The role of genetic constraints and social environment in explaining female extra‐pair mating

AbstractWhy females of socially monogamous species copulate with males other than their partner has been a long-standing, unresolved puzzle. We previously reported that female promiscuity appears to be a genetic corollary of male promiscuity (intersexual pleiotropy hypothesis). Here we put this earlier finding to a critical test using the same population of zebra finches Taeniopygia guttata. After three generations of artificial selection on male courtship rate, a correlate of extra-pair mating, we assess whether female promiscuity changed by indirect selection and we re-examine the crucial genetic correlations. Our new analyses with substantially increased statistical power clearly reject the hypothesis that male and female promiscuity are genetically homologous traits. Our study highlights that individual females show low repeatability in extra-pair mating behavior across different social environments. This emphasizes the potential importance of pair bond strength and the availability of favored extra-pair males as factors explaining variation in patterns of female promiscuity.

Download Full-text

When mothers make sons sexy: maternal effects contribute to the increased sexual attractiveness of extra-pair offspring

Proceedings of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.2011.1543 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 279 (1731) ◽

pp. 1233-1240 ◽

Cited By ~ 35

Author(s):

Barbara Tschirren ◽

Erik Postma ◽

Alison N. Rutstein ◽

Simon C. Griffith

Keyword(s):

Sexual Selection ◽

Maternal Effects ◽

Genetic Basis ◽

Mating Behaviour ◽

Maternal Investment ◽

Genetic Benefits ◽

The Social ◽

Pair Mating ◽

Extra Pair Mating

Quality differences between offspring sired by the social and by an extra-pair partner are usually assumed to have a genetic basis, reflecting genetic benefits of female extra-pair mate choice. In the zebra finch ( Taeniopygia guttata ), we identified a colour ornament that is under sexual selection and appears to have a heritable basis. Hence, by engaging in extra-pair copulations with highly ornamented males, females could, in theory, obtain genes for increased offspring attractiveness. Indeed, sons sired by extra-pair partners had larger ornaments, seemingly supporting the genetic benefit hypothesis. Yet, when comparing ornament size of the social and extra-pair partners, there was no difference. Hence, the observed differences most likely had an environmental basis, mediated, for example, via differential maternal investment of resources into the eggs fertilized by extra-pair and social partners. Such maternal effects may (at least partly) be mediated by egg size, which we found to be associated with mean ornament expression in sons. Our results are consistent with the idea that maternal effects can shape sexual selection by altering the genotype–phenotype relationship for ornamentation. They also caution against automatically attributing greater offspring attractiveness or viability to an extra-pair mate's superior genetic quality, as without controlling for differential maternal investment we may significantly overestimate the role of genetic benefits in the evolution of extra-pair mating behaviour.

Download Full-text

Risk and Protective Factors in the Life of Youth in Relation to Resilience

Psychology and Pathopsychology of Child ◽

10.2478/papd-2018-0001 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 52 (1) ◽

pp. 50-59

Author(s):

Silvia Barnová ◽

Viola Tamášová

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Protective Factors ◽

School Psychologists ◽

Social Environment ◽

Social Services ◽

Service Providers ◽

Vital Role ◽

Great Role ◽

Health Service Providers

Abstract Introduction: A certain degree of stress is present in everyone’s life and young people are not an exception. Most of them show a certain degree of resilience and can cope with stressful situations without any difficulties, however there is a group of youth who live in toxic environments and need help. If there is a risk of failure due to the intensity of stressors; external formal and informal support have a great role to play as they have the potential to prevent negative developmental outcomes. Purpose: The authors’ intention was to make a review of available literature on the current issues of resilience research with a focus on the importance of protective factors in young people’s lives – especially when they are exposed to adversity. An emphasis is placed on the vital role of social support to individuals provided by schools as well as social services. Methods: In the presented literature review, multiple formal search methods including hand searching of key journals; electronic searching of journal databases and subject specific websites; reference scanning; and citation tracking were used. Conclusion: Individuals commonly demonstrate some level of resilience, yet most of them are able to deal with stressful situations without any harm. On the other hand, if the adversity is too high, the presence of social support provided by their social environment is important. In this context, good relationships in general and sufficient external protective factors provided by their social environment (schools, school psychologists, institutional social and health service providers) are important.

Download Full-text

The Role of Lifestyle, Eating Habits and Social Environment in the Prevention and Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes and Hypertension

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu13051460 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (5) ◽

pp. 1460

Author(s):

Kalliopi Karatzi ◽

Yannis Manios

Keyword(s):

Type 2 Diabetes ◽

Social Environment ◽

Eating Habits ◽

Health Problems ◽

Major Health ◽

The Past ◽

Prevention And Treatment

Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and hypertension are major health problems, with an undisputed growth burden in the past decades [...]

Download Full-text

Classroom Social Environment as Student Emotions' Antecedent: Mediating Role of Achievement Goals

The Journal of Experimental Education ◽

10.1080/00220973.2020.1724851 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-12

Author(s):

Xiaojing Sun ◽

Marloes M. H. G. Hendrickx ◽

Thomas Goetz ◽

Theo Wubbels ◽

Tim Mainhard

Keyword(s):

Social Environment ◽

Achievement Goals ◽

Mediating Role

Download Full-text

Studying individual differences in the social environment to better understand language learning and processing

Linguistics Vanguard ◽

10.1515/lingvan-2016-0015 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 2 (s1) ◽

Author(s):

Shiri Lev-Ari

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

Individual Differences ◽

Second Language Acquisition ◽

Language Acquisition ◽

Language Learning ◽

Social Environment ◽

Native Speakers ◽

Linguistic Performance ◽

The Social

AbstractPeople learn language from their social environment. Therefore, individual differences in the input that their social environment provides could influence their linguistic performance. Nevertheless, investigation of the role of individual differences in input on performance has been mostly restricted to first and second language acquisition. In this paper I argue that individual differences in input can influence linguistic performance even in adult native speakers. Specifically, differences in input can affect performance by influencing people’s knowledgebase, by modulating their processing manner, and by shaping expectations. Therefore, studying the role that individual differences in input play can improve our understanding of how language is learned, processed and represented.

Download Full-text

A Comparison of Sport and Nonsport Occupational Aspirations among Disadvantaged Youth

Journal of Sport Psychology ◽

10.1123/jsp.3.1.58 ◽

1981 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

pp. 58-68 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Mary A. McElroy

Keyword(s):

Sex Differences ◽

Discriminant Analysis ◽

Social Environment ◽

Career Aspirations ◽

Lower Class ◽

Occupational Aspirations ◽

Disadvantaged Youth ◽

Related Factors ◽

Sport Careers

Sport and nonsport career choices among economically disadvantaged adolescents enrolled in a summer sports program were explored. It was hypothesized that youngsters with sport career aspirations would demonstrate differences in sport-related attitudes and experiences when compared to youngsters with nonsport career aspirations. Nonsport career aspirations were categorized into two groups: one representing “high prestige” occupations and one representing “low prestige” occupations. Discriminant analysis revealed that disadvantaged youths' career aspirations were differentially related to the sport-related factors. Contrary to warnings of the potential dysfunctional consequences for those who aspire to sport careers, adolescents with sport career aspirations consistently scored higher on achievement-related socialization factors than those aspiring for traditional low-prestige occupations. Sex differences were noted and discussed in light of the role of sport in the lower class social environment.

Download Full-text

Biomechanical trade-offs bias rates of evolution in the feeding apparatus of fishes

Proceedings of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.2011.1838 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 279 (1732) ◽

pp. 1287-1292 ◽

Cited By ~ 39

Author(s):

Roi Holzman ◽

David C. Collar ◽

Samantha A. Price ◽

C. Darrin Hulsey ◽

Robert C. Thomson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Genetic Factors ◽

Morphological Evolution ◽

The Body ◽

Body Parts ◽

Phenotypic Evolution ◽

Genetic Constraints ◽

Functional Systems ◽

Rates Of Evolution ◽

Trade Offs

Morphological diversification does not proceed evenly across the organism. Some body parts tend to evolve at higher rates than others, and these rate biases are often attributed to sexual and natural selection or to genetic constraints. We hypothesized that variation in the rates of morphological evolution among body parts could also be related to the performance consequences of the functional systems that make up the body. Specifically, we tested the widely held expectation that the rate of evolution for a trait is negatively correlated with the strength of biomechanical trade-offs to which it is exposed. We quantified the magnitude of trade-offs acting on the morphological components of three feeding-related functional systems in four radiations of teleost fishes. After accounting for differences in the rates of morphological evolution between radiations, we found that traits that contribute more to performance trade-offs tend to evolve more rapidly, contrary to the prediction. While ecological and genetic factors are known to have strong effects on rates of phenotypic evolution, this study highlights the role of the biomechanical architecture of functional systems in biasing the rates and direction of trait evolution.

Download Full-text