Article
Behavioral Sciences
Silje L. Rekdal, Jarl Andreas Anmarkrud, Jan T. Lifjeld, Arild Johnsen
Summary: This study shows that female bluethroats tend to choose a social mate that is MHCII-compatible in order to prevent other males from gaining paternity in their brood. However, this preference occurs only when the social male is young, as older males can override female preferences through higher sperm production. Additionally, offspring with MHC diversity close to the golden mean exhibit higher immune responsiveness.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Emily Rebecca Alison Cramer
Summary: The study found that in socially monogamous species, tests related to sperm traits in extra-pair paternity situations can be highly biased, recommending the use of multivariate selection analysis and proportional regression to avoid biases.
Article
Zoology
Yating Liu, Zhengjun Wu, Wenbo Liao
Summary: This study examined the relationship between extra-pair paternity (EPP) and brain size, testis size, and life histories among bird species. The findings indicate that birds with larger brains, which are associated with enhanced cognitive abilities, are more inclined to maintain long-term stable relationships with their mates and engage in mutualism, rather than increasing the frequency of EPP.
INTEGRATIVE ZOOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Cristina-Maria Valcu, Mihai Valcu, Bart Kempenaers
Summary: This study explored the geographical variation in the frequency of extra-pair paternity (EPP) among bird populations and species. The results showed that EPP frequency decreases with latitude, increases with distance from the breeding range boundary, is negatively associated with generation length and pair-bond duration among species, and decreases with latitude at the assemblage level. The latitudinal decline of EPP is consistent across zoogeographical realms.
Article
Ornithology
Peter Santema, Kim Teltscher, Bart Kempenaers
Summary: This study found that the number of sperm on the egg's perivitelline layers in female blue tits is consistent within clutches, but there was no evidence to suggest differences in copulation activity between females with or without extra-pair young.
JOURNAL OF AVIAN BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biology
Thomas A. Keaney, Theresa M. Jones, Luke Holman
Summary: The SD allele in Drosophila melanogaster distorts Mendelian inheritance in heterozygous males by causing developmental failure of non-SD spermatids, leading to greater than 90% of sperm carrying SD. Sexual selection may limit the natural frequencies of SD when sperm competitive ability and female remating rate equal the values observed for one SD variant, SD-5, but is unable to explain the rarity of SD when parameterized with the values found for two other SD variants.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Walter D. Koenig, Anna C. B. Prinz, Joseph Haydock, Hannah L. Dugdale, Eric L. Walters
Summary: The study on acorn woodpeckers shows that males who invest more in offspring are more likely to sire young successfully. These males adjust their behavior based on their paternity success, with differences in behavior partly due to individual variation and partly due to plasticity in behavior covarying with paternity share.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biology
Jeremias N. Brand, Luke J. Harmon, Lukas Schaerer
Summary: This study investigates the correlation between sex allocation and reproductive behavior in hermaphroditic flatworms. The study finds that hypodermic insemination leads to a more female-biased sex allocation and is associated with selfing or biparental inbreeding. Additionally, a trade-off between male and female reproduction is observed, as well as a correlation between morphological indicators and sex allocation.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Navina D. Lilie, Sepand Riyahi, Arne Kalinowski, Stephen M. Salazar, Sylvia Kaiser, Tim Schmoll, Peter Korsten
Summary: In this study, we investigated how male zebra finches adjust their behavior to sperm competition risk. Contrary to our predictions, the presence of another breeding pair did not lead to increased courtship or competitive behaviors in male zebra finches. Additionally, hormone levels did not differ between treatment groups, indicating no hormonal response to the social environment. However, our results suggest that male zebra finches are capable of adjusting their behavior according to their social environment.
HORMONES AND BEHAVIOR
(2022)
Article
Entomology
Philippe Louapre, Karen Muller, Soline Bettencourt-Amarante, Denis Thiery, Jerome Moreau
Summary: This study investigated the plasticity of behavioral and physiological responses of male moths to different sexual audiences before and during mating. Results showed that males adjusted their mating behaviors and spermatophore size based on the perceived risk of sperm competition, and reduced mating duration in the presence of females. However, these adjustments did not have an effect on reproductive performance.
Article
Ornithology
Matteo Beccardi, Mireia Plaza, Juan Moreno, Alejandro Cantarero
Summary: During the fertile period of females, aggression between males becomes more frequent and important, possibly related to their reproductive success. Research has shown that males with higher aggressiveness are more proactive in defending their territory against intrusions and can reduce paternity losses.
JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Olivia E. Anastasio, Chelsea S. Sinclair, Alison Pischedda
Summary: Cryptic male mate choice refers to the differential allocation of resources by males to females during or after copulation. In the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, males mate longer and allocate more resources to larger females compared to smaller females. However, it is unclear if this increased investment in larger females has any impact on the males' subsequent matings.
Article
Entomology
Yuki Nagata, Hiroto Nishino, Kazuki Kuroda, Tadashi Shinohara, Daisuke Satomi, Karen Terada, Taira Nishimura, Takahiro Kuroda, Yoshitaka Inoue, Yonghwan Park, Yasuoki Takami
Summary: This study reveals the reproductive phenology and female mating frequency in a wild mantid population through field surveys and analysis, providing insights into the evolution of male mating behavior under sperm competition and sexual cannibalism.
ECOLOGICAL ENTOMOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Li Yun, Aneil F. Agrawal, Howard D. Rundle
Summary: The study reveals that the level of harm caused by males to females varies depending on the environment and the extent of control females have over sexual interactions. Populations evolving in environments where females have more control tend to have less harmful males, demonstrating a plastic effect. This suggests that the physical environment can influence the evolution of harmful male phenotypes.
AMERICAN NATURALIST
(2021)
Article
Biology
Nan Lyu, D. Justin Yeh, Huw Lloyd, Yue-Hua Sun
Summary: The study examines the relationship between post-pairing male behaviors and female trait evolution using theoretical models. It finds that male mate choosiness can have surprising influence on the evolution of costly female traits. The study suggests that choosy males can have different post-pairing behaviors, which has been overlooked in previous studies. The findings show that both male preferences and female traits can evolve more easily than previously expected.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Sarah Ashley Mueller, Stefan Prost, Ole Anders, Christine Breitenmoser-Wursten, Oddmund Kleven, Peter Klinga, Marjeta Konec, Alexander Kopatz, Jarmila Krojerova-Prokesova, Tomma Lilli Middelhoff, Gabriela Obexer-Ruff, Tobias Erik Reiners, Krzysztof Schmidt, Magda Sindicic, Tomaz Skrbinsek, Branislav Tam, Alexander P. Saveljev, Galsandorj Naranbaatar, Carsten Nowak
Summary: Reintroductions of large carnivores may result in decreased genetic diversity and increased inbreeding. This study examines the genetic outcomes of reintroducing the Eurasian lynx and finds that reintroduced populations have lower genetic diversity and higher levels of inbreeding compared to natural populations. The study highlights the importance of considering genetic factors in reintroduction programs and advocates for regular genomic assessments to safeguard genetic diversity.
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Melissah Rowe, Annabel Van Oort, Lyanne Brouwer, Jan T. Lifjeld, Michael S. Webster, Joseph F. Welklin, Daniel T. Baldassarre
Summary: This study found that sperm quantity (indicated by cloacal protuberance volume) was associated with reproductive success in male red-backed fairy-wrens, while sperm morphology was not. This suggests that males use a large number of sperm as a defensive strategy to protect within-pair paternity success in a system with high risk of sperm competition and female control of copulation.
Correction
Behavioral Sciences
Jan T. Lifjeld, Oddmund Kleven, Frode Fossoy, Frode Jacobsen, Terje Laskemoen, Geir Rudolfsen, Raleigh J. Robertson
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Jan T. Lifjeld, Oddmund Kleven, Frode Fossoy, Frode Jacobsen, Terje Laskemoen, Geir Rudolfsen, Raleigh J. Robertson
Summary: In birds with extrapair mating, older males have higher fertilization success than younger males. This can be explained by the fact that females prefer older and more ornamented males, or that older males invest more in reproduction and fertility. In a study of barn swallows in Canada, it was found that male fertilization success increased with age, especially for extrapair offspring and second broods. This success was also associated with an early start of breeding in spring. Male fertility traits, including testis size, sperm motility, and sperm velocity, increased across age groups. The length of the outer tail feathers, a male ornament preferred by females, also increased with age but did not predict fertilization success. These findings suggest that older males have higher fertilization success due to their higher reproductive investment and early arrival on breeding grounds.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Jan T. Lifjeld
Summary: The study investigated the effects of two sexual traits in male barn swallows on paternity change in two different populations. However, it found that the initial paternity score influenced the magnitude of the change, leading to biased conclusions.
Article
Ornithology
Gaute Gronstol, Marie Danielsen, Emily R. A. Cramer, Lars Erik Johannessen, Arild Johnsen, Emma Whittington, Jan T. Lifjeld
Summary: Sperm cell size and structural integrity are not significantly affected by fixation and storage in formalin or ethanol, although there is a small reduction in sperm cell length over long storage periods. However, ethanol storage leads to a higher proportion of acrosome-damaged sperm cells compared to formalin storage. Overall, formalin better preserves the integrity of sperm cells.
JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Brett K. Sandercock, Marie L. Davey, Anders Endrestol, Rakel Blaalid, Frode Fossoy, Hanne Hegre, Markus A. M. Majaneva, Anders Often, Jens Astrom, Rannveig M. Jacobsen
Summary: The goal of this study was to design and test a surveillance program for early detection of alien species of vascular plants and terrestrial insects. Through sampling 60 study plots, we found 239 alien species of vascular plants and over 3500 invertebrate taxa. The results demonstrate that early detection is feasible and important for a national surveillance program.
BIOLOGICAL INVASIONS
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Jarmila Krojerova-Prokesova, Barbora Gajdarova, Tobias Erik Reiners, Petra Bolechova, Oddmund Kleven, Petr Koubek, Carsten Nowak, Janis Ozolins, Branislav Tam, Inna Voloshina, Peter Vallo
Summary: The aim of ex situ programmes is to provide individuals for future reintroductions or reinforcement. Genetic evaluation of captive Eurasian lynx populations showed high genetic similarity to wild populations, supporting the potential of captive individuals for genetic rescue programs.
CONSERVATION GENETICS
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Emily R. A. Cramer, Zelealem B. Yilma, Jan T. Lifjeld
Summary: Sperm cells are morphologically diverse across taxa, but can be uniform within species. Strong sexual selection may reduce intraspecific sperm variation, but high variation in female sperm storage organs could maintain intraspecific sperm size variation. The level of promiscuity and variation in female preference have a significant impact on selection for sperm size.
JOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Kjersti Selstad Utaaker, Bjornar Ytrehus, Marie L. L. Davey, Frode Fossoy, Rebecca K. K. Davidson, Andrea L. L. Miller, Per-Anders Robertsen, Olav Strand, Geir Rune Rauset
Summary: Salt licks may serve as potential attraction sites for the transmission of gastrointestinal parasites from domestic sheep to wild reindeer. This study found DNA evidence of parasites in salt lick soil, as well as similar DNA in sheep, reindeer, and salt licks, suggesting spillover. The decline in reindeer calf recruitment rate could potentially be explained by infection with these sheep parasites, highlighting the importance of studying such attraction points in disease dynamics.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Silje L. Rekdal, Jarl Andreas Anmarkrud, Jan T. Lifjeld, Arild Johnsen
Summary: This study shows that female bluethroats tend to choose a social mate that is MHCII-compatible in order to prevent other males from gaining paternity in their brood. However, this preference occurs only when the social male is young, as older males can override female preferences through higher sperm production. Additionally, offspring with MHC diversity close to the golden mean exhibit higher immune responsiveness.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Brett K. Sandercock, Marie L. Davey, Anders Endrestol, Rakel Blaalid, Frode Fossoy, Hanne Hegre, Markus A. M. Majaneva, Anders Often, Jens Astrom, Rannveig M. Jacobsen
Summary: Naturalized species of alien plants and animals have had significant impacts on Norway's natural ecosystems, especially in coastal and urban areas. This field project aimed to design and test a surveillance program for early detection of alien species. Through sampling and surveys, numerous alien species of known risk and new species were discovered, and the probabilities of occupancy and detection were calculated using statistical models. The results demonstrate the feasibility of early detection as a key component of a national surveillance program.
BIOLOGICAL INVASIONS
(2023)
