Social behaviour, call repertory and variation in the calls of the pool frog, Rana lessonae (Anura: Ranidae)

1988 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 329-351 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans Schneider ◽  
Nasr Mahmoud Mohamad Radwan
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Water Temperature ◽  
Repetition Rate ◽  
Reproductive Period ◽  
The Body ◽  
West Germany ◽  
Male Body ◽  
Large Size ◽  
Mating Call ◽  
Rana Lessonae

AbstractAt a pond in Kottenforst, Bonn, West Germany, the calling period of the water frog Rana lessonae began on the first of May and ended by the end of June, 1983. The population is of the mixed type: 80-85 % of the individuals are classified as R. lessonae, the rest as R. esculenta. The reproductive period is subdivided into 3 successive phases: pre-spawning, spawning and post-spawning. Various exogenous factors, such as temperature, rainfall and sunlight, influence the reproductive period, and they particularly affect calling activity. The male frogs do not produce mating calls when the water temperature is below 14°C, or above 26°C. Female frogs prefer sunny places in the water during the spawning phase. Sexual activity is more intense in male R. lessonae than in male R. esculenta. Medium- and large-size male R. lessonae are more successful than small males in choosing suitable territories and in maintaining of amplexus with females. Male R. lessonae give four basic types of calls-mating call, two territorial calls and release call-and in addition two transitional calls. The basic types are given throughout the calling period, whereas the transitional calls are not. An increase in water temperature induces a decrease in call duration, intercall interval and pulse-group duration of the mating call. On the other hand, the frequencies and the repetition rate of the pulse groups are raised. Similarly, the duration of both territorial calls decreases at higher water temperatures, whereas their dominant frequencies are subjected to a notable increase. Body size has a prominent effect on the mating call. The number of pulses per pulse group and the different frequencies of the call decrease with increasing male body length. The lower pitch in the mating call produced by medium- and large-size males is assumed to play a role in their mating-success. The repetition rate of pulses and the dominant frequency in the territorial calls decrease as the body size of the frogs increases.

Annual variations in body-size spectra of planktonic ciliate communities and their relationships to environmental conditions: a case study in Jiaozhou Bay, northern China

2012 ◽  
Vol 93 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henglong Xu ◽  
Yong Jiang ◽  
Wei Zhang ◽  
Mingzhuang Zhu ◽  
Khaled A. S. Al-Rasheid ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Water Temperature ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Jiaozhou Bay ◽  
Northern China ◽  
The Body ◽  
The Yellow Sea ◽  
Size Spectra ◽  
Annual Variations ◽  
Planktonic Ciliate

The annual variations in body-size spectra of planktonic ciliate communities and their relationships to environmental conditions were studied based on a 12-month dataset (June 2007 to May 2008) from Jiaozhou Bay on the Yellow Sea coast of northern China. Based on the dataset, the body sizes of the ciliates, expressed as equivalent spherical diameters, included five ranks: S1 (5–35 μm); S2 (35–55 μm); S3 (55–75 μm); S4 (75–100 μm); and S5 (100–350 μm). These body-size ranks showed a clear temporal succession of dominance in the order of S2 (January–April) → S1 (May–July) → S4 (August–September) → S3 (October–December). Multivariate analyses showed that the temporal variations in their body-size patterns were significantly correlated with changes in environmental conditions, especially water temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen concentration (DO) and nutrients. In terms of abundance, rank S2 was significantly correlated with water temperature, DO and nutrients, whereas ranks S4 and S5 were correlated with the salinity and nutrients respectively (P < 0.05). These results suggest that the body-size patterns of planktonic ciliate communities showed a clear temporal pattern during an annual cycle and significantly associated with environmental conditions in marine ecosystems.

Phylogeny explains better than ecology or body size the variation of the first lower molar in didelphid marsupials

Mammalia ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 81 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Luíza Z. Magnus ◽  
Nilton Cáceres
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Phylogenetic Relationship ◽  
Phylogenetic Signal ◽  
The Body ◽  
Male Body ◽  
Environmental Pressures ◽  
Geometric Morphometric ◽  
Morphometric Analyses ◽  
Lower Molar ◽  
Better Than

AbstractTribosphenic molars are considered great innovations in mammals and are related to several structures and variables that can explain adaptation. The aim of this study was to investigate the importance of body size and habitat relation, using a phylogenetic approach, in the first lower molar shape in didelphid marsupials. Geometric morphometric analyses of the lower molar’s shape were performed on 261 specimens, 130 females and 131 males, covering 14 genera and 37 species of the Didelphidae family. The molar conformation showed a larger talonid in relation to the trigonid in more arboreal genera, and narrower and longer molars in genera with a larger body size. Phylogeny was the variable with the highest explanation for both females and males (16.17% and 9.02%, respectively). The body size was significant in males, presenting an important influence on molar shape, while the body size in females was not significant when phylogenetic relationship was controlled for. In both sexes, habitat presents a strong effect of phylogeny, with no direct effect on molar shape. Didelphid molar shape is another result of its phylogenetic history and does not respond very much to environmental pressures. Male body size influences molar shape in didelphids, even in the presence of a strong phylogenetic signal.

scholarly journals Genetic manipulation of insulin/insulin-like growth factor signaling pathway activity has sex-biased effects on Drosophila body size

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason W Millington ◽  
George P Brownrigg ◽  
Paige J Basner-Collins ◽  
Ziwei Sun ◽  
Elizabeth J Rideout
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Growth Factor ◽  
Signaling Pathway ◽  
The Body ◽  
Growth Factor Signaling ◽  
Insulin Like Growth Factor ◽  
Male Body ◽  
Pathway Activity ◽  
Specific Regulation ◽  
Growth Factor Signaling Pathway

Abstract In Drosophila raised in nutrient-rich conditions female body size is approximately 30% larger than male body size due to an increased rate of growth and differential weight loss during the larval period. While the mechanisms that control this sex difference in body size remain incompletely understood, recent studies suggest that the insulin/insulin-like growth factor signaling pathway (IIS) plays a role in the sex-specific regulation of processes that influence body size during development. In larvae, IIS activity differs between the sexes, and there is evidence of sex-specific regulation of IIS ligands. Yet, we lack knowledge of how changes to IIS activity impact body size in each sex, as the majority of studies on IIS and body size use single- or mixed-sex groups of larvae and/or adult flies. The goal of our current study was to clarify the body size requirement for IIS activity in each sex. To achieve this goal we used established genetic approaches to enhance, or inhibit, IIS activity, and quantified pupal size in males and females. Overall, genotypes that inhibited IIS activity caused a female-biased decrease in body size, whereas genotypes that augmented IIS activity caused a male-specific increase in body size. This data extends our current understanding of body size regulation by showing that most changes to IIS pathway activity have sex-biased effects, and highlights the importance of analyzing body size data according to sex.

scholarly journals The growth factor BMP11 is required for the development and evolution of a male exaggerated weapon and its associated fighting behavior in a water strider

PLoS Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (5) ◽  
pp. e3001157
Author(s):  
William Toubiana ◽  
David Armisén ◽  
Séverine Viala ◽  
Amélie Decaras ◽  
Abderrahman Khila
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Growth Factor ◽  
The Body ◽  
Specific Factor ◽  
Male Body ◽  
Water Strider ◽  
Fighting Behavior ◽  
Sexually Selected Traits ◽  
Morphogenetic Protein ◽  
Selected Traits

Exaggerated sexually selected traits, often carried by males, are characterized by the evolution of hyperallometry, resulting in their disproportionate growth relative to the rest of the body among individuals of the same population. While the evolution of allometry has attracted much attention for centuries, our understanding of the developmental genetic mechanisms underlying its emergence remains fragmented. Here we conduct comparative transcriptomics of the legs followed by an RNA interference (RNAi) screen to identify genes that play a role in the hyperallometric growth of the third legs in the males of the water strider Microvelia longipes. We demonstrate that a broadly expressed growth factor, Bone Morphogenetic Protein 11 (BMP11, also known as Growth Differentiation Factor 11), regulates leg allometries through increasing the allometric slope and mean body size in males. In contrast, BMP11 RNAi reduced mean body size but did not affect slope either in the females of M. longipes or in the males and females of other closely related Microvelia species. Furthermore, our data show that a tissue-specific factor, Ultrabithorax (Ubx), increases intercept without affecting mean body size. This indicates a genetic correlation between mean body size and variation in allometric slope, but not intercept. Strikingly, males treated with BMP11 RNAi exhibited a severe reduction in fighting frequency compared to both controls and Ubx RNAi-treated males. Therefore, male body size, the exaggerated weapon, and the intense fighting behavior associated with it are genetically correlated in M. longipes. Our results support a possible role of pleiotropy in the evolution of allometric slope.

scholarly journals Allometry and morphological trait relationship in the sexually dimorphic Chinese dobsonfly, Acanthacorydalis asiatica (Wood-Mason, 1884) (Megaloptera, Corydalidae)

ZooKeys ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 854 ◽  
pp. 119-129
Author(s):  
Chengquan Cao ◽  
Pei Yu ◽  
Fumio Hayashi
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Male Genitalia ◽  
Wing Length ◽  
The Body ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Male Body ◽  
Male Body Size ◽  
Intermediate Size ◽  
Mandible Length ◽  
Dimorphic Species

Male insects with large weapons such as horns and elongate mandibles would be expected to invest more on such structures than other parts of the body for advantages in male to male competition for mating. In male genitalia, however, intermediate size provides a better fit for more females than small or large sizes, and such a male would leave more offspring regardless of their body size. These predictions were tested using a static allometry analysis between body size and other trait sizes. Acanthacorydalisasiatica is a large dobsonfly (Megalotera) and males have conspicuously large mandibles used as weapons. We examined the hypothesis that the male mandibles of this sexually dimorphic species are sexually selected to enlarge, whereas the male genitalia are stable to be intermediate regardless of a great variation in body size. The results, as predicted, showed positive allometry between male body size and mandible length but negative allometry between male body size and ectoproct length (a male grasping structure). Sperm are transferred through a small spermatophore attached externally to the female genital opening, so it may be evolutionarily unnecessary to develop an enlarged male genital size. In contrast, there may be a trade-off between male mandible size and wing length, because of negative allometry between body size and wing length in males but isometry between them in females.

Male body size and parental relatedness but not nuptial colouration influence paternity success during scramble competition in Rana arvalis

Behaviour ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 151 (12-13) ◽  
pp. 1869-1884 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna M. Rausch ◽  
Marc Sztatecsny ◽  
Robert Jehle ◽  
Eva Ringler ◽  
Walter Hödl
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Genetic Relatedness ◽  
Female Mate Choice ◽  
Reproductive Period ◽  
Scramble Competition ◽  
Male Reproductive Success ◽  
Male Body ◽  
Rana Arvalis ◽  
Secondary Sexual Traits ◽  
Paternity Success

Female mate choice promotes the development of male secondary sexual traits such as nuptial colouration, whereas scramble competition favours male traits which enhance their ability for access to females. In the explosively breeding moor frog (Rana arvalis), males express a conspicuous blue colouration during a short reproductive period characterised by scramble competition. In the present study we used controlled mating experiments and genetic markers to disentangle the effects of colouration, body size and pairwise genetic relatedness in determining paternity success. Males observed in amplexus with a female prior to spawning were larger than their competitors but did not differ from them in colouration. Polyandry occurred in 67% of the 18 analysed egg clutches, and amplecting males did not always achieve the highest siring success, most likely due to stray sperm. Successful mating pairs were characterised by higher genetic divergence between them than expected by chance. We confirm previous evidence that male nuptial colouration is not a trait selected by females, and provide evidence that male reproductive success is influenced by male size as well as genetic attributes.

scholarly journals Research Progress on the Relationship between Obesity-Inflammation-Aromatase Axis and Male Infertility

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Liu Yuxin ◽  
Lin Chen ◽  
Luo Xiaoxia ◽  
Luo Yue ◽  
Lai Junjie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Adipose Tissue ◽  
The Body ◽  
High Expression ◽  
Research Progress ◽  
Male Body ◽  
Gene Encoding ◽  
Large Size ◽  
Cyp19 Gene ◽  
Key Enzyme ◽  
The Relationship

Aromatase is a key enzyme in the transformation of androgen into estrogen. Its high expression will destroy the hormonal balance in the male body, and the excessive transformation of androgen into estrogen in the body will further damage the spermatogenic function of the testis, affect the normal development of the sperm, and cause spermatogenic disturbance. Adipose tissue has a high expression of aromatase and shows high enzymatic activity and ability to convert estrogen. Adipose tissue is the most estrogen-producing nongonadal tissue in the body because of its large size, accounting for about 20% of the body mass in healthy adults. PPARγ is recognized as the key adipose differentiation in the transcriptional regulation of the transcription factor. In the process of adipocyte differentiation, PPARγ regulate the expression of aromatase. The increase of aromatase is associated with the inflammatory response in adipose tissue caused by obesity. After obesity, the increase of proinflammatory factors in adipocytes will lead to enhanced transcription of the CYP19 gene encoding aromatase in adipocytes, which in turn will lead to increased expression of aromatase in adipocytes. This article reviews the regulation of male sterility from the angle of the “obesity-inflammation-aromatase” axis.

scholarly journals The allometry between secondary sexual traits and body size is nonlinear among cervids

2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 20130869 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. F. Lemaître ◽  
C. Vanpé ◽  
F. Plard ◽  
J. M. Gaillard
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Life History Theory ◽  
Male Body ◽  
Allometric Relationships ◽  
Secondary Sexual Traits ◽  
Sexually Selected Traits ◽  
Large Size ◽  
Antler Size ◽  
Selected Traits

Allometric relationships between sexually selected traits and body size have been extensively studied in recent decades. While sexually selected traits generally display positive allometry, a few recent reports have suggested that allometric relationships are not always linear. In male cervids, having both long antlers and large size provides benefits in terms of increased mating success. However, such attributes are costly to grow and maintain, and these costs might constrain antler length from increasing at the same rate as body mass in larger species if the quantity of energy that males can extract from their environment is limiting. We tested for possible nonlinearity in the relationship between antler size and body mass (on a log–log scale) among 31 cervids and found clear deviation from linearity in the allometry of antler length. Antler length increased linearly until a male body mass threshold at approximately 110 kg. Beyond this threshold, antler length did not change with increasing mass. We discuss this evidence of nonlinear allometry in the light of life-history theory and stress the importance of testing for nonlinearity when studying allometric relationships.

scholarly journals Physical characteristics and reproductive performance in Aedes (Diptera: Culicidae)

2016 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 323 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Dieng ◽  
F. Abang ◽  
A.H. Ahmad ◽  
I. Abd Ghani ◽  
T. Satho ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Egg Production ◽  
Hatching Success ◽  
Physical Factor ◽  
The Body ◽  
Male Body ◽  
Egg Viability ◽  
Crucial Importance ◽  
Population Maintenance ◽  
Dengue Vectors

Body size is a physical factor of crucial importance underlying important traits of the reproductive dynamics of both sexes in mosquitoes. Most studies on the influence of body size in mating success of dengue vectors addressed sperm transfer to females and did not consider egg production, a prerequisite for population maintenance; male body size impact on reproduction has attracted little research interest with respect to sterile insect technique. In experiments involving differently sized adults, we examined whether the body size of the mates is a source of variation in reproductive outcome in <em>Aedes aegypti</em>. In the absence of male partners, large females (LF) showed better fecundity than small females (SF). In intraclass mating trials, egg production was much greater in largesized than smallsized pairs. There were comparable fecundities in large females mated with small males and large pairs. [SF•SM] and [SF•LM] pairs showed equivalent fecundity. Nonmating did not result in the production of viable eggs by either small or large females. We also observed that eggs produced by largesized females mated with small males had better hatching success than those from either small or large pairs. Mating between small females and large males resulted in poor egg viability.

scholarly journals Pleiotropy promotes male exaggerated weapon and its associated fighting behaviour in a water strider

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
William Toubiana ◽  
David Armisén ◽  
Decaras Amélie ◽  
Abderrahman Khila
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Genetic Correlation ◽  
The Body ◽  
Specific Factor ◽  
Male Body ◽  
Water Strider ◽  
Sexually Selected Traits ◽  
Morphogenetic Protein ◽  
Selected Traits ◽  
Fighting Behaviour

AbstractExaggerated sexually selected traits, often carried by males, are characterized by the evolution of hyperallometry, resulting in their disproportionate growth relative to the rest of the body 1–3. While the evolution of allometry has attracted much attention for centuries, our understanding of the developmental genetic mechanisms underlying its emergence remains fragmented 4,5. Here we show that the hyperallometric legs in the males of the water strider Microvelia longipes are associated with a specific signature of gene expression during development. Using RNAi knockdown, we demonstrate that a broadly expressed growth factor, Bone Morphogenetic Protein 11 (BMP11, also known as Growth Differentiation Factor 11), regulates leg allometries through increasing the allometric coefficient and mean body size in males. In contrast, BMP11 RNAi reduced mean body size but did not affect slope in females. Furthermore, our data show that a tissue specific factor, Ultrabithorax (Ubx), increases intercept without affecting mean body size. This indicates a genetic correlation between mean body size and variation in allometric slope, but not intercept. Strikingly, males treated with BMP11 RNAi exhibited a severe reduction in fighting frequency compared to both controls and Ubx RNAi-treated males. Overall, we demonstrate a genetic correlation between male body size, the exaggerated weapon, and the intense fighting behaviour associated with it in M. longipes. Our results provide evidence for a role of pleiotropy in the evolution of allometric slope.

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