scholarly journals Hormone-mediated dispersal and sexual maturation in males of the social paper wasp Polistes lanio

2020 ◽  
Vol 223 (23) ◽  
pp. jeb226472
Author(s):  
Robin J. Southon ◽  
Andrew N. Radford ◽  
Seirian Sumner
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Maturation ◽  
Paper Wasp ◽  
Social Hymenoptera ◽  
Natal Nest ◽  
Male Dispersal ◽  
Accessory Glands ◽  
Social Species ◽  
The Social ◽  
Males And Females

ABSTRACTSex-biased dispersal is common in social species, but the dispersing sex may delay emigration if associated benefits are not immediately attainable. In the social Hymenoptera (ants, some bees and wasps), newly emerged males typically disperse from the natal nest whilst most females remain as philopatric helpers. However, little information exists on the mechanisms regulating male dispersal. Furthermore, the conservation of such mechanisms across the Hymenoptera and any role of sexual maturation are also relatively unknown. Through field observations and mark–recapture, we observed that males of the social paper wasp Polistes lanio emerge from pupation sexually immature, and delay dispersal from their natal nest for up to 7 days whilst undergoing sexual maturation. Delayed dispersal may benefit males by allowing them to mature in the safety of the nest and thus be more competitive in mating. We also demonstrate that both male dispersal and maturation are associated with juvenile hormone (JH), a key regulator of insect reproductive physiology and behaviour, which also has derived functions regulating social organisation in female Hymenoptera. Males treated with methoprene (a JH analogue) dispersed earlier and possessed significantly larger accessory glands than their age-matched controls. These results highlight the wide role of JH in social hymenopteran behaviour, with parallel ancestral functions in males and females, and raise new questions on the nature of selection for sex-biased dispersal.

scholarly journals Sport Participation Influences Perceptions of Mate Characteristics

2012 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 147470491201000 ◽  
Author(s):  
Albrecht I. Schulte-Hostedde ◽  
Mark A. Eys ◽  
Michael Emond ◽  
Michael Buzdon
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Sport Participation ◽  
Team Sport ◽  
Male Athletes ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
The Social ◽  
Initial Hypothesis ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Larger Sample

Sport provides a context in which mate choice can be facilitated by the display of athletic prowess. Previous work has shown that, for females, team sport athletes are more desirable as mates than individual sport athletes and non-participants. In the present study, the perceptions of males and females were examined regarding potential mates based on sport participation. It was predicted that team sport athletes would be more positively perceived than individual sport athletes and non-participants by both males and females. A questionnaire, a photograph, and manipulated descriptions were used to gauge perceptual differences with respect to team sport athletes, individual sport athletes, and extracurricular club participants for 125 females and 119 males from a Canadian university. Both team and individual sport athletes were perceived as being less lazy, more competitive, and healthier than non-participants by both males and females. Interestingly, females perceived male athletes as more promiscuous than non-athletes, which upholds predictions based on previous research indicating (a) athletes have more sexual partners than non-athletes, and (b) females find athletes more desirable as partners than non-participants. Surprisingly, only males perceived female team sport athletes as more dependable than non-participants, and both team and individual sport athletes as more ambitious. This raises questions regarding the initial hypothesis that male team athletes would be perceived positively by females because of qualities such as the ability to cooperate, likeability, and the acceptance of responsibilities necessary for group functioning. Future studies should examine similar questions with a larger sample size that encompasses multiple contexts, taking into account the role of the social profile of sport in relation to mate choice and perception.

scholarly journals Allele specific expression and methylation in the bumblebee, Bombus terrestris

PeerJ ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. e3798 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zoë Lonsdale ◽  
Kate Lee ◽  
Maria Kiriakidu ◽  
Harindra Amarasinghe ◽  
Despina Nathanael ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bombus Terrestris ◽  
Social Hymenoptera ◽  
Specific Expression ◽  
Allele Specific Expression ◽  
Epigenetic Marker ◽  
The Social ◽  
Allele Specific ◽  
Contradictory Evidence ◽  
Allele Specific Methylation

The social hymenoptera are emerging as models for epigenetics. DNA methylation, the addition of a methyl group, is a common epigenetic marker. In mammals and flowering plants methylation affects allele specific expression. There is contradictory evidence for the role of methylation on allele specific expression in social insects. The aim of this paper is to investigate allele specific expression and monoallelic methylation in the bumblebee, Bombus terrestris. We found nineteen genes that were both monoallelically methylated and monoallelically expressed in a single bee. Fourteen of these genes express the hypermethylated allele, while the other five express the hypomethylated allele. We also searched for allele specific expression in twenty-nine published RNA-seq libraries. We found 555 loci with allele-specific expression. We discuss our results with reference to the functional role of methylation in gene expression in insects and in the as yet unquantified role of genetic cis effects in insect allele specific methylation and expression.

Natal dispersal and demography of a subsocial Anelosimus species and its implications for the evolution of sociality in spiders

1998 ◽  
Vol 76 (12) ◽  
pp. 2137-2147 ◽  
Author(s):  
L Avilés ◽  
G Gelsey
Keyword(s):  
Transition Probabilities ◽  
Local Area ◽  
Natal Nest ◽  
Life History Stages ◽  
Social Species ◽  
Evolution Of Sociality ◽  
The Social ◽  
Local Areas ◽  
Dispersal Distances ◽  
Close Inbreeding

The transition to permanent-sociality in spiders is thought to have involved the suppression of the dispersal phase characteristic of hypothetical subsocial or periodic-social ancestral species. Extant periodic-social species may provide insights into this transition. The periodic-social Anelosimus jucundus in southern Arizona was found to form mother-offspring and sibling associations that disintegrate prior to the mating season. Following the breakdown of the social phase, more than twice as many females as males became established within a few metres of the natal nest. Given that the predispersal sex ratio was 1:1, a fraction of the males may have dispersed beyond the local area. The short dispersal distances of at least a fraction of individuals of both sexes, the clustering of nests in local areas, and at least two possible cases of sibling mating suggest, however, that dispersal may not eliminate the possibility of close inbreeding in this species. Estimated transition probabilities between life-history stages show that the heaviest loss of individuals occurs during dispersal. Once established, 41% of the females that reached maturity succeeded in producing grown progeny. We discuss the implications of these findings in terms of the transition from periodic to permanent sociality in spiders and of current models that consider the interplay between competition and inbreeding avoidance in the evolution of dispersal.

The Role of Domain and Gender-Specific Provisions of Social Relations in Adherence to a Prescribed Exercise Regimen

1993 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 220-231 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terry E. Duncan ◽  
Susan C. Duncan ◽  
Edward McAuley
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Domain Specific ◽  
Exercise Regimen ◽  
The Social ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Social Provisions ◽  
Gender Specific

The present study investigated the role of domain-specific combinations of social support provisions in adherence to a prescribed exercise regimen. Research participants were middle-aged, sedentary, males and females (N = 85). Separate discriminant function analyses for males and females revealed that among females, the social provisions of guidance and reassurance of worth significantly discriminated adherers and nonadherers. The two provisions of social integration and guidance significantly discriminated adherers and nonadherers among males. Results are discussed with reference to the importance of social provisions in exercise settings, male and female differences, and the implications of social support interventions for enhancing exercise compliance.

scholarly journals Social Change and Increasing of Bipolar Disorders: An Evolutionary Model

2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 103-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mauro Giovanni Carta
Keyword(s):  
Social Change ◽  
Mood Disorders ◽  
Evolutionary Model ◽  
Bipolar Disorders ◽  
Western Society ◽  
The Social ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Evolving Context ◽  
The 1960S

Introduction: The objective of this paper is to see if behaviours defined as pathological and maladjusted in certain contexts may produce adaptive effects in other contexts, especially if they occur in attenuated form. Interactions between environment and behaviour are studied from an evolutionary standpoint in an attempt to understand how new attitudes emerge in an evolving context. Methodology: Narrative review. Following an historical examination of how the description of depression in Western society has changed, we examine a series of studies performed in areas where great changes have taken place as well as research on emigration from Sardinia in the 1960s and 70s and immigration to Sardinia in the 1990s. Results and conclusions: If we postulate that mood disorders are on the increase and that the epidemic began in the 17th century with the "English malady", we must suppose that at least the "light" forms have an adaptive advantage, otherwise the expansion of the disorder would have been self-limiting. "Compulsive hyper-responsabilization”, as well as explorative behaviours, may represent a base for adaptation in certain conditions of social change. The social emphasis in individualism and responsibility may have changed not only the frequency, but also the phenomenology of mood disorders particularly the increases in bipolar disorders. From the sociobiological standpoint the conditions that may favour "subthreshold" bipolar or depressive features are to be considered in relation to the contextual role of gender and the different risks of the two disorders in males and females.

scholarly journals Allele specific expression and methylation in the bumblebee, Bombus terrestris

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zoë N. Lonsdale ◽  
Kate D. Lee ◽  
Maria Kyriakidou ◽  
Harindra E. Amarasinghe ◽  
Despina Nathanael ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bombus Terrestris ◽  
Social Hymenoptera ◽  
Specific Expression ◽  
Allele Specific Expression ◽  
Epigenetic Marker ◽  
The Social ◽  
Allele Specific ◽  
Contradictory Evidence ◽  
Allele Specific Methylation

ABSTRACTThe social hymenoptera are emerging as models for epigenetics. DNA methylation, the addition of a methyl group, is a common epigenetic marker. In mammals and flowering plants methylation affects allele specific expression. There is contradictory evidence for the role of methylation on allele specific expression in social insects. The aim of this paper is to investigate allele specific expression and monoallelic methylation in the bumblebee, Bombus terrestris. We found nineteen genes that were both monoallelically methylated and monoallelically expressed in a single bee. Fourteen of these genes express the hypermethylated allele, while the other five express the hypomethylated allele. We also searched for allele specific expression in twenty-nine published RNA-seq libraries. We found 555 loci with allele-specific expression. We discuss our results with reference to the functional role of methylation in gene expression in insects and in the, as yet unquantified, role of genetic cis effects in insect allele specific methylation and expression.

scholarly journals Sex-dimorphic role of prefrontal oxytocin receptors in social-induced facilitation of extinction in juvenile rats

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mouna Maroun ◽  
Amit Sarussi-Elyahu ◽  
Aseel Yaseen ◽  
O. A. Hatoum ◽  
Milly Kritman
Keyword(s):  
Social Interaction ◽  
Social Presence ◽  
Juvenile Period ◽  
Contextual Fear ◽  
Oxytocin Receptors ◽  
The Social ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Opposing Effects ◽  
Juvenile Males

AbstractWe previously reported that in the adult animal extinction in pairs resulted in enhanced extinction, showing that social presence can reduce previously acquired fear responses. Based on our findings that juvenile and adult animals differ in the mechanisms of extinction, here we address whether the social presence of a conspecific affects extinction in juvenile animals similarly to adults. We further address whether such presence has a different impact on juvenile males and females. To that end, we examined in our established experimental setting whether conditioned male and female animals extinguish contextual fear memory better while in pairs. Taking advantage of the role of oxytocin (OT) in the mediation of extinction memory and social interaction, we also study the effect of antagonizing the OT receptors (OTR) either systemically or in the prefrontal cortex on social interaction-induced effects of fear extinction. The results show that social presence accelerates extinction in males and females as compared to the single condition. Yet, we show differential and opposing effects of an OTR antagonist in both sexes. Whereas in females, the systemic application of an OTR antagonist is associated with impaired extinction, it is associated with enhanced extinction in males. In contrast, prefrontal OT is not engaged in extinction in juvenile males, while is it is critical in females. Previously reported differences in the levels of prefrontal OT between males and females might explain the differences in OT action. These results suggest that even during the juvenile period, critical mechanisms are differently involved in the regulation of fear in males and females.

scholarly journals Cooperation between non-relatives in a primitively eusocial paper wasp, Polistes dominula

2016 ◽  
Vol 371 (1687) ◽  
pp. 20150093 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy Field ◽  
Ellouise Leadbeater
Keyword(s):  
Paper Wasp ◽  
Eusocial Insects ◽  
Polistes Dominula ◽  
Primitively Eusocial Wasp ◽  
The Social ◽  
Eusocial Wasp ◽  
Close Relatives ◽  
Recognition Errors ◽  
Primitively Eusocial

In cooperatively breeding vertebrates, the existence of individuals that help to raise the offspring of non-relatives is well established, but unrelated helpers are less well known in the social insects. Eusocial insect groups overwhelmingly consist of close relatives, so populations where unrelated helpers are common are intriguing. Here, we focus on Polistes dominula— the best-studied primitively eusocial wasp, and a species in which nesting with non-relatives is not only present but frequent. We address two major questions: why individuals should choose to nest with non-relatives, and why such individuals participate in the costly rearing of unrelated offspring. Polistes dominula foundresses produce more offspring of their own as subordinates than when they nest independently, providing a potential explanation for co-founding by non-relatives. There is some evidence that unrelated subordinates tailor their behaviour towards direct fitness, while the role of recognition errors in generating unrelated co-foundresses is less clear. Remarkably, the remote but potentially highly rewarding chance of inheriting the dominant position appears to strongly influence behaviour, suggesting that primitively eusocial insects may have much more in common with their social vertebrate counterparts than has commonly been thought.

Social Representations and Commitment

2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 233-249 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Bonetto ◽  
Fabien Girandola ◽  
Grégory Lo Monaco
Keyword(s):  
Social Representations ◽  
Social Representation ◽  
Second Line ◽  
Review Of The Literature ◽  
First Line ◽  
Research Perspectives ◽  
The Social ◽  
Bibliographic Search ◽  
English Articles

Abstract. This contribution consists of a critical review of the literature about the articulation of two traditionally separated theoretical fields: social representations and commitment. Besides consulting various works and communications, a bibliographic search was carried out (between February and December, 2016) on various databases using the keywords “commitment” and “social representation,” in the singular and in the plural, in French and in English. Articles published in English or in French, that explicitly made reference to both terms, were included. The relations between commitment and social representations are approached according to two approaches or complementary lines. The first line follows the role of commitment in the representational dynamics: how can commitment transform the representations? This articulation gathers most of the work on the topic. The second line envisages the social representations as determinants of commitment procedures: how can these representations influence the effects of commitment procedures? This literature review will identify unexploited tracks, as well as research perspectives for both areas of research.

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