Pub Date : 2023-12-29eCollection Date: 2024-01-01DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arad109
Olof Leimar, Andrés E Quiñones, Redouan Bshary
Cognitive flexibility can enhance the ability to adjust to changing environments. Here, we use learning simulations to investigate the possible advantages of flexible learning in volatile (changing) environments. We compare two established learning mechanisms, one with constant learning rates and one with rates that adjust to volatility. We study an ecologically relevant case of volatility, based on observations of developing cleaner fish Labroides dimidiatus that experience a transition from a simpler to a more complex foraging environment. There are other similar transitions in nature, such as migrating to a new and different habitat. We also examine two traditional approaches to volatile environments in experimental psychology and behavioral ecology: reversal learning, and learning set formation (consisting of a sequence of different discrimination tasks). These provide experimental measures of cognitive flexibility. Concerning transitions to a complex world, we show that both constant and flexible learning rates perform well, losing only a small proportion of available rewards in the period after a transition, but flexible rates perform better than constant rates. For reversal learning, flexible rates improve the performance with each successive reversal because of increasing learning rates, but this does not happen for constant rates. For learning set formation, we find no improvement in performance with successive shifts to new stimuli to discriminate for either flexible or constant learning rates. Flexible learning rates might thus explain increasing performance in reversal learning but not in learning set formation, and this can shed light on the nature of cognitive flexibility in a given system.
{"title":"Flexible learning in complex worlds.","authors":"Olof Leimar, Andrés E Quiñones, Redouan Bshary","doi":"10.1093/beheco/arad109","DOIUrl":"10.1093/beheco/arad109","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cognitive flexibility can enhance the ability to adjust to changing environments. Here, we use learning simulations to investigate the possible advantages of flexible learning in volatile (changing) environments. We compare two established learning mechanisms, one with constant learning rates and one with rates that adjust to volatility. We study an ecologically relevant case of volatility, based on observations of developing cleaner fish <i>Labroides dimidiatus</i> that experience a transition from a simpler to a more complex foraging environment. There are other similar transitions in nature, such as migrating to a new and different habitat. We also examine two traditional approaches to volatile environments in experimental psychology and behavioral ecology: reversal learning, and learning set formation (consisting of a sequence of different discrimination tasks). These provide experimental measures of cognitive flexibility. Concerning transitions to a complex world, we show that both constant and flexible learning rates perform well, losing only a small proportion of available rewards in the period after a transition, but flexible rates perform better than constant rates. For reversal learning, flexible rates improve the performance with each successive reversal because of increasing learning rates, but this does not happen for constant rates. For learning set formation, we find no improvement in performance with successive shifts to new stimuli to discriminate for either flexible or constant learning rates. Flexible learning rates might thus explain increasing performance in reversal learning but not in learning set formation, and this can shed light on the nature of cognitive flexibility in a given system.</p>","PeriodicalId":8840,"journal":{"name":"Behavioral Ecology","volume":"35 1","pages":"arad109"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2023-12-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10756056/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139073336","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Katherine Vandal, Dany Garant, Patrick Bergeron, Denis Réale
Individual exploration types are based on the cognitive speed-accuracy trade-off, which suggests that a higher speed of information acquisition is done by sacrificing information quality. In a mating context, fast exploration could thus increase the probability of finding mates at the cost of mating with kin or suboptimal partners. We tested this hypothesis by studying male mate choice patterns in a species with a scramble competition mating system. We used genotyping, localization by radio-collar, trapping, and repeated exploration measures from a long-term study on wild Eastern chipmunks (Tamias striatus). We predicted that, according to the speed-accuracy trade-off hypothesis, slower-thorough explorers should be choosier than faster-superficial ones, and thus avoid inbreeding. We found that slower males reproduced more often with less related females, but only on one site where variance in relatedness and female density were high. Males showed no preference for their mates’ exploration type. Our results suggest that superficial exploration decreases male choosiness and increases the risk of inbreeding, but only under decreased mate search costs due to high variance in relatedness among mates (at high density). Our findings reveal exploration-related, among-individual variance in inbreeding, highlighting the complexity of mate choice, and showing that many aspects of an individual’s life contribute to animal decision-making.
{"title":"Exploration and social environment affect inbreeding avoidance in a small mammal","authors":"Katherine Vandal, Dany Garant, Patrick Bergeron, Denis Réale","doi":"10.1093/beheco/arad107","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arad107","url":null,"abstract":"Individual exploration types are based on the cognitive speed-accuracy trade-off, which suggests that a higher speed of information acquisition is done by sacrificing information quality. In a mating context, fast exploration could thus increase the probability of finding mates at the cost of mating with kin or suboptimal partners. We tested this hypothesis by studying male mate choice patterns in a species with a scramble competition mating system. We used genotyping, localization by radio-collar, trapping, and repeated exploration measures from a long-term study on wild Eastern chipmunks (Tamias striatus). We predicted that, according to the speed-accuracy trade-off hypothesis, slower-thorough explorers should be choosier than faster-superficial ones, and thus avoid inbreeding. We found that slower males reproduced more often with less related females, but only on one site where variance in relatedness and female density were high. Males showed no preference for their mates’ exploration type. Our results suggest that superficial exploration decreases male choosiness and increases the risk of inbreeding, but only under decreased mate search costs due to high variance in relatedness among mates (at high density). Our findings reveal exploration-related, among-individual variance in inbreeding, highlighting the complexity of mate choice, and showing that many aspects of an individual’s life contribute to animal decision-making.","PeriodicalId":8840,"journal":{"name":"Behavioral Ecology","volume":"6 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2023-12-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139056891","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Correction to: Selective disappearance does not underlie age-related changes in trait repeatability in red squirrels","authors":"","doi":"10.1093/beheco/arad115","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arad115","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":8840,"journal":{"name":"Behavioral Ecology","volume":"5 26","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2023-12-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139156519","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-12-23eCollection Date: 2024-01-01DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arad098
Mary L Westwood, Quentin Geissmann, Aidan J O'Donnell, Jack Rayner, Will Schneider, Marlene Zuk, Nathan W Bailey, Sarah E Reece
Circadian rhythms are ubiquitous in nature and endogenous circadian clocks drive the daily expression of many fitness-related behaviors. However, little is known about whether such traits are targets of selection imposed by natural enemies. In Hawaiian populations of the nocturnally active Pacific field cricket (Teleogryllus oceanicus), males sing to attract mates, yet sexually selected singing rhythms are also subject to natural selection from the acoustically orienting and deadly parasitoid fly, Ormia ochracea. Here, we use T. oceanicus to test whether singing rhythms are endogenous and scheduled by circadian clocks, making them possible targets of selection imposed by flies. We also develop a novel audio-to-circadian analysis pipeline, capable of extracting useful parameters from which to train machine learning algorithms and process large quantities of audio data. Singing rhythms fulfilled all criteria for endogenous circadian clock control, including being driven by photoschedule, self-sustained periodicity of approximately 24 h, and being robust to variation in temperature. Furthermore, singing rhythms varied across individuals, which might suggest genetic variation on which natural and sexual selection pressures can act. Sexual signals and ornaments are well-known targets of selection by natural enemies, but our findings indicate that the circadian timing of those traits' expression may also determine fitness.
昼夜节律在自然界中无处不在,内源性昼夜节律驱动着许多与健身有关的行为的日常表达。然而,人们对这些特征是否是天敌选择的目标却知之甚少。在夏威夷的夜间活动的太平洋田野蟋蟀(Teleogryllus oceanicus)种群中,雄性蟋蟀通过唱歌来吸引配偶,然而经过性选择的歌唱节奏也会受到来自声音定向的致命寄生蝇Ormia ochracea的自然选择。在这里,我们利用 T. oceanicus 来检验歌唱节律是否是内源性的,是否由昼夜节律表安排,从而使其成为苍蝇选择的可能目标。我们还开发了一种新型音频到昼夜节律分析管道,能够从中提取有用的参数来训练机器学习算法和处理大量音频数据。歌唱节律符合内源性昼夜节律控制的所有标准,包括由光程驱动、自我维持约24小时的周期性以及对温度变化的稳健性。此外,不同个体的歌唱节律也不尽相同,这可能暗示了遗传变异,自然选择和性选择压力可能对其产生作用。众所周知,性信号和装饰品是天敌选择的目标,但我们的研究结果表明,这些性状的昼夜节律也可能决定其适应性。
{"title":"Machine learning reveals singing rhythms of male Pacific field crickets are clock controlled.","authors":"Mary L Westwood, Quentin Geissmann, Aidan J O'Donnell, Jack Rayner, Will Schneider, Marlene Zuk, Nathan W Bailey, Sarah E Reece","doi":"10.1093/beheco/arad098","DOIUrl":"10.1093/beheco/arad098","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Circadian rhythms are ubiquitous in nature and endogenous circadian clocks drive the daily expression of many fitness-related behaviors. However, little is known about whether such traits are targets of selection imposed by natural enemies. In Hawaiian populations of the nocturnally active Pacific field cricket (<i>Teleogryllus oceanicus)</i>, males sing to attract mates, yet sexually selected singing rhythms are also subject to natural selection from the acoustically orienting and deadly parasitoid fly, <i>Ormia ochracea</i>. Here, we use <i>T. oceanicus</i> to test whether singing rhythms are endogenous and scheduled by circadian clocks, making them possible targets of selection imposed by flies. We also develop a novel audio-to-circadian analysis pipeline, capable of extracting useful parameters from which to train machine learning algorithms and process large quantities of audio data. Singing rhythms fulfilled all criteria for endogenous circadian clock control, including being driven by photoschedule, self-sustained periodicity of approximately 24 h, and being robust to variation in temperature. Furthermore, singing rhythms varied across individuals, which might suggest genetic variation on which natural and sexual selection pressures can act. Sexual signals and ornaments are well-known targets of selection by natural enemies, but our findings indicate that the circadian timing of those traits' expression may also determine fitness.</p>","PeriodicalId":8840,"journal":{"name":"Behavioral Ecology","volume":"35 1","pages":"arad098"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2023-12-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10748470/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139032142","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mate choice is an important cause of natural and sexual selection and drives the evolution and elaboration of male ornaments. Yet mate choice decisions are often neither consistent nor uniform, and a range of factors have been identified to influence variation between and within individuals. A potential source of variation influencing preferences and/or choosiness is animal personality, that is, repeatable among-individual differences in behaviors. Not only may individuals differ in average personality phenotype but also vary in how consistently they display said personality. Distinguishing between personality and consistency is important because both aspects are potentially naturally selected traits that may yet influence how sexually selected ornaments are evaluated. Here, we use a predator evasion assay to test whether there is variation in boldness among female gray treefrogs (Hyla versicolor), and then examine whether personality traits (spectrum of shy to bold) are correlated with choosiness for longer duration calls. We document substantial and repeatable between-individual variation in boldness, suggesting the presence of animal personality. Results also reveal that the consistency with which females expressed boldness is independent from average personality phenotype and that it is correlated with choosiness: more consistently bold females were choosier.
{"title":"Personality affects female mate choice: frogs displaying more consistent bold behaviors are choosier","authors":"Olivia S Feagles, Gerlinde Höbel","doi":"10.1093/beheco/arad101","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arad101","url":null,"abstract":"Mate choice is an important cause of natural and sexual selection and drives the evolution and elaboration of male ornaments. Yet mate choice decisions are often neither consistent nor uniform, and a range of factors have been identified to influence variation between and within individuals. A potential source of variation influencing preferences and/or choosiness is animal personality, that is, repeatable among-individual differences in behaviors. Not only may individuals differ in average personality phenotype but also vary in how consistently they display said personality. Distinguishing between personality and consistency is important because both aspects are potentially naturally selected traits that may yet influence how sexually selected ornaments are evaluated. Here, we use a predator evasion assay to test whether there is variation in boldness among female gray treefrogs (Hyla versicolor), and then examine whether personality traits (spectrum of shy to bold) are correlated with choosiness for longer duration calls. We document substantial and repeatable between-individual variation in boldness, suggesting the presence of animal personality. Results also reveal that the consistency with which females expressed boldness is independent from average personality phenotype and that it is correlated with choosiness: more consistently bold females were choosier.","PeriodicalId":8840,"journal":{"name":"Behavioral Ecology","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2023-12-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139056897","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Rebekah A McKinnon, Kevin Hawkshaw, Erik Hedlin, Shinichi Nakagawa, Kimberley J. Mathot
Abstract The hierarchical model of provisioning posits that parents employ a strategic, sequential use of three provisioning tactics as offspring demand increases (e.g., due to increasing brood size and age). Namely, increasing delivery rate (reducing intervals between provisioning visits), expanding provisioned diet breadth, and adopting variance-sensitive provisioning. We evaluated this model in an Arctic breeding population of Peregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus tundrius) by analyzing changes in inter-visit-intervals (IVIs) and residual variance in IVIs across 7 study years. Data were collected using motion-sensitive nest camera images and analyzed using Bayesian mixed effect models. We found strong support for a decrease in IVIs (i.e., increase in delivery rates) between provisioning visits and an increase in residual variance in IVIs with increasing nestling age, consistent with the notion that peregrines shift to variance-prone provisioning strategies with increasing nestling demand. However, support for predictions made based on the hierarchical model of tactics for coping with increased brood demand was equivocal as we did not find evidence in support of expected covariances between random effects (i.e., between IVI to an average sized brood (intercept), change in IVI with brood demand (slope) or variance in IVI). Overall, our study provides important biological insights into how parents cope with increased brood demand.
{"title":"Peregrine falcons shift mean and variance in provisioning in response to increasing brood demand","authors":"Rebekah A McKinnon, Kevin Hawkshaw, Erik Hedlin, Shinichi Nakagawa, Kimberley J. Mathot","doi":"10.1093/beheco/arad103","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arad103","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The hierarchical model of provisioning posits that parents employ a strategic, sequential use of three provisioning tactics as offspring demand increases (e.g., due to increasing brood size and age). Namely, increasing delivery rate (reducing intervals between provisioning visits), expanding provisioned diet breadth, and adopting variance-sensitive provisioning. We evaluated this model in an Arctic breeding population of Peregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus tundrius) by analyzing changes in inter-visit-intervals (IVIs) and residual variance in IVIs across 7 study years. Data were collected using motion-sensitive nest camera images and analyzed using Bayesian mixed effect models. We found strong support for a decrease in IVIs (i.e., increase in delivery rates) between provisioning visits and an increase in residual variance in IVIs with increasing nestling age, consistent with the notion that peregrines shift to variance-prone provisioning strategies with increasing nestling demand. However, support for predictions made based on the hierarchical model of tactics for coping with increased brood demand was equivocal as we did not find evidence in support of expected covariances between random effects (i.e., between IVI to an average sized brood (intercept), change in IVI with brood demand (slope) or variance in IVI). Overall, our study provides important biological insights into how parents cope with increased brood demand.","PeriodicalId":8840,"journal":{"name":"Behavioral Ecology","volume":"79 21","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2023-12-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138945470","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Signals and receiver responses often vary across a species’ geographic range. Effective communication requires a match between signal and receiver response, so there is much interest in the developmental mechanisms that maintain this link. Two potential mechanisms are genetic covariance between signal and receiver response and plasticity where individuals adjust their phenotype based on their partner’s phenotype. Here, we test how plasticity contributes to geographic variation in individual face recognition in Polistes fuscatus wasps. Previous work has shown that P. fuscatus from Michigan, USA (MI) have variable facial patterns used for individual recognition, while P. fuscatus from central Pennsylvania, USA (PA) lack variable facial patterns and are unable to learn individual conspecifics. We experimentally altered rearing environment, so wasps were either reared with their own population or in a common garden with wasps from both populations. Then, we tested the wasps’ capacity to learn and remember individual conspecific faces. Consistent with previous work, MI wasps reared with MI wasps were adept at learning conspecific faces, while PA wasps reared with PA wasps were unable to learn conspecific faces. However, MI and PA wasps reared in a common garden developed similar, intermediate capacity for individual face learning. These results indicate that individual face learning in Polistes wasps is highly plastic and responsive to the social environment. Plasticity in receiver responses may be a common mechanism mediating geographic differences in non-sexual signaling systems and may play a role in maintaining links between signals and receiver responses in geographically variable communication systems.
{"title":"Geographic variation in individual face learning based on plasticity rather than local genetic adaptation in Polistes wasps","authors":"Meagan Simons, Delbert A Green, E. Tibbetts","doi":"10.1093/beheco/arad100","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arad100","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Signals and receiver responses often vary across a species’ geographic range. Effective communication requires a match between signal and receiver response, so there is much interest in the developmental mechanisms that maintain this link. Two potential mechanisms are genetic covariance between signal and receiver response and plasticity where individuals adjust their phenotype based on their partner’s phenotype. Here, we test how plasticity contributes to geographic variation in individual face recognition in Polistes fuscatus wasps. Previous work has shown that P. fuscatus from Michigan, USA (MI) have variable facial patterns used for individual recognition, while P. fuscatus from central Pennsylvania, USA (PA) lack variable facial patterns and are unable to learn individual conspecifics. We experimentally altered rearing environment, so wasps were either reared with their own population or in a common garden with wasps from both populations. Then, we tested the wasps’ capacity to learn and remember individual conspecific faces. Consistent with previous work, MI wasps reared with MI wasps were adept at learning conspecific faces, while PA wasps reared with PA wasps were unable to learn conspecific faces. However, MI and PA wasps reared in a common garden developed similar, intermediate capacity for individual face learning. These results indicate that individual face learning in Polistes wasps is highly plastic and responsive to the social environment. Plasticity in receiver responses may be a common mechanism mediating geographic differences in non-sexual signaling systems and may play a role in maintaining links between signals and receiver responses in geographically variable communication systems.","PeriodicalId":8840,"journal":{"name":"Behavioral Ecology","volume":"77 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2023-12-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138945310","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Beatriz P Pereira, Simon Neff, Francisco O. Borges, E. Otjacques, Guilherme Barreto, Maddalena Ranucci, Mélanie Court, R. Rosa, T. Repolho, J. Paula
Ocean deoxygenation and warming have been shown to pose a growing threat to the health of marine organisms and ecosystems. Yet, the potential for acclimation and adaptation remains poorly understood. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of transgenerational exposure to reduced oxygen availability and elevated seawater temperature on the chemosensory-dependent mating mechanisms of male amphipods Gammarus locusta. Three subsequent generations were exposed to four experimental treatments for 30 days: 1) present-day scenario, 2) warming; 3) deoxygenation; and 4) warming + deoxygenation. After exposure, the number of individuals that reached adulthood was gauged, and adult males from F0 and F1 were subjected to behavioral trials to assess their capacity of long-distance female cue detection through quantification of response time, the first direction of movement, activity rate, and proportion of time spent in female scent cues. Ocean warming induced mortality, and reduced oxygen availability had adverse effects on each of the investigated behavioral traits, which were amplified when combined with elevated temperature. Still, when compared with F0, the F1 generation demonstrated more adaptability (i.e., higher activity rate and preference for female odors) to the combination of the two stressors, suggesting positive carry-over effects. Nevertheless, full recovery to control levels was not observed. Altogether, this study indicates that future scenarios of ocean deoxygenation and warming have the potential to disrupt chemosensory-dependent mate detection in amphipods, but also suggests possible behavioral adaptations. We call for greater research efforts on long-term impacts of ocean change on the behavioral and physiological processes of benthic coastal communities.
{"title":"Transgenerational exposure to deoxygenation and warming disrupts mate detection in Gammarus locusta","authors":"Beatriz P Pereira, Simon Neff, Francisco O. Borges, E. Otjacques, Guilherme Barreto, Maddalena Ranucci, Mélanie Court, R. Rosa, T. Repolho, J. Paula","doi":"10.1093/beheco/arad102","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arad102","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Ocean deoxygenation and warming have been shown to pose a growing threat to the health of marine organisms and ecosystems. Yet, the potential for acclimation and adaptation remains poorly understood. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of transgenerational exposure to reduced oxygen availability and elevated seawater temperature on the chemosensory-dependent mating mechanisms of male amphipods Gammarus locusta. Three subsequent generations were exposed to four experimental treatments for 30 days: 1) present-day scenario, 2) warming; 3) deoxygenation; and 4) warming + deoxygenation. After exposure, the number of individuals that reached adulthood was gauged, and adult males from F0 and F1 were subjected to behavioral trials to assess their capacity of long-distance female cue detection through quantification of response time, the first direction of movement, activity rate, and proportion of time spent in female scent cues. Ocean warming induced mortality, and reduced oxygen availability had adverse effects on each of the investigated behavioral traits, which were amplified when combined with elevated temperature. Still, when compared with F0, the F1 generation demonstrated more adaptability (i.e., higher activity rate and preference for female odors) to the combination of the two stressors, suggesting positive carry-over effects. Nevertheless, full recovery to control levels was not observed. Altogether, this study indicates that future scenarios of ocean deoxygenation and warming have the potential to disrupt chemosensory-dependent mate detection in amphipods, but also suggests possible behavioral adaptations. We call for greater research efforts on long-term impacts of ocean change on the behavioral and physiological processes of benthic coastal communities.","PeriodicalId":8840,"journal":{"name":"Behavioral Ecology","volume":"31 47","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2023-12-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138946832","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Rachana S Bhave, Heidi A. Seears, Aaron M. Reedy, T. Wittman, Christopher D Robinson, R. M. Cox
In promiscuous species, fitness estimates obtained from genetic parentage may often reflect both pre- and post-copulatory components of sexual selection. Directly observing copulations can help isolate the role of pre-copulatory selection, but such behavioral data are difficult to obtain in the wild and may also overlook post-copulatory factors that alter the relationship between mating success and reproductive success. To overcome these limitations, we combined genetic parentage analysis with behavioral estimates of size-specific mating in a wild population of brown anole lizards (Anolis sagrei). Males of this species are twice as large as females and multiple mating among females is common, suggesting the scope for both pre- and post-copulatory processes to shape sexual selection on male body size. Our genetic estimates of reproductive success revealed strong positive directional selection for male size, which was also strongly associated with the number of mates inferred from parentage. In contrast, a male’s size was not associated with the fecundity of his mates or his competitive fertilization success. By simultaneously tracking copulations in the wild via the transfer of colored powder to females by males from different size quartiles, we independently confirmed that large males were more likely to mate than small males. We conclude that body size is primarily under pre-copulatory sexual selection in brown anoles, and that post-copulatory processes do not substantially alter the strength of this selection. Our study also illustrates the utility of combining both behavioral and genetic methods to estimate mating success to disentangle pre- and post-copulatory processes in promiscuous species.
{"title":"Behavioral estimates of mating success corroborate genetic evidence for pre-copulatory selection","authors":"Rachana S Bhave, Heidi A. Seears, Aaron M. Reedy, T. Wittman, Christopher D Robinson, R. M. Cox","doi":"10.1093/beheco/arad099","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arad099","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 In promiscuous species, fitness estimates obtained from genetic parentage may often reflect both pre- and post-copulatory components of sexual selection. Directly observing copulations can help isolate the role of pre-copulatory selection, but such behavioral data are difficult to obtain in the wild and may also overlook post-copulatory factors that alter the relationship between mating success and reproductive success. To overcome these limitations, we combined genetic parentage analysis with behavioral estimates of size-specific mating in a wild population of brown anole lizards (Anolis sagrei). Males of this species are twice as large as females and multiple mating among females is common, suggesting the scope for both pre- and post-copulatory processes to shape sexual selection on male body size. Our genetic estimates of reproductive success revealed strong positive directional selection for male size, which was also strongly associated with the number of mates inferred from parentage. In contrast, a male’s size was not associated with the fecundity of his mates or his competitive fertilization success. By simultaneously tracking copulations in the wild via the transfer of colored powder to females by males from different size quartiles, we independently confirmed that large males were more likely to mate than small males. We conclude that body size is primarily under pre-copulatory sexual selection in brown anoles, and that post-copulatory processes do not substantially alter the strength of this selection. Our study also illustrates the utility of combining both behavioral and genetic methods to estimate mating success to disentangle pre- and post-copulatory processes in promiscuous species.","PeriodicalId":8840,"journal":{"name":"Behavioral Ecology","volume":"59 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2023-12-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138945976","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Johannes Krietsch, Mihai Valcu, Margherita Cragnolini, Wolfgang Forstmeier, Bart Kempenaers
Mate guarding is typically considered a male strategy to protect paternity. However, under some circumstances, females might also benefit from guarding their mate. Female mate guarding might be particularly important in socially polyandrous species in which females compete for access to care-giving males. Because males also benefit from being near their partner to avoid paternity loss, pair members may have a mutual interest in mate guarding in polyandrous species. We studied the time spent together and movements that lead to separation, as behavioral measures of mate guarding, in the classically polyandrous red phalarope (Phalaropus fulicarius). We equipped 64 breeding pairs with miniaturized telemetry loggers with GPS to assess variation in mate-guarding intensity in relation to breeding phenology and season, nest attendance, and the occurrence of extrapair paternity. We show that red phalarope pairs were almost continuously together in the days before clutch initiation with no sex bias in separation movements, indicating mutual contribution to mate guarding. Our results suggest that in red phalaropes, both pair members guard their mate, with limited sexual conflict arising through biases in the operational sex ratio and a trade-off with male nest attendance. We found no clear relationship between mate-guarding intensity and the occurrence of extrapair paternity. In this non-territorial socially polyandrous species, mutual mate guarding might be the process underlying the evolution of a brief but strong social pair bond, with no other purpose than producing a clutch for a care-giving male.
{"title":"Mutual mate guarding with limited sexual conflict in a sex-role-reversed shorebird","authors":"Johannes Krietsch, Mihai Valcu, Margherita Cragnolini, Wolfgang Forstmeier, Bart Kempenaers","doi":"10.1093/beheco/arad084","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arad084","url":null,"abstract":"Mate guarding is typically considered a male strategy to protect paternity. However, under some circumstances, females might also benefit from guarding their mate. Female mate guarding might be particularly important in socially polyandrous species in which females compete for access to care-giving males. Because males also benefit from being near their partner to avoid paternity loss, pair members may have a mutual interest in mate guarding in polyandrous species. We studied the time spent together and movements that lead to separation, as behavioral measures of mate guarding, in the classically polyandrous red phalarope (Phalaropus fulicarius). We equipped 64 breeding pairs with miniaturized telemetry loggers with GPS to assess variation in mate-guarding intensity in relation to breeding phenology and season, nest attendance, and the occurrence of extrapair paternity. We show that red phalarope pairs were almost continuously together in the days before clutch initiation with no sex bias in separation movements, indicating mutual contribution to mate guarding. Our results suggest that in red phalaropes, both pair members guard their mate, with limited sexual conflict arising through biases in the operational sex ratio and a trade-off with male nest attendance. We found no clear relationship between mate-guarding intensity and the occurrence of extrapair paternity. In this non-territorial socially polyandrous species, mutual mate guarding might be the process underlying the evolution of a brief but strong social pair bond, with no other purpose than producing a clutch for a care-giving male.","PeriodicalId":8840,"journal":{"name":"Behavioral Ecology","volume":"62 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2023-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138519803","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}