Article
Ecology
Floriane Plard, Julia A. Barthold Jones, Jean-Michel Gaillard, Tim Coulson, Shripad Tuljapurkar
Summary: Phenotypic traits play a role in determining survival and reproduction, with their transmission from parent to offspring influencing phenotypic parent-offspring correlation (C). This study investigates the impact of fertility and viability selections, trait ontogeny, and inheritance on C, highlighting how demographic processes can significantly affect the correlation between parental and offspring phenotypic traits, potentially more so than ontogeny and inheritance.
ECOLOGICAL MONOGRAPHS
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Andrew M. Allen, Eelke Jongejans, Martijn van de Pol, Bruno J. Ens, Magali Frauendorf, Martijn van der Sluijs, Hans de Kroon
Summary: Understanding the demographic mechanisms, individual variability, and their changes over time is crucial in understanding population decline. Studying the demographics of Eurasian Oystercatchers over the past four decades, it was found that the joint action of several key demographic variables explains the decline. Temporal variation in demographic causes of decline is important for conservation actions.
Article
Psychiatry
Hanxin Zhang, Atif Khan, Steven A. Kushner, Andrey Rzhetsky
Summary: Schizophrenia is a leading cause of disability worldwide, and its etiology involves genetic and environmental factors. This study utilized unique data sources and mathematical models to estimate the contributions of genetic and environmental factors to schizophrenia risk, finding that environmental factors are an important source of explanatory variance.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
The Tien Mai, Paul Turner, Jukka Corander
Summary: This study proposes a generic strategy called boosting heritability, which combines advantageous features of different recent methods to estimate heritability using a high-dimensional linear model. The use of a multiple sample splitting strategy in boosting heritability generally leads to a stable and accurate estimate. Results from simulated data and real antibiotic resistance data demonstrate that boosting offers a reliable and practically useful tool for inference about heritability.
BMC BIOINFORMATICS
(2021)
Review
Microbiology
Madison R. Spratt, Keara Lane
Summary: The ability of bacteria to respond to changes in their environment is crucial for their survival. Phenotypic heterogeneity, a remarkable feature of many bacterial responses, enables bacteria to survive fluctuating conditions and implement bet-hedging or division of labor strategies. Recent studies have found that this form of heterogeneity is prevalent in bacterial responses to environmental transitions.
Article
Plant Sciences
Ke Liu, Tingjin Wang, Duohong Xiao, Bin Liu, Yang Yang, Kexin Xu, Zhenyu Qi, Yan Wang, Junxing Li, Xun Xiang, Lu Yuan, Liping Chen
Summary: Grafting enables interaction between cells with different genomes, leading to phenotypic variation for crop improvement. Graft chimeras, especially periclinal chimeras, are excellent models to study the mechanisms of grafting-induced variation maintenance.
HORTICULTURE RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Biology
Claus-Peter Stelzer, Maria Pichler, Anita Hatheuer
Summary: The study found a positive correlation between genome size and body size, egg size, and embryonic development time in a natural population, indicating genetic variation influences the relationship between these traits.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Jayabrata Dhar, Anh L. P. Thai, Arkajyoti Ghoshal, Luca Giomi, Anupam Sengupta
Summary: This study explores the self-regulation of phenotypic noise and its coordination with collective structural organization, topological defects kinetics, and active transport emergence in bacterial colonies. Despite noise in cell geometry and colony area, there is a statistically precise critical time for the transition from a monolayer biofilm to a multilayer biofilm. By rectifying phenotypic noise, the study reveals an emergent strategy of confluent systems to tune active transport and buffer inherent heterogeneities.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Shafagh Valipour, Karim Karimi, David Barrett, Duy Ngoc Do, Guoyu Hu, Mehdi Sargolzaei, Zhiquan Wang, Younes Miar
Summary: This study estimated the genetic and phenotypic parameters for pelt quality, body weight, and body length traits in mink. The results showed that body weight and length measured on live animals in November were reliable indicators of dried pelt size, and body length traits were appealing for selection for increased pelt size. The measurement of nap size on live animals was also a reliable indicator for dried pelt nap size. The study provides important information for improving fur characteristics in Canadian mink populations.
Article
Ecology
Kaitlin R. R. Macdonald, Jay J. J. Rotella, J. Terrill Paterson
Summary: Identifying and accounting for unobserved individual heterogeneity in vital rates is important for estimating population-level vital rates and identifying life-history strategies. This study investigates how changing the distribution of individual heterogeneity in reproduction affects population dynamics.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Hai Jin, Shuanping Zhao, Yutang Jia, Lei Xu
Summary: Dabieshan cattle (DBSC) are a valuable genetic resource for indigenous cattle breeds in China, with good meat quality and fat deposition. Genetic markers were used to estimate the genetic structure and parameters of the DBSC breeding population. Genotype data of 222 individuals and 81,579 SNPs were retained after quality control. The results showed the extent of inbreeding and history of the current cattle population, and highlighted the potential of genomic breeding for genetic progress.
Article
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Yasuhiro Shingai, Takafumi Yokota, Daisuke Okuzaki, Takao Sudo, Tomohiko Ishibashi, Yukiko Doi, Tomoaki Ueda, Takayuki Ozawa, Ritsuko Nakai, Akira Tanimura, Michiko Ichii, Hirohiko Shibayanna, Yuzuru Kanakura, Naoki Hosen
Summary: The heterogeneity of AML cells, including varying ESAM expression levels, can be mutually interconverted and regulated by the activation of the TGF beta signaling pathway. Inhibition of TGF beta signaling not only blocks the phenotypic variation of AML cells, but also hinders their proliferation, making it a potential therapeutic target for AML.
Article
Ecology
Gesa Roemer, Ditte M. Christiansen, Hendrik de Buhr, Kristoffer Hylander, Owen R. Jones, Sonia Merinero, Kasper Reitzel, Johan Ehrlen, Johan P. Dahlgren
Summary: This study examined the effects of various environmental factors on the demography of the forest understory herb Actaea spicata in Sweden and found that population dynamics were mainly driven by factors affecting survival and growth, determining the realized niche of the species. Soil pH had a significant effect on flowering probability, with a relatively small impact on population growth rate. Assessing a broad range of potential drivers is important for understanding species distributions and abundance patterns.
Article
Forestry
Yuxin Chen, Kexin Wang, Zishuo Zhang, Lijin Ou, Xiaofei Luo, Fei Zhu, Peter M. Hirst, Yan Ao
Summary: Variability in seed and seedling traits of Xanthoceras sorbifolium Bunge at the population level was evaluated in this study. Significant differences were found in multiple traits, indicating potential for improvement. Correlations between traits were also observed. The results suggest that Mulei, Xinjiang may be an ideal material for further breeding programs.
Article
Ecology
Guillaume Peron, Benjamin Vollot
Summary: The study shows that insular environments promote within-species phenotypic variance, and there is a positive correlation between the within-species variance in morphometrics and the colonization time on the island.
JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2023)
Editorial Material
Ecology
Ronald D. Bassar, Tim Coulson, Joseph Travis, David N. Reznick
Summary: Over the past 15 years, the number of papers focused on 'eco-evo dynamics' has exponentially increased, but there is still imprecision in the use of terms in this field. Researchers advocate for a more precise definition of 'eco-evo dynamics' that focuses on processes where ecological and evolutionary timescales are comparable.
Article
Ecology
Shripad Tuljapurkar, Wenyun Zuo, Tim Coulson, Carol Horvitz, Jean-Michel Gaillard
Summary: The reproductive success of individuals is influenced by random events and changing probabilities in variable environments. Research shows that birth environment and stage impact the random distribution of reproductive success, providing a null model to quantify the effects of birth size or stage on reproductive success. The study using Roe deer as a case study reveals that an individual's birth environment affects reproductive success depending on the frequency and temporal autocorrelation of environments, with lifetime performance being influenced by changes in environmental patterns due to climate change.
Article
Ecology
Anja Felmy, David N. Reznick, Joseph Travis, Tomos Potter, Tim Coulson
Summary: This study investigated the sensitivity of 36 traits in Trinidadian guppies to food availability, revealing substantial variation in plasticity and genetic control. The findings suggest that different traits are influenced to varying degrees by both food availability and genetic differentiation, indicating that components of the life history may not evolve in concert.
Article
Ecology
Jin Liu, Weipan Lei, Xunqiang Mo, Chris J. Hassell, Zhengwang Zhang, Tim Coulson
Summary: The study shows that environmental change can have an impact on migration tactics and population dynamics in birds through adaptive phenotypic plasticity. The loss of staging habitat leads to increased plasticity in migration tactics, with individuals staying longer on the habitat, which affects population dynamics.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Shripad Tuljapurkar, Wenyun Zuo
Summary: This study investigates the extinction probability in evolution and finds that the traditional approximation method is problematic. Accurate analysis of the distribution of lifetime reproductive success can improve our understanding of evolution.
JOURNAL OF THE INDIAN INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Sha Jiang, Harman Jaggi, Wenyun Zuo, Madan K. Oli, Tim Coulson, Jean-Michel Gaillard, Shripad Tuljapurkar
Summary: In this study, the relationship between reproductive dispersion and generation time in 633 species of animals and plants was analyzed. It was found that reproductive dispersion scales isometrically with generation time, while damping time does not. The findings suggest that damping time is influenced by factors other than allometric constraints.
Article
Ecology
Ulrich Karl Steiner, Shripad Tuljapurkar
Summary: Heterogeneity in fitness components among individuals is the basis of selection. However, non-genetic and non-environmental variability in phenotypes have been observed. Our analysis of structured population models based on data from various species suggests that selection pressure does not have a clear relationship with phenotypic variability. We found significant variations within and among species, indicating that the evolution of life-course variability is nearly neutral. Populations with greater diversity in life courses do not show significant changes in population growth rates. Further research is needed to understand the evolution and maintenance of non-genetic non-environmental variation.
Article
Ecology
Alexis A. Diaz, Ulrich K. Steiner, Shripad Tuljapurkar, Wenyun Zuo, Raisa Hernandez-Pacheco
Summary: Extreme climatic events may influence the variability in phenotypes, survival and reproduction, and drive the pace of evolution. This study used 45 years of demographic data of rhesus macaques to measure the impact of major hurricanes on reproductive life courses. The results show that heterogeneity in reproductive life courses increased by 4% during years of major hurricanes, despite a 2% reduction in the asymptotic growth rate.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Demography
Sha Jiang, Wenyun Zuo, Zhen Guo, Hal Caswell, Shripad Tuljapurkar
Summary: This research examines the impact of demographic transition on the size and structure of kinship networks. The study finds that the expected number of living aunts, sisters, or daughters at a demographically dense age of the focal individual is approximately equal to the net reproductive rate (linear relationship), while the number of living cousins is approximately equal to the square of the net reproductive rate (quadratic relationship). Additionally, the effects of fertility and mortality on kinship size are not additive.
DEMOGRAPHIC RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Gioele Passoni, Tim Coulson, Francesca Cagnacci, Peter Hudson, Daniel R. Stahler, Douglas W. Smith, Shelly Lachish
Summary: A central debate in ecology has been the long-running discussion on the role of apex predators in affecting the abundance and dynamics of their prey. This study presents a bioenergetic mechanistic model of a tritrophic system and investigates the impact of wolf reintroduction on the system. The model reveals the important role of wolves in shifting the elk population from being food-limited to being predator-limited and stabilizing elk numbers.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Daniella Rabaiotti, Tim Coulson, Rosie Woodroffe
Summary: It has been suggested that animals may have evolved cooperative breeding strategies in response to extreme climatic conditions. Climate change, however, may push species beyond their ability to cope with extreme climates, and reduce the group sizes in cooperatively breeding species to a point where populations are no longer viable. This study used an individual-based model to simulate the response of an endangered species, the African wild dog, to temperature changes and found that there is a threshold temperature above which populations of the species are predicted to collapse.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Andrew Wood, Samuel J. L. Gascoigne, Gregory A. Gambetta, Elizabeth S. Jeffers, Tim Coulson
Summary: This study investigates the impact of weather conditions on the quality of Bordeaux wines, as determined by critics' scores. The findings suggest that higher rainfall, warmer temperatures, and earlier, shorter seasons contribute to higher quality wine production. The results have important implications for wine management and suggest that climate change may lead to improved quality of Bordeaux wines.
Article
Demography
Haili Liang, Zhen Guo, Shripad Tuljapurkar
Summary: This paper analyzes how deviations from stationarity affect the crude death rate and shows that period life expectancy often over-predicts the death rate. The study also finds that global populations have age structures that are far from stationary and attributes this deviation to the demographic transition.