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opencc-by-4.0Dec 2021View details →

Fig. 1 in Preliminary data on adult sex-ratio in Phyllognathus excavatus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in central Italy

Fig. 1. Daily sex-ratio variations of adult Phyllognathus excavatus (Forster, 1771) in Lavinio, central Italy. For statistical details, see the text. Sample sizes: July 21 = 16, July 22 = 22, July 23 = 4, July 26 = 6, July 27 = 0, August 9-10 = 0, September 5 = 5 (two outside the transects)

Fig. 9 in Sex-ratio and body size plasticity in two cold-adapted ground beetles co-occurring in a periglacial area of the European Alps (Coleoptera: Carabidae)

Fig. 9 – Polynomial regression graph between elytra width of Nebria castanea females and the springtail abundance.

Fig. 7 in Sex-ratio and body size plasticity in two cold-adapted ground beetles co-occurring in a periglacial area of the European Alps (Coleoptera: Carabidae)

Fig. 7 – Boxplots of elytra width of Nebria castanea females as a function of landform. p-value of N. castanea morphometric analysis with Kruskal-Wallis test, that evaluate the presence of significant differences in body size between landforms with ice (active rock glacier) and without ice (fossil rock glacier and scree slope). Asterisk highlights significant values.

Fig. 3 in Sex-ratio and body size plasticity in two cold-adapted ground beetles co-occurring in a periglacial area of the European Alps (Coleoptera: Carabidae)

Fig. 3 – Boxplot of Nebria germarii body parameters as a function of sex (F=female; M=male). p-value of the Kruskal-Wallis tests for N. germarii body size as a function of sex. Asterisk highlights significant values.

Fig. 5 in Sex-ratio and body size plasticity in two cold-adapted ground beetles co-occurring in a periglacial area of the European Alps (Coleoptera: Carabidae)

Fig. 5 – PCA analysis graphs. Blue stars=active rock glacier specimens; Gold squares=fossil rock glacier specimens; Green dot=scree slope specimens.

Fig. 6 in Sex-ratio and body size plasticity in two cold-adapted ground beetles co-occurring in a periglacial area of the European Alps (Coleoptera: Carabidae)

Fig. 6 – Boxplot of head width of Nebria germarii females as a function of landform. p-value of N. germarii morphometric analysis with Kruskal-Wallis test, that evaluate the presence of significant differences in body size between landforms with ice (active rock glacier) and without ice (fossil rock glacier and scree slope). Asterisk highlights significant values.

Fig. 2 in Sex-ratio and body size plasticity in two cold-adapted ground beetles co-occurring in a periglacial area of the European Alps (Coleoptera: Carabidae)

Fig. 2 – Dorsal view of Nebria germarii and representation of the measured body parameters. For the meaning of the letters see the text (Photo by A. Carlin).

Fig. 4 in Sex-ratio and body size plasticity in two cold-adapted ground beetles co-occurring in a periglacial area of the European Alps (Coleoptera: Carabidae)

Fig. 4 – Boxplot of Nebria castanea body parameters as a function of sex (F=female; M=male). p-value of the Kruskal-Wallis tests for N. castanea body size as a function of sex. Asterisk highlights significant values.

publicNov 2024View details →

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Adult sex-ratio bias does not lead to detectable adaptive offspring sex allocation via nest-site choice in a turtle with temperature-dependent sex determination

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opencc-zeroJul 2020View details →

Data from: Detecting the population dynamics of an autosomal sex-ratio distorter transgene in malaria vector mosquitoes

1. The development of genetically modified mosquitoes and their subsequent field release offers innovative and cost-effective approaches to reduce mosquito-borne diseases, such as malaria. A sex-distorting autosomal transgene has been developed recently in G3 mosquitoes, a lab strain of the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae s.l. The transgene expresses an endonuclease called I-PpoI during spermatogenesis, which selectively cleaves the X chromosome to result in ~95% male progeny. Following the World Health Organization Guidance Framework for the testing of genetically modified mosquitoes, we assessed the dynamics of this transgene in large cages using a joint experimental-modelling approach. 2. We performed a four-month experiment in indoor large cages to study the population genetics of the transgene. The cages were set up to mimic a simple tropical environment with a diurnal light-cycle, constant temperature, and constant humidity. We allowed the generations to overlap to engender a stable age structure in the populations. We constructed a model to mimic the experiments, and used the experimental data to infer the key model parameters. 3. We identified two fitness costs associated to the transgene. First, transgenic adult males have reduced fertility and, second, their female progeny have reduced pupal survival rates. Our results demonstrate that the transgene is likely to disappear in less than three years under our confined conditions. Model predictions suggest this will be true over a wide range of background population sizes and transgene introduction rates. 4. Synthesis and applications: Our semi-field indoor cage experiments are in line with WHO guidance recommendations in regards to the development and testing of self-limiting technologies. Since the transgenic strain (Ag(PMB)1) has been considered for genetic vector control of malaria, our results are fundamentally important for determining expectations on the persistence of the transgene post-release. Our results provide a demonstration of the self-limiting nature of the transgene, and indicate that longevity will be further reduced by fitness costs that were not previously identified. Finally, our study has showcased an alternative and effective method for characterising the phenotypic expression of a transgene in an insect pest population.

opencc-zeroDec 2019View details →

Sex-specific patterns of senescence in artificial insect populations varying in sex-ratio to manipulate reproductive effort

Background: The disposable soma theory of ageing assumes that organisms optimally trade-off limited resources between reproduction and longevity to maximize fitness. Early reproduction should especially trade-off against late reproduction and longevity because of reduced investment into somatic protection, including immunity. Moreover, as optimal reproductive strategies of males and females differ, sexually dimorphic patterns of senescence may evolve. In particular, as males gain fitness through mating success, sexual competition should be a major factor accelerating male senescence. In a single experiment, we examined these possibilities by establishing artificial populations of the mealworm beetle, Tenebrio molitor, in which we manipulated the sex-ratio to generate variable levels of investment into reproductive effort and sexual competition in males and females. Results: As predicted, variation in sex-ratio affected male and female reproductive efforts, with contrasted sex-specific trade-offs between lifetime reproduction, survival and immunity. High effort of reproduction accelerated mortality in females, without affecting immunity, but high early reproductive success was observed only in balanced sex-ratio condition. Male reproduction was costly on longevity and immunity, mainly because of their investment into copulations rather than in sexual competition. Conclusions: Our results suggest that T. molitor males, like females, maximize fitness through enhanced longevity, partly explaining their comparable longevity.

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Fig. 8 in Sex-ratio and body size plasticity in two cold-adapted ground beetles co-occurring in a periglacial area of the European Alps (Coleoptera: Carabidae)

Fig. 8 – Linear regression graph between elytra width of Nebria castanea females and the soil pH.

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Fig. 1 in Sex-ratio and body size plasticity in two cold-adapted ground beetles co-occurring in a periglacial area of the European Alps (Coleoptera: Carabidae)

Fig. 1 – Sampling plan: distribution of pitfall traps at the Lazaunkar site.

publicJul 2017View details →

Data from: Contrasting patterns of X-chromosome divergence underlie multiple sex-ratio polymorphisms in stalk-eyed flies

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publicOct 2020View details →

Sex-specific patterns of senescence in artificial insect populations varying in sex-ratio to manipulate reproductive effort

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publicJul 2020View details →

Data from: Detecting the population dynamics of an autosomal sex-ratio distorter transgene in malaria vector mosquitoes

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opencc-zeroSep 2020View details →

Offspring sex-ratios are stable across the life-course in Drosophila simulans

Within populations, adult sex ratios influence population growth and extinction risk, mating behaviors and parental care. Additionally, sex ratio adjustment can have pronounced effects on individual fitness. Accordingly, it is important that we understand how often, and why, offspring sex ratios deviate from parity. In Drosophila melanogaster, females appear to improve their fitness by producing fewer sons when paired with older males. However, facultative sex ratio adjustment in D. melanogaster is controversial, and our understanding of how sex ratio skew affects fitness is hampered by pronounced sexual conflict in this species. Additionally, it is unclear if maternal age or quality interact with paternal age to influence offspring sex ratios. Here, we test whether offspring sex ratios vary as a function of maternal quality, and maternal and paternal age in Drosophila simulans, a sister species of D. melanogaster that lacks overt sexual conflict. We find that offspring sex ratios are slightly male biased overall, but constant across the female life-course, and independent of female quality, or paternal age. To really understand if, how and when females skew offspring sex ratios, we need studies linking offspring sex ratios to male and female phenotypes that are predicted to shift optimal investment in sons and daughters.

opencc-zeroDec 2014View details →

Data from: The effect of size and sex-ratio experiences on reproductive competition in Nicrophorus vespilloides burying beetles in the wild

Male parents face a choice: should they invest more in caring for offspring or in attempting to mate with other females? The most profitable course depends on the intensity of competition for mates, which is likely to vary with the population sex ratio. However, the balance of pay-offs may vary among individual males depending on their competitive prowess or attractiveness. We tested the prediction that sex ratio and size of the resource holding male provide cues regarding the level of mating competition prior to breeding and therefore influence the duration of a male's biparental caring in association with a female. Male burying beetles, Nicrophorus vespilloides were reared, post-eclosion, in groups that differed in sex ratio. Experimental males were subsequently translocated to the wild, provided with a breeding resource (carcass) and filmed. We found no evidence that sex ratio cues prior to breeding affected future parental care behaviour but males that experienced male-biased sex ratios took longer to attract wild mating partners. Smaller males attracted a higher proportion of females than did larger males, securing significantly more monogamous breeding associations as a result. Smaller males thus avoided competitive male–male encounters more often than larger males. This has potential benefits for their female partners who avoid both intrasexual competition and direct costs of higher mating frequency associated with competing males.

opencc-zeroDec 2012View details →

Data from: Association of polyandry and sex-ratio drive prevalence in natural populations of Drosophila neotestacea

Selfish genetic elements bias their own transmission to the next generation, even at the expense of the fitness of their carrier. Sex-ratio (SR) meiotic drive occurs when an X-chromosome causes Y-bearing sperm to die during male spermatogenesis, so that it is passed on to all of the male's offspring, which are all daughters. How SR is maintained as a stable polymorphism in the absence of genetic suppressors of drive is unknown. Here, we investigate the potential for the female remating rate to affect SR dynamics in natural populations, using the fly Drosophila neotestacea. In controlled laboratory conditions, females from populations where SR is rare mate more often than females from populations where SR is common. Furthermore, only when males mate multiply does the average fertility of SR males relative to wild-type males decrease to a level that can prevent SR from spreading. Our results suggest that differences in the female mating rate among populations may contribute to SR dynamics in the wild, and thus also affect the outcome of this intragenomic conflict. In line with this, we also present evidence of a localized population crash due to SR that may have resulted from habitat fragmentation along with a reduced mating rate.