Search results for "evolutionary"
showing 10 items of 4392 documents
Data from: Inter- and intra-specific genomic divergence in Drosophila montana shows evidence for cold adaptation
2018
D. montana gff fileGenome annotation file for D. montana genome (Accession number: LUVX00000000)D.mont_freeze_v1.4.gff.txt
Data from: Epigenetic mutations can both help and hinder adaptive evolution
2015
Epigenetic variation is being integrated into our understanding of adaptation, yet we lack models on how epigenetic mutations affect evolution that includes de novo genetic change. We model the effects of epigenetic mutations on the dynamics and endpoints of adaptive walks-a process where a series of beneficial mutations move a population towards a fitness optimum. We use an individual-based model of an asexual population, where mutational effects are drawn from Fisher's geometric model. We find cases where epigenetic mutations speed adaptation or result in populations with higher fitness. However, we also find cases where they slow adaptation or result in populations with lower fitness. Th…
Data from: Virus epidemics can lead to a population-wide spread of intragenomic parasites in a previously parasite-free asexual population
2014
In a recent issue of Molecular Ecology the role of intragenomic parasites in maintaining sexual reproduction was both experimentally evaluated by Kraaijeveld et al. and discussed by Crespi and Schwander. The prevalence of sex is difficult to explain, due to its costs when compared with asexual reproduction. Yet, as reviewed by Crespi and Schwander, sex can be favorable in the presence of proliferating transposons. Transposons are similar to mutations, in that their integration to non-neutral loci is likely to have deleterious effects, and sexual recombination provides a potential mechanism to confine their accumulation.
Data from: Sex allocation theory for facultatively sexual organisms inhabiting seasonal environments: the importance of bet-hedging
2018
Adaptive explanations for dormancy often invoke bet-hedging, where reduced mean fitness can be adaptive if it associates with reduced fitness variance. Sex allocation theory typically ignores variance effects and focuses on mean fitness. For many cyclical parthenogens, these themes become linked, as only sexually produced eggs undergo dormancy needed to survive harsh conditions. We ask how sex allocation and the timing of sex evolve when this constraint exists in the form of a trade-off between asexual reproduction and sexual production of dormant eggs — the former being crucial for within-season success, the latter for survival across seasons. We show that male production can be temporally…
Data from: Life history differences in age-dependent expressions of multiple ornaments and behaviors in a lekking bird
2014
Age is a major factor explaining variation in life-history traits among individuals with typical patterns of increasing trait values early in life, maximum trait expression, and senescence. However, age-dependent variation in the expressions of sexually selected traits has received less attention, although such variation underpins differences in male competitive abilities and female preference, which are central to sexual selection. In contrast to previous studies focusing on single traits, we used repeated measures of seven sexually selected morphological and behavioral traits in male black grouse (Tetrao tetrix) to quantify the effects of age and life span on their expressions and quantif…
Data from: Towards a mechanistic understanding of vulnerability to hook-and-line fishing: boldness as the basic target of angling-induced selection
2017
In passively operated fishing gear, boldness-related behaviors should fundamentally affect the vulnerability of individual fish and thus be under fisheries selection. To test this hypothesis, we used juvenile common-garden reared carp (Cyprinus carpio) within a narrow size-range to investigate the mechanistic basis of behavioral selection caused by angling. We focused on one key personality trait (i.e., boldness), measured in groups within ponds, two morphological traits (body-shape and head-shape), and one life-history trait (juvenile growth capacity) and studied mean standardized selection gradients caused by angling. Carp behavior was highly repeatable within ponds. In the short-term, ov…
Data from: Correlational selection on pro- and anti-inflammatory effectors
2012
Parasites impose a permanent threat for hosts. As a consequence, immune defenses are important for host fitness. However, the immune response can also produce self-damage and impair host fitness if not properly regulated. Effectors that up- and down-regulate the immune response should, therefore, evolve in concert, and be under the action of correlational selection. To address this issue, we assessed the shape of the selection operating on pro- and anti-inflammatory effectors following an inflammatory challenge in laboratory mice. We found that selection acts on the combination of these two traits as individuals that produced large amount of pro-inflammatory cytokines could achieve relative…
The Secretion of Areolar (Montgomery's) Glands from Lactating Women Elicits Selective, Unconditional Responses in Neonates
2009
Background The communicative meaning of human areolae for newborn infants was examined here in directly exposing 3-day old neonates to the secretion from the areolar glands of Montgomery donated by non related, non familiar lactating women. Methodology/Principal Findings The effect of the areolar stimulus on the infants' behavior and autonomic nervous system was compared to that of seven reference stimuli originating either from human or non human mammalian sources, or from an arbitrarily-chosen artificial odorant. The odor of the native areolar secretion intensified more than all other stimuli the infants' inspiratory activity and appetitive oral responses. These responses appeared to deve…
GENOMIC EPIDEMIOLOGY OF TUBERCULOSIS: FROM WITHIN HOST EVOLUTION TO GLOBAL MIGRATION PATTERNS
2018
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The effects of experimentally manipulated yolk androgens on growth and immune function of male and female nestling collared flycatchers Ficedula albi…
2009
Hormone-mediated maternal effects may be an important mechanism for adjusting offspring phenotype to particular requirements of the environment. We manipulated the levels of testosterone and androstenedione in the yolk of collared flycatcher Ficedula albicollis eggs to investigate the effects of pre-natal exposure to androgens on growth and immune function. Androgen treatment tended to reduce the growth of males, and enhance the growth of females, as indicated by significant interaction between sex and androgen treatment. Cellular immune function was not affected by androgen treatment or sex. Survival of nestlings until fledging was not related to androgen treatment. Our results indicate th…