scholarly journals Brooding and provisioning of nestlings by male and female White-eyed Vireos (Vireo griseus)

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-32
Author(s):  
Gary Ritchison ◽  
Jeffrey A Hawkins ◽  
Brianna C Ritchison
Keyword(s):  
Interspecific Variation ◽  
Biparental Care ◽  
East Central ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Adult Behavior ◽  
Extra Pair Paternity ◽  
Nest Sites ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Vireo Griseus ◽  
Limit Energy

Most species of songbirds exhibit biparental care, but, for many taxa and species, little is known about the relative contributions of males and females in brooding and provisioning nestlings. Additional studies of the contributions of males and females in brooding and feeding nestlings are needed to better understand the respective roles of males and females as well as the factors that might contribute to interspecific variation in those roles. We examined the roles of adult male and female White-eyed Vireos ( Vireo griseus) in brooding and provisioning nestlings in east-central Kentucky during the 1996 breeding season. Nests were located by monitoring adult behavior and checking likely nest sites. Once eggs hatched, nests were video-recorded to monitor the behavior of adults. Subsequent review of videos revealed that both male and female White-eyed Vireos brooded young and that males provisioned nestlings at higher rates than females. In contrast to males in many other species of songbirds, male White-eyed Vireos assisted in brooding young and provisioned nestlings at higher rates than their mates. One possible explanation for this is that low rates of extra-pair paternity might increase male confidence of their paternity status. Parental care provided by male White-eyed Vireos may also limit energy expenditure by their mates and increase the likelihood of females re-nesting if nests are predated or initiating second nesting attempts if initial attempts are successful.

scholarly journals Behavioral and Endocrine Alterations to Partner Interactions and Offspring Care during Periods of Conflict

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy Paciorek ◽  
Leese Joseph
Keyword(s):  
Pair Bond ◽  
Biparental Care ◽  
Resident Male ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Pair Bonds ◽  
Convict Cichlids ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Cortisol Levels ◽  
Endocrine Alterations

Abstract Biparental care has evolved to ensure successful rearing of offspring. However, separation during periods of care can lead to conflicts that might negatively impact pair bonds and offspring care. In this study, pair-bonded convict cichlids (Amatitlania nigrofasciata) were observed for changes in behavior toward their partners and offspring before and after a period of separation. Males and females were designated either as a Resident (remain with offspring) or Removed (separated from partner and offspring for 5 days) individual. Behaviors between partners and toward offspring were measured before and after separation, and compared to the levels of behavior of control pairs (never separated), as well as individuals introduced to a novel partner instead. Cortisol levels of Resident male and female A. nigrofasciata were assayed using water-borne hormone collection before and after separation. Aggression between pair bond members did increase following reintroduction, but did not lead to the termination of pair bonds. Resident females showed more aggression to novel partners than Resident males. Offspring care decreased in both Resident and Removed females. Experimental pairs decreased the amount of time spent interacting with intruders. Cortisol levels were significantly higher among experimental pairs compared with control pairs that did not experience a separation. Females (both control and experimental) showed small, yet significant increases in cortisol levels, while both control and experimental males did not. These results suggest that while pair bonds appear resilient, prolonged separations influence pair bond and parental care dynamics, both behaviorally and hormonally, and require pairs to re-establish roles, resulting in less time caring for offspring.

Differences in parental contribution among pair types in the polymorphic White-throated Sparrow

1983 ◽  
Vol 61 (6) ◽  
pp. 1288-1292 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. W. Knapton ◽  
J. B. Falls
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Strategies ◽  
Biparental Care ◽  
Zonotrichia Albicollis ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Parental Contribution ◽  
Female Pair ◽  
Males And Females

We compared relative contributions to nestlings between male and female parents among different pair types in the White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis). The amount of parental contribution between the two main pair types, white-striped (WS) male × tan-striped (TS) female and TS male × WS female, did not differ. However, we found that (a) pairs consisting of TS males and WS females showed biparental care in which the partners made approximately equal investment in feeding nestlings; (b) males of WS male × TS female pair types contributed far less than the female, and far less than a TS male; (c) in WS pairs, males and females contributed about the same as did WS birds in mixed pairings; and (d) secondary TS females nested in territories of already paired WS males, and these females raised young unassisted by a male. We suggest explanations for these differences in contribution to nestlings between the sexes and between morphs, and we discuss optimal reproductive strategies for each sex and morph.

Plumage Colouration and the Provisioning Behaviour of Male and Female Eastern Phoebes

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 164-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Ian Horn ◽  
Gary Ritchison
Keyword(s):  
Selective Advantage ◽  
Good Genes ◽  
Plumage Colour ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Mate Quality ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Nest Sites ◽  
Male Plumage ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Provisioning Behaviour

Many factors, including nestling age, brood size, and mate quality, can influence the provisioning behaviour of adult birds. Mate quality may affect provisioning behaviour because high-quality individuals may be ‘good parents’ and provision at higher rates. Alternatively, individuals paired to high-quality mates may provision at higher rates because the benefits provided by such mates ( e.g. good genes) increase the likelihood of reproductive success. We examined variation in the plumage colour of male and female Eastern Phoebes ( Sayornis phoebe) and the possible relationship between such variation and provisioning behaviour. During the 2006–2007 breeding seasons, we captured, banded, and measured adult Eastern Phoebes and collected belly feathers for spectral analyses. We also videotaped nests to quantify provisioning behaviour. Male Eastern Phoebes were larger than females, but the plumage (belly feathers) of males and females did not differ in brightness, hue, and carotenoid chroma (all P ≥ 0.37). Females provisioned nestlings at higher rates than males ( P = 0.009), but we found no significant relationship between provisioning rates of males and females and plumage colour. However, relationships between female provisioning rates and the brightness and carotenoid chroma of their mates’ belly feathers approached significance ( P ≤ 0.08). The larger size of male Eastern Phoebes suggests there is male–male competition for access to resources ( e.g. nest sites and mates), with larger size conferring a selective advantage. However, the absence of intersexual differences in plumage colour suggests limited sexual selection driven by female choice for extra-pair partners. Differences in provisioning rates of males and females may be due to male uncertainty of paternity status or to intersexual differences in foraging behaviour. The relationship between female provisioning rates and male plumage quality suggests that females may invest more in reproduction if male Eastern Phoebes with brighter, carotenoid-rich belly plumage are better able to provide quality nest sites and territories or, perhaps, high-quality genes that can potentially enhance female fitness (differential-allocation hypothesis).

The Effects of the sphragis on male and female genitalia in Acraea (Nymphalidae) butterflies

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shannon L Summers ◽  
Akito Y Kawahara ◽  
Ana P. S. Carvalho
Keyword(s):  
Interspecific Variation ◽  
Sperm Storage ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Museum Collections ◽  
Storage Organ ◽  
Mating Plug ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Comparison And Analysis ◽  
Imagej Software ◽  
Sexually Antagonistic Coevolution

Male mating plugs have been used in many species to prevent female re-mating and sperm competition. One of the most extreme examples of a mating plug is the sphragis, which is a large, complex and externalized plug found only in butterflies. This structure is found in many species in the genus Acraea (Nymphalidae) and provides an opportunity for investigation of the effects of the sphragis on the morphology of the genitalia, which is poorly understood. This study aims to understand morphological interspecific variation in the genitalia of Acraea butterflies. Using specimens from museum collections, abdomen dissections were conducted on 19 species of Acraea: 9 sphragis bearing and 10 non-sphragis bearing species. Genitalia imaging was performed for easier comparison and analysis and measurements of genitalia structures was done using ImageJ software. Some distinguishing morphological features in the females were found. The most obvious difference is the larger and more externalized copulatory opening in sphragis bearing species, with varying degrees of external projections. Females of the sphragis bearing species also tend to have a shorter ductus (the structure that connects the copulatory opening with the sperm storage organ) than those without the sphragis. These differences may be due to a sexually antagonistic coevolution between the males and females, where the females evolve larger and more difficult to plug copulatory openings and the males attempt to prevent re-mating with the sphragis.

GONADOTROPHIN PATTERNS IN MALE AND FEMALE RATS:

1968 ◽  
Vol 58 (4) ◽  
pp. 600-612 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Boyd ◽  
Donald C. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Ascorbic Acid ◽  
Testosterone Propionate ◽  
Female Rats ◽  
Female Rat ◽  
Feedback Effects ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Prostate Weight ◽  
Male And Female Rats ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Normal Males

ABSTRACT The effects of various doses of testosterone propionate (TP) upon the release of luteinizing hormone (LH or ICSH) from the hypophysis of a gonadectomized male or female rat were compared. Prostate weight in hypophysectomized male parabiotic partners was used to evaluate the quantity of circulating LH. Hypophyseal LH was measured by the ovarian ascorbic acid depletion method. Males castrated when 45 days old secreted significantly more LH and had three times the amount of pituitary LH as ovariectomized females. Administration of 25 μg TP daily reduced the amount of LH in the plasma, and increased the amount in the pituitary gland, in both sexes. Treatment with 50 μg caused a further reduction in plasma LH in males, but not in females, while pituitary levels in both were equal to that of their respective controls. LH fell to the same low level in partners of males or females receiving 100 μg TP. When gonadectomized at 39 days, males and females had the same amount of plasma LH, but males had more stored hormone. Pituitary levels were unchanged from controls following treatment with 12.5, 25 or 50 μg TP daily, but plasma values dropped an equal amount in both sexes with the latter two doses. Androgenized males or females, gonadectomized when 39 days old, were very sensitive to the effects of TP and plasma LH was significantly reduced with 12.5 μg daily. Pituitary LH in androgenized males was higher than that of normal males but was reduced to normal by small amounts of TP. The amount of stored LH in androgenized females was not different from that of normal females and it was unchanged by any dose of TP tested. Results are consistent with the conclusion that the male hypothalamic-hypophyseal axis is at least as sensitive as the female axis to the negative feedback effects of TP. Androgenization increases the sensitivity to TP in both males and females.

Gender Differences in Clothing Worn in Current Popular Comic Books

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyle Landon Jossy
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Comic Books ◽  
Book Industry ◽  
Comic Book ◽  
Lower Body ◽  
Female Characters ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Males And Females

This study looked at how males and females were portrayed, based on the amount of skin shown in the clothing worn.  A Content analysis was performed on a sample of 20 randomly selected popular comics from the last 3 years.  Both male and female characters were rated on how much skin they showed in three clothing categories; neck line, sleeve length, and lower body.  Results showed that in all 3 categories, women consistently wore more revealing clothing.  The findings demonstraetd that the comic book industry is comparable to other forms of media, in the sexualization of female characters, by having them wear more revealing clothing.

scholarly journals Spinal Muscular Atrophy after Nusinersen Therapy: Improved Physiology in Pediatric Patients with No Significant Change in Urine, Serum, and Liquor 1H-NMR Metabolomes in Comparison to an Age-Matched, Healthy Cohort

Metabolites ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 206
Author(s):  
Leon Deutsch ◽  
Damjan Osredkar ◽  
Janez Plavec ◽  
Blaž Stres
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Spinal Muscular Atrophy ◽  
1H Nmr ◽  
Pediatric Patients ◽  
Muscular Atrophy ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Healthy Cohort ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Urine Serum

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a genetically heterogeneous group of rare neuromuscular diseases and was until recently the most common genetic cause of death in children. The effects of 2-month nusinersen therapy on urine, serum, and liquor 1H-NMR metabolomes in SMA males and females were not explored yet, especially not in comparison to the urine 1H-NMR metabolomes of matching male and female cohorts. In this prospective, single-centered study, urine, serum, and liquor samples were collected from 25 male and female pediatric patients with SMA before and after 2 months of nusinersen therapy and urine samples from a matching healthy cohort (n = 125). Nusinersen intrathecal application was the first therapy for the treatment of SMA by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Metabolomes were analyzed using targeted metabolomics utilizing 600 MHz 1H-NMR, parametric and nonparametric multivariate statistical analyses, machine learning, and modeling. Medical assessment before and after nusinersen therapy showed significant improvements of movement, posture, and strength according to various medical tests. No significant differences were found in metabolomes before and after nusinersen therapy in urine, serum, and liquor samples using an ensemble of statistical and machine learning approaches. In comparison to a healthy cohort, 1H-NMR metabolomes of SMA patients contained a reduced number and concentration of urine metabolites and differed significantly between males and females as well. Significantly larger data scatter was observed for SMA patients in comparison to matched healthy controls. Machine learning confirmed urinary creatinine as the most significant, distinguishing SMA patients from the healthy cohort. The positive effects of nusinersen therapy clearly preceded or took place devoid of significant rearrangements in the 1H-NMR metabolomic makeup of serum, urine, and liquor. Urine creatinine was successful at distinguishing SMA patients from the matched healthy cohort, which is a simple systemic novelty linking creatinine and SMA to the physiology of inactivity and diabetes, and it facilitates the monitoring of SMA disease in pediatric patients through non-invasive urine collection.

scholarly journals Stem cell treatment improves post stroke neurological outcomes: a comparative study in male and female rats

2021 ◽  
pp. svn-2020-000834
Author(s):  
Koteswara Rao Nalamolu ◽  
Bharath Chelluboina ◽  
Casimir A Fornal ◽  
Siva Reddy Challa ◽  
David M Pinson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cells ◽  
Sex Differences ◽  
Motor Function ◽  
Infarct Volume ◽  
Female Rats ◽  
Human Umbilical Cord ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Post Stroke ◽  
Male And Female Rats ◽  
Males And Females

Background and purposeThe therapeutic potential of different stem cells for ischaemic stroke treatment is intriguing and somewhat controversial. Recent results from our laboratory have demonstrated the potential benefits of human umbilical cord blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) in a rodent stroke model. We hypothesised that MSC treatment would effectively promote the recovery of sensory and motor function in both males and females, despite any apparent sex differences in post stroke brain injury.MethodsTransient focal cerebral ischaemia was induced in adult Sprague-Dawley rats by occlusion of the middle cerebral artery. Following the procedure, male and female rats of the untreated group were euthanised 1 day after reperfusion and their brains were used to estimate the resulting infarct volume and tissue swelling. Additional groups of stroke-induced male and female rats were treated with MSC or vehicle and were subsequently subjected to a battery of standard neurological/neurobehavioral tests (Modified Neurological Severity Score assessment, adhesive tape removal, beam walk and rotarod). The tests were administered at regular intervals (at days 1, 3, 5, 7 and 14) after reperfusion to determine the time course of neurological and functional recovery after stroke.ResultsThe infarct volume and extent of swelling of the ischaemic brain were similar in males and females. Despite similar pathological stroke lesions, the clinical manifestations of stroke were more pronounced in males than females, as indicated by the neurological scores and other tests. MSC treatment significantly improved the recovery of sensory and motor function in both sexes, and it demonstrated efficacy in both moderate stroke (females) and severe stroke (males).ConclusionsDespite sex differences in the severity of post stroke outcomes, MSC treatment promoted the recovery of sensory and motor function in male and female rats, suggesting that it may be a promising treatment for stroke.

scholarly journals No sex differences in learning in wild bumblebees

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Felicity Muth ◽  
Amber D Tripodi ◽  
Rene Bonilla ◽  
James P Strange ◽  
Anne S Leonard
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Associative Learning ◽  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
Comparative Cognition ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Interspecific Variation ◽  
Learning Task ◽  
Learning Ability ◽  
Learning Performance ◽  
Males And Females

Abstract Females and males often face different sources of selection, resulting in dimorphism in morphological, physiological, and even cognitive traits. Sex differences are often studied in respect to spatial cognition, yet the different ecological roles of males and females might shape cognition in multiple ways. For example, in dietary generalist bumblebees (Bombus), the ability to learn associations is critical to female workers, who face informationally rich foraging scenarios as they collect nectar and pollen from thousands of flowers over a period of weeks to months to feed the colony. While male bumblebees likely need to learn associations as well, they only forage for themselves while searching for potential mates. It is thus less clear whether foraging males would benefit from the same associative learning performance as foraging females. In this system, as in others, cognitive performance is typically studied in lab-reared animals under captive conditions, which may not be representative of patterns in the wild. In the first test of sex and species differences in cognition using wild bumblebees, we compared the performance of Bombus vancouverensis nearcticus (formerly bifarius) and Bombus vosnesenskii of both sexes on an associative learning task at Sierra Nevada (CA) field sites. Across both species, we found that males and females did not differ in their ability to learn, although males were slower to respond to the sucrose reward. These results offer the first evidence from natural populations that male bumblebees may be equally as able to learn associations as females, supporting findings from captive colonies of commercial bees. The observed interspecific variation in learning ability opens the door to using the Bombus system to test hypotheses about comparative cognition.

Mammalian exocrine secretions XIX. Chemical characterization of the interdigital secretion of the Black Wildebeest, Connochaetes gnou

2020 ◽  
Vol 75 (9-10) ◽  
pp. 339-351
Author(s):  
Barend V. Burger ◽  
Desmond Slade ◽  
Marlize Z. Bekker ◽  
Aron H. Goitom
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Characterization ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Black Wildebeest ◽  
Connochaetes Gnou ◽  
Electron Impact Mass ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Strong Attachment ◽  
Impact Mass ◽  
Acid Esters

AbstractUsing gas chromatography (GC) in conjunction with electron impact mass spectrometry and retention-time comparison, 94 compounds, ranging from 2-methyl-2-propenal to octadecanoic acid, were identified in the interdigital secretions of male and female black wildebeests, Connochaetes gnou (also known as the white-tailed gnu). The constituents of these secretions belong to many different compound classes, including hydrocarbons, alcohols, aromatics and aliphatic carbonyl compounds including carboxylic acids as well as carboxylic acid esters. Relatively small quantitative differences were found between the male and female interdigital secretions. It was concluded that these compounds probably do not play a significant role in territorial marking or in chemical communication between males and females of the species, but they could be involved in preserving the remarkably strong attachment between members of social subgroups in black wildebeest populations.

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