Search results for "Offspring"

Effects of feminizing microsporidia on the masculinizing function of the androgenic gland in Gammarus duebeni

2013

Feminizing parasites enhance their vertical transmission to the host offspring by converting genetic male hosts into phenotypic females. Crustacea are the only invertebrates where sexual differentiation is controlled by a specialised endocrine organ, the androgenic gland, rather than by the gonads. We showed that a feminizing microsporidian Microsporidium sp. inhibits androgenic gland differentiation. We investigated the effect of Microsporidium sp. and a second feminizing microsporidium, Nosema granulosis, on the masculinizing function of the androgenic gland in Gammarus duebeni. Androgenic gland implants had a masculinizing effect on the sexual characteristics and sexual behaviour of reci…

Maternal overnutrition programs hedonic and metabolic phenotypes across generations through sperm tsRNAs

2019

There is a growing body of evidence linking maternal overnutri-tion to obesity and psychopathology that can be conserved acrossmultiple generations. Recently, we demonstrated in a maternalhigh-fat diet (HFD; MHFD) mouse model that MHFD inducedenhanced hedonic behaviors and obesogenic phenotypes thatwere conserved across three generations via the paternal lineage,which was independent of sperm methylome changes. Here, weshow that sperm tRNA-derived small RNAs (tsRNAs) partly contrib-ute to the transmission of such phenotypes. We observe increasedexpression of sperm tsRNAs in the F1 male offspring born to HFD-exposed dams. Microinjection of sperm tsRNAs from the F1-HFDmale into normal zygotes…

Genetic compatibility and sexual selection

2005

In a recent review in TREE [1], Mays and Hill discuss the interface between sexual selection for good genes (i.e. female choice based on traits indicating heritable fitness) and sexual selection for genetic compatibility (i.e. how well the genes of the parents function together in their offspring). We feel that the scope of their contribution is somewhat limited, primarily because they implicitly equate genetic compatibility with genetic dissimilarity. Compatibility does, however, not equal dissimilarity.

Prader–Willi Syndrome with Angelman Syndrome in the Offspring

2021

We report the second case, to the best of our knowledge, of a mother with Prader–Willi syndrome (PWS) who gave birth to a daughter with Angelman syndrome (AS). The menarche occurred when she was 16, and the following menstrual cycles were irregular, but she never took sexual hormone replacement therapy. At the age of 26, our patient with PWS became pregnant. The diagnosis was confirmed by molecular genetic testing that revealed a ~5.7 Mb deletion in the 15q11.1–15q13 region on the paternal allele in the mother with PWS and the maternal one in the daughter with AS, respectively. Both the mother with PWS and the daughter with AS showed peculiar clinical and genetic features of the two syndrom…

2015

AbstractThe genetic conflict between parents and their offspring is a cornerstone of kin selection theory and the gene-centred view of evolution, but whether it actually occurs in natural systems remains an open question. Conflict operates only if parenting is driven by genetic trade-offs between offspring performance and the parent’s ability to raise additional offspring, and its expression critically depends on the shape of these trade-offs. Here we investigate the occurrence and nature of genetic conflict in an insect with maternal care, the earwig Forficula auricularia. Specifically, we test for a direct response to experimental selection on female future reproduction and correlated res…

Lekking in the black grouse— a test of male viability

1991

LEKS, where males congregate to display and females attend only to mate, present one of the most remarkable outcomes of sexual selection1. It is a common but untested belief that females mate with the most vigorous males2. In leks of the black grouse Tetrao tetrix, males dominant in winter flocks were most successful in mating, as were males winning fights over female dummies placed at territory boundaries. Males tear feathers from each others' tail ornaments in combats, and attractive males always had undamaged tails. We report here that by choosing victorious males, females mate with males that are most likely to survive the following six months. There is a strong association between fema…

Negative association between parental care and sibling cooperation in earwigs: a new perspective on the early evolution of family life?

2015

International audience; The evolution of family life requires net fitness benefits for offspring, which are commonly assumed to mainly derive from parental care. However, an additional source of benefits for offspring is often overlooked: cooperative interactions among juvenile siblings. In this study, we examined how sibling cooperation and parental care could jointly contribute to the early evolution of family life. Specifically, we tested whether the level of food transferred among siblings (sibling cooperation) in the European earwig F orficula auricularia (1) depends on the level of maternal food provisioning (parental care) and (2) is translated into offspring survival, as well as fem…

COST OF REPRODUCTION IN THE WILD: MANIPULATION OF REPRODUCTIVE EFFORT IN THE BANK VOLE

2003

For three years, we manipulated litter size by adding or subtracting pups in eight wild populations of the bank vole, Clethrionomys glareolus, to examine reproductive costs and allocation of reproductive effort between offspring number and size. In general, litter enlargements did not increase the number of weanlings per mother and significantly decreased the size of weanlings. Reproductive effort and the breeding success of individuals varied within breeding seasons, but time of breeding and litter manipulation did not interact to affect reproductive trade-offs. Our 3-yr field experiment revealed that litter enlargements also reduced survival and fecundity of mothers. Small mammals have be…

Systematic review of prenatal exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals and autism spectrum disorder in offspring.

2021

Epidemiological studies, which can have inherent methodological limitations, are used to study the relation between endocrine disrupting chemicals and autism spectrum disorder. The objective is to systematically review the treatment of methodological limitations and assess the quality and strength of the findings in the available literature. The quality and strength of the evidence were evaluated using the Navigation Guide Systematic Review Methodology. The overall quality and strength of the available studies were “moderate” and “limited,” respectively. Risk of bias due to the methodological limitations regarding the exclusion of potential confounding factors and the lack of accuracy of e…

Targeting the Stress System During Gestation: Is Early Handling a Protective Strategy for the Offspring?

2020

The perinatal window is a critical developmental time when abnormal gestational stimuli may alter the development of the stress system that, in turn, influences behavioral and physiological responses in the newborns. Individual differences in stress reactivity are also determined by variations in maternal care, resulting from environmental manipulations. Despite glucocorticoids are the primary programming factor for the offspring's stress response, therapeutic corticosteroids are commonly used during late gestation to prevent preterm negative outcomes, exposing the offspring to potentially aberrant stress reactivity later in life. Thus, in this study, we investigated the consequences of one…