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3,139 results for “fitting”
Data from: Nest inheritance is the missing source of direct fitness in a primitively eusocial insect
Animals that co-operate with non-relatives represent a challenge to inclusive fitness theory, unless co-operative behavior is shown to provide direct fitness benefits. Inheritance of breeding resources could provide such benefits, but this route to co-operation has been little investigated in the social insects. We show that nest inheritance can explain the presence of unrelated helpers in a classic social insect model, the primitively eusocial wasp Polistes dominulus. We found that subordinate helpers produced more direct offspring than lone breeders, some while still subordinate but most after inheriting the dominant position. Thus, while indirect fitness obtained through helping relatives has been the dominant paradigm for understanding eusociality in insects, direct fitness is vital to explain co-operation in P. dominulus.
Data from: A comparison of methods to measure fitness in Escherichia coli
In order to characterize the dynamics of adaptation, it is important to be able to quantify how a population's mean fitness changes over time. Such measurements are especially important in experimental studies of evolution using microbes. The Long-Term Evolution Experiment (LTEE) with Escherichia coli provides one such system in which mean fitness has been measured by competing derived and ancestral populations. The traditional method used to measure fitness in the LTEE and many similar experiments, though, is subject to a potential limitation. As the relative fitness of the two competitors diverges, the measurement error increases because the less-fit population becomes increasingly small and cannot be enumerated as precisely. Here, we present and employ two alternatives to the traditional method. One is based on reducing the fitness differential between the competitors by using a common reference competitor from an intermediate generation that has intermediate fitness; the other alternative increases the initial population size of the less-fit, ancestral competitor. We performed a total of 480 competitions to compare the statistical properties of estimates obtained using these alternative methods with those obtained using the traditional method for samples taken over 50,000 generations from one of the LTEE populations. On balance, neither alternative method yielded measurements that were more precise than the traditional method.
Data from: Significant differences in maternal carotenoid provisioning and effects on offspring fitness in Chinook salmon colour morphs
In oviparous species, maternal carotenoid provisioning can deliver diverse fitness benefits to offspring via increased survival, growth, and immune function. Despite demonstrated advantages of carotenoids, large intra‐ and interspecific variation in carotenoid utilization exists, suggesting trade‐offs associated with carotenoids. In Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), extreme variation in carotenoid utilization delineates two colour morphs (red and white) that differ genetically in their ability to deposit carotenoids into tissues. Here, we take advantage of this natural variation to examine how large differences in maternal carotenoid provisioning influence offspring fitness. Using a full‐factorial breeding design crossing morphs and common‐garden rearing, we measured differences in a suite of fitness‐related traits, including survival, growth, viral susceptibility, and host response, in offspring of red (carotenoid‐rich eggs) and white (carotenoid‐poor eggs) females. Eggs of red females had significantly higher carotenoid content than those of white females (6X more); however, this did not translate into measurable differences in offspring fitness. Given that white Chinook salmon may have evolved to counteract their maternal carotenoid deficiency, we also examined the relationship between egg carotenoid content and offspring fitness within each morph separately. Egg carotenoids only had a positive effect within the red morph on survival to eyed‐egg (earliest measured trait), but not within the white morph. While previous work shows that white females benefit from reduced egg predation, our study also supports a hypothesis that white Chinook salmon have evolved additional mechanisms to improve egg survival despite low carotenoids, providing novel insight into evolutionary mechanisms that maintain this stable polymorphism.
Data from: Marked reduction in demographic rates and reduced fitness advantage for early breeding is not linked to reduced thermal matching of breeding time
Warmer springs may cause animals to become mistimed if advances of spring timing, including available resources, and of timing of breeding occur at different speed. We used thermal sums (cumulative sum of degree days) during spring to describe the thermal progression (timing) of spring and investigate its relationship to breeding phenology and demography of a long-distant migrant bird, the northern wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe L.). We first compare 20-year trends in spring timing, breeding time, selection for breeding time and annual demographic rates. We then explicitly test whether annual variation in selection for breeding time and demographic rates associates to the degree of phenological matching between breeding time and thermal progression of spring. Both thermal progression of spring and breeding time of wheatears advanced in time during the study period. But despite breeding on average 7 days earlier with respect to date, wheatears bred about 4 days later with respect to thermal spring progression. Over the same time period selection for breeding time changed from distinct within-season advantage of breeding early to no or very weak advantage. Furthermore, demographic rates (nest success, fledgling production, recruitment, adult survival) and nestling weight declined markedly by 16-79%. Those temporal trends suggest that a reduced degree of phenological matching may affect within-season fitness advantage of early breeding and population demographic rates. In contrast, when we investigate links based on annual variation, we find no significant relationship between either demographic rates or fitness advantage of early breeding with annual variation in the degree of phenological matching. Our results show that corresponding temporal trends in phenological matching, selection for breeding time and demographic rates are inconclusive evidence for demographic effects of changed phenological matching. Instead, we suggest that the trends in selection for breeding time and demographic rates are due to a general deterioration of the breeding environment.
Data from: Soft selective sweeps in fungicide resistance evolution: recurrent mutations without fitness costs in grapevine downy mildew
Adaptation produces hard or soft selective sweeps depending on the supply of adaptive genetic polymorphism. The evolution of pesticide resistance in parasites is a striking example of rapid adaptation that can shed light on selection processes. Plasmopara viticola, which causes grapevine downy mildew, forms large populations, in which resistance has rapidly evolved due to excessive fungicide use. We investigated the pathways by which fungicide resistance has evolved in this plant pathogen, to determine whether hard or soft selective sweeps were involved. An analysis of nucleotide polymorphism in 108 field isolates from the Bordeaux region revealed recurrent mutations of cytb and CesA3 conferring resistance to quinone outside inhibiting (QoI) and carboxylic acid amide (CAA) fungicides, respectively. Higher levels of genetic differentiation were observed for nucleotide positions involved in resistance than for neutral microsatellites, consistent with local adaptation of the pathogen to fungicide treatments. No hitchhiking was found between selected sites and neighbouring polymorphisms in cytb and CesA3, confirming multiple origins of resistance alleles. We assessed resistance costs, by evaluating the fitness of the 108 isolates through measurements of multiple quantitative pathogenicity traits under controlled conditions. No significant differences were found between sensitive and resistant isolates, suggesting that fitness costs may be absent or negligible. Our results indicate that the rapid evolution of fungicide resistance in P. viticola has involved a soft sweep.
Data from: Genomic regions with a history of divergent selection affect fitness of hybrids between two butterfly species
Speciation is the process by which reproductively isolated lineages arise, and is one of the fundamental means by which the diversity of life increases. Whereas numerous studies have documented an association between ecological divergence and reproductive isolation, relatively little is known about the role of natural selection in genome divergence during the process of speciation. Here we use genome-wide DNA sequences and Bayesian models to test the hypothesis that loci under divergent selection between two butterfly species (Lycaeides idas and L. melissa) also affect fitness in an admixed population. Locus-specific measures of genetic differentiation between L. idas and L. melissa and genomic introgression in hybrids varied across the genome. The most differentiated genetic regions were characterized by elevated L. idas ancestry in the admixed population, which occurs in L. idas-like habitat, consistent with the hypothesis that local adaptation contributes to speciation. Moreover, locus-specific measures of genetic differentiation (a metric of divergent selection) were positively associated with extreme genomic introgression (a metric of hybrid fitness). Interestingly, concordance of differentiation and introgression was only partial. We discuss multiple, complementary explanations for this partial concordance.
Stable flies, Stomoxys calcitrans L. (Diptera: Muscidae), improve offspring fitness by avoiding oviposition substrates with competitors or parasites
<p><span>Oviposition site selection by gravid female insects is an important determinant in species distribution, abundance, and population dynamics. Females may assess the suitability of a potential oviposition substrate by using cues from conspecific or heterospecific individuals already present. Here, we assessed whether the presence of conspecific or heterospecific larvae and parasites influenced oviposition decisions by the stable fly, <i>Stomoxys calcitrans</i> (Linneaus). Using dual and multiple-choice oviposition bioassays, we found that gravid female <i>S. calcitrans</i> avoided substrates with conspecific larvae, the larvae of house flies, <i>Musca domestica</i> (Linneaus), and the mite <i>Macrocheles muscaedomesticae</i> (Scopoli). Avoidance of conspecific and heterospecific larvae persisted in the dark, suggesting that this behaviour is mediated by chemical rather than visual cues. When we reared <i>S. calcitrans</i> in the presence of conspecific larvae and the larvae of house flies at different densities we found that this negatively affected emergence time, larval weight, larval survival, pupal weight, pupal survival, and adult weight. We also demonstrated that individuals of <i>S. calcitrans</i> developed in the presence of mites exhibited low egg hatchability, and poor larval and adult survival. Our study provides additional support for the "preference-performance" hypothesis in<i> S. calcitrans</i>, with gravid females preferring to lay eggs on a substrate that will enhance offspring fitness. We recommend that the chemical cues involved in avoidance by gravid female <i>S. calcitrans</i> of substrates with conspecific and heterospecific larvae should be elucidated. This could lead to the discovery of repellent chemicals important for <i>S. calcitrans</i> management.</span></p>
Data from: Successful by chance? the power of mixed models and neutral simulations for the detection of individual fixed heterogeneity in fitness components
Heterogeneity in fitness components consists of fixed heterogeneity due to latent differences fixed throughout life (e.g. genetic variation), and dynamic heterogeneity generated by stochastic variation. Their relative magnitude is crucial for evolutionary processes, as only the former may allow for adaptation. However, the importance of fixed heterogeneity in small populations has recently been questioned. Using neutral simulations (NS), several studies failed to detect fixed heterogeneity, thus challenging previous results from mixed models (MM). To understand the causes of this discrepancy, we estimate the statistical power and false positive rate of both methods, and apply them to empirical data from a wild rodent population. While MM show high false positive rates if confounding factors are not accounted for, they have high statistical power to detect real fixed heterogeneity. In contrast, NS are also subject to high false positive rates, but have always low power. Indeed, MM analyses of the rodent population data show significant fixed heterogeneity in reproductive success, whereas NS analyses do not. We suggest that fixed heterogeneity may be more common than is suggested by NS, and that NS are useful only if more powerful methods are not applicable and if they are complemented by a power analysis.
Opposing fitness consequences of habitat use in a harvested moose population
<p>1. Landscape changes are happening at an unprecedented pace, and together with high levels of wildlife harvesting humans have a large effect on wildlife populations. A thorough knowledge of their combined influence on individual fitness is important in order to understand factors affecting population dynamics. 2. The goal of the study was to assess the individual consistency in the use of risky habitat types, and how habitat use was related to fitness components and life-history strategies. 3. Using data from a closely monitored and harvested population of moose (Alces alces), we examined how individual variation in offspring size, reproduction, and survival was related to the use of open grasslands; a habitat type that offers high-quality forage during summer, but at the cost of being more exposed to hunters in autumn. Use of this habitat type may therefore involve a trade-off between high mortality risk and forage maximization. 4. There was high repeatability in habitat use, which suggest consistent behaviour within individuals. Offspring number and weight was positively related to the mothers' use of open grasslands, whereas the probability of surviving the subsequent harvest season was negatively related to the use of the same habitat type. As a consequence, we found a non-significant relationship between habitat use and lifetime fitness. 5. The study suggest that harvesting, even if intended to be nonselective with regard to phenotypes, may be selective towards animals with specific behaviour and life-history strategies. As a consequence, harvesting can alter the life-history composition of the population and target life-history strategies that would be beneficial for individual fitness and population growth in the absence of hunting.</p>
Data from: Choosy cannibals preferentially consume siblings with relatively low fitness prospects
When an individual can selfishly cannibalize a relative or altruistically set it free, the benefits of altruism will be positively associated with the relative's fitness prospects (the benefits it receives from altruism). We tested the prediction that altruism should be preferentially directed toward high-quality relatives using larvae of the New Mexican spadefoot toad (Spea multiplicata), a species in which tadpoles plastically express omnivore and carnivore ecomorphs. In a no-choice design, we presented carnivores with sibling or nonsibling omnivores varying in developmental stage, which is positively associated with survival in this toad's ephemeral larval environment. There was a significant interaction between relatedness and developmental stage on the probability of cannibalism: carnivores were overall more likely to cannibalize less developed omnivores, but this effect was exaggerated when the potential victim was a sibling. This evidence that altruists favor relatives with high fitness prospects highlights the numerous factors shaping altruism's payoffs.
Data from: Stable social relationships between unrelated females increase individual fitness in a cooperative bird
Social animals often form long-lasting relationships with fellow group members, usually with close kin. In primates, strong social bonds have been associated with increased longevity, offspring survival, and reproductive success. However, little is known about the fitness effects of social bonds between non-kin, especially outside of mammals. In this study, we use long-term field research on a cooperatively breeding bird, the greater ani (Crotophaga major), to ask whether adult females benefit by remaining in long-term associations with unrelated, co-breeding females. We find that females that have previously nested together synchronize their reproduction more rapidly than those nesting with unfamiliar partners, which leads to lower competition and higher fledging success. Importantly, although previous experience with a co-breeding female influenced reproductive synchrony, the degree of reproductive synchrony did not influence whether co-breeding females remained together in subsequent years, ruling out the alternate hypothesis that highly synchronized females are simply more likely to remain together. These results indicate that switching groups is costly to females, and that social familiarity improves reproductive coordination. Stable social relationships, therefore, have significant fitness consequences for cooperatively nesting female birds, suggesting that direct benefits alone may favor the evolution of associations between non-relatives and contribute to long-term group stability.
Data from: Fitness and morphological outcomes of many generations of hybridization in the copepod Tigriopus californicus
Hybridization between genetically divergent populations is an important evolutionary process, with an outcome that is difficult to predict. We used controlled crosses and freely mating hybrid swarms, followed for up to 30 generations, to examine the morphological and fitness consequences of interpopulation hybridization in the copepod Tigriopus californicus. Patterns of fitness in two generations of controlled crosses were partly predictive of long-term trajectories in hybrid swarms. For one pair of populations, controlled crosses revealed neutral or beneficial effects of hybridization, and hybrid swarm fitness always equalled or exceeded that of the midparent. For a second pair, controlled crosses showed F2 hybrid breakdown, but elevated fitness in backcrosses, and hybrid swarm fitness deviated both above and below that of the parentals. Nevertheless, individual swarm replicates exhibited divergent fitness trajectories over time that were not related in a simple manner to their hybrid genetic composition, and fixation of fitter hybrid phenotypes was not observed. Hybridization did not generally increase overall morphological variation, and underlying genetic changes may have been masked by phenotypic plasticity. Nevertheless, one type of hybrid swarm exhibited a repeatable pattern of transgressively large eggsacs, suggesting a positive effect of hybridization on individual fecundity. Additionally both parental and hybrid swarms exhibited common phenotypic trends over time, indicating common selective pressures in the laboratory environment. Our results suggest that, in a system where much work has focused on F2 hybrid breakdown, the long-term fitness consequences of interpopulation hybridization are surprisingly benign.
Data from: Revising traditional theory on the link between plant body size and fitness under competition: evidence from old-field vegetation
The selection consequences of competition in plants have been traditionally interpreted based on a "size-advantage" hypothesis – that is, under intense crowding/competition from neighbors, natural selection generally favors capacity for a relatively large plant body size. However, this conflicts with abundant data, showing that resident species body size distributions are usually strongly right-skewed at virtually all scales within vegetation. Using surveys within sample plots and a neighbor-removal experiment, we tested: (1) whether resident species that have a larger maximum potential body size (MAX) generally have more successful local individual recruitment, and thus greater local abundance/density (as predicted by the traditional size-advantage hypothesis); and (2) whether there is a general between-species trade-off relationship between MAX and capacity to produce offspring when body size is severely suppressed by crowding/competition – that is, whether resident species with a larger MAX generally also need to reach a larger minimum reproductive threshold size (MIN) before they can reproduce at all. The results showed that MIN had a positive relationship with MAX across resident species, and local density – as well as local density of just reproductive individuals – was generally greater for species with smaller MIN (and hence smaller MAX). In addition, the cleared neighborhoods of larger target species (which had relatively large MIN) generally had – in the following growing season – a lower ratio of conspecific recruitment within these neighborhoods relative to recruitment of other (i.e., smaller) species (which had generally smaller MIN). These data are consistent with an alternative hypothesis based on a 'reproductive-economy-advantage' – that is, superior fitness under competition in plants generally requires not larger potential body size, but rather superior capacity to recruit offspring that are in turn capable of producing grand-offspring – and hence transmitting genes to future generations – despite intense and persistent (cross-generational) crowding/competition from near neighbors. Selection for the latter is expected to favor relatively small minimum reproductive threshold size and hence – as a tradeoff – relatively small (not large) potential body size.
Data from: Lifetime fitness, sex-specific life history, and the maintenance of a polyphenism
Polyphenisms, alternative morphs produced through plasticity, can reveal the evolutionary and ecological processes that initiate and maintain diversity within populations. We examined lifetime fitness consequences of two morphs in a polyphenic population of Arizona Tiger Salamanders using a 27-year data set with 1,317 adults and 6,862 captures across eight generations. Larval salamanders develop into either an aquatic paedomorph that retains larval traits and stays in its natal pond or a terrestrial metamorph that undergoes metamorphosis. To evaluate the adaptive significance of this polyphenism, we compared lifetime reproductive success of each morph and assessed how life history strategies and spatiotemporal variation explained fitness. We found sex-specific differences in lifetime fitness between morphs. For males, paedomorphs had more reproductive opportunities than metamorphs when we accounted for the potential mating advantage of larger males. For females, in contrast, metamorphs had higher estimated egg production than paedomorphs. Life history strategies differed between morphs largely because the morphs maximize different ends of the trade-off between age at first reproduction and longevity. Spatiotemporal variation affected larval more than adult life history traits with little to no effect on lifetime fitness. Thus, environmental variation likely explains differences in morph production across time and space but contributes little to lifetime fitness differences between morphs and sexes. Our long-term study and measures of lifetime fitness provide unique insight into the complex selective regimes potentially acting on each morph and sex. Our findings motivate future work to examine how sex-specific selection may contribute to the maintenance of polyphenism.
Data from: The effects of quantitative fecundity in the haploid stage on reproductive success and diploid fitness in the aquatic peat moss Sphagnum macrophyllum
A major question in evolutionary biology is how mating patterns affect the fitness of offspring. However, in animals and seed plants it is virtually impossible to investigate the effects of specific gamete genotypes. In bryophytes, haploid gametophytes grow via clonal propagation and produce millions of genetically identical gametes throughout a population. The main goal of this research was to test whether gamete identity has an effect on the fitness of their diploid offspring in a population of the aquatic peat moss Sphagnum macrophyllum. We observed a heavily male-biased sex ratio in gametophyte plants (ramets) and in multilocus microsatellite genotypes (genets). There was a steeper relationship between mating success (number of different haploid mates) and fecundity (number of diploid offspring) for male genets compared with female genets. At the sporophyte level, we observed a weak effect of inbreeding on offspring fitness, but no effect of brood size (number of sporophytes per maternal ramet). Instead, the identities of the haploid male and haploid female parents were significant contributors to variance in fitness of sporophyte offspring in the population. Our results suggest that intrasexual gametophyte/gamete competition may play a role in determining mating success in this population.
Data from: Exploring the mechanisms underlying a heterozygosity-fitness correlation for canine size in the Antarctic fur seal Arctocephalus gazella
Although heterozygosity-fitness correlations (HFCs) are widely reported in the literature, most studies use too few markers to allow the proximate mechanisms to be convincingly resolved. Two competing hypotheses have been proposed: the general effects hypothesis, in which marker heterozygosity correlates with genome-wide heterozygosity and hence the inbreeding coefficient f, and the local effects hypothesis, in which one or more of the markers by chance exhibit associative overdominance. To explore the relative contributions of general and local effects in a free-ranging marine mammal population, we revisited a strong HFC found using nine microsatellite loci for canine tooth size in 84 male Antarctic fur seals Arctocephalus gazella (Hoffman et al. 2010). Increasing the number of markers to 76, we find that heterozygosity is uncorrelated across markers, indicating that inbred individuals are rare or absent. Similarly, while the HFC based on overall heterozygosity is lost, stochastic simulations indicate that when an HFC is due to inbreeding depression, increasing marker number effectively invariably strengthens the HFC. Together these observations argue strongly that the original HFC was not due to inbreeding depression. In contrast, a subset of markers show individually significant effects, and these are non-randomly distributed across the marker panel, being preferentially associated with markers cloned from other species. Using BLAST searches, we were able to locate 94% of loci to unique locations in the dog genome, but the local genes are functionally diverse, and the majority cannot be linked directly to growth. Our results suggest that inbreeding depression contributes little if at all to the relationship between heterozygosity and tooth size, but that instead the primary mechanism involves associative overdominance. These findings contribute to a growing body of evidence suggesting that general effects are likely to be uncommon in natural populations
Data from: Supportive breeding boosts natural population abundance with minimal negative impacts on fitness of a wild population of Chinook salmon
While supportive breeding programs strive to minimize negative genetic impacts to populations, case studies have found evidence for reduced fitness of artificially produced individuals when they reproduce in the wild. Pedigrees of two complete generations were tracked with molecular markers to investigate differences in reproductive success (RS) of wild and hatchery-reared Chinook salmon spawning in the natural environment to address questions regarding the demographic and genetic impacts of supplementation to a natural population. Results show a demographic boost to the population from supplementation. On average, fish taken into the hatchery produced 4.7 times more adult offspring, and 1.3 times more adult grand-offspring than naturally reproducing fish. Of the wild and hatchery fish that successfully reproduced, we found no significant differences in RS between any comparisons but hatchery-reared males typically had lower RS values than wild males. Mean relative reproductive success (RRS) for hatchery F1 females and males was 1.11 (p = 0.84) and 0.89 (p = 0.56), respectively. RRS of hatchery-reared fish (H) that mated in the wild with either hatchery or wild origin (W) fish were generally equivalent to WxW matings. Mean RRS of HxW and HxH matings was 1.07 (p = 0.92) and 0.94 (p = 0.95), respectively. We conclude that fish chosen for hatchery rearing did not have a detectable negative impact on the fitness of wild fish by mating with them for a single generation. Results suggest that supplementation following similar management practices (e.g., 100% local, wild-origin brood stock) can successfully boost population size with minimal impacts on the fitness of salmon in the wild.
Data from: Small population size and low genomic diversity have no effect on fitness in experimental translocations of a wild fish
<p>Little empirical work in nature has quantified how wild populations with varying effective population sizes and genetic diversity perform when exposed to a gradient of ecologically important environmental conditions. To achieve this, juvenile brook trout from 12 isolated populations or closed metapopulations that differ substantially in population size and genetic diversity were transplanted to previously fishless ponds spanning a wide gradient of ecologically important variables. We evaluated the effect of genome-wide variation, effective population size (Ne), pond habitat, and initial body size on two fitness correlates (survival and growth). Genetic variables had little effect on either fitness correlate, which were determined primarily by habitat (pond temperature, depth, and pH) and initial body size. These results suggest that some vertebrate populations with low genomic diversity, low Ne and long-term isolation can represent important sources of variation and be capable of maintaining fitness in, and ultimately persisting and adapting to, changing environments. Our results also reinforce the paramount importance of improving available habitat and slowing habitat degradation for species conservation.</p>
Data from: Environmentally induced development costs underlie fitness tradeoffs
Local adaptation can lead to genotype‐by‐environment interactions, which can create fitness tradeoffs in alternative environments, and govern the distribution of biodiversity across geographic landscapes. Exploring the ecological circumstances that promote the evolution of fitness tradeoffs requires identifying how natural selection operates and during which ontogenetic stages natural selection is strongest. When organisms disperse to areas outside their natural range, tradeoffs might emerge when organisms struggle to reach key life history stages, or alternatively, die shortly after reaching life history stages if there are greater risks of mortality associated with costs to developing in novel environments. We used multiple populations from four ecotypes of an Australian native wildflower (Senecio pinnatifolius) in reciprocal transplants to explore how fitness tradeoffs arise across ontogeny. We then assessed whether the survival probability for plants from native and foreign populations was contingent on reaching key developmental stages. We found that fitness tradeoffs emerged as ontogeny progressed when native plants were more successful than foreign plants at reaching seedling establishment and maturity. Native and foreign plants that failed to reach seedling establishment died at the same rate, but plants from foreign populations died quicker than native plants after reaching seedling establishment, and died quicker regardless of whether they reached sexual maturity or not. Development rates were similar for native and foreign populations, but changed depending on the environment. Together, our results suggest that natural selection for environment‐specific traits early in life history created tradeoffs between contrasting environments. Plants from foreign populations were either unable to develop to seedling establishment, or they suffered increased mortality as a consequence of reaching seedling establishment. The observation of tradeoffs together with environmentally dependent changes in development rate suggest that foreign environments induce organisms to develop at a rate different from their native habitat, incurring consequences for lifetime fitness and population divergence.
Data from: Cognitive performance is linked to group size and affects fitness in Australian magpies
The Social Intelligence Hypothesis argues that the demands of social life drive cognitive evolution. This idea receives support from comparative studies linking variation in group size or mating systems with cognitive and neuroanatomical differences across species, but findings are contradictory and contentious. To understand the cognitive consequences of sociality it is also important to investigate social variation within species. Here we show that in wild, cooperatively breeding Australian magpies, individuals living in larger groups show elevated cognitive performance, which in turn is linked to increased reproductive success. Individual performance was highly correlated across four cognitive tasks, hinting towards a "general intelligence factor" underlying cognitive performance. Repeated cognitive testing of juveniles at different ages showed that the group size – cognition correlation emerged in early life, suggesting that living in larger groups promotes cognitive development. Furthermore, we found a positive association between female task performance and three indicators of reproductive success, thus identifying a selective benefit of greater cognitive performance. Together, these results provide critical intraspecific evidence that sociality can shape cognitive development and evolution.
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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.