scholarly journals Behavioral Evolution of Drosophila: Unraveling the Circuit Basis

Genes ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 157
Author(s):  
Kosei Sato ◽  
Ryoya Tanaka ◽  
Yuki Ishikawa ◽  
Daisuke Yamamoto
Keyword(s):  
Species Differences ◽  
Courtship Behavior ◽  
Neural Substrates ◽  
Partner Choice ◽  
Neural Function ◽  
Behavioral Repertoire ◽  
Mating Partner ◽  
Behavioral Traits ◽  
Drosophila Melanogaster Subgroup ◽  
Song Frequency

Behavior is a readout of neural function. Therefore, any difference in behavior among different species is, in theory, an outcome of interspecies diversification in the structure and/or function of the nervous system. However, the neural diversity underlying the species-specificity in behavioral traits and its genetic basis have been poorly understood. In this article, we discuss potential neural substrates for species differences in the courtship pulse song frequency and mating partner choice in the Drosophila melanogaster subgroup. We also discuss possible neurogenetic mechanisms whereby a novel behavioral repertoire emerges based on the study of nuptial gift transfer, a trait unique to D. subobscura in the genus Drosophila. We found that the conserved central circuit composed primarily of fruitless-expressing neurons (the fru-circuit) serves for the execution of courtship behavior, whereas the sensory pathways impinging onto the fru-circuit or the motor pathways downstream of the fru-circuit are susceptible to changes associated with behavioral species differences.

Tai Chi and meditation-plus-exercise benefit neural substrates of executive function: a cross-sectional, controlled study

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Teresa D. Hawkes ◽  
Wayne Manselle ◽  
Marjorie H. Woollacott
Keyword(s):  
Executive Function ◽  
Aerobic Exercise ◽  
Tai Chi ◽  
Neural Substrates ◽  
Event Related Potential ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
Neural Function ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
P300 Event Related Potential

Abstract: We report the first controlled study of Tai Chi effects on the P300 event-related potential, a neuroelectric index of human executive function. Tai Chi is a form of exercise and moving meditation. Exercise and meditation have been associated with enhanced executive function. This cross-sectional, controlled study utilized the P300 event-related potential (ERP) to compare executive network neural function between self-selected long-term Tai Chi, meditation, aerobic fitness, and sedentary groups. We hypothesized that because Tai Chi requires moderate aerobic and mental exertion, this group would show similar or better executive neural function compared to meditation and aerobic exercise groups. We predicted all health training groups would outperform sedentary controls.: Fifty-four volunteers (Tai Chi, n=10; meditation, n=16; aerobic exercise, n=16; sedentary, n=12) were tested with the Rockport 1-mile walk (estimated VO: Only Tai Chi and meditation plus exercise groups demonstrated larger P3b ERP switch trial amplitudes compared to sedentary controls.: Our results suggest long-term Tai Chi practice, and meditation plus exercise may benefit the neural substrates of executive function.

scholarly journals Patterns of parasitism by Eutrombicula alfreddugesi (Oudemans) (Acari, Trombiculidae) in three species of Tropidurus Wied (Squamata, Tropiduridae) from Cerrado habitat of Central Brazil

2006 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 1010-1015 ◽  
Author(s):  
André L. G. de Carvalho ◽  
Alexandre F. B. de Araújo ◽  
Hélio R. da Silva
Keyword(s):  
Species Differences ◽  
Minas Gerais ◽  
Inguinal Region ◽  
Lizard Species ◽  
Mean Intensity ◽  
Behavioral Traits ◽  
Central Brazil ◽  
Two Samples ◽  
Distrito Federal ◽  
Numerical Variation

This study concerns the patterns of parasitism by the larvae of Eutrombicula alfreddugesi (Oudemans, 1910) on three species of Tropidurus Wied, 1820 from Cerrado habitats of Central Brazil: T. oreadicus Rodrigues, 1987 (n = 97), T. itambere (n = 85) and T. torquatus (Wied, 1820) (two samples n = 75, n = 23). The highest prevalence value was observed in T. itambere (88.2%), followed by T. oreadicus (87.6%), and T. torquatus (17.3% and 65.2%). The most important sites of infestation were the mite pockets and skin folds, especially on the neck and inguinal region. Tropidurus itambere Rodrigues, 1987 was the most heavily parasitized species (mean intensity of infestation: 36.67 ± 41.09), followed by T. oreadicus (15.38 ± 21.08), and T. torquatus from Unaí, Minas Gerais (12.13 ± 21.09). The lowest intensity of infestation was found in T. torquatus from urban and periurban areas of Brasília, Distrito Federal (1.97 ± 5.43). The analysis did not indicate differences in intensity of infestation between sexes for any of the species. Differences in the patterns of parasitism among the three lizard species may be related to the morphological and numerical variation of the skin folds (especially mite pockets), to the degree of conservation of the host's habitats, and to selective processes related to reduction of damage to the host's bodies, to the evolution of mechanisms of decreasing illness transmission by parasites, or even to some behavioral traits of the lizards.

Courtship behavior as a war of attrition in a simultaneous hermaphrodite

2019 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Cristina Lorenzi ◽  
Alice Araguas ◽  
Céline Bocquet ◽  
Laura Picchi ◽  
Claire Ricci-Bonot
Keyword(s):  
Courtship Behavior ◽  
Copulatory Behavior ◽  
The Other ◽  
Simultaneous Hermaphrodite ◽  
Sexual Role ◽  
War Of Attrition ◽  
Behavioral Traits ◽  
Behavioral Cue ◽  
Mating Interaction ◽  
First Time

Abstract In outcrossing hermaphrodites with unilateral mating, where for each mating interaction one individual assumes the female role and the other the male role, each individual must take a sexual role opposite to that of its partner. In the polychaete worm Ophryotrocha diadema, the decision on sexual role is likely at stake during the day-long courtship. Here we describe, for the first time, courtship and pseudocopulation in this species, quantify their pre-copulatory behavior, and search for behavioral traits predicting the prospective sexual role (i.e., behavioral sexual dimorphism), by analyzing the courtship behavior of pairs of worms during the day preceding a mating event. We did not find any behavioral cue predicting the sexual role worms were to play; partners’ pre-copulatory behaviors were qualitatively and quantitatively symmetrical. We interpret this as the outcome of a war of attrition where partners share the preference for the same sexual role, and both hide their ‘willingness’ to play the less preferred one, until one individual reaches its cost threshold and accepts the less preferred sexual role.

scholarly journals Viewpoint: What the Marine Mollusc Aplysia Can Tell the Neurologist About Behavioral Neurophysiology

1981 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 275-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Ruben ◽  
Jeff Goldberg ◽  
Jon Edstrom ◽  
Karen Voshart ◽  
Ken Lukowiak
Keyword(s):  
Nervous System ◽  
Behavioral Plasticity ◽  
Systems Approach ◽  
Neural Substrates ◽  
Realistic Model ◽  
Model Systems ◽  
Neural Function ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Nervous Systems ◽  
Physical And Chemical

Only recently has man begun to regard himself as mundane and not divine. This conceptual liberation has allowed him to ask frank questions concerning the physical and chemical mechanisms which determine or affect his behavior. Unfortunately the answers to these questions have been slow in coming. The reasons for this are two-fold: Basic ethical considerations preclude the experiments necessary to investigate the neural substrates of human behavior in man. Further, man’s behavior and nervous system are both so enormously complex and subtle, it is therefore unlikely that much real fundamental knowledge could be gained from such experiments if performed. It is more expedient to study simple behavior in simpler organisms than man to understand how nervous systems operate in general and, it is hoped, to eventually gain a better understanding of the human in particular. This tactic is known as the “model systems” approach. By discovering the strategies adopted by less complex nervous systems to deal with simple situations one can devise a realistic model of the neural mechanisms that control more complex behavior in more advanced animals.Many animals have served as valuable sources of model systems. Among them the marine gastropod mollusc Aplysia has received considerable attention. In comparison to the human nervous system with approximately 50 billion neurons, the Aplysia nervous system contains relatively few neurons — about 20,000. Furthermore the study of the Aplysia nervous system has several other advantageous characteristics. A number of forms of behavioral plasticity that are found in all higher metazoans including man are also found in the Aplysia. These simple but non-trivial types of behavioral plasticity include habituation, sensitization and associative learning as well as easily defined qualities of neural function which we choose to call “behavioral states”. In addition the nervous system is composed of neurons which are large and, in many cases, easily identified by anatomical and physiological criteria so that the “same” cell can be studied in more than one animal under more than one set of experimental conditions. The cell bodies of the neurons in Aplysia, from which electrical recordings can be fairly easily obtained, are electrically close to their dendrites so that changes in postsynaptic potentials occurring during modifications of behavior can be monitored.

scholarly journals Behavioral repertoire of the Brazilian spiny-rats, Trinomys setosus and Clyomys laticeps: different levels of sociality

2023 ◽  
Vol 83 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. M. R. Cantano ◽  
L. C. Luchesi ◽  
J. T. Takata ◽  
P. F. Monticelli
Keyword(s):  
Behavior Patterns ◽  
Behavioral Patterns ◽  
Behavioral Repertoire ◽  
Behavioral Traits ◽  
Form And Function ◽  
Captive Populations ◽  
Trinomys Yonenagae ◽  
Two Phases ◽  
And Function ◽  
Different Levels

Abstract Behavior is a useful trait for comparative studies that provide the comprehension of phylogenetic relationships among species. Here, we present a description of two spiny-rats species’ behavioral repertoire, Clyomys laticeps and Trinomys setosus (Rodentia: Echimyidae). The affiliative and agonistic behavioral patterns were sampled during a three-year study of captive populations of wild animals. Observational data were collected in two phases under different arrangements of individuals in groups. We also compare the behavioral traits of T. setosus and C. laticeps with the known behavioral patterns of Trinomys yonenagae. We add categories to the previous descriptions of T. setosus and a standard ethogram for C. laticeps. Trinomys setosus showed a visual and vocal display we called foot-trembling, which was not described in this form and function for other species studied until now. We discuss the differences in their sociality levels and similarities and differences among behavior patterns and repertoires.

scholarly journals Division of Labor inPachycondyla striataFr. Smith, 1858 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Ponerinae)

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adolfo da Silva-Melo ◽  
Edilberto Giannotti
Keyword(s):  
Division Of Labor ◽  
Older Workers ◽  
Young Workers ◽  
Brood Care ◽  
Behavioral Repertoire ◽  
Temporal Polyethism ◽  
Behavioral Traits ◽  
Nest Maintenance

Four colonies of the antPachycondyla striatawere used to analyze the specie behavioral repertoire. Forty-six behavioral acts were recorded in laboratory. Here, we present the record the division of labor between the castes and the temporal polyethism of monomorphic workers. The queens carried out many of the behavioral traits recorded in this work however; they performed them less frequently compared to the worker. The workers activity involved chasing and feeding on fresh insects and usingthem to nourish larvae besides laying eggs in the C-posture, an activity also performed by queens, which is similar to that of wasps of the subfamilyStenogastrinae. The young workers were involved in activities of brood care, sexuate care, and nest maintenance, and the older workers were involved in defense, exploration, and foraging.

scholarly journals Impact of environmental changes on the behavioral diversity of the Odonata (Insecta) in the Amazon

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bethânia O. de Resende ◽  
Victor Rennan S. Ferreira ◽  
Leandro S. Brasil ◽  
Lenize B. Calvão ◽  
Thiago P. Mendes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Brazilian Amazon ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Behavioral Repertoire ◽  
Behavioral Traits ◽  
Behavioral Diversity ◽  
First Response ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Abiotic Variables

AbstractThe odonates are insects that have a wide range of reproductive, ritualized territorial, and aggressive behaviors. Changes in behavior are the first response of most odonate species to environmental alterations. In this context, the primary objective of the present study was to assess the effects of environmental alterations resulting from shifts in land use on different aspects of the behavioral diversity of adult odonates. Fieldwork was conducted at 92 low-order streams in two different regions of the Brazilian Amazon. To address our main objective, we measured 29 abiotic variables at each stream, together with five morphological and five behavioral traits of the resident odonates. The results indicate a loss of behaviors at sites impacted by anthropogenic changes, as well as variation in some morphological/behavioral traits under specific environmental conditions. We highlight the importance of considering behavioral traits in the development of conservation strategies, given that species with a unique behavioral repertoire may suffer specific types of extinction pressure.

Female Songbirds: The unsung drivers of courtship behavior and its neural substrates

2019 ◽  
Vol 163 ◽  
pp. 60-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ammon Perkes ◽  
David White ◽  
J. Martin Wild ◽  
Marc Schmidt
Keyword(s):  
Courtship Behavior ◽  
Neural Substrates

scholarly journals Dysfunctions in Dopamine Systems and ADHD: Evidence From Animals and Modeling

2004 ◽  
Vol 11 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 97-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Davide Viggiano ◽  
Daniela Vallone ◽  
Adolfo Sadile
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Animal Models ◽  
Neural Substrates ◽  
Firing Frequency ◽  
Pharmacological Intervention ◽  
Shr Rats ◽  
Simple Mathematical Model ◽  
Spontaneously Hypertensive ◽  
Behavioral Traits ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder

Animal models are useful for characterizing neural substrates of neuropsychiatric disorders. Several models have been proposed for the study of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The models can be divided into various groups: (i) genetically derived hyperactivity/ inattention, (ii) animal models showing symptoms after pharmacological intervention, and (iii) those based on spontaneous variations in a random population. Spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) and Naples High Excitability (NHE) rats show behavioral traits featuring the main aspects of ADHD in humans but show different changes in dopamine (DA) systems. In fact, the enzyme tyrosine hydroxylase is hyperexpressed in NHE rats and hypoexpressed in SHR. The DA transporter is hyperexpressed in both lines, although in the SHR, DAT activity is low (reduced DA uptake). The DA levels in the striatum and prefrontal cortex are increased in the juvenile SHR, but are decreased in handled young and non-handled older animals. The mRNA of the D1 DA receptor is upregulated in the prefrontal cortex of SHR and downregulated in NHE. The D2 DA receptors are likely to be hypofunctioning in SHR, although the experimental evidence is not univocal, whereas their mRNA is hyperexpressed in NHE. Thus, in SHR both the mesocortical and mesolimbic DA pathways appear to be involved, whereas in NHE only the mesocortical system. To understand the effects of methylphenidate, the elective ADHD drug treatment in humans, in a dysfunctioning DA system, we realized a simple mathematical model of DA regulation based on experimental data from electrophysiological, cyclic voltammetry, and microdialysis studies. This model allows the estimation of a higher firing frequency of DA neurons in SHR rats and suggests that methylphenidate increases attentive processes by regulating the firing rate of DA neurons.

scholarly journals Fruit fly courtship: The female perspective

2015 ◽  
Vol 61 (6) ◽  
pp. 1008-1014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reuven Dukas ◽  
Andrew Scott
Keyword(s):  
Courtship Behavior ◽  
Extended Period ◽  
Fruit Fly ◽  
Behavioral Repertoire ◽  
Incipient Speciation ◽  
Female Behavior ◽  
Male Response ◽  
Specific Feedback ◽  
Behavioral Feedback ◽  
Sexually Mature

Abstract Research on fruit fly courtship has mostly focused on males’ behavioral repertoire whereas females have been assumed to respond by either rejecting or accepting males. In many fruit fly species including Drosophila melanogaster, however, mating typically follows an extended period of courtship, which provides ample opportunities for females to inform males about their likelihood of mating. Our experiments indeed revealed that sexually immature females in both D. melanogasterand D. simulans showed responses to conspecific males that were distinct from those of sexually mature females. Furthermore, females’ responses to conspecific males were different from their responses to heterospecific males. Our data indicate that females’ behavioral repertoire early in courtship can inform males about their probability of mating if they persist in courting. We hypothesize (i) that males can rely on behavioral feedback from females for optimally allocating their courtship efforts towards distinct female classes, (ii) that males may learn to modulate their courtship behavior based on specific feedback from females, and (iii) that females may learn to alter their behavior towards distinct types of males in order to elicit the desired male response. Overall, we suggest that, although little explored, female behavior determines the dynamics of courtship and mating and can thus influence sexual selection and incipient speciation.

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