| 1. |
- Pröhl, Heike, et al.
(author)
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Ecología y comportamiento de las ranas venenosas del género oophaga en Costa Rica y Panamá
- 2015
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In: Alytes. - 0753-4973. ; 32:32, s. 31-45
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The poison dart frogs Oophaga granulifera and Oophaga pumilio are distributed in Nicaragua (only O. pumilio), Costa Rica and Panama. The ecology and behavior of both species has attracted scientifc attention for several reasons. These frogs exhibit toxicity in combination with bright coloration and diversification into different color morphs. Moreover, they display highly aggressive and territorial behavior, and have a complex mating and parental care system. In this article we summarize recent published data from numerous researchers. We emphasize the link between the behavior (reproduction, territoriality) of the frogs and their resource and habitat use. Additionally we demonstrate how within species variation in the strategies used for predator avoidance (aposematism and crypsis) is associated with the genetic population structure, and correlated with behavioral divergence. We conclude that evolutionary forces like natural and sexual selection have contributed to diversification within the species and that these processes might result in the formation of new species. These evolutionary processes involved in speciation need more attention in conservation planning.
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| 2. |
- von Ellenrieder, Natalia, et al.
(author)
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Checklist of the dragonflies and damselflies from Guyana (Insecta : Odonata), with new records from the country
- 2017
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In: Check List: journal of species lists and distribution. - : Pensoft Publishers. - 1809-127X. ; 13:2
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The first checklist of the odonates from Guyana is presented, including 46 new species records. Literature sources are provided for all species and for the new records full locality data, color scans or field photographs, taxonomic and biological notes, and maps for those species whose distribution range is increased considerably.
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| 3. |
- Willink Castro, Beatriz, et al.
(author)
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Intra-and intersexual differences in parasite resistance and female fitness tolerance in a polymorphic insect
- 2017
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In: Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. - : The Royal Society. - 0962-8452 .- 1471-2954. ; 284:1847
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- To understand host–parasite interactions, it is necessary to quantify variation and covariation in defence traits. We quantified parasite resistance and fitness tolerance of a polymorphic damselfly (Ischnura elegans), an insectwith three discrete female colour morphs but with monomorphic males. We quantified sex and morph differences in parasite resistance (prevalence and intensity of water mite infections) and morph-specific fitness tolerance in the females in natural populations for over a decade. Therewas no evidence for higher parasite susceptibility in males as a cost of sexual selection, whereas differences in defence mechanisms between female morphs are consistent with correlational selection operating on combinations of parasite resistance and tolerance. We suggest that tolerance differences between female morphs interact with frequency-dependent sexual conflict, which maintains the polymorphism locally. Host–parasite interactions can therefore shape intra-and intersexual phenotypic divergence and interfere with sexual selection and sexual conflict.
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| 4. |
- Willink Castro, Beatriz
(author)
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The descent of damselflies and variation in relation to sex
- 2018
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Sexual conflict over mating shapes the interactions between males and females in many animals and is also responsible for dramatic adaptations in both sexes. In some species of pond damselflies (Odonata:Coeangrionidae), sexual conflict maintains discrete female-limited colour morphs over multiple generations and within populations. One of the female morphs is typically male-coloured and considered a male mimic. This is because their male-like appearance provides a frequency-dependent advantage against excessive male mating attempts. In this thesis, I investigate three major questions regarding the evolutionary consequences of this pervasive sexual conflict. First, how is phenotypic variation in ecological traits distributed among heritable female colour morphs? Second, how does sexual conflict shape phenotypic variation within the lifespan of females? Finally, how, where and why do female-limited morphs arise in the first place?In the Common Bluetail damselfly (Ischnura elegans), female morphs differ in multiple phenotypic traits. My results uncover further phenotypic associations between the two most common morphs of the Common Bluetail in Sweden. One morph is more resistant to infections by parasitic mites, whereas the other is instead more tolerant. These morphs also differ in their developmental sensitivity to temperature, which in turn influences how morph frequencies are distributed across European populations. Moreover, my findings provide some insights as to how these profound phenotypic differences are produced over the course of adult development, and suggest that male mimics and non-mimics differ in the regulation of important developmental processes.Females of the Common Bluetail undergo dramatic colour changes as they become sexually mature. My thesis shows that immature colour patterns in non-mimic female morphs reduce male pre-mating harassment, and may have evolved by co-opting male colour signals to be expressed as immature signals of reproductive unsuitability. These results suggest that female colour patterns might be highly evolutionarily labile. Yet, a large-scale phylogenetic framework is required to gain a full understanding of the macroevolutionary consequences of sexual conflict on the evolution of female-limited colour variation.I inferred a multi-locus phylogeny for the damselfly superfamily Coeangrionoidea. I then used this phylogeny to show that female-limited colour polymorphisms have arisen repeatedly in this clade, and in association with ecological conditions that foster sexual conflict over mating. Finally, my results uncover a stark contrast between the consequences of sexual conflict at micro and macroevolutionary scales. While sexual conflict promotes diversity within populations by maintaining alternative female morphs, the presence of these morphs is also associated with increased extinction risk and a fast lineage turnover. Together, my results reveal how sexual conflict can influence the origin, distribution and loss of diversity.
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