Review
Genetics & Heredity
Colin C. Conine, Oliver J. Rando
Summary: Recent studies have shown the intergenerational and transgenerational effects of environmental conditions, challenging the traditional distinction between germline and somatic cells proposed by August Weissman. The review focuses on the role of small RNAs in intercellular RNA trafficking and how it shapes the germline epigenome across species.
NATURE REVIEWS GENETICS
(2022)
Article
Biology
Graham Birch, Magali Meniri, Michael A. Cant, Jonathan D. Blount
Summary: Reproduction is expected to have oxidative costs, but many species' breeders have lower levels of oxidative damage compared to non-breeders. This paradox may be explained by the intergenerational costs of reproduction - oxidative shielding hypothesis, which suggests that a reduction in oxidative damage during reproduction may be a pre-emptive strategy to protect the next generation from intergenerational oxidative damage (IOD). However, male-mediated IOD is still largely unexplored. This study presents a framework to assess intergenerational costs of reproduction and oxidative shielding in males, discussing the potential impact on offspring fitness.
BIOLOGICAL REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Lucie A. Bergeron, Soren Besenbacher, Jiao Zheng, Panyi Li, Mads Frost Bertelsen, Benoit Quintard, Joseph I. Hoffman, Zhipeng Li, Judy St Leger, Changwei Shao, Josefin Stiller, M. Thomas P. Gilbert, Mikkel H. Schierup, Guojie Zhang
Summary: We sequenced and compared high-coverage genomes of 151 parent-offspring trios from 68 species of vertebrates and found that the per-generation mutation rate varies greatly among species, with males having higher rates than females in mammals and birds. We identified generation time, age at maturity, and species-level fecundity as key factors influencing this variation. Species with larger long-term effective population sizes tend to have lower mutation rates, supporting the drift barrier hypothesis. Domesticated animals with shorter generation times display exceptionally high yearly mutation rates, emphasizing the importance of generation time in mutation rate evolution.
Article
Ecology
Masato Yamamichi, Andrew D. Letten
Summary: This article reviews the history of the gleaner-opportunist trade-off and discusses extensions to the classical theory. It identifies various phenomena under which this trade-off can promote species coexistence and highlights opportunities for further research.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Marisa A. Rodrigues, Chantal Dauphin-Villemant, Margot Paris, Martin Kapun, Esra Durmaz Mitchell, Envel Kerdaffrec, Thomas Flatt
Summary: Little is known about the metabolic basis of life-history trade-offs but lipid stores seem to play a pivotal role. During reproduction, animals mobilize fat reserves while reduced or curtailed reproduction promotes lipid storage. Systemic signals from the gonad are involved in this process. Germline removal in flies and worms alters lipid metabolism and leads to excess fat storage.
Article
Biology
Jessica H. Hadlow, Jonathan P. Evans, Rowan A. Lymbery
Summary: Female reproductive fluids (FRFs) play crucial roles in reproductive functions, but their interactions with sperm under different environmental conditions are not well understood. This study investigated the effects of ejaculate age and FRF on sperm traits in a mussel species and found that FRF altered the effects of ejaculate age on sperm motility, with longer-lived sperm exhibiting stronger responses to FRF. There was also significant variation among males in the relationship between sperm motility and ejaculate age, which was only observed in the presence of FRF. These findings highlight the importance of considering female reproductive physiology in understanding sperm phenotypic plasticity.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
Catarina L. Carvalho, Isabel R. Pinto, Rui Costa-Lopes, Dario Paez, Mariana P. Miranda, Jose M. Marques
Summary: This study suggests that, under unstable social structure conditions, low-status group members' support for group-based hierarchy and inequality (i.e., social dominance orientation; SDO) may serve as an ideological strategy to ensure the legitimacy of future ingroup status-enhancement. SDO is positively related to motivating group members to engage in actions favoring the ingroup by increasing their willingness to compete with a relevant higher-status outgroup.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Rachel J. Crisp, Lauren J. N. Brent, Gerald G. Carter
Summary: A study on female common vampire bats revealed that their social rank was not influenced by body size, age, reproductive status, or kinship, grooming, and food sharing. Competitive interactions did not affect the social hierarchy among female vampire bats, possibly due to limited direct competition for food in the wild among frequently roosting females.
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Business
Ali Gohary, Fatima Madani, Eugene Y. Chan, Stella Tavallaei
Summary: Purchasing fair-trade products can contribute to poverty eradication and social equality by promoting sustainable production. However, some consumers resist purchasing fair-trade products. This research replicates previous findings that political ideology affects consumers' preference for fair-trade products, and identifies a psychological mechanism and two boundary conditions. Specifically, conservative consumers are less likely to purchase fair-trade products, and Social Dominance Orientation (SDO) can explain this relationship. The study also rules out other potential mechanisms and shows that conservative consumers express higher preferences for fair-trade products when consumption is associated with feeling superior to others. These findings have implications for marketers and policymakers in promoting fair-trade products and building an equitable society.
JOURNAL OF BUSINESS RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Biology
Miles T. Wetherington, Krisztina Nagy, Laszlo Der, Agnes Abraham, Janneke Noorlag, Peter Galajda, Juan E. Keymer
Summary: This study used microfluidic devices to construct a synthetic community composed of two bacterial strains, and found that Escherichia coli is a fugitive species while Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a slower but superior competitor in spatially distributed patchy landscapes. The findings highlight the importance of succession and the trade-off between competition and colonization in the assembly of bacterial communities.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Marisa A. Rodrigues, Antoine Merckelbach, Esra Durmaz, Envel Kerdaffrec, Thomas Flatt
Summary: Research in fruit flies shows that ablating germ cells can increase the expression of immune genes and enhance the induction upon bacterial infection, suggesting that germline activity impedes the expression and inducibility of immune genes.
Review
Biology
Liam R. Dougherty, Michael J. A. Skirrow, Michael D. Jennions, Leigh W. Simmons
Summary: In many animal species, males exhibit different alternative reproductive tactics (ARTs) in obtaining fertilisations, but there is little evidence that ARTs differ substantially in investment into sperm and ejaculates across species. The incongruence between theoretical predictions and empirical results could be explained by the failure of theoretical models to account for differences in overall resource levels between males exhibiting different ARTs, as well as the inaccurate measurement of sperm or ejaculate traits in reflecting overall post-mating investment or affecting fertilisation success.
BIOLOGICAL REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Man Qi, Niv DeMalach, Yueping Dong, Hailin Zhang, Tao Sun
Summary: Resource competition theory predicts coexistence and exclusion patterns, but in reality, systems often exhibit preemption exploitation. This study found that under preemption conditions, an R*-preemption trade-off is necessary for species coexistence, and under total preemption, the trade-off alone is sufficient. However, under partial preemption, additional conditions are required for coexistence.
AMERICAN NATURALIST
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Ilia Maria C. Ferzoco, Shannon J. McCauley
Summary: The trade-off between competition and colonization is an important mechanism for promoting the coexistence of competitors. However, the empirical evidence for this trade-off is not consistent. In order to improve tests of this trade-off, a framework is proposed that focuses on defining dispersal mode and competition type. This framework clarifies how these factors shape the trade-off in various systems and provides a common ground for researchers in different fields to assess the importance of this trade-off in shaping community structure.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Christof Neumann, Julia Fischer
Summary: The steepness of dominance hierarchies is an important concept in socioecology as it provides information about competition within animal social groups. Currently used metrics based on David's scores (DS) have biases that decrease steepness values. A new approach called STEER based on Elo-ratings is proposed, which is unbiased, precise, and more robust to data density. It also provides explicit probability distributions for the estimated steepness coefficient. STEER improves existing methods for estimating dominance hierarchy steepness and allows comparison to published results.
METHODS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Magali Meniri, Anthony Farley, Fabrice Helfenstein, Nicolas Fasel
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY
(2019)
Article
Biology
Sylvain Losdat, Alfonso Rojas Mora, Caroline Bellut, Remi Charge, Valentina Falchi, Gaetan Glauser, Armelle Vallat, Fabrice Helfenstein
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2019)
Article
Environmental Sciences
S. Humann-Guilleminot, C. Tassin de Montaigu, J. Sire, S. Gruenig, O. Gning, G. Glauser, A. Vallat, F. Helfenstein
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2019)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Magali Meniri, Doriane Hebinger, Mahaut Sorlin, Marine Ramirez, Emilie Kauffmann, Armelle J. Vallat, Gaetan Glauser, Nicolas Fasel, Fabrice Helfenstein
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Alexandra G. Firth, Beth H. Baker, John P. Brooks, Renotta Smith, Raymond B. Iglay, J. Brian Davis
Article
Biology
Rute Mendonca, Philippe Vullioud, Nathan Katlein, Armelle Vallat, Gaetan Glauser, Nigel C. Bennett, Fabrice Helfenstein
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2020)
Article
Ecology
Rita Fragueira, Fabrice Helfenstein, Klaus Fischer, Michael Beaulieu
Summary: Responses to extreme climatic events may differ between individuals of distinct morphs within a species, with different life-history strategies leading to 'winners' and 'losers' in climate change scenarios. While black-headed female Gouldian finches showed a decline in reproductive performance after severe heatwaves, overall reproductive success of both morphs was not significantly affected by heatwave intensity. Offspring bore the cost of parental exposure to severe heatwaves, showing reduced condition and higher oxidative damage, but the impact may vary depending on the offspring's capacity to recover from altered developmental conditions.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Segolene Humann-Guilleminot, Shirley Laurent, Pierre Bize, Alexandre Roulin, Gaetan Glauser, Fabrice Helfenstein
Summary: Monitoring the exposure of wildlife to neonicotinoid insecticides, especially in birds, is crucial for assessing potential negative impacts on biodiversity. This study found measurable concentrations of NNIs in feathers of both carnivorous Barn owl and insectivorous Alpine swift, indicating the need for further research on non-granivorous birds and their potential effects.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Alexandros A. Polymeris, Fabrice Helfenstein, Pascal Benkert, Stefanie Aeschbacher, David Leppert, Michael Coslovsky, Eline Willemse, Sabine Schaedelin, Manuel R. Blum, Nicolas Rodondi, Tobias Reichlin, Giorgio Moschovitis, Jens Wuerfel, Gian Marco De Marchis, Stefan T. Engelter, Philippe A. Lyrer, David Conen, Michael Kuhne, Stefan Osswald, Leo H. Bonati, Jens Kuhle
Summary: This study investigated the association between renal function, BMI, and sNfL in elderly patients with atrial fibrillation. The results showed that both renal function and BMI were associated with sNfL, but renal function explained a larger proportion of sNfL variance.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Jelissa Katharina Peter, Fanny Wegner, Severin Gsponer, Fabrice Helfenstein, Tim Roloff, Rahel Tarnutzer, Kerstin Grosheintz, Moritz Back, Carla Schaubhut, Sabina Wagner, Helena M. B. Seth-Smith, Patrick Scotton, Maurice Redondo, Christiane Beckmann, Tanja Stadler, Andrea Salzmann, Henriette Kurth, Karoline Leuzinger, Stefano Bassetti, Roland Bingisser, Martin Siegemund, Maja Weisser, Manuel Battegay, Sarah Tschudin Sutter, Aitana Lebrand, Hans H. Hirsch, Simon Fuchs, Adrian Egli
Summary: Breakthrough infections in fully vaccinated individuals are rare and mild, but can occur early post-vaccination. Lower risk factors include age and previous COVID-19 infection, while higher risk factors include vaccination with Pfizer/BioNTech, chronic disease, and being a healthcare worker. Continuous monitoring of breakthrough infections is crucial due to emerging new variants.
Meeting Abstract
Oncology
N. M. Zellweger, S. Schmid, M. Bertschinger, C. Waibel, F. W. F. Cerciello, P. R. Froesch, M. T. Mark, A. Bettini, P. Hauptle, V. Blum, T. Litke, F. Helfenstein, M. Frueh, L. A. Mauti, S. I. Rothschild
ANNALS OF ONCOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
S. Humann-Guilleminot, L. Andreo, E. Blatti, G. Glauser, F. Helfenstein, J. Desprat
Summary: Bird feathers have been commonly used to assess environmental contamination, but little research has been done on the contamination of neonicotinoids in birds' feathers. This study found that clothianidin, a neonicotinoid insecticide, can be absorbed and deposited in birds' feathers. The findings confirm the relevance of using feathers to biomonitor the presence of neonicotinoids.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Alexandra G. Firth, John P. Brooks, Martin A. Locke, Dana J. Morin, Ashli Brown, Beth H. Baker
Summary: The transition of natural landscapes to agricultural uses has led to the loss of soil organic carbon, contributing to CO2 emissions and global temperature rise. However, if managed properly, soil can play a crucial role in mitigating climate change. This study evaluated the impacts of cover crops and no-till management in soybean cropping systems on soil organic carbon percentage and CO2 flux in the mid-South region.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Alexandra G. Firth, Beth H. Baker, Mary-Lynn Gibbs, John P. Brooks, Renotta Smith, Raymond Bruce Iglay, J. Brian Davis
Article
Zoology
Magali Meniri, Florence Gohon, Gning Ophelie, Gaetan Glauser, Armelle Vallat, Nicolas J. Fasel, Fabrice Helfenstein