Article
Behavioral Sciences
Katsuya Kiyose, Masako Katsuki, Yu Suzaki, Kensuke Okada
Summary: Females in the beetle Gnatocerus cornutus tend to choose attractive males for mating to produce offspring of higher quality, but there is no direct effect of remating on female fitness. Females may increase their fitness indirectly by producing attractive sons through remating with attractive males and biasing fertilization towards their sperm.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biology
Goran Arnqvist, Karl Grieshop, Cosima Hotzy, Johanna Ronn, Michal Polak, Locke Rowe
Summary: The study found that male genital spines in seed beetles have a direct negative impact on female fecundity, but females mating with males from long-spine lines produced more offspring, indicating the presence of indirect effects. Females adapt to male spines through evolutionary selection, influenced by multiple simultaneous processes that affect mating and fertilization biases.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Tomos Potter, Jeff Arendt, Ronald D. Bassar, Beth Watson, Paul Bentzen, Joseph Travis, David N. Reznick
Summary: There is no consensus on why females prefer mates with rare phenotypes, but sexual selection can maintain genetic variation. We examined the fitness consequences of female preference for rare male color patterns in Trinidadian guppies over 10 generations and found that rare males have a reproductive advantage and mating with them gives females an indirect fitness advantage through the success of their sons. However, the fitness benefit disappears for grandsons as the rare phenotype becomes common. Contrary to prevailing theory, our study shows that female preference can be maintained through indirect selection.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Dawn S. Chen, Andrew G. Clark, Mariana F. Wolfner
Summary: In a study on Drosophila, researchers found that inhibiting the activity of Tdc2 neurons in females resulted in a higher proportion of offspring from the first male. This suggests that octopaminergic/tyraminergic signaling plays a role in biased sperm usage in multiply-mated females, and highlights a new role for the female nervous system in postcopulatory sexual selection.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Goncalo Andre, Renee C. Firman, Leigh W. Simmons
Summary: Studies show that female house mice release prolactin early after copulation, which is dependent on the shape of the baculum and male sexual behavior. This suggests a mechanism of sexual selection acting on the mammalian baculum.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Aleksandra Lukasiewicz, Kari Huhta, Jarmo Ritari, Juha Perasaari, Pia Allinen, Marjo Malinen, Annalaura Jokiniemi, Tanja Turunen, Jukka Partanen, Jukka Kekalainen
Summary: Recent studies have shown that reproductive failure may result from the reproductive incompatibility of partners. Female reproductive secretions, such as follicular fluid, can mediate gamete-level mate choice and determine male-female compatibility. Research found that sperm physiological response to female serum can predict compatibility in 70% of males.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Marco Demont, Paul Ward, Wolf U. Blanckenhorn, Stefan Luepold, Oliver Y. Martin, Luc F. Bussiere
Summary: The study revealed a skew in sperm storage across female spermathecae, with the quantity of second-male sperm stored generally decreasing with increasing spermathecal size. Factors such as copula duration and timing of oviposition also influenced the proportion of sperm stored by the second male. Interestingly, there was a strong correlation between the proportion of second-male stored sperm and paternity success, highlighting the significance of sperm competition in postcopulatory sexual selection.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biology
Julian Melgar, Mads F. Schou, Maud Bonato, Zanell Brand, Anel Engelbrecht, Schalk W. P. Cloete, Charlie K. Cornwallis
Summary: This study experimentally tested sex differences in cooperative breeding and their impact on group size variation in ostriches. The results showed that male optimal group size is influenced by competition costs, while female reproductive success is impacted by the benefits of cooperation with group members. Intermediate group sizes were found to be disadvantageous for both males and females.
Article
Biology
Jessica H. Hadlow, Jonathan P. Evans, Rowan A. Lymbery
Summary: Female reproductive fluids (FRFs) play crucial roles in reproductive functions, but their interactions with sperm under different environmental conditions are not well understood. This study investigated the effects of ejaculate age and FRF on sperm traits in a mussel species and found that FRF altered the effects of ejaculate age on sperm motility, with longer-lived sperm exhibiting stronger responses to FRF. There was also significant variation among males in the relationship between sperm motility and ejaculate age, which was only observed in the presence of FRF. These findings highlight the importance of considering female reproductive physiology in understanding sperm phenotypic plasticity.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Ecology
William David Weber, Heidi S. S. Fisher
Summary: When females mate with multiple partners, both male and female reproductive traits evolve in response to post-copulatory sexual selection.
JOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
(2023)
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
Ecology
Julian Baur, Dorian Jagusch, Piotr Michalak, Mareike Koppik, David Berger
Summary: This study investigated the impact of mating systems on the thermal sensitivity of fertility in seed beetles. Results showed that females had higher thermal sensitivity of fertility compared to males, and this sex difference increased significantly over only two generations under sexual selection. Manipulation of mating systems can generate intraspecific variation in the sex difference in thermal sensitivity of fertility. The study provides a causal link between mating systems and thermal sensitivity of fertility.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Maria Santaca, Alessandro Devigili, Clelia Gasparini
Summary: Female choice in zebrafish is influenced by their reproductive stage, with females being more receptive to larger males 7-10 days after spawning. Considering female receptivity is crucial for future studies on mate choice and for increasing egg production in zebrafish facilities.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
David Canal, Monika Jablonszky, Katalin Krenhardt, Gabor Marko, Gergely Nagy, Eszter Szasz, Janos Torok, Sandor Zsebok, Laszlo Zsolt Garamszegi
Summary: This study revealed the relative importance of male and female identity in male courtship behavior, as well as the increased male responsiveness to stimulus females as the breeding season progressed. Furthermore, the results suggest that invitation latency is a consistent courtship attribute in males that can be adjusted plastically according to perceived female quality and environmental conditions.
Article
Ecology
Eleanor Bath, Daisy Buzzoni, Toby Ralph, Stuart Wigby, Irem Sepil
Summary: Mating affects female behavior and physiology across a wide range of taxa, often induced by components of male ejaculate. Variation in male condition can lead to differences in the strength of responses males can stimulate in females, affecting fitness outcomes for both sexes.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Robotics
Jie Luo, Aart C. Stuurman, Jakub M. Tomczak, Jacintha Ellers, Agoston E. Eiben
Summary: This paper investigates the effects of an infant learning mechanism on the evolution of robot morphologies and controllers. The results show that learning can significantly improve task performance and decrease the number of generations required to reach a certain fitness level. Additionally, the study finds that even though learning only directly affects the controllers, the evolved morphologies also differ. This demonstrates that changes in the brain can induce changes in the body. Furthermore, the research shows that evolution produces robots with increasing plasticity, indicating consecutive generations become better learners and performers.
FRONTIERS IN ROBOTICS AND AI
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ruben Bakker, Astrid Ekelmans, Liyan Xie, Riet Vooijs, Dick Roelofs, Jacintha Ellers, Katja M. Hoedjes, Cornelis A. M. van Gestel
Summary: In this study, two genes (nAchR and SMCT) were identified as reliable biomarkers for neonicotinoid exposure, even under metabolic inhibition of CYPs by PBO. These findings provide a basis for developing high-throughput screening procedures.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Karen Bisschop, Thomas Blankers, Janine Marien, Meike T. Wortel, Martijn Egas, Astrid T. Groot, Marcel E. Visser, Jacintha Ellers
Summary: The predictability of evolution is influenced by the relative contribution of deterministic and stochastic processes, which is modulated by effective population size. This study used populations of Caenorhabditis elegans to investigate the repeatability of fitness evolution after a population bottleneck. Surprisingly, the results showed that even with a strong bottleneck, the repeatability of fitness evolution was not significantly reduced. Therefore, effective population size may not be a universal factor determining the predictability of evolution in sexual organisms.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Kamil S. Jaron, Christina N. Hodson, Jacintha Ellers, Stuart J. E. Baird, Laura Ross
Summary: Paternal genome elimination, a type of reproduction found in various arthropod clades, allows males to inherit but not pass on their father's genes. The evidence of this reproductive mode in globular springtails remains limited, but a genomic approach has been developed to explore the genetic differences between germline and soma in small organisms.
Article
Ecology
Judith A. H. Smit, Andrew D. D. Cronin, Isabelle van der Wiel, Bas Oteman, Jacintha Ellers, Wouter Halfwerk
Summary: Urbanization drastically changes environmental conditions, introducing sensory pollutants such as artificial light at night (ALAN) and anthropogenic noise. Animals need to adapt to these new sensory environments, and this study focused on the effects of ALAN, anthropogenic noise, and their interaction on sexual signaling in tungara frogs. The researchers observed frogs in urban and forest areas, conducted lab experiments, and found that exposure to ALAN and anthropogenic noise altered sexual signaling in the frogs. The study suggests that urban and forest population differences in sexual signaling can be partially explained by exposure to ALAN and anthropogenic noise, emphasizing the importance of studying the effects of multisensory pollution.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Review
Ecology
Jeffrey A. Harvey, Kevin Tougeron, Rieta Gols, Robin Heinen, Mariana Abarca, Paul K. Abram, Yves Basset, Matty Berg, Carol Boggs, Jacques Brodeur, Pedro Cardoso, Jetske G. de Boer, Geert R. De Snoo, Charl Deacon, Jane E. Dell, Nicolas Desneux, Michael E. Dillon, Grant A. Duffy, Lee A. Dyer, Jacintha Ellers, Anahi Espindola, James Fordyce, Matthew L. Forister, Caroline Fukushima, Matthew J. G. Gage, Carlos Garcia-Robledo, Claire Gely, Mauro Gobbi, Caspar Hallmann, Thierry Hance, John Harte, Axel Hochkirch, Christian Hof, Ary A. Hoffmann, Joel G. Kingsolver, Greg P. A. Lamarre, William F. Laurance, Blas Lavandero, Simon R. Leather, Philipp Lehmann, Cecile Le Lann, Margarita M. Lopez-Uribe, Chun-Sen Ma, Gang Ma, Joffrey Moiroux, Lucie Monticelli, Chris Nice, Paul J. Ode, Sylvain Pincebourde, William J. Ripple, Melissah Rowe, Michael J. Samways, Arnaud Sentis, Alisha A. Shah, Nigel Stork, John S. Terblanche, Madhav P. Thakur, Matthew B. Thomas, Jason M. Tylianakis, Joan Van Baaren, Martijn Van de Pol, Wim H. Van der Putten, Hans Van Dyck, Wilco C. E. P. Verberk, David L. Wagner, Wolfgang W. Weisser, William C. Wetzel, H. Arthur Woods, Kris A. G. Wyckhuys, Steven L. Chown
Summary: Climate warming is a serious anthropogenic stress on the environment, exacerbating the harmful effects of other threats and potentially threatening species preservation and ecosystem services provided by biodiversity. Insects, as central components of many ecosystems, are highly affected by climate change, with effects on physiology, behavior, distribution, and interactions, as well as extreme events.
ECOLOGICAL MONOGRAPHS
(2023)
Article
Entomology
F. Boatta, W. L. Jansen, L. W. Beukeboom, J. Ellers
Summary: Lipids are crucial for insects' survival and reproduction. This study investigated the differences in lipid development, quantity, and composition among house fly strains from different geographic origins under different temperature conditions. The results showed that strain, larval stage, and temperature all had significant effects on larval dry weight and lipid content, with interaction effects among these factors. The observed differences in lipid content could be important for commercial house fly rearing.
ENTOMOLOGIA EXPERIMENTALIS ET APPLICATA
(2023)
Review
Evolutionary Biology
Meike T. Wortel, Deepa Agashe, Susan F. Bailey, Claudia Bank, Karen Bisschop, Thomas Blankers, Johannes Cairns, Enrico Sandro Colizzi, Davide Cusseddu, Michael M. Desai, Bram van Dijk, Martijn Egas, Jacintha Ellers, Astrid T. Groot, David G. Heckel, Marcelle L. Johnson, Ken Kraaijeveld, Joachim Krug, Liedewij Laan, Michael Laessig, Peter A. Lind, Jeroen Meijer, Luke M. Noble, Samir Okasha, Paul B. Rainey, Daniel E. Rozen, Shraddha Shitut, Sander J. Tans, Olivier Tenaillon, Henrique Teotonio, J. Arjan G. M. de Visser, Marcel E. Visser, Renske M. A. Vroomans, Gijsbert D. A. Werner, Bregje Wertheim, Pleuni S. Pennings
Summary: Evolution has traditionally been a historical and descriptive science, but with advancements in technology and understanding, predictions about future evolutionary processes are now being developed and used in various fields. These predictions serve different purposes, such as preparation, intervention, or evaluation of our knowledge about evolution.
EVOLUTIONARY APPLICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Jason M. M. Gleditsch, Jocelyn E. E. Behm, Jacintha Ellers, Wendy A. M. Jesse, Matthew R. R. Helmus
Summary: Island biogeography theory is updated to incorporate the effects of land development and economic trade on species richness patterns in the Caribbean. The study built a database of native and introduced reptiles and amphibians for Caribbean islands and evaluated the relationships between species richness and habitat diversity and isolation. The contemporized theory explains the current patterns of biodiversity and will continue to predict the island biogeography of the Anthropocene.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Guangquan Chen, Shiyi Xiong, Qiao Jing, Cornelis A. M. van Gestel, Nico M. van Straalen, Dick Roelofs, Luming Sun, Hao Qiu
Summary: This study investigated the effects of polystyrene nanoplastics (PS-NPs) on fetal development and cholesterol metabolism in mice. The exposure to PS-NPs led to a decline in fetal weights and abnormal cell morphologies in the placenta and fetus. Transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses revealed disturbances in cholesterol metabolism and other pathways, offering new insights into the mechanisms underlying the detrimental effects of PS-NPs on placenta and fetus.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ruben Bakker, Jacintha Ellers, Dick Roelofs, Riet Vooijs, Tjeerd Dijkstra, Cornelis A. M. van Gestel, Katja M. Hoedjes
Summary: Conventional environmental risk assessment of pesticide pollution does not consider the biological response cascade that leads to adverse outcomes. The Adverse Outcome Pathway (AOP) framework includes information at various biological levels and can use intermediate responses as predictive read-outs for adverse outcomes. Transcriptomic and proteomic data can provide a comprehensive overview of the response cascade, but it is unclear if transcript and protein responses are synchronized in time.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Michal Segoli, Paul K. Abram, Jacintha Ellers, Gili Greenbaum, Ian C. W. Hardy, George E. Heimpel, Tamar Keasar, Paul J. Ode, Asaf Sadeh, Eric Wajnberg
Summary: Identifying traits associated with success in controlling pest insects has been a challenge for researchers and practitioners in biological control. Previous efforts have not revealed consistent patterns, preventing effective ranking of potential control agents. The quality of current datasets is insufficient to detect complex relationships, but further exploration is likely to be worthwhile.
TRENDS IN ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Dik van de Meent, Dick de Zwart, Jaap Struijs, Joop L. M. Hermens, Nico M. van Straalen, Klaas H. den Haan, John R. Parsons, Pim de Voogt, Kees van Leeuwen
Summary: This paper presents a simple modeling procedure to calculate the 'expected risk' (ER) of chemical substances. The procedure combines multimedia environmental fate modeling and species sensitivity modeling to determine the probability of exposure concentrations exceeding critical effect concentrations. The study found that the ER and Risk Quotient (RQ) of chemicals can be easily calculated and used to assess environmental safety and rank chemicals accordingly. The paper suggests that modeling ER instead of estimating RQ values could enhance the scientific basis of environmental risk assessment in REACH, and recommends the use of acute EC50 as the critical effect concentration for more robust risk calculation.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES EUROPE
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Charlie K. Cornwallis, Anouk van 't Padje, Jacintha Ellers, Malin Klein, Raphaella Jackson, E. Toby Kiers, Stuart A. West, Lee M. Henry
Summary: Insects have depended on symbiotic microbes for nutrition and defence for more than 300 million years. The evolution of symbioses and its impact on insect diversification under specific ecological conditions remain unclear. This study analyzed 1,850 microbe-insect symbioses across 402 insect families and found that symbionts allowed insects to specialize on nutrient-imbalanced diets, with B vitamins consistently associated with obligate symbiosis. The consequences of shifting to new diets with the help of symbionts varied, leading to species proliferation in some cases (e.g. herbivory) and severe diversification constraints in others (e.g. strict blood feeding).
NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2023)
Proceedings Paper
Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence
Matteo De Carlo, Eliseo Ferrante, Jacintha Ellers, Gerben Meynen, A. E. Eiben
Summary: In the field of evolutionary robotics, it is common to evaluate individuals in isolated environments. However, we designed a single interactive ecosystem where robots physically interact with each other for evaluation. By comparing this approach with a traditional oracle-based method, we found that evaluating robots in an interactive ecosystem significantly impacts their final behavior and morphology while maintaining good fitness performance.
GENETIC PROGRAMMING, EUROGP 2023
(2023)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
James A. Klarevas-Irby, Damien R. Farine
Summary: Little is known about how animals overcome temporal constraints on movement during dispersal. This study used GPS tracking of vulturine guineafowl and found that dispersers showed the greatest increase in movement at the same times of day when they moved the most prior to dispersal. These findings suggest that individuals face the same ecological constraints during dispersal as they do in daily life and achieve large displacements by maximizing movement when conditions are most favorable.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Simone Ciaralli, Martina Esposito, Stefano Francesconi, Daniela Muzzicato, Marco Gamba, Matteo Dal Zotto, Daniela Campobello
Summary: Male cuckoos may transfer nest location information to females as a nonmaterial nuptial gift through specific postures and behaviors, potentially influencing mating choices of female cuckoos.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Anne E. Aulsebrook, Rowan Jacques-Hamilton, Bart Kempenaers
Summary: Accelerometry and machine learning have been used to quantify mating behaviors of captive male ruffs. Different machine learning methods were compared and evaluated for their classification performance. The study highlights the challenges and potential pitfalls in classifying mating behaviors using accelerometry and provides recommendations and considerations for future research.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Maria G. Smith, Joshua B. LaPergola, Christina Riehl
Summary: This study analyzed individual contributions to parental care in the greater ani bird and found that workload inequality varied between groups of two and three pairs. However, there was no clear evidence of division of labour within the groups, suggesting individual differences in overall work performed.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Noah M. T. Smith, Reuven Dukas
Summary: Winner and loser effects are observed in many animals, and recent experiments suggest that they may also occur in humans. In two experiments involving video games and reading comprehension, participants who won in the first phase performed significantly better in the second phase compared to those who lost. The effect size was larger in the video game experiment, and men and women showed similar magnitudes of winner and loser effects.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Bianca J. L. Marcellino, Peri Yee, Shannon J. Mccauley, Rosalind L. Murray
Summary: This study examines the trade-off between mating effort and thermoregulatory behavior in dragonflies in response to temperature changes, and investigates the effect of wing melanin on these behaviors. The results indicate that as temperature increases, dragonflies reduce their mating effort and increase their thermoregulatory behavior.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Rafael Rios Moura, Paulo Inacio Prado, Joao Vasconcellos-Neto
Summary: This study examined the escape behavior and decision-making of Aglaoctenus castaneus spiders on different substrates. It was found that spiders inhabiting injurious substrates displayed shorter flight initiation distances and lower sensitivity to predators.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Luigi Baciadonna, Cwyn Solvi, Francesca Terranova, Camilla Godi, Cristina Pilenga, Livio Favaro
Summary: In this study, it was found that African penguins could use ventral dot patterns to recognize their lifelong partner and nonpartner colonymates. This challenges the previous assumption of limited visual involvement in penguin communication, highlighting the complex and flexible recognition process in birds.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Nick A. R. Jones, Jade Newton-Youens, Joachim G. Frommen
Summary: Environmental conditions, particularly temperature, have a significant impact on animal behavior. This study focused on aggression in Neolamprologus pulcher fish and found that aggression rates increased with temperature at lower levels, but decreased after reaching a peak. Additionally, the influence of high temperatures on aggression changed over time during the trials. These findings provide a more comprehensive understanding of the short-term effects of temperature on aggression and highlight the importance of considering non-linear changes in thermal performance.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Bruno Herlander Martins, Andrea Soriano-Redondo, Aldina M. A. Franco, Ines Carry
Summary: Human activities have affected the availability of resources for wildlife, particularly through the provision of anthropogenic food subsidies at landfill sites. This study explores the influence of age on landfill attendance and foraging behavior in white storks. Adult storks visit landfills more frequently and show dominance over juveniles in food acquisition. Juveniles have limited access to landfill resources and are forced to use lower quality areas.
