Low levels of extra-pair paternity in southern emu-wrens (Aves : Maluridae)

2008 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grainne S. Maguire ◽  
Raoul A. Mulder
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Cooperative Breeding ◽  
Paternal Care ◽  
Close Relative ◽  
High Frequencies ◽  
Extra Pair Paternity ◽  
Genetic Mating System ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Alternative Sources ◽  
Species Specific

The frequency of extra-pair paternity (EPP) among birds varies considerably, with the highest rates (56–76%) reported in several species of fairy-wren (Maluridae). According to the ‘constrained female’ hypothesis, such high frequencies arise when females are emancipated from constraints on mate choice because they have access to alternative sources of parental care (cooperative breeding). We investigated the genetic mating system of a close relative of the fairy-wrens within the Maluridae, the southern emu-wren (Stipiturus malachurus). Southern emu-wrens share several life-history attributes with the fairy-wrens, but show relatively low levels of cooperation, providing an opportunity to assess how the frequency of cooperative breeding correlates with the frequency of EPP. We assessed paternity for 50 offspring within 27 emu-wren broods using species-specific microsatellite markers. Overall, only 12% of genotyped offspring resulted from extra-pair paternity, and 15% of broods contained at least one extra-pair offspring. We argue that opportunities for mate choice by female emu-wrens are restricted by their dependence on paternal care for offspring survival, as suggested by the constrained female hypothesis. The low occurrence of cooperative breeding in the southern emu-wren may thus help explain the extreme variation in the frequency of extra-pair paternity within this family.

Female need for paternal care shapes variation in extra-pair paternity in a cooperative breeder

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 548-558
Author(s):  
Laurence Cousseau ◽  
Dries Van de Loock ◽  
Mwangi Githiru ◽  
Carl Vangestel ◽  
Luc Lens
Keyword(s):  
Cooperative Breeding ◽  
Paternal Care ◽  
Social Partner ◽  
Food Provisioning ◽  
Male Population ◽  
Genetic Quality ◽  
Total Group ◽  
Extra Pair Paternity ◽  
Dominant Female ◽  
Socially Monogamous

Abstract Socially monogamous females regularly mate with males outside the pair bond. The prevailing explanation for this behavior is that females gain genetic benefits resulting from increased fitness of extra-pair offspring. Furthermore, because of the risk of reduced paternal care in response to cuckoldry, females are expected to seek extra-pair copulations when they can rear offspring with little help from their social partner (“constrained female” hypothesis). We tested these hypotheses and analyzed variation in paternal care in the Afrotropical, facultative cooperative breeding placid greenbul (Phyllastrephus placidus). Overall, approximately 50% of the offspring resulted from extra-pair (and extra-group) mating. Identified extra-pair males were in most cases neighboring dominant males, yet never within-group subordinates. As predicted by the constrained female hypothesis, the occurrence of extra-pair paternity (EPP) increased with the number of cooperative helpers (and not with total group size). However, dominant males did not adjust their food provisioning rates in response to EPP. Although extra-pair males were more strongly related to the dominant female and less heterozygous than the latter’s social mate, this did not result in more inbred extra-pair offspring, likely because identified extra-pair males were not representative of the extra-pair male population. While earlier studies on EPP mainly focused on male genetic quality, results from this study provide evidence that female’s social context may affect extra-pair strategies too.

scholarly journals A major locus controls a biologically active pheromone component in Heliconius melpomene

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelsey J.R.P. Byers ◽  
Kathy Darragh ◽  
Jamie Musgrove ◽  
Diana Abondano Almeida ◽  
Sylvia Fernanda Garza ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Fatty Acid Biosynthesis ◽  
Species Difference ◽  
Biologically Active ◽  
Close Relative ◽  
Acid Biosynthesis ◽  
Heliconius Melpomene ◽  
Trait Locus ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Production Response

AbstractUnderstanding the production, response, and genetics of signals used in mate choice can inform our understanding of the evolution of both intraspecific mate choice and reproductive isolation. Sex pheromones are important for courtship and mate choice in many insects, but we know relatively little of their role in butterflies. The butterfly Heliconius melpomene uses a complex blend of wing androconial compounds during courtship. Electroantennography in H. melpomene and its close relative H. cydno showed that responses to androconial extracts were not species-specific. Females of both species responded equally strongly to extracts of both species, suggesting conservation of peripheral nervous system elements across the two species. Individual blend components provoked little to no response, with the exception of octadecanal, a major component of the H. melpomene blend. Supplementing octadecanal on the wings of octadecanal-rich H. melpomene males led to an increase in the time until mating, demonstrating the bioactivity of octadecanal in Heliconius. Using quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping, we identified a single locus on chromosome 20 responsible for 41% of the parental species’ difference in octadecanal production. This QTL does not overlap with any of the major wing color or mate choice loci, nor does it overlap with known regions of elevated or reduced FST. A set of 16 candidate fatty acid biosynthesis genes lies underneath the QTL. Pheromones in Heliconius carry information relevant for mate choice and are under simple genetic control, suggesting they could be important during speciation.

Species Specific Immunoassays to Measure Blood Platelet and Coagulation Activation in the Rat

1996 ◽  
Vol 76 (06) ◽  
pp. 1090-1095 ◽  
Author(s):  
C Ravanat ◽  
M Freund ◽  
S Schuhler ◽  
P Grunert ◽  
L Meyer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antithrombin Iii ◽  
Plasma Concentrations ◽  
Simultaneous Detection ◽  
Blood Platelet ◽  
Coagulation Activation ◽  
Platelet Factor ◽  
Prethrombotic State ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Higher Sensitivity

SummaryThe purpose of this study was to develop specific and sensitive immunoassays to detect early indices of hypercoagulability in the rat. Rat platelet factor 4 (rPF4) and rat fibrinopeptide A (rFPA) assays, tools for the detection of activation of platelets and coagulation respectively, were designed using antibodies raised against purified rPF4 and against synthetic rFPA. The relevance of these new assays and of the commercially available ELISA kit for thrombin-antithrombin III (TAT) complexes was demonstrated in a rat model of a prethrombotic state induced by intravenous infusion of varying doses of thromboplastin (90 to 2400 μl/kg/h). In this model, the immunoassays allowed simultaneous detection of low levels of rFPA and rPF4 which were correlated with fibrinogen and platelet consumption and TAT generation and further proved to be of higher sensitivity than the classical methods of platelet count or measurement of fibrinogen levels. Plasma concentrations of rFPA, rPF4 and TAT were dependent on infusion time and thromboplastin dose, while hirudin (1 mg/kg) prevented their appearance. Thus the new specific immunoassays for rPF4 and rFPA and the commercial human TAT assay represent useful tools for pathophysiological studies or the screening of antithrombotic drugs in rats.

Returns to education in Russia: Nowhere below?

2021 ◽  
pp. 37-68
Author(s):  
R. I. Kapeliushnikov
Keyword(s):  
Returns To Education ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Short Cycle ◽  
The Past ◽  
Monitoring Survey ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Alternative Sources ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Russian Education

The paper presents a wide set of estimates for returns to education in Russia, introducing a number of new sources of microdata that previosly remained unused by both Russian and foreign researchers. Until now virtually all available estimates for Russia were based on data from a single source — The Russia Longitudinal Monitoring Survey — Higher School of Economics (RLMS-HSE). According to these data, since the mid-2000s returns to education rapidly declined and have dropped to abnormally low levels. The paper tests the thesis of ultra-low economic value of Russian education using data from three alternative representative surveys regularly conducted by Rosstat. The analysis shows that currently returns to education in Russia reach 12—13%, which is much higher than the standard RLMS estimates. University-type tertiary education almost doubles earnings (its premium approaches to 100%), and even short-cycle tertiary education provides a premium of about 20—30%. Alternative sources also indicate that over the past 15 years, returns to education in Russia remained stable and, therefore, no decreasing trend in the economic value of education has been observed. This makes it possible to reject the currently popular thesis about abnormally low returns to education in Russia.

Differential binding of gold-labeled zona pellucida glycoproteins mZP2 and mZP3 to mouse sperm membrane compartments

Development ◽  
1991 ◽  
Vol 113 (1) ◽  
pp. 141-149 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Mortillo ◽  
P.M. Wassarman
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Zona Pellucida ◽  
Transmission Electron ◽  
Acrosomal Membrane ◽  
Membrane Compartments ◽  
Sperm Membrane ◽  
Differential Binding ◽  
Inner Acrosomal Membrane ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Species Specific

Egg zona pellucida glycoproteins mZP3 and mZP2 serve as primary and secondary sperm receptors, respectively, during initial stages of fertilization in mice [Wassarman (1988) A. Rev. Biochem. 57, 415–442]. These receptors interact with complementary egg-binding proteins (EBPs) located on the sperm surface to support species-specific gamete adhesion. Results of whole-mount autoradiographic experiments suggest that purified egg mZP3 and mZP2 bind preferentially to acrosome-intact (AI) and acrosome-reacted (AR) sperm heads, respectively [Bleil and Wassarman (1986) J. Cell Biol. 102, 1363–1371]. Here, we used purified egg mZP2, egg mZP3 and fetuin, which were coupled directly to colloidal gold (‘gold-probes’), to examine binding of these glycoproteins to membrane compartments of AI and AR sperm by transmission electron microscopy. mZP3 gold-probes were found associated primarily with plasma membrane overlying the acrosomal and post-acrosomal regions of AI sperm heads. They were also found associated with plasma membrane overlying the post-acrosomal region of AR sperm heads. mZP2 gold-probes were found associated primarily with inner acrosomal membrane of AR sperm heads, although some gold was associated with outer acrosomal membrane of AI sperm that had holes in plasma membrane overlying the acrosome. Fetuin gold-probes, used to assess background levels of binding, were bound at relatively low levels to plasma membrane and inner acrosomal membrane of AI and AR sperm, respectively. None of the gold-probes exhibited significant binding to sperm tails, or to red blood cells and residual bodies present in sperm preparations. These results provide further evidence that mZP2 and mZP3 bind preferentially to heads of AR and AI sperm, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

scholarly journals Phototropins Mediate Chloroplast Movement in Phalaenopsis aphrodite (Moth Orchid)

2019 ◽  
Vol 60 (10) ◽  
pp. 2243-2254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi-Jyun Lin ◽  
Yu-Chung Chen ◽  
Kuan-Chieh Tseng ◽  
Wen-Chi Chang ◽  
Swee-Suak Ko
Keyword(s):  
Blue Light ◽  
Gene Evolution ◽  
Chloroplast Movement ◽  
Close Relative ◽  
Virus Induced Gene Silencing ◽  
Plant Growth And Development ◽  
Moth Orchid ◽  
Chloroplast Movements ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Phalaenopsis Aphrodite

AbstractChloroplast movement is important for plants to avoid photodamage and to perform efficient photosynthesis. Phototropins are blue light receptors in plants that function in chloroplast movement, phototropism, stomatal opening, and they also affect plant growth and development. In this study, full-length cDNAs of two PHOTOTROPIN genes, PaPHOT1 and PaPHOT2, were cloned from a moth orchid Phalaenopsis aphrodite, and their functions in chloroplast movement were investigated. Phylogenetic analysis showed that PaPHOT1 and PaPHOT2 orthologs were highly similar to PHOT1 and PHOT2 of the close relative Phalaenopsis equestris, respectively, and clustered with monocots PHOT1 and PHOT2 orthologs, respectively. Phalaenopsis aphrodite expressed a moderate level of PaPHOT1 under low blue light of 5 μmol�m−2�s−1 (BL5) and a high levels of PaPHOT1 at >BL100. However, PaPHOT2 was expressed at low levels at <BL50 but expressed at high levels at > BL100. Analysis of light-induced chloroplast movements using the SPAD method indicated that orchid accumulated chloroplasts at <BL10. The chloroplast avoidance response was detectable at >BL25 and significant chloroplast avoidance movement was observed at >BL100. Virus-induced gene silencing of PaPHOTs in orchids showed decreased gene expression of PaPHOTs and reduced both chloroplast accumulation and avoidance responses. Heterologous expression of PaPHOT1 in Arabidopsis phot1phot2 double mutant recovered chloroplast accumulation response at BL5, but neither PaPHOT1 nor PaPHOT2 was able to restore mutant chloroplast avoidance at BL100. Overall, this study showed that phototropins mediate chloroplast movement in Phalaenopsis orchid is blue light-dependent but their function is slightly different from Arabidopsis which might be due to gene evolution.

Show me you care: female mate choice based on egg attendance rather than male or territorial traits

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 1054-1064 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anyelet Valencia-Aguilar ◽  
Kelly R Zamudio ◽  
Célio F B Haddad ◽  
Steve M Bogdanowicz ◽  
Cynthia P A Prado
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Parental Care ◽  
Paternal Care ◽  
Genetic Relatedness ◽  
Female Mate Choice ◽  
Male Reproductive Success ◽  
Offspring Survival ◽  
Territory Quality ◽  
Female Mate

Abstract Female mate choice is often based on male traits, including signals or behaviors, and/or the quality of a male’s territory. In species with obligate paternal care, where care directly affects offspring survival, females may also base their mate choices on the quality of a sire’s care. Here, we quantified male reproductive success in a natural population of the glass frog Hyalinobatrachium cappellei, a species with male parental care, to determine the influence of territory quality, male traits, and paternal care behaviors on female mate choice. We found that attending males have a higher chance of gaining new clutches than nonattending males. Our results indicate that females do not select males based only on body condition, calling persistence, or territory traits. Instead, our findings support the hypothesis that females choose males based on care status. Indeed, males already attending a clutch were 70% more likely to obtain another clutch, and the time to acquire an additional clutch was significantly shorter. We also found that males adjust their parental care effort in response to genetic relatedness by caring only for their own offspring; however, remaining close to unrelated clutches serves as a strategy to attract females and increase chances of successful mating. Thus, males that establish territories that already contain clutches benefit from the signal eggs provide to females.

scholarly journals Faithful or not: direct and indirect effects of climate on extra-pair paternities in a population of Alpine marmots

2016 ◽  
Vol 283 (1845) ◽  
pp. 20162240 ◽  
Author(s):  
Coraline Bichet ◽  
Dominique Allainé ◽  
Sandrine Sauzet ◽  
Aurélie Cohas
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Mate Choice ◽  
Annual Variation ◽  
Climatic Variability ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Extra Pair Paternity ◽  
Alternative Mating Tactic ◽  
Adaptive Genetic Diversity ◽  
Sexually Mature ◽  
Annual Proportion

Despite being identified an area that is poorly understood regarding the effects of climate change, behavioural responses to climatic variability are seldom explored. Climatic variability is likely to cause large inter-annual variation in the frequency of extra-pair litters produced, a widespread alternative mating tactic to help prevent, correct or minimize the negative consequences of sub-optimal mate choice. In this study, we investigated how climatic variability affects the inter-annual variation in the proportion of extra-pair litters in a wild population of Alpine marmots. During 22 years of monitoring, the annual proportion of extra-pair litters directly increased with the onset of earlier springs and indirectly with increased snow in winters. Snowier winters resulted in a higher proportion of families with sexually mature male subordinates and thus, created a social context within which extra-pair paternity was favoured. Earlier spring snowmelt could create this pattern by relaxing energetic, movement and time constraints. Further, deeper snow in winter could also contribute by increasing litter size and juvenile survival. Optimal mate choice is particularly relevant to generate adaptive genetic diversity. Understanding the influence of environmental conditions and the capacity of the individuals to cope with them is crucial within the context of rapid climate change.

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