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600 results for “sex-specific”
Data from: Sex-specific phenotypes and metabolism-related gene expression in juvenile sticklebacks
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Latitudinal clines in sexual selection, sexual size dimorphism, and sex-specific genetic dispersal during a poleward range expansion
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Data from: Sexually dimorphic dorsal coloration in a jumping spider: testing a potential case of sex-specific mimicry
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Patterns of Thermal Sensitivity and Sex-Specificity of Courtship Behavior Differs Between Two Sympatric Species of Enchenopa Treehopper
<p> </p> <p>Predicting how insects will react to future thermal conditions requires understanding how temperature currently affects insect behavior, from performance traits to those involved in mating and reproduction. Many reproductive behaviors are thermally-sensitive, but little is known how temperature affects the behaviors used to find mates and coordinate mating. Here, we investigate how temperature influences courtship activity in two sympatric species of <i>Enchenopa </i>treehoppers (Hemiptera: Membracidae). <i>Enchenopa </i>use substrate-borne vibrational signals exchanged in male-female duets to facilitate pair formation prior to mating. In a controlled laboratory setting, we assessed the likelihood of males and females to produce courtship signals across a range of ecologically relevant temperatures. We found that changes in courtship activity across temperatures differed between the two species. We also found sex differences within species: in one species males were more likely to signal at higher temperatures, while in the other species females were more likely to signal at higher temperatures. Our results suggest that sex-specific responses to temperature may constrain mating to narrower ranges of temperatures. Furthermore, sympatric species may respond differently to changes in thermal variation despite sharing similar climactic history.<br> </p>
Sex-specific effects of cooperative breeding and colonial nesting on prosociality in corvids
<p>The investigation of prosocial behavior is of particular interest from an evolutionary perspective. Comparisons of prosociality across non-human animal species have, however, so far largely focused on primates, and their interpretation is hampered by the diversity of paradigms and procedures used. Here we present the first systematic comparison of prosocial behavior across multiple species in a taxonomic group outside the primate order, namely the bird family Corvidae. We measured prosociality in 8 corvid species, which vary in the expression of cooperative breeding and colonial nesting. We show that cooperative breeding is positively associated with prosocial behavior across species. Also colonial nesting is associated with a stronger propensity for prosocial behavior, but only in males. The combined results of our study strongly suggest that both cooperative breeding and colonial nesting, which may both rely on heightened social tolerance at the nest, are likely evolutionary pathways to prosocial behavior in corvids.</p>
Data from: Sex-specific associations between life history traits and a novel reproductive polymorphism in the Pacific field cricket
<p>Associations between heritable polymorphisms and life-history traits, such as development time or reproductive investment, may play an underappreciated role in maintaining polymorphic systems. This is because selection acting on a particular morph could be bolstered or disrupted by correlated changes in life-history or vice versa. In a Hawaiian population of the Pacific field cricket (<em>Teleogryllus oceanicus</em>), a novel mutation (flatwing) on the X-chromosome is responsible for a heritable polymorphism in male wing structure. We used laboratory cricket colonies fixed for male wing morph to investigate whether males and females bearing the flatwing or normal-wing (wild-type) allele differed in their life-history traits. We found that flatwing males developed faster and had heavier testes than normal-wings, whereas flatwing homozygous females developed slower and had lighter reproductive tissues than normal-wing homozygous females. Our results advance our understanding of the evolution of polymorphisms by demonstrating that the genetic change responsible for a reproductive polymorphism can also have consequences for fundamental life-history traits in both males and females.</p>
Data from: Sex-specific heterogeneity in fixed morphological traits influences individual fitness in a monogamous bird population
Theoretical work has emphasized the important role of individual traits on population dynamics, but empirical models are often based on average or stage-dependent demographic rates. In this study on a monogamous bird, the Eurasian hoopoe (Upupa epops), we show how the interactions between male and female fixed and dynamic heterogeneity influence demographic rates and population dynamics. We built an integral projection model including individual sex, age, condition (reflecting dynamic heterogeneity) and fixed morphology (reflecting fixed heterogeneity). Fixed morphology was derived from a principal component analysis of six morphological traits. Our results revealed that reproductive success and survival were linked to fixed heterogeneity whereas dynamic heterogeneity influenced mainly the timing of reproduction. Fixed heterogeneity had major consequences for the population growth rate, but interestingly, its effect on population dynamics differed between the sexes. Female fixed morphology was directly linked to annual reproductive success whereas male fixed morphology influenced also annual survival, being twice higher in large than in small males. Even in a monogamous bird with shared parental care, large males can reach 10\% higher fitness than females. Including the dynamics of male and female individual traits in population models refines our understanding of the individual mechanisms that influence demographic rates and population dynamics and can help identifying differences in sex-specific strategies.
Data from: Do males pay for sex? Sex-specific selection coefficients suggest not
Selection acting on males can reduce mutation load of sexual relative to asexual populations, thus mitigating the two-fold cost of sex, provided that it seeks and destroys the same mutations as selection acting on females, but with higher efficiency. This could happen due to sexual selection – a potent evolutionary force that in most systems predominantly affects males. We used replicate populations of red flour beetles (Tribolium castaneum) to study sex-specific selection against deleterious mutations introduced with ionizing radiation. We found no evidence for selection being stronger in males than in females; in fact, we observed a non-significant trend in the opposite direction. This suggests that selection on males does not reduce mutation load below the level expected under the (hypothetical) scenario of asexual reproduction. Additionally, we employed a novel approach, based on a simple model, to quantify the relative contributions of sexual and offspring viability selection to the overall selection observed in males. We found them to be similar in magnitude; however, only the offspring viability component was statistically significant. In summary, we found no support for the hypothesis that selection on males in general, and sexual selection in particular, contributes to the evolutionary maintenance of sex.
Data from: Sex-specific selection on plant architecture through 'budget' and 'direct' effects in experimental populations of a wind-pollinated herb
Sexual selection may contribute to the evolution of plant sexual dimorphism by favoring architecture traits that improve pollen dispersal to mates in males. In both sexes, larger individuals may be favored if large size allows the allocation of more resources to gamete production (a 'budget' effect of size). In wind-pollinated plants, large size may also benefit males if it allows them to liberate pollen from greater heights, fostering its dispersal (a 'direct' effect of size). To assess these effects and their implications for trait selection, we measured selection gradients on plant morphology in both males and females, as well as pollen production and dispersal in males, of the wind-pollinated dioecious herb Mercurialis annua. In two separate experimental common gardens established at different densities, selection strongly favored plants dispersing their pollen further. Selection for pollen production was observed in the high-density garden only and was weak. In addition, male morphologies associated with increased mean pollen dispersal differed between the two gardens as elongated branches were favored in the high-density garden while shorter plants with longer peduncles bearing inflorescences were advantaged the low-density garden. Larger females were selected in both gardens. Our results point to the importance of selection on male traits that affect pollen dispersal, and to a lesser extent pollen production.
Data from: Perinatal lead (Pb) exposure results in sex-specific effects on food intake, fat, weight, and insulin response across the murine life-course
Developmental lead (Pb) exposure has been associated with lower body weight in human infants and late onset obesity in mice. We determined the association of perinatal Pb exposure in mice with changes in obesity-related phenotypes into adulthood. Mice underwent exposure via maternal drinking water supplemented with 0 (control), 2.1 (low), 16 (medium), or 32 (high) ppm Pb-acetate two weeks prior to mating through lactation. Offspring were phenotyped at ages 3, 6, and 9 months for energy expenditure, spontaneous activity, food intake, body weight, body composition, and at age 10 months for glucose tolerance. Data analyses were stratified by sex and adjusted for litter effects. Exposed females and males exhibited increased energy expenditure as compared to controls (p<0.0001 for both). In females, horizontal activity differed significantly from controls (p = 0.02) over the life-course. Overall, food intake increased in exposed females and males (p<0.0008 and p<0.0001, respectively) with significant linear trends at 9 months in females (p = 0.01) and 6 months in males (p<0.01). Body weight was significantly increased in males at the medium and high exposures (p = 0.001 and p = 0.006). Total body fat differed among exposed females and males (p<0.0001 and p<0.0001, respectively). Insulin response was significantly increased in medium exposure males (p<0.05). Perinatal Pb exposure at blood lead levels between 4.1 µg/dL and 32 µg/dL is associated with increased food intake, body weight, total body fat, energy expenditure, activity, and insulin response in mice. Physiological effects of developmental Pb exposure persist and vary according to sex and age.
Data from: Viral infection causes sex-specific changes in fruit fly social aggregation behaviour
Host behavioural changes following infection are common and could be important determinants of host behavioural competence to transmit pathogens. Identifying potential sources of variation in sickness behaviours is therefore central to our understanding of disease transmission. Here, we test how group social aggregation and individual locomotor activity vary between different genotypes of male and female fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) following septic infection with Drosophila C Virus. We find genetic-based variation in both locomotor activity and social aggregation but we did not detect an effect of DCV infection on fly activity or sleep patterns within the initial days following infection. However, DCV infection caused sex-specific effects on social aggregation, as male flies in most genetic backgrounds increased the distance to their nearest neighbour when infected. We discuss possible causes for these differences in the context of individual variation in immunity and their potential consequences for disease transmission.
Data from: Sex-specific density-dependent secretion of glucocorticoids in lizards: insights from laboratory and field experiments
Negative density feedbacks have been extensively described in animal species and involve both consumptive (i.e. trophic interactions) and non-consumptive (i.e. social interactions) mechanisms. Glucocorticoids are a major component of the physiological stress response and homeostasis, and therefore make a good candidate for proximate determinants of negative density feedbacks. Here, we combined laboratory and field experiments with enclosed populations to investigate the relationship between density, social stress and plasma corticosterone levels in the common lizard Zootoca vivipara. This species exhibits strong negative density feedbacks that affect females more than males, and its life history is sensitive to experimentally-induced chronic elevation of corticosterone plasma levels. We found that prolonged crowding in the laboratory can trigger a chronic secretion of corticosterone independent from food restriction. In the field experiments, corticosterone levels of females were not affected by population density. Corticosterone levels of males increased with population density but only during the late activity season in a first field experiment where we manipulated density. They also increased with density during the mating season but only in populations with a female-biased sex ratio in a second field experiment where we crossed manipulated density and adult sex ratio. Altogether, our results provide limited evidence for a role of basal corticosterone secretion in density feedbacks in this species. Context and density-dependent effects in males may arise from changes in behavior caused by competition for resources, male–male competition, and mating.
Data from: Sex-specific gene expression in the mouse nucleus accumbens before and after cocaine exposure
Females are more sensitive than males to the addictive effects of cocaine and are more likely to relapse. The nucleus accumbens has a well-established major role in the response to cocaine, and sex-specific differential expression of key transcripts at baseline and after cocaine withdrawal could underlie some of these differences. To address this hypothesis, four groups of mice (cycling females, ovariectomized females treated with estradiol or placebo and males) were evaluated for open field activity following 7 daily injections of saline or cocaine. Sensitization to the locomotor effects of cocaine was most pronounced in ovariectomized mice receiving estradiol, was greater in cycling females than in males, and failed to occur in ovariectomized/placebo mice. After a 28-day period of withdrawal, RNA prepared from the nucleus accumbens of individual cocaine or saline injected mice was subjected to RNASeq analysis. Expression of a substantial fraction of the transcripts expressed in the nucleus accumbens (~3%) differed in cycling female mice when compared to male mice, was altered by ovariectomy or was responsive to estradiol treatment. The transcripts differentially expressed in the nucleus accumbens of cycling female mice withdrawn from cocaine for 28-days exhibited substantial overlap with those differentially expressed in the nucleus accumbens of male mice withdrawn for 7-days. A small set of transcripts were similarly affected by cocaine in placebo or estradiol treated ovariectomized mice. Transcripts differentially expressed after 28-days of withdrawal encoded neprilysin, which degrades enkephalin and other neuropeptides, G protein coupled receptors and secreted proteins such as Wnt2, Fst and Igfbp4.
Data from: Sex-specific maternal effects in a viviparous fish
Mothers vary in their effects on their offspring, but studies of variation in maternal effects rarely ask whether differences between mothers are consistent for sons and daughters. Here, we analysed maternal effects in the mosquitofish Gambusia holbrooki for development time and adult size of sons and daughters, and a primary male sexual character (gonopodium length). We found substantial maternal effects on all traits, most notably for gonopodium length. There were significant correlations within each sex for maternal effects on different traits, indicative of trade-offs between development rate and adult size. By contrast, there was no evidence of any consistency in maternal effects on sons and daughters. This suggests that the evolution of maternal effects will follow independent trajectories dependent on sex-specific selection on offspring. Importantly, failure to recognize the sex-specific nature of maternal effects in this population would have substantially underestimated the extent of their variation between mothers.
Data from: Sex-specific fitness consequences of nutrient intake and the evolvability of diet preferences
The acquisition of nutrients is fundamental for the maintenance of bodily functions, growth, and reproduction in animals. As a result, fitness can be maximized only when animals are able to direct their attention to foods that reflect their current nutritional needs. Despite significant literature documenting the fitness consequences of nutrient composition and preference, less is known about the underlying genetic architecture of the dietary preferences themselves, specifically, the degree to which they can respond to selection. We addressed this by integrating evolutionary quantitative genetics and nutritional geometry to examine the shape of the sex-specific fitness surfaces and the availability of genetic variance for macronutrient preferences in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. Combining these analyses, we found that the microevolutionary potential of carbohydrate and protein preference was above average in this population, because the expected direction of selection was relatively well aligned with the major axis of the genetic variance-covariance matrix, G. We also found that potential exists for sexually antagonistic genetic constraint in this system; macronutrient blends maximizing fitness differed between the sexes, and cross-sex genetic correlations for their consumption were positive. However, both sexes were displaced from their feeding optima, generating similar directional selection on males and females, with the combined effect being that minimal sex-specific genetic constraints currently affect dietary preferences in this population.
Data from: Sex-specific pace-of-life syndromes
The pace-of-life syndrome (POLS) hypothesis considers an animal's behavior, physiology, and life-history as non-independent components of a single integrated phenotype. However, frequent deviations from the expected correlations between POLS traits suggests that these relationships may be context, and potentially, sex-dependent. To determine whether the sexes express distinct POLS trait covariance structures, we observed the behavior (mobility, latency to emerge from a shelter), physiology (mass-specific metabolic rate) and life-history (lifespan, development time) of male and female Australian field crickets (Teleogryllus oceanicus). Path analysis modelling suggested that POLS trait covariation differed between the sexes. Although neither sex displayed the complete integration of traits predicted by the POLS hypothesis, females did display greater overall integration with a significant negative correlation between metabolic rate and risk-taking behavior but with life-history traits varying independently. In males, however, there was no clear association between traits. These results suggest that T. oceanicus do indeed display sex-specific trait covariance structures, emphasizing the importance of acknowledging sex in assessments of pace-of-life syndromes.
Data from: Sex-specific selection under environmental stress in seed beetles
Sexual selection can increase rates of adaptation by imposing stronger selection in males, thereby allowing efficient purging of the mutation load on population fitness at a low demographic cost. Indeed, sexual selection tends to be male-biased throughout the animal kingdom, but little empirical work has explored the ecological sensitivity of this sex difference. In this study, we generated theoretical predictions of sex-specific strengths of selection, environmental sensitivities and genotype-by-environment interactions, and tested them in seed beetles by manipulating either larval host plant or rearing temperature. Using fourteen isofemale lines, we measured sex-specific reductions in fitness components, genotype-by-environment interactions, and strength of selection (variance in fitness) in the juvenile and adult stage. As predicted, variance in fitness increased with stress, was consistently greater in males than females for adult reproductive success (implying strong sexual selection), but was similar in the sexes in terms of juvenile survival across all stress-levels. While genetic variance in fitness increased in magnitude under severe stress, heritability decreased, and particularly so in males. Moreover, genotype-by-environment interactions for fitness were common but specific to the type of stress and each sex and life stage, suggesting that new environments may change the relative alignment and strength of selection in males and females. Our study thus exemplifies how environmental stress can influence the relative forces of natural and sexual selection, as well as concomitant changes in genetic variance in fitness, which are predicted to have consequences for rates of adaptation in sexual populations.
Sex-specific splicing of Z- and W-borne nr5a1 alleles suggests sex determination is controlled by chromosome conformation
<p><i>Pogona vitticeps</i> has female heterogamety (ZZ/ZW) but the master sex determining gene is unknown, as is the case for all reptiles. We show that <i>nr5a1</i>, a gene that is essential in mammalian sex determination, has alleles on the Z and W chromosomes (Z-<i>nr5a1</i> and W-<i>nr5a1</i>), which are both expressed and can recombine. Three transcript isoforms of Z-<i>nr5a1</i> were detected in gonads of adult ZZ males, two of which encode a functional protein. However, ZW females produced sixteen isoforms, most of which contained premature stop codons. The array of transcripts produced by the W-borne allele (W-<i>nr5a1</i>) is likely to produce truncated polypeptides that could act as a competitive inhibitor to the full-length intact protein. We hypothesize that an altered configuration of the W chromosomes affects the conformation of the primary transcript generating inhibitory W-borne isoforms that suppress testis determination. Under this hypothesis, the GSD system of <i>P. vitticeps</i> is a W-borne dominant female-determiner that may be controlled epigenetically.</p>
CTMM Data for: 'Sex-specific differences in cytokine signaling pathways in circulating monocytes of cardiovascular disease patients'
<p><span>Data from the publication 'Sex-specific differences in cytokine signaling pathways in circulating monocytes of cardiovascular disease patients' <a title="Persistent link using digital object identifier" href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2023.04.005" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><span>https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2023.04.005</span></a> </span></p> <p><span>We generated sex-biased gene expression signatures by comparing male versus female monocytes of coronary artery disease (CAD) patients (n = 450) from the Center for Translational Molecular Medicine-Circulating Cells Cohort. </span></p> <p><span>the data includes 3 dataframes : </span></p> <p><span>clin_cvd: patient info</span></p> <p><span>geneexprs_hgnc: gene expression after batch correction</span></p> <p><span>GES_cvdmf_HGNC: limma results (male vs female)</span></p>
Data from: When males outlive females: sex-specific effects of temperature on lifespan in a cyclic parthenogen
Lifespans of males and females frequently differ as a consequence of different life history strategies adopted to maximize fitness. It is well visible in cyclic parthenogens, such as water fleas of the genus Daphnia, where males appear in the population usually only for periods when receptive females are available. Moreover, even within one sex, different life history strategies and mechanisms regulating lifespan may exist. Previous studies suggested that Daphnia males may regulate their lifespan by staying in colder waters than females. We hypothesize that such behavioural mechanism should be associated with stronger reaction to low temperature that is greater lifespan extension in males than in females. In this study, we monitored survivorship of Daphnia magna females and males of three clonal lines cultured at 16 or 20°C. The results did not provide a species-level corroboration of our hypothesis, instead, they revealed very strong intraspecific differences in the responses of male and female lifespan to temperature change. They further suggest the existence of parallel life history strategies, hypotheses whose tests would bring new insights into the ecology of males in cyclic parthenogens.
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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.