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
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Fedra Bollatti, Catalina Simian, Alfredo V. Peretti, Anita Aisenberg
Summary: Allocosasenex is a sex-role reversed spider where males construct burrows in sand and wait for females to approach. Females lay eggs in the burrows and leave, making mating opportunities dangerous. The study found that copulated females respond to courtship from new males and engage in a second copulation, increasing their reproductive success.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Clare M. Kimock, Lauren J. N. Brent, Constance Dubuc, James P. Higham
Summary: The study found that canine height and body mass in rhesus macaques are not related to dominance rank, but similarity in dominance rank affects the occurrence of aggressive interactions. Additionally, dominance rank predicts the likelihood of winning an agonistic interaction.
Article
Biology
Athmanathan Senthilnathan
Summary: Body size is a crucial trait that impacts various aspects of an organism's life. There is a benefit to being small in terms of competition for space, while being large poses disadvantages in this aspect.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Judit Mokos, Istvan Scheuring, Andras Liker, Robert P. Freckleton, Tamas Szekely
Summary: The study found that the extent of anisogamy does not appear to predict the intensity of sexual selection, while the relative inputs of males and females into the care of offspring are the only significant predictor of sexual selection. Ecological factors, life-history, and demography have more substantial impacts on contemporary sex roles than the differences of gametic investments between the sexes.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Mylswamy Mahendiran, Mylswamy Parthiban, Parappurath Abdul Azeez
Summary: Researchers recognize the importance of cost-effective, non-invasive techniques for in-situ morphological measurements. We successfully measured the body sizes of wild Painted Storks in two different regions using a non-invasive digital method. Our study demonstrates the effectiveness of this method in classifying and predicting species characteristics and identifying eco-geographic patterns.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jaim Sivan, Itay Tesler, Shlomo Hadad, Abraham Allan Degen, Eli Geffen, Michael Kam
Summary: The morphological constraint hypothesis suggests that male snakes usually have longer tails than females to accommodate reproductive organs. In this study, the hypothesis was tested intraspecifically on Cerastes vipera, showing that males have relatively longer tails due to the length of the hemipenes pocket. This is the first report to support the MCH intraspecifically, and further studies are needed to determine if these relations are widespread among snake families or specifically within C. vipera.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jussi Lehtonen
Summary: This article reviews the experiments and concepts presented by Angus Bateman in 1948 regarding sexual selection and the Bateman gradient. The study develops mathematical models showing that asymmetry in gamete numbers alone can generate steeper Bateman gradients in males. The research provides evidence for Bateman's claim about the role of gamete numbers in sexual selection.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Danika Bannasch, Kevin Batcher, Fabienne Leuthard, Michael Bannasch, Petra Hug, Denis J. Marcellin-Little, Peter J. Dickinson, Michaela Drogemuller, Cord Drogemuller, Tosso Leeb
Summary: The study identified two FGF4 retrogenes that cause dwarfism in dog breeds and evaluated their effects on body size. The retrogenes significantly reduced height at the shoulders and antebrachial length, with FGF4L1 having a greater effect than FGF4L2. FGF4L1 also influenced carpal valgus, while FGF4L2 increased head width.
Article
Physiology
Brandon Meter, Lukas Kratochvil, Lukas Kubicka, Zuzana Starostova
Summary: Previous belief of indeterminate growth in lizards has been challenged by recent studies showing bone growth plate closure as a stoppage of bone prolongation. This has significant consequences for understanding the causes of sexual size dimorphism in squamate reptiles.
FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Hanrong Tan, Andrew G. Hirst, David Atkinson, Pavel Kratina
Summary: The study shows that resource competition influences body shape, while environmental temperature mainly affects body size changes. Lower resource levels may result in more elongated body shapes, adapting to environments with scarce resources.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Parasitology
K. C. Burns
Summary: Research shows that female plants of dioecious parasites grow larger and reduce the photosynthetic capacity of infected host branches more than male plants. Gender plays an important role in determining both host susceptibility to parasitism and parasite virulence for dioecious parasites.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PARASITOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Zoology
Carl D. Soulsbury, Jessica Dobson, D. Charles Deeming, Piotr Minias
Summary: The size and shape of bird erythrocytes are determined by life history strategies. Birds engaging in energetically demanding activities have smaller and more elongated cells, while those with greater male-male competition have smaller and rounder cells. Smaller, more elongated cells allow for faster oxygenation and support greater aerobic activity. Additionally, diving birds have larger erythrocytes, indicating their role as an important oxygen store.
INTEGRATIVE AND COMPARATIVE BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Stuart L. Pimm, Jared Diamond, K. David Bishop
Summary: The distribution of fruit pigeons on the island of New Guinea is influenced by geographical accessibility. The coexistence of species in a particular year and location is a nonrandom selection process. The sizes of these species are more widely spread and evenly spaced compared to random sets of species. Additionally, the local status of a highly mobile species decreases as other resident species become more closely related.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Chengzhi Yan, Hui Ma, Yuejun Yang, Zhiping Mi
Summary: The limb bones of the Bufo gargarizans in southwest China were found to exhibit sexual dimorphism. Males had longer forelimb skeletons, but shorter hand length compared to females. Additionally, males had larger deltoid and medial crest areas, as well as heavier humerus and radioulna weights. In terms of hindlimbs, males had greater lengths in various bone measurements, but no significant weight differences. These findings suggest that sexual selection plays a role in the evolution of sexual size and shape dimorphism in the limb bones of B. gargarizans.
Article
Anthropology
Ariadna Rangel Negrin, Alejandro Coyohua Fuentes, Amalia de la Torre Herrera, Beatriz Cano Huertes, Eduardo Reynoso Cruz, Enrico Ceccarelli, Eugenia E. Gomez Espinosa, David R. Chavira Ramirez, Diana E. Moreno Espinoza, Domingo Canales-Espinosa, Natalia Maya Lastra, Pamela Cruz Miros, Samuel Canadas Santiago, Sara Garau, Pedro A. D. Dias
Summary: The study shows variation in energy balance among female mantled howler monkeys in different reproductive states, with energy intake and expenditure linked to behavioral activity levels and physiological indicators.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Zoology
Enrico Ceccarelli, Ariadna Rangel-Negrin, Alejandro Coyohua-Fuentes, Domingo Canales-Espinosa, Pedro Americo D. Dias
Summary: The study found that the behavioral responses of mantled howler monkeys to loud calls from neighbor groups are associated with the integration of information pertaining to caller identity as well as to their ecological and spatial context.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PRIMATOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Carmen Galan-Acedo, Victor Arroyo-Rodriguez, Ellen Andresen, Pedro A. D. Dias
Summary: The impact of landscape structure on howler monkeys varies among regions. Forest loss is negatively related to primate abundance in regions with higher deforestation levels, while increasing forest cover is crucial for maintaining the populations. Improving matrix quality is also valuable for population conservation.
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2021)
Article
Zoology
Erendira Gomez-Espinosa, Pedro A. D. Dias, Ariadna Rangel-Negrin
Summary: Anthropogenic noise disrupts natural soundscapes and affects the behavior of male mantled howler monkeys. The type and sound pressure level of the noise influence their behavioral responses, while group identity also plays a role.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PRIMATOLOGY
(2022)
Book Review
Zoology
Pedro A. D. Dias
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PRIMATOLOGY
(2022)
Editorial Material
Zoology
Pedro A. D. Dias, Ariadna Rangel Negrin
Summary: The article discusses the conservation status of mantled howler monkeys in the Los Tuxtlas Biosphere Reserve, Mexico, highlighting the threat to their habitat from mining activities and calling for stronger protection of primates and their habitats in protected areas.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PRIMATOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Laura L. Saldivar-Burrola, Marisela Martinez-Ruiz, Victor Arroyo-Rodriguez, Fabricio Villalobos, Pedro A. D. Dias, Fabiola Lopez-Barrera, Ricard Arasa-Gisbert
Summary: The loss of old-growth forest has a stronger negative impact on the abundance of Geoffroy's spider monkeys and black howler monkeys. Secondary forests have a weak buffering effect on both species, emphasizing the importance of old-growth forests for primate conservation.
Article
Zoology
Pedro Americo D. Dias, Alejandro Coyohua-Fuentes, Domingo Canales-Espinosa, Ariadna Rangel-Negrin
Summary: This study reports the population and life-history parameters of mantled howler monkeys translocated to La Flor de Catemaco in Mexico to evaluate the success of the translocation process. The long-term monitoring showed that the population grew, new groups were formed, and demographic and life-history parameters were similar to those of unmanaged populations, indicating a successful translocation.
Article
Zoology
Pedro A. D. Dias, Eugenia Erendira Gomez Espinosa, David Roberto Chavira Ramirez, Ariadna Rangel Negrin
Summary: Anthropogenic noise is a major global pollutant with poorly understood effects on primates. The physiological and behavioral responses of mantled howler monkeys to anthropogenic noise are strongly influenced by noise intensity.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PRIMATOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Zoology
Molly A. Hirst, Alba Z. Rodas-Martinez, Krista M. Milich, Liliana Cortes-Ortiz
Summary: The intensity of sperm competition varies among species with different mating systems. This study compared sperm morphological traits between two sister howler monkey species with different mating systems to investigate the effect of sperm competition. It found significant differences in sperm morphology, providing empirical evidence of sexual selection on these traits in closely related primate species.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PRIMATOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Anthropology
Natalia Maya Lastra, Ariadna Rangel Negrin, Pedro A. D. Dias
Summary: This study tested whether the behavioral responses of mantled howler monkeys to neighbor long-distance vocalizations are influenced by range defensibility, location, and food availability. The results showed that movement responses were influenced by range defensibility, location, and food availability, while vocal responses were not affected. These findings suggest that the responses of mantled howler monkeys to neighbor long-distance vocalizations may be related to home range defensibility.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY
(2023)
Meeting Abstract
Zoology
Pedro Dias, Ariadna Rangel Negrin, David R. Chavira Ramirez, Eugenia E. Gomez Espinosa, Domingo Canales Espinosa
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PRIMATOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Zoology
Michelle Bezanson, Liliana Cortes-Ortiz, Julio Cesar Bicca-Marques, Ramesh Boonratana, Susana Carvalho, Marina Cords, Stella de la Torre, Catherine Hobaiter, Tatyana Humle, Patricia Izar, Jessica W. Lynch, Tetsuro Matsuzawa, Joanna M. Setchell, Gladys Kalema Zikusoka, Karen B. Strier
Summary: More and more researchers are questioning the terms "Old World" and "New World" due to their colonial implications and history, which may ignore the existence of indigenous peoples. However, finding clear and available alternative terminology is not easy.
Article
Anthropology
Pedro Americo D. Dias, Alejandro Coyohua-Fuentes, David Roberto Chavira-Ramirez, Domingo Canales-Espinosa, Ariadna Rangel-Negrin
Summary: This study explored the hormone modulation in mantled howler monkey males and found that C-peptide was negatively correlated with other hormones, while T3, GC, and T were positively related. Food availability was positively related to C-peptide and T3, and negatively related to GC. Involvement in mating was positively related to T3 and T, whereas the rate of agonistic interactions was positively related to GC and T. The rate of interactions with extragroup males was positively related to T.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY
(2022)
Meeting Abstract
Anthropology
Tabor L. Whitney, Katherine R. Amato, Pedro Americo Duarte Dias
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY
(2022)