Sex ratio and local resource competition in a prosimian primate

Competition between female kin for local limiting resources may explain a male-biased secondary sex ratio in the prosimian Galago crassicaudatus. Data demonstrating the skewed sex ratio, a brief summary of field observations on the species, and a simple mathematical statement of the hypothesis are presented. Local resource competition may influence sex ratio in other mammals.     

Experimental evolution of reduced sex ratio adjustment under local mate competition

Theory predicts that local mate competition (LMC) favors the evolution of female-biased sex ratios. Empirical support of this prediction is indirect and comes from comparative studies or from studies showing that individuals can adjust their offspring sex ratio in response to varying LMC intensities. Replicate lines from a population of the spider mite Tetranychus urticae were selected under three LMC intensities for up to 54 generations. Within each selection regime, the final sex ratio matched theoretical predictions. Furthermore, the ability of individuals to adjust their offspring sex ratio diminished in females evolving under strict LMC, but not in females evolving under relaxed LMC levels. These results provide direct experimental evidence for the evolutionary process by which LMC modifies sex-allocation strategies and suggest that evolution under strict and constant LMC may lead to a loss of phenotypic plasticity.     

Male-killing bacteria in a parasitic wasp

A rod-shaped bacterium has been isolated that kills male eggs of the wasp Nasonia vitripennis, a pupal parasite of flies. Only some wasps of this species express this son-killer trait, and these wasps have bacterial infections in various organs. The bacterium was isolated from son-killer wasp tissue and from the hemolymph of fly pupae parasitized by wasps expressing the son-killer trait. Bacteria are apparently transferred to parasitized fly pupae during wasp oviposition, and developing wasp offspring are subsequently infected perorally. Sex-ratio distortion by microorganisms is found in a variety of plants and animals. The infectious peroral transmission of this trait variety of plants and animals. The infectious peroral transmission of this trait is in contrast to the typical pattern of cytoplasmic inheritance of sex-ratio distortion in these other systems.     

Haploid females in the parasitic wasp Nasonia vitripennis

The insect order of Hymenoptera (ants, bees, sawflies, and wasps) consists almost entirely of haplodiploid species. Under haplodiploidy, males develop from unfertilized eggs and are haploid, whereas females develop from fertilized eggs and are diploid. Although diploid males commonly occur, haploid females have never been reported. In analyzing the phenomenon of gynandromorphism in the parasitoid wasp Nasonia vitripennis, we found a line that generates complete phenotypic females from unfertilized eggs. These females have ovaries, can lay eggs, and are haploid, as shown by cytological and flow cytometric analyses. The data show that diploidy is not necessary for female development.     

Local mate competition and parental investment in social insects

Efforts to develop formulas for contrasting genetic interests of workers and queens in social Hymenoptera are complicated by many factors, including multiple matings by queens, oviposition by unmated females, and mating rivalry among genetic relatives (Hamilton's "local mate competition"). Because of haplodiploid sex determination in Hymenoptera, when such influences are absent, queens benefit from 1:1 sex ratios of investment (male: female) in reproductive offspring, workers from 1:3 ratios among reproductive siblings. Reports of variable ratios, including many well above 1:3, and female biases in nonsocial Hymenoptera and diplodiploid termites, implicate local mate competition and raises questions about previous interpretations that workers have their way.     

Sex ratio adjustment in fig wasps

The effects of inbreeding and local mate competition have often been confounded in theoretical and empirical studies of sex ratio. A general model considering the interplay of their influences on sex ratio evolution is presented, and its predictions are compared with data collected from three fig wasp species. The results indicate that female fig wasps adjust the sex ratio of their offspring in response to both the intensity of proximate local mate competition and the level of inbreeding in the population.     

Sex ratio: adaptive response to population fluctuations in pandalid shrimp

Pandalus jordani is a protandrous (sequential) hermaphrodite. Populations show large year-to-year variation in age composition. In response to this variation, individuals alter the age at which they change sex. This response is predicted by a genetic model that assumes that an individual shrimp maximizes its genetic contribution to the next generation.     

Coevolution of sender and receiver: effect on local mate preferecnce in cricket frogs

Mate recognition in frogs requires congruence of call characters, such as dominant frequency, and properties ofthe auditory system, such as frequency sensitivity of inner ear organs. Two neighboring populations of cricket frogs (Acri crepitans) exhibit statistically significant differences in the dominant frequency of the advertisement call and the frequency to which the basilar papilla of the inner ear is most sensitive. Call frequency and frequency sensitivity are matched within but differ between populations. These characters usually are negatively correlated with body size, and thus their congruence and coevolution often is explained by pleiotropic effects of size. However, within this species call frequency and frequency sensitivity ofthe basilar papilla evolved independent of body size, yielding local mate preferences that could contribute to genetic differentiation among neighboring populations.     

Female mate choice in a neotropical frog

Female Physalaemus pustulosus choose their mates and are more likely to choose larger males. There is a significant negative correlation between the size of the male and the fundamental frequency of one of the components of its advertisement call. Playback experiments demonstrate that females are capable of choosing larger males by distinguishing among differences in spectral components of the advertisement call.     

microstigmus comes: sociality in a sphecid wasp

Pendent nests of the wasp Microstigmus comes from Costa Rica contained up to 18 adults each. Ovarian dissection indicates that there is reproductive dominance (division of labor) among females from the same nest, without apparent external morphological differences. Evidence for parental care and cooperation in provisioning and defense also identify this as the first social sphecid wasp.     

Sex ratio of newborns: preponderance of males in toxemia of pregnancy

The ratio of males to females in 1061 babies born to mothers with toxemia of pregnancy is 1.24. The ratio increases as the severity of the disease increases, being 1.71 in cases in which the urinary output of protein is equal to or greater than 3 grams per 24 hours. Histoincompatibility of the fetus and mother, including incompatibility due to an antigen (or antigens) dependent on the Y chromosome, is suggested to function in the pathogenesis of pregnancy toxemia.     

Courtship disruption modifies mate choice in a lek-breeding bird

The aggregation of displaying males in lek-breeding birds is often associated with disruption of courtship and mating but effects of this disruption on mate choice have not been shown. In a 4-year study of Rupicola rupicola in Suriname, interference among territorial adult males disrupted 31 percent of all female courtship visits and terminated 32 percent of all matings at a lek where there were an average of 55 territorial males. Disruption in this rain forest species caused females to modify their courtship and mating patterns, and males that used intense and persistent disruption received a disproportionate share of this redirected mate choice.     

生菜对镉胁迫的生理响应及体内镉的累积分布

为了揭示生菜对镉毒害的响应,采用种子发芽和营养液基质栽培试验,从种子萌发、生理特性及镉的累积、分布等方面研究镉胁迫对生菜的影响。结果表明,镉胁迫显著降低种子发芽势,1 mg·L~(-1)镉胁迫显著提高发芽率,而其他浓度显著降低发芽率。基质栽培试验中,50、100 mg·L~(-1)镉对生菜生物量有显著促进作用,不同浓度镉对根冠比无显著影响;低浓度(5 mg·L~(-1))镉显著促进叶绿素总量和叶绿色a含量;高浓度镉(10~200 mg·L~(-1))胁迫显著降低叶绿素总量、叶绿素a、叶绿素b含量。镉浓度为5 mg·L~(-1)时,丙二醛(MDA)含量显著增加,随着镉浓度进一步提高,除20 mg·L~(-1)时MDA出现显著下降外,其他处理与对照无显著差异;随着镉浓度增加,超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)活性显著降低,过氧化氢酶(CAT)活性先升高后下降,过氧化物酶(POD)活性逐渐升高。生菜地下部分和地上部分镉含量均随镉浓度的升高而显著增加;且在同一镉浓度下,地下部分镉含量显著高于地上部分;随镉浓度的升高,地上部分的生物富集系数逐渐下降,而地下部分呈现先升高后下降的趋势,转运系数则显著下降。随着添加镉浓度的增加,地下部分亚细胞中各部分镉含量呈现指数累积趋势,而地上部分亚细胞中镉含量呈直线累积趋势;同一镉浓度下,地上部分亚细胞中的镉含量远低于地下部分;地下部分镉在亚细胞中的分布特征为细胞壁可溶组分细胞器,地上部分为细胞壁、可溶组分细胞器。因此,地下部分(根系)的滞留作用和细胞壁的固持是生菜应对镉胁迫的重要机制。     

Structural adaptations in a membrane enzyme that terminates endocannabinoid signaling

Cellular communication in the nervous system is mediated by chemical messengers that include amino acids, monoamines, peptide hormones, and lipids. An interesting question is how neurons regulate signals that are transmitted by membrane-embedded lipids. Here, we report the 2.8 angstrom crystal structure of the integral membrane protein fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), an enzyme that degrades members of the endocannabinoid class of signaling lipids and terminates their activity. The structure of FAAH complexed with an arachidonyl inhibitor reveals how a set of discrete structural alterations allows this enzyme, in contrast to soluble hydrolases of the same family, to integrate into cell membranes and establish direct access to the bilayer from its active site.     

Altruistic behavior in a sphecid wasp: support for kin-selection theory

Trigonopsis cameronii females often work in groups of up to four individuals on single nests, and because of inbreeding and a tendency to return to the mother nest, nestmates are likely to be highly related. The altruistic behavior associated with group living, most notably the failure to steal prey from nestmates, can thus be explained by kin-selection theory.     

The study lentil adaptations to highland winter-sown environments in Northeastern Iran

One hundred lentil genotypes accessions of Mashhad Lentil Collection (MLC) were evaluated at Chenaran, Iran with three planting dates [10 Oct., 10 Nov. (fall) and 28 Mar. (spring) during 2008/09 growing seasons]. Evaluation based on winter survival percentage showed that in 2008/09 growing season, percentage of highly tolerant, tolerant, moderately tolerant, moderately susceptible and susceptible genotypes were 22, 61, 16, 1 and 0 respectively. In the first planting date more than 50% of genotypes were ranked as highly tolerant, however it was decreased to 12% and 5% of genotypes in the second and third planting dates, respectively, in this year. According to the fall plantings data, the length of growth duration of samples in fall plantings were 2.3 times higher than spring planting, and also in the first planting that was 5, 25 and 255 percent more than 2^nd and 3^rd planting dates, respectively. The height of fall plants were more than spring plants and in the first year fall planting genotypes were about 38% taller than the same planting. The number of pod per plant in fall planting was 2 times higher than spring planting. More than 22% of accessions had 125 pods per plant in 1^st and 2^nd planting in this year. In the 2008/09 growing seasons the yield of lentil genotypes in fall planting were more than 4 and about 2 times of spring planting, respectively. In the 2008/09 growing seasons 39% of spring planting samples produced less than 50 gr/m² seed yield. It seems that the improvement of seed yield in the fall planting were due to suitable winter survival of plants fallowed by better usage of rainfall and escaping from drought and heat stress of the end of spring. Results showed that there were some cold tolerant accessions in MLC and it is possible to provide cold tolerant cultivars for fall planting in Mashhad conditions.     

Conserved genetic basis of a quantitative plumage trait involved in mate choice

A key question in evolutionary genetics is whether shared genetic mechanisms underlie the independent evolution of similar phenotypes across phylogenetically divergent lineages. Here we show that in two classic examples of melanic plumage polymorphisms in birds, lesser snow geese (Anser c. caerulescens) and arctic skuas (Stercorarius parasiticus), melanism is perfectly associated with variation in the melanocortin-1 receptor (MC1R) gene. In both species, the degree of melanism correlates with the number of copies of variant MC1R alleles. Phylogenetic reconstructions of variant MC1R alleles in geese and skuas show that melanism is a derived trait that evolved in the Pleistocene.     

Bivoltinism as an antecedent to eusociality in the paper wasp genus Polistes

To learn the evolutionary trajectories of caste differentiation in eusocial species is a major goal of sociobiology. We present an explanatory framework for caste evolution in the eusocial wasp genus Polistes (Vespidae), which is a model system for insect eusocial evolution. We hypothesize that Polistes worker and gyne castes stem from two developmental pathways that characterized the bivoltine life cycle of a solitary ancestor. Through individual-based simulations, we show that our mechanistic framework can reproduce colony-level characteristics of Polistes and, thereby, that social castes can emerge from solitary regulatory pathways. Our explanatory framework illustrates, by specific example, a changed perspective for understanding insect social evolution.