Evolutionary determinants of non-seasonal breeding in wild chacma baboons

ABSTRACTAnimal reproductive phenology varies from strongly seasonal to non-seasonal, sometimes among closely related or sympatric species. While the extent of reproductive seasonality is often attributed to environmental seasonality, this fails to explain many cases of non-seasonal breeding in seasonal environments. We investigated the evolutionary determinants of non-seasonal breeding in a wild primate, the chacma baboon (Papio ursinus), living in a seasonal environment with high climatic unpredictability. We tested three hypotheses proposing that non-seasonal breeding has evolved in response to (1) climatic unpredictability, (2) reproductive competition between females favouring birth asynchrony, and (3) individual, rank-dependent variations in optimal reproductive timing. We found strong support for an effect of reproductive asynchrony modulated by rank: (i) birth synchrony is costly to subordinate females, lengthening their interbirth intervals, and (ii) females delay their reproductive timings (fertility periods and conceptions) according to other females in the group to stagger conceptions. These results indicate that reproductive competition generates reproductive asynchrony, weakening the intensity of reproductive seasonality at the population level. This study emphasizes the importance of sociality in mediating the evolution of reproductive phenology in gregarious organisms, a result of broad significance for understanding key demographic parameters driving population responses to increasing climatic fluctuations.

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Birth timing generates reproductive trade-offs in a non-seasonal breeding primate

Proceedings of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.2021.0286 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 288 (1950) ◽

Author(s):

Jules Dezeure ◽

Alice Baniel ◽

Alecia Carter ◽

Guy Cowlishaw ◽

Bernard Godelle ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Optimal Timing ◽

Birth Timing ◽

Offspring Survival ◽

Early Weaning ◽

Reproductive Seasonality ◽

Papio Ursinus ◽

Seasonal Environment ◽

Trade Offs ◽

Future Reproduction

The evolutionary benefits of reproductive seasonality are often measured by a single-fitness component, namely offspring survival. Yet different fitness components may be maximized by different birth timings. This may generate fitness trade-offs that could be critical to understanding variation in reproductive timing across individuals, populations and species. Here, we use long-term demographic and behavioural data from wild chacma baboons ( Papio ursinus ) living in a seasonal environment to test the adaptive significance of seasonal variation in birth frequencies. We identify two distinct optimal birth timings in the annual cycle, located four-month apart, which maximize offspring survival or minimize maternal interbirth intervals (IBIs), by respectively matching the annual food peak with late or early weaning. Observed births are the most frequent between these optima, supporting an adaptive trade-off between current and future reproduction. Furthermore, infants born closer to the optimal timing favouring maternal IBIs (instead of offspring survival) throw more tantrums, a typical manifestation of mother–offspring conflict. Maternal trade-offs over birth timing, which extend into mother–offspring conflict after birth, may commonly occur in long-lived species where development from birth to independence spans multiple seasons. Our findings therefore open new avenues to understanding the evolution of breeding phenology in long-lived animals, including humans.

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Performance of a points-based scoring system for assessing species limits in birds

The Auk ◽

10.1093/ornithology/ukab016 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Joseph A Tobias ◽

Paul F Donald ◽

Rob W Martin ◽

Stuart H M Butchart ◽

Nigel J Collar

Keyword(s):

Strong Support ◽

Molecular Data ◽

Sympatric Species ◽

Global Scale ◽

Training Set ◽

Species Limits ◽

Phenotypic Data ◽

Fast Tracking ◽

Extinction Rates ◽

Phenotypic Divergence

AbstractSpecies are fundamental to biology, conservation, and environmental legislation; yet, there is often disagreement on how and where species limits should be drawn. Even sophisticated molecular methods have limitations, particularly in the context of geographically isolated lineages or inadequate sampling of loci. With extinction rates rising, methods are needed to assess species limits rapidly but robustly. Tobias et al. devised a points-based system to compare phenotypic divergence between taxa against the level of divergence in sympatric species, establishing a threshold to guide taxonomic assessments at a global scale. The method has received a mixed reception. To evaluate its performance, we identified 397 novel taxonomic splits from 328 parent taxa made by application of the criteria (in 2014‒2016) and searched for subsequent publications investigating the same taxa with molecular and/or phenotypic data. Only 71 (18%) novel splits from 60 parent taxa have since been investigated by independent studies, suggesting that publication of splits underpinned by the criteria in 2014–2016 accelerated taxonomic decisions by at least 33 years. In the evaluated cases, independent analyses explicitly or implicitly supported species status in 62 (87.3%) of 71 splits, with the level of support increasing to 97.2% when excluding subsequent studies limited only to molecular data, and reaching 100% when the points-based criteria were applied using recommended sample sizes. Despite the fact that the training set used to calibrate the criteria was heavily weighted toward passerines, splits of passerines and non-passerines received equally strong support from independent research. We conclude that the method provides a useful tool for quantifying phenotypic divergence and fast-tracking robust taxonomic decisions at a global scale.

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Modelling seasonal influenza: the role of weather and punctuated antigenic drift

Journal of The Royal Society Interface ◽

10.1098/rsif.2013.0298 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 10 (84) ◽

pp. 20130298 ◽

Cited By ~ 30

Author(s):

R. Yaari ◽

G. Katriel ◽

A. Huppert ◽

J. B. Axelsen ◽

L. Stone

Keyword(s):

Seasonal Influenza ◽

Likelihood Function ◽

Transmission Rate ◽

Strong Support ◽

Absolute Humidity ◽

Population Level ◽

Antigenic Drift ◽

Weather Variables ◽

Annual Means

Seasonal influenza appears as annual oscillations in temperate regions of the world, yet little is known as to what drives these annual outbreaks and what factors are responsible for their inter-annual variability. Recent studies suggest that weather variables, such as absolute humidity, are the key drivers of annual influenza outbreaks. The rapid, punctuated, antigenic evolution of the influenza virus is another major factor. We present a new framework for modelling seasonal influenza based on a discrete-time, age-of-infection, epidemic model, which allows the calculation of the model's likelihood function in closed form. This framework may be used to perform model inference and parameter estimation rigorously. The modelling approach allows us to fit 11 years of Israeli influenza data, with the best models fitting the data with unusually high correlations in which r > 0.9. We show that using actual weather to modulate influenza transmission rate gives better results than using the inter-annual means of the weather variables, providing strong support for the role of weather in shaping the dynamics of influenza. This conclusion remains valid even when incorporating a more realistic depiction of the decay of immunity at the population level, which allows for discrete changes in immunity from year to year.

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Phylogenomics, biogeography, and evolution in the American palm genusBrahea

10.1101/467779 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Craig F. Barrett ◽

Brandon T. Sinn ◽

Loren T. King ◽

Jesus C. Medina ◽

Christine D. Bacon ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Growth Form ◽

Strong Support ◽

Population Level ◽

Sympatric Speciation ◽

Geographic Ranges ◽

Biogeographic History ◽

American Palm ◽

Northwestern Mexico ◽

Guadalupe Island ◽

Genome Scale

AbstractBackground and AimsSlow rates of molecular evolution at low taxonomic levels hamper studies of relationships among species, and subsequent biogeographic and evolutionary analyses. An example is the genusBrahea, which is among the most poorly understood lineages of American palms and is characterized by a wide variety of growth forms and intermediate morphological features.MethodsWe generated approximately 400 kb of genome-scale data from all three genomes for the 11 currently described species ofBraheato infer phylogenetic relationships, reconstruct ancestral growth form, estimate ancestral geographic ranges, and test for niche equivalency among closely related species with geographic overlap.Key ResultsRelationships receive strong support, and conform to previous subgeneric assignments, except for placement of the dwarf speciesB. mooreiwithin subgenusErythea.Our robust phylogenetic hypothesis reveals trends in growth form including an overall increase in height in theB. armataclade, and independent evolution of dwarf forms from taller ancestors in theB. pimoandB. dulcisclades. Ancestral range estimation reveals roles of dispersal (e.g.B. edulison Guadalupe Island) and sympatric speciation in some cases (e.g. in theB. armataclade), but is equivocal in others (e.g. in theB. pimo clade). We find evidence of niche non-equivalency among species within theB. armataclade in northwestern Mexico, and some evidence of niche non-equivalency betweenB. berlandieriandB. dulcis, the former of which is synonymized underB. dulcis.ConclusionsOur findings have implications for the complex biogeographic history in Central America and Mexico, suggesting that sympatric speciation and dispersal are the predominant processes of species diversification. Future studies should include population-level sampling across the genus, along with morphological and ecological information, to assess distinctness among species and, particularly, levels of gene flow, in an integrative fashion.

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Genetic Analysis of Two Sympatric Sea Urchins from Genus Diadema (Echinodermata: Echinoidea: Diadematidae) from Malaysian Borneo

Borneo Journal of Resource Science and Technology ◽

10.33736/bjrst.229.2015 ◽

1970 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

pp. 16-25

Author(s):

Nursyuhaida Md Shahid ◽

Raymie Nurhassan ◽

Siti Akmar Khadijah Ab Rahim ◽

Ruhana Hassan

Keyword(s):

Posterior Probability ◽

Sea Urchins ◽

Strong Support ◽

Sympatric Species ◽

Bayesian Posterior Probability ◽

Rrna Gene ◽

16S Rrna Gene Analysis ◽

Morphological Variations ◽

Tropical Sea ◽

Malaysian Borneo

Genus Diadema (Echinoidea: Diadematidae) has been reported to be the most widespread and ecologically important shallow water tropical sea urchins. Morphological variations and species distributions are complicated to elucidate due to complexity in making reliable identifications. Genus Diadema had involved in many debates, particularly on the mode of speciation and the specific status of Diadema setosum and Diadema savignyi. Therefore, relationships among Diadema species found in Malaysian Borneo have been examined using 16S rRNA gene analysis. Monophyletic clade of genus Diadema with respect to the outgroup was obtained with high bootstrap values of 100% (MP), 100% (NJ), 100% (ML) and Bayesian Posterior Probability is equal to 1.00. Two monophyletic clades were apparent separating D. setosum (Clade I) and D. savignyi (Clade II), with strong support of 100% (MP), 100% (NJ), 80% (ML) and Bayesian Posterior Probability is equal to 1.00. In addition, high genetic variation among species had been recorded (9.85%), suggesting that D. setosum and D. savignyi are two distinct entities. Furthermore, D. setosum and D. savignyi are sympatric species based on their distribution and overlapping ranges in Malaysian Borneo.

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Testing the validity of two putative sympatric species from Sinocyclocheilus (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae) based on mitochondrial cytochrome b sequences

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.4476.1.12 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 4476 (1) ◽

pp. 130 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

YAN-YAN CHEN ◽

RONG LI ◽

CHUN-QING LI ◽

WEI-XIAN LI ◽

HONG-FU YANG ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cytochrome B ◽

Strong Support ◽

Sympatric Species ◽

Recent Common Ancestor ◽

Mitochondrial Cytochrome ◽

Most Recent Common Ancestor ◽

Mitochondrial Cytochrome B ◽

Outgroup Species ◽

Complete Sequences ◽

Surrounding Areas

There are over 60 species within the freshwater fish genus Sinocyclocheilus (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae) distributed throughout the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau and its surrounding areas in China. In recent years, the increasing number of new species described has raised some controversy about the validity of several species within this genus, notably the putative sympatric species pair S. qiubeiensis and S. jiuchengensis. To test the validity of S. qiubeiensis and S. jiuchengensis, we analyzed the complete sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome b (CYTB) gene of 20 identified species and one outgroup species. Phylogenetic relationships were reconstructed using CYTB with maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian inference (BI) methods. Our phylogenetic results showed that all individuals of S. qiubeiensis and S. jiuchengensis clustered in one clade with strong support. In addition, the genetic distance between the two species was 0.11%, within the range observed at the intraspecific level. The most recent common ancestor of S. qiubeiensis and S. jiuchengensis dated back to 0.13 million years ago, indicating little time for complete speciation to have occurred. These results clearly support the viewpoint that S. jiuchengensis is a synonym of S. qiubeiensis.

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Evidence for atypical nest overwintering by hatchling lizards, Heloderma suspectum

Proceedings of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.2018.0632 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 285 (1879) ◽

pp. 20180632

Author(s):

Dale F. DeNardo ◽

Karla T. Moeller ◽

Mark Seward ◽

Roger Repp

Keyword(s):

North America ◽

Sonoran Desert ◽

Strong Support ◽

Developmental Time ◽

Optimal Time ◽

Reproductive Phenology ◽

Heloderma Suspectum ◽

Gila Monster ◽

Reproductive Events ◽

Artificial Incubation

The timing of reproductive events (e.g. oviposition and hatching) to coincide with favourable seasonal conditions is critical for successful reproduction. However, developmental time may not match the duration between the optimal time for oviposition and the optimal time for hatchling survival. Thus, strategies that alter the time between oviposition and hatchling emergence can be highly advantageous. Arrested development and the resulting extension of the duration between oviposition and hatching has been widely documented across oviparous amniotes, but nest overwintering by hatchlings has only been documented in aquatic chelonians that live where winters are quite cold. Herein, we present a compilation of evidence regarding reproductive phenology by hatchlings of the Gila monster ( Heloderma suspectum ), a lizard inhabiting the Sonoran Desert of North America. Our data demonstrate that (i) Gila monster hatchlings from eggs oviposited in July do not emerge from their nests until late spring or summer of the following year, yet (ii) Gila monster eggs artificially incubated at field-relevant temperatures hatch in 4–5 months. Furthermore, we describe a fortuitous excavation of a hatching Gila monster nest in late October, which coincides with the artificial incubation results. Together, these results provide strong support for the existence of overwintering in the nest by a lizard, and suggest that this reproductive strategy should be explored in a broader array of taxa.

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Patterns of Flowering and Seed Production in Eucalyptus miniata and E. tetrodonta in a Tropical Savanna Woodland, Northern Australia

Australian Journal of Botany ◽

10.1071/bt9960107 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 44 (2) ◽

pp. 107 ◽

Cited By ~ 34

Author(s):

S Setterfield ◽

RJ Williams

Keyword(s):

Seed Production ◽

Population Level ◽

Reproductive Phenology ◽

Tropical Savanna ◽

Ovule Development ◽

Northern Australia ◽

Wet Season ◽

Seed Supply ◽

The Individual ◽

Seed Yields

The reproductive phenology-the annual and spatial variation in tree fecundity, ovule development and seedfall-of Eucalyptus miniata Cunn. ex Schauer and E. tetrodonta F. Muell. is described at a tropical savanna site in northern Australia from 1992 to 1994. There was substantial inter-annual variability in fecundity of both species at the individual and the population level. The proportion of ovules which survived did not vary significantly between years. Seed production and seedfall varied substantially between years with large seed yields in 1994 and low seed yields in 1993. Eucalyptus miniata and E. tetrodonta are separated in time (by 2-8 weeks) with respect to peak periods for all key phenology events-budding, flowering and seedfall. Both species are non-serotinous with all seed shed within 8 months of ovule initiation. Peak seedfall occurred up to 1 month before the first wet season rains for E. miniata and coincided with these rains for E. tetrodonta. Post-dispersal conditions for germination and establishment are more likely than seed supply to limit seedling establishment of E. miniata and E. tetrodonta.

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Phenological Variation in Bluebunch Wheatgrass (Pseudoro-Egneria Spicata): Implications for Seed Sourcing, Harvest, and Restoration

Land ◽

10.3390/land10101064 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (10) ◽

pp. 1064

Author(s):

Kathryn Prive ◽

Matthew R. Orr ◽

Francis F. Kilkenny ◽

Ronald J. Reuter ◽

Holly R. Prendeville

Keyword(s):

Random Effect ◽

Plant Morphology ◽

Common Garden ◽

Population Level ◽

Reproductive Phenology ◽

Single Pass ◽

Seed Transfer ◽

Bluebunch Wheatgrass ◽

Random Effect Models ◽

Seed Sourcing

To reduce maladaptation in cultivated seed lots, seed transfer zones (STZs) have been developed for grasslands and other habitats using morphological traits and phenological measurements that only capture the first day of events such as flowering and seed ripening. Phenology is closely linked to plant fitness and may affect genetic loss during harvests of seed raised for ecological restoration. Here, we measured the detailed phenologies of 27 populations from six STZs of bluebunch wheatgrass (Pseudoroegneria spicata) (Pursh) Á. Löve (Poaceae) raised in a common garden to test whether existing STZs created using a combination of plant morphology and “first-day” phenological measurements adequately capture population-level variation in season-long, detailed phenologies. We also used detailed phenologies to test whether genetic losses may occur during single-pass harvests of commercial seed. Mixed and random effect models revealed differences in detailed reproductive phenology among populations within two of six STZs. The number of individual plants within an STZ not producing harvestable seed during peak harvest levels indicated that 10–27% of individuals from a seed lot could be excluded from a single-pass harvest. Although our findings generally support current STZ delineations for P. spicata, they point to the possible precautionary importance of sourcing from multiple populations and harvesting with multiple passes when resources permit.

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Comparative Phylogeography of Veronica spicata and V. longifolia (Plantaginaceae) Across Europe: Integrating Hybridization and Polyploidy in Phylogeography

Frontiers in Plant Science ◽

10.3389/fpls.2020.588354 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 ◽

Author(s):

Daniele Buono ◽

Gulzar Khan ◽

Klaus Bernhard von Hagen ◽

Petr A. Kosachev ◽

Eike Mayland-Quellhorst ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ecological Niche Modeling ◽

Natural Populations ◽

Population Expansion ◽

Population Level ◽

Distribution Patterns ◽

Phylogeographic Structure ◽

Crossing Experiments ◽

Climatic Fluctuations ◽

Ploidy Levels ◽

Distribution Ranges

Climatic fluctuations in the Pleistocene caused glacial expansion-contraction cycles in Eurasia and other parts of the world. Consequences of these cycles, such as population expansion and subsequent subdivision, have been studied in many taxa at intraspecific population level across much of the Northern Hemisphere. However, the consequences for the potential of hybridization and polyploidization are poorly understood. Here, we investigated the phylogeographic structure of two widespread, closely related species, Veronica spicata and Veronica longifolia, across their European distribution ranges. We assessed the extent and the geographic pattern of polyploidization in both species and hybridization between them. We used genome-scale SNP data to clarify phylogenetic relationships and detect possible hybridization/introgression events. In addition, crossing experiments were performed in different combination between V. spicata and V. longifolia individuals of two ploidy levels and of different geographic origins. Finally, we employed ecological niche modeling to infer macroclimatic differences between both species and both ploidy levels. We found a clear genetic structure reflecting the geographical distribution patterns in both species, with V. spicata showing higher genetic differentiation than V. longifolia. We retrieved significant signals of hybridization and introgression in natural populations from the genetic data and corroborated this with crossing experiments. However, there were no clear phylogeographic patterns and unequivocal macroclimatic niche differences between diploid and tetraploid lineages. This favors the hypothesis, that autopolyploidization has happened frequently and in different regions. The crossing experiments produced viable hybrids when the crosses were made between plants of the same ploidy levels but not in the interploidy crosses. The results suggest that hybridization occurs across the overlapping areas of natural distribution ranges of both species, with apparently directional introgression from V. spicata to V. longifolia. Nevertheless, the two species maintain their species-level separation due to their adaptation to different habitats and spatial isolation rather than reproductive isolation.

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