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140 results for “reproductive ecology”
Data from: Impacts of selective logging on inbreeding and gene flow in two Amazonian timber species with contrasting ecological and reproductive characteristics
Selective logging in Brazil allows for the removal of up to 90% of trees above 50 cm diameter of a given timber species, independent of a species' life history characteristics or how quickly it will recover. The genetic and demographic effects of selective logging on two Amazonian timber species (Dipteryx odorata Leguminosae, Jacaranda copaia Bignoniaceae) with contrasting ecological and reproductive characteristics were assessed in the same forest. Genetic diversity and gene flow were characterized by genotyping adults and seed sampled before and after logging, using hypervariable microsatellite markers. Overall, there were no short term genetic impacts on the J. copaia population, with commercial application of current Brazilian forest management regulations. In contrast, for D. odorata selective logging showed a range of genetic impacts, with a 10% loss of alleles, and reductions in siring by pollen from trees within the 546 ha study area (23% to 11%) and in the number of pollen donors per progeny array (2.8 to 1.6), illustrating the importance of the surrounding landscape. Asynchrony in flowering between D. odorata trees led to trees with no breeding partners, which could limit the species reproduction and regeneration under current regulations. The results are summarised with other published studies from the same site and the implications for forest management discussed. The different types and levels of impacts associated with each species support the idea that ecological and genetic information by species, ecological guild or reproductive group are essential in helping to derive sustainable logging guidelines for tropical forests.
Data from: Behavioral adaptations imply a direct link between ecological specialization and reproductive isolation in a sympatrically diverging ground beetle
Adaptation to a previously unoccupied niche within a single population is one of the most contentious topics in evolutionary biology as it assumes the simultaneous evolution of ecologically selected and preference traits. Here, we demonstrate behavioral adaptation to contrasting hydrological regimes in a sympatric mosaic of Pogonus chalceus beetle populations, and argue that this adaptation may result in nonrandom gene flow. When exposed to experimental inundations, individuals from tidal marshes, which are naturally subjected to frequent but short floods, showed a higher propensity to remain submerged compared to individuals from seasonal marshes that are inundated for several months. This adaptive behavior is expected to decrease the probability that individuals will settle in the alternative habitat, resulting in spatial sorting and reproductive isolation of both ecotypes. Additionally, we show that this difference in behavior is induced by the environmental conditions experienced by the beetles during their nondispersive larval stages. Hence, accidental or forced ovipositioning in the alternative habitat may induce both an increased performance and preference to the natal habitat type. Such plastic traits could play an important role in the most incipient stages of divergence with gene flow.
Data from: The genomic bases of morphological divergence and reproductive isolation driven by ecological speciation in Senecio (Asteraceae)
Ecological speciation, driven by adaptation to contrasting environments, provides an attractive opportunity to study the formation of distinct species, and the role of selection and genomic divergence in this process. Here, we focus on a particularly clear-cut case of ecological speciation to reveal the genomic bases of reproductive isolation and morphological differences between closely related Senecio species, whose recent divergence within the last ~200,000 years was likely driven by the uplift of Mt. Etna (Sicily). These species form a hybrid zone, yet remain morphologically and ecologically distinct, despite active gene exchange. Here, we report a high-density genetic map of the Senecio genome and map hybrid breakdown to one large and several small quantitative trait loci (QTL). Loci under diversifying selection cluster in three 5 cM regions which are characterized by a significant increase in relative (F(ST)), but not absolute (d(XY)), interspecific differentiation. They also correspond to some of the regions of greatest marker density, possibly corresponding to 'cold-spots' of recombination, such as centromeres or chromosomal inversions. Morphological QTL for leaf and floral traits overlap these clusters. We also detected three genomic regions with significant transmission ratio distortion (TRD), possibly indicating accumulation of intrinsic genetic incompatibilities between these recently diverged species. One of the TRD regions overlapped with a cluster of high species differentiation, and another overlaps the large QTL for hybrid breakdown, indicating that divergence of these species may have occurred due to a complex interplay of ecological divergence and accumulation of intrinsic genetic incompatibilities.
Data from: Use it or lose it: reproductive implications of ecological specialization in a haematophagous ectoparasite
Using experimentally induced disruptive selection, we tested two hypotheses regarding the evolution of specialization in parasites. The 'trade-off' hypothesis suggests that adaptation to a specific host may come at the expense of a reduced performance when exploiting another host. The alternative 'relaxed selection' hypothesis suggests that the ability to exploit a given host would deteriorate when becoming obsolete. Three replicate populations of a flea Xenopsylla ramesis were maintained on each of two rodent hosts, Meriones crassus and Dipodillus dasyurus, for nine generations. Fleas maintained on a specific host species for a few generations substantially decreased their reproductive performance when transferred to an alternative host species, whereas they generally did not increase their performance on their maintenance host. The results support the 'relaxed selection' hypothesis of the evolution of ecological specialization in haematophagous ectoparasites, while suggesting that trade-offs are unlikely drivers of specialization. Further work is needed to study the extent by which the observed specializations are based on epigenetic or genetic modifications.
Data from: Alternative reproductive tactics in context: how demography, ecology, and behavior affect male mating success
Exploitation of sexual signals by predators or parasites increases costs to signalers, creating opportunities for establishment of alternative reproductive tactics (ARTs). In field crickets, males calling may attract acoustically-orienting parasitoid flies. Alternatively, males behaving as satellites forgo calling and attempt to intercept females attracted to callers. We modeled the contribution of calling vs. satellite behavior to male reproductive success in the larger context of variation in ecology (parasitism rate, background mortality), demography (density, sex ratio), and female behavior (phonotaxis, mating choosiness). Male mating success was most influenced by number of females (standardized effect size 0.42), then female choosiness (0.33), background mortality (-0.31), number of males (-0.28), and parasitism rate (-0.21). Smallest effects were phonotaxis (0.10) and satellite behavior (-0.09). Although satellite behavior ameliorated negative effects of parasitism, its comparative effect was slight. ARTs seem most likely to evolve and persist when a single selection pressure on signaling is particularly strong.
Data from: Long term impacts of selective logging on two Amazonian tree species with contrasting ecological and reproductive characteristics: inferences from Eco-gene model simulations
The impact of logging and subsequent recovery after logging is predicted to vary depending on specific life history traits of the logged species. The Eco-gene simulation model was used to evaluate the long-term impacts of selective logging over 300 years on two contrasting Brazilian Amazon tree species, Dipteryx odorata and Jacaranda copaia. D. odorata (Leguminosae), a slow growing climax tree, occurs at very low densities, whereas J. copaia (Bignoniaceae) is a fast growing pioneer tree that occurs at high densities. Microsatellite multilocus genotypes of the pre-logging populations were used as data inputs for the Eco-gene model and post-logging genetic data was used to verify the output from the simulations. Overall, under current Brazilian forest management regulations, there were neither short nor long-term impacts on J. copaia. By contrast, D. odorata cannot be sustainably logged under current regulations, a sustainable scenario was achieved by increasing the minimum cutting diameter at breast height from 50 to 100 cm over 30-year logging cycles. Genetic parameters were only slightly affected by selective logging, with reductions in the numbers of alleles and single genotypes. In the short term, the loss of alleles seen in J. copaia simulations was the same as in real data, whereas fewer alleles were lost in D. odorata simulations than in the field. The different impacts and periods of recovery for each species support the idea that ecological and genetic information are essential at species, ecological guild or reproductive group levels to help derive sustainable management scenarios for tropical forests.
Data from: Reproductive ecology and isolation of Psittacanthus calyculatus and P. auriculatus mistletoes (Loranthaceae)
Background: Relationships between floral biology and pollinator behavior are important to understanding species diversity of hemiparasitic Psittacanthus mistletoes (c. 120 species). We aimed to investigate trait divergence linked to pollinator attraction and reproductive isolation (RI) in two hummingbird-pollinated and bird-dispersed Psittacanthus species with range overlap. Methods: We investigated the phylogenetic relationships, floral biology, pollinator assemblages, seed dispersers and host usage, and the breeding system and female reproductive success of two sympatric populations of P. calyculatus and P. auriculatus, and one allopatric population of P. calyculatus. Flowers in sympatry were also reciprocally pollinated to assess a post-mating component of RI. Results: Hummingbird assemblages differed between calyculatus populations, while allopatric plants of calyculatus opened more but smaller flowers with longer lifespans and produced less nectar than those in sympatry. Bayesian-based phylogenetic analysis indicated monophyly for calyculatus populations (i.e. both populations belong to the same species). In sympatry, calyculatus plants opened more and larger flowers with longer lifespans and produced same nectar volume than those of auriculatus; populations shared pollinators but seed dispersers and host usage differed between species. Nectar standing crops differed between sympatric populations, with lower visitation in calyculatus. Hand pollination experiments indicated a predominant outcrossing breeding system, with fruit set after interspecific pollination two times higher from calyculatus to auriculatus than in the opposite direction. Conclusions: Given the low genetic differentiation between calyculatus populations, observed trait divergence could have resulted from changes regarding the local communities of pollinators and, therefore, expected divergence for peripheral, allopatric populations. Using RI estimates, there were fewer heterospecific matings than expected by chance in P. calyculatus (RI4A = 0.629) as compared to P. auriculatus (RI4A = 0.20). When considering other factors of ecological isolation that affect co-occurrence, the RI4C values indicate that isolation by hummingbird pollinators was less effective (0.20) than isolation by host tree species and seed dispersers (0.80 and 0.60, respectively), suggesting that host usage is the most important ecological isolation factor between the two species. Accordingly, the absolute and relative cumulative strength values indicated that the host tree species' barrier is currently contributing the most to maintaining these species in sympatry.
Data from: Ecological divergence plays an important role in strong but complex reproductive isolation in campions (Silene)
New species arise through the evolution of reproductive barriers between formerly interbreeding lineages. Yet, comprehensive assessments of potential reproductive barriers, which are needed to make inferences on processes driving speciation, are only available for a limited number of systems. In this study, we estimated individual and cumulative strengths of seven prezygotic and six postzygotic reproductive barriers between the recently diverged taxa Silene dioica (L.) Clairv. and S. latifolia Poiret using both published and new data. A combination of multiple partial reproductive barriers resulted in near-complete reproductive isolation between S. dioica and S. latifolia that is consistent with earlier estimates of gene flow between the taxa. Extrinsic barriers associated with adaptive ecological divergence were most important, while intrinsic postzygotic barriers had moderate individual strength but contributed only little to total reproductive isolation. These findings are most in line with ecological divergence as driver of speciation. We further found extensive variation in extrinsic reproductive isolation, ranging from sites with strong selection against migrants and hybrids to more intermediate sites where substantial hybridization is possible. This situation may allow for or even promote heterogeneous genetic divergence.
Data from: Immigrant reproductive dysfunction facilitates ecological speciation
The distributions of species are not only determined by where they can survive – they must also be able to reproduce. Although immigrant inviability is a well-established concept, the fact that immigrants also need to be able to effectively reproduce in foreign environments has not been fully appreciated in the study of adaptive divergence and speciation. Fertilization and reproduction are sensitive life history stages that could be detrimentally affected for immigrants in non-native habitats. We propose that 'immigrant reproductive dysfunction' is a hitherto overlooked aspect of reproductive isolation caused by natural selection on immigrants. This idea is supported by results from experiments on an externally fertilizing fish (sand goby, Pomatoschistus minutus). Growth and condition of adults were not affected by non-native salinity whereas males spawning as immigrants had lower sperm motility and hatching success than residents. We interpret these results as evidence for local adaptation or acclimation of sperm, and possibly also components of paternal care. The resulting loss in fitness, which we call 'immigrant reproductive dysfunction', has the potential to reduce gene flow between populations with locally adapted reproduction, and it may play a role in species distributions and speciation.
Data from: Resource availability and roosting ecology shape reproductive phenology of rain forest insectivorous bats
Bats in temperate and subtropical regions typically synchronize birth of a single young with peaks in resource availability driven by local climate patterns. In tropical rain forest, insects are available throughout the year, potentially allowing departures from seasonal monoestry. However, reproductive energy budgets may be constrained by the cost of commuting to foraging grounds from distant roosts. To test these hypotheses, we simultaneously tracked female reproductive activity of 11 insectivorous bat species, insect biomass, and local weather variables for 20 months in a Malaysian rain forest. Five species roost in forest structures and hence have low commuting costs, whereas six species depend on caves, which are limited in the landscape, and are presumed to incur higher commuting costs to foraging sites. Monthly insect biomass was positively correlated with monthly rainfall, and there was a significant relationship between insect biomass and lactation in cave-roosting but not forest-roosting species. Cave-roosting species were seasonally monoestrus, with parturition confined to a two-month period, whereas in forest-roosting species, pregnancy and lactation were recorded throughout the year. Our results suggest that the energetic costs of commuting from roosts to foraging grounds shape annual reproductive patterns in tropical rain forest insectivorous bats. Ongoing changes in forest landscapes are likely to increase these costs for cave-roosting bats, further restricting reproductive opportunities. Climate change is projected to influence the timing of rainfall events in many tropical habitats, which may disrupt relationships between rainfall, insect biomass, and bat reproductive timing, further compromising reproductive success.
Rhesus macaques compensate for reproductive delay following ecological adversity early in life
<p>Adversity early in life can shape the reproductive potential of individuals through negative effects on health and life span. However, long-lived populations with multiple reproductive events may present alternative life history strategies to optimize reproductive schedules and compensate for shorter life spans. Here, we quantify the effects of major hurricanes and density dependence as sources of early-life ecological adversity on Cayo Santiago rhesus macaque female reproduction and decompose their effects onto the mean age-specific fertility, reproductive pace, and lifetime reproductive success (LRS). Females experiencing major hurricanes exhibit a delayed reproductive debut but maintain the pace of reproduction past debut and show a higher mean fertility during prime reproductive ages, relative to unaffected females. Increasing density at birth is associated to a decrease in mean fertility and reproductive pace, but such association is absent at intermediate densities. When combined, our study reveals that hurricanes early in life predict a delay-overshoot pattern in mean age-specific fertility that supports the maintenance of LRS. In contrast to predictive adaptive response models of accelerated reproduction, this long-lived population presents a novel reproductive strategy where females who experience major natural disasters early in life ultimately overcome their initial reproductive penalty with no major negative fitness outcomes. Density presents a more complex relation with reproduction that suggests females experiencing a population regulated at intermediate densities early in life will escape density dependence and show optimized reproductive schedules. Our results support hypotheses about life history trade-offs in which adversity-affected females ensure their future reproductive potential by allocating more energy to growth or maintenance processes at younger adult ages.</p>
Reproductive ecology of Drosophila obscura: A cold adapted species
<p>The study of insect reproductive ecology is essential to determine species distributions and fate under changing environments. Species adapted to harsh environments are good examples to investigate the reproductive mechanisms that allow them to cope with the challenging conditions. We here focus on studying for the first time the reproductive ecology of a cold-adapted<em> D. obscura</em> strain collected in Finland (subarctic climate region). We tested several reproductive traits such as fertility and fecundity to observe the onset of reproduction and gauge when sexual maturity is reached in both males and females. We combined these measures with an analysis of changes of their reproductive organs shortly after eclosion. We found that males matured several days before females and that this process was underpinned by female egg maturation and male accessory gland growth, while sperm was already present in two-day old males. This delayed maturation is not observed to the same extent in other closely related species and might be a signature of exposure to harsh environments. Whether this delay is an adaptation to cope with variation in resource availability or prolonged unfavorable temperatures is though not clear. Finally, our study adds to the set of reproductive mechanisms used by cold adapted species and the information presented here contributes to understanding the breadth of Drosophila reproductive ecology.</p>
Supplementary material 2 from: Gomez-Mesa L, Pereira-Ribeiro J, Colombo Ferreguetti Á, Almeida-Santos M, Bergallo HG, Rocha CFD (2017) Ecological and reproductive aspects of Aparasphenodon brunoi (Anura: Hylidae) in an ombrophilous forest area of the Atlantic Rainforest Biome, Brazil. Zoologia 34: 1-8. https://doi.org/10.3897/zoologia.34.e20477
Table S2. Data of Aparasphenodon brunoi individuals collected outside plot areas for diet and reproductive aspects analysis. : Data type: (measurement/occurence/multimedia/etc.)
Supplementary material 1 from: Gomez-Mesa L, Pereira-Ribeiro J, Colombo Ferreguetti Á, Almeida-Santos M, Bergallo HG, Rocha CFD (2017) Ecological and reproductive aspects of Aparasphenodon brunoi (Anura: Hylidae) in an ombrophilous forest area of the Atlantic Rainforest Biome, Brazil. Zoologia 34: 1-8. https://doi.org/10.3897/zoologia.34.e20477
Table S1. Summary of observations of Aparasphenodon brunoi in Vale Natural Reserve, municipality of Linhares, state of Espírito Santo, Southeastern Brazil. : Data type: (measurement/occurence/multimedia/etc.)
Fig. 1 in Reproductive ecology and nest-site selection of Siamese fireback in lowland forest
Fig. 1. Location of Sakaerat Environmental Research Station, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand including 21 nests and 60 control
Data from: Parentage analysis of Ansell's mole-rat family groups indicates a high reproductive skew despite relatively relaxed ecological constraints on dispersal
To better understand evolutionary pathways leading to eusociality, interspecific comparisons are needed, which would use a common axis, such as that of reproductive skew, to array species. African mole-rats (Bathyergidae, Rodentia) provide an outstanding model of social evolution because of a wide range of social organizations within a single family; however, their reproductive skew is difficult to estimate, due to their cryptic lifestyle. A maximum skew could theoretically be reached in groups where reproduction is monopolized by a stable breeding pair, but the value could be decreased by breeding-male and breeding-female turnover, shared reproduction and extra-group mating. The frequency of such events should be higher in species or populations inhabiting mesic environments with relaxed ecological constraints on dispersal. To test this prediction, we studied patterns of parentage and relatedness within 16 groups of Ansell's mole-rat (Fukomys anselli) in mesic miombo woodland. Contrary to expectation, there was no shared reproduction (more than one breeder of a particular sex) within the studied groups, and proportion of immigrants and offspring not assigned to current breeding males was low. The within-group parentage and relatedness patterns observed resemble arid populations of 'eusocial' Fukomys damarensis, rather than a mesic population of 'social' Cryptomys hottentotus. As a possible explanation, we propose that the extent ecological conditions affect reproductive skew may be markedly affected by life history and natural history traits of the particular species and genera.
Figure 7 in Reproductive ecology of the glass frog Espadarana prosoblepon (Anura: Centrolenidae) in an urban forest of the Central Andes of Colombia
Figure 7. Preferred use of fronds of Selaginella geniculata as substrates for oviposition in Espadarana prosoblepon in a population in the Botanical Garden at Universidad del Quindío, Armenia, Colombia. The expected legend refers to the number of clutches that should be found in a given substrate category according to the abundance of these in the habitat; the observed legend refers to the actual number of clutches found per substrate category in this study. The category 'Leaves' refers to leaves of species other than S. geniculata while 'Others' refers to branches, trunks, and rocks.
Figure 6 in Reproductive ecology of the glass frog Espadarana prosoblepon (Anura: Centrolenidae) in an urban forest of the Central Andes of Colombia
Figure 6. (a) Amplexus, (b) oviposition, (c) abandonment of the oviposition site by the male and (d) egg attendance by the female in Espadarana prosoblepon.
Figure 5 in Reproductive ecology of the glass frog Espadarana prosoblepon (Anura: Centrolenidae) in an urban forest of the Central Andes of Colombia
Figure 5. (a) Relationship between the body size of males, and chorus tenure (i.e. number of nights a same male was recorded over the duration of the study or until was recorded in amplexus). (b) Influence of chorus tenure in males and their probability of mating. (c) Lack of assortative mating by body size of individuals in amplexus. (d) Relationship between the body size of the females and the size of their egg clutches. Regression line is showed only for the statistically significant tendency at α = 0.05.
Figure 4 in Reproductive ecology of the glass frog Espadarana prosoblepon (Anura: Centrolenidae) in an urban forest of the Central Andes of Colombia
Figure 4. Variation of (a) rainfall and environmental temperature; (b) number of males and females; and (c) egg clutches in the study area between December 2013 and November 2015. Extensions of the bars in the middle figure indicate standard deviation.
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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.