| 1. |
- Griffith, Simon C., et al.
(författare)
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Variation in reproductive success across captive populations: Methodological differences, potential biases and opportunities
- 2017
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Ingår i: Ethology. - : Wiley. - 1439-0310 .- 0179-1613. ; 123:1, s. 1-29
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Our understanding of fundamental organismal biology has been disproportionately influenced by studies of a relatively small number of ‘model’ species extensively studied in captivity. Laboratory populations of model species are commonly subject to a number of forms of past and current selection that may affect experimental outcomes. Here, we examine these processes and their outcomes in one of the most widely used vertebrate species in the laboratory – the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata). This important model species is used for research across a broad range of fields, partly due to the ease with which it can be bred in captivity. However despite this perceived amenability, we demonstrate extensive variation in the success with which different laboratories and studies bred their subjects, and overall only 64% of all females that were given the opportunity, bred successfully in the laboratory. We identify and review several environmental, husbandry, life-history and behavioural factors that potentially contribute to this variation. The variation in reproductive success across individuals could lead to biases in experimental outcomes and drive some of the heterogeneity in research outcomes across studies. The zebra finch remains an excellent captive animal system and our aim is to sharpen the insight that future studies of this species can provide, both to our understanding of this species and also with respect to the reproduction of captive animals more widely. We hope to improve systematic reporting methods and that further investigation of the issues we raise will lead both to advances in our fundamental understanding of avian reproduction as well as to improvements in future welfare and experimental efficiency.
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| 2. |
- Hämäläinen, Anni, et al.
(författare)
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Evolution of sex-specific pace-of-life syndromes : causes and consequences
- 2018
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Ingår i: Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0340-5443 .- 1432-0762. ; 72:3
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Males and females commonly differ in their life history optima and, consequently, in the optimal expression of life history, behavioral and physiological traits involved in pace-of-life syndromes (POLS). Sex differences in mean trait expression typically result if males and females exhibit different fitness optima along the same pace-of-life continuum, but the syndrome structure may also differ for the sexes. Due to sex-specific selective pressures imposed by reproductive roles and breeding strategies, the sexes may come to differ in the strength of correlation among traits, or different traits may covary in males and females. Ignorance of these selective forces operating between and within the sexes may lead to flawed conclusions about POLS manifestation in the species, and stand in the way of understanding the evolution, maintenance, and variability of POLS. We outline ways in which natural and sexual selection influence sex-specific trait evolution, and describe potential ultimate mechanisms underlying sex-specific POLS. We make predictions on how reproductive roles and the underlying sexual conflict lead to sex-specific trait covariances. These predictions lead us to conclude that sexual dimorphism in POLS is expected to be highly prevalent, allow us to assess possible consequences for POLS evolution, and provide guidelines for future studies.
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| 3. |
- Immonen, Elina, et al.
(författare)
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Evolution of sex-specific pace-of-life syndromes : genetic architecture and physiological mechanisms
- 2018
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Ingår i: Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0340-5443 .- 1432-0762. ; 72:3
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Sex differences in life history, physiology, and behavior are nearly ubiquitous across taxa, owing to sex-specific selection that arises from different reproductive strategies of the sexes. The pace-of-life syndrome (POLS) hypothesis predicts that most variation in such traits among individuals, populations, and species falls along a slow-fast pace-of-life continuum. As a result of their different reproductive roles and environment, the sexes also commonly differ in pace-of-life, with important consequences for the evolution of POLS. Here, we outline mechanisms for how males and females can evolve differences in POLS traits and in how such traits can covary differently despite constraints resulting from a shared genome. We review the current knowledge of the genetic basis of POLS traits and suggest candidate genes and pathways for future studies. Pleiotropic effects may govern many of the genetic correlations, but little is still known about the mechanisms involved in trade-offs between current and future reproduction and their integration with behavioral variation. We highlight the importance of metabolic and hormonal pathways in mediating sex differences in POLS traits; however, there is still a shortage of studies that test for sex specificity in molecular effects and their evolutionary causes. Considering whether and how sexual dimorphism evolves in POLS traits provides a more holistic framework to understand how behavioral variation is integrated with life histories and physiology, and we call for studies that focus on examining the sex-specific genetic architecture of this integration.
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