Review
Biology
Devi Stuart-Fox, Anne Aulsebrook, Katrina J. Rankin, Caroline M. Dong, Claire A. McLean
Summary: Research on colour polymorphic species, particularly in lizards, reveals both convergent and divergent traits in relation to behaviour, physiology, and life history. Future directions in this field include exploring the genetic basis of convergent phenotypes and the role of environmental variation in maintaining polymorphism. This active area of research continues to offer valuable insights for evolutionary biologists.
BIOLOGICAL REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Biology
James T. Stroud, Ansley Petherick, Benjamin Krasnoff, Kamau Walker, Jonathan J. Suh, Jonathan B. Losos
Summary: Research has found that closely related species with similar ecological habits show differences in the proportional size of signaling traits. Anolis lizards, for example, have a retractable throat fan called a dewlap, which varies greatly in size and color among species. The study observed that dewlaps of Anolis lizards exhibit positive allometry, meaning that relative dewlap size increases with body size. The study also found that coexisting species have different scaling relationships in terms of signal size, while convergent species with similarities in ecology, morphology, and behavior tend to have similar dewlap scaling relationships. This suggests that dewlap scaling relationships may follow the same pattern as other traits in the evolution of Anolis lizards, where ecologically different sympatric species have developed divergent traits.
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
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
Daniel Pincheira-Donoso, Lilly P. Harvey, Florencia Grattarola, Manuel Jara, Sheena C. Cotter, Tom Tregenza, Dave J. Hodgson
Summary: Body size is a crucial factor that impacts fitness within animal populations, with ecological and reproductive pressures driving the evolution of sexual size dimorphism (SSD). Various hypotheses have been proposed to explain the diversity of SSD across species, focusing on mate competition, fecundity benefits, niche divergence, and geographical variation. A global-scale study on amphibians reveals that SSD evolution differs between anurans and salamanders, with anuran SSD influenced by climate and nesting site, while salamander SSD is consistent across species occupying similar microhabitats. Ecological and climatic pressures play a key role in driving amphibian SSD, with no significant effects from sexual or fecundity selection detected.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Martina Muraro, Stephanie Sherpa, Benedetta Barzaghi, Pierluigi Bombi, Danilo Borgatti, Viola Di Canio, Andrea Dalpasso, Mattia Falaschi, Benedetta Gambioli, Raoul Manenti, Silvio Marta, Paolo Momigliano, Veronica Nanni, Claudio Pardo, Elia Lo Parrino, Stefano Scali, Federico Storniolo, Leonardo Vignoli, Marco A. L. Zuffi, Roberto Sacchi, Daniele Salvi, Gentile Francesco Ficetola
Summary: The evolution of sexual dimorphism is driven by intricate interactions between sexual and natural selection, but environmental factors play a major role in SD variation within populations. The individual body condition and resource availability are the main drivers of SD expression in the Italian wall lizard.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
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
Biology
A. Knapp, R. J. Knell, D. W. E. Hone
Summary: The study found support for predictions that indicate the parietal-squamosal frill of Protoceratops andrewsi may play an important role in socio-sexual selection, showing low integration, significantly higher rates of change in size and shape during growth and development, and higher morphological variance. Sexual dimorphism in shape was not supported, suggesting that sexual differences may be small.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Sam Ronan Finnegan, Matteo Mondani, Kevin Fowler, Andrew Pomiankowski
Summary: The study examined the 'sex-ratio' meiotic drive system in the Malaysian stalk-eyed fly Teleopsis dalmanni and found reduced eyespan in males and females carrying the SR chromosome under both low and high stress conditions. However, there was no evidence of condition-dependent decrease in eyespan under high stress, suggesting a compensatory resource allocation to different traits in response to drive-mediated destruction of sperm.
JOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Tiffany M. Doan, Alexis D. Mingos, Aiden E. Juge, Melissa A. Simmons
Summary: The Hamilton-Zuk hypothesis suggests that parasites can negatively affect sexual traits in infected individuals. In this study, we examined the relationship between malarial infection and dewlap color in brown anoles. We found that infected anoles had duller dewlap coloration, supporting the Hamilton-Zuk hypothesis. Further research on the fitness effects of the malaria parasite on anoles is important for a comprehensive understanding of this phenomenon.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
James P. Higham, Clare M. Kimock, Tara M. Mandalaywala, Michael Heistermann, Julie Cascio, Megan Petersdorf, Sandra Winters, William L. Allen, Constance Dubuc
Summary: The study found that female rhesus macaques with redder faces were mated more frequently and for longer periods by top-ranked males. Additionally, these redder females had higher fGCM concentrations, which may be related to their increased mating activity and energy mobilization. Therefore, female coloration may have evolved at least in part via male mate choice, serving as a sexually selected ornament attractive to males.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Daniel W. A. Noble, Fonti Kar, Shinichi Nakagawa, J. Scott Keogh, Martin J. Whiting
Summary: The study found that performance traits do not directly impact the outcome of lizard contests or reproductive success, but are more influenced by males adopting different reproductive strategies.
JOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Tim Janicke, Elodie Chapuis, Stefania Meconcelli, Nicolas Bonel, Boris Delahaie, Patrice David
Summary: Understanding how environmental stress influences the genetic variance-covariance matrix of body size and reproductive success in hermaphroditic organisms is crucial for predicting evolutionary responses. Our study on the freshwater snail Physa acuta showed that environmental stress increased selection pressure on both sexes, while maintaining relatively stable genetic architecture. Importantly, there was no strong genetic correlation between male and female reproductive traits, indicating limited evolutionary coupling.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Qiang Wu, Alexis Rutschmann, Donald B. Miles, Murielle Richard, Jean Clobert
Summary: Studies have shown that there is a correlation between risk aversion and escape behavior in among-individual level, but only in gravid females. However, this correlation is lost in postparturition females. Parasite infestation might play a role in dissociating the correlation between risk aversion and escape response in gravid females.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Joe A. Wilde, Rolando Rodriguez-Munoz, Safi K. Darden, Tom Tregenza, Tim W. Fawcett
Summary: Based on observations of a wild population of field crickets, it was found that males adjust their courtship behavior in response to the presence of other males nearby and far away. The study showed that males are stimulated to sing when other males are present at a distance greater than 1 meter, while they are less likely to call when another male is singing very close by (within 1 meter).
Article
Ecology
Sandor Zsebok, Denes Schmera, Miklos Laczi, Gergely Nagy, Eva Vaskuti, Janos Torok, Laszlo Zsolt Garamszegi
Summary: Studying the diversity of animal signals is crucial for understanding the evolution of communication systems, but current methods for quantifying acoustic diversity have limitations. The authors propose a new framework that utilizes tools from community ecology to decompose acoustic diversity and characterize the complexity of animal communication systems. By applying different diversity estimates, they can reveal additional insights about the function and evolution of communication systems, beyond traditional methods.
METHODS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Julianna B. Nemeth, Daniel G. Knapp, Annamaria Kosa, Panna A. Hegedus, Gabor Herczeg, Pal Vagi, Gabor M. Kovacs
Summary: The capacity to degrade and utilize complex plant substrates is crucial for the functioning of saprobic fungi and plant symbionts. A new micro-scale experimental setup using different plant substrates has been established, providing insights into ecological roles of fungi. The novel method for estimating fungal biomass has various applications in different fields.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Lorenzo Vilizzi, Gordon H. Copp, Jeffrey E. Hill, Boris Adamovich, Luke Aislabie, Daniel Akin, Abbas J. Al-Faisal, David Almeida, M. N. Amal Azmai, Rigers Bakiu, Adriana Bellati, Renee Bernier, Jason M. Bies, Gokcen Bilge, Paulo Branco, Thuyet D. Bui, Joao Canning-Clode, Henrique Anatole Cardoso Ramos, Gustavo A. Castellanos-Galindo, Nuno Castro, Ratcha Chaichana, Paula Chainho, Joleen Chan, Almir M. Cunico, Amelia Curd, Punyanuch Dangchana, Dimitriy Dashinov, Phil I. Davison, Mariele P. de Camargo, Jennifer A. Dodd, Allison L. Durland Donahou, Lennart Edsman, F. Guler Ekmekci, Jessica Elphinstone-Davis, Tibor Eros, Charlotte Evangelista, Gemma Fenwick, Arpad Ferincz, Teresa Ferreira, Eric Feunteun, Halit Filiz, Sandra C. Forneck, Helen S. Gajduchenko, Joao Gama Monteiro, Ignacio Gestoso, Daniela Giannetto, Allan S. Gilles, Francesca Gizzi, Branko Glamuzina, Luka Glamuzina, Jesica Goldsmit, Stephan Gollasch, Philippe Goulletquer, Joanna Grabowska, Rogan Harmer, Phillip J. Haubrock, Dekui He, Jeffrey W. Hean, Gabor Herczeg, Kimberly L. Howland, Ali Ilhan, Elena Interesova, Katarina Jakubcinova, Anders Jelmert, Stein Johnsen, Tomasz Kakareko, Kamalaporn Kanongdate, Nurcin Killi, Jeong-Eun Kim, Serife Gulsun Kirankaya, Dominika Knazovicka, Oldrich Kopecky, Vasil Kostov, Nicholas Koutsikos, Sebastian Kozic, Tatia Kuljanishvili, Biju Kumar, Lohith Kumar, Yoshihisa Kurita, Irmak Kurtul, Lorenzo Lazzaro, Laura Lee, Maiju Lehtiniemi, Giovanni Leonardi, Rob S. E. W. Leuven, Shan Li, Tatsiana Lipinskaya, Fei Liu, Lance Lloyd, Massimo Lorenzoni, Sergio Alberto Luna, Timothy J. Lyons, Kit Magellan, Martin Malmstrom, Agnese Marchini, Sean M. Marr, Gerard Masson, Laurence Masson, Cynthia H. McKenzie, Daniyar Memedemin, Roberto Mendoza, Dan Minchin, Laurence Miossec, Seyed Daryoush Moghaddas, Moleseng C. Moshobane, Levan Mumladze, Rahmat Naddafi, Elnaz Najafi-Majd, Aurel Nastase, Ion Navodaru, J. Wesley Neal, Sarah Nienhuis, Matura Nimtim, Emma T. Nolan, Anna Occhipinti-Ambrogi, Henn Ojaveer, Sergej Olenin, Karin Olsson, Norio Onikura, Kathryn O'Shaughnessy, Daniele Paganelli, Paola Parretti, Jiri Patoka, Richard Thomas B. Pavia Jr, Daniele Pellitteri-Rosa, Michele Pelletier-Rousseau, Elfritzson M. Peralta, Costas Perdikaris, Dariusz Pietraszewski, Marina Piria, Sophie Pitois, Laura Pompei, Nicolas Poulet, Cristina Preda, Riikka Puntila-Dodd, Ali T. Qashqaei, Tena Radocaj, Hossein Rahmani, Smrithy Raj, David Reeves, Milica Ristovska, Viktor Rizevsky, D. Ross Robertson, Peter Robertson, Laura Ruykys, AbdulwakilO Sab, Jose M. Santos, Hasan M. Sari, Pedro Segurado, Vitaliy Semenchenko, Wansuk Senanan, Nathalie Simard, Predrag Simonovic, MichalE Skora, Kristina Slovak Svolikova, Evangelia Smeti, Tereza Smidova, Ivan Spelic, Greta Srebaliene, Gianluca Stasolla, Paul Stebbing, Barbora Stevove, Vettath R. Suresh, Bettina Szajbert, Kieu Anh T. Ta, Ali Serhan Tarkan, Jonathan Tempesti, Thomas W. Therriault, Hannah J. Tidbury, Nildeniz Top-Karakus, Elena Tricarico, DeboraF A. Troca, Konstantinos Tsiamis, Quenton M. Tuckett, Pero Tutman, Umut Uyan, Eliza Uzunova, Leonidas Vardakas, Gaute Velle, Hugo Verreycken, Lizaveta Vintsek, Hui Wei, Andras Weiperth, Olaf L. F. Wey, Emily R. Winter, Radoslaw Wlodarczyk, Louisa E. Wood, Ruibin Yang, Sercan Yapici, Shayne S. B. Yeo, Baran Yogurtcuoglu, Anna L. E. Yunnie, Yunjie Zhu, Grzegorz Zieba, Kristina Zitnanova, Stacey Clarke
Summary: A global approach is needed to identify invasive non-native species that pose a high risk to native species and ecosystems. By using a multi-lingual decision-support tool, assessors can classify aquatic organisms into different risk categories under current and predicted climate conditions, aiding in decision-making for management and policy.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Gabor Herczeg, Viktoria Nyitrai, Gergely Balazs, Gergely Horvath
Summary: The study found that the cave-dwelling waterlouse population maintains a preference for surface food and did not lose its food type innovativeness, even after at least 60,000 years of genetic isolation. The researchers suggest that adapting to the special cave food was a major challenge in colonising the cave, and that the cave food may have been an obstacle rather than a trigger for cave colonisation.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Marco P. Vianna Franco, Orsolya Molnar, Christian Dorninger, Alice Laciny, Marco Treven, Jacob Weger, Eduardo da Motta e Albuquerque, Roberto Cazzolla Gatti, Luis Alejandro Villanueva Hernandez, Manuel Jakab, Christine Marizzi, Lumila Paula Menendez, Luana Poliseli, Hernan Bobadilla Rodriguez, Guido Caniglia
Summary: This passage discusses the urgency of dealing with COVID-19 and proposes a shift from current approaches to precautionary approaches. The author suggests restoring diversity in various aspects to promote the development of key systems such as health, land, knowledge, and innovation. Systemic thinking in policymaking is emphasized.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
David Canal, Monika Jablonszky, Katalin Krenhardt, Gabor Marko, Gergely Nagy, Eszter Szasz, Janos Torok, Sandor Zsebok, Laszlo Zsolt Garamszegi
Summary: This study revealed the relative importance of male and female identity in male courtship behavior, as well as the increased male responsiveness to stimulus females as the breeding season progressed. Furthermore, the results suggest that invitation latency is a consistent courtship attribute in males that can be adjusted plastically according to perceived female quality and environmental conditions.
Article
Zoology
Hajriz Berisha, Gergely Horvath, Ziga Fiser, Gergely Balazs, Cene Fiser, Gabor Herczeg
Summary: Populations experiencing negligible predation pressure are expected to evolve higher behavioral activity. However, when sexes have different expected benefits from high activity, the adaptive shift is expected to be sex-specific. Here, we compared movement activity of one cave (lack of predation) and three adjacent surface (high and diverse predation) populations of Asellus aquaticus, a freshwater isopod known for its independent colonization of several caves across Europe. We predicted 1) higher activity in cave than in surface populations, with 2) the difference being more pronounced in males as they are known for active mate searching behavior, while females are not. Activity was assessed both in the presence and absence of light. Our results supported both predictions: movement activity was higher in the cave than in the surface populations, particularly in males. Relaxed predation pressure in the cave-adapted population is most likely the main selective factor behind increased behavioral activity, but we also showed that the extent of increase is sex-specific.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Lorenzo Vilizzi, Marina Piria, Dariusz Pietraszewski, Oldrich Kopecky, Ivan Spelic, Tena Radocaj, Nikica Sprem, Kieu Anh T. Ta, Ali Serhan Tarkan, Andras Weiperth, Baran Yogurtcuoglu, Onur Candan, Gabor Herczeg, Nurcin Killi, Darija Lemic, Bettina Szajbert, David Almeida, Zainab Al-Wazzan, Usman Atique, Rigers Bakiu, Ratcha Chaichana, Dimitriy Dashinov, Arpad Ferincz, Guillaume Flieller, Allan S. Gilles, Philippe Goulletquer, Elena Interesova, Sonia Iqbal, Akihiko Koyama, Petra Kristan, Shan Li, Juliane Lukas, Seyed Daryoush Moghaddas, Joao G. Monteiro, Levan Mumladze, Karin H. Olsson, Daniele Paganelli, Costas Perdikaris, Renanel Pickholtz, Cristina Preda, Milica Ristovska, Kristina Slovak Svolikova, Barbora Stevove, Eliza Uzunova, Leonidas Vardakas, Hugo Verreycken, Hui Wei, Grzegorz Zieba
Summary: Electronic decision-support tools, such as the Terrestrial Animal Species Invasiveness Screening Kit (TAS-ISK), are essential for government strategies to tackle non-native species invasions. TAS-ISK is a multilingual tool that screens terrestrial animals under current and future climate conditions, using a question template based on the original Weed Risk Assessment (WRA) and complying with European regulations. It consists of 49 basic questions on species traits and interactions, as well as 6 additional questions on climate change. The adoption of this tool can inform decisions and prevent the entry and dispersal of high-risk non-native terrestrial animal species, supporting rapid-response strategies against biological invasions.
Article
Ecology
Monika Jablonszky, David Canal, Gergely Hegyi, Marton Herenyi, Miklos Laczi, Oscar Lao, Gabor Marko, Gergely Nagy, Balazs Rosivall, Eszter Szasz, Janos Torok, Sandor Zsebok, Laszlo Zsolt Garamszegi
Summary: This study investigated the heritability of song traits in the collared flycatcher. The results showed small additive genetic variance and heritability values in all song traits, highlighting the role of environmental factors in shaping bird song.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Gergely Horvath, Kata Kerekes, Viktoria Nyitrai, Gergely Balazs, Hajriz Berisha, Gabor Herczeg
Summary: Behavior plays a crucial role in colonizing new habitats, but intraspecific behavioral variation in species with populations successfully colonizing extreme habitats is less understood. By studying surface- and cave-adapted populations of water louse, we found that cave populations are less explorative and dispersed slower than surface populations. Recent cave colonists showed a trend of being faster dispersers, suggesting that individuals with higher explorativeness are likely to colonize different environments. Furthermore, we provided experimental evidence that surface water louse move more in the dark than in light.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Eszter Szasz, Fanni Sarkadi, Eszter Szollosi, Renata Kopena, Janos Torok, Balazs Rosivall
Summary: Our study on collared flycatchers shows that brood sex ratios and experimentally altered sex ratios are unrelated to fitness components. Nestling growth is only related to background variables, while nestling mortality is only related to hatching asynchrony. Therefore, our results do not support the adaptive value of observed sex ratios.
JOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Gergely Balazs, Spela Borko, Dorottya Angyal, Valerija Zaksek, Anna Biro, Cene Fiser, Gabor Herczeg
Summary: The underground fauna in Europe, particularly the genus Niphargus, is well-suited for studying its origins. The Pannonian Plain in Central Europe, mainly located in Hungary, played a crucial role in the diversification of Niphargus. However, our understanding of Hungarian Niphargus species is mainly based on sporadic taxonomical studies conducted prior to the molecular era. In this study, we explored 14 localities in Hungary, encompassing eight valid Hungarian Niphargus species, including nine previously unstudied populations. Through genetic analysis, we found that Hungarian Niphargus species are not closely related, with species sampled from the same locations belonging to different clades. Additionally, the newly discovered populations are genetically distinct from known species. Our findings indicate that the diversity of Hungarian Niphargus fauna is underestimated due to unknown populations and cryptic species, emphasizing the need for further research.
Article
Ecology
Sandor Csosz, Ferenc Bathori, Zoltan Radai, Gabor Herczeg, Brian L. Fisher
Summary: Unprecedented technological advances in digitization and open-access digital repositories have enabled quick and efficient measurement of morphological traits without the need for transportation and expensive microscope machinery. The AntWeb.org database provides a platform for researchers worldwide to study ant specimens for taxonomic, ecological, or evolutionary purposes. However, the reproducibility and reliability of measurements obtained from AntWeb compared to traditional microscope measurements have not yet been examined.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Gabor Herczeg, Gergely Balazs, Anna Biro, Ziga Fiser, Simona Kralj-Fiser, Cene Fiser
Summary: Body size is a significant trait in ecology and evolution, with differences often observed between males and females. The island rule and Rensch's rule predict larger body size in small-bodied species and increasing male-female size ratio with increasing body size, respectively. However, these rules were not supported in cave and surface populations of Asellus aquaticus isopods, suggesting that local selective forces other than island or surface characteristics drive population variation in body size and sexual size dimorphism. Hence, habitat type alone does not explain variation in body size and SSD in this species.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Miklos Laczi, Gabor Herczeg, Gyula Szabo, Helga Gyarmathy, Fanni Sarkadi, Janos Torok, Gergely Hegyi
Summary: This study investigated sexual dichromatism in great tits. The results showed marked differences between the breast section of males and the throat and belly sections, with the female's breast appearing less bright. This sexual dichromatism is not easily detected by the human eye. Additionally, a hidden ultraviolet patch was discovered in the male's breast, which may serve as a sexual ornament or signal amplifier.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
