Faculty Opinions recommendation of Successful by chance? the power of mixed models and neutral simulations for the detection of individual fixed heterogeneity in fitness components.

Author(s):  
Juha Merilä
2020 ◽  
Vol 375 (1806) ◽  
pp. 20190546 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin M. Tinghitella ◽  
Alycia C. R. Lackey ◽  
Catherine Durso ◽  
Jennifer A. H. Koop ◽  
Janette W. Boughman

Preference divergence is thought to contribute to reproductive isolation. Ecology can alter the way selection acts on female preferences, making them most likely to diverge when ecological conditions vary among populations. We present a novel mechanism for ecologically dependent sexual selection, termed ‘the ecological stage’ to highlight its ecological dependence. Our hypothesized mechanism emphasizes that males and females interact over mating in a specific ecological context, and different ecological conditions change the costs and benefits of mating interactions, selecting for different preferences in distinct environments and different male traits, especially when traits are condition dependent. We test key predictions of this mechanism in a sympatric three-spine stickleback species pair. We used a maternal half-sib split-clutch design for both species, mating females to attractive and unattractive males and raising progeny on alternate diets that mimic the specialized diets of the species in nature. We estimated the benefits of mate choice for an indicator trait (male nuptial colour) by measuring many fitness components across the lifetimes of both sons and daughters from these crosses. We analysed fitness data using a combination of aster and mixed models. We found that many benefits of mating with high-colour males depended on both species and diet. These results support the ecological stage hypothesis for sticklebacks. Finally, we discuss the potential role of this mechanism for other taxa and highlight its ability to enhance reproductive isolation as speciation proceeds, thus facilitating the evolution of strong reproductive isolation. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Towards the completion of speciation: the evolution of reproductive isolation beyond the first barriers'.


2020 ◽  
Vol 98 (Supplement_4) ◽  
pp. 158-158
Author(s):  
Phillip A Lancaster

Abstract Multiple linear regression inaccurately computes the efficiency of energy use for protein and fat gain. The objective was to quantify efficiency of metabolizable energy use for protein and fat gain along with heats of product formation and support metabolism. A literature search was performed to compile data (31 studies, 214 treatment means) on metabolizable energy intake (MEI) and composition of empty body gain in growing steers and heifers. Data analyses were performed using R statistical package for mixed models with study as random variable. Linear regression of MEI on energy gain (EG; P < 0.001; R2 = 0.627) resulted in an estimate of metabolizable energy for maintenance (MEm) of 156 kcal/kg.75 and efficiency of ME use for gain of 0.518. Linear regression of MEI on EG as protein and fat (P < 0.001; R2 = 0.623) resulted in an estimate of MEm of 149 kcal/kg.75, and efficiency of protein (kp) and fat (kf) gain of 0.274 and 0.585, respectively, resulting in an overall efficiency of EG of 0.520. Nonlinear regression model (EG = kg*(MEI-MEm)) resulted in an estimate of MEm of 103 kcal/kg.75 and efficiency of EG of 0.342. The heat of product formation was assumed to be 0.48 (1 – 0.52) and the heat of support metabolism (HiEv) 0.18 (0.52 – 0.34). Multivariate regression was used to fit simultaneous models for EG as protein (EGp = (kp+HiEvp)*k*MEA) and fat (EGf = (kf+(0.18-HiEvp))*(1-k)*MEA). Estimates (P < 0.001) of kp and kf were 0.12 ± 0.01 and 0.63 ± 0.02, and HiEvp and proportion of ME available for protein gain (k) were 0.11 ± 0.01 and 0.75 ± 0.01, respectively. The heat of product formation and support metabolism for protein were 0.77 and 0.11, and fat were 0.30 and 0.07, respectively. In conclusion, efficiency of ME use for protein was lesser than for fat gain, and heat of support metabolism was greater for protein than fat gain.


2021 ◽  
Vol 75 (2) ◽  
pp. 231-231
Author(s):  
Christine R. Wells
Keyword(s):  

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolas Barizien ◽  
Morgan Le Guen ◽  
Stéphanie Russel ◽  
Pauline Touche ◽  
Florent Huang ◽  
...  

AbstractIncreasing numbers of COVID-19 patients, continue to experience symptoms months after recovering from mild cases of COVID-19. Amongst these symptoms, several are related to neurological manifestations, including fatigue, anosmia, hypogeusia, headaches and hypoxia. However, the involvement of the autonomic nervous system, expressed by a dysautonomia, which can aggregate all these neurological symptoms has not been prominently reported. Here, we hypothesize that dysautonomia, could occur in secondary COVID-19 infection, also referred to as “long COVID” infection. 39 participants were included from December 2020 to January 2021 for assessment by the Department of physical medicine to enhance their physical capabilities: 12 participants with COVID-19 diagnosis and fatigue, 15 participants with COVID-19 diagnosis without fatigue and 12 control participants without COVID-19 diagnosis and without fatigue. Heart rate variability (HRV) during a change in position is commonly measured to diagnose autonomic dysregulation. In this cohort, to reflect HRV, parasympathetic/sympathetic balance was estimated using the NOL index, a multiparameter artificial intelligence-driven index calculated from extracted physiological signals by the PMD-200 pain monitoring system. Repeated-measures mixed-models testing group effect were performed to analyze NOL index changes over time between groups. A significant NOL index dissociation over time between long COVID-19 participants with fatigue and control participants was observed (p = 0.046). A trend towards significant NOL index dissociation over time was observed between long COVID-19 participants without fatigue and control participants (p = 0.109). No difference over time was observed between the two groups of long COVID-19 participants (p = 0.904). Long COVID-19 participants with fatigue may exhibit a dysautonomia characterized by dysregulation of the HRV, that is reflected by the NOL index measurements, compared to control participants. Dysautonomia may explain the persistent symptoms observed in long COVID-19 patients, such as fatigue and hypoxia. Trial registration: The study was approved by the Foch IRB: IRB00012437 (Approval Number: 20-12-02) on December 16, 2020.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Antje Nuthmann ◽  
Immo Schütz ◽  
Wolfgang Einhäuser

AbstractWhether fixation selection in real-world scenes is guided by image salience or by objects has been a matter of scientific debate. To contrast the two views, we compared effects of location-based and object-based visual salience in young and older (65 + years) adults. Generalized linear mixed models were used to assess the unique contribution of salience to fixation selection in scenes. When analysing fixation guidance without recurrence to objects, visual salience predicted whether image patches were fixated or not. This effect was reduced for the elderly, replicating an earlier finding. When using objects as the unit of analysis, we found that highly salient objects were more frequently selected for fixation than objects with low visual salience. Interestingly, this effect was larger for older adults. We also analysed where viewers fixate within objects, once they are selected. A preferred viewing location close to the centre of the object was found for both age groups. The results support the view that objects are important units of saccadic selection. Reconciling the salience view with the object view, we suggest that visual salience contributes to prioritization among objects. Moreover, the data point towards an increasing relevance of object-bound information with increasing age.


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