scholarly journals Evolutionary transitions in parental care and live bearing in vertebrates

2002 ◽  
Vol 357 (1419) ◽  
pp. 269-281 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. D. Reynolds ◽  
N. B. Goodwin ◽  
R. P. Freckleton
Keyword(s):  
Parental Care ◽  
Transition Probabilities ◽  
Role Reversal ◽  
Biparental Care ◽  
Evolutionary Transitions ◽  
Squamate Reptiles ◽  
Uniparental Care ◽  
Male Territoriality ◽  
Bony Fishes ◽  
Male Care

We provide the first review of phylogenetic transitions in parental care and live bearing for a wide variety of vertebrates. This includes new analyses of both numbers of transitions and transition probabilities. These reveal numerous transitions by shorebirds and anurans toward uniparental care by either sex. Whereas most or all of the shorebird transitions were from biparental care, nearly all of the anuran transitions have been from no care, reflecting the prevalence of each form of care in basal lineages in each group. Teleost (bony) fishes are similar to anurans in displaying numerous transitions toward uniparental contributions by each sex. Whereas cichlid fishes have often evolved from biparental care to female care, other teleosts have usually switched from no care to male care. Taxa that have evolved exclusive male care without courtship–role reversal are characterized by male territoriality and low costs of care per brood. Males may therefore benefit from care through female preference of parental ability in these species. Primates show a high frequency of transitions from female care to biparental care, reflecting the prevalence of female care in basal lineages. In the numerous taxa that display live bearing by females, including teleosts, elasmobranchs, squamate reptiles and invertebrates, we find that live bearing has always evolved from a lack of care. Although the transition counts and probabilities will undoubtedly be refined as phylogenetic information and methodologies improve, the overall biases in these taxa should help to place adaptive hypotheses for the evolution of care into a stronger setting for understanding directions of change.

scholarly journals Phylogenetic reconstruction of parental–care systems in the ancestors of birds

2002 ◽  
Vol 357 (1419) ◽  
pp. 251-257 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. S. Tullberg ◽  
M. Ah–King ◽  
H. Temrin
Keyword(s):  
Parental Care ◽  
Detailed Analysis ◽  
Phylogenetic Reconstruction ◽  
Character State ◽  
Biparental Care ◽  
Phylogenetic Pattern ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Male Care ◽  
Care Systems ◽  
State Assumption

Due to the controversy surrounding incipient avian parental care, ancestral parental care systems were reconstructed in a phylogeny including major extant amniote lineages. Using two different resolutions for the basal avian branches, transitions between the states no care, female care, biparental care and male care were inferred for the most basal branches of the tree. Uniparental female care was inferred for the lineage to birds and crocodiles. Using a phylogeny where ratites and tinamous branch off early and an ordered character–state assumption, a transition to biparental care was inferred for the ancestor of birds. This ancestor could be any organism along the lineage leading from the crocodile–bird split up to modern birds, not necessarily the original bird. We discuss the support for alternative avian phylogenies and the homology in parental care between crocodiles and birds. We suggest that the phylogenetic pattern should be used as a starting point for a more detailed analysis of parental care systems in birds and their relatives.

Parental care

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Glauco Machado ◽  
Stephen T. Trumbo
Keyword(s):  
Parental Care ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Systems Of Care ◽  
Biparental Care ◽  
Taxonomic Distribution ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Selective Pressures ◽  
Male Care

Parental care is any parental trait that enhances the fitness of a parent’s offspring, and that is likely to have originated and/or be currently maintained for this function. How parental care evolves and which sex should care for the offspring are central questions in evolutionary biology. The theoretical bases to address these questions were proposed almost 45 years ago, but recent models have challenged classical foundations and proposed new hypotheses. An in-depth account of these models is beyond the scope of this chapter. Updated numbers for the taxonomic distribution and frequency of the different forms of post-ovipositional parental care in insects are provided. These numbers are used to construct hypotheses on the transitions between systems of care, the selective pressures that favoured the origin of care, and the evolution of male care and biparental care. Finally, gaps in our knowledge and indicate possible directions for future studies are empahsized.

scholarly journals Tri-axial accelerometry shows differences in energy expenditure and parental effort throughout the breeding season in long-lived raptors

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pascual LÓPEZ-LÓPEZ ◽  
Arturo M PERONA ◽  
Olga EGEA-CASAS ◽  
Jon ETXEBARRIA MORANT ◽  
Vicente URIOS
Keyword(s):  
Energy Expenditure ◽  
Parental Care ◽  
Breeding Season ◽  
Video Recording ◽  
Experimental Manipulation ◽  
Biparental Care ◽  
Breeding Ecology ◽  
Parental Effort ◽  
Ecological Data ◽  
Movement Trajectories

Abstract Cutting-edge technologies are extremely useful to develop new workflows in studying ecological data, particularly to understand animal behaviour and movement trajectories at the individual level. Although parental care is a well-studied phenomenon, most studies have been focused on direct observational or video recording data, as well as experimental manipulation. Therefore, what happens out of our sight still remains unknown. Using high-frequency GPS/GSM dataloggers and tri-axial accelerometers we monitored 25 Bonelli’s eagles (Aquila fasciata) during the breeding season to understand parental activities from a broader perspective. We used recursive data, measured as number of visits and residence time, to reveal nest attendance patterns of biparental care with role specialization between sexes. Accelerometry data interpreted as the Overall Dynamic Body Acceleration, a proxy of energy expenditure, showed strong differences in parental effort throughout the breeding season and between sexes. Thereby, males increased substantially their energetic requirements, due to the increased workload, while females spent most of the time on the nest. Furthermore, during critical phases of the breeding season, a low percentage of suitable hunting spots in eagles’ territories led them to increase their ranging behaviour in order to find food, with important consequences in energy consumption and mortality risk. Our results highlight the crucial role of males in raptor species exhibiting biparental care. Finally, we exemplify how biologging technologies are an adequate and objective method to study parental care in raptors as well as to get deeper insight into breeding ecology of birds in general.

scholarly journals Sexual selection favours male parental care, when females can choose

2011 ◽  
Vol 279 (1734) ◽  
pp. 1784-1790 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanne H. Alonzo
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Parental Care ◽  
Female Choice ◽  
Mating Success ◽  
Current Theory ◽  
Sharp Contrast ◽  
Recent Theory ◽  
Extra Pair Paternity ◽  
Female Promiscuity ◽  
Male Care

Explaining the evolution of male care has proved difficult. Recent theory predicts that female promiscuity and sexual selection on males inherently disfavour male care. In sharp contrast to these expectations, male-only care is often found in species with high extra-pair paternity and striking variation in mating success, where current theory predicts female-only care. Using a model that examines the coevolution of male care, female care and female choice; I show that inter-sexual selection can drive the evolution of male care when females are able to bias mating or paternity towards parental males. Surprisingly, female choice for parental males allows male care to evolve despite low relatedness between the male and the offspring in his care. These results imply that predicting how sexual selection affects parental care evolution will require further understanding of why females, in many species, either do not prefer or cannot favour males that provide care.

scholarly journals Description of the reproductive behavior of Symphysodon aequifasciatus (Cichlidae) in captivity

2016 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 433-438 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas da Cruz MATTOS ◽  
Rafaela SCRENCI-RIBEIRO ◽  
Leonardo Demier CARDOSO ◽  
Manuel Vazquez Vidal JUNIOR
Keyword(s):  
Parental Care ◽  
Reproductive Behavior ◽  
Amazon Basin ◽  
Color Change ◽  
Biparental Care ◽  
Reproductive Process ◽  
Second Stage ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
Two Stages ◽  
Couple Formation

ABSTRACT The blue discus (Symphysodon aequifasciatus) is often sold for ornamental purposes. It is a neotropical cichlid from South America, which is native to the rivers of the Amazon basin of Brazil, Peru and Colombia. The purpose of this study was to characterize the reproductive behavior of S. aequifasciatus and identify features that can later be used by breeders to facilitate the handling and reproduction of this species in captivity. The experiment was divided into two stages: the first dealt with partner selection and couple formation to observe the behaviors of territoriality, pursuing, fleeing, biting, stay, protecting and cleaning of the substrate. The second stage documented mating behavior, nesting and parental care, to observe vibration, spawning, permanence with the offspring, aeration of eggs, cleaning of spawning, color change and shift-taking in parental care. The results of the study allowed identifying disputes for and establishment of territory, as well as the selection and cleaning of the substrate for spawning performed by both sexes. The parental care was observed from spawning in the substrate until the care for the larvae. It was found that the reproductive success of this species is closely linked to biparental care observed during the entire reproductive process and early stages of the hatchings.

scholarly journals Females prefer the calls of better fathers in a Neotropical frog with biparental care

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beth A Pettitt ◽  
Godfrey R Bourne ◽  
Mark A Bee
Keyword(s):  
Paternal Care ◽  
Biparental Care ◽  
Offspring Survival ◽  
Differential Allocation ◽  
Secondary Sexual Traits ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Good Parent ◽  
Direct Benefits ◽  
Male Care ◽  
Sexual Traits

Abstract Male secondary sexual traits potentially function as indicators of direct or indirect fitness benefits to females. Direct benefits, such as paternal care, may be especially important to females in species with biparental care. In an experimental field study of the golden rocket frog (Anomaloglossus beebei), a Neotropical species with biparental care, we tested predictions from four hypotheses proposed to explain the evolutionary relationship between male secondary sexual traits and paternal care quality (the “good parent,” “differential allocation,” “trade-off,” and “essential male care” hypotheses). We examined: 1) the influence of paternal care on offspring survival, 2) the relationships between male calls and paternal care, maternal care, and opportunities for males to acquire multiple mates, and 3) female preferences for three acoustic properties of male advertisement calls. Our results reveal that paternal care positively impacts offspring survival, that males producing longer calls also provide higher-quality paternal care in the form of greater egg attendance and territory defense, and that females prefer longer calls. Females did not discriminate among potential mates based on differences in dominant frequency or call rate. These findings, which suggest male advertisement calls are indicators of potential direct benefits to females in the form of paternal care, are consistent with the good parent hypothesis and inconsistent with the trade-off, differential allocation, and essential male care hypotheses.

scholarly journals The evolution of parental care diversity in amphibians

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew I. Furness ◽  
Isabella Capellini
Keyword(s):  
Parental Care ◽  
Developmental Stages ◽  
Comparative Methods ◽  
Biparental Care ◽  
Phylogenetic Comparative Methods ◽  
Amphibian Species ◽  
Full Spectrum

Abstract Parental care is extremely diverse across species, ranging from simple behaviours to complex adaptations, varying in duration and in which sex cares. Surprisingly, we know little about how such diversity has evolved. Here, using phylogenetic comparative methods and data for over 1300 amphibian species, we show that egg attendance, arguably one of the simplest care behaviours, is gained and lost faster than any other care form, while complex adaptations, like brooding and viviparity, are lost at very low rates, if at all. Prolonged care from the egg to later developmental stages evolves from temporally limited care, but it is as easily lost as it is gained. Finally, biparental care is evolutionarily unstable regardless of whether the parents perform complementary or similar care duties. By considering the full spectrum of parental care adaptations, our study reveals a more complex and nuanced picture of how care evolves, is maintained, or is lost.

scholarly journals Pipefish embryo oxygenation, survival, and development: egg size, male size, and temperature effects

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 1451-1460 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malin Nygård ◽  
Charlotta Kvarnemo ◽  
Ingrid Ahnesjö ◽  
Ines Braga Goncalves
Keyword(s):  
Egg Size ◽  
Care Quality ◽  
Offspring Size ◽  
Female Size ◽  
Male Size ◽  
Embryo Survival ◽  
Oxygen Levels ◽  
Syngnathus Typhle ◽  
Uniparental Care ◽  
Male Care

AbstractIn animals with uniparental care, the quality of care provided by one sex can deeply impact the reproductive success of both sexes. Studying variation in parental care quality within a species and which factors may affect it can, therefore, shed important light on patterns of mate choice and other reproductive decisions observed in nature. Using Syngnathus typhle, a pipefish species with extensive uniparental male care, with embryos developing inside a brood pouch during a lengthy pregnancy, we assessed how egg size (which correlates positively with female size), male size, and water temperature affect brooding traits that relate to male care quality, all measured on day 18, approximately 1/3, of the brooding period. We found that larger males brooded eggs at lower densities, and their embryos were heavier than those of small males independent of initial egg size. However, large males had lower embryo survival relative to small males. We found no effect of egg size or of paternal size on within-pouch oxygen levels, but oxygen levels were significantly higher in the bottom than the middle section of the pouch. Males that brooded at higher temperatures had lower pouch oxygen levels presumably because of higher embryo developmental rates, as more developed embryos consume more oxygen. Together, our results suggest that small and large males follow distinct paternal strategies: large males positively affect embryo size whereas small males favor embryo survival. As females prefer large mates, offspring size at independence may be more important to female fitness than offspring survival during development.

scholarly journals Spawning and parental care in Hoplias malabaricus (Teleostei, Characiformes, Erythrinidae) in the Southern Pantanal, Brazil

2006 ◽  
Vol 66 (2b) ◽  
pp. 697-702 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. P. A. Prado ◽  
L. M. Gomiero ◽  
O. Froehlich
Keyword(s):  
Normal Form ◽  
Parental Care ◽  
Biparental Care ◽  
Mato Grosso ◽  
Hoplias Malabaricus ◽  
Mean Diameter ◽  
Egg Guarding ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Mato Grosso Do Sul ◽  
Flooded Areas

Herein we describe spawning and egg guarding in the erythrinid fish Hoplias malabaricus observed in the southern Pantanal (19° 34' S and 57° 00' W), state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. Nests were depressions built on sandy soil in flooded areas, and contained a mean of 8,197 ± 2,204 eggs (N = 4); the mean diameter of eggs was 1.44 ± 0.09 mm (N = 400). Among 11 nests observed, eight were guarded by males and three by the pair. One male remained in the nest for six days, and two pairs remained guarding the eggs for at least three days before being captured. Females (N = 2) captured in the nest contained oocytes in their ovaries. Our observations suggest that male parental care is the normal form of parental care in H. malabaricus, but biparental care also seems to occur.

scholarly journals Positive feedback and alternative stable states in inbreeding, cooperation, sex roles and other evolutionary processes

2012 ◽  
Vol 367 (1586) ◽  
pp. 211-221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jussi Lehtonen ◽  
Hanna Kokko
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Parental Care ◽  
Positive Feedback ◽  
Alternative Stable States ◽  
Operational Sex Ratio ◽  
Evolution Of Cooperation ◽  
Systems Science ◽  
Stable States ◽  
Uniparental Care ◽  
The Relationship

A large proportion of studies in systems science focus on processes involving a mixture of positive and negative feedbacks, which are also common themes in evolutionary ecology. Examples of negative feedback are density dependence (population regulation) and frequency-dependent selection (polymorphisms). Positive feedback, in turn, plays a role in Fisherian ‘runaway’ sexual selection, the evolution of cooperation, selfing and inbreeding tolerance under purging of deleterious alleles, and the evolution of sex differences in parental care. All these examples feature self-reinforcing processes where the increase in the value of a trait selects for further increases, sometimes via a coevolutionary feedback loop with another trait. Positive feedback often leads to alternative stable states (evolutionary endpoints), making the interpretation of evolutionary predictions challenging. Here, we discuss conceptual issues such as the relationship between self-reinforcing selection and disruptive selection. We also present an extension of a previous model on parental care, focusing on the relationship between the operational sex ratio and sexual selection, and the influence of this relationship on the evolution of biparental or uniparental care.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document