scholarly journals A conceptual review of mate choice: stochastic demography, within‐sex phenotypic plasticity, and individual flexibility

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (14) ◽  
pp. 4607-4642 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malin Ah‐King ◽  
Patricia Adair Gowaty
Keyword(s):  
Phenotypic Plasticity ◽  
Mate Choice ◽  
Stochastic Demography

3. How behaviour develops

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tristram D. Wyatt
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Gene Regulation ◽  
Natural Selection ◽  
Phenotypic Plasticity ◽  
Mate Choice ◽  
Social Influences ◽  
Future Generations ◽  
Gene Frequencies ◽  
Brain Gene Expression ◽  
Genes And Environment

Behaviours evolve by natural selection. As genes influence how behaviours develop, selection on behaviour will alter gene frequencies in subsequent generations: genes that lead to successful behaviours in foraging, parental care, or mate choice, for example, will be represented in more individuals in future generations. If conditions change, then mutations of the genes that give rise to advantageous behaviours will be favoured by selection. ‘How behaviour develops’ explains that the environment is equally important: both genes and environment are intimately and interactively involved in behaviour development. Behavioural imprinting is also discussed along with co-opting genes, gene regulation, social influences on brain gene expression, phenotypic plasticity, and play.

scholarly journals Predicting evolutionary rescue via evolving plasticity in stochastic environments

2016 ◽  
Vol 283 (1839) ◽  
pp. 20161690 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaime Ashander ◽  
Luis-Miguel Chevin ◽  
Marissa L. Baskett
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Variation ◽  
Phenotypic Plasticity ◽  
Extinction Risk ◽  
Environmental Stochasticity ◽  
High Plasticity ◽  
Cryptic Genetic Variation ◽  
Stochastic Environments ◽  
Evolutionary Rescue ◽  
Stochastic Demography

Phenotypic plasticity and its evolution may help evolutionary rescue in a novel and stressful environment, especially if environmental novelty reveals cryptic genetic variation that enables the evolution of increased plasticity. However, the environmental stochasticity ubiquitous in natural systems may alter these predictions, because high plasticity may amplify phenotype–environment mismatches. Although previous studies have highlighted this potential detrimental effect of plasticity in stochastic environments, they have not investigated how it affects extinction risk in the context of evolutionary rescue and with evolving plasticity. We investigate this question here by integrating stochastic demography with quantitative genetic theory in a model with simultaneous change in the mean and predictability (temporal autocorrelation) of the environment. We develop an approximate prediction of long-term persistence under the new pattern of environmental fluctuations, and compare it with numerical simulations for short- and long-term extinction risk. We find that reduced predictability increases extinction risk and reduces persistence because it increases stochastic load during rescue. This understanding of how stochastic demography, phenotypic plasticity, and evolution interact when evolution acts on cryptic genetic variation revealed in a novel environment can inform expectations for invasions, extinctions, or the emergence of chemical resistance in pests.

Humans copy social information in mate choice decisions

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Skyler S. Place ◽  
Peter M. Todd ◽  
Lars Penke ◽  
Jens B. Asendorpf
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Social Information

Ecology and biogeography in the introduction to “De bestiis marinis” by Georg Wilhelm Steller

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-74
Author(s):  
Stefano Mattioli
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Phenotypic Plasticity ◽  
Geographical Distribution ◽  
Functional Traits ◽  
Marine Mammals ◽  
Main Part ◽  
Wide Distribution ◽  
Restricted Range ◽  
Direct Influence ◽  
Modern Biology

The rediscovery of the original, unedited Latin manuscript of Georg Wilhelm Steller's “De bestiis marinis” (“On marine mammals”), first published in 1751, calls for a new translation into English. The main part of the treatise contains detailed descriptions of four marine mammals, but the introduction is devoted to more general issues, including innovative speculation on morphology, ecology and biogeography, anticipating arguments and concepts of modern biology. Steller noted early that climate and food have a direct influence on body size, pelage and functional traits of mammals, potentially affecting reversible changes (phenotypic plasticity). Feeding and other behavioural habits have an impact on the geographical distribution of mammals. Species with a broad diet tend to have a wide distribution, whereas animals with a narrow diet more likely have only a restricted range. According to Steller, both sea and land then still concealed countless animals unknown to science.

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