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
Biology
Philipp Kaufmann, James Malcolm Howie, Elina Immonen
Summary: The study found that sexually antagonistic selection can maintain high genetic variance, while sex-limited directional selection leads to a reduction in genetic variance. In a body size selection experiment, sexually antagonistic selection maintained more ancestral, autosomal additive genetic variance compared to sex-limited selection. Both forms of selection preserved a high genetic correlation between the sexes, indicating that sexual antagonism can maintain more genetic variance and fuel sex-specific adaptation in a short evolutionary time scale by reducing sexual conflict over alternative alleles.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biology
Michael L. Yuan, Erin P. Westeen, Guinevere O. U. Wogan, Ian J. Wang
Summary: This study investigates the evolution of female ornamentation in Anolis lizards. The results show that female dewlaps are evolutionarily labile and species with larger females and reduced sexual size dimorphism are more likely to possess female dewlaps. Furthermore, the presence of female dewlaps influences diversification rates in anoles, but only as a secondary effect to a hidden state.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Katrine K. Lund-Hansen, Colin Olito, Edward H. Morrow, Jessica K. Abbott
Summary: Antagonistic interactions between the sexes are important drivers of evolutionary divergence. When loci under interlocus sexual conflict are located on the sex chromosomes, it can lead to cycles of antagonistic coevolution between them and therefore between the sexes. Experimental crosses using Drosophila melanogaster showed that disrupting putatively coevolved sex chromosome pairs resulted in increased male reproductive success but also in lower offspring viability, with these sexually antagonistic fitness effects appearing to be resolved after 25 generations of experimental evolution. Population genetic models of antagonistic coevolution based on empirical results support the conclusion that antagonistic coevolution between the sex chromosomes is plausible and may drive genetic and phenotypic divergence between populations.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Review
Ecology
Jon Alexander Harper, Edward H. H. Morrow
Summary: Sexual antagonism is an important selective force in evolution, but the genes involved in this process are not well-studied. The lack of overlap in terminology between scientific disciplines may contribute to the limited knowledge of these genes. In this study, we systematically searched for genes with sexually antagonistic effects in various taxa, but only found a small number of candidate variants. The studies generally suffered from small sample sizes, limiting the conclusions that can be drawn. Our review highlights the different effects that gene deletions can have on males and females, and suggests that beneficial effects in one sex may facilitate the evolution of gene loss.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Review
Ecology
Jon Alexander Harper, Tim Janicke, Edward H. Morrow
Summary: A review found that there are 22 genes in humans with sex-opposite effects, which may increase disease risk or severity in one sex but protect the other, with genes having net positive effects occurring at higher frequencies. The communication barriers between fields due to discipline-specific terminology are significant.
Review
Biology
Nicolas Perrin
Summary: Studies on two families of amphibians, Ranidae and Hylidae, show that sex-antagonistic (SA) genes do not play a significant role in the evolutionary dynamics of their sex chromosomes. Instead, neutral processes and deleterious mutations are found to be more central in driving the evolution of sex chromosomes in these groups.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Review
Biology
Asher D. Cutter
Summary: Differential gene expression represents a fundamental cause and manifestation of phenotypic plasticity. Adaptive phenotypic plasticity in gene expression occurs when alleles that regulate genes increase organismal fitness by aligning gene expression with environmental variation. This common framework allows for the consideration of various evolutionary problems and the shared implications of context-dependent gene expression. Adaptive plasticity resolves conflicts that arise from negative effects of gene expression, and the level of selection influences the likelihood of adaptive plasticity. By recognizing the shared dependence on context-dependent gene regulatory evolution, research programs can gain insights from one another.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Dakota E. McCoy, Allison J. Shultz, Charles Vidoudez, Emma van der Heide, Jacqueline E. Dall, Sunia A. Trauger, David Haig
Summary: This study on the tanager genus Ramphocelus found that microstructures, rather than carotenoid pigments, may be the major driver of male-female color differences. Males have more saturated color patches and elaborate microstructures that enhance color appearance. Carotenoid pigments were found to be concordant between males and females, suggesting they may not fully explain male appearance.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Elise A. Lucotte, Clara Albinana, Romain Laurent, Claude Bherer, Thomas Bataillon, Bruno Toupance
Summary: This study proposes a new framework to detect a signature of sexually antagonistic selection and identifies six candidate regions in human populations. These candidate regions are associated with embryonic development.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
R. Axel W. Wiberg, Jeremias N. Brand, Lukas Schaerer
Summary: Our study reveals that reproductive-related genes in hermaphroditic animals of the Macrostomum genus evolve faster than widely expressed genes, indicating stronger sexual selection on the former. Additionally, species with hypodermic sperm morphologies show elevated molecular sequence evolution, regardless of a gene's functional annotation. These findings suggest reduced selection efficiency following shifts to hypodermic mating, possibly due to higher selfing rates in these species.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Review
Biology
Pedro Andrade, Miguel Carneiro
Summary: Pterins, as a major source of animal coloration, have been less studied compared to other pigment classes, despite their ubiquity in nature. With intermediate characteristics between melanins and carotenoids, they present unique opportunities for addressing general questions about the biology of coloration.
Article
Food Science & Technology
Flowerika, Neha Thakur, Siddharth Tiwari
Summary: Carotenoids, including lutein, zeaxanthin, and beta-carotene, are major components in Indian wheat varieties. Variations in carotenoid content and gene expression patterns, particularly TaLCYB, TaPSYs, and TaBCHs, may play key roles in regulating carotenoid accumulation in wheat seeds.
JOURNAL OF CEREAL SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Entomology
Pierre-Andre Eyer, Megan N. Moran, Alexander J. Blumenfeld, Edward L. Vargo
Summary: Sexually antagonistic selection (SAS) results in differential selection of distinct alleles in each sex. In the invasive tawny crazy ant, Nylanderia fulva, a genomic region is under SAS, while the rest of the genome is randomly selected in males and females. The suite of 15 microsatellite markers designed in this study can be used to study the origin and evolution of SAS in N. fulva.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Hiroshi Fujii, Keisuke Nonaka, Mai F. Minamikawa, Tomoko Endo, Aiko Sugiyama, Kosuke Hamazaki, Hiroyoshi Iwata, Mitsuo Omura, Takehiko Shimada
Summary: By utilizing allele mining and SNP analysis, the optimal allele for enriching beta-cryptoxanthin in citrus juice sacs was identified, highlighting the key alleles influencing carotenoid composition and aiding in increasing carotenoid content in fruit through molecular breeding.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jose Carlos Noguera, Alberto da Silva, Alberto Velando
Summary: Maternal glucocorticoids can have lasting effects on offspring phenotype and survival by influencing embryo telomerase activity and postnatal telomere length.
Article
Biology
Sin-Yeon Kim, Violette Chiara, Nayade Alvarez-Quintero, Alberto Velando
Summary: The high level of mtDNA content in animal oocytes helps prevent the transmission of detrimental mutations to the next generation. Variation in oocyte mtDNA levels can impact offspring development and viability.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Sin-Yeon Kim, Nayade Alvarez-Quintero, Neil B. Metcalfe
Summary: The social environment in animal groups plays a crucial role in shaping individual behaviors and life histories. A mismatch between individual and group behavior patterns can have disadvantages, such as nonadaptive behaviors that increase energetic costs. This study manipulated the sociability of juvenile three-spined sticklebacks and found that unsociable groups exhibited bolder collective behaviors during feeding, while individuals in groups with similar sociability gained more mass. Mismatched sociability in a group may confer a growth disadvantage due to the expression of nonadaptive behaviors.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Francisco Ruiz-Raya, Alberto Velando
Summary: The prenatal light environment has a significant impact on the development of shy-bold phenotypes in yellow-legged gull hatchlings. Prenatal light exposure promotes bolder behavior and the lateralization of begging behavior in hatchlings, which is negatively associated with boldness. Changes in glucocorticoid levels induced by light exposure do not affect the chicks' personality.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Francisco Ruiz-Raya, Jose C. Noguera, Alberto Velando
Summary: The prenatal light environment can shape the phenotype and behavior of avian embryos, with light cues promoting the development of resilient junior chicks that can buffer competitive disadvantages associated with hatching asynchrony.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Jose C. Noguera, Alberto Velando
Summary: Studies have shown that maternal testosterone levels affect telomerase levels and growth in yellow-legged gull chicks. The effects of maternal testosterone on telomere length disappear by day 6 post-hatching. These findings suggest that maternal testosterone may have an adaptive value in promoting offspring growth and telomerase levels.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Maider Justel-Diez, Erick Delgadillo-Nuno, Alberto Gutierrez-Barral, Paula Garcia-Otero, Isaac Alonso-Barciela, Pablo Pereira-Villanueva, Xose Anton Alvarez-Salgado, Alberto Velando, Eva Teira, Emilio Fernandez
Summary: This study investigated the role of seabird guano in marine ecosystem functioning by adding different concentrations of gull guano to microbial communities collected from coastal waters in NW Spain. Results showed that guano stimulated the growth of certain bacteria and diatoms, and increased chlorophyll a concentration. The study also revealed that guano altered the phytoplankton-bacteria interaction from neutral to positive in low-nutrient environments, but from positive to neutral in high-nutrient environments.
ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Francisco Ruiz-Raya, Jose C. Noguera, Alberto Velando
Summary: This study investigates the relationship between hormone levels and gene expression during maternal and infant development, and finds that the covariation between corticosterone and glucocorticoid receptor gene expression in blood can impact embryonic development and postnatal phenotypes.
HORMONES AND BEHAVIOR
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sin-Yeon Kim, Violette Chiara, Nayade Alvarez-Quintero, Alberto da Silva, Alberto Velando
Summary: Maternal effect senescence refers to a decline in offspring viability with maternal age, and its mechanisms in animals remain largely unknown. In this study, the researchers tested this phenomenon in stickleback fish and explored its molecular mechanisms. They found that old females transferred fewer mRNA transcripts of DNA repair genes to their eggs compared to young females, suggesting a reduced capacity of eggs to detect and repair DNA damages. However, maternal age did not influence egg mtDNA density. The offspring of old mothers showed higher rates of hatching, morphological deformity, and post-hatching mortality, indicating the negative impact of maternal effect senescence.
Article
Ecology
Violette Chiara, Sin-Yeon Kim
Summary: Computer programs for video tracking of animal movement are advancing, but researchers still face challenges. AnimalTA is a new program that aims to be accessible and user-friendly for tracking and analyzing animal movement in diverse environments, even for those without coding or image analysis knowledge.
METHODS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Ornithology
Mauricio Guillen-Parra, Alberto Velando, Rocio Barcenas-Flores, Leticia Nicolas-Toledo, Roxana Torres
Summary: Telomere length (TLS) may serve as an indicator of individual quality, influencing mating preferences and breeding patterns. Studies on the Brown Booby bird revealed a positive correlation between TLS and mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNAcn), suggesting a reduced mitochondrial density in individuals with shorter telomeres. TLS was also associated with sexual coloration, but only in colonies with favorable breeding conditions. Positive assortative mating by TLS was found, but the degree of assortative mating did not affect the likelihood of mate change. These findings highlight the influence of environmental variation on mating patterns and the importance of TLS as an integrative indicator of individual quality.
Article
Ecology
Violette Chiara, Alberto Velando, Sin-Yeon Kim
Summary: This study investigates the link between physiological traits and sexual traits in the three-spined stickleback. The results indicate that nest-building and courtship behavior in male sticklebacks are not related to their metabolic rates, swim ability, oxidative damage, or mtDNA copy number. However, males with larger red nuptial color areas have higher levels of oxidative DNA damage in their sperm. Male courtship behavior and aggressiveness, but not red color area, predict offspring hatching and survival.
BMC ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
