Search results for "Off"

Good-genes effects in sexual selection

1999

The magnitude of the effect of good genes as a viability benefit accruing to choosy females remains a controversial theoretical and empirical issue. We collected all available data from the literature to estimate the magnitude of good-genes viability effects, while adjusting for sample size. The average correlation coefficient between male traits and offspring survival in 22 studies was 0.122, which differed highly significantly from zero. This implies that male characters chosen by females reveal on average 1.5% of the variance in viability. The studies demonstrated considerable heterogeneity in effect size; some of this heterogeneity could be accounted for by differences among taxa (birds…

Mate choice for offspring performance: major benefits or minor costs?

1998

There is considerable disagreement over whether or not gaining viability benefits to offspring could be substantial enough to overcome the costs of female choosiness. A recent review suggested that the 'lek paradox' might be resolved by large indirect benefits as indicated by highly heritable ornamental traits. We selected males of a wolf spider Hygrolycosa rubrofasciata in relation to their sexual signalling rate (audible drumming). The estimated correlated response in offspring viability was rather small (0.12 s.d.). However, it may be large enough if the costs of being choosy are small. In fact, females mate with better-than-average males just by responding passively to a random drumming…

2021

Tamarins are a distinct group of small sized New World monkeys with complex phylogenetic relationships and poorly studied cytogenetic traits. In this study, we applied molecular cytogenetic analyses by fluorescence in situ hybridization with probes specific for telomeric sequences and ribosomal DNA loci after DAPI/CMA3 staining on metaphases from five tamarin species, namely Leontocebus fuscicollis, Leontopithecus rosalia, Saguinus geoffroyi, Saguinus mystax and Saguinus oedipus, with the aim to investigate the distribution of repetitive sequences and their possible role in genome evolution. Our analyses revealed that all five examined species show similar karyotypes, 2n = 46, which differ …

Simplified Model to Predict Runoff Generation Time for Well-Drained and Vegetated Soils

2016

The study of generation process of subsurface stormflow, typical of well-drained and high permeable soils, can be theoretically carried out by applying the continuity and the motion equations with the appropriate boundary conditions. However, difficulties and uncertainness on determining soil hydraulic properties and soil physics heterogeneities let this way not always feasible. In a different way, processes dynamic can be derived by the local scale through a coarse graining procedure, allowing to preserve medium motion character, while hydraulic fluctuation of the motion are lost. Following an approach as this, in this paper a simplified model to predict the runoff generation time, the so-…

Association of maternal prenatal smoking GFI1-locus and cardio-metabolic phenotypes in 18,212 adults

2018

Background: DNA methylation at the GFI1-locus has been repeatedly associated with exposure to smoking from the foetal period onwards. We explored whether DNA methylation may be a mechanism that links exposure to maternal prenatal smoking with offspring's adult cardio-metabolic health.Methods: We meta-analysed the association between DNA methylation at GFI1-locus with maternal prenatal smoking, adult own smoking, and cardio-metabolic phenotypes in 22 population-based studies from Europe, Australia, and USA (n= 18,212). DNA methylation at the GFI1-locus was measured in whole-blood. Multivariable regression models were fitted to examine its association with exposure to prenatal and own adult s…

Application of DNA Polymorphisms in Paternity Testing in Germany: Solution of an Incest Case Using Bacteriophage M13 Hybridization with Hypervariable…

1988

More than 25 blood, serum, and enzyme polymorphisms have been introduced into paternity testing in Germany in recent years (Rittner, 1975). If a “no” decision is defined by exclusion, and a “yes” decision requires a probability of 99.73 % or more, more than 90 % of court cases can be solved in this respect. A few cases not being clarified by a standard expertise include: 1) Cases with more than one alleged man if the men and/or the mother and the men are related. 2) Some cases where the putative father is deceased, and neither the parents nor the legitimate offspring are available for the study. 3) Cases where possible exclusion in a given polymorphic system interferes with an overall evide…

Intronic L1 insertion and F268S, novel mutations in RPS6KA3 (RSK2) causing Coffin-Lowry syndrome

2003

Two novel mutations of the ribosomal S6 kinase 2 gene (also known as RSK2) have been identified in two unrelated patients with Coffin–Lowry syndrome. The first mutation consists of a de novo insertion of a 5′-truncated LINE-1 element at position −8 of intron 3, which leads to a skipping of exon 4, leading to a shift of the reading frame and a premature stop codon. The L1 fragment (2800 bp) showed a rearrangement with a small deletion, a partial inversion of the ORF 2, flanked by short direct repeats which duplicate the acceptor splice site. However, cDNA analysis of the patient shows that both sites are apparently not functional. The second family showed the nucleotide change 803T>C in exon…

Relatedness Does not Affect Competitive Behavior of Rival Males or Offspring Growth in Multiply Sired Litters of Bank Voles (Myodes glareolus)

2014

Kin selection operates through the fitness of an organism's relatives. In the polyandry context, kin selection may be observable on the one hand in competition between rival males and, on the other hand, in competition between litter mates. Sperm competition theory predicts that males should invest less into mating when competing for fertilizations against a close relative as compared to an unrelated male. We tested this hypothesis with bank voles (Myodes glareolus) by mating each focal male to two females: one of which had previously mated with a full sibling of the focal male and the other one with a male unrelated to the focal male. However, we found no effect of rival male relatedness o…

Male Investments in High Quality Sperm Improve Fertilization Success, but May Have Negative Impact on Offspring Fitness in Whitefish.

2015

Many ejaculate traits show remarkable variation in relation to male social status. Males in disfavoured (subordinate) mating positions often invest heavily on sperm motility but may have less available resources on traits (e.g., secondary sexual ornaments) that improve the probability of gaining matings. Although higher investments in sperm motility can increase the relative fertilization success of subordinate males, it is unclear whether status-dependent differences in sperm traits could have any consequences for offspring fitness. We tested this possibility in whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus L.) by experimentally fertilizing the eggs of 24 females with the sperm of either highly-ornamente…

Inbreeding depression in an insect with maternal care: influences of family interactions, life stage and offspring sex.

2013

Although inbreeding is commonly known to depress individual fitness, the severity of inbreeding depression varies considerably across species. Among the factors contributing to this variation, family interactions, life stage and sex of offspring have been proposed, but their joint influence on inbreeding depression remains poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that these three factors jointly shape inbreeding depression in the European earwig, Forficula auricularia. Using a series of cross-breeding, split-clutch and brood size manipulation experiments conducted over two generations, we first showed that sib mating (leading to inbred offspring) did not influence the reproductive success of…