scholarly journals Transmission efficiency drives host–microbe associations

2020 ◽  
Vol 287 (1934) ◽  
pp. 20200820 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip T. Leftwich ◽  
Matthew P. Edgington ◽  
Tracey Chapman
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Reproductive Mode ◽  
Transmission Efficiency ◽  
Evolutionary Significance ◽  
Minimal Impact ◽  
Animal Host ◽  
Host Fitness ◽  
Modes Of Transmission ◽  
Sequencing Technologies

Sequencing technologies have fuelled a rapid rise in descriptions of microbial communities associated with hosts, but what is often harder to ascertain is the evolutionary significance of these symbioses. Here, we review the role of vertical (VT), horizontal (HT), environmental acquisition and mixed modes of transmission (MMT), in the establishment of animal host–microbe associations. We then model four properties of gut microbiota proposed as key to promoting animal host–microbe relationships: modes of transmission, host reproductive mode, host mate choice and host fitness. We found that: (i) MMT led to the highest frequencies of host–microbe associations, and that some environmental acquisition or HT of microbes was required for persistent associations to form unless VT was perfect; (ii) host reproductive mode (sexual versus asexual) and host mate choice (for microbe carriers versus non-carriers) had little impact on the establishment of host–microbe associations; (iii) host mate choice did not itself lead to reproductive isolation, but could reinforce it; and (iv) changes in host fitness due to host–microbe associations had a minimal impact upon the formation of co-associations. When we introduced a second population, into which host–microbe carriers could disperse but in which environmental acquisition did not occur, highly efficient VT was required for host–microbe co-associations to persist. Our study reveals that transmission mode is of key importance in establishing host–microbe associations.

scholarly journals Transmission efficiency drives host-microbe associations

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip T. Leftwich ◽  
Matthew P. Edgington ◽  
Tracey Chapman
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Reproductive Mode ◽  
Transmission Efficiency ◽  
Evolutionary Significance ◽  
Minimal Impact ◽  
Animal Host ◽  
Host Fitness ◽  
Modes Of Transmission ◽  
Sequencing Technologies

AbstractSequencing technologies have fueled a rapid rise in descriptions of microbial communities associated with hosts, but what is often harder to ascertain is their evolutionary significance. Here we review the existing literature on the role of vertical (VT), horizontal (HT), environmental acquisition, and mixed modes (MMT) of transmission for establishing animal host-microbe associations. We then modelled four properties of gut microbiota proposed as key to promoting animal host-microbe relationships: modes of transmission, host reproductive mode, host mate choice, and host fitness. We found: (i) MMT led to the highest frequencies of host-microbe associations, and some environmental acquisition or HT of microbes was required for persistent associations to form unless VT was perfect; (ii) host reproductive mode (sexual vs asexual) and host mate choice (for microbe carriers vs non-carriers) had little impact on the establishment of host-microbe associations; (iii) host mate choice did not itself lead to reproductive isolation, but could reinforce it; (iv) changes in host fitness due to host-microbe associations had a minimal impact upon the formation of co-associations. When we introduced a second population, into which host-microbe carriers could disperse but in which environmental acquisition did not occur, highly efficient VT was required for host-microbe co-associations to persist. Our study reveals that transmission mode is of key importance in establishing host-microbe associations.

scholarly journals Structural variant detection in cancer genomes: computational challenges and perspectives for precision oncology

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ianthe A. E. M. van Belzen ◽  
Alexander Schönhuth ◽  
Patrick Kemmeren ◽  
Jayne Y. Hehir-Kwa
Keyword(s):  
Intratumor Heterogeneity ◽  
Precision Oncology ◽  
Single Nucleotide Variants ◽  
Full Spectrum ◽  
Single Nucleotide ◽  
Sequencing Technologies ◽  
Cancer Genomes ◽  
Genomic Aberrations

AbstractCancer is generally characterized by acquired genomic aberrations in a broad spectrum of types and sizes, ranging from single nucleotide variants to structural variants (SVs). At least 30% of cancers have a known pathogenic SV used in diagnosis or treatment stratification. However, research into the role of SVs in cancer has been limited due to difficulties in detection. Biological and computational challenges confound SV detection in cancer samples, including intratumor heterogeneity, polyploidy, and distinguishing tumor-specific SVs from germline and somatic variants present in healthy cells. Classification of tumor-specific SVs is challenging due to inconsistencies in detected breakpoints, derived variant types and biological complexity of some rearrangements. Full-spectrum SV detection with high recall and precision requires integration of multiple algorithms and sequencing technologies to rescue variants that are difficult to resolve through individual methods. Here, we explore current strategies for integrating SV callsets and to enable the use of tumor-specific SVs in precision oncology.

scholarly journals The Possible Role of the Uropygial Gland on Mate Choice in Domestic Chicken

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Atsushi Hirao
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Visual Cues ◽  
Individual Recognition ◽  
Copulatory Behavior ◽  
Uropygial Gland ◽  
Odor Cues ◽  
Histocompatibility Complex ◽  
Efferent Projections ◽  
Opposite Sex

In avian mating systems, male domestic fowls are polygamous and mate with a number of selected members of the opposite sex. The factors that influence mating preference are considered to be visual cues. However, several studies have indicated that chemosensory cues also affect socio-sexual behavior, including mate choice and individual recognition. The female uropygial gland appears to provide odor for mate choice, as uropygial gland secretions are specific to individual body odor. Chicken olfactory bulbs possess efferent projections to the nucleus taeniae that are involved in copulatory behavior. From various reports, it appears that the uropygial gland has the potential to act as the source of social odor cues that dictate mate choice. In this review, evidence for the possible role of the uropygial gland on mate choice in domestic chickens is presented. However, it remains unclear whether a relationship exists between the uropygial gland and major histocompatibility complex-dependent mate choice.

scholarly journals Adaptation, Ecology, and Evolution of the Halophilic Stromatolite ArchaeonHalococcus hamelinensisInferred through Genome Analyses

Archaea ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reema K. Gudhka ◽  
Brett A. Neilan ◽  
Brendan P. Burns
Keyword(s):  
Unknown Function ◽  
Energy Production ◽  
Extreme Environment ◽  
Evolutionary Significance ◽  
Base Pairs ◽  
Protein Coding ◽  
Inorganic Ion ◽  
Damage Repair ◽  
Genome Analyses

Halococcus hamelinensiswas the first archaeon isolated from stromatolites. These geomicrobial ecosystems are thought to be some of the earliest known on Earth, yet, despite their evolutionary significance, the role of Archaea in these systems is still not well understood. Detailed here is the genome sequencing and analysis of an archaeon isolated from stromatolites. The genome ofH. hamelinensisconsisted of 3,133,046 base pairs with an average G+C content of 60.08% and contained 3,150 predicted coding sequences or ORFs, 2,196 (68.67%) of which were protein-coding genes with functional assignments and 954 (29.83%) of which were of unknown function. Codon usage of theH. hamelinensisgenome was consistent with a highly acidic proteome, a major adaptive mechanism towards high salinity. Amino acid transport and metabolism, inorganic ion transport and metabolism, energy production and conversion, ribosomal structure, and unknown function COG genes were overrepresented. The genome ofH. hamelinensisalso revealed characteristics reflecting its survival in its extreme environment, including putative genes/pathways involved in osmoprotection, oxidative stress response, and UV damage repair. Finally, genome analyses indicated the presence of putative transposases as well as positive matches of genes ofH. hamelinensisagainst various genomes of Bacteria, Archaea, and viruses, suggesting the potential for horizontal gene transfer.

scholarly journals Gamete-mediated mate choice: towards a more inclusive view of sexual selection

2018 ◽  
Vol 285 (1883) ◽  
pp. 20180836 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jukka Kekäläinen ◽  
Jonathan P. Evans
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Mate Choice ◽  
Sperm Competition ◽  
Female Choice ◽  
Mating Systems ◽  
Molecular Level ◽  
Evolutionary Significance ◽  
Random Interactions ◽  
Physiological Processes ◽  
The Everyday

‘Sperm competition’—where ejaculates from two or more males compete for fertilization—and ‘cryptic female choice’—where females bias this contest to suit their reproductive interests—are now part of the everyday lexicon of sexual selection. Yet the physiological processes that underlie these post-ejaculatory episodes of sexual selection remain largely enigmatic. In this review, we focus on a range of post-ejaculatory cellular- and molecular-level processes, known to be fundamental for fertilization across most (if not all) sexually reproducing species, and point to their putative role in facilitating sexual selection at the level of the cells and gametes, called ‘gamete-mediated mate choice’ (GMMC). In this way, we collate accumulated evidence for GMMC across different mating systems, and emphasize the evolutionary significance of such non-random interactions among gametes. Our overall aim in this review is to build a more inclusive view of sexual selection by showing that mate choice often acts in more nuanced ways than has traditionally been assumed. We also aim to bridge the conceptual divide between proximal mechanisms of reproduction, and adaptive explanations for patterns of non-random sperm–egg interactions that are emerging across an increasingly diverse array of taxa.

scholarly journals Support for a role of colour vision in mate choice in the nocturnal European treefrog (Hyla arborea)

Behaviour ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 148 (3) ◽  
pp. 403-404
Author(s):  
Doris Gomez ◽  
Sandrine Plenet ◽  
Thierry Lengagne ◽  
Maxime Derex ◽  
Jean-Paul Léna ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Colour Vision ◽  
Hyla Arborea

scholarly journals The role of boundary length and adjacent patch contrast in guppy mate choice

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adélaïde Sibeaux ◽  
Thomas Camduras ◽  
John A Endler
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Coefficient Of Variation ◽  
Color Pattern ◽  
Strength Analysis ◽  
Visual Contrast ◽  
Female Preferences ◽  
Signal Amplifier ◽  
Polymorphic Species ◽  
Adjacent Patch

Abstract The presence of various combinations of adjacent colors within polymorphic species’ color pattern could have a major impact on mate choice. We studied the role of pattern geometry in predicting mate choice in guppies using boundary strength analysis (BSA). BSA estimates the visual contrast intensity between two adjacent color patches (ΔS) weighted by the lengths of the boundaries between these adjacent color patches. We measured both the chromatic (hue and saturation) and achromatic (luminance) ΔS for each pair of adjacent patches. For each male’s color pattern, we measured BSA as both mean (mΔS) and coefficient of variation (cvΔS) of all ΔS weighted by their corresponding boundary lengths. We also determined if specific color patch boundaries had an impact on female preferences and whether these predicted overall male contrast (mΔS). We found that males with a higher mΔS were more attractive to females and that six boundaries containing either fuzzy black or black as one of the pair colors significantly affected female preferences, indicating that 1) females favored highly conspicuous males and 2) melanin-based patches could be used as a signal amplifier, not only for orange but for other colors.

scholarly journals Maintenance of a hybrid zone: The role of female mate choice

The Auk ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 128 (4) ◽  
pp. 688-695 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane M. Hughes ◽  
Alicia Toon ◽  
Peter B. Mather ◽  
Corinna L. Lange
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Hybrid Zone ◽  
Female Mate Choice ◽  
Female Mate

scholarly journals Why developmental niche construction is not selective niche construction: and why it matters

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 20160157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karola Stotz
Keyword(s):  
Niche Construction ◽  
Active Role ◽  
Evolutionary Significance ◽  
Heritable Variation ◽  
Developmentally Regulated ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Developmental Niche ◽  
Constructed Environment ◽  
Selective Environment

In the last decade, niche construction has been heralded as the neglected process in evolution. But niche construction is just one way in which the organism's interaction with and construction of the environment can have potential evolutionary significance. The constructed environment does not just select for , it also produces new variation. Nearly 3 decades ago, and in parallel with Odling-Smee's article ‘Niche-constructing phenotypes', West and King introduced the ‘ontogenetic niche’ to give the phenomena of exo genetic inheritance a formal name. Since then, a range of fields in the life sciences and medicine has amassed evidence that parents influence their offspring by means other than DNA (parental effects), and proposed mechanisms for how heritable variation can be environmentally induced and developmentally regulated. The concept of ‘developmental niche construction’ (DNC) elucidates how a diverse range of mechanisms contributes to the transgenerational transfer of developmental resources. My most central of claims is that whereas the selective niche of niche construction theory is primarily used to explain the active role of the organism in its selective environment, DNC is meant to indicate the active role of the organism in its developmental environment. The paper highlights the differences between the construction of the selective and the developmental niche, and explores the overall significance of DNC for evolutionary theory.

scholarly journals The Roles of Altruism, Heroism, and Physical Attractiveness in Female Mate Choice

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lacey Margana ◽  
Manpal Singh Bhogal ◽  
James Edward Bartlett ◽  
Daniel Farrelly
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Female Mate Choice ◽  
Romantic Partner ◽  
Prosocial Behaviour ◽  
Choice Data ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Female Mate ◽  
Mating Signal

The role of prosocial behaviour in female mate choice has been extensively explored, focusing on the desirability of altruism in potential mates, as well as altruism being a mating signal. However, little research has focused on the desirability of heroism and altruism in potential partners. Furthermore, the synergistic effect of attractiveness on the desirability of prosocial traits has only recently been explored, and to our knowledge, has not explored in relation to the desirability of heroism in a romantic partner. We explored the effect of prosociality and attractiveness on female desirability ratings (n=198), and whether desirability was influenced by whether women were seeking a short-term or long-term relationship. We find that women are attracted to men who display heroism and altruism, and this preference is higher when the male is attractive compared to unattractive. Furthermore, preferences for prosocial traits were higher when seeking a long-term compared to a short-term partner. Our findings add to the literature on prosocial behaviour and mate choice. Data and materials [https://osf.io/a76p8/?view_only=95408822fa9f447bb93ba37ad7bae84b].

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