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4,753 results for “SHAPE”

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dryad36/100

Did shell-crushing predators drive the evolution of ammonoid septal shape?

<p class="AbstractSummary">For centuries, paleontologists have sought functional explanations for the uniquely complex internal walls (septa) of ammonoids, extinct shelled cephalopods. Ammonoid septa developed increasingly complex fractal margins, unlike any modern shell morphologies, throughout more than 300 million years of evolution. Some have suggested these morphologies provided increased resistance to shell-crushing predators. We perform the first physical compression experiments on model ammonoid septa using controlled, theoretical morphologies generated by computer-aided design and 3D printing. These biomechanical experiments reveal that increasing complexity of septal margins does not increase compression resistance. Our results raise the question of whether the evolution of septal shape may be tied closely to the placement of the siphuncle foramen (anatomic septal hole). Our tests demonstrate weakness in the centers of uniformly thick septa, supporting work suggesting reinforcement by shell-thickening at the center of septa. These experiments highlight the importance of 3D reconstruction using idealized theoretical morphologies that permit the testing of long-held hypotheses of functional evolutionary drivers by recreating extinct morphologies once rendered physically untestable by the fossil record.</p>

opencc-zeroJan 2021View details →
dryad36/100

Data from: Shape matters: The relationship between cell geometry and diversity in phytoplankton

<p>We compiled the most comprehensive data set of phytoplankton and other marine protists in terms of sizes, shapes, genus, and species names. Samples were obtained from seven globally distributed marine areas: Baltic Sea, North Atlantic (Scotland), Mediterranean Sea (Greece and Turkey), Indo-Pacific (the Maldives), South-western Pacific (Australia), Southern Atlantic (Brazil).</p> <p>See details in Ryabov et al Ecology Letters <em>'Shape matters: the relationship between cell geometry and diversity in phytoplankton</em>'</p>

opencc-zeroDec 2021View details →
zenodo36/100

On the anomalous shapes of native copper crystals from the Michigan Copper Country

<p>Raw NanoSIMS image data files and metadata files with analytical conditions for each analysis. Data associated with manuscript &quot;On the anomalous shapes of native copper crystals from the Michigan Copper Country&quot; by Boulliard, Al&eacute;on and Gaillou, accepted in European Journal of Mineralogy, 2021.</p>

opencc-by-4.0Jan 2021View details →
dryad36/100

Data from: Isolation by instability: historical climate change shapes population structure and genomic divergence of treefrogs in the Neotropical Cerrado savanna

Although the impact of Pleistocene glacial cycles on the diversification of the tropical biota was once dismissed, increasing evidence suggests that Pleistocene climatic fluctuations greatly affected the distribution and population divergence of tropical organisms. Landscape genomic analyses coupled with paleoclimatic distribution models provide a powerful way to understand the consequences of past climate changes on the present-day tropical biota. Using genome-wide SNP data and mitochondrial DNA, combined with projections of the species distribution across the late Quaternary until the present, we evaluate the effect of paleoclimatic shifts on the genetic structure and population differentiation of Hypsiboas lundii, a treefrog endemic to the South American Cerrado savanna. Our results show a recent and strong genetic divergence in H. lundii across the Cerrado landscape, yielding four genetic clusters that do not seem congruent with any current physical barrier to gene flow. Isolation by distance (IBD) explains some of the population differentiation, but we also find strong support for past climate changes promoting range shifts and structuring populations even in the presence of IBD. Post Pleistocene population persistence in four main areas of historical stable climate in the Cerrado seems to have played a major role establishing the present genetic structure of this treefrog. This pattern is consistent with a model of reduced gene-flow in areas with high climatic instability promoting isolation of populations, defined here as "isolation by instability", highlighting the effects of Pleistocene climatic fluctuations structuring populations in tropical savannas.

opencc-zeroDec 2018View details →
dryad36/100

Data from: Living in the city: urban environments shape the evolution of a native annual plant

Urban environments are warmer, have higher levels of atmospheric CO2, and altered patterns of disturbance and precipitation than nearby rural areas. These differences can be important for plant growth and are likely to create distinct selective environments. We planted a common garden experiment with seeds collected from natural populations of the native annual plant Lepidium virginicum, growing in five urban and nearby rural areas in the northern United States to determine whether and how urban populations differ from those from surrounding rural areas. When grown in a common environment, plants grown from seeds collected from urban areas bolted sooner, grew larger, had fewer leaves, had an extended time between bolting and flowering, and produced more seeds than plants grown from seeds collected from rural areas. Interestingly, the rural populations exhibited larger phenotypic differences from one another than urban populations. Surprisingly, genomic data revealed that the majority of individuals in each of the urban populations were more closely related to individuals from other urban populations than they were to geographically proximate rural areas – the one exception being urban and rural populations from New York which were nearly identical. Taken together our results suggest that selection in urban environments favors different traits than selection in rural environments and that these differences can drive adaptation and shape population structure.

opencc-zeroDec 2015View details →
dryad36/100

The cell adhesion molecule Sdk1 shapes assembly of a retinal circuit that detects localized edges

<p>Nearly 50 different mouse retinal ganglion cell (RGC) types sample the visual scene for distinct features. RGC feature selectivity arises from its synapses with a specific subset of amacrine (AC) and bipolar cell (BC) types, but how RGC dendrites arborize and collect input from these specific subsets remains poorly understood. Here we examine the hypothesis that RGCs employ molecular recognition systems to meet this challenge. By combining calcium imaging and type-specific histological stains we define a family of circuits that express the recognition molecule Sidekick 1 (Sdk1) which include a novel RGC type (S1-RGC) that responds to local edges. Genetic and physiological studies revealed that Sdk1 loss selectively disrupts S1-RGC visual responses which result from a loss of excitatory and inhibitory inputs and selective dendritic deficits on this neuron. We conclude that Sdk1 shapes dendrite growth and wiring to help S1-RGCs become feature selective.</p>

opencc-zeroJun 2021View details →
dryad36/100

Data from: Everything is not everywhere: marine compartments shape phytoplankton assemblages

The idea that "everything is everywhere, but the environment selects" has been seminal in microbial biogeography and marine phytoplankton is one of the prototypical groups used to illustrate this. The argument has typically been that phytoplankton is ubiquitous, but that distinct assemblages form under environmental selection. It is well established that phytoplankton assemblages vary considerably between coastal ecosystems. However, the relative role of compartmentalisation of regional seas and site-specific environmental conditions in shaping assemblage structures, has not been specifically examined. We collected data from coastal embayments falling within two different water compartments within the same regional sea and also characterised by highly localised environmental pressures. We used PCNM and AEM models to partition the effects that spatial structures, environmental conditions and their overlap had on the variation in assemblage composition. Our model explained a high percentage of variation in assemblage composition (59-65%) and showed that spatial structure consistent with marine compartmentalisation played a more important role than local environmental conditions. At least during the study period, surface currents connecting sites within the two compartments failed to generate sufficient dispersal to offset the impact of differences due to compartmentalisation. In other words, our findings suggest that, even for a prototypical cosmopolitan group, everything is not everywhere.

opencc-zeroOct 2019View details →
dryad36/100

Pectoral fin kinematics and motor patterns are shaped by fin ray mechanosensation during steady swimming in Scarus quoyi

<div class="page"> <div class="layoutArea"> <div class="column"> <p>For many species of fish, rhythmic movement of the pectoral fins, or forelimbs, drives locomotion. In terrestrial vertebrates, normal limb- based rhythmic gaits require ongoing modulation with limb mechanosensors. Given the complexity of the fluid environment and dexterity of fish swimming through it, we hypothesize that mechanosensory modulation is also critical to normal fin-based swimming. Here, we examined the role of sensory feedback from the pectoral fin rays and membrane on the neuromuscular control and kinematics of pectoral fin-based locomotion. Pectoral fin kinematics and electromyograms of the six major fin muscles of the parrotfish, Scarus quoyi, a high-performance pectoral fin swimmer, were recorded during steady swimming before and after bilateral transection of the sensory nerves extending into the rays and surrounding membrane. Alternating activity of antagonistic muscles was observed and drove the fin in a figure-of-eight fin stroke trajectory before and after nerve transection. After bilateral transections, pectoral fin rhythmicity remained the same or increased. Differences in fin kinematics with the loss of sensory feedback also included fin kinematics with a significantly more inclined stroke plane angle, an increased angular velocity and fin beat frequency, and a transition to the body-caudal fin gait at lower speeds. After transection, muscles were active over a larger proportion of the fin stroke, with overlapping activation of antagonistic muscles rarely observed in the trials of intact fish. The increased overlap of antagonistic muscle activity might stiffen the fin system in order to enhance control and stability in the absence of sensory feedback from the fin rays. These results indicate that fin ray sensation is not necessary to generate the underlying rhythm of fin movement, but contributes to the specification of pectoral fin motor pattern and movement during rhythmic swimming.</p> <p> </p> </div> </div> </div>

opencc-zeroJan 2020View details →
dryad36/100

Data from: Serratia marcescens Shapes Cutaneous Bacterial Communities and Influences Survival of an Amphibian Host

A changing understanding of the functional interactions between microbial communities and their associated hosts is influencing how disease is perceived and ameliorated. Of the numerous host-microbiome-disease systems of study, the emergence of chytridiomycosis in anurans (caused by Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, hereafter Bd), has been implicated in ongoing declines and extinction events of amphibians across the planet. Interestingly, there has been differential survival among amphibians in resisting Bd infection and subsequent disease. One factor thought to contribute to this resistance is the host-associated cutaneous microbiota. This has raised the possibility of utilizing genetically modified probiotics to restructure the host-associated microbiota for desired anti-fungal outcomes. Here, we utilize a previously described strain of Serratia marcescens (Sm) for manipulation of amphibian cutaneous microbiota. Sm was genetically altered to have a dysfunctional pathway for the production of the extracellular metabolite prodigiosin. This genetically altered strain (Δpig) and the functional prodigiosin producing strain (WT-pig) were compared for their microbial community and anti-Bd effects both in vitro and in vivo. In vitro, Bd growth was significantly repressed in the presence of prodigiosin. In vivo, the inoculation of both Sm strains was shown to significantly influence amphibian microbiota diversity with the Δpig-Sm treatment showing increasing α-diversity, and the WT-pig S. marcescens having no temporal effect on diversity. Differences were also seen in host mortality with Δpig-Sm exhibiting significantly decreased survival probability as compared to a no¬-Sm control in the presence of Bd. These results are important evidence for the potential of genetic-level manipulation of bacteria in a host microbial community, which may provide a way to alter disease outcomes and address critical frontiers in disease and microbial ecology.

opencc-zeroOct 2019View details →
dryad36/100

Data from: Extreme insolation: climatic variation shapes the evolution of thermal tolerance at multiple scales

The climatic variability hypothesis (CVH) is a cornerstone of thermal ecology, predicting the evolution of wider organismal thermal tolerance ranges in more thermally variable environments. Thermal tolerance ranges depend on both upper and lower tolerance limits (critical thermal maxima [CTmax] and critical thermal minima [CTmin]), which may show different responses to environmental gradients. To delineate the relative effects of mean and extreme temperatures on thermal tolerances, we conducted a within-latitude comparative test of CVH predictions for army ants (Dorylinae) at multiple scales: across elevations, in seasonal versus aseasonal forests, and in subterranean versus surface microhabitats. Consistent with the CVH, thermally buffered subterranean species had narrower thermal tolerance ranges. Both CTmin and CTmax decreased with elevation for subterranean species. In contrast, aboveground species (those exposed to insolation) showed a decrease in CTmin but no change in CTmax across elevations. Furthermore, greater seasonal temperature variation in dry forests correlated with increased CTmax but not CTmin. These patterns suggest that CTmax and CTmin respond to different abiotic selective forces: habitat-specific exposure to extreme insolation corresponds to CTmax differences but not to CTmin variation. We predict that increasingly frequent heat spikes associated with climate change will have habitat-specific physiological consequences for ectothermic animals. Models predicting climate change impacts should account for species microhabitat uses and within-latitude differences in temperature seasonality.

opencc-zeroDec 2017View details →
dryad36/100

Data from: Does biological intimacy shape ecological network structure? A test using a brood pollination mutualism on continental and oceanic islands

Biological intimacy—the degree of physical proximity or integration of partner taxa during their life cycles—is thought to promote the evolution of reciprocal specialization and modularity in the networks formed by co‐occurring mutualistic species, but this hypothesis has rarely been tested. Here, we test this "biological intimacy hypothesis" by comparing the network architecture of brood pollination mutualisms, in which specialized insects are simultaneously parasites (as larvae) and pollinators (as adults) of their host plants to that of other mutualisms which vary in their biological intimacy (including ant‐myrmecophyte, ant‐extrafloral nectary, plant‐pollinator and plant‐seed disperser assemblages). We use a novel dataset sampled from leafflower trees (Phyllanthaceae: Phyllanthus s. l. [Glochidion]) and their pollinating leafflower moths (Lepidoptera: Epicephala) on three oceanic islands (French Polynesia) and compare it to equivalent published data from congeners on continental islands (Japan). We infer taxonomic diversity of leafflower moths using multilocus molecular phylogenetic analysis and examine several network structural properties: modularity (compartmentalization), reciprocality (symmetry) of specialization and algebraic connectivity. We find that most leafflower‐moth networks are reciprocally specialized and modular, as hypothesized. However, we also find that two oceanic island networks differ in their modularity and reciprocal specialization from the others, as a result of a supergeneralist moth taxon which interacts with nine of 10 available hosts. Our results generally support the biological intimacy hypothesis, finding that leafflower‐moth networks (usually) share a reciprocally specialized and modular structure with other intimate mutualisms such as ant‐myrmecophyte symbioses, but unlike nonintimate mutualisms such as seed dispersal and nonintimate pollination. Additionally, we show that generalists—common in nonintimate mutualisms—can also evolve in intimate mutualisms, and that their effect is similar in both types of assemblages: once generalists emerge they reshape the network organization by connecting otherwise isolated modules.

opencc-zeroDec 2017View details →
dryad36/100

Data from: Ecological opportunity shapes a large Arctic charr species radiation

Ecological opportunity is considered a crucial factor for adaptive radiation. Here, we combine genetic, morphological and ecological data to assess species and ecomorphological diversity of Artic charr in six lakes of a catchment in southernmost Greenland, harbouring only charr and stickleback. Because the diversity of habitats and resources increases with lake size, we predict a positive association between lake size and the extent of ecomorphological diversity. The largest lake of the catchment harbours the largest Arctic charr assemblage known today. It consists of six genetically differentiated species belonging to five ecomorphs (anadromous, littoral benthic, profundal dwarf, planktivorous, piscivorous), of which the latter comprises two ecomorphologically extremely similar species. Lakes of intermediate size contain two ecomorphologically and genetically distinct species. Small lakes harbour one genetically homogenous, yet sometimes ecomorphologically variable population. Supporting our prediction, lake size is positively correlated with the extent of ecomorphological specialization towards profundal, pelagic and piscivorous lifestyle. Furthermore, assemblage-wide morphospace increases sharply when more than one genetic cluster is present. Our data suggest that ecological opportunity and speciation jointly determine phenotypic expansion in this charr radiation.

opencc-zeroOct 2019View details →
dryad36/100

Data from: Multiple forms of selection shape reproductive isolation in a primate hybrid zone

Speciation occurs when populations diverge and become reproductively isolated from each other. Natural selection is commonly accepted to play a large role in this process and it has been widely assumed that reproductive isolation often results as a byproduct of divergence driven by adaptation in allopatry. When such populations come into secondary contact, reinforcement can act to strengthen reproductive isolation, but the frequency and importance of this process is still unknown. Here, we explored genomic signatures of selection in allopatry and sympatry for loci associated with reproductive isolation using a natural primate hybrid zone. By analyzing reduced-representation sequencing data, we quantified admixture and population structure across a howler monkey hybrid zone and examined the relationship between locus-specific differentiation and introgression. We detected extensive admixture that was mostly limited to the narrow contact zone. Loci with reduced introgression into the heterospecific genomic background (the pattern expected for loci associated with reproductive isolation due to selection against hybrids) were significantly more differentiated between allopatric parental populations than loci with neutral and increased introgression, supporting the hypothesis that reproductive isolation is a by-product of divergence in allopatry. Further, loci with reduced introgression showed greater differentiation in sympatry than in allopatry, suggesting a role for reinforcement. Thus, our results reflect multiple forms of selection that have shaped reproductive isolation in this system. We conclude that reproductive isolation may have initially been driven by divergence in allopatry, but later reinforced by divergent selection in sympatry.

opencc-zeroDec 2017View details →
dryad36/100

Data from: The shape of avian eggs: assessment of a novel metric for quantifying eggshell conicality

<p>Studying avian egg shape and other aspects of its morphology has recently undergone a renaissance. Yet, most studies rely solely on two metrics for the quantification of egg shape: elongation and asymmetry. The difficulty of additionally quantifying the curvature of an eggshell has yielded many attempts including those with complex equations and spatial modeling techniques based on digitized images. These have lacked an independent single-variable metric, hampering comparative studies. We propose a metric for one common quality of egg shape, conicality, which is notably variable in diverse species' calcareous shells including shorebirds and non-avian theropods. This metric utilizes multiple measurements of the slope along an eggs profile to produce a distribution of angular measurements, which can be analyzed with a Kurtosis (K) value. This metric was tested with sets of computer modeled and 3D printed egg forms, where elongation, the percentage of conicality, and the relative curvature of the shell profile were controlled. For applicability to natural eggs and their diversity across taxa, the Kurtosis value was used to quantify the gradient of conicality across a focal avian family, Alcidae, where the Kurtosis value successfully identified the most conical eggs using qualitative descriptions from well-established literature. Given the significance of egg morphology and profile curvature to structural integrity, surface-area to volume ratio, egg mobility/stability, nesting behavior, and embryonic development, our proposed measure of conicality could prove a useful variable to the study of avian and non-avian egg-producing species. </p>

opencc-zeroMay 2020View details →
dryad36/100

Predation shapes invertebrate diversity in tropical but not temperate seagrass communities

<p>1. The hypothesis that biotic interactions are stronger at lower relative to higher latitudes has a rich history, drawing from ecological and evolutionary theory. While this hypothesis suggests that stronger interactions at lower latitudes may contribute to the maintenance of contemporary patterns of diversity, there remain few standardized biogeographic comparisons of community effects of species interactions. 2. Using marine seagrasses as a focal ecosystem of conservation importance and sessile marine invertebrates as model prey, we tested the hypothesis that predation is stronger at lower latitudes and can shape contemporary patterns of prey diversity. To further advance understanding beyond prior studies, we also explored mechanisms that likely underlie a change in interaction outcomes with latitude. 3. Multiple observational and experimental approaches were employed to test for effects of predators, and the mechanisms that may underlie these effects, in seagrass ecosystems of the western Atlantic Ocean spanning 30 degrees of latitude from the temperate zone to the tropics. 4. In predator exclusion experiments conducted in a temperate and a tropical region, predation decreased sessile invertebrate abundance, richness, and diversity on both natural and standardized artificial seagrass at tropical but not temperate sites. Further, predation reduced invertebrate richness at both local and regional scales in the tropics. Additional experiments demonstrated that predation reduced invertebrate recruitment in the tropics but not the temperate zone. Finally, direct observations of predators showed higher but variable consumption rates on invertebrates at subtropical and tropical relative to temperate latitudes. 5. Together, these results demonstrate that strong predation in the tropics can have consequential impacts on prey communities through discrete effects on early life stages as well as longer-term cumulative effects on community structure and diversity. Our detailed experiments also provide some of the first data linking large-scale biogeographic patterns, community-scale interaction outcomes, and direct observation of predators in the temperate zone and tropics. Therefore, our results support the hypothesis that predation is stronger in the tropics, but also elucidate some of the causes and consequences of this variation in shaping contemporary patterns of diversity. 16-Sep-2019</p>

opencc-zeroDec 2019View details →
dryad36/100

Data from: Pest control potential of adjacent agri-environment schemes varies with crop type and is shaped by landscape context and within-field position

<ol> <li>Increasing natural pest control in agricultural fields is an important aim of ecological intensification. Combined effects of landscape context and local placement of agri-environmental schemes on natural pest control and within field distance functions of natural pest control agents have rarely been addressed but might affect the distribution of biocontrol providers. Importantly, it is currently unknown whether ecosystem services provided by adjacent agri-environmental schemes (AES) are consistent for different crop types during crop rotation.</li> <li>In this study, we assessed whether crop rotation from oilseed rape to cereals altered within-field distance functions of ground dwelling predators from adjacent agri-environmental fields along a gradient in landscape context. Additionally we recorded crop pests, predation rates, parasitoids as well as crop yields on a total of 30 study sites.</li> <li>Distance functions varied between trophic levels: Carabid richness decreased while densities of carabid beetles, staphylinid beetles as well as crop yields increased towards the field centres. Distance functions of parasitoids and pests were modulated by the amount of semi-natural habitat in the surrounding landscape, while the effects of adjacent AES were limited.</li> <li>Distance decay functions found for ground dwelling predators in oilseed rape in the previous year were not always present in cereals. Increasing distance to the field edge also increased effects of crop rotation on carabid beetle assemblages, indicating a source habitat function of field edges.</li> <li>Synthesis and applications<i>.</i> Distance functions of natural pest control are not universal and the effects of agri-environmental schemes (AES) in different adjacent crops during crop rotation vary and depends on ecological contrasts. A network of semi-natural habitats and spatially optimised AES habitats can benefit pest control in agricultural landscapes, but constraints as a result of crop type need to be addressed by annually targeted, spatially shifting AES schemes for different crops.</li> </ol> <div> </div>

opencc-zeroMay 2020View details →
dryad36/100

Data from: How the thermal environment shapes the structure of termite mounds

<p>A computational model has been developed to predict the role of environment in the forms and functions of termite mounds. The proposed model considers the most relevant forces involved in the heat transfer process of termite mounds, while also reflects their gasexchange function. The method adopts a system configuration procedure to determine thermally optimized mound structures. The model successfully predicts the main architectural characteristics of typical Macrotermes michaelseni mounds for the environmental conditions they live in. The results indicate that the mound superstructure and internal condition strongly depend on the combined effect of environmental forces. It is noted that mounds being exposed to higher solar irradiances develop intricate lateral channels, inside, and taller and more pronounced spire tilt towards the sun, outside. It is also found that the mounds' spire tilt angle depends on the geographical location, following the local average solar zenith angle for strong irradiances. Although wind does not influence the overall over-ground mound shape, it significantly affects the mound internal condition. The results of this study resonate with what is seen in nature. The proposed approach provides a broader view of the factors that are effective in the form and function of a naturally made structure.</p>

opencc-zeroNov 2019View details →
dryad36/100

Data from: Landscape composition, configuration, and trophic interactions shape arthropod communities in rice agroecosystems

<p>1. Increasing landscape heterogeneity of agroecosystems can enhance natural enemy populations and promote biological control. However, little is known about the multi-scale effects of landscape heterogeneity on arthropod communities in rice agroecosystems, especially in combination with trophic interactions. 2. We examined for the first time how landscape heterogeneity, measured by four independent metrics of landscape composition and configuration at three spatial scales, affected species abundance and species richness of rice arthropods within four functional groups and the abundance of the most common species at 28 sites in the Philippines. We additionally examined the influence of trophic interactions among these functional groups. 3. We found that both the compositional and configurational landscape heterogeneity in combination with trophic interactions determine the structure of rice-arthropod communities. Herbivore abundance decreased with increasing landscape diversity. The abundance of parasitoids and species richness of both parasitoids and predators increased with the structural connectivity of rice bunds. Fragmentation of the rice landscape had a clear negative effect on most arthropod groups, with the exception of highly mobile predatory arthropods. Abundance of common predators and detritivore species decreased with increasing complexity in the shape of rice patches. 4. Trophic interactions, measured as the abundance of prey, outweighed the importance of landscape heterogeneity for predators. In contrast, parasitoids responded positively to configurational landscape heterogeneity but were unaffected by prey abundance. 5. Synthesis and applications. Landscape heterogeneity and trophic interactions had different effects on different functional groups. While predator abundance was solely driven by the availability of prey, all other functional groups in the rice-arthropod community were significantly affected by the composition and configuration of surrounding landscape features. Landscape management aiming to improve biodiversity and biological pest control in rice agroecosystems should promote a diversity of land uses and habitat types within 100–300 m radii to reduce the presence of pests. Management practices should also focus on maintaining smaller rice patches and the structural connectivity of rice bunds to enhance populations of the natural enemies of rice pests. Future research should focus on the temporal and spatial manipulation of rice fields to maximize the effects of biological control.</p>

opencc-zeroDec 2017View details →
dryad36/100

Data from: Phenotypic evolution shaped by current enzyme function in the bioluminescent courtship signals of sea fireflies

Mating behaviours are diverse and noteworthy, especially within species radiations where they may contribute to speciation. Studying how differences in mating behaviours arise between species can help us understand how diversity is generated at multiple biological levels. The bioluminescent courtship displays of cypridinid ostracods (or sea fireflies) are an excellent system for this since amazing variety evolves while using a conserved biochemical mechanism. We find that the evolution of one aspect in this behavioural phenotype - the duration of bioluminescent courtship pulses - is shaped by biochemical function. First, by measuring light production from induced bioluminescence in 38 species, we discovered differences between species in their biochemical reactions. Then, for 16 species of which biochemical, phylogenetic, and behavioral data are all available, we used phylogenetic comparative models to show that differences in biochemical reaction are nonlinearly correlated with the duration of courtship pulses. This relationship indicates that changes to both enzyme (c-luciferase) function and usage have shaped the evolution of courtship displays, but that they differentially contribute to these phenotypic changes. This nonlinear dynamic may have consequences for the disparity of signaling phenotypes observed across species, and demonstrates how unappreciated diversity at the biochemical level can lead to inferences about behavioural evolution.

opencc-zeroDec 2017View details →
dryad36/100

Diapause is not selected as a bet-hedging strategy in insects: a meta-analysis of reaction norm shapes

<p>Many organisms escape from lethal climatological conditions by entering a resistant resting stage called diapause, and it is essential that this strategy remains optimally timed with seasonal change. Climate change therefore exerts selection pressure on phenology, which is expected to cause the evolution of mean diapause timing, but also phenotypic plasticity and bet-hedging strategies. Especially the latter as a strategy to cope with unpredictability is so far little considered in the context of climate change, and it is unknown whether it can readily evolve.</p> <p>Contemporary patterns of phenological strategies across a geographic range may provide information about their evolvability. We thus extracted 458 diapause reaction norms from 60 studies. First, we correlated mean diapause timing with mean winter onset. Then we partitioned the reaction norm variance into a temporal component (phenotypic plasticity) and among-offspring variance (diversified bet-hedging) and correlated this variance composition with predictability of winter onset. Contrary to our expectation, mean diapause timing correlated only weakly with mean winter onset, as populations at high latitudes failed to track early onsets. Variance among offspring was also limited and correlated only weakly with environmental predictability, indicating little scope for bet-hedging. We conclude that constraints may limit the evolution of phenology in a rapidly changing climate.</p>

opencc-zeroJan 2020View details →

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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.

allen-brain-atlas
neuroscienceopenDocumentation, web resources, and API references are available online.
Last verified 2026-04-30Open record

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.

abode-home-cage
behavioral-neuroscienceopenThe DataShare record exposes download links for annotations, documentation, license text, and the zipped per-snippet data directory.
Last verified 2026-04-30Open record

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.

dandi-nwb
electrophysiologyopenPublished Dandiset metadata and archive endpoints are available through the production DANDI API.
Last verified 2026-04-30Open record

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.

ibl
behavioral-neuroscienceopenPublic sessions can be searched and loaded from the IBL public data server through ONE.
Last verified 2026-04-29Open record

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.

openneuro
neuroscienceopenPublished datasets are available on demand over the internet.
Last verified 2026-04-29Open record

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