Article
Humanities, Multidisciplinary
Sally E. Street, Tuomas Eerola, Jeremy R. Kendal
Summary: Demography, particularly population size, plays a key role in cultural complexity. However, the relationship between population size and complexity varies across domains. Using Irish folk session tunes as a case study, this research investigates the relationship between population size and complexity in music. The study shows that popular tunes played by larger communities of musicians have diversified into a greater number of different versions with more melodic complexity. However, popular tunes tend to be intermediate in complexity, and user preferences for individual tune versions are more skewed in popular tunes. These findings suggest a domain-dependent relationship between population size and cultural complexity.
HUMANITIES & SOCIAL SCIENCES COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Dominik Deffner, Anne Kandler, Laurel Fogarty
Summary: The importance of population size for cultural diversity and complexity is examined in this study. The authors highlight the concept of effective population size for culturally evolving traits and show how it depends on various factors such as the way traits are learned, population connectedness, and social network structure. The results provide insights into understanding cultural evolution and emphasize the need for a careful definition of effective population size in cultural systems.
PLOS COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Matthew A. Conte, Frances E. Clark, Reade B. Roberts, Luohao Xu, Wenjing Tao, Qi Zhou, Deshou Wang, Thomas D. Kocher
Summary: This study investigates the evolution of a giant sex chromosome in cichlid fish, finding that it consists of three distinct regions and contains unprecedented amounts of endogenous retroviral elements, immunoglobulin genes, and long non-coding RNAs. Comparative analysis across 69 teleost genomes supports the hypothesis that the giant sex chromosome originated from the fusion of a B chromosome.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Barbora Augstenova, Eleonora Pensabene, Lukas Kratochvil, Michail Rovatsos
Summary: Anguimorphan lizards are a group of squamate reptiles with wide geographical distribution and morphological variability. Their karyotypes show significant variation across different lineages, with Anguids exhibiting the most variability. The study documented differentiated sex chromosomes in monitors and helodermatids, as well as in some anguids, and also revealed a rare case of spontaneous triploidy in Varanus primordius.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Marcello Mezzasalma, Elvira Brunelli, Gaetano Odierna, Fabio Maria Guarino
Summary: The study provides the first karyotype description of eight Uroplatus species, revealing chromosome diversity in terms of chromosome number, heterochromatin composition, and NORs localization. Chromosome reduction is proposed to have occurred through translocations of microchromosomes on larger chromosomes, with independent sex chromosome diversification in different genera.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Maria Torres-Sanchez, Ana Longo
Summary: The study found evolutionary pressures driven by pathogens and candidate beneficial symbionts, shaping the genetics of the host, and revealed knowledge about multipartite symbiotic relationships in amphibians.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Jesus Daniel Zazueta-Borboa, Pekka Martikainen, Jose Manuel Aburto, Giuseppe Costa, Riina Peltonen, Nicolas Zengarini, Alison Sizer, Anton E. Kunst, Fanny Janssen
Summary: This study examines the long-term trends in educational inequalities in life expectancy at age 30 in England, Finland, and Italy. The findings suggest that reducing mortality among the low-educated at young ages is crucial for decreasing educational inequalities.
JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY AND COMMUNITY HEALTH
(2023)
Review
Biology
Lukas Kratochvil, Matthias Stoeck, Michail Rovatsos, Monica Bullejos, Amaury Herpin, Daniel L. Jeffries, Catherine L. Peichel, Nicolas Perrin, Nicole Valenzuela, Martina Johnson Pokorna
Summary: This study challenges the traditional model of sex chromosome evolution, suggesting that the field is more complex than previously anticipated, forming a network interconnected with various factors that could lead to a variety of outcomes, including restarts, deletions, and additions of new genomic material.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Review
Biology
Stephen Shennan, Rebecca Sear
Summary: Population demographics play a crucial role in shaping human behavior in various domains. While contemporary and recent historical populations have rich data available, the lack of written records poses challenges for studying ancient populations. However, the emergence of new methods has allowed researchers to piece together archaeological, skeletal, and DNA evidence to reconstruct past population patterns.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Review
Biology
Matthias Stoeck, Lukas Kratochvil, Heiner Kuhl, Michail Rovatsos, Ben J. Evans, Alexander Suh, Nicole Valenzuela, Frederic Veyrunes, Qi Zhou, Tony Gamble, Blanche Capel, Manfred Schartl, Yann Guiguen
Summary: The article reviews the evolution of sex in vertebrates, covering sex determination mechanisms, sexual development, and reproductive modes across different clades. With the latest research data, it demonstrates the diversity and complexity of vertebrate sex genomes, as well as the research prospects for the evolution of sex determination.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Biology
Celia Lutrat, Roenick P. Olmo, Thierry Baldet, Jeremy Bouyer, Eric Marois
Summary: In this study, transgenic lines of Aedes albopictus expressing the Nix gene were established, and it was found that Nix is sufficient for full masculinization in these mosquitoes. Additionally, the transgenic strains with a fluorescence marker provide a valuable tool for automated sex sorting.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biology
Heiner Kuhl, Yann Guiguen, Christin Hoehne, Eva Kreuz, Kang Du, Christophe Klopp, Celine Lopez-Roques, Elena Santidrian Yebra-Pimentel, Mitica Ciorpac, Jorn Gessner, Daniela Holostenco, Wibke Kleiner, Klaus Kohlmann, Dunja K. Lamatsch, Dmitry Prokopov, Anastasia Bestin, Emmanuel Bonpunt, Bastien Debeuf, Pierrick Haffray, Romain Morvezen, Pierre Patrice, Radu Suciu, Ron Dirks, Sven Wuertz, Werner Kloas, Manfred Schartl, Matthias Stoeck
Summary: A female-specific sequence has been discovered in Russian sturgeon, which has been conserved for 180 million years of sturgeon evolution. PCR genotyping tests revealed female-specific products in six species, including the most divergent extant lineages.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Peta Hill, Foyez Shams, Christopher P. Burridge, Erik Wapstra, Tariq Ezaz
Summary: This study explores the links between mechanisms of transitions in sex determination and sex chromosome evolution by studying the rare species Carinascincus ocellatus and its relative Liopholis whitii. Unique and conserved regions of the Y chromosome were identified among different populations of C. ocellatus, with no evidence of sex chromosome homology between C. ocellatus and L. whitii, indicating independent evolutionary origins. The study also discusses sex chromosome homology within the subfamily Lygosominae and proposes connections between sex chromosome evolution, sex determination transitions, and karyotype evolution.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Meghan A. Castelli, Arthur Georges, Caitlin Cherryh, Dan F. Rosauer, Stephen D. Sarre, Isabella Contador-Kelsall, Clare E. Holleley
Summary: The study found that sex reversal in the Australian central bearded dragon is mainly restricted to the eastern part of the species range, and is not significantly associated with climatic variables or geographic population genetic structure. The main source of genetic variation comes from isolation by distance across the species range. Local genetic adaptation in the temperature threshold for sex reversal may counteract the sex-reversing influence of high incubation temperatures in P. vitticeps.
DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS
(2021)
Article
Biology
Andrius J. Dagilis, Jason M. Sardell, Matthew P. Josephson, Yiheng Su, Mark Kirkpatrick, Catherine L. Peichel
Summary: This study analyzes phased young sex chromosomes in the Japan Sea stickleback to detect signals of sexually antagonistic selection. The findings provide insights into the evolution of sex chromosomes, although the presence of demographic effects makes it challenging to determine the authenticity of these selection signals.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
E. Jeannerat, E. Marti, C. Berney, F. Janett, H. Bollwein, H. Sieme, D. Burger, C. Wedekind
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Lucas Marques da Cunha, Anshu Uppal, Emily Seddon, David Nusbaumer, Etienne L. M. Vermeirssen, Claus Wedekind
EVOLUTIONARY APPLICATIONS
(2019)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Oliver M. Selmoni, Diane Maitre, Julien Roux, Laetitia G. E. Wilkins, Lucas Marques da Cunha, Etienne L. M. Vermeirssen, Susanne Knoerr, Marc Robinson-Rechavi, Claus Wedekind
Article
Biology
David Nusbaumer, Lucas Marques da Cunha, Claus Wedekind
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2019)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Lucas Marques da Cunha, Diane Maitre, Claus Wedekind
BMC EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
(2019)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
E. Jeannerat, E. Marti, S. Thomas, C. Herrera, H. Sieme, C. Wedekind, D. Burger
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2020)
Correction
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Oliver M. Selmoni, Diane Maitre, Julien Roux, Laetitia G. E. Wilkins, Lucas Marques da Cunha, Etienne L. M. Vermeirssen, Susanne Knoerr, Marc Robinson-Rechavi, Claus Wedekind
Review
Fisheries
Benjamin Geffroy, Claus Wedekind
JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
David Nusbaumer, Lucas Marques da Cunha, Claus Wedekind
Summary: The study finds that common pesticides in rivers affect the development of fish embryos and larvae, but the tolerance and genetic variance for pesticides differ among different natural populations. Smaller eggs show higher tolerance to the pesticides, suggesting a lower likelihood of evolutionary response to the pesticides in these rivers.
EVOLUTIONARY APPLICATIONS
(2021)
Letter
Zoology
Giulia Perroud, David Nusbaumer, Christian de Guttry, Claus Wedekind
Article
Ecology
David Nusbaumer, Laura Garaud, Laurie Ancay, Claus Wedekind
Summary: This study found that sex differences may already exist in the embryos and larvae of lake char, with differences in life history and susceptibilities to environmental stress. Parental effects significantly influenced offspring growth and mortality, but sex differences in embryo performance were not family-specific.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Hugo Palejowski, Jonas Bylemans, Victor Ammann, Lucas Marques da Cunha, David Nusbaumer, Isabelle Castro, Anshu Uppal, Kenyon B. Mobley, Susanne Knoerr, Claus Wedekind
Summary: This study investigates whether juvenile brown trout exhibit sex-specific life histories and finds that stocking and other environmental factors may affect their sex-specific growth. Females begin sex differentiation earlier than males, and the growth rates of juveniles vary depending on location and origin of the fish.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Claus Wedekind, Pascal Vonlanthen, Christian de Guttry, Richard Stadelmann, Noah Stadelmann, Aurelien Pirat, Giulia Perroud
Summary: Artificial breeding programs have been important for the whitefish population during the reoligotrophication phase, but natural recruitment has been significantly reduced by ecological and evolutionary factors.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2022)
Correction
Biology
Ryan Schacht, Steven R. Beissinger, Claus Wedekind, Michael D. Jennions, Benjamin Geffroy, Andras Liker, Peter M. Kappeler, Franz J. Weissing, Karen L. Kramer, Therese Hesketh, Jerome Boissier, Caroline Uggla, Mike Hollingshaus, Tamas Szekely
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Biology
Ryan Schacht, Steven R. Beissinger, Claus Wedekind, Michael D. Jennions, Benjamin Geffroy, Andras Liker, Peter M. Kappeler, Franz J. Weissing, Karen L. Kramer, Therese Hesketh, Jerome Boissier, Caroline Uggla, Mike Hollingshaus, Tamas Szekely
Summary: The adult sex ratio is found to be a fundamental determinant of behavior, involving competition, mate choice, social interactions, demographic variables, social evolution, and biodiversity conservation.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2022)