Sex-specific differences in diving behaviour of two sympatric Alcini species: thick-billed murres and razorbills

2008 ◽  
Vol 86 (7) ◽  
pp. 610-622 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosana Paredes ◽  
Ian L. Jones ◽  
Daryl J. Boness ◽  
Yann Tremblay ◽  
Martin Renner
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Breeding Site ◽  
Feeding Time ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Uria Lomvia ◽  
Alca Torda ◽  
Parental Roles ◽  
Capelin Mallotus Villosus ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Main Meal

At the Gannet Islands, Labrador, sympatric thick-billed murres ( Uria lomvia (L., 1758)) and razorbills ( Alca torda L., 1758) are slightly sexually dimorphic and have similar intersexual differences in parental roles; females are the main meal providers and males are mostly involved in brooding and chick defence at the breeding site and at sea. The question is whether differences in parental roles influence the foraging behaviour patterns of males and females. Murre females foraged during twilight periods and dived shallower than males. In razorbills, although sex differences were not as clear, females also tended to dive shallower (<10 m) and more often at twilight. Males of both species foraged during daylight hours and tended to dive deeper than females. Females of both species had shorter dive bouts (i.e., duration of a series of dives) even though the number of bouts and dives per day were equal between sexes. In both species, female dives were mostly shallower W-shaped dives, likely for capturing crustaceans at twilight. In contrast, males performed mostly deeper U-shaped dives for capturing mid-water species (e.g., capelin, Mallotus villosus (Müller, 1776)). Altogether, our results show that the two sympatric auks had relatively similar intersexual segregation in feeding time, depth, and prey. Sex differences in nest attendance, driven by differences in parental roles, seem to explain these findings.

Sex differences in melanotic encapsulation responses (immunocompetence) in the damselfly Lestes forcipatus Rambur

2002 ◽  
Vol 80 (9) ◽  
pp. 1578-1583 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher P Yourth ◽  
Mark R Forbes ◽  
Robert L Baker
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Immune Responses ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Mass Gain ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Foreign Objects ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Parasitic Mites ◽  
Melanotic Encapsulation

A few studies have shown that male and female invertebrates differ in immunity and that these differences appear related to differences in sexual dimorphism and gender differences in life histories. Melanotic encapsulation of foreign objects in insects is one form of immunity. The damselfly Lestes forcipatus Rambur is moderately sexually dimorphic, and much is known about patterns of mass gain in congeners relating to differences in life history between males and females. In this study, females were more immunoresponsive than males under controlled temperatures, following emergence, and at a time when parasitic mites were challenging these hosts. However, males and females that overlapped in mass at emergence did not differ in their immune responses. Males in better condition at emergence were more immunoresponsive than lighter males, but this relation was not found in females. Sex differences in immune expression may have implications for how females versus males are able to deal with challenges from parasites, under varying environmental conditions.

scholarly journals Sex Differences in Exercise-Induced Bronchoconstriction in Athletes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (19) ◽  
pp. 7270
Author(s):  
Daniel Enrique Rodriguez Bauza ◽  
Patricia Silveyra
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Female Athletes ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Atopic Status ◽  
Management Plans ◽  
Disease Experience ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Male Sex ◽  
Exercise Induced

Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) is a common complication of athletes and individuals who exercise regularly. It is estimated that about 90% of patients with underlying asthma (a sexually dimorphic disease) experience EIB; however, sex differences in EIB have not been studied extensively. With the goal of better understanding the prevalence of EIB in males and females, and because atopy has been reported to occur at higher rates in athletes, in this study, we investigated sex differences in EIB and atopy in athletes. A systematic literature review identified 60 studies evaluating EIB and/or atopy in post-pubertal adult athletes (n = 7501). Collectively, these studies reported: (1) a 23% prevalence of EIB in athletes; (2) a higher prevalence of atopy in male vs. female athletes; (3) a higher prevalence of atopy in athletes with EIB; (4) a significantly higher rate of atopic EIB in male vs. female athletes. Our analysis indicates that the physiological changes that occur during exercise may differentially affect male and female athletes, and suggest an interaction between male sex, exercise, and atopic status in the course of EIB. Understanding these sex differences is important to provide personalized management plans to athletes with underlying asthma and/or atopy.

scholarly journals Sex differences in gene expression and proliferation are dependent on the epigenetic modifier HP1γ

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pui-Pik Law ◽  
Ping-Kei Chan ◽  
Kirsten McEwen ◽  
Huihan Zhi ◽  
Bing Liang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Sex Differences ◽  
Sex Chromosome ◽  
Chromosome Complement ◽  
Autosomal Gene ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Heterochromatin Protein 1 ◽  
Epigenetic Modifier ◽  
Early Embryos ◽  
Males And Females

SummarySex differences in growth rate in very early embryos have been recognized in a variety of mammals and attributed to sex-chromosome complement effects as they occur before overt sexual differentiation. We previously found that sex-chromosome complement, rather than sex hormones regulates heterochromatin-mediated silencing of a transgene and autosomal gene expression in mice. Here, sex dimorphism in proliferation was investigated. We confirm that male embryonic fibroblasts proliferate faster than female fibroblasts and show that this proliferation advantage is completely dependent upon heterochromatin protein 1 gamma (HP1γ). To determine whether this sex-regulatory effect of HP1γ was a more general phenomenon, we performed RNA sequencing on MEFs derived from males and females, with or without HP1γ. Strikingly, HP1γ was found to be crucial for regulating nearly all sexually dimorphic autosomal gene expression because deletion of the HP1γ gene in males abolished sex differences in autosomal gene expression. The identification of a key epigenetic modifier as central in defining gene expression differences between males and females has important implications for understanding physiological sex differences and sex bias in disease.

Abstract P787: Sexually Dimorphic Gene Expression Molecular Correlates of Improvement in Human Ischemic Stroke

Stroke ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 52 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hajar Amini ◽  
Bodie Knepp ◽  
Heather Hull ◽  
Paulina Carmona-Mora ◽  
Marisa Hakoupian ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Risk Factors ◽  
Protein Synthesis ◽  
Sex Differences ◽  
Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Major Protein ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Stroke Outcome ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Dimorphic Gene Expression

Objective: Ischemic stroke (IS) is sexually dimorphic for risk factors, age, heritability, causes, treatment, and outcome. We identified transcriptional correlates with 90-day outcome that differed between male and female IS subjects. Methods: RNA from 72 samples from 2 peripheral blood draws (at ≤3 and 24h post IS onset) was analyzed on Affymetrix U133 Plus 2 microarrays. These represented samples from 36 CLEAR trial IS patients treated with tPA with or without eptifibatide after the first blood sample within 3 hours of stroke onset. Changes in gene expression levels (deltaGE) between 3h and 24h were calculated and the association with percent NIH Stroke Scale (NIHSS) improvement from 3h to 90 days (% Improvement) examined. We used mixed-effects linear regression, including Treatment, Age, Sex, Vascular Risk Factors, 3h NIHSS, % Improvement, and a Sex * % Improvement interaction. Sex differences in association of gene expression with % Improvement were determined by examining the Sex * % Improvement interaction term, p<0.005 was considered statistically significant. Results: 577 genes correlated differently with % Improvement in IS males and females. These included matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), which play a major role in BBB dysfunction and outcomes post IS. MMP11 , MMP14 and MM17 correlated with % Improvement in opposite direction in males and females. Inflammatory genes like IL-27 , implicated in infarct volume and stroke outcome, and ABC transporters ( ABCC9 ) also had opposite correlation with % Improvement in males and females. Calmodulin 1 ( CAML1 ) was also sexually dimorphic, and a SNP in CALM1 has been implicated in IS risk and blood coagulation in female IS patients. EIF2 signaling, a major protein synthesis pathway was activated in males (adj. p = 1e-8), while suppressed in females (adj. p value = 1e-9). Protein synthesis and associated unfolded protein response cascade have previously been implicated in stroke outcome. Conclusions: The identified sexually dimorphic gene expression associated with 90-day improvement might relate to sex differences in blood immune and clotting pathways. The findings expand our understanding of the genomic underpinnings associated with stroke outcome and may serve as potential sex-specific treatment targets.

scholarly journals Assessment of Epigenetic Contributions to Sexually-Dimorphic Kiss1 Expression in the Anteroventral Periventricular Nucleus of Mice

Endocrinology ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 153 (4) ◽  
pp. 1875-1886 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sheila J. Semaan ◽  
Sangeeta Dhamija ◽  
Joshua Kim ◽  
Eric C. Ku ◽  
Alexander S. Kauffman
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Sex Difference ◽  
Cell Number ◽  
Cpg Methylation ◽  
Histone Deacetylation ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Transcriptional Repressors ◽  
Pharmacological Blockade ◽  
In Silico Identification ◽  
Males And Females

The Kiss1 gene, which encodes kisspeptin and is critical for reproduction, is sexually differentiated in the hypothalamic anteroventral periventricular (AVPV)/rostral periventricular (PeN) nuclei. Specifically, female rodents have higher AVPV/PeN Kiss1 expression than males, but how this Kiss1 sex difference is induced in early development is poorly understood. Here, we explored the contribution of epigenetic mechanisms to the establishment of the AVPV/PeN Kiss1 sex difference, focusing on histone deacetylation and DNA methylation. First, we utilized postnatal pharmacological blockade of histone deacetylation and analyzed Kiss1 expression in the AVPV/PeN. Postnatal disruption of histone deacetylase modestly increased AVPV Kiss1 cell number in both sexes but did not alter the Kiss1 sex difference. Next, we assessed whether the level of CpG methylation, which can influence transcription factor binding and gene expression, in the murine Kiss1 gene differs between males and females. We found significant sex differences in methylation at several CpG sites in the putative promoter and first intron of the Kiss1 gene in the AVPV/PeN, but not in the arcuate (which lacks adult Kiss1 sex differences), suggesting that differential methylation of the Kiss1 gene may influence sexually-dimorphic Kiss1 expression in the AVPV/PeN. Transgenic impairment of methyl CpG-binding protein-2 function did not eliminate the Kiss1 sex difference, indicating that other methylation factors are involved. Interestingly, CpG methylation in the AVPV/PeN was lower in males than females, suggesting that transcriptional repressors may contribute to the AVPV/PeN Kiss1 sex difference, a possibility supported by in silico identification of putative repressor binding sites near some of the sexually-dimorphic CpG.

scholarly journals Sexually dimorphic myeloid inflammatory and metabolic responses to diet-induced obesity

2016 ◽  
Vol 311 (2) ◽  
pp. R211-R216 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Griffin ◽  
N. Lanzetta ◽  
L. Eter ◽  
K. Singer
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Animal Studies ◽  
Inflammatory Responses ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Reproductive Age ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Metabolic Dysfunction ◽  
Diet Induced Obesity ◽  
Dietary Obesity ◽  
Males And Females

It is well known in clinical and animal studies that women and men have different disease risk as well as different disease physiology. Women of reproductive age are protected from metabolic and cardiovascular disease compared with postmenopausal women and men. Most murine studies are skewed toward the use of male mice to study obesity-induced metabolic dysfunction because of similar protection in female mice. We have investigated dietary obesity in a mouse model and have directly compared inflammatory responses in males and females. In this review we will summarize what is known about sex differences in diet-induced inflammation and will summarize our data on this topic. It is clear that sex differences in high-fat diet-induced inflammatory activation are due to cell intrinsic differences in hematopoietic responses to obesogenic cues, but further research is needed to understand what leads to sexually dimorphic responses.

Singing, allogrooming, and allomarking behaviour during inter- and intra-sexual encounters in the Neotropical short-tailed singing mouse (Scotinomys teguina)

Behaviour ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 148 (8) ◽  
pp. 945-965 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.M. Phelps ◽  
Z. Tang-Martínez ◽  
M. Fernández-Vargas
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Sebaceous Gland ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Reproductive Condition ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Opposite Sex ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Neotropical Rodent ◽  
Spontaneous Singing ◽  
Male Subjects

AbstractIn this study we determine whether brief interactions with unfamiliar conspecifics stimulate audible singing behaviour in the Neotropical short-tailed singing mouse (Scotinomys teguina). Specifically, we examine whether intra- or inter-sexual interactions elicit singing in males in a neutral-arena design. We conducted two experiments. In experiment 1, we recorded singing behaviour of male subjects both before and after a brief exposure to a female mouse. Males significantly increased their singing behaviour after the exposure to the female, as compared to prior to the exposure. In experiment 2, we compared the singing behaviour of male test subjects after a brief exposure with one of three different treatment animals: a male, a non-oestrous female and an oestrous female. We found that males are most likely to sing after an interaction with a female, regardless of her reproductive condition. Male subjects sang significantly less following an interaction with another male. Although spontaneous singing is known to occur in males and females, opposite sex elicited-singing behaviour was found to be sexually dimorphic. An interaction with a male was not effective in eliciting singing in females. In experiment 2, we also recorded incidences of allogrooming and allomarking by males during the interactions with males, non-oestrous females, and oestrous females. Male allogrooming and allomarking behaviours using the mid-ventral sebaceous gland tend to occur more frequently during interactions with females as compared to males, but were significantly different only in the case of allogrooming. Thus, this study clearly suggests sex differences in singing, allogrooming and allomarking, and a likely relationship between these behaviours and courtship in this Neotropical rodent.

scholarly journals Different Patterns of Parental Effort During Chick-Rearing by Female and Male Thick-Billed Murres (Uria Lomvia) at a Low-Arctic Colony

The Auk ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 119 (4) ◽  
pp. 1064-1074 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian L. Jones ◽  
Sherrylynn Rowe ◽  
Steve M. Carr ◽  
Gail Fraser ◽  
Philip Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Radio Telemetry ◽  
Breeding Site ◽  
Dive Duration ◽  
Uria Lomvia ◽  
Breeding Sites ◽  
Parental Roles ◽  
Daubed Shanny ◽  
Daily Frequency ◽  
Low Arctic ◽  
Intercolony Variation

Abstract Using temperature loggers and radio telemetry, foraging and brooding behaviors of female and male Thick-billed Murres (Uria lomvia) were measured during chick rearing at the Gannet Islands, Labrador, to quantify parental roles during this crucial stage of reproduction. We recorded 2,725 foraging dives by 10 females and 7 males during 1,416 bird-hours of monitoring. Our study birds made between 21 and 107 dives per day between 0327 and 2220 hours, with 54% of females' dives and <1% of males' dives occurring in conditions of low illumination between sunset and sunrise. Males foraged mostly at midday and, overall, made longer and presumably deeper dives (mean duration 116.2 ± 37.6 s) than females (mean duration 84.1 ± 46.0 s). The maximum dive duration recorded was 240 s. Final dives of foraging trips were inferred to include dives during which chick meals (∼95% by number daubed shanny [Lumpenus maculatus]) were obtained. Those dives (mean duration 134.0 ± 36.1 s) and dives in final diving bouts prior to return to the breeding site (mean duration 139.1 ± 40.2 s) averaged longer than other dives, and longer in males than in females, but there was no difference between the sexes in their daily frequency. The modal travel time from the last dive in a feeding trip to arrival at the breeding site was 8 min (no difference between sexes), which represents a maximum travel distance at 65 km h−1 of 8.7 km, suggesting that foraging occurred close to the colony. Females spent 9 h day−1 (38% of day, mostly diurnal brooding) at breeding sites whereas males spent 16 h (67% of day, mostly nocturnal brooding). Taken together, these data indicated drastic differences in patterns of foraging and brooding behavior between male and female Thick-billed Murres, but suggest that individual and intercolony variation were also significant.

scholarly journals Sex Difference in Self-Reported Sexual Functioning Among Frail Older Adults

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 313-313
Author(s):  
Brianne Olivieri-Mui ◽  
Sandra Shi ◽  
Ellen McCarthy ◽  
Dae Kim
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Logistic Regression ◽  
Sex Differences ◽  
Sexual Function ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Sexual Functioning ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Males And Females

Abstract Frailty may differentially impact how older adult males and females perceive sexual functioning, an important part of well-being. We assessed the level of frailty (robust, pre-frail, frail) for anyone with data on 11 sexual functioning questions asked in wave 2 of the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project, 2010-2011 (n=2060). Questions covered five domains: overall sexual function (OSF), sexual function anxiety (SFA), changes in sexual function (CSF), erectile/vaginal dysfunction (EVD), and masturbation. Logistic regression identified sex differences in frailty and reporting worse sexual functioning. Linear regression predicted the number of domains reported as worse. Among males (n=1057), pre-frailty meant higher odds of reporting SFA (OR 1.8 95%CI 1.2-6.6), CSF (OR 1.7 95%CI 1.1-2.7), and EVD (OR 1.5 95%CI 1.0-2.2). Among females (n=1003), there was no difference in reporting by frailty. Females were more likely to report worse OSF (Robust: OR 7.4, 95%CI 4.8-11.4; Pre-frail: OR 6.2, 95%CI 3.9-9.9; Frail: OR 3.4 95%CI 1.7-6.6), but less likely to report SFA (Robust OR .3, 95%CI .2-.5; Pre-frail OR .2, 95%CI .1-.3; Frail OR .2 95%CI .1-.3). Pre-frail and frail females reported fewer domains as worse (Pre-frail coefficient -0.21 SE 0.09, Frail -0.43 SE 0.14). As frailty worsened, males reported more domains as worse (Pre-frail 0.24 SE 0.07, Frail 0.29 SE 0.08). Self-reported sexual functioning differs by sex at all levels of frailty, and reporting by males, but not females, changes with frailty. Providers should be aware that sexual functioning is of importance to both sexes despite varying degrees of frailty.

scholarly journals Investigating the reliability and sex differences of digit lengths, ratios, and hand measures in infants

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Luisa Ernsten ◽  
Lisa M. Körner ◽  
Martin Heil ◽  
Gareth Richards ◽  
Nora K. Schaal
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Measurement Techniques ◽  
Directional Asymmetry ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Digit Ratios ◽  
Androgen Exposure ◽  
Prenatal Androgen Exposure ◽  
Test Retest Reliability ◽  
Prenatal Androgen

AbstractHands and digits tend to be sexually dimorphic and may reflect prenatal androgen exposure. In the past years, the literature introduced several hand and digit measures, but there is a lack of studies in prepubertal cohorts. The available literature reports more heterogeneous findings in prepubertal compared to postpubertal cohorts. The comparability of the available studies is further limited by the study design and different measurement techniques. The present study compared the reliability and sex differences of available hand and digit measures, namely digit lengths of 2D, 3D, 4D, 5D, digit ratios 2D:4D, 2D:5D, 3D:4D, 3D:5D, 4D:5D, relative digit lengths rel2, rel3, rel4, rel5, directional asymmetry of right and left 2D:4D (Dr-l), hand width, length, and index of 399 male and 364 female 6-month-old German infants within one study using only indirect and computer-assisted measurements. The inter-examiner reliability was excellent while the test-retest reliability of hand scans was only moderate to high. Boys exhibited longer digits as well as wider and longer hands than girls, but smaller digit ratios, with ratios comprising the fifth digit revealing the largest effect sizes. Other hand and digit ratios revealed sex differences to some extent. The findings promote the assumption of sexual dimorphic hand and digit measures. However, by comparing the results of the available literature, there remains an uncertainty regarding the underlying hypothesis. Specifically in prepubertal cohorts, i.e. before the influence of fluctuating hormones, significant effects should be expected. It seems like other factors than the influence of prenatal androgens contribute to the sexual dimorphism in hand and digit lengths.

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