Article
Biology
Julian Melgar, Mads F. Schou, Maud Bonato, Zanell Brand, Anel Engelbrecht, Schalk W. P. Cloete, Charlie K. Cornwallis
Summary: This study experimentally tested sex differences in cooperative breeding and their impact on group size variation in ostriches. The results showed that male optimal group size is influenced by competition costs, while female reproductive success is impacted by the benefits of cooperation with group members. Intermediate group sizes were found to be disadvantageous for both males and females.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Charel Reuland, Brett M. Culbert, Erika Fernlund Isaksson, Ariel F. Kahrl, Alessandro Devigili, John L. Fitzpatrick
Summary: The study reveals a positive relationship between social status and ejaculate quality in the pygmy halfbeak fish, with dominant males producing higher quality ejaculates under conditions of frequent male-male interactions. Additionally, dominant males are in better physical condition, growing faster and possessing larger livers, suggesting a possible condition dependence of competitive traits. Female presence or absence did not affect sperm swimming speed or testes mass, highlighting the importance of male-male behavioral interactions in driving social-status-dependent differences in ejaculate traits.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Clare M. Kimock, Lauren J. N. Brent, Constance Dubuc, James P. Higham
Summary: The study found that canine height and body mass in rhesus macaques are not related to dominance rank, but similarity in dominance rank affects the occurrence of aggressive interactions. Additionally, dominance rank predicts the likelihood of winning an agonistic interaction.
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
Ecology
Allen J. Moore, Joel W. McGlothlin, Jason B. Wolf
Summary: The study develops a quantitative genetic model to investigate male signaling traits mediating aggression in male-male contests. The findings suggest that an honest indicator of aggression can generate selection on itself by altering the social environment, leading to accelerated selection on the trait as it is elaborated, resulting in runaway evolution. The evolving source of selection provided by the social environment is identified as a fundamental unifying feature of runaway sexual selection.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ewan O. Flintham, Vincent Savolainen, Charles Mullon
Summary: Sexual conflict can arise when males evolve traits that harm females while improving their own mating success. This study shows that conflict is more intense in populations where individuals are in better condition, as condition-dependent expression of sexually selected traits readily evolves. This intensified conflict reduces mean fitness and can lead to a negative association between condition and population size. The coevolution of condition and sexual conflict can make the good genes effect detrimental to populations in the presence of male harm.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Olivia E. Anastasio, Chelsea S. Sinclair, Alison Pischedda
Summary: Cryptic male mate choice refers to the differential allocation of resources by males to females during or after copulation. In the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, males mate longer and allocate more resources to larger females compared to smaller females. However, it is unclear if this increased investment in larger females has any impact on the males' subsequent matings.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Erika Fernlund Isaksson, Charel Reuland, Ariel F. Kahrl, Alessandro Devigili, John L. Fitzpatrick
Summary: This study examines the effects of resource restriction on pre- and post-copulatory traits in male pygmy halfbeaks. The results show that resource restriction leads to reduced body size, beak size, courtship behavior, and testes size, but unexpectedly, the restricted-diet group had a larger area of red color on the beak and fins after the diet treatment.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Ralph Dobler, Marc Charette, Katrin Kaplan, Biz R. Turnell, Klaus Reinhardt
Summary: Sexually selected traits can be influenced by non-sexual selection, leading to adaptation to different environments and driving ecological speciation through sexual selection. This study investigates the effects of narrow-sense natural selection on male postcopulatory success in Drosophila melanogaster and finds that selection under hypoxia decreases both defensive and offensive abilities of sperm. Limited evidence of local adaptation suggests a stronger positive environmental effect of hypoxia on defensive ability in hypoxia-selected males.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Yuki Kondo, Masanori Kohda, Yasunori Koya, Satoshi Awata
Summary: Sperm allocation strategies in the externally fertilizing fish medaka were investigated. The study found that male medaka adjust the number of sperm released per mating according to their premating experience and cues from rival males.
Article
Ecology
Eleanor Bath, Daisy Buzzoni, Toby Ralph, Stuart Wigby, Irem Sepil
Summary: Mating affects female behavior and physiology across a wide range of taxa, often induced by components of male ejaculate. Variation in male condition can lead to differences in the strength of responses males can stimulate in females, affecting fitness outcomes for both sexes.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biology
Nan Lyu, D. Justin Yeh, Huw Lloyd, Yue-Hua Sun
Summary: The study examines the relationship between post-pairing male behaviors and female trait evolution using theoretical models. It finds that male mate choosiness can have surprising influence on the evolution of costly female traits. The study suggests that choosy males can have different post-pairing behaviors, which has been overlooked in previous studies. The findings show that both male preferences and female traits can evolve more easily than previously expected.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Harikishan Gandham, Hari Prasad Dasari, Md Saquib Saharwardi, Ashok Karumuri, Ibrahim Hoteit
Summary: This study investigates the characteristics and changes in dust emissions in the Arabian Peninsula using high-resolution data from MODIS. The results reveal that river basins and sand dunes are important dust sources in Iraq and Saudi Arabia, respectively, while Oman is the prominent source in the southern region. Furthermore, the study finds that drought conditions significantly enhance dust emissions in these regions.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Lawrence D. Harder, Shane A. Richards, Jon Agren, Steven D. Johnson
Summary: This study reveals that male-male interference during pollen dispersal can significantly limit plant-siring success by affecting pollen pickup, transport, and deposition. Competitive pollinaria on bees reduce pickup of additional pollinaria, double the overall proportion of lost donor pollen, and decrease total pollen export. Interference specifically increases loss of donor pollen between flower visits and variation in deposition among trials, potentially reducing pollen contact with stigmas and pollen deposition.
AMERICAN NATURALIST
(2021)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Yusan Yang, Corinne L. Richards-Zawacki
Summary: This study investigated the impact of male-male competition on mate choice, and found that in the strawberry poison frog, territorial competition among males determines females' mating choice, rather than their preference for male coloration.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Torsten Wronski, Prosper Umuntunundi, Ann Apio, Bernhard Hausdorf
JOURNAL OF ARID ENVIRONMENTS
(2019)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Marie-Claire Dusabe, Torsten Wronski, Guilherme Gomes-Silva, Martin Plath, Christian Albrecht, Ann Apio
ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT
(2019)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Benny Shalmon, Ping Sun, Torsten Wronski
BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION
(2020)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Guilherme Gomes-Silva, Eric Cyubahiro, Torsten Wronski, Ruediger Riesch, Ann Apio, Martin Plath
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2020)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Shuang Yang, Tianxiang Zhang, Yimeng Li, Shanghua Xu, Meishan Zhang, Xin Hu, Shuqiang Liu, Defu Hu, Torsten Wronski
Summary: Musk deer have been kept in captivity for musk production since the 1950s, with forest musk deer being reintroduced to wild populations. Their prominent characteristics include anxiety, solitary lifestyle, and territoriality, making breeding difficult. Through behavioral variables and stimulus tests, differences in bold and shy individuals can be identified.
APPLIED ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Dingyu Yan, Defu Hu, Kaixiang Li, Baocai Li, Xiangyan Zeng, Jinyan Chen, Yimeng Li, Torsten Wronski
Summary: Chronic stress significantly affects the diversity and composition of fecal microbiota in captive Malayan pangolins, leading to differences between the two groups.
CURRENT MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Zoology
Benny Shalmon, Ping Sun, Torsten Wronski
Summary: The study on the Arabian gazelle population in Israel revealed that low fawn survival rates were a major factor contributing to the constant decline and local extinction. The research found that temperature had significant effects on fawn mortality rates, with male offspring and fawns from younger mothers experiencing higher mortality rates.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Liangliang Yang, Wenxia Wang, Ping Sun, Songlin Huang, Ruyi Gao, Desheng Kong, Wendong Ru, Torsten Wronski, Guogang Zhang
Summary: The study examined the extrinsic factors, endocrine mechanisms, and behavioral indicators of migratory restlessness in wintering whooper swans. Results showed a significant correlation between FGM concentration and squared mean air temperature, as well as certain behaviors being correlated with FGM concentration. However, the small sample size limits the interpretation of the findings.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Zoology
Ping Sun, Prosper Umuntunundi, Torsten Wronski
Summary: This study examined the effectiveness of using the Eastern chimpanzee as a flagship species in the Gishwati-Mukura National Park in Rwanda. The results showed that prioritizing the chimpanzee led to the neglect of other mammalian species and resulted in the decline of functional guilds.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Liangliang Yang, Wenxia Wang, Torsten Wronski, Ping Sun, Kun Jin, Weilu Tang
Summary: High-throughput sequencing technology was used to analyze the composition and diversity of bacterial and fungal communities in the gut of Hainan gibbons in southern China. The study found significant differences in the microbial community composition between different altitude habitats and family groups. Environmental factors were identified as potential causes of the disparities in the microbial flora.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2022)
Article
Zoology
Ryan A. Martin, Ruediger Riesch, Martin Plath, Naif A. Al Hanoosh, Torsten Wronski
Summary: Reproductive traits are crucial for the fitness of organisms. In this study, we investigated the reproductive biology of Arabian gazelles based on breeding data collected over 16 years. The results showed that offspring survival was influenced by birth weight, with heavier offspring having higher survival rates. We also found significant narrow-sense heritability in birth weight and different effects of maternal and paternal influences on offspring survival.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yimeng Li, Minghui Shi, Baofeng Zhang, Jiahui Wu, Yichen Wang, Mengqi Li, Yining Wu, Xin Hu, Defu Hu, Zhixin Huang, Torsten Wronski
Summary: The effects of mother-infant separation on the physiology, psychology and nutrition of Forest musk deer were studied. It was found that separating the mother and infant after 90 days can reduce weaning stress and maintain relatively stable gastrointestinal physiology.
Article
Parasitology
Ping Sun, Torsten Wronski, Ann Apio, Laura Edwards
VETERINARY PARASITOLOGY- REGIONAL STUDIES AND REPORTS
(2020)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
S. Yang, M. Zhang, Y. Li, M. Cha, S. Xu, Y. Liu, X. Guo, T. Zhang, M. Shi, S. Liu, D. Hu, T. Wronski
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL AND PLANT SCIENCES-JAPS
(2020)
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Jorge F. Soares, Fekadu Shiferaw Desta, William Macasero, Thomas M. Butynski, Torsten Wronski
JOURNAL OF ZOO AND WILDLIFE MEDICINE
(2019)