| 1. |
- Kuijper, Bram, et al.
(författare)
-
Direct observation of female mating frequency using time-lapse photography
- 2009
-
Ingår i: Fly. - 1933-6934. ; 3:2, s. 118-120
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- One basic condition of postmating sexual selection is that females mate more than once before fertilizing their ova. Knowledge of the frequency and extent of multiple mating in a given population or species is therefore important in order to fully understand the potential for sexual selection, in the form of sperm competition, sexual conflict and cryptic female choice. Surprisingly, there are only a handful of studies that have attempted to estimate the frequency of multiple mating in insects (including Drosophila) and none have made direct observations over extended periods of time. Here we use time-lapse photography to directly score matings in isolated pairs of D. melanogaster and show that multiple mating in the laboratory occurs at a high frequency but at comparable rates with wild caught females. We also find that the interval to remating rises approximately additively with each mating, indicating either an increase in female resistance or male reluctance to remate. These results suggest that the opportunity for postmating sexual selection in laboratory and natural environments are not dramatically different and that there may be a causal link between the rise in female mating resistance and the concomitant rise in the cost of mating. The method is easily executed and could be adapted to other insect models.
|
|
| 2. |
- Kuijper, Bram, et al.
(författare)
-
The evolution of social learning as phenotypic cue integration
- 2021
-
Ingår i: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Biological Sciences. - : The Royal Society. - 0962-8436 .- 1471-2970. ; 376:1828
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Most analyses of the origins of cultural evolution focus on when and where social learning prevails over individual learning, overlooking the fact that there are other developmental inputs that influence phenotypic fit to the selective environment. This raises the question of how the presence of other cue ‘channels’ affects the scope for social learning. Here, we present a model that considers the simultaneous evolution of (i) multiple forms of social learning (involving vertical or horizontal learning based on either prestige or conformity biases) within the broader context of other evolving inputs on phenotype determination, including (ii) heritable epigenetic factors, (iii) individual learning, (iv) environmental and cascading maternal effects, (v) conservative bet-hedging, and (vi) genetic cues. In fluctuating environments that are autocorrelated (and hence predictable), we find that social learning from members of the same generation (horizontal social learning) explains the large majority of phenotypic variation, whereas other cues are much less important. Moreover, social learning based on prestige biases typically prevails in positively autocorrelated environments, whereas conformity biases prevail in negatively autocorrelated environments. Only when environments are unpredictable or horizontal social learning is characterized by an intrinsically low information content, other cues such as conservative bet-hedging or vertical prestige biases prevail.This article is part of the theme issue ‘Foundations of cultural evolution’.
|
|
| 3. |
- Leimar, Olof, et al.
(författare)
-
Ecological Genetic Conflict : Genetic Architecture Can Shift the Balance between Local Adaptation and Plasticity
- 2019
-
Ingår i: American Naturalist. - : University of Chicago Press. - 0003-0147 .- 1537-5323. ; 193:1, s. 70-80
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Genetic polymorphism can contribute to local adaptation in heterogeneous habitats, for instance, as a single locus with alleles adapted to different habitats. Phenotypic plasticity can also contribute to trait variation across habitats, through developmental responses to habitat-specific cues. We show that the genetic architecture of genetically polymorphic and plasticity loci may influence the balance between local adaptation and phenotypic plasticity. These effects of genetic architecture are instances of ecological genetic conflict. A reduced effective migration rate for genes tightly linked to a genetic polymorphism provides an explanation for the effects, and they can occur both for a single trait and for a syndrome of coadapted traits. Using individual-based simulations and numerical analysis, we investigate how among-habitat genetic polymorphism and phenotypic plasticity depend on genetic architecture. We also study the evolution of genetic architecture itself, in the form of rates of recombination between genetically polymorphic loci and plasticity loci. Our main result is that for plasticity genes that are unlinked to loci with between-habitat genetic polymorphism, the slope of a reaction norm is steeper in comparison with the slope favored by plasticity genes that are tightly linked to genes for local adaptation.
|
|
| 4. |
- Smolla, Marco, et al.
(författare)
-
Underappreciated features of cultural evolution
- 2024
-
Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Cultural evolution theory has long been inspired by evolutionary biology. Conceptual analogies between biological and cultural evolution have led to the adoption of a range of formal theoretical approaches from population dynamics and genetics. However, this has resulted in a research programme with a strong focus on cultural transmission. Here, we contrast biological with cultural evolution, and highlight aspects of cultural evolution that have not received sufficient attention previously. We outline possible implications for evolutionary dynamics and argue that not taking them into account will limit our understanding of cultural systems. We propose twelve key questions for future research, among which are calls to improve our understanding of the combinatorial properties of cultural innovation, and the role of development and life history in cultural dynamics. Finally, we discuss how this vibrant research field can make progress by embracing its multidisciplinary nature.
|
|
| 5. |
- Smolla, Marco, et al.
(författare)
-
Underappreciated features of cultural evolution
- 2021
-
Ingår i: Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Biological Sciences. - : The Royal Society. - 0962-8452 .- 1471-2954 .- 0962-8436 .- 1471-2970. ; 376:1828
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Cultural evolution theory has long been inspired by evolutionary biology. Conceptual analogies between biological and cultural evolution have led to the adoption of a range of formal theoretical approaches from population dynamics and genetics. However, this has resulted in a research programme with a strong focus on cultural transmission. Here, we contrast biological with cultural evolution, and highlight aspects of cultural evolution that have not received sufficient attention previously. We outline possible implications for evolutionary dynamics and argue that not taking them into account will limit our understanding of cultural systems. We propose twelve key questions for future research, among which are calls to improve our understanding of the combinatorial properties of cultural innovation, and the role of development and life history in cultural dynamics. Finally, we discuss how this vibrant research field can make progress by embracing its multidisciplinary nature.
|
|
| 6. |
- Taborsky, Barbara, et al.
(författare)
-
An evolutionary perspective on stress responses, damage and repair
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Hormones and Behavior. - : Elsevier BV. - 0018-506X .- 1095-6867. ; 142
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Variation in stress responses has been investigated in relation to environmental factors, species ecology, life history and fitness. Moreover, mechanistic studies have unravelled molecular mechanisms of how acute and chronic stress responses cause physiological impacts (‘damage’), and how this damage can be repaired. However, it is not yet understood how the fitness effects of damage and repair influence stress response evolution. Here we study the evolution of hormone levels as a function of stressor occurrence, damage and the efficiency of repair. We hypothesise that the evolution of stress responses depends on the fitness consequences of damage and the ability to repair that damage. To obtain some general insights, we model a simplified scenario in which an organism repeatedly encounters a stressor with a certain frequency and predictability (temporal autocorrelation). The organism can defend itself by mounting a stress response (elevated hormone level), but this causes damage that takes time to repair. We identify optimal strategies in this scenario and then investigate how those strategies respond to acute and chronic exposures to the stressor. We find that for higher repair rates, baseline and peak hormone levels are higher. This typically means that the organism experiences higher levels of damage, which it can afford because that damage is repaired more quickly, but for very high repair rates the damage does not build up. With increasing predictability of the stressor, stress responses are sustained for longer, because the animal expects the stressor to persist, and thus damage builds up. This can result in very high (and potentially fatal) levels of damage when organisms are exposed to chronic stressors to which they are not evolutionarily adapted. Overall, our results highlight that at least three factors need to be considered jointly to advance our understanding of how stress physiology has evolved: (i) temporal dynamics of stressor occurrence; (ii) relative mortality risk imposed by the stressor itself versus damage caused by the stress response; and (iii) the efficiency of repair mechanisms.
|
|
| 7. |
- Taborsky, Barbara, et al.
(författare)
-
Towards an Evolutionary Theory of Stress Responses
- 2021
-
Ingår i: Trends in Ecology & Evolution. - : Elsevier BV. - 0169-5347 .- 1872-8383. ; 36:1, s. 39-48
-
Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- All organisms have a stress response system to cope with environmental threats, yet its precise form varies hugely within and across individuals, populations, and species. While the physiological mechanisms are increasingly understood, how stress responses have evolved remains elusive. Here, we show that important insights can be gained from models that incorporate physiological mechanisms within an evolutionary optimality analysis (the 'evo-mecho' approach). Our approach reveals environmental predictability and physiological constraints as key factors shaping stress response evolution, generating testable predictions about variation across species and contexts. We call for an integrated research programme combining theory, experimental evolution, and comparative analysis to advance scientific understanding of how this core physiological system has evolved.
|
|
