G. Jenkins
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Plate Tectonics ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Open Systems ◽  
Ecological Factors ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Ecological Communities ◽  
History Of ◽  
Future Research Directions ◽  
Synthetic Approaches

Although ecology and biogeography had common origins in the natural history of the nineteenth century, they diverged substantially during the early twentieth century as ecology became increasingly hypothesis-driven and experimental. This mechanistic focus narrowed ecology's purview to local scales of time and space, and mostly excluded large-scale phenomena and historical explanations. In parallel, biogeography became more analytical with the acceptance of plate tectonics and the development of phylogenetic systematics, and began to pay more attention to ecological factors that influence large-scale distributions. This trend towards unification exposed problems with terms such as ‘community’ and ‘niche,’ in part because ecologists began to view ecological communities as open systems within the contexts of history and geography. The papers in this issue represent biogeographic and ecological perspectives and address the general themes of (i) the niche, (ii) comparative ecology and macroecology, (iii) community assembly, and (iv) diversity. The integration of ecology and biogeography clearly is a natural undertaking that is based on evolutionary biology, has developed its own momentum, and which promises novel, synthetic approaches to investigating ecological systems and their variation over the surface of the Earth. We offer suggestions on future research directions at the intersection of biogeography and ecology.

Reply to reviewers: Reuse, embodied interactivity, and the emerging paradigm shift in the human neurosciences

2016 ◽  
Vol 39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael L. Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Psychology ◽  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Paradigm Shift ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Cognitive Sciences ◽  
Multiple Spatial Scales ◽  
Neural Reuse ◽  
The Brain

AbstractIn this reply to reviewers, I argue that, although reforming the taxonomy of psychology will lead to great insights in the cognitive sciences, it will not result in 1:1 structure-function mappings in the brain; we should expect to see a great deal of irreducible functional diversity in the brain at multiple spatial scales. I further clarify both the promise and the limitations of the analytic techniques for capturing functional diversity and interrogating the taxonomy of psychology; describe the ways in which neural reuse can help us understand human development; further explore the ways in which my proposals for integrating psychology, neuroscience, and evolutionary biology differ from the approach exemplified by contemporary evolutionary psychology; and lay out some new and hopefully interesting avenues for future research.

Virus et prophages dans les écosystèmes aquatiques

2009 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
pp. 95-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Télesphore Sime-Ngando ◽  
Jonathan Colombet
Keyword(s):  
Aquatic Ecosystems ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Research Directions ◽  
Viral Ecology ◽  
Prokaryotic Diversity ◽  
Aquatic Microbial Ecology ◽  
The Family ◽  
Future Research Directions ◽  
Biological Entities

In this review, available data on the structure (diversity, abundance, biomass) and functional imprints (bacteriolysis, lysogeny, gene transfers, regulation of prokaryotic diversity) of natural viruses in the context of food webs in aquatic microbial ecology, and the related biogeochemical cycles, are summarized. Viruses are the most abundant, and probably the most diverse, biological entities in aquatic ecosystems and in the biosphere (i.e., viriosphere). Aquatic viruses typically exceed 107particles/mL in mesotrophic conditions, the majority being represented by phages without tails and by tailed-phages such as members of the family Siphoviridae. Both types of phages have a small capsid and a small genome size, which is considered an evolutionary adaptation to planktonic life. Their contribution to microbial mortality is significant. There is strong evidence that phages exert a significant pressure on the community structure and diversity and on the diversification of potential hosts, mainly through two major pathways: biogeochemical catalysis from lysis products and horizontal gene transfers. In turn, phages are sensitive to environmental factors, both in terms of integrity and of infectivity. Some phages contain typical viral genes that code for biological functions of interest, such as photosynthesis. In general, development in viral ecology is a source of new knowledge for the scientific community in the domain of environmental sciences, but also in the context of evolutionary biology of living cellular organisms, the obligatory hosts for viruses. For example, the recent discovery of a giant virus that becomes ill through infection by another virus (i.e., a viriophage) is fuelling debate about whether viruses are alive. Finally, future research directions are identified in the context of general aquatic ecology, including ecological researches on cyanophages and other phytoplanktonic phages as a priority, primarily in freshwater lakes.

scholarly journals Effects of physical impairments on fitness correlates of the white-footed mouse, Peromyscus leucopus

2021 ◽  
Vol 288 (1962) ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesca I. Rubino ◽  
Kelly Oggenfuss ◽  
Richard S. Ostfeld
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Ixodes Scapularis ◽  
Peromyscus Leucopus ◽  
Mass Movement ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Wild Populations ◽  
Physical Impairments ◽  
White Footed Mouse

Physical impairments are widely assumed to reduce the viability of individual animals, but their impacts on individuals within natural populations of vertebrates are rarely quantified. By monitoring wild populations of white-footed mice over 26 years, we assessed whether missing or deformed limbs, tail or eyes influenced the survival, body mass, movement and ectoparasite burden of their bearers. Of the 27 244 individuals monitored, 543 (2%) had visible physical impairments. Persistence times (survival) were similar between mice with and without impairments. Mice with eye and tail impairments had 5% and 6% greater mass, respectively, than unimpaired mice. Mice with tail impairments had larger home ranges than did unimpaired mice. Burdens of black-legged ticks ( Ixodes scapularis ) were higher among mice with tail and limb impairments while burdens of bot fly larvae ( Cuterebra ) were higher among mice with cataracts compared to mice without impairments. Our findings do not support the presupposition that physical impairments reduce viability in their bearers and are inconsistent with the devaluation of impaired individuals that pervaded early thinking in evolutionary biology.

scholarly journals A Global Systematic Review on Biology, Production Constraints and Uses of Cyperus exculentus L. (Neglected and Underutilized Crop Species): Implications for Valorization.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ghislain Comlan Akabassi ◽  
Koffi Kibalou Palanga ◽  
Elie Antoine Padonou ◽  
Yao Dodzi Dagnon ◽  
Koffi Tozo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Sustainable Use ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Mineral Fertilizers ◽  
Crop Species ◽  
Production Constraints ◽  
Underutilized Crop ◽  
Cultivated Plant ◽  
Future Research Directions

Food security relies mainly on a few major crop such as wheat, maize, rice and yam. Many of the cultivated plant such as Cyperus exculentus are still considered invasive plants and are neglected and underutilized. In the perspective to valorization of the species, this systematic review aimed at identifying the biology, production constraints and uses of tigernut for future research directions. Extensive searches were carried out and studies were screened and extracted using established systematic review methods. A total of 175 papers met the inclusion criteria. Approximately 52% and 21.71% of the studies were undertaken in Europe and Africa respectively. Most of the papers reviewed for the study were published between [2010-2015[. The review highlighted the critical research gaps in genetic diversity using SSR makers and evolutionary biology. Further, production constraints and solution approaches for the promotion of the species were the other gaps identified in the reviewed studies. Production constraints were specifically related to the insufficient mineral fertilizers and difficult in harvesting. Tigernut is used in more fields such as food, medicinal, cosmetic, biofuel and fishing and fish breeding. Such investigations would help in decision-making and elaboration of breeding strategies, and advancing steps towards sustainable use of the species.

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