Evolutionary adaptation of visual pigments in geckos for their photic environment

Gossip is a more complicated and socially important phenomenon than most people think, and campaigns to stamp out gossip in workplaces and other social settings overlook the fact that gossip is part of human nature and an essential part of what makes social groups function as well as they do. This chapter takes the position that gossip is an evolutionary adaptation and that it is the primary tool for monitoring and managing the reputation of individuals in society. An interest in the affairs of other people is a necessary component of being a socially competent person, and the chapter explores the multi-dimensional nature of gossip-related social skills. It pays special attention to “gossip as a social skill,” rather than as a character flaw, and presents insights into related phenomena such as how people use social media such as Facebook.

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Light-stimulated Phosphorylation of Bovine Visual Pigments by Adenosine Triphosphate

Journal of Biological Chemistry ◽

10.1016/s0021-9258(19)44415-3 ◽

1973 ◽

Vol 248 (2) ◽

pp. 596-609

Author(s):

Robert N. Frank ◽

H. Dwight Cavanagh ◽

Kenneth R. Kenyon

Keyword(s):

Adenosine Triphosphate ◽

Visual Pigments

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Language and creativity: a Construction Grammar approach to linguistic creativity

Linguistics Vanguard ◽

10.1515/lingvan-2019-0019 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Thomas Hoffmann

Keyword(s):

Construction Grammar ◽

Linguistic Theory ◽

Human Cognition ◽

Evolutionary Adaptation ◽

Theory Construction ◽

Conceptual Blending ◽

Cognitive Linguistic ◽

Explanatory Account ◽

The Way

AbstractCreativity is an important evolutionary adaptation that allows humans to think original thoughts, to find solutions to problems that have never been encountered before and to fundamentally change the way we live. One particular domain of human cognition that has received considerable attention is linguistic creativity. The present paper discusses how the leading cognitive linguistic theory, Construction Grammar, can provide an explanatory account of creativity that goes beyond the issue of linguistic productivity. At the same time, it also outlines how Construction Grammar can benefit from insights from Conceptual Blending.

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The diversity of opsins in Lake Baikal amphipods (Amphipoda: Gammaridae)

BMC Ecology and Evolution ◽

10.1186/s12862-021-01806-9 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Polina Drozdova ◽

Alena Kizenko ◽

Alexandra Saranchina ◽

Anton Gurkov ◽

Maria Firulyova ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Lake Baikal ◽

Visual Pigments ◽

Ancient Lake ◽

Climate History ◽

Habitat Depth ◽

Long Wavelength ◽

Evolutionary Scenario ◽

Evolutionary Changes ◽

Evolutionary Success ◽

Multiple Species

Abstract Background Vision is a crucial sense for the evolutionary success of many animal groups. Here we explore the diversity of visual pigments (opsins) in the transcriptomes of amphipods (Crustacea: Amphipoda) and conclude that it is restricted to middle (MWS) and long wavelength-sensitive (LWS) opsins in the overwhelming majority of examined species. Results We evidenced (i) parallel loss of MWS opsin expression in multiple species (including two independently evolved lineages from the deep and ancient Lake Baikal) and (ii) LWS opsin amplification (up to five transcripts) in both Baikal lineages. The number of LWS opsins negatively correlated with habitat depth in Baikal amphipods. Some LWS opsins in Baikal amphipods contained MWS-like substitutions, suggesting that they might have undergone spectral tuning. Conclusions This repeating two-step evolutionary scenario suggests common triggers, possibly the lack of light during the periods when Baikal was permanently covered with thick ice and its subsequent melting. Overall, this observation demonstrates the possibility of revealing climate history by following the evolutionary changes in protein families.

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The circadian clock uses different environmental time cues to synchronize emergence and locomotion of the solitary bee Osmia bicornis

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-019-54111-3 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Katharina Beer ◽

Mariela Schenk ◽

Charlotte Helfrich-Förster ◽

Andrea Holzschuh

Keyword(s):

Circadian Clock ◽

Circadian System ◽

Evolutionary Adaptation ◽

Solitary Bee ◽

Daily Rhythms ◽

Osmia Bicornis ◽

Cavity Nesting ◽

Impact On Survival ◽

Life On Earth ◽

And Behavior

AbstractLife on earth adapted to the daily reoccurring changes in environment by evolving an endogenous circadian clock. Although the circadian clock has a crucial impact on survival and behavior of solitary bees, many aspects of solitary bee clock mechanisms remain unknown. Our study is the first to show that the circadian clock governs emergence in Osmia bicornis, a bee species which overwinters as adult inside its cocoon. Therefore, its eclosion from the pupal case is separated by an interjacent diapause from its emergence in spring. We show that this bee species synchronizes its emergence to the morning. The daily rhythms of emergence are triggered by temperature cycles but not by light cycles. In contrast to this, the bee’s daily rhythms in locomotion are synchronized by light cycles. Thus, we show that the circadian clock of O. bicornis is set by either temperature or light, depending on what activity is timed. Light is a valuable cue for setting the circadian clock when bees have left the nest. However, for pre-emerged bees, temperature is the most important cue, which may represent an evolutionary adaptation of the circadian system to the cavity-nesting life style of O. bicornis.

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