scholarly journals Generalisation behaviour of predators toward warning signals displayed by harmful prey: answers from a videogame played by humans

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mónica Arias ◽  
David Griffiths ◽  
Mathieu Joron ◽  
John Davey ◽  
Simon Martin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Video Game ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Computer Game ◽  
Warning Signals ◽  
Natural Systems ◽  
Natural Predator ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Human Predation ◽  
Colour Patterns ◽  
Set Up

AbstractThe persistence of several warning signals in sympatry is a puzzling evolutionary question because selection favours convergence of colour patterns among toxic species. Such convergence is shaped by predators’ reaction to similar but not identical stimulus, i.e. generalisation behaviour. However, studying generalisation behaviour in complex natural communities of predators is challenging, and is thus generally limited to simple variations of prey colour patterns. Here, we used humans as surrogate predators to investigate generalisation behaviours on two prey communities with different level of warning signals complexity. Humans’ generalisation capacities were estimated using a computer game simulating a simple (4 morphs) and a complex (10 morphs) community of defended (associated with a penalty) and palatable butterflies. Colour patterns used in the game are actually observed in natural populations of the defended butterflies H. numata, and generalisation behaviour of natural predator’s communities on these colour patterns have previously been investigated in the wild, allowing direct comparison with human behaviour. We investigated human predation behaviour by recording attack rates on the different defended and palatable colour patterns, as well as player survival time (i.e. score). Phenotypic similarity among the different colour patterns was precisely quantified using a custom algorithm accounting for both colour and pattern variations (CPM method). By analysing attack behaviours of 491 game players, we found that learning was more efficient in the simple prey community. Additionally, profitable prey gained protection from sharing key visual features with unprofitable prey in both communities while learning, in accordance with natural predator behaviours. Moreover, other behaviours observed in natural predators, such as colour neophobia, were detected in humans and shaped morph vulnerability during the game. Similarities between our results in humans and the reaction of natural predator communities to the same colour patterns validate our video-game as a useful proxy to study predator behaviour. This experimental set-up can thus be compared to natural systems, enabling further investigations of generalisation on mimicry evolution.

scholarly journals How do predators generalize warning signals in simple and complex prey communities? Insights from a videogame

2020 ◽  
Vol 287 (1921) ◽  
pp. 20200014
Author(s):  
Mónica Arias ◽  
John W. Davey ◽  
Simon Martin ◽  
Chris Jiggins ◽  
Nicola Nadeau ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Populations ◽  
Computer Game ◽  
Butterfly Species ◽  
Warning Signals ◽  
Identical Stimulus ◽  
Toxic Species ◽  
Avian Predators ◽  
Colour Patterns

The persistence of distinct warning signals within and between sympatric mimetic communities is a puzzling evolutionary question because selection favours convergence of colour patterns among toxic species. Such convergence is partly shaped by predators' reaction to similar but not identical stimulus (i.e. generalization behaviour), and generalization by predators is likely to be shaped by the diversity of local prey. However, studying generalization behaviour is generally limited to simple variations of prey colour patterns. Here, we used a computer game played by humans as surrogate predators to investigate generalization behaviours in simple (4 morphs) and complex (10 morphs) communities of unprofitable (associated with a penalty) and profitable butterflies. Colour patterns used in the game are observed in the natural populations of unprofitable butterfly species such as Heliconius numata . Analyses of 449 game participants' behaviours show that players avoided unprofitable prey more readily in simple than in complex communities. However, generalization was observed only in players that faced complex communities, enhancing the protection of profitable prey that looked similar to at least one unprofitable morph. Additionally, similarity among unprofitable prey also reduced attack rates only in complex communities. These results are consistent with previous studies using avian predators but artificial colour patterns and suggest that mimicry is more likely to evolve in complex communities where increases in similarity are more likely to be advantageous.

scholarly journals Epidemiological dynamics of viral infection in a marine picoeukaryote

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luisa Listmann ◽  
Sarah Heath ◽  
Pedro F. Vale ◽  
C. Elisa Schaum ◽  
Sinead Collins
Keyword(s):  
Population Dynamics ◽  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Epidemiological Models ◽  
Laboratory Findings ◽  
Serial Transfer ◽  
Natural Systems ◽  
Ostreococcus Tauri ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Low Costs

AbstractOstreococcus tauri is a ubiquitous marine pico-eukaryote that is susceptible to lysis upon infection by its species specific Ostreococcus tauri viruses (OtVs). In natural populations of O. tauri, costs of resistance are usually invoked to explain the persistence or reappearance of susceptible individuals in resistant populations. Given the low costs of resistance measured in laboratory experiments with the O. tauri/OtV system to date, the question remains of why susceptible individuals persist in the wild at all. Epidemiological models of host and pathogen population dynamics are one useful approach to understand the conditions that can allow the coexistence of susceptible and resistant hosts. We used a SIR (Susceptible-Infected-Resistant) model to investigate epidemiological dynamics under different laboratory culturing regimes that are commonly used in the O.tauri/OtV system. When taking into account serial transfer (i.e. batchcycle lengths) and dilution rates as well as different resistance costs, our model predicts that no susceptible cells should be detected under any of the simulated conditions – this is consistent with laboratory findings. We thus considered an alternative model that is not used in laboratory experiments, but which incorporates one key process in natural populations: host populations are periodically re-seeded with new infective viruses. In this model, susceptible individuals re-occurred in the population, despite low costs of resistance. This suggests that periodic attack by new viruses, rather than (or in addition to) costs of resistance, may explain the high proportion of susceptible hosts in natural populations, and underlie the discrepancy between laboratory studies and observations of fresh isolates.ImportanceIn natural samples of Ostreococcus sp. and its associated viruses, susceptible hosts are common. However, in laboratory experiments, fully resistant host populations readily and irreversibly evolve. Laboratory experiments are powerful methods for studying process because they offer a stripped-down simplification of a complex system, but this simplification may be an oversimplification for some questions. For example, laboratory and field systems of marine microbes and their viruses differ in population sizes and dynamics, mixing or migration rates, and species diversity, all of which can dramatically alter process outcomes. We demonstrate the utility of using epidemiological models to explore experimental design and to understand mechanisms underlying host-virus population dynamics. We highlight that such models can be used to form strong, testable hypotheses about which key elements of natural systems need to be included in laboratory systems to make them simplified, rather than oversimplified, versions of the processes we use them to study.

VARIATIONS BETWEEN STRAINS OF DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER AND D. SIMULANS IN GIVING OFFSPRING IN INTERSPECIFIC CROSSES

1972 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. A. Parsons
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Interspecific Crosses ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Set Up

Differences between strains set up from single inseminated founder females collected in the wild were found in both Drosophila melanogaster and D. simulans, for the number of interspecific crosses giving offspring. The differences were mainly controlled by the strain of the female, but to a lesser extent by the strain of the male, especially in D. simulans. More crosses with offspring occurred over-all for female D. melanogaster strains, as compared with female D. simulans strains. The variability between strains implies that the founder females collected in the wild differ. Thus, in natural populations, there is variability determining the likelihood of offspring in interspecific crosses determined mainly by the strain of the females in the intraspecific populations.

Studies On the Behaviour of Cyprinodent Fish I. the Agonistic and Sexual Behaviour of Aphyosemion Bivittatum (Lönnberg 1895)

Behaviour ◽  
1973 ◽  
Vol 46 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 264-278 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Evans ◽  
A.W. Ewing
Keyword(s):  
Hierarchical Structure ◽  
Sexual Behaviour ◽  
Aggressive Behaviour ◽  
Social Organisation ◽  
Motivational State ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Colour Patterns ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Behavioural Repertoire

AbstractThe agonistic and sexual behaviour of the Cyprinodont fish Aphyoseznion bivittatum is described. Both males and females develop colour patterns which are useful in identifying the motivational state of the fish and these are also described. Aggressive encounters between males are prolonged and highly ritualised. They result in dominant - subordinate relationships being set up and this is probably associated with a hierarchical structure of social organisation in the wild. The data was analysed to show differences in the sequences of aggressive behaviour of dominant and subordinate males. The possible adaptive values of the differences found are discussed. The sequence of courtship behaviour is relatively simple due to the limited behavioural repertoire of females.

The Collection, Maintenance, and Environmental Importance, of the Genetic Resources of Wild Plants

1975 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 223-228 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter A. Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Wild Species ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Wild Plants ◽  
Plant Resources ◽  
Economic Resource ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Natural Systems ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Major Factors

Plants are major factors conditioning an environment, and conservation of particular environments depends fundamentally on the maintenance of existing plant communities. In many parts of the world, the destruction of such communities is occurring so rapidly and so completely that entire natural systems are subject to, or threatened with, total destruction. In such cases artificial methods of conserving plant germplasm for ultimate regeneration, for supplementing natural populations, for study, or for use by Man as an economic resource, may be of great significance as one possible means of averting total loss. Under less extreme pressures, the availability of representative propagules of significant taxa or populations may be of crucial assistance as an aid to research directed towards a better understanding of factors affecting survival or competitive advantage in the wild, or as a means of providing stocks for assessment of the potential economic value of existing reserves of wild species.This paper discusses methods of recording, maintaining, and evaluating, collections of populations of wild species. Plant resources of this kind are extremely vulnerable when maintained under artificial conditions, and a very high proportion of collections are lost within a few years, remain unavailable for general use, or fail to be used owing to inadequate documentation. Conservation of plant germ-plasm as an international resource, in a usable form, depends on a wide acceptance and practice of greatly improved methods of documentation, and requires the creation of effective organizations for surveying, maintaining, and coordinating, plant resources on an international scale.

scholarly journals HIGH-RESOLUTION CHARACTERIZATION OF MALE ORNAMENTATION AND REEVALUATION OF SEX LINKAGE IN GUPPIES

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jake Morris ◽  
Iulia Darolti ◽  
Wouter van der Bijl ◽  
Judith E. Mank
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Colour Pattern ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Animal Colouration ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Colour Changes ◽  
Colour Patterns ◽  
Male Ornaments

AbstractColouration plays a key role in the ecology of many species, influencing how an organism interacts with its environment, other species and conspecifics. Guppies are sexually dimorphic, with males displaying sexually selected colouration resulting from female preference. Previous work has suggested that much of guppy colour pattern variation is Y-linked. However, it remains unclear how many individual colour patterns are Y-linked in natural populations as much of the previous work has focused on phenotypes either not found in the wild, or aggregate measures such as total colour area. Moreover, ornaments have traditionally been identified and delineated by hand, and computational methods now make it possible to extract pixels and identify ornaments more automatedly, reducing the potential for human bias. Here we developed a pipeline for automated ornament identification and high-resolution image analysis of male guppy colour patterns and applied it to a multigenerational pedigree. Our results show that loci controlling the presence or absence of individual male ornaments in our population are not predominantly Y-linked. However, we find that ornaments of similar colour are not independent of each other, and modifier loci that affect whole animal colouration appear to be at least partially Y-linked. Considering these results, Y-linkage of individual ornaments may not be important in driving colour changes in natural populations of guppies, or in expansions of the non-recombining Y region, while Y-linked modifier loci that affect aggregate traits may well play an important role.

scholarly journals High-resolution characterization of male ornamentation and re-evaluation of sex linkage in guppies

2020 ◽  
Vol 287 (1937) ◽  
pp. 20201677
Author(s):  
Jake Morris ◽  
Iulia Darolti ◽  
Wouter van der Bijl ◽  
Judith E. Mank
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Colour Pattern ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Colour Changes ◽  
Colour Patterns ◽  
Male Ornaments ◽  
Automated Methods

Coloration plays a key role in the ecology of many species, influencing how an organism interacts with its environment, other species and conspecifics. Guppies are sexually dimorphic, with males displaying sexually selected coloration resulting from female preference. Previous work has suggested that much of guppy colour pattern variation is Y-linked. However, it remains unclear how many individual colour patterns are Y-linked in natural populations as much of the previous work has focused on phenotypes either not found in the wild, or aggregate measures such as total colour area. Moreover, ornaments have traditionally been identified and delineated by hand, and computational methods now make it possible to extract pixels and identify ornaments with automated methods, reducing the potential for human bias. Here we developed a pipeline for semi-automated ornament identification and high-resolution image analysis of male guppy colour patterns and applied it to a multigenerational pedigree. Our results show that loci controlling the presence or the absence of individual male ornaments in our population are not predominantly Y-linked. However, we find that ornaments of similar colour are not independent of each other, and modifier loci that affect whole animal coloration appear to be at least partially Y-linked. Considering these results, Y-linkage of individual ornaments may not be important in driving colour changes in natural populations of guppies, or in expansions of the non-recombining Y region, while Y-linked modifier loci that affect aggregate traits may well play an important role.

scholarly journals Controlled Transcription of Regulator Gene carS by Tet-on or by a Strong Promoter Confirms Its Role as a Repressor of Carotenoid Biosynthesis in Fusarium fujikuroi

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 71
Author(s):  
Julia Marente ◽  
Javier Avalos ◽  
M. Carmen Limón
Keyword(s):  
Wild Strain ◽  
Ring Finger ◽  
Carotenoid Biosynthesis ◽  
Negative Regulator ◽  
Fusarium Fujikuroi ◽  
Structural Genes ◽  
Gene Encoding ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Set Up

Carotenoid biosynthesis is a frequent trait in fungi. In the ascomycete Fusarium fujikuroi, the synthesis of the carboxylic xanthophyll neurosporaxanthin (NX) is stimulated by light. However, the mutants of the carS gene, encoding a protein of the RING finger family, accumulate large NX amounts regardless of illumination, indicating the role of CarS as a negative regulator. To confirm CarS function, we used the Tet-on system to control carS expression in this fungus. The system was first set up with a reporter mluc gene, which showed a positive correlation between the inducer doxycycline and luminescence. Once the system was improved, the carS gene was expressed using Tet-on in the wild strain and in a carS mutant. In both cases, increased carS transcription provoked a downregulation of the structural genes of the pathway and albino phenotypes even under light. Similarly, when the carS gene was constitutively overexpressed under the control of a gpdA promoter, total downregulation of the NX pathway was observed. The results confirmed the role of CarS as a repressor of carotenogenesis in F. fujikuroi and revealed that its expression must be regulated in the wild strain to allow appropriate NX biosynthesis in response to illumination.

An ecological explanation for hyperallometric scaling of reproduction

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomos Potter ◽  
Anja Felmy
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Reproductive Output ◽  
Resource Competition ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Scaling Exponent ◽  
Wild Populations ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Size Dependent ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractIn wild populations, large individuals have disproportionately higher reproductive output than smaller individuals. We suggest an ecological explanation for this observation: asymmetry within populations in rates of resource assimilation, where greater assimilation causes both increased reproduction and body size. We assessed how the relationship between size and reproduction differs between wild and lab-reared Trinidadian guppies. We show that (i) reproduction increased disproportionately with body size in the wild but not in the lab, where effects of resource competition were eliminated; (ii) in the wild, the scaling exponent was greatest during the wet season, when resource competition is strongest; and (iii) detection of hyperallometric scaling of reproduction is inevitable if individual differences in assimilation are ignored. We propose that variation among individuals in assimilation – caused by size-dependent resource competition, niche expansion, and chance – can explain patterns of hyperallometric scaling of reproduction in natural populations.

The Term «Computer Game»: The Experience of an Interdisciplinary Analysis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.A. Vasiliev ◽  
◽  
Yu.V. Pechatnova ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Video Game ◽  
Computer Games ◽  
Social Evolution ◽  
Computer Game ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approach ◽  
Legal Regulation ◽  
Economic Feasibility ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Legal Analysis ◽  
New Variety

The article is devoted to a comprehensive interdisciplinary study of the term «game» and its relatively new variety – computer game. The need to use an interdisciplinary approach to the study of the term is explained by the versatility and multi-aspect nature of the phenomenon under study. The article reveals the meaning of the concept «game» in the philosophical, aesthetic, historical, cultural, linguistic, psychological, technological and legal dimensions. The research methodology includes historical, systematic methods, as well as the method of formal legal analysis. The author emphasizes the influence of the development of forms of game activity on the development of social evolution, as well as the interaction of the game and the achievements of scientific and technological progress. The relevance of studying the term «computer game» lies in the fact that computer games have become the most popular type of gaming activity and the most profitable commercial product on the modern market. In this regard, terminological certainty is necessary due to the economic feasibility and effective legal regulation of the development, implementation and use of computer games. The authors propose to identify the main features of the concept «game», in general, and the specific features of the term «computer game», in particular. Based on the set of features, the author's definition of the concept «computer game» is proposed. In order to distinguish the studied concept from related categories, the analysis of the terms «electronic game» and «video game» is carried out. In conclusion, the authors assess the approaches to the legal regulation of computer games from the point of view of domestic legislation. As a result of the analysis of the possibility of attributing a computer game to a variety of programs for electronic computers or a variety of multimedia products, the choice was made in favor of the latter. Thus, at present, in order to solve legal problems related to the development and use of a computer game, the authors propose the application of the law analogy.

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