Article
Behavioral Sciences
Mark Dyble, Tim H. Clutton-Brock
Summary: In species with polygynous mating systems, the high male reproductive skew and frequent changes in male dominance due to intense competition between males may not necessarily increase average genetic relatedness within groups. Previous studies have suggested an association between cooperative breeding systems and average coefficients of relatedness in vertebrates, but in multiparous polygynous animals with intense male competition, paternal relatedness and average kinship between multigenerational group members are reduced due to frequent male turnover. A theoretical model shows that increases in turnover rates of breeding males in polygynous systems can offset the positive effect of male skew on relatedness within seasons, suggesting that polygynous mating systems may not necessarily lead to significant increases in average relatedness, especially when there is extensive overlap between generations among group members.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ingvild Almas, Alexander W. Cappelen, Erik O. Sorensen, Bertil Tungodden
Summary: The study shows a global belief that the rich are richer because they have been more selfish, with stronger beliefs in countries with higher corruption and weaker institutions and weaker beliefs among higher income individuals. This belief is also predictive of people's policy views on inequality and redistribution, with those who believe in selfish rich inequality more likely to support policies aimed at reducing inequality.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Psychology, Educational
Gorana Gonzalez, Richard E. Ahl, Sara Cordes, Katherine McAuliffe
Summary: The study found that even young children have the ability to deceive others about their selfishness by exploiting knowledge asymmetries.
Article
Microbiology
Katja Rudolph, Dominik Schneider, Claudia Fichtel, Rolf Daniel, Michael Heistermann, Peter M. Kappeler
Summary: Environmental factors shape population-specific gut microbiota, while intrinsic and social factors have a stronger impact on gut microbiome variation in this primate species.
Article
Economics
Ben D'Exelle, Aurelia Lepine, Richard Bakyono, Ludovic D. G. Tapsoba
Summary: Decision-making about fertility differs between monogamous and polygynous households. In an experiment in Burkina Faso, involving the husband decreases contraceptive use among monogamous women, but not among polygynous women. The presence of co-wife rivalry increases contraceptive use, suggesting that preference for contraceptives differs between monogamous and polygynous households due to competition.
JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Giambattista Albora, Luciano Pietronero, Andrea Tacchella, Andrea Zaccaria
Summary: In this study, various economic complexity methods were compared using machine learning models, specifically focusing on relatedness measures. The results showed that tree-based algorithms performed better in predicting the activation of new products compared to auto-correlation benchmark and other supervised algorithms. Interestingly, the best results were obtained through cross-validation and excluding the data of the predicted country. This research has direct policy implications by providing a quantitative and scientifically tested measure of introducing new products in a specific country.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Biology
Jimena Garcia-Rodriguez, Amanda Ferreira Cunha, Adriana Morales-Guerrero, Adrian Gonzalez-Chaves, Agustin Camacho, Lucilia Souza Miranda, Filipe C. Serrano, Adrian Jaimes-Becerra, Antonio Carlos Marques
Summary: Medusozoans exhibit diverse life cycles, with different semaphoronts representing the sexual phase. Our comprehensive review found that egg size, although phylogenetically conserved within medusa classes, is influenced by reproductive and environmental traits such as the number of eggs, depth, and temperature. Additionally, egg size variation among cold-water species of Staurozoa may be related to the development of small benthic larvae in this group.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
Teng Lu, Dapeng Liang, Mei Hong, Jiayin Sun
Summary: This study investigates the influence of regret and relief on decision-making behavior and finds that different emotions have different effects on intertemporal pro-social behavior. Specifically, regret can promote future altruistic behavior, and this effect is most significant when the time delay is 14 days.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Yanny Ritchot, Marco Festa-Bianchet, David Coltman, Fanie Pelletier
Summary: In bighorn sheep, the reproductive success of males aged 3 years is positively correlated with body mass, the proportion of 2-4 year old males, and the number of available females. Known reproduction before the age of five increases lifetime reproductive success but decreases longevity, indicating a long-term survival cost.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Editorial Material
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Scott William Roy
Summary: A recent study introduces a novel RNA-based Cas-dependent toxin-antitoxin system that has the ability to 'addict' cells to a specific genetic cassette. The broader concept of addiction systems could potentially stabilize various genomic features, leading to questions regarding the role of selfish elements and intragenomic conflict in the evolution of biological complexity.
TRENDS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Miaoxiao Wang, Xiaonan Liu, Yong Nie, Xiao-Lei Wu
Summary: Microbes release public goods to benefit the population, leading to metabolic cross-feeding. Through simulations, it was found that genotypes could evolve from autonomous ancestors to develop three types of interdependent patterns influenced by function cost and redundancy. Additionally, random evolutionary events and the positioning of genotype emergence play important roles in governing community assembly.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Laura Chavarria-Pizarro, Marjorie da Silva, Danilo C. Ament, Eduardo A. B. Almeida, Fernando Barbosa Noll
Summary: All Epiponini wasps are polygynic, with multiple queens alternating over the colony cycle. However, little is known about the queen selection process in Epiponini. This study aimed to investigate the behavior of queens and workers during queen selection in multiple species of Epiponini and interpret evolutionary changes.
Article
Geography
Josie Hamper, Catherine Nash
Summary: Smartphone pregnancy apps have transformed the way pregnancy information is accessed and can facilitate the bonding work between expectant mothers and their future babies. Users practice relationships with family members and the expected baby through strategic sharing of information in everyday life. Users of pregnancy apps respond to ideas of physical and relational closeness during pregnancy, providing insights into the contemporary making of intimate relationships through digital technologies and geographies of parenting and pregnancy.
TRANSACTIONS OF THE INSTITUTE OF BRITISH GEOGRAPHERS
(2021)
Article
History
Karen Horn
Summary: Selecting a single favorite quote from Adam Smith's work was challenging due to the abundance of quotable passages that I appreciate for different reasons. The project's incentives also made the choice difficult, as opting for a popular quote meant facing more competition and fewer chances in the submission process. In the end, I chose the well-known opening words from Smith's "Theory of Moral Sentiments" that highlight the innate principles in human nature that connect individuals to the fortune and happiness of others, despite deriving no personal gain from it.
JOURNAL OF THE HISTORY OF ECONOMIC THOUGHT
(2023)
Article
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
Ryan W. Carlson, Chance Adkins, M. J. Crockett, Margaret S. Clark
Summary: Selfishness is a central concept in theories of human morality, but its psychological nature is often overlooked. This study proposes a new framework that reconceptualizes selfishness as a psychological construct. It argues that detecting and deterring selfish behavior is crucial for maintaining social cohesion and close relationships, and offers a richer understanding of human social behavior. This psychological construct of selfishness can facilitate interdisciplinary research and provide insights for interventions to prevent or address the negative effects of selfishness.
PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Alan Brelsford, Jessica Purcell, Amaury Avril, Patrick Tran Van, Junxia Zhang, Timothee Brutsch, Liselotte Sundstrom, Heikki Helantera, Michel Chapuisat
Review
Biology
I Satokangas, S. H. Martin, H. Helantera, J. Saramaki, J. Kulmuni
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2020)
Article
Biology
Jussi Lehtonen, Heikki Helantera
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2020)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Unni Pulliainen, Nick Bos, Patrizia D'Ettorre, Liselotte Sundstrom
Summary: Chemical communication is widespread in organisms, particularly in insects like ants. This study focused on the role of surface chemistry, specifically long-chain cuticular hydrocarbons, in recognition and classification among social insects. Differences in surface chemistry were found among castes and developmental stages, highlighting the complexity and diversity of chemical signals used by ants for recognition.
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
U. Pulliainen, C. Morandin, N. Bos, L. Sundstrom, E. Schultner
Summary: Through RNAseq analysis, it was found that social stimulation led to higher expression of sensory-related genes in larvae of the ant Formica fusca. These larvae expressed similar sensory-related genes as adult ants and larvae of other insects, including genes belonging to major insect chemosensory gene families. This study provides insights into the molecular changes associated with social information perception in social insect larvae.
INSECT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Stafva Lindstrom, Sari Timonen, Liselotte Sundstrom
Summary: In a subarctic climate, seasonal shifts in temperature, precipitation, and plant cover drive temporal changes in microbial communities in topsoil. Ant nests harbor significantly different microbial communities compared to surrounding bulk soil, with some taxa consistently present over years and enriched compared to reference soils. Bacterial communities in ant nests show temporal stability, while fungal communities exhibit greater variation, potentially due to unique biochemical processes influenced by ant activities.
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Heikki Helantera
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Heikki Helantera, Martina Ozan, Liselotte Sundstrom
Summary: In ant societies, multiple queens may compete over reproduction. The study shows that in Formica fusca ants, queens adjust their egg laying rate based on the kinship of their nestmates. When exposed to odor of a highly fecund non-kin queen, queens increase their egg laying rate, while if the queen is a close relative, queens decrease their egg laying rate to reduce competition. This demonstrates that cooperative breeding behaviors in Formica fusca queens are influenced by kinship and fecundity of others.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Soil Science
Stafva Lindstrom, Sari S. Timonen, Liselotte Sundstrom
Summary: In this study, the bacterial and fungal microbiomes of the ant Formica exsecta were investigated, finding that the microbial communities inside the ants differ from those in their nest material. The bacterial species diversity, species richness, ? diversity, evenness, and fungal species richness were found to be lower in ants compared to the nest material. The fungal communities in the ants were also found to be less stable than the bacterial ones.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOIL SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
I. Satokangas, P. Nouhaud, B. Seifert, P. Punttila, R. Schultz, M. M. Jones, J. Siren, H. Helantera, J. Kulmuni
Summary: The study reveals extensive hybridization between five wood ant species in Finland, with hybrids occupying warmer microhabitats. This suggests that extensive hybridization may promote wood ant persistence in a changing climate.
Review
Biology
Topi K. Lehtonen, Heikki Helantera, Cwyn Solvi, Bob B. M. Wong, Olli J. Loukola
Summary: Nests are crucial for the reproductive success of many animals, and cognitive abilities play a significant role in various nesting behaviors. This review examines the evidence linking cognition to nesting behaviors across different taxa and discusses how cognitive abilities can enhance nesting success. The review also emphasizes the importance of combining experimental and comparative research to understand the evolutionary pathways underlying the associations between cognitive abilities and nesting behaviors.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biology
Martina Ozan, Heikki Helantera, Patrizia d'Ettorre, Liselotte Sundstrom
Summary: Cooperative breeding in ants involves conflicts over reproductive shares, which can be resolved in different ways. This study examined how the reproductive success of queens in the ant Formica fusca is influenced by the size of their worker entourage, their fecundity, and their cuticular hydrocarbon profile. The results showed that queen fecundity and egg hatching success increased with the size of their entourage, and newly hatched larvae from highly fecund queens were smaller. Additionally, higher relatedness among workers was found to increase queen fecundity, and queens with a large worker entourage had different cuticular chemistry compared to those with a small worker entourage. These findings highlight the important role of workers in determining queen fitness and the impact of relatedness on colony reproductive output.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biology
Jason Rissanen, Danae Nyckees, Torsten Will, Heikki Helanterae, Dalial Freitak
Summary: Animals modulate their nutritional intake to combat pathogens. Formica fusca ants adjust their diet to include more aphid-supplemented foods when exposed to a fungal pathogen, reducing mortality. However, a varied diet is necessary for this benefit.
Review
Entomology
Liselotte Sundstrom, Emma Vitikainen
Summary: This study summarizes a 28-year research on monogyne colonies of the narrow-headed ant and discusses the ecological and genetic consequences arising from fragmented landscapes and conflicting selection pressures.
MYRMECOLOGICAL NEWS
(2022)