RAD-Behavior (Recombining Atomized, Discretized, Behavior): A new framework for the quantitative analysis of behavioral execution

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Russell A. Ligon ◽  
Edwin Scholes ◽  
Michael J. Sheehan
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Evolutionary Ecology ◽  
Multiple Scales ◽  
Behavioral Strategies ◽  
Ecological Studies ◽  
Bioinformatic Tools ◽  
Complex Motor ◽  
Relative Transition ◽  
Courtship Displays ◽  
New Framework

ABSTRACTThe ability to precisely describe and numerically evaluate organismal phenotypes is a prerequisite for addressing most questions in evolutionary biology and ecology. The quantification and comparison of behavior, loosely defined as an external response to stimuli, is particularly challenging because the myriad axes of variation that exist make comparisons, both within and among species, difficult. Such evaluations often boil down to comparisons of time-budgets (e.g. relative investment in courtship displays) or probabilities (e.g. likelihood of engaging in a class of behaviors in a particular context) – which we refer to as behavioral strategies. A focus on variation in behavioral strategies underlies most research in evolutionary and ecological studies of behavior. Equally important, however, is perhaps the question of ‘how’ animals are actually performing the complex motor sequences that comprise behaviors (i.e. behavioral execution). What are the patterns of movement, the relative transition rates, and kinematics underlying the behaviors exhibited in particular contexts? Understanding how behavioral execution differs among individuals, populations, and species has the potential to provide new insights into the factors shaping variation in behavior and the processes shaping behavioral evolution at different scales. Here, we propose a broad framework for comparing behavioral execution (RAD-behavior: recombining atomized, discretized behavior) that leverages string-matching/bioinformatic tools to understand phenotypic variation in behavioral execution and which holds the potential to yield novel insights about the evolutionary ecology of behavior at multiple scales.

scholarly journals Basic Conceptual Structure of Evolutionary Ecology

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rogério Parentoni Martins
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Evolutionary Ecology ◽  
Genotypic Variation ◽  
Structured Populations ◽  
Phenotypic Variance ◽  
Selective Agents ◽  
Survival And Reproduction ◽  
Environmental Variations ◽  
Successive Generations ◽  
Evolutionary Consequences

Concepts are linguistic structures with specific syntax and semantics used as sources of communicating ideas. Concepts can be simple (e.g., tree), complex (e.g., adaptation) and be part of a network of interactions that characterize an area of scientific research. The conceptual interrelationships and some evolutionary consequences upon which these interrelations are based will be addressed here. The evolutionary ecology is an area of research from the population evolutionary biology that deals mainly with the effect of positive natural selection on panmictic and structured populations. Environmental factors, conditions and variable resources in time and space, constitute the selective agents that act on the phenotypic and genotypic variation of populations in a single generation, could result in evolutionary adaptations, which are simply those traits that are most likely to confer survival and reproduction (evolutionary fitness) of the phenotypes that carry them in successive generations. The bases of adaptation are mainly genetic and transmitted vertically (classical Mendelian mechanisms) or horizontally (in the case of microorganisms). The phenotypic variance of the population is a conjoint consequence of the additive genotypic variance (heritability), nonadditive variance (dominance and epistasis), pleiotropy and the interaction between genotype and environment. The ability of the same genotype to respond to spatial environmental variations can result in phenotypic plasticity that manifests itself through reaction norms. The total phenotypic variation and its genetic and environmental components influence the ability of a population to evolve (evolvability).

scholarly journals Cetaceans as Exemplars of Evolution and Evolutionary Ecology: A Glossary

Oceans ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 56-76
Author(s):  
Alexander J. Werth
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Evolutionary Ecology ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Brute Fact ◽  
Research Studies

Extant cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises) and their extinct ancestors offer some of the strongest and best-known examples of macroevolutionary transition as well as microevolutionary adaptation. Unlike most reviews of cetacean evolution, which are intended to chronicle the timeline of cetacean ancestry, document the current knowledge of cetacean adaptations, or simply validate the brute fact of evolution, this review is instead intended to demonstrate how cetaceans fittingly illustrate hundreds of specific, detailed terms and concepts within evolutionary biology and evolutionary ecology. This review, arrayed in alphabetical glossary format, is not meant to offer an exhaustive listing of case studies or scholarly sources, but aims to show the breadth and depth of cetacean research studies supporting and investigating numerous evolutionary themes.

An Evaluation of the AFLP Fingerprinting Technique for the Analysis of Paternity in Natural Populations of Persoonia mollis (Proteaceae)

1998 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 533 ◽  
Author(s):  
Siegfried L. Krauss ◽  
Rod Peakall
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Fragment Length Polymorphism ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Molecular Fingerprinting ◽  
Ecological Studies ◽  
Aflp Fingerprinting ◽  
Single Population ◽  
Plant Populations ◽  
Fingerprinting Technique ◽  
The Mean

The accurate assignment of paternity in natural plant populations is required to address important issues in evolutionary biology, such as the factors that affect reproductive success. Newly developed molecular fingerprinting techniques offer the potential to address these aims. Here, we evaluate the utility of a new PCR-based multi-locus fingerprinting technique called Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) for paternity studies in Persoonia mollis (Proteaceae). AFLPs were initially scored for five individuals from three taxonomic levels for 64 primer pairs: between species (P. mollis and P. levis), between subspecies (P. mollis subsp. nectens and subsp. livens), between individuals within a single population of P. mollis, as well as for a naturally pollinated seed from a single P. mollis subsp. nectens plant. Overall, 1164 fragments (24.6% of all fragments) were polymorphic between species, 743 (16.5%) between subspecies, 371 (8.6%) between individuals within a single population, and 265 (6.2%) between a plant and its seed. Within a single P. mollis population of 14 plants, 42 polymorphic fragments were scored from profiles generated by a single AFLP primer pair. The mean frequency of the recessive allele (q) over these 42 loci was 0.773. Based on these observations, it will be feasible to generate well over 100 polymorphic AFLP loci with as few as three AFLP primer pairs. This level of polymorphism is sufficient to assign paternity unambiguously to more than 99% of all seed in experiments involving small, known paternity pools. More generally, the AFLP procedure is well suited to molecular ecological studies, because it produces more polymorphism than allozymes or RAPDs but, unlike conventionally developed microsatellite loci, it requires no prior sequence knowledge and minimal development time.

scholarly journals On the methodology of feeding ecology in fish

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Surjya Kumar Saikia
Keyword(s):  
Feeding Ecology ◽  
Evolutionary Ecology ◽  
Ecological Studies ◽  
Evolutionary Theories ◽  
Feeding Biology ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Applied Biology ◽  
Level Of Analysis

AbstractFeeding ecology explains predator’s preference to some preys over others in their habitat and their competitions thereof. The subject, as a functional and applied biology, is highly neglected, and in case of fish, a uniform and consistent methodology is absent. The currently practiced methods are largely centred on mathematical indices and highly erroneous because of non-uniform outcomes. Therefore, it requires a relook into the subject to elucidate functional contributions and to make it more comparable and comprehensive science. In this article, approachable methodological strategies have been forwarded in three hierarchical steps, namely, food occurrence, feeding biology and interpretative ecology. All these steps involve wide ranges of techniques, within the scope of ecology but not limited to, and traverse from narrative to functional evolutionary ecology. The first step is an assumption-observation practice to assess food of fish, followed by feeding biology that links morphological, histological, cytological, bacteriological or enzymological correlations to preferred food in the environment. Interpretative ecology is the higher level of analysis in which the outcomes are tested and discussed against evolutionary theories. A description of possible pedagogics on the methods of feeding ecological studies has also been forwarded.

Evolutionary Ecology

2001 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Empirical Study ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Evolutionary Ecology ◽  
General Interest ◽  
Supplemental Reading ◽  
Graduate Courses ◽  
Graduate Course ◽  
Current State ◽  
State Of The Field

Evolutionary Ecology simultaneously unifies conceptual and empirical advances in evolutionary ecology and provides a volume that can be used as either a primary textbook or a supplemental reading in an advanced undergraduate or graduate course. The focus of the book is on current concepts in evolutionary ecology, and the empirical study of these concepts. The editors have assembled a group of prominent biologists who have made significant contributions to this field. They both synthesize the current state of knowledge and identity areas for future investigation. Evolutionary Ecology will be of general interest to researchers and students in both ecology and evolutionary biology. Researchers in evolutionary ecology that want an overview of the current state of the field, and graduate students that want an introduction the field, will find this book very valuable. This volume can also be used as a primary textbook or supplemental reading in both upper division and graduate courses/seminars in Evolutionary Ecology.

New framework for optimizing best management practices at multiple scales

2019 ◽  
Vol 578 ◽  
pp. 124133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guowangchen Liu ◽  
Lei Chen ◽  
Guoyuan Wei ◽  
Zhenyao Shen
Keyword(s):  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Multiple Scales ◽  
Best Management ◽  
New Framework

scholarly journals Evolutionary ecology of microorganisms: from the tamed to the wild

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jay T Lennon ◽  
Vincent J Denef
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Evolutionary Dynamics ◽  
Evolutionary Ecology ◽  
Community Context ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Rates Of Evolution ◽  
Ecological Principles ◽  
Managed Ecosystems ◽  
Microbial Systems ◽  
Empirical Approaches

An overarching goal of biology is to understand how evolutionary and ecological processes generate and maintain biodiversity. While evolutionary biologists interested in biodiversity tend to focus on the mechanisms controlling rates of evolution and how this influences the phylogenetic relationship among species, ecologists attempt to explain the distribution and abundance of taxa based upon interactions among species and their environment. Recently, a more concerted effort has been made to integrate some of the theoretical and empirical approaches from the fields of ecology and evolutionary biology. This integration has been motivated in part by the growing evidence that evolution can happen on “rapid” or contemporary time scales, suggesting that eco-evolutionary feedbacks can alter system dynamics in ways that cannot be predicted based on ecological principles alone. As such, it may be inappropriate to ignore evolutionary processes when attempting to understand ecological phenomena in natural and managed ecosystems. In this chapter, we highlight why it is particularly important to consider eco-evolutionary feedbacks for microbial populations. We emphasize some of the major processes that are thought to influence the strength of eco-evolutionary dynamics, provide an overview of methods used to quantify the relative importance of ecology and evolution, and showcase the importance of considering evolution in a community context and how this may influence the dynamics and stability of microbial systems under novel environmental conditions.

scholarly journals Evolutionary ecology of microorganisms: from the tamed to the wild

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jay T Lennon ◽  
Vincent J Denef
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Evolutionary Dynamics ◽  
Evolutionary Ecology ◽  
Community Context ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Rates Of Evolution ◽  
Ecological Principles ◽  
Managed Ecosystems ◽  
Microbial Systems ◽  
Empirical Approaches

An overarching goal of biology is to understand how evolutionary and ecological processes generate and maintain biodiversity. While evolutionary biologists interested in biodiversity tend to focus on the mechanisms controlling rates of evolution and how this influences the phylogenetic relationship among species, ecologists attempt to explain the distribution and abundance of taxa based upon interactions among species and their environment. Recently, a more concerted effort has been made to integrate some of the theoretical and empirical approaches from the fields of ecology and evolutionary biology. This integration has been motivated in part by the growing evidence that evolution can happen on “rapid” or contemporary time scales, suggesting that eco-evolutionary feedbacks can alter system dynamics in ways that cannot be predicted based on ecological principles alone. As such, it may be inappropriate to ignore evolutionary processes when attempting to understand ecological phenomena in natural and managed ecosystems. In this chapter, we highlight why it is particularly important to consider eco-evolutionary feedbacks for microbial populations. We emphasize some of the major processes that are thought to influence the strength of eco-evolutionary dynamics, provide an overview of methods used to quantify the relative importance of ecology and evolution, and showcase the importance of considering evolution in a community context and how this may influence the dynamics and stability of microbial systems under novel environmental conditions.

Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Evolutionary Ecology ◽  
Economic Resources ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Health Strategy ◽  
Pathogen Control ◽  
Effective Public Health

During the last thirty years, the ecology and evolution of infectious diseases has been studied extensively. Understanding how pathogens are transmitted in time and space, how they are evolving according to different selective pressures, and how the environment can influence their transmission, has paved the way for new approaches to the study of host/pathogen interactions. At the same time, pathogen control in low-income countries (LIC) has tended to remain largely inspired and informed by classical epidemiology, where the objective is to treat as many people as possible, despite recent findings in ecology and evolutionary biology suggesting new opportunities for improved disease control in the context of limited economic resources. The need to integrate the scientific developments in ecology and evolution of infectious diseases with public health strategy in low-income countries is clearly as important today as it has ever been. In this book, the authors provide an up to date, authoritative, and challenging review of the ecology and evolution of infectious diseases focusing on low-income countries for effective public health applications and outcomes. Accessible to students and researchers working on evolutionary ecology of infectious diseases and public health scientists working on their control in low-income countries, this book combines chapters exposing fundamental concepts in evolutionary ecology with others exploring the most recent advances in the field as well as highlighting how they can provide new innovative approach on the field. This work is concluded by an integrative chapter signed by all the authors highlighting the key missing points to improve this connection between evolutionary ecology and public health in low-income countries.

scholarly journals Redox physiology in animal function: The struggle of living in an oxidant environment

2010 ◽  
Vol 56 (6) ◽  
pp. 687-702 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Costantini
Keyword(s):  
Oxidative Stress ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Evolutionary Ecology ◽  
Life History Strategies ◽  
Ecological Studies ◽  
Oxidative Balance ◽  
Fitness Traits ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Strong Focus

Abstract A strong focus of ecological research for several decades has been to understand the factors underlying the variation in animal life-histories. In recent times, ecological studies have begun to show that oxidative stress may represent another important modulator of competitive trade-offs among fitness traits or of positively integrated patterns of traits. Therefore, incorporating mechanisms underlying oxidative physiology into evolutionary ecology has the potential to help understand variation in life-history strategies. In this review, I provide a general overview of oxidative stress physiology, and subsequently focus on topics that have been neglected in previous ecological reviews on oxidative stress. Specifically, I introduce and discuss the adaptations that animals have evolved to cope with oxidative stress; the environmental stressors that can generate changes in oxidative balance; the role of reactive species in transduction of environmental stimuli and cell signaling; and the range of hormetic responses to oxidative stress.

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