Find research datasets worth reusing
Search datasets from major research repositories and use ShareScore to quickly assess how well each record supports discovery, access, and reuse.
568
datasets available to search
ShareScore release 0.9.0
Dataset results
568 results for “brood”
Sheffield butterfly wing collection - Patricio Salazar, Nicola Nadeau, Ikiam broods batch 1 and 2
<p>EN:</p> <p>This upload contains photographs taken by Eva van der Heijden and Gabriela Montejo-Kovacevich in the Butterfly Genetics Group at the University of Cambridge from the October 2019 (Eva, 18N0602-20N0611, batch1) and September 2020 (GMK, 19N1590- 20N0610, batch2). These two batches might have slightly different zoom/light settings. Batch1 only has JPGs, batch2 has JPGs and raw images (CR2)</p> <p>This batch contains Patricio Salazar's and Nicola Nadeau's specimen collection from Ikiam University. The wild/reared specimens are from mostly across the H. melpomene malleti and H. erato lativitta in the Eastern slope of the Andes collected in 2018-2020.<br> <br> They have a white reflectance standard for calibration. Information on the individual IDs can additionally be found in the csv.</p> <p>Nomenclature</p> <p>19NXXXXXX : unit ID corresponding to individual samples<br> _v _d: ventral or dorsal<br> </p> <p>Information on individual samples from the Butterfly Genetics Group Collection can be found on the public database Earthcape (click <a href="https://heliconius.ecdb.io/#ViewID=ContentPage_DetailView&ObjectKey=843e8ec1-41a6-4706-9622-f643132da859&ObjectClassName=EarthCape.Module.Core.ContentPage&mode=View">here</a> for the database, and <a href="http://heliconius.zoo.cam.ac.uk/databases/earthcape-specimen-database/">here</a> for FAQ)</p> <p>Please contact Chris Jiggins (c.jiggins[at]zoo.cam.ac.uk) or Nicola Nadeau (n.nadeau[at]sheffield.ac.uk) for requests.</p> <p> </p> <p>------------------------------------------------------</p> <p>ES:</p> <p>Este repositorio contiene fotografías tomadas en el Butterfly Genetics Group de la Universidad de Cambridge</p> <p>Este lote contiene la colección de especímenes silvestres y criados colectados por Patricio Salazar en 2018/2019 para cria en Ikiam (Ecuador). Los especímenes silvestres son de H. melpomene malleti y H. erato lativitta en la vertiente oriental de los Andes. </p> <p>Nomenclatura</p> <p>CAMXXXXXX: ID de unidad correspondiente a muestras individuales<br> _v _d: ventral o dorsal<br> </p> <p>Puede encontrar información sobre muestras individuales de Butterfly Genetics Group Collection en la base de datos pública Earthcape (haga clic <a href="https://heliconius.ecdb.io/#ViewID=ContentPage_DetailView&ObjectKey=843e8ec1-41a6-4706-9622-f643132da859&ObjectClassName=EarthCape.Module.Core.ContentPage&mode=View">aquí</a> para la base de datos, y <a href="http://heliconius.zoo.cam.ac.uk/databases/earthcape-specimen-database/">aquí</a> para preguntas frecuentes)</p> <p>Por favor, póngase en contacto con Chris Jiggins (c.jiggins [arroba] zoo.cam.ac.uk) o Nicola Nadeau (n.nadeau[at]sheffield.ac.uk) con sus preguntas o peticiones.</p>
Cambridge butterfly collection - GMK Broods Ikiam 2018
<p>EN:</p> <p>This upload contains photographs taken by Eva van der Heijden and Gabriela Montejo-Kovacevich in the Butterfly Genetics Group at the University of Cambridge from the November 2018 (CAM041354- CAM041806) and February 2019 (CAM041807-CAM04191). These two batches might have slightly different zoom/light settings.</p> <p>This batch contains Gabriela Montejo-Kovacevich specimen collection from Ikiam University. The wild/reared specimens are from mostly H. erato lativitta in the Eastern slope of the Andes collected in 2018.<br> <br> They have a white reflectance standard for calibration. Information on the individual IDs can additionally be found in the csv.</p> <p>Nomenclature</p> <p>CAMXXXXXX : unit ID corresponding to individual samples<br> _v _d: ventral or dorsal<br> </p> <p>Information on individual samples from the Butterfly Genetics Group Collection can be found on the public database Earthcape (click <a href="https://heliconius.ecdb.io/#ViewID=ContentPage_DetailView&ObjectKey=843e8ec1-41a6-4706-9622-f643132da859&ObjectClassName=EarthCape.Module.Core.ContentPage&mode=View">here</a> for the database, and <a href="http://heliconius.zoo.cam.ac.uk/databases/earthcape-specimen-database/">here</a> for FAQ)</p> <p>Please contact Chris Jiggins (c.jiggins[at]zoo.cam.ac.uk) for requests.</p> <p> </p> <p>------------------------------------------------------</p> <p>ES:</p> <p>Este repositorio contiene fotografías tomadas en el Butterfly Genetics Group de la Universidad de Cambridge</p> <p>Este lote contiene la colección de especímenes silvestres y criados colectados por Gabriela Montejo-Kovacevich en 2018 para cria en Ikiam (Ecuador).</p> <p>Nomenclatura</p> <p>CAMXXXXXX: ID de unidad correspondiente a muestras individuales<br> _v _d: ventral o dorsal<br> </p> <p>Puede encontrar información sobre muestras individuales de Butterfly Genetics Group Collection en la base de datos pública Earthcape (haga clic <a href="https://heliconius.ecdb.io/#ViewID=ContentPage_DetailView&ObjectKey=843e8ec1-41a6-4706-9622-f643132da859&ObjectClassName=EarthCape.Module.Core.ContentPage&mode=View">aquí</a> para la base de datos, y <a href="http://heliconius.zoo.cam.ac.uk/databases/earthcape-specimen-database/">aquí</a> para preguntas frecuentes)</p> <p>Por favor, póngase en contacto con Chris Jiggins (c.jiggins [arroba] zoo.cam.ac.uk) con sus preguntas o peticiones.</p>
Temporal and spatial variation in population structure among brooding sea stars in the genus Leptasterias
<p>Temporal genetic studies of low-dispersing organisms are rare. Marine invertebrates lacking a planktonic larval stage are expected to have lower dispersal, low gene flow, and a higher potential for local adaptation than organisms with planktonic dispersal. <i>Leptasterias</i> is a genus of brooding sea stars containing several cryptic species complexes. Population genetic methods were used to resolve patterns of fine-scale population structure in central California <i>Leptasterias</i> species using three loci from nuclear and mitochondrial genomes. Historic samples (collected between 1897 and 1998) were compared to contemporary samples (collected between 2008 and 2014) to delineate changes in species distributions in space and time. Phylogenetic analysis of contemporary samples confirmed the presence of a bay-localized clade and revealed an additional bay-localized and previously undescribed clade of <i>Leptasterias</i>. Analysis of contemporary and historic samples indicates two clades are experiencing a constriction in their southern range limit and suggests a decrease in clade-specific abundance at sites at which they were once prevalent. Historic sampling revealed a dramatically different distribution of diversity along the California coastline compared to contemporary sampling and illustrates the importance of temporal genetic sampling in phylogeographic studies. These samples were collected prior to significant impacts of Sea Star Wasting Disease (SSWD) and represent an in-depth analysis of genetic structure over 117 years prior to the SSWD-associated mass die-off of <i>Leptasterias</i>. </p>
Data from: Impact of brood parasitism and predation on nest survival of the fan-tailed gerygone in New Caledonia
<p>Predation and brood parasitism are common reasons for nesting failure in passerine species and the additive impact by invasive species is a major conservation concern, particularly on tropical islands. Recognising the relative contribution of the different components of nesting failure rates is important to understand co-evolutionary interactions within brood parasite-host systems. In the remote archipelago of New Caledonia, the fan-tailed gerygone <i>Gerygone flavolateralis</i> is the exclusive host of the brood-parasitic shining bronze-cuckoo <i>Chalcites lucidus</i>. Additionally, invasive rodents also possibly have an impact on breeding success. To estimate the impact of potential nest predators, we 1) video monitored nests to identify predators, 2) estimated the probability of predation based on nest visibility and predator abundance and 3) tested the possibility that the location of experimental nests and lack of odour cues decrease the predation by rodents. In addition, we estimated nest survival rates using data collected in different habitats over the course of 8 breeding seasons. Nesting success of fan-tailed gerygone was relatively low and predation was the main cause of nesting failure. We recorded mainly predation by native birds, including the shining bronze-cuckoo, whereas predation by rats was rare. In open habitats predation by cuckoos was much lower than predation by other avian predators. Neither predator activity around nests nor nest visibility influenced the probability of predation. Experimental nests in more accessible locations and containing an odorous bait were more exposed to rodent predation. Apparently, the fan-tailed gerygone has either never been specifically vulnerable to predation by rats or has developed anti-predator adaptations.</p>
Data from: Condition-dependent expression of carotenoid- and melanin-based plumage colour of northern flicker nestlings revealed by manipulation of brood size
Carotenoid-based colouration in feathers is widely accepted to be a reliable signal of the health of an individual, but the condition-dependence of melanin-based plumage ornaments has been highly debated. Using broods that were manipulated in size, we tested whether nutritional stress during rearing affected the carotenoid pigmentation in secondary feathers and the size, shape, and symmetry of melanin spots on breast plumage of northern flicker Colaptes auratus nestlings. Two measures of carotenoid colour (chroma and brightness) of secondary flight feathers did not vary according to brood size treatment, but in a larger dataset from the population, carotenoid chroma was positively associated with nestling mass. Nestlings from experimentally enlarged broods had smaller melanin spots than those from reduced broods, which is some of the first experimental evidence that melanin ornament size in growing nestlings is condition-dependent. However, the shape and symmetry of the melanin breast spots was not associated with nestling mass. Sexual dimorphism was apparent in both types of pigmentation and future studies should investigate whether there are any trade-offs for nestlings between investing in carotenoid colouration and melanisation and whether trade-offs differ between the sexes.
Data from: Migratory constraints on yolk precursors limit yolk androgen deposition and underlie a brood reduction strategy in rockhopper penguins
Hormonally mediated maternal effects link maternal phenotype and environmental conditions to offspring phenotype. The production of lipid-rich maternal yolk precursors may provide a mechanism by which lipophilic steroid hormones can be transported to developing yolks, thus predicting a positive correlation between yolk precursors in mothers and androgen levels in eggs. Using rockhopper penguins (Eudyptes chrysocome), which produce a two-egg clutch characterized by extreme egg-size dimorphism, reversed hatching asynchrony and brood-reduction, we examined correlations between circulating concentrations of the primary yolk-precursor vitellogenin (VTG) and levels of yolk androgens. Previous work in Eudyptes penguins has shown that egg-size dimorphism is the product of migratory constraints on yolk precursor production. We predicted that if yolk precursors are constrained, androgen transport to developing yolks would be similarly constrained. We reveal positive linear relationships between maternal VTG and androgens in small A-eggs but not larger B-eggs, which is consistent with a migratory constraint operating on the A-egg. Results suggest that intra-clutch variation in total yolk androgen levels depends on the production and uptake of yolk precursors. The brood reduction strategy common to Eudyptes might thus be best described as the result of a migratory constraint.
Data from: Brood-tending males in a biparental fish suffer high paternity losses but rarely cuckold
Extra-pair paternity within socially monogamous mating systems is well-studied in birds and mammals but rather neglected in other animal taxa. In fishes, social monogamy has evolved several times but few studies have investigated the extent to which pair-bonded male fish lose fertilizations to cuckolders and gain extra-pair fertilizations themselves. We address this gap and present genetic paternity data collected from a wild population of Variabilichromis moorii, a socially monogamous African cichlid with biparental care of offspring. We show that brood-tending, pair-bonded males suffer exceptionally high paternity losses, siring only 63% of the offspring produced by their female partners on average. The number of cuckolders per brood ranged up to nine and yet, surprisingly, brood-tending males in the population were rarely the culprits. Brood-tending males sired very few extra-pair offspring, despite breeding in close proximity to one another. While unpaired males were largely responsible for the cuckoldry, pair-bonded males still enjoyed higher fertilization success than individual unpaired males. We discuss these results in the context of ecological and phenotypic constraints on cuckoldry and the fitness payoffs of alternative male tactics. Our study provides new insights into how pair-bonded males handle the trade-off between securing within-pair and extra-pair reproduction.
Data from: Embryo oxygenation in pipefish brood pouches: novel insights
The pipefish brood pouch presents a unique mode of parental care that enables males to protect, osmoregulate, nourish and oxygenate the developing young. Using a very fine O2 probe, we assessed the extent to which males of the broad-nosed pipefish (Syngnathus typhle) oxygenate the developing embryos and are able to maintain pouch fluid O2 levels when brooding in normoxia (100% O2 saturation) and hypoxia (40% O2 saturation) for 24 days. In both treatments, pouch fluid O2 saturation levels were lower compared with the surrounding water and decreased throughout the brooding period, reflecting greater offspring demand for O2 during development and/or decreasing paternal ability to provide O2 to the embryos. Male condition (hepatosomatic index) was negatively affected by hypoxia. Larger males had higher pouch fluid O2 saturation levels compared with smaller males, and levels were higher in the bottom section of the pouch compared with other sections. Embryo size was positively correlated with O2 availability, irrespective of their position in the pouch. Two important conclusions can be drawn from our findings. First, our results highlight a potential limitation to brooding within the pouch and dismiss the notion of closed brood pouches as well-oxygenated structures promoting the evolution of larger eggs in syngnathids. Second, we provide direct evidence that paternal care improves with male size in this species. This finding offers an explanation for the documented strong female preference for larger partners because, in terms of oxygenation, the brood pouch can restrict embryo growth.
Data from: Honey bee colonies headed by hyperpolyandrous queens have improved brood rearing efficiency and lower infestation rates of parasitic Varroa mites
A honey bee queen mates on wing with an average of 12 males and stores their sperm to produce progeny of mixed paternity. The degree of a queen's polyandry is positively associated with measures of her colony's fitness, and observed distributions of mating number are evolutionary optima balancing risks of mating flights against benefits to the colony. Effective mating numbers as high as 40 have been documented, begging the question of the upper bounds of this behavior that can be expected to confer colony benefit. In this study we used instrumental insemination to create three classes of queens with exaggerated range of polyandry– 15, 30, or 60 drones. Colonies headed by queens inseminated with 30 or 60 drones produced more brood per bee and had a lower proportion of samples positive for Varroa destructor mites than colonies whose queens were inseminated with 15 drones, suggesting benefits of polyandry at rates higher than those normally obtaining in nature. Our results are consistent with two hypotheses that posit conditions that reward such high expressions of polyandry: (1) a queen may mate with many males in order to promote beneficial non-additive genetic interactions among subfamilies, and (2) a queen may mate with many males in order to capture a large number of rare alleles that regulate resistance to pathogens and parasites in a breeding population. Our results are unique for identifying the highest levels of polyandry yet detected that confer colony-level benefit and for showing a benefit of polyandry in particular toward the parasitic mite V. destructor.
Data from: Population differentiation or species formation across the Indian and the Pacific Oceans? An example from the brooding marine hydrozoan Macrorhynchia phoenicea
Assessing population connectivity is necessary to construct effective marine protected areas. This connectivity depends, among other parameters, inherently on species dispersal capacities. Isolation by distance (IBD) is one of the main modes of differentiation in marine species, above all in species presenting low dispersal abilities. This study reports the genetic structuring in the tropical hydrozoan Macrorhynchia phoenicea α (sensu Postaire et al., 2016a), a brooding species, from 30 sampling sites in the Western Indian Ocean and the Tropical Southwestern Pacific, using 15 microsatellite loci. At the local scale, genet dispersal relied on asexual propagation at short distance, which was not found at larger scales. Considering one representative per clone, significant positive FIS values (from −0.327*** to 0.411***) were found within almost all sites. Gene flow was extremely low at all spatial scales, among sites within islands (<10 km distance) and among islands (100 to >11,000 km distance), with significant pairwise FST values (from 0.035*** to 0.645***). A general pattern of IBD was found at the Indo-Pacific scale, but also within ecoregions in the Western Indian Ocean province. Clustering and network analyses identified each island as a potential independent population, while analysis of molecular variance indicated that population genetic differentiation was significant at small (within island) and intermediate (among islands within province) spatial scales. As shown by this species, a brooding life cycle might be corollary of the high population differentiation found in some coastal marine species, thwarting regular dispersal at distances more than a few kilometers and probably leading to high cryptic diversity, each island housing independent evolutionary lineages.
Data from: Double brooding and offspring desertion in the barn owl (Tyto alba)
Many bird species produce two annual broods during a single breeding season. However, not all individuals reproduce twice in the same year suggesting that double brooding is condition-dependent. In contrast to most raptors and owls, the barn owl Tyto alba produces two annual clutches in most worldwide distributed populations. Nevertheless, the determinants of double brooding are still poorly studied. We performed such a study in a Swiss barn owl population monitored between 1990 and 2014. The annual frequency of double brooding varied from 0 to 14% for males and 0 to 59% for females. The likelihood of double brooding was higher when individuals initiated their first clutch early rather than late in the season and when males had few rather than many offspring at the first nest. Despite the reproductive benefits of double brooding (single- and double-brooded individuals produced 3.97 ± 0.11 and 7.07 ± 0.24 fledglings, respectively), double brooding appears to be traded off against offspring quality because at the first nest double-brooded males produced poorer quality offspring than single-brooded males. This might explain why females desert their first mate to produce a second brood with another male without jeopardizing reproductive success at the first nest. Furthermore, the reproductive cycle being very long in the barn owl (120 d from start of laying to offspring independence), selection may have favoured behaviours that accelerate the initiation of a second annual brood. Accordingly, half of the double-brooded females abandoned their young offspring to look for a new partner in order to initiate the second breeding attempt, 9.48 d earlier than when producing the second brood with the same partner. We conclude that male and female barn owls adopt different reproductive strategies. Females have more opportunities to reproduce twice in a single season than males because mothers are not strictly required during the entire rearing period in contrast to fathers. A high proportion of male floaters may also encourage females to desert their first brood to re-nest with a new male who is free of parental care duties.
Data from: Impacts of temperature and lunar day on gene expression profiles during a monthly reproductive cycle in the brooding coral Pocillopora damicornis
Reproductive timing in brooding corals has been correlated to temperature and lunar irradiance, but the mechanisms by which corals transduce these environmental variables into molecular signals are unknown. To gain insight into these processes, global gene expression profiles in the coral Pocillopora damicornis were examined (via RNA-Seq) across lunar phases and between temperature treatments, during a monthly planulation cycle. The interaction of temperature and lunar day together had the largest influence on gene expression. Mean timing of planulation, which occurred at lunar days 7.4 and 12.5 for 28- and 23°C-treated corals, respectively, was associated with an upregulation of transcripts in individual temperature treatments. Expression profiles of planulation-associated genes were compared between temperature treatments, revealing that elevated temperatures disrupted expression profiles associated with planulation. Gene functions inferred from homologous matches to online databases suggest complex neuropeptide signalling, with calcium as a central mediator, acting through tyrosine kinase and G protein-coupled receptor pathways. This work contributes to our understanding of coral reproductive physiology and the impacts of environmental variables on coral reproductive pathways.
Data from: Differential responses to related hosts by nesting and non-nesting parasites in a brood-parasitic duck
Host-parasite relatedness may facilitate the evolution of conspecific brood parasitism (CBP), but empirical support for this contention remains inconclusive. One reason for this disparity may relate to the diversity of parasitic tactics, a key distinguishing feature being whether the parasite has a nest of her own. Previous work suggests that parasites without nests of their own may be of inferior phenotypic quality, but due to difficulties in identifying these parasitic individuals, little is known about their host selection criteria. We used high-resolution molecular maternity tests to assign parasitic offspring to known parasites with and without their own nests in a population of Barrow's goldeneyes (Bucephala islandica). We determined whether parasite nesting status, host-parasite relatedness, and distance between host and parasite nests affected the probability of parasitizing a host and the number of eggs laid per host. We also investigated whether nesting parasites, conventionally nesting females and non-nesting parasites differed regarding their age, structural size, body condition, nesting phenology or total brood size. The probability of engaging in parasitism increased with host-parasite relatedness and spatial proximity to host nests for nesting and non-nesting females alike. However, nesting parasites increased the number of eggs donated with relatedness to the host, while non-nesting parasites did not do so. Non-nesting parasites laid fewer eggs in total, but did not differ by any of the other quality measures from conventional nesters or nesting parasites. Our study provides the first demonstration that nesting and non-nesting parasites from the same population may use different host selection criteria.
Insecticide exposure during brood or early-adult development reduces brain growth and impairs adult learning in bumblebees
<p>For social bees, an understudied step in evaluating pesticide risk is how contaminated food entering colonies affects residing offspring development and maturation. For instance, neurotoxic insecticide compounds in food could affect central nervous system development predisposing individuals to become poorer task performers later-in-life. Studying bumblebee colonies provisioned with neonicotinoid spiked nectar substitute, we measured brain volume and learning behaviour of 3 or 12-day old adults that had experienced in-hive exposure during brood and/or early-stage adult development. Micro-computed tomography (µCT) scanning and segmentation of multiple brain neuropils showed exposure during either developmental stage caused reduced mushroom body calycal growth relative to unexposed workers. Associated with this, was a lower probability of responding to a sucrose reward and lower learning performance in an olfactory conditioning test. Whilst calycal volume of control workers positively correlated with learning score, this relationship was absent for exposed workers indicating neuropil functional impairment. Comparison of 3 and 12-day adults exposed during brood development showed a similar degree of reduced calycal volume and impaired behaviour highlighting lasting and irrecoverable effects from exposure despite no adult exposure. Our findings help explain how the onset of pesticide exposure to whole colonies can lead to lag-effects on growth and resultant dysfunction.</p>
Data from: Experimental brood enlargement differentially influences the magnitude of the corticosterone stress response in closely related, co‐occurring songbirds
1. Rearing environments can shape offspring phenotype across taxa, yet little is known about how brood size influences hypothalamic-pituitary axis functioning, whether its expression trades off with growth, and the degree to which these relationships vary between species. 2. We evaluated how brood size influenced nestling physiological (glucocorticoids) and somatic traits (growth), and the extent to which these relationships differed between two closely related, sympatric songbirds when experiencing identical rearing environments. Specifically, we used a cross-fostering approach to alter brood size and create an experimental gradient of nestmate competition, and then tested whether experimentally manipulated brood sizes resulted in nestlings with altered concentrations of corticosterone and if corticosterone responses traded off with growth. 3. Nestlings of both species experienced elevated concentrations of baseline and stressor-induced corticosterone when raised in enlarged broods, relative to control and reduced broods, but neither measurement was found to trade off with growth or be linked to survival to fledging. 4. In contrast, we found divergence in the magnitude of the corticosterone stress response between species across all brood treatments, with greater stressor-induced corticosterone concentrations found in the Violet-green Swallow (Tachycineta thalassina) relative to the closely related Tree Swallow (T. bicolor). 5. Our study demonstrated that brood size can lead to changes in offspring corticosterone concentrations in swallows, and that nestlings of sympatric species, even those that are closely related and ecologically similar, can diverge in their corticosterone stress response when experiencing identical rearing conditions. 6. We conclude that corticosterone appears to play a key role for balancing energetic demands that arise in the face of nestmate competition in Tachycineta swallows, and that elevated concentrations of corticosterone may enhance offspring survival during challenging environmental conditions, such as when brood competition is strong.
Data from: Genetic signatures through space, time and multiple disturbances in a ubiquitous brooding coral
The predominance of self-recruitment in many reef-building corals has fundamental and complex consequences for their genetic diversity, population persistence and responses to climate change. Knowledge of genetic structure over local scales needs to be placed within a broad spatial context, and also integrated with genetic monitoring through time to disentangle these consequences. Here, we examined patterns of genetic diversity over multiple spatio-temporal scales across tropical Australia in the ubiquitous brooding coral, Seriatopora hystrix. We also analysed complimentary environmental and demographic data to elucidate the seascape drivers of these patterns. Large genetic differences was detected between the east versus west coasts of Australia. In northwest Australia, geographic differentiation dominated genetic structure over multiple scales. However, three sympatric lineages were detected at the largest offshore reef system (Scott Reef). Similar to the differences observed among putative species in eastern Australia, these lineages were associated with different levels of wave exposure. Local genetic structure within the Scott Reef system was relatively stable over ten years, but temporal differences were observed that reflected small but important genetic changes over a few generations during recovery after severe bleaching. These results highlight the importance of self-recruitment together with occasional longer distance connectivity for the persistence of a metapopulation across spatially and temporally variable environments. Our multidimensional research provides a foundation for further long-term genetic monitoring to inform conservation strategies and highlights that sampling scales, ecological effects and cryptic diversity are important considerations to develop realistic understanding of the evolutionary resilience of corals.
Data from: Multiple scales of genetic connectivity in a brooding coral on isolated reefs following catastrophic bleaching
Understanding the pattern of connectivity among populations is crucial for the development of realistic and spatially explicit population models in marine systems. Here we analysed variation at eight microsatellite loci to assess the genetic structure and to infer patterns of larval dispersal for a brooding coral, Seriatopora hystrix, at an isolated system of reefs in northern Western Australia. Spatial autocorrelation analyses show that populations are locally subdivided, and that the majority of larvae recruit to within 100 m of their natal colony. Further, a combination of F- and R- statistics showed significant differentiation at larger spatial scales (2–60 km) between sites, and this pattern was clearly not associated with distance. However, Bayesian analysis demonstrated that recruitment has been supplemented by less frequent but recent input of larvae from outside the local area; 2–6% of colonies were excluded from the site at which they were sampled. Individual assignments of these migrants to the most likely populations suggest that the majority of migrants were produced at the only site that was not decimated by a recent and catastrophic coral bleaching event. Furthermore, the only site that recovered to prebleaching levels received most of these immigrants. We conclude that the genetic structure of this brooding coral reflects its highly opportunistic life history, in which prolific, philopatric recruitment is occasionally supplemented by exogenously produced larvae.
Data from: A brood parasite selects for its own egg traits
Many brood parasitic birds lay eggs that mimic their hosts' eggs in appearance. This typically arises from selection from discriminating hosts that reject eggs which differ from their own. However, selection on parasitic eggs may also arise from parasites themselves, since it should pay a laying parasitic female to detect and destroy another parasitic egg previously laid in the same host nest by a different female. In this study, I experimentally test the source of selection on greater honeyguide egg size and shape, which is correlated with that of its several host species, all of which breed in dark holes. Its commonest host species did not discriminate against experimental eggs that differed from their own in size and shape, but laying female honeyguides preferentially punctured experimental eggs more than host or control eggs. This should improve offspring survival given that multiple parasitism by this species is common, and that honeyguide chicks kill all other nest occupants. Hence, selection on egg size in greater honeyguides parasitising bee-eaters is imposed not by host defences, but by interference competition among parasites themselves.
Data from: Trade-offs in parasitism efficiency and brood size mediate parasitoid coexistence, with implications for biological control of the invasive emerald ash borer
1. Parasitoids often are selected for use as biological control agents because of their high host specificity, yet such host specificity can result in strong interspecific competition. Few studies have examined whether and how various extrinsic factors (such as parasitism efficiency, i.e. the ability to optimize host-finding attack rates) influence the outcome of competition between parasitoids, even though they could have profound effects on the implementation of classical biological control programmes. 2. To determine the potential influence of extrinsic competition and coexistence on host suppression efficacy, we compared parasitism by two larval parasitoids (Tetrastichus planipennisi and Spathius galinae) of the invasive emerald ash borer (EAB) Agrilus planipennis, under different host densities, parasitoid densities, host plant sizes and parasitoid–host ratios. 3. Spathius galinae had significantly higher parasitism efficiency (≈4 times), but significantly lower brood size (>6 times) than that of T. planipennisi. The attack rates of hosts increased significantly with parasitoid density, whereas host density did not significantly affect multiparasitism. The parasitism rate of T. planipennisi on small host logs was significantly higher than that on large logs, while host plant (log) size had no significant impact on S. galinae parasitism. 4. The multiparasitism rate was rather low regardless of host log size and parasitoid/host density, indicating that intrinsic competition between the two species of parasitoids might seldom occur in the field. The two species of parasitoids could therefore coexist in the same habitat, and any adverse effects on the suppression of EAB populations caused by competitive behaviour between the two species of parasitoids would likely be negligible. 5. Synthesis and applications. Our findings suggest that introducing multiple species of parasitic natural enemies could be feasible for management of invasive species, but it is important to examine multiple extrinsic factors simultaneously when evaluating interspecific competition between them. Among these different extrinsic factors, we found that coexistence between parasitoids can be mediated by trade-offs in their parasitism efficiency and brood sizes. Thus, the differences in life-history traits of natural enemies could be used to select among biological control agents being considered for releases.
Data from: Sibling competition is stronger in blue tit homozygous broods
It is known that heterozygosity affects mate selection in various taxa. But also beyond mating, in species with parental care, heterozygosity can modulate interactions among family members and their fitness-related decisions. However, to date, this question remains little explored. Here, we studied whether nestling heterozygosity was related to parent-offspring interactions and sib-sib competition in the blue tit, Cyanistes caeruleus, while controlling for the degree of relatedness among nestlings. It has been argued that heterozygosity-fitness correlations are more easily detected under demanding environmental conditions. Thus, we also investigated whether the decision rules of family members according to offspring heterozygosity were affected by brood size, as a proxy of the strength of sibling conflict. First, we found that chick individual heterozygosity was positively although weakly associated with individual body mass. Mean brood heterozygosity did not predict fledging success, but broods that fledged more chicks showed a higher number of less common alleles. Interestingly, fathers, but not mothers, favored heterozygous broods with many nestlings, that is, heterozygous broods with higher potential for sibling conflict. Moreover, the lower the mean brood heterozygosity the stronger the begging intensity when parents were absent, regardless of brood size. Finally, the degree of relatedness among nestlings was not associated with any behavioral parameter, supporting a more prominent role for heterozygosity in shaping intra-family interactions. Importantly, our findings suggest sex-specific rules of parental care according to offspring heterozygosity and that genetic diversity is associated with lower sibling competition.
ScienceDex guides
Understand access before you commit
These curated guides explain access requirements, typical timelines, costs, and reuse considerations for widely used research datasets.
Allen Brain Atlas
Allen Brain Atlas is an Allen Institute collection of brain map atlases, datasets, APIs, and analysis tools covering mouse, human, and non-human primate brain resources.
Annotated Behaviour and Observability Dataset (ABODe)
ABODe is a University of Edinburgh DataShare dataset for behavior classification in group-housed mice using home-cage video, identities, bounding boxes, ground-plate positions, and annotator labels.
DANDI Archive for NWB datasets
DANDI is a BRAIN Initiative archive for publishing and sharing neurophysiology data, including electrophysiology, optophysiology, and behavioral data packaged as NWB and related standards.
International Brain Laboratory public data
The International Brain Laboratory public data releases expose standardized mouse decision-making experiments, including Neuropixels recordings, widefield calcium imaging, behavior, and session metadata accessed through the ONE API.
OpenNeuro
OpenNeuro is a free, open platform for sharing neuroimaging datasets, with public search, dataset pages, and download paths for web, S3, DataLad, and the OpenNeuro CLI.