Article
Biology
Mia Lybkaer Kronborg Nielsen, Samuel Ellis, Michael N. Weiss, Jared R. Towers, Thomas Doniol-Valcroze, Daniel W. Franks, Michael A. Cant, Graeme M. Ellis, John K. B. Ford, Mark Malleson, Gary J. Sutton, Tasli J. H. Shaw, Kenneth C. Balcomb III, David K. Ellifrit, Darren P. Croft
Summary: Age-related changes in kinship dynamics can shape the evolution of life history and social behavior. Human and toothed whale females show increased relatedness with age, leading to a prolonged post-reproductive lifespan due to reproductive conflict costs and kin helping benefits. Killer whales provide a valuable system to explore these dynamics, and our study focuses on Bigg's killer whales. We find male philopatry and female-biased budding dispersal patterns, allowing for late-life helping between mothers and adult sons and partially mitigating mother-daughter reproductive conflict.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Ronald Lee, C. Y. Cyrus Chu
Summary: Age patterns of female reproduction vary widely among iteroparous animal species with determinate growth. Often fertility declines with age, but in other cases, it may be flat or rise across age. In this article, we discuss theories that may provide some insights into how these diverse patterns might evolve.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Samuel Ellis, Rufus A. Johnstone, Michael A. Cant, Daniel W. Franks, Michael N. Weiss, Susan C. Alberts, Kenneth C. Balcomb, Claire H. Benton, Lauren J. N. Brent, Catherine Crockford, Eve Davidian, Richard J. Delahay, David K. Ellifrit, Oliver P. Hoener, Magali Meniri, Robbie A. McDonald, Hazel J. Nichols, Faye J. Thompson, Linda Vigilant, Roman M. Wittig, Darren P. Croft
Summary: This study explores the extent and impact of kinship dynamics by combining modeling with data from real systems, using seven group-living mammals with diverse social and mating systems as examples. The research demonstrates that kinship dynamics occur in animal systems and can be accurately predicted using a simple model. Theoretical models show that kinship dynamics can profoundly affect lifetime patterns of behavior and drive sex differences in helping and harming behavior in social species.
NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Alihan Katlav, James M. Cook, Markus Riegler
Summary: The study found that larger eggs are more likely to be fertilized and develop into female offspring, while smaller eggs are more likely to remain unfertilized and become male offspring. Mating increases female investment in egg size, enhancing fertilization success and female offspring survival but reducing lifetime fecundity. This suggests a reproductive strategy favoring increased daughter production, potentially conflicting with the optimal offspring sex ratio.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biology
Jules Dezeure, Alice Baniel, Alecia Carter, Guy Cowlishaw, Bernard Godelle, Elise Huchard
Summary: This study on wild chacma baboons identifies two optimal birth timings in their annual cycle, maximizing offspring survival or minimizing maternal interbirth intervals. Observed births are most frequent between these optima, suggesting an adaptive trade-off between current and future reproduction.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Dustin J. Marshall, Michael Bode, Marc Mangel, Robert Arlinghaus, E. J. Dick
Summary: Research shows that the assumption of isometry in the management models of fisheries leads to an overestimation of the replenishment potential of exploited fish stocks, risking systematic overharvesting. By considering hyperallometric reproduction, management strategies could be optimized to increase yields and maintain target replenishment levels.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Biology
Yong Zhi Foo, Malgorzata Lagisz, Rose E. O'Dea, Shinichi Nakagawa
Summary: Finding the balance between survival and reproduction is a central problem in life-history theory. The terminal investment hypothesis predicts that individuals facing a survival threat will increase immediate reproductive investment to maximize fitness. However, research on this hypothesis has yielded mixed results. In this study, a meta-analysis was conducted to examine reproductive investment in multicellular animals after an immune challenge. The results provided some support for the hypotheses, showing stronger terminal investment responses in older individuals with lower residual reproductive values, as well as an increase in variance, particularly in longer-living species.
Article
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
David S. Gordon
Summary: This study investigated the impact of COVID-19 and climate change on human survival and reproductive decision-making, finding that individuals who knew people affected by COVID-19 may lean towards having more children, while there was no clear relationship observed between beliefs about climate change and reproductive choices.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Chelsea N. Miller, Monica Papes, Edward E. Schilling, Charles Kwit
Summary: The study found that reproductive traits play a significant role in explaining the difference between potential and occupied distributions within Trillium species. Flower type, ovule number, and seed mass were identified as key factors influencing these distribution differences.
DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Moshe E. Jasper, Ary A. Hoffmann, Thomas L. Schmidt
Summary: Investigating dispersal in animal populations using genome-wide sequence data to detect close kin dyads offers promise for various taxa, although performance assessment under different conditions is still lacking. A new software package, kindisperse, was developed to estimate dispersal parameters from the spatial distribution of close kin, with simulations revealing differences in accuracy between two methodologies. Guidelines for study design impact on dispersal estimates were provided, showcasing the adaptability of kindisperse for a range of research applications.
MOLECULAR ECOLOGY RESOURCES
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Lauren M. Schiebelhut, Brian Gaylord, Richard K. Grosberg, Laura J. Jurgens, Michael N. Dawson
Summary: This study combines ecological and genomic methods to test the influence of species attributes on realized dispersal and genetic neighborhoods. The findings show that species with higher dispersal potential recolonize a broader extent of the impacted range, do so more quickly, and recover more genetic diversity. Moreover, taxa with higher dispersal potential exhibit more immigration compared to taxa with lower dispersal potential. These results highlight the importance of life-history and demographic attributes in shaping species' dispersal patterns.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Paola Bressan, Peter Kramer
Summary: This paper discusses the relationship between mental illness and the different evolutionary strategies of men and women, as well as growth, metabolism, and mitochondria. The importance of the balance between male and female characteristics in the brain is highlighted, along with how parental competition over resources can affect the risk of mental illness in children. Mitochondria play a central role in maintaining or disrupting the delicate balance on which mental health is built.
Review
Biology
Darren P. Croft, Michael N. Weiss, Mia L. K. Nielsen, Charli Grimes, Michael A. Cant, Samuel Ellis, Daniel W. Franks, Rufus A. Johnstone
Summary: This article discusses the importance of kinship dynamics and their impact on social behavior and life history evolution, highlighting new insights brought by the kinship dynamics approach in behavior and life history evolution, and exploring new research directions that analyzing kinship dynamics could provide.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Chloe E. Robinson, Harshavardhan Thyagarajan, Adam K. Chippindale
Summary: This study investigates whether three decades and over 1,500 generations of divergent life-history selection on age at reproduction has led to the evolution of reproductive isolation in laboratory populations of Drosophila melanogaster. The results suggest the potential for prezygotic barriers driven by sexual selection or physical incompatibilities between the sexes. Hybridization between populations resulted in viable adult flies with intermediate traits, but no significant evidence of postmating-prezygotic or postzygotic RI was found. The findings support the idea that premating reproductive isolation evolves before postmating forms of RI.
Review
Ecology
Antonio M. M. Rodrigues, Andy Gardner
Summary: Studies have shown that altruism is favored by natural selection, but both relatedness and reproductive value are important factors influencing altruism. While relatedness has received extensive attention, reproductive value has been surprisingly neglected. We review how reproductive value modulates patterns of altruism in relation to individual differences in age, sex, and general condition, and discuss how social partners may manipulate each other's reproductive value to incentivize altruism.
TRENDS IN ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Biology
Alberto J. C. Micheletti, Erhao Ge, Liqiong Zhou, Yuan Chen, Hanzhi Zhang, Juan Du, Ruth Mace
Summary: Research in a agropastoralist Buddhist population in western China shows that having a monk brother can lead to fathering more children for men and having a monk son can result in more grandchildren for grandparents, suggesting that the religious celibacy practice is adaptive in this community. A model of celibacy is developed to explain the inclusive fitness costs and benefits, revealing that a minority of sons choosing celibacy may be favored if it increases their brothers' reproductive success, but only if the decision is under parental control.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Liqiong Zhou, Erhao Ge, Alberto J. C. Micheletti, Yuan Chen, Juan Du, Ruth Mace
Summary: In a Tibetan population, parents send a son to a monastery to decrease competition between brothers over resources. Men with monk brothers are wealthier than men with non-celibate brothers. This suggests that religious celibacy and new economic opportunities work together to limit the negative effects of brother competition.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yuan Chen, Erhao Ge, Liqiong Zhou, Juan Du, Ruth Mace
Summary: Inequality between the sexes is a widespread issue both at home and in society. One possible reason for this could be the dispersal of one sex after marriage, which creates gender-specific differences in relatedness to the group. To investigate the impact of sex-biased dispersal on inequality in the sexual division of labor, this study takes advantage of the diverse ecology and social structures in southwest China. By using wearable fitness trackers and validated readings, the researchers found that participants' daily step count was positively correlated with time spent in high-energy activities, such as agriculture and animal husbandry work, and negatively correlated with low-energy activities, such as leisure and relaxation. Comparative analysis revealed that being female and dispersing after marriage were two characteristics that led to an unfavorable division of workload, supporting the hypothesis that males have greater bargaining power when they remain in their natal home.
Article
Biology
Cohen R. R. Simpson, Eleanor A. A. Power
Summary: Research findings suggest that women are more inclined than men to create and maintain supportive bonds through various mechanisms of cooperation, while gender-related differences in help-seeking dynamics are modest and vary based on structural position. However, these differences do not translate into divergence in the observed structure of individuals' egocentric networks, indicating that men and women in the two villages have similar social behavior but channel it differently.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Editorial Material
Anthropology
Ruth Mace
EVOLUTIONARY HUMAN SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Cody T. Ross, Paul L. Hooper, Jennifer E. Smith, Adrian V. Jaeggi, Eric Alden Smith, Sergey Gavrilets, Fatema tuz Zohora, John Ziker, Dimitris Xygalatas, Emily E. Wroblewski, Brian Wood, Bruce Winterhalder, Kai P. Willfuehr, Aiyana K. Willard, Kara Walker, Christopher von Rueden, Eckart Voland, Claudia Valeggia, Bapu Vaitla, Samuel Urlacher, Mary Towner, Chun-Yi Sum, Lawrence S. Sugiyama, Karen B. Strier, Kathrine Starkweather, Daniel Major-Smith, Mary Shenk, Rebecca Sear, Edmond Seabright, Ryan Schacht, Brooke Scelza, Shane Scaggs, Jonathan Salerno, Caissa Revilla-Minaya, Daniel Redhead, Anne Pusey, Benjamin Grant Purzycki, Eleanor A. Power, Anne Pisor, Jenni Pettay, Susan Perry, Abigail E. Page, Luis Pacheco-Cobos, Kathryn Oths, Seung-Yun Oh, David Nolin, Daniel Nettle, Cristina Moya, Andrea Bamberg Migliano, Karl J. Mertens, Rita A. McNamara, Richard McElreath, Siobhan Mattison, Eric Massengill, Frank Marlowe, Felicia Madimenos, Shane Macfarlan, Virpi Lummaa, Roberto Lizarralde, Ruizhe Liu, Melissa A. Liebert, Sheina Lew-Levy, Paul Leslie, Joseph Lanning, Karen Kramer, Jeremy Koster, Hillard S. Kaplan, Bayarsaikhan Jamsranjav, A. Magdalena Hurtado, Kim Hill, Barry Hewlett, Samuli Helle, Thomas Headland, Janet Headland, Michael Gurven, Gianluca Grimalda, Russell Greaves, Christopher D. Golden, Irene Godoy, Mhairi Gibson, Claire El Mouden, Mark Dyble, Patricia Draper, Sean Downey, Angelina L. DeMarco, Helen Elizabeth Davis, Stefani Crabtree, Carmen Cortez, Heidi Colleran, Emma Cohen, Emma Cohen, Gregory Clark, Julia Clark, Mark A. Caudell, Chelsea E. Carminito, John Bunce, Adam Boyette, Samuel Bowles, Tami Blumenfield, Bret Beheim, Stephen Beckerman, Quentin Atkinson, Coren Apicella, Nurul Alam, Monique Borgerhoff Mulder
Summary: To address the debate about human exceptionalism, this study examined the reproductive inequality of humans and their position among other mammalian species. The findings show that while humans exhibit lower reproductive skew among males and smaller sex differences compared to other mammals, they still fall within the mammalian range. The study also found that polygynous human populations have higher female reproductive skew compared to nonhuman mammals. These patterns of skew can be attributed to factors such as the prevalence of monogamy, limited degree of polygyny in human societies, and the importance of unequally held rival resources for women's fitness.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Editorial Material
Biology
Alberto J. C. Micheletti, Erhao Ge, Liqiong Zhou, Yuan Chen, Juan Du, Ruth Mace
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biology
Juan Du, Yaming Huang, Peng-Peng Bai, Liqiong Zhou, Sarah Myers, Abigail E. Page, Ruth Mace
Summary: Humans exhibit diverse post-marital residence patterns, with growing recognition that co-residence with kin predicts women's reproductive success, depending on whether they are cooperators or competitors. In a Tibetan population, we found that women living with their own parents have earlier age at first and last birth than those living with parents-in-law. Women co-residing with both sets of parents have the earliest reproductive timing. However, competition with older siblings delays reproduction. Additionally, family planning policies influence reproductive timing, in line with Fisherian expectations. Our study reveals the costs and benefits of co-residing with different kin for women's direct fitness, within cultural constraints on fertility.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Editorial Material
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Alexandra Alvergne
TRENDS IN MOLECULAR MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Austin Argentieri, Gabriella Kountourides, M. Austin Argentieri, Lisa Agyen, Natalie Rogers, Dawn Knight, Gemma C. Sharp, Jacqueline A. Maybin, Zuzanna Olszewsla
Summary: There has been concern over the potential impact of COVID-19 vaccination on menstrual cycles compared to actual COVID-19 infection. A survey conducted in the UK found that 18% of pre-menopausal vaccinated individuals experienced changes in their menstrual cycles after the first vaccine dose. Smoking, history of COVID-19 infection, and non-use of contraceptives containing estradiol were identified as potential risk factors for reporting menstrual changes.
Article
Psychology, Educational
Eva Brandl, Emily H. Emmott, Ruth Mace
Summary: Teaching is an important mechanism of social learning, and the way children teach varies across different age groups, which may be influenced by socio-cultural factors.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Laura Lara-Castor, Renata Micha, Frederick Cudhea, Victoria Miller, Peilin Shi, Jianyi Zhang, Julia R. Sharib, Josh Erndt-Marino, Sean B. Cash, Dariush Mozaffarian
Summary: This study investigated the intake of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) among adults in 185 countries from 1990 to 2018. The global average SSB intake was found to be 2.7 servings per week, with higher intake among males, younger individuals, those with higher education levels, and urban residents. The largest increase in SSB intake was observed in Sub-Saharan Africa. These findings highlight the growing problem of SSBs for public health in this region.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Biology
Kiran G. L. Lee, Adele Mennerat, Dieter Lukas, Hannah L. Dugdale, Antica Culina
Summary: Using research productivity measures for academic performance assessment disadvantages women due to gender roles and unconscious biases in both home and academia. The impact of COVID-19 on research productivity has been studied through surveys and article counts. This study combines 55 research studies and finds that the gender gap in research productivity increased during the pandemic, with the largest changes observed in social sciences and medicine.
Article
Anthropology
Eva Brandl, Ruth Mace, Cecilia Heyes
Summary: Teaching is an important process of cultural transmission, and it is argued to be a cognitive instinct shaped by genetic evolution. However, we believe that teaching is a culturally evolved trait that utilizes domain-general cognitive abilities rather than specific cognitive adaptations. Children learn to teach through social interactions, hijacking psychological mechanisms involved in prosociality and cognition. Multiple lines of evidence support this hypothesis.
EVOLUTIONARY HUMAN SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Cody T. Ross, Richard McElreath, Daniel Redhead
Summary: This article introduces the STRAND R package, which provides a set of generative models for Bayesian analysis of animal social network data. The package can be implemented using simple R syntax. A tutorial is provided to demonstrate how STRAND can be used to model various types of network data and combine two modeling frameworks, making it easier for users.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2023)