| 1. |
- MacLeod, Kirsty J., et al.
(författare)
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Predator-induced transgenerational plasticity in animals : a meta-analysis
- 2022
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Ingår i: Oecologia. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0029-8549 .- 1432-1939. ; 200:3-4, s. 371-383
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- There is growing evidence that the environment experienced by one generation can influence phenotypes in the next generation via transgenerational plasticity (TGP). One of the best-studied examples of TGP in animals is predator-induced transgenerational plasticity, whereby exposing parents to predation risk triggers changes in offspring phenotypes. Yet, there is a lack of general consensus synthesizing the predator–prey literature with existing theory pertaining to ecology and evolution of TGP. Here, we apply a meta-analysis to the sizable literature on predator-induced TGP (441 effect sizes from 29 species and 49 studies) to explore five hypotheses about the magnitude, form and direction of predator-induced TGP. Hypothesis #1: the strength of predator-induced TGP should vary with the number of predator cues. Hypothesis #2: the strength of predator-induced TGP should vary with reproductive mode. Hypothesis #3: the strength and direction of predator-induced TGP should vary among offspring phenotypic traits because some traits are more plastic than others. Hypothesis #4: the strength of predator-induced TGP should wane over ontogeny. Hypothesis #5: predator-induced TGP should generate adaptive phenotypes that should be more evident when offspring are themselves exposed to risk. We found strong evidence for predator-induced TGP overall, but no evidence that parental predator exposure causes offspring traits to change in a particular direction. Additionally, we found little evidence in support of any of the specific hypotheses. We infer that the failure to find consistent evidence reflects the heterogeneous nature of the phenomena, and the highly diverse experimental designs used to study it. Together, these findings set an agenda for future work in this area.
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| 2. |
- MacLeod, Kirsty J., et al.
(författare)
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The influence of maternal glucocorticoids on offspring phenotype in high-and low-risk environments
- 2021
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Ingår i: Behavioral Ecology. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1045-2249 .- 1465-7279. ; 32:6, s. 1330-1338
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Elevated maternal glucocorticoid levels during gestation can lead to phenotypic changes in offspring via maternal effects. Although such effects have traditionally been considered maladaptive, maternally derived glucocorticoids may adaptively prepare offspring for their future environment depending upon the correlation between maternal and offspring environments. Nevertheless, relatively few studies test the effects of prenatal glucocorticoid exposure across multiple environments. We tested the potential for ecologically relevant increases in maternal glucocorticoids in the eastern fence lizard (Sceloporus undulatus) to induce adaptive phenotypic changes in offspring exposed to high or low densities of an invasive fire ant predator. Maternal treatment had limited effects on offspring morphology and behavior at hatching, but by 10 days of age, we found maternal treatment interacted with offspring environment to alter anti-predator behaviors. We did not detect differences in early-life survival based on maternal treatment or offspring environment. Opposing selection on anti-predator behaviors from historic and novel invasive predators may confound the potential of maternal glucocorticoids to adaptively influence offspring behavior. Our test of the phenotypic outcomes of transgenerational glucocorticoid effects across risk environments provides important insight into the context-specific nature of this phenomenon and the importance of understanding both current and historic evolutionary pressures.
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| 3. |
- Ålund, Murielle, et al.
(författare)
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Academic ecosystems must evolve to support a sustainable postdoc workforce
- 2020
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Ingår i: Nature Ecology and Evolution. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2397-334X. ; 4:6, s. 777-781
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- The postdoctoral workforce comprises a growing proportion of the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) community, and plays a vital role in advancing science. Postdoc professional development, however, remains rooted in outdated realities. We propose enhancements to postdoc-centred policies and practices to better align this career stage with contemporary job markets and work life. By facilitating productivity, wellness and career advancement, the proposed changes will benefit all stakeholders in postdoc success—including research teams, institutions, professional societies and the scientific community as a whole. To catalyse reform, we outline recommendations for (1) skills-based training tailored to the current career landscape, and (2) supportive policies and tools outlined in postdoc handbooks. We also invite the ecology and evolution community to lead further progressive reform.
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| 4. |
- MacLeod, Kirsty J., et al.
(författare)
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Context-dependent effects of glucocorticoids on the lizard gut microbiome
- 2022
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Ingår i: Molecular Ecology. - : Wiley. - 0962-1083 .- 1365-294X. ; 31:1, s. 185-196
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The vertebrate gut microbiota (bacterial, archaeal and fungal communities of the gastrointestinal tract) can have profound effects on the physiological processes of their hosts. Although relatively stable, changes in microbiome structure and composition occur due to changes in the environment, including exposure to stressors and associated increases in glucocorticoid hormones. Although a growing number of studies have linked stressor exposure to microbiome changes, few studies have experimentally explored the specific influence of glucocorticoids on the microbiome in wild animals, or across ecologically important processes (e.g., reproductive stages). Here we tested the response of the gut microbiota of adult female Sceloporus undulatus across gestation to ecologically relevant elevations of a stress-relevant glucocorticoid hormone (CORT) in order to determine (i) how experimentally elevated CORT influenced microbiome characteristics, and (ii) whether this relationship was dependent on reproductive context (i.e., whether females were gravid or not, and, in those that were gravid, gestational stage). We show that the effects of CORT on gut microbiota are complex and depend on both gestational state and stage. CORT treatment altered microbial community membership and resulted in an increase in microbiome diversity in late-gestation females, and microbial community membership varied according to treatment. In nongravid females, CORT treatment decreased interindividual variation in microbial communities, but this effect was not observed in late-gestation females. Our results highlight the need for a more holistic understanding of the downstream physiological effects of glucocorticoids, as well as the importance of context (here, gestational state and stage) in interpreting stress effects in ecology.
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| 5. |
- MacLeod, Kirsty J., et al.
(författare)
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Viviparous mothers impose stronger glucocorticoid-mediated maternal stress effects on their offspring than oviparous mothers
- 2021
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Ingår i: Ecology and Evolution. - : Wiley. - 2045-7758. ; 11:23, s. 17238-17259
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Maternal stress during gestation has the potential to affect offspring development via changes in maternal physiology, such as increases in circulating levels of glucocorticoid hormones that are typical after exposure to a stressor. While the effects of elevated maternal glucocorticoids on offspring phenotype (i.e., “glucocorticoid-mediated maternal effects”) have been relatively well established in laboratory studies, it remains poorly understood how strong and consistent such effects are in natural populations. Using a meta-analysis of studies of wild mammals, birds, and reptiles, we investigate the evidence for effects of elevated maternal glucocorticoids on offspring phenotype and investigate key moderators that might influence the strength and direction of these effects. In particular, we investigate the potential importance of reproductive mode (viviparity vs. oviparity). We show that glucocorticoid-mediated maternal effects are stronger, and likely more deleterious, in mammals and viviparous squamate reptiles compared with birds, turtles, and oviparous squamates. No other moderators (timing and type of manipulation, age at offspring measurement, or type of trait measured) were significant predictors of the strength or direction of the phenotypic effects on offspring. These results provide evidence that the evolution of a prolonged physiological association between embryo and mother sets the stage for maladaptive, or adaptive, prenatal stress effects in vertebrates driven by glucocorticoid elevation.
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| 6. |
- Moss, Jeanette B., et al.
(författare)
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A quantitative synthesis of and predictive framework for studying winter warming effects in reptiles
- 2022
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Ingår i: Oecologia. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0029-8549 .- 1432-1939. ; 200:1-2, s. 259-271
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Increases in temperature related to global warming have important implications for organismal fitness. For ectotherms inhabiting temperate regions, ‘winter warming’ is likely to be a key source of the thermal variation experienced in future years. Studies focusing on the active season predict largely positive responses to warming in the reptiles; however, overlooking potentially deleterious consequences of warming during the inactive season could lead to biased assessments of climate change vulnerability. Here, we review the overwinter ecology of reptiles, and test specific predictions about the effects of warming winters, by performing a meta-analysis of all studies testing winter warming effects on reptile traits to date. We collated information from observational studies measuring responses to natural variation in temperature in more than one winter season, and experimental studies which manipulated ambient temperature during the winter season. Available evidence supports that most reptiles will advance phenologies with rising winter temperatures, which could positively affect fitness by prolonging the active season although effects of these shifts are poorly understood. Conversely, evidence for shifts in survivorship and body condition in response to warming winters was equivocal, with disruptions to biological rhythms potentially leading to unforeseen fitness ramifications. Our results suggest that the effects of warming winters on reptile species are likely to be important but highlight the need for more data and greater integration of experimental and observational approaches. To improve future understanding, we recap major knowledge gaps in the published literature of winter warming effects in reptiles and outline a framework for future research.
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| 7. |
- Mpemba, Hamenya, et al.
(författare)
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Influences of Predator Cues on the Incidence of Ungulates, Mesopredators and Top Predators in the Greater Khingan Mountains, Northeastern China
- 2023
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Ingår i: Pakistan Journal of Zoology. - : ResearchersLinks Ltd. - 0030-9923. ; 55:1, s. 269-280
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Top predators can affect the behaviour of prey species via lethal (direct kill) or non-lethal effects (i.e., through predation risk). For example, prey species may move from areas perceived as risky to safer spaces where predation risk is lower, which can have important consequences for investment in foraging, movement, and mating, and for the behaviour and habitat use of other species, such as mesopredators. These changes in prey and mesopredator behaviours are likely mediated by the presence of predator cues in the environment. Here, we test how different predator cues (visual and odor) from familiar and novel predators (brown bear and Amur tiger, respectively) influence ungulate, mesopredator, and top predator visitation rates to camera trap sites in a national nature reserve in China. The comparison of these predator types is of particular interest in this region as Amur tigers may shortly be reintroduced here. We found that visual but not odour cues significantly affected ungulate visitation rates: ungulates showed reduced visitation to sites with either a novel or familiar visual predator cue. When combined, mesopredators and top predators also showed a small reduction in visitation rates to tiger cue sites compared to bear cue sites, suggesting a possible novel predator effect. The generalisation and contextual importance of predator cues for prey and mesopredators have been little studied. Understanding how species respond to novel cues may help to determine extinction probabilities and overall plasticity in the face of change. This study is, therefore, an important step forward in understanding predator cue responses at the community level. This is also the first study to test the ecological function of Amur tiger cues in the wild environment and may serve as essential information in the rewilding process of captive Amur tiger plans.
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