Article
Cell Biology
Emily Rebecca Alison Cramer
Summary: The study found that in socially monogamous species, tests related to sperm traits in extra-pair paternity situations can be highly biased, recommending the use of multivariate selection analysis and proportional regression to avoid biases.
Article
Zoology
Yating Liu, Zhengjun Wu, Wenbo Liao
Summary: This study examined the relationship between extra-pair paternity (EPP) and brain size, testis size, and life histories among bird species. The findings indicate that birds with larger brains, which are associated with enhanced cognitive abilities, are more inclined to maintain long-term stable relationships with their mates and engage in mutualism, rather than increasing the frequency of EPP.
INTEGRATIVE ZOOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Emma Thibault, Sean M. Mahoney, James V. Briskie, Mateen Shaikh, Matthew W. Reudink
Summary: The elaborate ornamental plumage displayed by birds is largely attributed to sexual selection, with males' success in attracting mates driving the rapid evolution of such traits. This study examines the hypothesis that increased variance in reproductive success resulting from extra-pair paternity intensifies sexual selection pressure, leading to the elaboration of male plumage and sexual dichromatism. Through a large-scale comparative analysis of socially monogamous passerine species, the findings confirm the hypothesis and demonstrate a positive association between extra-pair paternity rates and male plumage coloration and sexual dichromatism. This study highlights the significant role of extra-pair mate choice in the evolution of ornamental traits.
Article
Cell Biology
Melissah Rowe, Annabel Van Oort, Lyanne Brouwer, Jan T. Lifjeld, Michael S. Webster, Joseph F. Welklin, Daniel T. Baldassarre
Summary: This study found that sperm quantity (indicated by cloacal protuberance volume) was associated with reproductive success in male red-backed fairy-wrens, while sperm morphology was not. This suggests that males use a large number of sperm as a defensive strategy to protect within-pair paternity success in a system with high risk of sperm competition and female control of copulation.
Article
Cell Biology
Geoff A. Parker
Summary: These two papers discuss sperm competition, sexual selection, and the origin and evolution of gamete dimorphism, revealing the importance of sexual selection in biological evolution and influencing our understanding of sexual strategy differences between the sexes and gametic cells.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Cristina-Maria Valcu, Mihai Valcu, Bart Kempenaers
Summary: This study explored the geographical variation in the frequency of extra-pair paternity (EPP) among bird populations and species. The results showed that EPP frequency decreases with latitude, increases with distance from the breeding range boundary, is negatively associated with generation length and pair-bond duration among species, and decreases with latitude at the assemblage level. The latitudinal decline of EPP is consistent across zoogeographical realms.
Article
Ornithology
Mireia Plaza, Alejandro Cantarero, Annie Machordom, Eva Serrano-Davies, Juan Moreno
Summary: Extra-pair paternity (EPP) is the result of interactions between a social pair and extra-pair males, influenced by the social context and ecological environment. This study found no repeatability in EPP in both male and female Pied Flycatchers. It was found that EPP was associated with laying date and male plumage and morphological traits, but not with female characteristics. The results suggest that the variable social environment plays a significant role in EPP patterns.
Article
Ecology
Kristyna Mickova, Oldrich Tomasek, Vaclav Jelinek, Michal Sulc, Lukas Pazdera, Jana Albrechtova, Tomas Albrecht
Summary: In many animal species, organismal performance declines with age, affecting physiological functionality and sexual phenotypes. Yet, knowledge about age-related changes in sperm performance and aging costs of sperm production is limited.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Peter Santema, Bart Kempenaers
Summary: Extra-pair paternity is common in socially monogamous birds, but there is variation in siring success among males. Previous studies suggest that early activity is important for acquiring extra-pair copulations, but it is unclear whether this relationship is causal. We experimentally advanced the emergence time of male blue tits, but found no increase in their extra-pair siring success.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Jan T. Lifjeld, Oddmund Kleven, Frode Fossoy, Frode Jacobsen, Terje Laskemoen, Geir Rudolfsen, Raleigh J. Robertson
Summary: In birds with extrapair mating, older males have higher fertilization success than younger males. This can be explained by the fact that females prefer older and more ornamented males, or that older males invest more in reproduction and fertility. In a study of barn swallows in Canada, it was found that male fertilization success increased with age, especially for extrapair offspring and second broods. This success was also associated with an early start of breeding in spring. Male fertility traits, including testis size, sperm motility, and sperm velocity, increased across age groups. The length of the outer tail feathers, a male ornament preferred by females, also increased with age but did not predict fertilization success. These findings suggest that older males have higher fertilization success due to their higher reproductive investment and early arrival on breeding grounds.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Sara Raj Pant, Maaike A. Versteegh, Martijn Hammers, Terry Burke, Hannah L. Dugdale, David S. Richardson, Jan Komdeur
Summary: This study analyzed the reproductive data of Seychelles warblers and found that although extra-pair paternity (EPP) may not have a significant effect on the opportunity for selection compared to genetic monogamy, it still contributes significantly to the lifetime and age-specific opportunity for selection.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Jorgen S. Soraker, Jonathan Wright, Fredrik oglaend Hanslin, Michael Le Pepke
Summary: Extra-pair paternity negatively affects paternal care in bird species, as shown by our study on 271 socially monogamous species.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Silje L. Rekdal, Jarl Andreas Anmarkrud, Jan T. Lifjeld, Arild Johnsen
Summary: This study shows that female bluethroats tend to choose a social mate that is MHCII-compatible in order to prevent other males from gaining paternity in their brood. However, this preference occurs only when the social male is young, as older males can override female preferences through higher sperm production. Additionally, offspring with MHC diversity close to the golden mean exhibit higher immune responsiveness.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Hajime Yaguchi, Itaru Kobayashi, Kiyoto Maekawa, Christine A. Nalepa
Summary: Subsocial Cryptocercus cockroaches, believed to be socially monogamous, were found to have common extra-pair paternity in field-collected families. The study revealed that approximately half of young females exhibit serial monogamy and produce offspring with the last mated male, while pair males extend parental care to unrelated nymphs. This suggests genetic monogamy may not be a strict prerequisite for the evolution of termite eusociality.
Article
Ecology
Lauri Myllymaa, Jussi Lehtonen
Summary: Kin selection and gamete interactions are two major research themes in evolutionary biology. There is a natural connection between the two as gametes often originate from the same parent. This article discusses the relation between kin selection and gamete competition, limitation, local competition, and sex allocation.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Ornithology
Gaute Gronstol, Marie Danielsen, Emily R. A. Cramer, Lars Erik Johannessen, Arild Johnsen, Emma Whittington, Jan T. Lifjeld
Summary: Sperm cell size and structural integrity are not significantly affected by fixation and storage in formalin or ethanol, although there is a small reduction in sperm cell length over long storage periods. However, ethanol storage leads to a higher proportion of acrosome-damaged sperm cells compared to formalin storage. Overall, formalin better preserves the integrity of sperm cells.
JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Anthropology
Temidayo Esther Adeyanju, Abideen Abiodun Alarape, Simon Musila, Adeniyi Taiye Adeyanju, Taiwo Crossby Omotoriogun, William Medina-Jerez, Ukeme Essien Yellow, Pavol Prokop
Summary: Bat species and populations worldwide are declining due to various human activities, driven by negative attitudes, perceptions, and lack of knowledge about these animals. Understanding human-bat interactions is crucial for designing effective conservation measures. A study in Nigeria revealed that individuals who perceived themselves as more vulnerable to diseases from bats had more negative perceptions and beliefs about bats. However, the perceived vulnerability did not correlate with destructive behaviors towards bats, with individuals with lower education levels intentionally killing more bats.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Jarmila Krojerova-Prokesova, Barbora Gajdarova, Tobias Erik Reiners, Petra Bolechova, Oddmund Kleven, Petr Koubek, Carsten Nowak, Janis Ozolins, Branislav Tam, Inna Voloshina, Peter Vallo
Summary: The aim of ex situ programmes is to provide individuals for future reintroductions or reinforcement. Genetic evaluation of captive Eurasian lynx populations showed high genetic similarity to wild populations, supporting the potential of captive individuals for genetic rescue programs.
CONSERVATION GENETICS
(2023)
Article
Ornithology
Camille Sottas, Jiri Reif, Lubomir Pialek, Manon Poignet, Pavel Kverek, Pawel T. Dolata, Radka Reifova
Summary: Understanding reproductive isolation is important for evolutionary biology. Studying patterns of interspecific hybridization in hybrid zones can provide insight into this process. In this study, patterns of hybridization were examined in two closely related passerine species, the common nightingale and the thrush nightingale, revealing strong, yet incomplete, reproductive isolation between the species. The results suggest that nightingales are a useful model system for studying speciation with ongoing gene flow after secondary contact.
JOURNAL OF AVIAN BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Emily R. A. Cramer, Zelealem B. Yilma, Jan T. Lifjeld
Summary: Sperm cells are morphologically diverse across taxa, but can be uniform within species. Strong sexual selection may reduce intraspecific sperm variation, but high variation in female sperm storage organs could maintain intraspecific sperm size variation. The level of promiscuity and variation in female preference have a significant impact on selection for sperm size.
JOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
(2023)
Editorial Material
Ecology
David Horak, Vincent Ralph Clark, Kevin Y. Njabo, Jon Fjeldsa
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Silje L. Rekdal, Jarl Andreas Anmarkrud, Jan T. Lifjeld, Arild Johnsen
Summary: This study shows that female bluethroats tend to choose a social mate that is MHCII-compatible in order to prevent other males from gaining paternity in their brood. However, this preference occurs only when the social male is young, as older males can override female preferences through higher sperm production. Additionally, offspring with MHC diversity close to the golden mean exhibit higher immune responsiveness.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Ondrej Sedlacek, Riccardo Pernice, Michal Ferenc, Karolina Mudrova, Francis Njie Motombi, Tomas Albrecht, David Horak
Summary: Two distinct diversity patterns are observed along tropical elevations: (a) decreasing number of species toward high elevations and (b) a hump-shaped pattern with the peak at mid-elevations. The study examined the abundances of different avian guilds along the elevational gradient on Mt. Cameroon to understand the richness patterns. The results showed that species richness and abundance patterns are influenced by different mechanisms and that ecological space is filled separately by bird species and individuals along elevation.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
David Storch, Jaroslav Kolecek, Petr Keil, Zdenek Vermouzek, Petr Vorisek, Jiri Reif
Summary: This study reveals that reducing the population change trajectory of bird populations to a linear trend may obscure the complex responses of bird populations to changing human activities. By using multivariate analysis, the study decomposes bird population dynamics into different driving factors and finds that climate change and species traits are crucial drivers of complex population dynamics of central European birds.
DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Ojodomo G. Simon, Shiiwua A. Manu, Chima J. Nwaogu, Taiwo C. Omotoriogun
Summary: Omnivores may experience nutrient limitations and deterioration of body condition due to changes in their diet caused by environmental change or habitat alteration. In this study, we investigated how the body condition of Village weavers, an omnivorous bird species, changed when their grain diet was supplemented with insects instead of fruits. Our results showed that weavers fed on grains and fruits had lower body and pectoral muscle mass and accumulated less fat compared to those fed on grains and insects. This effect was sex-dependent, with females losing more pectoral muscle mass when supplemented with fruits and males accumulating more fat reserve when supplemented with insects. These findings suggest that insects are a more nutritious supplement for weavers and nutrient limitation could impact the body condition and physiological functions of obligate omnivores like the weavers.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Adriana Holoskova, Tomas Kadlec, Jiri Reif
Summary: This study evaluates the invertebrate food availability and vegetation structure of three widespread crops (wheat, maize, and rapeseed) during their breeding. The research found that wheat, although it had the most suitable vegetation structure for birds, had limited food supply due to frequent insecticide treatment. Maize and rapeseed provided higher invertebrate abundance and biomass, but their stands created unsuitable vegetation structures for farmland birds. Conservation measures should include reducing field size and insecticide application to improve the food supply and vegetation structure.
Article
Ecology
Vaclav Bystricky, Lenka Dvorakova, Jiri Reif
Summary: Ecological succession results in a sequence of habitat types after disturbance, with different species communities associated with each type. The conservation status of these communities informs about environmental pressures on the habitats. We focused on birds and compared their conservation status across different habitat types in Central Europe.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Stephen A. Schlebusch, Jakub Ridl, Manon Poignet, Francisco J. Ruiz-Ruano, Jiri Reif, Petr Pajer, Jan Paces, Tomas Albrecht, Alexander Suh, Radka Reifova
Summary: The germline-restricted chromosome (GRC) in songbirds is an extra chromosome with unknown function found only in their germline. This study examines and compares the GRC in two closely related nightingale species, revealing significant genetic differences and only one conserved gene with probable essential function. Despite its apparent indispensability, the genetic composition, function, and evolutionary significance of the GRC are still poorly understood.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Ornithology
Fatima R. James, Chioma I. Okafor, Samuel T. Osinubi, Shiiwua A. Manu, Samuel Ivande, Taiwo C. Omotoriogun
Summary: This study investigated the antipredatory signals and responses of two lapwing species in tropical Africa. The results showed that African Wattled Lapwings emitted both alarm and mobbing calls to dogs and humans, while Spur-winged Lapwings only emitted mobbing calls to intruders. Additionally, alert distance and start distance were associated with time and flock size.
