Article
Ecology
Melissa Van Kleeck-Hann, John J. Wiens
Summary: The study analyzes weapon evolution in chamaeleonid lizards, finding that all 11 weapons have evolved multiple times and that their origins are generally more frequent than losses. The study also identifies hotspots for weapon evolution associated with larger male body size.
Article
Ecology
Eleanor Bath, Wayne Rostant, Harrison J. Ostridge, Sophie Smith, Janet S. Mason, Timm Rafaluk-Mohr, Judith E. Mank, Tracey Chapman, Jennifer C. Perry
Summary: The study aimed to examine the relationship between sexual selection, condition-dependence, and resource availability in fruit flies. By evolving the flies under different conditions and manipulating their developmental diet, the researchers tested several hypotheses. The results showed that sexual selection did not increase male condition-dependence and that resource availability did not affect the relationship between sexual selection and condition-dependence. This study suggests that sexual selection may not play as significant a role in the evolution of condition-dependence as previously thought.
Article
Biology
Zachary Emberts, Wei Song Hwang, John J. Wiens
Summary: Many sexually selected traits function as weapons, but the factors driving weapon diversity among species are poorly understood. This study finds that different weapon morphologies can cause significantly different levels of damage in combat, supporting the hypothesis that weapon diversification is driven by evolution of weapon modifications providing a fighting advantage. The multi-peak pattern in weapon performance may lead to divergent weapon forms among lineages, contributing to the diversity of sexually selected weapons.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Daniel Heimerl, Pavla Dudova, Karoline Wacker, Elisa Schenkel, Garance Despreaux, Cristina Tuni
Summary: When there are many competitors but few females available, male spiders change their mating tactics by producing more but lower quality food gifts. This allows them to secure matings while saving energy. The adult sex ratio can affect the intensity of sexual selection, and under intense competition, males may increase their investment in behaviors to outcompete rivals. However, in environments where males are more common, mating opportunities are rare, so males may reduce costly courtship and adopt alternative reproductive tactics.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Clarissa M. House, Zenobia Lewis, Manmohan D. Sharma, David J. Hodgson, John Hunt, Nina Wedell, David J. Hosken
Summary: Research on Drosophila simulans found that male genitalia are subject to multivariate selection during both noncompetitive mating and sperm competition, with the strongest selection observed during noncompetitive mating and the weakest during sperm offense. However, the direction of selection remains consistent across different scenarios, with no evidence of antagonistic selection. Overall, despite rapid evolution, sexual selection on genital traits in this species is not particularly strong.
Article
Biology
Jason P. Dinh
Summary: The cost-minimization hypothesis suggests that the positive allometry in sexually selected traits can be explained by the decrease in proportional energetic maintenance costs of weapons as traits increase in size. This study used proportional tissue composition as a proxy for energetic maintenance costs and found that larger weapons had a lower proportion of soft tissue mass and a higher proportion of exoskeleton mass. Additionally, the study extended the hypothesis to explain trait exaggeration, showing that individuals with more exaggerated traits invested more mass in exoskeleton.
Article
Ecology
Zachary Emberts, Ummat Somjee, John J. Wiens
Summary: Allometry refers to the scaling relationship between a trait and body size, which can explain morphological variation within and among species. In a study of giant mesquite bugs, it was found that large males with large weapons successfully secured mates, while small males with small weapons could also access mates. These two patterns together contribute to the evolution of the allometric slope of the sexually selected weapon.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
David Xochipiltecatl, Joaquin Baixeras, Carlos R. Cordero
Summary: Research on monandrous butterflies found that females lack the necessary apparatus to mechanically digest spermatophores, resulting in a constant state of sexual unreceptivity. The evolution of this mechanism deserves further investigation.
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Yue Gao, Xingyi Cheng, Yao Tian, Zhixiao Yuan, Xiaolan Fan, Deying Yang, Mingyao Yang
Summary: Nutrition during developmental stages has long-term effects on adult physiology, disease, and lifespan, known as nutritional programming. This study demonstrated that developmental diets can influence the lifespan of adult Drosophila, particularly through a low-yeast diet. The activity of the Drosophila transcription factor FOXO (dFOXO) was found to be upregulated under developmental low-nutrient conditions, and its knockdown abolished the lifespan-extending effect of the larval low-yeast diet.
Article
Ecology
Zachary Emberts, John J. Wiens
Summary: Recent studies have suggested that male-male competition may not have strong, general effects on speciation and diversification in insects.
Article
Ecology
Joshua T. Bauld, Katharine A. Abernethy, Jason Newton, David Lehmann, Isabel L. Jones, Luc F. Bussiere
Summary: Classic evolutionary theory suggests that sexual dimorphism evolves primarily through sexual and fecundity selection. However, recent research indicates that resource competition may also contribute to the evolution of sexual dimorphism through ecological character displacement between sexes. This study conducted a meta-analysis to examine the association between isotopic divergence and body size dimorphism, and found modest but significant positive associations, particularly when there was a greater ecological opportunity for dietary divergence between sexes.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Chathuranga Dharmarathne, Donald James McLean, Marie E. Herberstein, Jutta M. Schneider
Summary: The study found no evidence of a negative allometric relationship between genitalia and body size in the orbweb spider Argiope lobata. Additionally, the researchers did not find any correlation between genital structures and male mating success or outcome.
Article
Ecology
Dante Poy, Luis N. Piacentini, Shou-Wang Lin, Leonel A. Martinez, Martin J. Ramirez, Peter Michalik
Summary: Spiders have evolved a unique sperm transfer system, where the male copulatory organs on the tarsus of the pedipalps not only allow sperm transfer, but also provide a mechanical interlock with the female genitalia. Researchers have discovered that some spider lineages have lost certain elements of the copulatory organ but have evolved a femoral apophysis instead, which serves a self-bracing function during mating.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Alessio N. De Nardo, Jeannine Roy, Sonja H. Sbilordo, Stefan Lupold
Summary: The study found that larger males were more successful in mating in competitive environments, while smaller males had shorter mating latencies in noncompetitive settings. Smaller males also tended to transfer more sperm during mating, displace a larger proportion of resident sperm, and achieve higher paternity shares per mating.
Article
Ecology
E. V(Ginny) Greenway, Emily Angelis, Christine W. Miller
Summary: This study explores the allocation of resources and trade-offs between reproductive traits in the insect Narnia femorata. The results show that investment in weapons and testes are negatively correlated and that losing a weapon can result in larger testes mass. Interestingly, losing a weapon at a young age is associated with extended adult mating duration.
Article
Statistics & Probability
Enrique del Castillo, Peng Chen, Adam Meyers, John Hunt, James Rapkin
Summary: This paper describes distribution-free methods for computing confidence regions on the location of global optima of response surface models, based on bootstrapping and Tukey's data depth. The methods are not reliant on distributional assumptions about errors affecting the response, and the package OptimaRegion in R language is introduced for implementation. The coverage analysis presented demonstrates the quality of the regions found.
COMMUNICATIONS IN STATISTICS-SIMULATION AND COMPUTATION
(2022)
Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Matthew R. Carey, C. Ruth Archer, James Rapkin, Meaghan Castledine, Kim Jensen, Clarissa M. House, David J. Hosken, John Hunt
Summary: Understanding the relationship between diet and reproductive traits is important in evolutionary biology. This study used the Geometric Framework of Nutrition to map nutrient landscapes in Drosophila melanogaster and found that the optimal nutrient ratios for male and female lifespan and reproductive rates differed. The approach of creating nutrient landscapes without measuring individual nutrient intake may be preferable to the traditional CAFE method.
Article
Ecology
Michael Hawkes, Sarah M. Lane, James Rapkin, Kim Jensen, Clarissa M. House, Scott K. Sakaluk, John Hunt
Summary: Despite variations in life span across species, there are three common patterns: sex differences in life span, life span being traded against reproduction, and nutrition having a major influence on these traits. Intralocus sexual conflict may prevent males and females from reaching their nutritional optima, contributing to sex differences in life span and reproduction. The study on Gryllodes sigillatus shows that protein and carbohydrate intake have contrasting effects on life span and reproduction in each sex, with males being more responsive to dietary choice. Females, on the other hand, regulate their nutrient intake to a common ratio that is not perfectly optimal for either life span or reproduction.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Corinne Letendre, Kristin R. Duffield, Ben M. Sadd, Scott K. Sakaluk, Clarissa M. House, John Hunt
Summary: This study investigates the genetic architecture of the immune system in insects using Gryllodes sigillatus as a model. The results show that there are genetic correlations between haemocyte count, antibacterial and phenoloxidase activity, and resistance to a specific bacterium in both males and females. The ability to clear bacteria is also genetically correlated with resistance to all three pathogens. However, genetic correlations between resistances to different pathogens are inconsistent, indicating that resistance to one pathogen does not necessarily confer resistance to another. Genetic estimates of immune assays and pathogen resistance differ across sexes, suggesting independent evolution of these measures in males and females.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Zoology
Janice Vaz, Alana Bartley, John Hunt
Summary: This study examines the personality and stress physiology of African lions, finding two reliable personality dimensions (dominance and agreeableness) and identifying factors that may influence their personality. The study also reveals a negative association between agreeableness and stress levels. The results highlight the importance of integrating personality and stress physiology for animal welfare management.
Article
Ecology
Corinne Letendre, Alejandro Rios-Villamil, Alexandria Williams, James Rapkin, Scott K. Sakaluk, Clarissa M. House, John Hunt
Summary: This study investigates the evolutionary effects of dietary macronutrients on insect immunity in the cricket Gryllodes sigillatus. The research finds that diets rich in protein and low in nutrition can enhance immunity. Additionally, dietary manipulation leads to genetic divergence in populations.
JOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Elena Plaza-Mayoral, Ines Jordao Pereira, Kim Nicole Dalby, Kim Degn Jensen, Ib Chorkendorff, Hanne Falsig, Paula Sebastian-Pascual, Maria Escudero-Escribano
Summary: This study focuses on the development of Pd-Au bimetallic nanocatalysts for energy conversion. The researchers prepared these nanocatalysts using a surfactant-free electrodeposition method in a deep eutectic solvent and tested their electrocatalytic performance in the formic acid oxidation reaction. The results showed that Pd-Au nanostructures with approximately 50% Pd and Au displayed the best activity and stability in relation to Pd mass loading, highlighting the synergy between Pd and Au in the bimetallic catalyst.
ACS APPLIED ENERGY MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Bert Foquet, James Rapkin, Manmohan D. Sharma, Ben M. Sadd, Scott K. Sakaluk, John Hunt
Summary: This study investigates the effects of male-mediated nuptial food gift consumption on the female transcriptomic response in decorated crickets. The findings suggest that the consumption of the spermatophylax alters gene expression in females, highlighting the potential role of this behavior in mediating sexual conflict.
JOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Amanda S. Petersen, Kim D. Jensen, Hao Wan, Alexander Bagger, Ib Chorkendorff, Ifan E. L. Stephens, Jan Rossmeisl, Maria Escudero-Escribano
Summary: In this study, the effects of phosphate anion poisoning on the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity of Pt-based electrodes were investigated using a computational model and rotating disk electrode measurements. By varying the subsurface Cu content of a Cu/Pt(111) alloy, the *OH binding energies on the surface were tuned through ligand effects, resulting in tuning of the ORR activity. The adsorbed phosphate species on the surface were found to directly affect the adsorption of *OH, and the three-fold binding sites of phosphate anions limited the packing of poisoning phosphate, allowing for *OH adsorption even when the surface was poisoned.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Jette K. Mathiesen, Sofie Colding-Fagerholt, Kim D. Jensen, Jack K. Pedersen, Tom Vosch, Jan Rossmeisl, Stig Helveg, Kirsten M. o. Jensen
Summary: Bimetallic nanocrystals exhibit different behaviors compared to monometallic nanocrystals under gas environments. Under oxygen exposure, bimetallic nanocrystals lose metallic Cu and form metal oxide phases, but can reappear and reincorporate into the crystalline phase under a reducing atmosphere. Cu mobility promotes segregation and formation of CuO along with the formation of a monometallic phase, altering the active surface sites of the nanocatalyst.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY A
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Anton Gligorescu, Laura Ioana Macavei, Bjarne Foged Larsen, Rikke Markfoged, Christian Holst Fischer, Jakob Dig Koch, Kim Jensen, Lars-Henrik Lau Heckmann, Jan Vaerum Norgaard, Lara Maistrello
Summary: The food and feed sector requires sustainable protein sources and solutions for recycling food waste. This study shows that former foodstuff waste can be used to feed black soldier fly larvae, resulting in efficient and high-quality production of frass and black soldier fly meal.
CLEANER ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Alexander Bagger, Kim D. Jensen, Maryam Rashedi, Jia Du, Rui Luo, Damin Zhang, Ines J. Pereira, Maria Escudero-Escribano, Matthias Arenz, Jan Rossmeisl
Summary: This paper investigates the formic acid oxidation reaction and its catalytic limitations through simulations and experiments, providing new insights into the mechanism of this reaction.