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2,291 results for “life history”
Data from: Early life history of deep-water gorgonian corals may limit their abundance
Deep-water gorgonian corals are long-lived organisms found worldwide off continental margins and seamounts, usually occurring at depths of ~200–1,000 m. Most corals undergo sexual reproduction by releasing a planktonic larval stage that disperses; however, recruitment rates and the environmental and biological factors influencing recruitment in deep-sea species are poorly known. Here, we present results from a 4-year field experiment conducted in the Gulf of Maine (northwest Atlantic) at depths of more than 650 m that document recruitment for 2 species of deep-water gorgonian corals, Primnoa resedaeformis and Paragorgia arborea. The abundance of P. resedaeformis recruits was high, and influenced by the structural complexity of the recipient habitat, but very few recruits of P. arborea were found. We suggest that divergent reproductive modes (P. resedaeformis as a broadcast spawner and P. arborea as a brooder) may explain this pattern. Despite the high recruitment of P. resedaeformis, severe mortality early on in the benthic stage of this species may limit the abundance of adult colonies. Most recruits of this species (more than 80%) were at the primary polyp stage, and less than 1% of recruits were at stage of 4 polyps or more. We propose that biological disturbance, possibly by the presence of suspension-feeding brittle stars, and limited food supply in the deep sea may cause this mortality. Our findings reinforce the vulnerability of these corals to anthropogenic disturbances, such as trawling with mobile gear, and the importance of incorporating knowledge on processes during the early life history stages in conservation decisions.
Data from: Convergent and correlated evolution of major life-history traits in the angiosperm genus Leucadendron (Proteaceae)
Natural selection is expected to cause convergence of life histories among taxa as well as correlated evolution of different life-history traits. Here, we quantify the extent of convergence of five key life-history traits (adult fire survival, seed storage, degree of sexual dimorphism, pollination mode, and seed-dispersal mode) and test hypotheses about their correlated evolution in the genus Leucadendron (Proteaceae) from the fire-prone South African fynbos. We reconstructed a new molecular phylogeny of this highly diverse genus that involves more taxa and molecular markers than previously. This reconstruction identifies new clades that were not detected by previous molecular study and morphological classifications. Using this new phylogeny and robust methods that account for phylogenetic uncertainty, we show that the five life-history traits studied were labile during the evolutionary history of the genus. This diversity allowed us to tackle major questions about the correlated evolution of life-history strategies. We found that species with longer seed-dispersal distances tended to evolve lower pollen-dispersal distance, that insect-pollinated species evolved decreased sexual dimorphism, and that species with a persistent soil seed-bank evolved toward reduced fire-survival ability of adults.
Data from: Fuel for the pace of life: baseline blood glucose concentration coevolves with life history traits in songbirds
1. It has been proposed that life histories have coevolved with a suite of physiological and behavioural adaptations, termed pace-of-life syndromes (POLS). Here, we hypothesise that basal concentration of blood glucose (G0), a major source of energy circulating in vertebrate blood, may constitute a key component of POLS. 2. To test this hypothesis, we measured G0 in 30 passerine species and tested its covariation with body mass and other life history traits. Importantly, body mass is a major life history determinant and, when its effect is controlled for, there may be no single fast-slow life history continuum in birds comprising both fecundity and lifespan. Hence, we used individual life history traits, rather than principal component analysis, to characterise life history variation in our analysis. 3. In support of G0 life history coevolution, we found G0 to be negatively correlated with body mass and positively with reproductive investment in a single clutch across 30 passerine species. Higher G0 in females suggests that the energy demands of clutch production and incubation may be an important selection force driving coevolution of G0 with reproductive output. 4. In contrast, G0 was not associated with maximum lifespan, suggesting that high G0 may not constrain evolution of longevity. This implies that long-lived species can evolve physiological adaptations preventing harmful effects of high glucose concentrations, known to cause pathologies and accelerate ageing. 5. In addition, G0, but not basal metabolic rate (BMR), was negatively correlated with migration distance, attesting to evolutionary changes in energy metabolism in long distance migrants. Our results further suggest that the links between body mass, reproduction and G0 are not mediated by BMR and that G0 is associated with fast-slow life history variation more closely than available BMR data. 6. A species life history is determined to a great extent by body mass. When this effect is controlled for, only those traits related to reproduction (but not lifespan) constitute the principal axis of life history variation in birds. Hence, the coevolution of G0 with body mass and reproductive output evidenced in our study indicates that G0 constitutes an important physiological component of POLS.
Data from: The genetic variance but not the genetic covariance of life-history traits changes towards the north in a time-constrained insect
Seasonal time constraints are usually stronger at higher than lower latitudes and can exert strong selection on life history traits and the correlations among these traits. To predict the response of life history traits to environmental change along a latitudinal gradient, information must be obtained about genetic variance in traits and also genetic correlation between traits, i.e., the genetic variance-covariance matrix, G. Here, we estimated G for key life history traits in an obligate univoltine damselfly that faces seasonal time constraints. We exposed populations to simulated native temperatures and photoperiods and common garden environmental conditions in a laboratory setup. Despite differences in genetic variance in these traits between populations (lower variance at northern latitudes), there was no evidence for latitude-specific covariance of the life history traits. At simulated native conditions, all populations showed strong genetic and phenotypic correlations between traits that shaped growth and development. The variance-covariance matrix changed considerably when populations were exposed to common garden conditions compared with the simulated natural conditions, showing the importance of environmentally induced changes in multivariate genetic structure. Our results highlight the importance of estimating variance-covariance matrixes in environments that mimic selection pressures and not only trait variances or mean trait values in common garden conditions for understanding the trait evolution across populations and environments.
Data from: Divergence of gastropod life history in contrasting thermal environments in a geothermal lake
Experiments using natural populations have provided mixed support for thermal adaptation models, probably because the conditions are often confounded with additional environmental factors like seasonality. The contrasting geothermal environments within Lake Mývatn, northern Iceland, provide a unique opportunity to evaluate thermal adaptation models using closely located natural populations. We conducted laboratory common garden and field reciprocal transplant experiments to investigate how thermal origin influences the life history of Radix balthica snails originating from stable cold (6 °C), stable warm (23 °C) thermal environments or from areas with seasonal temperature variation. Supporting thermal optimality models, warm origin snails survived poorly at 6 °C in the common garden experiment and better than cold origin and seasonal snails in the warm habitat in the reciprocal transplant experiment. Contrary to thermal adaptation models, growth rate in both experiments was highest in the warm populations irrespective of temperature, indicating cogradient variation. The optimal temperatures for growth and reproduction were similar irrespective of origin, but cold origin snails always had the lowest performance, and seasonal origin snails often performed at an intermediate level compared to snails originating in either stable environment. Our results indicate that central life-history traits can differ in their mode of evolution, with survival following the predictions of thermal optimality models, whereas ecological constraints have shaped the evolution of growth rates in local populations.
Data from: Preadult life history variation determines adult transcriptome expression
Preadult determinants of adult fitness and behavior have been documented in a variety of organisms with complex life cycles, but little is known about expression patterns of genes underlying these adult traits. We explored the effects of differences in egg to adult development time on adult transcriptome and cuticular hydrocarbon variation in order to understand the nature of the genetic correlation between preadult development time and premating isolation between populations of Drosophila mojavensis reared in different host cactus environments. Transcriptome variation was analyzed separately in flies reared on each host and revealed that hundreds of genes in adults were differentially expressed (FDR P < 0.05) due to development time differences. For flies reared on pitaya agria cactus, longer preadult development times caused increased expression of genes in adults enriched for ribosome production, protein metabolism, chromatin remodeling, and regulation of alternate splicing and transcription. Baja California flies reared on organ pipe cactus showed fewer differentially expressed genes in adults due to longer preadult development time, but these were enriched for ATP synthesis and the TCA cycle. Mainland flies reared on organ pipe cactus with shorter development times showed increased transcription of genes enriched for mitochondria and energy production, protein synthesis, and glucose metabolism: adults with longer development times had increased expression of genes enriched for adult life span, cuticle proteins and ion binding, although most differentially expressed genes were unannotated. Differences due to population, sex, mating status, and their interactions were also assessed. Adult cuticular hydrocarbon profiles also showed shifts due to egg to adult development time, and were influenced by population and mating status. These results help to explain why preadult life history variation determines subsequent expression of the adult transcriptome along with traits involved with reproductive isolation and revealed previously undocumented connections between genetic and environmental influences over the entire life cycle in this desert insect.
Host life-history traits influence the distribution of prophages and the genes they carry
<p>Bacterial strains with a short minimal doubling time – "fast-growing" hosts – are more likely to contain prophages than their slow-growing counterparts. Pathogenic bacterial species are likewise more likely to carry prophages. We develop a bioinformatics pipeline to examine the distribution of prophages in fast- and slow-growing lysogens, and pathogenic and non-pathogenic lysogens, analysing both prophage length and gene content for each class. By fitting these results to a mathematical model of the evolutionary forces acting on prophages, we predict whether the observed differences can be attributed to different rates of lysogeny among the host classes, or other evolutionary pressures. We also test for significant differences in gene content among prophages, identifying genes that are preferentially lost or maintained in each class. We find that fast-growing hosts and pathogens have a greater fraction of full-length prophages, and our analysis predicts that prophages confer a greater benefit, on average, to hosts in these two classes. Rates of lysogeny, however, are predicted to be higher in fast-growing hosts but lower in pathogens.</p>
Life-history trade-offs, density, lay date—not personality—explain multibroodedness in great tits
In various taxa, multibroodedness is a common breeding strategy. Life-history theory predicts that individuals can increase fitness by producing multiple broods within a season. Despite the apparent increase in the number of offspring parents might produce per season, not all individuals are multibrooded, suggesting a trade-off. We studied ecological and behavioral factors influencing the initiation of second clutches in great tits (Parus major), an optionally multibrooded bird species, by distinguishing two types of clutches: replacement vs. true second clutches, produced after failure vs. successful first breeding attempts, respectively. We predicted that lay date, density, and investment in first clutches would decrease the probability of initiating a second clutch, but that faster exploring behavioral types with a faster pace-of-life would be more likely to be multibrooded. The probability of initiating true second clutches varied negatively within-individuals with lay date and breeding density. The initiation of replacement clutches instead varied negatively among-individuals with lay date and density, suggesting non-random settlement of behavioral types across environments. Individuals were less likely to be multibrooded when producing many offspring from their first clutch, suggesting within-year reproductive trade-offs, similar to previous studies. No previous research has linked personality to multibroodedness; here we show that neither the repeatable nor the plastic part of an individual's exploratory behavior predicted multibroodedness. We confirmed our prediction that the resolution of trade-offs may occur either at the within- or among-individual level. Our research contributes to the understanding of life-history evolution in the wild by studying the mechanisms shaping multibroodedness within seasons. --
FIGURE 3 in A new species of Dactylopusioides (Copepoda: Harpacticoida: Thalestridae) infesting brown algae, and its life history
FIGURE 3. Dactylopusioides malleus sp. nov., male. (A) antennule; (B) P1; (C) Inner short spine on basis of P1 in male; (D) P2; (E) P5; (F) P6. Scales: A–B, D, E, 0.05 mm. C, 0.02 mm
FIGURE 1 in A new species of Dactylopusioides (Copepoda: Harpacticoida: Thalestridae) infesting brown algae, and its life history
FIGURE 1. Dactylopusioides malleus sp. nov., female. (A) whole animal, dorsal view; (B) rostrum; (C) antennule; (D) antenna; (E) genital field and P. 6, ventral view; (F) anal somite and caudal rami, ventral view; (G) mandible; (H) maxillule; (I) coxa of maxillule; (J) maxilla; (K) maxilliped. Scales: A, 0.01 mm; B–E; G–J, 0.02 mm; F, 0.05 mm.
Raw data for sexually selected traits and life history traits of major and minor males in the horned flour beetle Gnatocerus cornutus
<p>1. Expression of weapons and weapon sizes are remarkably affected by environmental factors in armed insects, resulting in remarkable morphological difference in larger and smaller males i.e., male dimorphism</p> <p>2. The phenotypic plasticity is one example of alternative mating phenotypes. Selection on the alternative phenotype generates different suites of multiple traits between larger and smaller males such as morphology, behaviors and life history. The different subsets of traits can contribute to reproductive success of larger and smaller males, respectively.</p> <p>3. In order to understand how alternative phenotypes evolve, studies that couple differences in life history and reproductive traits between larger and smaller males are required. Here we investigated differences in morphology, behaviors, and life history in <i>Gnatocerus cornutus</i>.</p> <p>4. Larger males have relatively larger mandibles and the advantage in male fighting to access females. Also, the developmental period was significantly shorter in the larger males than in the smaller males.</p> <p>5. Smaller males with rudimentary weapons have higher locomotion ability. This suggests higher performance in the dispersal to new territories. Larger and smaller males showed different suites of multiple traits, and the combinations of multiple traits are probably related to expression of weapons.</p>
Data from: Winter territory prospecting is associated with life-history stage but not activity in a passerine
Finding a high quality territory is essential for many animals to reproduce successfully. Despite its importance for fitness, we know little about the process of territory prospecting in wild birds, and whether individual traits and behaviours, such as personality, co-vary with territory prospecting. Here, we use long-term data from a wild, insular house sparrow Passer domesticus population to test three hypotheses about territory fidelity and prospecting: (1) House sparrows show high territory fidelity between years and also during winter. (2) Individuals will prospect for a breeding territory during their first winter whereas older, more experienced individuals will keep a territory from previous years and will, therefore, show no or reduced winter territory prospecting. (3) More active behavioural types will prospect more than less active behavioural types. We use data from four winters from automatically, daily recorded nest-box visits of 188 birds of known age. The number of nest-boxes that each individual visited within each winter was used as a proxy of winter territory prospecting. We show that house sparrows visit multiple nest-boxes during their first winter, whereas older individuals keep territories year-round and, potentially because of this, indeed show reduced winter territory prospecting. Activity was not associated with the number of nest-boxes visited. Further research is needed to investigate whether time of territory and mate acquisition differs among individuals and the possible effect on lifetime fitness.
FIGURE 10. 1 in Life history and larval chaetotaxy of Ahmetia achaja (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae, Lycaeninae, Theclini, Cheritrina)
FIGURE 10. 1st instar A. achaja prothoracic shield, cephalad at top. See text for explanation of labels.
FIGURES 1–6 in Life history and larval chaetotaxy of Ahmetia achaja (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae, Lycaeninae, Theclini, Cheritrina)
FIGURES 1–6. Life stages of A. achaja. 1) egg; 2) 1st instar larva; 3) last instar larva; 4) prothoracic shield of mature larva; 5) pupa; 6) adult male. Orientation is cephalad to the left (Figs. 2, 3, 5, 6) or at top (Fig, 4).
FIGURE 8. Cranial diagram, 1 in Life history and larval chaetotaxy of Ahmetia achaja (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae, Lycaeninae, Theclini, Cheritrina)
FIGURE 8. Cranial diagram, 1st instar A. achaja, ventrolateral view. See text for explanation of labels.
FIGURE 11. 1 in Life history and larval chaetotaxy of Ahmetia achaja (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae, Lycaeninae, Theclini, Cheritrina)
FIGURE 11. 1st instar A. achaja terminal segments (A7–10), dorsal view, cephalad at top. See text for explanation of labels.
Life-history responses of a freshwater rotifer to copper pollution
<p class="normal">In organisms with dormant stages, life-history responses to past pollution can be studied retrospectively. Here, we study such responses in a rotifer (<i>Brachionus calyciflorus</i>) from the once heavily copper-polluted Lake Orta (Italy). We extracted resting eggs from sediments, established clonal lineages from hatchlings, and exposed newborns of these lineages to one of three copper concentrations that each mimicked a specific period in the lake's pollution history. For each rotifer, we daily collected life-table data. We then estimated treatment-specific vital rates and used a stage-structured population model to project population growth rate <i>λ</i>. We also estimated elasticities of <i>λ</i> to vital rates and contributions of vital rates to observed Δ<i>λ</i> between copper treatments. As expected, <i>λ</i> decreased with increasing copper concentration. This decrease resulted mostly from a decline in juvenile survival rate (<i>S<sub>J</sub></i>) and partly from a decline in the survival rate of asexually reproducing females (<i>S<sub>A</sub></i>). Maturation rate, and with one exception fecundity, also declined but did not contribute consistently to Δ<i>λ</i>. <i>λ</i> was most elastic to <i>S<sub>J</sub></i> and <i>S<sub>A</sub></i>, indicating that survival rates were under stronger selection than maturation rate and fecundity. Together, our results indicate that variation in juvenile survival is a key component in the rotifers' copper response. The consistent decrease in <i>S<sub>J</sub></i> with increasing copper stress and the sensitivity of <i>λ</i> to that decrease also suggest that juvenile survival is a useful indicator of population performance under environmental pollution.</p>
Figure 11 in Life History of Western Ghats endemic and threatened Anuran - Matheran leaping frog, (Indirana leithii) with notes on its feeding preferences
Figure 11. Gut content of tadpoles of Indirana leithii. (a) Algal filament. (b) Gomphonema sp. (c) Cymbelloid. (d) Fragillaroid. (e) Diadesmis sp. (f) Pinnularia sp. (g) Desmid. (h) Eunotia sp. (i) Naviculloid. Images taken at × 400.
Figure 6. Crevices near 139 in Life History of Western Ghats endemic and threatened Anuran - Matheran leaping frog, (Indirana leithii) with notes on its feeding preferences
Figure 6. Crevices near 139 NM where egg clutches were found to be laid that were occupied by several males.
Figure 2 in Life History of Western Ghats endemic and threatened Anuran - Matheran leaping frog, (Indirana leithii) with notes on its feeding preferences
Figure 2. Large gathering at the cavern near 154 NM on Neral-Matheran narrow gauge railway track, which is seen before and after the breeding season. Inset shows cavern which houses hundreds of Indirana leithii adults.
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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.