scholarly journals Evolutionary consequences of ecological factors: pollinator reliability predicts mating-system traits of a perennial plant

2016 ◽  
Vol 19 (12) ◽  
pp. 1486-1495 ◽  
Author(s):  
Øystein H. Opedal ◽  
Elena Albertsen ◽  
W. Scott Armbruster ◽  
Rocío Pérez-Barrales ◽  
Mohsen Falahati-Anbaran ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mating System ◽  
Ecological Factors ◽  
Perennial Plant ◽  
Evolutionary Consequences

scholarly journals Distributional range, ecology, and mating system of the Cape mole-rat (Georychus capensis) family Bathyergidae

2017 ◽  
Vol 95 (10) ◽  
pp. 713-726 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.H. Visser ◽  
N.C. Bennett ◽  
B. Jansen van Vuuren
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Mating System ◽  
Vegetation Type ◽  
Ecological Factors ◽  
Disjunct Distribution ◽  
Testis Size ◽  
Extrinsic Factors ◽  
Mole Rat ◽  
Testicular Size ◽  
Life History Patterns

Interpopulation variation in life-history patterns are influenced by intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Life-history patterns have been intensely studied in the eusocial African bathyergid species, largely neglecting the solitary species. Of these solitary genera, the Cape mole-rat (Georychus capensis (Pallas, 1778)) is endemic to South Africa with a disjunct distribution across its range. Knowledge regarding this species is rudimentary; therefore, this study aimed to investigate the current distribution of the species with particular attention to common ecological variables, differences in body size between localities and sexes, as well as its reproduction and mating system. Georychus is a habitat specialist restricted to specific ecological areas. A lack of sexual size dimorphism and correlation between male testis size and number of females in the population, suggests a polygynous mating system, facilitated by the spatial distribution of the sexes. A positive relationship between male testes size and percentage of females in populations sampled suggests that larger sperm reserves (i.e., larger testes) are required in populations with a higher percentage of females. In addition, mating variables (testicular size and litter size) are linked to ecological factors (elevation, aridity, soil type, and vegetation type) that could impact mate searching, mating success, and food resources.

scholarly journals Demography and mating system shape the genome-wide impact of purifying selection in Arabis alpina

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Laenen ◽  
Andrew Tedder ◽  
Michael D. Nowak ◽  
Per Toräng ◽  
Jörg Wunder ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Mating System ◽  
Purifying Selection ◽  
Mixed Mating ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Outcrossing Rates ◽  
Arabis Alpina ◽  
Whole Genome Resequencing ◽  
Evolutionary Consequences ◽  
The Impact

Plant mating systems have profound effects on levels and structuring of genetic variation, and can affect the impact of natural selection. While theory predicts that intermediate outcrossing rates may allow plants to prevent accumulation of deleterious alleles, few studies have empirically tested this prediction using genomic data. Here, we study the effect of mating system on purifying selection by conducting population genomic analyses on whole-genome resequencing data from 38 European individuals of the arctic-alpine crucifer Arabis alpina. We find that outcrossing and mixed-mating populations maintain genetic diversity at similar levels, whereas highly self-fertilizing Scandinavian A. alpina show a strong reduction in genetic diversity, most likely as a result of a postglacial colonization bottleneck. We further find evidence for accumulation of genetic load in highly self-fertilizing populations, whereas the genome-wide impact of purifying selection does not differ greatly between mixed-mating and outcrossing populations. Our results demonstrate that intermediate levels of outcrossing may allow efficient selection against harmful alleles whereas demographic effects can be important for relaxed purifying selection in highly selfing populations. Thus, both mating system and demography shape the impact of purifying selection on genomic variation in A. alpina. These results are important for an improved understanding of the evolutionary consequences of mating system variation and the maintenance of mixed-mating strategies.SignificanceIntermediate outcrossing rates are theoretically predicted to maintain effective selection against harmful alleles, but few studies have empirically tested this prediction using genomic data. We used whole-genome resequencing data from alpine rock-cress to study how genetic variation and purifying selection vary with mating system. We find that populations with intermediate outcrossing rates have similar levels of genetic diversity as outcrossing populations, and that purifying selection against harmful alleles is efficient in mixed-mating populations. In contrast, self-fertilizing populations from Scandinavia have strongly reduced genetic diversity, and accumulate harmful mutations, likely as a result of demographic effects of postglacial colonization. Our results suggest that mixed-mating populations can avoid the negative evolutionary consequences of high self-fertilization rates.

scholarly journals Male social plasticity influences transient dynamics in the emergence of alternative mating systems in water striders

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 1530-1538
Author(s):  
Adrian Perez ◽  
Pierre-Olivio Montiglio ◽  
Tina W Wey ◽  
Andrew Sih
Keyword(s):  
Mating System ◽  
Mating Systems ◽  
Stream Water ◽  
Ecological Factors ◽  
Large Male ◽  
Single Male ◽  
Water Striders ◽  
Social Plasticity ◽  
Or Groups ◽  
Mating Opportunities

AbstractAnimal mating systems are often studied with the goal of understanding why species, populations, or groups vary from one another in the system they display. Although these differences are often treated as basically stable, it is also known that mating systems may shift over time (e.g., from one breeding season to the next). There has been some study of how ecological factors correlate with these changes; however, few, if any, studies have investigated how the phenotypic composition of a group governs the timing and probability of these mating system transitions. Groups of stream water striders (Aquarius remigis) can experience rapid changes in mating system dynamics, with small groups often transitioning into a system in which a single, large male monopolizes mating opportunities. We asked if variation in individual- and group-level traits associated with morphology and behavior (e.g., size of the largest individual, average activity behavioral type in the group) could partially explain the variability in how rapidly groups make this transition, if they make it at all. We show that groups with males that exhibit higher social plasticity tended to take longer to transition to a mating system dominated by a single male. Our results, therefore, suggest that groups in identical ecological conditions can diverge in their mating systems based on how much individuals in the group change their behavior in response to the behavior of other members of the group.

scholarly journals Host phenology drives the evolution of intermediate parasite virulence

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannelore MacDonald ◽  
Erol Akçay ◽  
Dustin Brisson
Keyword(s):  
Common Factor ◽  
Ecological Factors ◽  
Current Theory ◽  
Activity Period ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Natural Systems ◽  
Virulence Evolution ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Host Phenology ◽  
Evolutionary Consequences

1AbstractMechanistic trade-offs between transmission and virulence are the foundation of current theory on the evolution of parasite virulence. Empirical evidence supporting these trade-offs in natural systems remains elusive, suggesting other factors could drive virulence evolution in the absence of a mechanistic trade-off. Several ecological factors modulate the optimal virulence strategies predicted from mechanistic trade-off models but none have been sufficient to explain the intermediate virulence strategies observed in most natural systems. The timing of seasonal activities, or phenology, is a common factor that influences the types and impact of many ecological interactions but is rarely considered in virulence evolution studies. We develop a mathematical model of a disease system with seasonal host activity to study the evolutionary consequences of host phenology on parasite virulence. Seasonal host activity is sufficient to drive the evolution of intermediate parasite virulence in the absence of traditional mechanistic trade-offs. The optimal virulence strategy is determined by both the duration of the host activity period as well as the variation in the host emergence timing. Parasites with low virulence strategies are favored in environments with long host activity periods and in environments in which all hosts emerge synchronously. These results demonstrate that host phenology may be sufficient, in the absence of mechanistic trade-offs, to select for intermediate optimal virulence strategies in some natural systems.

scholarly journals The Ecology of Sleep in Reptiles

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nitya Prakash Mohanty ◽  
Carla Wagener ◽  
Anthony Herrel ◽  
Maria Thaker
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Distribution ◽  
Ecological Factors ◽  
Natural World ◽  
Systematic Evaluation ◽  
Research Directions ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Morphological Specialization ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Evolutionary Consequences

Sleep is ubiquitous in the animal kingdom and yet displays considerable variation in its extent and form in the wild. Ecological factors, such as predation, competition, and microclimate, therefore, are likely to play a strong role in shaping characteristics of sleep. Despite the potential for ecological factors to influence various aspects of sleep, the ecological context of sleep in reptiles remains understudied and without systematic direction. In this review, we examine multiple aspects of reptilian sleep, including (1) habitat selection (sleep sites and their spatio-temporal distribution), (2) individual-level traits, such as behaviour (sleep postures), morphology (limb morphometrics and body colour), and physiology (sleep architecture), as well as (3) inter-individual interactions (intra- and inter-specific). Throughout, we discuss the evidence of predation, competition, and thermoregulation in influencing sleep traits and the possible evolutionary consequences of these sleep traits for reptile sociality, morphological specialization, and habitat partitioning. We also review the ways in which sleep ecology interacts with urbanisation, biological invasions, and climate change. Overall, we not only provide a systematic evaluation of the conceptual and taxonomic biases in the existing literature on reptilian sleep, we use this opportunity to organise the various ecological hypotheses for sleep characteristics. By highlighting the gaps and providing a prospectus of research directions, our review sets the stage for understanding sleep ecology in the natural world.

Social and genetic mating system of Ridgway's hawk (Buteo ridgwayi), an endemic raptor on Hispaniola

2013 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 531-540 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lance G. Woolaver ◽  
Rina K. Nichols ◽  
Eugene S. Morton ◽  
Bridget J. M. Stutchbury
Keyword(s):  
Mating System ◽  
Social Organization ◽  
Mating Systems ◽  
Genetic Relatedness ◽  
Ecological Factors ◽  
Island Endemic ◽  
Monogamous Species ◽  
The Social ◽  
Socially Monogamous ◽  
Genetic Mating System

Abstract:Patterns of social organization and mating systems have been shown to be functions of ecological factors such as resource allocation and breeding density. In some species, particularly birds, social organization and genetic mating systems differ with molecular studies providing evidence of extra-pair young frequently occurring within broods of socially monogamous species. Here we examine the social and genetic mating system of an ecologically little-known forest raptor endemic to the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean. From 2005–2009, our field observations of over 60 breeding pairs verified a social mating system of monogamy for the species. During the same time period, we collected blood samples (n= 146 birds, 48 nests) and used microsatellite profiles from 10 loci to estimate genetic relatedness among nestlings in a brood and assign putative fathers. We found no evidence of extra-pair paternity in 41 broods. We had one instance where a social male was not assigned as the putative father, however, the confidence level of this assignment was not significant since the genotypes of the social and assigned males were very similar. Our results support our hypothesis that genetic monogamy would be exhibited by Ridgway's hawk, an island-endemic tropical raptor.

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