@article {pmid38472409, year = {2024}, author = {Beer, K and Zupanc, GKH and Helfrich-Förster, C}, title = {Ingeborg Beling and the time memory in honeybees: almost one hundred years of research.}, journal = {Journal of comparative physiology. A, Neuroethology, sensory, neural, and behavioral physiology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, pmid = {38472409}, issn = {1432-1351}, support = {BE 8339/1-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; 1946910//National Science Foundation/ ; }, abstract = {Bees are known for their ability to forage with high efficiency. One of their strategies to avoid unproductive foraging is to be at the food source at the right time of the day. Approximately one hundred years ago, researchers discovered that honeybees have a remarkable time memory, which they use for optimizing foraging. Ingeborg Beling was the first to examine this time memory experimentally. In her doctoral thesis, completed under the mentorship of Karl von Frisch in 1929, she systematically examined the capability of honeybees to remember specific times of the day at which they had been trained to appear at a feeding station. Beling was a pioneer in chronobiology, as she described the basic characteristics of the circadian clock on which the honeybee's time memory is based. Unfortunately, after a few years of extremely productive research, she ended her scientific career, probably due to family reasons or political pressure to reduce the number of women in the workforce. Here, we present a biographical sketch of Ingeborg Beling and review her research on the time memory of honeybees. Furthermore, we discuss the significance of her work, considering what is known about time memory today - nearly 100 years after she conducted her experiments.}, } @article {pmid38470528, year = {2024}, author = {Narah, J and Streinzer, M and Chakravorty, J and Megu, K and Spaethe, J and Brockmann, A and Schmitt, T}, title = {Cuticular Hydrocarbon Profiles of Himalayan Bumble Bees (Hymenoptera: Bombus Latreille) are Species-Specific and Show Elevational Variation.}, journal = {Journal of chemical ecology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, pmid = {38470528}, issn = {1573-1561}, abstract = {Bumble bees are important pollinators in natural environments and agricultural farmlands, and they are in particular adapted to harsh environments like high mountain habitats. In these environments, animals are exposed to low temperature and face the risk of desiccation. The Eastern Himalayas are one of the recognized biodiversity hotspots worldwide. The area covers subtropical rainforest with warm temperature and high precipitation as well as high mountain ranges with peaks reaching up to 7,000 m, shaping a diverse floral and faunal community at the different elevational zones. To identify possible adaptation strategies, we investigated the cuticular hydrocarbon profiles of four bumble bee species occurring at different elevational ranges in Arunachal Pradesh, the northeastern most state in India. At 17 locations along an elevational gradient, we collected workers of two species from lower elevations (B. albopleuralis and B. breviceps; ~ 100 m - 3,000 m asl) and two species from higher elevations (B. prshewalskyi and B. mirus; ~ 2,800 m - 4,500 m asl). The CHC profiles of all four species showed a significant degree of variation in the composition of hydrocarbons, indicating species specificity. We also found clear correlation with elevation. The weighted mean chain length of the hydrocarbons significantly differed between the low and high elevation species, and the proportion of saturated hydrocarbons in CHC profiles significantly increased with the elevational range of the bumble bee species. Our results indicate that bumble bees living at high elevations reduce the risk of water loss by adapting their CHC composition on their cuticle, a phenomenon that has also been found in other insects like ants and fruit flies.}, } @article {pmid38469501, year = {2023}, author = {Pirk, CWW and Scheiner, R}, title = {Editorial: The effects of diet on health in insects.}, journal = {Frontiers in insect science}, volume = {3}, number = {}, pages = {1186027}, pmid = {38469501}, issn = {2673-8600}, } @article {pmid38469509, year = {2023}, author = {Schilcher, F and Hilsmann, L and Ankenbrand, MJ and Krischke, M and Mueller, MJ and Steffan-Dewenter, I and Scheiner, R}, title = {Corrigendum: Honeybees are buffered against undernourishment during larval stages.}, journal = {Frontiers in insect science}, volume = {3}, number = {}, pages = {1146464}, doi = {10.3389/finsc.2023.1146464}, pmid = {38469509}, issn = {2673-8600}, abstract = {[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/finsc.2022.951317.].}, } @article {pmid38468773, year = {2022}, author = {Schilcher, F and Hilsmann, L and Ankenbrand, MJ and Krischke, M and Mueller, MJ and Steffan-Dewenter, I and Scheiner, R}, title = {Honeybees are buffered against undernourishment during larval stages.}, journal = {Frontiers in insect science}, volume = {2}, number = {}, pages = {951317}, pmid = {38468773}, issn = {2673-8600}, abstract = {The negative impact of juvenile undernourishment on adult behavior has been well reported for vertebrates, but relatively little is known about invertebrates. In honeybees, nutrition has long been known to affect task performance and timing of behavioral transitions. Whether and how a dietary restriction during larval development affects the task performance of adult honeybees is largely unknown. We raised honeybees in-vitro, varying the amount of a standardized diet (150 µl, 160 µl, 180 µl in total). Emerging adults were marked and inserted into established colonies. Behavioral performance of nurse bees and foragers was investigated and physiological factors known to be involved in the regulation of social organization were quantified. Surprisingly, adult honeybees raised under different feeding regimes did not differ in any of the behaviors observed. No differences were observed in physiological parameters apart from weight. Honeybees were lighter when undernourished (150 µl), while they were heavier under the overfed treatment (180 µl) compared to the control group raised under a normal diet (160 µl). These data suggest that dietary restrictions during larval development do not affect task performance or physiology in this social insect despite producing clear effects on adult weight. We speculate that possible effects of larval undernourishment might be compensated during the early period of adult life.}, } @article {pmid38468891, year = {2021}, author = {Schuhmann, A and Schmid, AP and Manzer, S and Schulte, J and Scheiner, R}, title = {Interaction of Insecticides and Fungicides in Bees.}, journal = {Frontiers in insect science}, volume = {1}, number = {}, pages = {808335}, pmid = {38468891}, issn = {2673-8600}, abstract = {Honeybees and wild bees are among the most important pollinators of both wild and cultivated landscapes. In recent years, however, a significant decline in these pollinators has been recorded. This decrease can have many causes including the heavy use of biocidal plant protection products in agriculture. The most frequent residues in bee products originate from fungicides, while neonicotinoids and, to a lesser extent, pyrethroids are among the most popular insecticides detected in bee products. There is abundant evidence of toxic side effects on honeybees and wild bees produced by neonicotinoids, but only few studies have investigated side effects of fungicides, because they are generally regarded as not being harmful for bees. In the field, a variety of substances are taken up by bees including mixtures of insecticides and fungicides, and their combinations can be lethal for these pollinators, depending on the specific group of insecticide or fungicide. This review discusses the different combinations of major insecticide and fungicide classes and their effects on honeybees and wild bees. Fungicides inhibiting the sterol biosynthesis pathway can strongly increase the toxicity of neonicotinoids and pyrethroids. Other fungicides, in contrast, do not appear to enhance toxicity when combined with neonicotinoid or pyrethroid insecticides. But the knowledge on possible interactions of fungicides not inhibiting the sterol biosynthesis pathway and insecticides is poor, particularly in wild bees, emphasizing the need for further studies on possible effects of insecticide-fungicide interactions in bees.}, } @article {pmid38463629, year = {2015}, author = {Schlomer, GL and Cleveland, HH and Vandenbergh, DJ and Fosco, GM and Feinberg, ME}, title = {Looking Forward in Candidate Gene Research: Concerns and Suggestions.}, journal = {Journal of marriage and the family}, volume = {77}, number = {2}, pages = {351-354}, pmid = {38463629}, issn = {0022-2445}, abstract = {Candidate Gene × Environment (cGxE) interaction research holds promise for helping us understand for whom and why environments matter for families and development. In their commentary on our target article (G. L. Schlomer, G. M. Fosco, H. H. Cleveland, D. J. Vandenbergh, & M. E. Feinberg, 2015), J. E. Salvatore and D. M. Dick (2015) present their view of the current state and future of cGxE research and frame the debate regarding its merits for advancing knowledge of gene-environment interplay. In this reply, we discuss points of agreement and departure and provide a list of 5 domains by which the quality of cGxE research should be evaluated. Our hope is that researchers will use this list as a guide for their own work.}, } @article {pmid38346192, year = {2024}, author = {Grob, R and Müller, VL and Grübel, K and Rössler, W and Fleischmann, PN}, title = {Importance of magnetic information for neuronal plasticity in desert ants.}, journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America}, volume = {121}, number = {8}, pages = {e2320764121}, doi = {10.1073/pnas.2320764121}, pmid = {38346192}, issn = {1091-6490}, support = {FL1060/1-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)/ ; Ro 1177/7-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)/ ; INST 934/829-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)/ ; GSO/KT 16//German Scholar Organization/ ; }, abstract = {Many animal species rely on the Earth's magnetic field during navigation, but where in the brain magnetic information is processed is still unknown. To unravel this, we manipulated the natural magnetic field at the nest entrance of Cataglyphis desert ants and investigated how this affects relevant brain regions during early compass calibration. We found that manipulating the Earth's magnetic field has profound effects on neuronal plasticity in two sensory integration centers. Magnetic field manipulations interfere with a typical look-back behavior during learning walks of naive ants. Most importantly, structural analyses in the ants' neuronal compass (central complex) and memory centers (mushroom bodies) demonstrate that magnetic information affects neuronal plasticity during early visual learning. This suggests that magnetic information does not only serve as a compass cue for navigation but also as a global reference system crucial for spatial memory formation. We propose a neural circuit for integration of magnetic information into visual guidance networks in the ant brain. Taken together, our results provide an insight into the neural substrate for magnetic navigation in insects.}, } @article {pmid38285936, year = {2024}, author = {Kannegieser, S and Kraft, N and Haan, A and Stöckl, A}, title = {Visual guidance fine-tunes probing movements of an insect appendage.}, journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America}, volume = {121}, number = {6}, pages = {e2306937121}, doi = {10.1073/pnas.2306937121}, pmid = {38285936}, issn = {1091-6490}, support = {95490//Volkswagen Foundation (VolkswagenStiftung)/ ; n.a.//Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities/ ; PostdocPlus//Graduate School of Life Sciences/ ; }, abstract = {Visually guided reaching, a regular feature of human life, comprises an intricate neural control task. It includes identifying the target's position in 3D space, passing the representation to the motor system that controls the respective appendages, and adjusting ongoing movements using visual and proprioceptive feedback. Given the complexity of the neural control task, invertebrates, with their numerically constrained central nervous systems, are often considered incapable of this level of visuomotor guidance. Here, we provide mechanistic insights into visual appendage guidance in insects by studying the probing movements of the hummingbird hawkmoth's proboscis as they search for a flower's nectary. We show that visually guided proboscis movements fine-tune the coarse control provided by body movements in flight. By impairing the animals' view of their proboscis, we demonstrate that continuous visual feedback is required and actively sought out to guide this appendage. In doing so, we establish an insect model for the study of neural strategies underlying eye-appendage control in a simple nervous system.}, } @article {pmid38256919, year = {2024}, author = {Kalinovic, R and Pascariu, A and Vlad, G and Nitusca, D and Sălcudean, A and Sirbu, IO and Marian, C and Enatescu, VR}, title = {Involvement of the Expression of G Protein-Coupled Receptors in Schizophrenia.}, journal = {Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland)}, volume = {17}, number = {1}, pages = {}, doi = {10.3390/ph17010085}, pmid = {38256919}, issn = {1424-8247}, abstract = {The expression of GPCRs has been associated with schizophrenia, and their expression may induce morphological changes in brain regions responsible for schizophrenia and disease-specific behavioral changes. The articles included in this review were selected using keywords and databases of scientific research websites. The expressions of GPRs have different involvements in schizophrenia, some increase the risk while others provide protection, and they may also be potential targets for new treatments. Proper evaluation of these factors is essential to have a better therapeutic response with a lower rate of chronicity and thus improve the long-term prognosis.}, } @article {pmid38218496, year = {2024}, author = {Wu, X and Kong, L and Feng, Y and Zheng, R and Zhou, J and Sun, J and Liu, S}, title = {Communication mediated interaction between bacteria and microalgae advances photogranulation.}, journal = {The Science of the total environment}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {169975}, doi = {10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.169975}, pmid = {38218496}, issn = {1879-1026}, abstract = {Recently, photogranules composed of bacteria and microalgae for carbon-negative nitrogen removal receive extensive attention worldwide, yet which type of bacteria is helpful for rapid formation of photogranules and whether they depend on signaling communication remain elusive. Varied signaling communication was analyzed using metagenomic method among bacteria and microalgae in via of two types of experimentally verified signaling molecule from bacteria to microalgae, which include indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and N-acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs) during the operation of photo-bioreactors. Signaling communication is helpful for the adaptability of bacteria to survive with algae. Compared with non-signaling bacteria, signaling bacteria more easily adapt to the varied conditions, evidenced by the increased abundance in the operated reactors. Signaling bacteria are easier to enter the phycosphere, and they dominate the interactions between bacteria and algae rather than non-signaling bacteria. The co-abundance groups (CAGs) with signaling bacteria possess higher abundance than that without signaling bacteria (22.27 % and 6.67 %). Importantly, signaling bacteria accessibly interact with microalgae, which possess higher degree centralities and 32.50 % of them are keystone nodes in the network, in contrast to only 18.66 % of non-signaling bacteria. Thauera carrying both IAA and AHLs synthase genes are highly enriched and positively correlated with nitrogen removal rate. Our work not only highlights the essential roles of signaling communication between microalgae and bacteria in the development of photogranules, but also enriches our understanding of microbial sociobiology.}, } @article {pmid38133716, year = {2023}, author = {Roura-Torres, B and Amblard-Rambert, P and Lepou, P and Kappeler, PM and Charpentier, MJE}, title = {Stillbirth of a mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx) in the wild: perinatal behaviors and delivery sequences.}, journal = {Primates; journal of primatology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, pmid = {38133716}, issn = {1610-7365}, support = {S202210309//Leakey Foundation/ ; INEE-CNRS//SEEG Lekedi/ ; KA 1082/45-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; KA 1082/45-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; }, abstract = {Birth is a fundamental event in the life of animals, including our own species. More reports of wild non-human primate births and stillbirths are thus needed to better understand the evolutionary pressures shaping parturition behaviors in our lineage. In diurnal non-human primates, births generally occur at night, when individuals are resting. Consequently, they are difficult to observe in the wild and most of the current knowledge regarding perinatal behaviors comes from rare daytime births. Information about stillbirths is even rarer and their proximate causes are generally unknown. Here, we present detailed observations of a daytime birth of a stillborn wild mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx). During this event, which lasted an entire day, we recorded the behaviors of the parturient female ad libitum, using video recordings and photos. The 5-year-old female was primiparous and of low dominance rank. The length of her pregnancy was shorter than usual and the partum phase was extremely long compared to other birth reports in non-human primates. The female disappeared shortly after this event and was assumed to have died. We discuss the possible causes of this stillbirth including the infant's presentation at birth and maternal inexperience.}, } @article {pmid38113942, year = {2023}, author = {Larsen, TJ and Jahan, I and Brock, DA and Strassmann, JE and Queller, DC}, title = {Reduced social function in experimentally evolved Dictyostelium discoideum implies selection for social conflict in nature.}, journal = {Proceedings. Biological sciences}, volume = {290}, number = {2013}, pages = {20231722}, doi = {10.1098/rspb.2023.1722}, pmid = {38113942}, issn = {1471-2954}, abstract = {Many microbes interact with one another, but the difficulty of directly observing these interactions in nature makes interpreting their adaptive value complicated. The social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum forms aggregates wherein some cells are sacrificed for the benefit of others. Within chimaeric aggregates containing multiple unrelated lineages, cheaters can gain an advantage by undercontributing, but the extent to which wild D. discoideum has adapted to cheat is not fully clear. In this study, we experimentally evolved D. discoideum in an environment where there were no selective pressures to cheat or resist cheating in chimaeras. Dictyostelium discoideum lines grown in this environment evolved reduced competitiveness within chimaeric aggregates and reduced ability to migrate during the slug stage. By contrast, we did not observe a reduction in cell number, a trait for which selection was not relaxed. The observed loss of traits that our laboratory conditions had made irrelevant suggests that these traits were adaptations driven and maintained by selective pressures D. discoideum faces in its natural environment. Our results suggest that D. discoideum faces social conflict in nature, and illustrate a general approach that could be applied to searching for social or non-social adaptations in other microbes.}, } @article {pmid38110489, year = {2023}, author = {Gabel, M and Scheiner, R and Steffan-Dewenter, I and Büchler, R}, title = {Reproduction of Varroa destructor depends on well-timed host cell recapping and seasonal patterns.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {13}, number = {1}, pages = {22484}, pmid = {38110489}, issn = {2045-2322}, abstract = {Resistance traits of honeybees (Apis mellifera) against their major parasite Varroa destructor have fascinated scientists and breeders for long. Nevertheless, the mechanisms underlying resistance are still largely unknown. The same applies to possible interactions between host behaviours, mite reproduction and seasonal differences. Two resistance traits, reproductive failure of mites and recapping of brood cells, are of particular interest. High rates of recapping at the colony level were found to correspond with low reproductive success of mites. However, the direct effect of recapping on mite reproduction is still controversial and both traits seem to be very variable in their expression. Thus, a deeper knowledge of both, the effect of recapping on mite reproduction and the seasonal differences in the expression of these traits is urgently needed. To shed light on this host-parasite interaction, we investigated recapping and mite reproduction in full-grown colonies naturally infested with V. destructor. Measurements were repeated five times per year over the course of 3 years. The reproductive success of mites as well as the recapping frequency clearly followed seasonal patterns. Thereby, reproductive failure of mites at the cell level was constantly increased in case of recapping. Interestingly, this did not apply to the occurrence of infertile mites. In line with this, recapping activity in fertile cells was most frequent in brood ages in which mite offspring would be expected. Our results suggest that mite offspring is the main target of recapping. This, in turn, leads to a significantly reduced reproductive success of the parasite.}, } @article {pmid38096314, year = {2023}, author = {Engelhardt, SC and Weladji, RB and Holand, Ø and Røed, KH and Nieminen, M}, title = {Evidence suggesting that reindeer mothers allonurse according to the direct reciprocity and generalized reciprocity decision rules.}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {18}, number = {12}, pages = {e0295497}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0295497}, pmid = {38096314}, issn = {1932-6203}, abstract = {Allonursing is the nursing of the offspring of other mothers. Cooperation is an emergent property of evolved decision rules. Cooperation can be explained by at least three evolved decision rules: 1) direct reciprocity, i.e. help someone who previously helped you, 2) kin discrimination, i.e. preferentially direct help to kin than to non-kin, and 3) generalized reciprocity, i.e. help anyone if helped by someone. We assessed if semi-domesticated reindeer, Rangifer tarandus, mothers allonursed according to the decision rules of direct reciprocity, generalized reciprocity and kin discrimination over 2 years. To assess if reindeer mothers allonursed according to the direct reciprocity decision rule, we predicted that mothers should give more help to those who previously helped them more often. To assess if reindeer mothers allonursed according to the kin discrimination decision rule, we predicted that help given should increase as pairwise genetic relatedness increased. To assess if reindeer mothers allonursed according to the generalized reciprocity decision rule, we predicted that the overall number of help given by reindeer mothers should increase as the overall number of help received by reindeer mothers increased. The number of help given i) increased as the number of help received from the same partner increased in the 2012 group but not in both 2013 groups, ii) was not influenced by relatedness, and iii) was not influenced by an interaction between the number of help received from the same partner and relatedness. iv) The overall number of help given increased as the overall number of help received increased. The results did not support the prediction that reindeer mothers allonursed according to the kin discrimination decision rule. The results suggest that reindeer mothers may allonurse according to the direct reciprocity and generalized reciprocity decision rules.}, } @article {pmid38042446, year = {2023}, author = {Orbán-Bakk, K and Witek, M and Dubiec, A and Heinze, J and Markó, B and Csata, E}, title = {Infection with a non-lethal fungal parasite is associated with increased immune investment in the ant Myrmica scabrinodis.}, journal = {Journal of invertebrate pathology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {108027}, doi = {10.1016/j.jip.2023.108027}, pmid = {38042446}, issn = {1096-0805}, abstract = {Social insects, such as ants, are preferred host organisms of pathogens and parasites because colonies are densely populated, and the number of potential hosts is high in the same place and time. Within a colony, individuals are exposed differentially to risks according to their function and age. Thus, older individuals forage and are therefore the most exposed to infection, predation, or physical stress, while young workers mostly stay inside the sheltered nest being less exposed. Immune investment is considered to be dependent on an individual's age and pathogen pressure. Long-term exposure to a parasite could affect the immune activity of individuals in an intriguing way that interferes with the age-dependent decline in immunocompetence. However, there are only few cases in which such interferences can be studied. The myrmecopathogenic fungus Rickia wasmannii, which infects entire colonies without killing the workers, is a suitable candidate for such studies. We investigated the general immunocompetence of Myrmica scabrinodis ant workers associated with non-lethal fungal infection by measuring the levels of active phenoloxidase (PO) and total PO (PPO) (reflecting the amount of both active and inactive forms of the enzyme) in two age classes. The level of PO proved to be higher in infected workers than in uninfected ones, while the level of PPO increased with age but was not affected by infection. Overall, these results indicate that a long-term infection could go hand in hand with increased immune activity of ant workers, conferring them higher level of protection.}, } @article {pmid38004791, year = {2023}, author = {Thamm, M and Reiß, F and Sohl, L and Gabel, M and Noll, M and Scheiner, R}, title = {Solitary Bees Host More Bacteria and Fungi on Their Cuticle than Social Bees.}, journal = {Microorganisms}, volume = {11}, number = {11}, pages = {}, pmid = {38004791}, issn = {2076-2607}, support = {ID73253//Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Umwelt und Verbraucherschutz/ ; }, abstract = {Bees come into contact with bacteria and fungi from flowering plants during their foraging trips. The Western honeybee (Apis mellifera) shows a pronounced hygienic behavior with social interactions, while the solitary red mason bee (Osmia bicornis) lacks a social immune system. Since both visit the same floral resources, it is intriguing to speculate that the body surface of a solitary bee should harbor a more complex microbiome than that of the social honeybee. We compared the cuticular microbiomes of A. mellifera (including three European subspecies) and O. bicornis for the first time by bacterial 16S rRNA and fungal ITS gene-based high-throughput amplicon sequencing. The cuticular microbiome of the solitary O. bicornis was significantly more complex than that of the social A. mellifera. The microbiome composition of A. mellifera subspecies was very similar. However, we counted significantly different numbers of fungi and a higher diversity in the honeybee subspecies adapted to warmer climates. Our results suggest that the cuticular microbiome of bees is strongly affected by visited plants, lifestyle and adaptation to temperature, which have important implications for the maintenance of the health of bees under conditions of global change.}, } @article {pmid37985604, year = {2023}, author = {Schultheiss, P}, title = {Unbalanced visual cues do not affect search precision at the nest in desert ants (Cataglyphis nodus).}, journal = {Learning & behavior}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, pmid = {37985604}, issn = {1543-4508}, abstract = {Desert ant foragers are well known for their visual navigation abilities, relying on visual cues in the environment to find their way along routes back to the nest. If the inconspicuous nest entrance is missed, ants engage in a highly structured systematic search until it is discovered. Searching ants continue to be guided by visual cues surrounding the nest, from which they derive a location estimate. The precision level of this estimate depends on the information content of the nest panorama. This study examines whether search precision is also affected by the directional distribution of visual information. The systematic searching behavior of ants is examined under laboratory settings. Two different visual scenarios are compared - a balanced one where visual information is evenly distributed, and an unbalanced one where all visual information is located on one side of an experimental arena. The identity and number of visual objects is similar over both conditions. The ants search with comparable precision in both conditions. Even in the visually unbalanced condition, searches are characterized by balanced precision on both sides of the arena. This finding lends support to the idea that ants memorize the visual scenery at the nest as panoramic views from different locations. A searching ant is thus able to estimate its location with equal precision in all directions, leading to symmetrical search paths.}, } @article {pmid37980566, year = {2023}, author = {Lee, IPA and Eldakar, OT and Gogarten, JP and Andam, CP}, title = {Protocol for an agent-based model of recombination in bacteria playing a public goods game.}, journal = {STAR protocols}, volume = {4}, number = {4}, pages = {102733}, doi = {10.1016/j.xpro.2023.102733}, pmid = {37980566}, issn = {2666-1667}, abstract = {Agent-based models are composed of individual agents coded for traits, such as cooperation and cheating, that interact in a virtual world based on defined rules. Here, we describe the use of an agent-based model of homologous recombination in bacteria playing a public goods game. We describe steps for software installation, setting model parameters, running and testing models, and visualization and statistical analysis. This protocol is useful in analyses of horizontal gene transfer, bacterial sociobiology, and game theory. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Lee et al.[1].}, } @article {pmid37975503, year = {2023}, author = {Irby, I and Brown, SP}, title = {The social lives of viruses and other mobile genetic elements: a commentary on Leeks et al. 2023.}, journal = {Journal of evolutionary biology}, volume = {36}, number = {11}, pages = {1582-1586}, doi = {10.1111/jeb.14239}, pmid = {37975503}, issn = {1420-9101}, support = {5R21AI156817-02/NH/NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {*Onions/genetics ; Gene Transfer, Horizontal ; Plasmids ; *Viruses/genetics ; Interspersed Repetitive Sequences ; }, abstract = {Illustration of life-histories of phages and plasmids through horizontal and vertical transmission (see Figure 1 for more information).}, } @article {pmid37965543, year = {2023}, author = {Reiß, F and Schuhmann, A and Sohl, L and Thamm, M and Scheiner, R and Noll, M}, title = {Fungicides and insecticides can alter the microbial community on the cuticle of honey bees.}, journal = {Frontiers in microbiology}, volume = {14}, number = {}, pages = {1271498}, pmid = {37965543}, issn = {1664-302X}, abstract = {Honey bees are crucial for our ecosystems as pollinators, but the intensive use of plant protection products (PPPs) in agriculture poses a risk for them. PPPs do not only affect target organisms but also affect non-targets, such as the honey bee Apis mellifera and their microbiome. This study is the first of its kind, aiming to characterize the effect of PPPs on the microbiome of the cuticle of honey bees. We chose PPPs, which have frequently been detected in bee bread, and studied their effects on the cuticular microbial community and function of the bees. The effects of the fungicide Difcor[®] (difenoconazole), the insecticide Steward[®] (indoxacarb), the combination of both (mix A) and the fungicide Cantus[®] Gold (boscalid and dimoxystrobin), the insecticide Mospilan[®] (acetamiprid), and the combination of both (mix B) were tested. Bacterial 16S rRNA gene and fungal transcribed spacer region gene-based amplicon sequencing and quantification of gene copy numbers were carried out after nucleic acid extraction from the cuticle of honey bees. The treatment with Steward[®] significantly affected fungal community composition and function. The fungal gene copy numbers were lower on the cuticle of bees treated with Difcor[®], Steward[®], and PPP mix A in comparison with the controls. However, bacterial and fungal gene copy numbers were increased in bees treated with Cantus[®] Gold, Mospilan[®], or PPP mix B compared to the controls. The bacterial cuticular community composition of bees treated with Cantus[®] Gold, Mospilan[®], and PPP mix B differed significantly from the control. In addition, Mospilan[®] on its own significantly changed the bacterial functional community composition. Cantus[®] Gold significantly affected fungal gene copy numbers, community, and functional composition. Our results demonstrate that PPPs show adverse effects on the cuticular microbiome of honey bees and suggest that PPP mixtures can cause stronger effects on the cuticular community than a PPP alone. The cuticular community composition was more diverse after the PPP mix treatments. This may have far-reaching consequences for the health of honey bees.}, } @article {pmid37929207, year = {2023}, author = {Strube-Bloss, M and Günzel, P and Nebauer, CA and Spaethe, J}, title = {Visual accelerated and olfactory decelerated responses during multimodal learning in honeybees.}, journal = {Frontiers in physiology}, volume = {14}, number = {}, pages = {1257465}, pmid = {37929207}, issn = {1664-042X}, abstract = {To obtain accurate information about the outside world and to make appropriate decisions, animals often combine information from different sensory pathways to form a comprehensive representation of their environment. This process of multimodal integration is poorly understood, but it is common view that the single elements of a multimodal stimulus influence each other's perception by enhancing or suppressing their neural representation. The neuronal level of interference might be manifold, for instance, an enhancement might increase, whereas suppression might decrease behavioural response times. In order to investigate this in an insect behavioural model, the Western honeybee, we trained individual bees to associate a sugar reward with an odour, a light, or a combined olfactory-visual stimulus, using the proboscis extension response (PER). We precisely monitored the PER latency (the time between stimulus onset and the first response of the proboscis) by recording the muscle M17, which innervates the proboscis. We found that odours evoked a fast response, whereas visual stimuli elicited a delayed PER. Interestingly, the combined stimulus showed a response time in between the unimodal stimuli, suggesting that olfactory-visual integration accelerates visual responses but decelerates the olfactory response time.}, } @article {pmid37885980, year = {2023}, author = {Enghelhardt, SC and Paulsson, NI and Taborsky, M}, title = {Assessment of help value affects reciprocation in Norway rats.}, journal = {Royal Society open science}, volume = {10}, number = {10}, pages = {231253}, pmid = {37885980}, issn = {2054-5703}, abstract = {Wild-type Norway rats reciprocate help received in a well-replicated experimental food-giving task, but the criteria to appraise the received help's value are unclear. We tested whether quality or quantity of received help is more important when deciding to return help, and whether partner familiarity and own current need affect this evaluation. We experimentally varied recipients of help's hunger state, and familiar or unfamiliar partners provided either higher caloric food (enhanced quantity; carrots) or food higher in protein and fat (enhanced quality; cheese). Reciprocation of received help was our criterion for the rats' value assessment. Familiarity, food type and hunger state interacted and affected help returned by rats. Rats returned less help to familiar partners than to unfamiliar partners. With unfamiliar partners, rats returned more help to partners that had donated preferred food (cheese) than to partners that had donated less preferred food (carrots), and they returned help earlier if they were satiated and had received cheese. With familiar partners, food-deprived rats that had received cheese returned more help than satiated rats that had received carrots. Our results suggest that Norway rats assess the received help's value based on its quality, their current need and partner familiarity before reciprocating received help.}, } @article {pmid37876190, year = {2023}, author = {Kelly, MBJ and Khan, MK and Wierucka, K and Jones, BR and Shofner, R and Derkarabetian, S and Wolff, JO}, title = {Dynamic evolution of locomotor performance independent of changes in extended phenotype use in spiders.}, journal = {Proceedings. Biological sciences}, volume = {290}, number = {2009}, pages = {20232035}, pmid = {37876190}, issn = {1471-2954}, mesh = {Animals ; *Spiders/physiology ; Predatory Behavior/physiology ; Silk ; *Running ; }, abstract = {Many animals use self-built structures (extended phenotypes) to enhance body functions, such as thermoregulation, prey capture or defence. Yet, it is unclear whether the evolution of animal constructions supplements or substitutes body functions-with disparate feedbacks on trait evolution. Here, using brown spiders (Araneae: marronoid clade), we explored if the evolutionary loss and gain of silken webs as extended prey capture devices correlates with alterations in traits known to play an important role in predatory strikes-locomotor performance (sprint speed) and leg spination (expression of capture spines on front legs). We found that in this group high locomotor performance, with running speeds of over 100 body lengths per second, evolved repeatedly-both in web-building and cursorial spiders. There was no correlation with running speed, and leg spination only poorly correlated, relative to the use of extended phenotypes, indicating that web use does not reduce selective pressures on body functions involved in prey capture and defence per se. Consequently, extended prey capture devices serve as supplements rather than substitutions to body traits and may only be beneficial in conjunction with certain life-history traits, possibly explaining the rare evolution and repeated loss of trapping strategies in predatory animals.}, } @article {pmid37848054, year = {2023}, author = {Phaniraj, N and Wierucka, K and Zürcher, Y and Burkart, JM}, title = {Who is calling? Optimizing source identification from marmoset vocalizations with hierarchical machine learning classifiers.}, journal = {Journal of the Royal Society, Interface}, volume = {20}, number = {207}, pages = {20230399}, pmid = {37848054}, issn = {1742-5662}, mesh = {Humans ; Animals ; *Callithrix ; Vocalization, Animal ; Language ; *Deep Learning ; Machine Learning ; }, abstract = {With their highly social nature and complex vocal communication system, marmosets are important models for comparative studies of vocal communication and, eventually, language evolution. However, our knowledge about marmoset vocalizations predominantly originates from playback studies or vocal interactions between dyads, and there is a need to move towards studying group-level communication dynamics. Efficient source identification from marmoset vocalizations is essential for this challenge, and machine learning algorithms (MLAs) can aid it. Here we built a pipeline capable of plentiful feature extraction, meaningful feature selection, and supervised classification of vocalizations of up to 18 marmosets. We optimized the classifier by building a hierarchical MLA that first learned to determine the sex of the source, narrowed down the possible source individuals based on their sex and then determined the source identity. We were able to correctly identify the source individual with high precisions (87.21%-94.42%, depending on call type, and up to 97.79% after the removal of twins from the dataset). We also examine the robustness of identification across varying sample sizes. Our pipeline is a promising tool not only for source identification from marmoset vocalizations but also for analysing vocalizations of other species.}, } @article {pmid37657449, year = {2023}, author = {Arican, C and Schmitt, FJ and Rössler, W and Strube-Bloss, MF and Nawrot, MP}, title = {The mushroom body output encodes behavioral decision during sensory-motor transformation.}, journal = {Current biology : CB}, volume = {33}, number = {19}, pages = {4217-4224.e4}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2023.08.016}, pmid = {37657449}, issn = {1879-0445}, mesh = {Animals ; *Mushroom Bodies/physiology ; *Neurons/physiology ; Drosophila ; Odorants ; Brain ; Insecta ; Drosophila melanogaster/physiology ; }, abstract = {Animals form a behavioral decision by evaluating sensory evidence on the background of past experiences and the momentary motivational state. In insects, we still lack understanding of how and at which stage of the recurrent sensory-motor pathway behavioral decisions are formed. The mushroom body (MB), a central brain structure in insects[1] and crustaceans,[2][,][3] integrates sensory input of different modalities[4][,][5][,][6] with the internal state, the behavioral state, and external sensory context[7][,][8][,][9][,][10] through a large number of recurrent, mostly neuromodulatory inputs,[11][,][12] implicating a functional role for MBs in state-dependent sensory-motor transformation.[13][,][14] A number of classical conditioning studies in honeybees[15][,][16] and fruit flies[17][,][18][,][19] have provided accumulated evidence that at its output, the MB encodes the valence of a sensory stimulus with respect to its behavioral relevance. Recent work has extended this notion of valence encoding to the context of innate behaviors.[8][,][20][,][21][,][22] Here, we co-analyzed a defined feeding behavior and simultaneous extracellular single-unit recordings from MB output neurons (MBONs) in the cockroach in response to timed sensory stimulation with odors. We show that clear neuronal responses occurred almost exclusively during behaviorally responded trials. Early MBON responses to the sensory stimulus preceded the feeding behavior and predicted its occurrence or non-occurrence from the single-trial population activity. Our results therefore suggest that at its output, the MB does not merely encode sensory stimulus valence. We hypothesize instead that the MB output represents an integrated signal of internal state, momentary environmental conditions, and experience-dependent memory to encode a behavioral decision.}, } @article {pmid37643643, year = {2023}, author = {Sless, T and Rehan, S}, title = {Phylogeny of the carpenter bees (Apidae: Xylocopinae) highlights repeated evolution of sociality.}, journal = {Biology letters}, volume = {19}, number = {8}, pages = {20230252}, pmid = {37643643}, issn = {1744-957X}, mesh = {Bees/genetics ; Animals ; Phylogeny ; *Social Behavior ; *Trees ; }, abstract = {Many groups of animals have evolved social behaviours in different forms, from intimate familial associations to the complex eusocial colonies of some insects. The subfamily Xylocopinae, including carpenter bees and their relatives, is a diverse clade exhibiting a wide range of social behaviours, from solitary to obligate eusociality with distinct morphological castes, making them ideal focal taxa in studying the evolution of sociality. We used ultraconserved element data to generate a broadly sampled phylogeny of the Xylocopinae, including several newly sequenced species. We then conducted ancestral state reconstructions on the evolutionary history of sociality in this group under multiple coding models. Our results indicate solitary origins for the Xylocopinae with multiple transitions to sociality across the tree and subsequent reversals to solitary life, demonstrating the lability and dynamic nature of social evolution in carpenter bees. Ultimately, this work clarifies the evolutionary history of the Xylocopinae, and expands our understanding of independent origins and gains and losses of social complexity.}, } @article {pmid37607483, year = {2023}, author = {van der Kooi, CJ and Spaethe, J}, title = {Visual ecology: How glossy colours shine and confuse.}, journal = {Current biology : CB}, volume = {33}, number = {16}, pages = {R865-R867}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2023.07.011}, pmid = {37607483}, issn = {1879-0445}, mesh = {Color ; *Ecology ; }, abstract = {Most colours in nature are matte, but across the tree of life glossiness has evolved numerous times, suggesting that glossiness can be beneficial. Recent research finds that glossiness may confuse observers and protect against predators.}, } @article {pmid37607125, year = {2023}, author = {Schüßler, D and Blanco, MB and Guthrie, NK and Sgarlata, GM and Dammhahn, M and Ernest, R and Evasoa, MR and Hasiniaina, A and Hending, D and Jan, F and le Pors, B and Miller, A and Olivieri, G and Rakotonanahary, AN and Rakotondranary, SJ and Rakotondravony, R and Ralantoharijaona, T and Ramananjato, V and Randrianambinina, B and Raoelinjanakolona, NN and Rasoazanabary, E and Rasoloarison, RM and Rasolofoson, DW and Rasoloharijaona, S and Rasolondraibe, E and Roberts, SH and Teixeira, H and van Elst, T and Johnson, SE and Ganzhorn, JU and Chikhi, L and Kappeler, PM and Louis, EE and Salmona, J and Radespiel, U}, title = {Morphological variability or inter-observer bias? A methodological toolkit to improve data quality of multi-researcher datasets for the analysis of morphological variation.}, journal = {American journal of biological anthropology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1002/ajpa.24836}, pmid = {37607125}, issn = {2692-7691}, abstract = {OBJECTIVES: The investigation of morphological variation in animals is widely used in taxonomy, ecology, and evolution. Using large datasets for meta-analyses has dramatically increased, raising concerns about dataset compatibilities and biases introduced by contributions of multiple researchers.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: We compiled morphological data on 13 variables for 3073 individual mouse lemurs (Cheirogaleidae, Microcebus spp.) from 25 taxa and 153 different sampling locations, measured by 48 different researchers. We introduced and applied a filtering pipeline and quantified improvements in data quality (Shapiro-Francia statistic, skewness, and excess kurtosis). The filtered dataset was then used to test for genus-wide sexual size dimorphism and the applicability of Rensch's, Allen's, and Bergmann's rules.

RESULTS: Our pipeline reduced inter-observer bias (i.e., increased normality of data distributions). Inter-observer reliability of measurements was notably variable, highlighting the need to reduce data collection biases. Although subtle, we found a consistent pattern of sexual size dimorphism across Microcebus, with females being the larger (but not heavier) sex. Sexual size dimorphism was isometric, providing no support for Rensch's rule. Variations in tail length but not in ear size were consistent with the predictions of Allen's rule. Body mass and length followed a pattern contrary to predictions of Bergmann's rule.

DISCUSSION: We highlighted the usefulness of large multi-researcher datasets for testing ecological hypotheses after correcting for inter-observer biases. Using genus-wide tests, we outlined generalizable patterns of morphological variability across all mouse lemurs. This new methodological toolkit aims to facilitate future large-scale morphological comparisons for a wide range of taxa and applications.}, } @article {pmid37597482, year = {2023}, author = {Burini, D}, title = {Multiscale and multi-physical problems: Comment on "What is life? Active particles tools towards behavioral dynamics in social-biology and economics" by N. Bellomo, M. Esfahanian, V. Secchini, and P. Terna.}, journal = {Physics of life reviews}, volume = {46}, number = {}, pages = {275-276}, doi = {10.1016/j.plrev.2023.08.005}, pmid = {37597482}, issn = {1873-1457}, mesh = {*Behavior ; *Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid37436999, year = {2023}, author = {Fichtel, C and Henke-von der Malsburg, J and Kappeler, PM}, title = {Cognitive performance is linked to fitness in a wild primate.}, journal = {Science advances}, volume = {9}, number = {28}, pages = {eadf9365}, pmid = {37436999}, issn = {2375-2548}, mesh = {Animals ; *Primates ; *Cognition ; Happiness ; Phenotype ; Mammals ; }, abstract = {Cognitive performance varies widely across animal species, but the processes underlying cognitive evolution remain poorly known. For cognitive abilities to evolve, performance must be linked to individual fitness benefits, but these links have been rarely studied in primates even though they exceed most other mammals in these traits. We subjected 198 wild gray mouse lemurs to four cognitive and two personality tests and subsequently monitored their survival in a mark-recapture study. Our study revealed that survival was predicted by individual variation in cognitive performance as well as body mass and exploration. Because cognitive performance covaried negatively with exploration, individuals gathering more accurate information enjoyed better cognitive performance and lived longer, but so did heavier and more explorative individuals. These effects may reflect a speed-accuracy trade-off, with alternative strategies yielding similar overall fitness. The observed intraspecific variation in selective benefits of cognitive performance, if heritable, can provide the basis for the evolution of cognitive abilities in members of our lineage.}, } @article {pmid37433949, year = {2023}, author = {Homberg, U and Pfeiffer, K}, title = {Correction to: Unraveling the neural basis of spatial orientation in arthropods.}, journal = {Journal of comparative physiology. A, Neuroethology, sensory, neural, and behavioral physiology}, volume = {209}, number = {4}, pages = {465}, doi = {10.1007/s00359-023-01655-5}, pmid = {37433949}, issn = {1432-1351}, } @article {pmid37426347, year = {2023}, author = {van der Kooi, CJ and Reuvers, L and Spaethe, J}, title = {Honesty, reliability, and information content of floral signals.}, journal = {iScience}, volume = {26}, number = {7}, pages = {107093}, pmid = {37426347}, issn = {2589-0042}, abstract = {Plants advertise their presence by displaying attractive flowers, which pollinators use to locate a floral reward. Understanding how floral traits scale with reward status lies at the heart of pollination biology, because it connects the different interests of plants and pollinators. Studies on plant phenotype-reward associations often use different terms and concepts, which limits developing a broader synthesis. Here, we present a framework with definitions of the key aspects of plant phenotype-reward associations and provide measures to quantify them across different species and studies. We first distinguish between cues and signals, which are often used interchangeably, but have different meanings and are subject to different selective pressures. We then define honesty, reliability, and information content of floral cues/signals and provide ways to quantify them. Finally, we discuss the ecological and evolutionary factors that determine flower phenotype-reward associations, how context-dependent and temporally variable they are, and highlight promising research directions.}, } @article {pmid37421435, year = {2023}, author = {Kraft, N and Muenz, TS and Reinhard, S and Werner, C and Sauer, M and Groh, C and Rössler, W}, title = {Expansion microscopy in honeybee brains for high-resolution neuroanatomical analyses in social insects.}, journal = {Cell and tissue research}, volume = {393}, number = {3}, pages = {489-506}, pmid = {37421435}, issn = {1432-0878}, support = {405620408//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; 430253184//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; 415914819//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; 272768235//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; 835102//H2020 European Research Council/ ; }, mesh = {Bees ; Animals ; *Microscopy ; *Insecta ; Brain/physiology ; Neurons/physiology ; Learning/physiology ; Mushroom Bodies/physiology ; }, abstract = {The diffraction limit of light microscopy poses a problem that is frequently faced in structural analyses of social insect brains. With the introduction of expansion microscopy (ExM), a tool became available to overcome this limitation by isotropic physical expansion of preserved specimens. Our analyses focus on synaptic microcircuits (microglomeruli, MG) in the mushroom body (MB) of social insects, high-order brain centers for sensory integration, learning, and memory. MG undergo significant structural reorganizations with age, sensory experience, and during long-term memory formation. However, the changes in subcellular architecture involved in this plasticity have only partially been accessed yet. Using the western honeybee Apis mellifera as an experimental model, we established ExM for the first time in a social insect species and applied it to investigate plasticity in synaptic microcircuits within MG of the MB calyces. Using combinations of antibody staining and neuronal tracing, we demonstrate that this technique enables quantitative and qualitative analyses of structural neuronal plasticity at high resolution in a social insect brain.}, } @article {pmid37410341, year = {2023}, author = {Pahl, A and König von Borstel, U and Brucks, D}, title = {Llamas use social information from conspecifics and humans to solve a spatial detour task.}, journal = {Animal cognition}, volume = {26}, number = {5}, pages = {1623-1633}, pmid = {37410341}, issn = {1435-9456}, mesh = {Humans ; Animals ; *Camelids, New World ; Learning ; *Social Learning ; Social Behavior ; Cues ; }, abstract = {Learning by observing others (i.e. social learning) is an important mechanism to reduce the costs of individual learning. Social learning can occur between conspecifics but also heterospecifics. Domestication processes might have changed the animals' sensitivity to human social cues and recent research indicates that domesticated species are particularly good in learning socially from humans. Llamas (Lama glama) are an interesting model species for that purpose. Llamas were bred as pack animals, which requires close contact and cooperative behaviour towards humans. We investigated whether llamas learn socially from trained conspecifics and humans in a spatial detour task. Subjects were required to detour metal hurdles arranged in a V-shape to reach a food reward. Llamas were more successful in solving the task after both a human and a conspecific demonstrated the task compared to a control condition with no demonstrator. Individual differences in behaviour (i.e. food motivation and distraction) further affected the success rate. Animals did not necessarily use the same route as the demonstrators, thus, indicating that they adopted a more general detour behaviour. These results suggest that llamas can extract information from conspecific and heterospecific demonstrations; hence, broadening our knowledge of domesticated species that are sensitive to human social behaviour.}, } @article {pmid37408627, year = {2023}, author = {van Elst, T and Schüßler, D and Rakotondravony, R and Rovanirina, VST and Veillet, A and Hohenlohe, PA and Ratsimbazafy, JH and Rasoloarison, RM and Rasoloharijaona, S and Randrianambinina, B and Ramilison, ML and Yoder, AD and Louis, EE and Radespiel, U}, title = {Diversification processes in Gerp's mouse lemur demonstrate the importance of rivers and altitude as biogeographic barriers in Madagascar's humid rainforests.}, journal = {Ecology and evolution}, volume = {13}, number = {7}, pages = {e10254}, pmid = {37408627}, issn = {2045-7758}, abstract = {Madagascar exhibits exceptionally high levels of biodiversity and endemism. Models to explain the diversification and distribution of species in Madagascar stress the importance of historical variability in climate conditions which may have led to the formation of geographic barriers by changing water and habitat availability. The relative importance of these models for the diversification of the various forest-adapted taxa of Madagascar has yet to be understood. Here, we reconstructed the phylogeographic history of Gerp's mouse lemur (Microcebus gerpi) to identify relevant mechanisms and drivers of diversification in Madagascar's humid rainforests. We used restriction site associated DNA (RAD) markers and applied population genomic and coalescent-based techniques to estimate genetic diversity, population structure, gene flow and divergence times among M. gerpi populations and its two sister species M. jollyae and M. marohita. Genomic results were complemented with ecological niche models to better understand the relative barrier function of rivers and altitude. We show that M. gerpi diversified during the late Pleistocene. The inferred ecological niche, patterns of gene flow and genetic differentiation in M. gerpi suggest that the potential for rivers to act as biogeographic barriers depended on both size and elevation of headwaters. Populations on opposite sides of the largest river in the area with headwaters that extend far into the highlands show particularly high genetic differentiation, whereas rivers with lower elevation headwaters have weaker barrier functions, indicated by higher migration rates and admixture. We conclude that M. gerpi likely diversified through repeated cycles of dispersal punctuated by isolation to refugia as a result of paleoclimatic fluctuations during the Pleistocene. We argue that this diversification scenario serves as a model of diversification for other rainforest taxa that are similarly limited by geographic factors. In addition, we highlight conservation implications for this critically endangered species, which faces extreme habitat loss and fragmentation.}, } @article {pmid37397182, year = {2023}, author = {Cristancho, S and Thompson, G}, title = {Building Resilient Healthcare Teams: Insights from Analogy to the Social Biology of Ants, Honey Bees and Other Social Insects.}, journal = {Perspectives on medical education}, volume = {12}, number = {1}, pages = {253-260}, pmid = {37397182}, issn = {2212-277X}, mesh = {Humans ; Bees ; Animals ; *Ants ; Patient Care Team ; Biology ; }, abstract = {The resilience of a healthcare system hinges on the adaptability of its teams. Thus far, healthcare teams have relied on well-defined scopes of practice to fulfill their safety mandate. While this feature has proven effective when dealing with stable situations, when it comes to disruptive events, healthcare teams find themselves navigating a fine balance between safety and resilience. Therefore, a better understanding of how the safety vs resilience trade-off varies under different circumstances is necessary if we are to promote and better train for resilience in modern healthcare teams. In this paper, we aim to bring awareness to the sociobiology analogy that healthcare teams might find useful during moments when safety and adaptability have the potential to conflict. Three principles underpin the sociobiology analogy: communication, decentralization, and plasticity. Of particular interest in this paper is plasticity whereby swapping roles or tasks becomes an adaptive, rather than a maladaptive, response teams could embrace when facing disruptive situations. While plasticity has naturally evolved in social insects, infusing plasticity in healthcare teams requires intentional training. Inspired by the sociobiology analogy, such training must value the ability: a) to read each other's cues and miscues, b) to step aside when others had the necessary skills, even if outside their scope, c) to deviate from protocols, and d) to foster cross-training. If the goal is to increase a team's behavioural flexibility and boost their resilience, this training mindset should become second nature.}, } @article {pmid37391163, year = {2023}, author = {Schilcher, F and Scheiner, R}, title = {New insight into molecular mechanisms underlying division of labor in honeybees.}, journal = {Current opinion in insect science}, volume = {59}, number = {}, pages = {101080}, doi = {10.1016/j.cois.2023.101080}, pmid = {37391163}, issn = {2214-5753}, abstract = {Honeybees are highly organized eusocial insects displaying a distinct division of labor. Juvenile hormone (JH) has long been hypothesized to be the major driver of behavioral transitions. However, more and more experiments in recent years have suggested that the role of this hormone is not as fundamental as hypothesized. Vitellogenin, a common egg yolk precursor protein, seems to be the major regulator of division of labor in honeybees, in connection with nutrition and the neurohormone and transmitter octopamine. Here, we review the role of vitellogenin in controlling honeybee division of labor and its modulation by JH, nutrition, and the catecholamine octopamine.}, } @article {pmid37382807, year = {2023}, author = {Stuhrmann, C}, title = {Sociobiology on Screen. The Controversy Through the Lens of Sociobiology: Doing What Comes Naturally.}, journal = {Journal of the history of biology}, volume = {56}, number = {2}, pages = {365-397}, pmid = {37382807}, issn = {1573-0387}, support = {316166947//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; }, abstract = {When the sociobiology debate erupted in 1975, there were almost too many contributions to the heated exchanges between sociobiologists and their critics to count. In the fall of 1976, a Canadian educational film entitled Sociobiology: Doing What Comes Naturally sparked further controversy due to its graphic visuals and outrageous narration. While critics claimed the film was a promotional tool to further the sociobiological agenda in educational settings, sociobiologists quickly distanced themselves from the film and, in turn, accused the critics of consciously misrepresenting sociobiology by organizing showings of the film. Using audio, video, archival, and published sources, this paper explores the complicated history of Sociobiology: Doing What Comes Naturally and demonstrates how the public debate about the film reflects the positions, polemics, and polarization of the sociobiology debate as a whole.}, } @article {pmid37348454, year = {2023}, author = {Römer, D and Exl, R and Roces, F}, title = {Two feedback mechanisms involved in the control of leaf fragment size in leaf-cutting ants.}, journal = {The Journal of experimental biology}, volume = {226}, number = {12}, pages = {}, pmid = {37348454}, issn = {1477-9145}, support = {//University of Würzburg/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Ants ; Feedback ; Feeding Behavior ; Head Movements ; }, abstract = {Polymorphic leaf-cutting ants harvest leaf fragments that correlate in size with the workers' body size. When cutting, workers anchor their hind legs on the leaf edge and rotate, removing approximately semicircular fragments. Workers show behavioural plasticity and modify their leg extension while holding onto the leaf edge depending on, for instance, leaf toughness, cutting smaller fragments out of tough leaves. What sensory information workers use to control the cutting trajectory remains unknown. We investigated whether sensory information from both the leg contact with the leaf edge and from head movements underlies fragment size determination. In the laboratory, we recorded Atta sexdens workers cutting standardised ®Parafilm pseudoleaves of different thickness, and quantified cutting behaviour and body reach, i.e. the distance between the mandible and the anchored hind leg tarsus. Experimentally preventing contact with the leaf edge resulted in smaller fragments, evincing that workers control the cutting trajectory using information from the contact of the hind legs with the leaf edge. However, ants were able to cut fragments even when contact of all six legs with the edge was prevented, indicating the use of additional sensory information. Ablation of mechanosensory hairs at the neck joint alone did not influence fragment size determination, yet simultaneously preventing sensory feedback from both mechanosensory hairs and edge contact led to a loss of control over the cutting trajectory. Leaf-cutting ants, therefore, control their cutting trajectory using sensory information from both the leg contact with the leaf edge and the lateral bending of the head.}, } @article {pmid37328389, year = {2023}, author = {Ruedenauer, FA and Parreño, MA and Grunwald Kadow, IC and Spaethe, J and Leonhardt, SD}, title = {The ecology of nutrient sensation and perception in insects.}, journal = {Trends in ecology & evolution}, volume = {38}, number = {10}, pages = {994-1004}, doi = {10.1016/j.tree.2023.05.006}, pmid = {37328389}, issn = {1872-8383}, mesh = {Animals ; *Insecta/physiology ; *Sensation ; Nutrients ; Perception ; }, abstract = {Insects are equipped with neurological, physiological, and behavioral tools to locate potential food sources and assess their nutritional quality based on volatile and chemotactile cues. We summarize current knowledge on insect taste perception and the different modalities of reception and perception. We suggest that the neurophysiological mechanisms of reception and perception are closely linked to the species-specific ecology of different insects. Understanding these links consequently requires a multidisciplinary approach. We also highlight existing knowledge gaps, especially in terms of the exact ligands of receptors, and provide evidence for a perceptional hierarchy suggesting that insects have adapted their reception and perception to preferentially perceive nutrient stimuli that are important for their fitness.}, } @article {pmid37312549, year = {2023}, author = {Püffel, F and Meyer, L and Imirzian, N and Roces, F and Johnston, R and Labonte, D}, title = {Developmental biomechanics and age polyethism in leaf-cutter ants.}, journal = {Proceedings. Biological sciences}, volume = {290}, number = {2000}, pages = {20230355}, pmid = {37312549}, issn = {1471-2954}, mesh = {Animals ; Biomechanical Phenomena ; *Ants ; Muscles ; Bite Force ; *Gastropoda ; }, abstract = {Many social insects display age polyethism: young workers stay inside the nest, and only older workers forage. This behavioural transition is accompanied by genetic and physiological changes, but the mechanistic origin of it remains unclear. To investigate if the mechanical demands on the musculoskeletal system effectively prevent young workers from foraging, we studied the biomechanical development of the bite apparatus in Atta vollenweideri leaf-cutter ants. Fully matured foragers generated peak in vivo bite forces of around 100 mN, more than one order of magnitude in excess of those measured for freshly eclosed callows of the same size. This change in bite force was accompanied by a sixfold increase in the volume of the mandible closer muscle, and by a substantial increase of the flexural rigidity of the head capsule, driven by a significant increase in both average thickness and indentation modulus of the head capsule cuticle. Consequently, callows lack the muscle force capacity required for leaf-cutting, and their head capsule is so compliant that large muscle forces would be likely to cause damaging deformations. On the basis of these results, we speculate that continued biomechanical development post eclosion may be a key factor underlying age polyethism, wherever foraging is associated with substantial mechanical demands.}, } @article {pmid37293932, year = {2023}, author = {Püffel, F and Roces, F and Labonte, D}, title = {Strong positive allometry of bite force in leaf-cutter ants increases the range of cuttable plant tissues.}, journal = {The Journal of experimental biology}, volume = {226}, number = {13}, pages = {}, pmid = {37293932}, issn = {1477-9145}, mesh = {Animals ; *Ants/physiology ; Bite Force ; Mandible/anatomy & histology ; Herbivory ; Plant Leaves/physiology ; }, abstract = {Atta leaf-cutter ants are the prime herbivore in the Neotropics: differently sized foragers harvest plant material to grow a fungus as a crop. Efficient foraging involves complex interactions between worker size, task preferences and plant-fungus suitability; it is, however, ultimately constrained by the ability of differently sized workers to generate forces large enough to cut vegetation. In order to quantify this ability, we measured bite forces of Atta vollenweideri leaf-cutter ants spanning more than one order of magnitude in body mass. Maximum bite force scaled almost in direct proportion to mass; the largest workers generated peak bite forces 2.5 times higher than expected from isometry. This remarkable positive allometry can be explained via a biomechanical model that links bite forces with substantial size-specific changes in the morphology of the musculoskeletal bite apparatus. In addition to these morphological changes, we show that bite forces of smaller ants peak at larger mandibular opening angles, suggesting a size-dependent physiological adaptation, probably reflecting the need to cut leaves with a thickness that corresponds to a larger fraction of the maximum possible gape. Via direct comparison of maximum bite forces with leaf mechanical properties, we demonstrate (i) that bite forces in leaf-cutter ants need to be exceptionally large compared with body mass to enable them to cut leaves; and (ii), that the positive allometry enables colonies to forage on a wider range of plant species without the need for extreme investment in even larger workers. Our results thus provide strong quantitative arguments for the adaptive value of a positively allometric bite force.}, } @article {pmid37264979, year = {2023}, author = {Urbani, B and Robinson-González, G}, title = {Amazonian Monkeys and Kafka's Ape at the German Primate Center.}, journal = {Evolutionary anthropology}, volume = {32}, number = {3}, pages = {131-134}, doi = {10.1002/evan.21985}, pmid = {37264979}, issn = {1520-6505}, support = {//Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Haplorhini ; *Primates ; *Hominidae ; }, } @article {pmid37238445, year = {2023}, author = {Subasri, M and Cressman, C and Arje, D and Schreyer, L and Cooper, E and Patel, K and Ungar, WJ and Barwick, M and Denburg, A and Hayeems, RZ}, title = {Translating Precision Health for Pediatrics: A Scoping Review.}, journal = {Children (Basel, Switzerland)}, volume = {10}, number = {5}, pages = {}, pmid = {37238445}, issn = {2227-9067}, support = {Precision Child Health Catalyst Grant//Hospital for Sick Children/ ; }, abstract = {Precision health aims to personalize treatment and prevention strategies based on individual genetic differences. While it has significantly improved healthcare for specific patient groups, broader translation faces challenges with evidence development, evidence appraisal, and implementation. These challenges are compounded in child health as existing methods fail to incorporate the physiology and socio-biology unique to childhood. This scoping review synthesizes the existing literature on evidence development, appraisal, prioritization, and implementation of precision child health. PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase were searched. The included articles were related to pediatrics, precision health, and the translational pathway. Articles were excluded if they were too narrow in scope. In total, 74 articles identified challenges and solutions for putting pediatric precision health interventions into practice. The literature reinforced the unique attributes of children and their implications for study design and identified major themes for the value assessment of precision health interventions for children, including clinical benefit, cost-effectiveness, stakeholder values and preferences, and ethics and equity. Tackling these identified challenges will require developing international data networks and guidelines, re-thinking methods for value assessment, and broadening stakeholder support for the effective implementation of precision health within healthcare organizations. This research was funded by the SickKids Precision Child Health Catalyst Grant.}, } @article {pmid37225773, year = {2023}, author = {Bachert, A and Scheiner, R}, title = {The ant's weapon improves honey bee learning performance.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {13}, number = {1}, pages = {8399}, pmid = {37225773}, issn = {2045-2322}, mesh = {Bees ; Animals ; *Ants ; Cognition ; *Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions ; Mitochondrial ADP, ATP Translocases ; Sucrose ; *Varroidae ; Mammals ; }, abstract = {Formic acid is the main component of the ant's major weapon against enemies. Being mainly used as a chemical defense, the acid is also exploited for recruitment and trail marking. The repelling effect of the organic acid is used by some mammals and birds which rub themselves in the acid to eliminate ectoparasites. Beekeepers across the world rely on this effect to control the parasitic mite Varroa destructor. Varroa mites are considered the most destructive pest of honey bees worldwide and can lead to the loss of entire colonies. Formic acid is highly effective against Varroa mites but can also kill the honeybee queen and worker brood. Whether formic acid can also affect the behavior of honey bees is unknown. We here study the effect of formic acid on sucrose responsiveness and cognition of honey bees treated at different live stages in field-relevant doses. Both behaviors are essential for survival of the honey bee colony. Rather unexpectedly, formic acid clearly improved the learning performance of the bees in appetitive olfactory conditioning, while not affecting sucrose responsiveness. This exciting side effect of formic acid certainly deserves further detailed investigations.}, } @article {pmid37198448, year = {2023}, author = {Homberg, U and Pfeiffer, K}, title = {Unraveling the neural basis of spatial orientation in arthropods.}, journal = {Journal of comparative physiology. A, Neuroethology, sensory, neural, and behavioral physiology}, volume = {209}, number = {4}, pages = {459-464}, pmid = {37198448}, issn = {1432-1351}, mesh = {Animals ; *Arthropods/physiology ; Orientation, Spatial ; Space Perception ; Insecta/physiology ; *Spiders ; }, abstract = {The neural basis underlying spatial orientation in arthropods, in particular insects, has received considerable interest in recent years. This special issue of the Journal of Comparative Physiology A seeks to take account of these developments by presenting a collection of eight review articles and eight original research articles highlighting hotspots of research on spatial orientation in arthropods ranging from flies to spiders and the underlying neural circuits. The contributions impressively illustrate the wide range of tools available to arthropods extending from specific sensory channels to highly sophisticated neural computations for mastering complex navigational challenges.}, } @article {pmid37192665, year = {2023}, author = {Rother, L and Müller, R and Kirschenmann, E and Foster, JJ and Kaya-Zeeb, S and Thamm, M and Pfeiffer, K}, title = {Walking bumblebees see faster.}, journal = {Proceedings. Biological sciences}, volume = {290}, number = {1999}, pages = {20230460}, pmid = {37192665}, issn = {1471-2954}, mesh = {Animals ; Bees ; *Visual Perception ; *Light ; Locomotion ; Walking ; Reaction Time ; }, abstract = {The behavioural state of animals has profound effects on neuronal information processing. Locomotion changes the response properties of visual interneurons in the insect brain, but it is still unknown if it also alters the response properties of photoreceptors. Photoreceptor responses become faster at higher temperatures. It has therefore been suggested that thermoregulation in insects could improve temporal resolution in vision, but direct evidence for this idea has so far been missing. Here, we compared electroretinograms from the compound eyes of tethered bumblebees that were either sitting or walking on an air-supported ball. We found that the visual processing speed strongly increased when the bumblebees were walking. By monitoring the eye temperature during recording, we saw that the increase in response speed was in synchrony with a rise in eye temperature. By artificially heating the head, we show that the walking-induced temperature increase of the visual system is sufficient to explain the rise in processing speed. We also show that walking accelerates the visual system to the equivalent of a 14-fold increase in light intensity. We conclude that the walking-induced rise in temperature accelerates the processing of visual information-an ideal strategy to process the increased information flow during locomotion.}, } @article {pmid37071779, year = {2023}, author = {Nebauer, CA and Schleifer, MC and Ruedenauer, FA and Leonhardt, SD and Spaethe, J}, title = {Perception, regulation, and fitness effects of pollen phytosterols in the bumble bee, Bombus terrestris.}, journal = {American journal of botany}, volume = {110}, number = {6}, pages = {e16165}, doi = {10.1002/ajb2.16165}, pmid = {37071779}, issn = {1537-2197}, mesh = {Bees ; Animals ; *Phytosterols ; Reproduction ; Sterols ; Pollen ; Perception ; }, abstract = {PREMISE: Many flowering plants depend on insects for pollination and thus attract pollinators by offering rewards, mostly nectar and pollen. Bee pollinators rely on pollen as their main nutrient source. Pollen provides all essential micro- and macronutrients including substances that cannot be synthesized by bees themselves, such as sterols, which bees need for processes such as hormone production. Variations in sterol concentrations may consequently affect bee health and reproductive fitness. We therefore hypothesized that (1) these variations in pollen sterols affect longevity and reproduction in bumble bees and (2) can thus be perceived via the bees' antennae before consumption.

METHODS: We studied the effect of sterols on longevity and reproduction of Bombus terrestris workers in feeding experiments and investigated sterol perception using chemotactile proboscis extension response (PER) conditioning.

RESULTS: Workers could perceive several sterols (cholesterol, cholestenone, desmosterol, stigmasterol, β-sitosterol) via their antennae but not differentiate between them. However, when sterols were presented in pollen, and not as a single compound, the bees were unable to differentiate between pollen differing in sterol content. Additionally, different sterol concentrations in pollen neither affected pollen consumption nor brood development or worker longevity.

CONCLUSIONS: Since we used both natural concentrations and concentrations higher than those found in pollen, our results indicate that bumble bees may not need to pay specific attention to pollen sterol content beyond a specific threshold. Naturally encountered concentrations might fully support their sterol requirements and higher concentrations do not seem to have negative effects.}, } @article {pmid37070301, year = {2023}, author = {Habenstein, J and Grübel, K and Pfeiffer, K and Rössler, W}, title = {3D atlas of cerebral neuropils with previously unknown demarcations in the honey bee brain.}, journal = {The Journal of comparative neurology}, volume = {531}, number = {11}, pages = {1163-1183}, doi = {10.1002/cne.25486}, pmid = {37070301}, issn = {1096-9861}, mesh = {Bees ; Animals ; *Drosophila melanogaster ; *Brain/physiology ; Neuropil/physiology ; Neurons ; Mushroom Bodies ; }, abstract = {Honey bees (Apis mellifera) express remarkable social interactions and cognitive capabilities that have been studied extensively. In many cases, behavioral studies were accompanied by neurophysiological and neuroanatomical investigations. While most studies have focused on primary sensory neuropils, such as the optic lobes or antennal lobes, and major integration centers, such as the mushroom bodies or the central complex, many regions of the cerebrum (the central brain without the optic lobes) of the honey bee are only poorly explored so far, both anatomically and physiologically. To promote studies of these brain regions, we used anti-synapsin immunolabeling and neuronal tract tracings followed by confocal imaging and 3D reconstructions to demarcate all neuropils in the honey bee cerebrum and close this gap at the anatomical level. We demarcated 35 neuropils and 25 fiber tracts in the honey bee cerebrum, most of which have counterparts in the fly (Drosophila melanogaster) and other insect species that have been investigated so far at this level of detail. We discuss the role of cerebral neuropils in multisensory integration in the insect brain, emphasize the importance of this brain atlas for comparative studies, and highlight specific architectural features of the honey bee cerebrum.}, } @article {pmid37019813, year = {2023}, author = {Rössler, W}, title = {Multisensory navigation and neuronal plasticity in desert ants.}, journal = {Trends in neurosciences}, volume = {46}, number = {6}, pages = {415-417}, doi = {10.1016/j.tins.2023.03.008}, pmid = {37019813}, issn = {1878-108X}, mesh = {Humans ; Animals ; *Ants/physiology ; Learning/physiology ; Neurons/physiology ; Neuronal Plasticity/physiology ; Cues ; }, abstract = {Cataglyphis desert ants are skilled visual navigators. Here, I present a brief overview of multisensory learning and neuronal plasticity in ants, with a particular focus on the transition from the dark nest interior to performing first foraging trips. This highlights desert ants as experimental models for studying neuronal mechanisms underlying behavioral development into successful navigators.}, } @article {pmid37018858, year = {2023}, author = {Schuhmann, A and Scheiner, R}, title = {A combination of the frequent fungicides boscalid and dimoxystrobin with the neonicotinoid acetamiprid in field-realistic concentrations does not affect sucrose responsiveness and learning behavior of honeybees.}, journal = {Ecotoxicology and environmental safety}, volume = {256}, number = {}, pages = {114850}, doi = {10.1016/j.ecoenv.2023.114850}, pmid = {37018858}, issn = {1090-2414}, mesh = {Bees ; Animals ; *Fungicides, Industrial ; Sucrose ; Neonicotinoids ; *Insecticides/pharmacology ; }, abstract = {The increasing loss of pollinators over the last decades has become more and more evident. Intensive use of plant protection products is one key factor contributing to this decline. Especially the mixture of different plant protection products can pose an increased risk for pollinators as synergistic effects may occur. In this study we investigated the effect of the fungicide Cantus® Gold (boscalid/dimoxystrobin), the neonicotinoid insecticide Mospilan® (acetamiprid) and their mixture on honeybees. Since both plant protection products are frequently applied sequentially to the same plants (e.g. oilseed rape), their combination is a realistic scenario for honeybees. We investigated the mortality, the sucrose responsiveness and the differential olfactory learning performance of honeybees under controlled conditions in the laboratory to reduce environmental noise. Intact sucrose responsiveness and learning performance are of pivotal importance for the survival of individual honeybees as well as for the functioning of the entire colony. Treatment with two sublethal and field relevant concentrations of each plant protection product did not lead to any significant effects on these behaviors but affected the mortality rate. However, our study cannot exclude possible negative sublethal effects of these substances in higher concentrations. In addition, the honeybee seems to be quite robust when it comes to effects of plant protection products, while wild bees might be more sensitive.}, } @article {pmid36972440, year = {2023}, author = {Ozgul, A and Fichtel, C and Paniw, M and Kappeler, PM}, title = {Destabilizing effect of climate change on the persistence of a short-lived primate.}, journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America}, volume = {120}, number = {14}, pages = {e2214244120}, pmid = {36972440}, issn = {1091-6490}, mesh = {Animals ; Humans ; *Climate Change ; Population Dynamics ; Animals, Wild ; Temperature ; Mammals ; Seasons ; *Cheirogaleidae/physiology ; }, abstract = {Seasonal tropical environments are among those regions that are the most affected by shifts in temperature and rainfall regimes under climate change, with potentially severe consequences for wildlife population persistence. This persistence is ultimately determined by complex demographic responses to multiple climatic drivers, yet these complexities have been little explored in tropical mammals. We use long-term, individual-based demographic data (1994 to 2020) from a short-lived primate in western Madagascar, the gray mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus), to investigate the demographic drivers of population persistence under observed shifts in seasonal temperature and rainfall. While rainfall during the wet season has been declining over the years, dry season temperatures have been increasing, with these trends projected to continue. These environmental changes resulted in lower survival and higher recruitment rates over time for gray mouse lemurs. Although the contrasting changes have prevented the study population from collapsing, the resulting increase in life-history speed has destabilized an otherwise stable population. Population projections under more recent rainfall and temperature levels predict an increase in population fluctuations and a corresponding increase in the extinction risk over the next five decades. Our analyses show that a relatively short-lived mammal with high reproductive output, representing a life history that is expected to closely track changes in its environment, can nonetheless be threatened by climate change.}, } @article {pmid36839307, year = {2023}, author = {Liudvytska, O and Ponczek, MB and Ciesielski, O and Krzyżanowska-Kowalczyk, J and Kowalczyk, M and Balcerczyk, A and Kolodziejczyk-Czepas, J}, title = {Rheum rhaponticum and Rheum rhabarbarum Extracts as Modulators of Endothelial Cell Inflammatory Response.}, journal = {Nutrients}, volume = {15}, number = {4}, pages = {}, pmid = {36839307}, issn = {2072-6643}, support = {NCN; 2018/31/B/NZ9/01238//National Science Center/ ; }, mesh = {Anti-Inflammatory Agents ; Cyclooxygenase 2 ; *Endothelial Cells/drug effects ; *Plant Extracts/pharmacology ; *Rheum/chemistry ; Humans ; Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, and alterations in blood physiology are key factors contributing to atherosclerosis and other cardiovascular disorders. Hence, modulation of endothelial function and reducing its pro-inflammatory and pro-thrombotic activity is considered one of the most important cardioprotective strategies. This study aimed to evaluate the anti-inflammatory potential of rhubarb extracts isolated from petioles and underground organs of Rheum rhabarbarum L. (garden rhubarb) and R. rhaponticum L. (rhapontic rhubarb) as well as two stilbenoids, typically found in these plants, i.e., rhapontigenin (RHPG) and its glycoside, rhaponticin (RHPT).

METHODS: Analysis of the anti-inflammatory effects of the indicated rhubarb-derived substances involved different aspects of the endothelial cells' (HUVECs) response: release of the inflammatory mediators; cyclooxygenase (COX-2) and 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX) expression as well as the recruitment of leukocytes to the activated HUVECs. The ability of the rhubarb-derived extracts to inhibit COX-2 and 5-LOX activities was examined as well. The study was supplemented with the in silico analysis of major components of the analyzed extracts' interactions with COX-2 and 5-LOX.

RESULTS: The obtained results indicated that the examined plant extracts and stilbenes possess anti-inflammatory properties and influence the inflammatory response of endothelial cells. Biochemical and in silico tests revealed significant inhibition of COX-2, with special importance of rhaponticin, as a compound abundant in both plant species. In addition to the reduction in COX-2 gene expression and enzyme activity, a decrease in the cytokine level and leukocyte influx was observed. Biochemical tests and computational analyses indicate that some components of rhubarb extracts may act as COX-2 inhibitors, with marginal inhibitory effect on 5-LOX.}, } @article {pmid36819896, year = {2023}, author = {Tieo, S and Restrepo-Ortiz, CX and Roura-Torres, B and Sauvadet, L and Harté, M and Charpentier, MJE and Renoult, JP}, title = {The Mandrillus Face Database: A portrait image database for individual and sex recognition, and age prediction in a non-human primate.}, journal = {Data in brief}, volume = {47}, number = {}, pages = {108939}, pmid = {36819896}, issn = {2352-3409}, abstract = {The Mandrillus Project is a long-term field research project in ecology and evolutionary biology, monitoring, since 2012, a natural population of mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx; primate) located in Southern Gabon. The Mandrillus Face Database was launched at the beginning of the project and now contains 29,495 photographic portraits collected on 397 individuals from this population, from birth to death for some of them. Portrait images have been obtained by manually processing images taken in the field with DSLR cameras: faces have been cropped to remove the ears and rotated to align the eyes horizontally. The database provides portrait images resized to 224 × 224 pixels associated with several manually annotated labels: individual identity, sex, age, face view, and image quality. Labels are stored within the image metadata and in a table accompanying the image database. This database will allow training and comparing methods on individual and sex recognition, and age prediction in a non-human animal.}, } @article {pmid36750188, year = {2023}, author = {Poirotte, C and Charpentier, MJE}, title = {Mother-to-daughter transmission of hygienic anti-parasite behaviour in mandrills.}, journal = {Proceedings. Biological sciences}, volume = {290}, number = {1992}, pages = {20222349}, pmid = {36750188}, issn = {1471-2954}, mesh = {Animals ; Female ; Humans ; *Parasites ; *Mandrillus ; Nuclear Family ; Mothers ; Social Dominance ; }, abstract = {Social animals are particularly exposed to infectious diseases. Pathogen-driven selection pressures have thus favoured the evolution of behavioural adaptations to decrease transmission risk such as the avoidance of contagious individuals. Yet, such strategies deprive individuals of valuable social interactions, generating a cost-benefit trade-off between pathogen avoidance and social opportunities. Recent studies revealed that hosts differ in these behavioural defences, but the determinants driving such inter-individual variation remain understudied. Using 6 years of behavioural and parasite data on a large natural population of mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx), we showed that, when parasite prevalence was high in the population, females avoided grooming their conspecifics' peri-anal region (PAR), where contagious gastro-intestinal parasites accumulate. Females varied, however, in their propensity to avoid this risky body region: across years, some females consistently avoided grooming it, while others did not. Interestingly, hygienic females (i.e. those avoiding the PAR) were less parasitized than non-hygienic females. Finally, age, dominance rank and grooming frequency did not influence a female's hygiene, but both mother-daughter and maternal half-sisters exhibited similar hygienic levels, whereas paternal half-sisters and non-kin dyads did not, suggesting a social transmission of this behaviour. Our study emphasizes that the social inheritance of hygiene may structure behavioural resistance to pathogens in host populations with potential consequences on the dynamics of infectious diseases.}, } @article {pmid36737661, year = {2023}, author = {Moris, VC and Podsiadlowski, L and Martin, S and Oeyen, JP and Donath, A and Petersen, M and Wilbrandt, J and Misof, B and Liedtke, D and Thamm, M and Scheiner, R and Schmitt, T and Niehuis, O}, title = {Intrasexual cuticular hydrocarbon dimorphism in a wasp sheds light on hydrocarbon biosynthesis genes in Hymenoptera.}, journal = {Communications biology}, volume = {6}, number = {1}, pages = {147}, pmid = {36737661}, issn = {2399-3642}, mesh = {Bees/genetics ; Animals ; *Wasps/genetics ; Sex Characteristics ; Biological Evolution ; Pheromones ; Hydrocarbons ; }, abstract = {Cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) cover the cuticle of insects and serve as desiccation barrier and as semiochemicals. While the main enzymatic steps of CHC biosynthesis are well understood, few of the underlying genes have been identified. Here we show how exploitation of intrasexual CHC dimorphism in a mason wasp, Odynerus spinipes, in combination with whole-genome sequencing and comparative transcriptomics facilitated identification of such genes. RNAi-mediated knockdown of twelve candidate gene orthologs in the honey bee, Apis mellifera, confirmed nine genes impacting CHC profile composition. Most of them have predicted functions consistent with current knowledge of CHC metabolism. However, we found first-time evidence for a fatty acid amide hydrolase also influencing CHC profile composition. In situ hybridization experiments furthermore suggest trophocytes participating in CHC biosynthesis. Our results set the base for experimental CHC profile manipulation in Hymenoptera and imply that the evolutionary origin of CHC biosynthesis predates the arthropods' colonization of land.}, } @article {pmid36714315, year = {2022}, author = {Değirmenci, L and Rogé Ferreira, FL and Vukosavljevic, A and Heindl, C and Keller, A and Geiger, D and Scheiner, R}, title = {Sugar perception in honeybees.}, journal = {Frontiers in physiology}, volume = {13}, number = {}, pages = {1089669}, pmid = {36714315}, issn = {1664-042X}, abstract = {Honeybees (Apis mellifera) need their fine sense of taste to evaluate nectar and pollen sources. Gustatory receptors (Grs) translate taste signals into electrical responses. In vivo experiments have demonstrated collective responses of the whole Gr-set. We here disentangle the contributions of all three honeybee sugar receptors (AmGr1-3), combining CRISPR/Cas9 mediated genetic knock-out, electrophysiology and behaviour. We show an expanded sugar spectrum of the AmGr1 receptor. Mutants lacking AmGr1 have a reduced response to sucrose and glucose but not to fructose. AmGr2 solely acts as co-receptor of AmGr1 but not of AmGr3, as we show by electrophysiology and using bimolecular fluorescence complementation. Our results show for the first time that AmGr2 is indeed a functional receptor on its own. Intriguingly, AmGr2 mutants still display a wildtype-like sugar taste. AmGr3 is a specific fructose receptor and is not modulated by a co-receptor. Eliminating AmGr3 while preserving AmGr1 and AmGr2 abolishes the perception of fructose but not of sucrose. Our comprehensive study on the functions of AmGr1, AmGr2 and AmGr3 in honeybees is the first to combine investigations on sugar perception at the receptor level and simultaneously in vivo. We show that honeybees rely on two gustatory receptors to sense all relevant sugars.}, } @article {pmid36687801, year = {2023}, author = {Breininger, DR and Stolen, ED and Carter, GM and Legare, SA and Payne, WV and Breininger, DJ and Lyon, JE and Schumann, CD and Hunt, DK}, title = {Territory and population attributes affect Florida scrub-jay fecundity in fire-adapted ecosystems.}, journal = {Ecology and evolution}, volume = {13}, number = {1}, pages = {e9704}, pmid = {36687801}, issn = {2045-7758}, abstract = {Fecundity, the number of young produced by a breeding pair during a breeding season, is a primary component in evolutionary and ecological theory and applications. Fecundity can be influenced by many environmental factors and requires long-term study due to the range of variation in ecosystem dynamics. Fecundity data often include a large proportion of zeros when many pairs fail to produce any young during a breeding season due to nest failure or when all young die independently after fledging. We conducted color banding and monthly censuses of Florida scrub-jays (Aphelocoma coerulescens) across 31 years, 15 populations, and 761 territories along central Florida's Atlantic coast. We quantified how fecundity (juveniles/pair-year) was influenced by habitat quality, presence/absence of nonbreeders, population density, breeder experience, and rainfall, with a zero-inflated Bayesian hierarchical model including both a Bernoulli (e.g., brood success) and a Poisson (counts of young) submodel, and random effects for year, population, and territory. The results identified the importance of increasing "strong" quality habitat, which was a mid-successional state related to fire frequency and extent, because strong territories, and the proportion of strong territories in the overall population, influenced fecundity of breeding pairs. Populations subject to supplementary feeding also had greater fecundity. Territory size, population density, breeder experience, and rainfall surprisingly had no or small effects. Different mechanisms appeared to cause annual variation in fecundity, as estimates of random effects were not correlated between the success and count submodels. The increased fecundity for pairs with nonbreeders, compared to pairs without, identified empirical research needed to understand how the proportion of low-quality habitats influences population recovery and sustainability, because dispersal into low-quality habitats can drain nonbreeders from strong territories and decrease overall fecundity. We also describe how long-term study resulted in reversals in our understanding because of complications involving habitat quality, sociobiology, and population density.}, } @article {pmid36645020, year = {2023}, author = {Urbani, B and Youlatos, D}, title = {Simia langobardorum: Were African apes traded in late medieval Lombardy?.}, journal = {American journal of primatology}, volume = {85}, number = {2}, pages = {e23462}, doi = {10.1002/ajp.23462}, pmid = {36645020}, issn = {1098-2345}, support = {//Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Research/ ; //Alexander von Humboldt Foundation/ ; //Aristotle University of Thessaloniki/ ; }, mesh = {Humans ; Animals ; *Hominidae ; Pan troglodytes ; *Presbytini ; }, abstract = {Depictions of and references to apes (tailless hominoids) are very limited in early historical written accounts. The first known published representations of ape-like primates appear in Medieval European books during the first century following the invention of printing. Considering the current knowledge of ape iconography, this article examines an unusual image of a couple of ape-like creatures rendered in a European manuscript and explores the possible links of this challenging illustration with historical accounts and contexts during the late Middle Ages and early Renaissance. The studied manuscript is known as "BL Sloane MS 4016" and is a medieval herbal manuscript (Tratactus de Herbis) of Lombardian origin dated c. 1440. The illustration in question, which also appears in similar manuscripts, represents two primates. However, these representations differ significantly from those in the other manuscripts. The individuals have physical features that suggest attribution to chimpanzees. The location and the date of the manuscript in relation to the extended merchant and travel network between Europe and Africa during the late Medieval times and earlier Renaissance most likely indicate that free-living or traded chimpanzees or their images may have been the visual source for the illustration. The examination of early depictions and descriptions of apes helps us to understand how we, humans, have represented our own closest zoological relatives. In doing so, this study also provides a review of early ape iconography and historical accounts about African primates during the so-called Age of Discoveries.}, } @article {pmid36598579, year = {2023}, author = {Zupanc, GKH and Rössler, W and Warrant, EJ and Homberg, U and Arikawa, K and Helfrich-Förster, C and Narins, PM and Simmons, AM}, title = {Contact chemoreception, magnetic maps, thermoregulation by a superorganism, and, thanks to Einstein, an all-time record: the Editors' and Readers' Choice Awards 2023.}, journal = {Journal of comparative physiology. A, Neuroethology, sensory, neural, and behavioral physiology}, volume = {209}, number = {3}, pages = {337-340}, pmid = {36598579}, issn = {1432-1351}, mesh = {Animals ; Bees ; *Awards and Prizes ; Body Temperature Regulation ; Magnetic Phenomena ; }, abstract = {During the 99 years of its history, the Journal of Comparative Physiology A has published many of the most influential papers in comparative physiology and related disciplines. To celebrate this achievement of the journal's authors, annual Editors' Choice Awards and Readers' Choice Awards are presented. The winners of the 2023 Editors' Choice Awards are 'Contact chemoreception in multi‑modal sensing of prey by Octopus' by Buresch et al. (J Comp Physiol A 208:435-442, 2022) in the Original Paper category; and 'Magnetic maps in animal navigation' by Lohmann et al. (J Comp Physiol A 208:41-67, 2022) in the Review/Review-History Article category. The winners of the 2023 Readers' Choice Awards are 'Coping with the cold and fighting the heat: thermal homeostasis of a superorganism, the honeybee colony' by Stabentheiner et al. (J Comp Physiol A 207:337-351; 2021) in the Original Paper category; and 'Einstein, von Frisch and the honeybee: a historical letter comes to light' by Dyer et al. (J Comp Physiol A 207:449-456, 2021) in the Review/Review-History category.}, } @article {pmid36550368, year = {2023}, author = {Homberg, U and Hensgen, R and Jahn, S and Pegel, U and Takahashi, N and Zittrell, F and Pfeiffer, K}, title = {The sky compass network in the brain of the desert locust.}, journal = {Journal of comparative physiology. A, Neuroethology, sensory, neural, and behavioral physiology}, volume = {209}, number = {4}, pages = {641-662}, pmid = {36550368}, issn = {1432-1351}, mesh = {Animals ; *Grasshoppers/physiology ; Brain/physiology ; Insecta/physiology ; Orientation, Spatial ; Sunlight ; }, abstract = {Many arthropods and vertebrates use celestial signals such as the position of the sun during the day or stars at night as compass cues for spatial orientation. The neural network underlying sky compass coding in the brain has been studied in great detail in the desert locust Schistocerca gregaria. These insects perform long-range migrations in Northern Africa and the Middle East following seasonal changes in rainfall. Highly specialized photoreceptors in a dorsal rim area of their compound eyes are sensitive to the polarization of the sky, generated by scattered sunlight. These signals are combined with direct information on the sun position in the optic lobe and anterior optic tubercle and converge from both eyes in a midline crossing brain structure, the central complex. Here, head direction coding is achieved by a compass-like arrangement of columns signaling solar azimuth through a 360° range of space by combining direct brightness cues from the sun with polarization cues matching the polarization pattern of the sky. Other directional cues derived from wind direction and internal self-rotation input are likely integrated. Signals are transmitted as coherent steering commands to descending neurons for directional control of locomotion and flight.}, } @article {pmid36543364, year = {2023}, author = {Goymann, W and Brumm, H and Kappeler, PM}, title = {Biological sex is binary, even though there is a rainbow of sex roles: Denying biological sex is anthropocentric and promotes species chauvinism: Denying biological sex is anthropocentric and promotes species chauvinism.}, journal = {BioEssays : news and reviews in molecular, cellular and developmental biology}, volume = {45}, number = {2}, pages = {e2200173}, doi = {10.1002/bies.202200173}, pmid = {36543364}, issn = {1521-1878}, mesh = {Male ; Female ; Animals ; Humans ; *Gender Role ; *Gender Identity ; Phenotype ; Plants ; }, abstract = {Biomedical and social scientists are increasingly calling the biological sex into question, arguing that sex is a graded spectrum rather than a binary trait. Leading science journals have been adopting this relativist view, thereby opposing fundamental biological facts. While we fully endorse efforts to create a more inclusive environment for gender-diverse people, this does not require denying biological sex. On the contrary, the rejection of biological sex seems to be based on a lack of knowledge about evolution and it champions species chauvinism, inasmuch as it imposes human identity notions on millions of other species. We argue that the biological definition of the sexes remains central to recognising the diversity of life. Humans with their unique combination of biological sex and gender are different from non-human animals and plants in this respect. Denying the concept of biological sex, for whatever cause, ultimately erodes scientific progress and may open the flood gates to "alternative truths."}, } @article {pmid36509795, year = {2022}, author = {Murillo, T and Schneider, D and Heistermann, M and Daniel, R and Fichtel, C}, title = {Assessing the drivers of gut microbiome composition in wild redfronted lemurs via longitudinal metacommunity analysis.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {12}, number = {1}, pages = {21462}, pmid = {36509795}, issn = {2045-2322}, mesh = {Animals ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics/analysis ; *Lemur/genetics ; Longitudinal Studies ; Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System ; Pituitary-Adrenal System ; *Strepsirhini/genetics ; Bacteria/genetics ; Water ; }, abstract = {The gut microbiome influences host's immunity, development, and metabolism and participates in the gut-brain axis, thus impacting the health of the host. It is a dynamic community varying between individuals and within individuals at different time points. Hence, determining the factors causing this variability may elucidate their impact on host's health. However, understanding the drivers of variation has proven difficult particularly as multiple interactions occur simultaneously in the gut microbiome. We investigated the factors shaping the gut microbiome by applying the metacommunity concept where the gut microbiome is considered as a microbial community shaped by the interactions within the community, with the host and microbial communities outside the host, this through a longitudinal study in a wild primate. Focal behavioral data were collected for 1 year in four groups of redfronted lemurs to determine individual social and feeding behaviors. In addition, regular fecal samples were collected to assess bacteria, protozoa, and helminths through marker gene analysis and to measure fecal glucocorticoid metabolite (fGCM) concentrations to investigate the impact of physiological stress on the gut microbiome. Higher consumption of leaves and elevated fGCM concentrations correlated with higher alpha diversity, which also differed among groups. The major drivers of variation in beta diversity were group membership, precipitation and fGCM concentrations. We found positive and negative associations between bacterial genera and almost all studied factors. Correlations between bacterial indicator networks and social networks indicate transmission of bacteria between interacting individuals. We detected that processes occurring inside the gut environment are shaping the gut microbiome. Host associated factors such as, HPA axis, dietary changes, and fluctuations in water availability had a greater impact than interactions within the microbial community. The interplay with microbial communities outside the host also shape the gut microbiome through the exchange of bacteria through social relationships between individuals and the acquisition of microorganisms from environmental water sources.}, } @article {pmid36494572, year = {2023}, author = {Rössler, W and Grob, R and Fleischmann, PN}, title = {The role of learning-walk related multisensory experience in rewiring visual circuits in the desert ant brain.}, journal = {Journal of comparative physiology. A, Neuroethology, sensory, neural, and behavioral physiology}, volume = {209}, number = {4}, pages = {605-623}, pmid = {36494572}, issn = {1432-1351}, mesh = {Animals ; *Ants/physiology ; Learning/physiology ; Brain ; Cues ; Walking ; Homing Behavior/physiology ; Desert Climate ; }, abstract = {Efficient spatial orientation in the natural environment is crucial for the survival of most animal species. Cataglyphis desert ants possess excellent navigational skills. After far-ranging foraging excursions, the ants return to their inconspicuous nest entrance using celestial and panoramic cues. This review focuses on the question about how naïve ants acquire the necessary spatial information and adjust their visual compass systems. Naïve ants perform structured learning walks during their transition from the dark nest interior to foraging under bright sunlight. During initial learning walks, the ants perform rotational movements with nest-directed views using the earth's magnetic field as an earthbound compass reference. Experimental manipulations demonstrate that specific sky compass cues trigger structural neuronal plasticity in visual circuits to integration centers in the central complex and mushroom bodies. During learning walks, rotation of the sky-polarization pattern is required for an increase in volume and synaptic complexes in both integration centers. In contrast, passive light exposure triggers light-spectrum (especially UV light) dependent changes in synaptic complexes upstream of the central complex. We discuss a multisensory circuit model in the ant brain for pathways mediating structural neuroplasticity at different levels following passive light exposure and multisensory experience during the performance of learning walks.}, } @article {pmid36477424, year = {2022}, author = {Schacht, R and Beissinger, SR and Wedekind, C and Jennions, MD and Geffroy, B and Liker, A and Kappeler, PM and Weissing, FJ and Kramer, KL and Hesketh, T and Boissier, J and Uggla, C and Hollingshaus, M and Székely, T}, title = {Author Correction: Adult sex ratios: causes of variation and implications for animal and human societies.}, journal = {Communications biology}, volume = {5}, number = {1}, pages = {1341}, doi = {10.1038/s42003-022-04296-7}, pmid = {36477424}, issn = {2399-3642}, } @article {pmid36402823, year = {2022}, author = {Schacht, R and Beissinger, SR and Wedekind, C and Jennions, MD and Geffroy, B and Liker, A and Kappeler, PM and Weissing, FJ and Kramer, KL and Hesketh, T and Boissier, J and Uggla, C and Hollingshaus, M and Székely, T}, title = {Adult sex ratios: causes of variation and implications for animal and human societies.}, journal = {Communications biology}, volume = {5}, number = {1}, pages = {1273}, pmid = {36402823}, issn = {2399-3642}, mesh = {Humans ; Male ; Animals ; Adult ; *Sex Ratio ; Phylogeny ; *Biological Evolution ; }, abstract = {Converging lines of inquiry from across the social and biological sciences target the adult sex ratio (ASR; the proportion of males in the adult population) as a fundamental population-level determinant of behavior. The ASR, which indicates the relative number of potential mates to competitors in a population, frames the selective arena for competition, mate choice, and social interactions. Here we review a growing literature, focusing on methodological developments that sharpen knowledge of the demographic variables underlying ASR variation, experiments that enhance understanding of the consequences of ASR imbalance across societies, and phylogenetic analyses that provide novel insights into social evolution. We additionally highlight areas where research advances are expected to make accelerating contributions across the social sciences, evolutionary biology, and biodiversity conservation.}, } @article {pmid36377479, year = {2022}, author = {Charpentier, MJE and Poirotte, C and Roura-Torres, B and Amblard-Rambert, P and Willaume, E and Kappeler, PM and Rousset, F and Renoult, JP}, title = {Mandrill mothers associate with infants who look like their own offspring using phenotype matching.}, journal = {eLife}, volume = {11}, number = {}, pages = {}, pmid = {36377479}, issn = {2050-084X}, mesh = {Humans ; Adult ; Female ; Animals ; *Mandrillus ; Social Behavior ; Phenotype ; Cooperative Behavior ; Maternal Behavior ; }, abstract = {Behavioral discrimination of kin is a key process structuring social relationships in animals. In this study, we provide evidence for discrimination towards non-kin by third-parties through a mechanism of phenotype matching. In mandrills, we recently demonstrated increased facial resemblance among paternally related juvenile and adult females indicating adaptive opportunities for paternal kin recognition. Here, we hypothesize that mandrill mothers use offspring's facial resemblance with other infants to guide offspring's social opportunities towards similar-looking ones. Using deep learning for face recognition in 80 wild mandrill infants, we first show that infants sired by the same father resemble each other the most, independently of their age, sex or maternal origin, extending previous results to the youngest age class. Using long-term behavioral observations on association patterns, and controlling for matrilineal origin, maternal relatedness and infant age and sex, we then show, as predicted, that mothers are spatially closer to infants that resemble their own offspring more, and that this maternal behavior leads to similar-looking infants being spatially associated. We then discuss the different scenarios explaining this result, arguing that an adaptive maternal behavior is a likely explanation. In support of this mechanism and using theoretical modeling, we finally describe a plausible evolutionary process whereby mothers gain fitness benefits by promoting nepotism among paternally related infants. This mechanism, that we call 'second-order kin selection', may extend beyond mother-infant interactions and has the potential to explain cooperative behaviors among non-kin in other social species, including humans.}, } @article {pmid36343690, year = {2022}, author = {Maestripieri, D and Boutwell, BB}, title = {Human nature and personality variation: Reconnecting evolutionary psychology with the science of individual differences.}, journal = {Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews}, volume = {143}, number = {}, pages = {104946}, doi = {10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104946}, pmid = {36343690}, issn = {1873-7528}, mesh = {Humans ; *Individuality ; *Human Characteristics ; Personality ; Biological Evolution ; Psychology/history ; }, abstract = {The scientific study of human behavior from a modern evolutionary perspective began in the 20th century with disciplines such as human ethology and behavioral ecology as well as sociobiology. This early work focused on the characterization of a universal human nature that could be observed across all societies and cultures, one believed to have emerged in part from evolutionary processes. With the passage of time a newer evolutionary discipline, evolutionary psychology, emerged in the early 1990 s and quickly flourished. The focus on human nature was retained from its forerunners, but the primary focus of the field underwent a decided shift. Gone was the emphasis on observable behaviors and in its place moved psychological and cognitive functioning. At the same time, the new field took an interesting departure from other branches of psychology by largely relegating the significance of individual differences across cognitive and personality styles (whether heritable or environmental in origin) to a minor role. In this paper, we review the primary original arguments for minimizing or ignoring the importance of individual differences in personality and cognition, all in the service of making the case that the study of human nature, and evolutionary psychology more generally, is not at odds with individual differences research. The two fields have always been complementary, with one serving as a frequent source of insight for the other.}, } @article {pmid36307924, year = {2023}, author = {Kappeler, PM and Benhaiem, S and Fichtel, C and Fromhage, L and Höner, OP and Jennions, MD and Kaiser, S and Krüger, O and Schneider, JM and Tuni, C and van Schaik, J and Goymann, W}, title = {Sex roles and sex ratios in animals.}, journal = {Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society}, volume = {98}, number = {2}, pages = {462-480}, doi = {10.1111/brv.12915}, pmid = {36307924}, issn = {1469-185X}, mesh = {Male ; Animals ; Female ; *Gender Role ; *Sexual Behavior, Animal/physiology ; Sex Ratio ; Reproduction ; Biological Evolution ; Sex Characteristics ; }, abstract = {In species with separate sexes, females and males often differ in their morphology, physiology and behaviour. Such sex-specific traits are functionally linked to variation in reproductive competition, mate choice and parental care, which have all been linked to sex roles. At the 150th anniversary of Darwin's theory on sexual selection, the question of why patterns of sex roles vary within and across species remains a key topic in behavioural and evolutionary ecology. New theoretical, experimental and comparative evidence suggests that variation in the adult sex ratio (ASR) is a key driver of variation in sex roles. Here, we first define and discuss the historical emergence of the sex role concept, including recent criticisms and rebuttals. Second, we review the various sex ratios with a focus on ASR, and explore its theoretical links to sex roles. Third, we explore the causes, and especially the consequences, of biased ASRs, focusing on the results of correlational and experimental studies of the effect of ASR variation on mate choice, sexual conflict, parental care and mating systems, social behaviour, hormone physiology and fitness. We present evidence that animals in diverse societies are sensitive to variation in local ASR, even on short timescales, and propose explanations for conflicting results. We conclude with an overview of open questions in this field integrating demography, life history and behaviour.}, } @article {pmid36303783, year = {2021}, author = {Schmid, K and Knote, A and Mück, A and Pfeiffer, K and von Mammen, S and Fischer, SC}, title = {Interactive, Visual Simulation of a Spatio-Temporal Model of Gas Exchange in the Human Alveolus.}, journal = {Frontiers in bioinformatics}, volume = {1}, number = {}, pages = {774300}, pmid = {36303783}, issn = {2673-7647}, abstract = {In interdisciplinary fields such as systems biology, good communication between experimentalists and theorists is crucial for the success of a project. Theoretical modeling in physiology usually describes complex systems with many interdependencies. On one hand, these models have to be grounded on experimental data. On the other hand, experimenters must be able to understand the interdependent complexities of the theoretical model in order to interpret the model's results in the physiological context. We promote interactive, visual simulations as an engaging way to present theoretical models in physiology and to make complex processes tangible. Based on a requirements analysis, we developed a new model for gas exchange in the human alveolus in combination with an interactive simulation software named Alvin. Alvin exceeds the current standard with its spatio-temporal resolution and a combination of visual and quantitative feedback. In Alvin, the course of the simulation can be traced in a three-dimensional rendering of an alveolus and dynamic plots. The user can interact by configuring essential model parameters. Alvin allows to run and compare multiple simulation instances simultaneously. We exemplified the use of Alvin for research by identifying unknown dependencies in published experimental data. Employing a detailed questionnaire, we showed the benefits of Alvin for education. We postulate that interactive, visual simulation of theoretical models, as we have implemented with Alvin on respiratory processes in the alveolus, can be of great help for communication between specialists and thereby advancing research.}, } @article {pmid36247232, year = {2022}, author = {Broekman, MJE and Hilbers, JP and Huijbregts, MAJ and Mueller, T and Ali, AH and Andrén, H and Altmann, J and Aronsson, M and Attias, N and Bartlam-Brooks, HLA and van Beest, FM and Belant, JL and Beyer, DE and Bidner, L and Blaum, N and Boone, RB and Boyce, MS and Brown, MB and Cagnacci, F and Černe, R and Chamaillé-Jammes, S and Dejid, N and Dekker, J and L J Desbiez, A and Díaz-Muñoz, SL and Fennessy, J and Fichtel, C and Fischer, C and Fisher, JT and Fischhoff, I and Ford, AT and Fryxell, JM and Gehr, B and Goheen, JR and Hauptfleisch, M and Hewison, AJM and Hering, R and Heurich, M and Isbell, LA and Janssen, R and Jeltsch, F and Kaczensky, P and Kappeler, PM and Krofel, M and LaPoint, S and Latham, ADM and Linnell, JDC and Markham, AC and Mattisson, J and Medici, EP and de Miranda Mourão, G and Van Moorter, B and Morato, RG and Morellet, N and Mysterud, A and Mwiu, S and Odden, J and Olson, KA and Ornicāns, A and Pagon, N and Panzacchi, M and Persson, J and Petroelje, T and Rolandsen, CM and Roshier, D and Rubenstein, DI and Saïd, S and Salemgareyev, AR and Sawyer, H and Schmidt, NM and Selva, N and Sergiel, A and Stabach, J and Stacy-Dawes, J and Stewart, FEC and Stiegler, J and Strand, O and Sundaresan, S and Svoboda, NJ and Ullmann, W and Voigt, U and Wall, J and Wikelski, M and Wilmers, CC and Zięba, F and Zwijacz-Kozica, T and Schipper, AM and Tucker, MA}, title = {Evaluating expert-based habitat suitability information of terrestrial mammals with GPS-tracking data.}, journal = {Global ecology and biogeography : a journal of macroecology}, volume = {31}, number = {8}, pages = {1526-1541}, pmid = {36247232}, issn = {1466-822X}, abstract = {AIM: Macroecological studies that require habitat suitability data for many species often derive this information from expert opinion. However, expert-based information is inherently subjective and thus prone to errors. The increasing availability of GPS tracking data offers opportunities to evaluate and supplement expert-based information with detailed empirical evidence. Here, we compared expert-based habitat suitability information from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) with habitat suitability information derived from GPS-tracking data of 1,498 individuals from 49 mammal species.

LOCATION: Worldwide.

TIME PERIOD: 1998-2021.

MAJOR TAXA STUDIED: Forty-nine terrestrial mammal species.

METHODS: Using GPS data, we estimated two measures of habitat suitability for each individual animal: proportional habitat use (proportion of GPS locations within a habitat type), and selection ratio (habitat use relative to its availability). For each individual we then evaluated whether the GPS-based habitat suitability measures were in agreement with the IUCN data. To that end, we calculated the probability that the ranking of empirical habitat suitability measures was in agreement with IUCN's classification into suitable, marginal and unsuitable habitat types.

RESULTS: IUCN habitat suitability data were in accordance with the GPS data (> 95% probability of agreement) for 33 out of 49 species based on proportional habitat use estimates and for 25 out of 49 species based on selection ratios. In addition, 37 and 34 species had a > 50% probability of agreement based on proportional habitat use and selection ratios, respectively.

MAIN CONCLUSIONS: We show how GPS-tracking data can be used to evaluate IUCN habitat suitability data. Our findings indicate that for the majority of species included in this study, it is appropriate to use IUCN habitat suitability data in macroecological studies. Furthermore, we show that GPS-tracking data can be used to identify and prioritize species and habitat types for re-evaluation of IUCN habitat suitability data.}, } @article {pmid36237520, year = {2022}, author = {Kaya-Zeeb, S and Delac, S and Wolf, L and Marante, AL and Scherf-Clavel, O and Thamm, M}, title = {Robustness of the honeybee neuro-muscular octopaminergic system in the face of cold stress.}, journal = {Frontiers in physiology}, volume = {13}, number = {}, pages = {1002740}, pmid = {36237520}, issn = {1664-042X}, abstract = {In recent decades, our planet has undergone dramatic environmental changes resulting in the loss of numerous species. This contrasts with species that can adapt quickly to rapidly changing ambient conditions, which require physiological plasticity and must occur rapidly. The Western honeybee (Apis mellifera) apparently meets this challenge with remarkable success, as this species is adapted to numerous climates, resulting in an almost worldwide distribution. Here, coordinated individual thermoregulatory activities ensure survival at the colony level and thus the transmission of genetic material. Recently, we showed that shivering thermogenesis, which is critical for honeybee thermoregulation, depends on octopamine signaling. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that the thoracic neuro-muscular octopaminergic system strives for a steady-state equilibrium under cold stress to maintain endogenous thermogenesis. We can show that this applies for both, octopamine provision by flight muscle innervating neurons and octopamine receptor expression in the flight muscles. Additionally, we discovered alternative splicing for AmOARβ2. At least the expression of one isoform is needed to survive cold stress conditions. We assume that the thoracic neuro-muscular octopaminergic system is finely tuned in order to contribute decisively to survival in a changing environment.}, } @article {pmid36215474, year = {2022}, author = {Eppley, TM and Hoeks, S and Chapman, CA and Ganzhorn, JU and Hall, K and Owen, MA and Adams, DB and Allgas, N and Amato, KR and Andriamahaihavana, M and Aristizabal, JF and Baden, AL and Balestri, M and Barnett, AA and Bicca-Marques, JC and Bowler, M and Boyle, SA and Brown, M and Caillaud, D and Calegaro-Marques, C and Campbell, CJ and Campera, M and Campos, FA and Cardoso, TS and Carretero-Pinzón, X and Champion, J and Chaves, ÓM and Chen-Kraus, C and Colquhoun, IC and Dean, B and Dubrueil, C and Ellis, KM and Erhart, EM and Evans, KJE and Fedigan, LM and Felton, AM and Ferreira, RG and Fichtel, C and Fonseca, ML and Fontes, IP and Fortes, VB and Fumian, I and Gibson, D and Guzzo, GB and Hartwell, KS and Heymann, EW and Hilário, RR and Holmes, SM and Irwin, MT and Johnson, SE and Kappeler, PM and Kelley, EA and King, T and Knogge, C and Koch, F and Kowalewski, MM and Lange, LR and Lauterbur, ME and Louis, EE and Lutz, MC and Martínez, J and Melin, AD and de Melo, FR and Mihaminekena, TH and Mogilewsky, MS and Moreira, LS and Moura, LA and Muhle, CB and Nagy-Reis, MB and Norconk, MA and Notman, H and O'Mara, MT and Ostner, J and Patel, ER and Pavelka, MSM and Pinacho-Guendulain, B and Porter, LM and Pozo-Montuy, G and Raboy, BE and Rahalinarivo, V and Raharinoro, NA and Rakotomalala, Z and Ramos-Fernández, G and Rasamisoa, DC and Ratsimbazafy, J and Ravaloharimanitra, M and Razafindramanana, J and Razanaparany, TP and Righini, N and Robson, NM and Gonçalves, JDR and Sanamo, J and Santacruz, N and Sato, H and Sauther, ML and Scarry, CJ and Serio-Silva, JC and Shanee, S and Lins, PGAS and Smith, AC and Smith Aguilar, SE and Souza-Alves, JP and Stavis, VK and Steffens, KJE and Stone, AI and Strier, KB and Suarez, SA and Talebi, M and Tecot, SR and Tujague, MP and Valenta, K and Van Belle, S and Vasey, N and Wallace, RB and Welch, G and Wright, PC and Donati, G and Santini, L}, title = {Factors influencing terrestriality in primates of the Americas and Madagascar.}, journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America}, volume = {119}, number = {42}, pages = {e2121105119}, pmid = {36215474}, issn = {1091-6490}, mesh = {Americas ; Animals ; *Biological Evolution ; Cercopithecidae ; Haplorhini ; Humans ; Madagascar ; Mammals ; *Primates ; Trees ; }, abstract = {Among mammals, the order Primates is exceptional in having a high taxonomic richness in which the taxa are arboreal, semiterrestrial, or terrestrial. Although habitual terrestriality is pervasive among the apes and African and Asian monkeys (catarrhines), it is largely absent among monkeys of the Americas (platyrrhines), as well as galagos, lemurs, and lorises (strepsirrhines), which are mostly arboreal. Numerous ecological drivers and species-specific factors are suggested to set the conditions for an evolutionary shift from arboreality to terrestriality, and current environmental conditions may provide analogous scenarios to those transitional periods. Therefore, we investigated predominantly arboreal, diurnal primate genera from the Americas and Madagascar that lack fully terrestrial taxa, to determine whether ecological drivers (habitat canopy cover, predation risk, maximum temperature, precipitation, primate species richness, human population density, and distance to roads) or species-specific traits (body mass, group size, and degree of frugivory) associate with increased terrestriality. We collated 150,961 observation hours across 2,227 months from 47 species at 20 sites in Madagascar and 48 sites in the Americas. Multiple factors were associated with ground use in these otherwise arboreal species, including increased temperature, a decrease in canopy cover, a dietary shift away from frugivory, and larger group size. These factors mostly explain intraspecific differences in terrestriality. As humanity modifies habitats and causes climate change, our results suggest that species already inhabiting hot, sparsely canopied sites, and exhibiting more generalized diets, are more likely to shift toward greater ground use.}, } @article {pmid36126877, year = {2023}, author = {Pfeiffer, K}, title = {The neuronal building blocks of the navigational toolkit in the central complex of insects.}, journal = {Current opinion in insect science}, volume = {55}, number = {}, pages = {100972}, doi = {10.1016/j.cois.2022.100972}, pmid = {36126877}, issn = {2214-5753}, mesh = {Animals ; *Drosophila melanogaster/physiology ; *Neurons/physiology ; Drosophila/physiology ; Brain/physiology ; Insecta ; }, abstract = {The central complex in the brain of insects is a group of midline-spanning neuropils at the interface between sensory and premotor tasks of the brain. It is involved in sleep control, decision-making and most prominently in goal-directed locomotion behaviors. The recently published connectome of the central complex of Drosophila melanogaster is a milestone in understanding the intricacies of the central-complex circuits and will provide inspiration for testable hypotheses for the coming years. Here, I provide a basic neuroanatomical description of the central complex of Drosophila and other species and discuss some recent advancements, some of which, such as the discovery of coordinate transformation through vector math, have been predicted from connectomics data.}, } @article {pmid36122199, year = {2022}, author = {Schultheiss, P and Nooten, SS and Wang, R and Wong, MKL and Brassard, F and Guénard, B}, title = {The abundance, biomass, and distribution of ants on Earth.}, journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America}, volume = {119}, number = {40}, pages = {e2201550119}, pmid = {36122199}, issn = {1091-6490}, mesh = {Animal Distribution ; Animals ; *Ants ; *Biomass ; Earth, Planet ; *Ecosystem ; Humans ; Mammals ; Population Density ; }, abstract = {Knowledge on the distribution and abundance of organisms is fundamental to understanding their roles within ecosystems and their ecological importance for other taxa. Such knowledge is currently lacking for insects, which have long been regarded as the "little things that run the world". Even for ubiquitous insects, such as ants, which are of tremendous ecological significance, there is currently neither a reliable estimate of their total number on Earth nor of their abundance in particular biomes or habitats. We compile data on ground-dwelling and arboreal ants to obtain an empirical estimate of global ant abundance. Our analysis is based on 489 studies, spanning all continents, major biomes, and habitats. We conservatively estimate total abundance of ground-dwelling ants at over 3 × 10[15] and estimate the number of all ants on Earth to be almost 20 × 10[15] individuals. The latter corresponds to a biomass of ∼12 megatons of dry carbon. This exceeds the combined biomass of wild birds and mammals and is equivalent to ∼20% of human biomass. Abundances of ground-dwelling ants are strongly concentrated in tropical and subtropical regions but vary substantially across habitats. The density of leaf-litter ants is highest in forests, while the numbers of actively ground-foraging ants are highest in arid regions. This study highlights the central role ants play in terrestrial ecosystems but also major ecological and geographic gaps in our current knowledge. Our results provide a crucial baseline for exploring environmental drivers of ant-abundance patterns and for tracking the responses of insects to environmental change.}, } @article {pmid36058251, year = {2022}, author = {Yilmaz, A and Spaethe, J}, title = {Colour vision in ants (Formicidae, Hymenoptera).}, journal = {Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences}, volume = {377}, number = {1862}, pages = {20210291}, pmid = {36058251}, issn = {1471-2970}, mesh = {Animals ; *Ants/physiology ; *Color Vision ; Insecta ; Learning ; Phylogeny ; }, abstract = {Ants are ecologically one of the most important groups of insects and exhibit impressive capabilities for visual learning and orientation. Studies on numerous ant species demonstrate that ants can learn to discriminate between different colours irrespective of light intensity and modify their behaviour accordingly. However, the findings across species are variable and inconsistent, suggesting that our understanding of colour vision in ants and what roles ecological and phylogenetic factors play is at an early stage. This review provides a brief synopsis of the critical findings of the past century of research by compiling studies that address molecular, physiological and behavioural aspects of ant colour vision. With this, we aim to improve our understanding of colour vision and to gain deeper insights into the mysterious and colourful world of ants. This article is part of the theme issue 'Understanding colour vision: molecular, physiological, neuronal and behavioural studies in arthropods'.}, } @article {pmid35934963, year = {2022}, author = {Fichtel, C and Kappeler, PM}, title = {Coevolution of social and communicative complexity in lemurs.}, journal = {Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences}, volume = {377}, number = {1860}, pages = {20210297}, pmid = {35934963}, issn = {1471-2970}, mesh = {Animals ; Communication ; *Lemur ; Phylogeny ; Primates ; *Strepsirhini ; }, abstract = {The endemic lemurs of Madagascar (Lemuriformes: Primates) exhibit great social and communicative diversity. Given their independent evolutionary history, lemurs provide an excellent opportunity to identify fundamental principles in the coevolution of social and communicative traits. We conducted comparative phylogenetic analyses to examine patterns of interspecific variation among measures of social complexity and repertoire sizes in the vocal, olfactory and visual modality, while controlling for environmental factors such as habitat and number of sympatric species. We also examined potential trade-offs in signal evolution as well as coevolution between body mass or brain size and communicative complexity. Repertoire sizes in the vocal, olfactory and visual modality correlated positively with group size, but not with environmental factors. Evolutionary changes in social complexity presumably antedated corresponding changes in communicative complexity. There was no trade-off in the evolution of signals in different modalities and neither body mass nor brain size correlated with any repertoire size. Hence, communicative complexity coevolved with social complexity across different modalities, possibly to service social relationships flexibly and effectively in pair- and group-living species. Our analyses shed light on the requirements and adaptive possibilities in the coevolution of core elements of social organization and social structure in a basal primate lineage. This article is part of the theme issue 'Cognition, communication and social bonds in primates'.}, } @article {pmid35905408, year = {2022}, author = {Song 宋紫檀, Z and Liker, A and Liu 刘阳, Y and Székely, T}, title = {Evolution of Social Organization: Phylogenetic Analyses of Ecology and Sexual Selection in Weavers.}, journal = {The American naturalist}, volume = {200}, number = {2}, pages = {250-263}, doi = {10.1086/720270}, pmid = {35905408}, issn = {1537-5323}, mesh = {Animals ; Ecology ; *Passeriformes ; Phylogeny ; Sexual Behavior, Animal ; *Sexual Selection ; }, abstract = {AbstractCrook published a landmark study on the social organization of weavers (or weaverbirds, family Ploceidae) that contributed to the emergence of sociobiology, behavioral ecology, and phylogenetic comparative methods. By comparing ecology, spatial distribution, and mating systems, Crook suggested that the spatial distribution of food resources and breeding habitats influence weaver aggregation during both the nonbreeding season (flocking vs. solitary foraging) and the breeding season (colonial vs. solitary breeding), and the latter in turn impacts mating systems and sexual selection. Although Crook's study stimulated much follow-up research, his conclusions have not been scrutinized using phylogenetically controlled analyses. We revisited Crook's hypotheses using modern phylogenetic comparative methods on an extended data set of 107 weaver species. We showed that both diet and habitat type are associated with spatial distribution and that the latter predicts mating system, consistent with Crook's propositions. The best-supported phylogenetic path model also supported Crook's arguments and uncovered a direct relationship between nonbreeding distribution and mating system. Taken together, our phylogenetically corrected analyses confirm Crook's conjectures on the roles of ecology in social organizations of weavers; however, our analyses also uncovered an association between nonbreeding distributions and mating systems, which was not envisaged by Crook.}, } @article {pmid35892218, year = {2022}, author = {Stöckl, A and Grittner, R and Taylor, G and Rau, C and Bodey, AJ and Kelber, A and Baird, E}, title = {Allometric scaling of a superposition eye optimizes sensitivity and acuity in large and small hawkmoths.}, journal = {Proceedings. Biological sciences}, volume = {289}, number = {1979}, pages = {20220758}, pmid = {35892218}, issn = {1471-2954}, mesh = {Animals ; Body Size ; *Eye/anatomy & histology ; Insecta ; *Moths ; }, abstract = {Animals vary widely in body size within and across species. This has consequences for the function of organs and body parts in both large and small individuals. How these scale, in relation to body size, reveals evolutionary investment strategies, often resulting in trade-offs between functions. Eyes exemplify these trade-offs, as they are limited by their absolute size in two key performance features: sensitivity and spatial acuity. Due to their size polymorphism, insect compound eyes are ideal models for studying the allometric scaling of eye performance. Previous work on apposition compound eyes revealed that allometric scaling led to poorer spatial resolution and visual sensitivity in small individuals, across a range of insect species. Here, we used X-ray microtomography to investigate allometric scaling in superposition compound eyes-the second most common eye type in insects-for the first time. Our results reveal a novel strategy to cope with the trade-off between sensitivity and spatial acuity, as we show that the eyes of the hummingbird hawkmoth retain an optimal balance between these performance measures across all body sizes.}, } @article {pmid35880414, year = {2022}, author = {Tiley, GP and van Elst, T and Teixeira, H and Schüßler, D and Salmona, J and Blanco, MB and Ralison, JM and Randrianambinina, B and Rasoloarison, RM and Stahlke, AR and Hohenlohe, PA and Chikhi, L and Louis, EE and Radespiel, U and Yoder, AD}, title = {Population genomic structure in Goodman's mouse lemur reveals long-standing separation of Madagascar's Central Highlands and eastern rainforests.}, journal = {Molecular ecology}, volume = {31}, number = {19}, pages = {4901-4918}, doi = {10.1111/mec.16632}, pmid = {35880414}, issn = {1365-294X}, mesh = {Animals ; *Cheirogaleidae/genetics ; Humans ; *Lemur ; Madagascar ; Metagenomics ; Rainforest ; }, abstract = {Madagascar's Central Highlands are largely composed of grasslands, interspersed with patches of forest. The historical perspective was that Madagascar's grasslands had anthropogenic origins, but emerging evidence suggests that grasslands were a component of the pre-human Central Highlands vegetation. Consequently, there is now vigorous debate regarding the extent to which these grasslands have expanded due to anthropogenic pressures. Here, we shed light on the temporal dynamics of Madagascar's vegetative composition by conducting a population genomic investigation of Goodman's mouse lemur (Microcebus lehilahytsara; Cheirogaleidae). These small-bodied primates occur both in Madagascar's eastern rainforests and in the Central Highlands, making them a valuable indicator species. Population divergences among forest-dwelling mammals will reflect changes to their habitat, including fragmentation, whereas patterns of post-divergence gene flow can reveal formerly wooded migration corridors. To explore these patterns, we used RADseq data to infer population genetic structure, demographic models of post-divergence gene flow, and population size change through time. The results offer evidence that open habitats are an ancient component of the Central Highlands, and that widespread forest fragmentation occurred naturally during a period of decreased precipitation near the last glacial maximum. Models of gene flow suggest that migration across the Central Highlands has been possible from the Pleistocene through the recent Holocene via riparian corridors. Though our findings support the hypothesis that Central Highland grasslands predate human arrival, we also find evidence for human-mediated population declines. This highlights the extent to which species imminently threatened by human-mediated deforestation may already be vulnerable from paleoclimatic conditions.}, } @article {pmid35726715, year = {2022}, author = {van der Kooi, CJ and Spaethe, J}, title = {Caution with colour calculations: spectral purity is a poor descriptor of flower colour visibility.}, journal = {Annals of botany}, volume = {130}, number = {1}, pages = {1-9}, pmid = {35726715}, issn = {1095-8290}, mesh = {Animals ; Color ; *Flowers/physiology ; Humans ; Plants ; *Pollination/physiology ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: The colours of flowers are of key interest to plant and pollination biologists. An increasing number of studies have investigated the importance of saturation of flower colours (often called 'spectral purity' or 'chroma') for visibility to pollinators, but the conceptual, physiological and behavioural foundations for these metrics as well as the calculations used rest on slender foundations.

METHODS: We discuss the caveats of colour attributes that are derived from human perception, and in particular spectral purity and chroma, as variables in flower colour analysis. We re-analysed seven published datasets encompassing 774 measured reflectance spectra to test for correlations between colour contrast, spectral purity and chroma.

MAIN FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS: We identify several concerns with common calculation procedures in animal colour spaces. Studies on animal colour vision provide no ground to assume that any pollinator perceives (or responds to) saturation, chroma or spectral purity in the way humans do. A re-analysis of published datasets revealed that values for colour contrast between flowers and their background are highly correlated with measures for spectral purity and chroma, which invalidates treating these factors as independent variables as is currently commonplace. Strikingly, spectral purity and chroma - both of which are metrics for saturation and are often used synonymously - are not correlated at all. We conclude that alternative, behaviourally validated metrics for the visibility of flowers to pollinators, such as colour contrast and achromatic contrast, are better in understanding the role of flower colour in plant-pollinator signalling.}, } @article {pmid35710848, year = {2022}, author = {Hudel, L and Kappeler, PM}, title = {Sex-specific movement ecology of the shortest-lived tetrapod during the mating season.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {12}, number = {1}, pages = {10053}, pmid = {35710848}, issn = {2045-2322}, mesh = {Animals ; Body Size ; Female ; Humans ; *Lizards ; Male ; Reproduction ; Seasons ; *Sexual Behavior, Animal ; }, abstract = {Sex-specific reproductive strategies are shaped by the distribution of potential mates in space and time. Labord's chameleon (Furcifer labordi) from southwestern Madagascar is the shortest-lived tetrapod whose life-time mating opportunities are restricted to a few weeks. Given that these chameleons grow to sexual maturity within about three months and that all individuals die soon after breeding, their mating strategies should be adapted to these temporal constraints. The reproductive tactics of this or any other Malagasy chameleon species have not been studied, however. Radio-tracking and observations of 21 females and 18 males revealed that females exhibit high site fidelity, move small cumulative and linear distances, have low corresponding dispersal ratios and small occurrence distributions. In contrast, males moved larger distances in less predictable fashion, resulting in dispersal ratios and occurrence distributions 7-14 times larger than those of females, and males also had greater ranges of their vertical distribution. Despite synchronous hatching, males exhibited substantial inter-individual variation in body mass and snout-vent length that was significantly greater than in females, but apparently unrelated to their spatial tactics. Females mated with up to 6 individually-known mates, but frequent encounters with unmarked individuals indicate that much higher number of matings may be common, as are damaging fights among males. Thus, unlike perennial chameleons, F. labordi males do not seem to maintain and defend territories. Instead, they invest vastly more time and energy into locomotion for their body size than other species. Pronounced variation in key somatic traits may hint at the existence of alternative reproductive tactics, but its causes and consequences require further study. This first preliminary study of the mating system of a Malagasy chameleon indicates that, as in other semelparous tetrapods, accelerated life histories are tied to a mating system with intense contest and scramble competition among males.}, } @article {pmid35620359, year = {2022}, author = {Theara, GK and Ruíz Macedo, J and Zárate Gómez, R and Heymann, EW and Dolotovskaya, S}, title = {Fur rubbing in Plecturocebus cupreus - an incidence of self-medication?.}, journal = {Primate biology}, volume = {9}, number = {1}, pages = {7-10}, pmid = {35620359}, issn = {2363-4715}, abstract = {Fur rubbing, i.e. rubbing a substance or an object into the pelage, has been described in numerous Neotropical primate species, including species of titi monkeys, but it seems to be a rare behaviour. Here we describe a fur rubbing event in a wild coppery titi monkey (Plecturocebus cupreus) with Psychotria sp. (Rubiaceae) leaves observed and videotaped during a field study on vigilance behaviour between September-December 2019 in the Peruvian Amazon. Plants of the genus Psychotria contain a great diversity of secondary metabolites and are often used in traditional medicine. We suggest that the fur rubbing was an act of self-medication. This is the first record of fur rubbing in coppery titi monkeys in almost 4400 h of observation accumulated over more than 20 years.}, } @article {pmid35597702, year = {2022}, author = {Davidian, E and Surbeck, M and Lukas, D and Kappeler, PM and Huchard, E}, title = {The eco-evolutionary landscape of power relationships between males and females.}, journal = {Trends in ecology & evolution}, volume = {37}, number = {8}, pages = {706-718}, doi = {10.1016/j.tree.2022.04.004}, pmid = {35597702}, issn = {1872-8383}, mesh = {Animals ; *Biological Evolution ; Female ; Male ; Mammals ; *Reproduction ; Sex Characteristics ; *Sexual Behavior, Animal ; }, abstract = {In animal societies, control over resources and reproduction is often biased towards one sex. Yet, the ecological and evolutionary underpinnings of male-female power asymmetries remain poorly understood. We outline a comprehensive framework to quantify and predict the dynamics of male-female power relationships within and across mammalian species. We show that male-female power relationships are more nuanced and flexible than previously acknowledged. We then propose that enhanced reproductive control over when and with whom to mate predicts social empowerment across ecological and evolutionary contexts. The framework explains distinct pathways to sex-biased power: coercion and male-biased dimorphism constitute a co-evolutionary highway to male power, whereas female power emerges through multiple physiological, morphological, behavioural, and socioecological pathways.}, } @article {pmid35593178, year = {2022}, author = {Kaiser, A and Hensgen, R and Tschirner, K and Beetz, E and Wüstenberg, H and Pfaff, M and Mota, T and Pfeiffer, K}, title = {A three-dimensional atlas of the honeybee central complex, associated neuropils and peptidergic layers of the central body.}, journal = {The Journal of comparative neurology}, volume = {530}, number = {14}, pages = {2416-2438}, doi = {10.1002/cne.25339}, pmid = {35593178}, issn = {1096-9861}, support = {PF 714/4-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)/ ; PF714/5-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)/ ; INST160/447-1FUGG//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)/ ; INST93/829-1FUGG//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)/ ; APQ-02711-21//FAPEMIG - Minas Gerais Research Funding Foundation/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Bees ; Brain ; Insecta ; Neuroanatomy ; *Neurons ; *Neuropil ; }, abstract = {The central complex (CX) in the brain of insects is a highly conserved group of midline-spanning neuropils consisting of the upper and lower division of the central body, the protocerebral bridge, and the paired noduli. These neuropils are the substrate for a number of behaviors, most prominently goal-oriented locomotion. Honeybees have been a model organism for sky-compass orientation for more than 70 years, but there is still very limited knowledge about the structure and function of their CX. To advance and facilitate research on this brain area, we created a high-resolution three-dimensional atlas of the honeybee's CX and associated neuropils, including the posterior optic tubercles, the bulbs, and the anterior optic tubercles. To this end, we developed a modified version of the iterative shape averaging technique, which allowed us to achieve high volumetric accuracy of the neuropil models. For a finer definition of spatial locations within the central body, we defined layers based on immunostaining against the neuropeptides locustatachykinin, FMRFamide, gastrin/cholecystokinin, and allatostatin and included them into the atlas by elastic registration. Our honeybee CX atlas provides a platform for future neuroanatomical work.}, } @article {pmid35574496, year = {2022}, author = {Schmalz, F and El Jundi, B and Rössler, W and Strube-Bloss, M}, title = {Categorizing Visual Information in Subpopulations of Honeybee Mushroom Body Output Neurons.}, journal = {Frontiers in physiology}, volume = {13}, number = {}, pages = {866807}, pmid = {35574496}, issn = {1664-042X}, abstract = {Multisensory integration plays a central role in perception, as all behaviors usually require the input of different sensory signals. For instance, for a foraging honeybee the association of a food source includes the combination of olfactory and visual cues to be categorized as a flower. Moreover, homing after successful foraging using celestial cues and the panoramic scenery may be dominated by visual cues. Hence, dependent on the context, one modality might be leading and influence the processing of other modalities. To unravel the complex neural mechanisms behind this process we studied honeybee mushroom body output neurons (MBON). MBONs represent the first processing level after olfactory-visual convergence in the honeybee brain. This was physiologically confirmed in our previous study by characterizing a subpopulation of multisensory MBONs. These neurons categorize incoming sensory inputs into olfactory, visual, and olfactory-visual information. However, in addition to multisensory units a prominent population of MBONs was sensitive to visual cues only. Therefore, we asked which visual features might be represented at this high-order integration level. Using extracellular, multi-unit recordings in combination with visual and olfactory stimulation, we separated MBONs with multisensory responses from purely visually driven MBONs. Further analysis revealed, for the first time, that visually driven MBONs of both groups encode detailed aspects within this individual modality, such as light intensity and light identity. Moreover, we show that these features are separated by different MBON subpopulations, for example by extracting information about brightness and wavelength. Most interestingly, the latter MBON population was tuned to separate UV-light from other light stimuli, which were only poorly differentiated from each other. A third MBON subpopulation was neither tuned to brightness nor to wavelength and encoded the general presence of light. Taken together, our results support the view that the mushroom body, a high-order sensory integration, learning and memory center in the insect brain, categorizes sensory information by separating different behaviorally relevant aspects of the multisensory scenery and that these categories are channeled into distinct MBON subpopulations.}, } @article {pmid35536325, year = {2022}, author = {Zupanc, GKH and Rössler, W}, title = {Government funding of research beyond biomedicine: challenges and opportunities for neuroethology.}, journal = {Journal of comparative physiology. A, Neuroethology, sensory, neural, and behavioral physiology}, volume = {208}, number = {3}, pages = {443-456}, pmid = {35536325}, issn = {1432-1351}, support = {1946910//National Science Foundation/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Biomedical Research ; Government ; United States ; }, abstract = {Curiosity-driven research is fundamental for neuroethology and depends crucially on governmental funding. Here, we highlight similarities and differences in funding of curiosity-driven research across countries by comparing two major funding agencies-the National Science Foundation (NSF) in the United States and the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG). We interviewed representatives from each of the two agencies, focusing on general funding trends, levels of young investigator support, career-life balance, and international collaborations. While our analysis revealed a negative trend in NSF funding of biological research, including curiosity-driven research, German researchers in these areas have benefited from a robust positive trend in DFG funding. The main reason for the decrease in curiosity-driven research in the US is that the NSF has only partially been able to compensate for the funding gap resulting from the National Institutes of Health restricting their support to biomedical research using select model organisms. Notwithstanding some differences in funding programs, particularly those relevant for scientists in the postdoctoral phase, both the NSF and DFG clearly support curiosity-driven research.}, } @article {pmid35467771, year = {2022}, author = {Stuhrmann, C}, title = {"It Felt More like a Revolution." How Behavioral Ecology Succeeded Ethology, 1970-1990.}, journal = {Berichte zur Wissenschaftsgeschichte}, volume = {45}, number = {1-2}, pages = {135-163}, pmid = {35467771}, issn = {1522-2365}, mesh = {Animals ; Behavior, Animal ; *Ecology ; Emotions ; *Ethology ; Sociobiology ; }, abstract = {As soon as ethology's status diminished in the early 1970s, it was confronted with two successor disciplines, sociobiology and behavioral ecology. They were able to challenge ethology because it no longer provided markers of strong disciplinarity such as theoretical coherence, leading figures and a clear identity. While behavioral ecology developed organically out of the UK ethological research community into its own disciplinary standing, sociobiology presented itself as a US competitor to the ethological tradition. I will show how behavioral ecology took the role of legitimate heir to ethology by rebuilding a theoretical core and an intellectual sense of community, while sociobiology failed to use its public appeal to reach disciplinary status. Meanwhile, ethology changed its disciplinary identity to encompass all biological studies of animal behavior.}, } @article {pmid35467116, year = {2022}, author = {Römer, D and Aguilar, GP and Meyer, A and Roces, F}, title = {Symbiont demand guides resource supply: leaf-cutting ants preferentially deliver their harvested fragments to undernourished fungus gardens.}, journal = {Die Naturwissenschaften}, volume = {109}, number = {3}, pages = {25}, pmid = {35467116}, issn = {1432-1904}, mesh = {Animals ; *Ants/microbiology ; Fungi ; Gardens ; Humans ; Plants ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Leaf-cutting ants are highly successful herbivores in the Neotropics. They forage large amounts of fresh plant material to nourish a symbiotic fungus that sustains the colony. It is unknown how workers organize the intra-nest distribution of resources, and whether they respond to increasing demands in some fungus gardens by adjusting the amount of delivered resources accordingly. In laboratory experiments, we analyzed the spatial distribution of collected leaf fragments among nest chambers in Acromyrmex ambiguus leaf-cutting ants, and how it changed when one of the fungus gardens experienced undernourishment. Plant fragments were evenly distributed among nest chambers when the fungal symbiont was well nourished. That pattern changed when one of the fungus gardens was undernourished and had a higher leaf demand, resulting in more leaf discs delivered to the undernourished fungus garden over at least 2 days after deprivation. Some ants bypassed nourished gardens to directly deliver their resource to the chamber with higher nutritional demand. We hypothesize that cues arising from that chamber might be used for orientation and/or that informed individuals, presumably stemming from the undernourished chamber, may preferentially orient to them.}, } @article {pmid35370789, year = {2022}, author = {Wilson Horch, H and Rössler, W and Tavosanis, G}, title = {Editorial: Structural Plasticity of Invertebrate Neural Systems.}, journal = {Frontiers in physiology}, volume = {13}, number = {}, pages = {874999}, pmid = {35370789}, issn = {1664-042X}, } @article {pmid35369756, year = {2022}, author = {Smith, JE and Fichtel, C and Holmes, RK and Kappeler, PM and van Vugt, M and Jaeggi, AV}, title = {Sex bias in intergroup conflict and collective movements among social mammals: male warriors and female guides.}, journal = {Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences}, volume = {377}, number = {1851}, pages = {20210142}, pmid = {35369756}, issn = {1471-2970}, mesh = {Animals ; Biological Evolution ; Female ; *Hyaenidae ; Male ; Mammals ; Phylogeny ; *Sexism ; }, abstract = {Intergroup conflict is a major evolutionary force shaping animal and human societies. Males and females should, on average, experience different costs and benefits for participating in collective action. Specifically, among mammals, male fitness is generally limited by access to mates whereas females are limited by access to food and safety. Here we analyse sex biases among 72 species of group-living mammals in two contexts: intergroup conflict and collective movements. Our comparative phylogenetic analyses show that the modal mammalian pattern is male-biased participation in intergroup conflict and female-biased leadership in collective movements. However, the probability of male-biased participation in intergroup conflicts decreased and female-biased participation increased with female-biased leadership in movements. Thus, female-biased participation in intergroup conflict only emerged in species with female-biased leadership in collective movements, such as in spotted hyenas and some lemurs. Sex differences are probably attributable to costs and benefits of participating in collective movements (e.g. towards food, water, safety) and intergroup conflict (e.g. access to mates or resources, risk of injury). Our comparative review offers new insights into the factors shaping sex bias in leadership across social mammals and is consistent with the 'male warrior hypothesis' which posits evolved sex differences in human intergroup psychology. This article is part of the theme issue 'Intergroup conflict across taxa'.}, } @article {pmid35347156, year = {2022}, author = {Peckre, LR and Michiels, A and Socias-Martínez, L and Kappeler, PM and Fichtel, C}, title = {Sex differences in audience effects on anogenital scent marking in the red-fronted lemur.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {12}, number = {1}, pages = {5266}, pmid = {35347156}, issn = {2045-2322}, mesh = {Animal Communication ; Animals ; Female ; Humans ; *Lemur ; *Lemuridae ; Male ; Odorants ; Sex Characteristics ; }, abstract = {How the presence of conspecifics affects scent mark deposition remains an understudied aspect of olfactory communication, even though scent marking occurs in different social contexts. Sex differences in scent-marking behaviour are common, and sex-specific effects of the audience could therefore be expected. We investigated sex differences in intra-group audience effects on anogenital scent marking in four groups of wild red-fronted lemurs (Eulemur rufifrons) by performing focal scent-marking observations. We observed a total of 327 events divided into 223 anogenital scent-marking events and 104 pass-by events (i.e. passage without scent marking). Using a combination of generalised linear mixed models and exponential random graph models, we found that scent marking in red-fronted lemurs is associated with some behavioural flexibility linked to the composition of the audience at the time of scent deposition. In particular, our study revealed sex differences in the audience effects, with males being overall more sensitive to their audience than females. Moreover, we show that these audience effects were dependent on the relative degree of social integration of the focal individual compared to that of individuals in the audience (difference in Composite Sociality Index) as well as the strength of the dyadic affiliative relationship (rank of Dyadic Composite Sociality Index within the group). The audience effects also varied as a function of the audience radius considered. Hence, we showed that scent marking in red-fronted lemurs is associated with some behavioural flexibility linked to the composition of the audience, ascribing red-fronted lemurs' social competence in this context.}, } @article {pmid35323522, year = {2022}, author = {Radford, JM and Chen, D and Chernyshova, AM and Taylor, C and Guoth, AW and Wu, T and Hill, KA and Thompson, GJ}, title = {Differential Selection on Caste-Associated Genes in a Subterranean Termite.}, journal = {Insects}, volume = {13}, number = {3}, pages = {}, pmid = {35323522}, issn = {2075-4450}, support = {RGPIN-2020-05647//Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council/ ; }, abstract = {Analyzing the information-rich content of RNA can help uncover genetic events associated with social insect castes or other social polymorphisms. Here, we exploit a series of cDNA libraries previously derived from whole-body tissue of different castes as well as from three behaviourally distinct populations of the Eastern subterranean termite Reticulitermes flavipes. We found that the number (~0.5 M) of single nucleotide variants (SNVs) was roughly equal between nymph, worker and soldier caste libraries, but dN/dS (ratio of nonsynonymous to synonymous substitutions) analysis suggested that some of these variants confer a caste-specific advantage. Specifically, the dN/dS ratio was high (~4.3) for genes expressed in the defensively specialized soldier caste, relative to genes expressed by other castes (~1.7−1.8) and regardless of the North American population (Toronto, Raleigh, Boston) from which the castes were sampled. The populations, meanwhile, did show a large difference in SNV count but not in the manner expected from known demographic and behavioural differences; the highly invasive unicolonial population from Toronto was not the least diverse and did not show any other unique substitution patterns, suggesting any past bottleneck associated with invasion or with current unicoloniality has become obscured at the RNA level. Our study raises two important hypotheses relevant to termite sociobiology. First, the positive selection (dN/dS > 1) inferred for soldier-biased genes is presumably indirect and of the type mediated through kin selection, and second, the behavioural changes that accompany some social insect urban invasions (i.e., ‘unicoloniality’) may be detached from the loss-of-diversity expected from invasion bottlenecks.}, } @article {pmid35289743, year = {2022}, author = {Kaya-Zeeb, S and Engelmayer, L and Straßburger, M and Bayer, J and Bähre, H and Seifert, R and Scherf-Clavel, O and Thamm, M}, title = {Octopamine drives honeybee thermogenesis.}, journal = {eLife}, volume = {11}, number = {}, pages = {}, pmid = {35289743}, issn = {2050-084X}, mesh = {Adaptation, Physiological ; Animals ; Bees ; Body Temperature ; *Body Temperature Regulation ; *Octopamine/physiology ; Thermogenesis ; }, abstract = {In times of environmental change species have two options to survive: they either relocate to a new habitat or they adapt to the altered environment. Adaptation requires physiological plasticity and provides a selection benefit. In this regard, the Western honeybee (Apis mellifera) protrudes with its thermoregulatory capabilities, which enables a nearly worldwide distribution. Especially in the cold, shivering thermogenesis enables foraging as well as proper brood development and thus survival. In this study, we present octopamine signaling as a neurochemical prerequisite for honeybee thermogenesis: we were able to induce hypothermia by depleting octopamine in the flight muscles. Additionally, we could restore the ability to increase body temperature by administering octopamine. Thus, we conclude that octopamine signaling in the flight muscles is necessary for thermogenesis. Moreover, we show that these effects are mediated by β octopamine receptors. The significance of our results is highlighted by the fact the respective receptor genes underlie enormous selective pressure due to adaptation to cold climates. Finally, octopamine signaling in the service of thermogenesis might be a key strategy to survive in a changing environment.}, } @article {pmid35258099, year = {2022}, author = {Milam, EL}, title = {Landscapes of Time: Building Long-Term Perspectives in Animal Behavior.}, journal = {Berichte zur Wissenschaftsgeschichte}, volume = {45}, number = {1-2}, pages = {164-188}, doi = {10.1002/bewi.202100026}, pmid = {35258099}, issn = {1522-2365}, mesh = {Animals ; Behavior, Animal ; *Deer ; Ecology ; Ethology ; Sociobiology ; }, abstract = {In the 1960s, scientists fascinated by the behavior of free-living animals founded research projects that expanded into multi-generation investigations. This paper charts the history of three scientists' projects to uncover the varied reasons for investing in a "long-term" perspective when studying animal behavior: Kenneth Armitage's study of marmots in the Rocky Mountains, Jeanne Altmann's analysis of baboons in Kenya, and Timothy Hugh Clutton-Brock's studies (among others) of red deer on the island of Rhum and meerkats in the Kalahari. The desire to study the behavior of the same group of animals over extended periods of time, I argue, came from different methodological traditions - population biology, primatology, and sociobiology - even as each saw themselves as contributing to the legacy of ethology. As scientists embraced and combined these approaches, a small number of long-running behavioral ecology projects like these grew from short pilot projects into decades-long centers of intellectual gravity within behavioral ecology as a discipline. By attending to time as well as place, we can see how this long-term perspective was crucial to their success; they measured evolutionary changes over generations of animals and their data provided insights into how the animals they studied were adapting (or not) to changing local and global environmental factors.}, } @article {pmid35157117, year = {2022}, author = {Hensgen, R and Zittrell, F and Pfeiffer, K and Homberg, U}, title = {Performance of polarization-sensitive neurons of the locust central complex at different degrees of polarization.}, journal = {Journal of comparative physiology. A, Neuroethology, sensory, neural, and behavioral physiology}, volume = {208}, number = {3}, pages = {387-403}, pmid = {35157117}, issn = {1432-1351}, support = {HO 950/24-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; HO 950/28-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Brain/physiology ; *Grasshoppers/physiology ; Insecta ; Neurons/physiology ; Orientation, Spatial ; Space Perception ; }, abstract = {The polarization pattern of the sky is exploited by many insects for spatial orientation and navigation. It derives from Rayleigh scattering in the atmosphere and depends directly on the position of the sun. In the insect brain, the central complex (CX) houses neurons tuned to the angle of polarization (AoP), that together constitute an internal compass for celestial navigation. Polarized light is not only characterized by the AoP, but also by the degree of polarization (DoP), which can be highly variable, depending on sky conditions. Under a clear sky, the DoP of polarized sky light may reach up to 0.75 but is usually much lower especially when light is scattered by clouds or haze. To investigate how the polarization-processing network of the CX copes with low DoPs, we recorded intracellularly from neurons of the locust CX at different stages of processing, while stimulating with light of different DoPs. Significant responses to polarized light occurred down to DoPs of 0.05 indicating reliable coding of the AoP even at unfavorable sky conditions. Moreover, we found that the activity of neurons at the CX input stage may be strongly influenced by nearly unpolarized light, while the activity of downstream neurons appears less affected.}, } @article {pmid35139921, year = {2022}, author = {Rudolph, K and Schneider, D and Fichtel, C and Daniel, R and Heistermann, M and Kappeler, PM}, title = {Drivers of gut microbiome variation within and between groups of a wild Malagasy primate.}, journal = {Microbiome}, volume = {10}, number = {1}, pages = {28}, pmid = {35139921}, issn = {2049-2618}, mesh = {Animals ; Bacteria ; Female ; *Gastrointestinal Microbiome/genetics ; Male ; *Microbiota ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics ; Seasons ; Social Behavior ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Various aspects of sociality can benefit individuals' health. The host social environment and its relative contributions to the host-microbiome relationship have emerged as key topics in microbial research. Yet, understanding the mechanisms that lead to structural variation in the social microbiome, the collective microbial metacommunity of an animal's social network, remains difficult since multiple processes operate simultaneously within and among animal social networks. Here, we examined the potential drivers of the convergence of the gut microbiome on multiple scales among and within seven neighbouring groups of wild Verreaux's sifakas (Propithecus verreauxi) - a folivorous primate of Madagascar.

RESULTS: Over four field seasons, we collected 519 faecal samples of 41 animals and determined gut communities via 16S and 18S rRNA gene amplicon analyses. First, we examined whether group members share more similar gut microbiota and if diet, home range overlap, or habitat similarity drive between-group variation in gut communities, accounting for seasonality. Next, we examined within-group variation in gut microbiota by examining the potential effects of social contact rates, male rank, and maternal relatedness. To explore the host intrinsic effects on the gut community structure, we investigated age, sex, faecal glucocorticoid metabolites, and female reproductive state. We found that group members share more similar gut microbiota and differ in alpha diversity, while none of the environmental predictors explained the patterns of between-group variation. Maternal relatedness played an important role in within-group microbial homogeneity and may also explain why adult group members shared the least similar gut microbiota. Also, dominant males differed in their bacterial composition from their group mates, which might be driven by rank-related differences in physiology and scent-marking behaviours. Links to sex, female reproductive state, or faecal glucocorticoid metabolites were not detected.

CONCLUSIONS: Environmental factors define the general set-up of population-specific gut microbiota, but intrinsic and social factors have a stronger impact on gut microbiome variation in this primate species. Video abstract.}, } @article {pmid35107606, year = {2022}, author = {Zupanc, GKH and Arikawa, K and Helfrich-Förster, C and Homberg, U and Narins, PM and Rössler, W and Simmons, AM and Warrant, EJ}, title = {It's all about seeing and hearing: the Editors' and Readers' Choice Awards 2022.}, journal = {Journal of comparative physiology. A, Neuroethology, sensory, neural, and behavioral physiology}, volume = {208}, number = {3}, pages = {351-353}, pmid = {35107606}, issn = {1432-1351}, mesh = {Animals ; *Awards and Prizes ; Hearing ; Visual Perception ; }, abstract = {This year marks the inauguration of the annual Editors' Choice Award and the Readers' Choice Award, each presented for outstanding original papers and review articles published in the Journal of Comparative Physiology A. The winners of the 2022 Editors' Choice Award were determined by vote of the Editorial Board for the most highly recommended papers published in Volume 207 in 2021. They are 'Visual discrimination and resolution in freshwater stingrays (Potamotrygon motoro)' by Daniel et al. (J Comp Physiol A 207, 43-58, 2021) in the Original Paper category; and 'Neurophysiology goes wild: from exploring sensory coding in sound proof rooms to natural environments' by Römer (J Comp Physiol A 207, 303-319, 2021) in the Review Article category. The 2022 Readers' Choice Award was based on access number of articles published in Volume 206 in 2020, to ensure at least 12-month online presence. It is given to Nicholas et al. for their original paper titled 'Visual motion sensitivity in descending neurons in the hoverfly' (J Comp Physiol A 206, 149-163, 2020); and to Schnaitmann et al. for their review article entitled 'Color vision in insects: insights from Drosophila' (J Comp Physiol A 206, 183-198, 2020).}, } @article {pmid35078368, year = {2022}, author = {Grob, R and Holland Cunz, O and Grübel, K and Pfeiffer, K and Rössler, W and Fleischmann, PN}, title = {Rotation of skylight polarization during learning walks is necessary to trigger neuronal plasticity in Cataglyphis ants.}, journal = {Proceedings. Biological sciences}, volume = {289}, number = {1967}, pages = {20212499}, pmid = {35078368}, issn = {1471-2954}, mesh = {Animals ; *Ants/physiology ; Cues ; Homing Behavior/physiology ; Learning/physiology ; Neuronal Plasticity/physiology ; Rotation ; }, abstract = {Many animals use celestial cues for impressive navigational performances in challenging habitats. Since the position of the sun and associated skylight cues change throughout the day and season, it is crucial to correct for these changes. Cataglyphis desert ants possess a time-compensated skylight compass allowing them to navigate back to their nest using the shortest way possible. The ants have to learn the sun's daily course (solar ephemeris) during initial learning walks (LW) before foraging. This learning phase is associated with substantial structural changes in visual neuronal circuits of the ant's brain. Here, we test whether the rotation of skylight polarization during LWs is the necessary cue to induce learning-dependent rewiring in synaptic circuits in high-order integration centres of the ant brain. Our results show that structural neuronal changes in the central complex and mushroom bodies are triggered only when LWs were performed under a rotating skylight polarization pattern. By contrast, when naive ants did not perform LWs, but were exposed to skylight cues, plasticity was restricted to light spectrum-dependent changes in synaptic complexes of the lateral complex. The results identify sky-compass cues triggering learning-dependent versus -independent neuronal plasticity during the behavioural transition from interior workers to outdoor foragers.}, } @article {pmid35055848, year = {2021}, author = {Schilcher, F and Hilsmann, L and Rauscher, L and Değirmenci, L and Krischke, M and Krischke, B and Ankenbrand, M and Rutschmann, B and Mueller, MJ and Steffan-Dewenter, I and Scheiner, R}, title = {In Vitro Rearing Changes Social Task Performance and Physiology in Honeybees.}, journal = {Insects}, volume = {13}, number = {1}, pages = {}, pmid = {35055848}, issn = {2075-4450}, support = {SCHE 1573/9-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; HA 5324/2-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; }, abstract = {In vitro rearing of honeybee larvae is an established method that enables exact control and monitoring of developmental factors and allows controlled application of pesticides or pathogens. However, only a few studies have investigated how the rearing method itself affects the behavior of the resulting adult honeybees. We raised honeybees in vitro according to a standardized protocol: marking the emerging honeybees individually and inserting them into established colonies. Subsequently, we investigated the behavioral performance of nurse bees and foragers and quantified the physiological factors underlying the social organization. Adult honeybees raised in vitro differed from naturally reared honeybees in their probability of performing social tasks. Further, in vitro-reared bees foraged for a shorter duration in their life and performed fewer foraging trips. Nursing behavior appeared to be unaffected by rearing condition. Weight was also unaffected by rearing condition. Interestingly, juvenile hormone titers, which normally increase strongly around the time when a honeybee becomes a forager, were significantly lower in three- and four-week-old in vitro bees. The effects of the rearing environment on individual sucrose responsiveness and lipid levels were rather minor. These data suggest that larval rearing conditions can affect the task performance and physiology of adult bees despite equal weight, pointing to an important role of the colony environment for these factors. Our observations of behavior and metabolic pathways offer important novel insight into how the rearing environment affects adult honeybees.}, } @article {pmid37938637, year = {2022}, author = {Murillo, T and Schneider, D and Fichtel, C and Daniel, R}, title = {Dietary shifts and social interactions drive temporal fluctuations of the gut microbiome from wild redfronted lemurs.}, journal = {ISME communications}, volume = {2}, number = {1}, pages = {3}, pmid = {37938637}, issn = {2730-6151}, support = {DA 374/13-2//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation)/ ; Da 374/13-2//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation)/ ; Fi 929/7-2//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation)/ ; Fi 929/7-2//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation)/ ; }, abstract = {Animals living in highly seasonal environments adapt their diets accordingly to changes in food availability. The gut microbiome as an active participant in the metabolization of the host's diet should adapt and change with temporal diet fluctuations, but dietary shifts can be short-term and, hence, difficult to detect in cross-sectional studies. Therefore, we performed a longitudinal study combining repeated sampling of fecal samples with observations of feeding behavior in wild redfronted lemurs. We amplified taxonomical marker genes for assessing the bacteria, archaea, protozoa, helminths, and fungi, as well as the active bacterial community inhabiting their gut. We found that the most abundant protozoans were Trichostomatia and Trichomonadida, and the most abundant helminths were Chromadorea. We detected known members of the gut mycobiome from humans but in low abundances. The archaeal community is composed only of members of Methanomethylophilaceae. The predominant phyla in the entire bacterial community were Bacteroidota and Firmicutes while the most abundant genera harbor so far unknown bacteria. Temporal fluctuations at the entire community level were driven by consumption of fruits and flowers, and affiliative interactions. Changes in alpha diversity correlated only with the consumption of flowers and leaves. The composition of the entire and active bacterial community was not significantly different, but the most abundant taxa differed. Our study revealed that monthly changes in the bacterial community composition were linked to fruit and flower consumption and affiliative interactions. Thus, portraying the importance of longitudinal studies for understanding the adaptations and alterations of the gut microbiome to temporal fluctuations.}, } @article {pmid34940175, year = {2021}, author = {Iacob, GM and Craioveanu, C and Hula, V and Aurelian, VM and Beldean, M and Sitar, C}, title = {Improving the Knowledge on Distribution, Food Preferences and DNA Barcoding of Natura 2000 Protected Species Paracossulus thrips (Lepidoptera, Cossidae) in Romania.}, journal = {Insects}, volume = {12}, number = {12}, pages = {}, pmid = {34940175}, issn = {2075-4450}, support = {PN-III-P4-ID-PCCF-2016-0016//Ministerul Cercetării și Inovării/ ; Special research scholarship//Babeș-Bolyai University/ ; Scholarship Grant//Milvus Group Association/ ; }, abstract = {Paracossulus thrips (Lepidoptera, Cossidae) is one of the locally distributed and endangered species. In Europe, it is also one of the few protected moth species, through Annexes II and IV of the Council Directive 92/43/EEC, Annex II of the Bern Convention. To date, little is known about the biology and ecology of this species. Our study was conducted in Transylvania, Romania. Romania hosts some of the strongest populations of the species in the European region. As part of the study, we conducted field observations, vegetation analyses, and genetic analyses. In our paper, we show the habitat types where we encounter P. thrips in Transylvania and confirm Phlomis tuberosa as a host plant. Furthermore, a piece of important information for habitat conservation is given. In this paper, we present the eggs and larvae of P. thrips, the first DNA barcoding sequences, and four new populations of P. thrips in Romania. Our study provides baseline knowledge about the biology and ecology of P. thrips, which is important for conservation and establishing management measures.}, } @article {pmid37170312, year = {2021}, author = {Walter, T and Degen, J and Pfeiffer, K and Stöckl, A and Montenegro, S and Degen, T}, title = {A new innovative real-time tracking method for flying insects applicable under natural conditions.}, journal = {BMC zoology}, volume = {6}, number = {1}, pages = {35}, pmid = {37170312}, issn = {2056-3132}, support = {95848//Volkswagen Foundation/ ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Sixty percent of all species are insects, yet despite global efforts to monitor animal movement patterns, insects are continuously underrepresented. This striking difference between species richness and the number of species monitored is not due to a lack of interest but rather to the lack of technical solutions. Often the accuracy and speed of established tracking methods is not high enough to record behavior and react to it experimentally in real-time, which applies in particular to small flying animals.

RESULTS: Our new method of real-time tracking relates to frequencies of solar radiation which are almost completely absorbed by traveling through the atmosphere. For tracking, photoluminescent tags with a peak emission (1400 nm), which lays in such a region of strong absorption through the atmosphere, were attached to the animals. The photoluminescent properties of passivated lead sulphide quantum dots were responsible for the emission of light by the tags and provide a superb signal-to noise ratio. We developed prototype markers with a weight of 12.5 mg and a diameter of 5 mm. Furthermore, we developed a short wave infrared detection system which can record and determine the position of an animal in a heterogeneous environment with a delay smaller than 10 ms. With this method we were able to track tagged bumblebees as well as hawk moths in a flight arena that was placed outside on a natural meadow.

CONCLUSION: Our new method eliminates the necessity of a constant or predictable environment for many experimental setups. Furthermore, we postulate that the developed matrix-detector mounted to a multicopter will enable tracking of small flying insects, over medium range distances (>1000 m) in the near future because: a) the matrix-detector equipped with an 70 mm interchangeable lens weighs less than 380 g, b) it evaluates the position of an animal in real-time and c) it can directly control and communicate with electronic devices.}, } @article {pmid34893928, year = {2022}, author = {Grittner, R and Baird, E and Stöckl, A}, title = {Spatial tuning of translational optic flow responses in hawkmoths of varying body size.}, journal = {Journal of comparative physiology. A, Neuroethology, sensory, neural, and behavioral physiology}, volume = {208}, number = {2}, pages = {279-296}, pmid = {34893928}, issn = {1432-1351}, support = {STO 1255 2-1//deutsche forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Body Size ; Cues ; Flight, Animal/physiology ; Humans ; *Moths ; *Optic Flow ; }, abstract = {To safely navigate their environment, flying insects rely on visual cues, such as optic flow. Which cues insects can extract from their environment depends closely on the spatial and temporal response properties of their visual system. These in turn can vary between individuals that differ in body size. How optic flow-based flight control depends on the spatial structure of visual cues, and how this relationship scales with body size, has previously been investigated in insects with apposition compound eyes. Here, we characterised the visual flight control response limits and their relationship to body size in an insect with superposition compound eyes: the hummingbird hawkmoth Macroglossum stellatarum. We used the hawkmoths' centring response in a flight tunnel as a readout for their reception of translational optic flow stimuli of different spatial frequencies. We show that their responses cut off at different spatial frequencies when translational optic flow was presented on either one, or both tunnel walls. Combined with differences in flight speed, this suggests that their flight control was primarily limited by their temporal rather than spatial resolution. We also observed strong individual differences in flight performance, but no correlation between the spatial response cutoffs and body or eye size.}, } @article {pmid34852215, year = {2022}, author = {Pisokas, I and Rössler, W and Webb, B and Zeil, J and Narendra, A}, title = {Anesthesia disrupts distance, but not direction, of path integration memory.}, journal = {Current biology : CB}, volume = {32}, number = {2}, pages = {445-452.e4}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2021.11.039}, pmid = {34852215}, issn = {1879-0445}, mesh = {*Anesthesia ; Animals ; *Ants ; Coma ; Cues ; Desert Climate ; Homing Behavior ; }, abstract = {Solitary foraging insects, such as ants, maintain an estimate of the direction and distance to their starting location as they move away from it, in a process known as path integration. This estimate, commonly known as the "home vector," is updated continuously as the ant moves[1-4] and is reset as soon as it enters its nest,[5] yet ants prevented from returning to their nest can still use their home vector when released several hours later.[6][,][7] This conjunction of fast update and long persistence of the home vector memory does not directly map to existing accounts of short-, mid-, and long-term memory;[2][,][8-12] hence, the substrate of this memory remains unknown. Chill-coma anesthesia[13-15] has previously been shown to affect associative memory retention in fruit flies[14][,][16] and honeybees.[9][,][17][,][18] We investigate the nature of path integration memory by anesthetizing ants after they have accumulated home vector information and testing if the memory persists on recovery. We show that after anesthesia the memory of the distance ants have traveled is degraded, but the memory of the direction is retained. We also show that this is consistent with models of path integration that maintain the memory in a redundant Cartesian coordinate system and with the hypothesis that chill-coma produces a proportional reduction of the memory, rather than a subtractive reduction or increase of noise. The observed effect is not compatible with a memory based on recurrent circuit activity and points toward an activity-dependent molecular process as the basis of path integration memory.}, } @article {pmid34849241, year = {2021}, author = {Bollazzi, M and Römer, D and Roces, F}, title = {Carbon dioxide levels and ventilation in Acromyrmex nests: significance and evolution of architectural innovations in leaf-cutting ants.}, journal = {Royal Society open science}, volume = {8}, number = {11}, pages = {210907}, pmid = {34849241}, issn = {2054-5703}, abstract = {Leaf-cutting ant colonies largely differ in size, yet all consume O2 and produce CO2 in large amounts because of their underground fungus gardens. We have shown that in the Acromyrmex genus, three basic nest morphologies occur, and investigated the effects of architectural innovations on nest ventilation. We recognized (i) serial nests, similar to the ancestral type of the sister genus Trachymyrmex, with chambers excavated along a vertical tunnel connecting to the outside via a single opening, (ii) shallow nests, with one/few chambers extending shallowly with multiple connections to the outside, and (iii) thatched nests, with an above-ground fungus garden covered with plant material. Ventilation in shallow and thatched nests, but not in serial nests, occurred via wind-induced flows and thermal convection. CO2 concentrations were below the values known to affect the respiration of the symbiotic fungus, indicating that shallow and thatched nests are not constrained by harmful CO2 levels. Serial nests may be constrained depending on the soil CO2 levels. We suggest that in Acromyrmex, selective pressures acting on temperature and humidity control led to nesting habits closer to or above the soil surface and to the evolution of architectural innovations that improved gas exchanges.}, } @article {pmid34814746, year = {2021}, author = {Henke-von der Malsburg, J and Kappeler, PM and Fichtel, C}, title = {Linking cognition to ecology in wild sympatric mouse lemur species.}, journal = {Proceedings. Biological sciences}, volume = {288}, number = {1963}, pages = {20211728}, pmid = {34814746}, issn = {1471-2954}, mesh = {Animals ; *Cheirogaleidae ; Cognition ; Diet ; Ecosystem ; *Lemur ; Spatial Learning ; }, abstract = {Cognitive abilities covary with both social and ecological factors across animal taxa. Ecological generalists have been attributed with enhanced cognitive abilities, but which specific ecological factors may have shaped the evolution of which specific cognitive abilities remains poorly known. To explore these links, we applied a cognitive test battery (two personality, ten cognitive tests; n = 1104 tests) to wild individuals of two sympatric mouse lemur species (n = 120 Microcebus murinus, n = 34 M. berthae) varying in ecological adaptations but sharing key features of their social systems. The habitat and dietary generalist grey mouse lemurs were more innovative and exhibited better spatial learning abilities; a cognitive advantage in responding adaptively to dynamic environmental conditions. The more specialized Madame Berthe's mouse lemurs were faster in learning associative reward contingencies, providing relative advantages in stable environmental conditions. Hence, our study revealed key cognitive correlates of ecological adaptations and indicates potential cognitive constraints of specialists that may help explain why they face a greater extinction risk in the context of current environmental changes.}, } @article {pmid34812987, year = {2022}, author = {Eckert, J and Bohn, M and Spaethe, J}, title = {Does quantity matter to a stingless bee?.}, journal = {Animal cognition}, volume = {25}, number = {3}, pages = {617-629}, pmid = {34812987}, issn = {1435-9456}, mesh = {Animals ; Bees ; *Cognition ; *Flowers ; }, abstract = {Quantitative information is omnipresent in the world and a wide range of species has been shown to use quantities to optimize their decisions. While most studies have focused on vertebrates, a growing body of research demonstrates that also insects such as honeybees possess basic quantitative abilities that might aid them in finding profitable flower patches. However, it remains unclear if for insects, quantity is a salient feature relative to other stimulus dimensions, or if it is only used as a "last resort" strategy in case other stimulus dimensions are inconclusive. Here, we tested the stingless bee Trigona fuscipennis, a species representative of a vastly understudied group of tropical pollinators, in a quantity discrimination task. In four experiments, we trained wild, free-flying bees on stimuli that depicted either one or four elements. Subsequently, bees were confronted with a choice between stimuli that matched the training stimulus either in terms of quantity or another stimulus dimension. We found that bees were able to discriminate between the two quantities, but performance differed depending on which quantity was rewarded. Furthermore, quantity was more salient than was shape. However, quantity did not measurably influence the bees' decisions when contrasted with color or surface area. Our results demonstrate that just as honeybees, small-brained stingless bees also possess basic quantitative abilities. Moreover, invertebrate pollinators seem to utilize quantity not only as "last resort" but as a salient stimulus dimension. Our study contributes to the growing body of knowledge on quantitative cognition in invertebrate species and adds to our understanding of the evolution of numerical cognition.}, } @article {pmid37938661, year = {2021}, author = {Shimoji, H and Itoh, H and Matsuura, Y and Yamashita, R and Hori, T and Hojo, MK and Kikuchi, Y}, title = {Worker-dependent gut symbiosis in an ant.}, journal = {ISME communications}, volume = {1}, number = {1}, pages = {60}, pmid = {37938661}, issn = {2730-6151}, support = {18K14798//MEXT | Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS)/ ; 15H02652//MEXT | Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS)/ ; 18 K19217//MEXT | Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS)/ ; }, abstract = {The hallmark of eusocial insects, honeybees, ants, and termites, is division of labor between reproductive and non-reproductive worker castes. In addition, environmental adaption and ecological dominance are also underpinned by symbiotic associations with beneficial microorganisms. Microbial symbionts are generally considered to be maintained in an insect colony in two alternative ways: shared among all colony members or inherited only by a specific caste. Especially in ants, the reproductive caste plays a crucial role in transmission of the symbionts shared among colony members over generations. Here, we report an exceptional case, the worker-dependent microbiota in an ant, Diacamma cf. indicum from Japan. By collecting almost all the individuals from 22 colonies in the field, we revealed that microbiota of workers is characterized by a single dominant bacterium localized at the hindgut. The bacterium belonging to an unclassified member within the phylum Firmicutes, which is scarce or mostly absent in the reproductive castes. Furthermore, we show that the gut symbiont is acquired at the adult stage. Collectively, our findings strongly suggest that the specific symbiont is maintained by only workers, demonstrating a novel pattern of ant-associated bacterial symbiosis, and thus further our understanding of host-microbe interactions in the light of sociobiology.}, } @article {pmid34677637, year = {2022}, author = {Fleischmann, PN and Grob, R and Rössler, W}, title = {Magnetosensation during re-learning walks in desert ants (Cataglyphis nodus).}, journal = {Journal of comparative physiology. A, Neuroethology, sensory, neural, and behavioral physiology}, volume = {208}, number = {1}, pages = {125-133}, pmid = {34677637}, issn = {1432-1351}, mesh = {Animals ; *Ants/physiology ; Cues ; Desert Climate ; Homing Behavior/physiology ; Learning/physiology ; Walking ; }, abstract = {At the beginning of their foraging careers, Cataglyphis desert ants calibrate their compass systems and learn the visual panorama surrounding the nest entrance. For that, they perform well-structured initial learning walks. During rotational body movements (pirouettes), naïve ants (novices) gaze back to the nest entrance to memorize their way back to the nest. To align their gaze directions, they rely on the geomagnetic field as a compass cue. In contrast, experienced ants (foragers) use celestial compass cues for path integration during food search. If the panorama at the nest entrance is changed, foragers perform re-learning walks prior to heading out on new foraging excursions. Here, we show that initial learning walks and re-learning walks are structurally different. During re-learning walks, foragers circle around the nest entrance before leaving the nest area to search for food. During pirouettes, they do not gaze back to the nest entrance. In addition, foragers do not use the magnetic field as a compass cue to align their gaze directions during re-learning walk pirouettes. Nevertheless, magnetic alterations during re-learning walks under manipulated panoramic conditions induce changes in nest-directed views indicating that foragers are still magnetosensitive in a cue conflict situation.}, } @article {pmid34584146, year = {2021}, author = {Madeo, D and Salvatore, S and Mannarini, T and Mocenni, C}, title = {Modeling pluralism and self-regulation explains the emergence of cooperation in networked societies.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {11}, number = {1}, pages = {19226}, pmid = {34584146}, issn = {2045-2322}, mesh = {*Cooperative Behavior ; *Cultural Diversity ; Game Theory ; Humans ; *Models, Psychological ; *Social Networking ; Sociobiology/methods ; }, abstract = {Understanding the dynamics of cooperative behavior of individuals in complex societies represents a fundamental research question which puzzles scientists working in heterogeneous fields. Many studies have been developed using the unitary agent assumption, which embeds the idea that when making decisions, individuals share the same socio-cultural parameters. In this paper, we propose the ECHO-EGN model, based on Evolutionary Game Theory, which relaxes this strong assumption by considering the heterogeneity of three fundamental socio-cultural aspects ruling the behavior of groups of people: the propensity to be more cooperative with members of the same group (Endogamic cooperation), the propensity to cooperate with the public domain (Civicness) and the propensity to prefer connections with members of the same group (Homophily). The ECHO-EGN model is shown to have high performance in describing real world behavior of interacting individuals living in complex environments. Extensive numerical experiments allowing the comparison of real data and model simulations confirmed that the introduction of the above mechanisms enhances the realism in the modelling of cooperation dynamics. Additionally, theoretical findings allow us to conclude that endogamic cooperation may limit significantly the emergence of cooperation.}, } @article {pmid34572588, year = {2021}, author = {Schilcher, F and Thamm, M and Strube-Bloss, M and Scheiner, R}, title = {Opposing Actions of Octopamine and Tyramine on Honeybee Vision.}, journal = {Biomolecules}, volume = {11}, number = {9}, pages = {}, pmid = {34572588}, issn = {2218-273X}, mesh = {Animals ; Bees/drug effects/*physiology ; Electroretinography ; Feeding Behavior/drug effects ; Octopamine/*pharmacology ; Phototaxis/drug effects ; Statistics as Topic ; Tyramine/*pharmacology ; Vision, Ocular/drug effects/*physiology ; }, abstract = {The biogenic amines octopamine and tyramine are important neurotransmitters in insects and other protostomes. They play a pivotal role in the sensory responses, learning and memory and social organisation of honeybees. Generally, octopamine and tyramine are believed to fulfil similar roles as their deuterostome counterparts epinephrine and norepinephrine. In some cases opposing functions of both amines have been observed. In this study, we examined the functions of tyramine and octopamine in honeybee responses to light. As a first step, electroretinography was used to analyse the effect of both amines on sensory sensitivity at the photoreceptor level. Here, the maximum receptor response was increased by octopamine and decreased by tyramine. As a second step, phototaxis experiments were performed to quantify the behavioural responses to light following treatment with either amine. Octopamine increased the walking speed towards different light sources while tyramine decreased it. This was independent of locomotor activity. Our results indicate that tyramine and octopamine act as functional opposites in processing responses to light.}, } @article {pmid34564208, year = {2021}, author = {Scheiner, R and Lim, K and Meixner, MD and Gabel, MS}, title = {Comparing the Appetitive Learning Performance of Six European Honeybee Subspecies in a Common Apiary.}, journal = {Insects}, volume = {12}, number = {9}, pages = {}, pmid = {34564208}, issn = {2075-4450}, abstract = {The Western honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) is one of the most widespread insects with numerous subspecies in its native range. How far adaptation to local habitats has affected the cognitive skills of the different subspecies is an intriguing question that we investigate in this study. Naturally mated queens of the following five subspecies from different parts of Europe were transferred to Southern Germany: A. m. iberiensis from Portugal, A. m. mellifera from Belgium, A. m. macedonica from Greece, A. m. ligustica from Italy, and A. m. ruttneri from Malta. We also included the local subspecies A. m. carnica in our study. New colonies were built up in a common apiary where the respective queens were introduced. Worker offspring from the different subspecies were compared in classical olfactory learning performance using the proboscis extension response. Prior to conditioning, we measured individual sucrose responsiveness to investigate whether possible differences in learning performances were due to differential responsiveness to the sugar water reward. Most subspecies did not differ in their appetitive learning performance. However, foragers of the Iberian honeybee, A. m. iberiensis, performed significantly more poorly, despite having a similar sucrose responsiveness. We discuss possible causes for the poor performance of the Iberian honeybees, which may have been shaped by adaptation to the local habitat.}, } @article {pmid34493090, year = {2021}, author = {Püffel, F and Pouget, A and Liu, X and Zuber, M and van de Kamp, T and Roces, F and Labonte, D}, title = {Morphological determinants of bite force capacity in insects: a biomechanical analysis of polymorphic leaf-cutter ants.}, journal = {Journal of the Royal Society, Interface}, volume = {18}, number = {182}, pages = {20210424}, pmid = {34493090}, issn = {1742-5662}, mesh = {Adaptation, Physiological ; Animals ; *Ants ; Bite Force ; Humans ; Mandible ; Plant Leaves ; }, abstract = {The extraordinary success of social insects is partially based on division of labour, i.e. individuals exclusively or preferentially perform specific tasks. Task preference may correlate with morphological adaptations so implying task specialization, but the extent of such specialization can be difficult to determine. Here, we demonstrate how the physical foundation of some tasks can be leveraged to quantitatively link morphology and performance. We study the allometry of bite force capacity in Atta vollenweideri leaf-cutter ants, polymorphic insects in which the mechanical processing of plant material is a key aspect of the behavioural portfolio. Through a morphometric analysis of tomographic scans, we show that the bite force capacity of the heaviest colony workers is twice as large as predicted by isometry. This disproportionate 'boost' is predominantly achieved through increased investment in muscle volume; geometrical parameters such as mechanical advantage, fibre length or pennation angle are likely constrained by the need to maintain a constant mandibular opening range. We analyse this preference for an increase in size-specific muscle volume and the adaptations in internal and external head anatomy required to accommodate it with simple geometric and physical models, so providing a quantitative understanding of the functional anatomy of the musculoskeletal bite apparatus in insects.}, } @article {pmid34448120, year = {2022}, author = {Scherz, P}, title = {Life as an Intelligence Test: Intelligence, Education, and Behavioral Genetics.}, journal = {Culture, medicine and psychiatry}, volume = {46}, number = {1}, pages = {59-75}, doi = {10.1007/s11013-021-09747-0}, pmid = {34448120}, issn = {1573-076X}, mesh = {*Eugenics ; Genetic Research ; *Genetics, Behavioral ; Humans ; Intelligence/genetics ; Intelligence Tests ; }, abstract = {Using the large datasets available with new gene sequencing and biobank projects, behavioral geneticists are developing tools that attempt to predict individual intelligence based on genetics. These predictive tools are meant to enable a 'precision education' that will transform society. These technological developments have not changed the fundamental aims of a program with a long history. Behavioral genetics is continuous with previous attempts to match personal characteristics to heredity, such as sociobiology and evolutionary psychology, and threatens racial and other forms of bias. From these older paradigms, it inherits an understanding of intelligence as informational processing shaped by mechanistic and computational metaphors as well as a view of society and education organized around competition. Because of these influences, these models misdescribe fundamental aspects of human engagement with the world and disregard other concepts of intelligence, which creates problems for the precision education that researchers hope to construct using genetic knowledge.}, } @article {pmid34427185, year = {2021}, author = {Heinze, S and El Jundi, B and Berg, BG and Homberg, U and Menzel, R and Pfeiffer, K and Hensgen, R and Zittrell, F and Dacke, M and Warrant, E and Pfuhl, G and Rybak, J and Tedore, K}, title = {A unified platform to manage, share, and archive morphological and functional data in insect neuroscience.}, journal = {eLife}, volume = {10}, number = {}, pages = {}, pmid = {34427185}, issn = {2050-084X}, mesh = {Animals ; *Biomedical Research ; Brain/anatomy & histology/*physiology ; Computer Graphics ; Data Mining ; *Databases, Factual ; *Information Management ; *Information Storage and Retrieval ; Insecta/anatomy & histology/*physiology ; Internet ; *Nervous System Physiological Phenomena ; *Neurosciences ; User-Computer Interface ; }, abstract = {Insect neuroscience generates vast amounts of highly diverse data, of which only a small fraction are findable, accessible and reusable. To promote an open data culture, we have therefore developed the InsectBrainDatabase (IBdb), a free online platform for insect neuroanatomical and functional data. The IBdb facilitates biological insight by enabling effective cross-species comparisons, by linking neural structure with function, and by serving as general information hub for insect neuroscience. The IBdb allows users to not only effectively locate and visualize data, but to make them widely available for easy, automated reuse via an application programming interface. A unique private mode of the database expands the IBdb functionality beyond public data deposition, additionally providing the means for managing, visualizing, and sharing of unpublished data. This dual function creates an incentive for data contribution early in data management workflows and eliminates the additional effort normally associated with publicly depositing research data.}, } @article {pmid34350023, year = {2021}, author = {Kavanagh, E and Street, SE and Angwela, FO and Bergman, TJ and Blaszczyk, MB and Bolt, LM and Briseño-Jaramillo, M and Brown, M and Chen-Kraus, C and Clay, Z and Coye, C and Thompson, ME and Estrada, A and Fichtel, C and Fruth, B and Gamba, M and Giacoma, C and Graham, KE and Green, S and Grueter, CC and Gupta, S and Gustison, ML and Hagberg, L and Hedwig, D and Jack, KM and Kappeler, PM and King-Bailey, G and Kuběnová, B and Lemasson, A and Inglis, DM and Machanda, Z and MacIntosh, A and Majolo, B and Marshall, S and Mercier, S and Micheletta, J and Muller, M and Notman, H and Ouattara, K and Ostner, J and Pavelka, MSM and Peckre, LR and Petersdorf, M and Quintero, F and Ramos-Fernández, G and Robbins, MM and Salmi, R and Schamberg, I and Schülke, O and Semple, S and Silk, JB and Sosa-Lopéz, JR and Torti, V and Valente, D and Ventura, R and van de Waal, E and Weyher, AH and Wilke, C and Wrangham, R and Young, C and Zanoli, A and Zuberbühler, K and Lameira, AR and Slocombe, K}, title = {Dominance style is a key predictor of vocal use and evolution across nonhuman primates.}, journal = {Royal Society open science}, volume = {8}, number = {7}, pages = {210873}, pmid = {34350023}, issn = {2054-5703}, support = {R37 AG049395/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States ; }, abstract = {Animal communication has long been thought to be subject to pressures and constraints associated with social relationships. However, our understanding of how the nature and quality of social relationships relates to the use and evolution of communication is limited by a lack of directly comparable methods across multiple levels of analysis. Here, we analysed observational data from 111 wild groups belonging to 26 non-human primate species, to test how vocal communication relates to dominance style (the strictness with which a dominance hierarchy is enforced, ranging from 'despotic' to 'tolerant'). At the individual-level, we found that dominant individuals who were more tolerant vocalized at a higher rate than their despotic counterparts. This indicates that tolerance within a relationship may place pressure on the dominant partner to communicate more during social interactions. At the species-level, however, despotic species exhibited a larger repertoire of hierarchy-related vocalizations than their tolerant counterparts. Findings suggest primate signals are used and evolve in tandem with the nature of interactions that characterize individuals' social relationships.}, } @article {pmid34341410, year = {2021}, author = {Guignard, Q and Spaethe, J and Slippers, B and Strube-Bloss, M and Allison, JD}, title = {Evidence for UV-green dichromacy in the basal hymenopteran Sirex noctilio (Siricidae).}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {11}, number = {1}, pages = {15601}, pmid = {34341410}, issn = {2045-2322}, mesh = {Animals ; Compound Eye, Arthropod/physiology ; Electroretinography ; Gene Expression Regulation ; Hymenoptera/genetics/*physiology ; Likelihood Functions ; Phylogeny ; *Ultraviolet Rays ; }, abstract = {A precondition for colour vision is the presence of at least two spectral types of photoreceptors in the eye. The order Hymenoptera is traditionally divided into the Apocrita (ants, bees, wasps) and the Symphyta (sawflies, woodwasps, horntails). Most apocritan species possess three different photoreceptor types. In contrast, physiological studies in the Symphyta have reported one to four photoreceptor types. To better understand the evolution of photoreceptor diversity in the Hymenoptera, we studied the Symphyta Sirex noctilio, which belongs to the superfamily Siricoidea, a closely related group of the Apocrita suborder. Our aim was to (i) identify the photoreceptor types of the compound eye by electroretinography (ERG), (ii) characterise the visual opsin genes of S. noctilio by genomic comparisons and phylogenetic analyses and (iii) analyse opsin mRNA expression. ERG measurements revealed two photoreceptor types in the compound eye, maximally sensitive to 527 and 364 nm. In addition, we identified three opsins in the genome, homologous to the hymenopteran green or long-wavelength sensitive (LW) LW1, LW2 and ultra-violet sensitive (UV) opsin genes. The LW1 and UV opsins were found to be expressed in the compound eyes, and LW2 and UV opsins in the ocelli. The lack of a blue or short-wavelength sensitive (SW) homologous opsin gene and a corresponding receptor suggests that S. noctilio is a UV-green dichromate.}, } @article {pmid34313343, year = {2021}, author = {Grob, R and Heinig, N and Grübel, K and Rössler, W and Fleischmann, PN}, title = {Sex-specific and caste-specific brain adaptations related to spatial orientation in Cataglyphis ants.}, journal = {The Journal of comparative neurology}, volume = {529}, number = {18}, pages = {3882-3892}, doi = {10.1002/cne.25221}, pmid = {34313343}, issn = {1096-9861}, mesh = {*Adaptation, Physiological ; Animals ; *Ants ; Brain/*physiology ; Female ; Learning ; Male ; Mushroom Bodies/*physiology ; Olfactory Bulb ; Optic Lobe, Nonmammalian ; *Orientation, Spatial ; Sex Factors ; Visual Pathways ; *Visual Perception ; }, abstract = {Cataglyphis desert ants are charismatic central place foragers. After long-ranging foraging trips, individual workers navigate back to their nest relying mostly on visual cues. The reproductive caste faces other orientation challenges, i.e. mate finding and colony foundation. Here we compare brain structures involved in spatial orientation of Cataglyphis nodus males, gynes, and foragers by quantifying relative neuropil volumes associated with two visual pathways, and numbers and volumes of antennal lobe (AL) olfactory glomeruli. Furthermore, we determined absolute numbers of synaptic complexes in visual and olfactory regions of the mushroom bodies (MB) and a major relay station of the sky-compass pathway to the central complex (CX). Both female castes possess enlarged brain centers for sensory integration, learning, and memory, reflected in voluminous MBs containing about twice the numbers of synaptic complexes compared with males. Overall, male brains are smaller compared with both female castes, but the relative volumes of the optic lobes and CX are enlarged indicating the importance of visual guidance during innate behaviors. Male ALs contain greatly enlarged glomeruli, presumably involved in sex-pheromone detection. Adaptations at both the neuropil and synaptic levels clearly reflect differences in sex-specific and caste-specific demands for sensory processing and behavioral plasticity underlying spatial orientation.}, } @article {pmid34265763, year = {2021}, author = {Thamm, M and Wagler, K and Brockmann, A and Scheiner, R}, title = {Tyramine 1 Receptor Distribution in the Brain of Corbiculate Bees Points to a Conserved Function.}, journal = {Brain, behavior and evolution}, volume = {96}, number = {1}, pages = {13-25}, doi = {10.1159/000517014}, pmid = {34265763}, issn = {1421-9743}, mesh = {Animals ; Bees ; Brain/metabolism ; Mushroom Bodies ; *Receptors, Biogenic Amine/metabolism ; Tyramine ; }, abstract = {Sucrose represents an important carbohydrate source for most bee species. In the Western honeybee (Apis mellifera) it was shown that individual sucrose responsiveness correlates with the task performed in the colony, supporting the response threshold theory which states that individuals with the lowest threshold for a task-associated stimuli will perform the associated task. Tyramine was shown to modulate sucrose responsiveness, most likely via the tyramine 1 receptor. This receptor is located in brain areas important for the processing of gustatory stimuli. We asked whether the spatial expression pattern of the tyramine 1 receptor is a unique adaptation of honeybees or if its expression represents a conserved trait. Using a specific tyramine receptor 1 antibody, we compared the spatial expression of this receptor in the brain of different corbiculate bee species, including eusocial honeybees, bumblebees, stingless bees, and the solitary bee Osmia bicornis as an outgroup. We found a similar labeling pattern in the mushroom bodies, the central complex, the dorsal lobe, and the gnathal ganglia, indicating a conserved receptor expression. With respect to sucrose responsiveness this result is of special importance. We assume that the tyramine 1 receptor expression in these neuropiles provides the basis for modulation of sucrose responsiveness. Furthermore, the tyramine 1 receptor expression seems to be independent of size, as labeling is similar in bee species that differ greatly in their body size. However, the situation in the optic lobes appears to be different. Here, the lobula of stingless bees is clearly labeled by the tyramine receptor 1 antibody, whereas this labeling is absent in other species. This indicates that the regulation of this receptor is different in the optic lobes, while its function in this neuropile remains unclear.}, } @article {pmid34204450, year = {2021}, author = {Uiuiu, P and Lațiu, C and Păpuc, T and Craioveanu, C and Ihuț, A and Sava, A and Răducu, C and Șonea, C and Constantinescu, R and Cocan, D and Mireșan, V}, title = {Multi-Approach Assessment for Stress Evaluation in Rainbow Trout Females, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum, 1792) from Three Different Farms during the Summer Season.}, journal = {Animals : an open access journal from MDPI}, volume = {11}, number = {6}, pages = {}, pmid = {34204450}, issn = {2076-2615}, abstract = {Blood biochemistry parameters are valuable tools for monitoring fish health. Their baseline values are still undefined for a multitude of farmed fish species. In this study, changes in the blood profile of rainbow trout females (Oncorhynchus mykiss) from three farms were investigated using different biomarkers during the summer season. In the given context, the main water physicochemical parameters were investigated and twelve biochemical parameters were measured from blood samples of rainbow trout reared in the Fiad, Șoimul de Jos, and Strâmba farms. We selected these farms because the genetic background of the rainbow trout is the same, with all studied specimens coming from the Fiad farm, which has an incubation station. Forty-five samples were collected monthly (May to August) throughout summer to observe the changes in the blood profile of rainbow trout. Principal component analysis showed a clear separation both among the studied farms and months. Furthermore, significant correlations (p < 0.05) between the majority of the biochemical parameters were found, indicating that the environmental parameters can influence several blood parameters at the same time. The present study provides several useful norms for assessing the welfare of rainbow trout, indicating that the relationships among different parameters are important factors in interpreting the blood biochemical profiles.}, } @article {pmid34181089, year = {2021}, author = {Rother, L and Kraft, N and Smith, DB and El Jundi, B and Gill, RJ and Pfeiffer, K}, title = {A micro-CT-based standard brain atlas of the bumblebee.}, journal = {Cell and tissue research}, volume = {386}, number = {1}, pages = {29-45}, pmid = {34181089}, issn = {1432-0878}, mesh = {Animals ; Bees ; Brain/*diagnostic imaging ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed/*methods ; }, abstract = {In recent years, bumblebees have become a prominent insect model organism for a variety of biological disciplines, particularly to investigate learning behaviors as well as visual performance. Understanding these behaviors and their underlying neurobiological principles requires a clear understanding of brain anatomy. Furthermore, to be able to compare neuronal branching patterns across individuals, a common framework is required, which has led to the development of 3D standard brain atlases in most of the neurobiological insect model species. Yet, no bumblebee 3D standard brain atlas has been generated. Here we present a brain atlas for the buff-tailed bumblebee Bombus terrestris using micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) scans as a source for the raw data sets, rather than traditional confocal microscopy, to produce the first ever micro-CT-based insect brain atlas. We illustrate the advantages of the micro-CT technique, namely, identical native resolution in the three cardinal planes and 3D structure being better preserved. Our Bombus terrestris brain atlas consists of 30 neuropils reconstructed from ten individual worker bees, with micro-CT allowing us to segment neuropils completely intact, including the lamina, which is a tissue structure often damaged when dissecting for immunolabeling. Our brain atlas can serve as a platform to facilitate future neuroscience studies in bumblebees and illustrates the advantages of micro-CT for specific applications in insect neuroanatomy.}, } @article {pmid34169505, year = {2021}, author = {Philippon, J and Serrano-Martínez, E and Poirotte, C}, title = {Environmental and individual determinants of fecal avoidance in semi-free ranging woolly monkeys (Lagothrix lagotricha poeppigii).}, journal = {American journal of physical anthropology}, volume = {176}, number = {4}, pages = {614-624}, doi = {10.1002/ajpa.24352}, pmid = {34169505}, issn = {1096-8644}, mesh = {Animals ; *Atelinae ; Feces ; Female ; Seasons ; }, abstract = {OBJECTIVES: Parasite selection pressures have driven the evolution of numerous behavioral defenses in host species, but recent studies revealed individual variation in their expression. As little is known about the factors causing heterogeneity among individuals in infection-avoidance behaviors, we investigated in woolly monkeys (Lagothrix lagotricha poeppigii) the influence of several environmental and individual characteristics on the tendency to avoid food contaminated by soil and by their own and conspecifics' feces.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted feeding tests on 40 semi-free ranging individuals rescued from the pet trade. Using generalized linear mixed models, we investigated the effect of season, sex, age, dominance rank, and exposure to non-natural living conditions on feeding decisions.

RESULTS: Woolly monkeys did not avoid soil-contaminated food and equally avoided food contaminated by their own and conspecifics' feces. Individuals varied greatly in their level of fecal avoidance. Only females exhibited strong avoidance of fecally contaminated food, but adapted their behavior to food availability, highlighting the trade-off between nutritional intake and parasite avoidance. Additionally, low-ranking females, less competitive over food resources, exhibited lower avoidance than dominant ones. Juveniles were more cautious than adults, possibly to compensate for a higher parasite susceptibility. Finally, we reported an unknown effect of exposure to non-natural living conditions on behavioral defenses, as animals kept as household pets for an extended period apparently lost their ability to avoid fecally contaminated food.

CONCLUSION: We argue that striving to understand variation in infection-avoidance behaviors in natural populations is crucial to predict disease spread and inform conservation policies.}, } @article {pmid34135334, year = {2021}, author = {Colchero, F and Aburto, JM and Archie, EA and Boesch, C and Breuer, T and Campos, FA and Collins, A and Conde, DA and Cords, M and Crockford, C and Thompson, ME and Fedigan, LM and Fichtel, C and Groenenberg, M and Hobaiter, C and Kappeler, PM and Lawler, RR and Lewis, RJ and Machanda, ZP and Manguette, ML and Muller, MN and Packer, C and Parnell, RJ and Perry, S and Pusey, AE and Robbins, MM and Seyfarth, RM and Silk, JB and Staerk, J and Stoinski, TS and Stokes, EJ and Strier, KB and Strum, SC and Tung, J and Villavicencio, F and Wittig, RM and Wrangham, RW and Zuberbühler, K and Vaupel, JW and Alberts, SC}, title = {The long lives of primates and the 'invariant rate of ageing' hypothesis.}, journal = {Nature communications}, volume = {12}, number = {1}, pages = {3666}, pmid = {34135334}, issn = {2041-1723}, support = {P01 AG031719/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States ; R01 AG053330/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Age Factors ; *Aging ; Animals ; Female ; Humans ; Life Expectancy ; *Longevity ; Male ; Models, Statistical ; Mortality ; Primates/*physiology ; }, abstract = {Is it possible to slow the rate of ageing, or do biological constraints limit its plasticity? We test the 'invariant rate of ageing' hypothesis, which posits that the rate of ageing is relatively fixed within species, with a collection of 39 human and nonhuman primate datasets across seven genera. We first recapitulate, in nonhuman primates, the highly regular relationship between life expectancy and lifespan equality seen in humans. We next demonstrate that variation in the rate of ageing within genera is orders of magnitude smaller than variation in pre-adult and age-independent mortality. Finally, we demonstrate that changes in the rate of ageing, but not other mortality parameters, produce striking, species-atypical changes in mortality patterns. Our results support the invariant rate of ageing hypothesis, implying biological constraints on how much the human rate of ageing can be slowed.}, } @article {pmid34099943, year = {2021}, author = {Ariansen, AMS}, title = {"Quiet is the New Loud": The Biosociology Debate's Absent Voices.}, journal = {The American sociologist}, volume = {52}, number = {3}, pages = {477-504}, pmid = {34099943}, issn = {0003-1232}, abstract = {In 2000, a controversial article about hormones and gender roles was published to stimulate debate about whether and how biological knowledge should be integrated in sociological research. Two decades later, this so-called biosociology debate is more relevant than ever, as biological knowledge has become widespread across societies and scientific disciplines. Hence, we as sociologists are regularly confronted with biological explanations that challenge our own explanations. Whether this happens in the scientific arena, the classroom, media, or even at social events, these situations often force us, individually, to take a stance on whether to meet such explanations with dialogue or opposition. One could therefore expect that sociologists have an interest in discussing these issues with their peers, but their lack of participation in the biosociology debate suggests otherwise. This paper explores possible reasons for this absence and how sociologists' views on biosociology are influenced by key agents - sociological associations and journals. Smith's "A Sacred project of American Sociology", and Scott's "A Sociology of Nothing" served as theoretical tools in the paper. A qualitative content analysis of presidential addresses of four sociological associations was conducted. The analyses suggest that sociologist avoid biosociology for widely different reasons, including fear that biosociology legitimizes oppression. This avoidance is probably reinforced by the leftish politization of the sociological discipline and the rightish politization of society. Overcoming obstacles to engagement in biosociology is required to safeguard the scientific integrity of sociology and enable sociologists to provide relevant contributions to research on the Covid-19 pandemic and climate change.}, } @article {pmid34084892, year = {2021}, author = {Dinter, K and Heistermann, M and Kappeler, PM and Fichtel, C}, title = {Life on the edge: behavioural and physiological responses of Verreaux's sifakas (Propithecus verreauxi) to forest edges.}, journal = {Primate biology}, volume = {8}, number = {1}, pages = {1-13}, pmid = {34084892}, issn = {2363-4715}, abstract = {Forest edges change micro-environmental conditions, thereby affecting the ecology of many forest-dwelling species. Understanding such edge effects is particularly important for Malagasy primates because many of them live in highly fragmented forests today. The aim of our study was to assess the influence of forest edge effects on activity budgets, feeding ecology, and stress hormone output (measured as faecal glucocorticoid metabolite - fGCM - levels) in wild Verreaux's sifakas (Propithecus verreauxi), a group living, arboreal lemur. We observed five habituated groups: three living in the forest interior and two at an established forest edge. There was no difference in average daily temperatures between edge and interior habitats; however, within the edge site, the average daily temperature incrementally increased over 450 m from the forest edge towards the interior forest of the edge habitat, and the population density was lower at the edge site. Activity budgets differed between groups living in the two microhabitats, with individuals living near the edge spending more time travelling and less time feeding. Groups living near the edge also tended to have smaller home ranges and core areas than groups in the forest interior. In addition, edge groups had elevated average fGCM concentrations, and birth rates were lower for females living in the edge habitat. Combined with lower levels of fruit consumption at the edge, these results suggest that nutritional stress might be a limiting factor for Verreaux's sifakas when living near a forest edge. Hence, Verreaux's sifakas appear to be sensitive to microhabitat characteristics linked to forest edges; a result with implications for the conservation of this critically endangered lemurid species.}, } @article {pmid33950523, year = {2021}, author = {Habenstein, J and Thamm, M and Rössler, W}, title = {Neuropeptides as potential modulators of behavioral transitions in the ant Cataglyphis nodus.}, journal = {The Journal of comparative neurology}, volume = {529}, number = {12}, pages = {3155-3170}, doi = {10.1002/cne.25166}, pmid = {33950523}, issn = {1096-9861}, mesh = {Animals ; Ants ; Brain/*metabolism ; Brain Chemistry/physiology ; Neurons/chemistry/*metabolism ; Neuropeptides/analysis/*biosynthesis ; *Social Behavior ; }, abstract = {Age-related behavioral plasticity is a major prerequisite for the ecological success of insect societies. Although ecological aspects of behavioral flexibility have been targeted in many studies, the underlying intrinsic mechanisms controlling the diverse changes in behavior along the individual life history of social insects are not completely understood. Recently, the neuropeptides allatostatin-A, corazonin, and tachykinin have been associated with the regulation of behavioral transitions in social insects. Here, we investigated changes in brain localization and expression of these neuropeptides following major behavioral transitions in Cataglyphis nodus ants. Our immunohistochemical analyses in the brain revealed that the overall branching pattern of neurons immunoreactive (ir) for the three neuropeptides is largely independent of the behavioral stages. Numerous allatostatin-A- and tachykinin-ir neurons innervate primary sensory neuropils and high-order integration centers of the brain. In contrast, the number of corazonergic neurons is restricted to only four neurons per brain hemisphere with cell bodies located in the pars lateralis and axons extending to the medial protocerebrum and the retrocerebral complex. Most interestingly, the cell-body volumes of these neurons are significantly increased in foragers compared to freshly eclosed ants and interior workers. Quantification of mRNA expression levels revealed a stage-related change in the expression of allatostatin-A and corazonin mRNA in the brain. Given the presence of the neuropeptides in major control centers of the brain and the neurohemal organs, these mRNA-changes strongly suggest an important modulatory role of both neuropeptides in the behavioral maturation of Cataglyphis ants.}, } @article {pmid33947700, year = {2021}, author = {Fouks, B and Brand, P and Nguyen, HN and Herman, J and Camara, F and Ence, D and Hagen, DE and Hoff, KJ and Nachweide, S and Romoth, L and Walden, KKO and Guigo, R and Stanke, M and Narzisi, G and Yandell, M and Robertson, HM and Koeniger, N and Chantawannakul, P and Schatz, MC and Worley, KC and Robinson, GE and Elsik, CG and Rueppell, O}, title = {The genomic basis of evolutionary differentiation among honey bees.}, journal = {Genome research}, volume = {31}, number = {7}, pages = {1203-1215}, pmid = {33947700}, issn = {1549-5469}, support = {R15 GM102753/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; R21 AG046837/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States ; U54 HG003273/HG/NHGRI NIH HHS/United States ; }, abstract = {In contrast to the western honey bee, Apis mellifera, other honey bee species have been largely neglected despite their importance and diversity. The genetic basis of the evolutionary diversification of honey bees remains largely unknown. Here, we provide a genome-wide comparison of three honey bee species, each representing one of the three subgenera of honey bees, namely the dwarf (Apis florea), giant (A. dorsata), and cavity-nesting (A. mellifera) honey bees with bumblebees as an outgroup. Our analyses resolve the phylogeny of honey bees with the dwarf honey bees diverging first. We find that evolution of increased eusocial complexity in Apis proceeds via increases in the complexity of gene regulation, which is in agreement with previous studies. However, this process seems to be related to pathways other than transcriptional control. Positive selection patterns across Apis reveal a trade-off between maintaining genome stability and generating genetic diversity, with a rapidly evolving piRNA pathway leading to genomes depleted of transposable elements, and a rapidly evolving DNA repair pathway associated with high recombination rates in all Apis species. Diversification within Apis is accompanied by positive selection in several genes whose putative functions present candidate mechanisms for lineage-specific adaptations, such as migration, immunity, and nesting behavior.}, } @article {pmid33927367, year = {2021}, author = {Crabtree, SA and White, DA and Bradshaw, CJA and Saltré, F and Williams, AN and Beaman, RJ and Bird, MI and Ulm, S}, title = {Landscape rules predict optimal superhighways for the first peopling of Sahul.}, journal = {Nature human behaviour}, volume = {5}, number = {10}, pages = {1303-1313}, pmid = {33927367}, issn = {2397-3374}, mesh = {Anthropology, Physical ; Archaeology ; Australia ; Environmental Indicators ; Geography ; Human Migration/*trends ; Humans ; Population Dynamics/*trends ; Sociobiology ; }, abstract = {Archaeological data and demographic modelling suggest that the peopling of Sahul required substantial populations, occurred rapidly within a few thousand years and encompassed environments ranging from hyper-arid deserts to temperate uplands and tropical rainforests. How this migration occurred and how humans responded to the physical environments they encountered have, however, remained largely speculative. By constructing a high-resolution digital elevation model for Sahul and coupling it with fine-scale viewshed analysis of landscape prominence, least-cost pedestrian travel modelling and high-performance computing, we create over 125 billion potential migratory pathways, whereby the most parsimonious routes traversed emerge. Our analysis revealed several major pathways-superhighways-transecting the continent, that we evaluated using archaeological data. These results suggest that the earliest Australian ancestors adopted a set of fundamental rules shaped by physiological capacity, attraction to visually prominent landscape features and freshwater distribution to maximize survival, even without previous experience of the landscapes they encountered.}, } @article {pmid33921583, year = {2021}, author = {Khambhati, K and Patel, J and Saxena, V and A, P and Jain, N}, title = {Gene Regulation of Biofilm-Associated Functional Amyloids.}, journal = {Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland)}, volume = {10}, number = {4}, pages = {}, pmid = {33921583}, issn = {2076-0817}, support = {ECR/2018/002490//Science and Engineering Research Board/ ; I/SEED/NJ/20190019//Indian Institute of technology Jodhpur/ ; }, abstract = {Biofilms are bacterial communities encased in a rigid yet dynamic extracellular matrix. The sociobiology of bacterial communities within a biofilm is astonishing, with environmental factors playing a crucial role in determining the switch from planktonic to a sessile form of life. The mechanism of biofilm biogenesis is an intriguingly complex phenomenon governed by the tight regulation of expression of various biofilm-matrix components. One of the major constituents of the biofilm matrix is proteinaceous polymers called amyloids. Since the discovery, the significance of biofilm-associated amyloids in adhesion, aggregation, protection, and infection development has been much appreciated. The amyloid expression and assembly is regulated spatio-temporarily within the bacterial cells to perform a diverse function. This review provides a comprehensive account of the genetic regulation associated with the expression of amyloids in bacteria. The stringent control ensures optimal utilization of amyloid scaffold during biofilm biogenesis. We conclude the review by summarizing environmental factors influencing the expression and regulation of amyloids.}, } @article {pmid33861721, year = {2021}, author = {Yan, H and Liebig, J}, title = {Genetic basis of chemical communication in eusocial insects.}, journal = {Genes & development}, volume = {35}, number = {7-8}, pages = {470-482}, pmid = {33861721}, issn = {1549-5477}, mesh = {*Animal Communication ; Animals ; Behavior, Animal ; Insecta/*chemistry/*genetics ; Pheromones/genetics ; Sensation/genetics ; Social Behavior ; }, abstract = {Social behavior is one of the most fascinating and complex behaviors in humans and animals. A fundamental process of social behavior is communication among individuals. It relies on the capability of the nervous system to sense, process, and interpret various signals (e.g., pheromones) and respond with appropriate decisions and actions. Eusocial insects, including ants, some bees, some wasps, and termites, display intriguing cooperative social behavior. Recent advances in genetic and genomic studies have revealed key genes that are involved in pheromone synthesis, chemosensory perception, and physiological and behavioral responses to varied pheromones. In this review, we highlight the genes and pathways that regulate queen pheromone-mediated social communication, discuss the evolutionary changes in genetic systems, and outline prospects of functional studies in sociobiology.}, } @article {pmid33798681, year = {2021}, author = {Ennis, CC and Haeffner, NN and Keyser, CD and Leonard, ST and Macdonald-Shedd, AC and Savoie, AM and Cronin, TJ and Veldsman, WP and Barden, P and Chak, STC and Baeza, JA}, title = {Comparative mitochondrial genomics of sponge-dwelling snapping shrimps in the genus Synalpheus: Exploring differences between eusocial and non-eusocial species and insights into phylogenetic relationships in caridean shrimps.}, journal = {Gene}, volume = {786}, number = {}, pages = {145624}, doi = {10.1016/j.gene.2021.145624}, pmid = {33798681}, issn = {1879-0038}, mesh = {Animals ; Codon Usage ; Decapoda/*classification/genetics ; Genome Size ; Genome, Mitochondrial ; Genomics/*methods ; Mitochondria/*genetics ; Phylogeny ; RNA, Transfer/genetics ; Selection, Genetic ; }, abstract = {The genus Synalpheus is a cosmopolitan clade of marine shrimps found in most tropical regions. Species in this genus exhibit a range of social organizations, including pair-forming, communal breeding, and eusociality, the latter only known to have evolved within this genus in the marine realm. This study examines the complete mitochondrial genomes of seven species of Synalpheus and explores differences between eusocial and non-eusocial species considering that eusociality has been shown before to affect the strength of purifying selection in mitochondrial protein coding genes. The AT-rich mitochondrial genomes of Synalpheus range from 15,421 bp to 15,782 bp in length and comprise, invariably, 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), two ribosomal RNA genes, and 22 transfer RNA genes. A 648 bp to 994 bp long intergenic space is assumed to be the D-loop. Mitochondrial gene synteny is identical among the studied shrimps. No major differences occur between eusocial and non-eusocial species in nucleotide composition and codon usage profiles of PCGs and in the secondary structure of tRNA genes. Maximum likelihood phylogenetic analysis of the complete concatenated PCG complement of 90 species supports the monophyly of the genus Synalpheus and its family Alpheidae. Moreover, the monophyletic status of the caridean families Alvinocaridae, Atyidae, Thoridae, Lysmatidae, Palaemonidae, and Pandalidae within caridean shrimps are fully or highly supported by the analysis. We therefore conclude that mitochondrial genomes contain sufficient phylogenetic information to resolve relationships at high taxonomic levels within the Caridea. Our analysis of mitochondrial genomes in the genus Synalpheus contributes to the understanding of the coevolution between genomic architecture and sociality in caridean shrimps and other marine organisms.}, } @article {pmid33767244, year = {2021}, author = {Hurd, PJ and Grübel, K and Wojciechowski, M and Maleszka, R and Rössler, W}, title = {Novel structure in the nuclei of honey bee brain neurons revealed by immunostaining.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {11}, number = {1}, pages = {6852}, pmid = {33767244}, issn = {2045-2322}, mesh = {Animals ; Bees/*growth & development/immunology/metabolism ; Brain/*cytology/immunology/metabolism ; Cell Nucleus/*metabolism ; Drosophila melanogaster/*growth & development/immunology/metabolism ; Immunohistochemistry ; Larva/*cytology/immunology/metabolism ; Neurons/*cytology/immunology/metabolism ; Pupa/*cytology/immunology/metabolism ; }, abstract = {In the course of a screen designed to produce antibodies (ABs) with affinity to proteins in the honey bee brain we found an interesting AB that detects a highly specific epitope predominantly in the nuclei of Kenyon cells (KCs). The observed staining pattern is unique, and its unfamiliarity indicates a novel previously unseen nuclear structure that does not colocalize with the cytoskeletal protein f-actin. A single rod-like assembly, 3.7-4.1 µm long, is present in each nucleus of KCs in adult brains of worker bees and drones with the strongest immuno-labelling found in foraging bees. In brains of young queens, the labelling is more sporadic, and the rod-like structure appears to be shorter (~ 2.1 µm). No immunostaining is detectable in worker larvae. In pupal stage 5 during a peak of brain development only some occasional staining was identified. Although the cellular function of this unexpected structure has not been determined, the unusual distinctiveness of the revealed pattern suggests an unknown and potentially important protein assembly. One possibility is that this nuclear assembly is part of the KCs plasticity underlying the brain maturation in adult honey bees. Because no labelling with this AB is detectable in brains of the fly Drosophila melanogaster and the ant Camponotus floridanus, we tentatively named this antibody AmBNSab (Apis mellifera Brain Neurons Specific antibody). Here we report our results to make them accessible to a broader community and invite further research to unravel the biological role of this curious nuclear structure in the honey bee central brain.}, } @article {pmid33704768, year = {2021}, author = {Habenstein, J and Schmitt, F and Liessem, S and Ly, A and Trede, D and Wegener, C and Predel, R and Rössler, W and Neupert, S}, title = {Transcriptomic, peptidomic, and mass spectrometry imaging analysis of the brain in the ant Cataglyphis nodus.}, journal = {Journal of neurochemistry}, volume = {158}, number = {2}, pages = {391-412}, doi = {10.1111/jnc.15346}, pmid = {33704768}, issn = {1471-4159}, mesh = {Amino Acid Sequence ; Animals ; Ants/*physiology ; Brain/*diagnostic imaging ; Brain Chemistry/*genetics ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; *Gene Expression Profiling ; Immunohistochemistry ; Mass Spectrometry ; Neuropeptides/chemistry/*genetics ; *Proteomics ; Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization ; Transcriptome ; }, abstract = {Behavioral flexibility is an important cornerstone for the ecological success of animals. Social Cataglyphis nodus ants with their age-related polyethism characterized by age-related behavioral phenotypes represent a prime example for behavioral flexibility. We propose neuropeptides as powerful candidates for the flexible modulation of age-related behavioral transitions in individual ants. As the neuropeptidome of C. nodus was unknown, we collected a comprehensive peptidomic data set obtained by transcriptome analysis of the ants' central nervous system combined with brain extract analysis by Q-Exactive Orbitrap mass spectrometry (MS) and direct tissue profiling of different regions of the brain by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) MS. In total, we identified 71 peptides with likely bioactive function, encoded on 49 neuropeptide-, neuropeptide-like, and protein hormone prepropeptide genes, including a novel neuropeptide-like gene (fliktin). We next characterized the spatial distribution of a subset of peptides encoded on 16 precursor proteins with high resolution by MALDI MS imaging (MALDI MSI) on 14 µm brain sections. The accuracy of our MSI data were confirmed by matching the immunostaining patterns for tachykinins with MSI ion images from consecutive brain sections. Our data provide a solid framework for future research into spatially resolved qualitative and quantitative peptidomic changes associated with stage-specific behavioral transitions and the functional role of neuropeptides in Cataglyphis ants.}, } @article {pmid33593943, year = {2021}, author = {Andersen, SB and Schluter, J}, title = {A metagenomics approach to investigate microbiome sociobiology.}, journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America}, volume = {118}, number = {10}, pages = {}, pmid = {33593943}, issn = {1091-6490}, mesh = {Humans ; Metagenome ; *Metagenomics ; *Microbiota/genetics ; Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid33504584, year = {2021}, author = {Kihlström, K and Aiello, B and Warrant, E and Sponberg, S and Stöckl, A}, title = {Wing damage affects flight kinematics but not flower tracking performance in hummingbird hawkmoths.}, journal = {The Journal of experimental biology}, volume = {224}, number = {Pt 4}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1242/jeb.236240}, pmid = {33504584}, issn = {1477-9145}, mesh = {Animals ; Biomechanical Phenomena ; *Flight, Animal ; Flowers ; *Moths ; Wings, Animal ; }, abstract = {Wing integrity is crucial to the many insect species that spend distinct portions of their life in flight. How insects cope with the consequences of wing damage is therefore a central question when studying how robust flight performance is possible with such fragile chitinous wings. It has been shown in a variety of insect species that the loss in lift-force production resulting from wing damage is generally compensated by an increase in wing beat frequency rather than amplitude. The consequences of wing damage for flight performance, however, are less well understood, and vary considerably between species and behavioural tasks. One hypothesis reconciling the varying results is that wing damage might affect fast flight manoeuvres with high acceleration, but not slower ones. To test this hypothesis, we investigated the effect of wing damage on the manoeuvrability of hummingbird hawkmoths (Macroglossum stellatarum) tracking a motorised flower. This assay allowed us to sample a range of movements at different temporal frequencies, and thus assess whether wing damage affected faster or slower flight manoeuvres. We show that hummingbird hawkmoths compensate for the loss in lift force mainly by increasing wing beat amplitude, yet with a significant contribution of wing beat frequency. We did not observe any effects of wing damage on flight manoeuvrability at either high or low temporal frequencies.}, } @article {pmid33450537, year = {2021}, author = {Boff, S and Scheiner, R and Raizer, J and Lupi, D}, title = {Survival rate and changes in foraging performances of solitary bees exposed to a novel insecticide.}, journal = {Ecotoxicology and environmental safety}, volume = {211}, number = {}, pages = {111869}, doi = {10.1016/j.ecoenv.2020.111869}, pmid = {33450537}, issn = {1090-2414}, mesh = {Animals ; Bees/*physiology ; Feeding Behavior/drug effects ; Flowers/drug effects ; Insecticides/*toxicity ; Neonicotinoids/toxicity ; Pesticides/toxicity ; Pollination/drug effects ; Pyridines ; Sulfur Compounds ; Survival Rate ; }, abstract = {Solitary bees are among the most important pollinators worldwide however population declines especially in croplands has been noticed. The novel pesticide sulfoxaflor is a competitive modulator of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR) in insects. While there is evidence of a negative impact of neonicotinoids on bees of several social organization levels, our overall knowledge on the impact of sulfoxaflor on bees is poor. Here we present for the first time a study showing effects of field realistic doses of sulfoxaflor on solitary bees. Bees submitted to long term exposure of field realistic doses of sulfoxaflor (5 µg dm[-3], 10 µg dm[-3], 50 µg dm[-3]) and control were observed regarding their survival rate. Moreover, we recorded metrics related to flower visitation and flight performance. We discover that the highest field realistic dose is lethal to Osmia bicornis along five days of exposure. The effect of sulfoxaflor reduces the outcome of foraging, important features for fruit and seed production of cross-pollinated plant species. Bees exposed to pesticide visited flowers mostly walking rather than flying. Flight performance was also impaired by the pesticide.}, } @article {pmid33442330, year = {2021}, author = {Junker, J and Petrovan, SO and Arroyo-Rodríguez, V and Boonratana, R and Byler, D and Chapman, CA and Chetry, D and Cheyne, SM and Cornejo, FM and Cortés-Ortiz, L and Cowlishaw, G and Christie, AP and Crockford, C and de la Torre, S and de Melo, FR and Fan, P and Grueter, CC and Guzmán-Caro, DC and Heymann, EW and Herbinger, I and Hoang, MD and Horwich, RH and Humle, T and Ikemeh, RA and Imong, IS and Jerusalinsky, L and Johnson, SE and Kappeler, PM and Kierulff, MCM and Koné, I and Kormos, R and LE, KQ and Li, B and Marshall, AJ and Meijaard, E and Mittermeier, RA and Muroyama, Y and Neugebauer, E and Orth, L and Palacios, E and Papworth, SK and Plumptre, AJ and Rawson, BM and Refisch, J and Ratsimbazafy, J and Roos, C and Setchell, JM and Smith, RK and Sop, T and Schwitzer, C and Slater, K and Strum, SC and Sutherland, WJ and Talebi, M and Wallis, J and Wich, S and Williamson, EA and Wittig, RM and Kühl, HS}, title = {Corrigendum: A Severe Lack of Evidence Limits Effective Conservation of the World's Primates.}, journal = {Bioscience}, volume = {71}, number = {1}, pages = {105}, doi = {10.1093/biosci/biaa143}, pmid = {33442330}, issn = {0006-3568}, abstract = {[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biaa082.].}, } @article {pmid33344078, year = {2020}, author = {Halawani, O and Dunn, RR and Grunden, AM and Smith, AA}, title = {Bacterial exposure leads to variable mortality but not a measurable increase in surface antimicrobials across ant species.}, journal = {PeerJ}, volume = {8}, number = {}, pages = {e10412}, pmid = {33344078}, issn = {2167-8359}, abstract = {Social insects have co-existed with microbial species for millions of years and have evolved a diversity of collective defenses, including the use of antimicrobials. While many studies have revealed strategies that ants use against microbial entomopathogens, and several have shown ant-produced compounds inhibit environmental bacterial growth, few studies have tested whether exposure to environmental bacteria represents a health threat to ants. We compare four ant species' responses to exposure to Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus epidermidis bacteria in order to broaden our understanding of microbial health-threats to ants and their ability to defend against them. In a first experiment, we measure worker mortality of Solenopsis invicta, Brachymyrmex chinensis, Aphaenogaster rudis, and Dorymyrmex bureni in response to exposure to E. coli and S. epidermidis. We found that exposure to E. coli was lethal for S. invicta and D. bureni, while all other effects of exposure were not different from experimental controls. In a second experiment, we compared the antimicrobial ability of surface extracts from bacteria-exposed and non-exposed S. invicta and B. chinensis worker ants, to see if exposure to E. coli or S. epidermidis led to an increase in antimicrobial compounds. We found no difference in the inhibitory effects from either treatment group in either species. Our results demonstrate the susceptibility to bacteria is varied across ant species. This variation may correlate with an ant species' use of surface antimicrobials, as we found significant mortality effects in species which also were producing antimicrobials. Further exploration of a wide range of both bacteria and ant species is likely to reveal unique and nuanced antimicrobial strategies and deepen our understanding of how ant societies respond to microbial health threats.}, } @article {pmid33308162, year = {2020}, author = {Maes, S and De Reu, K and Van Weyenberg, S and Lories, B and Heyndrickx, M and Steenackers, H}, title = {Pseudomonas putida as a potential biocontrol agent against Salmonella Java biofilm formation in the drinking water system of broiler houses.}, journal = {BMC microbiology}, volume = {20}, number = {1}, pages = {373}, pmid = {33308162}, issn = {1471-2180}, support = {CELSA/18/031//Onderzoeksraad, KU Leuven/ ; C24/18/046//Onderzoeksraad, KU Leuven/ ; }, mesh = {Animal Husbandry ; Animals ; Biofilms/*growth & development ; *Biological Control Agents ; Chickens ; Drinking Water/*microbiology ; Indonesia ; Microbial Interactions ; Pseudomonas putida/*physiology ; Salmonella/*physiology ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Environmental biofilms can induce attachment and protection of other microorganisms including pathogens, but can also prevent them from invasion and colonization. This opens the possibility for so-called biocontrol strategies, wherein microorganisms are applied to control the presence of other microbes. The potential for both positive and negative interactions between microbes, however, raises the need for in depth characterization of the sociobiology of candidate biocontrol agents (BCAs). The inside of the drinking water system (DWS) of broiler houses is an interesting niche to apply BCAs, because contamination of these systems with pathogens plays an important role in the infection of broiler chickens and consequently humans. In this study, Pseudomonas putida, which is part of the natural microbiota in the DWS of broiler houses, was evaluated as BCA against the broiler pathogen Salmonella Java.

RESULTS: To study the interaction between these species, an in vitro model was developed simulating biofilm formation in the drinking water system of broilers. Dual-species biofilms of P. putida strains P1, P2, and P3 with S. Java were characterized by competitive interactions, independent of P. putida strain, S. Java inoculum density and application order. When equal inocula of S. Java and P. putida strains P1 or P3 were simultaneously applied, the interaction was characterized by mutual inhibition, whereas P. putida strain P2 showed an exploitation of S. Java. Lowering the inoculum density of S. Java changed the interaction with P. putida strain P3 also into an exploitation of S. Java. A further increase in S. Java inhibition was established by P. putida strain P3 forming a mature biofilm before applying S. Java.

CONCLUSIONS: This study provides the first results showing the potential of P. putida as BCA against S. Java in the broiler environment. Future work should include more complex microbial communities residing in the DWS, additional Salmonella strains as well as chemicals typically used to clean and disinfect the system.}, } @article {pmid33275182, year = {2021}, author = {Anton, S and Rössler, W}, title = {Plasticity and modulation of olfactory circuits in insects.}, journal = {Cell and tissue research}, volume = {383}, number = {1}, pages = {149-164}, pmid = {33275182}, issn = {1432-0878}, support = {SPP 1392 (Ro1177/5-2), SFB 1047 (B6)//DFG/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Insecta ; Neuronal Plasticity/*physiology ; Receptors, Odorant/*physiology ; }, abstract = {Olfactory circuits change structurally and physiologically during development and adult life. This allows insects to respond to olfactory cues in an appropriate and adaptive way according to their physiological and behavioral state, and to adapt to their specific abiotic and biotic natural environment. We highlight here findings on olfactory plasticity and modulation in various model and non-model insects with an emphasis on moths and social Hymenoptera. Different categories of plasticity occur in the olfactory systems of insects. One type relates to the reproductive or feeding state, as well as to adult age. Another type of plasticity is context-dependent and includes influences of the immediate sensory and abiotic environment, but also environmental conditions during postembryonic development, periods of adult behavioral maturation, and short- and long-term sensory experience. Finally, plasticity in olfactory circuits is linked to associative learning and memory formation. The vast majority of the available literature summarized here deals with plasticity in primary and secondary olfactory brain centers, but also peripheral modulation is treated. The described molecular, physiological, and structural neuronal changes occur under the influence of neuromodulators such as biogenic amines, neuropeptides, and hormones, but the mechanisms through which they act are only beginning to be analyzed.}, } @article {pmid33261558, year = {2020}, author = {Eckhardt, F and Pauliny, A and Rollings, N and Mutschmann, F and Olsson, M and Kraus, C and Kappeler, PM}, title = {Stress-related changes in leukocyte profiles and telomere shortening in the shortest-lived tetrapod, Furcifer labordi.}, journal = {BMC evolutionary biology}, volume = {20}, number = {1}, pages = {160}, pmid = {33261558}, issn = {1471-2148}, mesh = {Animals ; Leukocytes/*metabolism ; Lizards/*genetics ; *Longevity/genetics ; Madagascar ; Stress, Physiological/*genetics ; *Telomere/genetics ; *Telomere Shortening/genetics ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Life history theory predicts that during the lifespan of an organism, resources are allocated to either growth, somatic maintenance or reproduction. Resource allocation trade-offs determine the evolution and ecology of different life history strategies and define an organisms' position along a fast-slow continuum in interspecific comparisons. Labord's chameleon (Furcifer labordi) from the seasonal dry forests of Madagascar is the tetrapod species with the shortest reported lifespan (4-9 months). Previous investigations revealed that their lifespan is to some degree dependent on environmental factors, such as the amount of rainfall and the length of the vegetation period. However, the intrinsic mechanisms shaping such a fast life history remain unknown. Environmental stressors are known to increase the secretion of glucocorticoids in other vertebrates, which, in turn, can shorten telomeres via oxidative stress. To investigate to what extent age-related changes in these molecular and cellular mechanisms contribute to the relatively short lifetime of F. labordi, we assessed the effects of stressors indirectly via leukocyte profiles (H/L ratio) and quantified relative telomere length from blood samples in a wild population in Kirindy Forest. We compared our findings with the sympatric, but longer-lived sister species F. cf. nicosiai, which exhibit the same annual timing of reproductive events, and with wild-caught F. labordi that were singly housed under ambient conditions.

RESULTS: We found that H/L ratios were consistently higher in wild F. labordi compared to F. cf. nicosiai. Moreover, F. labordi already exhibited relatively short telomeres during the mating season when they were 3-4 months old, and telomeres further shortened during their post-reproductive lives. At the beginning of their active season, telomere length was relatively longer in F. cf. nicosiai, but undergoing rapid shortening towards the southern winter, when both species gradually die off. Captive F. labordi showed comparatively longer lifespans and lower H/L ratios than their wild counterparts.

CONCLUSION: We suggest that environmental stress and the corresponding accelerated telomere attrition have profound effects on the lifespan of F. labordi in the wild, and identify physiological mechanisms potentially driving their relatively early senescence and mortality.}, } @article {pmid33258153, year = {2021}, author = {Grob, R and Tritscher, C and Grübel, K and Stigloher, C and Groh, C and Fleischmann, PN and Rössler, W}, title = {Johnston's organ and its central projections in Cataglyphis desert ants.}, journal = {The Journal of comparative neurology}, volume = {529}, number = {8}, pages = {2138-2155}, doi = {10.1002/cne.25077}, pmid = {33258153}, issn = {1096-9861}, mesh = {Animals ; Ants/*anatomy & histology/physiology ; Arthropod Antennae/innervation/physiology ; Brain/*anatomy & histology/physiology ; Female ; Male ; Neural Pathways/*anatomy & histology/physiology ; Sensory Receptor Cells/*cytology/physiology ; Spatial Navigation/physiology ; }, abstract = {The Johnston's organ (JO) in the insect antenna is a multisensory organ involved in several navigational tasks including wind-compass orientation, flight control, graviception, and, possibly, magnetoreception. Here we investigate the three dimensional anatomy of the JO and its neuronal projections into the brain of the desert ant Cataglyphis, a marvelous long-distance navigator. The JO of C. nodus workers consists of 40 scolopidia comprising three sensory neurons each. The numbers of scolopidia slightly vary between different sexes (female/male) and castes (worker/queen). Individual scolopidia attach to the intersegmental membrane between pedicel and flagellum of the antenna and line up in a ring-like organization. Three JO nerves project along the two antennal nerve branches into the brain. Anterograde double staining of the antennal afferents revealed that JO receptor neurons project to several distinct neuropils in the central brain. The T5 tract projects into the antennal mechanosensory and motor center (AMMC), while the T6 tract bypasses the AMMC via the saddle and forms collaterals terminating in the posterior slope (PS) (T6I), the ventral complex (T6II), and the ventrolateral protocerebrum (T6III). Double labeling of JO and ocellar afferents revealed that input from the JO and visual information from the ocelli converge in tight apposition in the PS. The general JO anatomy and its central projection patterns resemble situations in honeybees and Drosophila. The multisensory nature of the JO together with its projections to multisensory neuropils in the ant brain likely serves synchronization and calibration of different sensory modalities during the ontogeny of navigation in Cataglyphis.}, } @article {pmid33230212, year = {2020}, author = {Dolotovskaya, S and Roos, C and Heymann, EW}, title = {Genetic monogamy and mate choice in a pair-living primate.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {10}, number = {1}, pages = {20328}, pmid = {33230212}, issn = {2045-2322}, mesh = {Alleles ; Animals ; Callicebus/*genetics ; DNA, Mitochondrial/genetics/isolation & purification ; Feces/chemistry ; Female ; Genetic Loci ; *Genotype ; Heterozygote ; Inbreeding ; Male ; Microsatellite Repeats ; Paternity ; Peru ; Reproduction/*genetics ; Sexual Behavior, Animal/*physiology ; }, abstract = {In pair-living mammals, genetic monogamy is extremely rare. One possible reason is that in socially monogamous animals, mate choice can be severely constrained, increasing the risk of inbreeding or pairing with an incompatible or low-quality partner. To escape these constraints, individuals might engage in extra-pair copulations. Alternatively, inbreeding can be avoided by dispersal. However, little is known about the interactions between mating system, mate choice, and dispersal in pair-living mammals. Here we genotyped 41 wild individuals from 14 groups of coppery titi monkeys (Plecturocebus cupreus) in Peruvian Amazon using 18 microsatellite loci. Parentage analyses of 18 young revealed no cases of extra-pair paternity, indicating that the study population is mostly genetically monogamous. We did not find evidence for relatedness- or heterozygosity-based mate choice. Despite the lack of evidence for active inbreeding avoidance via mate choice, mating partners were on average not related. We further found that dispersal was not sex-biased, with both sexes dispersing opportunistically over varying distances. Our findings suggest that even opportunistic dispersal, as long as it is not constrained, can generate sufficient genetic diversity to prevent inbreeding. This, in turn, can render active inbreeding avoidance via mate choice and extra-pair copulations less necessary, helping to maintain genetic monogamy.}, } @article {pmid33204480, year = {2020}, author = {Römer, D and Cosarinsky, MI and Roces, F}, title = {Selection and spatial arrangement of building materials during the construction of nest turrets by grass-cutting ants.}, journal = {Royal Society open science}, volume = {7}, number = {10}, pages = {201312}, pmid = {33204480}, issn = {2054-5703}, abstract = {Ants build complex nest structures by reacting to simple, local stimuli. While underground nests result from the space generated by digging, some leaf- and grass-cutting ants also construct conspicuous aboveground turrets around nest openings. We investigated whether the selection of specific building materials occurs during turret construction in Acromyrmex fracticornis grass-cutting ants, and asked whether single building decisions at the beginning can modify the final turret architecture. To quantify workers' material selection, the original nest turret was removed and a choice between two artificial building materials, thin and thick sticks, was offered for rebuilding. Workers preferred thick sticks at the very beginning of turret construction, showed varying preferences thereafter, and changed to prefer thin sticks for the upper, final part of the turret, indicating that they selected different building materials over time to create a stable structure. The impact of a single building choice on turret architecture was evaluated by placing artificial beams that divided a colony's nest entrance at the beginning of turret rebuilding. Splitting the nest entrance led to the self-organized construction of turrets with branched galleries ending in multiple openings, showing that the spatial location of a single building material can strongly influence turret morphology.}, } @article {pmid33202230, year = {2020}, author = {Kappeler, PM}, title = {Evidence for a male sex pheromone in a primate?.}, journal = {Current biology : CB}, volume = {30}, number = {22}, pages = {R1358-R1359}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2020.10.006}, pmid = {33202230}, issn = {1879-0445}, mesh = {Animals ; Female ; *Lemur ; Male ; Odorants ; Pheromones ; Seasons ; *Sex Attractants ; }, abstract = {Pheromones mediate a wide range of functions across the animal kingdom [1], and such chemosensory communication is especially widespread among mammals [2]. In a recent paper in Current Biology, Shirasu, Ito et al. [3] describe the results of a series of chemical and behavioral studies that identified three aldehyde odors released from the wrist gland of ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) that could represent the first identified sex pheromones in male primates. Observations of a captive group and controlled presentations of isolated male scent samples showed captive female lemurs sniffing antebrachial scent marks longer on average during the breeding season. Comparison of the chemical profiles of antebrachial secretions between breeding- and non-breeding-season samples revealed three aldehydes putatively responsible for the female response, the concentration of one of these subsequently shown to increase following testosterone injection of one male. Average sniffing duration of two females increased slightly with increasing concentrations of two of the three aldehydes in one experiment, and so did the response of seven other females to swabs with mixtures of the three compounds, compared to individually presented aldehydes. From these results, the authors conclude that "it is conceivable that the identified C12 and C14 aldehydes are putative sex pheromones that aid male-female interactions among lemurs." Here, I argue that, in fact, more data are needed to determine whether antebrachial marking and these substances are actually involved in mediating the attractiveness of males to females during the breeding season. My specific concerns pertain to several aspects of the methods that produce ambiguous results and conclusions that are too strong, especially when considering the broader context of lemur biology.}, } @article {pmid33152622, year = {2020}, author = {Kenyon, C}, title = {Emergence of zoonoses such as COVID-19 reveals the need for health sciences to embrace an explicit eco-social conceptual framework of health and disease.}, journal = {Epidemics}, volume = {33}, number = {}, pages = {100410}, pmid = {33152622}, issn = {1878-0067}, mesh = {Animals ; COVID-19/epidemiology/transmission/virology ; Chiroptera/virology ; Communicable Diseases, Emerging/*epidemiology/transmission/*virology ; *Ecosystem ; Humans ; Pandemics ; SARS-CoV-2/physiology ; Sociobiology ; Zoonoses/*epidemiology/transmission/*virology ; }, abstract = {An accurate understanding of why zoonoses such as SARS-CoV-2 are emerging at an increased rate, is vital to prevent future pandemics from the approximately 700,000 viruses with zoonotic potential. Certain authors have argued that the consumption of wildlife, or human contact with bats was responsible for the emergence of SARS-CoV-2. Others argue that a range of anthropogenic environmental degradations have played a vital role in the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 and other zoonoses. In this opinion piece, I argue that these divergent viewpoints stem, in part, from different foundational conceptual frameworks - biomedical individualist and eco-social frameworks, respectively. Based on the fact that the eco-social framework provides a more complete account of the different types of causal factors underpinning the emergence of zoonoses, I propose that the COVID-19 pandemic provides an additional reason for the health sciences to ground its theory of health and disease in an eco-social conceptual framework.}, } @article {pmid33143221, year = {2020}, author = {Cavaletto, G and Faccoli, M and Marini, L and Spaethe, J and Magnani, G and Rassati, D}, title = {Effect of Trap Color on Captures of Bark-and Wood-Boring Beetles (Coleoptera; Buprestidae and Scolytinae) and Associated Predators.}, journal = {Insects}, volume = {11}, number = {11}, pages = {}, pmid = {33143221}, issn = {2075-4450}, support = {Dotazione Ordinaria Ricerca (DOR)//University of Padova/ ; Budget Integrato per la Ricerca dei Dipartimenti (BIRD 2018)//University of Padova :/ ; }, abstract = {Traps baited with attractive lures are increasingly used at entry-points and surrounding natural areas to intercept exotic wood-boring beetles accidentally introduced via international trade. Several trapping variables can affect the efficacy of this activity, including trap color. In this study, we tested whether species richness and abundance of jewel beetles (Buprestidae), bark and ambrosia beetles (Scolytinae), and their common predators (i.e., checkered beetles, Cleridae) can be modified using trap colors different to those currently used for surveillance of jewel beetles and bark and ambrosia beetles (i.e., green or black). We show that green and black traps are generally efficient, but also that many flower-visiting or dark-metallic colored jewel beetles and certain bark beetles are more attracted by other colors. In addition, we show that checkered beetles have color preferences similar to those of their Scolytinae preys, which limits using trap color to minimize their inadvertent removal. Overall, this study confirmed that understanding the color perception mechanisms in wood-boring beetles can lead to important improvements in trapping techniques and thereby increase the efficacy of surveillance programs.}, } @article {pmid33139902, year = {2021}, author = {Holze, H and Schrader, L and Buellesbach, J}, title = {Advances in deciphering the genetic basis of insect cuticular hydrocarbon biosynthesis and variation.}, journal = {Heredity}, volume = {126}, number = {2}, pages = {219-234}, pmid = {33139902}, issn = {1365-2540}, mesh = {Animals ; Drosophila ; *Hydrocarbons ; *Insecta/genetics ; Phenotype ; Phylogeny ; }, abstract = {Cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) have two fundamental functions in insects. They protect terrestrial insects against desiccation and serve as signaling molecules in a wide variety of chemical communication systems. It has been hypothesized that these pivotal dual traits for adaptation to both desiccation and signaling have contributed to the considerable evolutionary success of insects. CHCs have been extensively studied concerning their variation, behavioral impact, physiological properties, and chemical compositions. However, our understanding of the genetic underpinnings of CHC biosynthesis has remained limited and mostly biased towards one particular model organism (Drosophila). This rather narrow focus has hampered the establishment of a comprehensive view of CHC genetics across wider phylogenetic boundaries. This review attempts to integrate new insights and recent knowledge gained in the genetics of CHC biosynthesis, which is just beginning to incorporate work on more insect taxa beyond Drosophila. It is intended to provide a stepping stone towards a wider and more general understanding of the genetic mechanisms that gave rise to the astonishing diversity of CHC compounds across different insect taxa. Further research in this field is encouraged to aim at better discriminating conserved versus taxon-specific genetic elements underlying CHC variation. This will be instrumental in greatly expanding our knowledge of the origins and variation of genes governing the biosynthesis of these crucial phenotypic traits that have greatly impacted insect behavior, physiology, and evolution.}, } @article {pmid33136609, year = {2020}, author = {Umek, W and Fischer, B}, title = {We Should Abandon "Race" as a Biological Category in Biomedical Research.}, journal = {Female pelvic medicine & reconstructive surgery}, volume = {26}, number = {12}, pages = {719-720}, pmid = {33136609}, issn = {2154-4212}, mesh = {*Biomedical Research/ethics/trends ; Ethical Analysis ; Ethnicity/*genetics ; Genetic Variation ; *Genetics, Population ; Humans ; *Racial Groups ; Sociobiology ; Sociology, Medical/ethics ; }, } @article {pmid33128250, year = {2021}, author = {Homberg, U and Hensgen, R and Rieber, E and Seyfarth, J and Kern, M and Dippel, S and Dircksen, H and Spänig, L and Kina, YP}, title = {Orcokinin in the central complex of the locust Schistocerca gregaria: Identification of immunostained neurons and colocalization with other neuroactive substances.}, journal = {The Journal of comparative neurology}, volume = {529}, number = {8}, pages = {1876-1894}, doi = {10.1002/cne.25062}, pmid = {33128250}, issn = {1096-9861}, mesh = {Animals ; Brain/*metabolism ; Grasshoppers/*metabolism ; Immunohistochemistry ; Neurons/*metabolism ; Neuropeptides/*metabolism ; Neuropil/metabolism ; }, abstract = {The central complex is a group of highly interconnected neuropils in the insect brain. It is involved in the control of spatial orientation, based on external compass cues and various internal needs. The functional and neurochemical organization of the central complex has been studied in detail in the desert locust Schistocerca gregaria. In addition to classical neurotransmitters, immunocytochemistry has provided evidence for a major contribution of neuropeptides to neural signaling within the central complex. To complement these data, we have identified all orcokinin-immunoreactive neurons in the locust central complex and associated brain areas. About 50 bilateral pairs of neurons innervating all substructures of the central complex exhibit orcokinin immunoreactivity. Among these were about 20 columnar neurons, 33 bilateral pairs of tangential neurons of the central body, and seven pairs of tangential neurons of the protocerebral bridge. In silico transcript analysis suggests the presence of eight different orcokinin-A type peptides in the desert locust. Double label experiments showed that all orcokinin-immunostained tangential neurons of the lateral accessory lobe cluster were also immunoreactive for GABA and the GABA-synthesizing enzyme glutamic acid decarboxylase. Two types of tangential neurons of the upper division of the central body were, furthermore, also labeled with an antiserum against Dip-allatostatin I. No colocalization was found with serotonin immunostaining. The data provide additional insights into the neurochemical organization of the locust central complex and suggest that orcokinin-peptides of the orcokinin-A gene act as neuroactive substances at all stages of signal processing in this brain area.}, } @article {pmid33053745, year = {2020}, author = {Scheiner, R and Strauß, S and Thamm, M and Farré-Armengol, G and Junker, RR}, title = {The Bacterium Pantoea ananatis Modifies Behavioral Responses to Sugar Solutions in Honeybees.}, journal = {Insects}, volume = {11}, number = {10}, pages = {}, pmid = {33053745}, issn = {2075-4450}, abstract = {1. Honeybees, which are among the most important pollinators globally, do not only collect pollen and nectar during foraging but may also disperse diverse microbes. Some of these can be deleterious to agricultural crops and forest trees, such as the bacterium Pantoea ananatis, an emerging pathogen in some systems. P. ananatis infections can lead to leaf blotches, die-back, bulb rot, and fruit rot. 2. We isolated P. ananatis bacteria from flowers with the aim of determining whether honeybees can sense these bacteria and if the bacteria affect behavioral responses of the bees to sugar solutions. 3. Honeybees decreased their responsiveness to different sugar solutions when these contained high concentrations of P. ananatis but were not deterred by solutions from which bacteria had been removed. This suggests that their reduced responsiveness was due to the taste of bacteria and not to the depletion of sugar in the solution or bacteria metabolites. Intriguingly, the bees appeared not to taste ecologically relevant low concentrations of bacteria. 4. Synthesis and applications. Our data suggest that honeybees may introduce P. ananatis bacteria into nectar in field-realistic densities during foraging trips and may thus affect nectar quality and plant fitness.}, } @article {pmid33274051, year = {2020}, author = {Darras, KFA and Pérez, N and -, M and Dilong, L and Hanf-Dressler, T and Markolf, M and Wanger, TC}, title = {ecoSound-web: an open-source, online platform for ecoacoustics.}, journal = {F1000Research}, volume = {9}, number = {}, pages = {1224}, pmid = {33274051}, issn = {2046-1402}, abstract = {Passive acoustic monitoring of soundscapes and biodiversity produces vast amounts of audio recordings, but the management and analyses of these raw data present technical challenges. A multitude of software solutions exist, but none can fulfil all purposes required for the management, processing, navigation, analysis, and dissemination of acoustic data. The field of ecoacoustics needs a software tool that is free, evolving, and accessible. We take a step in that direction and present ecoSound-web: an open-source, online platform for ecoacoustics designed and built by ecologists and software engineers. ecoSound-web can be used for storing, organising, and sharing soundscape projects, manually creating and peer-reviewing annotations of soniferous animals and phonies, analysing audio in time and frequency, computing alpha acoustic indices, and providing reference sound libraries for different taxa. We present ecoSound-web's features, structure, and compare it with similar software. We describe its operation mode and the workflow for typical use cases such as the sampling of bird and bat communities, the use of a primate call library, and the analysis of phonies and acoustic indices. ecoSound-web is available from: https://github.com/ecomontec/ecoSound-web.}, } @article {pmid33033341, year = {2020}, author = {de Winter, II and Umanets, A and Gort, G and Nieuwland, WH and van Hooft, P and Heitkönig, IMA and Kappeler, PM and Prins, HHT and Smidt, H}, title = {Effects of seasonality and previous logging on faecal helminth-microbiota associations in wild lemurs.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {10}, number = {1}, pages = {16818}, pmid = {33033341}, issn = {2045-2322}, mesh = {Animals ; Ecosystem ; Feces/microbiology/parasitology ; Female ; Forestry/*statistics & numerical data ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; Helminthiasis/epidemiology/parasitology ; Helminths ; Lemur/microbiology/*parasitology ; Madagascar ; Male ; Seasons ; }, abstract = {Gastrointestinal helminth-microbiota associations are shaped by various ecological processes. The effect of the ecological context of the host on the bacterial microbiome and gastrointestinal helminth parasites has been tested in a number of ecosystems and experimentally. This study takes the important step to look at these two groups at the same time and to start to examine how these communities interact in a changing host environment. Fresh faecal samples (N = 335) from eight wild Eulemur populations were collected over 2 years across Madagascar. We used 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing to characterise the bacterial microbiota composition, and faecal flotation to isolate and morphologically identify nematode eggs. Infections with nematodes of the genera Callistoura and Lemuricola occurred in all lemur populations. Seasonality significantly contributed to the observed variation in microbiota composition, especially in the dry deciduous forest. Microbial richness and Lemuricola spp. infection prevalence were highest in a previously intensely logged site, whereas Callistoura spp. showed no such pattern. In addition, we observed significant correlations between gastrointestinal parasites and bacterial microbiota composition in these lemurs, with 0.4-0.7% of the variation in faecal bacterial microbiota composition being explained by helminth infections. With this study, we show effects of environmental conditions on gastrointestinal nematodes and bacterial interactions in wild lemurs and believe it is essential to consider the potential role of microbiome-parasite associations on the hosts' GI stability, health, and survival.}, } @article {pmid33024643, year = {2020}, author = {Fichtel, C and Dinter, K and Kappeler, PM}, title = {The lemur baseline: how lemurs compare to monkeys and apes in the Primate Cognition Test Battery.}, journal = {PeerJ}, volume = {8}, number = {}, pages = {e10025}, pmid = {33024643}, issn = {2167-8359}, abstract = {Primates have relatively larger brains than other mammals even though brain tissue is energetically costly. Comparative studies of variation in cognitive skills allow testing of evolutionary hypotheses addressing socioecological factors driving the evolution of primate brain size. However, data on cognitive abilities for meaningful interspecific comparisons are only available for haplorhine primates (great apes, Old- and New World monkeys) although strepsirrhine primates (lemurs and lorises) serve as the best living models of ancestral primate cognitive skills, linking primates to other mammals. To begin filling this gap, we tested members of three lemur species (Microcebus murinus, Varecia variegata, Lemur catta) with the Primate Cognition Test Battery, a comprehensive set of experiments addressing physical and social cognitive skills that has previously been used in studies of haplorhines. We found no significant differences in cognitive performance among lemur species and, surprisingly, their average performance was not different from that of haplorhines in many aspects. Specifically, lemurs' overall performance was inferior in the physical domain but matched that of haplorhines in the social domain. These results question a clear-cut link between brain size and cognitive skills, suggesting a more domain-specific distribution of cognitive abilities in primates, and indicate more continuity in cognitive abilities across primate lineages than previously thought.}, } @article {pmid32990104, year = {2020}, author = {Muirhead, CS and Srinivasan, J}, title = {Small molecule signals mediate social behaviors in C. elegans.}, journal = {Journal of neurogenetics}, volume = {34}, number = {3-4}, pages = {395-403}, pmid = {32990104}, issn = {1563-5260}, support = {R01 DC016058/DC/NIDCD NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Adaptation, Physiological ; Animals ; Caenorhabditis elegans/genetics/growth & development/*physiology ; Chemoreceptor Cells/physiology ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Female ; Genes, Helminth ; Glycolipids/chemistry/physiology ; Hermaphroditic Organisms/physiology ; Locomotion/physiology ; Male ; Metabolic Networks and Pathways ; Molecular Structure ; Nematoda/metabolism ; Neural Pathways/physiology ; Pheromones/chemistry/*physiology ; Sex Attractants/physiology ; Sexual Behavior, Animal/physiology ; Signal Transduction ; *Social Behavior ; Starvation ; }, abstract = {The last few decades have seen the structural and functional elucidation of small-molecule chemical signals called ascarosides in C. elegans. Ascarosides mediate several biological processes in worms, ranging from development, to behavior. These signals are modular in their design architecture, with their building blocks derived from metabolic pathways. Behavioral responses are not only concentration dependent, but also are influenced by the current physiological state of the animal. Cellular and circuit-level analyses suggest that these signals constitute a complex communication system, employing both synergistic molecular elements and sex-specific neuronal circuits governing the response. In this review, we discuss research from multiple laboratories, including our own, that detail how these chemical signals govern several different social behaviors in C. elegans. We propose that the ascaroside repertoire represents a link between diverse metabolic and neurobiological life-history traits and governs the survival of C. elegans in its natural environment.}, } @article {pmid32989147, year = {2020}, author = {Zittrell, F and Pfeiffer, K and Homberg, U}, title = {Matched-filter coding of sky polarization results in an internal sun compass in the brain of the desert locust.}, journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America}, volume = {117}, number = {41}, pages = {25810-25817}, pmid = {32989147}, issn = {1091-6490}, mesh = {Animals ; Brain/physiology/radiation effects ; Grasshoppers/*physiology/*radiation effects ; Orientation, Spatial ; Solar System ; Space Perception ; Sunlight ; }, abstract = {Many animals use celestial cues for spatial orientation. These include the sun and, in insects, the polarization pattern of the sky, which depends on the position of the sun. The central complex in the insect brain plays a key role in spatial orientation. In desert locusts, the angle of polarized light in the zenith above the animal and the direction of a simulated sun are represented in a compass-like fashion in the central complex, but how both compasses fit together for a unified representation of external space remained unclear. To address this question, we analyzed the sensitivity of intracellularly recorded central-complex neurons to the angle of polarized light presented from up to 33 positions in the animal's dorsal visual field and injected Neurobiotin tracer for cell identification. Neurons were polarization sensitive in large parts of the virtual sky that in some cells extended to the horizon in all directions. Neurons, moreover, were tuned to spatial patterns of polarization angles that matched the sky polarization pattern of particular sun positions. The horizontal components of these calculated solar positions were topographically encoded in the protocerebral bridge of the central complex covering 360° of space. This whole-sky polarization compass does not support the earlier reported polarization compass based on stimulation from a small spot above the animal but coincides well with the previously demonstrated direct sun compass based on unpolarized light stimulation. Therefore, direct sunlight and whole-sky polarization complement each other for robust head direction coding in the locust central complex.}, } @article {pmid32982822, year = {2020}, author = {Schubiger, MN and Fichtel, C and Burkart, JM}, title = {Validity of Cognitive Tests for Non-human Animals: Pitfalls and Prospects.}, journal = {Frontiers in psychology}, volume = {11}, number = {}, pages = {1835}, pmid = {32982822}, issn = {1664-1078}, abstract = {Comparative psychology assesses cognitive abilities and capacities of non-human animals and humans. Based on performance differences and similarities in various species in cognitive tests, it is inferred how their minds work and reconstructed how cognition might have evolved. Critically, such species comparisons are only valid and meaningful if the tasks truly capture individual and inter-specific variation in cognitive abilities rather than contextual variables that might affect task performance. Unlike in human test psychology, however, cognitive tasks for non-human primates (and most other animals) have been rarely evaluated regarding their measurement validity. We review recent studies that address how non-cognitive factors affect performance in a set of commonly used cognitive tasks, and if cognitive tests truly measure individual variation in cognitive abilities. We find that individual differences in emotional and motivational factors primarily affect performance via attention. Hence, it is crucial to systematically control for attention during cognitive tasks to obtain valid and reliable results. Aspects of test design, however, can also have a substantial effect on cognitive performance. We conclude that non-cognitive factors are a minor source of measurement error if acknowledged and properly controlled for. It is essential, however, to validate and eventually re-design several primate cognition tasks in order to ascertain that they capture the cognitive abilities they were designed to measure. This will provide a more solid base for future cognitive comparisons within primates but also across a wider range of non-human animal species.}, } @article {pmid32975654, year = {2020}, author = {Fleischmann, PN and Grob, R and Rössler, W}, title = {Magnetoreception in Hymenoptera: importance for navigation.}, journal = {Animal cognition}, volume = {23}, number = {6}, pages = {1051-1061}, pmid = {32975654}, issn = {1435-9456}, support = {FL1060/1-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; RO1177/7-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; GSO/KT 16//Klaus Tschira Stiftung/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Ants ; Cues ; Homing Behavior ; Learning ; Walking ; }, abstract = {The use of information provided by the geomagnetic field (GMF) for navigation is widespread across the animal kingdom. At the same time, the magnetic sense is one of the least understood senses. Here, we review evidence for magnetoreception in Hymenoptera. We focus on experiments aiming to shed light on the role of the GMF for navigation. Both honeybees and desert ants are well-studied experimental models for navigation, and both use the GMF for specific navigational tasks under certain conditions. Cataglyphis desert ants use the GMF as a compass cue for path integration during their initial learning walks to align their gaze directions towards the nest entrance. This represents the first example for the use of the GMF in an insect species for a genuine navigational task under natural conditions and with all other navigational cues available. We argue that the recently described magnetic compass in Cataglyphis opens up a new integrative approach to understand the mechanisms underlying magnetoreception in Hymenoptera on different biological levels.}, } @article {pmid32973409, year = {2020}, author = {Junker, J and Petrovan, SO and Arroyo-RodrÍguez, V and Boonratana, R and Byler, D and Chapman, CA and Chetry, D and Cheyne, SM and Cornejo, FM and CortÉs-Ortiz, L and Cowlishaw, G and Christie, AP and Crockford, C and Torre, S and De Melo, FR and Fan, P and Grueter, CC and GuzmÁn-Caro, DC and Heymann, EW and Herbinger, I and Hoang, MD and Horwich, RH and Humle, T and Ikemeh, RA and Imong, IS and Jerusalinsky, L and Johnson, SE and Kappeler, PM and Kierulff, MCM and KonÉ, I and Kormos, R and Le, KQ and Li, B and Marshall, AJ and Meijaard, E and Mittermeier, RA and Muroyama, Y and Neugebauer, E and Orth, L and Palacios, E and Papworth, SK and Plumptre, AJ and Rawson, BM and Refisch, J and Ratsimbazafy, J and Roos, C and Setchell, JM and Smith, RK and Sop, T and Schwitzer, C and Slater, K and Strum, SC and Sutherland, WJ and Talebi, M and Wallis, J and Wich, S and Williamson, EA and Wittig, RM and KÜhl, HS}, title = {A Severe Lack of Evidence Limits Effective Conservation of the World's Primates.}, journal = {Bioscience}, volume = {70}, number = {9}, pages = {794-803}, pmid = {32973409}, issn = {0006-3568}, abstract = {Threats to biodiversity are well documented. However, to effectively conserve species and their habitats, we need to know which conservation interventions do (or do not) work. Evidence-based conservation evaluates interventions within a scientific framework. The Conservation Evidence project has summarized thousands of studies testing conservation interventions and compiled these as synopses for various habitats and taxa. In the present article, we analyzed the interventions assessed in the primate synopsis and compared these with other taxa. We found that despite intensive efforts to study primates and the extensive threats they face, less than 1% of primate studies evaluated conservation effectiveness. The studies often lacked quantitative data, failed to undertake postimplementation monitoring of populations or individuals, or implemented several interventions at once. Furthermore, the studies were biased toward specific taxa, geographic regions, and interventions. We describe barriers for testing primate conservation interventions and propose actions to improve the conservation evidence base to protect this endangered and globally important taxon.}, } @article {pmid32968780, year = {2020}, author = {Değirmenci, L and Geiger, D and Rogé Ferreira, FL and Keller, A and Krischke, B and Beye, M and Steffan-Dewenter, I and Scheiner, R}, title = {CRISPR/Cas 9-Mediated Mutations as a New Tool for Studying Taste in Honeybees.}, journal = {Chemical senses}, volume = {45}, number = {8}, pages = {655-666}, doi = {10.1093/chemse/bjaa063}, pmid = {32968780}, issn = {1464-3553}, mesh = {Animals ; Bees/*genetics/*physiology ; CRISPR-Associated Protein 9/*metabolism ; *CRISPR-Cas Systems ; *Mutagenesis ; *Mutation ; Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled/genetics ; Taste/*genetics/*physiology ; }, abstract = {Honeybees rely on nectar as their main source of carbohydrates. Sucrose, glucose, and fructose are the main components of plant nectars. Intriguingly, honeybees express only 3 putative sugar receptors (AmGr1, AmGr2, and AmGr3), which is in stark contrast to many other insects and vertebrates. The sugar receptors are only partially characterized. AmGr1 detects different sugars including sucrose and glucose. AmGr2 is assumed to act as a co-receptor only, while AmGr3 is assumedly a fructose receptor. We show that honeybee gustatory receptor AmGr3 is highly specialized for fructose perception when expressed in Xenopus oocytes. When we introduced nonsense mutations to the respective AmGr3 gene using CRISPR/Cas9 in eggs of female workers, the resulting mutants displayed almost a complete loss of responsiveness to fructose. In contrast, responses to sucrose were normal. Nonsense mutations introduced by CRISPR/Cas9 in honeybees can thus induce a measurable behavioral change and serve to characterize the function of taste receptors in vivo. CRISPR/Cas9 is an excellent novel tool for characterizing honeybee taste receptors in vivo. Biophysical receptor characterization in Xenopus oocytes and nonsense mutation of AmGr3 in honeybees unequivocally demonstrate that this receptor is highly specific for fructose.}, } @article {pmid32955732, year = {2020}, author = {Helfrecht, C and Roulette, JW and Lane, A and Sintayehu, B and Meehan, CL}, title = {Life history and socioecology of infancy.}, journal = {American journal of physical anthropology}, volume = {173}, number = {4}, pages = {619-629}, doi = {10.1002/ajpa.24145}, pmid = {32955732}, issn = {1096-8644}, mesh = {Adolescent ; Adult ; Africa South of the Sahara ; Anthropology ; *Biological Evolution ; Caregivers ; *Cooperative Behavior ; Environment ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant Care ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mother-Child Relations/*ethnology ; Mothers ; *Social Support ; Sociobiology ; Young Adult ; }, abstract = {OBJECTIVES: Evolution of human maternal investment strategies is hypothesized to be tied to biological constraints and environmental cues. It is likely, however, that the socioecological context in which mothers' decisions are made is equally important. Yet, a lack of studies examining maternal investment from a cross-cultural, holistic approach has hindered our ability to investigate the evolution of maternal investment strategies. Here, we take a systems-level approach to study how human life history characteristics, environments, and socioecology influence maternal investment in their children.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: We test how infant age and sex, maternal age, parity, and child loss, and the composition of a child's cooperative breeding network are associated with maternal investment across three small-scale (hunter-gatherer, horticultural, and agropastoral), sub-Saharan populations (N = 212). Naturalistic behavioral observations also enable us to illustrate the breadth and depth of the human cooperative breeding system.

RESULTS: Results indicate that infant age, maternal age and parity, and an infant's cooperative childcare network are significantly associated with maternal investment, controlling for population. We also find that human allomaternal care is conducted by a range of caregivers, occupying different relational, sex, and age categories. Moreover, investment by allomothers is widely distributed.

DISCUSSION: Our findings illustrate the social context in which children are reared in contemporary small-scale populations, and in which they were likely reared throughout our evolutionary history. The diversity of the caregiving network, coupled with life history characteristics, is predictive of maternal investment strategies, demonstrating the importance of cooperation in the evolution of human ontogeny.}, } @article {pmid32955622, year = {2021}, author = {Rasolofoniaina, BN and Kappeler, PM and Fichtel, C}, title = {Neophobia and social facilitation in narrow-striped mongooses.}, journal = {Animal cognition}, volume = {24}, number = {1}, pages = {165-175}, pmid = {32955622}, issn = {1435-9456}, support = {57129429//Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DE)/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Female ; *Herpestidae ; Learning ; Social Facilitation ; *Social Learning ; }, abstract = {Social learning is widespread in the animal kingdom, but individuals can differ in how they acquire and use social information. Personality traits, such as neophobia, may, for example, promote individual learning strategies. Here, we contribute comparative data on social learning strategies in carnivorans by examining whether narrow-striped mongooses (Mungotictis decemlineata), a group-living Malagasy euplerid, learn socially and whether neophobia influences social learning. To this end, we tested seven wild female groups with a two-option artificial feeding box, using a demonstrator-observer paradigm, and conducted novel object tests to assess neophobia. In five groups, one individual was trained as a demonstrator displaying one of the techniques, whereas the other two groups served as control groups. Neophobia did not co-vary with an individual's propensity to seek social information. However, less neophobic individuals, and individuals that tended to seek social information, learned the task faster. Moreover, individuals in demonstrator groups learned the task faster than those in groups without a demonstrator and used the demonstrated technique more often. Hence, narrow-striped mongooses rely on social facilitation and local or stimulus enhancement to solve new problems. Finally, our results suggest that several individual characteristics should be taken into consideration to obtain a more comprehensive understanding of social learning strategies.}, } @article {pmid32895936, year = {2021}, author = {Cantor, M and Maldonado-Chaparro, AA and Beck, KB and Brandl, HB and Carter, GG and He, P and Hillemann, F and Klarevas-Irby, JA and Ogino, M and Papageorgiou, D and Prox, L and Farine, DR}, title = {The importance of individual-to-society feedbacks in animal ecology and evolution.}, journal = {The Journal of animal ecology}, volume = {90}, number = {1}, pages = {27-44}, doi = {10.1111/1365-2656.13336}, pmid = {32895936}, issn = {1365-2656}, mesh = {Animals ; *Biological Evolution ; Ecology ; Feedback ; *Social Behavior ; Social Environment ; }, abstract = {The social decisions that individuals make-who to interact with and how frequently-give rise to social structure. The resulting social structure then determines how individuals interact with their surroundings-resources and risks, pathogens and predators, competitors and cooperators. However, despite intensive research on (a) how individuals make social decisions and (b) how social structure shapes social processes (e.g. cooperation, competition and conflict), there are still few studies linking these two perspectives. These perspectives represent two halves of a feedback loop: individual behaviour scales up to define the social environment, and this environment, in turn, feeds back by shaping the selective agents that drive individual behaviour. We first review well-established research areas that have captured both elements of this feedback loop-host-pathogen dynamics and cultural transmission. We then highlight areas where social structure is well studied but the two perspectives remain largely disconnected. Finally, we synthesise existing research on 14 distinct research topics to identify new prospects where the interplay between social structure and social processes are likely to be important but remain largely unexplored. Our review shows that the inherent links between individuals' traits, their social decisions, social structure and social evolution, warrant more consideration. By mapping the existing and missing connections among many research areas, our review highlights where explicitly considering social structure and the individual-to-society feedbacks can reveal new dimensions to old questions in ecology and evolution.}, } @article {pmid32854218, year = {2020}, author = {Leonhardt, SD and Lihoreau, M and Spaethe, J}, title = {Mechanisms of Nutritional Resource Exploitation by Insects.}, journal = {Insects}, volume = {11}, number = {9}, pages = {}, pmid = {32854218}, issn = {2075-4450}, abstract = {Insects have evolved an extraordinary range of nutritional adaptations to exploit other animals, plants, bacteria, fungi and soils as resources in terrestrial and aquatic environments. This special issue provides some new insights into the mechanisms underlying these adaptations. Contributions comprise lab and field studies investigating the chemical, physiological, cognitive and behavioral mechanisms that enable resource exploitation and nutrient intake regulation in insects. The collection of papers highlights the need for more studies on the comparative sensory ecology, underlying nutritional quality assessment, cue perception and decision making to fully understand how insects adjust resource selection and exploitation in response to environmental heterogeneity and variability.}, } @article {pmid32842923, year = {2020}, author = {Ruedenauer, FA and Sydow, D and Spaethe, J and Leonhardt, SD}, title = {Young bumblebees may rely on both direct pollen cues and early experience when foraging.}, journal = {Proceedings. Biological sciences}, volume = {287}, number = {1933}, pages = {20201615}, pmid = {32842923}, issn = {1471-2954}, mesh = {Animals ; Bees/*physiology ; *Cues ; Drosophila melanogaster ; *Feeding Behavior ; Larva ; Plant Nectar ; *Pollen ; Pollination ; Reproduction ; }, abstract = {An adequate supply of macro- and micronutrients determines health and reproductive success in most animals. Many bee species, for example, collect nectar and pollen to satisfy their demands for carbohydrates, protein and fat, respectively. Bees can assess the quality of pollen by feeding on it, but also pre-digestively by means of chemotactile assessment. Whether they additionally use larval nutritional experience, as has been shown for Drosophila melanogaster and Bombyx mori, is unknown. In this study, we tested whether pollen selection of bumblebee foragers is affected by nutritional experience (acquired before the onset of foraging) or solely by food quality. Bumblebee larvae were fed with one out of three different pollen blends. As adults, they were offered all three blends when they started foraging for the first time. We found all treatment groups to prefer one out of the three blends. This blend provided the highest nutritional quality and increased the bees' lifespan, as shown by feeding studies with microcolonies. Besides, bees also chose the pollen blend fed during their larval stage more often than expected, indicating a significant effect of pre-foraging experience on adult pollen foraging behaviour. The combination of both direct pollen quality assessment and pre-foraging experience (i.e. during the larval phase or as early imagines) seems to allow foraging bumblebees to efficiently select the most suitable pollen for their colony.}, } @article {pmid32811314, year = {2020}, author = {Imrit, MA and Dogantzis, KA and Harpur, BA and Zayed, A}, title = {Eusociality influences the strength of negative selection on insect genomes.}, journal = {Proceedings. Biological sciences}, volume = {287}, number = {1933}, pages = {20201512}, pmid = {32811314}, issn = {1471-2954}, mesh = {Animals ; Ants/genetics ; Bees/genetics ; *Behavior, Animal ; *Biological Evolution ; *Genome, Insect ; Insecta/genetics ; Phenotype ; Selection, Genetic ; *Social Behavior ; Wasps ; }, abstract = {While much of the focus of sociobiology concerns identifying genomic changes that influence social behaviour, we know little about the consequences of social behaviour on genome evolution. It has been hypothesized that social evolution can influence the strength of negative selection via two mechanisms. First, division of labour can influence the efficiency of negative selection in a caste-specific manner; indirect negative selection on worker traits is theoretically expected to be weaker than direct selection on queen traits. Second, increasing social complexity is expected to lead to relaxed negative selection because of its influence on effective population size. We tested these two hypotheses by estimating the strength of negative selection in honeybees, bumblebees, paper wasps, fire ants and six other insects that span the range of social complexity. We found no consistent evidence that negative selection was significantly stronger on queen-biased genes relative to worker-biased genes. However, we found strong evidence that increased social complexity reduced the efficiency of negative selection. Our study clearly illustrates how changes in behaviour can influence patterns of genome evolution by modulating the strength of natural selection.}, } @article {pmid32762777, year = {2020}, author = {Dent, R}, title = {Subject 01: exemplary Indigenous masculinity in Cold War genetics.}, journal = {British journal for the history of science}, volume = {53}, number = {3}, pages = {311-332}, doi = {10.1017/S000708742000031X}, pmid = {32762777}, issn = {1474-001X}, abstract = {In 1962 a team of scientists conducted their first joint fieldwork in a Xavante village in Central Brazil. Recycling long-standing notions that living Indigenous people represented human prehistory, the scientists saw Indigenous people as useful subjects of study not only due to their closeness to nature, but also due to their sociocultural and political realities. The geneticists' vision crystalized around one subject - the famous chief Apöwẽ. Through Apöwẽ, the geneticists fixated on what they perceived as the political prowess, impressive physique, and masculine reproductive aptitude of Xavante men. These constructions of charismatic masculinity came at the expense of recognizing how profoundly colonial expansion into Mato Grosso had destabilized Xavante communities, stripping them of their land and introducing epidemic disease. The geneticists' theorizing prefigured debates to come in sociobiology, and set up an enduring research programme that Apöwẽ continues to animate even four decades after his death.}, } @article {pmid32642760, year = {2021}, author = {Poelstra, JW and Salmona, J and Tiley, GP and Schüßler, D and Blanco, MB and Andriambeloson, JB and Bouchez, O and Campbell, CR and Etter, PD and Hohenlohe, PA and Hunnicutt, KE and Iribar, A and Johnson, EA and Kappeler, PM and Larsen, PA and Manzi, S and Ralison, JM and Randrianambinina, B and Rasoloarison, RM and Rasolofoson, DW and Stahlke, AR and Weisrock, DW and Williams, RC and Chikhi, L and Louis, EE and Radespiel, U and Yoder, AD}, title = {Cryptic Patterns of Speciation in Cryptic Primates: Microendemic Mouse Lemurs and the Multispecies Coalescent.}, journal = {Systematic biology}, volume = {70}, number = {2}, pages = {203-218}, doi = {10.1093/sysbio/syaa053}, pmid = {32642760}, issn = {1076-836X}, mesh = {Animals ; *Cheirogaleidae/classification/genetics ; DNA, Mitochondrial/genetics ; Ecosystem ; Fossils ; *Genetic Speciation ; Phylogeny ; }, abstract = {Mouse lemurs (Microcebus) are a radiation of morphologically cryptic primates distributed throughout Madagascar for which the number of recognized species has exploded in the past two decades. This taxonomic revision has prompted understandable concern that there has been substantial oversplitting in the mouse lemur clade. Here, we investigate mouse lemur diversity in a region in northeastern Madagascar with high levels of microendemism and predicted habitat loss. We analyzed RADseq data with multispecies coalescent (MSC) species delimitation methods for two pairs of sister lineages that include three named species and an undescribed lineage previously identified to have divergent mtDNA. Marked differences in effective population sizes, levels of gene flow, patterns of isolation-by-distance, and species delimitation results were found among the two pairs of lineages. Whereas all tests support the recognition of the presently undescribed lineage as a separate species, the species-level distinction of two previously described species, M. mittermeieri and M. lehilahytsara is not supported-a result that is particularly striking when using the genealogical discordance index (gdi). Nonsister lineages occur sympatrically in two of the localities sampled for this study, despite an estimated divergence time of less than 1 Ma. This suggests rapid evolution of reproductive isolation in the focal lineages and in the mouse lemur clade generally. The divergence time estimates reported here are based on the MSC calibrated with pedigree-based mutation rates and are considerably more recent than previously published fossil-calibrated relaxed-clock estimates. We discuss the possible explanations for this discrepancy, noting that there are theoretical justifications for preferring the MSC estimates in this case. [Cryptic species; effective population size; microendemism; multispecies coalescent; speciation; species delimitation.].}, } @article {pmid32607099, year = {2020}, author = {Yordy, J and Kraus, C and Hayward, JJ and White, ME and Shannon, LM and Creevy, KE and Promislow, DEL and Boyko, AR}, title = {Body size, inbreeding, and lifespan in domestic dogs.}, journal = {Conservation genetics (Print)}, volume = {21}, number = {1}, pages = {137-148}, pmid = {32607099}, issn = {1566-0621}, support = {U19 AG057377/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States ; }, abstract = {Inbreeding poses a real or potential threat to nearly every species of conservation concern. Inbreeding leads to loss of diversity at the individual level, which can cause inbreeding depression, and at the population level, which can hinder ability to respond to a changing environment. In closed populations such as endangered species and ex situ breeding programs, some degree of inbreeding is inevitable. It is therefore vital to understand how different patterns of breeding and inbreeding can affect fitness in real animals. Domestic dogs provide an excellent model, showing dramatic variation in degree of inbreeding and in lifespan, an important aspect of fitness that is known to be impacted by inbreeding in other species. There is a strong negative correlation between body size and lifespan in dogs, but it is unknown whether the higher rate of aging in large dogs is due to body size per se or some other factor associated with large size. We used dense genome-wide SNP array data to calculate average inbreeding for over 100 dog breeds based on autozygous segment length and found that large breeds tend to have higher coefficients of inbreeding than small breeds. We then used data from the Veterinary medical Database and other published sources to estimate life expectancies for pure and mixed breed dogs. When controlling for size, variation in inbreeding was not associated with life expectancy across breeds. When comparing mixed versus purebred dogs, however, mixed breed dogs lived about 1.2 years longer on average than size-matched purebred dogs. Furthermore, individual pedigree coefficients of inbreeding and lifespans for over 9000 golden retrievers showed that inbreeding does negatively impact lifespan at the individual level. Registration data from the American Kennel Club suggest that the molecular inbreeding patterns observed in purebred dogs result from specific breeding practices and/or founder effects and not the current population size. Our results suggest that recent inbreeding, as reflected in variation within a breed, is more likely to affect fitness than historic inbreeding, as reflected in variation among breeds. Our results also indicate that occasional outcrosses, as in mixed breed dogs, can have a substantial positive effect on fitness.}, } @article {pmid32592751, year = {2020}, author = {Sharma, A and Singh, P and Sarmah, BK and Nandi, SP}, title = {Quorum sensing: its role in microbial social networking.}, journal = {Research in microbiology}, volume = {171}, number = {5-6}, pages = {159-164}, doi = {10.1016/j.resmic.2020.06.003}, pmid = {32592751}, issn = {1769-7123}, mesh = {Acyl-Butyrolactones/metabolism ; Endophytes/physiology ; Fungi/physiology ; Gram-Negative Bacteria/*physiology ; Gram-Positive Bacteria/*physiology ; Microbial Interactions ; Plants/microbiology ; *Quorum Sensing ; }, abstract = {Twentieth century observed a huge paradigm shift in the field of sociobiology, which moved from social intelligence of animals to microbes. Quorum Sensing Molecules (QSMs) are the small chemical molecules, which establish the mode of communication among microbes, and is called Quorum Sensing (QS). These molecules are crucial for determining the decisions of large groups of cells, which is a density-dependent process. Thus, this mechanism draws a very thin line between bacteria that are actually prokaryotes and clustered bacteria mimicking eukaryotes. This review discusses about the designs of microbial communication networks, and the role of QS in plant-microbe interaction.}, } @article {pmid32563109, year = {2020}, author = {Sarkar, S and Majumder, P}, title = {COVID 19 draws attention to the adaptive evolutionary perspective of certain personality traits.}, journal = {Asian journal of psychiatry}, volume = {53}, number = {}, pages = {102215}, pmid = {32563109}, issn = {1876-2026}, mesh = {*Adaptation, Psychological ; *COVID-19/epidemiology/psychology ; Emotional Adjustment/physiology ; Human Characteristics ; Humans ; Interpersonal Relations ; Personality/*physiology ; *Resilience, Psychological ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid32537486, year = {2020}, author = {Charpentier, MJE and Harté, M and Poirotte, C and de Bellefon, JM and Laubi, B and Kappeler, PM and Renoult, JP}, title = {Same father, same face: Deep learning reveals selection for signaling kinship in a wild primate.}, journal = {Science advances}, volume = {6}, number = {22}, pages = {eaba3274}, pmid = {32537486}, issn = {2375-2548}, mesh = {Animals ; Artificial Intelligence ; *Deep Learning ; Fathers ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; *Mandrillus ; Primates ; Social Behavior ; }, abstract = {Many animals rely on facial traits to recognize their kin; however, whether these traits have been selected specifically for this function remains unknown. Using deep learning for face recognition, we present the first evidence that interindividual facial resemblance has been selected to signal paternal kinship. Mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx) live in matrilineal societies, in which females spend their entire lives not only with maternal half-sisters (MHS) but also with paternal half-sisters (PHS). We show that PHS have more differentiated social relationships compared to nonkin, suggesting the existence of kin recognition mechanisms. We further demonstrate that facial resemblance increases with genetic relatedness. However, PHS resemble each other visually more than MHS do, despite both kin categories sharing similar degrees of genetic relatedness. This paternally derived facial resemblance among PHS indicates selection to facilitate kin recognition. This study also highlights the potential of artificial intelligence to study phenotypic evolution.}, } @article {pmid32516611, year = {2020}, author = {Jundi, BE}, title = {Underwater Path Integration: Using the Celestial Dome to Get Back Home.}, journal = {Current biology : CB}, volume = {30}, number = {11}, pages = {R639-R642}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2020.04.019}, pmid = {32516611}, issn = {1879-0445}, mesh = {Animals ; Crustacea ; Cues ; *Mantodea ; *Orientation ; Orientation, Spatial ; }, abstract = {A new study shows that mantis shrimp employ path integration, based on celestial and egocentric cues as orientation references, to return to their underwater burrows.}, } @article {pmid32494622, year = {2020}, author = {Stöckl, AL and O'Carroll, DC and Warrant, EJ}, title = {Hawkmoth lamina monopolar cells act as dynamic spatial filters to optimize vision at different light levels.}, journal = {Science advances}, volume = {6}, number = {16}, pages = {eaaz8645}, pmid = {32494622}, issn = {2375-2548}, abstract = {How neural form and function are connected is a central question of neuroscience. One prominent functional hypothesis, from the beginnings of neuroanatomical study, states that laterally extending dendrites of insect lamina monopolar cells (LMCs) spatially integrate visual information. We provide the first direct functional evidence for this hypothesis using intracellular recordings from type II LMCs in the hawkmoth Macroglossum stellatarum. We show that their spatial receptive fields broaden with decreasing light intensities, thus trading spatial resolution for higher sensitivity. These dynamic changes in LMC spatial properties can be explained by the density and lateral extent of their dendritic arborizations. Our results thus provide the first physiological evidence for a century-old hypothesis, directly correlating physiological response properties with distinctive dendritic morphology.}, } @article {pmid32420847, year = {2020}, author = {Scharf, HM and Suarez, AV and Reeve, HK and Hauber, ME}, title = {The evolution of conspecific acceptance threshold models.}, journal = {Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences}, volume = {375}, number = {1802}, pages = {20190475}, pmid = {32420847}, issn = {1471-2970}, mesh = {Animals ; *Cues ; Models, Biological ; *Recognition, Psychology ; }, abstract = {How do organisms balance different types of recognition errors when cues associated with desirable and undesirable individuals or resources overlap? This is a fundamental question of signal detection theory (SDT). As applied in sociobiology, SDT is not limited to a single context or animal taxon, therefore its application can span what may be considered dissimilar systems. One of the applications of SDT is the suite of acceptance threshold models proposed by Reeve (1989), which analysed how individuals should balance acceptance and rejection errors in social discrimination decisions across a variety of recognition contexts, distinguished by how these costs and benefits relatively combine. We conducted a literature review to evaluate whether these models' specific predictions have been upheld. By examining over 350 research papers, we quantify how Reeve's models (Reeve 1989 Am. Nat.133, 407-435 (doi:10.1086/284926)) have influenced the field of ecological and behavioural recognition systems research. We found overall empirical support for the predictions of the specific models proposed by Reeve, and argue for further expansion of their applications into more diverse taxonomic and additional recognition contexts. This article is part of the theme issue 'Signal detection theory in recognition systems: from evolving models to experimental tests'.}, } @article {pmid32374034, year = {2021}, author = {Hensgen, R and England, L and Homberg, U and Pfeiffer, K}, title = {Neuroarchitecture of the central complex in the brain of the honeybee: Neuronal cell types.}, journal = {The Journal of comparative neurology}, volume = {529}, number = {1}, pages = {159-186}, doi = {10.1002/cne.24941}, pmid = {32374034}, issn = {1096-9861}, mesh = {Animals ; Bees/*cytology ; Brain/anatomy & histology/*cytology ; *Brain Chemistry ; Neurons/*chemistry ; Neuropil/*chemistry ; }, abstract = {The central complex (CX) in the insect brain is a higher order integration center that controls a number of behaviors, most prominently goal directed locomotion. The CX comprises the protocerebral bridge (PB), the upper division of the central body (CBU), the lower division of the central body (CBL), and the paired noduli (NO). Although spatial orientation has been extensively studied in honeybees at the behavioral level, most electrophysiological and anatomical analyses have been carried out in other insect species, leaving the morphology and physiology of neurons that constitute the CX in the honeybee mostly enigmatic. The goal of this study was to morphologically identify neuronal cell types of the CX in the honeybee Apis mellifera. By performing iontophoretic dye injections into the CX, we traced 16 subtypes of neuron that connect a subdivision of the CX with other regions in the bee's central brain, and eight subtypes that mainly interconnect different subdivisions of the CX. They establish extensive connections between the CX and the lateral complex, the superior protocerebrum and the posterior protocerebrum. Characterized neuron classes and subtypes are morphologically similar to those described in other insects, suggesting considerable conservation in the neural network relevant for orientation.}, } @article {pmid32362060, year = {2020}, author = {Noonan, MJ and Fleming, CH and Tucker, MA and Kays, R and Harrison, AL and Crofoot, MC and Abrahms, B and Alberts, SC and Ali, AH and Altmann, J and Antunes, PC and Attias, N and Belant, JL and Beyer, DE and Bidner, LR and Blaum, N and Boone, RB and Caillaud, D and de Paula, RC and de la Torre, JA and Dekker, J and DePerno, CS and Farhadinia, M and Fennessy, J and Fichtel, C and Fischer, C and Ford, A and Goheen, JR and Havmøller, RW and Hirsch, BT and Hurtado, C and Isbell, LA and Janssen, R and Jeltsch, F and Kaczensky, P and Kaneko, Y and Kappeler, P and Katna, A and Kauffman, M and Koch, F and Kulkarni, A and LaPoint, S and Leimgruber, P and Macdonald, DW and Markham, AC and McMahon, L and Mertes, K and Moorman, CE and Morato, RG and Moßbrucker, AM and Mourão, G and O'Connor, D and Oliveira-Santos, LGR and Pastorini, J and Patterson, BD and Rachlow, J and Ranglack, DH and Reid, N and Scantlebury, DM and Scott, DM and Selva, N and Sergiel, A and Songer, M and Songsasen, N and Stabach, JA and Stacy-Dawes, J and Swingen, MB and Thompson, JJ and Ullmann, W and Vanak, AT and Thaker, M and Wilson, JW and Yamazaki, K and Yarnell, RW and Zieba, F and Zwijacz-Kozica, T and Fagan, WF and Mueller, T and Calabrese, JM}, title = {Effects of body size on estimation of mammalian area requirements.}, journal = {Conservation biology : the journal of the Society for Conservation Biology}, volume = {34}, number = {4}, pages = {1017-1028}, pmid = {32362060}, issn = {1523-1739}, mesh = {Animals ; Body Size ; *Conservation of Natural Resources ; Endangered Species ; Homing Behavior ; Humans ; *Mammals ; }, abstract = {Accurately quantifying species' area requirements is a prerequisite for effective area-based conservation. This typically involves collecting tracking data on species of interest and then conducting home-range analyses. Problematically, autocorrelation in tracking data can result in space needs being severely underestimated. Based on the previous work, we hypothesized the magnitude of underestimation varies with body mass, a relationship that could have serious conservation implications. To evaluate this hypothesis for terrestrial mammals, we estimated home-range areas with global positioning system (GPS) locations from 757 individuals across 61 globally distributed mammalian species with body masses ranging from 0.4 to 4000 kg. We then applied block cross-validation to quantify bias in empirical home-range estimates. Area requirements of mammals <10 kg were underestimated by a mean approximately15%, and species weighing approximately100 kg were underestimated by approximately50% on average. Thus, we found area estimation was subject to autocorrelation-induced bias that was worse for large species. Combined with the fact that extinction risk increases as body mass increases, the allometric scaling of bias we observed suggests the most threatened species are also likely to be those with the least accurate home-range estimates. As a correction, we tested whether data thinning or autocorrelation-informed home-range estimation minimized the scaling effect of autocorrelation on area estimates. Data thinning required an approximately93% data loss to achieve statistical independence with 95% confidence and was, therefore, not a viable solution. In contrast, autocorrelation-informed home-range estimation resulted in consistently accurate estimates irrespective of mass. When relating body mass to home range size, we detected that correcting for autocorrelation resulted in a scaling exponent significantly >1, meaning the scaling of the relationship changed substantially at the upper end of the mass spectrum.}, } @article {pmid32351370, year = {2020}, author = {Scheiner, R and Frantzmann, F and Jäger, M and Mitesser, O and Helfrich-Förster, C and Pauls, D}, title = {A Novel Thermal-Visual Place Learning Paradigm for Honeybees (Apis mellifera).}, journal = {Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience}, volume = {14}, number = {}, pages = {56}, pmid = {32351370}, issn = {1662-5153}, abstract = {Honeybees (Apis mellifera) have fascinating navigational skills and learning capabilities in the field. To decipher the mechanisms underlying place learning in honeybees, we need paradigms to study place learning of individual honeybees under controlled laboratory conditions. Here, we present a novel visual place learning arena for honeybees which relies on high temperatures as aversive stimuli. Honeybees learn to locate a safe spot in an unpleasantly warm arena, relying on a visual panorama. Bees can solve this task at a temperature of 46°C, while at temperatures above 48°C bees die quickly. This new paradigm, which is based on pioneering work on Drosophila, allows us now to investigate thermal-visual place learning of individual honeybees in the laboratory, for example after controlled genetic knockout or pharmacological intervention.}, } @article {pmid32337712, year = {2020}, author = {Habenstein, J and Amini, E and Grübel, K and El Jundi, B and Rössler, W}, title = {The brain of Cataglyphis ants: Neuronal organization and visual projections.}, journal = {The Journal of comparative neurology}, volume = {528}, number = {18}, pages = {3479-3506}, doi = {10.1002/cne.24934}, pmid = {32337712}, issn = {1096-9861}, mesh = {Animals ; Ants/*anatomy & histology/*physiology ; Brain/*anatomy & histology/physiology ; Immunohistochemistry ; Learning/physiology ; Microscopy, Confocal ; Neurons/cytology/physiology ; Neuropil/cytology/physiology ; Spatial Navigation/*physiology ; Visual Pathways/*anatomy & histology/physiology ; Visual Perception/physiology ; }, abstract = {Cataglyphis ants are known for their outstanding navigational abilities. They return to their inconspicuous nest after far-reaching foraging trips using path integration, and whenever available, learn and memorize visual features of panoramic sceneries. To achieve this, the ants combine directional visual information from celestial cues and panoramic scenes with distance information from an intrinsic odometer. The largely vision-based navigation in Cataglyphis requires sophisticated neuronal networks to process the broad repertoire of visual stimuli. Although Cataglyphis ants have been subjected to many neuroethological studies, little is known about the general neuronal organization of their central brain and the visual pathways beyond major circuits. Here, we provide a comprehensive, three-dimensional neuronal map of synapse-rich neuropils in the brain of Cataglyphis nodus including major connecting fiber systems. In addition, we examined neuronal tracts underlying the processing of visual information in more detail. This study revealed a total of 33 brain neuropils and 30 neuronal fiber tracts including six distinct tracts between the optic lobes and the cerebrum. We also discuss the importance of comparative studies on insect brain architecture for a profound understanding of neuronal networks and their function.}, } @article {pmid32330550, year = {2020}, author = {Rudolph, K and Fichtel, C and Heistermann, M and Kappeler, PM}, title = {Dynamics and determinants of glucocorticoid metabolite concentrations in wild Verreaux's sifakas.}, journal = {Hormones and behavior}, volume = {124}, number = {}, pages = {104760}, doi = {10.1016/j.yhbeh.2020.104760}, pmid = {32330550}, issn = {1095-6867}, mesh = {Animals ; Behavior, Animal/physiology ; Dominance-Subordination ; Eating/physiology ; Energy Metabolism/physiology ; Feces/chemistry ; Female ; Glucocorticoids/analysis/*metabolism ; Indriidae/metabolism/*physiology ; Male ; Pregnancy ; Reproduction/physiology ; Seasons ; Social Behavior ; }, abstract = {Glucocorticoids have wide-ranging effects on animals' behaviour, but many of these effects remain poorly understood because numerous confounding factors have often been neglected in previous studies. Here, we present data from a 2-year study of 7 groups of wild Verreaux's sifakas (Propithecus verreauxi), in which we examined concentrations of faecal glucocorticoid metabolites (fGCMs, n = 2350 samples) simultaneously in relation to ambient temperatures, food intake, rank, reproduction, adult sex ratios, social interactions, vigilance and self-scratching. Multi-variate analyses revealed that fGCM concentrations were positively correlated with increases in daily temperature fluctuations and tended to decrease with increasing fruit intake. fGCM concentrations increased when males were sexually mature and began to disperse, and dominant males had higher fGCM concentrations than subordinate males. In contrast to males, older females showed a non-significant trend to have lower fGCM levels, potentially reflecting differences in male and female life-history strategies. Reproducing females had the highest fGCM concentrations during late gestation and had higher fGCM levels than non-reproducing females, except during early lactation. Variation in fGCM concentrations was not associated with variation in social interactions, adult sex ratios, vigilance and self-scratching. Altogether, we show that measures of glucocorticoid output constitute appropriate tools for studying energetic burdens of ecological and reproductive challenges. However, they seem to be insufficient indicators for immediate endocrinological responses to social and nonsocial behaviours that are not directly linked to energy metabolism.}, } @article {pmid32326445, year = {2020}, author = {Grund-Mueller, N and Ruedenauer, FA and Spaethe, J and Leonhardt, SD}, title = {Adding Amino Acids to a Sucrose Diet Is Not Sufficient to Support Longevity of Adult Bumble Bees.}, journal = {Insects}, volume = {11}, number = {4}, pages = {}, pmid = {32326445}, issn = {2075-4450}, support = {LE 2750/1-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; LE 2750/5-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; SP1380/1-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; }, abstract = {Dietary macro-nutrients (i.e., carbohydrates, protein, and fat) are important for bee larval development and, thus, colony health and fitness. To which extent different diets (varying in macro-nutrient composition) affect adult bees and whether they can thrive on nectar as the sole amino acid source has, however, been little investigated. We investigated how diets varying in protein concentration and overall nutrient composition affected consumption, longevity, and breeding behavior of the buff-tailed bumble bee, Bombus terrestris (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Queenless micro-colonies were fed either natural nutrient sources (pollen), nearly pure protein (i.e., the milk protein casein), or sucrose solutions with low and with high essential amino acid content in concentrations as can be found in nectar. We observed micro-colonies for 110 days. We found that longevity was highest for pure pollen and lowest for pure sucrose solution and sucrose solution supplemented with amino acids in concentrations as found in the nectar of several plant species. Adding higher concentrations of amino acids to sucrose solution did only slightly increase longevity compared to sucrose alone. Consequently, sucrose solution with the applied concentrations and proportions of amino acids or other protein sources (e.g., casein) alone did not meet the nutritional needs of healthy adult bumble bees. In fact, longevity was highest and reproduction only successful in micro-colonies fed pollen. These results indicate that, in addition to carbohydrates and protein, adult bumble bees, like larvae, need further nutrients (e.g., lipids and micro-nutrients) for their well-being. An appropriate nutritional composition seemed to be best provided by floral pollen, suggesting that pollen is an essential dietary component not only for larvae but also for adult bees.}, } @article {pmid32218967, year = {2020}, author = {Dolotovskaya, S and Walker, S and Heymann, EW}, title = {What makes a pair bond in a Neotropical primate: female and male contributions.}, journal = {Royal Society open science}, volume = {7}, number = {1}, pages = {191489}, pmid = {32218967}, issn = {2054-5703}, abstract = {Pair living and pair bonding are rare in mammals, and the mechanisms of their maintenance remain a puzzle. Titi monkeys, a 'textbook example' for 'monogamous' primates, have strong pair bonds and extensive male care. To investigate mechanisms of pair-bond maintenance, we studied seven wild groups of red titis (Plecturocebus cupreus) in Peruvian Amazonia over a period of 14 months. We analysed pair bonds by measuring proximity, grooming and approaches/leaves within pairs, and collected data on intergroup encounters. Females contributed to grooming more than males, especially during infant dependency, when most of the grooming within pairs was done by females. Females were also more active in controlling proximity between pair mates, making most of the approaches and leaves. Males, on the other hand, invested more in territorial defences. They participated in more intergroup encounters than females and were more active during these encounters. Our data is most consistent with the 'male-services' hypothesis for pair-bond maintenance, where a female contributes more to the proximity and affiliation maintenance while a male provides beneficial services.}, } @article {pmid32156804, year = {2020}, author = {Secor, PR and Dandekar, AA}, title = {More than Simple Parasites: the Sociobiology of Bacteriophages and Their Bacterial Hosts.}, journal = {mBio}, volume = {11}, number = {2}, pages = {}, pmid = {32156804}, issn = {2150-7511}, support = {K22 AI125282/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; P20 GM103546/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; R01 AI138981/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; R01 GM125714/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Bacteria/*virology ; Bacterial Infections/therapy ; Bacteriophages/*physiology ; *Host Microbial Interactions ; Humans ; Phage Therapy ; }, abstract = {Bacteria harbor viruses called bacteriophages that, like all viruses, co-opt the host cellular machinery to replicate. Although this relationship is at first glance parasitic, there are social interactions among and between bacteriophages and their bacterial hosts. These social interactions can take on many forms, including cooperation, altruism, and cheating. Such behaviors among individuals in groups of bacteria have been well described. However, the social nature of some interactions between phages or phages and bacteria is only now becoming clear. We are just beginning to understand how bacteriophages affect the sociobiology of bacteria, and we know even less about social interactions within bacteriophage populations. In this review, we discuss recent developments in our understanding of bacteriophage sociobiology, including how selective pressures influence the outcomes of social interactions between populations of bacteria and bacteriophages. We also explore how tripartite social interactions between bacteria, bacteriophages, and an animal host affect host-microbe interactions. Finally, we argue that understanding the sociobiology of bacteriophages will have implications for the therapeutic use of bacteriophages to treat bacterial infections.}, } @article {pmid32110716, year = {2019}, author = {Dolotovskaya, S and Flores Amasifuen, C and Haas, CE and Nummert, F and Heymann, EW}, title = {Active anti-predator behaviour of red titi monkeys (Plecturocebus cupreus).}, journal = {Primate biology}, volume = {6}, number = {1}, pages = {59-64}, pmid = {32110716}, issn = {2363-4715}, abstract = {Due to their inconspicuous behaviour and colouration, it has been assumed that titi monkeys' main anti-predator behaviour is passive crypsis and hiding. So far, active predator mobbing has been documented only for black-fronted titi monkeys, Callicebus nigrifrons. Here we report for the first time mobbing behaviour of red titi monkeys, Plecturocebus cupreus (previously Callicebus cupreus), as reaction to an ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) and a Boa constrictor. We also report other active anti-predator behaviours, such as alarm calling and approaching, as reactions to tayras (Eira barbara) and raptors. Our observations provide additional evidence for sex differences in anti-predator behaviour, possibly related to the evolution and maintenance of social monogamy.}, } @article {pmid32102483, year = {2020}, author = {Cosarinsky, MI and Römer, D and Roces, F}, title = {Nest Turrets of Acromyrmex Grass-Cutting Ants: Micromorphology Reveals Building Techniques and Construction Dynamics.}, journal = {Insects}, volume = {11}, number = {2}, pages = {}, pmid = {32102483}, issn = {2075-4450}, support = {SFB 554/TP E1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; -//Department of Behavioural Physiology and Sociobiology, Biocenter, University of Würzburg/ ; Postdoc Plus Funding Program//Graduate School of Life Sciences (GSLS), University of Würzburg/ ; PD_NAC_2015_1_108641//Agencia Nacional de Investigación e Innovación/ ; }, abstract = {Acromyrmex fracticornis grass-cutting ants construct conspicuous chimney-shaped nest turrets made of intermeshed grass fragments. We asked whether turrets are constructed by merely piling up nearby materials around the entrance, or whether ants incorporate different materials as the turret develops. By removing the original nest turrets and following their rebuilding process over three consecutive days, age-dependent changes in wall morphology and inner lining fabrics were characterized. Micromorphological descriptions based on thin sections of turret walls revealed the building behaviors involved. Ants started by collecting nearby twigs and dry grass fragments that are piled up around the nest entrance. Several large fragments held the structure like beams. As a net-like structure grew, soil pellets were placed in between the intermeshed plant fragments from the turret base to the top, reinforcing the structure. Concomitantly, the turret inner wall was lined with soil pellets, starting from the base. Therefore, the consolidation of the turret occurred both over time and from its base upwards. It is argued that nest turrets do not simply arise by the arbitrary deposition of nearby materials, and that workers selectively incorporate large materials at the beginning, and respond to the developing structure by reinforcing the intermeshed plant fragments over time.}, } @article {pmid32097598, year = {2020}, author = {Poirotte, C and Charpentier, MJE}, title = {Unconditional care from close maternal kin in the face of parasites.}, journal = {Biology letters}, volume = {16}, number = {2}, pages = {20190869}, pmid = {32097598}, issn = {1744-957X}, mesh = {Animals ; Family ; Grooming ; *Parasites ; Primates ; Social Behavior ; }, abstract = {Several species mitigate relationships according to their conspecifics' parasite status. Yet, this defence strategy comes with the costs of depriving individuals from valuable social bonds. Animals therefore face a trade-off between the costs of pathogen exposure and the benefits of social relationships. According to the models of social evolution, social bonds are highly kin-biased. However, whether kinship mitigates social avoidance of contagious individuals has never been tested so far. Here, we build on previous research to demonstrate that mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx) modulate social avoidance of contagious individuals according to kinship: individuals do not avoid grooming their close maternal kin when contagious (parasitized with oro-faecally transmitted protozoa), although they do for more distant or non-kin. While individuals' parasite status has seldom been considered as a trait impacting social relationships in animals, this study goes a step beyond by showing that kinship balances the effect of health status on social behaviour in a non-human primate.}, } @article {pmid32064318, year = {2019}, author = {Kappeler, PM and Pozzi, L}, title = {Evolutionary transitions toward pair living in nonhuman primates as stepping stones toward more complex societies.}, journal = {Science advances}, volume = {5}, number = {12}, pages = {eaay1276}, pmid = {32064318}, issn = {2375-2548}, mesh = {Animals ; Behavior, Animal ; *Biological Evolution ; Evolution, Molecular ; Phylogeny ; *Primates/classification/genetics ; Sexual Behavior, Animal ; *Social Behavior ; }, abstract = {Nonhuman primate societies vary tremendously in size and composition, but how and why evolutionary transitions among different states occurred remains highly controversial. In particular, how many times pair living evolved and the social states of the ancestors of pair- and group-living species remains contentious. We examined evolutionary transitions in primate social evolution by using new, independent categorizations of sociality and different phylogenetic hypotheses with a vastly expanded dataset. Using Bayesian phylogenetic comparative methods, we consistently found the strongest support for a model that invokes frequent transitions between solitary ancestors and pair-living descendants, with the latter giving rise to group-living species. This result was robust to systematic variation in social classification, sample size, and phylogeny. Our analyses therefore indicate that pair living was a stepping stone in the evolution of structurally more complex primate societies, a result that bolsters the role of kin selection in social evolution.}, } @article {pmid32030651, year = {2020}, author = {Gutmann, DH}, title = {The Sociobiology of Brain Tumors.}, journal = {Advances in experimental medicine and biology}, volume = {1225}, number = {}, pages = {115-125}, pmid = {32030651}, issn = {0065-2598}, mesh = {Brain Neoplasms/*pathology ; Glioma/pathology ; Humans ; Macrophages ; Microglia/pathology ; }, abstract = {Brain tumors are complex cellular ecosystems, composed of populations of both neoplastic and non-neoplastic cell types. While the contributions of the cancer cells in low-grade and high-grade gliomas have been extensively studied, there is comparatively less known about the contributions of the non-neoplastic cells in these tumors. As such, a large proportion of the non-neoplastic cells in gliomas are resident brain microglia, infiltrating circulating macrophages, and T lymphocytes. These immune system-like stromal cells are recruited into the evolving tumor through the elaboration of chemokines, and are reprogrammed to adopt new cellular identities critical for glioma formation, maintenance, and progression. In this manner, these populations of tumor-associated microglia and macrophages produce growth factors that support gliomagenesis and continued tumor growth. As we begin to characterize these immune cell contributions, future therapies might emerge as adjuvant approaches to glioma treatment.}, } @article {pmid32026151, year = {2020}, author = {Dore, KM and Hansen, MF and Klegarth, AR and Fichtel, C and Koch, F and Springer, A and Kappeler, P and Parga, JA and Humle, T and Colin, C and Raballand, E and Huang, ZP and Qi, XG and Di Fiore, A and Link, A and Stevenson, PR and Stark, DJ and Tan, N and Gallagher, CA and Anderson, CJ and Campbell, CJ and Kenyon, M and Pebsworth, P and Sprague, D and Jones-Engel, L and Fuentes, A}, title = {Correction to: Review of GPS collar deployments and performance on nonhuman primates.}, journal = {Primates; journal of primatology}, volume = {61}, number = {3}, pages = {389-390}, doi = {10.1007/s10329-020-00800-x}, pmid = {32026151}, issn = {1610-7365}, abstract = {In the original publication of the article, figure 1 was wrongly published as a duplication.}, } @article {pmid32024431, year = {2021}, author = {Darling Rasmussen, P and Storebø, OJ}, title = {Attachment and Epigenetics: A Scoping Review of Recent Research and Current Knowledge.}, journal = {Psychological reports}, volume = {124}, number = {2}, pages = {479-501}, doi = {10.1177/0033294120901846}, pmid = {32024431}, issn = {1558-691X}, support = {G9815508/MRC_/Medical Research Council/United Kingdom ; MC_PC_15018/MRC_/Medical Research Council/United Kingdom ; MC_PC_19009/MRC_/Medical Research Council/United Kingdom ; }, mesh = {Adverse Childhood Experiences ; *Epigenomics ; Humans ; *Knowledge ; *Object Attachment ; *Research ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Epigenetic research has pointed to that the interaction between genetics and environmental factors may play a role in making some individuals more vulnerable than others.

AIM: The aim of this article was to present a broad perspective on the current state of knowledge in a relatively new and complex field of "attachment and epigenetic processes."

METHOD: We conducted a scoping review based on a systematic literature search in PsycINFO, PubMed, and Embase databases for relevant abstracts using the terms attachment and epigenet*.

RESULTS: In total, 11 studies were included. Research predating 2009 and animal studies were excluded in order to review the current state of research in humans.

CONCLUSION: Overall, there seems to be a consistency in the literature, pointing to a link between early childhood adversity, attachment processes, and epigenetic changes. However, research in human subjects is still limited.}, } @article {pmid32015844, year = {2020}, author = {Prox, L and Farine, D}, title = {A framework for conceptualizing dimensions of social organization in mammals.}, journal = {Ecology and evolution}, volume = {10}, number = {2}, pages = {791-807}, pmid = {32015844}, issn = {2045-7758}, abstract = {Mammalian societies represent many different types of social systems. While some aspects of social systems have been extensively studied, there is little consensus on how to conceptualize social organization across species. Here, we present a framework describing eight dimensions of social organization to capture its diversity across mammalian societies. The framework uses simple information that is clearly separated from the three other aspects of social systems: social structure, care system, and mating system. By applying our framework across 208 species of all mammalian taxa, we find a rich multidimensional landscape of social organization. Correlation analysis reveals that the dimensions have relatively high independence, suggesting that social systems are able to evolve different aspects of social behavior without being tied to particular traits. Applying a clustering algorithm allows us to identify the relative importance of key dimensions on patterns of social organization. Finally, mapping mating system onto these clusters shows that social organization represents a distinct aspect of social systems. In the future, this framework will aid reporting on important aspects of natural history in species and facilitate comparative analyses, which ultimately will provide the ability to generate new insights into the primary drivers of social patterns and evolution of sociality.}, } @article {pmid31965380, year = {2020}, author = {Dore, KM and Hansen, MF and Klegarth, AR and Fichtel, C and Koch, F and Springer, A and Kappeler, P and Parga, JA and Humle, T and Colin, C and Raballand, E and Huang, ZP and Qi, XG and Di Fiore, A and Link, A and Stevenson, PR and Stark, DJ and Tan, N and Gallagher, CA and Anderson, CJ and Campbell, CJ and Kenyon, M and Pebsworth, P and Sprague, D and Jones-Engel, L and Fuentes, A}, title = {Review of GPS collar deployments and performance on nonhuman primates.}, journal = {Primates; journal of primatology}, volume = {61}, number = {3}, pages = {373-387}, pmid = {31965380}, issn = {1610-7365}, support = {PEC 13-249/HX/HSRD VA/United States ; #31622053//National Natural Science Foundation of China (CN)/ ; 0504495//National Science Foundation IGERT GLOBES program/ ; 5189-00135B//Innovationsfonden/ ; R01 AG034513/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States ; W267-13//National Geographic Society's Waitt Program/ ; PR12-012//Margot Marsh Biodiversity Foundation/ ; 2018TD-017//Department of Science and Technology of Shaanxi Prov. China/ ; BCS 1638822//National Science Foundation/ ; P51 OD010425/CD/ODCDC CDC HHS/United States ; PR14-36//Margot Marsh Biodiversity Foundation/ ; 9234-12//National Geographic Young Explorer's Grant/ ; P51 OD010425/OD/NIH HHS/United States ; P2C HD042828/HD/NICHD NIH HHS/United States ; BCS 1062540//National Science Foundation/ ; #31730104//National Natural Science Foundation of China (CN)/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Ecology/methods ; Geographic Information Systems/*statistics & numerical data ; *Movement ; *Primates ; }, abstract = {Over the past 20 years, GPS collars have emerged as powerful tools for the study of nonhuman primate (hereafter, "primate") movement ecology. As the size and cost of GPS collars have decreased and performance has improved, it is timely to review the use and success of GPS collar deployments on primates to date. Here we compile data on deployments and performance of GPS collars by brand and examine how these relate to characteristics of the primate species and field contexts in which they were deployed. The compiled results of 179 GPS collar deployments across 17 species by 16 research teams show these technologies can provide advantages, particularly in adding to the quality, quantity, and temporal span of data collection. However, aspects of this technology still require substantial improvement in order to make deployment on many primate species pragmatic economically. In particular, current limitations regarding battery lifespan relative to collar weight, the efficacy of remote drop-off mechanisms, and the ability to remotely retrieve data need to be addressed before the technology is likely to be widely adopted. Moreover, despite the increasing utility of GPS collars in the field, they remain substantially more expensive than VHF collars and tracking via handheld GPS units, and cost considerations of GPS collars may limit sample sizes and thereby the strength of inferences. Still, the overall high quality and quantity of data obtained, combined with the reduced need for on-the-ground tracking by field personnel, may help defray the high equipment cost. We argue that primatologists armed with the information in this review have much to gain from the recent, substantial improvements in GPS collar technology.}, } @article {pmid31953131, year = {2020}, author = {Szabo, B and Whiting, MJ}, title = {Do lizards have enhanced inhibition? A test in two species differing in ecology and sociobiology.}, journal = {Behavioural processes}, volume = {172}, number = {}, pages = {104043}, doi = {10.1016/j.beproc.2020.104043}, pmid = {31953131}, issn = {1872-8308}, mesh = {Animals ; Choice Behavior ; Color Perception ; *Ecology ; Form Perception ; *Inhibition, Psychological ; Learning ; Lizards/*physiology ; *Reversal Learning ; *Sociobiology ; Species Specificity ; }, abstract = {Waiting for the right moment to strike, avoiding the ingestion of harmful foods, or ignoring stimuli associated with ephemeral or depleted resources requires the inhibition of prepotent responses. Good response inhibition facilities flexibility in behaviour which is associated with survival in unpredictable environments. To investigate differences in behavioural flexibility in lizards, we tested reversal learning in the sleepy lizard (Tiliqua rugosa asper) and compared its performance to the relatively closely related eastern blue-tongue skink (Tiliqua scincoides scincoides). We presented both species with a choice between either a light and dark blue stimulus or a triangle and X shape. Both species were able to learn to discriminate between these stimuli and showed similar learning ability during the acquisition of the discrimination. Sleepy lizards, however, demonstrated a higher probability of making a correct choice at the start of the reversal, hinting towards enhanced stimulus response inhibition. Sleepy lizards and blue-tongue skinks inhabit different environments and show differences in ecology and sociobiology, all of which could possibly lead to adaptive specialisation in cognitive ability. Although further research is required, we propose that selection might have led to a change in stimulus response inhibition in the arid-adapted sleepy lizard, because better response inhibition may help them avoid the costs of repeated choices towards stimuli which no longer predict a beneficial outcome.}, } @article {pmid31943632, year = {2020}, author = {Ruedenauer, FA and Raubenheimer, D and Kessner-Beierlein, D and Grund-Mueller, N and Noack, L and Spaethe, J and Leonhardt, SD}, title = {Best be(e) on low fat: linking nutrient perception, regulation and fitness.}, journal = {Ecology letters}, volume = {23}, number = {3}, pages = {545-554}, doi = {10.1111/ele.13454}, pmid = {31943632}, issn = {1461-0248}, support = {LE 2750/5-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; SP1380/1-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Bees ; *Feeding Behavior ; Nutrients ; *Pollen ; Reproduction ; }, abstract = {Preventing malnutrition through consuming nutritionally appropriate resources represents a challenge for foraging animals. This is due to often high variation in the nutritional quality of available resources. Foragers consequently need to evaluate different food sources. However, even the same food source can provide a plethora of nutritional and non-nutritional cues, which could serve for quality assessment. We show that bumblebees, Bombus terrestris, overcome this challenge by relying on lipids as nutritional cue when selecting pollen. The bees 'prioritised' lipid perception in learning experiments and avoided lipid consumption in feeding experiments, which supported survival and reproduction. In contrast, survival and reproduction were severely reduced by increased lipid contents. Our study highlights the importance of fat regulation for pollen foraging bumblebees. It also reveals that nutrient perception, nutrient regulation and reproductive fitness can be linked, which represents an effective strategy enabling quick foraging decisions that prevent malnutrition and maximise fitness.}, } @article {pmid31936165, year = {2020}, author = {Groh, C and Rössler, W}, title = {Analysis of Synaptic Microcircuits in the Mushroom Bodies of the Honeybee.}, journal = {Insects}, volume = {11}, number = {1}, pages = {}, pmid = {31936165}, issn = {2075-4450}, support = {Gr3305/2-1; Ro1177/7-1; INST 93/829-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; }, abstract = {Mushroom bodies (MBs) are multisensory integration centers in the insect brain involved in learning and memory formation. In the honeybee, the main sensory input region (calyx) of MBs is comparatively large and receives input from mainly olfactory and visual senses, but also from gustatory/tactile modalities. Behavioral plasticity following differential brood care, changes in sensory exposure or the formation of associative long-term memory (LTM) was shown to be associated with structural plasticity in synaptic microcircuits (microglomeruli) within olfactory and visual compartments of the MB calyx. In the same line, physiological studies have demonstrated that MB-calyx microcircuits change response properties after associative learning. The aim of this review is to provide an update and synthesis of recent research on the plasticity of microcircuits in the MB calyx of the honeybee, specifically looking at the synaptic connectivity between sensory projection neurons (PNs) and MB intrinsic neurons (Kenyon cells). We focus on the honeybee as a favorable experimental insect for studying neuronal mechanisms underlying complex social behavior, but also compare it with other insect species for certain aspects. This review concludes by highlighting open questions and promising routes for future research aimed at understanding the causal relationships between neuronal and behavioral plasticity in this charismatic social insect.}, } @article {pmid31808157, year = {2020}, author = {Ernst, UR}, title = {Digest: Evolution of eusociality favored by split sex ratios under worker-control.}, journal = {Evolution; international journal of organic evolution}, volume = {74}, number = {1}, pages = {201-202}, doi = {10.1111/evo.13890}, pmid = {31808157}, issn = {1558-5646}, support = {SFB TRR 212 (NC³)//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/International ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Bees ; *Biological Evolution ; Female ; Life Cycle Stages ; Male ; Models, Biological ; *Sex Ratio ; Social Behavior ; }, abstract = {Eusociality has repeatedly independently evolved in ants, bees, and wasps (Hymenoptera), leading to the idea that haplodiploidy may be an important driving factor in this group. Using a modeling approach, Quiñones et al. show that split sex ratios and worker control of sex ratios (achieved by removal of male brood) can promote the initial evolution of helping raise offspring of related individuals. However, over time, these factors can result in social polymorphism, that is, a mix of solitary and social nests, or to eusocial colonies with three different strategies, namely those that produce mostly females, mostly males, or a balanced sex ratio.}, } @article {pmid31771475, year = {2019}, author = {Shell, WA and Rehan, SM}, title = {Social modularity: conserved genes and regulatory elements underlie caste-antecedent behavioural states in an incipiently social bee.}, journal = {Proceedings. Biological sciences}, volume = {286}, number = {1916}, pages = {20191815}, pmid = {31771475}, issn = {1471-2954}, mesh = {Animals ; Bees/*physiology ; *Behavior, Animal ; *Biological Evolution ; *Genes, Insect ; Genome, Insect ; *Social Behavior ; }, abstract = {The evolutionary origins of advanced eusociality, one of the most complex forms of phenotypic plasticity in nature, have long been a focus within the field of sociobiology. Although eusocial insects are known to have evolved from solitary ancestors, sociogenomic research among incipiently social taxa has only recently provided empirical evidence supporting theories that modular regulation and deeply conserved genes may play important roles in both the evolutionary emergence and elaboration of insect sociality. There remains, however, a paucity of data to further test the biological reality of these and other evolutionary theories among taxa in the earliest stages of social evolution. Here, we present brain transcriptomic data from the incipiently social small carpenter bee, Ceratina calcarata, which captures patterns of cis-regulation and gene expression associated with female maturation, and underlying two well-defined behavioural states, foraging and guarding, concurrently demonstrated by mothers and daughters during early autumn. We find that an incipiently social nest environment may dramatically affect gene expression. We further reveal foraging and guarding behaviours to be putatively caste-antecedent states in C. calcarata, and offer strong empirical support for the operation of modular regulation, involving deeply conserved and differentially expressed genes in the expression of early social forms.}, } @article {pmid31756249, year = {2020}, author = {Fina, PM and Cunningham, FE and Zhao, X and Glassman, PA and Moore, VR and Au, A and Aspinall, SL}, title = {Reporting of adverse drug events in the Veterans Health Administration for patients whose treatment with empagliflozin or apixaban was discontinued.}, journal = {American journal of health-system pharmacy : AJHP : official journal of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists}, volume = {77}, number = {1}, pages = {22-32}, doi = {10.1093/ajhp/zxz261}, pmid = {31756249}, issn = {1535-2900}, mesh = {Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting Systems/*statistics & numerical data ; Aged ; Benzhydryl Compounds/*adverse effects ; Comorbidity ; Female ; Glucosides/*adverse effects ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pyrazoles/*adverse effects ; Pyridones/*adverse effects ; Retrospective Studies ; Sociobiology ; Sodium-Glucose Transporter 2 Inhibitors/*adverse effects ; United States ; United States Department of Veterans Affairs/*statistics & numerical data ; }, abstract = {PURPOSE: To examine the reporting rates of adverse drug events (ADEs) with apixaban and empagliflozin as reports move up to the next level of spontaneous reporting.

METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study of outpatients who discontinued apixaban or empagliflozin within 3 years of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval. We enriched the sample using an active surveillance strategy to identify subsets of patients with International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes possibly associated with an ADE. Stratified random samples of charts were reviewed to determine if patients discontinued the medication due to an ADE. If so, we ascertained whether these were uploaded into the Veterans Administration (VA) electronic health record reporting system (Adverse Reaction Tracking System [ARTS]), VA national Web-based system (VA Adverse Drug Event Reporting System [VA ADERS]), and FDA MedWatch.

RESULTS: From the cohort of 2,973 patients who discontinued apixaban, 321 patients (10.8%) were randomly sampled for chart review (including 61 patients with relevant ICD codes). During chart review, 88 ADEs were identified, with 40/61 (65.6%) from the subset with ICD codes. Of the total of 88 ADEs, 18.2%, 10.2%, and 6.8% were reported in ARTS, VA ADERS, and MedWatch, respectively. Of the 1,555 patients who discontinued empagliflozin, 179 patients (11.5%) were randomly sampled for chart review (40 patients with relevant ICD codes). During chart review, 78 ADEs were identified, with 19/40 (47.5%) from the subset with ICD codes. Of the 78 ADEs, 28.2%, 19.2%, and 7.7% were reported in ARTS, VA ADERS, and MedWatch, respectively.

CONCLUSION: We found substantial underreporting of apixaban and empagliflozin ADEs that became worse at each higher level of spontaneous reporting.}, } @article {pmid31752164, year = {2019}, author = {Cordoni, G and Palagi, E}, title = {Back to the Future: A Glance Over Wolf Social Behavior to Understand Dog-Human Relationship.}, journal = {Animals : an open access journal from MDPI}, volume = {9}, number = {11}, pages = {}, pmid = {31752164}, issn = {2076-2615}, abstract = {This review focuses on wolf sociobiology to delineate the traits of cooperative baggage driven by natural selection (wolf-wolf cooperation) and better understand the changes obtained by artificial selection (dog-human cooperation). We selected some behaviors of the dog's ancestors that provide the basis for the expression of a cooperative society, such as dominance relationships, leverage power, post-aggressive strategies, and playful dynamics between pack members. When possible, we tried to compare the data on wolves with those coming from the dog literature. Wolves can negotiate commodities when the interacting subjects occupy different ranking positions by bargaining social tolerance with helping and support. They are able to manage group disruption by engaging in sophisticated post-conflict maneuvers, thus restoring the relationship between the opponents and reducing the spreading of aggression in the group. Wolves engage in social play also as adults to manipulate social relationships. They are able to flexibly adjust their playful interactions to minimize the risk of escalation. Complex cognitive abilities and communicative skills are probably the main proximate causes for the evolution of inter-specific cooperation in wolves.}, } @article {pmid31684855, year = {2019}, author = {Zinner, D and Groeneveld, LF and Keller, C and Roos, C}, title = {Correction to: Mitochondrial phylogeography of baboons (Papio spp.) - Indication for introgressive hybridization?.}, journal = {BMC evolutionary biology}, volume = {19}, number = {1}, pages = {198}, pmid = {31684855}, issn = {1471-2148}, abstract = {Following publication of the original article [1], we have been notified that some of the NCB accession numbers were incorrectly associated to their corresponding taxon in the Additional file 1.}, } @article {pmid31667165, year = {2019}, author = {Fortunato, A and Aktipis, A}, title = {Social feeding behavior of Trichoplax adhaerens.}, journal = {Frontiers in ecology and evolution}, volume = {7}, number = {}, pages = {}, pmid = {31667165}, issn = {2296-701X}, support = {U54 CA217376/CA/NCI NIH HHS/United States ; }, abstract = {Animals have evolved different foraging strategies in which some animals forage independently and others forage in groups. The evolution of social feeding does not necessarily require cooperation; social feeding can be a beneficial individual-level strategy if it provides mutualistic benefits, for example though increasing the efficiency of resource extraction or processing. We found that Trichoplax adhaerens, the simplest multicellular animal ever described, engages in social feeding behavior. T. adhaerens lacks muscle tissue, nervous and digestive systems - yet is capable of aggregating and forming groups of closely connected individuals who collectively feed. The tight physical interactions between the animals are transitory and appear to serve the goal of staying connected to neighbors during the external digestion of algae when enzymes are released on the biofilm and nutrients are absorbed through the ventral epithelium. We found that T. adhaerens are more likely to engage in social feeding when the concentrations of algae are high - both in a semi-natural conditions and in vitro. It is surprising that T. adhaerens - an organism without a nervous system - is able to engage in this social feeding behavior. Whether this behavior is cooperative is still an open question. Nevertheless, the social feeding behavior of T. adhaerens, an early multicellular animal, suggests that sociality may have played an important role in the early evolution of animals. It also suggests that T. adhaerens could be used as a simple model organism for exploring questions regarding ecology and sociobiology.}, } @article {pmid31667086, year = {2019}, author = {Eckhardt, F and Strube, C and Mathes, KA and Mutschmann, F and Thiesler, H and Kraus, C and Kappeler, PM}, title = {Parasite burden in a short-lived chameleon, Furcifer labordi.}, journal = {International journal for parasitology. Parasites and wildlife}, volume = {10}, number = {}, pages = {231-240}, pmid = {31667086}, issn = {2213-2244}, abstract = {Life history theory predicts that species with shorter lifespan should show higher investments into growth and reproduction at the expense of immune defenses. Labord's chameleon (Furcifer labordi) is the tetrapod with the shortest known life span. To investigate to which extent immunosenescence influences the die-off of these chameleons when they are only about 6 months old, we examined the gastrointestinal-, blood- and ectoparasite burden in F. labordi in Kirindy Forest (western Madagascar) and compared them with sympatric and longer living F. cf. nicosiai. Moreover, we included data from wild F. labordi that were singly housed under ambient conditions with daily food and water supply. Gastrointestinal parasite prevalence of wild F. labordi increased dramatically during the last 3 months of their lives, which include the reproductive period. Furcifer cf. nicosiai was found to have a belated increase in gastrointestinal parasites compared to F. labordi. In F. cf. nicosiai higher prevalence of blood parasites were found, which probably result from the longer exposure to the arthropod intermediate host. Both species showed infestations with ectoparasites, which peaked in the rainy season but disappeared towards the dry season. Male F. labordi showed a significantly higher prevalence of gastrointestinal - and ectoparasites and higher intensities of coccidians and ectoparasites than females. Males of F. cf. nicosiai exhibited higher prevalence of blood- and ectoparasites, as well as higher intensities in ectoparasites. Caged individuals of both sexes showed delayed senescence, reduced parasite burden and lived longer than their wild conspecifics. Overall, the increase in the prevalence in gastrointestinal - and blood parasites towards the disappearance of the wild population of F. labordi indicates that this species invests comparatively less energy in efficient immune system function, supporting the prediction of life history theory.}, } @article {pmid31647093, year = {2019}, author = {Davies, NM and Howe, LJ and Brumpton, B and Havdahl, A and Evans, DM and Davey Smith, G}, title = {Within family Mendelian randomization studies.}, journal = {Human molecular genetics}, volume = {28}, number = {R2}, pages = {R170-R179}, doi = {10.1093/hmg/ddz204}, pmid = {31647093}, issn = {1460-2083}, support = {MC_UU_00011/1/MRC_/Medical Research Council/United Kingdom ; MC_UU_12013/1/MRC_/Medical Research Council/United Kingdom ; MC_UU_12013/4/MRC_/Medical Research Council/United Kingdom ; MC_UU_12013/9/MRC_/Medical Research Council/United Kingdom ; }, mesh = {Family ; Family Characteristics ; Genetic Association Studies ; Genotype ; Humans ; *Mendelian Randomization Analysis ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Population/*genetics ; Reproduction/*genetics ; Selection Bias ; Sociobiology/education ; }, abstract = {Mendelian randomization (MR) is increasingly used to make causal inferences in a wide range of fields, from drug development to etiologic studies. Causal inference in MR is possible because of the process of genetic inheritance from parents to offspring. Specifically, at gamete formation and conception, meiosis ensures random allocation to the offspring of one allele from each parent at each locus, and these are unrelated to most of the other inherited genetic variants. To date, most MR studies have used data from unrelated individuals. These studies assume that genotypes are independent of the environment across a sample of unrelated individuals, conditional on covariates. Here we describe potential sources of bias, such as transmission ratio distortion, selection bias, population stratification, dynastic effects and assortative mating that can induce spurious or biased SNP-phenotype associations. We explain how studies of related individuals such as sibling pairs or parent-offspring trios can be used to overcome some of these sources of bias, to provide potentially more reliable evidence regarding causal processes. The increasing availability of data from related individuals in large cohort studies presents an opportunity to both overcome some of these biases and also to evaluate familial environmental effects.}, } @article {pmid31624543, year = {2019}, author = {Nonacs, P}, title = {Reproductive skew in cooperative breeding: Environmental variability, antagonistic selection, choice, and control.}, journal = {Ecology and evolution}, volume = {9}, number = {18}, pages = {10163-10175}, pmid = {31624543}, issn = {2045-7758}, abstract = {A multitude of factors may determine reproductive skew among cooperative breeders. One explanation, derived from inclusive fitness theory, is that groups can partition reproduction such that subordinates do at least as well as noncooperative solitary individuals. The majority of recent data, however, fails to support this prediction; possibly because inclusive fitness models cannot easily incorporate multiple factors simultaneously to predict skew. Notable omissions are antagonistic selection (across generations, genes will be in both dominant and subordinate bodies), constraints on the number of sites suitable for successful reproduction, choice in which group an individual might join, and within-group control or suppression of competition. All of these factors and more are explored through agent-based evolutionary simulations. The results suggest the primary drivers for the initial evolution of cooperative breeding may be a combination of limited suitable sites, choice across those sites, and parental manipulation of offspring into helping roles. Antagonistic selection may be important when subordinates are more frequent than dominants. Kinship matters, but its main effect may be in offspring being available for manipulation while unrelated individuals are not. The greater flexibility of evolutionary simulations allows the incorporation of species-specific life histories and ecological constraints to better predict sociobiology.}, } @article {pmid31608587, year = {2020}, author = {Defolie, C and Merkling, T and Fichtel, C}, title = {Patterns and variation in the mammal parasite-glucocorticoid relationship.}, journal = {Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society}, volume = {95}, number = {1}, pages = {74-93}, doi = {10.1111/brv.12555}, pmid = {31608587}, issn = {1469-185X}, support = {//Fonds de Recherche du Québec - Nature et Technologies/ ; FI 929/7-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; KR 3834/5-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; }, abstract = {Parasites are ubiquitous and can strongly affect their hosts through mechanisms such as behavioural changes, increased energetic costs and/or immunomodulation. When parasites are detrimental to their hosts, they should act as physiological stressors and elicit the release of glucocorticoids. Alternatively, previously elevated glucocorticoid levels could facilitate parasite infection due to neuroimmunomodulation. However, results are equivocal, with studies showing either positive, negative or no relationship between parasite infection and glucocorticoid levels. Since factors such as parasite type, infection severity or host age and sex can influence the parasite-glucocorticoid relationship, we review the main mechanisms driving this relationship. We then perform a phylogenetic meta-analysis of 110 records from 65 studies in mammalian hosts from experimental and observational studies to quantify the general direction of this relationship and to identify ecological and methodological drivers of the observed variability. Our review produced equivocal results concerning the direction of the relationship, but there was stronger support for a positive relationship, although causality remained unclear. Mechanisms such as host manipulation for parasite survival, host response to infection, cumulative effects of multiple stressors, and neuro-immunomodulatory effects of glucocorticoids could explain the positive relationship. Our meta-analysis results revealed an overall positive relationship between glucocorticoids and parasitism among both experimental and observational studies. Because all experimental studies included were parasite manipulations, we conclude that parasites caused in general an increase in glucocorticoid levels. To obtain a better understanding of the directionality of this link, experimental manipulation of glucocorticoid levels is now required to assess the causal effects of high glucocorticoid levels on parasite infection. Neither parasite type, the method used to assess parasite infection nor phylogeny influenced the relationship, and there was no evidence for publication bias. Future studies should attempt to be as comprehensive as possible, including moderators potentially influencing the parasite-glucocorticoid relationship. We particularly emphasise the importance of testing hosts of a broad age range, concomitantly measuring sex hormone levels or at least reproductive status, and for observational studies, also considering food availability, host body condition and social stressors to obtain a better understanding of the parasite-glucocorticoid relationship.}, } @article {pmid31600853, year = {2020}, author = {Gogarten, JF and Calvignac-Spencer, S and Nunn, CL and Ulrich, M and Saiepour, N and Nielsen, HV and Deschner, T and Fichtel, C and Kappeler, PM and Knauf, S and Müller-Klein, N and Ostner, J and Robbins, MM and Sangmaneedet, S and Schülke, O and Surbeck, M and Wittig, RM and Sliwa, A and Strube, C and Leendertz, FH and Roos, C and Noll, A}, title = {Metabarcoding of eukaryotic parasite communities describes diverse parasite assemblages spanning the primate phylogeny.}, journal = {Molecular ecology resources}, volume = {20}, number = {1}, pages = {204-215}, doi = {10.1111/1755-0998.13101}, pmid = {31600853}, issn = {1755-0998}, support = {1135/3-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; DE 1135/2-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; FI 929/7-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; FOR2136//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; KR 3834/5-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; Ka 1082-28-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; OS201/6-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; OS201/6-2//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; SCHU 1554/6-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; WI 2637/3-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; WI 2637/4-2//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; //Max Planck Society/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Feces/parasitology ; Host Specificity ; Parasites/classification/genetics/*isolation & purification/physiology ; Parasitic Diseases, Animal/*parasitology ; Phylogeny ; Primate Diseases/*parasitology ; Primates/*classification/*parasitology ; }, abstract = {Despite their ubiquity, in most cases little is known about the impact of eukaryotic parasites on their mammalian hosts. Comparative approaches provide a powerful method to investigate the impact of parasites on host ecology and evolution, though two issues are critical for such efforts: controlling for variation in methods of identifying parasites and incorporating heterogeneity in sampling effort across host species. To address these issues, there is a need for standardized methods to catalogue eukaryotic parasite diversity across broad phylogenetic host ranges. We demonstrate the feasibility of a metabarcoding approach for describing parasite communities by analysing faecal samples from 11 nonhuman primate species representing divergent lineages of the primate phylogeny and the full range of sampling effort (i.e. from no parasites reported in the literature to the best-studied primates). We detected a number of parasite families and regardless of prior sampling effort, metabarcoding of only ten faecal samples identified parasite families previously undescribed in each host (x̅ = 8.5 new families per species). We found more overlap between parasite families detected with metabarcoding and published literature when more research effort-measured as the number of publications-had been conducted on the host species' parasites. More closely related primates and those from the same continent had more similar parasite communities, highlighting the biological relevance of sampling even a small number of hosts. Collectively, results demonstrate that metabarcoding methods are sensitive and powerful enough to standardize studies of eukaryotic parasite communities across host species, providing essential new tools for macroecological studies of parasitism.}, } @article {pmid31568972, year = {2019}, author = {Gadenne, C and Groh, C and Grübel, K and Joschinski, J and Krauss, J and Krieger, J and Rössler, W and Anton, S}, title = {Neuroanatomical correlates of mobility: Sensory brain centres are bigger in winged than in wingless parthenogenetic pea aphid females.}, journal = {Arthropod structure & development}, volume = {52}, number = {}, pages = {100883}, doi = {10.1016/j.asd.2019.100883}, pmid = {31568972}, issn = {1873-5495}, mesh = {Animals ; Aphids/*anatomy & histology/*physiology ; Brain/anatomy & histology ; Female ; *Flight, Animal ; Organ Size ; }, abstract = {Many aphid species reproduce parthenogenetically throughout most of the year, with individuals having identical genomes. Nevertheless, aphid clones display a marked polyphenism with associated behavioural differences. Pea aphids (Acyrthosiphon pisum), when crowded, produce winged individuals, which have a larger dispersal range than wingless individuals. We examined here if brain structures linked to primary sensory processing and high-order motor control change in size as a function of wing polyphenism. Using micro-computing tomography (micro-CT) scans and immunocytochemical staining with anti-synapsin antibody, we reconstructed primary visual (optic lobes) and olfactory (antennal lobes) neuropils, together with the central body of winged and wingless parthenogenetic females of A. pisum for volume measurements. Absolute neuropil volumes were generally bigger in anti-synapsin labelled brains compared to micro-CT scans. This is potentially due to differences in rearing conditions of the used aphids. Independent of the method used, however, winged females consistently had larger antennal lobes and optic lobes than wingless females in spite of a larger overall body size of wingless compared to winged females. The volume of the central body, on the other hand was not significantly different between the two morphs. The larger primary sensory centres in winged aphids might thus provide the neuronal substrate for processing different environmental information due to the increased mobility during flight.}, } @article {pmid31558817, year = {2018}, author = {Bentz, C and Dediu, D and Verkerk, A and Jäger, G}, title = {The evolution of language families is shaped by the environment beyond neutral drift.}, journal = {Nature human behaviour}, volume = {2}, number = {11}, pages = {816-821}, doi = {10.1038/s41562-018-0457-6}, pmid = {31558817}, issn = {2397-3374}, mesh = {*Environment ; Humans ; *Language ; Linguistics/trends ; Phylogeny ; Phylogeography/*methods ; Sociobiology/methods ; }, abstract = {There are more than 7,000 languages spoken in the world today[1]. It has been argued that the natural and social environment of languages drives this diversity[2-13]. However, a fundamental question is how strong are environmental pressures, and does neutral drift suffice as a mechanism to explain diversification? We estimate the phylogenetic signals of geographic dimensions, distance to water, climate and population size on more than 6,000 phylogenetic trees of 46 language families. Phylogenetic signals of environmental factors are generally stronger than expected under the null hypothesis of no relationship with the shape of family trees. Importantly, they are also-in most cases-not compatible with neutral drift models of constant-rate change across the family tree branches. Our results suggest that language diversification is driven by further adaptive and non-adaptive pressures. Language diversity cannot be understood without modelling the pressures that physical, ecological and social factors exert on language users in different environments across the globe.}, } @article {pmid31558808, year = {2018}, author = {San Martin, A and Sinaceur, M and Madi, A and Tompson, S and Maddux, WW and Kitayama, S}, title = {Self-assertive interdependence in Arab culture.}, journal = {Nature human behaviour}, volume = {2}, number = {11}, pages = {830-837}, doi = {10.1038/s41562-018-0435-z}, pmid = {31558808}, issn = {2397-3374}, mesh = {Arabs/*psychology ; *Assertiveness ; Christianity/*psychology ; Cross-Cultural Comparison ; *Culture ; *Environment ; Humans ; Islam/*psychology ; Sociobiology ; }, abstract = {Arabs represent a major cultural group, yet one that is relatively neglected in cultural psychology. We hypothesized that Arab culture is characterized by a unique form of interdependence that is self-assertive. Arab cultural identity emerged historically in regions with harsh ecological and climatic environments, in which it was necessary to protect the survival of tribal groups. Individuals in Arabian cultures were honour-bound to be respectable and trustworthy group members. Supporting this hypothesis, study 1 found that Arabs were interdependent and holistic (like East Asians), but also self-assertive (like Westerners). This psychological profile was observed equally for both Muslim and Christian Arabs, thus ruling out Islamic religion as an alternative explanation for our findings. Studies 2 and 3 showed that the self-assertive tendency of Arabs is in service of interdependence, whereas that of Westerners is in service of independence. Our work contributes to the current effort by cultural psychologists to go beyond the prevailing East versus West, interdependence versus independence paradigm. It also speaks to the emerging socioecological perspective in cultural research.}, } @article {pmid31558589, year = {2019}, author = {Peckre, LR and Lowie, A and Brewer, D and Ehmke, E and Welser, K and Shaw, E and Wall, C and Pouydebat, E and Fabre, AC}, title = {Food mobility and the evolution of grasping behaviour: a case study in strepsirrhine primates.}, journal = {The Journal of experimental biology}, volume = {222}, number = {Pt 20}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1242/jeb.207688}, pmid = {31558589}, issn = {1477-9145}, mesh = {Animals ; *Biological Evolution ; Databases as Topic ; Female ; *Food ; Hand Strength/*physiology ; Male ; Models, Biological ; Movement ; Primates/*physiology ; }, abstract = {Manual grasping is widespread among tetrapods but is more prominent and dexterous in primates. Whether the selective pressures that drove the evolution of dexterous hand grasping involved the collection of fruit or predation on mobile insects remains an area of debate. One way to explore this question is to examine preferences for manual versus oral grasping of a moving object. Previous studies on strepsirrhines have shown a preference for oral grasping when grasping static food items and a preference for manual grasping when grasping mobile prey such as insects, but little is known about the factors at play. Using a controlled experiment with a simple and predictable motion of a food item, we tested and compared the grasping behaviours of 53 captive individuals belonging to 17 species of strepsirrhines while grasping swinging food items and static food items. The swinging motion increased the frequency of hand-use for all individuals. Our results provide evidence that the swinging motion of the food is a sufficient parameter to increase hand grasping in a wide variety of strepsirrhine primates. From an evolutionary perspective, this result gives some support to the idea that hand-grasping abilities evolved under selective pressure associated with the predation of food items in motion. Looking at a common grasping pattern across a large set of species, this study provides important insight into comparative approaches to understanding the evolution of the hand grasping of food in primates and potentially other tetrapod taxa.}, } @article {pmid31555816, year = {2020}, author = {Hunnicutt, KE and Tiley, GP and Williams, RC and Larsen, PA and Blanco, MB and Rasoloarison, RM and Campbell, CR and Zhu, K and Weisrock, DW and Matsunami, H and Yoder, AD}, title = {Comparative Genomic Analysis of the Pheromone Receptor Class 1 Family (V1R) Reveals Extreme Complexity in Mouse Lemurs (Genus, Microcebus) and a Chromosomal Hotspot across Mammals.}, journal = {Genome biology and evolution}, volume = {12}, number = {1}, pages = {3562-3579}, pmid = {31555816}, issn = {1759-6653}, support = {F31 DC017394/DC/NIDCD NIH HHS/United States ; R01 DC014423/DC/NIDCD NIH HHS/United States ; R01 DC016224/DC/NIDCD NIH HHS/United States ; S10 OD018164/OD/NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Cheirogaleidae/*genetics ; Chromosomes, Mammalian ; DNA Copy Number Variations ; *Evolution, Molecular ; Genomics ; Mammals/genetics ; Mice ; *Multigene Family ; Receptors, Pheromone/*genetics ; Selection, Genetic ; Synteny ; Vomeronasal Organ ; }, abstract = {Sensory gene families are of special interest for both what they can tell us about molecular evolution and what they imply as mediators of social communication. The vomeronasal type-1 receptors (V1Rs) have often been hypothesized as playing a fundamental role in driving or maintaining species boundaries given their likely function as mediators of intraspecific mate choice, particularly in nocturnal mammals. Here, we employ a comparative genomic approach for revealing patterns of V1R evolution within primates, with a special focus on the small-bodied nocturnal mouse and dwarf lemurs of Madagascar (genera Microcebus and Cheirogaleus, respectively). By doubling the existing genomic resources for strepsirrhine primates (i.e. the lemurs and lorises), we find that the highly speciose and morphologically cryptic mouse lemurs have experienced an elaborate proliferation of V1Rs that we argue is functionally related to their capacity for rapid lineage diversification. Contrary to a previous study that found equivalent degrees of V1R diversity in diurnal and nocturnal lemurs, our study finds a strong correlation between nocturnality and V1R elaboration, with nocturnal lemurs showing elaborate V1R repertoires and diurnal lemurs showing less diverse repertoires. Recognized subfamilies among V1Rs show unique signatures of diversifying positive selection, as might be expected if they have each evolved to respond to specific stimuli. Furthermore, a detailed syntenic comparison of mouse lemurs with mouse (genus Mus) and other mammalian outgroups shows that orthologous mammalian subfamilies, predicted to be of ancient origin, tend to cluster in a densely populated region across syntenic chromosomes that we refer to as a V1R "hotspot."}, } @article {pmid31502584, year = {2019}, author = {Pernu, TK and Helantera, H}, title = {Genetic relatedness and its causal role in the evolution of insect societies.}, journal = {Journal of biosciences}, volume = {44}, number = {4}, pages = {}, pmid = {31502584}, issn = {0973-7138}, mesh = {Animals ; Behavior, Animal/*physiology ; Genetic Fitness/genetics/*physiology ; Insecta/genetics/*physiology ; Reproduction/genetics/physiology ; Selection, Genetic/*genetics/physiology ; Social Behavior ; Sociobiology ; }, abstract = {The role of genetic relatedness in social evolution has recently come under critical attention. These arguments are here critically analyzed, both theoretically and empirically. It is argued that when the conceptual structure of the theory of natural selection is carefully taken into account, genetic relatedness can be seen to play an indispensable role in the evolution of both facultative and advanced eusociality. Although reviewing the empirical evidence concerning the evolution of eusociality reveals that relatedness does not play a role in the initial appearance of helper phenotypes, this follows simply from the fact that natural selection - of which relatedness is a necessary component - does not play a causal role in the origin of any traits. Further, separating two logically distinct elements of causal explanation - necessity and sufficiency - explains why the debate lingers on: although relatedness plays a necessary role in the evolution of helping and advanced eusociality, relatedness alone is not sufficient for their appearance. Therefore, if the relatedness variable in a given data set is held at a uniformly high value, then it indeed may turn out that other factors occupy a more prominent role. However, this does not change the fact that high relatedness functions as a necessary background condition for the evolution of advanced eusociality.}, } @article {pmid31475408, year = {2019}, author = {Savage, DA}, title = {Towards a complex model of disaster behaviour.}, journal = {Disasters}, volume = {43}, number = {4}, pages = {771-798}, doi = {10.1111/disa.12408}, pmid = {31475408}, issn = {1467-7717}, mesh = {*Behavior ; *Disasters ; Humans ; *Models, Psychological ; }, abstract = {This paper outlines why a move towards a complex adaptive systems model of behaviour is required if the goal is to generate better understanding of how individuals and groups interact with their environment in a disaster setting. To accomplish this objective, a bridge must be built between the broader social sciences and behavioural economics to incorporate discipline-specific insights that are needed to move towards complexity. This is only possible through a deeper understanding of behaviour and how the environment in which they occur can influence actions. It is then that one can counteract the poor behavioural predictions, flawed policies based on myth, inefficient design, and suboptimal outcomes that have flourished in the absence of a complex adaptive systems model. This paper provides a conceptual framework that draws on concepts from across the natural and social sciences, such as behavioural economics, endocrinology, psychology, sociobiology, and sociology in order to build an interactive theory of disaster behaviour.}, } @article {pmid31463783, year = {2019}, author = {Ruedenauer, FA and Spaethe, J and van der Kooi, CJ and Leonhardt, SD}, title = {Pollinator or pedigree: which factors determine the evolution of pollen nutrients?.}, journal = {Oecologia}, volume = {191}, number = {2}, pages = {349-358}, pmid = {31463783}, issn = {1432-1939}, support = {LE 2750/5-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; SP 1380/1-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; 016.Veni.181.025//NWO/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Bees ; Flowers ; *Nutrients ; Pedigree ; Phylogeny ; Pollen ; *Pollination ; }, abstract = {A prime example of plant-animal interactions is the interaction between plants and pollinators, which typically receive nectar and/or pollen as reward for their pollination service. While nectar provides mostly carbohydrates, pollen represents the main source of protein and lipids for many pollinators. However, the main function of pollen is to carry nutrients for pollen tube growth and thus fertilization. It is unclear whether pollinator attraction exerts a sufficiently strong selective pressure to alter the nutritional profile of pollen, e.g., through increasing its crude protein content or protein-to-lipid ratio, which both strongly affect bee foraging. Pollen nutritional quality may also be merely determined by phylogenetic relatedness, with pollen of closely related plants showing similar nutritional profiles due to shared biosynthetic pathways or floral morphologies. Here, we present a meta-analysis of studies on pollen nutrients to test whether differences in pollen nutrient contents and ratios correlated with plant insect pollinator dependence and/or phylogenetic relatedness. We hypothesized that if pollen nutritional content was affected by pollinator attraction, it should be different (e.g., higher) in highly pollinator-dependent plants, independent of phylogenetic relatedness. We found that crude protein and the protein-to-lipid ratio in pollen strongly correlated with phylogeny. Moreover, pollen protein content was higher in plants depending mostly or exclusively on insect pollination. Pollen nutritional quality thus correlated with both phylogenetic relatedness and pollinator dependency, indicating that, besides producing pollen with sufficient nutrients for reproduction, the nutrient profile of zoophilous plants may have been shaped by their pollinators' nutritional needs.}, } @article {pmid31432735, year = {2019}, author = {Brown, B and Marg, L and Zhang, Z and Kuzmanović, D and Dubé, K and Galea, J}, title = {Factors Associated With Payments to Research Participants: A Review of Sociobehavioral Studies at a Large Southern California Research University.}, journal = {Journal of empirical research on human research ethics : JERHRE}, volume = {14}, number = {4}, pages = {408-415}, doi = {10.1177/1556264619869538}, pmid = {31432735}, issn = {1556-2654}, support = {R01 AI114617/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {California ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Ethics, Research ; Humans ; Research/*economics ; *Research Subjects ; Sociobiology ; *Universities ; }, abstract = {Along with a dearth of regulatory guidance, little empirical research has examined factors related to participant payment in research. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 100 institutional review board (IRB)-approved sociobehavioral human subjects research protocols at a large research university in Southern California. The proportion of studies that paid participants differed significantly by type of research (p < .001) and study population (p = .009). The average payment amount also differed significantly by study population (p < .001) and type of participation (in-person vs. remote; p < .001). In addition, studies that required more visits (p < .001) and more time (p = .011) paid significantly more than studies with fewer and shorter visits, respectively. These findings provide data to help inform future ethical payment practices.}, } @article {pmid31387505, year = {2019}, author = {Poirotte, C and Kappeler, PM}, title = {Hygienic personalities in wild grey mouse lemurs vary adaptively with sex.}, journal = {Proceedings. Biological sciences}, volume = {286}, number = {1908}, pages = {20190863}, pmid = {31387505}, issn = {1471-2954}, mesh = {Animals ; *Avoidance Learning ; Cheirogaleidae/*psychology ; Feces ; Female ; *Grooming ; *Host-Parasite Interactions ; Male ; Personality ; Sex Factors ; }, abstract = {Detecting the risk of infection and minimizing parasite exposure represent the first lines of host defence against parasites. Individuals differ in the expression of these behavioural defences, but causes of such variation have received little empirical attention. We therefore experimentally investigated the effects of several individual and environmental factors on the expression level of faecal avoidance in the context of feeding, drinking, sleeping and defecating in a wild primate population. We found a strong sex bias in the expression level of anti-parasite behaviours of grey mouse lemurs (Microcebus murinus), with only females strongly avoiding contaminated food, water and nests, and exhibiting selective defecation. Our results further suggest that individuals adapted their protective behaviours according to variation in intrinsic and ecological factors that may influence the cost-benefit balance of behavioural defences. Overall, individuals exhibited high consistency of investment in protective behaviours across behavioural contexts and time, suggesting that grey mouse lemurs exhibit different hygienic personalities. Finally, the global hygienic score was negatively correlated with faecal-orally transmitted parasite richness, suggesting that variation in behavioural defence has fitness consequences. We suggest that integrating inter-individual variation in behavioural defences in epidemiological studies should improve our ability to model disease spread within populations.}, } @article {pmid31357033, year = {2019}, author = {Groothuis, J and Pfeiffer, K and El Jundi, B and Smid, HM}, title = {The Jewel Wasp Standard Brain: Average shape atlas and morphology of the female Nasonia vitripennis brain.}, journal = {Arthropod structure & development}, volume = {51}, number = {}, pages = {41-51}, doi = {10.1016/j.asd.2019.100878}, pmid = {31357033}, issn = {1873-5495}, mesh = {Animals ; Brain/anatomy & histology/cytology ; Female ; Neuropil/cytology ; Wasps/*anatomy & histology ; }, abstract = {Nasonia, a genus of parasitoid wasps, is a promising model system in the study of developmental and evolutionary genetics, as well as complex traits such as learning. Of these "jewel wasps", the species Nasonia vitripennis is widely spread and widely studied. To accelerate neuroscientific research in this model species, fundamental knowledge of its nervous system is needed. To this end, we present an average standard brain of recently eclosed naïve female N. vitripennis wasps obtained by the iterative shape averaging method. This "Jewel Wasp Standard Brain" includes the optic lobe (excluding the lamina), the anterior optic tubercle, the antennal lobe, the lateral horn, the mushroom body, the central complex, and the remaining unclassified neuropils in the central brain. Furthermore, we briefly describe these well-defined neuropils and their subregions in the N. vitripennis brain. A volumetric analysis of these neuropils is discussed in the context of brains of other insect species. The Jewel Wasp Standard Brain will provide a framework to integrate and consolidate the results of future neurobiological studies in N. vitripennis. In addition, the volumetric analysis provides a baseline for future work on age- and experience-dependent brain plasticity.}, } @article {pmid31338578, year = {2019}, author = {Streinzer, M and Roth, N and Paulus, HF and Spaethe, J}, title = {Color preference and spatial distribution of glaphyrid beetles suggest a key role in the maintenance of the color polymorphism in the peacock anemone (Anemone pavonina, Ranunculaceae) in Northern Greece.}, journal = {Journal of comparative physiology. A, Neuroethology, sensory, neural, and behavioral physiology}, volume = {205}, number = {5}, pages = {735-743}, pmid = {31338578}, issn = {1432-1351}, mesh = {Anemone/*genetics ; Animals ; *Coleoptera ; Color ; Flowers/*genetics ; Greece ; *Pollination ; *Polymorphism, Genetic ; }, abstract = {In the Mediterranean region, a group of unrelated plant species share an unusual deep-red flower color and are pollinated by glaphyrid beetles. Some of these species possess different color morphs, but the mechanisms maintaining this color polymorphism are unknown. The peacock anemone, Anemone pavonina, is a color polymorphic species with red or purple flowers. We investigated the spatial distribution of its color morphs and its potential glaphyrid pollinators, Pygopleurus spp., along an elevational gradient on the southern slopes of Mount Olympus, Greece. We found a correlation between relative proportions of the two color morphs with both elevation and beetle abundance. At low elevations (< 1000 m a.s.l.), beetles were abundant and anemone populations comprised only red flowers. Above a steep transition zone with mixed-colored populations (c. 1000-1300 m) most flowers were purple and beetles were rare. Color-trapping experiments revealed a strong preference for red over other colors in beetles and colorimetric modeling suggests that a simple chromatic mechanism is sufficient to explain their color choices. We thus hypothesize that beetles select for red flowers and that with increasing elevation and decreasing beetle density, other flower visitors (e.g., bees) gain importance as pollinators and select for a different color.}, } @article {pmid31308381, year = {2019}, author = {Lyutova, R and Selcho, M and Pfeuffer, M and Segebarth, D and Habenstein, J and Rohwedder, A and Frantzmann, F and Wegener, C and Thum, AS and Pauls, D}, title = {Reward signaling in a recurrent circuit of dopaminergic neurons and peptidergic Kenyon cells.}, journal = {Nature communications}, volume = {10}, number = {1}, pages = {3097}, pmid = {31308381}, issn = {2041-1723}, support = {U58 DP001979/DP/NCCDPHP CDC HHS/United States ; INST 93/824-1 LAGG//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation)/International ; TH1584/1-3//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation)/International ; PA19792-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation)/International ; }, mesh = {Acetylcholine/metabolism ; Animals ; Appetite/physiology ; Brain/cytology/*physiology ; Conditioning, Classical ; Dopaminergic Neurons/*physiology ; Drosophila melanogaster/*physiology ; Feedback, Physiological ; Larva ; Memory/*physiology ; Models, Psychological ; Mushroom Bodies/cytology/*physiology ; Neural Pathways/physiology ; Neuropeptides/metabolism ; Odorants ; Olfactory Perception/physiology ; Optogenetics ; *Reward ; }, abstract = {Dopaminergic neurons in the brain of the Drosophila larva play a key role in mediating reward information to the mushroom bodies during appetitive olfactory learning and memory. Using optogenetic activation of Kenyon cells we provide evidence that recurrent signaling exists between Kenyon cells and dopaminergic neurons of the primary protocerebral anterior (pPAM) cluster. Optogenetic activation of Kenyon cells paired with odor stimulation is sufficient to induce appetitive memory. Simultaneous impairment of the dopaminergic pPAM neurons abolishes appetitive memory expression. Thus, we argue that dopaminergic pPAM neurons mediate reward information to the Kenyon cells, and in turn receive feedback from Kenyon cells. We further show that this feedback signaling is dependent on short neuropeptide F, but not on acetylcholine known to be important for odor-shock memories in adult flies. Our data suggest that recurrent signaling routes within the larval mushroom body circuitry may represent a mechanism subserving memory stabilization.}, } @article {pmid31213188, year = {2019}, author = {Princen, SA and Oliveira, RC and Ernst, UR and Millar, JG and van Zweden, JS and Wenseleers, T}, title = {Honeybees possess a structurally diverse and functionally redundant set of queen pheromones.}, journal = {Proceedings. Biological sciences}, volume = {286}, number = {1905}, pages = {20190517}, pmid = {31213188}, issn = {1471-2954}, mesh = {Animals ; Bees/*physiology ; Female ; Pheromones/chemistry/*metabolism ; Protein Structural Elements ; Reproduction ; Social Behavior ; }, abstract = {Queen pheromones, which signal the presence of a fertile queen and induce workers to remain sterile, play a key role in regulating reproductive division of labour in insect societies. In the honeybee, volatiles produced by the queen's mandibular glands have been argued to act as the primary sterility-inducing pheromones. This contrasts with evidence from other groups of social insects, where specific queen-characteristic hydrocarbons present on the cuticle act as conserved queen signals. This led us to hypothesize that honeybee queens might also employ cuticular pheromones to stop workers from reproducing. Here, we support this hypothesis with the results of bioassays with synthetic blends of queen-characteristic alkenes, esters and carboxylic acids. We show that all these compound classes suppress worker ovary development, and that one of the blends of esters that we used was as effective as the queen mandibular pheromone (QMP) mix. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the two main QMP compounds 9-ODA and 9-HDA tested individually were as effective as the blend of all four major QMP compounds, suggesting considerable signal redundancy. Possible adaptive reasons for the observed complexity of the honeybee queen signal mix are discussed.}, } @article {pmid31205443, year = {2019}, author = {Streinzer, M and Chakravorty, J and Neumayer, J and Megu, K and Narah, J and Schmitt, T and Bharti, H and Spaethe, J and Brockmann, A}, title = {Species composition and elevational distribution of bumble bees (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Bombus Latreille) in the East Himalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, India.}, journal = {ZooKeys}, volume = {851}, number = {}, pages = {71-89}, pmid = {31205443}, issn = {1313-2989}, abstract = {The East Himalaya is one of the world's most biodiverse ecosystems. However, very little is known about the abundance and distribution of many plant and animal taxa in this region. Bumble bees are a group of cold-adapted and high elevation insects that fulfil an important ecological and economical function as pollinators of wild and agricultural flowering plants and crops. The Himalayan mountain range provides ample suitable habitats for bumble bees. Systematic study of Himalayan bumble bees began a few decades ago and the main focus has centred on the western region, while the eastern part of the mountain range has received little attention and only a few species have been verified. During a three-year survey, more than 700 bumble bee specimens of 21 species were collected in Arunachal Pradesh, the largest of the north-eastern states of India. The material included a range of species that were previously known from a limited number of collected specimens, which highlights the unique character of the East Himalayan ecosystem. Our results are an important first step towards a future assessment of species distribution, threat, and conservation. Clear elevation patterns of species diversity were observed, which raise important questions about the functional adaptations that allow bumble bees to thrive in this particularly moist region in the East Himalaya.}, } @article {pmid31196978, year = {2019}, author = {Stöckl, A and Grittner, R and Pfeiffer, K}, title = {The role of lateral optic flow cues in hawkmoth flight control.}, journal = {The Journal of experimental biology}, volume = {222}, number = {Pt 13}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1242/jeb.199406}, pmid = {31196978}, issn = {1477-9145}, mesh = {Animals ; Cues ; Feedback, Sensory/*physiology ; Female ; Flight, Animal/*physiology ; Male ; Moths/*physiology ; Optic Flow/*physiology ; }, abstract = {Flying animals require sensory feedback on changes of their body position, as well as on their distance from nearby objects. The apparent image motion, or optic flow, which is generated as animals move through the air, can provide this information. Flight tunnel experiments have been crucial for our understanding of how insects use optic flow for flight control in confined spaces. However, previous work mainly focused on species from two insect orders: Hymenoptera and Diptera. We therefore set out to investigate whether the previously described control strategies to navigate enclosed environments are also used by insects with a different optical system, flight kinematics and phylogenetic background. We tested the role of lateral visual cues for forward flight control in the hummingbird hawkmoth Macroglossum stellatarum (Sphingidae, Lepidoptera), which possesses superposition compound eyes, and has the ability to hover in addition to its capacity for fast forward flight. Our results show that hawkmoths use a similar strategy for lateral position control to bees and flies in balancing the magnitude of translational optic flow perceived in both eyes. However, the influence of lateral optic flow on flight speed in hawkmoths differed from that in bees and flies. Moreover, hawkmoths showed individually attributable differences in position and speed control when the presented optic flow was unbalanced.}, } @article {pmid31145838, year = {2020}, author = {George, EA and Bröger, AK and Thamm, M and Brockmann, A and Scheiner, R}, title = {Inter-individual variation in honey bee dance intensity correlates with expression of the foraging gene.}, journal = {Genes, brain, and behavior}, volume = {19}, number = {1}, pages = {e12592}, doi = {10.1111/gbb.12592}, pmid = {31145838}, issn = {1601-183X}, mesh = {Animals ; Bees/*genetics/physiology ; *Biological Variation, Population ; Brain/metabolism ; Cyclic GMP-Dependent Protein Kinases/*genetics/metabolism ; Feeding Behavior ; Insect Proteins/*genetics/metabolism ; Receptor, Insulin/genetics/metabolism ; Receptors, Biogenic Amine/genetics/metabolism ; }, abstract = {Individual behavioural differences in responding to the same stimuli is an integral part of division of labour in eusocial insect colonies. Amongst honey bee nectar foragers, individuals strongly differ in their sucrose responsiveness, which correlates with strong differences in behavioural decisions. In this study, we explored whether the mechanisms underlying the regulation of foraging are linked to inter-individual differences in the waggle dance activity of honey bee foragers. We first quantified the variation in dance activity amongst groups of foragers visiting an artificial feeder filled consecutively with different sucrose concentrations. We then determined, for these foragers, the sucrose responsiveness and the brain expression levels of three genes associated with food search and foraging; the foraging gene Amfor, octopamine receptor gene AmoctαR1 and insulin receptor AmInR-2. As expected, foragers showed large inter-individual differences in their dance activity, irrespective of the reward offered at the feeder. The sucrose responsiveness correlated positively with the intensity of the dance activity at the higher reward condition, with the more responsive foragers having a higher intensity of dancing. Out of the three genes tested, Amfor expression significantly correlated with dance activity, with more active dancers having lower expression levels. Our results show that dance and foraging behaviour in honey bees have similar mechanistic underpinnings and supports the hypothesis that the social communication behaviour of honey bees might have evolved by co-opting behavioural modules involved in food search and foraging in solitary insects.}, } @article {pmid31141257, year = {2019}, author = {Smith, CC and Weber, JN and Mikheyev, AS and Roces, F and Bollazzi, M and Kellner, K and Seal, JN and Mueller, UG}, title = {Landscape genomics of an obligate mutualism: Concordant and discordant population structures between the leafcutter ant Atta texana and its two main fungal symbiont types.}, journal = {Molecular ecology}, volume = {28}, number = {11}, pages = {2831-2845}, doi = {10.1111/mec.15111}, pmid = {31141257}, issn = {1365-294X}, mesh = {Animals ; Ants/*genetics/*microbiology ; Fungi/*genetics ; Genetic Variation ; *Genomics ; Genotype ; Principal Component Analysis ; *Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {To explore landscape genomics at the range limit of an obligate mutualism, we use genotyping-by-sequencing (ddRADseq) to quantify population structure and the effect of host-symbiont interactions between the northernmost fungus-farming leafcutter ant Atta texana and its two main types of cultivated fungus. Genome-wide differentiation between ants associated with either of the two fungal types is of the same order of magnitude as differentiation associated with temperature and precipitation across the ant's entire range, suggesting that specific ant-fungus genome-genome combinations may have been favoured by selection. For the ant hosts, we found a broad cline of genetic structure across the range, and a reduction of genetic diversity along the axis of range expansion towards the range margin. This population-genetic structure was concordant between the ants and one cultivar type (M-fungi, concordant clines) but discordant for the other cultivar type (T-fungi). Discordance in population-genetic structures between ant hosts and a fungal symbiont is surprising because the ant farmers codisperse with their vertically transmitted fungal symbionts. Discordance implies that (a) the fungi disperse also through between-nest horizontal transfer or other unknown mechanisms, and (b) genetic drift and gene flow can differ in magnitude between each partner and between different ant-fungus combinations. Together, these findings imply that variation in the strength of drift and gene flow experienced by each mutualistic partner affects adaptation to environmental stress at the range margin, and genome-genome interactions between host and symbiont influence adaptive genetic differentiation of the host during range evolution in this obligate mutualism.}, } @article {pmid31112358, year = {2019}, author = {Kappeler, PM and Fichtel, C and van Vugt, M and Smith, JE}, title = {Female leadership: A transdisciplinary perspective.}, journal = {Evolutionary anthropology}, volume = {28}, number = {4}, pages = {160-163}, doi = {10.1002/evan.21783}, pmid = {31112358}, issn = {1520-6505}, mesh = {Animals ; Anthropology/*education/*organization & administration ; Female ; Humans ; *Leadership ; Primates ; *Sex Factors ; Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid31094674, year = {2019}, author = {Sanchez, LM}, title = {Darwin's politics of selection.}, journal = {Politics and the life sciences : the journal of the Association for Politics and the Life Sciences}, volume = {38}, number = {1}, pages = {72-102}, doi = {10.1017/pls.2019.1}, pmid = {31094674}, issn = {1471-5457}, mesh = {*Biological Evolution ; Cultural Evolution ; Emotional Intelligence ; History, 19th Century ; History, 20th Century ; History, 21st Century ; Humans ; *Politics ; *Selection, Genetic ; }, abstract = {The uses of natural selection argument in politics have been constant since Charles Darwin's times. They have also been varied. The readings of Darwin's theory range from the most radically individualist views, as in orthodox socio-Darwinism, to the most communitarian, as in Peter Kropotkin's and other socialist perspectives. This essay argues that such diverse, contradictory, and sometimes even outrageous political derivations from Darwin's theory may be partially explained by some incompleteness and ambivalences underlying Darwin's concepts. "Natural selection," "struggle for existence," and "survival of the fittest" are open concepts and may suggest some hierarchical and segregationist interpretations. Circumstantially, Darwin accepted social "checks," such as discouraging marriage of "lower" individuals to prevent them from reproducing, in a vein of Malthusian politics. This makes Darwin's theory of selection by struggle collide with his theory of social instincts, by which he explains the origins of morality. It also favors reading Darwin's On the Origin of Species or The Descent of Man from opposite, mostly ideological perspectives. Darwin's position is ambivalent, although hardly unreasonable. The recognition he makes of social instincts, as well as the use of the concept of artificial selection, entails accepting the role of human consciousness, by which social evolution cannot be reduced to natural evolution, as socio-Darwinians did next and as some neo-Darwinists seem to repeat. On these grounds, this essay argues the inadequacy of the conventional model of natural selection for understanding politics. If we want to describe politics in Darwin's language, artificial rather than natural selection would be the concept that performs better for explaining the courses of politics in real society.}, } @article {pmid31071155, year = {2019}, author = {Hofman, MPG and Hayward, MW and Heim, M and Marchand, P and Rolandsen, CM and Mattisson, J and Urbano, F and Heurich, M and Mysterud, A and Melzheimer, J and Morellet, N and Voigt, U and Allen, BL and Gehr, B and Rouco, C and Ullmann, W and Holand, Ø and Jørgensen, NH and Steinheim, G and Cagnacci, F and Kroeschel, M and Kaczensky, P and Buuveibaatar, B and Payne, JC and Palmegiani, I and Jerina, K and Kjellander, P and Johansson, Ö and LaPoint, S and Bayrakcismith, R and Linnell, JDC and Zaccaroni, M and Jorge, MLS and Oshima, JEF and Songhurst, A and Fischer, C and Mc Bride, RT and Thompson, JJ and Streif, S and Sandfort, R and Bonenfant, C and Drouilly, M and Klapproth, M and Zinner, D and Yarnell, R and Stronza, A and Wilmott, L and Meisingset, E and Thaker, M and Vanak, AT and Nicoloso, S and Graeber, R and Said, S and Boudreau, MR and Devlin, A and Hoogesteijn, R and May-Junior, JA and Nifong, JC and Odden, J and Quigley, HB and Tortato, F and Parker, DM and Caso, A and Perrine, J and Tellaeche, C and Zieba, F and Zwijacz-Kozica, T and Appel, CL and Axsom, I and Bean, WT and Cristescu, B and Périquet, S and Teichman, KJ and Karpanty, S and Licoppe, A and Menges, V and Black, K and Scheppers, TL and Schai-Braun, SC and Azevedo, FC and Lemos, FG and Payne, A and Swanepoel, LH and Weckworth, BV and Berger, A and Bertassoni, A and McCulloch, G and Šustr, P and Athreya, V and Bockmuhl, D and Casaer, J and Ekori, A and Melovski, D and Richard-Hansen, C and van de Vyver, D and Reyna-Hurtado, R and Robardet, E and Selva, N and Sergiel, A and Farhadinia, MS and Sunde, P and Portas, R and Ambarli, H and Berzins, R and Kappeler, PM and Mann, GK and Pyritz, L and Bissett, C and Grant, T and Steinmetz, R and Swedell, L and Welch, RJ and Armenteras, D and Bidder, OR and González, TM and Rosenblatt, A and Kachel, S and Balkenhol, N}, title = {Right on track? Performance of satellite telemetry in terrestrial wildlife research.}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {14}, number = {5}, pages = {e0216223}, pmid = {31071155}, issn = {1932-6203}, support = {/WT_/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Animals, Wild/*physiology ; *Ecosystem ; *Environmental Monitoring ; *Geographic Information Systems ; *Spacecraft ; *Telemetry ; }, abstract = {Satellite telemetry is an increasingly utilized technology in wildlife research, and current devices can track individual animal movements at unprecedented spatial and temporal resolutions. However, as we enter the golden age of satellite telemetry, we need an in-depth understanding of the main technological, species-specific and environmental factors that determine the success and failure of satellite tracking devices across species and habitats. Here, we assess the relative influence of such factors on the ability of satellite telemetry units to provide the expected amount and quality of data by analyzing data from over 3,000 devices deployed on 62 terrestrial species in 167 projects worldwide. We evaluate the success rate in obtaining GPS fixes as well as in transferring these fixes to the user and we evaluate failure rates. Average fix success and data transfer rates were high and were generally better predicted by species and unit characteristics, while environmental characteristics influenced the variability of performance. However, 48% of the unit deployments ended prematurely, half of them due to technical failure. Nonetheless, this study shows that the performance of satellite telemetry applications has shown improvements over time, and based on our findings, we provide further recommendations for both users and manufacturers.}, } @article {pmid31064854, year = {2019}, author = {Becker, MC and Rössler, W and Strube-Bloss, MF}, title = {UV light perception is modulated by the odour element of an olfactory-visual compound in restrained honeybees.}, journal = {The Journal of experimental biology}, volume = {222}, number = {Pt 10}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1242/jeb.201483}, pmid = {31064854}, issn = {1477-9145}, mesh = {Acyclic Monoterpenes/*metabolism ; Animals ; Bees/*physiology ; Cues ; Learning/physiology ; Odorants ; *Olfactory Perception ; Reward ; *Ultraviolet Rays ; *Visual Perception ; }, abstract = {Honeybees use visual and olfactory cues to detect flowers during foraging trips. Hence, the reward association of a nectar source is a multimodal construct which has at least two major components - olfactory and visual cues. How both sensory modalities are integrated to form a common reward association and whether and how they may interfere, is an open question. The present study used stimulation with UV, blue and green light to evoke distinct photoreceptor activities in the compound eye and two odour components (geraniol, citronellol). To test if a compound of both modalities is perceived as the sum of its elements (elemental processing) or as a unique cue (configural processing), we combined monochromatic light with single odour components in positive (PP) and negative patterning (NP) experiments. During PP, the compound of two modalities was rewarded, whereas the single elements were not. For NP, stimuli comprising a single modality were rewarded, whereas the olfactory-visual compound was not. Furthermore, we compared the differentiation abilities between two light stimuli that were or were not part of an olfactory-visual compound. Interestingly, the behavioural performances revealed a prominent case of configural processing, but only in those cases when UV light was an element of an olfactory-visual compound. Instead, learning with green- and blue-containing compounds rather supports elemental processing theory.}, } @article {pmid31045493, year = {2019}, author = {Modlmeier, AP and Colman, E and Hanks, EM and Bringenberg, R and Bansal, S and Hughes, DP}, title = {Ant colonies maintain social homeostasis in the face of decreased density.}, journal = {eLife}, volume = {8}, number = {}, pages = {}, pmid = {31045493}, issn = {2050-084X}, support = {1414296//National Science Foundation/International ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Ants/*physiology ; Locomotion ; Population Density ; *Social Behavior ; }, abstract = {Interactions lie at the heart of social organization, particularly in ant societies. Interaction rates are presumed to increase with density, but there is little empirical evidence for this. We manipulated density within carpenter ant colonies of the species Camponotus pennsylvanicus by quadrupling nest space and by manually tracking 6.9 million ant locations and over 3200 interactions to study the relationship between density, spatial organization and interaction rates. Colonies divided into distinct spatial regions on the basis of their underlying spatial organization and changed their movement patterns accordingly. Despite a reduction in both overall and local density, we did not find the expected concomitant reduction in interaction rates across all colonies. Instead, we found divergent effects across colonies. Our results highlight the remarkable organizational resilience of ant colonies to changes in density, which allows them to sustain two key basic colony life functions, that is food and information exchange, during environmental change.}, } @article {pmid31031989, year = {2019}, author = {Sperber, AL and Kappeler, PM and Fichtel, C}, title = {Should I stay or should I go? Individual movement decisions during group departures in red-fronted lemurs.}, journal = {Royal Society open science}, volume = {6}, number = {3}, pages = {180991}, pmid = {31031989}, issn = {2054-5703}, abstract = {Collective movements are essential for maintaining group cohesion. However, group members can have different optimal departure times, depending on individual, social and contextual factors whose relative importance remains poorly known. We, therefore, studied collective departures in four groups of red-fronted lemurs (Eulemur rufifrons) in Kirindy Forest, Madagascar, to investigate the influence of an individual's age, sex, their affiliative relationships and their proximity to other group members at the time of departure on their individual departure decision. We recorded behavioural and spatial data on individual departures during 167 group movements and conducted group scans (181-279 per group) to assess affiliative relationships. All factors influenced individual departures. Both affiliation and proximity determined a mimetic joining process in which dyads with stronger affiliative bonds departed in closer succession, and individuals followed the initiator and predecessors more quickly when they were in closer proximity at departure. While the influence of affiliation is common, the effect of inter-individual distance has rarely been considered in groups with heterogeneous social relationships. Although local rules influenced joining, the overall movement pattern was mainly determined by individual traits: juveniles took protected central positions, while females made up the van and males brought up the rear. Individual needs, expressed in the departure order, to an extent overruled the effect of affiliation. These results highlight the importance of considering individual, social and contextual factors collectively in the study of collective movements.}, } @article {pmid30991871, year = {2021}, author = {McEniery, DF}, title = {The 'Scientific' phrenologist - Bernard Hollander (1864-1934).}, journal = {Journal of medical biography}, volume = {29}, number = {2}, pages = {95-101}, doi = {10.1177/0967772019840170}, pmid = {30991871}, issn = {1758-1087}, mesh = {Austria ; History, 19th Century ; History, 20th Century ; London ; Neurosciences/*history ; Phrenology/*history ; }, abstract = {Bernard Hollander (1864-1934), a Viennese-born British physician, scientist, and author, was best known for his late 19th century and early 20th century revival of a 'Scientific Phrenology'. Hollander, motivated by the advances in cerebral localisation and neuroscience that appeared to justify Franz Joseph Gall's (1758-1828) initial interests in craniology, hoped to use this new framework to substantively improve the lot of his patients and his community. Ridiculed and derided by his colleagues while maintaining a measure of public prominence, Hollander discussed contemporary issues including notions of human nature, mental illness, education, development, women's rights, and sociobiology. The current work focuses on Hollander, his writings, and his reception by the contemporary medical and lay community.}, } @article {pmid30972261, year = {2019}, author = {Cox, AR and Montgomerie, R}, title = {The cases for and against double-blind reviews.}, journal = {PeerJ}, volume = {7}, number = {}, pages = {e6702}, pmid = {30972261}, issn = {2167-8359}, abstract = {To date, the majority of authors on scientific publications have been men. While much of this gender bias can be explained by historic sexism and discrimination, there is concern that women may still be disadvantaged by the peer review process if reviewers' biases lead them to reject publications with female authors more often. One potential solution to this perceived gender bias in the reviewing process is for journals to adopt double-blind reviews whereby neither the authors nor the reviewers are aware of each other's identity and gender. To test the efficacy of double-blind reviews in one behavioral ecology journal (Behavioral Ecology, BE), we assigned gender to every authorship of every paper published for 2010-2018 in that journal compared to four other journals with single-blind reviews but similar subject matter and impact factors. While female authorships comprised only 35% of the total in all journals, the double-blind journal (BE) did not have more female authorships than its single-blind counterparts. Interestingly, the incidence of female authorship is higher at behavioral ecology journals (BE and Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology) than in the ornithology journals (Auk, Condor, Ibis) for papers on all topics as well as those on birds. These analyses suggest that double-blind review does not currently increase the incidence of female authorship in the journals studied here. We conclude, at least for these journals, that double-blind review no longer benefits female authors and we discuss the pros and cons of the double-blind reviewing process based on our findings.}, } @article {pmid30963920, year = {2019}, author = {Yilmaz, A and Grübel, K and Spaethe, J and Rössler, W}, title = {Distributed plasticity in ant visual pathways following colour learning.}, journal = {Proceedings. Biological sciences}, volume = {286}, number = {1896}, pages = {20182813}, pmid = {30963920}, issn = {1471-2954}, mesh = {Animals ; Ants/*physiology ; Color ; Learning ; Neuronal Plasticity/*physiology ; Neuropil/physiology ; Random Allocation ; Visual Pathways/physiology ; }, abstract = {Colour processing at early stages of visual pathways is a topic of intensive study both in vertebrate and invertebrate species. However, it is still unclear how colour learning and memory formation affects an insect brain in the peripheral processing stages and high-order integration centres, and whether associative colour experiences are reflected in plasticity of underlying neuronal circuits. To address this issue, we used Camponotus blandus ants as their proven colour learning and memory capabilities, precisely controllable age and experience, and already known central visual pathways offer unique access to analyse plasticity in neuronal circuits for colour vision in a miniature brain. The potential involvement of distinct neuropils-optic lobes (OLs), mushroom body (MB) input (collar) and output (vertical lobe), anterior optic tubercle (AOTU) and central complex (CX)-in associative colour experiences was assessed by quantification of volumetric and synaptic changes (MB collar) directly after colour conditioning and, 3 days later, after the establishment of long-term memory (LTM). To account for potential effects of non-associative light exposure, we compared neuronal changes in the brain of colour-naive foragers with those of foragers that had been exposed to light in a non-associative way. The results clearly show that the OLs, AOTU, and CX respond with plastic changes after colour learning and LTM formation. This suggests a complex neuronal network for colour learning and memory formation involving multiple brain levels. Such a colour-processing network probably represents an efficient design promoting fast and accurate behavioural decisions during orientation and navigation.}, } @article {pmid30963700, year = {2019}, author = {Kraft, N and Spaethe, J and Rössler, W and Groh, C}, title = {Neuronal Plasticity in the Mushroom-Body Calyx of Bumble Bee Workers During Early Adult Development.}, journal = {Developmental neurobiology}, volume = {79}, number = {4}, pages = {287-302}, doi = {10.1002/dneu.22678}, pmid = {30963700}, issn = {1932-846X}, mesh = {Animals ; Bees/*cytology/*growth & development ; Light ; Mushroom Bodies/*cytology/*growth & development ; *Neuronal Plasticity ; Neurons/*cytology ; Organ Size ; Sensory Deprivation ; Visual Perception ; }, abstract = {Division of labor among workers is a key feature of social insects and frequently characterized by an age-related transition between tasks, which is accompanied by considerable structural changes in higher brain centers. Bumble bees (Bombus terrestris), in contrast, exhibit a size-related rather than an age-related task allocation, and thus workers may already start foraging at two days of age. We ask how this early behavioral maturation and distinct size variation are represented at the neuronal level and focused our analysis on the mushroom bodies (MBs), brain centers associated with sensory integration, learning and memory. To test for structural neuronal changes related to age, light exposure, and body size, whole-mount brains of age-marked workers were dissected for synapsin immunolabeling. MB calyx volumes, densities, and absolute numbers of olfactory and visual projection neuron (PN) boutons were determined by confocal laser scanning microscopy and three-dimensional image analyses. Dark-reared bumble bee workers showed an early age-related volume increase in olfactory and visual calyx subcompartments together with a decrease in PN-bouton density during the first three days of adult life. A 12:12 h light-dark cycle did not affect structural organization of the MB calyces compared to dark-reared individuals. MB calyx volumes and bouton numbers positively correlated with body size, whereas bouton density was lower in larger workers. We conclude that, in comparison to the closely related honey bees, neuronal maturation in bumble bees is completed at a much earlier stage, suggesting a strong correlation between neuronal maturation time and lifestyle in both species.}, } @article {pmid30868227, year = {2019}, author = {Ruedenauer, FA and Leonhardt, SD and Lunau, K and Spaethe, J}, title = {Bumblebees are able to perceive amino acids via chemotactile antennal stimulation.}, journal = {Journal of comparative physiology. A, Neuroethology, sensory, neural, and behavioral physiology}, volume = {205}, number = {3}, pages = {321-331}, pmid = {30868227}, issn = {1432-1351}, mesh = {*Amino Acids ; Animals ; Arthropod Antennae/*physiology ; Bees/*physiology ; }, abstract = {Like all animals, bees need to consume essential amino acids to maintain their body's protein synthesis. Perception and discrimination of amino acids are, however, still poorly understood in bees (and insects in general). We used chemotactile conditioning of the proboscis extension response (PER) to examine (1) whether Bombus terrestris workers are able to perceive amino acids by means of their antennae and (if so) which ones, (2) whether they are able to differentiate between different amino acids, and (3) whether they are able to differentiate between different concentrations of the same amino acid. We found that workers perceived asparagine, cysteine, hydroxyproline, glutamic acid, lysine, phenylalanine, and serine, but not alanine, leucine, proline, or valine by means of their antennae. Surprisingly, they were unable to differentiate between different (perceivable) amino acids, but they distinguished between different concentrations of lysine. Consequently, bumblebees seem to possess amino acid receptors at the tip of their antennae, which enable a general perception of those solute amino acids that have an additional functional group (besides the common amino and carboxylic groups). They may thus have the ability to assess the overall amino acid content of pollen and nectar prior to ingestion.}, } @article {pmid30826953, year = {2019}, author = {Hesselbach, H and Scheiner, R}, title = {The novel pesticide flupyradifurone (Sivanto) affects honeybee motor abilities.}, journal = {Ecotoxicology (London, England)}, volume = {28}, number = {3}, pages = {354-366}, pmid = {30826953}, issn = {1573-3017}, support = {1//Heinrich-Stockmeyer-Stiftung/ ; }, mesh = {4-Butyrolactone/*analogs & derivatives/toxicity ; Administration, Oral ; Animals ; Bees/*drug effects ; Behavior, Animal/*drug effects ; Brain/drug effects ; Female ; Insecticides/*toxicity ; Male ; Motor Activity/*drug effects ; Pyridines/*toxicity ; Receptors, Cholinergic/drug effects ; Seasons ; }, abstract = {Honeybees and other pollinators are threatened by changing landscapes and pesticides resulting from intensified agriculture. In 2018 the European Union prohibited the outdoor use of three neonicotinoid insecticides due to concerns about pollinators. A new pesticide by the name of "Sivanto" was recently released by Bayer AG. Its active ingredient flupyradifurone binds to the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AchR) in the honeybee brain, similar to neonicotinoids. Nevertheless, flupyradifurone is assumed to be harmless for honeybees and can even be applied on flowering crops. So far, only little has been known about sublethal effects of flupyradifurone on honeybees. Intact motor functions are decisive for numerous behaviors including foraging and dancing. We therefore selected a motor assay to investigate in how far sublethal doses of this pesticide affect behavior in young summer and long-lived winter honeybees. Our results demonstrate that flupyradifurone (830 µmol/l) can evoke motor disabilities and disturb normal motor behavior after a single oral administration (1.2 µg/bee). These effects are stronger in long-lived winter bees than in young summer bees. After offering an equal amount of pesticide (1.0-1.75 µg) continuously over 24 h with food the observed effects are slighter. For comparisons we repeated our experiments with the neonicotinoid imidacloprid. Intriguingly, the alterations in behavior induced by this pesticide (4 ng/bee) were different and longer-lasting compared to flupyradifurone, even though both substances bind to nicotinic acetylcholine receptors.}, } @article {pmid30776425, year = {2019}, author = {Lichtenstein, L and Brockmann, A and Spaethe, J}, title = {Learning of monochromatic stimuli in Apis cerana and Apis mellifera by means of PER conditioning.}, journal = {Journal of insect physiology}, volume = {114}, number = {}, pages = {30-34}, doi = {10.1016/j.jinsphys.2019.02.006}, pmid = {30776425}, issn = {1879-1611}, mesh = {Animals ; *Bees ; Color ; *Color Perception ; *Conditioning, Psychological ; *Memory ; }, abstract = {Honey bees are globally distributed and have received increased attention due to their high economic and ecological value for pollination, their exceptional eusocial lifestyle and complex behavioral repertoire. Interestingly, most research on learning and memory in honey bees has been performed in the Western honey bee, Apis mellifera L., and other honey bee species were largely neglected. In the current study, we thus compared visual learning performance of A. mellifera and the Eastern honey bee, A. cerana Fabr., using the proboscis extension response (PER) paradigm. Workers of A. mellifera and A. cerana were differentially conditioned to two monochromatic light stimuli, with peak maxima at 435 and 528 nm. Both honey bee species were able to form an association between the color stimulus and a sugar reward and significantly distinguished between the two color stimuli in a differential discrimination test. However, besides similar performance levels during visual learning, A. cerana showed a reduced mid-term memory (tested after 2 h) compared to A. mellifera. Finally, performance of the visual PER conditioning in our study reached similar levels as found in olfactory PER conditioning, and we thus recommend the visual PER conditioning approach in addition to olfactory conditioning as a useful tool for studying species-specific learning and memory capabilities in honey bees under controlled laboratory conditions.}, } @article {pmid30755489, year = {2019}, author = {Pegel, U and Pfeiffer, K and Zittrell, F and Scholtyssek, C and Homberg, U}, title = {Two Compasses in the Central Complex of the Locust Brain.}, journal = {The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience}, volume = {39}, number = {16}, pages = {3070-3080}, pmid = {30755489}, issn = {1529-2401}, mesh = {Action Potentials/physiology ; Animals ; Brain/*physiology ; Cues ; Grasshoppers ; Head Movements/physiology ; Neurons/*physiology ; Orientation, Spatial/*physiology ; Spatial Navigation/*physiology ; }, abstract = {Many migratory insects rely on a celestial compass for spatial orientation. Several features of the daytime sky, all generated by the sun, can be exploited for navigation. Two of these are the position of the sun and the pattern of polarized skylight. Neurons of the central complex (CX), a group of neuropils in the central brain of insects, have been shown to encode sky compass cues. In desert locusts, the CX holds a topographic, compass-like representation of the plane of polarized light (E-vector) presented from dorsal direction. In addition, these neurons also encode the azimuth of an unpolarized light spot, likely representing the sun. Here, we investigate whether, in addition to E-vector orientation, the solar azimuth is represented topographically in the CX. We recorded intracellularly from eight types of CX neuron while stimulating animals of either sex with polarized blue light from zenithal direction and an unpolarized green light spot rotating around the animal's head at different elevations. CX neurons did not code for elevation of the unpolarized light spot. However, two types of columnar neuron showed a linear correlation between innervated slice in the CX and azimuth tuning to the unpolarized green light spot, consistent with an internal compass representation of solar azimuth. Columnar outputs of the CX also showed a topographic representation of zenithal E-vector orientation, but the two compasses were not linked to each other. Combined stimulation with unpolarized green and polarized blue light suggested that the two compasses interact in a nonlinear way.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT In the brain of the desert locust, neurons sensitive to the plane of celestial polarization are arranged like a compass in the slices of the central complex (CX). These neurons, in addition, code for the horizontal direction of an unpolarized light cue possibly representing the sun. We show here that horizontal directions are, in addition to E-vector orientations from the dorsal direction, represented in a compass-like manner across the slices of the CX. However, the two compasses are not linked to each other, but rather seem to interact in a cell-specific, nonlinear way. Our study confirms the role of the CX in signaling heading directions and shows that different cues are used for this task.}, } @article {pmid30726424, year = {2018}, author = {Contreras-Pulache, H and Espinoza-Lecca, E and Sevillano-Jimenez, J}, title = {[Notes on the historical evolution of the work of Pedro Ortiz Cabanillas and his sociobiological informational theory].}, journal = {Revista peruana de medicina experimental y salud publica}, volume = {35}, number = {4}, pages = {699-706}, doi = {10.17843/rpmesp.2018.354.3892}, pmid = {30726424}, issn = {1726-4642}, mesh = {History, 20th Century ; History, 21st Century ; Information Theory/*history ; Peru ; Sociobiology/*history ; }, abstract = {The Informational Sociobiological Theory proposes a radically-different definition of living systems and, therefore, is the only existing neurological theory that evades the mind-brain problem and explains the nature of human consciousness. It was developed by Pedro Ortiz Cabanillas between 1984 and 2011. In this document we are presenting a listing of his main works. We include, additionally, unpublished material of the years 1998, 1999, 2006, and 2009.}, } @article {pmid30723219, year = {2019}, author = {Kappeler, PM and Nunn, CL and Vining, AQ and Goodman, SM}, title = {Evolutionary dynamics of sexual size dimorphism in non-volant mammals following their independent colonization of Madagascar.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {9}, number = {1}, pages = {1454}, pmid = {30723219}, issn = {2045-2322}, mesh = {*Animal Distribution ; Animals ; *Biological Evolution ; Body Size ; Ecosystem ; Female ; Madagascar ; Male ; Phylogeny ; *Sex Characteristics ; Strepsirhini/classification/*genetics/physiology ; }, abstract = {As predicted by sexual selection theory, males are larger than females in most polygynous mammals, but recent studies found that ecology and life history traits also affect sexual size dimorphism (SSD) through evolutionary changes in either male size, female size, or both. The primates of Madagascar (Lemuriformes) represent the largest group of mammals without male-biased SSD. The eco-evo-devo hypothesis posited that adaptations to unusual climatic unpredictability on Madagascar have ultimately reduced SSD in lemurs after dispersing to Madagascar, but data have not been available for comparative tests of the corresponding predictions that SSD is also absent in other terrestrial Malagasy mammals and that patterns of SSD changed following the colonization of Madagascar. We used phylogenetic methods and new body mass data to test these predictions among the four endemic radiations of Malagasy primates, carnivorans, tenrecs, and rodents. In support of our prediction, we found that male-biased SSD is generally absent among all Malagasy mammals. Phylogenetic comparative analyses further indicated that after their independent colonization of Madagascar, SSD decreased in primates and tenrecs, but not in the other lineages or when analyzed across all species. We discuss several mechanisms that may have generated these patterns and conclude that neither the eco-evo-devo hypothesis, founder effects, the island rule nor sexual selection theory alone can provide a compelling explanation for the observed patterns of SSD in Malagasy mammals.}, } @article {pmid30689139, year = {2019}, author = {Grodwohl, JB}, title = {Animal Behavior, Population Biology and the Modern Synthesis (1955-1985).}, journal = {Journal of the history of biology}, volume = {52}, number = {4}, pages = {597-633}, pmid = {30689139}, issn = {1573-0387}, mesh = {Animals ; *Behavior, Animal ; *Biological Evolution ; Ethology/*history ; Genetics, Population/*history ; History, 20th Century ; Models, Biological ; *Selection, Genetic ; Sociobiology/history ; }, abstract = {This paper examines the history of animal behavior studies after the synthesis period. Three episodes are considered: the adoption of the theory of natural selection, the mathematization of ideas, and the spread of molecular methods in behavior studies. In these three episodes, students of behavior adopted practices and standards developed in population ecology and population genetics. While they borrowed tools and methods from these fields, they made distinct uses (inclusive fitness method, evolutionary theory of games, emphasis on individual selection) that set them relatively apart and led them to contribute, in their own way, to evolutionary theory. These episodes also highlight some limitations of "conjunction narratives" centered on the relation between a discipline and the modern synthesis. A trend in conjunction narratives is to interpret any development related to evolution in a discipline as an "extension," an "integration," or as a "delayed" synthesis. I here suggest that this can lead to underestimate discontinuities in the history of evolutionary biology.}, } @article {pmid30617631, year = {2019}, author = {Römer, D and Roces, F}, title = {Waste deposition in leaf-cutting ants is guided by olfactory cues from waste.}, journal = {Die Naturwissenschaften}, volume = {106}, number = {1-2}, pages = {3}, pmid = {30617631}, issn = {1432-1904}, mesh = {Animals ; Ants/*physiology ; Behavior, Animal/*physiology ; *Cues ; Smell/*physiology ; }, abstract = {Social insects often use olfactory cues from their environment to coordinate colony tasks. We investigated whether leaf-cutting ants use volatiles as cues to guide the deposition of their copious amounts of colony refuse. In the laboratory, we quantified the relocation of a small pile of colony waste by workers of Atta laevigata towards volatiles offered at each side of the pile as a binary choice, consisting of either waste volatiles, fungus volatiles, or no volatiles. Fungus volatiles alone did not evoke relocation of waste. Waste volatiles alone, by contrast, led to a strong relocation of waste particles towards them. When fungus and waste volatiles were tested against each other, waste particles were also relocated towards waste volatiles, and in a high percentage of assays completely moved away from the source of fungus volatiles as compared to the previous series. We suggest that deposition and accumulation of large amounts of refuse in single external heaps or a few huge underground waste chambers of Atta nests is due to both olfactory preferences and stigmergic responses towards waste volatiles by waste-carrying workers.}, } @article {pmid30579360, year = {2018}, author = {Keller, A and Brandel, A and Becker, MC and Balles, R and Abdelmohsen, UR and Ankenbrand, MJ and Sickel, W}, title = {Wild bees and their nests host Paenibacillus bacteria with functional potential of avail.}, journal = {Microbiome}, volume = {6}, number = {1}, pages = {229}, pmid = {30579360}, issn = {2049-2618}, mesh = {Animals ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology ; Bacterial Toxins/genetics ; Bees/growth & development/*microbiology ; DNA, Bacterial/genetics ; DNA, Ribosomal/genetics ; *Genome, Bacterial ; Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections/microbiology ; Larva/microbiology ; Metagenomics/methods ; Nesting Behavior ; Paenibacillus/genetics/*isolation & purification/physiology ; Phylogeny ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics ; Sequence Analysis, DNA/methods ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: In previous studies, the gram-positive firmicute genus Paenibacillus was found with significant abundances in nests of wild solitary bees. Paenibacillus larvae is well-known for beekeepers as a severe pathogen causing the fatal honey bee disease American foulbrood, and other members of the genus are either secondary invaders of European foulbrood or considered a threat to honey bees. We thus investigated whether Paenibacillus is a common bacterium associated with various wild bees and hence poses a latent threat to honey bees visiting the same flowers.

RESULTS: We collected 202 samples from 82 individuals or nests of 13 bee species at the same location and screened each for Paenibacillus using high-throughput sequencing-based 16S metabarcoding. We then isolated the identified strain Paenibacillus MBD-MB06 from a solitary bee nest and sequenced its genome. We did find conserved toxin genes and such encoding for chitin-binding proteins, yet none specifically related to foulbrood virulence or chitinases. Phylogenomic analysis revealed a closer relationship to strains of root-associated Paenibacillus rather than strains causing foulbrood or other accompanying diseases. We found anti-microbial evidence within the genome, confirmed by experimental bioassays with strong growth inhibition of selected fungi as well as gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria.

CONCLUSIONS: The isolated wild bee associate Paenibacillus MBD-MB06 is a common, but irregularly occurring part of wild bee microbiomes, present on adult body surfaces and guts and within nests especially in megachilids. It was phylogenetically and functionally distinct from harmful members causing honey bee colony diseases, although it shared few conserved proteins putatively toxic to insects that might indicate ancestral predisposition for the evolution of insect pathogens within the group. By contrast, our strain showed anti-microbial capabilities and the genome further indicates abilities for chitin-binding and biofilm-forming, suggesting it is likely a useful associate to avoid fungal penetration of the bee cuticula and a beneficial inhabitant of nests to repress fungal threats in humid and nutrient-rich environments of wild bee nests.}, } @article {pmid30549185, year = {2019}, author = {Ferretti, V and Papaleo, F}, title = {Understanding others: Emotion recognition in humans and other animals.}, journal = {Genes, brain, and behavior}, volume = {18}, number = {1}, pages = {e12544}, doi = {10.1111/gbb.12544}, pmid = {30549185}, issn = {1601-183X}, mesh = {Animal Communication ; Animals ; *Biological Evolution ; Brain/metabolism/physiology ; *Emotional Intelligence ; Humans ; Social Behavior ; Sociobiology/methods/standards ; }, abstract = {Emotion recognition represents the ability to encode an ensemble of sensory stimuli providing information about the emotional state of another individual. This ability is not unique to humans. An increasing number of studies suggest that many aspects of higher order social functions, including emotion recognition, might be present in species ranging from primates to rodents, indicating a conserved role in social animals. The aim of this review is to examine and compare how emotions are communicated and perceived in humans and other animals, with the intent to highlight possible new behavioral approaches and research perspectives. We summarize the evidence from human emotion recognition, and latest advances in the development of nonhuman animal behavioral tests, using or implying the use of this cognitive function. The differential implication of sensory modalities used by animals to communicate and decipher emotional states is also discussed. The opportunity to measure emotion recognition abilities in rodents may allow us to better identify the neural mechanisms mediating this complex function, thus promoting the development of new intervention strategies for several neuropsychiatric disorders characterized by social cognitive dysfunctions.}, } @article {pmid30529645, year = {2019}, author = {Freas, CA and Fleischmann, PN and Cheng, K}, title = {Experimental ethology of learning in desert ants: Becoming expert navigators.}, journal = {Behavioural processes}, volume = {158}, number = {}, pages = {181-191}, doi = {10.1016/j.beproc.2018.12.001}, pmid = {30529645}, issn = {1872-8308}, mesh = {Animals ; Ants/*physiology ; Cues ; *Desert Climate ; Environment ; Ethology ; Exploratory Behavior/*physiology ; Homing Behavior/*physiology ; Smell ; Spatial Learning/*physiology ; }, abstract = {Foraging desert ants are repeatedly presented with the challenge of leaving the nest, searching the scorching desert landscape to find food, and then transporting it back home. To accomplish this task, foragers have a navigational toolbox, which relies on olfactory, idiothetic, visual and magnetic cues. Desert ants have been widely studied with regards to these abilities, including a heavy focus on learned visual cues, the most prominent being the terrestrial panorama. Nest cues are first acquired during pre-foraging learning walks. Once foragers leave the nest area, they also learn a number of cues to aid them when returning both back to the nest and to known food sites, using experience of previous trips to navigate on future trips. In this review, we describe the learning processes involved in accurate navigation in desert ants. We first focus on recent research on nest-site panorama learning during pre-foraging learning walks as well as panorama learning away from the nest during foraging. We also review learning cues beyond the terrestrial panorama, including tactile, magnetic, olfactory and vibrational cues. These studies provide a basis for future work to further explore how these navigators, despite their small brains, acquire, retain and use many cue sets present in their environments. We call for more experimental ethology focussed on learning processes, both by exploring run-by-run and step-by-step acquisition of information for navigation, as well as for other natural tasks in an animal's life.}, } @article {pmid30417379, year = {2018}, author = {Bastin, F and Couto, A and Larcher, V and Phiancharoen, M and Koeniger, G and Koeniger, N and Sandoz, JC}, title = {Marked interspecific differences in the neuroanatomy of the male olfactory system of honey bees (genus Apis).}, journal = {The Journal of comparative neurology}, volume = {526}, number = {18}, pages = {3020-3034}, doi = {10.1002/cne.24513}, pmid = {30417379}, issn = {1096-9861}, mesh = {Animals ; Bees/*anatomy & histology ; Male ; Olfactory Cortex/*anatomy & histology ; Species Specificity ; }, abstract = {All honey bee species (genus Apis) display a striking mating behavior with the formation of male (drone) congregations, in which virgin queens mate with many drones. Bees' mating behavior relies on olfactory communication involving queen-but also drone pheromones. To explore the evolution of olfactory communication in Apis, we analyzed the neuroanatomical organization of the antennal lobe (primary olfactory center) in the drones of five species from the three main lineages (open-air nesting species: dwarf honey bees Apis florea and giant honey bees Apis dorsata; cavity-nesting species: Apis mellifera, Apis kochevnikovi, and Apis cerana) and from three populations of A. cerana (Borneo, Thailand, and Japan). In addition to differences in the overall number of morphological units, the glomeruli, our data reveal marked differences in the number and position of macroglomeruli, enlarged units putatively dedicated to sex pheromone processing. Dwarf and giant honey bee species possess two macroglomeruli while cavity-nesting bees present three or four macroglomeruli, suggesting an increase in the complexity of sex communication during evolution in the genus Apis. The three A. cerana populations showed differing absolute numbers of glomeruli but the same three macroglomeruli. Overall, we identified six different macroglomeruli in the genus Apis. One of these (called MGb), which is dedicated to the detection of the major queen compound 9-ODA in A. mellifera, was conserved in all species. We discuss the implications of these results for our understanding of sex communication in honey bees and propose a putative scenario of antennal lobe evolution in the Apis genus.}, } @article {pmid30403699, year = {2018}, author = {Ruedenauer, FA and Wöhrle, C and Spaethe, J and Leonhardt, SD}, title = {Do honeybees (Apis mellifera) differentiate between different pollen types?.}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {13}, number = {11}, pages = {e0205821}, pmid = {30403699}, issn = {1932-6203}, mesh = {Animals ; *Bees ; Chemotactic Factors ; Conditioning, Classical ; Cues ; *Discrimination Learning ; Olfactory Perception ; *Pollen ; Pollination ; }, abstract = {Bees receive nectar and pollen as reward for pollinating plants. Pollen of different plant species varies widely in nutritional composition. In order to select pollen of appropriate nutritional quality, bees would benefit if they could distinguish different pollen types. Whether they rely on visual, olfactory and/or chemotactile cues to distinguish between different pollen types, has however been little studied. In this study, we examined whether and how Apis mellifera workers differentiate between almond and apple pollen. We used differential proboscis extension response conditioning with olfactory and chemotactile stimulation, in light and darkness, and in summer and winter bees. We found that honeybees were only able to differentiate between different pollen types, when they could use both chemotactile and olfactory cues. Visual cues further improved learning performance. Summer bees learned faster than winter bees. Our results thus highlight the importance of multisensory information for pollen discrimination.}, } @article {pmid30393034, year = {2018}, author = {Egert-Berg, K and Hurme, ER and Greif, S and Goldstein, A and Harten, L and Herrera M, LG and Flores-Martínez, JJ and Valdés, AT and Johnston, DS and Eitan, O and Borissov, I and Shipley, JR and Medellin, RA and Wilkinson, GS and Goerlitz, HR and Yovel, Y}, title = {Resource Ephemerality Drives Social Foraging in Bats.}, journal = {Current biology : CB}, volume = {28}, number = {22}, pages = {3667-3673.e5}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2018.09.064}, pmid = {30393034}, issn = {1879-0445}, mesh = {Animal Migration ; Animals ; Behavior, Animal ; Chiroptera/*physiology ; *Feeding Behavior ; *Flight, Animal ; Population Density ; Population Dynamics ; Predatory Behavior/*physiology ; *Social Behavior ; }, abstract = {Observations of animals feeding in aggregations are often interpreted as events of social foraging, but it can be difficult to determine whether the animals arrived at the foraging sites after collective search [1-4] or whether they found the sites by following a leader [5, 6] or even independently, aggregating as an artifact of food availability [7, 8]. Distinguishing between these explanations is important, because functionally, they might have very different consequences. In the first case, the animals could benefit from the presence of conspecifics, whereas in the second and third, they often suffer from increased competition [3, 9-13]. Using novel miniature sensors, we recorded GPS tracks and audio of five species of bats, monitoring their movement and interactions with conspecifics, which could be inferred from the audio recordings. We examined the hypothesis that food distribution plays a key role in determining social foraging patterns [14-16]. Specifically, this hypothesis predicts that searching for an ephemeral resource (whose distribution in time or space is hard to predict) is more likely to favor social foraging [10, 13-15] than searching for a predictable resource. The movement and social interactions differed between bats foraging on ephemeral versus predictable resources. Ephemeral species changed foraging sites and showed large temporal variation nightly. They aggregated with conspecifics as was supported by playback experiments and computer simulations. In contrast, predictable species were never observed near conspecifics and showed high spatial fidelity to the same foraging sites over multiple nights. Our results suggest that resource (un)predictability influences the costs and benefits of social foraging.}, } @article {pmid30391659, year = {2019}, author = {Bang, A}, title = {Antecedents of behavioural and reproductive dominance in pairs of the primitively eusocial wasp Ropalidia marginata.}, journal = {Behavioural processes}, volume = {158}, number = {}, pages = {1-3}, doi = {10.1016/j.beproc.2018.10.025}, pmid = {30391659}, issn = {1872-8308}, mesh = {Aging/psychology ; Animals ; *Behavior, Animal ; Body Size ; Female ; Male ; *Reproduction ; Social Behavior ; *Social Dominance ; *Wasps ; }, abstract = {What factors predispose some individuals to become reproductively dominant in a group where every member can reproduce? Antecedents of reproductive dominance have often been investigated in primitively eusocial species where reproductive skew exists despite adult reproductive potential displayed by every group-member, but such studies have rarely focused on small, incipient colonies. Here, I investigated antecedents of behavioural and reproductive dominance in pairs of the Indian paper wasp Ropalidia marginata. Common antecedents of behavioural dominance such as body size and age were inoperative in pairs of R. marginata. Moreover, age and behavioural dominance, but not body size, influenced reproductive dominance in pairs. These findings are not only different from other primitively eusocial insects, but also different from the colonies of R. marginata. It is likely that antecedents of reproductive dominance are different not only in different species, but also change with group size within a species, such that the role of behavioural dominance to achieve reproductive monopoly remains more effective in small groups such as pairs, and becomes less effective as the group size increases. These results require further investigations into the effect of group size on individual behaviour in group-living animals.}, } @article {pmid30387926, year = {2018}, author = {Faragalla, KM and Chernyshova, AM and Gallo, AJ and Thompson, GJ}, title = {From gene list to gene network: Recognizing functional connections that regulate behavioral traits.}, journal = {Journal of experimental zoology. Part B, Molecular and developmental evolution}, volume = {330}, number = {6-7}, pages = {317-329}, doi = {10.1002/jez.b.22829}, pmid = {30387926}, issn = {1552-5015}, mesh = {Animals ; Bees/genetics ; Behavior, Animal/physiology ; Female ; *Gene Regulatory Networks ; *Genome, Insect ; Infertility, Female/genetics ; *Social Behavior ; Systems Biology ; }, abstract = {The study of social breeding systems is often gene focused, and the field of insect sociobiology has been successful at assimilating tools and techniques from molecular biology. One common output from sociogenomic studies is a gene list. Gene lists are readily generated from microarray, RNA sequencing, or other molecular screens that typically aim to prioritize genes based on the differences in their expression. Gene lists, however, are often unsatisfying because the information they provide is simply tabular and does not explain how genes interact with each other, or how genetic interactions change in real time under social or environmental circumstances. Here, we promote a view that is relatively common to molecular systems biology, where gene lists are converted into gene networks that better describe the functional connections that regulate behavioral traits. We present a narrative related to honeybee worker sterility to show how network analysis can be used to reprioritize candidate genes based on connectivity rather than their freestanding expression values. Networks can also reveal multigene modules, motifs, clusters or other system-wide properties that might not be apparent from an ab initio list. We argue that because network analyses are not restricted to "genes" as nodes, their implementation can potentially connect multiple levels of biological organization into a single, progressively complex study system.}, } @article {pmid30349993, year = {2019}, author = {Sommerlandt, FMJ and Brockmann, A and Rössler, W and Spaethe, J}, title = {Immediate early genes in social insects: a tool to identify brain regions involved in complex behaviors and molecular processes underlying neuroplasticity.}, journal = {Cellular and molecular life sciences : CMLS}, volume = {76}, number = {4}, pages = {637-651}, pmid = {30349993}, issn = {1420-9071}, support = {12P4167//NCBS-TIFR institutional funding/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Bees/genetics/physiology ; Brain/cytology/*metabolism/physiology ; Gene Expression ; Genes, Immediate-Early/*genetics ; Genes, Insect/*genetics ; Insecta/*genetics/physiology ; Neuronal Plasticity/*genetics/physiology ; Neurons/metabolism/physiology ; *Social Behavior ; }, abstract = {Social insects show complex behaviors and master cognitive tasks. The underlying neuronal mechanisms, however, are in most cases only poorly understood due to challenges in monitoring brain activity in freely moving animals. Immediate early genes (IEGs) that get rapidly and transiently expressed following neuronal stimulation provide a powerful tool for detecting behavior-related neuronal activity in vertebrates. In social insects, like honey bees, and in insects in general, this approach is not yet routinely established, even though these genes are highly conserved. First studies revealed a vast potential of using IEGs as neuronal activity markers to analyze the localization, function, and plasticity of neuronal circuits underlying complex social behaviors. We summarize the current knowledge on IEGs in social insects and provide ideas for future research directions.}, } @article {pmid30341951, year = {2018}, author = {Sehner, S and Fichtel, C and Kappeler, PM}, title = {Primate tails: Ancestral state reconstruction and determinants of interspecific variation in primate tail length.}, journal = {American journal of physical anthropology}, volume = {167}, number = {4}, pages = {750-759}, doi = {10.1002/ajpa.23703}, pmid = {30341951}, issn = {1096-8644}, mesh = {Animals ; Anthropology, Physical ; Anthropometry ; *Biological Evolution ; Body Size/*physiology ; Female ; Head/anatomy & histology ; Locomotion/physiology ; Male ; Phylogeny ; Primates/*anatomy & histology/*physiology ; Tail/*anatomy & histology ; }, abstract = {OBJECTIVE: Living primates vary considerably in tail length-body size relation, ranging from tailless species to those where the tail is more than twice as long as the body. Because the general pattern and determinants of tail evolution remain incompletely known, we reconstructed evolutionary changes in relative tail length across all primates and sought to explain interspecific variation in this trait.

METHODS: We combined data on tail length, head-body length, intermembral index (IMI), habitat use, locomotion type, and range latitude for 340 species from published sources. We reconstructed the evolution of relative tail length to identify all independent cases of regime shifts on a primate phylogeny, using several methods based on Ornstein-Uhlenbeck (OU) models. Accounting for phylogeny, we also examined the effects of habitat, locomotion type, distance from the equator and IMI on interspecific variation in tail length-body size relation.

RESULTS: Primate tail length is not sexually dimorphic. A phylogenetic reconstruction allowing multiple optima explains the observed regime shifts best. During the evolutionary history of primates, relative tail length changed 50 times under an OU model. Specifically, relative tail length increased 26 and decreased 24 times. Most of these changes occurred among Old World primates. Among the variables tested here, interspecific variation in IMI and the difference between leaping and non-leaping locomotion explained interspecific variation in relative tail length: Evolutionary decreases in relative tail length are generally associated with an increase in IMI and an absence of leaping behavior.

CONCLUSIONS: Regime shifts for relative tail length in living primates occurred in concert with fundamental changes in IMI and a change from leaping to non-leaping locomotion, or vice versa. Exceptions from this general pattern are linked to the presence of a prehensile tail or specialized foraging strategies. Thus, the primate tail appears to have evolved in functional coordination with limb proportions, presumably to assist body balance.}, } @article {pmid30296346, year = {2018}, author = {Bernaldo de Quirós, E and Wheeler, BC and Hammerschmidt, K and Heistermann, M and Tiddi, B}, title = {Do sexual calls in female black capuchin monkeys (Sapajus nigritus) vary with fertility? An acoustic analysis.}, journal = {American journal of primatology}, volume = {80}, number = {9}, pages = {e22920}, doi = {10.1002/ajp.22920}, pmid = {30296346}, issn = {1098-2345}, support = {//Leakey Foundation/International ; //Volkswagen Foundation/International ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Argentina ; Cebinae/*physiology ; Copulation ; Female ; *Fertility ; *Vocalization, Animal ; }, abstract = {Females across a range of animal taxa produce vocalizations and signals uniquely associated with periods of mating. While such signals may ultimately function to increase female attractivity to males, conflicting findings challenge the extent to which these signals co-vary in accordance with the probability of conception. Female black capuchin monkeys (Sapajus nigritus) display an elaborate repertoire of both vocal and visual components as part of their socio-sexual behavior, and previous analyses have shown that the rates of production of visual, but not vocal, components provide graded information on female ovulation. It remains possible, however, that the acoustic parameters of these sexual calls, rather than their rate of productions, co-vary with female fertility. To test this, we analyzed structural and temporal call parameters from estrous calls and post-copulatory calls recorded over five consecutive mating seasons in 12 sexually mature females at Iguazú National Park, Argentina. Calls given during the fertile phase of the female ovarian cycle were compared with those given during the non-fertile phase, as determined by profiles of female reproductive hormones. Similarly, within the fertile phase, we tested whether temporal or spectral acoustic parameters of calls gradually change with the approach of ovulation. We did not find any significant relationship between call parameters and the two measures of female fertility in either female estrous calls or post-copulatory calls. However, some differences between pre- and post-copulatory calls were apparent. Overall, our results indicate that sexual calls in black capuchin females do not provide precise information about the timing of ovulation, but may allow listeners to make probabilistic inferences about whether copulations have taken place. This, combined with previous findings, suggests that females in our study may use signals in different modalities to convey information about their fertility and sexual behavior with varying degrees of precision.}, } @article {pmid30225037, year = {2018}, author = {Henke-von der Malsburg, J and Fichtel, C}, title = {Are generalists more innovative than specialists? A comparison of innovative abilities in two wild sympatric mouse lemur species.}, journal = {Royal Society open science}, volume = {5}, number = {8}, pages = {180480}, pmid = {30225037}, issn = {2054-5703}, abstract = {The propensity to flexibly innovate behavioural variants might advantage animals when dealing with novel or modified ecological or social challenges. Interspecific innovative abilities can be predicted by the degree of ecological generalism and intraspecific variation is predicted by personality traits. To examine the effects of these factors on innovation, we compared problem-solving abilities in the generalist grey mouse lemurs (Microcebus murinus) and the more specialized Madame Berthe's mouse lemurs (Microcebus berthae) in western Madagascar. We examined personality traits by testing 54 individuals in open field and novel object tests, and we assessed problem-solving abilities by presenting an artificial feeding-box that could be opened by three different techniques. The first two techniques presented novel problems and the third technique a modified problem to the more complex second novel problem. In both species, motivation, early success and better inhibitory control characterized innovators and predicted superior problem-solving performance. Although both species performed equally well in finding a solution to the novel problems, the specialist species was more efficient in finding a novel solution to a familiar problem. Since the ecological specialist also exhibited more inhibitory control in this task than the generalist, we propose that specialists may dispose of more efficient problem-solving behaviour.}, } @article {pmid30158313, year = {2018}, author = {Bernadou, A and Schrader, L and Pable, J and Hoffacker, E and Meusemann, K and Heinze, J}, title = {Stress and early experience underlie dominance status and division of labour in a clonal insect.}, journal = {Proceedings. Biological sciences}, volume = {285}, number = {1885}, pages = {}, pmid = {30158313}, issn = {1471-2954}, mesh = {Animals ; Ants/growth & development/*physiology ; Larva/growth & development/physiology ; Life Change Events ; Population Dynamics ; Social Dominance ; *Stress, Physiological ; }, abstract = {Cooperation and division of labour are fundamental in the 'major transitions' in evolution. While the factors regulating cell differentiation in multi-cellular organisms are quite well understood, we are just beginning to unveil the mechanisms underlying individual specialization in cooperative groups of animals. Clonal ants allow the study of which factors influence task allocation without confounding variation in genotype and morphology. Here, we subjected larvae and freshly hatched workers of the clonal ant Platythyrea punctata to different rearing conditions and investigated how these manipulations affected division of labour among pairs of oppositely treated, same-aged clonemates. High rearing temperature, physical stress, injury and malnutrition increased the propensity of individuals to become subordinate foragers rather than dominant reproductives. This is reflected in changed gene regulation: early stages of division of labour were associated with different expression of genes involved in nutrient signalling pathways, metabolism and the phenotypic response to environmental stimuli. Many of these genes appear to be capable of responding to a broad range of stressors. They might link environmental stimuli to behavioural and phenotypic changes and could therefore be more broadly involved in caste differentiation in social insects. Our experiments also shed light on the causes of behavioural variation among genetically identical individuals.}, } @article {pmid30104965, year = {2018}, author = {Heinze, S and Pfeiffer, K}, title = {Editorial: The Insect Central Complex-From Sensory Coding to Directing Movement.}, journal = {Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience}, volume = {12}, number = {}, pages = {156}, pmid = {30104965}, issn = {1662-5153}, } @article {pmid30104438, year = {2018}, author = {Huebner, F and Fichtel, C and Kappeler, PM}, title = {Linking cognition with fitness in a wild primate: fitness correlates of problem-solving performance and spatial learning ability.}, journal = {Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences}, volume = {373}, number = {1756}, pages = {}, pmid = {30104438}, issn = {1471-2970}, mesh = {Animals ; Biological Variation, Individual ; Cheirogaleidae/*genetics/*psychology ; *Cognition ; Female ; *Genetic Fitness ; Longevity ; Male ; Maze Learning ; *Problem Solving ; *Spatial Learning ; }, abstract = {Linking the cognitive performance of wild animals with fitness consequences is crucial for understanding evolutionary processes that shape individual variation in cognition. However, the few studies that have examined these links revealed differing relationships between various cognitive performance measures and fitness proxies. To contribute additional comparative data to this body of research, we linked individual performance during repeated problem-solving and spatial learning ability in a maze with body condition and survival in wild grey mouse lemurs (Microcebus murinus). All four variables exhibited substantial inter-individual variation. Solving efficiency in the problem-solving task, but not spatial learning performance, predicted the magnitude of change in body condition after the harsh dry season, indicating that the ability to quickly apply a newly discovered motor technique might also facilitate exploitation of new, natural food resources. Survival was not linked with performance in both tasks, however, suggesting that mouse lemurs' survival might not depend on the cognitive performances addressed here. Our study is the first linking cognition with fitness proxies in a wild primate species, and our discussion highlights the importance and challenges of accounting for a species' life history and ecology in choosing meaningful cognitive and fitness variables for a study in the wild.This article is part of the theme issue 'Causes and consequences of individual differences in cognitive abilities'.}, } @article {pmid30104426, year = {2018}, author = {Cauchoix, M and Chow, PKY and van Horik, JO and Atance, CM and Barbeau, EJ and Barragan-Jason, G and Bize, P and Boussard, A and Buechel, SD and Cabirol, A and Cauchard, L and Claidière, N and Dalesman, S and Devaud, JM and Didic, M and Doligez, B and Fagot, J and Fichtel, C and Henke-von der Malsburg, J and Hermer, E and Huber, L and Huebner, F and Kappeler, PM and Klein, S and Langbein, J and Langley, EJG and Lea, SEG and Lihoreau, M and Lovlie, H and Matzel, LD and Nakagawa, S and Nawroth, C and Oesterwind, S and Sauce, B and Smith, EA and Sorato, E and Tebbich, S and Wallis, LJ and Whiteside, MA and Wilkinson, A and Chaine, AS and Morand-Ferron, J}, title = {The repeatability of cognitive performance: a meta-analysis.}, journal = {Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences}, volume = {373}, number = {1756}, pages = {}, pmid = {30104426}, issn = {1471-2970}, mesh = {Animals ; *Behavior, Animal ; *Biological Variation, Individual ; *Cognition ; }, abstract = {Behavioural and cognitive processes play important roles in mediating an individual's interactions with its environment. Yet, while there is a vast literature on repeatable individual differences in behaviour, relatively little is known about the repeatability of cognitive performance. To further our understanding of the evolution of cognition, we gathered 44 studies on individual performance of 25 species across six animal classes and used meta-analysis to assess whether cognitive performance is repeatable. We compared repeatability (R) in performance (1) on the same task presented at different times (temporal repeatability), and (2) on different tasks that measured the same putative cognitive ability (contextual repeatability). We also addressed whether R estimates were influenced by seven extrinsic factors (moderators): type of cognitive performance measurement, type of cognitive task, delay between tests, origin of the subjects, experimental context, taxonomic class and publication status. We found support for both temporal and contextual repeatability of cognitive performance, with mean R estimates ranging between 0.15 and 0.28. Repeatability estimates were mostly influenced by the type of cognitive performance measures and publication status. Our findings highlight the widespread occurrence of consistent inter-individual variation in cognition across a range of taxa which, like behaviour, may be associated with fitness outcomes.This article is part of the theme issue 'Causes and consequences of individual differences in cognitive abilities'.}, } @article {pmid30080072, year = {2018}, author = {Kittler, K and Kappeler, PM and Fichtel, C}, title = {Instrumental problem-solving abilities in three lemur species (Microcebus murinus, Varecia variegata, and Lemur catta).}, journal = {Journal of comparative psychology (Washington, D.C. : 1983)}, volume = {132}, number = {3}, pages = {306-314}, doi = {10.1037/com0000113}, pmid = {30080072}, issn = {1939-2087}, mesh = {Animals ; *Cheirogaleidae ; *Food ; *Lemur ; *Problem Solving ; *Reward ; Social Behavior ; Species Specificity ; }, abstract = {Apes and some New and Old World monkeys (i.e., haplorhine primates) are known to routinely use tools. In strepsirrhine primates (i.e., lemurs and lorises), no tool use has been reported, even though they appear to have some basic understanding of the spatial relations required for using a pulling tool. To facilitate direct comparisons of the underlying abilities between haplorhine and strepsirrhine primate species, we experimentally examined instrumental problem-solving abilities in three captive lemur species (Microcebus murinus, Varecia variegata, and Lemur catta), using methods from previous experiments with haplorhine primates. First, lemurs were supposed to use a stick to gain access to an inaccessible food reward. Only one ring-tailed lemur solved this task spontaneously on the first attempt. After offering the stick repeatedly, 13 individuals of all three species solved it successfully. Second, lemurs had to choose between pairs of reachable objects with a food reward on or near them, where one object did not afford pulling in the food. Ring-tailed and gray mouse lemurs generally selected the correct (connected) object, thus performing comparably with haplorhine primates, and ruffed lemurs even matched chimpanzees in their performance. Thus, although strepsirrhine primates may lack the fine motor skills to use a stick as a reaching tool, they performed comparable with naturally tool-using haplorhine primates on means-end problems. Our findings suggest a dissociation in primates between the judgment of spatial relations between two objects, which appears to be roughly equivalent across species, and facility at handling sticks for instrumental purposes, which favors species with enhanced manual dexterity. (PsycINFO Database Record}, } @article {pmid30058024, year = {2018}, author = {Peckre, LR and Defolie, C and Kappeler, PM and Fichtel, C}, title = {Potential self-medication using millipede secretions in red-fronted lemurs: combining anointment and ingestion for a joint action against gastrointestinal parasites?.}, journal = {Primates; journal of primatology}, volume = {59}, number = {5}, pages = {483-494}, pmid = {30058024}, issn = {1610-7365}, support = {DFG FI 929/21-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Arthropods ; Benzoquinones/administration & dosage ; Eating ; Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic/parasitology/prevention & control/*veterinary ; *Lemuridae ; Madagascar ; Self Medication/*veterinary ; }, abstract = {Self-anointing, referring to the behaviour of rubbing a material object or foreign substance over different parts of the body, has been observed in several vertebrate species, including primates. Several functions, such as detoxifying a rich food source, social communication and protection against ectoparasites, have been proposed to explain this behaviour. Here, we report observations of six wild red-fronted lemurs (Eulemur rufifrons) of both sexes and different age classes anointing their perianal-genital areas and tails with chewed millipedes. Several individuals also ingested millipedes after prolonged chewing. In light of the features of the observed interactions with millipedes, and the nature and potential metabolic pathways of the released chemicals, we suggest a potential self-medicative function. Specifically, we propose that anointing combined with the ingestion of millipedes' benzoquinone secretions by red-fronted lemurs may act in a complementary fashion against gastrointestinal parasite infections, and more specifically Oxyuridae nematodes, providing both prophylactic and therapeutic effects.}, } @article {pmid30040150, year = {2018}, author = {Thamm, M and Sturm, K and Schlossmann, J and Scheiner, R}, title = {Levels and activity of cyclic guanosine monophosphate-dependent protein kinase in nurse and forager honeybees.}, journal = {Insect molecular biology}, volume = {27}, number = {6}, pages = {815-823}, doi = {10.1111/imb.12520}, pmid = {30040150}, issn = {1365-2583}, mesh = {Animals ; Bees/*enzymology ; *Behavior, Animal ; Cyclic GMP-Dependent Protein Kinases/*metabolism ; Insect Proteins/metabolism ; Satiation ; Sucrose ; }, abstract = {Age-dependent division of labour in honeybees was shown to be connected to sensory response thresholds. Foragers show a higher gustatory responsiveness than nurse bees. It is generally assumed that nutrition-related signalling pathways underlie this behavioural plasticity. Here, one important candidate gene is the foraging gene, which encodes a cyclic guanosine monophosphate-dependent protein kinase (PKG). Several roles of members of this enzyme family were analysed in vertebrates. They own functions in important processes such as growth, secretion and neuronal adaptation. Honeybee foraging messenger RNA expression is upregulated in the brain of foragers. In vivo activation of PKG can modulate gustatory responsiveness. We present for the first time PKG protein level and activity data in the context of social behaviour and feeding. Protein level was significantly higher in brains of foragers than in those of nurse bees, substantiating the role of PKG in behavioural plasticity. However, enzyme activity did not differ between behavioural roles. The mediation of feeding status appears independent of PKG signalling. Neither PKG content nor enzyme activity differed between starved and satiated individuals. We suggest that even though nutrition-related pathways are surely involved in controlling behavioural plasticity, which involves changes in PKG signalling, mediation of satiety itself is independent of PKG.}, } @article {pmid30018159, year = {2018}, author = {Lichtenstein, L and Lichtenstein, M and Spaethe, J}, title = {Length of stimulus presentation and visual angle are critical for efficient visual PER conditioning in the restrained honey bee, Apis mellifera.}, journal = {The Journal of experimental biology}, volume = {221}, number = {Pt 14}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1242/jeb.179622}, pmid = {30018159}, issn = {1477-9145}, mesh = {Animals ; Bees/*physiology ; *Conditioning, Classical ; Cues ; Random Allocation ; Reflex ; *Smell ; Time Factors ; *Visual Perception ; }, abstract = {Learning visual cues is an essential capability of bees for vital behaviors such as orientation in space and recognition of nest sites, food sources and mating partners. To study learning and memory in bees under controlled conditions, the proboscis extension response (PER) provides a well-established behavioral paradigm. While many studies have used the PER paradigm to test olfactory learning in bees because of its robustness and reproducibility, studies on PER conditioning of visual stimuli are rare. In this study, we designed a new setup to test the learning performance of restrained honey bees and the impact of several parameters: stimulus presentation length, stimulus size (i.e. visual angle) and ambient illumination. Intact honey bee workers could successfully discriminate between two monochromatic lights when the color stimulus was presented for 4, 7 and 10 s before a sugar reward was offered, reaching similar performance levels to those for olfactory conditioning. However, bees did not learn at shorter presentation durations. Similar to free-flying honey bees, harnessed bees were able to associate a visual stimulus with a reward at small visual angles (5 deg) but failed to utilize the chromatic information to discriminate the learned stimulus from a novel color. Finally, ambient light had no effect on acquisition performance. We discuss possible reasons for the distinct differences between olfactory and visual PER conditioning.}, } @article {pmid30014321, year = {2018}, author = {Steitz, I and Kingwell, C and Paxton, RJ and Ayasse, M}, title = {Evolution of Caste-Specific Chemical Profiles in Halictid Bees.}, journal = {Journal of chemical ecology}, volume = {44}, number = {9}, pages = {827-837}, pmid = {30014321}, issn = {1573-1561}, mesh = {Animal Communication ; Animals ; Bees/*chemistry/metabolism ; Behavior, Animal/*physiology ; *Biological Evolution ; Chromatography, Gas ; Female ; *Hierarchy, Social ; Life Cycle Stages ; Odorants/*analysis ; Reproduction ; }, abstract = {Chemical communication is crucial for the maintenance of colony organization in eusocial insects and chemical signals are known to mediate important aspects of their social life, including the regulation of reproduction. Sociality is therefore hypothesized to be accompanied by an increase in the complexity of chemical communication. However, little is known about the evolution of odor signals at the transition from solitary living to eusociality. Halictid bees are especially suitable models to study this question as they exhibit considerable variability in social behavior. Here we investigated whether the dissimilarities in cuticle chemical signals in females of different castes and life stages reflect the level of social complexity across halictid bee species. Our hypothesis was that species with a higher social behavior ergo obligate eusocial species possess a more distinct chemical profile between castes or female life stages. We analyzed cuticular chemical profiles of foundresses, breeding females and workers of ancestrally solitary species, facultative and obligate eusocial halictid species. We also tested whether social complexity was associated with a higher investment in chemical signals. Our results revealed higher chemical dissimilarity between castes in obligate than in facultative eusocial species, especially regarding macrocyclic lactones, which were the single common compound class overproduced in queens compared with workers. Chemical dissimilarities were independent of differences in ovarian status in obligate eusocial species but were dependent on ovarian status in facultative eusocial species, which we discuss in an evolutionary framework.}, } @article {pmid29981324, year = {2018}, author = {Arenas, A and Roces, F}, title = {Appetitive and aversive learning of plants odors inside different nest compartments by foraging leaf-cutting ants.}, journal = {Journal of insect physiology}, volume = {109}, number = {}, pages = {85-92}, doi = {10.1016/j.jinsphys.2018.07.001}, pmid = {29981324}, issn = {1879-1611}, mesh = {Animals ; Ants/*physiology ; Appetitive Behavior/*physiology ; Basidiomycota ; Learning/*physiology ; Nesting Behavior/physiology ; *Odorants ; Plants/chemistry ; Smell/physiology ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Cues inside the nest provide social insect foragers with information about resources currently exploited that may influence their decisions outside. Leaf-cutting ants harvest leaf fragments that are either further processed as substrate for their symbiotic fungus, or disposed of if unsuitable. We investigated whether Acromyrmex ambiguus foragers develop learned preferences for olfactory cues they experienced either in the fungus or in the waste chamber of the nest. Foragers' olfactory preferences were quantified as a choice between sugared papers disks scented with a novel odor and with the odor experienced in one of the nest compartments, before and after odor addition. Odors incorporated in the fungus chamber led to preferences towards paper disks smelling of them. Conversely, odors experienced in the waste chambers led to avoidance of similarly-scented disks. To investigate context-specificity of responses, we quantified learned preferences towards an odor that occurred first in the fungus chamber, and 14 h later in the waste chamber. Foragers initially developed a preference for the odor added in the fungus chamber that turned into avoidance when the same odor solely occurred later in the waste chamber. Avoidance of plants could also be induced in a more natural context, when fresh leaf disks of novel plants, privet or firethorn, were presented in the waste chamber. We conclude that learned acceptance or rejection of suitable plants by foragers depend on the learning context: smells can lead to appetitive learning when present in the fungus garden, or to avoidance learning when they occur at the dump.}, } @article {pmid29932950, year = {2018}, author = {Zanni, V and Değirmenci, L and Annoscia, D and Scheiner, R and Nazzi, F}, title = {The reduced brood nursing by mite-infested honey bees depends on their accelerated behavioral maturation.}, journal = {Journal of insect physiology}, volume = {109}, number = {}, pages = {47-54}, doi = {10.1016/j.jinsphys.2018.06.006}, pmid = {29932950}, issn = {1879-1611}, mesh = {Animals ; Appetitive Behavior/physiology ; Bees/growth & development/*parasitology/*physiology ; Hemolymph/chemistry ; Juvenile Hormones/analysis ; *Nesting Behavior ; *Varroidae ; }, abstract = {The parasitic mite Varroa destructor is regarded as the most important parasite of honey bees and plays a fundamental role in the decline of bee colonies observed in the last decade in the Northern hemisphere. Parasitization has a number of detrimental effects on bees, including reduced nursing, which can have important impacts on colony balance. In this work we investigated at the individual level the causes of this abnormal behavior and found that the reduced nursing activity in mite-infested workers is associated with impaired learning performance and a series of physiological traits that are typical of foragers, including reduced response to brood pheromone, limited development of hypopharyngeal glands and higher juvenile hormone titre in the haemolymph. Altogether our data confirm the premature transition to foraging already postulated based on previous genomics studies, from a physiological point of view.}, } @article {pmid29925622, year = {2018}, author = {Shibasaki, S and Shimada, M}, title = {Cyclic dominance emerges from the evolution of two inter-linked cooperative behaviours in the social amoeba.}, journal = {Proceedings. Biological sciences}, volume = {285}, number = {1881}, pages = {}, pmid = {29925622}, issn = {1471-2954}, mesh = {Dictyostelium/*physiology ; *Microbial Interactions ; Models, Biological ; Reproduction ; }, abstract = {Evolution of cooperation has been one of the most important problems in sociobiology, and many researchers have revealed mechanisms that can facilitate the evolution of cooperation. However, most studies deal only with one cooperative behaviour, even though some organisms perform two or more cooperative behaviours. The social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum performs two cooperative behaviours in starvation: fruiting body formation and macrocyst formation. Here, we constructed a model that couples these two behaviours, and we found that the two behaviours are maintained because of the emergence of cyclic dominance, although cooperation cannot evolve if only either of the two behaviours is performed. The common chemoattractant cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP) is used in both fruiting body formation and macrocyst formation, providing a biological context for this coupling. Cyclic dominance emerges regardless of the existence of mating types or spatial structure in the model. In addition, cooperation can re-emerge in the population even after it goes extinct. These results indicate that the two cooperative behaviours of the social amoeba are maintained because of the common chemical signal that underlies both fruiting body formation and macrocyst formation. We demonstrate the importance of coupling multiple games when the underlying behaviours are associated with one another.}, } @article {pmid29915978, year = {2018}, author = {French, AS and Pfeiffer, K}, title = {Nonlinearization: naturalistic stimulation and nonlinear dynamic behavior in a spider mechanoreceptor.}, journal = {Biological cybernetics}, volume = {112}, number = {5}, pages = {403-413}, doi = {10.1007/s00422-018-0763-0}, pmid = {29915978}, issn = {1432-0770}, support = {MOP-106602//CIHR/Canada ; }, mesh = {Action Potentials/*physiology ; Animals ; Computer Simulation ; Mechanoreceptors/*physiology ; *Models, Neurological ; Neurons/*physiology ; *Nonlinear Dynamics ; Spiders/*cytology ; }, abstract = {In a previous study, we used linear frequency response analysis to show that naturalistic stimulation of spider primary mechanosensory neurons produced different response dynamics than the commonly used Gaussian random noise. We isolated this difference to the production of action potentials from receptor potential and suggested that the different distribution of frequency components in the naturalistic signal increased the nonlinearity of action potential encoding. Here, we tested the relative contributions of first- and second-order processes to the action potential signal by measuring linear and quadratic coherence functions. Naturalistic stimulation shifted the linear coherence toward lower frequencies, while quadratic coherence was always higher than linear coherence and increased with naturalistic stimulation. In an initial attempt to separate the order of time-dependent and nonlinear processes, we fitted quadratic frequency response functions by two block-structured models consisting of a power-law filter and a static second-order nonlinearity in alternate cascade orders. The same cascade models were then fitted to the original time domain data by conventional numerical analysis algorithms, using a polynomial function as the static nonlinearity. Quadratic models with a linear filter followed by a static nonlinearity were favored over the reverse order, but with weak significance. Polynomial nonlinear functions indicated that rectification is a major nonlinearity. A complete quantitative description of sensory encoding in these primary mechanoreceptors remains elusive but clearly requires quadratic and higher nonlinear operations on the input signal to explain the sensitivity of dynamic behavior to different input signal patterns.}, } @article {pmid29876722, year = {2018}, author = {Martin, SJ and Correia-Oliveira, ME and Shemilt, S and Drijfhout, FP}, title = {Is the Salivary Gland Associated with Honey Bee Recognition Compounds in Worker Honey Bees (Apis mellifera)?.}, journal = {Journal of chemical ecology}, volume = {44}, number = {7-8}, pages = {650-657}, pmid = {29876722}, issn = {1573-1561}, support = {9509-13-5//capes/ ; 400425/2014-9//cnpq/ ; }, mesh = {Alkanes/analysis/chemistry ; Alkenes/analysis/chemistry ; Animals ; Bees ; Behavior, Animal/*physiology ; Chemical Fractionation ; Chromatography, Gas ; Hydrocarbons/analysis/*chemistry/isolation & purification ; Isomerism ; Salivary Glands/*chemistry/metabolism ; Social Behavior ; }, abstract = {Cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) function as recognition compounds with the best evidence coming from social insects such as ants and honey bees. The major exocrine gland involved in hydrocarbon storage in ants is the post-pharyngeal gland (PPG) in the head. It is still not clearly understood where CHCs are stored in the honey bee. The aim of this study was to investigate the hydrocarbons and esters found in five major worker honey bee (Apis mellifera) exocrine glands, at three different developmental stages (newly emerged, nurse, and forager) using a high temperature GC analysis. We found the hypopharyngeal gland contained no hydrocarbons nor esters, and the thoracic salivary and mandibular glands only contained trace amounts of n-alkanes. However, the cephalic salivary gland (CSG) contained the greatest number and highest quantity of hydrocarbons relative to the five other glands with many of the hydrocarbons also found in the Dufour's gland, but at much lower levels. We discovered a series of oleic acid wax esters that lay beyond the detection of standard GC columns. As a bee's activities changed, as it ages, the types of compounds detected in the CSG also changed. For example, newly emerged bees have predominately C19-C23n-alkanes, alkenes and methyl-branched compounds, whereas the nurses' CSG had predominately C31:1 and C33:1 alkene isomers, which are replaced by a series of oleic acid wax esters in foragers. These changes in the CSG were mirrored by corresponding changes in the adults' CHCs profile. This indicates that the CSG may have a parallel function to the PPG found in ants acting as a major storage gland of CHCs. As the CSG duct opens into the buccal cavity the hydrocarbons can be worked into the comb wax and could help explain the role of comb wax in nestmate recognition experiments.}, } @article {pmid29858748, year = {2018}, author = {Villalta, I and Abril, S and Cerdá, X and Boulay, R}, title = {Queen Control or Queen Signal in Ants: What Remains of the Controversy 25 Years After Keller and Nonacs' Seminal Paper?.}, journal = {Journal of chemical ecology}, volume = {44}, number = {9}, pages = {805-817}, pmid = {29858748}, issn = {1573-1561}, support = {CGL2015-65807-P//Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Ants/*physiology ; Exocrine Glands/chemistry/metabolism ; Female ; Hydrocarbons/chemistry/pharmacology ; Pheromones/chemistry/classification/pharmacology ; Phylogeny ; Reproduction/drug effects ; }, abstract = {Ant queen pheromones (QPs) have long been known to affect colony functioning. In many species, QPs affect important reproductive functions such as diploid larvae sexualization and egg-laying by workers, unmated queens (gynes), or other queens. Until the 1990s, these effects were generally viewed to be the result of queen manipulation through the use of coercive or dishonest signals. However, in their seminal 1993 paper, Keller and Nonacs challenged this idea, suggesting that QPs had evolved as honest signals that informed workers and other colony members of the queen's presence and reproductive state. This paper has greatly influenced the study of ant QPs and inspired numerous attempts to identify fertility-related compounds and test their physiological and behavioral effects. In the present article, we review the literature on ant QPs in various contexts and pay special attention to the role of cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs). Although the controversy generated by Keller and Nonacs' (Anim Behav 45:787-794, 1993) paper is currently less intensively debated, there is still no clear evidence which allows the rejection of the queen control hypothesis in favor of the queen signal hypothesis. We argue that important questions remain regarding the mode of action of QPs, and their targets which may help understanding their evolution.}, } @article {pmid29858577, year = {2018}, author = {Parijs, I and Steenackers, HP}, title = {Competitive inter-species interactions underlie the increased antimicrobial tolerance in multispecies brewery biofilms.}, journal = {The ISME journal}, volume = {12}, number = {8}, pages = {2061-2075}, pmid = {29858577}, issn = {1751-7370}, mesh = {Anti-Bacterial Agents/*pharmacology ; Bacteria/classification/*drug effects/genetics/isolation & purification ; Bacterial Physiological Phenomena ; Biofilms/*drug effects ; Drug Resistance, Bacterial ; Wine/analysis/microbiology ; }, abstract = {Genetic diversity often enhances the tolerance of microbial communities against antimicrobial treatment. However the sociobiology underlying this antimicrobial tolerance remains largely unexplored. Here we analyze how inter-species interactions can increase antimicrobial tolerance. We apply our approach to 17 industrially relevant multispecies biofilm models, based on species isolated from 58 contaminating biofilms in three breweries. Sulfathiazole was used as antimicrobial agent because it showed the highest activity out of 22 biofilm inhibitors tested. Our analysis reveals that competitive interactions dominate among species within brewery biofilms. We show that antimicrobial treatment can reduce the level of competition and therefore cause a subset of species to bloom. The result is a 1.2-42.7-fold lower percentage inhibition of these species and increased overall tolerance. In addition, we show that the presence of Raoultella can also directly enhance the inherent tolerance of Pseudomonas to antimicrobial treatment, either because the species protect each other or because they induce specific tolerance phenotypes as a response to competitors. Overall, our study emphasizes that the dominance of competitive interactions is central to the enhanced antimicrobial tolerance of the multispecies biofilms, and that the activity of antimicrobials against multispecies biofilms cannot be predicted based on their effect against monocultures.}, } @article {pmid29778905, year = {2018}, author = {Römer, D and Bollazzi, M and Roces, F}, title = {Carbon dioxide sensing in the social context: Leaf-cutting ants prefer elevated CO2 levels to tend their brood.}, journal = {Journal of insect physiology}, volume = {108}, number = {}, pages = {40-47}, doi = {10.1016/j.jinsphys.2018.05.007}, pmid = {29778905}, issn = {1879-1611}, mesh = {Animals ; Ants/*physiology ; Carbon Dioxide/*physiology ; Cues ; Female ; Nesting Behavior ; Social Behavior ; }, abstract = {Social insects show temperature and humidity preferences inside their nests to successfully rear brood. In underground nests, ants also encounter rising CO2 concentrations with increasing depth. It is an open question whether they use CO2 as a cue to decide where to place and tend the brood. Leaf-cutting ants do show CO2 preferences for the culturing of their symbiotic fungus. We evaluated their CO2 choices for brood placement in laboratory experiments. Workers of Acromyrmex lundii in the process of relocating brood were offered a binary choice consisting of two interconnected chambers with different CO2 concentrations. Values ranged from atmospheric to high concentrations of 4% CO2. The CO2 preferences shown by workers for themselves and for brood placement were assessed by quantifying the number of workers and relocated brood in each chamber. Ants showed clear CO2 preferences for brood placement. They avoided atmospheric levels, 1% and 4% CO2, and showed a preference for levels of 3%. This is the first report of CO2 preferences for the maintenance of brood in social insects. The observed preferences for brood location were independent of the workers' own CO2 preferences, since they showed no clear-cut pattern. Workers' CO2 preferences for brood maintenance were slightly higher than those reported for fungus culturing, although brood is reared in the same chambers as the fungus in leaf-cutting ant nests. Workers' choices for brood placement in natural nests are likely the result of competing preferences for other environmental factors more crucial for brood survival, aside from those for CO2.}, } @article {pmid29717258, year = {2018}, author = {Beetz, MJ and García-Rosales, F and Kössl, M and Hechavarría, JC}, title = {Robustness of cortical and subcortical processing in the presence of natural masking sounds.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {8}, number = {1}, pages = {6863}, pmid = {29717258}, issn = {2045-2322}, mesh = {Acoustic Stimulation/methods ; *Adaptation, Psychological ; Animals ; Cerebral Cortex/*physiology ; Cerebrum/*physiology ; Chiroptera/*physiology ; Echolocation/*physiology ; Female ; Male ; Neurons/physiology ; Noise ; Vocalization, Animal/*physiology ; }, abstract = {Processing of ethologically relevant stimuli could be interfered by non-relevant stimuli. Animals have behavioral adaptations to reduce signal interference. It is largely unexplored whether the behavioral adaptations facilitate neuronal processing of relevant stimuli. Here, we characterize behavioral adaptations in the presence of biotic noise in the echolocating bat Carollia perspicillata and we show that the behavioral adaptations could facilitate neuronal processing of biosonar information. According to the echolocation behavior, bats need to extract their own signals in the presence of vocalizations from conspecifics. With playback experiments, we demonstrate that C. perspicillata increases the sensory acquisition rate by emitting groups of echolocation calls when flying in noisy environments. Our neurophysiological results from the auditory midbrain and cortex show that the high sensory acquisition rate does not vastly increase neuronal suppression and that the response to an echolocation sequence is partially preserved in the presence of biosonar signals from conspecifics.}, } @article {pmid29706513, year = {2018}, author = {Fleischmann, PN and Grob, R and Müller, VL and Wehner, R and Rössler, W}, title = {The Geomagnetic Field Is a Compass Cue in Cataglyphis Ant Navigation.}, journal = {Current biology : CB}, volume = {28}, number = {9}, pages = {1440-1444.e2}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2018.03.043}, pmid = {29706513}, issn = {1879-0445}, mesh = {Animals ; Ants/*physiology ; Cues ; Desert Climate ; Feeding Behavior ; Geological Phenomena ; Homing Behavior/*physiology ; Learning ; Magnetic Fields ; Orientation/*physiology ; Spatial Navigation/physiology ; }, abstract = {Desert ants (Cataglyphis) are famous insect navigators. During their foraging lives, the ants leave their underground colonies for long distances and return to their starting point with fair accuracy [1, 2]. Their incessantly running path integrator provides them with a continually updated home vector [3-5]. Directional input to their path integrator is provided by a visual compass based on celestial cues [6, 7]. However, as path integration is prone to cumulative errors, the ants additionally employ landmark guidance routines [8-11]. At the start of their foraging lives, they acquire the necessary landmark information by performing well-structured learning walks [12, 13], including turns about their vertical body axes [14]. When Cataglyphis noda performs these pirouettes, it always gazes at the nest entrance during the longest of several short stopping phases [14]. As the small nest entrance is not visible, the ants can adjust their gaze direction only by reading out their path integrator. However, recent experiments have shown that, for adjusting the goal-centered gaze directions during learning walks, skylight cues are not required [15]. A most promising remaining compass cue is the geomagnetic field, which is used for orientation in one way or the other by a variety of animal species [16-25]. Here, we show that the gaze directions during the look-back-to-the-nest behavior change in a predictable way to alterations of the horizontal component of the magnetic field. This is the first demonstration that, in insects, a geomagnetic compass cue is both necessary and sufficient for accomplishing a well-defined navigational task.}, } @article {pmid29679143, year = {2018}, author = {Fleischmann, PN and Rössler, W and Wehner, R}, title = {Early foraging life: spatial and temporal aspects of landmark learning in the ant Cataglyphis noda.}, journal = {Journal of comparative physiology. A, Neuroethology, sensory, neural, and behavioral physiology}, volume = {204}, number = {6}, pages = {579-592}, pmid = {29679143}, issn = {1432-1351}, mesh = {Animals ; *Ants ; *Appetitive Behavior ; Conflict, Psychological ; *Learning ; Motor Activity ; Nesting Behavior ; Spatio-Temporal Analysis ; }, abstract = {Within the powerful navigational toolkit implemented in desert ants, path integration and landmark guidance are the key routines. Here, we use cue-conflict experiments to investigate the interplay between these two routines in ants, Cataglyphis noda, which start their foraging careers (novices) with learning walks and are then tested at different stages of experience. During their learning walks, the novices take nest-centered views from various directions around the nest. In the present experiments, these learning walks are spatially restricted by arranging differently sized water moats around the nest entrance and thus, limiting the space available around the nest and the nest-feeder route. First, we show that the ants are able to return to the nest by landmark guidance only when the novices have had enough space around the nest entrance for properly performing their learning walks. Second, in 180° cue-conflict situations between path integration and landmark guidance, path integration dominates in the beginning of foraging life (after completion of the learning walks), but with increasing numbers of visits to a familiar feeder landmark guidance comes increasingly into play.}, } @article {pmid29589522, year = {2018}, author = {Kay, J and Menegazzi, P and Mildner, S and Roces, F and Helfrich-Förster, C}, title = {The Circadian Clock of the Ant Camponotus floridanus Is Localized in Dorsal and Lateral Neurons of the Brain.}, journal = {Journal of biological rhythms}, volume = {33}, number = {3}, pages = {255-271}, doi = {10.1177/0748730418764738}, pmid = {29589522}, issn = {1552-4531}, mesh = {Animals ; Ants/*physiology ; *Behavior, Animal ; Brain/cytology/physiology ; *Circadian Clocks ; Circadian Rhythm/physiology ; Locomotion ; Male ; Motor Activity ; Neurons/*physiology ; Period Circadian Proteins/metabolism ; *Photoperiod ; }, abstract = {The circadian clock of social insects has become a focal point of interest for research, as social insects show complex forms of timed behavior and organization within their colonies. These behaviors include brood care, nest maintenance, foraging, swarming, defense, and many other tasks, of which several require social synchronization and accurate timing. Ants of the genus Camponotus have been shown to display a variety of daily timed behaviors such as the emergence of males from the nest, foraging, and relocation of brood. Nevertheless, circadian rhythms of isolated individuals have been studied in few ant species, and the circadian clock network in the brain that governs such behaviors remains completely uncharacterized. Here we show that isolated minor workers of Camponotus floridanus exhibit temperature overcompensated free-running locomotor activity rhythms under constant darkness. Under light-dark cycles, most animals are active during day and night, with a slight preference for the night. On the neurobiological level, we show that distinct cell groups in the lateral and dorsal brain of minor workers of C. floridanus are immunostained with an antibody against the clock protein Period (PER) and a lateral group additionally with an antibody against the neuropeptide pigment-dispersing factor (PDF). PER abundance oscillates in a daily manner, and PDF-positive neurites invade most parts of the brain, suggesting that the PER/PDF-positive neurons are bona fide clock neurons that transfer rhythmic signals into the relevant brain areas controlling rhythmic behavior.}, } @article {pmid29563522, year = {2018}, author = {Hesselbach, H and Scheiner, R}, title = {Effects of the novel pesticide flupyradifurone (Sivanto) on honeybee taste and cognition.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {8}, number = {1}, pages = {4954}, pmid = {29563522}, issn = {2045-2322}, mesh = {4-Butyrolactone/administration & dosage/*analogs & derivatives/toxicity ; Animals ; Appetitive Behavior/drug effects/physiology ; Bees/*drug effects/physiology ; Cognition/*drug effects/physiology ; Feeding Behavior/drug effects ; Insecticides/administration & dosage/*toxicity ; Lethal Dose 50 ; Plant Nectar ; Pollen ; Pyridines/administration & dosage/*toxicity ; Taste/*drug effects/physiology ; Toxicity Tests, Acute/methods ; }, abstract = {Due to intensive agriculture honeybees are threatened by various pesticides. The use of one group of them, the neonicotinoids, was recently restricted by the European Union. These chemicals bind to the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAchR) in the honeybee brain. Recently, Bayer AG released a new pesticide by the name of "Sivanto" against sucking insects. It is assumed to be harmless for honeybees, although its active ingredient, flupyradifurone, binds nAchR similar to the neonicotinoids. We investigated if this pesticide affects the taste for sugar and cognitive performance in honeybee foragers. These bees are directly exposed to the pesticide while foraging for pollen or nectar. Our results demonstrate that flupyradifurone can reduce taste and appetitive learning performance in honeybees foraging for pollen and nectar, although only the highest concentration had significant effects. Most likely, honeybee foragers will not be exposed to these high concentrations. Therefore, the appropriate use of this pesticide is considered safe for honeybees, at least with respect to the behaviors studied here.}, } @article {pmid29515886, year = {2018}, author = {Strube-Bloss, MF and Rössler, W}, title = {Multimodal integration and stimulus categorization in putative mushroom body output neurons of the honeybee.}, journal = {Royal Society open science}, volume = {5}, number = {2}, pages = {171785}, pmid = {29515886}, issn = {2054-5703}, abstract = {Flowers attract pollinating insects like honeybees by sophisticated compositions of olfactory and visual cues. Using honeybees as a model to study olfactory-visual integration at the neuronal level, we focused on mushroom body (MB) output neurons (MBON). From a neuronal circuit perspective, MBONs represent a prominent level of sensory-modality convergence in the insect brain. We established an experimental design allowing electrophysiological characterization of olfactory, visual, as well as olfactory-visual induced activation of individual MBONs. Despite the obvious convergence of olfactory and visual pathways in the MB, we found numerous unimodal MBONs. However, a substantial proportion of MBONs (32%) responded to both modalities and thus integrated olfactory-visual information across MB input layers. In these neurons, representation of the olfactory-visual compound was significantly increased compared with that of single components, suggesting an additive, but nonlinear integration. Population analyses of olfactory-visual MBONs revealed three categories: (i) olfactory, (ii) visual and (iii) olfactory-visual compound stimuli. Interestingly, no significant differentiation was apparent regarding different stimulus qualities within these categories. We conclude that encoding of stimulus quality within a modality is largely completed at the level of MB input, and information at the MB output is integrated across modalities to efficiently categorize sensory information for downstream behavioural decision processing.}, } @article {pmid29462586, year = {2018}, author = {Qu, C and Dreher, JC}, title = {Sociobiology: Changing the Dominance Hierarchy.}, journal = {Current biology : CB}, volume = {28}, number = {4}, pages = {R167-R169}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2018.01.018}, pmid = {29462586}, issn = {1879-0445}, mesh = {Animals ; Hierarchy, Social ; Prefrontal Cortex ; Social Behavior ; *Social Dominance ; *Sociobiology ; }, abstract = {One fundamental question is to understand what neural circuits are involved when social hierarchies are established, maintained and modified. Now, a new study shows that a previously subordinate animal can become dominant after optogenetic stimulation of the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, demonstrating that this brain region is necessary and sufficient to quickly induce winning during social competitions.}, } @article {pmid29435242, year = {2018}, author = {Luro, AB and Igic, B and Croston, R and López, AV and Shawkey, MD and Hauber, ME}, title = {Which egg features predict egg rejection responses in American robins? Replicating Rothstein's (1982) study.}, journal = {Ecology and evolution}, volume = {8}, number = {3}, pages = {1673-1679}, pmid = {29435242}, issn = {2045-7758}, abstract = {Rothstein (Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 11, 1982, 229) was one of the first comprehensive studies to examine how different egg features influence egg rejection behaviors of avian brood parasite-hosts. The methods and conclusions of Rothstein (1982) laid the foundation for subsequent experimental brood parasitism studies over the past thirty years, but its results have never been evaluated with replication. Here, we partially replicated Rothstein's (1982) experiments using parallel artificial model egg treatments to simulate cowbird (Molothrus ater) parasitism in American robin (Turdus migratorius) nests. We compared our data with those of Rothstein (1982) and confirmed most of its original findings: (1) robins reject model eggs that differ from the appearance of a natural robin egg toward that of a natural cowbird egg in background color, size, and maculation; (2) rejection responses were best predicted by model egg background color; and (3) model eggs differing by two or more features from natural robin eggs were more likely to be rejected than model eggs differing by one feature alone. In contrast with Rothstein's (1982) conclusion that American robin egg recognition is not specifically tuned toward rejection of brown-headed cowbird eggs, we argue that our results and those of other recent studies of robin egg rejection suggest a discrimination bias toward rejection of cowbird eggs. Future work on egg recognition will benefit from utilizing a range of model eggs varying continuously in background color, maculation patterning, and size in combination with avian visual modeling, rather than using model eggs which vary only discretely.}, } @article {pmid29433448, year = {2018}, author = {Rakotonirina, H and Kappeler, PM and Fichtel, C}, title = {The role of facial pattern variation for species recognition in red-fronted lemurs (Eulemur rufifrons).}, journal = {BMC evolutionary biology}, volume = {18}, number = {1}, pages = {19}, pmid = {29433448}, issn = {1471-2148}, mesh = {Animals ; Behavior, Animal ; Face ; Facial Recognition/*physiology ; Female ; Geography ; Lemur/*physiology ; Linear Models ; Madagascar ; Male ; Reproduction ; Species Specificity ; Time Factors ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Species recognition, i.e., the ability to distinguish conspecifics from heterospecifics, plays an essential role in reproduction. The role of facial cues for species recognition has been investigated in several non-human primate species except for lemurs. We therefore investigated the role of facial cues for species recognition in wild red-fronted lemurs (Eulemur rufifrons) at Kirindy Forest. We presented adult red-fronted lemurs pictures of male faces from five species including red-fronted lemurs, three closely related species, white-fronted lemurs (E. albifrons), brown lemurs (E. fulvus), rufous brown lemurs (E. rufus), and genetically more distant red-bellied lemurs (E. rubriventer), occurring in allopatry with the study population. We predicted that red-fronted lemurs respond stronger to conspecific than to heterospecific pictures and that females show stronger responses than males. In addition, if genetic drift has played a role in the evolution of facial color patterns in the members of this genus, we predicted that responses of red-fronted lemurs correlate negatively with the genetic distance to the different species stimuli.

RESULTS: Red-fronted lemurs looked significantly longer at pictures of their own species than at those of heterospecifics. Females spent less time looking at pictures of white-fronted, brown and red-bellied lemurs than males did, but not to pictures of red-bellied lemurs and a control stimulus. Individuals also exhibited sniffing behavior while looking at visual stimuli, and the time spent sniffing was significantly longer for pictures of conspecifics compared to those of heterospecifics. Moreover, the time spent looking and sniffing towards the pictures correlated negatively with the genetic distance between their own species and the species presented as stimulus.

CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that red-fronted lemurs have the ability for species recognition using visual facial cues, which may allow them to avoid costly interbreeding. If so, sexual selection might have influenced the evolution of facial patterns in eulemurs. Since responses also correlated with genetic distance, our findings suggest a potential role of genetic drift as well as sexual selection in influencing the evolution of facial variation in eulemurs. Because study subjects looked and sniffed towards the presented pictures, red-fronted lemurs might have the ability for multi-modal species recognition.}, } @article {pmid37065636, year = {2018}, author = {Caselli, CB and Ayres, PHB and Castro, SCN and Souto, A and Schiel, N and Miller, CT}, title = {The role of extragroup encounters in a Neotropical, cooperative breeding primate, the common marmoset: a field playback experiment.}, journal = {Animal behaviour}, volume = {136}, number = {}, pages = {137-146}, pmid = {37065636}, issn = {0003-3472}, support = {R01 DC012087/DC/NIDCD NIH HHS/United States ; }, abstract = {In cooperatively breeding species, encounters with intruders may serve multiple functions ranging from reaffirming group territory ranges to facilitating assessments for additional breeding opportunities. While these distinctive events offer the opportunity to investigate the delicate balance of these social dimensions within animal societies, their unpredictable occurrence makes witnessing and controlling these events in the wild particularly challenging. Here we used a field playback approach to simulate conspecific territorial incursions in cooperatively breeding common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) to distinguish between the three following non-mutually exclusive functions of intergroup encounters in this species of New World primate: territorial defense, mate defense, and assessment of breeding opportunities. For these experiments, we systematically broadcast species-typical long-distance contact calls - phees - commonly used in intergroup interactions from the core and periphery of the groups' territories using either male or female vocalizations. Consistent with a territorial defense hypothesis, a group's reaction was independent of the simulated intruder's sex and the response strength was greater when the playback stimulus was broadcast from the core areas of groups' territories relative to stimulus broadcast from periphery areas. However, sex differences in some facets of their responses suggest that this is not the only potential function for these encounters. Mated males and females started to move first in response to simulated intruders of the opposite sex, suggesting that these events offered opportunities to assess extra-pair breeding opportunities, while the occurrence of females' piloerection towards simulated female intruders is suggestive of mate-guarding. These data provide unique experimental evidence for the theory that excursions by conspecific intruders may serve multiple functions in a cooperatively breeding vertebrate and are reflective of the known complexities of common marmoset sociobiology.}, } @article {pmid29382313, year = {2018}, author = {Lichtenstein, L and Grübel, K and Spaethe, J}, title = {Opsin expression patterns coincide with photoreceptor development during pupal development in the honey bee, Apis mellifera.}, journal = {BMC developmental biology}, volume = {18}, number = {1}, pages = {1}, pmid = {29382313}, issn = {1471-213X}, support = {SFB1047//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/International ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Bees/*growth & development/*metabolism ; Circadian Rhythm/genetics ; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental ; Opsins/genetics/*metabolism ; Photoreceptor Cells, Invertebrate/*pathology ; Pupa/growth & development/metabolism ; Retina/growth & development/metabolism ; Time Factors ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: The compound eyes of insects allow them to catch photons and convert the energy into electric signals. All compound eyes consist of numerous ommatidia, each comprising a fixed number of photoreceptors. Different ommatidial types are characterized by a specific set of photoreceptors differing in spectral sensitivity. In honey bees, males and females possess different ommatidial types forming distinct retinal mosaics. However, data are lacking on retinal ontogeny and the mechanisms by which the eyes are patterned. In this study, we investigated the intrinsic temporal and circadian expression patterns of the opsins that give rise to the ultraviolet, blue and green sensitive photoreceptors, as well as the morphological maturation of the retina during pupal development of honey bees.

RESULTS: qPCR and histological labeling revealed that temporal opsin mRNA expression differs between sexes and correlates with rhabdom elongation during photoreceptor development. In the first half of the pupal stage, when the rhabdoms of the photoreceptors are still short, worker and (dorsal) drone retinae exhibit similar expression patterns with relatively high levels of UV (UVop) and only marginal levels of blue (BLop) and green (Lop1) opsin mRNA. In the second half of pupation, when photoreceptors and rhabdoms elongate, opsin expression in workers becomes dominated by Lop1 mRNA. In contrast, the dorsal drone eye shows high expression levels of UVop and BLop mRNA, whereas Lop1 mRNA level decreases. Interestingly, opsin expression levels increase up to 22-fold during early adult life. We also found evidence that opsin expression in adult bees is under the control of the endogenous clock.

CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that the formation of the sex-specific retinal composition of photoreceptors takes place during the second half of the pupal development, and that opsin mRNA expression levels continue to increase in young bees, which stands in contrast to Drosophila, where the highest expression levels are found during the late pupal stage and remain constant in adults. From an evolutionary perspective, we hypothesize that the delayed retinal maturation during the early adult phase is linked to the delayed transition from indoor to outdoor activities in bees, when vision becomes important.}, } @article {pmid29371471, year = {2018}, author = {Tucker, MA and Böhning-Gaese, K and Fagan, WF and Fryxell, JM and Van Moorter, B and Alberts, SC and Ali, AH and Allen, AM and Attias, N and Avgar, T and Bartlam-Brooks, H and Bayarbaatar, B and Belant, JL and Bertassoni, A and Beyer, D and Bidner, L and van Beest, FM and Blake, S and Blaum, N and Bracis, C and Brown, D and de Bruyn, PJN and Cagnacci, F and Calabrese, JM and Camilo-Alves, C and Chamaillé-Jammes, S and Chiaradia, A and Davidson, SC and Dennis, T and DeStefano, S and Diefenbach, D and Douglas-Hamilton, I and Fennessy, J and Fichtel, C and Fiedler, W and Fischer, C and Fischhoff, I and Fleming, CH and Ford, AT and Fritz, SA and Gehr, B and Goheen, JR and Gurarie, E and Hebblewhite, M and Heurich, M and Hewison, AJM and Hof, C and Hurme, E and Isbell, LA and Janssen, R and Jeltsch, F and Kaczensky, P and Kane, A and Kappeler, PM and Kauffman, M and Kays, R and Kimuyu, D and Koch, F and Kranstauber, B and LaPoint, S and Leimgruber, P and Linnell, JDC and López-López, P and Markham, AC and Mattisson, J and Medici, EP and Mellone, U and Merrill, E and de Miranda Mourão, G and Morato, RG and Morellet, N and Morrison, TA and Díaz-Muñoz, SL and Mysterud, A and Nandintsetseg, D and Nathan, R and Niamir, A and Odden, J and O'Hara, RB and Oliveira-Santos, LGR and Olson, KA and Patterson, BD and Cunha de Paula, R and Pedrotti, L and Reineking, B and Rimmler, M and Rogers, TL and Rolandsen, CM and Rosenberry, CS and Rubenstein, DI and Safi, K and Saïd, S and Sapir, N and Sawyer, H and Schmidt, NM and Selva, N and Sergiel, A and Shiilegdamba, E and Silva, JP and Singh, N and Solberg, EJ and Spiegel, O and Strand, O and Sundaresan, S and Ullmann, W and Voigt, U and Wall, J and Wattles, D and Wikelski, M and Wilmers, CC and Wilson, JW and Wittemyer, G and Zięba, F and Zwijacz-Kozica, T and Mueller, T}, title = {Moving in the Anthropocene: Global reductions in terrestrial mammalian movements.}, journal = {Science (New York, N.Y.)}, volume = {359}, number = {6374}, pages = {466-469}, doi = {10.1126/science.aam9712}, pmid = {29371471}, issn = {1095-9203}, mesh = {*Animal Migration ; Animals ; Geographic Information Systems ; *Human Activities ; Humans ; *Mammals ; }, abstract = {Animal movement is fundamental for ecosystem functioning and species survival, yet the effects of the anthropogenic footprint on animal movements have not been estimated across species. Using a unique GPS-tracking database of 803 individuals across 57 species, we found that movements of mammals in areas with a comparatively high human footprint were on average one-half to one-third the extent of their movements in areas with a low human footprint. We attribute this reduction to behavioral changes of individual animals and to the exclusion of species with long-range movements from areas with higher human impact. Global loss of vagility alters a key ecological trait of animals that affects not only population persistence but also ecosystem processes such as predator-prey interactions, nutrient cycling, and disease transmission.}, } @article {pmid29351552, year = {2018}, author = {Kropf, J and Rössler, W}, title = {In-situ recording of ionic currents in projection neurons and Kenyon cells in the olfactory pathway of the honeybee.}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {13}, number = {1}, pages = {e0191425}, pmid = {29351552}, issn = {1932-6203}, mesh = {Action Potentials ; Animals ; Arthropod Antennae/cytology/physiology ; Bees/*cytology/*physiology ; Brain/cytology/physiology ; Electrophysiological Phenomena ; Ion Channels/physiology ; Ion Transport ; Mushroom Bodies/cytology/physiology ; Olfactory Pathways/*cytology/*physiology ; Olfactory Receptor Neurons/cytology/physiology ; Patch-Clamp Techniques ; Smell/physiology ; }, abstract = {The honeybee olfactory pathway comprises an intriguing pattern of convergence and divergence: ~60.000 olfactory sensory neurons (OSN) convey olfactory information on ~900 projection neurons (PN) in the antennal lobe (AL). To transmit this information reliably, PNs employ relatively high spiking frequencies with complex patterns. PNs project via a dual olfactory pathway to the mushroom bodies (MB). This pathway comprises the medial (m-ALT) and the lateral antennal lobe tract (l-ALT). PNs from both tracts transmit information from a wide range of similar odors, but with distinct differences in coding properties. In the MBs, PNs form synapses with many Kenyon cells (KC) that encode odors in a spatially and temporally sparse way. The transformation from complex information coding to sparse coding is a well-known phenomenon in insect olfactory coding. Intrinsic neuronal properties as well as GABAergic inhibition are thought to contribute to this change in odor representation. In the present study, we identified intrinsic neuronal properties promoting coding differences between PNs and KCs using in-situ patch-clamp recordings in the intact brain. We found very prominent K+ currents in KCs clearly differing from the PN currents. This suggests that odor coding differences between PNs and KCs may be caused by differences in their specific ion channel properties. Comparison of ionic currents of m- and l-ALT PNs did not reveal any differences at a qualitative level.}, } @article {pmid29317533, year = {2018}, author = {Domingue, BW and Belsky, DW and Fletcher, JM and Conley, D and Boardman, JD and Harris, KM}, title = {The social genome of friends and schoolmates in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health.}, journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America}, volume = {115}, number = {4}, pages = {702-707}, pmid = {29317533}, issn = {1091-6490}, support = {P01 HD031921/HD/NICHD NIH HHS/United States ; R01 HD060726/HD/NICHD NIH HHS/United States ; R01 HD073342/HD/NICHD NIH HHS/United States ; P30 AG034424/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States ; P2C HD047879/HD/NICHD NIH HHS/United States ; P2C HD047873/HD/NICHD NIH HHS/United States ; P30 AG028716/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States ; P2C HD066613/HD/NICHD NIH HHS/United States ; P2C HD050924/HD/NICHD NIH HHS/United States ; R01 AG032282/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Adolescent ; Adolescent Behavior/psychology ; Adult ; Female ; Friends/psychology ; Genome-Wide Association Study/methods ; Genotype ; Humans ; Interpersonal Relations ; Longitudinal Studies ; Male ; *Peer Group ; Schools ; *Social Behavior ; Social Environment ; Social Support ; Sociobiology/*methods ; United States ; Young Adult ; }, abstract = {Humans tend to form social relationships with others who resemble them. Whether this sorting of like with like arises from historical patterns of migration, meso-level social structures in modern society, or individual-level selection of similar peers remains unsettled. Recent research has evaluated the possibility that unobserved genotypes may play an important role in the creation of homophilous relationships. We extend this work by using data from 5,500 adolescents from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) to examine genetic similarities among pairs of friends. Although there is some evidence that friends have correlated genotypes, both at the whole-genome level as well as at trait-associated loci (via polygenic scores), further analysis suggests that meso-level forces, such as school assignment, are a principal source of genetic similarity between friends. We also observe apparent social-genetic effects in which polygenic scores of an individual's friends and schoolmates predict the individual's own educational attainment. In contrast, an individual's height is unassociated with the height genetics of peers.}, } @article {pmid29242823, year = {2017}, author = {Beetz, MJ and Kordes, S and García-Rosales, F and Kössl, M and Hechavarría, JC}, title = {Processing of Natural Echolocation Sequences in the Inferior Colliculus of Seba's Fruit Eating Bat, Carollia perspicillata.}, journal = {eNeuro}, volume = {4}, number = {6}, pages = {}, pmid = {29242823}, issn = {2373-2822}, mesh = {Acoustic Stimulation/methods ; Action Potentials ; Animals ; Auditory Cortex/physiology ; Chiroptera/*physiology ; Echolocation/*physiology ; Female ; Inferior Colliculi/*physiology ; Microelectrodes ; Neurons/*physiology ; Orientation/physiology ; Time Perception/physiology ; }, abstract = {For the purpose of orientation, echolocating bats emit highly repetitive and spatially directed sonar calls. Echoes arising from call reflections are used to create an acoustic image of the environment. The inferior colliculus (IC) represents an important auditory stage for initial processing of echolocation signals. The present study addresses the following questions: (1) how does the temporal context of an echolocation sequence mimicking an approach flight of an animal affect neuronal processing of distance information to echo delays? (2) how does the IC process complex echolocation sequences containing echo information from multiple objects (multiobject sequence)? Here, we conducted neurophysiological recordings from the IC of ketamine-anaesthetized bats of the species Carollia perspicillata and compared the results from the IC with the ones from the auditory cortex (AC). Neuronal responses to an echolocation sequence was suppressed when compared to the responses to temporally isolated and randomized segments of the sequence. The neuronal suppression was weaker in the IC than in the AC. In contrast to the cortex, the time course of the acoustic events is reflected by IC activity. In the IC, suppression sharpens the neuronal tuning to specific call-echo elements and increases the signal-to-noise ratio in the units' responses. When presenting multiple-object sequences, despite collicular suppression, the neurons responded to each object-specific echo. The latter allows parallel processing of multiple echolocation streams at the IC level. Altogether, our data suggests that temporally-precise neuronal responses in the IC could allow fast and parallel processing of multiple acoustic streams.}, } @article {pmid29184487, year = {2017}, author = {Grob, R and Fleischmann, PN and Grübel, K and Wehner, R and Rössler, W}, title = {The Role of Celestial Compass Information in Cataglyphis Ants during Learning Walks and for Neuroplasticity in the Central Complex and Mushroom Bodies.}, journal = {Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience}, volume = {11}, number = {}, pages = {226}, pmid = {29184487}, issn = {1662-5153}, abstract = {Central place foragers are faced with the challenge to learn the position of their nest entrance in its surroundings, in order to find their way back home every time they go out to search for food. To acquire navigational information at the beginning of their foraging career, Cataglyphis noda performs learning walks during the transition from interior worker to forager. These small loops around the nest entrance are repeatedly interrupted by strikingly accurate back turns during which the ants stop and precisely gaze back to the nest entrance-presumably to learn the landmark panorama of the nest surroundings. However, as at this point the complete navigational toolkit is not yet available, the ants are in need of a reference system for the compass component of the path integrator to align their nest entrance-directed gazes. In order to find this directional reference system, we systematically manipulated the skylight information received by ants during learning walks in their natural habitat, as it has been previously suggested that the celestial compass, as part of the path integrator, might provide such a reference system. High-speed video analyses of distinct learning walk elements revealed that even exclusion from the skylight polarization pattern, UV-light spectrum and the position of the sun did not alter the accuracy of the look back to the nest behavior. We therefore conclude that C. noda uses a different reference system to initially align their gaze directions. However, a comparison of neuroanatomical changes in the central complex and the mushroom bodies before and after learning walks revealed that exposure to UV light together with a naturally changing polarization pattern was essential to induce neuroplasticity in these high-order sensory integration centers of the ant brain. This suggests a crucial role of celestial information, in particular a changing polarization pattern, in initially calibrating the celestial compass system.}, } @article {pmid29180600, year = {2018}, author = {Pegel, U and Pfeiffer, K and Homberg, U}, title = {Integration of celestial compass cues in the central complex of the locust brain.}, journal = {The Journal of experimental biology}, volume = {221}, number = {Pt 2}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1242/jeb.171207}, pmid = {29180600}, issn = {1477-9145}, mesh = {Animals ; Brain/physiology ; *Cues ; Grasshoppers/*physiology ; *Orientation, Spatial ; Phototaxis ; *Sunlight ; }, abstract = {Many insects rely on celestial compass cues such as the polarization pattern of the sky for spatial orientation. In the desert locust, the central complex (CX) houses multiple sets of neurons, sensitive to the oscillation plane of polarized light and thus probably acts as an internal polarization compass. We investigated whether other sky compass cues like direct sunlight or the chromatic gradient of the sky might contribute to this compass. We recorded from polarization-sensitive CX neurons while an unpolarized green or ultraviolet light spot was moved around the head of the animal. All types of neuron that were sensitive to the plane of polarization (E-vector) above the animal also responded to the unpolarized light spots in an azimuth-dependent way. The tuning to the unpolarized light spots was independent of wavelength, suggesting that the neurons encode solar azimuth based on direct sunlight and not on the sky chromatic gradient. Two cell types represented the natural 90 deg relationship between solar azimuth and zenithal E-vector orientation, providing evidence to suggest that solar azimuth information supports the internal polarization compass. Most neurons showed advances in their tuning to the E-vector and the unpolarized light spots dependent on rotation direction, consistent with anticipatory signaling. The amplitude of responses and its variability were dependent on the level of background firing, possibly indicating different internal states. The integration of polarization and solar azimuth information strongly suggests that besides the polarization pattern of the sky, direct sunlight might be an important cue for sky compass navigation in the locust.}, } @article {pmid29168053, year = {2017}, author = {De Tiège, A and Van de Peer, Y and Braeckman, J and Tanghe, KB}, title = {The sociobiology of genes: the gene's eye view as a unifying behavioural-ecological framework for biological evolution.}, journal = {History and philosophy of the life sciences}, volume = {40}, number = {1}, pages = {6}, doi = {10.1007/s40656-017-0174-x}, pmid = {29168053}, issn = {0391-9714}, support = {G001013N//Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (BE)/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Biological Evolution ; *Developmental Biology ; *Selection, Genetic ; Sociobiology ; }, abstract = {Although classical evolutionary theory, i.e., population genetics and the Modern Synthesis, was already implicitly 'gene-centred', the organism was, in practice, still generally regarded as the individual unit of which a population is composed. The gene-centred approach to evolution only reached a logical conclusion with the advent of the gene-selectionist or gene's eye view in the 1960s and 1970s. Whereas classical evolutionary theory can only work with (genotypically represented) fitness differences between individual organisms, gene-selectionism is capable of working with fitness differences among genes within the same organism and genome. Here, we explore the explanatory potential of 'intra-organismic' and 'intra-genomic' gene-selectionism, i.e., of a behavioural-ecological 'gene's eye view' on genetic, genomic and organismal evolution. First, we give a general outline of the framework and how it complements the-to some extent-still 'organism-centred' approach of classical evolutionary theory. Secondly, we give a more in-depth assessment of its explanatory potential for biological evolution, i.e., for Darwin's 'common descent with modification' or, more specifically, for 'historical continuity or homology with modular evolutionary change' as it has been studied by evolutionary developmental biology (evo-devo) during the last few decades. In contrast with classical evolutionary theory, evo-devo focuses on 'within-organism' developmental processes. Given the capacity of gene-selectionism to adopt an intra-organismal gene's eye view, we outline the relevance of the latter model for evo-devo. Overall, we aim for the conceptual integration between the gene's eye view on the one hand, and more organism-centred evolutionary models (both classical evolutionary theory and evo-devo) on the other.}, } @article {pmid29145459, year = {2017}, author = {Halboth, F and Roces, F}, title = {The construction of ventilation turrets in Atta vollenweideri leaf-cutting ants: Carbon dioxide levels in the nest tunnels, but not airflow or air humidity, influence turret structure.}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {12}, number = {11}, pages = {e0188162}, pmid = {29145459}, issn = {1932-6203}, mesh = {Animals ; Ants/*physiology ; Carbon Dioxide/*analysis ; *Humidity ; *Nesting Behavior ; Ventilation ; }, abstract = {Nest ventilation in the leaf-cutting ant Atta vollenweideri is driven via a wind-induced mechanism. On their nests, workers construct small turrets that are expected to facilitate nest ventilation. We hypothesized that the construction and structural features of the turrets would depend on the colony's current demands for ventilation and thus might be influenced by the prevailing environmental conditions inside the nest. Therefore, we tested whether climate-related parameters, namely airflow, air humidity and CO2 levels in the outflowing nest air influenced turret construction in Atta vollenweideri. In the laboratory, we simulated a semi-natural nest arrangement with fungus chambers, a central ventilation tunnel providing outflow of air and an aboveground building arena for turret construction. In independent series, different climatic conditions inside the ventilation tunnel were experimentally generated, and after 24 hours, several features of the built turret were quantified, i.e., mass, height, number and surface area (aperture) of turret openings. Turret mass and height were similar in all experiments even when no airflow was provided in the ventilation tunnel. However, elevated CO2 levels led to the construction of a turret with several minor openings and a larger total aperture. This effect was statistically significant at higher CO2 levels of 5% and 10% but not at 1% CO2. The construction of a turret with several minor openings did not depend on the strong differences in CO2 levels between the outflowing and the outside air, since workers also built permeated turrets even when the CO2 levels inside and outside were both similarly high. We propose that the construction of turrets with several openings and larger opening surface area might facilitate the removal of CO2 from the underground nest structure and could therefore be involved in the control of nest climate in leaf-cutting ants.}, } @article {pmid29134724, year = {2017}, author = {Mueller, UG and Ishak, HD and Bruschi, SM and Smith, CC and Herman, JJ and Solomon, SE and Mikheyev, AS and Rabeling, C and Scott, JJ and Cooper, M and Rodrigues, A and Ortiz, A and Brandão, CRF and Lattke, JE and Pagnocca, FC and Rehner, SA and Schultz, TR and Vasconcelos, HL and Adams, RMM and Bollazzi, M and Clark, RM and Himler, AG and LaPolla, JS and Leal, IR and Johnson, RA and Roces, F and Sosa-Calvo, J and Wirth, R and Bacci, M}, title = {Biogeography of mutualistic fungi cultivated by leafcutter ants.}, journal = {Molecular ecology}, volume = {26}, number = {24}, pages = {6921-6937}, doi = {10.1111/mec.14431}, pmid = {29134724}, issn = {1365-294X}, mesh = {Agaricales/*genetics ; Animals ; Ants/classification/*microbiology ; *Biological Coevolution ; Central America ; Genetic Markers ; Genetics, Population ; Genotype ; Microsatellite Repeats ; North America ; Phylogeny ; Phylogeography ; South America ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Leafcutter ants propagate co-evolving fungi for food. The nearly 50 species of leafcutter ants (Atta, Acromyrmex) range from Argentina to the United States, with the greatest species diversity in southern South America. We elucidate the biogeography of fungi cultivated by leafcutter ants using DNA sequence and microsatellite-marker analyses of 474 cultivars collected across the leafcutter range. Fungal cultivars belong to two clades (Clade-A and Clade-B). The dominant and widespread Clade-A cultivars form three genotype clusters, with their relative prevalence corresponding to southern South America, northern South America, Central and North America. Admixture between Clade-A populations supports genetic exchange within a single species, Leucocoprinus gongylophorus. Some leafcutter species that cut grass as fungicultural substrate are specialized to cultivate Clade-B fungi, whereas leafcutters preferring dicot plants appear specialized on Clade-A fungi. Cultivar sharing between sympatric leafcutter species occurs frequently such that cultivars of Atta are not distinct from those of Acromyrmex. Leafcutters specialized on Clade-B fungi occur only in South America. Diversity of Clade-A fungi is greatest in South America, but minimal in Central and North America. Maximum cultivar diversity in South America is predicted by the Kusnezov-Fowler hypothesis that leafcutter ants originated in subtropical South America and only dicot-specialized leafcutter ants migrated out of South America, but the cultivar diversity becomes also compatible with a recently proposed hypothesis of a Central American origin by postulating that leafcutter ants acquired novel cultivars many times from other nonleafcutter fungus-growing ants during their migrations from Central America across South America. We evaluate these biogeographic hypotheses in the light of estimated dates for the origins of leafcutter ants and their cultivars.}, } @article {pmid29123214, year = {2017}, author = {Rakotonirina, H and Kappeler, PM and Fichtel, C}, title = {Evolution of facial color pattern complexity in lemurs.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {7}, number = {1}, pages = {15181}, pmid = {29123214}, issn = {2045-2322}, mesh = {Animal Fur/anatomy & histology ; Animals ; *Biological Evolution ; Biological Variation, Population ; Climate ; Environmental Exposure ; Face/*anatomy & histology ; Genetic Drift ; Genetics, Population ; Interpersonal Relations ; Lemur/*anatomy & histology ; Pigments, Biological/*metabolism ; *Skin Pigmentation ; }, abstract = {Interspecific variation in facial color patterns across New and Old World primates has been linked to species recognition and group size. Because group size has opposite effects on interspecific variation in facial color patterns in these two radiations, a study of the third large primate radiation may shed light on convergences and divergences in this context. We therefore compiled published social and ecological data and analyzed facial photographs of 65 lemur species to categorize variation in hair length, hair and skin coloration as well as color brightness. Phylogenetically controlled analyses revealed that group size and the number of sympatric species did not influence the evolution of facial color complexity in lemurs. Climatic factors, however, influenced facial color complexity, pigmentation and hair length in a few facial regions. Hair length in two facial regions was also correlated with group size and may facilitate individual recognition. Since phylogenetic signals were moderate to high for most models, genetic drift may have also played a role in the evolution of facial color patterns of lemurs. In conclusion, social factors seem to have played only a subordinate role in the evolution of facial color complexity in lemurs, and, more generally, group size appears to have no systematic functional effect on facial color complexity across all primates.}, } @article {pmid29085743, year = {2017}, author = {Steijven, K and Spaethe, J and Steffan-Dewenter, I and Härtel, S}, title = {Learning performance and brain structure of artificially-reared honey bees fed with different quantities of food.}, journal = {PeerJ}, volume = {5}, number = {}, pages = {e3858}, pmid = {29085743}, issn = {2167-8359}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Artificial rearing of honey bee larvae is an established method which enables to fully standardize the rearing environment and to manipulate the supplied diet to the brood. However, there are no studies which compare learning performance or neuroanatomic differences of artificially-reared (in-lab) bees in comparison with their in-hive reared counterparts.

METHODS: Here we tested how different quantities of food during larval development affect body size, brain morphology and learning ability of adult honey bees. We used in-lab rearing to be able to manipulate the total quantity of food consumed during larval development. After hatching, a subset of the bees was taken for which we made 3D reconstructions of the brains using confocal laser-scanning microscopy. Learning ability and memory formation of the remaining bees was tested in a differential olfactory conditioning experiment. Finally, we evaluated how bees reared with different quantities of artificial diet compared to in-hive reared bees.

RESULTS: Thorax and head size of in-lab reared honey bees, when fed the standard diet of 160 µl or less, were slightly smaller than hive bees. The brain structure analyses showed that artificially reared bees had smaller mushroom body (MB) lateral calyces than their in-hive counterparts, independently of the quantity of food they received. However, they showed the same total brain size and the same associative learning ability as in-hive reared bees. In terms of mid-term memory, but not early long-term memory, they performed even better than the in-hive control.

DISCUSSION: We have demonstrated that bees that are reared artificially (according to the Aupinel protocol) and kept in lab-conditions perform the same or even better than their in-hive sisters in an olfactory conditioning experiment even though their lateral calyces were consistently smaller at emergence. The applied combination of experimental manipulation during the larval phase plus subsequent behavioral and neuro-anatomic analyses is a powerful tool for basic and applied honey bee research.}, } @article {pmid29076128, year = {2018}, author = {Charpentier, MJE and Givalois, L and Faurie, C and Soghessa, O and Simon, F and Kappeler, PM}, title = {Seasonal glucocorticoid production correlates with a suite of small-magnitude environmental, demographic, and physiological effects in mandrills.}, journal = {American journal of physical anthropology}, volume = {165}, number = {1}, pages = {20-33}, doi = {10.1002/ajpa.23329}, pmid = {29076128}, issn = {1096-8644}, mesh = {Animals ; Anthropology, Physical ; Feces/chemistry ; Female ; Glucocorticoids/*analysis ; Male ; Mandrillus/metabolism/*physiology ; Seasons ; }, abstract = {OBJECTIVES: The activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis is a neuroendocrine response to external and internal changes that animals face on a predictable or unpredictable basis. Across species, variation in glucocorticoid production has been related to such changes. In this study, we investigated the predictable, seasonal sources of variation in the levels of fecal glucocorticoid metabolites (fGCM) in a large natural population of mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx) in Southern Gabon.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using five years of regular behavioral monitoring and hormone analyses performed on 1,233 fecal samples collected on 99 individuals of both sexes and all ages and General Linear Mixed Models, we studied the three main seasonal predictors of fGCM concentrations: (i) weather conditions, (ii) number of adult males, and (iii) female reproductive status. These three predictors all vary seasonally in mandrills.

RESULTS: We first showed an increase in fGCM concentrations during the short dry season while controlling for other factors. Pregnant females, which include the large majority of adult females at this time of the year, mainly drove this increase, although a combination of other small-magnitude, season-related effects linked to climatic events and demographic changes also partly explained this seasonal trend. Indeed, fGCM concentrations increased with both low temperatures (and low rainfall) and high numbers of adult males present in the group. These seasonal changes, while correlated, held true throughout the studied years and when restricting our analyses to a given season. Finally, we found that older mandrills showed on average higher fGCM concentrations than younger ones and that medium-ranked females exhibited the highest levels of fGCMs.

DISCUSSION: The observed patterns suggest that plasticity in mandrills' metabolism in the form of glucocorticoid production allows them to adjust to predictable changes in climatic, demographic and physiological conditions by mobilizing and redirecting energetic resources toward appropriate, calibrated seasonal responses.}, } @article {pmid28986758, year = {2018}, author = {Levallois, C}, title = {The Development of Sociobiology in Relation to Animal Behavior Studies, 1946-1975.}, journal = {Journal of the history of biology}, volume = {51}, number = {3}, pages = {419-444}, pmid = {28986758}, issn = {1573-0387}, mesh = {Ecology/*history ; Ethology/*history ; History, 20th Century ; Psychology, Comparative/*history ; Sociobiology/*history ; United States ; }, abstract = {This paper aims at bridging a gap between the history of American animal behavior studies and the history of sociobiology. In the post-war period, ecology, comparative psychology and ethology were all investigating animal societies, using different approaches ranging from fieldwork to laboratory studies. We argue that this disunity in "practices of place" (Kohler, Robert E. Landscapes & Labscapes: Exploring the Lab-Field Border in Biology. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2002) explains the attempts of dialogue between those three fields and early calls for unity through "sociobiology" by J. Paul Scott. In turn, tensions between the naturalist tradition and the rising reductionist approach in biology provide an original background for a history of Edward Wilson's own version of sociobiology, much beyond the William Hamilton's papers (Journal of Theoretical Biology 7: 1-16, 17-52, 1964) usually considered as its key antecedent. Naturalists were in a defensive position in the geography of the fields studying animal behavior, and in reaction were a driving force behind the various projects of synthesis called "sociobiology".}, } @article {pmid28935437, year = {2018}, author = {Değirmenci, L and Thamm, M and Scheiner, R}, title = {Responses to sugar and sugar receptor gene expression in different social roles of the honeybee (Apis mellifera).}, journal = {Journal of insect physiology}, volume = {106}, number = {Pt 1}, pages = {65-70}, doi = {10.1016/j.jinsphys.2017.09.009}, pmid = {28935437}, issn = {1879-1611}, mesh = {Animals ; Bees/*physiology ; *Behavior, Animal ; Female ; Fructose ; Insect Proteins/genetics/*metabolism ; Receptors, Cell Surface/genetics/*metabolism ; Sucrose ; *Taste Perception ; }, abstract = {Honeybees (Apis mellifera) are well-known for their sophisticated division of labor with each bee performing sequentially a series of social tasks. Colony organization is largely based on age-dependent division of labor. While bees perform several tasks inside the hive such as caring for brood ("nursing"), cleaning or sealing brood cells or producing honey, older bees leave to colony to collect pollen (proteins) and nectar (carbohydrates) as foragers. The most pronounced behavioral transition occurs when nurse bees become foragers. For both social roles, the detection and evaluation of sugars is decisive for optimal task performance. Nurse bees rely on their gustatory senses to prepare brood food, while foragers evaluate a nectar source before starting to collect food from it. To test whether social organization is related to differential sensing of sugars we compared the taste of nurse bees and foragers for different sugars. Searching for molecular correlates for differences in sugar perception, we further quantified expression of gustatory receptor genes in both behavioral groups. Our results demonstrate that nurse bees and foragers perceive and evaluate different sugars differently. Both groups, however, prefer sucrose over fructose. At least part of the taste differences between social roles could be related to a differential expression of taste receptors in the antennae and brain. Our results suggest that differential expression of sugar receptor genes might be involved in regulating division of labor through nutrition-related signaling pathways.}, } @article {pmid28931719, year = {2017}, author = {Yilmaz, A and Dyer, AG and Rössler, W and Spaethe, J}, title = {Innate colour preference, individual learning and memory retention in the ant Camponotus blandus.}, journal = {The Journal of experimental biology}, volume = {220}, number = {Pt 18}, pages = {3315-3326}, doi = {10.1242/jeb.158501}, pmid = {28931719}, issn = {1477-9145}, mesh = {Animals ; Ants/*physiology ; *Color ; *Color Perception ; *Learning ; *Memory ; *Phototaxis ; }, abstract = {Ants are a well-characterized insect model for the study of visual learning and orientation, but the extent to which colour vision is involved in these tasks remains unknown. We investigated the colour preference, learning and memory retention of Camponotus blandus foragers under controlled laboratory conditions. Our results show that C. blandus foragers exhibit a strong innate preference for ultraviolet (UV, 365 nm) over blue (450 nm) and green (528 nm) wavelengths. The ants can learn to discriminate 365 nm from either 528 nm or 450 nm, independent of intensity changes. However, they fail to discriminate between 450 nm and 528 nm. Modelling of putative colour spaces involving different numbers of photoreceptor types revealed that colour discrimination performance of individual ants is best explained by dichromacy, comprising a short-wavelength (UV) receptor with peak sensitivity at about 360 nm, and a long-wavelength receptor with peak sensitivity between 470 nm and 560 nm. Foragers trained to discriminate blue or green from UV light are able to retain the learned colour information in an early mid-term (e-MTM), late mid-term (l-MTM), early long-term (e-LTM) and late long-term (l-LTM) memory from where it can be retrieved after 1 h, 12 h, 24 h, 3 days and 7 days after training, indicating that colour learning may induce different memory phases in ants. Overall, our results show that ants can use chromatic information in a way that should promote efficient foraging in complex natural environments.}, } @article {pmid28929237, year = {2017}, author = {Halboth, F and Roces, F}, title = {Underground anemotactic orientation in leaf-cutting ants: perception of airflow and experience-dependent choice of airflow direction during digging.}, journal = {Die Naturwissenschaften}, volume = {104}, number = {9-10}, pages = {82}, doi = {10.1007/s00114-017-1504-2}, pmid = {28929237}, issn = {1432-1904}, mesh = {Animals ; *Ants ; Environment ; Nesting Behavior ; Orientation ; Plant Leaves ; }, abstract = {Air exchange between the large nests of Atta vollenweideri leaf-cutting ants and the environment strongly relies on a passive, wind-induced ventilation mechanism. Air moves through nest tunnels and airflow direction depends on the location of the tunnel openings on the nest mound. We hypothesized that ants might use the direction of airflow along nest tunnels as orientation cue in the context of climate control, as digging workers might prefer to broaden or to close tunnels with inflowing or outflowing air in order to regulate nest ventilation. To investigate anemotactic orientation in Atta vollenweideri, we first tested the ants' ability to perceive air movements by confronting single workers with airflow stimuli in the range 0 to 20 cm/s. Workers responded to airflow velocities ≥ 2 cm/s, and the number of ants reacting to the stimulus increased with increasing airflow speed. Second, we asked whether digging workers use airflow direction as an orientation cue. Workers were exposed to either inflow or outflow of air while digging in the nest and could subsequently choose between two digging sites providing either inflow or outflow of air, respectively. Workers significantly chose the side with the same airflow direction they experienced before. When no airflow was present during initial digging, workers showed no preference for airflow directions. Workers developed preferences for airflow direction only after previous exposure to a given airflow direction. We suggest that experience-modified anemotaxis might help leaf-cutting ants spatially organize their digging activity inside the nest during tasks related to climate control.}, } @article {pmid28916631, year = {2017}, author = {Cabirol, A and Brooks, R and Groh, C and Barron, AB and Devaud, JM}, title = {Experience during early adulthood shapes the learning capacities and the number of synaptic boutons in the mushroom bodies of honey bees (Apis mellifera).}, journal = {Learning & memory (Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.)}, volume = {24}, number = {10}, pages = {557-562}, pmid = {28916631}, issn = {1549-5485}, mesh = {Analysis of Variance ; Animals ; Bees/*cytology/*growth & development/physiology ; Discrimination, Psychological/physiology ; *Environment ; Housing, Animal ; *Learning/physiology ; Mushroom Bodies/*cytology/growth & development ; Neuropsychological Tests ; Olfactory Perception/physiology ; *Presynaptic Terminals ; Sensory Deprivation/physiology ; Social Isolation/psychology ; Visual Perception/physiology ; }, abstract = {The honey bee mushroom bodies (MBs) are brain centers required for specific learning tasks. Here, we show that environmental conditions experienced as young adults affect the maturation of MB neuropil and performance in a MB-dependent learning task. Specifically, olfactory reversal learning was selectively impaired following early exposure to an impoverished environment lacking some of the sensory and social interactions present in the hive. In parallel, the overall number of synaptic boutons increased within the MB olfactory neuropil, whose volume remained unaffected. This suggests that experience of the rich in-hive environment promotes MB maturation and the development of MB-dependent learning capacities.}, } @article {pmid28904757, year = {2017}, author = {Gokhale, CS and Traulsen, A and Joop, G}, title = {Social dilemma in the external immune system of the red flour beetle? It is a matter of time.}, journal = {Ecology and evolution}, volume = {7}, number = {17}, pages = {6758-6765}, pmid = {28904757}, issn = {2045-7758}, abstract = {Sociobiology has revolutionized our understanding of interactions between organisms. Interactions may present a social dilemma where the interests of individual actors do not align with those of the group as a whole. Viewed through a sociobiological lens, nearly all interactions can be described regarding their costs and benefits, and a number of them then resemble a social dilemma. Numerous experimental systems, from bacteria to mammals, have been proposed as models for studying such dilemmas. Here, we make use of the external immune system of the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum, to investigate how the experimental duration can affect whether the external secretion comprises a social dilemma or not. Some beetles (secretors) produce a costly quinone-rich external secretion that inhibits microbial growth in the surrounding environment, providing the secretors with direct personal benefits. However, as the antimicrobial secretion acts in the environment of the beetle, it is potentially also advantageous to other beetles (nonsecretors), who avoid the cost of producing the secretion. We test experimentally if the secretion qualifies as a public good. We find that in the short term, costly quinone secretion can be interpreted as a public good presenting a social dilemma where the presence of secretors increases the fitness of the group. In the long run, the benefit to the group of having more secretors vanishes and becomes detrimental to the group. Therefore, in such seminatural environmental conditions, it turns out that qualifying a trait as social can be a matter of timing.}, } @article {pmid28900276, year = {2017}, author = {Eckhardt, F and Kappeler, PM and Kraus, C}, title = {Highly variable lifespan in an annual reptile, Labord's chameleon (Furcifer labordi).}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {7}, number = {1}, pages = {11397}, pmid = {28900276}, issn = {2045-2322}, mesh = {Animals ; *Biological Variation, Individual ; Female ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; *Lizards ; *Longevity ; Madagascar ; Male ; }, abstract = {Among tetrapods, the current record holder for shortest lifespan is Labord's chameleon, Furcifer labordi. These reptiles from the arid southwest of Madagascar have a reported lifespan of 4-5 months during the annual rainy season and spend the majority of their life (8-9 months) as a developing embryo. This semelparous, annual life history is unique among tetrapods, but only one population (Ranobe) in the southernmost distribution range has been studied. We therefore investigated the potential for environmentally-dependent variability in lifespan in a population in Kirindy Forest, which has a much longer warm rainy season. While no adults were found after March in Ranobe, the disappearance of adults was delayed by several months in Kirindy. Our data also revealed sex-biased mortality, suggesting that females have a longevity advantage. Furthermore, we found that, after an unusually long previous rainy season, one female was capable of surviving until a second breeding season. Keeping F. labordi in cages under ambient conditions demonstrated that also males can also survive until the next season of activity under these conditions. Our study therefore revealed considerable variability in the extreme life history of this tetrapod that is linked to variation in ecological factors.}, } @article {pmid28866838, year = {2017}, author = {Garcia, JE and Spaethe, J and Dyer, AG}, title = {The path to colour discrimination is S-shaped: behaviour determines the interpretation of colour models.}, journal = {Journal of comparative physiology. A, Neuroethology, sensory, neural, and behavioral physiology}, volume = {203}, number = {12}, pages = {983-997}, pmid = {28866838}, issn = {1432-1351}, support = {DP0878968//Australian Research Council/ ; DP130100015//Australian Research Council/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Behavior, Animal/*physiology ; Color Perception/*physiology ; Hymenoptera ; *Models, Neurological ; }, abstract = {Most of our current understanding on colour discrimination by animal observers is built on models. These typically set strict limits on the capacity of an animal to discriminate between colour stimuli imposed by physiological characteristics of the visual system and different assumptions about the underlying mechanisms of colour processing by the brain. Such physiologically driven models were not designed to accommodate sigmoidal-type discrimination functions as those observed in recent behavioural experiments. Unfortunately, many of the fundamental assumptions on which commonly used colour models are based have been tested against empirical data for very few species and many colour vision studies solely rely on physiological measurements of these species for predicting colour discrimination processes. Here, we test the assumption of a universal principle of colour discrimination only mediated by physiological parameters using behavioural data from four closely related hymenopteran species, considering two frequently used models. Results indicate that there is not a unique function describing colour discrimination by closely related bee species, and that this process is independent of specific model assumptions; in fact, different models produce comparable results for specific test species if calibrated against behavioural data.}, } @article {pmid28859635, year = {2017}, author = {Rakotoniaina, JH and Kappeler, PM and Kaesler, E and Hämäläinen, AM and Kirschbaum, C and Kraus, C}, title = {Hair cortisol concentrations correlate negatively with survival in a wild primate population.}, journal = {BMC ecology}, volume = {17}, number = {1}, pages = {30}, pmid = {28859635}, issn = {1472-6785}, mesh = {Animals ; Animals, Wild/*metabolism ; Cheirogaleidae/*physiology ; Feces/chemistry ; Female ; Hair/*chemistry/metabolism ; Hydrocortisone/*analysis/metabolism ; Male ; Population Dynamics ; Reproduction ; Seasons ; Sexual Behavior, Animal ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Glucocorticoid hormones are known to play a key role in mediating a cascade of physiological responses to social and ecological stressors and can therefore influence animals' behaviour and ultimately fitness. Yet, how glucocorticoid levels are associated with reproductive success or survival in a natural setting has received little empirical attention so far. Here, we examined links between survival and levels of glucocorticoid in a small, short-lived primate, the grey mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus), using for the first time an indicator of long-term stress load (hair cortisol concentration). Using a capture-mark-recapture modelling approach, we assessed the effect of stress on survival in a broad context (semi-annual rates), but also under a specific period of high energetic demands during the reproductive season. We further assessed the power of other commonly used health indicators (body condition and parasitism) in predicting survival outcomes relative to the effect of long-term stress.

RESULTS: We found that high levels of hair cortisol were associated with reduced survival probabilities both at the semi-annual scale and over the reproductive season. Additionally, very good body condition (measured as scaled mass index) was related to increased survival at the semi-annual scale, but not during the breeding season. In contrast, variation in parasitism failed to predict survival.

CONCLUSION: Altogether, our results indicate that long-term increased glucocorticoid levels can be related to survival and hence population dynamics, and suggest differential strength of selection acting on glucocorticoids, body condition, and parasite infection.}, } @article {pmid28852015, year = {2017}, author = {Rössler, W and Spaethe, J and Groh, C}, title = {Pitfalls of using confocal-microscopy based automated quantification of synaptic complexes in honeybee mushroom bodies (response to Peng and Yang 2016).}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {7}, number = {1}, pages = {9786}, pmid = {28852015}, issn = {2045-2322}, mesh = {Animals ; *Bees ; *Microscopy, Confocal ; Mushroom Bodies/*metabolism ; Synapses/*metabolism ; }, abstract = {A recent study by Peng and Yang in Scientific Reports using confocal-microscopy based automated quantification of anti-synapsin labeled microglomeruli in the mushroom bodies of honeybee brains reports potentially incorrect numbers of microglomerular densities. Whereas several previous studies using visually supervised or automated counts from confocal images and analyses of serial 3D electron-microscopy data reported consistent numbers of synaptic complexes per volume, Peng and Yang revealed extremely low numbers differing by a factor of 18 or more from those obtained in visually supervised counts, and by a factor 22-180 from numbers in two other studies using automated counts. This extreme discrepancy is especially disturbing as close comparison of raw confocal images of anti-synapsin labeled whole-mount brain preparations are highly similar across these studies. We conclude that these discrepancies may reside in potential misapplication of confocal imaging followed by erroneous use of automated image analysis software. Consequently, the reported microglomerular densities during maturation and after manipulation by insecticides require validation by application of appropriate confocal imaging methods and analyses tools that rely on skilled observers. We suggest several improvements towards more reliable or standardized automated or semi-automated synapse counts in whole mount preparations of insect brains.}, } @article {pmid28848405, year = {2017}, author = {Scheiner, R and Entler, BV and Barron, AB and Scholl, C and Thamm, M}, title = {The Effects of Fat Body Tyramine Level on Gustatory Responsiveness of Honeybees (Apis mellifera) Differ between Behavioral Castes.}, journal = {Frontiers in systems neuroscience}, volume = {11}, number = {}, pages = {55}, pmid = {28848405}, issn = {1662-5137}, abstract = {Division of labor is a hallmark of social insects. In the honeybee (Apis mellifera) each sterile female worker performs a series of social tasks. The most drastic changes in behavior occur when a nurse bee, who takes care of the brood and the queen in the hive, transitions to foraging behavior. Foragers provision the colony with pollen, nectar or water. Nurse bees and foragers differ in numerous behaviors, including responsiveness to gustatory stimuli. Differences in gustatory responsiveness, in turn, might be involved in regulating division of labor through differential sensory response thresholds. Biogenic amines are important modulators of behavior. Tyramine and octopamine have been shown to increase gustatory responsiveness in honeybees when injected into the thorax, thereby possibly triggering social organization. So far, most of the experiments investigating the role of amines on gustatory responsiveness have focused on the brain. The potential role of the fat body in regulating sensory responsiveness and division of labor has large been neglected. We here investigated the role of the fat body in modulating gustatory responsiveness through tyramine signaling in different social roles of honeybees. We quantified levels of tyramine, tyramine receptor gene expression and the effect of elevating fat body tyramine titers on gustatory responsiveness in both nurse bees and foragers. Our data suggest that elevating the tyramine titer in the fat body pharmacologically increases gustatory responsiveness in foragers, but not in nurse bees. This differential effect of tyramine on gustatory responsiveness correlates with a higher natural gustatory responsiveness of foragers, with a higher tyramine receptor (Amtar1) mRNA expression in fat bodies of foragers and with lower baseline tyramine titers in fat bodies of foragers compared to those of nurse bees. We suggest that differential tyramine signaling in the fat body has an important role in the plasticity of division of labor through changing gustatory responsiveness.}, } @article {pmid28842787, year = {2017}, author = {Beros, S and Foitzik, S and Menzel, F}, title = {What are the Mechanisms Behind a Parasite-Induced Decline in Nestmate Recognition in Ants?.}, journal = {Journal of chemical ecology}, volume = {43}, number = {9}, pages = {869-880}, pmid = {28842787}, issn = {1573-1561}, support = {FO 298/15-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; ME 2842/3-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DE)/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Ants/chemistry/*parasitology/physiology ; Behavior, Animal ; *Host-Parasite Interactions ; Hydrocarbons/*analysis/metabolism ; *Nesting Behavior ; Platyhelminths/*physiology ; Social Behavior ; }, abstract = {Social insects have developed sophisticated recognition skills to defend their nests against intruders. They do this by aggressively discriminating against non-nestmates with deviant cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) signatures. Studying nestmate recognition can be challenging as individual insects do not only vary in their discriminatory abilities, but also in their motivation to behave aggressively. To disentangle the influence of signaling and behavioral motivation on nestmate recognition, we investigated the ant Temnothorax nylanderi, where the presence of tapeworm-infected nestmates leads to reduced nestmate recognition among uninfected workers. The parasite-induced decline in nestmate recognition could be caused by higher intra-colonial cue diversity as tapeworm-infected workers are known to exhibit a modified hydrocarbon signature. This in turn may broaden the neuronal template of their nestmates, leading to a higher tolerance towards alien conspecifics. To test this hypothesis, we exchanged infected ants between colonies and analyzed their impact on CHC profiles of uninfected workers. We demonstrate that despite frequent grooming, which should promote the transfer of recognition cues, CHC profiles of uninfected workers neither changed in the presence of tapeworm-infected ants, nor did it increase cue diversity among uninfected nestmates within or between colonies. However, CHC profiles were systematically affected by the removal of nestmates and addition of non-nestmates, independently from the ants' infection status. For example, when non-nestmates were present workers expressed more dimethyl alkanes and higher overall CHC quantities, possibly to achieve a better distinction from non-nestmates. Workers showed clear task-specific profiles with tapeworm-infected workers resembling more closely young nurses than older foragers. Our results show that the parasite-induced decline in nestmate recognition is not due to increased recognition cue diversity or altered CHC profiles of uninfected workers, but behavioral changes might explain tolerance towards intruders.}, } @article {pmid28829960, year = {2017}, author = {Jennions, M and Székely, T and Beissinger, SR and Kappeler, PM}, title = {Sex ratios.}, journal = {Current biology : CB}, volume = {27}, number = {16}, pages = {R790-R792}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2017.05.042}, pmid = {28829960}, issn = {1879-0445}, mesh = {Animals ; Female ; Humans ; Invertebrates/genetics/*physiology ; Male ; Reproduction ; *Sex Ratio ; Vertebrates/genetics/*physiology ; }, abstract = {Jennions et al. introduce the different kinds of sex ratio and their biology.}, } @article {pmid28823567, year = {2017}, author = {Bearne, LM and Manning, VL and Choy, E and Scott, DL and Hurley, MV}, title = {Participants' experiences of an Education, self-management and upper extremity eXercise Training for people with Rheumatoid Arthritis programme (EXTRA).}, journal = {Physiotherapy}, volume = {103}, number = {4}, pages = {430-438}, doi = {10.1016/j.physio.2016.12.002}, pmid = {28823567}, issn = {1873-1465}, mesh = {Adult ; Age Factors ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/*rehabilitation ; Disability Evaluation ; Exercise Therapy/*methods ; Female ; Humans ; Interviews as Topic ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Patient Education as Topic/*methods ; *Patient Satisfaction ; Qualitative Research ; Quality of Life ; Self Efficacy ; Self-Management/*methods ; Severity of Illness Index ; Sex Factors ; Sociobiology ; *Upper Extremity ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: The Education, self-management and upper extremity eXercise Training for people with Rheumatoid Arthritis programme (EXTRA) is an individualized, upper limb, home exercise regimen supplemented by four supervised, group sessions, a handbook and exercise dairy which improves upper extremity disability and self-efficacy.

OBJECTIVE AND STUDY DESIGN: This qualitative interview study explored participants' experience of EXTRA to inform development and implementation of EXTRA into practice.

PARTICIPANTS: Adults with Rheumatoid Arthritis who completed EXTRA were purposively sampled to include a range of ages, upper extremity disabilities, self-efficacy for arthritis self-management and attendance at EXTRA sessions.

METHODS: Individual, semi-structured interviews were conducted with a single researcher until data saturation of themes was reached. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis.

RESULTS: Twelve participants (10 females; 32 to 87 years) were interviewed. Four overarching themes were identified: (i) empowering self-management; (ii) influence of others and (iii) the challenge of sustaining exercise, which resonate with the Social Cognition Theory, and (iv) refining EXTRA: consistent and personalised.

CONCLUSIONS: EXTRA enhanced participants' confidence to manage their arthritis independently and was adaptable so it could be integrated with other life commitments. Whilst healthcare professionals, peers and family and friends influenced exercise uptake, sustaining exercise was challenging. Participants desired consistent and continuing contact with a familiar physiotherapist (e.g. via follow-up appointments, digital health technologies) which accommodated individual needs (e.g. different venues, session frequency). Implementation of EXTRA needs to appreciate and address these considerations to facilitate success.}, } @article {pmid28817217, year = {2017}, author = {Beaulieu, M and Benoit, L and Abaga, S and Kappeler, PM and Charpentier, MJE}, title = {Mind the cell: Seasonal variation in telomere length mirrors changes in leucocyte profile.}, journal = {Molecular ecology}, volume = {26}, number = {20}, pages = {5603-5613}, doi = {10.1111/mec.14329}, pmid = {28817217}, issn = {1365-294X}, mesh = {*Aging ; Animals ; Cercopithecinae/*genetics ; Female ; Leukocytes/*cytology ; Male ; *Seasons ; Telomere/*ultrastructure ; }, abstract = {Leucocytes are typically considered as a whole in studies examining telomere dynamics in mammals. Such an approach may be precarious, as leucocytes represent the only nucleated blood cells in mammals, their composition varies temporally, and telomere length differs between leucocyte types. To highlight this limitation, we examined here whether seasonal variation in leucocyte composition was related to variation in telomere length in free-ranging mandrills (Mandrilllus sphinx). We found that the leucocyte profile of mandrills varied seasonally, with lower lymphocyte proportion being observed during the long dry season presumably because of the combined effects of high nematode infection and stress at that time of the year. Interestingly, this low lymphocyte proportion during the long dry season was associated with shorter telomeres. Accordingly, based on longitudinal data, we found that seasonal changes in lymphocyte proportion were reflected by corresponding seasonal variation in telomere length. Overall, these results suggest that variation in lymphocyte proportion in blood can significantly affect telomere measurements in mammals. However, lymphocyte proportion did not entirely explain variation in telomere length. For instance, a lower lymphocyte proportion with age could not fully explain shorter telomeres in older individuals. Overall, our results show that telomere length and leucocyte profile are strongly although imperfectly intertwined, which may obscure the relationship between telomere dynamics and ageing processes in mammals.}, } @article {pmid28808547, year = {2017}, author = {Springer, A and Fichtel, C and Al-Ghalith, GA and Koch, F and Amato, KR and Clayton, JB and Knights, D and Kappeler, PM}, title = {Patterns of seasonality and group membership characterize the gut microbiota in a longitudinal study of wild Verreaux's sifakas (Propithecus verreauxi).}, journal = {Ecology and evolution}, volume = {7}, number = {15}, pages = {5732-5745}, pmid = {28808547}, issn = {2045-7758}, support = {T32 DA007097/DA/NIDA NIH HHS/United States ; }, abstract = {The intestinal microbiota plays a major role in host development, metabolism, and health. To date, few longitudinal studies have investigated the causes and consequences of microbiota variation in wildlife, although such studies provide a comparative context for interpreting the adaptive significance of findings from studies on humans or captive animals. Here, we investigate the impact of seasonality, diet, group membership, sex, age, and reproductive state on gut microbiota composition in a wild population of group-living, frugi-folivorous primates, Verreaux's sifakas (Propithecus verreauxi). We repeatedly sampled 32 individually recognizable animals from eight adjacent groups over the course of two different climatic seasons. We used high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene to determine the microbiota composition of 187 fecal samples. We demonstrate a clear pattern of seasonal variation in the intestinal microbiota, especially affecting the Firmicutes-Bacteroidetes ratio, which may be driven by seasonal differences in diet. The relative abundances of certain polysaccharide-fermenting taxa, for example, Lachnospiraceae, were correlated with fruit and fiber consumption. Additionally, group membership influenced microbiota composition independent of season, but further studies are needed to determine whether this pattern is driven by group divergences in diet, social contacts, or genetic factors. In accordance with findings in other wild mammals and primates with seasonally fluctuating food availability, we demonstrate seasonal variation in the microbiota of wild Verreaux's sifakas, which may be driven by food availability. This study adds to mounting evidence that variation in the intestinal microbiota may play an important role in the ability of primates to cope with seasonal variation in food availability.}, } @article {pmid28798324, year = {2017}, author = {Strube-Bloss, MF and Grabe, V and Hansson, BS and Sachse, S}, title = {Calcium imaging revealed no modulatory effect on odor-evoked responses of the Drosophila antennal lobe by two populations of inhibitory local interneurons.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {7}, number = {1}, pages = {7854}, pmid = {28798324}, issn = {2045-2322}, support = {P40 OD018537/OD/NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Action Potentials ; Animals ; Arthropod Antennae/*physiology ; Drosophila/*physiology ; Female ; Neural Inhibition ; Olfactory Bulb/*physiology ; Olfactory Receptor Neurons/*physiology ; *Smell ; Synaptic Transmission ; }, abstract = {Although we have considerable knowledge about how odors are represented in the antennal lobe (AL), the insects' analogue to the olfactory bulb, we still do not fully understand how the different neurons in the AL network contribute to the olfactory code. In Drosophila melanogaster we can selectively manipulate specific neuronal populations to elucidate their function in odor processing. Here we silenced the synaptic transmission of two distinct subpopulations of multiglomerular GABAergic local interneurons (LN1 and LN2) using shibire (shi [ts]) and analyzed their impact on odor-induced glomerular activity at the AL input and output level. We verified that the employed shi [ts] construct effectively blocked synaptic transmission to the AL when expressed in olfactory sensory neurons. Notably, selective silencing of both LN populations did not significantly affect the odor-evoked activity patterns in the AL. Neither the glomerular input nor the glomerular output activity was modulated in comparison to the parental controls. We therefore conclude that these LN subpopulations, which cover one third of the total LN number, are not predominantly involved in odor identity coding per se. As suggested by their broad innervation patterns and contribution to long-term adaptation, they might contribute to AL-computation on a global and longer time scale.}, } @article {pmid28787602, year = {2017}, author = {El Jundi, B}, title = {Insect Navigation: How Flies Keep Track of Their Snack.}, journal = {Current biology : CB}, volume = {27}, number = {15}, pages = {R748-R750}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2017.06.051}, pmid = {28787602}, issn = {1879-0445}, mesh = {Animals ; *Drosophila melanogaster ; *Snacks ; }, abstract = {A new study provides evidence that fruit flies use path integration to maintain proximity to a food source during their local searches.}, } @article {pmid28760967, year = {2017}, author = {Shpigler, HY and Saul, MC and Corona, F and Block, L and Cash Ahmed, A and Zhao, SD and Robinson, GE}, title = {Deep evolutionary conservation of autism-related genes.}, journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America}, volume = {114}, number = {36}, pages = {9653-9658}, pmid = {28760967}, issn = {1091-6490}, mesh = {Animals ; Autism Spectrum Disorder/*genetics ; Bees/*genetics/physiology ; Behavior, Animal ; *Biological Evolution ; Genes, Insect ; Humans ; Mushroom Bodies/metabolism ; Social Behavior ; Transcriptome ; }, abstract = {E. O. Wilson proposed in Sociobiology that similarities between human and animal societies reflect common mechanistic and evolutionary roots. When introduced in 1975, this controversial hypothesis was beyond science's ability to test. We used genomic analyses to determine whether superficial behavioral similarities in humans and the highly social honey bee reflect common molecular mechanisms. Here, we report that gene expression signatures for individual bees unresponsive to various salient social stimuli are significantly enriched for autism spectrum disorder-related genes. These signatures occur in the mushroom bodies, a high-level integration center of the insect brain. Furthermore, our finding of enrichment was unique to autism spectrum disorders; brain gene expression signatures from other honey bee behaviors do not show this enrichment, nor do datasets from other human behavioral and health conditions. These results demonstrate deep conservation for genes associated with a human social pathology and individual differences in insect social behavior, thus providing an example of how comparative genomics can be used to test sociobiological theory.}, } @article {pmid28760762, year = {2017}, author = {Kappeler, PM}, title = {Sex roles and adult sex ratios: insights from mammalian biology and consequences for primate behaviour.}, journal = {Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences}, volume = {372}, number = {1729}, pages = {}, pmid = {28760762}, issn = {1471-2970}, mesh = {Animals ; Female ; Male ; *Maternal Behavior ; *Paternal Behavior ; Primates/*physiology ; *Sex Ratio ; }, abstract = {Theoretical models and empirical studies in various taxa have identified important links between variation in sex roles and the number of adult males and females (adult sex ratio (ASR)) in a population. In this review, I examine these relationships in non-human primates. Because most existing theoretical models of the evolution of sex roles focus on the evolutionary origins of sex-biased behaviour, they offer only a general scaffold for predicting variation in sex roles among and within species. I argue that studies examining sex role variation at these more specific levels need to take social organization into account to identify meaningful levels for the measurement of ASR and to account for the fact that ASR and sex roles mutually influence each other. Moreover, taxon-specific life-history traits can constrain sex role flexibility and impact the operational sex ratio (OSR) by specifying the minimum length of female time outs from reproduction. Using examples from the primate literature, I highlight practical problems in estimating ASR and OSR. I then argue that interspecific variation in the occurrence of indirect forms of paternal care might indeed be linked to variation in ASR. Some studies also indicate that female aggression and bonding, as well as components of inter-sexual relationships, are sensitive to variation in ASR. Thus, links between primate sex roles and sex ratios merit further study, and such studies could prompt the development of more specific theoretical models that make realistic assumptions about taxon-specific life history and social organization.This article is part of the themed issue 'Adult sex ratios and reproductive decisions: a critical re-examination of sex differences in human and animal societies'.}, } @article {pmid28760753, year = {2017}, author = {Schacht, R and Kramer, KL and Székely, T and Kappeler, PM}, title = {Adult sex ratios and reproductive strategies: a critical re-examination of sex differences in human and animal societies.}, journal = {Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences}, volume = {372}, number = {1729}, pages = {}, pmid = {28760753}, issn = {1471-2970}, mesh = {Animals ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; *Reproduction ; *Reproductive Behavior ; *Sex Ratio ; *Sexual Behavior, Animal ; }, abstract = {It is increasingly recognized that the relative proportion of potential mates to competitors in a population impacts a range of sex-specific behaviours and in particular mating and reproduction. However, while the adult sex ratio (ASR) has long been recognized as an important link between demography and behaviour, this relationship remains understudied. Here, we introduce the first inter-disciplinary collection of research on the causes and consequences of variation in the ASR in human and animal societies. This important topic is relevant to a wide audience of both social and biological scientists due to the central role that the relative number of males to females in a population plays for the evolution of, and contemporary variation in, sex roles across groups, species and higher taxa. The articles in this theme issue cover research on ASR across a variety of taxa and topics. They offer critical re-evaluations of theoretical foundations within both evolutionary and non-evolutionary fields, and propose innovative methodological approaches, present new empirical examples of behavioural consequences of ASR variation and reveal that the ASR plays a major role in determining population viability, especially in small populations and species with labile sex determination. This introductory paper puts the contributions of the theme issue into a broader context, identifies general trends across the literature and formulates directions for future research.This article is part of the themed issue 'Adult sex ratios and reproductive decisions: a critical re-examination of sex differences in human and animal societies'.}, } @article {pmid28746223, year = {2017}, author = {de Miguel-Díez, J and López-de-Andrés, A and Hernández-Barrera, V and Jiménez-Trujillo, I and Méndez-Bailón, M and Miguel-Yanes, JM and Del Rio-Lopez, B and Jiménez-García, R}, title = {Decreasing incidence and mortality among hospitalized patients suffering a ventilator-associated pneumonia: Analysis of the Spanish national hospital discharge database from 2010 to 2014.}, journal = {Medicine}, volume = {96}, number = {30}, pages = {e7625}, pmid = {28746223}, issn = {1536-5964}, mesh = {Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Comorbidity ; Databases, Factual ; Female ; Hospital Mortality/trends ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Patient Discharge ; Pneumonia, Ventilator-Associated/*mortality/*therapy ; Retrospective Studies ; Sociobiology ; Spain/epidemiology ; }, abstract = {The aim of this study was to describe trends in the incidence and outcomes of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) among hospitalized patients in Spain (2010-2014).This is a retrospective study using the Spanish national hospital discharge database from year 2010 to 2014. We selected all hospital admissions that had an ICD-9-CM code: 997.31 for VAP in any diagnosis position. We analyzed incidence, sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, procedures, pathogen isolations, and hospital outcomes.We identified 9336 admissions with patients suffering a VAP. Incidence rates of VAP decreased significantly over time (from 41.7 cases/100,000 inhabitants in 2010 to 40.55 in 2014). The mean Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) was 1.08 ± 0.98 and it did not change significantly during the study period. The most frequent causative agent was Pseudomonas and there were not significant differences in the isolation of this microorganism over time. Time trend analyses showed a significant decrease in in-hospital mortality (IHM), from 35.74% in 2010 to 32.81% in 2014. Factor associated with higher IHM included male sex, older age, higher CCI, vein or artery occlusion, pulmonary disease, cancer, undergone surgery, emergency room admission, and readmission.This study shows that the incidence of VAP among hospitalized patients has decreased in Spain from 2010 to 2014. The IHM has also decreased over the study period. Further investigations are needed to improve the prevention and control of VAP.}, } @article {pmid28679795, year = {2017}, author = {Fleischmann, PN and Grob, R and Wehner, R and Rössler, W}, title = {Species-specific differences in the fine structure of learning walk elements in Cataglyphis ants.}, journal = {The Journal of experimental biology}, volume = {220}, number = {Pt 13}, pages = {2426-2435}, doi = {10.1242/jeb.158147}, pmid = {28679795}, issn = {1477-9145}, mesh = {Animals ; Ants/*physiology ; Greece ; Learning ; Species Specificity ; Tunisia ; Walking ; }, abstract = {Cataglyphis desert ants are famous navigators. Like all central place foragers, they are confronted with the challenge to return home, i.e. relocate an inconspicuous nest entrance in the ground, after their extensive foraging trips. When leaving the underground nest for the first time, desert ants perform a striking behavior, so-called learning walks that are well structured. However, it is still unclear how the ants initially acquire the information needed for sky- and landmark-based navigation, in particular how they calibrate their compass system at the beginning of their foraging careers. Using high-speed video analyses, we show that different Cataglyphis species include different types of characteristic turns in their learning walks. Pirouettes are full or partial rotations (tight turns about the vertical body axis) during which the ants frequently stop and gaze back in the direction of the nest entrance during the longest stopping phases. In contrast, voltes are small walked circles without directed stopping phases. Interestingly, only Cataglyphis ant species living in a cluttered, and therefore visually rich, environment (i.e. C. noda and C. aenescens in southern Greece) perform both voltes and pirouettes. They look back to the nest entrance during pirouettes, most probably to take snapshots of the surroundings. In contrast, C. fortis inhabiting featureless saltpans in Tunisia perform only voltes and do not stop during these turns to gaze back at the nest - even if a set of artificial landmarks surrounds the nest entrance.}, } @article {pmid28672203, year = {2017}, author = {Caniglia, G}, title = {"How complex and even perverse the real world can be": W.D. Hamilton's early work on social wasps (1964-1968).}, journal = {Studies in history and philosophy of biological and biomedical sciences}, volume = {64}, number = {}, pages = {41-52}, doi = {10.1016/j.shpsc.2017.06.005}, pmid = {28672203}, issn = {1879-2499}, mesh = {Animals ; Biological Evolution ; *Selection, Genetic ; *Social Behavior ; *Wasps ; }, abstract = {William D. Hamilton's name is often connected to important theoretical accomplishments, from the theory of inclusive fitness and kin selection to the so-called Hamilton's rule and the haplodiploidy hypothesis. This article asks: How did Hamilton attempt to test his theory and hypothesis against the complexity of the biological world? The article reconstructs Hamilton's empirical work with social wasps between 1963 and 1968, the years before and after the publication of the groundbreaking "The Genetical Evolution of Social Behavior" in 1964. It points out the centrality of Hamilton's work on wasps and shows how the British scientist attempted to test theories and hypotheses with naturalistic, developmental, and physiological observations as well as, at times, with experimental manipulations. The article offers a new perspective on the history of the scientific understanding of the evolution of social behavior. In contrast to existing narratives, this perspective emphasizes the importance of empirical work-e.g. natural history, physiology, comparative anatomy-which is often obscured by a nearly exclusive focus on theoretical developments in this field.}, } @article {pmid28553207, year = {2017}, author = {Blenau, W and Daniel, S and Balfanz, S and Thamm, M and Baumann, A}, title = {Dm5-HT2B: Pharmacological Characterization of the Fifth Serotonin Receptor Subtype of Drosophila melanogaster.}, journal = {Frontiers in systems neuroscience}, volume = {11}, number = {}, pages = {28}, pmid = {28553207}, issn = {1662-5137}, abstract = {Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) is an important regulator of physiological and behavioral processes in both protostomes (e.g., insects) and deuterostomes (e.g., mammals). In insects, serotonin has been found to modulate the heart rate and to control secretory processes, development, circadian rhythms, aggressive behavior, as well as to contribute to learning and memory. Serotonin exerts its activity by binding to and activating specific membrane receptors. The clear majority of these receptors belong to the superfamily of G-protein-coupled receptors. In Drosophila melanogaster, a total of five genes have been identified coding for 5-HT receptors. From this family of proteins, four have been pharmacologically examined in greater detail, so far. While Dm5-HT1A, Dm5-HT1B, and Dm5-HT7 couple to cAMP signaling cascades, the Dm5-HT2A receptor leads to Ca[2+] signaling in an inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate-dependent manner. Based on sequence similarity to homologous genes in other insects, a fifth D. melanogaster gene was uncovered coding for a Dm5-HT2B receptor. Knowledge about this receptor's pharmacological properties is very limited. This is quite surprising because Dm5-HT2B has been attributed to distinct physiological functions based on genetic interference with its gene expression. Mutations were described reducing the response of the larval heart to 5-HT, and specific knockdown of Dm5-HT2B mRNA in hemocytes resulted in a higher susceptibility of the flies to bacterial infection. To gain deeper understanding of Dm5-HT2B's pharmacology, we evaluated the receptor's response to a series of established 5-HT receptor agonists and antagonists in a functional cell-based assay. Metoclopramide and mianserin were identified as two potent antagonists that may allow pharmacological interference with Dm5-HT2B signaling in vitro and in vivo.}, } @article {pmid28512224, year = {2017}, author = {Nowak, MA and McAvoy, A and Allen, B and Wilson, EO}, title = {The general form of Hamilton's rule makes no predictions and cannot be tested empirically.}, journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America}, volume = {114}, number = {22}, pages = {5665-5670}, pmid = {28512224}, issn = {1091-6490}, abstract = {Hamilton's rule asserts that a trait is favored by natural selection if the benefit to others, [Formula: see text], multiplied by relatedness, [Formula: see text], exceeds the cost to self, [Formula: see text] Specifically, Hamilton's rule states that the change in average trait value in a population is proportional to [Formula: see text] This rule is commonly believed to be a natural law making important predictions in biology, and its influence has spread from evolutionary biology to other fields including the social sciences. Whereas many feel that Hamilton's rule provides valuable intuition, there is disagreement even among experts as to how the quantities [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text] should be defined for a given system. Here, we investigate a widely endorsed formulation of Hamilton's rule, which is said to be as general as natural selection itself. We show that, in this formulation, Hamilton's rule does not make predictions and cannot be tested empirically. It turns out that the parameters [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] depend on the change in average trait value and therefore cannot predict that change. In this formulation, which has been called "exact and general" by its proponents, Hamilton's rule can "predict" only the data that have already been given.}, } @article {pmid28508537, year = {2018}, author = {Boomsma, JJ and Gawne, R}, title = {Superorganismality and caste differentiation as points of no return: how the major evolutionary transitions were lost in translation.}, journal = {Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society}, volume = {93}, number = {1}, pages = {28-54}, doi = {10.1111/brv.12330}, pmid = {28508537}, issn = {1469-185X}, mesh = {Animals ; *Behavior, Animal ; *Biological Evolution ; Insecta/*genetics/*physiology ; Selection, Genetic ; *Social Behavior ; }, abstract = {More than a century ago, William Morton Wheeler proposed that social insect colonies can be regarded as superorganisms when they have morphologically differentiated reproductive and nursing castes that are analogous to the metazoan germ-line and soma. Following the rise of sociobiology in the 1970s, Wheeler's insights were largely neglected, and we were left with multiple new superorganism concepts that are mutually inconsistent and uninformative on how superorganismality originated. These difficulties can be traced to the broadened sociobiological concept of eusociality, which denies that physical queen-worker caste differentiation is a universal hallmark of superorganismal colonies. Unlike early evolutionary naturalists and geneticists such as Weismann, Huxley, Fisher and Haldane, who set out to explain the acquisition of an unmated worker caste, the goal of sociobiology was to understand the evolution of eusociality, a broad-brush convenience category that covers most forms of cooperative breeding. By lumping a diverse spectrum of social systems into a single category, and drawing attention away from the evolution of distinct quantifiable traits, the sociobiological tradition has impeded straightforward connections between inclusive fitness theory and the major evolutionary transitions paradigm for understanding irreversible shifts to higher organizational complexity. We evaluate the history by which these inconsistencies accumulated, develop a common-cause approach for understanding the origins of all major transitions in eukaryote hierarchical complexity, and use Hamilton's rule to argue that they are directly comparable. We show that only Wheeler's original definition of superorganismality can be unambiguously linked to irreversible evolutionary transitions from context-dependent reproductive altruism to unconditional differentiation of permanently unmated castes in the ants, corbiculate bees, vespine wasps and higher termites. We argue that strictly monogamous parents were a necessary, albeit not sufficient condition for all transitions to superorganismality, analogous to single-zygote bottlenecking being a necessary but not sufficient condition for the convergent origins of complex soma across multicellular eukaryotes. We infer that conflict reduction was not a necessary condition for the origin of any of these major transitions, and conclude that controversies over the status of inclusive fitness theory primarily emanate from the arbitrarily defined sociobiological concepts of superorganismality and eusociality, not from the theory itself.}, } @article {pmid28468687, year = {2017}, author = {De Cocker, K and De Bourdeaudhuij, I and Cardon, G and Vandelanotte, C}, title = {What are the working mechanisms of a web-based workplace sitting intervention targeting psychosocial factors and action planning?.}, journal = {BMC public health}, volume = {17}, number = {1}, pages = {382}, pmid = {28468687}, issn = {1471-2458}, mesh = {Adult ; Age Factors ; Body Weights and Measures ; Computers ; *Exercise ; Female ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Health Promotion/*methods ; Humans ; Internet ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Occupational Health ; *Posture ; *Sedentary Behavior ; Self Efficacy ; Self Report ; Sex Factors ; Social Support ; Sociobiology ; Workplace/*organization & administration/psychology ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Office workers demonstrate high levels of sitting on workdays. As sitting is positively associated with adverse health risks in adults, a theory-driven web-based computer-tailored intervention to influence workplace sitting, named 'Start to Stand,' was developed. The intervention was found to be effective in reducing self-reported workplace sitting among Flemish employees. The aim of this study was to investigate through which mechanisms the web-based computer-tailored intervention influenced self-reported workplace sitting.

METHODS: Employees (n = 155) participated in a clustered randomised controlled trial and reported socio-demographics (age, gender, education), work-related (hours at work, employment duration), health-related (weight and height, workplace sitting and physical activity) and psychosocial (knowledge, attitudes, self-efficacy, social support, intention regarding (changing) sitting behaviours) variables at baseline and 1-month follow-up. The product-of-coefficients test of MacKinnon based on multiple linear regression analyses was conducted to examine the mediating role of five psychosocial factors (knowledge, attitudes, self-efficacy, social support, intention). The influence of one self-regulation skill (action planning) in the association between the intervention and self-reported workplace sitting time was investigated via moderation analyses.

RESULTS: The intervention had a positive influence on knowledge (p = 0.040), but none of the psychosocial variables did mediate the intervention effect on self-reported workplace sitting. Action planning was found to be a significant moderator (p < 0.001) as the decrease in self-reported workplace sitting only occurred in the group completing an action plan.

CONCLUSIONS: Future interventions aimed at reducing employees' workplace sitting are suggested to focus on self-regulatory skills and promote action planning when using web-based computer-tailored advice.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT02672215 ; (Archived by WebCite at https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02672215).}, } @article {pmid28445613, year = {2017}, author = {Thamm, M and Scholl, C and Reim, T and Grübel, K and Möller, K and Rössler, W and Scheiner, R}, title = {Neuronal distribution of tyramine and the tyramine receptor AmTAR1 in the honeybee brain.}, journal = {The Journal of comparative neurology}, volume = {525}, number = {12}, pages = {2615-2631}, doi = {10.1002/cne.24228}, pmid = {28445613}, issn = {1096-9861}, mesh = {Actins/metabolism ; Animals ; Bees/*anatomy & histology ; Brain/*cytology/metabolism ; Mushroom Bodies/anatomy & histology/metabolism ; Myelin Basic Protein/metabolism ; Neurons/*metabolism ; Receptors, Biogenic Amine/*metabolism ; Synapsins/metabolism ; Tyramine/*metabolism ; }, abstract = {Tyramine is an important neurotransmitter, neuromodulator, and neurohormone in insects. In honeybees, it is assumed to have functions in modulating sensory responsiveness and controlling motor behavior. Tyramine can bind to two characterized receptors in honeybees, both of which are coupled to intracellular cAMP pathways. How tyramine acts on neuronal, cellular and circuit levels is unclear. We investigated the spatial brain expression of the tyramine receptor AmTAR1 using a specific antibody. This antibody detects a membrane protein of the expected molecular weight in western blot analysis. In honeybee brains, it labels different structures which process sensory information. Labeling along the antennal nerve, in projections of the dorsal lobe and in the gnathal ganglion suggest that tyramine receptors are involved in modulating gustatory and tactile perception. Furthermore, the ellipsoid body of the central complex and giant synapses in the lateral complex show AmTAR1-like immunoreactivity (AmTAR1-IR), suggesting a role of this receptor in modulating sky-compass information and/or higher sensor-motor control. Additionally, intense signals derive from the mushroom bodies, higher-order integration centers for olfactory, visual, gustatory and tactile information. To investigate whether AmTAR1-expressing brain structures are in vicinity to tyramine releasing sites, a specific tyramine antibody was applied. Tyramine-like labeling was observed in AmTAR1-IR positive structures, although it was sometimes weak and we did not always find a direct match of ligand and receptor. Moreover, tyramine-like immunoreactivity was also found in brain regions without AmTAR1-IR (optic lobes, antennal lobes), indicating that other tyramine-specific receptors may be expressed there.}, } @article {pmid28435875, year = {2017}, author = {Poirotte, C and Massol, F and Herbert, A and Willaume, E and Bomo, PM and Kappeler, PM and Charpentier, MJE}, title = {Mandrills use olfaction to socially avoid parasitized conspecifics.}, journal = {Science advances}, volume = {3}, number = {4}, pages = {e1601721}, pmid = {28435875}, issn = {2375-2548}, mesh = {Animals ; *Behavior, Animal ; Feces/*parasitology ; *Mandrillus ; Monkey Diseases/*parasitology ; *Smell ; }, abstract = {The evolutionary transition from a solitary to a social lifestyle entails an elevated parasite cost because the social proximity associated with group living favors parasite transmission. Despite this cost, sociality is widespread in a large range of taxonomic groups. In this context, hosts would be expected to have evolved behavioral mechanisms to reduce the risk of parasite infection. Few empirical studies have focused on the influence of pathogen-mediated selection on the evolution of antiparasitic behavior in wild vertebrates. We report an adaptive functional relationship between parasitism and social behavior in mandrills, associated with evidence that they are able to gauge parasite status of their group members. Using long-term observations, controlled experiments, and chemical analyses, we show that (i) wild mandrills avoid grooming conspecifics infected with orofecally transmitted parasites; (ii) mandrills receive significantly more grooming after treatment that targets these parasites; (iii) parasitism influences the host's fecal odors; and (iv) mandrills selectively avoid fecal material from parasitized conspecifics. These behavioral adaptations reveal that selecting safe social partners may help primates to cope with parasite-mediated costs of sociality and that "behavioral immunity" plays a crucial role in the coevolutionary dynamics between hosts and their parasites.}, } @article {pmid28428832, year = {2017}, author = {Scharf, ME and Cai, Y and Sun, Y and Sen, R and Raychoudhury, R and Boucias, DG}, title = {A meta-analysis testing eusocial co-option theories in termite gut physiology and symbiosis.}, journal = {Communicative & integrative biology}, volume = {10}, number = {2}, pages = {e1295187}, pmid = {28428832}, issn = {1942-0889}, support = {R01 AI125982/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; }, abstract = {The termite gut accomplishes key physiologic functions that underlie termite symbiosis and sociality. However, potential candidate functions of the host-symbiont holobiome have not yet been explored across seemingly divergent processes such as digestion, immunity, caste differentiation, and xenobiotic tolerance. This study took a meta-analysis approach for concurrently studying host and symbiont gut metatranscriptome responses of the lower termite Reticulitermes flavipes, which has ancestral characteristics and hosts a diverse mix of eukaryotic and bacterial symbionts. Thirteen treatments were compared from 5 categories (dietary, social, hormonal, immunological, and xenobiotic), revealing 3 main insights. First, each of the 5 tested colonies had distinct magnitudes of transcriptome response, likely as a result of unique symbiont profiles, which highlights the uniqueness of individual termite colonies. Second, after normalization to standardize colony response magnitudes, unique treatment-linked metatranscriptome topologies became apparent. Third, despite colony and topology differences, 4 co-opted master genes emerged that were universally responsive across diverse treatments. These master genes encode host functions related to protein translation and symbiont functions related to protein degradation and pore formation in microbial cell walls. Three of the 4 master genes were from co-evolved protist symbionts, highlighting potentially co-evolved roles for gut symbiota in coordinating functional responses of the collective host-symbiont holobiome. Lastly, for host genes identified, these results provide annotations of recent termite genome sequences. By revealing conserved domain genes, as well as apparent roles for gut symbiota in holobiome regulation, this study provides new insights into co-opted eusocial genes and symbiont roles in termite sociobiology.}, } @article {pmid28376107, year = {2017}, author = {Römer, D and Bollazzi, M and Roces, F}, title = {Carbon dioxide sensing in an obligate insect-fungus symbiosis: CO2 preferences of leaf-cutting ants to rear their mutualistic fungus.}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {12}, number = {4}, pages = {e0174597}, pmid = {28376107}, issn = {1932-6203}, mesh = {Animals ; Ants/*physiology ; Basidiomycota/growth & development/*physiology ; Carbon Dioxide/*physiology ; Herbivory ; Models, Biological ; Plant Leaves/microbiology ; Soil/chemistry ; Stress, Physiological ; Symbiosis/*physiology ; }, abstract = {Defense against biotic or abiotic stresses is one of the benefits of living in symbiosis. Leaf-cutting ants, which live in an obligate mutualism with a fungus, attenuate thermal and desiccation stress of their partner through behavioral responses, by choosing suitable places for fungus-rearing across the soil profile. The underground environment also presents hypoxic (low oxygen) and hypercapnic (high carbon dioxide) conditions, which can negatively influence the symbiont. Here, we investigated whether workers of the leaf-cutting ant Acromyrmex lundii use the CO2 concentration as an orientation cue when selecting a place to locate their fungus garden, and whether they show preferences for specific CO2 concentrations. We also evaluated whether levels preferred by workers for fungus-rearing differ from those selected for themselves. In the laboratory, CO2 preferences were assessed in binary choices between chambers with different CO2 concentrations, by quantifying number of workers in each chamber and amount of relocated fungus. Leaf-cutting ants used the CO2 concentration as a spatial cue when selecting places for fungus-rearing. A. lundii preferred intermediate CO2 levels, between 1 and 3%, as they would encounter at soil depths where their nest chambers are located. In addition, workers avoided both atmospheric and high CO2 levels as they would occur outside the nest and at deeper soil layers, respectively. In order to prevent fungus desiccation, however, workers relocated fungus to high CO2 levels, which were otherwise avoided. Workers' CO2 preferences for themselves showed no clear-cut pattern. We suggest that workers avoid both atmospheric and high CO2 concentrations not because they are detrimental for themselves, but because of their consequences for the symbiotic partner. Whether the preferred CO2 concentrations are beneficial for symbiont growth remains to be investigated, as well as whether the observed preferences for fungus-rearing influences the ants' decisions where to excavate new chambers across the soil profile.}, } @article {pmid28317445, year = {2017}, author = {Joiner, TE and Buchman-Schmitt, JM and Chu, C and Hom, MA}, title = {A Sociobiological Extension of the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide.}, journal = {Crisis}, volume = {38}, number = {2}, pages = {69-72}, doi = {10.1027/0227-5910/a000463}, pmid = {28317445}, issn = {2151-2396}, mesh = {Altruism ; Animals ; Humans ; *Psychological Theory ; Social Behavior ; Sociobiology ; Suicide/*psychology ; }, } @article {pmid28275167, year = {2017}, author = {Jacobs, RL and MacFie, TS and Spriggs, AN and Baden, AL and Morelli, TL and Irwin, MT and Lawler, RR and Pastorini, J and Mayor, M and Lei, R and Culligan, R and Hawkins, MT and Kappeler, PM and Wright, PC and Louis, EE and Mundy, NI and Bradley, BJ}, title = {Novel opsin gene variation in large-bodied, diurnal lemurs.}, journal = {Biology letters}, volume = {13}, number = {3}, pages = {}, pmid = {28275167}, issn = {1744-957X}, mesh = {Animals ; Color Vision/*genetics ; Ecosystem ; Genes, X-Linked ; Opsins/*genetics ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Sequence Analysis, Protein ; Strepsirhini/*genetics ; }, abstract = {Some primate populations include both trichromatic and dichromatic (red-green colour blind) individuals due to allelic variation at the X-linked opsin locus. This polymorphic trichromacy is well described in day-active New World monkeys. Less is known about colour vision in Malagasy lemurs, but, unlike New World monkeys, only some day-active lemurs are polymorphic, while others are dichromatic. The evolutionary pressures underlying these differences in lemurs are unknown, but aspects of species ecology, including variation in activity pattern, are hypothesized to play a role. Limited data on X-linked opsin variation in lemurs make such hypotheses difficult to evaluate. We provide the first detailed examination of X-linked opsin variation across a lemur clade (Indriidae). We sequenced the X-linked opsin in the most strictly diurnal and largest extant lemur, Indri indri, and nine species of smaller, generally diurnal indriids (Propithecus). Although nocturnal Avahi (sister taxon to Propithecus) lacks a polymorphism, at least eight species of diurnal indriids have two or more X-linked opsin alleles. Four rainforest-living taxa-I. indri and the three largest Propithecus species-have alleles not previously documented in lemurs. Moreover, we identified at least three opsin alleles in Indri with peak spectral sensitivities similar to some New World monkeys.}, } @article {pmid28273083, year = {2017}, author = {Arenas, A and Roces, F}, title = {Avoidance of plants unsuitable for the symbiotic fungus in leaf-cutting ants: Learning can take place entirely at the colony dump.}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {12}, number = {3}, pages = {e0171388}, pmid = {28273083}, issn = {1932-6203}, mesh = {Animals ; Antifungal Agents/pharmacology ; Ants/drug effects/microbiology/*physiology ; *Avoidance Learning ; Feeding Behavior/drug effects/physiology ; Fungi/drug effects/physiology ; Plant Leaves/metabolism/parasitology ; Plants/metabolism/*parasitology ; Symbiosis ; Waste Products ; }, abstract = {Plants initially accepted by foraging leaf-cutting ants are later avoided if they prove unsuitable for their symbiotic fungus. Plant avoidance is mediated by the waste produced in the fungus garden soon after the incorporation of the unsuitable leaves, as foragers can learn plant odors and cues from the damaged fungus that are both present in the recently produced waste particles. We asked whether avoidance learning of plants unsuitable for the symbiotic fungus can take place entirely at the colony dump. In order to investigate whether cues available in the waste chamber induce plant avoidance in naïve subcolonies, we exchanged the waste produced by subcolonies fed either fungicide-treated privet leaves or untreated leaves and measured the acceptance of untreated privet leaves before and after the exchange of waste. Second, we evaluated whether foragers could perceive the avoidance cues directly at the dump by quantifying the visits of labeled foragers to the waste chamber. Finally, we asked whether foragers learn to specifically avoid untreated leaves of a plant after a confinement over 3 hours in the dump of subcolonies that were previously fed fungicide-treated leaves of that species. After the exchange of the waste chambers, workers from subcolonies that had access to waste from fungicide-treated privet leaves learned to avoid that plant. One-third of the labeled foragers visited the dump. Furthermore, naïve foragers learned to avoid a specific, previously unsuitable plant if exposed solely to cues of the dump during confinement. We suggest that cues at the dump enable foragers to predict the unsuitable effects of plants even if they had never been experienced in the fungus garden.}, } @article {pmid28262167, year = {2017}, author = {Sahoo, S and Anand, N and Aggarwal, S and Singh, SM}, title = {Sociobiologically informed psychiatrist.}, journal = {Asian journal of psychiatry}, volume = {25}, number = {}, pages = {258-259}, doi = {10.1016/j.ajp.2016.12.007}, pmid = {28262167}, issn = {1876-2026}, mesh = {Humans ; Mental Disorders/*therapy ; *Physician-Patient Relations ; *Psychiatry ; *Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid28183868, year = {2017}, author = {Ruedenauer, FA and Leonhardt, SD and Schmalz, F and Rössler, W and Strube-Bloss, MF}, title = {Separation of different pollen types by chemotactile sensing in Bombus terrestris.}, journal = {The Journal of experimental biology}, volume = {220}, number = {Pt 8}, pages = {1435-1442}, doi = {10.1242/jeb.153122}, pmid = {28183868}, issn = {1477-9145}, mesh = {Animals ; Arthropod Antennae/*physiology ; Bees/*physiology ; Feeding Behavior ; Food Preferences ; Pollen/*metabolism ; Pollination ; Volatile Organic Compounds/*metabolism ; }, abstract = {When tasting food, animals rely on chemical and tactile cues, which determine the animal's decision on whether to eat food. As food nutritional composition has enormous consequences for the survival of animals, food items should generally be tasted before they are eaten or collected for later consumption. Even though recent studies have confirmed the importance of, for example, gustatory cues, compared with olfaction only little is known about the representation of chemotactile stimuli at the receptor level (let alone higher brain centers) in animals other than vertebrates. To better understand how invertebrates may process chemotactile cues, we used bumblebees as a model species and combined electroantennographical (EAG) recordings with a novel technique for chemotactile antennal stimulation in bees. The recorded EAG responses to chemotactile stimulation clearly separated volatile compounds by both compound identity and concentration, and could be successfully applied to test the receptor activity evoked by different types of pollen. We found that two different pollen types (apple and almond; which were readily distinguished by bumblebees in a classical conditioning task) evoked significantly distinct neural activity already at the antennal receptor level. Our novel stimulation technique therefore enables investigation of chemotactile sensing, which is highly important for assessing food nutritional quality while foraging. It can further be applied to test other chemosensory behaviors, such as mate or nest mate recognition, or to investigate whether toxic substances, e.g. in pollen, affect neuronal separation of different food types.}, } @article {pmid28167800, year = {2017}, author = {Scheiner, R and Reim, T and Søvik, E and Entler, BV and Barron, AB and Thamm, M}, title = {Learning, gustatory responsiveness and tyramine differences across nurse and forager honeybees.}, journal = {The Journal of experimental biology}, volume = {220}, number = {Pt 8}, pages = {1443-1450}, doi = {10.1242/jeb.152496}, pmid = {28167800}, issn = {1477-9145}, mesh = {Animals ; Appetitive Behavior ; Bees/*physiology ; Behavior, Animal ; Conditioning, Classical ; Insect Proteins/genetics/*metabolism ; Octopamine/analysis/metabolism ; RNA, Messenger/genetics ; Receptors, Biogenic Amine/genetics/*metabolism ; Signal Transduction ; Smell ; Social Behavior ; Taste ; Tyramine/analysis/*metabolism ; }, abstract = {Honeybees are well known for their complex division of labor. Each bee sequentially performs a series of social tasks during its life. The changes in social task performance are linked to gross differences in behavior and physiology. We tested whether honeybees performing different social tasks (nursing versus foraging) would differ in their gustatory responsiveness and associative learning behavior in addition to their daily tasks in the colony. Further, we investigated the role of the biogenic amine tyramine and its receptors in the behavior of nurse bees and foragers. Tyramine is an important insect neurotransmitter, which has long been neglected in behavioral studies as it was believed to only act as the metabolic precursor of the better-known amine octopamine. With the increasing number of characterized tyramine receptors in diverse insects, we need to understand the functions of tyramine on its own account. Our findings suggest an important role for tyramine and its two receptors in regulating honeybee gustatory responsiveness, social organization and learning behavior. Foragers, which were more responsive to gustatory stimuli than nurse bees and performed better in appetitive learning, also differed from nurse bees in their tyramine brain titers and in the mRNA expression of a tyramine receptor in the brain. Pharmacological activation of tyramine receptors increased gustatory responsiveness of nurse bees and foragers and improved appetitive learning in nurse bees. These data suggest that a large part of the behavioral differences between honeybees may be directly linked to tyramine signaling in the brain.}, } @article {pmid28114396, year = {2017}, author = {Kadochová, Š and Frouz, J and Roces, F}, title = {Sun Basking in Red Wood Ants Formica polyctena (Hymenoptera, Formicidae): Individual Behaviour and Temperature-Dependent Respiration Rates.}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {12}, number = {1}, pages = {e0170570}, pmid = {28114396}, issn = {1932-6203}, mesh = {Animals ; Ants/*physiology ; Lipolysis ; *Respiratory Rate ; *Sunlight ; Temperature ; }, abstract = {In early spring, red wood ants Formica polyctena are often observed clustering on the nest surface in large numbers basking in the sun. It has been hypothesized that sun-basking behaviour may contribute to nest heating because of both heat carriage into the nest by sun-basking workers, and catabolic heat production from the mobilization of the workers' lipid reserves. We investigated sun-basking behaviour in laboratory colonies of F. polyctena exposed to an artificial heat source. Observations on identified individuals revealed that not all ants bask in the sun. Sun-basking and non-sun-basking workers did not differ in body size nor in respiration rates. The number of sun-basking ants and the number of their visits to the hot spot depended on the temperature of both the air and the hot spot. To investigate whether sun basking leads to a physiological activation linked with increased lipolysis, we measured respiration rates of individual workers as a function of temperature, and compared respiration rates of sun-basking workers before and two days after they were allowed to expose themselves to a heat source over 10 days, at self-determined intervals. As expected for ectothermic animals, respiration rates increased with increasing temperatures in the range 5 to 35°C. However, the respiration rates of sun-basking workers measured two days after a long-term exposure to the heat source were similar to those before sun basking, providing no evidence for a sustained increase of the basal metabolic rates after prolonged sun basking. Based on our measurements, we argue that self-heating of the nest mound in early spring has therefore to rely on alternative heat sources, and speculate that physical transport of heat in the ant bodies may have a significant effect.}, } @article {pmid28105795, year = {2017}, author = {Davis, MM and Shanley, TP}, title = {The Missing -Omes: Proposing Social and Environmental Nomenclature in Precision Medicine.}, journal = {Clinical and translational science}, volume = {10}, number = {2}, pages = {64-66}, pmid = {28105795}, issn = {1752-8062}, mesh = {Environment ; Environmental Medicine/*classification ; Health Behavior ; *Health Status ; Health Status Disparities ; Humans ; Precision Medicine/*classification ; Residence Characteristics ; Risk Factors ; Social Behavior ; Sociobiology/*classification ; *Terminology as Topic ; }, } @article {pmid28099496, year = {2017}, author = {Mildner, S and Roces, F}, title = {Plasticity of Daily Behavioral Rhythms in Foragers and Nurses of the Ant Camponotus rufipes: Influence of Social Context and Feeding Times.}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {12}, number = {1}, pages = {e0169244}, pmid = {28099496}, issn = {1932-6203}, mesh = {Animals ; Ants/*physiology ; Bees/physiology ; Behavior, Animal/*physiology ; Circadian Rhythm ; Feeding Behavior/*physiology ; Locomotion ; Motor Activity/*physiology ; *Social Behavior ; *Social Environment ; Social Isolation ; }, abstract = {Daily activities within an ant colony need precise temporal organization, and an endogenous clock appears to be essential for such timing processes. A clock drives locomotor rhythms in isolated workers in a number of ant species, but its involvement in activities displayed in the social context is unknown. We compared locomotor rhythms in isolated individuals and behavioral rhythms in the social context of workers of the ant Camponotus rufipes. Both forager and nurse workers exhibited circadian rhythms in locomotor activity under constant conditions, indicating the involvement of an endogenous clock. Activity was mostly nocturnal and synchronized with the 12:12h light-dark-cycle. To evaluate whether rhythmicity was maintained in the social context and could be synchronized with non-photic zeitgebers such as feeding times, daily behavioral activities of single workers inside and outside the nest were quantified continuously over 24 hours in 1656 hours of video recordings. Food availability was limited to a short time window either at day or at night, thus mimicking natural conditions of temporally restricted food access. Most foragers showed circadian foraging behavior synchronized with food availability, either at day or nighttime. When isolated thereafter in single locomotor activity monitors, foragers mainly displayed arrhythmicity. Here, high mortality suggested potential stressful effects of the former restriction of food availability. In contrast, nurse workers showed high overall activity levels in the social context and performed their tasks all around the clock with no circadian pattern, likely to meet the needs of the brood. In isolation, the same individuals exhibited in turn strong rhythmic activity and nocturnality. Thus, endogenous activity rhythms were inhibited in the social context, and timing of daily behaviors was flexibly adapted to cope with task demands. As a similar socially-mediated plasticity in circadian rhythms was already shown in honey bees, the temporal organization in C. rufipes and honey bees appear to share similar basic features.}, } @article {pmid28057824, year = {2017}, author = {Tarnita, CE}, title = {The ecology and evolution of social behavior in microbes.}, journal = {The Journal of experimental biology}, volume = {220}, number = {Pt 1}, pages = {18-24}, doi = {10.1242/jeb.145631}, pmid = {28057824}, issn = {1477-9145}, mesh = {*Bacterial Physiological Phenomena ; *Biological Evolution ; Environment ; *Microbial Interactions ; Myxococcus xanthus/physiology ; Pseudomonas fluorescens/physiology ; }, abstract = {Cooperation has been studied extensively across the tree of life, from eusociality in insects to social behavior in humans, but it is only recently that a social dimension has been recognized and extensively explored for microbes. Research into microbial cooperation has accelerated dramatically and microbes have become a favorite system because of their fast evolution, their convenience as lab study systems and the opportunity for molecular investigations. However, the study of microbes also poses significant challenges, such as a lack of knowledge and an inaccessibility of the ecological context (used here to include both the abiotic and the biotic environment) under which the trait deemed cooperative has evolved and is maintained. I review the experimental and theoretical evidence in support of the limitations of the study of social behavior in microbes in the absence of an ecological context. I discuss both the need and the opportunities for experimental investigations that can inform a theoretical framework able to reframe the general questions of social behavior in a clear ecological context and to account for eco-evolutionary feedback.}, } @article {pmid28054342, year = {2019}, author = {Peichl, L and Kaiser, A and Rakotondraparany, F and Dubielzig, RR and Goodman, SM and Kappeler, PM}, title = {Diversity of photoreceptor arrangements in nocturnal, cathemeral and diurnal Malagasy lemurs.}, journal = {The Journal of comparative neurology}, volume = {527}, number = {1}, pages = {13-37}, doi = {10.1002/cne.24167}, pmid = {28054342}, issn = {1096-9861}, mesh = {Animals ; Lemur/*anatomy & histology ; Photoreceptor Cells/*cytology ; Species Specificity ; }, abstract = {The lemurs of Madagascar (Primates: Lemuriformes) are a monophyletic group that has lived in isolation from other primates for about 50 million years. Lemurs have diversified into species with diverse daily activity patterns and correspondingly different visual adaptations. We assessed the arrangements of retinal cone and rod photoreceptors in six nocturnal, three cathemeral and two diurnal lemur species and quantified different parameters in six of the species. The analysis revealed lower cone densities and higher rod densities in the nocturnal than in the cathemeral and diurnal species. The photoreceptor densities in the diurnal Propithecus verreauxi indicate a less "diurnal" retina than found in other diurnal primates. Immunolabeling for cone opsins showed the presence of both middle-to-longwave sensitive (M/L) and shortwave sensitive (S) cones in most species, indicating at least dichromatic color vision. S cones were absent in Allocebus trichotis and Cheirogaleus medius, indicating cone monochromacy. In the Microcebus species, the S cones had an inverse topography with very low densities in the central retina and highest densities in the peripheral retina. The S cones in the other species and the M/L cones in all species had a conventional topography with peak densities in the central area. With the exception of the cathemeral Eulemur species, the eyes of all studied taxa, including the diurnal Propithecus, possessed a tapetum lucidum, a feature only found among nocturnal and crepuscular mammals.}, } @article {pmid27974514, year = {2016}, author = {Strube-Bloss, MF and Nawrot, MP and Menzel, R}, title = {Neural correlates of side-specific odour memory in mushroom body output neurons.}, journal = {Proceedings. Biological sciences}, volume = {283}, number = {1844}, pages = {}, pmid = {27974514}, issn = {1471-2954}, mesh = {Animals ; Bees/*physiology ; Learning ; *Memory ; Mushroom Bodies/*physiology ; Neurons/*physiology ; Odorants ; *Olfactory Perception ; }, abstract = {Humans and other mammals as well as honeybees learn a unilateral association between an olfactory stimulus presented to one side and a reward. In all of them, the learned association can be behaviourally retrieved via contralateral stimulation, suggesting inter-hemispheric communication. However, the underlying neuronal circuits are largely unknown and neural correlates of across-brain-side plasticity have yet not been demonstrated. We report neural plasticity that reflects lateral integration after side-specific odour reward conditioning. Mushroom body output neurons that did not respond initially to contralateral olfactory stimulation developed a unique and stable representation of the rewarded compound stimulus (side and odour) predicting its value during memory retention. The encoding of the reward-associated compound stimulus is delayed by about 40 ms compared with unrewarded neural activity, indicating an increased computation time for the read-out after lateral integration.}, } @article {pmid27973681, year = {2017}, author = {Springer, A and Kappeler, PM and Nunn, CL}, title = {Dynamic vs. static social networks in models of parasite transmission: predicting Cryptosporidium spread in wild lemurs.}, journal = {The Journal of animal ecology}, volume = {86}, number = {3}, pages = {419-433}, doi = {10.1111/1365-2656.12617}, pmid = {27973681}, issn = {1365-2656}, mesh = {Animals ; Cryptosporidiosis/*epidemiology/parasitology/*transmission ; Cryptosporidium/*physiology ; Disease Outbreaks/*veterinary ; Homing Behavior ; Madagascar/epidemiology ; Models, Biological ; Seasons ; *Social Behavior ; *Strepsirhini ; }, abstract = {Social networks provide an established tool to implement heterogeneous contact structures in epidemiological models. Dynamic temporal changes in contact structure and ranging behaviour of wildlife may impact disease dynamics. A consensus has yet to emerge, however, concerning the conditions in which network dynamics impact model outcomes, as compared to static approximations that average contact rates over longer time periods. Furthermore, as many pathogens can be transmitted both environmentally and via close contact, it is important to investigate the relative influence of both transmission routes in real-world populations. Here, we use empirically derived networks from a population of wild primates, Verreaux's sifakas (Propithecus verreauxi), and simulated networks to investigate pathogen spread in dynamic vs. static social networks. First, we constructed a susceptible-exposed-infected-recovered model of Cryptosporidium spread in wild Verreaux's sifakas. We incorporated social and environmental transmission routes and parameterized the model for two different climatic seasons. Second, we used simulated networks and greater variation in epidemiological parameters to investigate the conditions in which dynamic networks produce larger outbreak sizes than static networks. We found that average outbreak size of Cryptosporidium infections in sifakas was larger when the disease was introduced in the dry season than in the wet season, driven by an increase in home range overlap towards the end of the dry season. Regardless of season, dynamic networks always produced larger average outbreak sizes than static networks. Larger outbreaks in dynamic models based on simulated networks occurred especially when the probability of transmission and recovery were low. Variation in tie strength in the dynamic networks also had a major impact on outbreak size, while network modularity had a weaker influence than epidemiological parameters that determine transmission and recovery. Our study adds to emerging evidence that dynamic networks can change predictions of disease dynamics, especially if the disease shows low transmissibility and a long infectious period, and when environmental conditions lead to enhanced between-group contact after an infectious agent has been introduced.}, } @article {pmid27939988, year = {2017}, author = {Reim, T and Balfanz, S and Baumann, A and Blenau, W and Thamm, M and Scheiner, R}, title = {AmTAR2: Functional characterization of a honeybee tyramine receptor stimulating adenylyl cyclase activity.}, journal = {Insect biochemistry and molecular biology}, volume = {80}, number = {}, pages = {91-100}, doi = {10.1016/j.ibmb.2016.12.004}, pmid = {27939988}, issn = {1879-0240}, mesh = {Adenylyl Cyclases/*genetics/metabolism ; Animals ; Bees/*genetics/metabolism ; Insect Proteins/*genetics/metabolism ; Octopamine/metabolism ; Phylogeny ; Receptors, Biogenic Amine/*genetics/metabolism ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; *Signal Transduction ; }, abstract = {The biogenic monoamines norepinephrine and epinephrine regulate important physiological functions in vertebrates. Insects such as honeybees do not synthesize these neuroactive substances. Instead, they employ octopamine and tyramine for comparable physiological functions. These biogenic amines activate specific guanine nucleotide-binding (G) protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Based on pharmacological data obtained on heterologously expressed receptors, α- and β-adrenergic-like octopamine receptors are better activated by octopamine than by tyramine. Conversely, GPCRs forming the type 1 tyramine receptor clade (synonymous to octopamine/tyramine receptors) are better activated by tyramine than by octopamine. More recently, receptors were characterized which are almost exclusively activated by tyramine, thus forming an independent type 2 tyramine receptor clade. Functionally, type 1 tyramine receptors inhibit adenylyl cyclase activity, leading to a decrease in intracellular cAMP concentration ([cAMP]i). Type 2 tyramine receptors can mediate Ca[2+] signals or both Ca[2+] signals and effects on [cAMP]i. We here provide evidence that the honeybee tyramine receptor 2 (AmTAR2), when heterologously expressed in flpTM cells, exclusively causes an increase in [cAMP]i. The receptor displays a pronounced preference for tyramine over octopamine. Its activity can be blocked by a series of established antagonists, of which mianserin and yohimbine are most efficient. The functional characterization of two tyramine receptors from the honeybee, AmTAR1 (previously named AmTYR1) and AmTAR2, which respond to tyramine by changing cAMP levels in opposite direction, is an important step towards understanding the actions of tyramine in honeybee behavior and physiology, particularly in comparison to the effects of octopamine.}, } @article {pmid27865127, year = {2017}, author = {Żakowska-Biemans, S and Pieniak, Z and Gutkowska, K and Wierzbicki, J and Cieszyńska, K and Sajdakowska, M and Kosicka-Gębska, M}, title = {Beef consumer segment profiles based on information source usage in Poland.}, journal = {Meat science}, volume = {124}, number = {}, pages = {105-113}, doi = {10.1016/j.meatsci.2016.11.001}, pmid = {27865127}, issn = {1873-4138}, mesh = {Adolescent ; Adult ; Animals ; Cattle ; Choice Behavior ; Cluster Analysis ; *Consumer Behavior ; Consumer Product Safety ; Databases, Factual ; Female ; Food Preferences ; Food Quality ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Poland ; *Red Meat ; Sociobiology ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Taste ; Young Adult ; }, abstract = {The main aim of this study was to identify market segments based on consumers' usage of information sources about beef and to investigate whether the use of information sources was associated with the type of information consumers were searching for, factors guiding their decision processes to buy beef and motives related to beef consumption. Data were collected in 2014 through a self-administered survey of 501 regular beef consumers. Three distinct clusters were identified: Enthusiast (38.5%), Conservative (43.1%) and Ultra Conservative (18.4%). This study revealed that culinary and personal sources of information on beef were the most frequently used. Taste, perceived healthiness and suitability to prepare many dishes were reported as primary motives to eat beef. These results show that communication channels such as culinary programs and opportunities provided by the development of labelling systems to guarantee beef quality should be considered when developing policies and strategies to increase beef consumption in Poland.}, } @article {pmid27595848, year = {2016}, author = {O'Shea-Wheller, TA and Wilson-Aggarwal, DK and Edgley, DE and Sendova-Franks, AB and Franks, NR}, title = {A social mechanism facilitates ant colony emigrations over different distances.}, journal = {The Journal of experimental biology}, volume = {219}, number = {Pt 21}, pages = {3439-3446}, doi = {10.1242/jeb.145276}, pmid = {27595848}, issn = {1477-9145}, mesh = {Animal Migration/*physiology ; Animals ; Ants/*physiology ; Hierarchy, Social ; Running/physiology ; *Social Behavior ; Time Factors ; }, abstract = {Behavioural responses enable animals to react rapidly to fluctuating environments. In eusocial organisms, such changes are often enacted at the group level, but may be organised in a decentralised fashion by the actions of individuals. However, the contributions of different group members are rarely homogeneous, and there is evidence to suggest that certain 'keystone' individuals are important in shaping collective responses. Accordingly, investigations of the dynamics and structuring of behavioural changes at both the group and individual level are crucial for evaluating the relative influence of different individuals. Here, we examined the composition of tandem running behaviour during colony emigrations in the ant species Temnothorax albipennis Tandem running is modulated in response to emigration distance, with more runs being conducted when a more distant nest site must be reached. We show that certain individuals are highly active in the tandem running process, attempting significantly more work in the task. Contrary to expectations, however, such individuals are in fact no more successful at conducting tandem runs than their less active nest mates. Instead, it seems that when more tandem runs are required, colonies rely on greater recruitment of workers into the process. The implications of our study are that in some cases, even when apparently 'key' individuals exist within a group, their relative contribution to task performance may be far from decisive.}, } @article {pmid27790777, year = {2017}, author = {Huchard, E and Schliehe-Diecks, S and Kappeler, PM and Kraus, C}, title = {The inbreeding strategy of a solitary primate, Microcebus murinus.}, journal = {Journal of evolutionary biology}, volume = {30}, number = {1}, pages = {128-140}, doi = {10.1111/jeb.12992}, pmid = {27790777}, issn = {1420-9101}, mesh = {Animals ; Cheirogaleidae/*genetics ; Female ; *Genetic Variation ; *Inbreeding ; Madagascar ; Male ; Reproduction ; Sexual Behavior, Animal ; }, abstract = {Inbreeding depression may be common in nature, reflecting either the failure of inbreeding avoidance strategies or inbreeding tolerance when avoidance is costly. The combined assessment of inbreeding risk, avoidance and depression is therefore fundamental to evaluate the inbreeding strategy of a population, that is how individuals respond to the risk of inbreeding. Here, we use the demographic and genetic monitoring of 10 generations of wild grey mouse lemurs (Microcebus murinus), small primates from Madagascar with overlapping generations, to examine their inbreeding strategy. Grey mouse lemurs have retained ancestral mammalian traits, including solitary lifestyle, polygynandry and male-biased dispersal, and may therefore offer a representative example of the inbreeding strategy of solitary mammals. The occurrence of close kin among candidate mates was frequent in young females (~37%, most often the father) and uncommon in young males (~6%) due to male-biased dispersal. However, close kin consistently represented a tiny fraction of candidate mates (< 1%) across age and sex categories. Mating biases favouring partners with intermediate relatedness were detectable in yearling females and adult males, possibly partly caused by avoidance of daughter-father matings. Finally, inbreeding depression, assessed as the effect of heterozygosity on survival, was undetectable using a capture-mark-recapture study. Overall, these results indicate that sex-biased dispersal is a primary inbreeding avoidance mechanism at the population level, and mating biases represent an additional strategy that may mitigate residual inbreeding costs at the individual level. Combined, these mechanisms explain the rarity of inbreeding and the lack of detectable inbreeding depression in this large, genetically diverse population.}, } @article {pmid27783640, year = {2016}, author = {Sommerlandt, FM and Spaethe, J and Rössler, W and Dyer, AG}, title = {Does Fine Color Discrimination Learning in Free-Flying Honeybees Change Mushroom-Body Calyx Neuroarchitecture?.}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {11}, number = {10}, pages = {e0164386}, pmid = {27783640}, issn = {1932-6203}, mesh = {Animals ; Bees/*physiology ; Brain/anatomy & histology/metabolism ; Choice Behavior/physiology ; *Color ; Discrimination Learning/*physiology ; Microscopy, Confocal ; Mushroom Bodies/anatomy & histology/chemistry/*metabolism ; Neuropil/physiology ; Photic Stimulation ; }, abstract = {Honeybees learn color information of rewarding flowers and recall these memories in future decisions. For fine color discrimination, bees require differential conditioning with a concurrent presentation of target and distractor stimuli to form a long-term memory. Here we investigated whether the long-term storage of color information shapes the neural network of microglomeruli in the mushroom body calyces and if this depends on the type of conditioning. Free-flying honeybees were individually trained to a pair of perceptually similar colors in either absolute conditioning towards one of the colors or in differential conditioning with both colors. Subsequently, bees of either conditioning groups were tested in non-rewarded discrimination tests with the two colors. Only bees trained with differential conditioning preferred the previously learned color, whereas bees of the absolute conditioning group, and a stimuli-naïve group, chose randomly among color stimuli. All bees were then kept individually for three days in the dark to allow for complete long-term memory formation. Whole-mount immunostaining was subsequently used to quantify variation of microglomeruli number and density in the mushroom-body lip and collar. We found no significant differences among groups in neuropil volumes and total microglomeruli numbers, but learning performance was negatively correlated with microglomeruli density in the absolute conditioning group. Based on these findings we aim to promote future research approaches combining behaviorally relevant color learning tests in honeybees under free-flight conditions with neuroimaging analysis; we also discuss possible limitations of this approach.}, } @article {pmid27781287, year = {2017}, author = {Koch, F and Ganzhorn, JU and Rothman, JM and Chapman, CA and Fichtel, C}, title = {Sex and seasonal differences in diet and nutrient intake in Verreaux's sifakas (Propithecus verreauxi).}, journal = {American journal of primatology}, volume = {79}, number = {4}, pages = {1-10}, pmid = {27781287}, issn = {1098-2345}, mesh = {Animals ; *Diet ; *Energy Intake ; Female ; Madagascar ; Male ; Pregnancy ; Seasons ; *Strepsirhini ; }, abstract = {Fluctuations in food availability are a major challenge faced by primates living in seasonal climates. Variation in food availability can be especially challenging for females, because of the high energetic costs of reproduction. Therefore, females must adapt the particular demands of the different reproductive stages to the seasonal availability of resources. Madagascar has a highly seasonal climate, where food availability can be extremely variable. We investigated the seasonal changes in diet composition, nutrient and energy intake of female and male sifakas (Propithecus verreauxi) in a dry deciduous forest in western Madagascar. We examined how females adjust their diet to different reproductive stages. Seasonality affected the diet of both sexes; particularly in the dry season (Apr-Oct) with low availability of food items, especially fruits, males and females had a reduced nutrient and energy intake compared to the wet season (Nov-Mar) with higher food and fruit availability. The comparison of the diet between sexes in different reproductive stages showed that during the late stage of lactation (Nov-Jan) females had higher food intake, and as a result they had a higher intake of macronutrients (crude protein, fat and non-structured carbohydrates (TNC)) and energy than males. These differences were not present during the pregnancy of females, with both sexes having similar intake of macronutrients and energy during that stage. The increase in the intake of macronutrients observed for females during late lactation could be related to the higher energetic demands of this stage of reproduction. Thus, the observed pattern in the diet indicates that sifaka females are following a capital breeding strategy, whereby females potentially store enough nutrients to cope with the reproduction costs in periods of low food availability.}, } @article {pmid27774056, year = {2016}, author = {Held, M and Berz, A and Hensgen, R and Muenz, TS and Scholl, C and Rössler, W and Homberg, U and Pfeiffer, K}, title = {Microglomerular Synaptic Complexes in the Sky-Compass Network of the Honeybee Connect Parallel Pathways from the Anterior Optic Tubercle to the Central Complex.}, journal = {Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience}, volume = {10}, number = {}, pages = {186}, pmid = {27774056}, issn = {1662-5153}, abstract = {While the ability of honeybees to navigate relying on sky-compass information has been investigated in a large number of behavioral studies, the underlying neuronal system has so far received less attention. The sky-compass pathway has recently been described from its input region, the dorsal rim area (DRA) of the compound eye, to the anterior optic tubercle (AOTU). The aim of this study is to reveal the connection from the AOTU to the central complex (CX). For this purpose, we investigated the anatomy of large microglomerular synaptic complexes in the medial and lateral bulbs (MBUs/LBUs) of the lateral complex (LX). The synaptic complexes are formed by tubercle-lateral accessory lobe neuron 1 (TuLAL1) neurons of the AOTU and GABAergic tangential neurons of the central body's (CB) lower division (TL neurons). Both TuLAL1 and TL neurons strongly resemble neurons forming these complexes in other insect species. We further investigated the ultrastructure of these synaptic complexes using transmission electron microscopy. We found that single large presynaptic terminals of TuLAL1 neurons enclose many small profiles (SPs) of TL neurons. The synaptic connections between these neurons are established by two types of synapses: divergent dyads and divergent tetrads. Our data support the assumption that these complexes are a highly conserved feature in the insect brain and play an important role in reliable signal transmission within the sky-compass pathway.}, } @article {pmid27668970, year = {2016}, author = {Dawkins-Moultin, L and McDonald, A and McKyer, L}, title = {Integrating the Principles of Socioecology and Critical Pedagogy for Health Promotion Health Literacy Interventions.}, journal = {Journal of health communication}, volume = {21}, number = {sup2}, pages = {30-35}, doi = {10.1080/10810730.2016.1196273}, pmid = {27668970}, issn = {1087-0415}, mesh = {*Ecology ; *Health Literacy ; Health Promotion/*organization & administration ; Humans ; *Sociobiology ; *Teaching ; }, abstract = {While health literacy research has experienced tremendous growth in the last two decades, the field still struggles to devise interventions that lead to lasting change. Most health literacy interventions are at the individual level and focus on resolving clinician-patient communication difficulties. As a result, the interventions use a deficit model that treats health literacy as a patient problem that needs to be fixed or circumvented. We propose that public health health literacy interventions integrate the principles of socioecology and critical pedagogy to develop interventions that build capacity and empower individuals and communities. Socioecology operates on the premise that health outcome is hinged on the interplay between individuals and their environment. Critical pedagogy assumes education is inherently political, and the ultimate goal of education is social change. Integrating these two approaches will provide a useful frame in which to develop interventions that move beyond the individual level.}, } @article {pmid27656285, year = {2016}, author = {Rakotoniaina, JH and Kappeler, PM and Ravoniarimbinina, P and Pechouskova, E and Hämäläinen, AM and Grass, J and Kirschbaum, C and Kraus, C}, title = {Does habitat disturbance affect stress, body condition and parasitism in two sympatric lemurs?.}, journal = {Conservation physiology}, volume = {4}, number = {1}, pages = {cow034}, pmid = {27656285}, issn = {2051-1434}, abstract = {Understanding how animals react to human-induced changes in their environment is a key question in conservation biology. Owing to their potential correlation with fitness, several physiological parameters are commonly used to assess the effect of habitat disturbance on animals' general health status. Here, we studied how two lemur species, the fat-tailed dwarf lemur (Cheirogaleus medius) and the grey mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus), respond to changing environmental conditions by comparing their stress levels (measured as hair cortisol concentration), parasitism and general body condition across four habitats ordered along a gradient of human disturbance at Kirindy Forest, Western Madagascar. These two species previously revealed contrasting responses to human disturbance; whereas M. murinus is known as a resilient species, C. medius is rarely encountered in highly disturbed habitats. However, neither hair cortisol concentrations nor parasitism patterns (prevalence, parasite species richness and rate of multiple infections) and body condition varied across the gradient of anthropogenic disturbance. Our results indicate that the effect of anthropogenic activities at Kirindy Forest is not reflected in the general health status of both species, which may have developed a range of behavioural adaptations to deal with suboptimal conditions. Nonetheless, a difference in relative density among sites suggests that the carrying capacity of disturbed habitat is lower, and both species respond differently to environmental changes, with C. medius being more negatively affected. Thus, even for behaviourally flexible species, extended habitat deterioration could hamper long-term viability of populations.}, } @article {pmid27615188, year = {2016}, author = {Debat, V}, title = {[Symmetry is beauty - or is it? The rise and fall of fluctuating asymmetry].}, journal = {Medecine sciences : M/S}, volume = {32}, number = {8-9}, pages = {774-780}, doi = {10.1051/medsci/20163208028}, pmid = {27615188}, issn = {1958-5381}, mesh = {*Beauty ; Face/*anatomy & histology ; Facial Asymmetry/*pathology/psychology ; Health Status ; Heterozygote ; Humans ; Intelligence/physiology ; Physical Fitness/physiology/psychology ; Stress, Physiological/physiology ; }, abstract = {Fluctuating asymmetry is the stochastic, minor deviation from perfect symmetry in bilaterally symmetrical organisms. It reflects the limit of developmental precision. Such a precision can be influenced by various factors, both internal (genetic mutations, stochastic variation at every levels of development) and external (environmental influences). Fluctuating asymmetry has receive an extreme attention for the past few decades, that culminated in the 90s: it has been used as an estimator of heterozygosity, fitness, environmental stress, and widely applied to human biology, sociobiology and psychology before being more or less discredited in the early 2000s. The reasons for such an extreme popularity and then disgrace are discussed here. Far from suggesting to abandon the study of fluctuating asymmetry, we indicate some of the most promising research avenues. ‡.}, } @article {pmid27587425, year = {2016}, author = {Stelson, EA and Carr, BG and Golden, KE and Martin, N and Richmond, TS and Delgado, MK and Holena, DN}, title = {Perceptions of Family Participation in Intensive Care Unit Rounds and Telemedicine: A Qualitative Assessment.}, journal = {American journal of critical care : an official publication, American Association of Critical-Care Nurses}, volume = {25}, number = {5}, pages = {440-447}, doi = {10.4037/ajcc2016465}, pmid = {27587425}, issn = {1937-710X}, support = {K12 HL109009/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Adult ; Aged ; Attitude of Health Personnel ; *Family ; Female ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units/*organization & administration ; Interviews as Topic ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Perception ; Professional-Family Relations ; Sociobiology ; Teaching Rounds/*organization & administration ; Telemedicine/*organization & administration ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Family-centered rounds involve purposeful interactions between patients' families and care providers to refocus the delivery of care on patients' needs.

OBJECTIVES: To examine perspectives of patients' family members and health care providers on family participation in rounds in the surgical intensive care unit (ICU) and the potential use of telemedicine to facilitate this process.

METHODS: Patients' family members and surgical ICU care providers were recruited for semistructured interviews exploring stakeholders' perspectives on family participation in ICU rounds and the potential role of telemedicine. Thirty-two interviews were conducted, audio recorded, and transcribed verbatim. Common coding methods were facilitated by using NVivo 10. A mean coding agreement of 97.3% was calculated for 22% of transcripts.

RESULTS: Both patients' family members and health care providers described inconsistent practices surrounding family participation in ICU rounds as well as barriers to and facilitators of family participation. Family members identified 3 primary logistical challenges to participation in ICU rounds: distance to hospitals, work/family obligations, and the rounding schedule. Both family members and providers reported receptivity to virtual participation as a potential solution to these challenges.

CONCLUSIONS: Understanding the barriers to and facilitators of family participation in ICU rounds is key to encouraging adoption of family-centered rounds. For families that live far away or have competing demands, telemedical options may facilitate participation.}, } @article {pmid27580025, year = {2017}, author = {Schmitt, F and Vanselow, JT and Schlosser, A and Wegener, C and Rössler, W}, title = {Neuropeptides in the desert ant Cataglyphis fortis: Mass spectrometric analysis, localization, and age-related changes.}, journal = {The Journal of comparative neurology}, volume = {525}, number = {4}, pages = {901-918}, doi = {10.1002/cne.24109}, pmid = {27580025}, issn = {1096-9861}, mesh = {Aging/*physiology ; Animals ; Ants ; Behavior, Animal/*physiology ; Brain/*physiology ; Chromatography, Liquid ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted ; Microscopy, Confocal ; Neuropeptides/*metabolism ; Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry ; }, abstract = {Cataglyphis desert ants exhibit an age-related polyethism, with ants performing tasks in the dark nest for the first ∼4 weeks of their adult life before they switch to visually based long-distance navigation to forage. Although behavioral and sensory aspects of this transition have been studied, the internal factors triggering the behavioral changes are largely unknown. We suggest the neuropeptide families allatostatin A (AstA), allatotropin (AT), short neuropeptide F (sNPF), and tachykinin (TK) as potential candidates. Based on a neuropeptidomic analysis in Camponotus floridanus, nano-LC-ESI MS/MS was used to identify these neuropeptides biochemically in Cataglyphis fortis. Furthermore, we show that all identified peptide families are present in the central brain and ventral ganglia of C. fortis whereas in the retrocerebral complex only sNPF could be detected. Immunofluorescence staining against AstA, AT, and TK in the brain revealed arborizations of AstA- and TK-positive neurons in primary sensory processing centers and higher order integration centers, whereas AT immunoreactivity was restricted to the central complex, the antennal mechanosensory and motor center, and the protocerebrum. For artificially dark-kept ants, we found that TK distribution changed markedly in the central complex from days 1 and 7 to day 14 after eclosion. Based on functional studies in Drosophila, this age-related variation of TK is suggestive of a modulatory role in locomotion behavior in C. fortis. We conclude that the general distribution and age-related changes in neuropeptides indicate a modulatory role in sensory input regions and higher order processing centers in the desert ant brain. J. Comp. Neurol. 525:901-918, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.}, } @article {pmid27552112, year = {2016}, author = {Palmer, AG and Ali, M and Yang, S and Parchami, N and Bento, T and Mazzella, A and Oni, M and Riley, MC and Schneider, K and Massa, N}, title = {Kin recognition is a nutrient-dependent inducible phenomenon.}, journal = {Plant signaling & behavior}, volume = {11}, number = {9}, pages = {e1224045}, pmid = {27552112}, issn = {1559-2324}, mesh = {Arabidopsis/*metabolism/*physiology ; Arabidopsis Proteins/genetics/*metabolism ; Plant Exudates/*metabolism ; Plant Roots/genetics/*metabolism ; }, abstract = {Recognition and response to prospective competitors are crucial variables that must be considered in resource distribution and utilization in plant communities. Associated behaviors are largely mediated through the exchange of low-molecular weight exudates. These cues can significantly alter the root system architecture (RSA) between neighboring plants and are routinely sensitive enough to distinguish between plants of the same or different accessions, a phenomenon known as kin recognition (KR). Such refined discrimination of identity, based on the composition and detection of patterns of exudate signals is remarkable and provides insight into the chemical ecology of plant-plant interactions. The discovery that KR occurs in Arabidopsis thaliana provides a model system to resolve many of the mechanistic questions associated with this process. We hypothesized that the low-molecular weight cues which direct changes to the RSA during KR was driven by nutrient availability. Here we present evidence in support of a nutrient-inducible model for KR. Our findings underscore how exudate production and detection are influenced by nutrient availability as well as how this information is integrated into 'decisions' about competition and root system architecture which may have broader impacts on community composition.}, } @article {pmid27539791, year = {2017}, author = {Kim, S and Fleisher, B and Sun, JY}, title = {The Long-term Health Effects of Fetal Malnutrition: Evidence from the 1959-1961 China Great Leap Forward Famine.}, journal = {Health economics}, volume = {26}, number = {10}, pages = {1264-1277}, doi = {10.1002/hec.3397}, pmid = {27539791}, issn = {1099-1050}, mesh = {Aged ; Birth Rate ; China/epidemiology ; Emigration and Immigration ; Female ; Fetal Nutrition Disorders/*epidemiology/*physiopathology ; *Health Status ; Humans ; Longitudinal Studies ; Male ; *Mental Health ; Middle Aged ; Mortality ; Pregnancy ; Sociobiology ; Starvation/*epidemiology ; Time Factors ; }, abstract = {We report evidence of long-term adverse health impacts of fetal malnutrition exposure of middle-aged survivors of the 1959-1961 China Famine using data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. We find that fetal exposure to malnutrition has large and long-lasting impacts on both physical health and cognitive abilities, including the risks of suffering a stroke, physical disabilities in speech, walking and vision, and measures of mental acuity even half a century after the tragic event. Our findings imply that policies and programs that improve the nutritional status of pregnant women yield benefits on the health of a fetus that extend through the life cycle in the form of reduced physical and mental impairment.}, } @article {pmid27495990, year = {2016}, author = {Streinzer, M and Huber, W and Spaethe, J}, title = {Body size limits dim-light foraging activity in stingless bees (Apidae: Meliponini).}, journal = {Journal of comparative physiology. A, Neuroethology, sensory, neural, and behavioral physiology}, volume = {202}, number = {9-10}, pages = {643-655}, pmid = {27495990}, issn = {1432-1351}, mesh = {Animals ; Bees/*physiology ; Body Size/*physiology ; *Light ; Pollination/*physiology ; Vision, Ocular/*physiology ; }, abstract = {Stingless bees constitute a species-rich tribe of tropical and subtropical eusocial Apidae that act as important pollinators for flowering plants. Many foraging tasks rely on vision, e.g. spatial orientation and detection of food sources and nest entrances. Meliponini workers are usually small, which sets limits on eye morphology and thus quality of vision. Limitations are expected both on acuity, and thus on the ability to detect objects from a distance, as well as on sensitivity, and thus on the foraging time window at dusk and dawn. In this study, we determined light intensity thresholds for flight under dim light conditions in eight stingless bee species in relation to body size in a Neotropical lowland rainforest. Species varied in body size (0.8-1.7 mm thorax-width), and we found a strong negative correlation with light intensity thresholds (0.1-79 lx). Further, we measured eye size, ocelli diameter, ommatidia number, and facet diameter. All parameters significantly correlated with body size. A disproportionately low light intensity threshold in the minute Trigonisca pipioli, together with a large eye parameter P eye suggests specific adaptations to circumvent the optical constraints imposed by the small body size. We discuss the implications of body size in bees on foraging behavior.}, } @article {pmid27481270, year = {2016}, author = {Fleischmann, PN and Christian, M and Müller, VL and Rössler, W and Wehner, R}, title = {Ontogeny of learning walks and the acquisition of landmark information in desert ants, Cataglyphis fortis.}, journal = {The Journal of experimental biology}, volume = {219}, number = {Pt 19}, pages = {3137-3145}, doi = {10.1242/jeb.140459}, pmid = {27481270}, issn = {1477-9145}, mesh = {Animals ; Ants/*physiology ; *Desert Climate ; Feeding Behavior ; *Learning ; Nesting Behavior ; *Spatial Navigation ; Walking/*physiology ; }, abstract = {At the beginning of their foraging lives, desert ants (Cataglyphis fortis) are for the first time exposed to the visual world within which they henceforth must accomplish their navigational tasks. Their habitat, North African salt pans, is barren, and the nest entrance, a tiny hole in the ground, is almost invisible. Although natural landmarks are scarce and the ants mainly depend on path integration for returning to the starting point, they can also learn and use landmarks successfully to navigate through their largely featureless habitat. Here, we studied how the ants acquire this information at the beginning of their outdoor lives within a nest-surrounding array of three artificial black cylinders. Individually marked 'newcomers' exhibit a characteristic sequence of learning walks. The meandering learning walks covering all directions of the compass first occur only within a few centimeters of the nest entrance, but then increasingly widen, until after three to seven learning walks, foraging starts. When displaced to a distant test field in which an identical array of landmarks has been installed, the ants shift their search density peaks more closely to the fictive goal position, the more learning walks they have performed. These results suggest that learning of a visual landmark panorama around a goal is a gradual rather than an instantaneous process.}, } @article {pmid27432945, year = {2016}, author = {Yoder, AD and Campbell, CR and Blanco, MB and Dos Reis, M and Ganzhorn, JU and Goodman, SM and Hunnicutt, KE and Larsen, PA and Kappeler, PM and Rasoloarison, RM and Ralison, JM and Swofford, DL and Weisrock, DW}, title = {Geogenetic patterns in mouse lemurs (genus Microcebus) reveal the ghosts of Madagascar's forests past.}, journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America}, volume = {113}, number = {29}, pages = {8049-8056}, pmid = {27432945}, issn = {1091-6490}, mesh = {Animals ; Cheirogaleidae/*genetics ; DNA, Mitochondrial/genetics ; Forests ; Madagascar ; Phylogeny ; Phylogeography ; }, abstract = {Phylogeographic analysis can be described as the study of the geological and climatological processes that have produced contemporary geographic distributions of populations and species. Here, we attempt to understand how the dynamic process of landscape change on Madagascar has shaped the distribution of a targeted clade of mouse lemurs (genus Microcebus) and, conversely, how phylogenetic and population genetic patterns in these small primates can reciprocally advance our understanding of Madagascar's prehuman environment. The degree to which human activity has impacted the natural plant communities of Madagascar is of critical and enduring interest. Today, the eastern rainforests are separated from the dry deciduous forests of the west by a large expanse of presumed anthropogenic grassland savanna, dominated by the Family Poaceae, that blankets most of the Central Highlands. Although there is firm consensus that anthropogenic activities have transformed the original vegetation through agricultural and pastoral practices, the degree to which closed-canopy forest extended from the east to the west remains debated. Phylogenetic and population genetic patterns in a five-species clade of mouse lemurs suggest that longitudinal dispersal across the island was readily achieved throughout the Pleistocene, apparently ending at ∼55 ka. By examining patterns of both inter- and intraspecific genetic diversity in mouse lemur species found in the eastern, western, and Central Highland zones, we conclude that the natural environment of the Central Highlands would have been mosaic, consisting of a matrix of wooded savanna that formed a transitional zone between the extremes of humid eastern and dry western forest types.}, } @article {pmid27402554, year = {2017}, author = {de Boer, SF and Buwalda, B and Koolhaas, JM}, title = {Untangling the neurobiology of coping styles in rodents: Towards neural mechanisms underlying individual differences in disease susceptibility.}, journal = {Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews}, volume = {74}, number = {Pt B}, pages = {401-422}, doi = {10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.07.008}, pmid = {27402554}, issn = {1873-7528}, mesh = {Adaptation, Psychological ; Aggression ; Animals ; *Disease Susceptibility ; Individuality ; }, abstract = {Considerable individual differences exist in trait-like patterns of behavioral and physiological responses to salient environmental challenges. This individual variation in stress coping styles has an important functional role in terms of health and fitness. Hence, understanding the neural embedding of coping style variation is fundamental for biobehavioral neurosciences in probing individual disease susceptibility. This review outlines individual differences in trait-aggressiveness as an adaptive component of the natural sociobiology of rats and mice, and highlights that these reflect the general style of coping that varies from proactive (aggressive) to reactive (docile). We propose that this qualitative coping style can be disentangled into multiple quantitative behavioral domains, e.g., flexibility/impulse control, emotional reactivity and harm avoidance/reward processing, that each are encoded into selective neural circuitries. Since functioning of all these brain circuitries rely on fine-tuned serotonin signaling, autoinhibitory control mechanisms of serotonergic neuron (re)activity are crucial in orchestrating general coping style. Untangling the precise neuromolecular mechanisms of different coping styles will provide a roadmap for developing better therapeutic strategies of stress-related diseases.}, } @article {pmid27398303, year = {2016}, author = {Becker, N and Kucharski, R and Rössler, W and Maleszka, R}, title = {Age-dependent transcriptional and epigenomic responses to light exposure in the honey bee brain.}, journal = {FEBS open bio}, volume = {6}, number = {7}, pages = {622-639}, pmid = {27398303}, issn = {2211-5463}, abstract = {Light is a powerful environmental stimulus of special importance in social honey bees that undergo a behavioral transition from in-hive to outdoor foraging duties. Our previous work has shown that light exposure induces structural neuronal plasticity in the mushroom bodies (MBs), a brain center implicated in processing inputs from sensory modalities. Here, we extended these analyses to the molecular level to unravel light-induced transcriptomic and epigenomic changes in the honey bee brain. We have compared gene expression in brain compartments of 1- and 7-day-old light-exposed honey bees with age-matched dark-kept individuals. We have found a number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs), both novel and conserved, including several genes with reported roles in neuronal plasticity. Most of the DEGs show age-related changes in the amplitude of light-induced expression and are likely to be both developmentally and environmentally regulated. Some of the DEGs are either known to be methylated or are implicated in epigenetic processes suggesting that responses to light exposure are at least partly regulated at the epigenome level. Consistent with this idea light alters the DNA methylation pattern of bgm, one of the DEGs affected by light exposure, and the expression of microRNA miR-932. This confirms the usefulness of our approach to identify candidate genes for neuronal plasticity and provides evidence for the role of epigenetic processes in driving the molecular responses to visual stimulation.}, } @article {pmid27391955, year = {2016}, author = {Freeman, J}, title = {The Socioecology of Territory Size and a "Work-Around" Hypothesis for the Adoption of Farming.}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {11}, number = {7}, pages = {e0158743}, pmid = {27391955}, issn = {1932-6203}, mesh = {*Agriculture ; Ecology/*methods ; Economics ; Models, Theoretical ; Sociobiology/*methods ; }, abstract = {This paper combines theory from ecology and anthropology to investigate variation in the territory sizes of subsistence oriented agricultural societies. The results indicate that population and the dependence of individuals within a society on "wild" foods partly determine the territory sizes of agricultural societies. In contrast, the productivity of an agroecosystem is not an important determinant of territory size. A comparison of the population-territory size scaling dynamics of agricultural societies and human foragers indicates that foragers and farmers face the same constraints on their ability to expand their territory and intensify their use of resources within a territory. However, the higher density of food in an agroecosystem allows farmers, on average, to live at much higher population densities than human foragers. These macroecological patterns are consistent with a "work-around hypothesis" for the adoption of farming. This hypothesis is that as residential groups of foragers increase in size, farming can sometimes better reduce the tension between an individual's autonomy over resources and the need for social groups to function to provide public goods like defense and information.}, } @article {pmid27328940, year = {2016}, author = {Koch, F and Signer, J and Kappeler, PM and Fichtel, C}, title = {The role of the residence-effect on the outcome of intergroup encounters in Verreaux's sifakas.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {6}, number = {}, pages = {28457}, pmid = {27328940}, issn = {2045-2322}, abstract = {Intergroup competition has an important impact on the survival and fitness of individuals in group-living species. However, factors influencing the probability of winning an encounter are not fully understood. We studied the influence of numerical advantage and location of the encounter on the chances of winning in eight neighboring groups of Verreaux's sifakas (Propithecus verreauxi), in Kirindy Forest, western Madagascar. Intergroup encounters were inferred from spatial data collected via GPS loggers over a period of two years. Location, i.e., the proximity to the respective core area, rather than the numerical advantage of a group in a given encounter, influenced the probability of winning. Accordingly, the high value that resident groups attribute to exclusive and intensively used areas increased their motivation in defending these locations against intruders. Moreover, losers used the encounter area less often than winners within a month after the encounter, suggesting that losing also entails long-term costs. Thus, our results suggest that in gregarious animals the particular circumstances of each encounter, such as the location, can outweigh group characteristics and predict the chances of winning an intergroup encounter.}, } @article {pmid27303717, year = {2016}, author = {Denapaite, D and Rieger, M and Köndgen, S and Brückner, R and Ochigava, I and Kappeler, P and Mätz-Rensing, K and Leendertz, F and Hakenbeck, R}, title = {Highly Variable Streptococcus oralis Strains Are Common among Viridans Streptococci Isolated from Primates.}, journal = {mSphere}, volume = {1}, number = {2}, pages = {}, pmid = {27303717}, issn = {2379-5042}, abstract = {Viridans streptococci were obtained from primates (great apes, rhesus monkeys, and ring-tailed lemurs) held in captivity, as well as from free-living animals (chimpanzees and lemurs) for whom contact with humans is highly restricted. Isolates represented a variety of viridans streptococci, including unknown species. Streptococcus oralis was frequently isolated from samples from great apes. Genotypic methods revealed that most of the strains clustered on separate lineages outside the main cluster of human S. oralis strains. This suggests that S. oralis is part of the commensal flora in higher primates and evolved prior to humans. Many genes described as virulence factors in Streptococcus pneumoniae were present also in other viridans streptococcal genomes. Unlike in S. pneumoniae, clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)-CRISPR-associated protein (Cas) gene clusters were common among viridans streptococci, and many S. oralis strains were type PI-2 (pilus islet 2) variants. S. oralis displayed a remarkable diversity of genes involved in the biosynthesis of peptidoglycan (penicillin-binding proteins and MurMN) and choline-containing teichoic acid. The small noncoding cia-dependent small RNAs (csRNAs) controlled by the response regulator CiaR might contribute to the genomic diversity, since we observed novel genomic islands between duplicated csRNAs, variably present in some isolates. All S. oralis genomes contained a β-N-acetyl-hexosaminidase gene absent in S. pneumoniae, which in contrast frequently harbors the neuraminidases NanB/C, which are absent in S. oralis. The identification of S. oralis-specific genes will help us to understand their adaptation to diverse habitats. IMPORTANCE Streptococcus pneumoniae is a rare example of a human-pathogenic bacterium among viridans streptococci, which consist of commensal symbionts, such as the close relatives Streptococcus mitis and S. oralis. We have shown that S. oralis can frequently be isolated from primates and a variety of other viridans streptococci as well. Genes and genomic islands which are known pneumococcal virulence factors are present in S. oralis and S. mitis, documenting the widespread occurrence of these compounds, which encode surface and secreted proteins. The frequent occurrence of CRISP-Cas gene clusters and a surprising variation of a set of small noncoding RNAs are factors to be considered in future research to further our understanding of mechanisms involved in the genomic diversity driven by horizontal gene transfer among viridans streptococci.}, } @article {pmid27284068, year = {2016}, author = {Arenas, A and Roces, F}, title = {Learning through the waste: olfactory cues from the colony refuse influence plant preferences in foraging leaf-cutting ants.}, journal = {The Journal of experimental biology}, volume = {219}, number = {Pt 16}, pages = {2490-2496}, doi = {10.1242/jeb.139568}, pmid = {27284068}, issn = {1477-9145}, mesh = {Animals ; Antifungal Agents/pharmacology ; Ants/drug effects/*physiology ; Choice Behavior/drug effects/*physiology ; *Cues ; Feeding Behavior/drug effects/*physiology ; *Learning ; Plant Leaves/drug effects/*physiology ; Rubus/physiology ; Smell/drug effects/*physiology ; *Waste Products ; }, abstract = {Leaf-cutting ants learn to avoid plants initially harvested if they prove to be harmful for their symbiotic fungus once incorporated into the nest. At this point, waste particles removed from the fungus garden are likely to contain cues originating from both the unsuitable plant and the damaged fungus. We investigated whether leaf-cutting ant foragers learn to avoid unsuitable plants solely through the colony waste. We fed subcolonies of Acromymex ambiguus privet leaves treated with a fungicide undetectable to the ants, then collected the produced waste, and placed it into the fungus chamber of naive subcolonies. In individual choice tests, naive foragers preferred privet leaves before waste was put into the fungus chamber, but avoided them afterwards. Evidence on the influence of olfactory cues from the waste on decision making by foragers was obtained by scenting and transferring waste particles from subcolonies that had been fed either fungicide-treated or untreated leaves. In choice experiments, foragers from subcolonies given scented waste originating from fungicide-treated leaves collected fewer sugared paper discs with that scent compared with foragers from subcolonies given scented waste from untreated leaves. The results indicate that foragers learn to avoid plants unsuitable for the fungus by associating plant odours and cues from the damaged fungus that are present in waste particles. It is argued that waste particles may contribute to spread information about noxious plants for the fungus within the colony.}, } @article {pmid27264438, year = {2016}, author = {Biernaskie, JM and Foster, KR}, title = {Ecology and multilevel selection explain aggression in spider colonies.}, journal = {Ecology letters}, volume = {19}, number = {8}, pages = {873-879}, pmid = {27264438}, issn = {1461-0248}, support = {242670/ERC_/European Research Council/International ; BB/M013995/1//Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council/United Kingdom ; }, mesh = {Adaptation, Physiological ; *Aggression ; Animals ; *Ecosystem ; Models, Biological ; *Selection, Genetic ; *Social Behavior ; Spiders/*genetics/*physiology ; }, abstract = {Progress in sociobiology continues to be hindered by abstract debates over methodology and the relative importance of within-group vs. between-group selection. We need concrete biological examples to ground discussions in empirical data. Recent work argued that the levels of aggression in social spider colonies are explained by group-level adaptation. Here, we examine this conclusion using models that incorporate ecological detail while remaining consistent with kin- and multilevel selection frameworks. We show that although levels of aggression are driven, in part, by between-group selection, incorporating universal within-group competition provides a striking fit to the data that is inconsistent with pure group-level adaptation. Instead, our analyses suggest that aggression is favoured primarily as a selfish strategy to compete for resources, despite causing lower group foraging efficiency or higher risk of group extinction. We argue that sociobiology will benefit from a pluralistic approach and stronger links between ecologically informed models and data.}, } @article {pmid27247059, year = {2016}, author = {Stewart, AJ and Plotkin, JB}, title = {Small groups and long memories promote cooperation.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {6}, number = {}, pages = {26889}, pmid = {27247059}, issn = {2045-2322}, mesh = {*Cooperative Behavior ; Decision Making/*physiology ; Game Theory ; Games, Experimental ; Humans ; Interpersonal Relations ; Memory/*physiology ; *Models, Psychological ; *Models, Statistical ; Sociobiology ; }, abstract = {Complex social behaviors lie at the heart of many of the challenges facing evolutionary biology, sociology, economics, and beyond. For evolutionary biologists the question is often how group behaviors such as collective action, or decision making that accounts for memories of past experience, can emerge and persist in an evolving system. Evolutionary game theory provides a framework for formalizing these questions and admitting them to rigorous study. Here we develop such a framework to study the evolution of sustained collective action in multi-player public-goods games, in which players have arbitrarily long memories of prior rounds of play and can react to their experience in an arbitrary way. We construct a coordinate system for memory-m strategies in iterated n-player games that permits us to characterize all cooperative strategies that resist invasion by any mutant strategy, and stabilize cooperative behavior. We show that, especially when groups are small, longer-memory strategies make cooperation easier to evolve, by increasing the number of ways to stabilize cooperation. We also explore the co-evolution of behavior and memory. We find that even when memory has a cost, longer-memory strategies often evolve, which in turn drives the evolution of cooperation, even when the benefits for cooperation are low.}, } @article {pmid27243919, year = {2016}, author = {Millon, T}, title = {What Is a Personality Disorder?.}, journal = {Journal of personality disorders}, volume = {30}, number = {3}, pages = {289-306}, doi = {10.1521/pedi.2016.30.3.289}, pmid = {27243919}, issn = {1943-2763}, mesh = {Humans ; Personality/*physiology ; *Personality Disorders/classification/diagnosis/physiopathology/therapy ; }, abstract = {The goal of this article is to describe, characterize, and differentiate personality disorders by connecting their conceptual features to their foundations in the natural sciences. What is proposed is akin to Freud's abandoned Project for a Scientific Psychology and Wilson's (1975) highly controversial Sociobiology. Both were worthy endeavors to advance our understanding of the styles and traits of human nature; this was to be done by exploring interconnections among the diverse disciplines of nature that evolved ostensibly unrelated bodies of research and manifestly dissimilar languages.}, } @article {pmid27231532, year = {2016}, author = {Schneider, TC and Kappeler, PM and Pozzi, L}, title = {Genetic population structure and relatedness in the narrow-striped mongoose (Mungotictis decemlineata), a social Malagasy carnivore with sexual segregation.}, journal = {Ecology and evolution}, volume = {6}, number = {11}, pages = {3734-3749}, pmid = {27231532}, issn = {2045-7758}, abstract = {Information on the genetic structure of animal populations can allow inferences about mechanisms shaping their social organization, dispersal, and mating system. The mongooses (Herpestidae) include some of the best-studied mammalian systems in this respect, but much less is known about their closest relatives, the Malagasy carnivores (Eupleridae), even though some of them exhibit unusual association patterns. We investigated the genetic structure of the Malagasy narrow-striped mongoose (Mungotictis decemlineata), a small forest-dwelling gregarious carnivore exhibiting sexual segregation. Based on mtDNA and microsatellite analyses, we determined population-wide haplotype structure and sex-specific and within-group relatedness. Furthermore, we analyzed parentage and sibship relationships and the level of reproductive skew. We found a matrilinear population structure, with several neighboring female units sharing identical haplotypes. Within-group female relatedness was significantly higher than expected by chance in the majority of units. Haplotype diversity of males was significantly higher than in females, indicating male-biased dispersal. Relatedness within the majority of male associations did not differ from random, not proving any kin-directed benefits of male sociality in this case. We found indications for a mildly promiscuous mating system without monopolization of females by males, and low levels of reproductive skew in both sexes based on parentages of emergent young. Low relatedness within breeding pairs confirmed immigration by males and suggested similarities with patterns in social mongooses, providing a starting point for further investigations of mate choice and female control of reproduction and the connected behavioral mechanisms. Our study contributes to the understanding of the determinants of male sociality in carnivores as well as the mechanisms of female competition in species with small social units.}, } @article {pmid27194822, year = {2016}, author = {Koch, F and Signer, J and Kappeler, PM and Fichtel, C}, title = {Intergroup encounters in Verreaux's sifakas (Propithecus verreauxi): who fights and why?.}, journal = {Behavioral ecology and sociobiology}, volume = {70}, number = {}, pages = {797-808}, pmid = {27194822}, issn = {0340-5443}, abstract = {ABSTRACT: Individuals living in groups have to achieve collective action for successful territorial defense. Because conflicts between neighboring groups always involve risks and costs, individuals must base their decision to participate in a given conflict on an evaluation of the trade-off between potential costs and benefits. Since group members may differ in motivation to engage in group encounters, they exhibit different levels of participation in conflicts. In this study, we investigated factors influencing participation in intergroup encounters in Verreaux's sifakas (Propithecus verreauxi), a group-living primate from Madagascar. Over a period of 12 months, we studied eight adjacent sifaka groups in Kirindy Forest. We observed 71 encounters between known neighboring groups in which adult females and males participated equally as often. No individual participated in every encounter, and non-participation occurred more often in larger groups. Females participated less often in encounters when they had dependent infants, presumably to reduce the risk of infanticide. Male participation was influenced by social status: dominant males participated in most encounters, whereas males with fewer opportunities to reproduce participated less often, hence male participation is influenced by the incentive of maintaining access to females. The number of actively participating individuals in the opponent group positively influenced the participation in both sexes. Thus, sifakas seem to decide joining a given encounter opportunistically, most likely based on a combination of individual incentives and the actual circumstance of each encounter, suggesting that the complexity in intergroup relationships appears to be the product of decisions made by each individual group member.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Cooperation among group-living animals is often challenged by collective action problems resulting from individual differences in interests in contributing to collective behaviors. Intergroup encounters involve distinguished costs and benefits for each individual despite being in the same social group. Therefore, encounters between groups offer a good opportunity to investigate individual participation in collective action. In this study, we investigate the influence of different incentives on individual participation in intergroup encounters in wild Malagasy primate, Verreaux's sifakas. We propose a novel approach that takes into account the variable circumstances of each conflict, such as the number of individuals fighting in both groups as a predictor for participation. We believe that our study not only provides novel data on wild sifakas, but it also offers new perspectives for the interpretation of intergroup relationships in other taxa.}, } @article {pmid27175922, year = {2016}, author = {Rakotonirina, H and Kappeler, PM and Fichtel, C}, title = {The role of acoustic signals for species recognition in redfronted lemurs (Eulemur rufifrons).}, journal = {BMC evolutionary biology}, volume = {16}, number = {}, pages = {100}, pmid = {27175922}, issn = {1471-2148}, mesh = {Animals ; Female ; Lemur/*physiology ; Madagascar ; Male ; Species Specificity ; Vocalization, Animal ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Signals are essential for communication and play a fundamental role in the evolution and diversification of species. Olfactory, visual and acoustic species-specific signals have been shown to function for species recognition in non-human primates, but the relative contributions of selection for species recognition driven by sexual selection, natural selection, or genetic drift for the diversification of these signals remain largely unexplored. This study investigates the importance of acoustic signals for species recognition in redfronted lemurs (Eulemur rufifrons). We conducted playback experiments in both major populations of this species separated by several hundred kilometers: Kirindy Forest in the west and Ranomafana National Park in the east of Madagascar. The playback stimuli were composed of species-specific loud calls of E. rufifrons, three closely related species (E. albifrons, E. fulvus and E. rufus) and one genetically more distant species (E. rubriventer) that occurs in sympatry with eastern redfronted lemurs. We tested the ability of redfronted lemurs to discriminate conspecific from heterospecific loud calls by measuring the time spent looking towards the speaker after presentation of each loud call. We also tested the difference between female and male responses because loud calls may play a role in mate choice and the avoidance of heterospecific mating.

RESULTS: Redfronted lemurs in Kirindy Forest did not discriminate their own loud calls from those of E. albifrons, E. fulvus and E. rufus, but they discriminated loud calls of E. rubriventer from their own. The Ranomafana population was tested only with three playback stimuli (E. rufifrons, E. albifrons, E. rubriventer) and did not discriminate between their own loud calls and those of E. albifrons and E. rubriventer. The response of females and males to playbacks did not differ in both populations. However, subjects in Ranomafana National Park responded more strongly to playback stimuli from E. rubriventer than subjects in Kirindy Forest.

CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that in both populations individuals were not able to discriminate between loud calls of closely related species living in allopatry and that responses to more distantly related congeners are likely to be modulated by experience. Subjects in Ranomafana paid more attention to loud calls of syntopic E. rubriventer in comparison to the Kirindy subjects, suggesting that experience is important in facilitating discrimination. Because acoustic and genetic distances among eulemurs are correlated, diversification in their acoustic signals might be the result of genetic drift.}, } @article {pmid27158472, year = {2016}, author = {Kramer, J and Meunier, J}, title = {Kin and multilevel selection in social evolution: a never-ending controversy?.}, journal = {F1000Research}, volume = {5}, number = {}, pages = {}, pmid = {27158472}, issn = {2046-1402}, abstract = {Kin selection and multilevel selection are two major frameworks in evolutionary biology that aim at explaining the evolution of social behaviors. However, the relationship between these two theories has been plagued by controversy for almost half a century and debates about their relevance and usefulness in explaining social evolution seem to rekindle at regular intervals. Here, we first provide a concise introduction into the kin selection and multilevel selection theories and shed light onto the roots of the controversy surrounding them. We then review two major aspects of the current debate: the presumed formal equivalency of the two theories and the question whether group selection can lead to group adaptation. We conclude by arguing that the two theories can offer complementary approaches to the study of social evolution: kin selection approaches usually focus on the identification of optimal phenotypes and thus on the endresult of a selection process, whereas multilevel selection approaches focus on the ongoing selection process itself. The two theories thus provide different perspectives that might be fruitfully combined to promote our understanding of the evolution in group-structured populations.}, } @article {pmid27147994, year = {2016}, author = {Falibene, A and Roces, F and Rössler, W and Groh, C}, title = {Daily Thermal Fluctuations Experienced by Pupae via Rhythmic Nursing Behavior Increase Numbers of Mushroom Body Microglomeruli in the Adult Ant Brain.}, journal = {Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience}, volume = {10}, number = {}, pages = {73}, pmid = {27147994}, issn = {1662-5153}, abstract = {Social insects control brood development by using different thermoregulatory strategies. Camponotus mus ants expose their brood to daily temperature fluctuations by translocating them inside the nest following a circadian rhythm of thermal preferences. At the middle of the photophase brood is moved to locations at 30.8°C; 8 h later, during the night, the brood is transferred back to locations at 27.5°C. We investigated whether daily thermal fluctuations experienced by developing pupae affect the neuroarchitecture in the adult brain, in particular in sensory input regions of the mushroom bodies (MB calyces). The complexity of synaptic microcircuits was estimated by quantifying MB-calyx volumes together with densities of presynaptic boutons of microglomeruli (MG) in the olfactory lip and visual collar regions. We compared young adult workers that were reared either under controlled daily thermal fluctuations of different amplitudes, or at different constant temperatures. Thermal regimes significantly affected the large (non-dense) olfactory lip region of the adult MB calyx, while changes in the dense lip and the visual collar were less evident. Thermal fluctuations mimicking the amplitudes of natural temperature fluctuations via circadian rhythmic translocation of pupae by nurses (amplitude 3.3°C) lead to higher numbers of MG in the MB calyces compared to those in pupae reared at smaller or larger thermal amplitudes (0.0, 1.5, 9.6°C), or at constant temperatures (25.4, 35.0°C). We conclude that rhythmic control of brood temperature by nursing ants optimizes brain development by increasing MG densities and numbers in specific brain areas. Resulting differences in synaptic microcircuits are expected to affect sensory processing and learning abilities in adult ants, and may also promote interindividual behavioral variability within colonies.}, } @article {pmid27094926, year = {2017}, author = {Ganzhorn, JU and Arrigo-Nelson, SJ and Carrai, V and Chalise, MK and Donati, G and Droescher, I and Eppley, TM and Irwin, MT and Koch, F and Koenig, A and Kowalewski, MM and Mowry, CB and Patel, ER and Pichon, C and Ralison, J and Reisdorff, C and Simmen, B and Stalenberg, E and Starrs, D and Terboven, J and Wright, PC and Foley, WJ}, title = {The importance of protein in leaf selection of folivorous primates.}, journal = {American journal of primatology}, volume = {79}, number = {4}, pages = {1-13}, doi = {10.1002/ajp.22550}, pmid = {27094926}, issn = {1098-2345}, mesh = {Animals ; Dietary Fiber ; *Feeding Behavior ; *Food Preferences ; *Plant Leaves ; *Primates ; }, abstract = {Protein limitation has been considered a key factor in hypotheses on the evolution of life history and animal communities, suggesting that animals should prioritize protein in their food choice. This contrasts with the limited support that food selection studies have provided for such a priority in nonhuman primates, particularly for folivores. Here, we suggest that this discrepancy can be resolved if folivores only need to select for high protein leaves when average protein concentration in the habitat is low. To test the prediction, we applied meta-analyses to analyze published and unpublished results of food selection for protein and fiber concentrations from 24 studies (some with multiple species) of folivorous primates. To counter potential methodological flaws, we differentiated between methods analyzing total nitrogen and soluble protein concentrations. We used a meta-analysis to test for the effect of protein on food selection by primates and found a significant effect of soluble protein concentrations, but a non-significant effect for total nitrogen. Furthermore, selection for soluble protein was reinforced in forests where protein was less available. Selection for low fiber content was significant but unrelated to the fiber concentrations in representative leaf samples of a given forest. There was no relationship (either negative or positive) between the concentration of protein and fiber in the food or in representative samples of leaves. Overall our study suggests that protein selection is influenced by the protein availability in the environment, explaining the sometimes contradictory results in previous studies on protein selection. Am. J. Primatol. 79:e22550, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.}, } @article {pmid27085324, year = {2017}, author = {Weißflog, L and Becker, N and Bossert, N and Freudenberg, F and Kittel-Schneider, S and Reif, A}, title = {Expressional profile of the diacylglycerol kinase eta gene DGKH.}, journal = {European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience}, volume = {267}, number = {5}, pages = {445-454}, pmid = {27085324}, issn = {1433-8491}, mesh = {Adult ; Age Factors ; Aged ; Animals ; Animals, Newborn ; Brain/*enzymology/*pathology ; Brain Injuries, Traumatic/mortality/*pathology ; DNA, Recombinant/genetics ; Diacylglycerol Kinase/genetics/*metabolism ; Embryo, Mammalian ; Female ; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental ; Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic/*physiology ; Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein/metabolism ; Humans ; Male ; Mice ; Middle Aged ; RNA, Messenger/metabolism ; Tubulin/metabolism ; Young Adult ; }, abstract = {Bipolar disorder (BPD) is a genetically complex mental disorder, which is characterized by recurrent depressive and manic episodes, occurring with a typical cyclical course. In a recent study, we were able to identify a risk haplotype for BPD, as well as for unipolar depression and adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), within the DGKH gene. DGKH codes for the eta (η) isoform of diacylglycerol kinase, which is involved in the phosphoinositol pathway. In the present study, we determined the expressional profile of Dgkh using quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR), in situ hybridization and immunohistological staining in the human and in the mouse brain. Expression studies showed that two different Dgkh transcripts exhibited distinct occurrence in a variety of murine tissues and also differed in their expression levels. The proteins encoded by those transcripts differ in functional protein domains suggesting distinct biochemical and cell biological properties and functions. qPCR analyses revealed an increase in Dgkh expression during mouse brain development indicating a possible role of this kinase in late developmental stages. Immunostainings revealed strong Dgkh expression in neurons of the hippocampus and the cerebellum of the murine brain, whereas highest expression levels of DGKH in the human brain were found in the striatum. Taken together, our studies revealed expressional changes during mouse brain development and occurrence of Dgkη in neurons of regions that have been linked to BPD as well as ADHD in humans providing evidence for the implication of DGKH in those disorders.}, } @article {pmid27053753, year = {2016}, author = {Corso, J and Bowler, M and Heymann, EW and Roos, C and Mundy, NI}, title = {Highly polymorphic colour vision in a New World monkey with red facial skin, the bald uakari (Cacajao calvus).}, journal = {Proceedings. Biological sciences}, volume = {283}, number = {1828}, pages = {}, pmid = {27053753}, issn = {1471-2954}, mesh = {Animals ; *Color Vision ; Face ; Female ; Male ; Pitheciidae/genetics/*physiology ; Rod Opsins/*genetics ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Skin ; }, abstract = {Colour vision is highly variable in New World monkeys (NWMs). Evidence for the adaptive basis of colour vision in this group has largely centred on environmental features such as foraging benefits for differently coloured foods or predator detection, whereas selection on colour vision for sociosexual communication is an alternative hypothesis that has received little attention. The colour vision of uakaris (Cacajao) is of particular interest because these monkeys have the most dramatic red facial skin of any primate, as well as a unique fission/fusion social system and a specialist diet of seeds. Here, we investigate colour vision in a wild population of the bald uakari,C. calvus, by genotyping the X-linked opsin locus. We document the presence of a polymorphic colour vision system with an unprecedented number of functional alleles (six), including a novel allele with a predicted maximum spectral sensitivity of 555 nm. This supports the presence of strong balancing selection on different alleles at this locus. We consider different hypotheses to explain this selection. One possibility is that trichromacy functions in sexual selection, enabling females to choose high-quality males on the basis of red facial coloration. In support of this, there is some evidence that health affects facial coloration in uakaris, as well as a high prevalence of blood-borne parasitism in wild uakari populations. Alternatively, the low proportion of heterozygous female trichromats in the population may indicate selection on different dichromatic phenotypes, which might be related to cryptic food coloration. We have uncovered unexpected diversity in the last major lineage of NWMs to be assayed for colour vision, which will provide an interesting system to dissect adaptation of polymorphic trichromacy.}, } @article {pmid27039380, year = {2016}, author = {Nevo, O and Heymann, EW and Schulz, S and Ayasse, M}, title = {Fruit Odor as A Ripeness Signal for Seed-Dispersing Primates? A Case Study on Four Neotropical Plant Species.}, journal = {Journal of chemical ecology}, volume = {42}, number = {4}, pages = {323-328}, pmid = {27039380}, issn = {1573-1561}, mesh = {Animals ; Fruit/*chemistry/*growth & development ; Odorants/*analysis ; Plants/*chemistry ; Primates/*physiology ; *Seed Dispersal ; *Tropical Climate ; }, abstract = {Fleshy fruits contain a myriad of secondary metabolites that may fulfill various non-mutually exclusive ecological functions. Among them are defense against pathogens and herbivores, manipulation of frugivores' gut retention time, or controlling the germination process. In addition, it has been suggested that aroma compounds may be used as fruit-selection cues by frugivores, and that plants may be under selection to provide a reliable signal for ripeness to seed-dispersal vectors through ripe fruit aroma. A previous project demonstrated that fruit odor of two Neotropical primate-dispersed plant species can be used by primates to identify ripe fruits. Here, we provide data supporting the hypothesis that olfactory conspicuousness of ripeness in these two species may be an evolved signal rather than a cue exploited by primates. We analyzed the odors of ripe and unripe fruits of the two species along with odors of two sympatric species whose main dispersal vector is passerine birds. We show that only primate-dispersed species significantly change their odor profiles upon ripening. Thus, odor of bird-dispersed species is not informative regarding their ripeness level and is likely to fulfill other functions. We discuss these data in light of the multiple hypotheses for the presence of fruit secondary metabolites, and we offer a roadmap for future studies to establish the hypothesis that fruit odor is an evolved signal for ripeness.}, } @article {pmid27007808, year = {2016}, author = {Mejía Salazar, MF and Waldner, C and Stookey, J and Bollinger, TK}, title = {Infectious Disease and Grouping Patterns in Mule Deer.}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {11}, number = {3}, pages = {e0150830}, pmid = {27007808}, issn = {1932-6203}, mesh = {Animals ; *Deer ; Female ; Male ; Saskatchewan ; Wasting Disease, Chronic/*epidemiology ; }, abstract = {Infectious disease dynamics are determined, to a great extent, by the social structure of the host. We evaluated sociality, or the tendency to form groups, in Rocky Mountain mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus hemionus) from a chronic wasting disease (CWD) endemic area in Saskatchewan, Canada, to better understand factors that may affect disease transmission. Using group size data collected on 365 radio-collared mule deer (2008-2013), we built a generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) to evaluate whether factors such as CWD status, season, habitat and time of day, predicted group occurrence. Then, we built another GLMM to determine factors associated with group size. Finally, we used 3 measures of group size (typical, mean and median group sizes) to quantify levels of sociality. We found that mule deer showing clinical signs of CWD were less likely to be reported in groups than clinically healthy deer after accounting for time of day, habitat, and month of observation. Mule deer groups were much more likely to occur in February and March than in July. Mixed-sex groups in early gestation were larger than any other group type in any season. Groups were largest and most likely to occur at dawn and dusk, and in open habitats, such as cropland. We discuss the implication of these results with respect to sociobiology and CWD transmission dynamics.}, } @article {pmid26984226, year = {2017}, author = {Maharaj, V and Tomita, A and Thela, L and Mhlongo, M and Burns, JK}, title = {Food Insecurity and Risk of Depression Among Refugees and Immigrants in South Africa.}, journal = {Journal of immigrant and minority health}, volume = {19}, number = {3}, pages = {631-637}, pmid = {26984226}, issn = {1557-1920}, support = {R25 TW009337/TW/FIC NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Adolescent ; Adult ; Age Factors ; Aged ; Anxiety/*ethnology ; Depression/*ethnology ; Emigrants and Immigrants/*psychology ; Female ; *Food Supply ; Humans ; Male ; Mental Health/ethnology ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Refugees/*psychology ; Sex Factors ; Sociobiology ; Socioeconomic Factors ; South Africa/epidemiology ; Young Adult ; }, abstract = {South Africa's refugee population has grown considerably over the last decade. Both food insecurity and mental illness are common in developing countries, but this relationship remains unexamined in an African refugee population. 335 adult refugees in Durban, South Africa were interviewed using a self-report of food insecurity and the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25. The proportion of those who responded 'often true' to not having enough food and eating less was 23.1 and 54.3 %, respectively. The proportion of individuals with a significant level of anxiety and depressive symptomatology was 49.4 and 54.6 %, respectively. The adjusted logistic regression indicated that not eating enough was significantly associated with anxiety (aOR = 4.52, 95 % CI: 2.09-9.80) and depression (aOR = 4.51, 95 % CI: 2.01-10.09). Similarly, eating less was significantly associated with anxiety (aOR = 2.88, 95 % CI: 1.56-5.31) and depression (aOR = 2.88, 95 % CI: 1.54-5.39). The high prevalence of food insecurity, and its relationship to mental illness, highlight the importance of addressing basic needs among this population.}, } @article {pmid26976051, year = {2016}, author = {Olejarz, JW and Allen, B and Veller, C and Gadagkar, R and Nowak, MA}, title = {Evolution of worker policing.}, journal = {Journal of theoretical biology}, volume = {399}, number = {}, pages = {103-116}, doi = {10.1016/j.jtbi.2016.03.001}, pmid = {26976051}, issn = {1095-8541}, mesh = {Alleles ; Animals ; *Biological Evolution ; Computer Simulation ; Female ; Genes, Recessive/genetics ; Genetic Fitness ; *Hierarchy, Social ; Insecta/genetics/*physiology ; Male ; Models, Biological ; Numerical Analysis, Computer-Assisted ; Ovum/physiology ; Sexual Behavior, Animal ; }, abstract = {Workers in insect societies are sometimes observed to kill male eggs of other workers, a phenomenon known as worker policing. We perform a mathematical analysis of the evolutionary dynamics of policing. We investigate the selective forces behind policing for both dominant and recessive mutations for different numbers of matings of the queen. The traditional, relatedness-based argument suggests that policing evolves if the queen mates with more than two males, but does not evolve if the queen mates with a single male. We derive precise conditions for the invasion and stability of policing alleles. We find that the relatedness-based argument is not robust with respect to small changes in colony efficiency caused by policing. We also calculate evolutionarily singular strategies and determine when they are evolutionarily stable. We use a population genetics approach that applies to dominant or recessive mutations of any effect size.}, } @article {pmid26946180, year = {2016}, author = {Hotaling, S and Foley, ME and Lawrence, NM and Bocanegra, J and Blanco, MB and Rasoloarison, R and Kappeler, PM and Barrett, MA and Yoder, AD and Weisrock, DW}, title = {Species discovery and validation in a cryptic radiation of endangered primates: coalescent-based species delimitation in Madagascar's mouse lemurs.}, journal = {Molecular ecology}, volume = {25}, number = {9}, pages = {2029-2045}, doi = {10.1111/mec.13604}, pmid = {26946180}, issn = {1365-294X}, mesh = {Animals ; Bayes Theorem ; Cheirogaleidae/*classification ; DNA, Mitochondrial/genetics ; *Genetic Speciation ; Madagascar ; Markov Chains ; *Models, Genetic ; Monte Carlo Method ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; }, abstract = {Implementation of the coalescent model in a Bayesian framework is an emerging strength in genetically based species delimitation studies. By providing an objective measure of species diagnosis, these methods represent a quantitative enhancement to the analysis of multilocus data, and complement more traditional methods based on phenotypic and ecological characteristics. Recognized as two species 20 years ago, mouse lemurs (genus Microcebus) now comprise more than 20 species, largely diagnosed from mtDNA sequence data. With each new species description, enthusiasm has been tempered with scientific scepticism. Here, we present a statistically justified and unbiased Bayesian approach towards mouse lemur species delimitation. We perform validation tests using multilocus sequence data and two methodologies: (i) reverse-jump Markov chain Monte Carlo sampling to assess the likelihood of different models defined a priori by a guide tree, and (ii) a Bayes factor delimitation test that compares different species-tree models without a guide tree. We assess the sensitivity of these methods using randomized individual assignments, which has been used in bpp studies, but not with Bayes factor delimitation tests. Our results validate previously diagnosed taxa, as well as new species hypotheses, resulting in support for three new mouse lemur species. As the challenge of multiple researchers using differing criteria to describe diversity is not unique to Microcebus, the methods used here have significant potential for clarifying diversity in other taxonomic groups. We echo previous studies in advocating that multiple lines of evidence, including use of the coalescent model, should be trusted to delimit new species.}, } @article {pmid26925214, year = {2016}, author = {Sobotka, JA and Daley, M and Chandrasekaran, S and Rubin, BD and Thompson, GJ}, title = {Structure and function of gene regulatory networks associated with worker sterility in honeybees.}, journal = {Ecology and evolution}, volume = {6}, number = {6}, pages = {1692-1701}, pmid = {26925214}, issn = {2045-7758}, abstract = {A characteristic of eusocial bees is a reproductive division of labor in which one or a few queens monopolize reproduction, while her worker daughters take on reproductively altruistic roles within the colony. The evolution of worker reproductive altruism involves indirect selection for the coordinated expression of genes that regulate personal reproduction, but evidence for this type of selection remains elusive. In this study, we tested whether genes coexpressed under queen-induced worker sterility show evidence of adaptive organization within a model brain transcriptional regulatory network (TRN). If so, this structured pattern would imply that indirect selection on nonreproductive workers has influenced the functional organization of genes within the network, specifically to regulate the expression of sterility. We found that literature-curated sets of candidate genes for sterility, ranging in size from 18 to 267, show strong evidence of clustering within the three-dimensional space of the TRN. This finding suggests that our candidate sets of genes for sterility form functional modules within the living bee brain's TRN. Moreover, these same gene sets colocate to a single, albeit large, region of the TRN's topology. This spatially organized and convergent pattern contrasts with a null expectation for functionally unrelated genes to be haphazardly distributed throughout the network. Our meta-genomic analysis therefore provides first evidence for a truly "social transcriptome" that may regulate the conditional expression of honeybee worker sterility.}, } @article {pmid26915581, year = {2016}, author = {Tan, S and Lü, J}, title = {An evolutionary game approach for determination of the structural conflicts in signed networks.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {6}, number = {}, pages = {22022}, pmid = {26915581}, issn = {2045-2322}, mesh = {Animals ; Biological Evolution ; Escherichia coli/metabolism ; *Game Theory ; Humans ; Metabolic Networks and Pathways/*genetics ; *Social Networking ; Sociobiology ; Yeasts/metabolism ; }, abstract = {Social or biochemical networks can often divide into two opposite alliances in response to structural conflicts between positive (friendly, activating) and negative (hostile, inhibiting) interactions. Yet, the underlying dynamics on how the opposite alliances are spontaneously formed to minimize the structural conflicts is still unclear. Here, we demonstrate that evolutionary game dynamics provides a felicitous possible tool to characterize the evolution and formation of alliances in signed networks. Indeed, an evolutionary game dynamics on signed networks is proposed such that each node can adaptively adjust its choice of alliances to maximize its own fitness, which yet leads to a minimization of the structural conflicts in the entire network. Numerical experiments show that the evolutionary game approach is universally efficient in quality and speed to find optimal solutions for all undirected or directed, unweighted or weighted signed networks. Moreover, the evolutionary game approach is inherently distributed. These characteristics thus suggest the evolutionary game dynamic approach as a feasible and effective tool for determining the structural conflicts in large-scale on-line signed networks.}, } @article {pmid26900177, year = {2015}, author = {Pozzi, L and Nekaris, KA and Perkin, A and Bearder, SK and Pimley, ER and Schulze, H and Streicher, U and Nadler, T and Kitchener, A and Zischler, H and Zinner, D and Roos, C}, title = {Remarkable ancient divergences amongst neglected lorisiform primates.}, journal = {Zoological journal of the Linnean Society}, volume = {175}, number = {3}, pages = {661-674}, pmid = {26900177}, issn = {0024-4082}, abstract = {Lorisiform primates (Primates: Strepsirrhini: Lorisiformes) represent almost 10% of the living primate species and are widely distributed in sub-Saharan Africa and South/South-East Asia; however, their taxonomy, evolutionary history, and biogeography are still poorly understood. In this study we report the largest molecular phylogeny in terms of the number of represented taxa. We sequenced the complete mitochondrial cytochrome b gene for 86 lorisiform specimens, including ∼80% of all the species currently recognized. Our results support the monophyly of the Galagidae, but a common ancestry of the Lorisinae and Perodicticinae (family Lorisidae) was not recovered. These three lineages have early origins, with the Galagidae and the Lorisinae diverging in the Oligocene at about 30 Mya and the Perodicticinae emerging in the early Miocene. Our mitochondrial phylogeny agrees with recent studies based on nuclear data, and supports Euoticus as the oldest galagid lineage and the polyphyletic status of Galagoides. Moreover, we have elucidated phylogenetic relationships for several species never included before in a molecular phylogeny. The results obtained in this study suggest that lorisiform diversity remains substantially underestimated and that previously unnoticed cryptic diversity might be present within many lineages, thus urgently requiring a comprehensive taxonomic revision of this primate group.}, } @article {pmid26868261, year = {2016}, author = {Springer, A and Mellmann, A and Fichtel, C and Kappeler, PM}, title = {Social structure and Escherichia coli sharing in a group-living wild primate, Verreaux's sifaka.}, journal = {BMC ecology}, volume = {16}, number = {}, pages = {6}, pmid = {26868261}, issn = {1472-6785}, mesh = {Animals ; Drug Resistance, Bacterial ; Ecosystem ; *Escherichia coli/classification ; Escherichia coli Infections/transmission/veterinary ; Feces/microbiology ; Female ; Humans ; Madagascar ; Male ; Multilocus Sequence Typing ; *Social Behavior ; Strepsirhini/*microbiology/physiology ; Zoonoses/microbiology ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Epidemiological models often use information on host social contacts to predict the potential impact of infectious diseases on host populations and the efficiency of control measures. It can be difficult, however, to determine whether social contacts are actually meaningful predictors of transmission. We investigated the role of host social structure in the transmission of Escherichia coli in a wild population of primates, Verreaux's sifakas (Propithecus verreauxi). Using multilocus sequence typing (MLST), we compared genetic similarities between E. coli isolates from different individuals and groups to infer transmission pathways.

RESULTS: Correlation of social and transmission networks revealed that membership to the same group significantly predicted sharing of E. coli MLST sequence types (ST). Intergroup encounter rate and a measure of space-use sharing provided equally potent explanations for type sharing between social groups when closely related STs were taken into account, whereas animal age, sex and dispersal history had no influence. No antibiotic resistance was found, suggesting low rates of E. coli spillover from humans into this arboreal species.

CONCLUSIONS: We show that patterns of E. coli transmission reflect the social structure of this group-living lemur species. We discuss our results in the light of the species' ecology and propose scent-marking, a type of social contact not considered in previous epidemiological studies, as a likely route of transmission between groups. However, further studies are needed to explicitly test this hypothesis and to further elucidate the relative roles of direct contact and environmental transmission in pathogen transfer.}, } @article {pmid26865348, year = {2016}, author = {Dröscher, I and Rothman, JM and Ganzhorn, JU and Kappeler, PM}, title = {Nutritional consequences of folivory in a small-bodied lemur (Lepilemur leucopus): Effects of season and reproduction on nutrient balancing.}, journal = {American journal of physical anthropology}, volume = {160}, number = {2}, pages = {197-207}, doi = {10.1002/ajpa.22952}, pmid = {26865348}, issn = {1096-8644}, mesh = {Animals ; Anthropology, Physical ; Behavior, Animal/*physiology ; *Diet ; Energy Intake/*physiology ; Feeding Behavior/*physiology ; Female ; Lemur/*physiology ; Male ; Reproduction/*physiology ; Seasons ; }, abstract = {OBJECTIVES: Small-bodied folivores are rare because processing leaves often requires extensive gut adaptations and lengthy retention times for fiber fermentation. However, the <1 kg nocturnal white-footed sportive lemurs (Lepilemur leucopus) persist on a leaf-based diet. We investigated how extrinsic (i.e., seasonality in temperature and food availability) and intrinsic factors (i.e., reproductive state) influence nutrient intake and explored how nutrient and energy needs are met in this species.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted full night focal follows across all seasons and analyzed nutrients in all items eaten by adults of both sexes to investigate nutrient intake and nutritional priorities in L. leucopus. We estimated digestible protein content, as this is a biologically more meaningful measure than crude protein.

RESULTS: Protein intake was constant across seasons, while non-protein energy and dry matter intake increased from the hot wet to the cold dry season. Males and females did not differ in their nutrient or apparent energy intake irrespective of female reproductive state.

DISCUSSION: We conclude that these animals prioritize protein over non-protein energy intake as dietary protein is in limited supply, and that thermoregulation poses higher energetic costs than reproduction in this species. While protein intake did not differ across female reproductive states, the relative protein content of the diet was highest during the lactation period, indicating that the balance of non-protein to protein intake may be more important than absolute intake. Dry matter intake was high compared to other folivorous primates, indicating that L. leucopus follows an intake rather than an efficiency strategy to meet its energy requirements. Am J Phys Anthropol 160:197-207, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.}, } @article {pmid26859275, year = {2016}, author = {Poirotte, C and Kappeler, PM and Ngoubangoye, B and Bourgeois, S and Moussodji, M and Charpentier, MJ}, title = {Morbid attraction to leopard urine in Toxoplasma-infected chimpanzees.}, journal = {Current biology : CB}, volume = {26}, number = {3}, pages = {R98-9}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2015.12.020}, pmid = {26859275}, issn = {1879-0445}, mesh = {Animals ; Female ; Food Chain ; Male ; *Pan troglodytes ; *Panthera ; *Smell ; Toxoplasma/*physiology ; Toxoplasmosis, Animal/parasitology/*physiopathology ; *Urine ; }, abstract = {Parasites are sometimes capable of inducing phenotypic changes in their hosts to improve transmission [1]. Toxoplasma gondii, a protozoan that infects a broad range of warm-blooded species, is one example that supports the so-called 'parasite manipulation hypothesis': it induces modifications in rodents' olfactory preferences, converting an innate aversion for cat odor into attraction and probably favoring trophic transmission to feline species, its only definitive hosts [2]. In humans, T. gondii induces behavioral modifications such as personality changes, prolonged reaction times and decreased long-term concentration [3]. However, modern humans are not suitable intermediate hosts because they are no longer preyed upon by felines. Consequently, behavioral modifications in infected people are generally assumed to be side effects of toxoplasmosis or residual manipulation traits that evolved in appropriate intermediate hosts. An alternative hypothesis, however, states that these changes result from parasite manipulative abilities that evolved when human ancestors were still under significant feline predation [3,4]. As such, T. gondii also alters olfactory preferences in humans; infected men rate cat urine, but not tiger urine, as pleasant while non-infected men do not [5]. To unravel the origin of Toxoplasma-induced modifications in humans, we performed olfactory tests on a living primate still predated by a feline species. We found in our closest relative, the chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes troglodytes), that Toxoplasma-infected (TI) animals lost their innate aversion towards the urine of leopards (Panthera pardus), their only natural predator. By contrast, we observed no clear difference in the response of TI and Toxoplasma-non-infected (TN) animals towards urine collected from other definitive feline hosts that chimpanzees do not encounter in nature. Although the adaptive value of parasitically induced behavior should be assessed carefully, we suggest that the behavioral modification we report could increase the probability of chimpanzee predation by leopards for the parasite's own benefit. This possible parasite adaptation would hence suggest that Toxoplasma-induced modifications in modern humans are an ancestral legacy of our evolutionary past.}, } @article {pmid26856371, year = {2016}, author = {Kaburu, SS and Newton-Fisher, NE}, title = {Bystanders, parcelling, and an absence of trust in the grooming interactions of wild male chimpanzees.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {6}, number = {}, pages = {20634}, pmid = {26856371}, issn = {2045-2322}, mesh = {Animals ; *Biological Evolution ; Grooming/*physiology ; Male ; *Pan troglodytes/physiology/psychology ; *Social Behavior ; Trust/*psychology ; }, abstract = {The evolution of cooperation remains a central issue in socio-biology with the fundamental problem of how individuals minimize the risks of being short-changed ('cheated') should their behavioural investment in another not be returned. Economic decisions that individuals make during interactions may depend upon the presence of potential partners nearby, which offers co operators a temptation to defect from the current partner. The parcelling model posits that donors subdivide services into parcels to force cooperation, and that this is contingent on opportunities for defection; that is, the presence of bystanders. Here we test this model and the effect of bystander presence using grooming interactions of wild chimpanzees. We found that with more bystanders, initiators gave less grooming at the beginning of the bout and were more likely to abandon a grooming bout, while bouts were less likely to be reciprocated. We also found that the groomer's initial investment was not higher among frequent groomers or stronger reciprocators, suggesting that contrary to current assumptions, grooming decisions are not based on trust, or bonds, within dyads. Our work highlights the importance of considering immediate social context and the influence of bystanders for understanding the evolution of the behavioural strategies that produce cooperation.}, } @article {pmid26822336, year = {2017}, author = {Fernández, D}, title = {Consequences of a male takeover on mating skew in wild Sanje mangabeys.}, journal = {American journal of primatology}, volume = {79}, number = {7}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1002/ajp.22532}, pmid = {26822336}, issn = {1098-2345}, mesh = {Animals ; *Cercocebus ; Copulation ; Female ; Male ; Reproduction ; *Sexual Behavior, Animal ; *Social Dominance ; }, abstract = {Among primate species living in multimale-multifemale groups, the number of receptive females may determine the rank of the lowest male that copulates (priority of access model, or PoA [Altmann SA. 1962. A field study of the sociobiology of rhesus monkeys, Macaca mulatta. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 102:338-435]). Factors, such as temporary instability in the hierarchy and female behavior can, however, affect high-ranking males' ability to monopolize females, reducing mating skew and causing the hierarchy to depart from predictions of PoA. Here, I use behavioral data collected over a 22-month period on a wild group of Sanje mangabeys (Cercocebus sanjei) to examine the effect of a takeover by two immigrating males who became α and β in the hierarchy, and of female behavior on male mating skew. Data on male agonistic interactions were collected on nine males using ad libitum observations, while information on male mating success (i.e., daily proportion of ejaculatory copulations with the focal female) was collected through focal follows of 12 sexually receptive females. Before the takeover, the hierarchy was stable and highly skewed, with the α-male monopolizing up to 75% of copulations. At this time, however, mating skew did not follow the predictions of PoA. During the takeover, from the time one of the newly immigrant males replaced the α until the second immigrant male became the new β, the stability of the hierarchy dropped significantly and mating was no longer skewed. Accordingly, the top two ranking males at that time (i.e., the new α and former β) accounted for only 33% of copulations. After the takeover, rank stability increased, and mating skew followed the PoA. Female mating solicitations also had a significant positive effect on male mating success, and may have contributed to the deviation from the PoA. This study demonstrates that temporary rank instability decreases high-ranking males' ability to monopolize copulations, causing a departure from the predictions of the PoA. Am. J. Primatol. 79:e22532, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.}, } @article {pmid26816515, year = {2015}, author = {Kappeler, PM and Fichtel, C}, title = {Eco-evo-devo of the lemur syndrome: did adaptive behavioral plasticity get canalized in a large primate radiation?.}, journal = {Frontiers in zoology}, volume = {12 Suppl 1}, number = {Suppl 1}, pages = {S15}, pmid = {26816515}, issn = {1742-9994}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Comprehensive explanations of behavioral adaptations rarely invoke all levels famously admonished by Niko Tinbergen. The role of developmental processes and plasticity, in particular, has often been neglected. In this paper, we combine ecological, physiological and developmental perspectives in developing a hypothesis to account for the evolution of 'the lemur syndrome', a combination of reduced sexual dimorphism, even adult sex ratios, female dominance and mild genital masculinization characterizing group-living species in two families of Malagasy primates.

RESULTS: We review the different components of the lemur syndrome and compare it with similar adaptations reported for other mammals. We find support for the assertion that the lemur syndrome represents a unique set of integrated behavioral, demographic and morphological traits. We combine existing hypotheses about underlying adaptive function and proximate causation by adding a potential developmental mechanism linking maternal stress and filial masculinization, and outline an evolutionary scenario for its canalization.

CONCLUSIONS: We propose a new hypothesis linking ecological, physiological, developmental and evolutionary processes to adumbrate a comprehensive explanation for the evolution of the lemur syndrome, whose assumptions and predictions can guide diverse future research on lemurs. This hypothesis should also encourage students of other behavioral phenomena to consider the potential role of developmental plasticity in evolutionary innovation.}, } @article {pmid26801931, year = {2017}, author = {Aycinena, AC and Valdovinos, C and Crew, KD and Tsai, WY and Mata, JM and Sandoval, R and Hershman, D and Greenlee, H}, title = {Barriers to Recruitment and Adherence in a Randomized Controlled Diet and Exercise Weight Loss Intervention Among Minority Breast Cancer Survivors.}, journal = {Journal of immigrant and minority health}, volume = {19}, number = {1}, pages = {120-129}, pmid = {26801931}, issn = {1557-1920}, mesh = {Adult ; Black or African American/*psychology ; Aged ; Breast Neoplasms/pathology/*psychology/therapy ; Cancer Survivors/*psychology ; Diet ; Exercise ; Female ; Health Behavior ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Hispanic or Latino/*psychology ; Humans ; Life Style ; Mental Health/ethnology ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Patient Compliance ; Patient Selection ; Perception ; Pilot Projects ; Quality of Life ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic/*psychology ; Self Efficacy ; Social Support ; Sociobiology ; Weight Reduction Programs/*methods ; Young Adult ; }, abstract = {Minority recruitment to cancer trials is low and there are limited data on minority adherence to lifestyle modification interventions. We examined factors related to recruitment and adherence to a pilot weight loss intervention among Hispanic and black breast cancer survivors. Participants completed a detailed screening interview to assess barriers to enrollment. An index was created to assess adherence at 6 months. 112 potentially eligible women were identified; 66 consented and completed a screening interview. After screening, 9 were ineligible; 15 opted to not enroll; and 42 were randomized. Among eligible women, earlier stage at diagnosis, treatment type, and negative beliefs related to exercise and diet after diagnosis were negatively associated with study enrollment (P < 0.05). Self-reported barriers to adherence included fatigue, family responsibilities, illness, work, transportation, and negative perceptions of exercise and diet. Results from this study emphasize the need to adapt recruitment and adherence strategies to address these factors.}, } @article {pmid26775028, year = {2016}, author = {Megill, A}, title = {Theological presuppositions of the evolutionary epic: From Robert Chambers to E. O. Wilson.}, journal = {Studies in history and philosophy of biological and biomedical sciences}, volume = {58}, number = {}, pages = {24-32}, doi = {10.1016/j.shpsc.2015.12.005}, pmid = {26775028}, issn = {1879-2499}, mesh = {Animals ; *Biological Evolution ; Europe ; History, 19th Century ; History, 20th Century ; History, 21st Century ; Philosophy/history ; Religion and Science ; Theology/*history ; United States ; }, abstract = {We can trace the "evolutionary epic" (named by E. O. Wilson, 1978) back to earlier writers, beginning with Robert Chambers (1844). Its basic elements are: fixation on seeing human history as rooted in biology; an aspiration toward telling the whole history of humankind (in its essential features); and insistence on the overall coherence of the projected narrative. The claim to coherence depends on assuming either that the universe possesses an "embedded rationality," or that it is guided by divine purpose. This article proposes the term "idealism" to refer to these two assumptions taken together, for in practice they were closely linked. Nietzsche (1881) was perhaps the first thinker to point out the evolutionary epic's dependence on such an idealism, and he also pointed out that the assumptions of embedded rationality and of divine purpose are closely connected. Darwin's theory of descent with modification (1859) was sharply inconsistent with these assumptions: he was not an "idealist" in the sense indicated here, and not a proponent of the evolutionary epic. Proclaiming his "materialism," Wilson (1978) failed to acknowledge that the epic depends on idealist assumptions; other adherents of the genre (M. Dowd, L. Rue) resurrect (knowingly or not) its theological roots.}, } @article {pmid26767166, year = {2015}, author = {Springer, A and Fichtel, C and Calvignac-Spencer, S and Leendertz, FH and Kappeler, PM}, title = {Hemoparasites in a wild primate: Infection patterns suggest interaction of Plasmodium and Babesia in a lemur species.}, journal = {International journal for parasitology. Parasites and wildlife}, volume = {4}, number = {3}, pages = {385-395}, pmid = {26767166}, issn = {2213-2244}, abstract = {Hemoparasites can cause serious morbidity in humans and animals and often involve wildlife reservoirs. Understanding patterns of hemoparasite infections in natural populations can therefore inform about emerging disease risks, especially in the light of climate change and human disruption of natural ecosystems. We investigated the effects of host age, sex, host group size and season on infection patterns of Plasmodium sp., Babesia sp. and filarial nematodes in a population of wild Malagasy primates, Verreaux's sifakas (Propithecus verreauxi), as well as the effects of these infections on hematological variables. We tested 45 blood samples from 36 individuals and identified two species of Plasmodium, one species of Babesia and two species of filarial nematodes. Plasmodium spp. and Babesia sp. infections showed opposite patterns of age-dependency, with babesiosis being prevalent among young animals, while older animals were infected with Plasmodium sp. In addition, Babesia sp. infection was a statistically significant negative predictor of Plasmodium sp. infection. These results suggest that Plasmodium and Babesia parasites may interact within the host, either through cross-immunity or via resource competition, so that Plasmodium infections can only establish after babesiosis has resolved. We found no effects of host sex, host group size and season on hemoparasite infections. Infections showed high prevalences and did not influence hematological variables. This preliminary evidence supports the impression that the hosts and parasites considered in this study appear to be well-adapted to each other, resulting in persistent infections with low pathogenic and probably low zoonotic potential. Our results illustrate the crucial role of biodiversity in host-parasite relationships, specifically how within-host pathogen diversity may regulate the abundance of parasites.}, } @article {pmid26724470, year = {2016}, author = {Yilmaz, A and Lindenberg, A and Albert, S and Grübel, K and Spaethe, J and Rössler, W and Groh, C}, title = {Age-related and light-induced plasticity in opsin gene expression and in primary and secondary visual centers of the nectar-feeding ant Camponotus rufipes.}, journal = {Developmental neurobiology}, volume = {76}, number = {9}, pages = {1041-1057}, doi = {10.1002/dneu.22374}, pmid = {26724470}, issn = {1932-846X}, mesh = {Age Factors ; Animals ; Ants ; Behavior, Animal/*physiology ; Color Vision/genetics/*physiology ; Gene Expression/genetics/*physiology ; Mushroom Bodies/*physiology ; Neuronal Plasticity/genetics/*physiology ; Opsins/genetics/*metabolism ; Visual Pathways/*physiology ; }, abstract = {Camponotus rufipes workers are characterized by an age-related polyethism. In the initial weeks of adult life, young workers perform tasks inside the nest before they switch to multimodal foraging tasks outside. We tested the hypothesis that this transition is accompanied by profound adaptations in the peripheral and central visual systems. Our results show that C. rufipes workers of all tested ages (between 1 and 42 days) express three genes encoding for ultraviolet (UV), blue (BL), and long-wavelength (LW1) sensitive opsins in their retina, which are likely to provide the substrate for trichromatic color vision. Expression levels of all three opsin genes increased significantly within the first two weeks of adulthood and following light exposure. Interestingly, the volumes of all three optic neuropils (lamina, medulla, and lobula) showed corresponding volume increases. Tracing of connections to higher visual centers in the mushroom bodies (MBs) revealed only one optic pathway, the anterior superior optic tract, emerging from the medulla and sending segregated input to the MB-calyx collar. The MB collar volumes and densities of synaptic complexes (microglomeruli, MGs) increased with age. Exposure to light for 4 days induced a decrease in MG densities followed by an increase after extended light exposure. This shows that plasticity in retinal opsin gene expression and structural neuroplasticity in primary and secondary visual centers comprise both "experience-independent" and "experience-dependent" elements. We conclude that both sources of plasticity in the visual system represent important components promoting optimal timing of the interior-forager transition and flexibility of age-related division of labor. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 76: 1041-1057, 2016.}, } @article {pmid28539014, year = {2016}, author = {Makrushin, AV and Aladin, NV}, title = {Process of endogenous homeostatic characteristics decline in two suproopganismal biosystems from the standpoint of parametabolistic theory of senescence.}, journal = {Advances in gerontology = Uspekhi gerontologii}, volume = {29}, number = {4}, pages = {573-577}, pmid = {28539014}, issn = {1561-9125}, mesh = {Aging/*physiology ; Biological Evolution ; Biota/physiology ; Homeostasis/*physiology ; Humans ; Metabolic Networks and Pathways/physiology ; Sociobiology ; Systems Biology/methods ; Systems Theory ; }, abstract = {Endogenous decline in homeostatic characteristics of supraorganismal level systems is similar to individual senescence. Similarity is in the fact that this decline as individual senescence is called by negative consequences from specialization of elements the system consists. In systems of supraorganismal level these effects are analogues of parametabolic reactions of senescence individuals.}, } @article {pmid26571020, year = {2015}, author = {Stejskal, K and Streinzer, M and Dyer, A and Paulus, HF and Spaethe, J}, title = {Functional Significance of Labellum Pattern Variation in a Sexually Deceptive Orchid (Ophrys heldreichii): Evidence of Individual Signature Learning Effects.}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {10}, number = {11}, pages = {e0142971}, pmid = {26571020}, issn = {1932-6203}, mesh = {Animals ; Bees/physiology ; Behavior, Animal ; Copulation ; Female ; Flowers/*anatomy & histology ; *Learning ; Male ; Orchidaceae/*physiology ; }, abstract = {Mimicking female insects to attract male pollinators is an important strategy in sexually deceptive orchids of the genus Ophrys, and some species possess flowers with conspicuous labellum patterns. The function of the variation of the patterns remains unresolved, with suggestions that these enhance pollinator communication. We investigated the possible function of the labellum pattern in Ophrys heldreichii, an orchid species in which the conspicuous and complex labellum pattern contrasts with a dark background. The orchid is pollinated exclusively by males of the solitary bee, Eucera berlandi. Comparisons of labellum patterns revealed that patterns within inflorescences are more similar than those of other conspecific plants. Field observations showed that the males approach at a great speed and directly land on flowers, but after an unsuccessful copulation attempt, bees hover close and visually scan the labellum pattern for up to a minute. Learning experiments conducted with honeybees as an accessible model of bee vision demonstrated that labellum patterns of different plants can be reliably learnt; in contrast, patterns of flowers from the same inflorescence could not be discriminated. These results support the hypothesis that variable labellum patterns in O. heldreichii are involved in flower-pollinator communication which would likely help these plants to avoid geitonogamy.}, } @article {pmid26530161, year = {2015}, author = {Swenson, SA}, title = {'Morals can not be drawn from facts but guidance may be': the early life of W.D. Hamilton's theory of inclusive fitness.}, journal = {British journal for the history of science}, volume = {48}, number = {4}, pages = {543-563}, doi = {10.1017/S0007087415000643}, pmid = {26530161}, issn = {1474-001X}, mesh = {*Altruism ; *Biological Evolution ; *Genetic Fitness ; History, 20th Century ; Humans ; *Morals ; Sociobiology/*history ; }, abstract = {W.D. Hamilton's theory of inclusive fitness saw the evolution of altruism from the point of view of the gene. It was at heart a theory of limits, redefining altruistic behaviours as ultimately selfish. This theory inspired two controversial texts published almost in tandem, E.O. Wilson's Sociobiology: The New Synthesis (1975) and Richard Dawkins's The Selfish Gene (1976). When Wilson and Dawkins were attacked for their evolutionary interpretations of human societies, they claimed a distinction between reporting what is and declaring what ought to be. Can the history of sociobiological theories be so easily separated from its sociopolitical context? This paper draws upon unpublished materials from the 1960s and early 1970s and documents some of the ways in which Hamilton saw his research as contributing to contemporary concerns. It pays special attention to the 1969 Man and Beast Smithsonian Institution symposium in order to explore the extent to which Hamilton intended his theory to be merely descriptive versus prescriptive. From this, we may see that Hamilton was deeply concerned about the political chaos he perceived in the world around him, and hoped to arrive at a level of self-understanding through science that could inform a new social order.}, } @article {pmid26515669, year = {2016}, author = {Poirotte, C and Basset, D and Willaume, E and Makaba, F and Kappeler, PM and Charpentier, MJ}, title = {Environmental and individual determinants of parasite richness across seasons in a free-ranging population of Mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx).}, journal = {American journal of physical anthropology}, volume = {159}, number = {3}, pages = {442-456}, doi = {10.1002/ajpa.22888}, pmid = {26515669}, issn = {1096-8644}, mesh = {Animals ; Anthropology, Physical ; Climate ; Entamoeba ; Feces/parasitology ; Female ; Gabon ; Male ; Mandrillus/*parasitology ; Nematoda ; Parasitic Diseases, Animal/parasitology ; }, abstract = {OBJECTIVES: Parasites are ubiquitous and evolve fast. Therefore, they represent major selective forces acting on their hosts by influencing many aspects of their biology. Humans are no exception, as they share many parasites with animals and some of the most important outbreaks come from primates. While it appears important to understand the factors involved in parasite dynamics, we still lack a clear understanding of the determinants underlying parasitism. In this 2-year study, we identified several factors that influence parasite patterns in a wild population of free-ranging mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx).

METHODS: We explored the potential impact of seasonal factors-rainfall and temperature-and host characteristics, including sex, age, rank, and reproductive status, on parasite richness. We analyzed 12 parasite taxa found in 870 fecal samples collected from 63 individuals. Because nematodes and protozoa have different life-cycles, we analyzed these two types of parasites separately.

RESULTS: Contrary to other studies where humid conditions seem favorable to parasite development, we report here that rainfall and high temperatures were associated with lower nematode richness and were not associated with lower protozoa richness. In contrast, female reproductive status seemed to reflect the seasonal patterns found for protozoa richness, as early gestating females harbored more protozoa than other females. Sex and dominance rank had no impact on overall parasite richness. However, age was associated with a specific decrease in nematode richness.

CONCLUSION: Our study emphasizes the need to consider the ecological context, such as climatic conditions and habitat type, as well as the biology of both parasite and host when analyzing determinants of parasite richness.}, } @article {pmid26486369, year = {2015}, author = {Scholl, C and Kübert, N and Muenz, TS and Rössler, W}, title = {CaMKII knockdown affects both early and late phases of olfactory long-term memory in the honeybee.}, journal = {The Journal of experimental biology}, volume = {218}, number = {Pt 23}, pages = {3788-3796}, doi = {10.1242/jeb.124859}, pmid = {26486369}, issn = {1477-9145}, mesh = {Animals ; Bees/*physiology ; Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase Type 2/antagonists & inhibitors/genetics ; Conditioning, Classical ; Female ; Learning/physiology ; Memory/physiology ; Memory, Long-Term ; Neuronal Plasticity ; RNA Interference ; Smell ; }, abstract = {Honeybees are able to solve complex learning tasks and memorize learned information for long time periods. The molecular mechanisms mediating long-term memory (LTM) in the honeybee Apis mellifera are, to a large part, still unknown. We approached this question by investigating the potential function of the calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII), an enzyme known as a 'molecular memory switch' in vertebrates. CaMKII is able to switch to a calcium-independent constitutively active state, providing a mechanism for a molecular memory and has further been shown to play an essential role in structural synaptic plasticity. Using a combination of knockdown by RNA interference and pharmacological manipulation, we disrupted the function of CaMKII during olfactory learning and memory formation. We found that learning, memory acquisition and mid-term memory were not affected, but all manipulations consistently resulted in an impaired LTM. Both early LTM (24 h after learning) and late LTM (72 h after learning) were significantly disrupted, indicating the necessity of CaMKII in two successive stages of LTM formation in the honeybee.}, } @article {pmid26482045, year = {2016}, author = {Turcotte, LM and Verneris, MR}, title = {Is It Better to Be Rich or Relaxed? Sociobiology Meets Bone Marrow Transplant.}, journal = {Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research}, volume = {22}, number = {1}, pages = {6-8}, pmid = {26482045}, issn = {1557-3265}, support = {R01 AI100879/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; UL1 TR000114/TR/NCATS NIH HHS/United States ; UL1TR000114/TR/NCATS NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {*Bone Marrow Transplantation ; Chronic Disease ; *Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Humans ; Recurrence ; Sociobiology ; }, abstract = {Low socioeconomic status in hematopoietic cell transplant recipients is associated with increased treatment-related mortality and relapse, resulting in reduced survival. No biologic mechanism has been identified for these associations. The stress-related gene expression profile, termed the "conserved transcriptional response to adversity," may be a predictor of these negative outcomes.}, } @article {pmid26440380, year = {2015}, author = {Nevo, O and Orts Garri, R and Hernandez Salazar, LT and Schulz, S and Heymann, EW and Ayasse, M and Laska, M}, title = {Chemical recognition of fruit ripeness in spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi).}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {5}, number = {}, pages = {14895}, pmid = {26440380}, issn = {2045-2322}, mesh = {Animals ; Atelinae/*physiology ; *Discrimination, Psychological ; Female ; *Fruit ; Male ; *Odorants ; Sensory Thresholds/*physiology ; Smell/*physiology ; Stimulation, Chemical ; }, abstract = {Primates are now known to possess well-developed olfactory sensitivity and discrimination capacities that can play a substantial role in many aspects of their interaction with conspecifics and the environment. Several studies have demonstrated that olfactory cues may be useful in fruit selection. Here, using a conditioning paradigm, we show that captive spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi) display high olfactory discrimination performance between synthetic odor mixtures mimicking ripe and unripe fruits of two wild, primate-consumed, Neotropical plant species. Further, we show that spider monkeys are able to discriminate the odor of ripe fruits from odors that simulate unripe fruits that become increasingly similar to that of ripe ones. These results suggest that the ability of spider monkeys to identify ripe fruits may not depend on the presence of any individual compound that mark fruit ripeness. Further, the results demonstrate that spider monkeys are able to identify ripe fruits even when the odor signal is accompanied by a substantial degree of noise.}, } @article {pmid26435728, year = {2015}, author = {Hämäläinen, A and Raharivololona, B and Ravoniarimbinina, P and Kraus, C}, title = {Host sex and age influence endoparasite burdens in the gray mouse lemur.}, journal = {Frontiers in zoology}, volume = {12}, number = {}, pages = {25}, pmid = {26435728}, issn = {1742-9994}, abstract = {INTRODUCTION: Immunosenescence (deteriorating immune function at old age) affects humans and laboratory animals, but little is known about immunosenescence in natural populations despite its potential importance for population and disease dynamics and individual fitness. Although life histories and immune system profiles often differ between the sexes, sex-specific effects of aging on health are rarely studied in the wild. Life history theory predicts that due to their shorter lifespan and higher investment into reproduction at the expense of immune defences, males might experience accelerated immunosenescence. We tested this hypothesis by examining sex-specific age trajectories of endoparasite burden (helminth prevalence and morphotype richness measured via fecal egg counts), an indicator of overall health, in wild gray mouse lemurs (Microcebus murinus). To account for potential interactions between seasonality and host sex or age we examined the predictors of parasite burdens separately for the dry and rainy season.

RESULTS: Contrary to the prediction of immunosenescence, parasite prevalence and morphotype richness decreased at old age in the dry season, indicating acquired immunity by older animals. This pattern was primarily caused by within-individual decline in parasite loads rather than the earlier mortality of highly parasitized individuals. With the exception of an increasing cestode prevalence in males from yearlings to prime age in the rainy season, no evidence was found of male-biased ageing in parasite resistance. Besides this sex*age interaction, host age was uncorrelated with rainy season parasite loads. Seasonality did not affect the overall parasite loads but seasonal patterns were found in the predictors of parasite prevalence and morphotype richness.

CONCLUSIONS: These results provide rare information about the age-related patterns of health in a wild vertebrate population and suggest improvement rather than senescence in the ability to resist helminth infections at old age. Overall, males appear not to suffer from earlier immunosenescence relative to females. This may partially reflect the earlier mortality of males, which can render senescence difficult to detect. While helminth infections are not strongly associated with survival in wild gray mouse lemurs, parasite load may, however, reflect overall good phenotypic quality of long-lived individuals, and is a potential correlate of fitness.}, } @article {pmid26340263, year = {2015}, author = {Strube-Bloss, MF and Brown, A and Spaethe, J and Schmitt, T and Rössler, W}, title = {Extracting the Behaviorally Relevant Stimulus: Unique Neural Representation of Farnesol, a Component of the Recruitment Pheromone of Bombus terrestris.}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {10}, number = {9}, pages = {e0137413}, pmid = {26340263}, issn = {1932-6203}, mesh = {Action Potentials/drug effects/physiology ; Acyclic Monoterpenes ; Aldehydes/pharmacology ; Animal Communication ; Animals ; Arthropod Antennae/cytology/*drug effects/physiology ; Bees/*physiology ; Brain/cytology/*drug effects/physiology ; Farnesol/metabolism/*pharmacology ; Female ; Flowers/chemistry ; Male ; Monoterpenes/pharmacology ; Neurons/cytology/*drug effects/physiology ; Odorants/analysis ; Olfactory Pathways/*drug effects/physiology ; Pheromones/metabolism/*pharmacology ; Terpenes/pharmacology ; }, abstract = {To trigger innate behavior, sensory neural networks are pre-tuned to extract biologically relevant stimuli. Many male-female or insect-plant interactions depend on this phenomenon. Especially communication among individuals within social groups depends on innate behaviors. One example is the efficient recruitment of nest mates by successful bumblebee foragers. Returning foragers release a recruitment pheromone in the nest while they perform a 'dance' behavior to activate unemployed nest mates. A major component of this pheromone is the sesquiterpenoid farnesol. How farnesol is processed and perceived by the olfactory system, has not yet been identified. It is much likely that processing farnesol involves an innate mechanism for the extraction of relevant information to trigger a fast and reliable behavioral response. To test this hypothesis, we used population response analyses of 100 antennal lobe (AL) neurons recorded in alive bumblebee workers under repeated stimulation with four behaviorally different, but chemically related odorants (geraniol, citronellol, citronellal and farnesol). The analysis identified a unique neural representation of the recruitment pheromone component compared to the other odorants that are predominantly emitted by flowers. The farnesol induced population activity in the AL allowed a reliable separation of farnesol from all other chemically related odor stimuli we tested. We conclude that the farnesol induced population activity may reflect a predetermined representation within the AL-neural network allowing efficient and fast extraction of a behaviorally relevant stimulus. Furthermore, the results show that population response analyses of multiple single AL-units may provide a powerful tool to identify distinct representations of behaviorally relevant odors.}, } @article {pmid26311026, year = {2015}, author = {Irmiš, F}, title = {[Spirituality and ethics in psychosomatic medicine].}, journal = {Casopis lekaru ceskych}, volume = {154}, number = {3}, pages = {115-121}, pmid = {26311026}, issn = {0008-7335}, mesh = {Adaptation, Psychological ; *Ethics, Medical ; Humanism ; Humans ; Physician-Patient Relations/ethics ; Psychosomatic Medicine/*ethics ; Psychotherapy/ethics ; Religion and Psychology ; Spiritual Therapies ; *Spirituality ; }, abstract = {A patient has to cope with an illness on a physical, mental and spiritual level. There exists a difference between religiousness and spirituality even though the approach has a common foundation. Nonreligious spirituality relates to an inner experience, transcendent states of consciousness, meaningfulness, responsibility, sympathy, ethics, humanisation, faith. We encounter the spiritual point of view in humanistic psychotherapy, pastoral medicine, work of hospital chaplains, New Age, psychotherapies with religious and alternative aspects, transpersonal psychotherapy, psycho-spiritual crises, unusual states of consciousness, in meditation, Yoga, relaxation, kinesiology, ethicotherapy, reincarnation therapy, positive motivation, holotropic breathing, etc. There is description of different degrees of spiritual development, rational and irrational feeling of spirituality, Quantum Physics, spiritual intelligence, neuro-theology, physiological change, effects on improving adaptation during stress, drugs addiction, etc. Spirituality in relation with ethics is discussed in terms of socio-biology, evolution, emotions, aggressivity, genetics and social influence. The work analyses the effect of stressful situations on the deterioration of moral attitudes: during lack of time, obedience to authority and order. It is described how temperament and personality disorders can affect perception of spirituality, guilt feeling and conscience. Stressful situations, lack of time, relying only on the auxiliary objective methods leads to alienation of physician with a patient. Spirituality can partially improve the doctor-patient relationship, communication and sense of responsibility.}, } @article {pmid26283968, year = {2015}, author = {Brill, MF and Meyer, A and Rössler, W}, title = {It takes two-coincidence coding within the dual olfactory pathway of the honeybee.}, journal = {Frontiers in physiology}, volume = {6}, number = {}, pages = {208}, pmid = {26283968}, issn = {1664-042X}, abstract = {To rapidly process biologically relevant stimuli, sensory systems have developed a broad variety of coding mechanisms like parallel processing and coincidence detection. Parallel processing (e.g., in the visual system), increases both computational capacity and processing speed by simultaneously coding different aspects of the same stimulus. Coincidence detection is an efficient way to integrate information from different sources. Coincidence has been shown to promote associative learning and memory or stimulus feature detection (e.g., in auditory delay lines). Within the dual olfactory pathway of the honeybee both of these mechanisms might be implemented by uniglomerular projection neurons (PNs) that transfer information from the primary olfactory centers, the antennal lobe (AL), to a multimodal integration center, the mushroom body (MB). PNs from anatomically distinct tracts respond to the same stimulus space, but have different physiological properties, characteristics that are prerequisites for parallel processing of different stimulus aspects. However, the PN pathways also display mirror-imaged like anatomical trajectories that resemble neuronal coincidence detectors as known from auditory delay lines. To investigate temporal processing of olfactory information, we recorded PN odor responses simultaneously from both tracts and measured coincident activity of PNs within and between tracts. Our results show that coincidence levels are different within each of the two tracts. Coincidence also occurs between tracts, but to a minor extent compared to coincidence within tracts. Taken together our findings support the relevance of spike timing in coding of olfactory information (temporal code).}, } @article {pmid26267280, year = {2015}, author = {Mukesh, and Sharma, LK and Charoo, SA and Sathyakumar, S}, title = {Conflict bear translocation: investigating population genetics and fate of bear translocation in Dachigam National Park, Jammu and Kashmir, India.}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {10}, number = {8}, pages = {e0132005}, pmid = {26267280}, issn = {1932-6203}, mesh = {Adaptation, Physiological ; *Aggression ; Animal Distribution ; Animals ; Bayes Theorem ; Competitive Behavior ; Conservation of Natural Resources/*methods ; Female ; Food Chain ; *Genetics, Population ; Genotype ; Humans ; India ; Male ; Parks, Recreational ; Seasons ; Ursidae/*physiology/psychology ; }, abstract = {The Asiatic black bear population in Dachigam landscape, Jammu and Kashmir is well recognized as one of the highest density bear populations in India. Increasing incidences of bear-human interactions and the resultant retaliatory killings by locals have become a serious threat to the survivorship of black bears in the Dachigam landscape. The Department of Wildlife Protection in Jammu and Kashmir has been translocating bears involved in conflicts, henceforth 'conflict bears' from different sites in Dachigam landscape to Dachigam National Park as a flagship activity to mitigate conflicts. We undertook this study to investigate the population genetics and the fate of bear translocation in Dachigam National Park. We identified 109 unique genotypes in an area of ca. 650 km2 and observed bear population under panmixia that showed sound genetic variability. Molecular tracking of translocated bears revealed that mostly bears (7 out of 11 bears) returned to their capture sites, possibly due to homing instincts or habituation to the high quality food available in agricultural croplands and orchards, while only four bears remained in Dachigam National Park after translocation. Results indicated that translocation success was most likely to be season dependent as bears translocated during spring and late autumn returned to their capture sites, perhaps due to the scarcity of food inside Dachigam National Park while bears translocated in summer remained in Dachigam National Park due to availability of surplus food resources. Thus, the current management practices of translocating conflict bears, without taking into account spatio-temporal variability of food resources in Dachigam landscape seemed to be ineffective in mitigating conflicts on a long-term basis. However, the study highlighted the importance of molecular tracking of bears to understand their movement patterns and socio-biology in tough terrains like Dachigam landscape.}, } @article {pmid26250063, year = {2015}, author = {Higham, JP and Kraus, C and Stahl-Hennig, C and Engelhardt, A and Fuchs, D and Heistermann, M}, title = {Evaluating noninvasive markers of nonhuman primate immune activation and inflammation.}, journal = {American journal of physical anthropology}, volume = {158}, number = {4}, pages = {673-684}, doi = {10.1002/ajpa.22821}, pmid = {26250063}, issn = {1096-8644}, mesh = {Animals ; Biomarkers/*analysis ; C-Reactive Protein/analysis ; Feces/chemistry ; Female ; Inflammation ; Macaca mulatta/*immunology ; Male ; Neopterin/urine ; Simian Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/immunology ; }, abstract = {OBJECTIVES: Health, disease, and immune function are key areas of research in studies of ecology and evolution, but work on free-ranging primates has been inhibited by a lack of direct noninvasive measures of condition. Here, we evaluate the potential usefulness of noninvasive measurement of three biomarkers, the acute-phase proteins C-reactive protein (CRP) and haptoglobin, and neopterin, a by-product of macrophage activity.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: We took advantage of veterinary checks on captive rhesus (24) and long-tailed (3) macaques at the German Primate Center (DPZ) to analyze serum marker measures, before measuring concentrations in feces and urine, and evaluating relationships between matched serum, urine, and fecal concentrations. In a second study, we monitored excretion of these markers in response to simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection and surgical tissue trauma, undertaken for a separate study.

RESULTS: We found that each biomarker could be measured in each matrix. Serum and urinary concentrations of neopterin were strongly and significantly correlated, but neither haptoglobin nor CRP concentrations in excreta proxied circulating serum concentrations. Our infection study confirmed that urinary neopterin, in particular, is a reliable marker of viral infection in macaques, but also indicated the potential of urinary and fecal CRP and haptoglobin as indicators of inflammation.

DISCUSSION: We highlight the potential of noninvasive markers of immune function, especially of urinary neopterin, which correlates strongly with serum neopterin, and is highly responsive to infection.}, } @article {pmid26235675, year = {2015}, author = {Brockmeyer, T and Kappeler, PM and Willaume, E and Benoit, L and Mboumba, S and Charpentier, MJ}, title = {Social organization and space use of a wild mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx) group.}, journal = {American journal of primatology}, volume = {77}, number = {10}, pages = {1036-1048}, doi = {10.1002/ajp.22439}, pmid = {26235675}, issn = {1098-2345}, mesh = {*Animal Distribution ; Animals ; Entamoeba ; Female ; Gabon ; Homing Behavior ; Male ; Mandrillus/genetics/*parasitology/*physiology ; Nematoda ; Rain ; Reproduction ; *Social Behavior ; }, abstract = {Mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx) are enigmatic Old World primates whose social organization and ecology remain poorly known. Previous studies indicated, for example, that groups are composed of only adult females and their young or that several units composed of one adult male and several females make up larger permanent social units. Here, we present the first data on group composition and male ranging patterns from the only habituated wild mandrill group and examine how home range size and daily path length varied with environmental and demographic factors over a 15-month period. Our study site is located in southern Gabon where we followed the group on a daily basis, collecting data on presence, ranging, behavior, and parasite load of its individual members. Throughout the study, the group was made up of about 120 individuals, including several non-natal and natal adult and sub-adult males. One-male units were never observed. The mandrills traveled an estimated 0.44-6.50 km/day in a home range area of 866.7 ha. Exploratory analyses revealed that precipitation, the number of adult males present, and the richness of protozoan parasites were all positively correlated with daily path length. These results clarify the social system of mandrills and provide first insights into the factors that shape their ranging patterns.}, } @article {pmid26230643, year = {2015}, author = {Lichtenstein, L and Sommerlandt, FM and Spaethe, J}, title = {Dumb and Lazy? A Comparison of Color Learning and Memory Retrieval in Drones and Workers of the Buff-Tailed Bumblebee, Bombus terrestris, by Means of PER Conditioning.}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {10}, number = {7}, pages = {e0134248}, pmid = {26230643}, issn = {1932-6203}, mesh = {Animals ; *Color ; Hymenoptera/*physiology ; *Learning ; *Memory ; }, abstract = {More than 100 years ago, Karl von Frisch showed that honeybee workers learn and discriminate colors. Since then, many studies confirmed the color learning capabilities of females from various hymenopteran species. Yet, little is known about visual learning and memory in males despite the fact that in most bee species males must take care of their own needs and must find rewarding flowers to obtain food. Here we used the proboscis extension response (PER) paradigm to study the color learning capacities of workers and drones of the bumblebee, Bombus terrestris. Light stimuli were paired with sucrose reward delivered to the insects' antennae and inducing a reflexive extension of the proboscis. We evaluated color learning (i.e. conditioned PER to color stimuli) in absolute and differential conditioning protocols and mid-term memory retention was measured two hours after conditioning. Different monochromatic light stimuli in combination with neutral density filters were used to ensure that the bumblebees could only use chromatic and not achromatic (e.g. brightness) information. Furthermore, we tested if bees were able to transfer the learned information from the PER conditioning to a novel discrimination task in a Y-maze. Both workers and drones were capable of learning and discriminating between monochromatic light stimuli and retrieved the learned stimulus after two hours. Drones performed as well as workers during conditioning and in the memory test, but failed in the transfer test in contrast to workers. Our data clearly show that bumblebees can learn to associate a color stimulus with a sugar reward in PER conditioning and that both workers and drones reach similar acquisition and mid-term retention performances. Additionally, we provide evidence that only workers transfer the learned information from a Pavlovian to an operant situation.}, } @article {pmid26202778, year = {2015}, author = {Ruedenauer, FA and Spaethe, J and Leonhardt, SD}, title = {How to know which food is good for you: bumblebees use taste to discriminate between different concentrations of food differing in nutrient content.}, journal = {The Journal of experimental biology}, volume = {218}, number = {Pt 14}, pages = {2233-2240}, doi = {10.1242/jeb.118554}, pmid = {26202778}, issn = {1477-9145}, mesh = {Animals ; Arthropod Antennae/physiology ; Bees/*physiology ; Behavior, Animal/physiology ; Caseins ; Food Preferences/physiology ; Pollen ; Smell/physiology ; Taste/physiology ; Taste Perception/physiology ; }, abstract = {In view of the ongoing pollinator decline, the role of nutrition in bee health has received increasing attention. Bees obtain fat, carbohydrates and protein from pollen and nectar. As both excessive and deficient amounts of these macronutrients are detrimental, bees would benefit from assessing food quality to guarantee an optimal nutrient supply. While bees can detect sucrose and use it to assess nectar quality, it is unknown whether they can assess the macronutrient content of pollen. Previous studies have shown that bees preferentially collect pollen of higher protein content, suggesting that differences in pollen quality can be detected either by individual bees or via feedback from larvae. In this study, we examined whether and, if so, how individuals of the buff-tailed bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) discriminate between different concentrations of pollen and casein mixtures and thus nutrients. Bumblebees were trained using absolute and differential conditioning of the proboscis extension response (PER). As cues related to nutrient concentration could theoretically be perceived by either smell or taste, bees were tested on both olfactory and, for the first time, chemotactile perception. Using olfactory cues, bumblebees learned and discriminated between different pollen types and casein, but were unable to discriminate between different concentrations of these substances. However, when they touched the substances with their antennae, using chemotactile cues, they could also discriminate between different concentrations. Bumblebees are therefore able to discriminate between foods of different concentrations using contact chemosensory perception (taste). This ability may enable them to individually regulate the nutrient intake of their colonies.}, } @article {pmid26145506, year = {2015}, author = {Vieira, AS and Camargo-Mathias, MI and Roces, F}, title = {Comparative morpho-physiology of the metapleural glands of two Atta leaf-cutting ant queens nesting in clayish and organic soils.}, journal = {Arthropod structure & development}, volume = {44}, number = {5}, pages = {444-454}, doi = {10.1016/j.asd.2015.06.005}, pmid = {26145506}, issn = {1873-5495}, mesh = {Animals ; Ants/*anatomy & histology/physiology ; Ecosystem ; Exocrine Glands/anatomy & histology ; Microscopy, Confocal ; Species Specificity ; }, abstract = {Queens of leaf-cutting ants found their nests singly, each consisting of a vertical tunnel and a final horizontal chamber. Because of the claustral mode of nest founding, the queen and/or her initial fungus garden are exposed to threats imposed by several soil pathogens, and the antibiotic secretions produced by their metapleural glands are considered a main adaptation to deal with them. Nests of two Atta leaf-cutting ant species, Atta vollenweideri and Atta sexdens rubropilosa, occur in different soil types, alfisols and oxisols. Their queens are known to excavate the initial nest in different soil horizons, clayish and organic, respectively, which differ in their fertility and associated microbiota. The aim of the present study was to comparatively investigate the morpho-physiology of the metapleural glands in queens of A. vollenweideri and A. sexdens rubropilosa, addressing the question whether the distinct selective pressure imposed by the microbiota in the two different soil types led to morpho-physiological differences in the metapleural glands that were consistent with their antiseptic function. The results revealed that metapleural glands of A. sexdens rubropilosa have a larger number of secretory cells, and consequently a higher production of antibiotic secretions, which may have been selected to allow nest founding at the superficial horizon of oxisols rich in organic matter and microorganisms. Glands of A. vollenweideri, on the contrary, presented fewer secretory cells, suggesting less production of antibiotic secretions. We argue that the excavation of deep founding nests in A. vollenweideri was primarily selected for during evolution to avoid the risk posed by flooding, and further hypothesize that a reduced number of cells in their metapleural glands occurred because of a weak pathogen-driven selective pressure at the preferred soil depth.}, } @article {pmid26139329, year = {2015}, author = {Levréro, F and Carrete-Vega, G and Herbert, A and Lawabi, I and Courtiol, A and Willaume, E and Kappeler, PM and Charpentier, MJ}, title = {Social shaping of voices does not impair phenotype matching of kinship in mandrills.}, journal = {Nature communications}, volume = {6}, number = {}, pages = {7609}, pmid = {26139329}, issn = {2041-1723}, mesh = {*Acoustics ; Altruism ; Animals ; *Behavior, Animal ; Cooperative Behavior ; Gabon ; Mandrillus ; *Phenotype ; *Recognition, Psychology ; *Social Behavior ; Social Perception ; Vocalization, Animal/*physiology ; }, abstract = {Kin selection theory provides a strong theoretical framework to explain the evolution of altruism and cooperative behaviour among genetically related individuals. However, the proximate mechanisms underlying kin discrimination, a necessary process to express kin-related behaviour, remain poorly known. In particular, no study has yet unambiguously disentangled mechanisms based on learned familiarity from true phenotype matching in kin discrimination based on vocal signals. Here we show that in addition to genetic background, social accommodation also shapes individual voices in an Old World monkey (Mandrillus sphinx), even though primate vocalizations were thought to be innate and little flexible. Nonetheless, social shaping of voice parameters does not impair kin discrimination through phenotype-matching of unknown relatives, revealing unexpected discriminatory versatility despite signal complexity. Accurate signal production and perception, therefore, provide a basis for kin identification and kin-biased behaviour in an Old World primate.}, } @article {pmid26138802, year = {2016}, author = {Schmitt, F and Stieb, SM and Wehner, R and Rössler, W}, title = {Experience-related reorganization of giant synapses in the lateral complex: Potential role in plasticity of the sky-compass pathway in the desert ant Cataglyphis fortis.}, journal = {Developmental neurobiology}, volume = {76}, number = {4}, pages = {390-404}, doi = {10.1002/dneu.22322}, pmid = {26138802}, issn = {1932-846X}, mesh = {Aging/physiology/radiation effects ; Animals ; Ants/anatomy & histology/*physiology/radiation effects ; Appetitive Behavior/physiology/radiation effects ; Brain/anatomy & histology/physiology/radiation effects ; Compound Eye, Arthropod/anatomy & histology/physiology ; Learning/*physiology/radiation effects ; Microscopy, Electron ; Microscopy, Fluorescence ; Neuroanatomical Tract-Tracing Techniques ; Neuronal Plasticity/*physiology/radiation effects ; Photic Stimulation ; Social Behavior ; Spatial Navigation/*physiology ; Synapses/*physiology/radiation effects/ultrastructure ; *Ultraviolet Rays ; }, abstract = {Cataglyphis desert ants undergo an age-related polyethism from interior workers to relatively short-lived foragers with remarkable visual navigation capabilities, predominantly achieved by path integration using a polarized skylight-based sun compass and a stride-integrating odometer. Behavioral and physiological experiments revealed that the polarization (POL) pattern is processed via specialized UV-photoreceptors in the dorsal rim area of the compound eye and POL sensitive optic lobe neurons. Further information about the neuronal substrate for processing of POL information in the ant brain has remained elusive. This work focuses on the lateral complex (LX), known as an important relay station in the insect sky-compass pathway. Neuroanatomical results in Cataglyphis fortis show that LX giant synapses (GS) connect large presynaptic terminals from anterior optic tubercle neurons with postsynaptic GABAergic profiles of tangential neurons innervating the ellipsoid body of the central complex. At the ultrastructural level, the cup-shaped presynaptic structures comprise many active zones contacting numerous small postsynaptic profiles. Three-dimensional quantification demonstrated a significantly higher number of GS (∼ 13%) in foragers compared with interior workers. Light exposure, as opposed to age, was necessary and sufficient to trigger a similar increase in GS numbers. Furthermore, the increase in GS numbers was sensitive to the exclusion of UV light. As previous experiments have demonstrated the importance of the UV spectrum for sky-compass navigation in Cataglyphis, we conclude that plasticity in LX GS may reflect processes involved in the initial calibration of sky-compass neuronal circuits during orientation walks preceding active foraging.}, } @article {pmid26119092, year = {2015}, author = {Rode-Margono, EJ and Nekaris, KA and Kappeler, PM and Schwitzer, C}, title = {The largest relative testis size among primates and aseasonal reproduction in a nocturnal lemur, Mirza zaza.}, journal = {American journal of physical anthropology}, volume = {158}, number = {1}, pages = {165-169}, doi = {10.1002/ajpa.22773}, pmid = {26119092}, issn = {1096-8644}, mesh = {Animals ; Anthropology, Physical ; Body Size ; Cheirogaleidae/*physiology ; Madagascar ; Male ; Organ Size ; Seasons ; Sexual Behavior, Animal/*physiology ; Testis/*physiology ; }, abstract = {OBJECTIVES: Testis size is an indirect indicator of a species' mating system, along with sexual size and canine dimorphism, existence and usage of mating and advertisement calls as well as the spatial distribution of males and females ready to mate in solitary species. Upon its recent discovery, the northern giant mouse lemur Mirza zaza was suggested to have a polygynandrous mating system and to exhibit seasonal breeding. We tested these predictions in a field study in Sahamalaza National Park, NW Madagascar.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: We caught 12 M. zaza, before and during the suggested mating period and obtained standard field morphometric measurements, including testes size.

RESULTS: We show that M. zaza has the highest relative testis volume among primates, indicating strong sperm competition and polygynandrous mating. In addition, based on inferred age of captured animals, observed mating behavior, a female caught in met-estrus and data from captivity, we suggest M. zaza to be one of the few lemurs that breed aseasonally.

DISCUSSION: Future field work on this endangered species is required to illuminate the causes and consequences of intense promiscuity and aseasonal breeding despite strong habitat seasonality, which distinguish M. zaza from most other nocturnal lemurs.}, } @article {pmid26004266, year = {2015}, author = {Höcherl, N and Tautz, J}, title = {Thermoregulation of individual paper wasps (Polistes dominula) plays an important role in nest defence and dominance battles.}, journal = {Die Naturwissenschaften}, volume = {102}, number = {5-6}, pages = {32}, pmid = {26004266}, issn = {1432-1904}, mesh = {Animals ; Body Temperature ; *Body Temperature Regulation ; Escape Reaction/physiology ; Female ; Social Behavior ; *Social Dominance ; Stress, Physiological/physiology ; Wasps/*physiology ; }, abstract = {Paper wasps, like Polistes dominula, are considered as primitively eusocial. Hence, they are often used as model species for studies about the evolution of eusociality and dominance hierarchies. However, our knowledge about basic physiological processes in these wasps remains limited. In particular, the thermoregulation of individual wasps in their natural habitat has not yet been investigated in detail. We conducted a comprehensive field study to test their ability to respond to external hazards with elevated thorax temperatures. We presented artificial threats by applying smoke or carbon dioxide simulating fire and predator attacks, respectively, and monitored the thorax temperature of wasps on the nest using infrared thermography. We found that P. dominula workers recognized smoke and CO2 and reacted almost instantaneously and simultaneously with an increase of their thorax temperature. The maximal thorax temperature was reached about 65 s after the application of both stressors, but subsequently, the wasps showed a different behaviour pattern. No rise of the thorax temperature was detectable after an air blast was applied or in wasps resting on the nest. These observations provide evidence that P. dominula is able to heat up its thorax and that thermoregulation is employed in escape and defence reactions. Additionally, we investigated the thorax temperatures of queens during dominance battles. We found that the thorax temperature of the dominant queens rose up to 5 °C compared to that of subordinate queens that attacked the former, suggesting that the dominant queen defends herself as well as her nest.}, } @article {pmid25993983, year = {2015}, author = {Kulp, J and Heymann, EW}, title = {Ranging, activity budget, and diet composition of red titi monkeys (Callicebus cupreus) in primary forest and forest edge.}, journal = {Primates; journal of primatology}, volume = {56}, number = {3}, pages = {273-278}, pmid = {25993983}, issn = {1610-7365}, mesh = {Animals ; *Diet ; *Ecosystem ; Female ; *Homing Behavior ; Male ; *Motor Activity ; Peru ; Pitheciidae/*physiology ; }, abstract = {Deforestation and fragmentation of tropical rainforests are increasingly creating forest edges and corresponding edge effects. Furthermore, primary forest is increasingly being replaced by secondary forest. The presence of high population densities of titi monkeys in fragmented and secondary forests suggests that they are capable of adapting to such habitat alterations. The aim of our study was to examine the ability of the red titi monkey (Callicebus cupreus) to adapt to forest edges and secondary forest. We compared home-range use, activity budgets, and diet composition in two groups of monkeys: one in primary forest and the other in primary forest with a long edge bordering secondary forest. The latter group avoided the secondary forest and used the edge in proportion to its availability. Groups did not differ in activity budgets but did show slight differences in diet composition. Taken together, our results suggest that there are no major effects of forest edges and secondary forest on red titi monkeys; however, given the relatively short study period, generalizations should be avoided until more comparative data become available. Furthermore, the age or successional stage of the secondary forest must be taken into consideration when drawing conclusions about its suitability as a primate habitat.}, } @article {pmid25904854, year = {2015}, author = {Falibene, A and Roces, F and Rössler, W}, title = {Long-term avoidance memory formation is associated with a transient increase in mushroom body synaptic complexes in leaf-cutting ants.}, journal = {Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience}, volume = {9}, number = {}, pages = {84}, pmid = {25904854}, issn = {1662-5153}, abstract = {Long-term behavioral changes related to learning and experience have been shown to be associated with structural remodeling in the brain. Leaf-cutting ants learn to avoid previously preferred plants after they have proved harmful for their symbiotic fungus, a process that involves long-term olfactory memory. We studied the dynamics of brain microarchitectural changes after long-term olfactory memory formation following avoidance learning in Acromyrmex ambiguus. After performing experiments to control for possible neuronal changes related to age and body size, we quantified synaptic complexes (microglomeruli, MG) in olfactory regions of the mushroom bodies (MBs) at different times after learning. Long-term avoidance memory formation was associated with a transient change in MG densities. Two days after learning, MG density was higher than before learning. At days 4 and 15 after learning-when ants still showed plant avoidance-MG densities had decreased to the initial state. The structural reorganization of MG triggered by long-term avoidance memory formation clearly differed from changes promoted by pure exposure to and collection of novel plants with distinct odors. Sensory exposure by the simultaneous collection of several, instead of one, non-harmful plant species resulted in a decrease in MG densities in the olfactory lip. We hypothesize that while sensory exposure leads to MG pruning in the MB olfactory lip, the formation of long-term avoidance memory involves an initial growth of new MG followed by subsequent pruning.}, } @article {pmid25888023, year = {2015}, author = {Schäffler, L and Saborowski, J and Kappeler, PM}, title = {Agent-mediated spatial storage effect in heterogeneous habitat stabilizes competitive mouse lemur coexistence in Menabe Central, Western Madagascar.}, journal = {BMC ecology}, volume = {15}, number = {}, pages = {7}, pmid = {25888023}, issn = {1472-6785}, mesh = {*Animal Distribution ; Animals ; Cheirogaleidae/classification/*physiology ; Competitive Behavior ; *Ecosystem ; Madagascar ; Models, Biological ; Population Dynamics ; Seasons ; Spatio-Temporal Analysis ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Spatio-temporal distribution patterns of species in response to natural and anthropogenic drivers provide insight into the ecological processes that determine community composition. We investigated determinants of ecological structure in a species assemblage of 4 closely related primate species of the family Cheirogaleidae (Microcebus berthae, Microcebus murinus, Cheirogaleus medius, Mirza coquereli) in western Madagascar by extensive line transect surveys across spatial and temporal heterogeneities with the specific goal of elucidating the mechanisms stabilizing competitive coexistence of the two mouse lemur species (Microcebus spp.).

RESULTS: Interspecific competition between the mouse lemurs was indicated by negative spatial associations in degraded habitat and by habitat partitioning along anthropogenic disturbance gradients during dry seasons with resource scarcity. In non-degraded habitat, intraguild predator M. coquereli, but not C. medius, was negatively associated with M. murinus on the population level, whereas its regional distribution overlapped spatially with that of M. berthae. The species' interspecific distribution pattern across spatial and temporal heterogeneities corresponded to predictions for agent-mediated coexistence and thus confirmed M. coquereli's stabilizing impact on the coexistence of mouse lemurs.

CONCLUSIONS: Interspecific interactions contribute to ecological structure in this cheirogaleid assemblage and determinants vary across spatio-temporal heterogeneities. Coexistence of Microcebus spp. is stabilized by an agent-mediated spatial storage effect: M. coquereli creates refuges from competition for M. berthae in intact habitat, whereas anthropogenic environments provide M. murinus with an escape from resource competition and intraguild predation. Species persistence in the assemblage therefore depends on the conservation of habitat content and context that stabilizing mechanisms rely on. Our large-scale population level approach did not allow for considering all potential functional and stochastic drivers of ecological structure, a key limitation that accounts for the large proportion of unexplained variance in our models.}, } @article {pmid25870402, year = {2015}, author = {Kappeler, PM and Cremer, S and Nunn, CL}, title = {Sociality and health: impacts of sociality on disease susceptibility and transmission in animal and human societies.}, journal = {Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences}, volume = {370}, number = {1669}, pages = {}, pmid = {25870402}, issn = {1471-2970}, mesh = {Animals ; Behavior, Animal ; Biological Evolution ; Communicable Diseases/etiology/transmission ; *Disease Susceptibility ; Genetic Fitness ; Humans ; Models, Biological ; *Social Behavior ; }, abstract = {This paper introduces a theme issue presenting the latest developments in research on the impacts of sociality on health and fitness. The articles that follow cover research on societies ranging from insects to humans. Variation in measures of fitness (i.e. survival and reproduction) has been linked to various aspects of sociality in humans and animals alike, and variability in individual health and condition has been recognized as a key mediator of these relationships. Viewed from a broad evolutionary perspective, the evolutionary transitions from a solitary lifestyle to group living have resulted in several new health-related costs and benefits of sociality. Social transmission of parasites within groups represents a major cost of group living, but some behavioural mechanisms, such as grooming, have evolved repeatedly to reduce this cost. Group living also has created novel costs in terms of altered susceptibility to infectious and non-infectious disease as a result of the unavoidable physiological consequences of social competition and integration, which are partly alleviated by social buffering in some vertebrates. Here, we define the relevant aspects of sociality, summarize their health-related costs and benefits, and discuss possible fitness measures in different study systems. Given the pervasive effects of social factors on health and fitness, we propose a synthesis of existing conceptual approaches in disease ecology, ecological immunology and behavioural neurosciences by adding sociality as a key factor, with the goal to generate a broader framework for organismal integration of health-related research.}, } @article {pmid25870401, year = {2015}, author = {Nunn, CL and Craft, ME and Gillespie, TR and Schaller, M and Kappeler, PM}, title = {The sociality-health-fitness nexus: synthesis, conclusions and future directions.}, journal = {Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences}, volume = {370}, number = {1669}, pages = {}, pmid = {25870401}, issn = {1471-2970}, mesh = {Animals ; Biological Evolution ; Communicable Diseases/etiology ; Disease Susceptibility ; Female ; Genetic Fitness ; Health Status ; Host-Parasite Interactions ; Humans ; Male ; Models, Biological ; Sex Preselection ; Sexually Transmitted Diseases/etiology ; *Social Behavior ; }, abstract = {This theme issue has highlighted the links between sociality, health and fitness in a broad range of organisms, and with approaches that include field and captive studies of animals, comparative and meta-analyses, theoretical modelling and clinical and psychological studies of humans. In this concluding chapter, we synthesize the results of these diverse studies into some of the key concepts discussed in this issue, focusing on risks of infectious disease through social contact, the effects of competition in groups on susceptibility to disease, and the integration of sociality into research on life-history trade-offs. Interestingly, the studies in this issue both support pre-existing hypotheses, and in other ways challenge those hypotheses. We focus on unexpected results, including a lack of association between ectoparasites and fitness and weak results from a meta-analysis of the links between dominance rank and immune function, and place these results in a broader context. We also review relevant topics that were not covered fully in this theme issue, including self-medication and sickness behaviours, society-level defences against infectious disease, sexual selection, evolutionary medicine, implications for conservation biology and selective pressures on parasite traits. We conclude by identifying general open questions to stimulate and guide future research on the links between sociality, health and fitness.}, } @article {pmid25870396, year = {2015}, author = {Rimbach, R and Bisanzio, D and Galvis, N and Link, A and Di Fiore, A and Gillespie, TR}, title = {Brown spider monkeys (Ateles hybridus): a model for differentiating the role of social networks and physical contact on parasite transmission dynamics.}, journal = {Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences}, volume = {370}, number = {1669}, pages = {}, pmid = {25870396}, issn = {1471-2970}, mesh = {Animals ; Atelinae/*parasitology/physiology/*psychology ; Behavior, Animal ; Contact Tracing/methods/veterinary ; Female ; Male ; Models, Biological ; Monkey Diseases/parasitology/*transmission ; Parasitic Diseases, Animal/parasitology/*transmission ; *Social Behavior ; }, abstract = {Elevated risk of disease transmission is considered a major cost of sociality, although empirical evidence supporting this idea remains scant. Variation in spatial cohesion and the occurrence of social interactions may have profound implications for patterns of interindividual parasite transmission. We used a social network approach to shed light on the importance of different aspects of group-living (i.e. within-group associations versus physical contact) on patterns of parasitism in a neotropical primate, the brown spider monkey (Ateles hybridus), which exhibits a high degree of fission-fusion subgrouping. We used daily subgroup composition records to create a 'proximity' network, and built a separate 'contact' network using social interactions involving physical contact. In the proximity network, connectivity between individuals was homogeneous, whereas the contact network highlighted high between-individual variation in the extent to which animals had physical contact with others, which correlated with an individual's age and sex. The gastrointestinal parasite species richness of highly connected individuals was greater than that of less connected individuals in the contact network, but not in the proximity network. Our findings suggest that among brown spider monkeys, physical contact impacts the spread of several common parasites and supports the idea that pathogen transmission is one cost associated with social contact.}, } @article {pmid25847061, year = {2015}, author = {Hämäläinen, A and Heistermann, M and Kraus, C}, title = {The stress of growing old: sex- and season-specific effects of age on allostatic load in wild grey mouse lemurs.}, journal = {Oecologia}, volume = {178}, number = {4}, pages = {1063-1075}, pmid = {25847061}, issn = {1432-1939}, mesh = {*Aging ; *Allostasis ; Animals ; Animals, Wild ; Body Weight ; *Cheirogaleidae ; Feces/chemistry ; Female ; Glucocorticoids/*metabolism ; Humans ; Male ; Mice ; Reproduction ; *Seasons ; Sex Factors ; *Stress, Physiological ; }, abstract = {Chronic stress [i.e. long-term elevation of glucocorticoid (GC) levels] and aging have similar, negative effects on the functioning of an organism. Aged individuals' declining ability to regulate GC levels may therefore impair their ability to cope with stress, as found in humans. The coping of aged animals with long-term natural stressors is virtually unstudied, even though the ability to respond appropriately to stressors is likely integral to the reproduction and survival of wild animals. To assess the effect of age on coping with naturally fluctuating energetic demands, we measured stress hormone output via GC metabolites in faecal samples (fGCM) of wild grey mouse lemurs (Microcebus murinus) in different ecological seasons. Aged individuals were expected to exhibit elevated fGCM levels under energetically demanding conditions. In line with this prediction, we found a positive age effect in the dry season, when food and water availability are low and mating takes place, suggesting impaired coping of aged wild animals. The age effect was significantly stronger in females, the longer-lived sex. Body mass of males but not females correlated positively with fGCM in the dry season. Age or body mass did not influence fGCM significantly in the rainy season. The sex- and season-specific predictors of fGCM may reflect the differential investment of males and females into reproduction and longevity. A review of prior research indicates contradictory aging patterns in GC regulation across and even within species. The context of sampling may influence the likelihood of detecting senescent declines in GC functioning.}, } @article {pmid25843974, year = {2015}, author = {Schlomer, GL and Fosco, GM and Cleveland, HH and Vandenbergh, DJ and Feinberg, ME}, title = {Interparental Relationship Sensitivity Leads to Adolescent Internalizing Problems: Different Genotypes, Different Pathways.}, journal = {Journal of marriage and the family}, volume = {77}, number = {2}, pages = {329-343}, pmid = {25843974}, issn = {0022-2445}, support = {R01 DA013709/DA/NIDA NIH HHS/United States ; R01 DA030389/DA/NIDA NIH HHS/United States ; }, abstract = {Several studies have established that child interparental conflict evaluations link parent relationship functioning and adolescent adjustment. Using differential susceptibility theory and its vantage sensitivity complement as their framework, the authors examined differences between adolescents who vary in the DRD4 7 repeat genotype (i.e. 7+ vs. 7-) in how both interparental conflict and positivity affect adolescents' evaluations of interparental conflict (i.e., threat appraisals) and how these evaluations affect internalizing problems. Results from longitudinal multiple-group path models using PROSPER data (N = 452) supported the hypothesis that threat appraisals for 7+ adolescents would be more affected by perceptions of interparental positivity compared to 7- adolescents; however, threat appraisals for 7+ adolescents were also less affected by interparental conflict. Among 7- adolescents, interparental conflict perceptions were associated with higher threat appraisals, and no association was found for perceptions of positivity. For adolescents of both genotypes, higher threat was associated with greater internalizing problems.}, } @article {pmid25823704, year = {2015}, author = {Montoya, LA and Montoya, I and Sánchez González, OD}, title = {Lessons from collaborative governance and sociobiology theories for reinforcing sustained cooperation: a government food security case study.}, journal = {Public health}, volume = {129}, number = {7}, pages = {916-931}, doi = {10.1016/j.puhe.2015.01.030}, pmid = {25823704}, issn = {1476-5616}, mesh = {Colombia ; *Cooperative Behavior ; Federal Government ; *Food Supply ; Government ; Government Agencies/*organization & administration ; Humans ; *Interinstitutional Relations ; Program Evaluation ; Research ; Sociobiology ; }, abstract = {OBJECTIVES: This research aimed to understand how cooperation and collaboration work in interagency arrangements using a case study of the public management of food security and nutrition in Bogotá, Colombia.

STUDY DESIGN: This study explored the available scientific literature on Collaborative Governance within the Public Management body of knowledge and the literature on Cooperation from the Sociobiology field. Then, proposals were developed for testing on the ground through an action-research effort that was documented as a case study. Finally, observations were used to test the proposals and some analytical generalizations were developed.

METHODS: To document the case study, several personal interviews, file reviews and normative reviews were conducted to generate a case study database.

RESULTS: Collaboration and cooperation concepts within the framework of interagency public management can be understood as a shared desirable outcome that unites different agencies in committing efforts and resources to the accomplishment of a common goal for society, as seen in obtaining food and nutrition security for a specific territory. Collaboration emerges when the following conditions exist and decreases when they are absent: (1) a strong sponsorship that may come from a central government policy or from a distributed interagency consensus; (2) a clear definition of the participating agencies; (3) stability of the staff assigned to the coordination system; and (4) a fitness function for the staff, some mechanism to reward or punish the collaboration level of each individual in the interagency effort.

CONCLUSIONS: As this research investigated only one case study, the findings must be taken with care and any generalization made from this study needs to be analytical in nature. Additionally, research must be done to accept these results universally. Food security and nutrition efforts are interagency in nature. For collaboration between agencies to emerge, a minimum set of characteristics that were established during the merging of the public management and sociobiology fields of knowledge and validated by means of a case study must be accomplished.}, } @article {pmid25821456, year = {2015}, author = {Scharf, ME}, title = {Omic research in termites: an overview and a roadmap.}, journal = {Frontiers in genetics}, volume = {6}, number = {}, pages = {76}, pmid = {25821456}, issn = {1664-8021}, abstract = {Many recent breakthroughs in our understanding of termite biology have been facilitated by "omics" research. Omic science seeks to collectively catalog, quantify, and characterize pools of biological molecules that translate into structure, function, and life processes of an organism. Biological molecules in this context include genomic DNA, messenger RNA, proteins, and other biochemicals. Other permutations of omics that apply to termites include sociogenomics, which seeks to define social life in molecular terms (e.g., behavior, sociality, physiology, symbiosis, etc.) and digestomics, which seeks to define the collective pool of host and symbiont genes that collaborate to achieve high-efficiency lignocellulose digestion in the termite gut. This review covers a wide spectrum of termite omic studies from the past 15 years. Topics covered include a summary of terminology, the various kinds of omic efforts that have been undertaken, what has been revealed, and to a degree, what the results mean. Although recent omic efforts have contributed to a better understanding of many facets of termite and symbiont biology, and have created important new resources for many species, significant knowledge gaps still remain. Crossing these gaps can best be done by applying new omic resources within multi-dimensional (i.e., functional, translational, and applied) research programs.}, } @article {pmid25784170, year = {2015}, author = {Muenz, TS and Groh, C and Maisonnasse, A and Le Conte, Y and Plettner, E and Rössler, W}, title = {Neuronal plasticity in the mushroom body calyx during adult maturation in the honeybee and possible pheromonal influences.}, journal = {Developmental neurobiology}, volume = {75}, number = {12}, pages = {1368-1384}, doi = {10.1002/dneu.22290}, pmid = {25784170}, issn = {1932-846X}, mesh = {Animals ; Bees/anatomy & histology/*growth & development/*physiology ; Cohort Studies ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted ; Imaging, Three-Dimensional ; Microscopy, Confocal ; Mushroom Bodies/anatomy & histology/*growth & development/*physiology ; Neuroanatomical Tract-Tracing Techniques ; Neuronal Plasticity/*physiology ; Neurons/cytology/physiology ; Oleic Acids/*metabolism ; Organ Size ; Pheromones/metabolism ; Social Behavior ; }, abstract = {Honeybee workers express a pronounced age-dependent polyethism switching from various indoor duties to foraging outside the hive. This transition is accompanied by tremendous changes in the sensory environment that sensory systems and higher brain centers have to cope with. Foraging and age have earlier been shown to be associated with volume changes in the mushroom bodies (MBs). Using age- and task-controlled bees this study provides a detailed framework of neuronal maturation processes in the MB calyx during the course of natural behavioral maturation. We show that the MB calyx volume already increases during the first week of adult life. This process is mainly driven by broadening of the Kenyon cell dendritic branching pattern and then followed by pruning of projection neuron axonal boutons during the actual transition from indoor to outdoor duties. To further investigate the flexible regulation of division of labor and its neuronal correlates in a honeybee colony, we studied the modulation of the nurse-forager transition via a chemical communication system, the primer pheromone ethyl oleate (EO). EO is found at high concentrations on foragers in contrast to nurse bees and was shown to delay the onset of foraging. In this study, EO effects on colony behavior were not as robust as expected, and we found no direct correlation between EO treatment and synaptic maturation in the MB calyx. In general, we assume that the primer pheromone EO rather acts in concert with other factors influencing the onset of foraging with its effect being highly adaptive.}, } @article {pmid25752925, year = {2015}, author = {Ellison, PT}, title = {Obituary: Irven DeVore 1934-2014.}, journal = {American journal of physical anthropology}, volume = {156}, number = {4}, pages = {493-494}, doi = {10.1002/ajpa.22737}, pmid = {25752925}, issn = {1096-8644}, mesh = {*Anthropology ; Humans ; Male ; *Sociobiology ; United States ; }, } @article {pmid25750717, year = {2015}, author = {Bulbert, MW and O'Hanlon, JC and Zappettini, S and Zhang, S and Li, D}, title = {Sexually selected UV signals in the tropical ornate jumping spider, Cosmophasis umbratica may incur costs from predation.}, journal = {Ecology and evolution}, volume = {5}, number = {4}, pages = {914-920}, pmid = {25750717}, issn = {2045-7758}, abstract = {Sexually selected ornaments and signals are costly to maintain if they are maladaptive in nonreproductive contexts. The jumping spider Cosmophasis umbratica exhibits distinct sexual dichromatism with males displaying elaborate UV body markings that signal male quality. Female C. umbratica respond favorably to UV-reflecting males and ignore males that have their UV masked. However, Portia labiata, a UV-sensitive spider-eating specialist and a natural predator of C. umbratica, is known to use UV reflectance as a cue when hunting prey. We investigated the cost of these UV signals in C. umbratica in terms of their predation risk. Under experimental conditions, three choice scenarios were presented to P. labiata individuals. Choices by P. labiata were made between male C. umbratica with and without the UV signal; a UV-reflecting male and non-UV-reflecting female; and a UV-masked male and female. The presence and absence of UV signals was manipulated using an optical filter. Portia labiata exhibited a strong bias toward UV+ individuals. These results suggest the sexually selected trait of UV reflectance increases the visibility of males to UV-sensitive predators. The extent of this male-specific UV signal then is potentially moderated by predation pressure. Interestingly though, P. labiata still preferred males to females irrespective of whether UV reflectance was present or not. This suggests P. labiata can switch cues when conditions to detect UV reflectance are not optimal.}, } @article {pmid25703804, year = {2015}, author = {Taylor, PD}, title = {Bugs and stress 'on top of genetics': can the way we are born affect our health?.}, journal = {Midwifery}, volume = {31}, number = {3}, pages = {341-344}, doi = {10.1016/j.midw.2015.01.008}, pmid = {25703804}, issn = {1532-3099}, support = {BB/H008845/1/BB_/Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council/United Kingdom ; }, mesh = {Abnormalities, Drug-Induced/*epidemiology ; *Delivery, Obstetric ; Female ; Humans ; *Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical ; Maternal-Fetal Exchange/*physiology ; *Natural Childbirth ; Pregnancy ; Sociobiology/*trends ; }, } @article {pmid25689924, year = {2015}, author = {Solé-Morata, N and Bertranpetit, J and Comas, D and Calafell, F}, title = {Y-chromosome diversity in Catalan surname samples: insights into surname origin and frequency.}, journal = {European journal of human genetics : EJHG}, volume = {23}, number = {11}, pages = {1549-1557}, pmid = {25689924}, issn = {1476-5438}, mesh = {Chromosomes, Human, Y ; *Genes, Y-Linked ; Genetics, Population ; *Genotype ; Haplotypes ; Humans ; Male ; *Names ; *Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Sociobiology ; Spain ; }, abstract = {The biological behavior of the Y chromosome, which is paternally inherited, implies that males sharing the same surname may also share a similar Y chromosome. However, socio-cultural factors, such as polyphyletism, non-paternity, adoption, or matrilineal surname transmission, may prevent the joint transmission of the surname and the Y chromosome. By genotyping 17 Y-STRs and 68 SNPs in ~2500 male samples that each carried one of the 50 selected Catalan surnames, we could determine sets of descendants of a common ancestor, the population of origin of the common ancestor, and the date when such a common ancestor lived. Haplotype diversity was positively correlated with surname frequency, that is, rarer surnames showed the strongest signals of coancestry. Introgression rates of Y chromosomes into a surname by non-paternity, adoption, and transmission of the maternal surname were estimated at 1.5-2.6% per generation, with some local variation. Average ages for the founders of the surnames were estimated at ~500 years, suggesting a delay between the origin of surnames (twelfth and thirteenth centuries) and the systematization of their paternal transmission. We have found that, in general, a foreign etymology for a surname does not often result in a non-indigenous origin of surname founders; however, bearers of some surnames with an Arabic etymology show an excess of North African haplotypes. Finally, we estimate that surname prediction from a Y-chromosome haplotype, which may have interesting forensic applications, has a ~60% sensitivity but a 17% false discovery rate.}, } @article {pmid25687548, year = {2015}, author = {Caniglia, G}, title = {Understanding Societies from Inside the Organisms. Leo Pardi's Work on Social Dominance in Polistes Wasps (1937-1952).}, journal = {Journal of the history of biology}, volume = {48}, number = {3}, pages = {455-486}, pmid = {25687548}, issn = {1573-0387}, mesh = {Animals ; Behavior, Animal ; Ethology/*history ; Female ; History, 20th Century ; Insecta ; Italy ; Male ; Social Dominance/*history ; Sociobiology/history ; United States ; *Wasps ; }, abstract = {Leo Pardi (1915-1990) was the initiator of ethological research in Italy. During more than 50 years of active scientific career, he gave groundbreaking contributions to the understanding of social life in insects, especially in Polistes wasps, an important model organism in sociobiology. In the 1940s, Pardi showed that Polistes societies are organized in a linear social hierarchy that relies on reproductive dominance and on the physiological and developmental mechanisms that regulate it, i.e. on the status of ovarian development of single wasps. Pardi's work set the stage for further research on the regulatory mechanisms governing social life in primitively eusocial organisms both in wasps and in other insect species. This article reconstructs Pardi's investigative pathway between 1937 and 1952 in the context of European ethology and American animal sociology. This reconstruction focuses on the development of Pardi's physiological approach and presents a new perspective on the interacting development of these two fields at the origins of our current understanding of animal social behavior.}, } @article {pmid25687337, year = {2015}, author = {Pechouskova, E and Dammhahn, M and Brameier, M and Fichtel, C and Kappeler, PM and Huchard, E}, title = {MHC class II variation in a rare and ecological specialist mouse lemur reveals lower allelic richness and contrasting selection patterns compared to a generalist and widespread sympatric congener.}, journal = {Immunogenetics}, volume = {67}, number = {4}, pages = {229-245}, pmid = {25687337}, issn = {1432-1211}, mesh = {Animals ; Base Sequence ; Cheirogaleidae/*genetics/*immunology ; HLA-DQ beta-Chains/*genetics ; HLA-DR beta-Chains/*genetics ; Madagascar ; Phylogeny ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Selection, Genetic ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Sequence Homology ; }, abstract = {The polymorphism of immunogenes of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) is thought to influence the functional plasticity of immune responses and, consequently, the fitness of populations facing heterogeneous pathogenic pressures. Here, we evaluated MHC variation (allelic richness and divergence) and patterns of selection acting on the two highly polymorphic MHC class II loci (DRB and DQB) in the endangered primate Madame Berthe's mouse lemur (Microcebus berthae). Using 454 pyrosequencing, we examined MHC variation in a total of 100 individuals sampled over 9 years in Kirindy Forest, Western Madagascar, and compared our findings with data obtained previously for its sympatric congener, the grey mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus). These species exhibit a contrasting ecology and demography that were expected to affect MHC variation and molecular signatures of selection. We found a lower allelic richness concordant with its low population density, but a similar level of allelic divergence and signals of historical selection in the rare feeding specialist M. berthae compared to the widespread generalist M. murinus. These findings suggest that demographic factors may exert a stronger influence than pathogen-driven selection on current levels of allelic richness in M. berthae. Despite a high sequence similarity between the two congeners, contrasting selection patterns detected at DQB suggest its potential functional divergence. This study represents a first step toward unravelling factors influencing the adaptive divergence of MHC genes between closely related but ecologically differentiated sympatric lemurs and opens new questions regarding potential functional discrepancy that would explain contrasting selection patterns detected at DQB.}, } @article {pmid25673157, year = {2015}, author = {Huebner, F and Fichtel, C}, title = {Innovation and behavioral flexibility in wild redfronted lemurs (Eulemur rufifrons).}, journal = {Animal cognition}, volume = {18}, number = {3}, pages = {777-787}, pmid = {25673157}, issn = {1435-9456}, mesh = {Animals ; *Behavior, Animal ; *Creativity ; Feeding Behavior ; Female ; Lemur/*physiology/psychology ; Madagascar ; Male ; *Problem Solving ; }, abstract = {Innovations and problem-solving abilities can provide animals with important ecological advantages as they allow individuals to deal with novel social and ecological challenges. Innovation is a solution to a novel problem or a novel solution to an old problem, with the latter being especially difficult. Finding a new solution to an old problem requires individuals to inhibit previously applied solutions to invent new strategies and to behave flexibly. We examined the role of experience on cognitive flexibility to innovate and to find new problem-solving solutions with an artificial feeding task in wild redfronted lemurs (Eulemur rufifrons). Four groups of lemurs were tested with feeding boxes, each offering three different techniques to extract food, with only one technique being available at a time. After the subjects learned a technique, this solution was no longer successful and subjects had to invent a new technique. For the first transition between task 1 and 2, subjects had to rely on their experience of the previous technique to solve task 2. For the second transition, subjects had to inhibit the previously learned technique to learn the new task 3. Tasks 1 and 2 were solved by most subjects, whereas task 3 was solved by only a few subjects. In this task, besides behavioral flexibility, especially persistence, i.e., constant trying, was important for individual success during innovation. Thus, wild strepsirrhine primates are able to innovate flexibly, suggesting a general ecological relevance of behavioral flexibility and persistence during innovation and problem solving across all primates.}, } @article {pmid25641051, year = {2015}, author = {Schmitt, F and Vanselow, JT and Schlosser, A and Kahnt, J and Rössler, W and Wegener, C}, title = {Neuropeptidomics of the carpenter ant Camponotus floridanus.}, journal = {Journal of proteome research}, volume = {14}, number = {3}, pages = {1504-1514}, doi = {10.1021/pr5011636}, pmid = {25641051}, issn = {1535-3907}, mesh = {Amino Acid Sequence ; Animals ; Ants/*metabolism ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Neuropeptides/chemistry/*metabolism ; *Proteomics ; }, abstract = {Ants show a rich behavioral repertoire and a highly complex organization, which have been attracting behavioral and sociobiological researchers for a long time. The neuronal underpinnings of ant behavior and social organization are, however, much less understood. Neuropeptides are key signals that orchestrate animal behavior and physiology, and it is thus feasible to assume that they play an important role also for the social constitution of ants. Despite the availability of different ant genomes and in silico prediction of ant neuropeptides, a comprehensive biochemical survey of the neuropeptidergic communication possibilities of ants is missing. We therefore combined different mass spectrometric methods to characterize the neuropeptidome of the adult carpenter ant Camponotus floridanus. We also characterized the local neuropeptide complement in different parts of the nervous and neuroendocrine system, including the antennal and optic lobes. Our analysis identifies 39 neuropeptides encoded by different prepropeptide genes, and in silico predicts new prepropeptide genes encoding CAPA peptides, CNMamide as well as homologues of the honey bee IDLSRFYGHFNT- and ITGQGNRIF-containing peptides. Our data provides basic information about the identity and localization of neuropeptides that is required to anatomically and functionally address the role and significance of neuropeptides in ant behavior and physiology.}, } @article {pmid25594921, year = {2015}, author = {Swenson, SA}, title = {'From Man to Bacteria': W.D. Hamilton, the theory of inclusive fitness, and the post-war social order.}, journal = {Studies in history and philosophy of biological and biomedical sciences}, volume = {49}, number = {}, pages = {45-54}, doi = {10.1016/j.shpsc.2014.12.001}, pmid = {25594921}, issn = {1879-2499}, mesh = {Bacteria/genetics ; *Biological Evolution ; *Genetic Fitness ; History, 20th Century ; Humans ; *Models, Genetic ; Plants/genetics ; *Selection, Genetic ; Social Conditions ; }, abstract = {W.D. Hamilton's theory of inclusive fitness aimed to define the evolved limits of altruism with mathematical precision. Although it was meant to apply universally, it has been almost irretrievably entwined with the particular case of social insects that featured in his famous 1964 papers. The assumption that social insects were central to Hamilton's early work contradicts material in his rich personal archive. In fact, careful study of Hamilton's notes, letters, diaries, and early essays indicates the extent to which he had humans in mind when he decided altruism was a topic worthy of biological inquiry. For this reason, this article reconsiders the role of extra-scientific factors in Hamilton's early theorizing. In doing so, it offers an alternative perspective as to why Hamilton saw self-sacrifice to be an important subject. Although the traditional narrative prioritizes his distaste for benefit-of-the-species explanations as a motivating factor behind his foundational work, I argue that greater attention ought to be given to Hamilton's hope that science could be used to address social ills. By reconsidering the meaning Hamilton intended inclusive fitness to have, we see that while he was no political ideologue, the socio-political relevance of his theory was nevertheless integral to its development.}, } @article {pmid25547876, year = {2014}, author = {Loope, KJ and Chien, C and Juhl, M}, title = {Colony size is linked to paternity frequency and paternity skew in yellowjacket wasps and hornets.}, journal = {BMC evolutionary biology}, volume = {14}, number = {}, pages = {277}, pmid = {25547876}, issn = {1471-2148}, mesh = {Animals ; Biological Evolution ; Female ; Genetic Variation ; Male ; Phylogeny ; Sexual Behavior, Animal ; Wasps/*classification/genetics/*physiology ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: The puzzle of the selective benefits of multiple mating and multiple paternity in social insects has been a major focus of research in evolutionary biology. We examine paternity in a clade of social insects, the vespine wasps (the yellowjackets and hornets), which contains species with high multiple paternity as well as species with single paternity. This group is particularly useful for comparative analyses given the wide interspecific variation in paternity traits despite similar sociobiology and ecology of the species in the genera Vespula, Dolichovespula and Vespa. We describe the paternity of 5 species of yellowjackets (Vespula spp.) and we perform a phylogenetically controlled comparative analysis of relatedness, paternity frequency, paternity skew, colony size, and nest site across 22 vespine taxa.

RESULTS: We found moderate multiple paternity in four small-colony Vespula rufa-group species (effective paternity 1.5 - 2.1), and higher multiple paternity in the large-colony Vespula flavopilosa (effective paternity ~3.1). Our comparative analysis shows that colony size, but not nest site, predicts average intracolony relatedness. Underlying this pattern, we found that greater colony size is associated with both higher paternity frequency and reduced paternity skew.

CONCLUSIONS: Our results support hypotheses focusing on the enhancement of genetic diversity in species with large colonies, and run counter to the hypothesis that multiple paternity is adaptively maintained due to sperm limitation associated with large colonies. We confirm the patterns observed in taxonomically widespread analyses by comparing closely related species of wasps with similar ecology, behavior and social organization. The vespine wasps may be a useful group for experimental investigation of the benefits of multiple paternity in the future.}, } @article {pmid25534964, year = {2014}, author = {Pasquaretta, C and Levé, M and Claidière, N and van de Waal, E and Whiten, A and MacIntosh, AJ and Pelé, M and Bergstrom, ML and Borgeaud, C and Brosnan, SF and Crofoot, MC and Fedigan, LM and Fichtel, C and Hopper, LM and Mareno, MC and Petit, O and Schnoell, AV and di Sorrentino, EP and Thierry, B and Tiddi, B and Sueur, C}, title = {Social networks in primates: smart and tolerant species have more efficient networks.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {4}, number = {}, pages = {7600}, pmid = {25534964}, issn = {2045-2322}, support = {U42 OD011197/OD/NIH HHS/United States ; OD-011197/OD/NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Behavior, Animal/*physiology ; Female ; Haplorhini ; Humans ; Lemur ; Male ; *Models, Biological ; *Social Behavior ; *Social Support ; }, abstract = {Network optimality has been described in genes, proteins and human communicative networks. In the latter, optimality leads to the efficient transmission of information with a minimum number of connections. Whilst studies show that differences in centrality exist in animal networks with central individuals having higher fitness, network efficiency has never been studied in animal groups. Here we studied 78 groups of primates (24 species). We found that group size and neocortex ratio were correlated with network efficiency. Centralisation (whether several individuals are central in the group) and modularity (how a group is clustered) had opposing effects on network efficiency, showing that tolerant species have more efficient networks. Such network properties affecting individual fitness could be shaped by natural selection. Our results are in accordance with the social brain and cultural intelligence hypotheses, which suggest that the importance of network efficiency and information flow through social learning relates to cognitive abilities.}, } @article {pmid25530660, year = {2014}, author = {Giraldo, YM and Traniello, JF}, title = {Worker senescence and the sociobiology of aging in ants.}, journal = {Behavioral ecology and sociobiology}, volume = {68}, number = {12}, pages = {1901-1919}, pmid = {25530660}, issn = {0340-5443}, support = {F31 AG041589/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States ; }, abstract = {Senescence, the decline in physiological and behavioral function with increasing age, has been the focus of significant theoretical and empirical research in a broad array of animal taxa. Preeminent among invertebrate social models of aging are ants, a diverse and ecologically dominant clade of eusocial insects characterized by reproductive and sterile phenotypes. In this review, we critically examine selection for worker lifespan in ants and discuss the relationship between functional senescence, longevity, task performance, and colony fitness. We did not find strong or consistent support for the hypothesis that demographic senescence in ants is programmed, or its corollary prediction that workers that do not experience extrinsic mortality die at an age approximating their lifespan in nature. We present seven hypotheses concerning how selection could favor extended worker lifespan through its positive relationship to colony size and predict that large colony size, under some conditions, should confer multiple and significant fitness advantages. Fitness benefits derived from long worker lifespan could be mediated by increased resource acquisition, efficient division of labor, accuracy of collective decision-making, enhanced allomaternal care and colony defense, lower infection risk, and decreased energetic costs of workforce maintenance. We suggest future avenues of research to examine the evolution of worker lifespan and its relationship to colony fitness, and conclude that an innovative fusion of sociobiology, senescence theory, and mechanistic studies of aging can improve our understanding of the adaptive nature of worker lifespan in ants.}, } @article {pmid25446501, year = {2015}, author = {Hämäläinen, A and Dammhahn, M and Aujard, F and Kraus, C}, title = {Losing grip: Senescent decline in physical strength in a small-bodied primate in captivity and in the wild.}, journal = {Experimental gerontology}, volume = {61}, number = {}, pages = {54-61}, doi = {10.1016/j.exger.2014.11.017}, pmid = {25446501}, issn = {1873-6815}, mesh = {Aging/*physiology ; Animals ; Cheirogaleidae/*physiology ; Female ; *Hand Strength ; Male ; Sarcopenia/etiology ; Sex Characteristics ; }, abstract = {Muscle strength reflects physical functioning, declines at old age and predicts health and survival in humans and laboratory animals. Age-associated muscle deterioration causes loss of strength and may impair fitness of wild animals. However, the effects of age and life-history characteristics on muscle strength in wild animals are unknown. We investigated environment- and sex-specific patterns of physical functioning by measuring grip strength in wild and captive gray mouse lemurs. We expected more pronounced strength senescence in captivity due to condition-dependent, extrinsic mortality found in nature. Males were predicted to be stronger but potentially experience more severe senescence than females as predicted by life history theory. We found similar senescent declines in captive males and females as well as wild females, whereas wild males showed little decline, presumably due to their early mortality. Captive animals were generally weaker and showed earlier declines than wild animals. Unexpectedly, females tended to be stronger than males, especially in the reproductive season. Universal intrinsic mechanisms (e.g. sarcopenia) likely cause the similar patterns of strength loss across settings. The female advantage in muscle strength merits further study; it may follow higher reproductive investment by males, or be an adaptation associated with female social dominance.}, } @article {pmid25395720, year = {2014}, author = {Dröscher, I and Kappeler, PM}, title = {Maintenance of familiarity and social bonding via communal latrine use in a solitary primate (Lepilemur leucopus).}, journal = {Behavioral ecology and sociobiology}, volume = {68}, number = {12}, pages = {2043-2058}, pmid = {25395720}, issn = {0340-5443}, abstract = {Latrine use (i.e., the repeated use of specific defecation/urination sites) has been described for several mammals, including carnivores, ungulates, and primates. However, the functional significance of latrine use in primates has not been studied systematically yet. We, therefore, followed 14 radio-collared individuals of the pair-living white-footed sportive lemur (Lepilemur leucopus) for 1097 hours of continuous focal observations to investigate latrine distribution, seasonality of latrine use, as well as age and sex of users to test various hypotheses related to possible functions of latrine use, including territory demarcation, resource defense, signaling of reproductive state, social bonding, and mate defense. All individuals of a social unit exhibited communal use of latrines located in the core area of their territory, supporting the social boding hypothesis. Latrine use seems to facilitate familiarity and social bonding within social units via olfactory communication in this primate that lives in family units but exhibits low levels of spatial cohesion and direct social interactions. In addition, frequency of latrine visitation was higher during nights of perceived intruder pressure, supporting the mate defense hypothesis. However, animals did not react to experimentally introduced feces from neighboring or strange social units, indicating that urine may be the more important component of latrines than feces in this arboreal species. Based on a survey of latrine use and function in other mammals, we conclude that latrines facilitate communication particularly in nocturnal species with limited habitat visibility and in species where individuals are not permanently cohesive because they constitute predictable areas for information exchange.}, } @article {pmid25392401, year = {2015}, author = {Masi, E and Ciszak, M and Santopolo, L and Frascella, A and Giovannetti, L and Marchi, E and Viti, C and Mancuso, S}, title = {Electrical spiking in bacterial biofilms.}, journal = {Journal of the Royal Society, Interface}, volume = {12}, number = {102}, pages = {20141036}, pmid = {25392401}, issn = {1742-5662}, mesh = {Action Potentials ; Bacillus ; Bacteria/*metabolism ; Bacterial Physiological Phenomena ; *Biofilms ; Electrochemistry/*instrumentation/methods ; Electrodes ; Escherichia coli ; Microarray Analysis ; Polymers/chemistry ; Pseudomonas ; Signal Transduction ; Temperature ; }, abstract = {In nature, biofilms are the most common form of bacterial growth. In biofilms, bacteria display coordinated behaviour to perform specific functions. Here, we investigated electrical signalling as a possible driver in biofilm sociobiology. Using a multi-electrode array system that enables high spatio-temporal resolution, we studied the electrical activity in two biofilm-forming strains and one non-biofilm-forming strain. The action potential rates monitored during biofilm-forming bacterial growth exhibited a one-peak maximum with a long tail, corresponding to the highest biofilm development. This peak was not observed for the non-biofilm-forming strain, demonstrating that the intensity of the electrical activity was not linearly related to the bacterial density, but was instead correlated with biofilm formation. Results obtained indicate that the analysis of the spatio-temporal electrical activity of bacteria during biofilm formation can open a new frontier in the study of the emergence of collective microbial behaviour.}, } @article {pmid25353167, year = {2014}, author = {Zhang, R and Brennan, TJ and Lo, AW}, title = {Group selection as behavioral adaptation to systematic risk.}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {9}, number = {10}, pages = {e110848}, pmid = {25353167}, issn = {1932-6203}, mesh = {*Adaptation, Psychological ; Algorithms ; Biological Evolution ; Humans ; Selection, Genetic ; *Social Behavior ; }, abstract = {Despite many compelling applications in economics, sociobiology, and evolutionary psychology, group selection is still one of the most hotly contested ideas in evolutionary biology. Here we propose a simple evolutionary model of behavior and show that what appears to be group selection may, in fact, simply be the consequence of natural selection occurring in stochastic environments with reproductive risks that are correlated across individuals. Those individuals with highly correlated risks will appear to form "groups", even if their actions are, in fact, totally autonomous, mindless, and, prior to selection, uniformly randomly distributed in the population. This framework implies that a separate theory of group selection is not strictly necessary to explain observed phenomena such as altruism and cooperation. At the same time, it shows that the notion of group selection does captures a unique aspect of evolution-selection with correlated reproductive risk-that may be sufficiently widespread to warrant a separate term for the phenomenon.}, } @article {pmid25320175, year = {2014}, author = {Alvergne, A and Lummaa, V}, title = {Ecological variation in wealth-fertility relationships in Mongolia: the 'central theoretical problem of sociobiology' not a problem after all?.}, journal = {Proceedings. Biological sciences}, volume = {281}, number = {1796}, pages = {20141733}, pmid = {25320175}, issn = {1471-2954}, mesh = {Adult ; Age Factors ; Educational Status ; Family Characteristics ; Female ; *Fertility ; Humans ; Mongolia ; Population Dynamics ; Reproduction ; *Social Class ; Sociobiology ; Socioeconomic Factors ; }, abstract = {The negative wealth-fertility relationship brought about by market integration remains a puzzle to classic evolutionary models. Evolutionary ecologists have argued that this phenomenon results from both stronger trade-offs between reproductive and socioeconomic success in the highest social classes and the comparison of groups rather than individuals. Indeed, studies in contemporary low fertility settings have typically used aggregated samples that may mask positive wealth-fertility relationships. Furthermore, while much evidence attests to trade-offs between reproductive and socioeconomic success, few studies have explicitly tested the idea that such constraints are intensified by market integration. Using data from Mongolia, a post-socialist nation that underwent mass privatization, we examine wealth-fertility relationships over time and across a rural-urban gradient. Among post-reproductive women, reproductive fitness is the lowest in urban areas, but increases with wealth in all regions. After liberalization, a demographic-economic paradox emerges in urban areas: while educational attainment negatively impacts female fertility in all regions, education uniquely provides socioeconomic benefits in urban contexts. As market integration progresses, socio-economic returns to education increase and women who limit their reproduction to pursue education get wealthier. The results support the view that selection favoured mechanisms that respond to opportunities for status enhancement rather than fertility maximization.}, } @article {pmid25309366, year = {2014}, author = {Pamir, E and Szyszka, P and Scheiner, R and Nawrot, MP}, title = {Rapid learning dynamics in individual honeybees during classical conditioning.}, journal = {Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience}, volume = {8}, number = {}, pages = {313}, pmid = {25309366}, issn = {1662-5153}, abstract = {Associative learning in insects has been studied extensively by a multitude of classical conditioning protocols. However, so far little emphasis has been put on the dynamics of learning in individuals. The honeybee is a well-established animal model for learning and memory. We here studied associative learning as expressed in individual behavior based on a large collection of data on olfactory classical conditioning (25 datasets, 3298 animals). We show that the group-averaged learning curve and memory retention score confound three attributes of individual learning: the ability or inability to learn a given task, the generally fast acquisition of a conditioned response (CR) in learners, and the high stability of the CR during consecutive training and memory retention trials. We reassessed the prevailing view that more training results in better memory performance and found that 24 h memory retention can be indistinguishable after single-trial and multiple-trial conditioning in individuals. We explain how inter-individual differences in learning can be accommodated within the Rescorla-Wagner theory of associative learning. In both data-analysis and modeling we demonstrate how the conflict between population-level and single-animal perspectives on learning and memory can be disentangled.}, } @article {pmid25277227, year = {2014}, author = {Begossi, A}, title = {The river and the sea: fieldwork in human ecology and ethnobiology.}, journal = {Journal of ethnobiology and ethnomedicine}, volume = {10}, number = {}, pages = {70}, pmid = {25277227}, issn = {1746-4269}, mesh = {Biology ; *Ecology ; Ethnology ; Humans ; *Rivers ; }, abstract = {This article is a commentary on the experiences that motivated my decision to become a human ecologist and ethnobiologist. These experiences include the pleasure of studying and of having the sense of being within nature, as well as the curiosity towards understanding the world and minds of local people. In particular, such understanding could be driven by addressing the challenging questions that originate in the interactions of such individuals with their natural surroundings. I have been particularly interested in the sea and the riverine forests that are inhabited by coastal or riverine small-scale fishers. Sharing the distinctive world of these fishers enjoyably incited my curiosity and challenged me to understand why fishers and their families 'do as they do' for their livelihoods including their beliefs. This challenge involved understanding the rationality (or the arguments or views) that underlies the decisions these individuals make in their interaction with nature. This curiosity was fundamental to my career choice, as were a number of reading interests. These reading interests included political economy and philosophy; evolution and sociobiology; evolutionary, human, and cultural ecology; cultural transmission; fisheries; local knowledge; ecological economics; and, naturally, ethnobiology.}, } @article {pmid25261346, year = {2014}, author = {Kappeler, PM}, title = {Lemur behaviour informs the evolution of social monogamy.}, journal = {Trends in ecology & evolution}, volume = {29}, number = {11}, pages = {591-593}, doi = {10.1016/j.tree.2014.09.005}, pmid = {25261346}, issn = {1872-8383}, mesh = {Animals ; *Behavior, Animal ; Biological Evolution ; Female ; Lemur/*psychology ; Male ; Sexual Behavior, Animal ; *Social Behavior ; }, abstract = {Recent comparative analyses reached contradictory conclusions about the evolutionary origins of social monogamy in primates and other mammals, but they ignored variation in social bond quality between pair-partners. Recent field studies of Malagasy primates (lemurs) with variable intersexual bonds indicate independent evolutionary transitions to pair-living from solitary and group-living ancestors, respectively, as well as four cumulative steps in evolutionary transitions from a solitary life style to pair-living that resolve some contradictory results of previous studies.}, } @article {pmid25254109, year = {2014}, author = {Morawetz, L and Chittka, L and Spaethe, J}, title = {Strategies of the honeybee Apis mellifera during visual search for vertical targets presented at various heights: a role for spatial attention?.}, journal = {F1000Research}, volume = {3}, number = {}, pages = {174}, pmid = {25254109}, issn = {2046-1402}, abstract = {When honeybees are presented with a colour discrimination task, they tend to choose swiftly and accurately when objects are presented in the ventral part of their frontal visual field. In contrast, poor performance is observed when objects appear in the dorsal part. Here we investigate if this asymmetry is caused by fixed search patterns or if bees can use alternative search mechanisms such as spatial attention, which allows flexible focusing on different areas of the visual field. We asked individual honeybees to choose an orange rewarded target among blue distractors. Target and distractors were presented in the ventral visual field, the dorsal field or both. Bees presented with targets in the ventral visual field consistently had the highest search efficiency, with rapid decisions, high accuracy and direct flight paths. In contrast, search performance for dorsally located targets was inaccurate and slow at the beginning of the test phase, but bees increased their search performance significantly after a few learning trials: they found the target faster, made fewer errors and flew in a straight line towards the target. However, bees needed thrice as long to improve the search for a dorsally located target when the target's position changed randomly between the ventral and the dorsal visual field. We propose that honeybees form expectations of the location of the target's appearance and adapt their search strategy accordingly. Different possible mechanisms of this behavioural adaptation are discussed.}, } @article {pmid25232134, year = {2014}, author = {Helle, S and Brommer, JE and Pettay, JE and Lummaa, V and Enbuske, M and Jokela, J}, title = {Evolutionary demography of agricultural expansion in preindustrial northern Finland.}, journal = {Proceedings. Biological sciences}, volume = {281}, number = {1794}, pages = {20141559}, pmid = {25232134}, issn = {1471-2954}, mesh = {Agriculture/*history ; Animal Husbandry/*history ; Animals ; Anthropology, Cultural ; Birth Rate/ethnology ; Demography/*history ; Female ; Finland ; History, 17th Century ; History, 18th Century ; History, 19th Century ; Humans ; Male ; Maternal Mortality/ethnology ; Population Dynamics/*history ; Reindeer ; Sociobiology ; }, abstract = {A shift from nomadic foraging to sedentary agriculture was a major turning point in human evolutionary history, increasing our population size and eventually leading to the development of modern societies. We however lack understanding of the changes in life histories that contributed to the increased population growth rate of agriculturalists, because comparable individual-based reproductive records of sympatric populations of agriculturalists and foragers are rarely found. Here, we compared key life-history traits and population growth rate using comprehensive data from the seventieth to nineteenth century Northern Finland: indigenous Sami were nomadic hunter-fishers and reindeer herders, whereas sympatric agricultural Finns relied predominantly on animal husbandry. We found that agriculture-based families had higher lifetime fecundity, faster birth spacing and lower maternal mortality. Furthermore, agricultural Finns had 6.2% higher annual population growth rate than traditional Sami, which was accounted by differences between the subsistence modes in age-specific fecundity but not in mortality. Our results provide, to our knowledge, the most detailed demonstration yet of the demographic changes and evolutionary benefits that resulted from agricultural revolution.}, } @article {pmid25225362, year = {2014}, author = {Cai, CY and Thayer, MK and Engel, MS and Newton, AF and Ortega-Blanco, J and Wang, B and Wang, XD and Huang, DY}, title = {Early origin of parental care in Mesozoic carrion beetles.}, journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America}, volume = {111}, number = {39}, pages = {14170-14174}, pmid = {25225362}, issn = {1091-6490}, mesh = {Animals ; Biological Evolution ; China ; Coleoptera/anatomy & histology/growth & development/*physiology ; Feeding Behavior ; Female ; Food Chain ; Fossils ; History, Ancient ; Larva/growth & development ; Male ; Myanmar ; Social Behavior ; }, abstract = {The reconstruction and timing of the early stages of social evolution, such as parental care, in the fossil record is a challenge, as these behaviors often do not leave concrete traces. One of the intensely investigated examples of modern parental care are the modern burying beetles (Silphidae: Nicrophorus), a lineage that includes notable endangered species. Here we report diverse transitional silphids from the Mesozoic of China and Myanmar that provide insights into the origins of parental care. Jurassic silphids from Daohugou, sharing many defining characters of Nicrophorinae, primitively lack stridulatory files significant for parental care communications; although morphologically similar, Early Cretaceous nicrophorines from the Jehol biota possess such files, indicating that a system of parental care had evolved by this early date. More importantly, burying beetles of the genus Nicrophorus have their earliest first record in mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber, and document early evolution of elaborate biparental care and defense of small vertebrate carcasses for their larvae. Parental care in the Early Cretaceous may have originated from competition between silphids and their predators. The rise of the Cretaceous Nicrophorinae implies a biology similar to modern counterparts that typically feed on carcasses of small birds and mammals.}, } @article {pmid25159924, year = {2014}, author = {Ramallo, MR and Morandini, L and Alonso, F and Birba, A and Tubert, C and Fiszbein, A and Pandolfi, M}, title = {The endocrine regulation of cichlids social and reproductive behavior through the eyes of the chanchita, Cichlasoma dimerus (Percomorpha; Cichlidae).}, journal = {Journal of physiology, Paris}, volume = {108}, number = {2-3}, pages = {194-202}, doi = {10.1016/j.jphysparis.2014.08.004}, pmid = {25159924}, issn = {1769-7115}, mesh = {Aggression/physiology ; Animals ; Cichlids/*physiology ; Endocrine System/*physiology ; Female ; Hormones/*physiology ; Male ; Photoperiod ; Sexual Behavior, Animal/*physiology ; *Social Behavior ; }, abstract = {Sociobiology, the study of social behavior, calls for a laboratory model with specific requirements. Among the most obvious is the execution of social interactions that need to be readily observable, quantifiable and analyzable. If, in turn, one focuses on the neuroendocrinological basis of social behavior, restrictions grow even tighter. A good laboratory model should then allow easy access to its neurological and endocrine components and processes. During the last years, we have been studying the physiological foundation of social behavior on what we believe fits all the aforementioned requirements: the so called "chanchita", Cichlasoma dimerus. This Neotropical cichlid fish exhibits biparental care of the eggs and larvae and presents a hierarchical social system, established and sustained through agonistic interactions. The aim of the current article is to review new evidence on chanchita's social and reproductive behavior.}, } @article {pmid25158760, year = {2014}, author = {Burkart, JM and Allon, O and Amici, F and Fichtel, C and Finkenwirth, C and Heschl, A and Huber, J and Isler, K and Kosonen, ZK and Martins, E and Meulman, EJ and Richiger, R and Rueth, K and Spillmann, B and Wiesendanger, S and van Schaik, CP}, title = {The evolutionary origin of human hyper-cooperation.}, journal = {Nature communications}, volume = {5}, number = {}, pages = {4747}, doi = {10.1038/ncomms5747}, pmid = {25158760}, issn = {2041-1723}, mesh = {Animals ; *Behavior, Animal ; *Biological Evolution ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; *Cooperative Behavior ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Motivation ; Nontherapeutic Human Experimentation ; *Primates/psychology ; }, abstract = {Proactive, that is, unsolicited, prosociality is a key component of our hyper-cooperation, which in turn has enabled the emergence of various uniquely human traits, including complex cognition, morality and cumulative culture and technology. However, the evolutionary foundation of the human prosocial sentiment remains poorly understood, largely because primate data from numerous, often incommensurable testing paradigms do not provide an adequate basis for formal tests of the various functional hypotheses. We therefore present the results of standardized prosociality experiments in 24 groups of 15 primate species, including humans. Extensive allomaternal care is by far the best predictor of interspecific variation in proactive prosociality. Proactive prosocial motivations therefore systematically arise whenever selection favours the evolution of cooperative breeding. Because the human data fit this general primate pattern, the adoption of cooperative breeding by our hominin ancestors also provides the most parsimonious explanation for the origin of human hyper-cooperation.}, } @article {pmid25141778, year = {2014}, author = {Rainey, PB and Desprat, N and Driscoll, WW and Zhang, XX}, title = {Microbes are not bound by sociobiology: response to Kümmerli and Ross-Gillespie (2013).}, journal = {Evolution; international journal of organic evolution}, volume = {68}, number = {11}, pages = {3344-3355}, doi = {10.1111/evo.12508}, pmid = {25141778}, issn = {1558-5646}, mesh = {*Biological Evolution ; Oligopeptides/*biosynthesis ; Pseudomonas/*genetics/*metabolism ; }, abstract = {In recent years, sociobiology has been extended to microorganisms. Viewed through this lens, the microbial world is replete with cooperative behaviors. However, little attention has been paid to alternate hypotheses, making many studies self-confirming. Somewhat apart is a recent analysis of pyoverdin production-a paradigmatic public good and social trait-by Pseudomonas, which has revealed discord between predictions arising from sociobiology and the biology of microbes. This led the authors, Zhang and Rainey (Z&R), to question the generality of the conclusion that pyoverdin is a social trait, and to question the fit between the sociobiology framework and microbiology. This has unsettled Kümmerli and Ross-Gillespie (K&R), who in a recent "Technical Comment" assert that arguments presented by Z&R are flawed, their experiments technically mistaken, and their understanding of social evolution theory naive. We demonstrate these claims to be without substance and show the conclusions of K&R to be based on a lack of understanding of redox chemistry and on misinterpretation of data. We also point to evidence of cherry-picking and raise the possibility of confirmation bias. Finally, we emphasize that the sociobiology framework applied to microbes is a hypothesis that requires rigorous and careful appraisal.}, } @article {pmid25128348, year = {2014}, author = {Dahlen, HG and Downe, S and Kennedy, HP and Foureur, M}, title = {Is society being reshaped on a microbiological and epigenetic level by the way women give birth?.}, journal = {Midwifery}, volume = {30}, number = {12}, pages = {1149-1151}, doi = {10.1016/j.midw.2014.07.007}, pmid = {25128348}, issn = {1532-3099}, mesh = {Abnormalities, Drug-Induced/*epidemiology ; Biological Evolution ; *Delivery, Obstetric/adverse effects/methods/trends ; Epigenesis, Genetic/physiology ; Female ; Forecasting ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; *Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical ; Maternal-Fetal Exchange/*physiology ; *Natural Childbirth ; Pregnancy ; Sociobiology/*trends ; }, } @article {pmid25114217, year = {2014}, author = {Wilson, EO and Nowak, MA}, title = {Natural selection drives the evolution of ant life cycles.}, journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America}, volume = {111}, number = {35}, pages = {12585-12590}, pmid = {25114217}, issn = {1091-6490}, mesh = {Animals ; Ants/*genetics ; *Biological Evolution ; Female ; Genetic Fitness ; Male ; *Selection, Genetic ; *Sexual Behavior, Animal ; Social Behavior ; *Sociobiology ; }, abstract = {The genetic origin of advanced social organization has long been one of the outstanding problems of evolutionary biology. Here we present an analysis of the major steps in ant evolution, based for the first time, to our knowledge, on combined recent advances in paleontology, phylogeny, and the study of contemporary life histories. We provide evidence of the causal forces of natural selection shaping several key phenomena: (i) the relative lateness and rarity in geological time of the emergence of eusociality in ants and other animal phylads; (ii) the prevalence of monogamy at the time of evolutionary origin; and (iii) the female-biased sex allocation observed in many ant species. We argue that a clear understanding of the evolution of social insects can emerge if, in addition to relatedness-based arguments, we take into account key factors of natural history and study how natural selection acts on alleles that modify social behavior.}, } @article {pmid25102586, year = {2014}, author = {Louryan, S}, title = {["Human races": history of a dangerous illusion].}, journal = {Revue medicale de Bruxelles}, volume = {35}, number = {3}, pages = {179-183}, pmid = {25102586}, issn = {0035-3639}, mesh = {Ancient Lands ; Animals ; Anthropology/history ; Biological Evolution ; Civil Rights/history ; Europe ; France ; Germany ; Greece ; History, 15th Century ; History, 16th Century ; History, 17th Century ; History, 18th Century ; History, 19th Century ; History, 20th Century ; History, 21st Century ; History, Ancient ; History, Medieval ; Humans ; Natural History/history ; Psychology/history ; Racial Groups/*history ; Racism/*history ; Roman World ; Selection, Genetic ; Social Problems/history ; Sociobiology/history ; United Kingdom ; United States ; }, abstract = {The multiplication of offences prompted by racism and the increase of complaints for racism leads us to consider the illusory concept of "human races". This idea crossed the history, and was reinforced by the discovery of remote tribes and human fossils, and by the development of sociobiology and quantitative psychology. Deprived of scientific base, the theory of the "races" must bow before the notions of genetic variation and unicity of mankind.}, } @article {pmid25100693, year = {2014}, author = {Hämäläinen, A and Dammhahn, M and Aujard, F and Eberle, M and Hardy, I and Kappeler, PM and Perret, M and Schliehe-Diecks, S and Kraus, C}, title = {Senescence or selective disappearance? Age trajectories of body mass in wild and captive populations of a small-bodied primate.}, journal = {Proceedings. Biological sciences}, volume = {281}, number = {1791}, pages = {20140830}, pmid = {25100693}, issn = {1471-2954}, mesh = {*Aging ; Animals ; *Body Weight ; Cheirogaleidae/*physiology ; Female ; Longevity ; Male ; }, abstract = {Classic theories of ageing consider extrinsic mortality (EM) a major factor in shaping longevity and ageing, yet most studies of functional ageing focus on species with low EM. This bias may cause overestimation of the influence of senescent declines in performance over condition-dependent mortality on demographic processes across taxa. To simultaneously investigate the roles of functional senescence (FS) and intrinsic, extrinsic and condition-dependent mortality in a species with a high predation risk in nature, we compared age trajectories of body mass (BM) in wild and captive grey mouse lemurs (Microcebus murinus) using longitudinal data (853 individuals followed through adulthood). We found evidence of non-random mortality in both settings. In captivity, the oldest animals showed senescence in their ability to regain lost BM, whereas no evidence of FS was found in the wild. Overall, captive animals lived longer, but a reversed sex bias in lifespan was observed between wild and captive populations. We suggest that even moderately condition-dependent EM may lead to negligible FS in the wild. While high EM may act to reduce the average lifespan, this evolutionary process may be counteracted by the increased fitness of the long-lived, high-quality individuals.}, } @article {pmid25080029, year = {2014}, author = {Brill, MF and Reuter, M and Rössler, W and Strube-Bloss, MF}, title = {Simultaneous long-term recordings at two neuronal processing stages in behaving honeybees.}, journal = {Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE}, volume = {}, number = {89}, pages = {}, pmid = {25080029}, issn = {1940-087X}, mesh = {Animals ; Bees/anatomy & histology/*physiology ; Brain/physiology ; Electrodes, Implanted ; Electrophysiology/instrumentation/*methods ; Neurons/physiology ; Olfactory Pathways/physiology ; }, abstract = {In both mammals and insects neuronal information is processed in different higher and lower order brain centers. These centers are coupled via convergent and divergent anatomical connections including feed forward and feedback wiring. Furthermore, information of the same origin is partially sent via parallel pathways to different and sometimes into the same brain areas. To understand the evolutionary benefits as well as the computational advantages of these wiring strategies and especially their temporal dependencies on each other, it is necessary to have simultaneous access to single neurons of different tracts or neuropiles in the same preparation at high temporal resolution. Here we concentrate on honeybees by demonstrating a unique extracellular long term access to record multi unit activity at two subsequent neuropiles1, the antennal lobe (AL), the first olfactory processing stage and the mushroom body (MB), a higher order integration center involved in learning and memory formation, or two parallel neuronal tracts2 connecting the AL with the MB. The latter was chosen as an example and will be described in full. In the supporting video the construction and permanent insertion of flexible multi channel wire electrodes is demonstrated. Pairwise differential amplification of the micro wire electrode channels drastically reduces the noise and verifies that the source of the signal is closely related to the position of the electrode tip. The mechanical flexibility of the used wire electrodes allows stable invasive long term recordings over many hours up to days, which is a clear advantage compared to conventional extra and intracellular in vivo recording techniques.}, } @article {pmid25013103, year = {2014}, author = {Sasaki, T and Hölldobler, B and Millar, JG and Pratt, SC}, title = {A context-dependent alarm signal in the ant Temnothorax rugatulus.}, journal = {The Journal of experimental biology}, volume = {217}, number = {Pt 18}, pages = {3229-3236}, doi = {10.1242/jeb.106849}, pmid = {25013103}, issn = {1477-9145}, mesh = {Animals ; Ants/*physiology ; Behavior, Animal/*physiology ; Choice Behavior ; Female ; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry ; Pheromones/*physiology ; Pyrazines/*chemistry ; }, abstract = {Because collective cognition emerges from local signaling among group members, deciphering communication systems is crucial to understanding the underlying mechanisms. Alarm signals are widespread in the social insects and can elicit a variety of behavioral responses to danger, but the functional plasticity of these signals has not been well studied. Here we report an alarm pheromone in the ant Temnothorax rugatulus that elicits two different behaviors depending on context. When an ant was tethered inside an unfamiliar nest site and unable to move freely, she released a pheromone from her mandibular gland that signaled other ants to reject this nest as a potential new home, presumably to avoid potential danger. When the same pheromone was presented near the ants' home nest, they were instead attracted to it, presumably to respond to a threat to the colony. We used coupled gas chromatography/mass spectrometry to identify candidate compounds from the mandibular gland and tested each one in a nest choice bioassay. We found that 2,5-dimethylpyrazine was sufficient to induce rejection of a marked new nest and also to attract ants when released at the home nest. This is the first detailed investigation of chemical communication in the leptothoracine ants. We discuss the possibility that this pheromone's deterrent function can improve an emigrating colony's nest site selection performance.}, } @article {pmid24990454, year = {2015}, author = {Lepistö, A}, title = {Revisiting the left-wing response to sociobiology: the case of Finland in a European context.}, journal = {Journal of the history of biology}, volume = {48}, number = {1}, pages = {99-136}, pmid = {24990454}, issn = {0022-5010}, mesh = {Europe ; Finland ; History, 20th Century ; *Politics ; Sociobiology/*history ; }, abstract = {This article revisits the left-wing response to sociobiology in the 1970s and 1980s by examining the sociobiology debate in Finland in a larger European context. It argues that the Finnish academic left's response to sociobiology represents a "third way" alongside the purely negative, often Marxist denial of biology's relevance, which characterized the left's response to sociobiology in many European countries such as Hungary and Sweden, and alongside the disregard that sociobiology confronted in most parts of Eastern Europe, as well as in Germany. In the context of the last great political conflict of the Cold War in Europe, the controversy over the American "Euromissiles" (Pershing II and Tomahawk) in 1979-1983, the Finnish academic left challenged the allegedly fatalistic sociobiological aggression and war theories with an alternative biological language, turning the increasing enthusiasm over evolutionary ideas into a pacifist cause. Using leftist and pacifist forums to inform citizens and politicians of such biologically evolved human characteristics as mutual care and sociability, the Finnish critics of sociobiology wished to boost the public spirit, and to rationalize the pacifist ideal of the European-wide popular movement against nuclear weapons and militarism. As a result, the academic leftists in Finland revived the early twentieth-century tradition of "peace biology." A proper understanding of this development calls for an analysis that acknowledges Finland's special geopolitical and cultural position in the Cold War world between East and West.}, } @article {pmid24982621, year = {2014}, author = {Yilmaz, A and Aksoy, V and Camlitepe, Y and Giurfa, M}, title = {Eye structure, activity rhythms, and visually-driven behavior are tuned to visual niche in ants.}, journal = {Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience}, volume = {8}, number = {}, pages = {205}, pmid = {24982621}, issn = {1662-5153}, abstract = {Insects have evolved physiological adaptations and behavioral strategies that allow them to cope with a broad spectrum of environmental challenges and contribute to their evolutionary success. Visual performance plays a key role in this success. Correlates between life style and eye organization have been reported in various insect species. Yet, if and how visual ecology translates effectively into different visual discrimination and learning capabilities has been less explored. Here we report results from optical and behavioral analyses performed in two sympatric ant species, Formica cunicularia and Camponotus aethiops. We show that the former are diurnal while the latter are cathemeral. Accordingly, F. cunicularia workers present compound eyes with higher resolution, while C. aethiops workers exhibit eyes with lower resolution but higher sensitivity. The discrimination and learning of visual stimuli differs significantly between these species in controlled dual-choice experiments: discrimination learning of small-field visual stimuli is achieved by F. cunicularia but not by C. aethiops, while both species master the discrimination of large-field visual stimuli. Our work thus provides a paradigmatic example about how timing of foraging activities and visual environment match the organization of compound eyes and visually-driven behavior. This correspondence underlines the relevance of an ecological/evolutionary framework for analyses in behavioral neuroscience.}, } @article {pmid24966308, year = {2014}, author = {Székely, T and Liker, A and Freckleton, RP and Fichtel, C and Kappeler, PM}, title = {Sex-biased survival predicts adult sex ratio variation in wild birds.}, journal = {Proceedings. Biological sciences}, volume = {281}, number = {1788}, pages = {20140342}, pmid = {24966308}, issn = {1471-2954}, mesh = {Animals ; Birds/*physiology ; Female ; *Longevity ; Male ; Phylogeny ; Sex Factors ; *Sex Ratio ; }, abstract = {Adult sex ratio (ASR) is a central concept in population demography and breeding system evolution, and has implications for population viability and biodiversity conservation. ASR exhibits immense interspecific variation in wild populations, although the causes of this variation have remained elusive. Using phylogenetic analyses of 187 avian species from 59 families, we show that neither hatching sex ratios nor fledging sex ratios correlate with ASR. However, sex-biased adult mortality is a significant predictor of ASR, and this relationship is robust to 100 alternative phylogenetic hypotheses, and potential ecological and life-history confounds. A significant component of adult mortality bias is sexual selection acting on males, whereas increased reproductive output predicts higher mortality in females. These results provide the most comprehensive insights into ASR variation to date, and suggest that ASR is an outcome of selective processes operating differentially on adult males and females. Therefore, revealing the causes of ASR variation in wild populations is essential for understanding breeding systems and population dynamics.}, } @article {pmid24902748, year = {2014}, author = {Beaulieu, M and Mboumba, S and Willaume, E and Kappeler, PM and Charpentier, MJ}, title = {The oxidative cost of unstable social dominance.}, journal = {The Journal of experimental biology}, volume = {217}, number = {Pt 15}, pages = {2629-2632}, doi = {10.1242/jeb.104851}, pmid = {24902748}, issn = {1477-9145}, mesh = {Aggression ; Animals ; Antioxidants/analysis ; Female ; Gabon ; Hydrogen Peroxide/analysis ; Male ; Mandrillus ; Oxidative Stress/*physiology ; Seasons ; Sex Factors ; Sexual Behavior, Animal/*physiology ; *Social Dominance ; Stress, Psychological/physiopathology ; }, abstract = {High social rank is expected to incur fitness costs under unstable social conditions. A disruption of the oxidative balance may underlie such effects, but how markers of oxidative stress vary in relation to social rank and stability is unknown. We examined in mandrills whether the mating season characterized by social instability between males (but not between females) affected their oxidative balance differently according to their social rank. Outside the mating season, high-ranking males showed the lowest levels of oxidative damage, while during the mating season, they were the only males to experience increased oxidative damage. In contrast, the mating season increased oxidative stress in all females, irrespective of their social rank. These results support the hypothesis that the coupling between social rank and social stability is responsible for differential costs in terms of oxidative stress, which may explain inter-individual differences in susceptibility to socially induced health issues.}, } @article {pmid24890265, year = {2014}, author = {Scholl, C and Wang, Y and Krischke, M and Mueller, MJ and Amdam, GV and Rössler, W}, title = {Light exposure leads to reorganization of microglomeruli in the mushroom bodies and influences juvenile hormone levels in the honeybee.}, journal = {Developmental neurobiology}, volume = {74}, number = {11}, pages = {1141-1153}, doi = {10.1002/dneu.22195}, pmid = {24890265}, issn = {1932-846X}, mesh = {Actins/metabolism ; Age Factors ; Analysis of Variance ; Animals ; Bees ; DNA-Binding Proteins/genetics/metabolism ; Fasting/physiology ; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental/genetics/*radiation effects ; Green Fluorescent Proteins/genetics/metabolism ; Juvenile Hormones/*metabolism ; *Light ; Mass Spectrometry ; Mushroom Bodies/*anatomy & histology/*radiation effects ; Nerve Net/*radiation effects ; Phalloidine/metabolism ; RNA Interference/physiology ; Transduction, Genetic ; Vitellogenins/genetics/metabolism ; }, abstract = {Honeybees show a remarkable behavioral plasticity at the transition from nursing inside the hive to foraging for nectar and/or pollen outside. This plasticity is important for age-related division of labor in honeybee colonies. The behavioral transition is associated with significant volume and synaptic changes in the mushroom bodies (MBs), brain centers for sensory integration, learning, and memory. We tested whether precocious sensory exposure to light leads to changes in the density of synaptic complexes [microglomeruli (MG)] in the MBs. The results show that exposure to light pulses over 3 days induces a significant decrease in the MG density in visual subregions (collar) of the MB. Earlier studies had shown that foragers have increased levels of juvenile hormone (JH) co-occurring with a decrease of vitellogenin (Vg). Previous work further established that RNAi-mediated knockdown of vg and ultraspiracle (usp) induced an upregulation of JH levels, which can lead to precocious foraging. By disturbing both Vg and JH pathways using gene knockdown of vg and usp, we tested whether the changes in the hormonal system directly affect MG densities. Our study shows that MG numbers remained unchanged when Vg and JH pathways were perturbed, suggesting no direct hormonal influences on MG densities. However, mass spectrometry detection of JH revealed that precocious light exposure triggered an increase in JH levels in the hemolymph (HL) of young bees. This suggests a dual effect following light exposure via direct effects on MG reorganization in the MB calyx and a possible positive feedback on HL JH levels.}, } @article {pmid24830633, year = {2014}, author = {Römer, D and Roces, F}, title = {Nest enlargement in leaf-cutting ants: relocated brood and fungus trigger the excavation of new chambers.}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {9}, number = {5}, pages = {e97872}, pmid = {24830633}, issn = {1932-6203}, mesh = {Animals ; Ants/*physiology ; Food Supply ; Fungi ; *Nesting Behavior ; }, abstract = {During colony growth, leaf-cutting ants enlarge their nests by excavating tunnels and chambers housing their fungus gardens and brood. Workers are expected to excavate new nest chambers at locations across the soil profile that offer suitable environmental conditions for brood and fungus rearing. It is an open question whether new chambers are excavated in advance, or will emerge around brood or fungus initially relocated to a suitable site in a previously-excavated tunnel. In the laboratory, we investigated the mechanisms underlying the excavation of new nest chambers in the leaf-cutting ant Acromyrmex lundi. Specifically, we asked whether workers relocate brood and fungus to suitable nest locations, and to what extent the relocated items trigger the excavation of a nest chamber and influence its shape. When brood and fungus were exposed to unfavorable environmental conditions, either low temperatures or low humidity, both were relocated, but ants clearly preferred to relocate the brood first. Workers relocated fungus to places containing brood, demonstrating that subsequent fungus relocation spatially follows the brood deposition. In addition, more ants aggregated at sites containing brood. When presented with a choice between two otherwise identical digging sites, but one containing brood, ants' excavation activity was higher at this site, and the shape of the excavated cavity was more rounded and chamber-like. The presence of fungus also led to the excavation of rounder shapes, with higher excavation activity at the site that also contained brood. We argue that during colony growth, workers preferentially relocate brood to suitable locations along a tunnel, and that relocated brood spatially guides fungus relocation and leads to increased digging activity around them. We suggest that nest chambers are not excavated in advance, but emerge through a self-organized process resulting from the aggregation of workers and their density-dependent digging behavior around the relocated brood and fungus.}, } @article {pmid24820229, year = {2014}, author = {Rimbach, R and Link, A and Montes-Rojas, A and Di Fiore, A and Heistermann, M and Heymann, EW}, title = {Behavioral and physiological responses to fruit availability of spider monkeys ranging in a small forest fragment.}, journal = {American journal of primatology}, volume = {76}, number = {11}, pages = {1049-1061}, pmid = {24820229}, issn = {1098-2345}, mesh = {*Aggression ; Animals ; Atelinae/*physiology/*psychology ; Behavior, Animal/physiology ; Colombia ; *Diet ; Ecosystem ; Feces/chemistry ; *Feeding Behavior ; Female ; Food Supply ; Forests ; Fruit ; Glucocorticoids/analysis ; Male ; *Social Behavior ; *Stress, Physiological ; }, abstract = {Numerous animal species currently experience habitat loss and fragmentation. This might result in behavioral and dietary adjustments, especially because fruit availability is frequently reduced in fragments. Food scarcity can result in elevated physiological stress levels, and chronic stress often has detrimental effects on individuals. Some animal species exhibit a high degree of fission-fusion dynamics, and theory predicts that these species reduce intragroup feeding competition by modifying their subgroup size according to resource availability. Until now, however, there have been few studies on how species with such fission-fission dynamics adjust their grouping patterns and social behavior in small fragments or on how food availability influences their stress levels. We collected data on fruit availability, feeding behavior, stress hormone levels (measured through fecal glucocorticoid metabolites (FGCM)), subgroup size, and aggression for two groups of brown spider monkeys (Ateles hybridus) in a small forest fragment in Colombia and examined whether fruit availability influences these variables. Contrary to our predictions, spider monkeys ranged in smaller subgroups, had higher FGCM levels and higher aggression rates when fruit availability was high compared to when it was low. The atypical grouping pattern of the study groups seems to be less effective at mitigating contest competition over food resources than more typical fission-fusion patterns. Overall, our findings illustrate that the relationship between resource availability, grouping patterns, aggression rates, and stress levels can be more complex than assumed thus far. Additional studies are needed to investigate the long-term consequences on the health and persistence of spider monkeys in fragmented habitats.}, } @article {pmid24817103, year = {2014}, author = {Kropf, J and Kelber, C and Bieringer, K and Rössler, W}, title = {Olfactory subsystems in the honeybee: sensory supply and sex specificity.}, journal = {Cell and tissue research}, volume = {357}, number = {3}, pages = {583-595}, pmid = {24817103}, issn = {1432-0878}, mesh = {Animals ; Arthropod Antennae/cytology/innervation ; Axons/physiology ; Bees ; Female ; Male ; Models, Biological ; Olfactory Pathways/*physiology ; Olfactory Receptor Neurons/physiology ; Sensation/*physiology ; *Sex Characteristics ; Staining and Labeling ; }, abstract = {The antennae of honeybee (Apis mellifera) workers and drones differ in various aspects. One striking difference is the presence of Sensilla basiconica in (female) workers and their absence in (male) drones. We investigate the axonal projection patterns of olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) housed in S. basiconica in honeybee workers by using selective anterograde labeling with fluorescent tracers and confocal-microscopy analysis of axonal projections in antennal lobe glomeruli. Axons of S. basiconica-associated ORNs preferentially projected into a specific glomerular cluster in the antennal lobe, namely the sensory input-tract three (T3) cluster. T3-associated glomeruli had previously been shown to be innervated by uniglomerular projection (output) neurons of the medial antennal lobe tract (mALT). As the number of T3 glomeruli is reduced in drones, we wished to determine whether this was associated with the reduction of glomeruli innervated by medial-tract projection neurons. We retrogradely traced mALT projection neurons in drones and counted the innervated glomeruli. The number of mALT-associated glomeruli was strongly reduced in drones compared with workers. The preferential projections of S. basiconica-associated ORNs in T3 glomeruli together with the reduction of mALT-associated glomeruli support the presence of a female (worker)-specific olfactory subsystem that is partly innervated by ORNs from S. basiconica and is associated with the T3 cluster of glomeruli and mALT projection neurons. We propose that this olfactory subsystem supports parallel olfactory processing related to worker-specific olfactory tasks such as the coding of colony odors, colony pheromones and/or odorants associated with foraging on floral resources.}, } @article {pmid24807257, year = {2014}, author = {Groh, C and Kelber, C and Grübel, K and Rössler, W}, title = {Density of mushroom body synaptic complexes limits intraspecies brain miniaturization in highly polymorphic leaf-cutting ant workers.}, journal = {Proceedings. Biological sciences}, volume = {281}, number = {1785}, pages = {20140432}, pmid = {24807257}, issn = {1471-2954}, mesh = {Animals ; Ants/*anatomy & histology/genetics/*physiology ; Brain/anatomy & histology/physiology ; Mushroom Bodies/physiology ; Olfactory Perception ; Synapses/physiology ; }, abstract = {Hymenoptera possess voluminous mushroom bodies (MBs), brain centres associated with sensory integration, learning and memory. The mushroom body input region (calyx) is organized in distinct synaptic complexes (microglomeruli, MG) that can be quantified to analyse body size-related phenotypic plasticity of synaptic microcircuits in these small brains. Leaf-cutting ant workers (Atta vollenweideri) exhibit an enormous size polymorphism, which makes them outstanding to investigate neuronal adaptations underlying division of labour and brain miniaturization. We particularly asked how size-related division of labour in polymorphic workers is reflected in volume and total numbers of MG in olfactory calyx subregions. Whole brains of mini, media and large workers were immunolabelled with anti-synapsin antibodies, and mushroom body volumes as well as densities and absolute numbers of MG were determined by confocal imaging and three-dimensional analyses. The total brain volume and absolute volumes of olfactory mushroom body subdivisions were positively correlated with head widths, but mini workers had significantly larger MB to total brain ratios. Interestingly, the density of olfactory MG was remarkably independent from worker size. Consequently, absolute numbers of olfactory MG still were approximately three times higher in large compared with mini workers. The results show that the maximum packing density of synaptic microcircuits may represent a species-specific limit to brain miniaturization.}, } @article {pmid24798893, year = {2014}, author = {Chaffiol, A and Dupuy, F and Barrozo, RB and Kropf, J and Renou, M and Rospars, JP and Anton, S}, title = {Pheromone modulates plant odor responses in the antennal lobe of a moth.}, journal = {Chemical senses}, volume = {39}, number = {5}, pages = {451-463}, doi = {10.1093/chemse/bju017}, pmid = {24798893}, issn = {1464-3553}, mesh = {Aldehydes ; Animals ; Arthropod Antennae/anatomy & histology/*physiology ; Flowers/*chemistry ; Male ; Moths/*physiology ; Odorants ; Olfactory Receptor Neurons/*physiology ; Plants/chemistry ; Sex Attractants/*physiology ; Sexual Behavior, Animal/physiology ; Volatile Organic Compounds/chemistry ; }, abstract = {In nature, male moths are exposed to a complex plant odorant environment when they fly upwind to a sex pheromone source in their search for mates. Plant odors have been shown to affect responses to pheromone at various levels but how does pheromone affects plant odor perception? We recorded responses from neurons within the non-pheromonal "ordinary glome ruli" of the primary olfactory center, the antennal lobe (AL), to single and pulsed stimulations with the plant odorant heptanal, the pheromone, and their mixture in the male moth Agrotis ipsilon. We identified 3 physiological types of neurons according to their activity patterns combining excitatory and inhibitory phases. Both local and projection neurons were identified in each physiological type. Neurons with excitatory responses to heptanal responded also frequently to the pheromone and showed additive responses to the mixture. Moreover, the neuron's ability of resolving successive pulses generally improved with the mixture. Only some neurons with combined excitatory/inhibitory, or purely inhibitory responses to heptanal, also responded to the pheromone. Although individual mixture responses were not significantly different from heptanal responses in these neurons, pulse resolution was improved with the mixture as compared with heptanal alone. These results demonstrate that the pheromone and the general odorant subsystems interact more intensely in the moth AL than previously thought.}, } @article {pmid24782824, year = {2014}, author = {Lawrence, EL and Fassola, I and Werner, I and Leclercq, C and Valero-Cuevas, FJ}, title = {Quantification of dexterity as the dynamical regulation of instabilities: comparisons across gender, age, and disease.}, journal = {Frontiers in neurology}, volume = {5}, number = {}, pages = {53}, pmid = {24782824}, issn = {1664-2295}, support = {R01 AR050520/AR/NIAMS NIH HHS/United States ; R01 AR052345/AR/NIAMS NIH HHS/United States ; }, abstract = {Dexterous manipulation depends on using the fingertips to stabilize unstable objects. The Strength-Dexterity paradigm consists of asking subjects to compress a slender and compliant spring prone to buckling. The maximal level of compression [requiring low fingertip forces <300 grams force (gf)] quantifies the neural control capability to dynamically regulate fingertip force vectors and motions for a dynamic manipulation task. We found that finger dexterity is significantly affected by age (p = 0.017) and gender (p = 0.021) in 147 healthy individuals (66F, 81M, 20-88 years). We then measured finger dexterity in 42 hands of patients following treatment for osteoarthritis of the base of the thumb (CMC OA, 33F, 65.8 ± 9.7 years), and 31 hands from patients being treated for Parkinson's disease (PD, 6F, 10M, 67.68 ± 8.5 years). Importantly, we found no differences in finger compression force among patients or controls. However, we did find stronger age-related declines in performance in the patients with PD (slope -2.7 gf/year, p = 0.002) than in those with CMC OA (slope -1.4 gf/year, p = 0.015), than in controls (slope -0.86 gf/year). In addition, the temporal variability of forces during spring compression shows clearly different dynamics in the clinical populations compared to the controls (p < 0.001). Lastly, we compared dexterity across extremities. We found stronger age (p = 0.005) and gender (p = 0.002) effects of leg compression force in 188 healthy subjects who compressed a larger spring with the foot of an isolated leg (73F, 115M, 14-92 years). In 81 subjects who performed the tests with all four limbs separately, we found finger and leg compression force to be significantly correlated (females ρ = 0.529, p = 0.004; males ρ = 0.403, p = 0.003; 28F, 53M, 20-85 years), but surprisingly found no differences between dominant and non-dominant limbs. These results have important clinical implications, and suggest the existence - and compel the investigation - of systemic versus limb-specific mechanisms for dexterity.}, } @article {pmid24766620, year = {2015}, author = {Devor, M and Rappaport, I and Rappaport, ZH}, title = {Does the Golem Feel Pain? Moral Instincts and Ethical Dilemmas Concerning Suffering and the Brain.}, journal = {Pain practice : the official journal of World Institute of Pain}, volume = {15}, number = {6}, pages = {497-508}, doi = {10.1111/papr.12207}, pmid = {24766620}, issn = {1533-2500}, mesh = {Brain/*physiology ; Decision Making ; Emotions ; Humans ; Instinct ; Male ; *Morals ; Neurology/*ethics ; *Pain ; }, abstract = {Pain has variously been used as a means of punishment, extracting information, or testing commitment, as a tool for education and social control, as a commodity for sacrifice, and as a draw for sport and entertainment. Attitudes concerning these uses have undergone major changes in the modern era. Normative convictions on what is right and wrong are generally attributed to religious tradition or to secular-humanist reasoning. Here, we elaborate the perspective that ethical choices concerning pain have much earlier roots that are based on instincts and brain-seated empathetic responses. They are fundamentally a function of brain circuitry shaped by processes of Darwinian evolution. Social convention and other environmental influences, with their idiosyncrasies, are a more recent, ever-changing overlay. We close with an example in which details on the neurobiology of pain processing, specifically the question of where in the brain the experience of pain is generated, affect decision making in end-of-life situations. By separating innate biological substrates from culturally imposed attitudes (memes), we may arrive at a more reasoned approach to a morality of pain prevention.}, } @article {pmid24748382, year = {2014}, author = {Pielström, S and Roces, F}, title = {Soil moisture and excavation behaviour in the Chaco leaf-cutting ant (Atta vollenweideri): digging performance and prevention of water inflow into the nest.}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {9}, number = {4}, pages = {e95658}, pmid = {24748382}, issn = {1932-6203}, mesh = {Animals ; *Ants ; *Nesting Behavior ; *Soil ; }, abstract = {The Chaco leaf-cutting ant Atta vollenweideri is native to the clay-heavy soils of the Gran Chaco region in South America. Because of seasonal floods, colonies are regularly exposed to varying moisture across the soil profile, a factor that not only strongly influences workers' digging performance during nest building, but also determines the suitability of the soil for the rearing of the colony's symbiotic fungus. In this study, we investigated the effects of varying soil moisture on behaviours associated with underground nest building in A. vollenweideri. This was done in a series of laboratory experiments using standardised, plastic clay-water mixtures with gravimetric water contents ranging from relatively brittle material to mixtures close to the liquid limit. Our experiments showed that preference and group-level digging rate increased with increasing water content, but then dropped considerably for extremely moist materials. The production of vibrational recruitment signals during digging showed, on the contrary, a slightly negative linear correlation with soil moisture. Workers formed and carried clay pellets at higher rates in moist clay, even at the highest water content tested. Hence, their weak preference and low group-level excavation rate observed for that mixture cannot be explained by any inability to work with the material. More likely, extremely high moistures may indicate locations unsuitable for nest building. To test this hypothesis, we simulated a situation in which workers excavated an upward tunnel below accumulated surface water. The ants stopped digging about 12 mm below the interface soil/water, a behaviour representing a possible adaptation to the threat of water inflow field colonies are exposed to while digging under seasonally flooded soils. Possible roles of soil water in the temporal and spatial pattern of nest growth are discussed.}, } @article {pmid24736156, year = {2014}, author = {Wloch-Salamon, DM}, title = {Sociobiology of the budding yeast.}, journal = {Journal of biosciences}, volume = {39}, number = {2}, pages = {225-236}, pmid = {24736156}, issn = {0973-7138}, mesh = {Animals ; Apoptosis ; Humans ; Microbial Interactions ; Models, Biological ; Mycotoxins/physiology ; Saccharomyces cerevisiae/cytology/*physiology ; Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins/metabolism ; beta-Fructofuranosidase/metabolism ; }, abstract = {Social theory has provided a useful framework for research with microorganisms. Here I describe the advantages and possible risks of using a well-known model organism, the unicellular yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, for sociobiological research. I discuss the problems connected with clear classification of yeast behaviour based on the fitnessbased Hamilton paradigm. Relevant traits include different types of communities, production of flocculins, invertase and toxins, and the presence of apoptosis.}, } @article {pmid24732967, year = {2014}, author = {Galbany, J and Romero, A and Mayo-Alesón, M and Itsoma, F and Gamarra, B and Pérez-Pérez, A and Willaume, E and Kappeler, PM and Charpentier, MJ}, title = {Age-related tooth wear differs between forest and savanna primates.}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {9}, number = {4}, pages = {e94938}, pmid = {24732967}, issn = {1932-6203}, mesh = {Aging/*pathology ; Animals ; Dentin/pathology ; Feeding Behavior ; *Forests ; *Grassland ; Kenya ; Linear Models ; Mandible/pathology ; Mandrillus/anatomy & histology ; Multivariate Analysis ; Papio/anatomy & histology ; Primates/*physiology ; Tooth Wear/*pathology ; }, abstract = {Tooth wear in primates is caused by aging and ecological factors. However, comparative data that would allow us to delineate the contribution of each of these factors are lacking. Here, we contrast age-dependent molar tooth wear by scoring percent of dentine exposure (PDE) in two wild African primate populations from Gabonese forest and Kenyan savanna habitats. We found that forest-dwelling mandrills exhibited significantly higher PDE with age than savanna yellow baboons. Mandrills mainly feed on large tough food items, such as hard-shell fruits, and inhabit an ecosystem with a high presence of mineral quartz. By contrast, baboons consume large amounts of exogenous grit that adheres to underground storage organs but the proportion of quartz in the soils where baboons live is low. Our results support the hypothesis that not only age but also physical food properties and soil composition, particularly quartz richness, are factors that significantly impact tooth wear. We further propose that the accelerated dental wear in mandrills resulting in flatter molars with old age may represent an adaptation to process hard food items present in their environment.}, } @article {pmid24719496, year = {2014}, author = {Schäffler, L and Kappeler, PM}, title = {Distribution and Abundance of the World's Smallest Primate, Microcebus berthae, in Central Western Madagascar.}, journal = {International journal of primatology}, volume = {35}, number = {2}, pages = {557-572}, pmid = {24719496}, issn = {0164-0291}, abstract = {The distribution of most recently discovered or described lemur species remains poorly known, but many appear to have small geographical ranges, making them vulnerable to extinction. Research can contribute to future conservation actions on behalf of these species by providing accurate information on local distribution and abundance. The distribution of the world's smallest primate, the endangered Madame Berthe's mouse lemur (Microcebus berthae), is limited to the Menabe Central region of western Madagascar. This species was discovered in the 1990s, but many fundamental aspects of its ecology remain unknown. The aims of our study were therefore to determine the actual distribution of Microcebus berthae across the forests of this region, to estimate population density, and to examine the species' response to anthropogenic activities. We established 35 1-km line transects across Menabe Central, on which we surveyed mouse lemurs by distance sampling and live trapping. Microcebus berthae does not occur in all remaining forests of this small region and its population density is highly heterogeneous, both across its geographic range and locally. Within its area of occupancy, the population of Microcebus berthae not only was distributed according to spatial heterogeneities of the habitat, but also responded to anthropogenic disturbances and varied seasonally. Our results indicate that Microcebus berthae is susceptible to habitat degradation and avoids human environments spatially. As none of the forest remnants in which the species still occurs were officially protected until recently, immediate conservation actions should focus on effectively protecting Kirindy and Ambadira forests.}, } @article {pmid24687729, year = {2014}, author = {Kupsch, D and Waltert, M and Heymann, EW}, title = {Forest type affects prey foraging of saddleback tamarins, Saguinus nigrifrons.}, journal = {Primates; journal of primatology}, volume = {55}, number = {3}, pages = {403-413}, pmid = {24687729}, issn = {1610-7365}, mesh = {Animals ; *Forests ; Peru ; *Predatory Behavior ; Saguinus/*physiology ; }, abstract = {Callitrichids can persist in secondary forests where they may benefit from elevated prey abundance. However, how tamarins forage for prey in secondary forest compared to primary forest has not been examined. Using scan and focal sampling, we compared prey foraging and capture success of two groups of Saguinus nigrifrons in north-eastern Peru: one ranging in primary forest, the other with access to a 10-year-old anthropogenic secondary forest. There was a trend for more prey search in the secondary forest, but prey feeding, capture success and size were lower compared to the primary forest. Tamarins avoided the forest floor, used vertical supports less often and searched on a lower variety of substrates in the secondary forest. In the secondary forest, tamarins did not capture flushed prey, which make up a substantial part of the total prey captures biomass in primary forests. Reduced prey capture success is unlikely to reflect reduced prey availability, since more Orthoptera were found in secondary forest through ultrasonic surveys. Therefore, the prey search activity of S. nigrifrons in young secondary forests seemed rather opportunistic, presumably influenced by altered predation patterns, vegetation structure, as well as prey diversity.}, } @article {pmid24682007, year = {2014}, author = {Albert, S and Spaethe, J and Grübel, K and Rössler, W}, title = {Royal jelly-like protein localization reveals differences in hypopharyngeal glands buildup and conserved expression pattern in brains of bumblebees and honeybees.}, journal = {Biology open}, volume = {3}, number = {4}, pages = {281-288}, pmid = {24682007}, issn = {2046-6390}, abstract = {Royal jelly proteins (MRJPs) of the honeybee bear several open questions. One of them is their expression in tissues other than the hypopharyngeal glands (HGs), the site of royal jelly production. The sole MRJP-like gene of the bumblebee, Bombus terrestris (BtRJPL), represents a pre-diversification stage of the MRJP gene evolution in bees. Here we investigate the expression of BtRJPL in the HGs and the brain of bumblebees. Comparison of the HGs of bumblebees and honeybees revealed striking differences in their morphology with respect to sex- and caste-specific appearance, number of cells per acinus, and filamentous actin (F-actin) rings. At the cellular level, we found a temporary F-actin-covered meshwork in the secretory cells, which suggests a role for actin in the biogenesis of the end apparatus in HGs. Using immunohistochemical localization, we show that BtRJPL is expressed in the bumblebee brain, predominantly in the Kenyon cells of the mushroom bodies, the site of sensory integration in insects, and in the optic lobes. Our data suggest that a dual gland-brain function preceded the multiplication of MRJPs in the honeybee lineage. In the course of the honeybee evolution, HGs dramatically changed their morphology in order to serve a food-producing function.}, } @article {pmid24677259, year = {2014}, author = {Dröscher, I and Kappeler, PM}, title = {Competition for food in a solitarily foraging folivorous primate (Lepilemur leucopus)?.}, journal = {American journal of primatology}, volume = {76}, number = {9}, pages = {842-854}, pmid = {24677259}, issn = {1098-2345}, mesh = {Animals ; *Appetitive Behavior ; *Competitive Behavior ; Female ; *Food ; Lemuridae/*psychology ; Madagascar ; Male ; Seasons ; Social Behavior ; Trees ; }, abstract = {Group-living folivorous primates can experience competition for food, and feeding competition has also been documented for solitarily foraging gummivorous and omnivorous primates. However, little is known about the types and consequences of feeding competition in solitary folivorous foragers. We conducted this study in the spiny forest of Berenty Reserve, southern Madagascar, to characterize the competitive regime of the nocturnal solitarily foraging white-footed sportive lemur (Lepilemur leucopus), a species that lives in dispersed pairs. We analyzed 1,213 hr of behavioral observations recorded simultaneously for the male and female of each of seven social units and recorded seasonal changes in food availability over a complete annual cycle. Lepilemur leucopus exhibited low selectivity in its dietary choice and mainly included the most abundant plant species in its diet. Contrary to our predictions, we did not find evidence for increased rates of contest (i.e., displacement from food trees) or scramble competition (i.e., shared use of food patches) during the lean season, neither within nor between social units. Instead, conflict rates were low throughout the year, and, during these observations, any feeding stress may have been more related to food quality than quantity. The resource defense hypotheses may not explain pair-living in this species as there was no indication that males defend food resources for their female pair-partners. The observed lack of feeding competition may indicate that a cryptic anti-predator strategy is a better predictor of spatial avoidance of pair-partners than conflict over food. While anti-predator benefits of crypsis may explain, at least partly, female-female avoidance, studies on the relationship between territory size/quality and reproductive success are required to understand whether feeding competition reduces the potential for female association in L. leucopus.}, } @article {pmid24656831, year = {2014}, author = {Liker, A and Freckleton, RP and Székely, T}, title = {Divorce and infidelity are associated with skewed adult sex ratios in birds.}, journal = {Current biology : CB}, volume = {24}, number = {8}, pages = {880-884}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2014.02.059}, pmid = {24656831}, issn = {1879-0445}, mesh = {Animals ; Birds/*physiology ; Female ; Least-Squares Analysis ; Likelihood Functions ; Male ; *Models, Biological ; Pair Bond ; Phylogeny ; Sex Factors ; *Sex Ratio ; Sexual Behavior, Animal/*physiology ; Species Specificity ; }, abstract = {Adult sex ratio (ASR) is a fundamental concept in population demography, and recent theory suggests that ASR plays a central role in social behavior, mating systems, and parental care. Unbalanced ASRs are predicted to influence pair-bond and mating behavior, since the rarer sex in the population has more potential partners to mate with than the more common sex. Here we use phylogenetic comparative analyses to test whether ASR is related to three major aspects of mating behavior: divorce, social polygamy, and pair-bond infidelity. ASR is strongly correlated with long-term pair bonds, since the divorce rate is higher in species with a female-biased sex ratio, indicating that mate change by pair members and/or breaking of pair bonds by unmated individuals is more frequent when females outnumber males. Short-term pair bonds are also associated with unbalanced ASRs: males are more commonly polygamous when females outnumber males, and conversely, females are more polygamous when males outnumber females. Furthermore, infidelity increases with male-biased ASR in socially monogamous birds, suggesting that male coercion and/or female willingness to cheat the partner are facilitated by male-biased ASR. Our results provide the first comprehensive support for the proposition that ASR influences multiple aspects of pair-bond and mating behavior in wild populations.}, } @article {pmid24583291, year = {2014}, author = {Pozzi, L and Hodgson, JA and Burrell, AS and Sterner, KN and Raaum, RL and Disotell, TR}, title = {Primate phylogenetic relationships and divergence dates inferred from complete mitochondrial genomes.}, journal = {Molecular phylogenetics and evolution}, volume = {75}, number = {}, pages = {165-183}, pmid = {24583291}, issn = {1095-9513}, support = {R01 GM060760/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; R24 GM065580/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; R24-GM65580/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Bayes Theorem ; *Biological Evolution ; Fossils ; *Genome, Mitochondrial ; Likelihood Functions ; Mammals/genetics ; Models, Genetic ; *Phylogeny ; Primates/*classification/genetics ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; }, abstract = {The origins and the divergence times of the most basal lineages within primates have been difficult to resolve mainly due to the incomplete sampling of early fossil taxa. The main source of contention is related to the discordance between molecular and fossil estimates: while there are no crown primate fossils older than 56Ma, most molecule-based estimates extend the origins of crown primates into the Cretaceous. Here we present a comprehensive mitogenomic study of primates. We assembled 87 mammalian mitochondrial genomes, including 62 primate species representing all the families of the order. We newly sequenced eleven mitochondrial genomes, including eight Old World monkeys and three strepsirrhines. Phylogenetic analyses support a strong topology, confirming the monophyly for all the major primate clades. In contrast to previous mitogenomic studies, the positions of tarsiers and colugos relative to strepsirrhines and anthropoids are well resolved. In order to improve our understanding of how fossil calibrations affect age estimates within primates, we explore the effect of seventeen fossil calibrations across primates and other mammalian groups and we select a subset of calibrations to date our mitogenomic tree. The divergence date estimates of the Strepsirrhine/Haplorhine split support an origin of crown primates in the Late Cretaceous, at around 74Ma. This result supports a short-fuse model of primate origins, whereby relatively little time passed between the origin of the order and the diversification of its major clades. It also suggests that the early primate fossil record is likely poorly sampled.}, } @article {pmid24559671, year = {2014}, author = {Ito, K and Shinomiya, K and Ito, M and Armstrong, JD and Boyan, G and Hartenstein, V and Harzsch, S and Heisenberg, M and Homberg, U and Jenett, A and Keshishian, H and Restifo, LL and Rössler, W and Simpson, JH and Strausfeld, NJ and Strauss, R and Vosshall, LB and , }, title = {A systematic nomenclature for the insect brain.}, journal = {Neuron}, volume = {81}, number = {4}, pages = {755-765}, doi = {10.1016/j.neuron.2013.12.017}, pmid = {24559671}, issn = {1097-4199}, support = {BB/G02247X/1/BB_/Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council/United Kingdom ; /HHMI/Howard Hughes Medical Institute/United States ; 271200577531C//PHS HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Brain/*anatomy & histology ; Drosophila melanogaster/*anatomy & histology ; Female ; Neural Pathways/anatomy & histology ; Neuropil ; *Terminology as Topic ; }, abstract = {Despite the importance of the insect nervous system for functional and developmental neuroscience, descriptions of insect brains have suffered from a lack of uniform nomenclature. Ambiguous definitions of brain regions and fiber bundles have contributed to the variation of names used to describe the same structure. The lack of clearly determined neuropil boundaries has made it difficult to document precise locations of neuronal projections for connectomics study. To address such issues, a consortium of neurobiologists studying arthropod brains, the Insect Brain Name Working Group, has established the present hierarchical nomenclature system, using the brain of Drosophila melanogaster as the reference framework, while taking the brains of other taxa into careful consideration for maximum consistency and expandability. The following summarizes the consortium's nomenclature system and highlights examples of existing ambiguities and remedies for them. This nomenclature is intended to serve as a standard of reference for the study of the brain of Drosophila and other insects.}, } @article {pmid24534738, year = {2014}, author = {Caplan, A}, title = {It is hard to get there without a guide: How I came to a career in bioethics.}, journal = {Cambridge quarterly of healthcare ethics : CQ : the international journal of healthcare ethics committees}, volume = {23}, number = {2}, pages = {118-123}, doi = {10.1017/S0963180113000649}, pmid = {24534738}, issn = {1469-2147}, mesh = {*Authorship ; Bioethical Issues ; *Bioethics/education/history/trends ; Boston ; *Career Choice ; *Community Participation ; *Education, Graduate ; History, 20th Century ; History, 21st Century ; Humans ; *Mass Media/statistics & numerical data ; Massachusetts ; *Mentors ; Narration ; New York City ; *Philosophy ; *Poliomyelitis/rehabilitation ; Preceptorship ; Public Opinion ; *Schools, Medical/history/trends ; Societies/*history ; Sociobiology/*history ; Teaching ; United States ; Writing/history/standards ; }, } @article {pmid24519371, year = {2014}, author = {Spaethe, J and Streinzer, M and Eckert, J and May, S and Dyer, AG}, title = {Behavioural evidence of colour vision in free flying stingless bees.}, journal = {Journal of comparative physiology. A, Neuroethology, sensory, neural, and behavioral physiology}, volume = {200}, number = {6}, pages = {485-496}, pmid = {24519371}, issn = {1432-1351}, mesh = {Animals ; Bees/*physiology ; Behavior, Animal/*physiology ; Color ; Color Vision/*physiology ; Computer Simulation ; Discrimination, Psychological/*physiology ; Feeding Behavior/*physiology ; Learning/*physiology ; Mass Spectrometry ; Photic Stimulation ; Species Specificity ; Statistics, Nonparametric ; }, abstract = {Colour vision was first demonstrated with behavioural experiments in honeybees 100 years ago. Since that time a wealth of quality physiological data has shown a highly conserved set of trichromatic colour receptors in most bee species. Despite the subsequent wealth of behavioural research on honeybees and bumblebees, there currently is a relative dearth of data on stingless bees, which are the largest tribe of the eusocial bees comprising of more than 600 species. In our first experiment we tested Trigona cf. fuscipennis, a stingless bee species from Costa Rica in a field setting using the von Frisch method and show functional colour vision. In a second experiment with these bees, we use a simultaneous colour discrimination test designed for honeybees to enable a comparative analysis of relative colour discrimination. In a third experiment, we test in laboratory conditions Tetragonula carbonaria, an Australian stingless bee species using a similar simultaneous colour discrimination test. Both stingless bee species show relatively poorer colour discrimination compared to honeybees and bumblebees; and we discuss the value of being able to use these behavioural methods to efficiently extend our current knowledge of colour vision and discrimination in different bee species.}, } @article {pmid24455462, year = {2014}, author = {Mishra, S and Singh, SK and Munjal, AK and Aspi, J and Goyal, SP}, title = {Panel of polymorphic heterologous microsatellite loci to genotype critically endangered Bengal tiger: a pilot study.}, journal = {SpringerPlus}, volume = {3}, number = {}, pages = {4}, pmid = {24455462}, issn = {2193-1801}, abstract = {In India, six landscapes and source populations that are important for long-term conservation of Bengal tigers (Panthera tigris tigris) have been identified. Except for a few studies, nothing is known regarding the genetic structure and extent of gene flow among most of the tiger populations across India as the majority of them are small, fragmented and isolated. Thus, individual-based relationships are required to understand the species ecology and biology for planning effective conservation and genetics-based individual identification has been widely used. But this needs screening and describing characteristics of microsatellite loci from DNA from good-quality sources so that the required number of loci can be selected and the genotyping error rate minimized. In the studies so far conducted on the Bengal tiger, a very small number of loci (n = 35) have been tested with high-quality source of DNA, and information on locus-specific characteristics is lacking. The use of such characteristics has been strongly recommended in the literature to minimize the error rate and by the International Society for Forensic Genetics (ISFG) for forensic purposes. Therefore, we describe for the first time locus-specific genetic and genotyping profile characteristics, crucial for population genetic studies, using high-quality source of DNA of the Bengal tiger. We screened 39 heterologous microsatellite loci (Sumatran tiger, domestic cat, Asiatic lion and snow leopard) in captive individuals (n = 8), of which 21 loci are being reported for the first time in the Bengal tiger, providing an additional choice for selection. The mean relatedness coefficient (R = -0.143) indicates that the selected tigers were unrelated. Thirty-four loci were polymorphic, with the number of alleles ranging from 2 to 7 per locus, and the remaining five loci were monomorphic. Based on the PIC values (> 0.500), and other characteristics, we suggest that 16 loci (3 to 7 alleles) be used for genetic and forensic study purposes. The probabilities of matching genotypes of unrelated individuals (3.692 × 10(-19)) and siblings (4.003 × 10(-6)) are within the values needed for undertaking studies in population genetics, relatedness, sociobiology and forensics.}, } @article {pmid24417075, year = {2013}, author = {Tkachenko, EI}, title = {[Principles of development and prophylaxis of diseases in the course of noospherogenesis from the standpoint of predictive-preventive personified medicine].}, journal = {Klinicheskaia meditsina}, volume = {91}, number = {6}, pages = {77-80}, pmid = {24417075}, issn = {0023-2149}, mesh = {Biological Evolution ; *Computational Biology/methods/trends ; *Disease Susceptibility ; Environment ; Genome ; Humans ; Metabolome ; *Preventive Medicine/methods/trends ; Sociobiology ; }, abstract = {Human population actively forms noosphere from the biosphere which leads to a change in biological nature of man and the range of diseases that affect him. The use of molecular predictors derived from genome, metabolome, proteome, and microbiome in clinical practice opens up an opportunity to pass to more effective predictive--protective personified medicine.}, } @article {pmid24412654, year = {2014}, author = {Smolla, M and Ruchty, M and Nagel, M and Kleineidam, CJ}, title = {Clearing pigmented insect cuticle to investigate small insects' organs in situ using confocal laser-scanning microscopy (CLSM).}, journal = {Arthropod structure & development}, volume = {43}, number = {2}, pages = {175-181}, doi = {10.1016/j.asd.2013.12.006}, pmid = {24412654}, issn = {1873-5495}, mesh = {Animals ; Ants/*anatomy & histology ; Body Size ; Imaging, Three-Dimensional/methods ; Microscopy, Confocal/*methods ; }, abstract = {Various microscopic techniques allow investigating structures from submicron to millimeter range, however, this is only possible if the structures of interest are not covered by pigmented cuticle. Here, we present a protocol that combines clearing of pigmented cuticle while preserving both, hard and soft tissues. The resulting transparent cuticle allows confocal laser-scanning microscopy (CLSM), which yields high-resolution images of e.g. the brain, glands, muscles and fine cuticular structures. Using a fluorescent dye, even single labeled neurons can be visualized and resolved up to an imaging depth of 150 μm through the cleared cuticle. Hydrogen-peroxide, which was used to clear the cuticle, does not preclude immunocytochemical techniques, shown by successful labeling of serotonin-immunoreactive neurons (5HT-ir) in the ants' brain. The 'transparent insect protocol' presented here is especially suited for small arthropods where dissection of organs is very demanding and difficult to achieve. Furthermore, the insect organs are preserved in situ thus allowing a more precise three-dimensional reconstruction of the structures of interest compared to, e.g., dissected or sectioned tissue.}, } @article {pmid24392644, year = {2014}, author = {Lapsley, D and Carlo, G}, title = {Moral development at the crossroads: new trends and possible futures.}, journal = {Developmental psychology}, volume = {50}, number = {1}, pages = {1-7}, doi = {10.1037/a0035225}, pmid = {24392644}, issn = {1939-0599}, mesh = {Culture ; Humans ; *Moral Development ; *Morale ; Neurosciences/*trends ; Personality ; *Psychological Theory ; Self Concept ; Social Values ; }, abstract = {This article introduces a special section on moral development. We claim that the field is now undergoing a resurgence of theoretical and methodological innovation after the eclipse of paradigmatic moral stage theory. Although research on prosocial development, moral emotions, and social domain theory has sustained interest in moral development, recent additional trends have contributed to its resurgence. This includes research in neuroscience, sociobiology, and social psychology; broad interest in moral-character education and virtues; and the appearance of recent handbooks and special journal issues. We review 3 broad possible future themes (early development, self and personality, and culture) of moral development research and introduce a set of new contributions in this special section as examples.}, } @article {pmid25977753, year = {2014}, author = {Ahmed, Z and Zeeshan, S and Fleischmann, P and Rössler, W and Dandekar, T}, title = {Ant-App-DB: a smart solution for monitoring arthropods activities, experimental data management and solar calculations without GPS in behavioral field studies.}, journal = {F1000Research}, volume = {3}, number = {}, pages = {311}, pmid = {25977753}, issn = {2046-1402}, abstract = {Field studies on arthropod ecology and behaviour require simple and robust monitoring tools, preferably with direct access to an integrated database. We have developed and here present a database tool allowing smart-phone based monitoring of arthropods. This smart phone application provides an easy solution to collect, manage and process the data in the field which has been a very difficult task for field biologists using traditional methods. To monitor our example species, the desert ant Cataglyphis fortis, we considered behavior, nest search runs, feeding habits and path segmentations including detailed information on solar position and azimuth calculation, ant orientation and time of day. For this we established a user friendly database system integrating the Ant-App-DB with a smart phone and tablet application, combining experimental data manipulation with data management and providing solar position and timing estimations without any GPS or GIS system. Moreover, the new desktop application Dataplus allows efficient data extraction and conversion from smart phone application to personal computers, for further ecological data analysis and sharing. All features, software code and database as well as Dataplus application are made available completely free of charge and sufficiently generic to be easily adapted to other field monitoring studies on arthropods or other migratory organisms. The software applications Ant-App-DB and Dataplus described here are developed using the Android SDK, Java, XML, C# and SQLite Database.}, } @article {pmid24379481, year = {2013}, author = {Simons, RL and Simons, LG and Lei, MK and Beach, SR and Brody, GH and Gibbons, FX and Philibert, RA}, title = {Genetic Moderation of the Impact of Parenting on Hostility toward Romantic Partners.}, journal = {Journal of marriage and the family}, volume = {75}, number = {2}, pages = {325-341}, pmid = {24379481}, issn = {0022-2445}, support = {P30 DA027827/DA/NIDA NIH HHS/United States ; R01 AA012768/AA/NIAAA NIH HHS/United States ; R01 DA021898/DA/NIDA NIH HHS/United States ; R01 MH062669/MH/NIMH NIH HHS/United States ; }, abstract = {Although GxE studies are typically based on the assumption that some individuals possess genetic variants that enhance their vulnerability to environmental adversity, the differential susceptibility model posits that these individuals are simply more sensitive to social context, whether that context be adverse or supportive. Thus those persons most vulnerable to adversity are the same ones who reap the most benefit from support. This idea was tested using longitudinal data from a sample of several hundred African Americans. Findings indicated that relatively common variants of the GABRA2 gene interact with parenting to predict hostility toward romantic partners in a manner consonant with the differential susceptibility hypothesis. Individuals with these genetic variants displayed more aggression toward their partner than those with other genotypes when they had been subjected to harsh parenting, but exhibited less aggression toward their partner than other genotypes if their parents avoided harsh parenting practices.}, } @article {pmid24347750, year = {2013}, author = {Dröscher, I and Kappeler, PM}, title = {Defining the Low End of Primate Social Complexity: The Social Organization of the Nocturnal White-Footed Sportive Lemur (Lepilemur leucopus).}, journal = {International journal of primatology}, volume = {34}, number = {6}, pages = {1225-1243}, pmid = {24347750}, issn = {0164-0291}, abstract = {Whereas other species of sportive lemurs (genus Lepilemur) have been described as living in dispersed pairs, which are characterized by spatial overlap but a lack of affinity or affiliation between one adult male and female, existing reports on the social organization of the white-footed sportive lemur (Lepilemur leucopus) are conflicting, describing them as either living in dispersed one-male multifemale systems or pairs. We conducted this study in the spiny forest of Berenty Reserve, southern Madagascar, to clarify the social organization and to characterize the level of social complexity of this species. We combined 1530 h of radio-telemetry and behavioral observations over a period of 1 yr to describe the spatiotemporal stability, size, and interindividual overlap of individual home ranges as well as interindividual cohesiveness. Results revealed low intra- and high intersexual home range overlap. Although most of the social units identified consisted of dispersed pairs (N = 5), males were associated with two adult females in two cases. Furthermore, members of a social unit were never observed to groom each other or to share a daytime sleeping site, and Hutchinson's and Doncaster's dynamic interaction tests indicated active avoidance between pair partners. Low cohesiveness together with extremely low rates of social interactions therefore arguably places Lepilemur leucopus at the low end of primate social complexity.}, } @article {pmid24318942, year = {2014}, author = {Schnoell, AV and Huebner, F and Kappeler, PM and Fichtel, C}, title = {Manual lateralization in wild redfronted lemurs (Eulemur rufifrons) during spontaneous actions and in an experimental task.}, journal = {American journal of physical anthropology}, volume = {153}, number = {1}, pages = {61-67}, doi = {10.1002/ajpa.22403}, pmid = {24318942}, issn = {1096-8644}, mesh = {Animals ; Anthropology, Physical ; Behavior, Animal/*physiology ; Feeding Behavior/physiology ; Female ; Functional Laterality/*physiology ; Hand Strength ; Lemur/*physiology ; Madagascar ; Male ; }, abstract = {The dominant use of one hand is a striking feature of humans, but manual lateralization can be found in a variety of other species as well. In primates, the lateralization in hand use varies among species and several theories such as the "postural origin," "task complexity," or "development theory" have been suggested to explain this variation. In order to contribute comparative data on this phenomenon from a basal primate, we studied manual lateralization in wild redfronted lemurs (Eulemur rufifrons). Data were collected on four groups at Kirindy Forest, western Madagascar, during spontaneous actions and by confronting them with artificial feeding boxes. The lemurs did not exhibit manual lateralization on a group level in either condition. More individuals showed a hand preference in the experimental task, and the preferences were stronger compared to spontaneous actions. The direction of individual hand preferences was not consistent across the two conditions. The results of this study show that measuring manual laterality in different contexts can yield different results. Manual lateralization in wild redfronted lemurs therefore seems to be flexible and situation dependent and probably not ecologically relevant in their natural habitat.}, } @article {pmid24266034, year = {2013}, author = {Larmuseau, MH and Vanoverbeke, J and Van Geystelen, A and Defraene, G and Vanderheyden, N and Matthys, K and Wenseleers, T and Decorte, R}, title = {Low historical rates of cuckoldry in a Western European human population traced by Y-chromosome and genealogical data.}, journal = {Proceedings. Biological sciences}, volume = {280}, number = {1772}, pages = {20132400}, pmid = {24266034}, issn = {1471-2954}, mesh = {Belgium ; Chromosomes, Human, Y/*genetics/metabolism ; Female ; *Genotype ; Haplotypes ; Humans ; Male ; Molecular Sequence Data ; *Paternity ; Pedigree ; *Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Reproduction ; Time Factors ; }, abstract = {Recent evidence suggests that seeking out extra-pair paternity (EPP) can be a viable alternative reproductive strategy for both males and females in many pair-bonded species, including humans. Accurate data on EPP rates in humans, however, are scant and mostly restricted to extant populations. Here, we provide the first large-scale, unbiased genetic study of historical EPP rates in a Western European human population based on combining Y-chromosomal data to infer genetic patrilineages with genealogical and surname data, which reflect known historical presumed paternity. Using two independent methods, we estimate that over the last few centuries, EPP rates in Flanders (Belgium) were only around 1–2% per generation. This figure is substantially lower than the 8–30% per generation reported in some behavioural studies on historical EPP rates, but comparable with the rates reported by other genetic studies of contemporary Western European populations. These results suggest that human EPP rates have not changed substantially during the last 400 years in Flanders and imply that legal genealogies rarely differ from the biological ones. This result has significant implications for a diverse set of fields, including human population genetics, historical demography, forensic science and human sociobiology.}, } @article {pmid24228694, year = {2013}, author = {Markolf, M and Kappeler, PM}, title = {Phylogeographic analysis of the true lemurs (genus Eulemur) underlines the role of river catchments for the evolution of micro-endemism in Madagascar.}, journal = {Frontiers in zoology}, volume = {10}, number = {1}, pages = {70}, pmid = {24228694}, issn = {1742-9994}, abstract = {INTRODUCTION: Due to its remarkable species diversity and micro-endemism, Madagascar has recently been suggested to serve as a biogeographic model region. However, hypothesis-based tests of various diversification mechanisms that have been proposed for the evolution of the island's micro-endemic lineages are still limited. Here, we test the fit of several diversification hypotheses with new data on the broadly distributed genus Eulemur using coalescent-based phylogeographic analyses.

RESULTS: Time-calibrated species tree analyses and population genetic clustering resolved the previously polytomic species relationships among eulemurs. The most recent common ancestor of eulemurs was estimated to have lived about 4.45 million years ago (mya). Divergence date estimates furthermore suggested a very recent diversification among the members of the "brown lemur complex", i.e. former subspecies of E. fulvus, during the Pleistocene (0.33-1.43 mya). Phylogeographic model comparisons of past migration rates showed significant levels of gene flow between lineages of neighboring river catchments as well as between eastern and western populations of the redfronted lemur (E. rufifrons).

CONCLUSIONS: Together, our results are concordant with the centers of endemism hypothesis (Wilmé et al. 2006, Science 312:1063-1065), highlight the importance of river catchments for the evolution of Madagascar's micro-endemic biota, and they underline the usefulness of testing diversification mechanisms using coalescent-based phylogeographic methods.}, } @article {pmid24219572, year = {2014}, author = {Kümmerli, R and Ross-Gillespie, A}, title = {Explaining the sociobiology of pyoverdin producing Pseudomonas: a comment on Zhang and Rainey (2013).}, journal = {Evolution; international journal of organic evolution}, volume = {68}, number = {11}, pages = {3337-3343}, doi = {10.1111/evo.12311}, pmid = {24219572}, issn = {1558-5646}, mesh = {*Biological Evolution ; Oligopeptides/*biosynthesis ; Pseudomonas/*genetics/*metabolism ; }, abstract = {Over the past decade, there has been enormous interest in understanding the great diversity of microbial cooperative behaviors, including communication, group-based swarming, fruiting-body formation, and the secretion of group-beneficial enzymes and food-scavenging molecules. Zhang and Rainey, henceforth Z&R, recently contended that sociomicrobiologists have been overzealous in their casting of microbes as inherently social organisms, and too hasty in interpreting microbial behaviors in a social evolutionary framework. This challenge accompanied a set of experiments in which they revisited one of the best-studied social behaviors in bacteria-the production of diffusible, sharable iron-scavenging siderophore molecules. Z&R posit that their findings challenge the view that siderophore production is a cooperative trait. Here, we demonstrate that their arguments are flawed, and stem from both technical mistakes and misunderstandings of social evolution theory.}, } @article {pmid24212051, year = {2014}, author = {Hämäläinen, A and Heistermann, M and Fenosoa, ZS and Kraus, C}, title = {Evaluating capture stress in wild gray mouse lemurs via repeated fecal sampling: method validation and the influence of prior experience and handling protocols on stress responses.}, journal = {General and comparative endocrinology}, volume = {195}, number = {}, pages = {68-79}, doi = {10.1016/j.ygcen.2013.10.017}, pmid = {24212051}, issn = {1095-6840}, mesh = {Animals ; Cheirogaleidae ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid/*methods ; Etiocholanolone/*analysis/metabolism ; Feces/*chemistry ; Female ; Glucocorticoids/*analysis/metabolism ; Male ; Mice ; *Specimen Handling ; *Stress, Physiological ; }, abstract = {Reliable measurements of physiological stress are increasingly needed for eco-physiological research and for species conservation or management. Stress can be estimated by quantifying plasma glucocorticoid levels, but when this is not feasible, glucocorticoid metabolites are often measured from feces (FGCM). However, evidence is accumulating on the sensitivity of FGCM measurements to various nuisance factors. Careful species- and context-specific validations are therefore necessary to confirm the biological relevance and specificity of the method. The goals of this study were to: (1) establish and validate sampling methods and an enzymeimmunoassay to measure FGCM in the gray mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus); (2) explore causes of variability in the FGCM measurements, and; (3) assess the consequences of capturing and handling for free-living individuals by quantifying their stress responses via repeated fecal sampling within capture sessions. We further assessed the influence of different handling protocols and the animals' previous capture experience on the magnitude of the physiological response. Our validations identified the group-specific measurement of 11ß-hydroxyetiocholanolone as the most suitable assay for monitoring adrenocortical activity. The sample water content and the animal's age were found to significantly influence baseline FGCM-levels. Most captured animals exhibited a post-capture FGCM-elevation but its magnitude was not related to the handling protocol or capture experience. We found no evidence for long-term consequences of routine capturing on the animals' stress physiology. Hence the described methods can be employed to measure physiological stress in mouse lemurs in an effective and relatively non-invasive way.}, } @article {pmid24159931, year = {2013}, author = {Markolf, M and Rakotonirina, H and Fichtel, C and von Grumbkow, P and Brameier, M and Kappeler, PM}, title = {True lemurs…true species - species delimitation using multiple data sources in the brown lemur complex.}, journal = {BMC evolutionary biology}, volume = {13}, number = {}, pages = {233}, pmid = {24159931}, issn = {1471-2148}, mesh = {Animals ; Biological Evolution ; DNA, Mitochondrial/genetics ; Female ; Lemur/anatomy & histology/*classification/*genetics ; Lemuridae/genetics ; Madagascar ; Male ; Phylogeny ; Principal Component Analysis ; Vocalization, Animal ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Species are the fundamental units in evolutionary biology. However, defining them as evolutionary independent lineages requires integration of several independent sources of information in order to develop robust hypotheses for taxonomic classification. Here, we exemplarily propose an integrative framework for species delimitation in the "brown lemur complex" (BLC) of Madagascar, which consists of seven allopatric populations of the genus Eulemur (Primates: Lemuridae), which were sampled extensively across northern, eastern and western Madagascar to collect fecal samples for DNA extraction as well as recordings of vocalizations. Our data base was extended by including museum specimens with reliable identification and locality information for skull shape and pelage color analysis.

RESULTS: Between-group analyses of principal components revealed significant heterogeneity in skull shape, pelage color variation and loud calls across all seven populations. Furthermore, post-hoc statistical tests between pairs of populations revealed considerable discordance among different data sets for different dyads. Despite a high degree of incomplete lineage sorting among nuclear loci, significant exclusive ancestry was found for all populations, except for E. cinereiceps, based on one mitochondrial and three nuclear genetic loci.

CONCLUSIONS: Using several independent lines of evidence, our results confirm the species status of the members of the BLC under the general lineage concept of species. More generally, the present analyses demonstrate the importance and value of integrating different kinds of data in delimiting recently evolved radiations.}, } @article {pmid24156199, year = {2013}, author = {Nyatanga, B}, title = {Empathy in palliative care: a biological inheritance.}, journal = {British journal of community nursing}, volume = {18}, number = {7}, pages = {358}, doi = {10.12968/bjcn.2013.18.7.358}, pmid = {24156199}, issn = {1462-4753}, mesh = {Empathy/*physiology ; Humans ; *Nurse-Patient Relations ; *Palliative Care ; Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid24152000, year = {2013}, author = {Zhang, XX and Rainey, PB}, title = {Exploring the sociobiology of pyoverdin-producing Pseudomonas.}, journal = {Evolution; international journal of organic evolution}, volume = {67}, number = {11}, pages = {3161-3174}, doi = {10.1111/evo.12183}, pmid = {24152000}, issn = {1558-5646}, mesh = {*Biological Evolution ; Environment ; Gene-Environment Interaction ; Genetic Fitness ; Genotype ; Oligopeptides/*biosynthesis ; Pseudomonas/*genetics/*metabolism ; Sociobiology ; }, abstract = {The idea that bacteria are social is a popular concept with implications for understanding the ecology and evolution of microbes. The view arises predominately from reasoning regarding extracellular products, which, it has been argued, can be considered "public goods." Among the best studied is pyoverdin-a diffusible iron-chelating agent produced by bacteria of the genus Pseudomonas. Here we report the de novo evolution of pyoverdin nonproducing mutants, genetically characterize these types and then test the appropriateness of the sociobiology framework by performing growth and fitness assays in the same environment in which the nonproducing mutants evolved. Our data draw attention to discordance in the fit between social evolution theory and biological reality. We show that pyoverdin-defective genotypes can gain advantage by avoiding the cost of production under conditions where the molecule is not required; in some environments pyoverdin is personalized. By exploring the fitness consequences of nonproducing types under a range of conditions, we show complex genotype-by-environment interactions with outcomes that range from social to asocial. Together these findings give reason to question the generality of the conclusion that pyoverdin is a social trait.}, } @article {pmid24114616, year = {2013}, author = {Rössler, W and Stengl, M}, title = {Insect chemoreception: a tribute to John G. Hildebrand.}, journal = {Journal of comparative physiology. A, Neuroethology, sensory, neural, and behavioral physiology}, volume = {199}, number = {11}, pages = {875-877}, pmid = {24114616}, issn = {1432-1351}, mesh = {Aged ; Animals ; History, 20th Century ; History, 21st Century ; Humans ; Insecta/*physiology ; Male ; *Sensory Receptor Cells ; Smell ; }, } @article {pmid23986708, year = {2013}, author = {Arenas, A and Ramírez, GP and Balbuena, MS and Farina, WM}, title = {Behavioral and neural plasticity caused by early social experiences: the case of the honeybee.}, journal = {Frontiers in physiology}, volume = {4}, number = {}, pages = {41}, pmid = {23986708}, issn = {1664-042X}, abstract = {Cognitive experiences during the early stages of life play an important role in shaping future behavior. Behavioral and neural long-term changes after early sensory and associative experiences have been recently reported in the honeybee. This invertebrate is an excellent model for assessing the role of precocious experiences on later behavior due to its extraordinarily tuned division of labor based on age polyethism. These studies are mainly focused on the role and importance of experiences occurred during the first days of the adult lifespan, their impact on foraging decisions, and their contribution to coordinate food gathering. Odor-rewarded experiences during the first days of honeybee adulthood alter the responsiveness to sucrose, making young hive bees more sensitive to assess gustatory features about the nectar brought back to the hive and affecting the dynamic of the food transfers and the propagation of food-related information within the colony. Early olfactory experiences lead to stable and long-term associative memories that can be successfully recalled after many days, even at foraging ages. Also they improve memorizing of new associative learning events later in life. The establishment of early memories promotes stable reorganization of the olfactory circuits inducing structural and functional changes in the antennal lobe (AL). Early rewarded experiences have relevant consequences at the social level too, biasing dance and trophallaxis partner choice and affecting recruitment. Here, we revised recent results in bees' physiology, behavior, and sociobiology to depict how the early experiences affect their cognition abilities and neural-related circuits.}, } @article {pmid23956487, year = {2013}, author = {Partan, SR}, title = {Ten unanswered questions in multimodal communication.}, journal = {Behavioral ecology and sociobiology}, volume = {67}, number = {9}, pages = {1523-1539}, pmid = {23956487}, issn = {0340-5443}, abstract = {The study of multimodal communication has become an active and vibrant field. This special issue of Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology brings together new developments in this rapidly expanding area. In this final contribution to the special issue, I look to the future and discuss ten questions in need of further work, touching on issues ranging from theoretical modeling and the evolution of behavior to molecular mechanisms and the development of behavior. In particular, I emphasize that the use of multimodal communication allows animals to switch between sensory channels when one channel becomes too noisy, and suggest that a better understanding of this process may help us both to understand the evolution of multisensory signaling and to predict the success of species facing environmental changes that affect signaling channels, such as urbanization and climate change. An expanded section is included on the effects of climate change on animal communication across sensory channels, urging researchers to pursue this topic due to the rapidity with which the environment is currently transforming.}, } @article {pmid23908565, year = {2012}, author = {Jackson, M}, title = {The pursuit of happiness: The social and scientific origins of Hans Selye's natural philosophy of life.}, journal = {History of the human sciences}, volume = {25}, number = {5}, pages = {13-29}, pmid = {23908565}, issn = {0952-6951}, abstract = {In 1956, Hans Selye tentatively suggested that the scientific study of stress could 'help us to formulate a precise program of conduct' and 'teach us the wisdom to live a rich and meaningful life'. Nearly two decades later, Selye expanded this limited vision of social order into a full-blown philosophy of life. In Stress without Distress, first published in 1974, he proposed an ethical code of conduct designed to mitigate personal and social problems. Basing his arguments on contemporary understandings of the biological processes involved in stress reactions, Selye referred to this code as 'altruistic egotism'. This article explores the origins and evolution of Selye's 'natural philosophy of life', analysing the links between his theories and adjacent intellectual developments in biology, psychosomatic and psychosocial medicine, cybernetics and socio-biology, and situating his work in the broader cultural framework of modern western societies.}, } @article {pmid23908214, year = {2013}, author = {Kappeler, PM}, title = {Evolution. Why male mammals are monogamous.}, journal = {Science (New York, N.Y.)}, volume = {341}, number = {6145}, pages = {469-470}, doi = {10.1126/science.1242001}, pmid = {23908214}, issn = {1095-9203}, mesh = {Animals ; *Biological Evolution ; Female ; Male ; *Marriage ; *Sexual Behavior, Animal ; }, } @article {pmid23889546, year = {2013}, author = {Huchard, E and Baniel, A and Schliehe-Diecks, S and Kappeler, PM}, title = {MHC-disassortative mate choice and inbreeding avoidance in a solitary primate.}, journal = {Molecular ecology}, volume = {22}, number = {15}, pages = {4071-4086}, doi = {10.1111/mec.12349}, pmid = {23889546}, issn = {1365-294X}, mesh = {Animals ; Cheirogaleidae/*genetics ; Genetic Variation ; HLA-DQ beta-Chains/*genetics ; HLA-DR beta-Chains/*genetics ; Haplotypes/genetics ; Inbreeding ; Linkage Disequilibrium/genetics ; Madagascar ; Major Histocompatibility Complex/*genetics ; *Mating Preference, Animal ; Microsatellite Repeats/genetics ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; }, abstract = {Sexual selection theory suggests that choice for partners carrying dissimilar genes at the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) may play a role in maintaining genetic variation in animal populations by limiting inbreeding or improving the immunity of future offspring. However, it is often difficult to establish whether the observed MHC dissimilarity among mates drives mate choice or represents a by-product of inbreeding avoidance based on MHC-independent cues. Here, we used 454-sequencing and a 10-year study of wild grey mouse lemurs (Microcebus murinus), small, solitary primates from western Madagascar, to compare the relative importance on the mate choice of two MHC class II genes, DRB and DQB, that are equally variable but display contrasting patterns of selection at the molecular level, with DRB under stronger diversifying selection. We further assessed the effect of the genetic relatedness and of the spatial distance among candidate mates on the detection of MHC-dependent mate choice. Our results reveal inbreeding avoidance, along with disassortative mate choice at DRB, but not at DQB. DRB-disassortative mate choice remains detectable after excluding all related dyads (characterized by a relatedness coefficient r > 0), but varies slightly with the spatial distance among candidate mates. These findings suggest that the observed deviations from random mate choice at MHC are driven by functionally important MHC genes (like DRB) rather than passively resulting from inbreeding avoidance and further emphasize the need for taking into account the spatial and genetic structure of the population in correlative tests of MHC-dependent mate choice.}, } @article {pmid23865895, year = {2014}, author = {Schneider, TC and Kappeler, PM}, title = {Social systems and life-history characteristics of mongooses.}, journal = {Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society}, volume = {89}, number = {1}, pages = {173-198}, doi = {10.1111/brv.12050}, pmid = {23865895}, issn = {1469-185X}, mesh = {Animals ; Behavior, Animal/*physiology ; *Ecosystem ; Herpestidae/genetics/*physiology ; Phylogeny ; *Social Behavior ; }, abstract = {The diversity of extant carnivores provides valuable opportunities for comparative research to illuminate general patterns of mammalian social evolution. Recent field studies on mongooses (Herpestidae), in particular, have generated detailed behavioural and demographic data allowing tests of assumptions and predictions of theories of social evolution. The first studies of the social systems of their closest relatives, the Malagasy Eupleridae, also have been initiated. The literature on mongooses was last reviewed over 25 years ago. In this review, we summarise the current state of knowledge on the social organisation, mating systems and social structure (especially competition and cooperation) of the two mongoose families. Our second aim is to evaluate the contributions of these studies to a better understanding of mammalian social evolution in general. Based on published reports or anecdotal information, we can classify 16 of the 34 species of Herpestidae as solitary and nine as group-living; there are insufficient data available for the remainder. There is a strong phylogenetic signal of sociality with permanent complex groups being limited to the genera Crossarchus, Helogale, Liberiictis, Mungos, and Suricata. Our review also indicates that studies of solitary and social mongooses have been conducted within different theoretical frameworks: whereas solitary species and transitions to gregariousness have been mainly investigated in relation to ecological determinants, the study of social patterns of highly social mongooses has instead been based on reproductive skew theory. In some group-living species, group size and composition were found to determine reproductive competition and cooperative breeding through group augmentation. Infanticide risk and inbreeding avoidance connect social organisation and social structure with reproductive tactics and life histories, but their specific impact on mongoose sociality is still difficult to evaluate. However, the level of reproductive skew in social mongooses is not only determined by the costs and benefits of suppressing each other's breeding attempts, but also influenced by resource abundance. Thus, dispersal, as a consequence of eviction, is also linked to the costs of co-breeding in the context of food competition. By linking these facts, we show that the socio-ecological model and reproductive skew theory share some determinants of social patterns. We also conclude that due to their long bio-geographical isolation and divergent selection pressures, future studies of the social systems of the Eupleridae will be of great value for the elucidation of general patterns in carnivore social evolution.}, } @article {pmid23832158, year = {2012}, author = {Linke, S}, title = {Contexts constrain science in the public: How the sociobiology debate was (not) presented in the German press.}, journal = {Public understanding of science (Bristol, England)}, volume = {21}, number = {6}, pages = {740-758}, doi = {10.1177/0963662510394250}, pmid = {23832158}, issn = {0963-6625}, abstract = {This article reports on a media study on the coverage of sociobiology (SB) in the German media. The analyses show a decoupling between the academic discussion and the German media coverage: when the scientific debates about SB were at their height (late 1970s), nearly no reporting occurred in the German press, whereas from the middle of the 1990s onwards, when the academic discussion had settled, SB was presented increasingly often. The case reveals the importance of cultural contexts in shaping popular science coverage, making SB a non-issue in the German media at the times of its most intense scientific debate. Factors contributing to this particular situation in German academia and popular culture are discussed. Comparisons with other studies show how the late renaissance of SB in Germany in the late 1990s is due to media attention towards the new biosciences.}, } @article {pmid23754416, year = {2013}, author = {Searle, J}, title = {Theory of mind and Darwin's legacy.}, journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America}, volume = {110 Suppl 2}, number = {Suppl 2}, pages = {10343-10348}, pmid = {23754416}, issn = {1091-6490}, mesh = {*Biological Evolution ; Brain/*physiology ; Consciousness/*physiology ; Humans ; *Models, Biological ; }, abstract = {We do not have an adequate theory of consciousness. Both dualism and materialism are mistaken because they deny consciousness is part of the physical world. False claims include (i) behaviorism, (ii) computationalism, (iii) epiphenomenalism, (iv) the readiness potential, (v) subjectivity, and (vi) materialism. Ontological subjectivity does not preclude epistemic objectivity. Observer relative phenomena are created by consciousness, but consciousness is not itself observer relative. Consciousness consists of feeling, sentience, or awareness with (i) qualitativeness, (ii) ontological subjectivity, (iii) unified conscious field, (iv) intentionality, and (v) intentional causation. All conscious states are caused by lower level neurobiological processes in the brain, and they are realized in the brain as higher level features. Efforts to get a detailed scientific account of how brain processes cause consciousness are disappointing. The Darwinian revolution gave us a new form of explanation; two levels were substituted: a causal level, where we specify the mechanism by which the phenotype functions, and a functional level, where we specify the selectional advantage that the phenotype provides. Sociobiology attempted to explain general features of human society, ethics, etc. It failed. For the incest taboo, it confuses inhibition with prohibition. It did not explain the moral force of the taboo. To explain the function of consciousness we cannot ask, "What would be subtracted if we subtracted consciousness but left everything else the same?" We cannot leave everything else the same because consciousness is necessary for higher functions of human and animal life. The unified conscious field gives the organism vastly increased power.}, } @article {pmid23728193, year = {2013}, author = {Röder, S and Fink, B and Jones, BC}, title = {Facial, olfactory, and vocal cues to female reproductive value.}, journal = {Evolutionary psychology : an international journal of evolutionary approaches to psychology and behavior}, volume = {11}, number = {2}, pages = {392-404}, pmid = {23728193}, issn = {1474-7049}, mesh = {Adolescent ; Adult ; Age Factors ; Analysis of Variance ; Beauty ; Child ; Cues ; Face/*physiology ; Female ; *Femininity ; *Fertility ; Humans ; Male ; Marriage/psychology ; Men/*psychology ; Middle Aged ; *Odorants ; Sex Characteristics ; Voice/*physiology ; Young Adult ; }, abstract = {Facial, olfactory, and vocal cues may advertise women's fertility. However, most of the evidence for this proposal has come from studies of changes in young adult women's attractiveness over the menstrual cycle. By contrast with this emphasis on changes in attractiveness over the menstrual cycle, possible changes in women's attractiveness over their lifespan have received little attention. The present study investigated men's ratings of young girls' (11-15 years old), adult women's (19-30 years old) and circum-menopausal women's (50-65 years old) facial, body odor, and vocal attractiveness and femininity. Faces and voices, but not body odors, of young girls and adult women were perceived to be significantly more attractive and feminine than those of circum-menopausal women. These data suggest that facial and vocal cues may be cues to women's reproductive value, but that body odor cues do not necessarily advertise this information.}, } @article {pmid23727055, year = {2013}, author = {Baeza, JA}, title = {Molecular phylogeny of broken-back shrimps (genus Lysmata and allies): a test of the 'Tomlinson-Ghiselin' hypothesis explaining the evolution of hermaphroditism.}, journal = {Molecular phylogenetics and evolution}, volume = {69}, number = {1}, pages = {46-62}, doi = {10.1016/j.ympev.2013.05.013}, pmid = {23727055}, issn = {1095-9513}, mesh = {Animals ; Bayes Theorem ; *Biological Evolution ; Decapoda/*classification/genetics ; Environment ; Female ; Male ; *Phylogeny ; Reproduction ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Sex Characteristics ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {The 'Tomlinson-Ghiselin' hypothesis (TGh) predicts that outcrossing simultaneous hermaphroditism (SH) is advantageous when population density is low because the probability of finding sexual partners is negligible. In shrimps from the family Lysmatidae, Bauer's historical contingency hypothesis (HCh) suggests that SH evolved in an ancestral tropical species that adopted a symbiotic lifestyle with, e.g., sea anemones and became a specialized fish-cleaner. Restricted mobility of shrimps due to their association with a host, and hence, reduced probability of encountering mating partners, would have favored SH. The HCh is a special case of the TGh. Herein, I examined within a phylogenetic framework whether the TGh/HCh explains the origin of SH in shrimps. A phylogeny of caridean broken-back shrimps in the families Lysmatidae, Barbouriidae, Merguiidae was first developed using nuclear and mitochondrial makers. Complete evidence phylogenetic analyses using maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian inference (BI) demonstrated that Lysmatidae+Barbouriidae are monophyletic. In turn, Merguiidae is sister to the Lysmatidae+Barbouriidae. ML and BI ancestral character-state reconstruction in the resulting phylogenetic trees indicated that the ancestral Lysmatidae was either gregarious or lived in small groups and was not symbiotic. Four different evolutionary transitions from a free-living to a symbiotic lifestyle occurred in shrimps. Therefore, the evolution of SH in shrimps cannot be explained by the TGh/HCh; reduced probability of encountering mating partners in an ancestral species due to its association with a sessile host did not favor SH in the Lysmatidae. It is proposed that two conditions acting together in the past; low male mating opportunities and brooding constraints, might have favored SH in the ancestral Lysmatidae+Barbouridae. Additional studies on the life history and phylogenetics of broken-back shrimps are needed to understand the evolution of SH in the ecologically diverse Caridea.}, } @article {pmid23707497, year = {2013}, author = {Rimbach, R and Heymann, EW and Link, A and Heistermann, M}, title = {Validation of an enzyme immunoassay for assessing adrenocortical activity and evaluation of factors that affect levels of fecal glucocorticoid metabolites in two New World primates.}, journal = {General and comparative endocrinology}, volume = {191}, number = {}, pages = {13-23}, doi = {10.1016/j.ygcen.2013.05.010}, pmid = {23707497}, issn = {1095-6840}, mesh = {Animals ; Circadian Rhythm/physiology ; Feces/*chemistry ; Female ; Glucocorticoids/*metabolism ; Immunoenzyme Techniques/*methods ; Male ; Primates ; Sex Factors ; }, abstract = {Non-invasive methods to assess stress hormone output via fecal glucocorticoid metabolites (FGCMs) have become a powerful tool in behavioral studies and conservation biology because they allow exploring the link between behavior, an animal's socio-ecological environment and its adrenocortical activity. However, FGCM levels are influenced by numerous other factors which often confound their interpretation. Thus, before applying these methods, knowledge on the impact of these factors is important. In this study we investigated the effect of (1) time of day, (2) age, (3) sex and (4) female reproductive state on FGCM levels in brown spider monkeys (Ateles hybridus) and red howler monkeys (Alouatta seniculus). Initially, we validated a 11β-hydroxyetiocholanolone enzyme immunoassay for monitoring the physiological stress response via fecal analysis in both species. We determined FGCM levels in fecal samples collected from two and six groups of wild spider monkeys (n=461 samples) and howler monkeys (n=166 samples), respectively. Our analyses revealed a strong effect of time of day on FGCM levels in spider monkeys, but no effect in howler monkeys. Adults of both species had significantly higher FGCM levels than subadults. In neither of the two species we found a sex-effect on FGCM output. Reproductive condition strongly affected FGCM levels in female spider monkeys which showed increasing concentrations with progressing gestation. This was not investigated in female howler monkeys due to an insufficient sample size. Our data indicate that the influence of the tested factors on fecal glucocorticoid metabolite output is species-specific, and that these variables need to be considered when interpreting FGCM levels in the species.}, } @article {pmid23670214, year = {2014}, author = {Schnoell, AV and Dittmann, MT and Fichtel, C}, title = {Human-introduced long-term traditions in wild redfronted lemurs?.}, journal = {Animal cognition}, volume = {17}, number = {1}, pages = {45-54}, pmid = {23670214}, issn = {1435-9456}, mesh = {Animals ; Animals, Wild/*psychology ; Culture ; Feeding Behavior/psychology ; Female ; Humans ; Lemur/*psychology ; Male ; Social Behavior ; }, abstract = {Behavioural traditions have only been described for a small subset of species, and the factors responsible for the maintenance of traditions over time are unclear. Redfronted lemurs are known to learn socially but traditions have not been described in the wild. We conducted a social diffusion experiment over three experimental years with artificial feeding boxes that could be opened in two different ways (pushing or pulling a door). Six out of 14 individuals that participated in at least 2 years exhibited a stable preference: five lemurs maintained a pull and one lemur a push preference, suggesting that habit formation and reinforcement learning may have lead to preferences over time. The remaining individuals exhibited fluctuating preferences and switched between showing a preference or no preference, but never switched between preferences. This instability might have been due to the low level of difficulty and/or the low object specificity of the task. The majority of lemurs additionally scrounged. Scrounging was not influenced by age, sex or success in manipulating the boxes. Thus, redfronted lemurs appear to use the two techniques flexibly but also scrounged opportunistically to get access to the rewards, indicating that traditions might be stabilized by multiple factors.}, } @article {pmid23661028, year = {2013}, author = {Schnoell, AV and Fichtel, C}, title = {A novel feeding behaviour in wild redfronted lemurs (Eulemur rufifrons): depletion of spider nests.}, journal = {Primates; journal of primatology}, volume = {54}, number = {4}, pages = {371-375}, pmid = {23661028}, issn = {1610-7365}, mesh = {Animals ; *Feeding Behavior ; Female ; Learning ; Lemuridae/*physiology ; Madagascar ; Male ; Predatory Behavior ; Social Behavior ; Spiders ; }, abstract = {Reports on behavioural innovations in wild primate populations as well as on their transmission are rare. Here, we report observations suggesting that redfronted lemurs (Eulemur rufifrons) invent new behaviours in the wild. We observed a novel feeding behaviour in redfronted lemurs in Kirindy Forest, western Madagascar. The feeding behaviour consisted of depletion of nests of a social spider species (Stegodyphus sp.). The behaviour was observed in only one out of four study groups, although spider nests were present in the home ranges of all four groups. The behaviour was exhibited in three different years (2009, 2011, 2012) and appears to be re-invented from time to time. Interestingly, in 2011 this behaviour was shown by four individuals and probably spread within the group. This feeding behaviour has only been observed between the middle of June and early August (i.e. the early dry season), and nests were found to be empty later on, suggesting that these nests are available as a food source only seasonally. Our observation contributes a rare case of behavioural innovations in a wild primate population.}, } @article {pmid23643447, year = {2013}, author = {Perez, M}, title = {Evolutionary activism: Stephen Jay Gould, the New Left and sociobiology.}, journal = {Endeavour}, volume = {37}, number = {2}, pages = {104-111}, doi = {10.1016/j.endeavour.2012.10.002}, pmid = {23643447}, issn = {1873-1929}, mesh = {Anthropology, Physical/*history ; Biological Evolution ; History, 20th Century ; Humans ; Paleontology/*history ; Research ; Research Personnel/*history ; Sociobiology/*history ; United States ; }, } @article {pmid23609840, year = {2013}, author = {Rössler, W and Brill, MF}, title = {Parallel processing in the honeybee olfactory pathway: structure, function, and evolution.}, journal = {Journal of comparative physiology. A, Neuroethology, sensory, neural, and behavioral physiology}, volume = {199}, number = {11}, pages = {981-996}, pmid = {23609840}, issn = {1432-1351}, mesh = {Animals ; *Bees ; *Biological Evolution ; Nerve Net/cytology/*physiology ; Olfactory Pathways/*anatomy & histology/*physiology ; Smell/*physiology ; }, abstract = {Animals face highly complex and dynamic olfactory stimuli in their natural environments, which require fast and reliable olfactory processing. Parallel processing is a common principle of sensory systems supporting this task, for example in visual and auditory systems, but its role in olfaction remained unclear. Studies in the honeybee focused on a dual olfactory pathway. Two sets of projection neurons connect glomeruli in two antennal-lobe hemilobes via lateral and medial tracts in opposite sequence with the mushroom bodies and lateral horn. Comparative studies suggest that this dual-tract circuit represents a unique adaptation in Hymenoptera. Imaging studies indicate that glomeruli in both hemilobes receive redundant sensory input. Recent simultaneous multi-unit recordings from projection neurons of both tracts revealed widely overlapping response profiles strongly indicating parallel olfactory processing. Whereas lateral-tract neurons respond fast with broad (generalistic) profiles, medial-tract neurons are odorant specific and respond slower. In analogy to "what-" and "where" subsystems in visual pathways, this suggests two parallel olfactory subsystems providing "what-" (quality) and "when" (temporal) information. Temporal response properties may support across-tract coincidence coding in higher centers. Parallel olfactory processing likely enhances perception of complex odorant mixtures to decode the diverse and dynamic olfactory world of a social insect.}, } @article {pmid23596527, year = {2013}, author = {Kramer, BH and Schaible, R}, title = {Life span evolution in eusocial workers--a theoretical approach to understanding the effects of extrinsic mortality in a hierarchical system.}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {8}, number = {4}, pages = {e61813}, pmid = {23596527}, issn = {1932-6203}, mesh = {Algorithms ; Animals ; *Ants ; Behavior, Animal ; *Biological Evolution ; Insecta ; *Life Expectancy ; Models, Theoretical ; Reproduction ; Social Behavior ; }, abstract = {While the extraordinary life span of queens and division of labor in eusocial societies have been well studied, it is less clear which selective forces act on the short life span of workers. The disparity of life span between the queen and the workers is linked to a basic issue in sociobiology: How are the resources in a colony allocated between colony maintenance and reproduction? Resources for somatic maintenance of the colony can either be invested into quality or quantity of workers. Here, we present a theoretical optimization model that uses a hierarchical trade-off within insect colonies and extrinsic mortality to explain how different aging phenotypes could have evolved to keep resources secure in the colony. The model points to the significance of two factors. First, any investment that would generate a longer intrinsic life span for workers is lost if the individual dies from external causes while foraging. As a consequence, risky environments favor the evolution of workers with a shorter life span. Second, shorter-lived workers require less investment than long-lived ones, allowing the colony to allocate these resources to sexual reproduction or colony growth.}, } @article {pmid23569286, year = {2013}, author = {Kappeler, PM and Barrett, L and Blumstein, DT and Clutton-Brock, TH}, title = {Constraints and flexibility in mammalian social behaviour: introduction and synthesis.}, journal = {Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences}, volume = {368}, number = {1618}, pages = {20120337}, pmid = {23569286}, issn = {1471-2970}, mesh = {Animals ; *Biological Evolution ; Ecosystem ; Genetic Variation ; *Mammals ; Phylogeny ; Population Dynamics ; Reproduction ; Sexual Behavior, Animal ; *Social Behavior ; Species Specificity ; }, abstract = {This paper introduces a Theme Issue presenting the latest developments in research on the interplay between flexibility and constraint in social behaviour, using comparative datasets, long-term field studies and experimental data from both field and laboratory studies of mammals. We first explain our focus on mammals and outline the main components of their social systems, focusing on variation within- and among-species in numerous aspects of social organization, mating system and social structure. We then review the current state of primarily ultimate explanations of this diversity in social behaviour. We approach the question of how and why the balance between behavioural flexibility and continuity is achieved by discussing the genetic, developmental, ecological and social constraints on hypothetically unlimited behavioural flexibility. We introduce the other contributions to this Theme Issue against this background and conclude that constraints are often crucial to the evolution and expression of behavioural flexibility. In exploring these issues, the enduring relevance of Tinbergen's seminal paper 'On aims and methods in ethology', with its advocacy of an integrative, four-pronged approach to studying behaviour becomes apparent: an exceptionally fitting tribute on the 50th anniversary of its publication.}, } @article {pmid23565332, year = {2012}, author = {Schliehe-Diecks, S and Kappeler, PM and Langrock, R}, title = {On the application of mixed hidden Markov models to multiple behavioural time series.}, journal = {Interface focus}, volume = {2}, number = {2}, pages = {180-189}, pmid = {23565332}, issn = {2042-8901}, abstract = {Analysing behavioural sequences and quantifying the likelihood of occurrences of different behaviours is a difficult task as motivational states are not observable. Furthermore, it is ecologically highly relevant and yet more complicated to scale an appropriate model for one individual up to the population level. In this manuscript (mixed) hidden Markov models (HMMs) are used to model the feeding behaviour of 54 subadult grey mouse lemurs (Microcebus murinus), small nocturnal primates endemic to Madagascar that forage solitarily. Our primary aim is to introduce ecologists and other users to various HMM methods, many of which have been developed only recently, and which in this form have not previously been synthesized in the ecological literature. Our specific application of mixed HMMs aims at gaining a better understanding of mouse lemur behaviour, in particular concerning sex-specific differences. The model we consider incorporates random effects for accommodating heterogeneity across animals, i.e. accounts for different personalities of the animals. Additional subject- and time-specific covariates in the model describe the influence of sex, body mass and time of night.}, } @article {pmid23553075, year = {2014}, author = {Xie, F and Pullenayegum, E and Gaebel, K and Oppe, M and Krabbe, PF}, title = {Eliciting preferences to the EQ-5D-5L health states: discrete choice experiment or multiprofile case of best-worst scaling?.}, journal = {The European journal of health economics : HEPAC : health economics in prevention and care}, volume = {15}, number = {3}, pages = {281-288}, pmid = {23553075}, issn = {1618-7601}, mesh = {Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Bayes Theorem ; *Choice Behavior ; Female ; *Health Status ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Models, Theoretical ; Quality of Life/*psychology ; Sociobiology ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Young Adult ; }, abstract = {Choice-based methods have been used widely in assessing healthcare programs. This study compared the binary discrete choice experiment (DCE) and the multiprofile case of best-worst scaling (BWS) in eliciting preferences for the EQ-5D-5L. Forty-eight EQ-5D-5L health states were selected using a Bayesian efficient design and grouped into 24 pairs for the DCE tasks and 8 sets for the BWS tasks (each set has three health states). A total of 100 participants completed 12 pairs and 8 sets in a random order. A probit regression model and ranked order logistic regression model were used to estimate the latent utilities from the DCE and BWS, respectively. Both tasks were well understood by the majority of participants. The DCE tasks were relatively easier and took a shorter time to complete. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of the DCE was higher than that of the BWS. The variances associated with the latent utilities estimated from the DCE were larger than those from the BWS. The DCE is more feasible and reliable than the BWS in valuing the EQ-5D-5L. Future studies could focus on comparing the consistency and accuracy of these techniques in predicting the health utilities of the EQ-5D-5L.}, } @article {pmid23531807, year = {2013}, author = {Röder, S and Fink, B and Feinberg, DR and Neave, N}, title = {Facial visualizations of women's voices suggest a cross-modality preference for femininity.}, journal = {Evolutionary psychology : an international journal of evolutionary approaches to psychology and behavior}, volume = {11}, number = {1}, pages = {227-237}, pmid = {23531807}, issn = {1474-7049}, mesh = {Adolescent ; Adult ; Beauty ; Child ; *Choice Behavior ; *Face ; Female ; *Femininity ; Humans ; Male ; Men/*psychology ; Middle Aged ; Perception ; Personal Satisfaction ; Photic Stimulation ; *Voice ; Women/*psychology ; Young Adult ; }, abstract = {Women with higher-pitched voices and more feminine facial features are commonly judged as being more attractive than are women with lower-pitched voices and less feminine faces, possibly because both features are affected by (age-related) variations in endocrine status. These results are primarily derived from investigations of perceptions of variations in single-modality stimuli (i.e., faces or voices) in samples of young adult women. In the present study we sought to test whether male and female perceptions of women's voices affect visual representations of facial femininity. Eighty men and women judged voice recordings of 10 young girls (11-15 years), 10 adult women (19-28 years) and 10 peri-/post-menopausal women (50-64 years) on age, attractiveness, and femininity. Another 80 men and women were asked to indicate the face they think each voice corresponded to using a video that gradually changed from a masculine looking male face into a feminine looking female face. Both male and female participants perceived voices of young girls and adult women to be significantly younger, more attractive and feminine than those of peri-/post-menopausal women. Hearing young girls' and adult women's voices resulted in both men and women selecting faces that differed markedly in apparent femininity from those associated with peri-/post-menopausal women's voices. Voices of young girls had the strongest effect on visualizations of facial femininity. Our results suggest a cross-modal preference for women's vocal and facial femininity, which depends on female age and is independent of the perceiver's sex.}, } @article {pmid23460896, year = {2013}, author = {Streinzer, M and Brockmann, A and Nagaraja, N and Spaethe, J}, title = {Sex and caste-specific variation in compound eye morphology of five honeybee species.}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {8}, number = {2}, pages = {e57702}, pmid = {23460896}, issn = {1932-6203}, mesh = {Animals ; Bees/*anatomy & histology/*physiology ; Body Size ; Compound Eye, Arthropod/*anatomy & histology ; Female ; Flight, Animal/physiology ; *Hierarchy, Social ; Male ; Organ Size ; *Sex Characteristics ; Sexual Behavior, Animal/physiology ; Species Specificity ; }, abstract = {Ranging from dwarfs to giants, the species of honeybees show remarkable differences in body size that have placed evolutionary constrains on the size of sensory organs and the brain. Colonies comprise three adult phenotypes, drones and two female castes, the reproductive queen and sterile workers. The phenotypes differ with respect to tasks and thus selection pressures which additionally constrain the shape of sensory systems. In a first step to explore the variability and interaction between species size-limitations and sex and caste-specific selection pressures in sensory and neural structures in honeybees, we compared eye size, ommatidia number and distribution of facet lens diameters in drones, queens and workers of five species (Apis andreniformis, A. florea, A. dorsata, A. mellifera, A. cerana). In these species, male and female eyes show a consistent sex-specific organization with respect to eye size and regional specialization of facet diameters. Drones possess distinctly enlarged eyes with large dorsal facets. Aside from these general patterns, we found signs of unique adaptations in eyes of A. florea and A. dorsata drones. In both species, drone eyes are disproportionately enlarged. In A. dorsata the increased eye size results from enlarged facets, a likely adaptation to crepuscular mating flights. In contrast, the relative enlargement of A. florea drone eyes results from an increase in ommatidia number, suggesting strong selection for high spatial resolution. Comparison of eye morphology and published mating flight times indicates a correlation between overall light sensitivity and species-specific mating flight times. The correlation suggests an important role of ambient light intensities in the regulation of species-specific mating flight times and the evolution of the visual system. Our study further deepens insights into visual adaptations within the genus Apis and opens up future perspectives for research to better understand the timing mechanisms and sensory physiology of mating related signals.}, } @article {pmid23457648, year = {2013}, author = {Pielström, S and Roces, F}, title = {Sequential soil transport and its influence on the spatial organisation of collective digging in leaf-cutting ants.}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {8}, number = {2}, pages = {e57040}, pmid = {23457648}, issn = {1932-6203}, mesh = {Animals ; *Ants/physiology ; Body Size ; Choice Behavior ; Cues ; Motion ; *Nesting Behavior ; *Plant Leaves ; *Soil ; Spatial Analysis ; Time Factors ; }, abstract = {The Chaco leaf-cutting ant Atta vollenweideri (Forel) inhabits large and deep subterranean nests composed of a large number of fungus and refuse chambers. The ants dispose of the excavated soil by forming small pellets that are carried to the surface. For ants in general, the organisation of underground soil transport during nest building remains completely unknown. In the laboratory, we investigated how soil pellets are formed and transported, and whether their occurrence influences the spatial organisation of collective digging. Similar to leaf transport, we discovered size matching between soil pellet mass and carrier mass. Workers observed while digging excavated pellets at a rate of 26 per hour. Each excavator deposited its pellets in an individual cluster, independently of the preferred deposition sites of other excavators. Soil pellets were transported sequentially over 2 m, and the transport involved up to 12 workers belonging to three functionally distinct groups: excavators, several short-distance carriers that dropped the collected pellets after a few centimetres, and long-distance, last carriers that reached the final deposition site. When initiating a new excavation, the proportion of long-distance carriers increased from 18% to 45% within the first five hours, and remained unchanged over more than 20 hours. Accumulated, freshly-excavated pellets significantly influenced the workers' decision where to start digging in a choice experiment. Thus, pellets temporarily accumulated as a result of their sequential transport provide cues that spatially organise collective nest excavation.}, } @article {pmid23438146, year = {2013}, author = {Fink, B and Neuser, F and Deloux, G and Röder, S and Matts, PJ}, title = {Visual attention to and perception of undamaged and damaged versions of natural and colored female hair.}, journal = {Journal of cosmetic dermatology}, volume = {12}, number = {1}, pages = {78-84}, doi = {10.1111/jocd.12017}, pmid = {23438146}, issn = {1473-2165}, mesh = {Adult ; Beauty ; *Color Perception ; *Discrimination, Psychological ; Female ; *Hair Color ; *Hair Dyes ; Health Status ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; }, abstract = {Female hair color is thought to influence physical attractiveness, and although there is some evidence for this assertion, research has yet not addressed the question if and how physical damaging affects the perception of female hair color. Here we investigate whether people are sensitive (in terms of visual attention and age, health and attractiveness perception) to subtle differences in hair images of natural and colored hair before and after physical damaging. We tracked the eye-gaze of 50 men and 50 women aged 31-50 years whilst they viewed randomized pairs of images of 20 natural and 20 colored hair tresses, each pair displaying the same tress before and after controlled cuticle damage. The hair images were then rated for perceived health, attractiveness, and age. Undamaged versions of natural and colored hair were perceived as significantly younger, healthier, and more attractive than corresponding damaged versions. Visual attention to images of undamaged colored hair was significantly higher compared with their damaged counterparts, while in natural hair, the opposite pattern was found. We argue that the divergence in visual attention to undamaged colored female hair and damaged natural female hair and associated ratings is due to differences in social perception and discuss the source of apparent visual difference between undamaged and damaged hair.}, } @article {pmid23425629, year = {2013}, author = {De Matteis, S and Consonni, D and Pesatori, AC and Bergen, AW and Bertazzi, PA and Caporaso, NE and Lubin, JH and Wacholder, S and Landi, MT}, title = {Are women who smoke at higher risk for lung cancer than men who smoke?.}, journal = {American journal of epidemiology}, volume = {177}, number = {7}, pages = {601-612}, pmid = {23425629}, issn = {1476-6256}, support = {//Intramural NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Adult ; Aged ; Algorithms ; Case-Control Studies ; Confounding Factors, Epidemiologic ; Female ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms/*chemically induced/*epidemiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Odds Ratio ; Risk Factors ; Sex Factors ; Smoking/*adverse effects/*epidemiology ; Sociobiology ; Time Factors ; }, abstract = {Worldwide lung cancer incidence is decreasing or leveling off among men, but rising among women. Sex differences in associations of tobacco carcinogens with lung cancer risk have been hypothesized, but the epidemiologic evidence is conflicting. We tested sex-smoking interaction in association with lung cancer risk within a population-based case-control study, the Environment and Genetics in Lung Cancer Etiology (EAGLE) Study (Lombardy, Italy, 2002-2005). Detailed lifetime smoking histories were collected by personal interview in 2,100 cases with incident lung cancer and 2,120 controls. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for pack-years of cigarette smoking were estimated by logistic regression, adjusted for age, residence area, and time since quitting smoking. To assess sex-smoking interaction, we compared the slopes of odds ratios for logarithm of pack-years in a model for men and women combined. Overall, the slope for pack-years was steeper in men (odds ratio for female-smoking interaction = 0.39, 95% confidence interval: 0.24, 0.62; P < 0.0001); after restriction to ever smokers, the difference in slopes was much smaller (odds ratio for interaction = 0.63, 95% confidence interval: 0.29, 1.37; P = 0.24). Similar results were found by histological type. Results were unchanged when additional confounders were evaluated (e.g., tobacco type, inhalation depth, Fagerström-assessed nicotine dependence). These findings do not support a higher female susceptibility to tobacco-related lung cancer.}, } @article {pmid23420940, year = {2012}, author = {Neitzke, AB}, title = {On the genetic modification of psychology, personality, and behavior.}, journal = {Kennedy Institute of Ethics journal}, volume = {22}, number = {4}, pages = {307-343}, pmid = {23420940}, issn = {1054-6863}, mesh = {Altruism ; Behavior ; Beneficence ; Choice Behavior/ethics ; Cultural Characteristics ; Decision Making/*ethics ; Eugenics ; *Freedom ; Genetic Enhancement/*ethics ; *Genetics, Behavioral/ethics ; Humans ; *Intelligence ; *Morals ; *Parents ; Paternalism/ethics ; *Personal Autonomy ; *Personality ; *Social Responsibility ; *Social Values ; Sociobiology ; *Virtues ; }, abstract = {I argue that the use of heritable modifications for psychology, personality, and behavior should be limited to the reversal or prevention of relatively unambiguous instances of pathology or likely harm (e.g. sociopathy). Most of the likely modifications of psychological personality would not be of this nature, however, and parents therefore should not have the freedom to make such modifications to future children. I argue by examining the viewpoints of both the individual and society. For individuals, modifications would interfere with their capacity for self-determination in a way that undermines the very concept of self-determination. I argue that modification of psychology and personality is unlike present parenting in morally significant ways. For society, modification offers a medium for power to manipulate the makeup of persons and populations, possibly causing biological harm to the species and altering our conceptions of social responsibility.}, } @article {pmid23393950, year = {2012}, author = {D'Alessio, SJ and Stolzenberg, L}, title = {Stepchildren, community disadvantage, and physical injury in a child abuse incident: a preliminary investigation.}, journal = {Violence and victims}, volume = {27}, number = {6}, pages = {860-870}, doi = {10.1891/0886-6708.27.6.860}, pmid = {23393950}, issn = {0886-6708}, mesh = {Adoption/*psychology ; Attitude to Health ; Caregivers/psychology/*statistics & numerical data ; Child ; Child Abuse/*statistics & numerical data ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; *Parent-Child Relations ; Parenting/*psychology ; Risk Factors ; Siblings ; Socioeconomic Factors ; United States/epidemiology ; Wounds and Injuries/*epidemiology ; }, abstract = {It is proffered that stepchildren are more likely than genetic children to be physically abused because they are unable to ensure the genetic survival of their adoptive parents. This abuse is theorized to be more pronounced in communities where social and economic resources are scarce. The salience of this cross-level interaction hinges on the assumption that the limited resources of a family are first allocated to genetic offspring because these children, unlike their nongenetic siblings, carry the genes of their parents. A multilevel analysis of child abuse incidents reported to police in 133 U.S. cities during 2005 shows that in cities with a high level of community disadvantage, stepchildren are much more apt than are genetic children to suffer a physical injury in a child abuse incident. Such a finding buttresses the position articulated by proponents of sociobiology.}, } @article {pmid23392673, year = {2013}, author = {Brill, MF and Rosenbaum, T and Reus, I and Kleineidam, CJ and Nawrot, MP and Rössler, W}, title = {Parallel processing via a dual olfactory pathway in the honeybee.}, journal = {The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience}, volume = {33}, number = {6}, pages = {2443-2456}, pmid = {23392673}, issn = {1529-2401}, mesh = {Action Potentials/physiology ; Animals ; Arthropod Antennae/*physiology ; Bees/anatomy & histology/*physiology ; Female ; *Odorants ; Olfactory Pathways/anatomy & histology/*physiology ; Smell/*physiology ; }, abstract = {In their natural environment, animals face complex and highly dynamic olfactory input. Thus vertebrates as well as invertebrates require fast and reliable processing of olfactory information. Parallel processing has been shown to improve processing speed and power in other sensory systems and is characterized by extraction of different stimulus parameters along parallel sensory information streams. Honeybees possess an elaborate olfactory system with unique neuronal architecture: a dual olfactory pathway comprising a medial projection-neuron (PN) antennal lobe (AL) protocerebral output tract (m-APT) and a lateral PN AL output tract (l-APT) connecting the olfactory lobes with higher-order brain centers. We asked whether this neuronal architecture serves parallel processing and employed a novel technique for simultaneous multiunit recordings from both tracts. The results revealed response profiles from a high number of PNs of both tracts to floral, pheromonal, and biologically relevant odor mixtures tested over multiple trials. PNs from both tracts responded to all tested odors, but with different characteristics indicating parallel processing of similar odors. Both PN tracts were activated by widely overlapping response profiles, which is a requirement for parallel processing. The l-APT PNs had broad response profiles suggesting generalized coding properties, whereas the responses of m-APT PNs were comparatively weaker and less frequent, indicating higher odor specificity. Comparison of response latencies within and across tracts revealed odor-dependent latencies. We suggest that parallel processing via the honeybee dual olfactory pathway provides enhanced odor processing capabilities serving sophisticated odor perception and olfactory demands associated with a complex olfactory world of this social insect.}, } @article {pmid24700968, year = {2013}, author = {Donoho, CJ and Crimmins, EM and Seeman, TE}, title = {Marital Quality, Gender, and Markers of Inflammation in the MIDUS Cohort.}, journal = {Journal of marriage and the family}, volume = {75}, number = {1}, pages = {127-141}, pmid = {24700968}, issn = {0022-2445}, support = {T32 AG000037/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States ; M01 RR000865/RR/NCRR NIH HHS/United States ; UL1 RR025011/RR/NCRR NIH HHS/United States ; R01 AG010266/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States ; P30 AG017265/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States ; M01 RR023942/RR/NCRR NIH HHS/United States ; P01 AG020166/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States ; }, abstract = {Marital quality is an important factor for understanding the relationship between marriage and health. Low-quality relationships may not have the same health benefits as high-quality relationships. To understand the association between marital quality and health, we examined associations between two indicators of marital quality (marital support and marital strain) and two biomarkers of inflammation (interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein) among men and women in long-term marriages using data from the Survey of Midlife in the United States (N = 542). Lower levels of spousal support were associated with higher levels of inflammation among women but not men. Higher levels of spousal strain were weakly and inconsistently associated with higher levels of inflammation among women and men; the effects were diminished with the addition of psychosocial and behavioral covariates. These findings suggest marital quality is an important predictor of inflammation, especially among women.}, } @article {pmid23326392, year = {2013}, author = {Pyritz, LW and Fichtel, C and Huchard, E and Kappeler, PM}, title = {Determinants and outcomes of decision-making, group coordination and social interactions during a foraging experiment in a wild primate.}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {8}, number = {1}, pages = {e53144}, pmid = {23326392}, issn = {1932-6203}, mesh = {Animals ; *Cooperative Behavior ; Decision Making/*physiology ; Drinking Behavior/physiology ; Feeding Behavior/*physiology ; Female ; Lemur/*physiology ; Linear Models ; Male ; *Social Behavior ; Video Recording ; }, abstract = {Social animals have to coordinate joint movements to maintain group cohesion, but the latter is often compromised by diverging individual interests. A widespread behavioral mechanism to achieve coordination relies on shared or unshared consensus decision-making. If consensus costs are high, group fission represents an alternative tactic. Exploring determinants and outcomes of spontaneous group decisions and coordination of free-ranging animals is methodologically challenging. We therefore conducted a foraging experiment with a group of wild redfronted lemurs (Eulemur rufifrons) to study decision outcomes, coordination of movements, individual foraging benefits and social interactions in response to the presentation of drinking platforms with varying baiting patterns. Behavioral observations were complemented with data from recordings of motion detector cameras installed at the platforms. The animal's behavior in the experimental conditions was compared to natural group movements. We could not determine the type of consensus decision-making because the group visited platforms randomly. The group fissioned during 23.3% of platform visits, and fissioning resulted in more individuals drinking simultaneously. As under natural conditions, adult females initiated most group movements, but overtaking by individuals of different age and sex classes occurred in 67% of movements to platforms, compared to only 18% during other movements. As a result, individual resource intake at the platforms did not depend on departure position, age or sex, but on arrival order. Aggression at the platforms did not affect resource intake, presumably due to low supplanting rates. Our findings highlight the diversity of coordination processes and related consequences for individual foraging benefits in a primate group living under natural conditions.}, } @article {pmid27293615, year = {2013}, author = {Rimbach, R and Link, A and Heistermann, M and Gómez-Posada, C and Galvis, N and Heymann, EW}, title = {Effects of logging, hunting, and forest fragment size on physiological stress levels of two sympatric ateline primates in Colombia.}, journal = {Conservation physiology}, volume = {1}, number = {1}, pages = {cot031}, pmid = {27293615}, issn = {2051-1434}, abstract = {Habitat fragmentation and anthropogenic disturbances are of major concern to the conservation of endangered species because of their potentially negative impact on animal populations. Both processes can impose physiological stress (i.e. increased glucocorticoid output) on animals, and chronically elevated stress levels can have detrimental effects on the long-term viability of animal populations. Here, we investigated the effect of fragment size and human impact (logging and hunting pressure) on glucocorticoid levels of two sympatric Neotropical primates, the red howler monkey (Alouatta seniculus) and the critically endangered brown spider monkey (Ateles hybridus). These two species have been reported to contrast strongly in their ability to cope with anthropogenic disturbances. We collected faecal samples from eight spider monkey groups and 31 howler monkey groups, living in seven and 10 different forest fragments in Colombia, respectively. We measured faecal glucocorticoid metabolite (FGCM) levels in both species using previously validated methods. Surprisingly, fragment size did not influence FGCM levels in either species. Spider monkeys showed elevated FGCMs in fragments with the highest level of human impact, whereas we did not find this effect in howler monkeys. This suggests that the two species differ in their physiological responsiveness to anthropogenic changes, further emphasizing why brown spider monkeys are at higher extinction risk than red howler monkeys. If these anthropogenic disturbances persist in the long term, elevated FGCM levels can potentially lead to a state of chronic stress, which might limit the future viability of populations. We propose that FGCM measurements should be used as a tool to monitor populations living in disturbed areas and to assess the success of conservation strategies, such as corridors connecting forest fragments.}, } @article {pmid23144523, year = {2012}, author = {Hilgartner, R and Fichtel, C and Kappeler, PM and Zinner, D}, title = {Determinants of Pair-Living in Red-Tailed Sportive Lemurs (Lepilemur ruficaudatus).}, journal = {Ethology : formerly Zeitschrift fur Tierpsychologie}, volume = {118}, number = {5}, pages = {466-479}, pmid = {23144523}, issn = {0179-1613}, abstract = {Pair-living and a monogamous mating strategy are rare and theoretically unexpected among mammals. Nevertheless, about 10% of primate species exhibit such a social system, which is difficult to explain in the absence of paternal care. In this study, we investigated the two major hypotheses proposed to explain the evolution of monogamy in mammals, the female defence hypothesis (FDH) and the resource defence hypothesis (RDH), in red-tailed sportive lemurs (Lepilemur ruficaudatus), a nocturnal primate from Madagascar. We analysed behavioural data from eight male-female pairs collected during a 24-mo field study to illuminate the determinants of pair-living in this species. Male and female L. ruficaudatus were found to live in dispersed pairs, which are characterised by low cohesion and low encounter rates within a common home range. Social interactions between pair partners were mainly agonistic and characterised by a complete absence of affiliative interactions - body contact was only observed during mating. During the short annual mating season, males exhibited elevated levels of aggression towards mates, as well as extensive mate guarding and increased locomotor activity. In addition, males were exclusively responsible for the maintenance of proximity between pair partners during this period, and they defended their territories against neighbouring males but not against females. Together, these results point towards the importance of female defence in explaining pair-living in L. ruficaudatus. We discuss the spatial and temporal distribution of receptive females in relation to the female defence strategies of males and suggest possible costs that prevent male red-tailed sportive lemurs from defending more than one female.}, } @article {pmid23053230, year = {2013}, author = {Kraus, C and Mueller, B and Meise, K and Piedrahita, P and Pörschmann, U and Trillmich, F}, title = {Mama's boy: sex differences in juvenile survival in a highly dimorphic large mammal, the Galapagos sea lion.}, journal = {Oecologia}, volume = {171}, number = {4}, pages = {893-903}, pmid = {23053230}, issn = {1432-1939}, mesh = {Animals ; Body Weight ; Ecuador ; *Environment ; Female ; Likelihood Functions ; Linear Models ; Male ; *Models, Biological ; *Mortality ; Sea Lions/*physiology ; *Sex Characteristics ; Temperature ; }, abstract = {In many mammals, early survival differs between the sexes, with males proving the more fragile sex ["Fragile male (FM) hypothesis"], especially in sexually dimorphic species where males are the larger sex. Male-biased allocation (MBA) by females may offset this difference. Here, we evaluate support for the FM and MBA hypotheses using a dataset on Galapagos sea lions (Zalophus wollebaeki). We statistically model sex-specific survival as it depends on body mass and environmental conditions (sea surface temperature, SST, a correlate of marine productivity) at three developmental stages, the perinatal phase (1st month), the main lactation period (1st year), and the weaning period (2nd year). Supporting the FM hypothesis, we found that, early in life (1st month), at equal birth mass, males survived less well than females. During the remainder of the first year of life, male survival was actually less sensitive to harsh environmental conditions than that of females, contradicting the FM hypothesis and supporting the MBA hypothesis. During the second year of life, only male survival suffered with high SSTs as predicted by the FM hypothesis. At each developmental stage, observed survival rates were almost equal for both sexes, suggesting that mothers buffer against the inherent fragility of male offspring through increased allocation, thereby masking the differences in survival prospects between the sexes.}, } @article {pmid23024445, year = {2012}, author = {Bowler, M and Knogge, C and Heymann, EW and Zinner, D}, title = {Multilevel Societies in New World Primates? Flexibility May Characterize the Organization of Peruvian Red Uakaris (Cacajao calvus ucayalii).}, journal = {International journal of primatology}, volume = {33}, number = {5}, pages = {1110-1124}, pmid = {23024445}, issn = {0164-0291}, abstract = {Researchers have described multilevel societies with one-male, multifemale units (OMUs) forming within a larger group in several catarrhine species, but not in platyrhines. OMUs in multilevel societies are associated with extremely large group sizes, often with >100 individuals, and the only platyrhine genus that forms groups of this size is Cacajao. We review available evidence for multilevel organization and the formation of OMUs in groups of Cacajao, and test predictions for the frequency distribution patterns of male-male and male-female interindividual distances within groups of red-faced uakaris (Cacajao calvus ucayalii), comparing year-round data with those collected at the peak of the breeding season, when group cohesion may be more pronounced. Groups of Cacajao fission and fuse, forming subgroup sizes at frequencies consistent with an OMU organization. In Cacajao calvus ucayalii and Cacajao calvus calvus, bachelor groups are also observed, a characteristic of several catarrhine species that form OMUs. However, researchers have observed both multimale-multifemale groups and groups with a single male and multiple females in Cacajao calvus. The frequency distributions of interindividual distances for male-male and male-female dyads are consistent with an OMU-based organization, but alternative interpretations of these data are possible. The distribution of interindividual distances collected during the peak breeding season differed from those collected year-round, indicating seasonal changes in the spatial organization of Cacajao calvus ucayalii. We suggest a high degree of flexibility may characterize the social organization of Cacajao calvus ucayalii, which may form OMUs under certain conditions. Further studies with identifiable individuals, thus far not possible in Cacajao, are required to confirm the social organization.}, } @article {pmid22987773, year = {2012}, author = {McAllister, L and Gurven, M and Kaplan, H and Stieglitz, J}, title = {Why do women have more children than they want? Understanding differences in women's ideal and actual family size in a natural fertility population.}, journal = {American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council}, volume = {24}, number = {6}, pages = {786-799}, pmid = {22987773}, issn = {1520-6300}, support = {R01 AG024119/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States ; 1R01AG024119-01/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Analysis of Variance ; Anthropology, Cultural ; Bolivia ; Culture ; *Economic Development ; *Family Characteristics ; Female ; *Fertility ; Health Status ; Humans ; Indians, South American ; Models, Biological ; Prospective Studies ; Regression Analysis ; Reproduction ; Sociobiology ; Socioeconomic Factors ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; }, abstract = {OBJECTIVES: We develop and test a conceptual model of factors influencing women's ideal family size (IFS) in a natural fertility population, the Tsimane of Bolivia. The model posits affects of socioecology, reproductive history, maternal condition, and men's IFS. We test three hypotheses for why women may exceed their IFS despite experiencing socioeconomic development: (H(1)) limited autonomy; (H(2)) improved maternal condition; and (H(3)) low returns on investments in embodied capital.

METHODS: Women's reproductive histories and prospective fertility data were collected from 2002 to 2008 (n = 305 women). Semistructured interviews were conducted with Tsimane women to study the perceived value of parental investment (n = 76). Multiple regression, t-tests, and analysis of variance (ANOVA) are used to test model predictions.

RESULTS: Women's IFS is predicted by their socioecology, reproductive history, maternal condition, and husband's IFS. Hypotheses 2 and 3 are supported. Couples residing near town have smaller IFS (women = 3.75 ± 1.64; men = 3.87 ± 2.64) and less variance in IFS. However, the degree fertility exceeds IFS is inversely correlated with distance to town (Partial r = -0.189, df = 156, P = 0.018). Women living near town have greater maternal condition but 64% value traditional skills over formal schooling and 88% believe living in town is unfeasible.

CONCLUSIONS: While reduced IFS is evident with socioeconomic development, fertility decline may not immediately follow. When perceived benefits of investment in novel forms of embodied capital are low, and somatic wealth and large kin networks persist as important components of fitness, fertility may remain high and increase if maternal condition improves.}, } @article {pmid22972899, year = {2013}, author = {Shukla, S and Chandran, S and Gadagkar, R}, title = {Ovarian developmental variation in the primitively eusocial wasp Ropalidia marginata suggests a gateway to worker ontogeny and the evolution of sociality.}, journal = {The Journal of experimental biology}, volume = {216}, number = {Pt 2}, pages = {181-187}, doi = {10.1242/jeb.073148}, pmid = {22972899}, issn = {1477-9145}, mesh = {Animals ; Biological Evolution ; Body Size ; Feeding Behavior ; Female ; Ovary/growth & development ; Social Dominance ; Wasps/*growth & development ; }, abstract = {Social insects are characterized by reproductive caste differentiation of colony members into one or a small number of fertile queens and a large number of sterile workers. The evolutionary origin and maintenance of such sterile workers remains an enduring puzzle in insect sociobiology. Here, we studied ovarian development in over 600 freshly eclosed, isolated, virgin female Ropalidia marginata wasps, maintained in the laboratory. The wasps differed greatly both in the time taken to develop their ovaries and in the magnitude of ovarian development despite having similar access to resources. All females started with no ovarian development at day zero, and the percentage of individuals with at least one oocyte at any stage of development increased gradually across age, reached 100% at 100 days and decreased slightly thereafter. Approximately 40% of the females failed to develop ovaries within the average ecological lifespan of the species. Age, body size and adult feeding rate, when considered together, were the most important factors governing ovarian development. We suggest that such flexibility and variation in the potential and timing of reproductive development may physiologically predispose females to accept worker roles and thus provide a gateway to worker ontogeny and the evolution of sociality.}, } @article {pmid22962068, year = {2013}, author = {Casal, P}, title = {Sexual dimorphism and human enhancement.}, journal = {Journal of medical ethics}, volume = {39}, number = {12}, pages = {722-728}, doi = {10.1136/medethics-2011-100422}, pmid = {22962068}, issn = {1473-4257}, mesh = {*Bioethical Issues ; Biomedical Enhancement/*ethics ; Eugenics ; Female ; Gender Identity ; Genetic Enhancement/*ethics ; Humans ; *Life Expectancy ; Male ; Marriage ; Moral Obligations ; Reproductive Behavior/*ethics ; }, abstract = {Robert Sparrow argues that because of women's longer life expectancy philosophers who advocate the genetic modification of human beings to enhance welfare rather than merely supply therapy are committed to favouring the selection of only female embryos, an implication he deems sufficiently implausible to discredit their position. If Sparrow's argument succeeds, then philosophers who advocate biomedical moral enhancement also seem vulnerable to a similar charge because of men's greater propensity for various forms of harmful wrongdoing. This paper argues there are various flaws in Sparrow's argument that render it unsuccessful. The paper also examines whether dimorphism reduction is a more desirable outcome than male elimination, thereby further illustrating the difficulties besetting the distinction between therapy and enhancement.}, } @article {pmid22948859, year = {2012}, author = {Huchard, E and Albrecht, C and Schliehe-Diecks, S and Baniel, A and Roos, C and Kappeler, PM and Brameier, M}, title = {Large-scale MHC class II genotyping of a wild lemur population by next generation sequencing.}, journal = {Immunogenetics}, volume = {64}, number = {12}, pages = {895-913}, pmid = {22948859}, issn = {1432-1211}, mesh = {Animals ; Base Sequence ; Exons ; Genes, MHC Class II/*genetics ; Genetic Loci ; Genotyping Techniques/*methods ; Lemur/*genetics/immunology ; Linkage Disequilibrium ; Madagascar ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Quality Control ; Sequence Analysis, DNA/*methods ; }, abstract = {The critical role of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes in disease resistance, along with their putative function in sexual selection, reproduction and chemical ecology, make them an important genetic system in evolutionary ecology. Studying selective pressures acting on MHC genes in the wild nevertheless requires population-wide genotyping, which has long been challenging because of their extensive polymorphism. Here, we report on large-scale genotyping of the MHC class II loci of the grey mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus) from a wild population in western Madagascar. The second exons from MHC-DRB and -DQB of 772 and 672 individuals were sequenced, respectively, using a 454 sequencing platform, generating more than 800,000 reads. Sequence analysis, through a stepwise variant validation procedure, allowed reliable typing of more than 600 individuals. The quality of our genotyping was evaluated through three independent methods, namely genotyping the same individuals by both cloning and 454 sequencing, running duplicates, and comparing parent-offspring dyads; each displaying very high accuracy. A total of 61 (including 20 new) and 60 (including 53 new) alleles were detected at DRB and DQB genes, respectively. Both loci were non-duplicated, in tight linkage disequilibrium and in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, despite the fact that sequence analysis revealed clear evidence of historical selection. Our results highlight the potential of 454 sequencing technology in attempts to investigate patterns of selection shaping MHC variation in contemporary populations. The power of this approach will nevertheless be conditional upon strict quality control of the genotyping data.}, } @article {pmid22947673, year = {2012}, author = {Sagarin, BJ and Becker, DV and Guadagno, RE and Wilkinson, WW and Nicastle, LD}, title = {A reproductive threat-based model of evolved sex differences in jealousy.}, journal = {Evolutionary psychology : an international journal of evolutionary approaches to psychology and behavior}, volume = {10}, number = {3}, pages = {487-503}, pmid = {22947673}, issn = {1474-7049}, mesh = {Adult ; Biological Evolution ; Bisexuality/psychology ; Female ; Heterosexuality/psychology ; Homosexuality, Female/psychology ; Homosexuality, Male/psychology ; Humans ; *Jealousy ; Male ; Models, Psychological ; Sex Characteristics ; Sexual Behavior/*psychology ; Sexual Partners/*psychology ; Sexuality/*psychology ; Sociobiology ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; }, abstract = {Although heterosexual women and men consistently demonstrate sex differences in jealousy, these differences disappear among lesbians and gay men as well as among heterosexual women and men contemplating same-sex infidelities (infidelities in which the partner and rival are the same sex). Synthesizing these past findings, the present paper offers a reproductive threat-based model of evolved sex differences in jealousy that predicts that the sexes will differ only when the jealous perceivers' reproductive outcomes are differentially at risk. This model is supported by data from a web-based study in which lesbians, gay men, bisexual women and men, and heterosexual women and men responded to a hypothetical infidelity scenario with the sex of the rival randomly determined. After reading the scenario, participants indicated which type of infidelity (sexual versus emotional) would cause greater distress. Consistent with predictions, heterosexual women and men showed a sex difference when contemplating opposite-sex infidelities but not when contemplating same-sex infidelities, whereas lesbians and gay men showed no sex difference regardless of whether the infidelity was opposite-sex or same-sex.}, } @article {pmid22833842, year = {2012}, author = {Lombardo, MP}, title = {On the evolution of sport.}, journal = {Evolutionary psychology : an international journal of evolutionary approaches to psychology and behavior}, volume = {10}, number = {1}, pages = {1-28}, pmid = {22833842}, issn = {1474-7049}, mesh = {Achievement ; Athletes/*psychology ; Biological Evolution ; *Competitive Behavior ; Cultural Evolution ; Female ; Genetic Fitness ; Humans ; *Interpersonal Relations ; Male ; Psychological Theory ; Selection, Genetic ; *Sexual Behavior ; Sociobiology/methods ; Sports/*psychology ; *Warfare ; }, abstract = {Sports have received little attention from evolutionary biologists. I argue that sport began as a way for men to develop the skills needed in primitive hunting and warfare, then developed to act primarily as a lek where athletes display and male spectators evaluate the qualities of potential allies and rivals. This hypothesis predicts that (1) the most popular modern male sports require the skills needed for success in male-male physical competition and primitive hunting and warfare; (2) champion male athletes obtain high status and thereby reproductive opportunities in ways that parallel those gained by successful primitive hunters and warriors; (3) men pay closer attention than do women to male sports so they can evaluate potential allies and rivals; and (4) male sports became culturally more important when opportunities to evaluate potential allies and rivals declined as both the survival importance of hunting and the proportion of men who experience combat decreased. The characteristics of primitive and modern sports are more consistent with these predictions than those generated by intersexual sexual selection theories of sport.}, } @article {pmid22777019, year = {2012}, author = {Pizzari, T and Gardner, A}, title = {The sociobiology of sex: inclusive fitness consequences of inter-sexual interactions.}, journal = {Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences}, volume = {367}, number = {1600}, pages = {2314-2323}, pmid = {22777019}, issn = {1471-2970}, mesh = {Altruism ; Animals ; Competitive Behavior/*physiology ; *Conflict, Psychological ; Cooperative Behavior ; Female ; Fertility ; *Genetic Fitness ; *Interpersonal Relations ; Male ; Selection, Genetic ; *Sex ; Sexual Behavior, Animal/physiology ; *Sociobiology ; }, abstract = {The diversity of social interactions between sexual partners has long captivated biologists, and its evolution has been interpreted largely in terms of 'direct fitness' pay-offs to partners and their descendants. Inter-sexual interactions also have 'indirect effects' by affecting the fitness of relatives, with important consequences for inclusive fitness. However, inclusive fitness arguments have received limited consideration in this context, and definitions of 'direct' and 'indirect' fitness effects in this field are often inconsistent with those of inclusive fitness theory. Here, we use a sociobiology approach based on inclusive fitness theory to distinguish between direct and indirect fitness effects. We first consider direct effects: we review how competition leads to sexual conflict, and discuss the conditions under which repression of competition fosters sexual mutualism. We then clarify indirect effects, and show that greenbeard effects, kin recognition and population viscosity can all lead to episodes of indirect selection on sexual interactions creating potential for sexual altruism and spite. We argue that the integration of direct and indirect fitness effects within a sociobiology approach enables us to consider a more diverse spectrum of evolutionary outcomes of sexual interactions, and may help resolving current debates over sexual selection and sexual conflict.}, } @article {pmid22715927, year = {2012}, author = {Duarte, R and Araújo, D and Correia, V and Davids, K}, title = {Sports teams as superorganisms: implications of sociobiological models of behaviour for research and practice in team sports performance analysis.}, journal = {Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.)}, volume = {42}, number = {8}, pages = {633-642}, pmid = {22715927}, issn = {1179-2035}, mesh = {Cooperative Behavior ; *Group Processes ; Humans ; *Interpersonal Relations ; *Sociobiology ; Sports/physiology/*psychology ; }, abstract = {Significant criticisms have emerged on the way that collective behaviours in team sports have been traditionally evaluated. A major recommendation has been for future research and practice to focus on the interpersonal relationships developed between team players during performance. Most research has typically investigated team game performance in subunits (attack or defence), rather than considering the interactions of performers within the whole team. In this paper, we offer the view that team performance analysis could benefit from the adoption of biological models used to explain how repeated interactions between grouping individuals scale to emergent social collective behaviours. We highlight the advantages of conceptualizing sports teams as functional integrated 'super-organisms' and discuss innovative measurement tools, which might be used to capture the superorganismic properties of sports teams. These tools are suitable for revealing the idiosyncratic collective behaviours underlying the cooperative and competitive tendencies of different sports teams, particularly their coordination of labour and the most frequent channels of communication and patterns of interaction between team players. The principles and tools presented here can serve as the basis for novel approaches and applications of performance analysis devoted to understanding sports teams as cohesive, functioning, high-order organisms exhibiting their own peculiar behavioural patterns.}, } @article {pmid22623272, year = {2012}, author = {Hämäläinen, A}, title = {A case of adult cannibalism in the gray mouse lemur, Microcebus murinus.}, journal = {American journal of primatology}, volume = {74}, number = {9}, pages = {783-787}, doi = {10.1002/ajp.22034}, pmid = {22623272}, issn = {1098-2345}, mesh = {Animals ; *Cannibalism ; *Cheirogaleidae ; Female ; Male ; }, abstract = {Cannibalism, defined as the eating of conspecific flesh, has been observed in a number of primate species, although it is still a relatively rare phenomenon. In cases where primates were seen feeding on an individual of the same species, the victims have exclusively been infants or juveniles. Here, I report an event of a free-living, adult male gray mouse lemur, Microcebus murinus, cannibalizing an adult conspecific female that died of an unknown cause. This observation has implications for the basic ecology of the species and highlights the potential for great flexibility in diet and behavior by a primate. This is, to my knowledge, the first communication of cannibalistic behavior in this species, as well as the first reported case of a nonhuman primate cannibalizing an adult conspecific.}, } @article {pmid22573307, year = {2012}, author = {Pflüger, FJ and Fichtel, C}, title = {On the function of redfronted lemur's close calls.}, journal = {Animal cognition}, volume = {15}, number = {5}, pages = {823-831}, pmid = {22573307}, issn = {1435-9456}, mesh = {Animal Communication ; Animals ; Female ; Lemur/*psychology ; Madagascar ; Male ; Social Behavior ; *Vocalization, Animal ; }, abstract = {In order to maintain group cohesion, many social mammals and birds regularly produce close calls. In some primate species, close calls appear to have a dual function: calls addressed at a broad class of targets serve to maintain group cohesion, whereas the same calls directed at a specific target serve to regulate subsequent social interactions. Redfronted lemurs (Eulemur rufifrons) produce different types of close calls: grunts, long grunts, hoos and meows. In order to study the function of these calls, we conducted focal observations and vocal recordings from eight adult males and females out of four social groups in Kirindy Forest, Western Madagascar. Redfronted lemurs produce long grunts, hoos and meows at relatively low rates during foraging, resting or group movements, respectively. Grunts were given most often and more or less constantly during foraging and traveling. Calling rate increased when the risk of separation increased and may thus promote group cohesion. Grunts given during approaches of other group members resulted more often in friendly interactions than approaches that were not accompanied by a grunt. Thus, redfronted lemurs produce specific but also generic contact calls, whereas the latter calls have a dual function that varies depending on the addressed audience: they act as an auditory beacon to maintain group cohesion and serve as signals of benign intent to avoid costly conflicts and facilitating social interactions.}, } @article {pmid22539731, year = {2012}, author = {Fröhle, K and Roces, F}, title = {The determination of nest depth in founding queens of leaf-cutting ants (Atta vollenweideri): idiothetic and temporal control.}, journal = {The Journal of experimental biology}, volume = {215}, number = {Pt 10}, pages = {1642-1650}, doi = {10.1242/jeb.066217}, pmid = {22539731}, issn = {1477-9145}, mesh = {Algorithms ; Animals ; Ants/*physiology ; Behavior, Animal ; *Ecosystem ; Environment ; Female ; Movement ; Nesting Behavior ; Plant Leaves/metabolism ; Proprioception ; Regression Analysis ; Silicon Dioxide ; Soil ; Temperature ; Time Factors ; }, abstract = {Leaf-cutting ant queens excavate a founding nest consisting of a vertical tunnel and a final horizontal chamber. Nest foundation is very time consuming, and colony success depends on the excavated depth. Although shallow nests may be energetically cheaper to dig, queens may be more exposed to the changing environment. Deeper chambers, in contrast, may be climatically more stable, but are more expensive to dig. We investigated the mechanisms underlying the control of nest depth in queens of the leaf-cutting ant Atta vollenweideri. We focused on the use of internal information for the control of nest depth, and therefore maintained the soil and environmental conditions invariant during the different laboratory experiments. We compared the tunnel lengths excavated by queens that were able to complete their nests earlier, faster or slower than under standard conditions. An earlier and faster nest completion was obtained by offering queens either pre-excavated tunnels of different lengths, soils at different temperatures, or soft sandy soils. A slower nest excavation was induced by offering queens harder dry soils, and by delaying the start of digging several days after the nuptial flight. Results indicate that the determination of nest depth was a regulated process involving the use of internal references: queens excavated their tunnels either until a particular depth was reached or for some predetermined length of time. Queens appear to monitor their movements while walking up und down the tunnel, and to compare this sensory information with a motor command that represents a preset tunnel length to be excavated before switching to chamber digging. In addition to this form of idiothetic control, results indicate that the elapsed digging time also feeds back onto the control system. It is argued that the determination of nest depth, i.e. the transition from tunnel to chamber digging, is initiated either after a preset tunnel length is reached, or as soon as a maximal time interval has elapsed, irrespective of the excavated tunnel length. A control system using both idiothetic and temporal information, as demonstrated in the present study, allows queens to flexibly react to different soil conditions, and therefore avoid excessive time and energy investments. Possible mechanisms underlying the control of chamber size are also discussed.}, } @article {pmid22515406, year = {2012}, author = {Fink, B and Bunse, L and Matts, PJ and D'Emiliano, D}, title = {Visible skin colouration predicts perception of male facial age, health and attractiveness.}, journal = {International journal of cosmetic science}, volume = {34}, number = {4}, pages = {307-310}, doi = {10.1111/j.1468-2494.2012.00724.x}, pmid = {22515406}, issn = {1468-2494}, mesh = {Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; *Beauty ; Child ; *Face ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; *Perception ; *Skin Pigmentation ; United Kingdom ; White People ; Young Adult ; }, abstract = {Although there is evidence that perception of facial age, health and attractiveness is informed by shape characteristics as well as by visible skin condition, studies on the latter have focused almost exclusively on female skin. Recent research, however, suggests that a decrease in skin colour homogeneity leads to older, less healthy and less attractive ratings of facial skin in both women and men. Here, we elaborate on the significance of the homogeneity of visible skin colouration in men by testing the hypothesis that perception of age, health and attractiveness of (non-contextual) digitally isolated fields of cheek skin only can predict that of whole facial images. Facial digital images of 160 British men (all Caucasian) aged between 10 and 70 were blind-rated for age, health and attractiveness by a total of 147 men and 154 women (mean age = 22.95, SD = 4.26), and these ratings were related to those of corresponding images of cheek skin reported by Fink et al. (J. Eur. Acad. Dermatol. Venereol. in press). Linear regression analysis showed that age, health and attractiveness perception of men's faces could be predicted by the ratings of cheek skin only, such that older men were viewed as older, less healthy and less attractive. This result underlines once again the potent signalling role of skin in its own right, independent of shape or other factors and suggests strongly that visible skin condition, and skin colour homogeneity in particular, plays a significant role in the perception of men's faces.}, } @article {pmid22487689, year = {2012}, author = {Alvarez-Uria, G and Naik, PK and Pakam, R and Midde, M}, title = {Early HIV viral load determination after initiating first-line antiretroviral therapy for indentifying patients with high risk of developing virological failure: data from a cohort study in a resource-limited setting.}, journal = {Tropical medicine & international health : TM & IH}, volume = {17}, number = {9}, pages = {1152-1155}, doi = {10.1111/j.1365-3156.2012.02982.x}, pmid = {22487689}, issn = {1365-3156}, mesh = {Adolescent ; Adult ; Anti-Retroviral Agents/*therapeutic use ; Cohort Studies ; Early Diagnosis ; Female ; HIV Infections/diagnosis/*drug therapy/mortality/*virology ; Humans ; Incidence ; India/epidemiology ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Risk Factors ; Sociobiology ; Treatment Failure ; Viral Load/*methods ; Young Adult ; }, abstract = {OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the performance of a single determination of HIV viral load (VL) 6-12 months after starting antiretroviral therapy (ART) for identifying patients who will subsequently develop virological failure.

METHODS: We selected HIV-infected patients with at least two VL determinations after 6 months of ART from an HIV cohort study in India. Patients were divided in two groups depending on whether the first VL was below (Group 1) or above (Group 2) 1000 copies/ml. Cut-off for virological failure was defined according to World Health Organization recommendation (>5000 copies/ml).

RESULTS: The study included 584 patients and 560.1 person-years of follow-up. Of all virological failures, 83% were diagnosed at the first VL determination. The cumulative incidence of virological failure after 1 and 2 years since the first VL was 0.9% [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.3-2.7] and 1.7% (95% CI, 0.6-5), respectively, for Group 1, and 58.2% (95% CI, 47-69.7) and 63.1% (95% CI, 49.8-76.4), respectively, for Group 2. Compared with Group 1, patients from Group 2 had a hazard ratio for virological failure of 78.3 (95% CI, 27.8-220.2).

CONCLUSIONS: A single VL determination after 6 months of ART was able to identify patients with high risk of virological failure.}, } @article {pmid22486703, year = {2012}, author = {Smith, J}, title = {Tragedy of the commons among antibiotic resistance plasmids.}, journal = {Evolution; international journal of organic evolution}, volume = {66}, number = {4}, pages = {1269-1274}, doi = {10.1111/j.1558-5646.2011.01531.x}, pmid = {22486703}, issn = {1558-5646}, support = {GM33782-17/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {*Biological Evolution ; *Drug Resistance, Microbial ; Escherichia coli/*genetics/pathogenicity ; Gene Transfer, Horizontal ; Genetic Fitness ; Microbial Interactions ; Models, Biological ; Plasmids/*genetics ; Virulence ; }, abstract = {As social interactions are increasingly recognized as important determinants of microbial fitness, sociobiology is being enlisted to better understand the evolution of clinically relevant microbes and, potentially, to influence their evolution to aid human health. Of special interest are situations in which there exists a "tragedy of the commons," where natural selection leads to a net reduction in fitness for all members of a population. Here, I demonstrate the existence of a tragedy of the commons among antibiotic resistance plasmids of bacteria. In serial transfer culture, plasmids evolved a greater ability to superinfect already-infected bacteria, increasing plasmid fitness when evolved genotypes were rare. Evolved plasmids, however, fell victim to their own success, reducing the density of their bacterial hosts when they became common and suffering reduced fitness through vertical transmission. Social interactions can thus be an important determinant of evolution for the molecular endosymbionts of bacteria. These results also identify an avenue of evolution that reduces proliferation of both antibiotic resistance genes and their bacterial hosts.}, } @article {pmid22486100, year = {2012}, author = {Vander Wal, E and Yip, H and McLoughlin, PD}, title = {Sex-based differences in density-dependent sociality: an experiment with a gregarious ungulate.}, journal = {Ecology}, volume = {93}, number = {1}, pages = {206-212}, doi = {10.1890/11-0020.1}, pmid = {22486100}, issn = {0012-9658}, mesh = {Animals ; Behavior, Animal/*physiology ; Deer/*physiology ; Female ; Male ; Population Density ; *Social Behavior ; }, abstract = {For animals living in natural or semi-natural settings, empirical data on how sociality changes in response to increasing population density are few, especially with respect to true conspecific density and not group size. However, insight into this line of research may be far-reaching--from understanding density dependence in sexual selection to improving models of disease transmission. Using elk (Cervus elaphus Linnaeus) held in enclosures, we conducted sex-stratified experiments to test how the frequency of dyadic pairings (interaction rate) and their quality (duration) responded to manipulations in exposure to density. Using proximity-logging radio collars we recorded when and for how long individuals shared a space within 1.4 m of each other. As predicted, males increased their interaction rate as density increased. Female interaction rates, however, increased initially as density increased but soon declined to become indistinguishable from rates at low density. Females interacted for longer periods at medium densities, whereas male interaction length clearly decreased as density increased. We highlight a sexually dichotomous, density-dependent response in sociality that has yet to be reported. In addition to furthering our understanding of sociobiology (e.g., implications of time constraints presented by density on dyadic interactions), our results have implications for managing communicable disease in gregarious species of livestock and wildlife.}, } @article {pmid22430260, year = {2012}, author = {Groh, C and Lu, Z and Meinertzhagen, IA and Rössler, W}, title = {Age-related plasticity in the synaptic ultrastructure of neurons in the mushroom body calyx of the adult honeybee Apis mellifera.}, journal = {The Journal of comparative neurology}, volume = {520}, number = {15}, pages = {3509-3527}, doi = {10.1002/cne.23102}, pmid = {22430260}, issn = {1096-9861}, mesh = {Aging/*physiology ; Animals ; Bees/growth & development/*ultrastructure ; Female ; Mushroom Bodies/growth & development/*ultrastructure ; Neuronal Plasticity/*physiology ; Neurons/physiology/*ultrastructure ; Synapses/physiology/*ultrastructure ; }, abstract = {The mushroom bodies are high-order sensory integration centers in the insect brain. In the honeybee, their main sensory input regions are large, doubled calyces with modality-specific, distinct sensory neuropil regions. We investigated adult structural plasticity of input synapses in the microglomeruli of the olfactory lip and visual collar. Synapsin-immunolabeled whole-mount brains reveal that during the natural transition from nursing to foraging, a significant volume increase in the calycal subdivisions is accompanied by a decreased packing density of boutons from input projection neurons. To investigate the associated ultrastructural changes at pre- and postsynaptic sites of individual microglomeruli, we employed serial-section electron microscopy. In general, the membrane surface area of olfactory and visual projection neuron boutons increased significantly between 1-day-old bees and foragers. Both types of boutons formed ribbon and non-ribbon synapses. The percentage of ribbon synapses per bouton was significantly increased in the forager. At each presynaptic site the numbers of postsynaptic partners-mostly Kenyon cell dendrites-likewise increased. Ribbon as well as non-ribbon synapses formed mainly dyads in the 1-day-old bee, and triads in the forager. In the visual collar, outgrowing Kenyon cell dendrites form about 140 contacts upon a projection neuron bouton in the forager compared with only about 95 in the 1-day-old bee, resulting in an increased divergence ratio between the two stages. This difference suggests that synaptic changes in calycal microcircuits of the mushroom body during periods of altered sensory activity and experience promote behavioral plasticity underlying polyethism and social organization in honeybee colonies.}, } @article {pmid22426747, year = {2012}, author = {Schnoell, AV and Fichtel, C}, title = {Wild redfronted lemurs (Eulemur rufifrons) use social information to learn new foraging techniques.}, journal = {Animal cognition}, volume = {15}, number = {4}, pages = {505-516}, pmid = {22426747}, issn = {1435-9456}, mesh = {Animals ; *Appetitive Behavior ; Female ; Learning ; Lemur/*psychology ; Male ; *Social Behavior ; Social Conformity ; }, abstract = {Recent research has claimed that traditions are not a unique feature of human culture, but that they can be found in animal societies as well. However, the origins of traditions in animals studied in the wild are still poorly understood. To contribute comparative data to begin filling this gap, we conducted a social diffusion experiment with four groups of wild redfronted lemurs (Eulemur rufifrons). We used a 'two-option' feeding box, where these Malagasy primates could either pull or push a door to get access to a fruit reward to study whether and how these two behavioural traits spread through the groups. During a pre-training phase, two groups were presented with boxes in which one technique was blocked, whereas two groups were presented with unblocked boxes. During a subsequent unconstrained phase, all four groups were confronted with unblocked boxes. Nearly half of the study animals were able to learn the new feeding skill and individuals who observed others needed fewer unsuccessful task manipulations until their first successful action. Animals in the two groups with pre-training also discovered the corresponding alternative technique but preferred the seeded technique. Interestingly, animals in the two groups without pre-training discovered both techniques, and one group developed a group preference for one technique whereas the other did not. In all groups, some animals also scrounged food rewards. In conclusion, redfronted lemurs appear to use social information in acquiring a novel task, and animals in at least in one group without training developed a group preference for one technique, indicating that they have the potential to develop behavioural traditions and conformity.}, } @article {pmid22426740, year = {2012}, author = {Muenz, TS and Maisonnasse, A and Plettner, E and Le Conte, Y and Rössler, W}, title = {Sensory reception of the primer pheromone ethyl oleate.}, journal = {Die Naturwissenschaften}, volume = {99}, number = {5}, pages = {421-425}, pmid = {22426740}, issn = {1432-1904}, mesh = {Animals ; Bees/*physiology ; Behavior, Animal/drug effects/*physiology ; Learning/physiology ; Oleic Acids/analysis/*metabolism/pharmacology ; *Olfactory Perception ; Pheromones/pharmacology ; }, abstract = {Social work force distribution in honeybee colonies critically depends on subtle adjustments of an age-related polyethism. Pheromones play a crucial role in adjusting physiological and behavioral maturation of nurse bees to foragers. In addition to primer effects of brood pheromone and queen mandibular pheromone--both were shown to influence onset of foraging--direct worker-worker interactions influence adult behavioral maturation. These interactions were narrowed down to the primer pheromone ethyl oleate, which is present at high concentrations in foragers, almost absent in young bees and was shown to delay the onset of foraging. Based on chemical analyses, physiological recordings from the antenna (electroantennograms) and the antennal lobe (calcium imaging), and behavioral assays (associative conditioning of the proboscis extension response), we present evidence that ethyl oleate is most abundant on the cuticle, received by olfactory receptors on the antenna, processed in glomeruli of the antennal lobe, and learned in olfactory centers of the brain. The results are highly suggestive that the primer pheromone ethyl oleate is transmitted and perceived between individuals via olfaction at close range.}, } @article {pmid22398164, year = {2012}, author = {Dammhahn, M}, title = {Are personality differences in a small iteroparous mammal maintained by a life-history trade-off?.}, journal = {Proceedings. Biological sciences}, volume = {279}, number = {1738}, pages = {2645-2651}, pmid = {22398164}, issn = {1471-2954}, mesh = {Animals ; Behavior, Animal/classification/*physiology ; Cheirogaleidae/growth & development/*physiology ; Exploratory Behavior/*physiology ; Female ; Life Cycle Stages/*physiology ; Male ; Reproduction ; Sex Characteristics ; }, abstract = {Despite increasing interest, animal personality is still a puzzling phenomenon. Several theoretical models have been proposed to explain intraindividual consistency and interindividual variation in behaviour, which have been primarily supported by qualitative data and simulations. Using an empirical approach, I tested predictions of one main life-history hypothesis, which posits that consistent individual differences in behaviour are favoured by a trade-off between current and future reproduction. Data on life-history were collected for individuals of a natural population of grey mouse lemurs (Microcebus murinus). Using open-field and novel-object tests, I quantified variation in activity, exploration and boldness for 117 individuals over 3 years. I found systematic variation in boldness between individuals of different residual reproductive value. Young males with low current but high expected future fitness were less bold than older males with high current fecundity, and males might increase in boldness with age. Females have low variation in assets and in boldness with age. Body condition was not related to boldness and only explained marginal variation in exploration. Overall, these data indicate that a trade-off between current and future reproduction might maintain personality variation in mouse lemurs, and thus provide empirical support of this life-history trade-off hypothesis.}, } @article {pmid22390407, year = {2012}, author = {Stefanic, P and Decorosi, F and Viti, C and Petito, J and Cohan, FM and Mandic-Mulec, I}, title = {The quorum sensing diversity within and between ecotypes of Bacillus subtilis.}, journal = {Environmental microbiology}, volume = {14}, number = {6}, pages = {1378-1389}, doi = {10.1111/j.1462-2920.2012.02717.x}, pmid = {22390407}, issn = {1462-2920}, mesh = {Bacillus subtilis/classification/genetics/*physiology ; Bacteria/classification/genetics ; Base Sequence ; Biodiversity ; Biological Evolution ; *Ecotype ; *Genetic Variation ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Phylogeny ; Quorum Sensing/*genetics ; Soil Microbiology ; }, abstract = {Ecological sociobiology is an emerging field that aims to frame social evolution in terms of ecological adaptation. Here we explore the ecological context for evolution of quorum sensing diversity in bacteria, where social communication is limited to members of the same quorum sensing type (pherotype). We sampled isolates of Bacillus subtilis from soil on a microgeographical scale and identified three ecologically distinct phylogenetic groups (ecotypes) and three pherotypes. Each pherotype was strongly associated with a different ecotype, suggesting that it is usually not adaptive for one ecotype to 'listen' to the signalling of another. Each ecotype, however, contained one or more minority pherotypes shared with the other B. subtilis ecotypes and with more distantly related species taxa. The pherotype diversity within ecotypes is consistent with two models: first, a pherotype cycling model, whereby minority pherotypes enter a population through horizontal genetic transfer and increase in frequency through cheating the social interaction; and second, an occasional advantage model, such that when two ecotypes are each below their quorum densities, they may benefit from listening to one another. This is the first survey of pherotype diversity in relation to ecotypes and it will be interesting to further test the hypotheses raised and supported here, and to explore other bacterial systems for the role of ecological divergence in fostering pherotype diversity.}, } @article {pmid22344851, year = {2012}, author = {Habibi, MF and Nicklas, J and Spence, M and Hedberg, S and Magnuson, E and Kavanagh, KF}, title = {Remote lactation consultation: a qualitative study of maternal response to experience and recommendations for survey development.}, journal = {Journal of human lactation : official journal of International Lactation Consultant Association}, volume = {28}, number = {2}, pages = {211-217}, doi = {10.1177/0890334411432716}, pmid = {22344851}, issn = {1552-5732}, mesh = {Adult ; Breast Feeding/*methods ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; *Patient Satisfaction ; Pilot Projects ; Qualitative Research ; Remote Consultation/*methods ; Sociobiology ; Trust ; User-Computer Interface ; *Videoconferencing ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Use of videoconferencing technology for healthcare intervention and support is an area of tremendous potential, especially in regard to application in rural or underserved communities. Potential for cost-savings, time-savings, and increased access to care are the ultimate driving force behind use of this technology, for both providers and recipients of healthcare services. Recently, the Federal Government has initiated rulings to support the increased use of computer technology in underserved areas. Therefore, exploring novel applications of the technology of videoconferencing is timely. Remote lactation consultation may be one such novel application.

OBJECTIVES: The primary objective of this pilot study was to describe the maternal experience of lactation consultation by means of videoconferencing, compared with standard face-to-face care, using grounded theory for model development.

METHODS: Twelve mothers participated in both a videoconferencing and a face-to-face consultation during one visit to the study site. Using grounded theory methods, responses to an in-depth phone interview occurring 3 days post-consultation were analyzed for major themes and a theoretical model proposed.

RESULTS: Three major themes emerged including maternal characteristics and interaction with technology, accuracy and trust determines acceptability for consultation type and, conditional acceptance of remote consultation use.

CONCLUSIONS: Emergent themes were grounded in existing literature, and potential scales were identified to assist with development of a future tool to test the theoretical model. Responses to the videoconferencing experience were positive, but preferred use of the technology was situational.}, } @article {pmid22329085, year = {2011}, author = {Shutt, JE and Barnes, JC and Beaver, KM and Higgins, GE and Tewksbury, R}, title = {Does biology underlie the oldest profession? Prostitution and sex disparities in john behavior.}, journal = {Biodemography and social biology}, volume = {57}, number = {2}, pages = {155-170}, doi = {10.1080/19485565.2011.614566}, pmid = {22329085}, issn = {1948-5565}, mesh = {Adolescent ; Criminal Psychology ; Female ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Longitudinal Studies ; Male ; Men/*psychology ; Models, Theoretical ; Risk Factors ; *Sex Characteristics ; Sex Factors ; Sex Work/psychology/*statistics & numerical data ; Sociobiology ; United States ; Women/*psychology ; }, abstract = {This study considers a biosocial explanation of why johns, the purchasers of commercial sex exchanges, are almost exclusively male. Trivers's theory of parental investment and sexual selection predicts that differential parental investment by biological sex will lead to divergent sex-based reproductive instincts. The sex bearing the larger parental investment will tend to be choosier whereas the sex bearing the lesser investment will tend to be relatively indiscriminate and competitive for access to sexual resources. We hypothesized that men are more likely than women to offer objects of value in exchange for access to sexual resources. Using self-reports of sex-purchasing from Add Health data (N = 14,544), we found that maleness was a robust predictor of john behavior even after controlling for well-known criminogenic risk factors.}, } @article {pmid22204686, year = {2011}, author = {Losco, J}, title = {From outrage to orthodoxy? Sociobiology and political science at 35.}, journal = {Politics and the life sciences : the journal of the Association for Politics and the Life Sciences}, volume = {30}, number = {1}, pages = {80-84}, doi = {10.2990/30_1_80}, pmid = {22204686}, issn = {1471-5457}, mesh = {History, 20th Century ; History, 21st Century ; Humans ; *Politics ; Sociobiology/*history ; United States ; }, } @article {pmid22155202, year = {2012}, author = {Borchers, AT and Gershwin, ME}, title = {Sociological differences between women and men: implications for autoimmunity.}, journal = {Autoimmunity reviews}, volume = {11}, number = {6-7}, pages = {A413-21}, doi = {10.1016/j.autrev.2011.11.016}, pmid = {22155202}, issn = {1873-0183}, mesh = {*Autoimmune Diseases ; *Autoimmunity ; Female ; *Gender Identity ; Humans ; Male ; Sex Factors ; *Sociobiology ; Socioeconomic Factors ; Stereotyping ; }, abstract = {There are an enormous number of incorrect stereotypes that characterize the differences between women and men. Indeed, nearly all of these stereotypes are based on cultural inaccuracies and faulty data without consideration of biology and the distinct sociological differences between genders. Sociological differences are those that relate to the development, structure, interaction and behavior of organized groups of human beings, or societies, and their values and beliefs. Gender is a social construct referring "to the culturally and historically based differences in the roles, attitudes and behaviors of men and women" ([1], p.1) as shaped by norms and stereotypes. Sex, on the other hand, serves to classify living things according to their reproductive organs and functions assigned by chromosomal complement (according to the US Institute of Medicine) and the physical and biological characteristics arising from these organs and functions. The two terms are generally viewed as dichotomous; however, they are closely intertwined in as yet hardly understood ways, and it is frequently difficult to distinguish between them since gendered life experiences can have profound effects on body structure and function [2]. In this review, we will examine to what extent gender roles and stereotypes shape the daily lives of women in their roles as students, employees, wives, and mothers and their health. These data have implications for the etiology of autoimmunity and also for differences in the natural history of disease.}, } @article {pmid22125130, year = {2012}, author = {Watts, DP and Potts, KB and Lwanga, JS and Mitani, JC}, title = {Diet of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) at Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda, 2. Temporal variation and fallback foods.}, journal = {American journal of primatology}, volume = {74}, number = {2}, pages = {130-144}, doi = {10.1002/ajp.21015}, pmid = {22125130}, issn = {1098-2345}, mesh = {Animals ; *Diet ; Female ; *Food Preferences ; Fruit ; Male ; Pan troglodytes/*physiology ; Plant Leaves ; Plant Stems ; Plants ; Population Density ; Seasons ; Uganda ; }, abstract = {Highly frugivorous primates like chimpanzees (Pan trogolodytes) must contend with temporal variation in food abundance and quality by tracking fruit crops and relying more on alternative foods, some of them fallbacks, when fruit is scarce. We used behavioral data from 122 months between 1995 and 2009 plus 12 years of phenology records to investigate temporal dietary variation and use of fallback foods by chimpanzees at Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda. Fruit, including figs, comprised most of the diet. Fruit and fig availability varied seasonally, but the exact timing of fruit production and the amount of fruit produced varied extensively from year to year, both overall and within and among species. Feeding time devoted to all major fruit and fig species was positively associated with availability, reinforcing the argument that chimpanzees are ripe fruit specialists. Feeding time devoted to figs-particularly Ficus mucuso (the top food)--varied inversely with the abundance of nonfig fruits and with foraging effort devoted to such fruit. However, figs contributed much of the diet for most of the year and are best seen as staples available most of the time and eaten in proportion to availability. Leaves also contributed much of the diet and served as fallbacks when nonfig fruits were scarce. In contrast to the nearby Kanywara study site in Kibale, pith and stems contributed little of the diet and were not fallbacks. Fruit seasons (periods of at least 2 months when nonfig fruits account for at least 40% of feeding time; Gilby & Wrangham., Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 61:1771-1779, 2007) were more common at Ngogo than Kanyawara, consistent with an earlier report that fruit availability varies less at Ngogo [Chapman et al., African Journal of Ecology 35:287-302, 1997]. F. mucuso is absent at Kanyawara; its high density at Ngogo, combined with lower variation in fruit availability, probably helps to explain why chimpanzee population density is much higher at Ngogo.}, } @article {pmid22116784, year = {2011}, author = {Levit, GS and Hossfeld, U}, title = {Darwin without borders? Looking at 'generalised Darwinism' through the prism of the 'hourglass model'.}, journal = {Theory in biosciences = Theorie in den Biowissenschaften}, volume = {130}, number = {4}, pages = {299-312}, pmid = {22116784}, issn = {1611-7530}, mesh = {*Biological Evolution ; *Sociobiology ; }, abstract = {This article critically analyzes the arguments of the 'generalized Darwinism' recently proposed for the analysis of social-economical systems. We argue that 'generalized Darwinism' is both restrictive and empty. It is restrictive because it excludes alternative (non-selectionist) evolutionary mechanisms such as orthogenesis, saltationism and mutationism without any examination of their suitability for modeling socio-economic processes and ignoring their important roles in the development of contemporary evolutionary theory. It is empty, because it reduces Darwinism to an abstract triple-principle scheme (variation, selection and inheritance) thus ignoring the actual structure of Darwinism as a complex and dynamic theoretical structure inseparable from a very detailed system of theoretical constraints. Arguing against 'generalised Darwinism' we present our vision of the history of evolutionary biology with the help of the 'hourglass model' reflecting the internal dynamic of competing theories of evolution.}, } @article {pmid22044626, year = {2012}, author = {Fink, B and Matts, PJ and D'Emiliano, D and Bunse, L and Weege, B and Röder, S}, title = {Colour homogeneity and visual perception of age, health and attractiveness of male facial skin.}, journal = {Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology : JEADV}, volume = {26}, number = {12}, pages = {1486-1492}, doi = {10.1111/j.1468-3083.2011.04316.x}, pmid = {22044626}, issn = {1468-3083}, mesh = {Adolescent ; Adult ; *Age Factors ; Aged ; Child ; *Face ; *Health Status ; Humans ; Male ; *Skin Pigmentation ; *Visual Perception ; Young Adult ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Visible facial skin condition in females is known to affect perception of age, health and attractiveness. Skin colour distribution in shape- and topography-standardized female faces, driven by localized melanin and haemoglobin, can account for up to twenty years of apparent age perception. Although this is corroborated by an ability to discern female age even in isolated, non-contextual skin images, a similar effect in the perception of male skin is yet to be demonstrated.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effect of skin colour homogeneity and chromophore distribution on the visual perception of age, health and attractiveness of male facial skin.

METHODS: Cropped images from the cheeks of facial images of 160 Caucasian British men aged 10-70 years were blind-rated for age, health and attractiveness by a total of 308 participants. In addition, the homogeneity of skin images and corresponding eumelanin/oxyhaemoglobin concentration maps were analysed objectively using Haralick's image segmentation algorithm.

RESULTS: Isolated skin images taken from the cheeks of younger males were judged as healthier and more attractive. Perception of age, health and attractiveness was strongly related to melanin and haemoglobin distribution, whereby more even distributions led to perception of younger age and greater health and attractiveness. The evenness of melanized features was a stronger cue for age perception, whereas haemoglobin distribution was associated more strongly with health and attractiveness perception.

CONCLUSIONS: Male skin colour homogeneity, driven by melanin and haemoglobin distribution, influences perception of age, health and attractiveness.}, } @article {pmid21976684, year = {2012}, author = {Huchard, E and Canale, CI and Le Gros, C and Perret, M and Henry, PY and Kappeler, PM}, title = {Convenience polyandry or convenience polygyny? Costly sex under female control in a promiscuous primate.}, journal = {Proceedings. Biological sciences}, volume = {279}, number = {1732}, pages = {1371-1379}, pmid = {21976684}, issn = {1471-2954}, mesh = {Animals ; Biological Evolution ; Body Weight ; Cheirogaleidae/anatomy & histology/*physiology/*psychology ; Female ; Genetic Fitness/physiology ; Male ; Mating Preference, Animal/physiology ; Sex Characteristics ; Sexual Behavior, Animal/*physiology ; }, abstract = {Classic sex roles depict females as choosy, but polyandry is widespread. Empirical attempts to understand the evolution of polyandry have often focused on its adaptive value to females, whereas 'convenience polyandry' might simply decrease the costs of sexual harassment. We tested whether constraint-free female strategies favour promiscuity over mating selectivity through an original experimental design. We investigated variation in mating behaviour in response to a reversible alteration of sexual dimorphism in body mass in the grey mouse lemur, a small primate where female brief sexual receptivity allows quantifying polyandry. We manipulated body condition in captive females, predicting that convenience polyandry would increase when females are weaker than males, thus less likely to resist their solicitations. Our results rather support the alternative hypothesis of 'adaptive polyandry': females in better condition are more polyandrous. Furthermore, we reveal that multiple mating incurs significant energetic costs, which are strikingly symmetrical between the sexes. Our study shows that mouse lemur females exert tight control over mating and actively seek multiple mates. The benefits of remating are nevertheless not offset by its costs in low-condition females, suggesting that polyandry is a flexible strategy yielding moderate fitness benefits in this small mammal.}, } @article {pmid21954136, year = {2012}, author = {Stieb, SM and Hellwig, A and Wehner, R and Rössler, W}, title = {Visual experience affects both behavioral and neuronal aspects in the individual life history of the desert ant Cataglyphis fortis.}, journal = {Developmental neurobiology}, volume = {72}, number = {5}, pages = {729-742}, doi = {10.1002/dneu.20982}, pmid = {21954136}, issn = {1932-846X}, mesh = {Animals ; Ants/cytology/*physiology ; Behavior, Animal/*physiology ; Feeding Behavior/physiology ; Female ; Ganglia, Invertebrate/cytology/physiology ; Learning/physiology ; Mushroom Bodies/cytology/physiology ; Neuronal Plasticity/*physiology ; Neurons/*physiology ; Visual Perception/*physiology ; }, abstract = {The individual life history of the desert ant Cataglyphis fortis is characterized by a fast transition from interior tasks to mainly visually guided foraging. Previous studies revealed a remarkable structural synaptic plasticity in visual and olfactory input regions within the mushroom bodies of the ants' brain centers involved in learning and memory. Reorganization of synaptic complexes (microglomeruli) was shown to be triggered by sensory exposure rather than an internal program. Using video analyses at the natural nest site and activity recordings after artificial light treatments we investigated whether the ants get exposed to light before onset of foraging and whether this changes the ants' activity levels. We asked whether synaptic reorganization occurs in a similar time window by immunolabeling and quantification of pre- and postsynaptic compartments of visual and olfactory microglomeruli after periods of light-exposure. Ants reverted back to dark nest conditions were used to investigate whether synaptic reorganization is reversible. The behavior analyses revealed that late-interior ants (diggers) are exposed to light and perform exploration runs up to 2 days before they start foraging. This corresponds well with the result that artificial light treatment over more than 2-3 days significantly increased the ants' locomotor activities. At the neuronal level, visual exposure of more than 1 day was necessary to trigger reorganization of microglomeruli, and light-induced changes were only partly reversible in the dark. We conclude that visual preexposure is an important and flexible means to prepare the ants' visual pathway for orientation capabilities essential during foraging.}, } @article {pmid21904614, year = {2011}, author = {Stahlschmidt, ZR}, title = {Taxonomic chauvinism revisited: insight from parental care research.}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {6}, number = {8}, pages = {e24192}, pmid = {21904614}, issn = {1932-6203}, mesh = {Animals ; Behavior, Animal/*physiology ; Biological Evolution ; Birds/physiology ; Female ; Male ; Mammals/physiology ; Maternal Behavior/*physiology ; Paternal Behavior/*physiology ; }, abstract = {Parental care (any non-genetic contribution by a parent that appears likely to increase the fitness of its offspring) is a widespread trait exhibited by a broad range of animal taxa. In addition to influencing the fitness of parent(s) and offspring, parental care may be inextricably involved in other evolutionary processes, such as sexual selection and the evolution of endothermy. Yet, recent work has demonstrated that bias related to taxonomy is prevalent across many biological disciplines, and research in parental care may be similarly burdened. Thus, I used parental care articles published in six leading journals of fundamental behavioral sciences (Animal Behaviour, Behavioral Ecology, Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, Ethology, Hormones and Behavior, and Physiology & Behavior) from 2001-2010 (n = 712) to examine the year-to-year dynamics of two types of bias related to taxonomy across animals: (1) taxonomic bias, which exists when research output is not proportional to the frequency of organisms in nature, and (2) taxonomic citation bias, which is a proxy for the breadth of a given article-specifically, the proportion of articles cited that refer solely to the studied taxon. I demonstrate that research on birds likely represents a disproportionate amount of parental care research and, thus, exhibits taxonomic bias. Parental care research on birds and mammals also refers to a relatively narrow range of taxonomic groups when discussing its context and, thus, exhibits taxonomic citation bias. Further, the levels of taxonomic bias and taxonomic citation bias have not declined over the past decade despite cautionary messages about similar bias in related disciplines--in fact, taxonomic bias may have increased. As in Bonnet et al. (2002), my results should not be interpreted as evidence of an 'ornithological Mafia' conspiring to suppress other taxonomic groups. Rather, I generate several rational hypotheses to determine why bias persists and to guide future work.}, } @article {pmid21886302, year = {2011}, author = {Tabrah, FL}, title = {Koch's postulates, carnivorous cows, and tuberculosis today.}, journal = {Hawaii medical journal}, volume = {70}, number = {7}, pages = {144-148}, pmid = {21886302}, issn = {0017-8594}, mesh = {Animals ; Bacteriological Techniques/history ; Bacteriology/history ; Cattle ; Cholera/history ; Communicable Diseases/*history/microbiology ; Epidemics/history ; Germany ; HIV Infections/complications/*history ; History, 19th Century ; History, 20th Century ; History, 21st Century ; Humans ; *Immunocompromised Host ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis/isolation & purification ; Nobel Prize ; Patient Isolation/history ; Prion Diseases/*history ; Public Health/history/trends ; Sociobiology/history ; Tuberculosis/history ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary/complications/*history/microbiology ; United Kingdom ; }, abstract = {With Koch's announcement in 1882 of his work with the tubercle bacillus, his famous postulates launched the rational world of infectious disease and an abrupt social change--strict patient isolation. The postulates, so successful at their inception, soon began to show some problems, particularly with cholera, which clearly violated some of Koch's requirements. Subsequent studies of other diseases and the discovery of entirely new ones have so altered and expanded the original postulates that they now are little but a precious touch of history. The present additions and replacements of the original concepts are skillful changes that several authors have devised to introduce new order into understanding complex viral and prion diseases. In 1988, this knowledge, with the totally rational response of the British population and its cattle industry, was critical in promptly blocking the threatened epidemic of human prion disease. In contrast, the recent upsurge of tuberculosis (TB) in the worldwide AIDS epidemic in developing countries, and the sudden increase in metabolic syndrome in wealthy ones, suggests the need for focused sociobiologic research seeking ways to affect the damaging lifestyle behavior of many less educated populations in both settings. The world awaits an equivalent of Koch's Postulates in sociobiology to explain and possibly avert large self-destructive behaviors.}, } @article {pmid21880091, year = {2012}, author = {Kappeler, PM and Fichtel, C}, title = {Female reproductive competition in Eulemur rufifrons: eviction and reproductive restraint in a plurally breeding Malagasy primate.}, journal = {Molecular ecology}, volume = {21}, number = {3}, pages = {685-698}, doi = {10.1111/j.1365-294X.2011.05255.x}, pmid = {21880091}, issn = {1365-294X}, mesh = {Animals ; *Competitive Behavior ; Female ; Genetic Fitness ; Lemur ; *Reproduction ; Selection, Genetic ; *Sexual Behavior, Animal ; Trees ; }, abstract = {In mammals with female philopatry, co-resident females inevitably compete with each other for resources or reproductive opportunities, thereby reducing the kin-selected benefits of altruism towards relatives. These counteracting forces of cooperation and competition among kin should be particularly pronounced in plurally breeding species with limited alternative breeding opportunities outside the natal group. However, little is still known about the costs of reproductive competition on females' fitness and the victims' potential counter-strategies. Here we summarize long-term behavioural, demographic and genetic data collected on a plurally breeding primate from Madagascar to illuminate mechanisms and effects of female reproductive competition, focusing on forcible eviction and potential reproductive restraint. The main results of our study indicate that females in groups of redfronted lemurs (Eulemur rufifrons) above a critical size suffer from competition from their close relatives: females in larger groups face an increased probability of not giving birth as well as a higher probability of being evicted, especially during the annual mating and birth seasons. Eviction is not predicted by the number of adult females, the number of close female relatives, female age or inter-annual variation in rainfall but only by total group size. Thus, eviction in this species is clearly linked with reproductive competition, it cannot be forestalled by reproductive restraint or having many relatives in the group, and it occurs in the absence of a clear dominance hierarchy. Our study therefore also underscores the notion that potential inclusive fitness benefits from living with relatives may have been generally over-rated and should not be taken for granted.}, } @article {pmid21874688, year = {2011}, author = {Weidman, N}, title = {Popularizing the ancestry of man: Robert Ardrey and the killer instinct.}, journal = {Isis; an international review devoted to the history of science and its cultural influences}, volume = {102}, number = {2}, pages = {269-299}, doi = {10.1086/660130}, pmid = {21874688}, issn = {0021-1753}, mesh = {Aggression/*psychology ; Biological Evolution ; Cultural Evolution ; *Ethology ; History, 20th Century ; *Human Characteristics ; Humans ; Literature/history ; Male ; Politics ; Science/history ; *Sociobiology ; Violence/history/*psychology ; }, abstract = {This essay examines Robert Ardrey (1908-1980)-American playwright, screenwriter, and prolific author-as a case study in the popularization of science. Bringing together evidence from both paleoanthropology and ethology, Ardrey became in the 1960s a vocal proponent of the theory that human beings are innately violent. The essay shows that Ardrey used his popular scientific books not only to consolidate a new science of human nature but also to question the popularizer's standard role, to reverse conventional hierarchies of scientific expertise, and to test the boundaries of professional scientific authority. Understanding how he did this can help us reassess the meanings and uses of popular science as critique in Cold War America. The essay also shows that E. O. Wilson's sociobiology was in part a reaction to the subversive political message of Ardrey's science.}, } @article {pmid21849606, year = {2011}, author = {Brandstaetter, AS and Kleineidam, CJ}, title = {Distributed representation of social odors indicates parallel processing in the antennal lobe of ants.}, journal = {Journal of neurophysiology}, volume = {106}, number = {5}, pages = {2437-2449}, doi = {10.1152/jn.01106.2010}, pmid = {21849606}, issn = {1522-1598}, mesh = {Animals ; Ants/anatomy & histology/*physiology ; Calcium/physiology ; Female ; Ganglia, Invertebrate/anatomy & histology/*physiology ; Nesting Behavior/physiology ; Odorants ; Olfactory Pathways/anatomy & histology/*physiology ; Smell/*physiology ; *Social Behavior ; Stimulation, Chemical ; }, abstract = {In colonies of eusocial Hymenoptera cooperation is organized through social odors, and particularly ants rely on a sophisticated odor communication system. Neuronal information about odors is represented in spatial activity patterns in the primary olfactory neuropile of the insect brain, the antennal lobe (AL), which is analog to the vertebrate olfactory bulb. The olfactory system is characterized by neuroanatomical compartmentalization, yet the functional significance of this organization is unclear. Using two-photon calcium imaging, we investigated the neuronal representation of multicomponent colony odors, which the ants assess to discriminate friends (nestmates) from foes (nonnestmates). In the carpenter ant Camponotus floridanus, colony odors elicited spatial activity patterns distributed across different AL compartments. Activity patterns in response to nestmate and nonnestmate colony odors were overlapping. This was expected since both consist of the same components at differing ratios. Colony odors change over time and the nervous system has to constantly adjust for this (template reformation). Measured activity patterns were variable, and variability was higher in response to repeated nestmate than to repeated nonnestmate colony odor stimulation. Variable activity patterns may indicate neuronal plasticity within the olfactory system, which is necessary for template reformation. Our results indicate that information about colony odors is processed in parallel in different neuroanatomical compartments, using the computational power of the whole AL network. Parallel processing might be advantageous, allowing reliable discrimination of highly complex social odors.}, } @article {pmid21777472, year = {2011}, author = {Markolf, M and Brameier, M and Kappeler, PM}, title = {On species delimitation: yet another lemur species or just genetic variation?.}, journal = {BMC evolutionary biology}, volume = {11}, number = {}, pages = {216}, pmid = {21777472}, issn = {1471-2148}, mesh = {Animals ; Base Sequence ; Computer Simulation ; DNA, Mitochondrial/genetics ; *Genetic Variation ; Lemur/classification/*genetics ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Phylogeny ; Primates/classification/genetics ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Although most taxonomists agree that species are independently evolving metapopulation lineages that should be delimited with several kinds of data, the taxonomic practice in Malagasy primates (Lemuriformes) looks quite different. Several recently described lemur species are based solely on evidence of genetic distance and diagnostic characters of mitochondrial DNA sequences sampled from a few individuals per location. Here we explore the validity of this procedure for species delimitation in lemurs using published sequence data.

RESULTS: We show that genetic distance estimates and Population Aggregation Analysis (PAA) are inappropriate for species delimitation in this group of primates. Intra- and interspecific genetic distances overlapped in 14 of 17 cases independent of the genetic marker used. A simulation of a fictive taxonomic study indicated that for the mitochondrial D-loop the minimum required number of individuals sampled per location is 10 in order to avoid false positives via PAA.

CONCLUSIONS: Genetic distances estimates and PAA alone should not be used for species delimitation in lemurs. Instead, several nuclear and sex-specific loci should be considered and combined with other data sets from morphology, ecology or behavior. Independent of the data source, sampling should be done in a way to ensure a quantitative comparison of intra- and interspecific variation of the taxa in question. The results of our study also indicate that several of the recently described lemur species should be reevaluated with additional data and that the number of good species among the currently known taxa is probably lower than currently assumed.}, } @article {pmid21731724, year = {2011}, author = {Brandstaetter, AS and Rössler, W and Kleineidam, CJ}, title = {Friends and foes from an ant brain's point of view--neuronal correlates of colony odors in a social insect.}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {6}, number = {6}, pages = {e21383}, pmid = {21731724}, issn = {1932-6203}, mesh = {Animals ; Ants/*physiology ; Arthropod Antennae/physiology ; Behavior, Animal/*physiology ; Brain/*physiology ; Calcium/metabolism ; Neurons/*physiology ; Odorants/*analysis ; *Social Behavior ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Successful cooperation depends on reliable identification of friends and foes. Social insects discriminate colony members (nestmates/friends) from foreign workers (non-nestmates/foes) by colony-specific, multi-component colony odors. Traditionally, complex processing in the brain has been regarded as crucial for colony recognition. Odor information is represented as spatial patterns of activity and processed in the primary olfactory neuropile, the antennal lobe (AL) of insects, which is analogous to the vertebrate olfactory bulb. Correlative evidence indicates that the spatial activity patterns reflect odor-quality, i.e., how an odor is perceived. For colony odors, alternatively, a sensory filter in the peripheral nervous system was suggested, causing specific anosmia to nestmate colony odors. Here, we investigate neuronal correlates of colony odors in the brain of a social insect to directly test whether they are anosmic to nestmate colony odors and whether spatial activity patterns in the AL can predict how odor qualities like "friend" and "foe" are attributed to colony odors.

Using ant dummies that mimic natural conditions, we presented colony odors and investigated their neuronal representation in the ant Camponotus floridanus. Nestmate and non-nestmate colony odors elicited neuronal activity: In the periphery, we recorded sensory responses of olfactory receptor neurons (electroantennography), and in the brain, we measured colony odor specific spatial activity patterns in the AL (calcium imaging). Surprisingly, upon repeated stimulation with the same colony odor, spatial activity patterns were variable, and as variable as activity patterns elicited by different colony odors.

CONCLUSIONS: Ants are not anosmic to nestmate colony odors. However, spatial activity patterns in the AL alone do not provide sufficient information for colony odor discrimination and this finding challenges the current notion of how odor quality is coded. Our result illustrates the enormous challenge for the nervous system to classify multi-component odors and indicates that other neuronal parameters, e.g., precise timing of neuronal activity, are likely necessary for attribution of odor quality to multi-component odors.}, } @article {pmid21715042, year = {2011}, author = {Croft, DP and Madden, JR and Franks, DW and James, R}, title = {Hypothesis testing in animal social networks.}, journal = {Trends in ecology & evolution}, volume = {26}, number = {10}, pages = {502-507}, doi = {10.1016/j.tree.2011.05.012}, pmid = {21715042}, issn = {1872-8383}, mesh = {Animals ; *Behavior, Animal ; Data Interpretation, Statistical ; Ecology ; *Research Design ; *Social Behavior ; Sociobiology ; }, abstract = {Behavioural ecologists are increasingly using social network analysis to describe the social organisation of animal populations and to test hypotheses. However, the statistical analysis of network data presents a number of challenges. In particular the non-independent nature of the data violates the assumptions of many common statistical approaches. In our opinion there is currently confusion and uncertainty amongst behavioural ecologists concerning the potential pitfalls when hypotheses testing using social network data. Here we review what we consider to be key considerations associated with the analysis of animal social networks and provide a practical guide to the use of null models based on randomisation to control for structure and non-independence in the data.}, } @article {pmid21674485, year = {2011}, author = {Pasch, E and Muenz, TS and Rössler, W}, title = {CaMKII is differentially localized in synaptic regions of Kenyon cells within the mushroom bodies of the honeybee brain.}, journal = {The Journal of comparative neurology}, volume = {519}, number = {18}, pages = {3700-3712}, doi = {10.1002/cne.22683}, pmid = {21674485}, issn = {1096-9861}, mesh = {Animals ; Bees/growth & development/*metabolism ; Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase Type 2/*metabolism ; Insect Proteins/*metabolism ; Life Cycle Stages ; Mushroom Bodies/cytology/*metabolism ; Neuronal Plasticity ; Synapses/*metabolism ; Tissue Distribution ; }, abstract = {Calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) has been linked to neuronal plasticity associated with long-term potentiation as well as structural synaptic plasticity. Previous work in adult honeybees has shown that a single CaMKII gene is strongly expressed in the mushroom bodies (MBs), brain centers associated with sensory integration, and learning and memory formation. To study a potential role of CaMKII in synaptic plasticity, the cellular and subcellular distribution of activated (phosphorylated) pCaMKII protein was investigated at various life stages of the honeybee using immunocytochemistry, confocal microscopy, and western blot analyses. Whereas at pupal stages 3-4 most parts of the brain showed high levels of pCaMKII immunoreactivity, the protein was predominantly concentrated in the MBs in the adult brain. The results show that pCaMKII is present in a specific subpopulation of Kenyon cells, the noncompact cells. Within the olfactory (lip) and visual (collar) subregion of the MB calyx neuropil pCaMKII was colocalized with f-actin in postsynaptic compartments of microglomeruli, indicating that it is enriched in Kenyon cell dendritic spines. This suggests a potential role of CaMKII in Kenyon cell dendritic plasticity. Interestingly, pCaMKII protein was absent in two other types of Kenyon cells, the inner compact cells associated with the multimodal basal ring and the outer compact cells. During adult behavioral maturation from nurse bees to foragers, pCaMKII distribution remained essentially similar at the qualitative level, suggesting a potential role in dendritic plasticity of Kenyon cells throughout the entire life span of a worker bee.}, } @article {pmid21622435, year = {2010}, author = {Luettmann, K and Michalczyk, IM and Mengel, C and Ziegenhagen, B and Heymann, EW and Pinedo Saboya, PP and Bialozyt, R}, title = {Characterization of nuclear microsatellite loci in the Neotropical tree Parkia panurensis (Fabaceae).}, journal = {American journal of botany}, volume = {97}, number = {5}, pages = {e34-6}, doi = {10.3732/ajb.1000096}, pmid = {21622435}, issn = {0002-9122}, abstract = {PREMISE OF THE STUDY: We present here a set of nine polymorphic nuclear microsatellite loci, identified for the first time within the neotropical legume tree species Parkia panurensis Benth. ex H. C. Hopkins, which is widespread in western and central Amazonia.

METHODS AND RESULTS: To characterize these loci, 33 Parkia panurensis adult trees were analyzed. The number of alleles ranged from eight to 32, with an average of 14.4 alleles per locus. Mean expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.74 to 0.955.

CONCLUSIONS: All nine loci could also be verified in six other Parkia species and polymorphic fragments amplified. The new marker set can be used for future studies of genetic diversity and differentiation, as well as estimation of gene flow and parentage analyses in various Parkia species.}, } @article {pmid21532130, year = {2011}, author = {Ghiselin, MT}, title = {A consumer's guide to superorganisms.}, journal = {Perspectives in biology and medicine}, volume = {54}, number = {2}, pages = {152-167}, doi = {10.1353/pbm.2011.0022}, pmid = {21532130}, issn = {1529-8795}, mesh = {Animals ; Biological Evolution ; Classification ; Hierarchy, Social ; Philosophy ; *Social Behavior ; Sociobiology/*trends ; Species Specificity ; *Terminology as Topic ; }, abstract = {The organism, like the molecule, the cell, and the species, is one of the fundamental levels in our hierarchical classification of life and its components. The units ranked at these levels, being concrete, particular things, are individuals in the broadest philosophical sense. But in a much narrower and more familiar sense, individual means an individual organism. Like species, the term individual is hard to define, but in most biological discourse it has meant the unit of philosophical autonomy. Some authors have attempted to revise this terminology, restricting individual to organisms, and redefining organism to include families and other units. Such semantic surgery is unnecessary if the goal is merely to justify selection at more than one level. Analogies between levels may be interesting, but many of them do not deserve to be taken seriously.}, } @article {pmid21502750, year = {2011}, author = {Stieb, SM and Kelber, C and Wehner, R and Rössler, W}, title = {Antennal-lobe organization in desert ants of the genus Cataglyphis.}, journal = {Brain, behavior and evolution}, volume = {77}, number = {3}, pages = {136-146}, doi = {10.1159/000326211}, pmid = {21502750}, issn = {1421-9743}, mesh = {Adaptation, Biological ; Animals ; Ants/*anatomy & histology ; Arthropod Antennae/*innervation ; Female ; Ganglia, Invertebrate/*anatomy & histology ; Male ; Olfactory Bulb/*anatomy & histology ; Olfactory Pathways/*anatomy & histology ; Sex Factors ; Species Specificity ; }, abstract = {Desert ants of the genus Cataglyphis possess remarkable visual navigation capabilities. Although Cataglyphis species lack a trail pheromone system, Cataglyphis fortis employs olfactory cues for detecting nest and food sites. To investigate potential adaptations in primary olfactory centers of the brain of C. fortis, we analyzed olfactory glomeruli (odor processing units) in their antennal lobes and compared them to glomeruli in different Cataglyphis species. Using confocal imaging and 3D reconstruction, we analyzed the number, size and spatial arrangement of olfactory glomeruli in C. fortis, C.albicans, C.bicolor, C.rubra, and C.noda. Workers of all Cataglyphis species have smaller numbers of glomeruli (198-249) compared to those previously found in olfactory-guided ants. Analyses in 2 species of Formica - a genus closely related to Cataglyphis - revealed substantially higher numbers of olfactory glomeruli (c. 370), which is likely to reflect the importance of olfaction in these wood ant species. Comparisons between Cataglyphis species revealed 2 special features in C. fortis. First, with c. 198 C. fortis has the lowest number of glomeruli compared to all other species. Second, a conspicuously enlarged glomerulus is located close to the antennal nerve entrance. Males of C. fortis possess a significantly smaller number of glomeruli (c. 150) compared to female workers and queens. A prominent male-specific macroglomerulus likely to be involved in sex pheromone communication occupies a position different from that of the enlarged glomerulus in females. The behavioral significance of the enlarged glomerulus in female workers remains elusive. The fact that C. fortis inhabits microhabitats (salt pans) that are avoided by all other Cataglyphis species suggests that extreme ecological conditions may not only have resulted in adaptations of visual capabilities, but also in specializations of the olfactory system.}, } @article {pmid21501512, year = {2011}, author = {Clough, D and Kappeler, PM and Walter, L}, title = {Genetic regulation of parasite infection: empirical evidence of the functional significance of an IL4 gene SNP on nematode infections in wild primates.}, journal = {Frontiers in zoology}, volume = {8}, number = {1}, pages = {9}, pmid = {21501512}, issn = {1742-9994}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Susceptibility to parasite infection affects fitness-related processes, such as mate choice and survival, yet its genetic regulation remains poorly understood. Interleukin-4 (IL4) plays a central role in the humoral immune defence against nematode parasite infections, inducing IgE switch and regulation of worm expulsion from the intestines. The evolutionary and functional significance of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in IL4-genes is known, yet empirical information on the effect of IL4 SNPs on gastro-intestinal infections is lacking. Using samples from a population of wild red-fronted lemurs (Eulemur fulvus rufus, Primates: Lemuridae), from western Madagascar, we explored the association of IL4-gene promoter polymorphisms with nematode infections and investigated a possible functional role of the IL4 polymorphism on male reproductive success.

RESULTS: Using sequence analyses of lemur DNA we detected a new SNP in the IL4 gene promoter area. Carriers of the genotype T/T showed higher nematode infection intensities than individuals of genotypes C/T and C/C. Genetic population analyses using data from more than 10 years, suggested higher reproductive success of T/T males than expected.

CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest a regulatory effect of an IL4 gene promoter polymorphism on the intensity of parasite infections in a natural population of red-fronted lemurs, with a seemingly disadvantageous genotype represented in low frequencies. Long-term population analyses, however, point in the direction of a negative frequency-dependent association, giving a fitness advantage to the rare genotype. Due to low frequencies of the genotype in question conclusive evidence of a functional role of IL4 polymorphism cannot be drawn here; still, we suggest the use of IL4 polymorphism as a new molecular tool for quick assessment of individual genetic constitution with regard to nematode infection intensities, contributing to a better understanding of the actual components of the immune response that mediate protection against gastro-intestinal parasites.}, } @article {pmid21497939, year = {2011}, author = {Schroeder, J and Nakagawa, S and Hinsch, M}, title = {Behavioural ecology is not an endangered discipline.}, journal = {Trends in ecology & evolution}, volume = {26}, number = {7}, pages = {320-1; author reply 321-2}, doi = {10.1016/j.tree.2011.03.013}, pmid = {21497939}, issn = {1872-8383}, mesh = {*Adaptation, Biological ; Animals ; Biological Evolution ; *Conservation of Natural Resources ; *Ecology/economics/trends ; Human Activities ; Humans ; *Sociobiology/economics/trends ; }, } @article {pmid21465722, year = {2010}, author = {Lutalo, T and Kigozi, G and Kimera, E and Serwadda, D and Wawer, MJ and Zabin, LS and Gray, RH}, title = {A randomized community trial of enhanced family planning outreach in Rakai, Uganda.}, journal = {Studies in family planning}, volume = {41}, number = {1}, pages = {55-60}, doi = {10.1111/j.1728-4465.2010.00224.x}, pmid = {21465722}, issn = {0039-3665}, mesh = {Adolescent ; Adult ; Community Health Services/*organization & administration ; Condoms/statistics & numerical data ; Contraception/*methods ; Family Planning Services/*organization & administration ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pregnancy ; Sex Education/*organization & administration ; *Social Marketing ; Sociobiology ; Uganda ; Young Adult ; }, abstract = {A randomized community trial of a family planning outreach program was conducted in Rakai District, Uganda. Five communities received standard services; six intervention communities received additional family planning information, counseling, and contraceptive methods from government service providers and community-based volunteer agents using social marketing and other strategies. Condom use was promoted in all of the communities. The community-based family planning outreach program was implemented in two phases--1999-2000 (early) and 2001(late)--and its impact was evaluated by means of population surveys in 2002-03. At follow-up, hormonal contraceptive prevalence was 23 percent in the intervention communities, compared with 20 percent in the control communities. The differential was greater in the early-intervention communities than the late-intervention communities. Pregnancy rates at follow-up were 15 percent in the control and 13 percent in the intervention communities. No differentials in condom use were found between study arms. Family planning outreach via social marketing can significantly increase hormonal contraceptive use and decrease pregnancy rates, but the impact of this outreach program was modest.}, } @article {pmid21408014, year = {2011}, author = {Bollazzi, M and Roces, F}, title = {Information needs at the beginning of foraging: grass-cutting ants trade off load size for a faster return to the nest.}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {6}, number = {3}, pages = {e17667}, pmid = {21408014}, issn = {1932-6203}, mesh = {Animals ; Ants/*physiology ; Feeding Behavior/*physiology ; Motion ; Nesting Behavior/*physiology ; Poaceae/*parasitology ; Social Behavior ; Temperature ; Time Factors ; Walking/physiology ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Acquisition of information about food sources is essential for animals that forage collectively like social insects. Foragers deliver two commodities to the nest, food and information, and they may favor the delivery of one at the expenses of the other. We predict that information needs should be particularly high at the beginning of foraging: the decision to return faster to the nest will motivate a grass-cutting ant worker to reduce its loading time, and so to leave the source with a partial load.

PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Field results showed that at the initial foraging phase, most grass-cutting ant foragers (Acromyrmex heyeri) returned unladen to the nest, and experienced head-on encounters with outgoing workers. Ant encounters were not simply collisions in a probabilistic sense: outgoing workers contacted in average 70% of the returning foragers at the initial foraging phase, and only 20% at the established phase. At the initial foraging phase, workers cut fragments that were shorter, narrower, lighter and tenderer than those harvested at the established one. Foragers walked at the initial phase significantly faster than expected for the observed temperatures, yet not at the established phase. Moreover, when controlling for differences in the fragment-size carried, workers still walked faster at the initial phase. Despite the higher speed, their individual transport rate of vegetable tissue was lower than that of similarly-sized workers foraging later at the same patch.

CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: At the initial foraging phase, workers compromised their individual transport rates of material in order to return faster to the colony. We suggest that the observed flexible cutting rules and the selection of partial loads at the beginning of foraging are driven by the need of information transfer, crucial for the establishment and maintenance of a foraging process to monopolize a discovered resource.}, } @article {pmid21404233, year = {2011}, author = {Matauschek, C and Roos, C and Heymann, EW}, title = {Mitochondrial phylogeny of tamarins (Saguinus, Hoffmannsegg 1807) with taxonomic and biogeographic implications for the S. nigricollis species group.}, journal = {American journal of physical anthropology}, volume = {144}, number = {4}, pages = {564-574}, doi = {10.1002/ajpa.21445}, pmid = {21404233}, issn = {1096-8644}, mesh = {Animals ; Cluster Analysis ; Complementarity Determining Regions ; Computational Biology ; Cytochromes b/genetics ; DNA, Mitochondrial/chemistry/*genetics ; Feces/chemistry ; Geography ; Models, Statistical ; Peru ; Phylogeny ; Saguinus/classification/*genetics ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; }, abstract = {Tamarins of the genus Saguinus, subfamily Callitrichinae, represent one of the most diverse primate radiations. So far, about 35 taxa have been described, but detailed information about their taxonomy and phylogeny is still lacking. To further elucidate the phylogenetic relationships and the biogeographic history within the genus, and to contribute to a more reliable classification of its taxa, we sequenced the complete mitochondrial cytochrome b gene and the hypervariable region I of the D-loop. Therefore, we mainly used fecal samples from wild tamarins collected during two expeditions to the Peruvian Amazon, an area of high tamarin diversity. Our data suggest that the numerous taxa of the S. nigricollis species group are derived from a common ancestor that separated from the other representatives of the genus ~10 mya. Most taxa of the S. nigricollis group form monophyletic clusters, which mainly originated in a single rapid radiation ~2.9 mya. S. fuscicollis and S. nigricollis appear as polyphyletic taxa, but we could identify various clusters, which are mainly consistent with differences in coat coloration. We could confirm most of the existing taxa as distinct entities and suggest species status for fuscicollis, illigeri, lagonotus, leucogenys, nigricollis, nigrifrons, tripartitus, and weddelli. Our genetic data do not support a separate status for melanoleucus and graellsi, but due to differences in fur coloration, we give them subspecies status. The species group most likely originated in western Amazonia and diversified during the decline of the Acre wetland and the formation of the Amazonian river system.}, } @article {pmid21332921, year = {2011}, author = {Samson, N and Fink, B and Matts, P}, title = {Interaction of skin color distribution and skin surface topography cues in the perception of female facial age and health.}, journal = {Journal of cosmetic dermatology}, volume = {10}, number = {1}, pages = {78-84}, doi = {10.1111/j.1473-2165.2010.00538.x}, pmid = {21332921}, issn = {1473-2165}, mesh = {Adult ; Age Factors ; Analysis of Variance ; Cues ; Esthetics ; *Face ; Female ; Health Status ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Skin/*anatomy & histology ; *Skin Pigmentation ; *Visual Perception ; Young Adult ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Skin color distribution and skin surface topography are the predominant drivers of the variation in visible skin condition, and this variation affects one's perception of age and health. Recent research, however, has shown that the strength of the impact of these features on perception differs such that skin surface topography is a stronger indicator of age, while skin color distribution is more strongly linked to health perception.

OBJECTIVES: To examine further the relative contribution and interaction effects of skin color distribution and surface topography cues on perception by considering small changes of these features.

METHODS: Two sets of images were created by gradually smoothing uneven skin color distribution and removing skin surface topography cues (both in 25% increments) in the digital image of the face of a 61-year-old British woman. Omnibus pairwise combinations of modified images were presented to a panel of 160 German men and women (aged 19-49 years). With each pair, they were asked to select the face they considered both younger-looking and healthier.

RESULTS: Female facial age perception was more strongly affected by the removal of skin surface topography cues than by changes in skin color distribution, particularly so for topography removal of 50% and more. In contrast, the smoothing of uneven skin color distribution had a stronger effect on the perception of female facial health, particularly for changes of 25% and greater.

CONCLUSIONS: These results support previous reports on the differential effects of visible skin color distribution and surface topography cues on the perception of female facial age and health and show that only relatively small changes are necessary to drive this differential perception.}, } @article {pmid21301472, year = {2011}, author = {Foster, KR}, title = {The sociobiology of molecular systems.}, journal = {Nature reviews. Genetics}, volume = {12}, number = {3}, pages = {193-203}, pmid = {21301472}, issn = {1471-0064}, support = {242670/ERC_/European Research Council/International ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Biological Evolution ; *Competitive Behavior ; *Cooperative Behavior ; Female ; Genetic Association Studies ; Genetic Variation ; Humans ; Male ; Metabolic Networks and Pathways/genetics ; *Selection, Genetic ; *Sociobiology ; }, abstract = {It is often assumed that molecular systems are designed to maximize the competitive ability of the organism that carries them. In reality, natural selection acts on both cooperative and competitive phenotypes, across multiple scales of biological organization. Here I ask how the potential for social effects in evolution has influenced molecular systems. I discuss a range of phenotypes, from the selfish genetic elements that disrupt genomes, through metabolism, multicellularity and cancer, to behaviour and the organization of animal societies. I argue that the balance between cooperative and competitive evolution has shaped both form and function at the molecular scale.}, } @article {pmid21300311, year = {2011}, author = {Becquemont, D}, title = {Social Darwinism: from reality to myth and from myth to reality.}, journal = {Studies in history and philosophy of biological and biomedical sciences}, volume = {42}, number = {1}, pages = {12-19}, doi = {10.1016/j.shpsc.2010.11.001}, pmid = {21300311}, issn = {1879-2499}, mesh = {*Biological Evolution ; *Genetic Fitness ; History, 19th Century ; History, 20th Century ; Humans ; Metaphor ; Metaphysics ; *Selection, Genetic ; *Social Environment ; Sociobiology/*history ; }, abstract = {Considering the variety of contradictory definitions which have been attributed to the term in the course of more than a century, one may be tempted to admit that 'Social Darwinism' can be reduced to a social myth. But it seems nevertheless necessary to answer the question: what has been called 'Social Darwinism' for more than one century and why was the expression used in a negative way to express contradictory opinions which sometimes have nothing to do with Darwin's theory. What we still call 'Social Darwinism' is the result of a misunderstanding: the theories expressed under that phrase have little to do with the Darwinian concepts of natural selection or descent with modification. They have their origin in a pre-darwinian conception of the struggle for existence, which Darwin used in a metaphorical sense. This confusion will then appear to refer clearly to the relationship we establish between biology and society, whether biological laws are directly prolonged in society, or more or less intermingle in a close network. The issue of the definition of Social Darwinism depends obviously on the possible answers to this question, and so does the issue of redefining Darwinism at large.}, } @article {pmid21257224, year = {2011}, author = {Caro, T and Sherman, PW}, title = {Endangered species and a threatened discipline: behavioural ecology.}, journal = {Trends in ecology & evolution}, volume = {26}, number = {3}, pages = {111-118}, doi = {10.1016/j.tree.2010.12.008}, pmid = {21257224}, issn = {1872-8383}, mesh = {Animals ; Climate Change ; Conservation of Natural Resources ; *Ecology/economics/trends ; *Endangered Species ; Environmental Pollution ; Human Activities ; Humans ; Introduced Species ; *Sociobiology/economics/trends ; }, abstract = {Behavioural ecologists often see little connection between the current conservation crisis and the future of their discipline. This view is myopic because our abilities to investigate and interpret the adaptive significance and evolutionary histories of behaviours are increasingly being compromised in human-dominated landscapes because of species extinctions, habitat destruction, invasive species, pollution, and climate change. In this review, we argue that many central issues in behavioural ecology will soon become prohibitively difficult to investigate and interpret, thus impeding the rapid progress that characterizes the field. To address these challenges, behavioural ecologists should design studies not only to answer basic scientific questions but also to provide ancillary information for protection and management of their study organisms and habitats, and then share their biological insights with the applied conservation community.}, } @article {pmid22947988, year = {2011}, author = {Apostolou, M}, title = {Parent-offspring conflict over mating: testing the tradeoffs hypothesis.}, journal = {Evolutionary psychology : an international journal of evolutionary approaches to psychology and behavior}, volume = {9}, number = {4}, pages = {470-495}, pmid = {22947988}, issn = {1474-7049}, mesh = {Adult Children/*psychology ; Beauty ; Choice Behavior/*physiology ; Culture ; Family Conflict/*psychology ; Genetic Determinism ; Humans ; Individuality ; *Interpersonal Relations ; Marriage/ethnology/psychology ; Parents/*psychology ; Psychological Theory ; Sexual Behavior/psychology ; *Social Values ; Sociobiology ; Socioeconomic Factors ; }, abstract = {The difference in genetic relatedness between parents and offspring results into traits such as beauty being more beneficial in a spouse than in an in-law. As a consequence, mate and in-law preferences do not overlap, and each party tends to prefer more the traits that give it more benefits. This paper tests the hypothesis that this divergence in preferences interacts with the tradeoffs nature of mating to give rise to parent-offspring conflict over mating. In particular, using a design where mate choice is constrained by a budget, three hypotheses are tested: First, asymmetries between in-law and mate preferences result in asymmetrical compromises in the choice of an in-law and a spouse. Second, the hypothesis is tested that when choice is constrained, disagreement spreads to traits where there is no divergence between in-law and mate preferences. Finally, it is hypothesized that there is a negative relationship between mate value and parent-offspring conflict over mating. Evidence from two independent studies in two different countries provides support for all three hypotheses.}, } @article {pmid21185946, year = {2011}, author = {Groh, C and Rössler, W}, title = {Comparison of microglomerular structures in the mushroom body calyx of neopteran insects.}, journal = {Arthropod structure & development}, volume = {40}, number = {4}, pages = {358-367}, doi = {10.1016/j.asd.2010.12.002}, pmid = {21185946}, issn = {1873-5495}, mesh = {Animals ; Brain/*anatomy & histology ; Immunohistochemistry ; Insecta/*anatomy & histology ; Mushroom Bodies/*anatomy & histology ; Staining and Labeling ; }, abstract = {Mushroom bodies (MBs) are prominent neuropils in the insect brain involved in higher order processing such as sensory integration, learning and memory, and spatial orientation. The size and general morphology of MBs are diverse across insects. In this study we comparatively investigated the microstructure of synaptic complexes (microglomeruli) in major sensory input regions of the MBs, the calyces, across various neopteran insect species. Pre- and postsynaptic compartments of microglomeruli were analyzed using anti-synapsin immunocytochemistry, f-actin-phalloidin labeling and high-resolution confocal microscopy. Our results suggest that calycal microglomeruli are present across all investigated neopteran insect species, but differences are found in the distribution of synapsin and f-actin within their pre- and postsynaptic compartments. Hymenopteran MBs contain the highest number and packing density of microglomeruli compared to all other species from the different insect orders we investigated. We conclude that the evolution of high numbers of microglomeruli in Hymenoptera may reflect an increase in synaptic microcircuits, which could enhance the computational capacities of the MBs.}, } @article {pmid21185617, year = {2011}, author = {Hughes, DP}, title = {Recent developments in sociobiology and the scientific method.}, journal = {Trends in ecology & evolution}, volume = {26}, number = {2}, pages = {57-58}, doi = {10.1016/j.tree.2010.12.002}, pmid = {21185617}, issn = {0169-5347}, mesh = {*Biological Evolution ; Research ; Sociobiology/*trends ; }, } @article {pmid21167620, year = {2011}, author = {Li, SI and Purugganan, MD}, title = {The cooperative amoeba: Dictyostelium as a model for social evolution.}, journal = {Trends in genetics : TIG}, volume = {27}, number = {2}, pages = {48-54}, doi = {10.1016/j.tig.2010.11.003}, pmid = {21167620}, issn = {0168-9525}, mesh = {Animals ; *Biological Evolution ; *Cell Communication ; Dictyostelium/*genetics ; Genomics ; Humans ; Models, Genetic ; }, abstract = {Social interactions, including cooperation and altruism, are characteristic of numerous species, but many aspects of the evolution, ecology and genetics of social behavior remain unclear. The microbial soil amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum is a model system for the study of social evolution and provides insights into the nature of social cooperation and its genetic basis. This species exhibits altruism during both asexual and sexual cycles of its life history, and recent studies have uncovered several possible genetic mechanisms associated with kin discrimination and cheating behavior during asexual fruiting-body formation. By contrast, the molecular and evolutionary mechanisms that underlie sexual macrocyst formation remain largely enigmatic. D. discoideum, given its utility in molecular genetic studies, should continue to help us address these and other relevant questions in sociobiology, and thereby contribute to a coherent theoretical framework for the nature of social cooperation.}, } @article {pmid21167312, year = {2011}, author = {Rössler, W and Zube, C}, title = {Dual olfactory pathway in Hymenoptera: evolutionary insights from comparative studies.}, journal = {Arthropod structure & development}, volume = {40}, number = {4}, pages = {349-357}, doi = {10.1016/j.asd.2010.12.001}, pmid = {21167312}, issn = {1873-5495}, mesh = {Animals ; Behavior, Animal ; *Biological Evolution ; Coleoptera/*anatomy & histology/genetics ; Hymenoptera/*anatomy & histology/genetics ; Olfactory Pathways/*anatomy & histology ; Orthoptera/*anatomy & histology/genetics ; Social Behavior ; Species Specificity ; }, abstract = {In the honeybee (Apis mellifera) and carpenter ant (Camponotus floridanus) the antennal lobe output is connected to higher brain centers by a dual olfactory pathway. Two major sets of uniglomerular projection neurons innervate glomeruli from two antennal-lobe hemispheres and project via a medial and a lateral antennal-lobe protocerebral tract in opposite sequence to the mushroom bodies and lateral horn. Comparison across insects suggests that the lateral projection neuron tract represents a special feature of Hymenoptera. We hypothesize that this promotes advanced olfactory processing associated with chemical communication, orientation and social interactions. To test whether a dual olfactory pathway is restricted to social Hymenoptera, we labeled the antennal lobe output tracts in selected species using fluorescent tracing and confocal imaging. Our results show that a dual pathway from the antennal lobe to the mushroom bodies is present in social bees, basal and advanced ants, solitary wasps, and in one of two investigated species of sawflies. This indicates that a dual olfactory pathway is not restricted to social species and may have evolved in basal Hymenoptera. We suggest that associated advances in olfactory processing represent a preadaptation for life styles with high demands on olfactory discrimination like parasitoism, central place foraging, and sociality.}, } @article {pmid21147229, year = {2011}, author = {Tarin, D}, title = {Cell and tissue interactions in carcinogenesis and metastasis and their clinical significance.}, journal = {Seminars in cancer biology}, volume = {21}, number = {2}, pages = {72-82}, doi = {10.1016/j.semcancer.2010.12.006}, pmid = {21147229}, issn = {1096-3650}, mesh = {Animals ; *Cell Communication ; *Cell Transformation, Neoplastic/genetics/metabolism/pathology ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Humans ; *Medical Oncology ; *Neoplasm Metastasis/pathology ; Signal Transduction ; }, abstract = {This review describes a new vision for future directions in the study of metastatic cancer biology and pathology. It is based upon clinical and experimental observations on the constituent cell lineages within a neoplasm and on tumour-host interactions. The vision incorporates information from studies in population biology, developmental biology and experimental pathology as well as investigations upon human malignant disease. The assembled information reveals that invasion and metastasis are supra-cellular manifestations of "emergent behavior" among combinations of normal and malignant cell lineages in vivo. Emergent behavior is a combinatorial interactive process in which a population displays new traits which cannot be achieved by individuals acting separately and which subside when the specific population mix disaggregates. Disruption of such pathological interactions in the field of a developing primary or secondary tumour is, therefore, required to disable the malignant population and arrest progression without tissue destruction. These conclusions originate, in part, from principles which govern the sociobiology and group behavior of bees, ants, fish, birds and human societies. In all these social organisms, external factors can disrupt signaling mechanisms and induce expanding self-perpetuating rogue behavior, leading to social disintegration. These principles also apply to cellular societies composing higher animals, which likewise need intrinsic rules to maintain social order and avoid anarchy, and recognition of this is essential for advancing future research on the mechanisms involved in carcinogenesis and metastasis. Summarised evidence is presented here to support the conclusion that miscommunications between cells and tissues in the region of the developing tumour and its metastases are the main direct perpetrators of malignant disease. Genetic lesions (mutations, deletions, translocations, reduplications, etc.), commonly seen in cancers, can significantly disrupt important molecular pathways in the networks of communications needed to sustain orderly tissue/organ structure and function. However, genetic lesions can also, themselves, be induced by abnormal cell interactions initiated by extrinsic carcinogenic agents such as chemicals, viruses, hormones and radiation. The evidence shows that, irrespective of the initiating cause, it is this miscommunication in the region of a developing tumour and its metastases that is ultimately responsible for the emergence and progression of the disease. The article describes how this information collectively, provides a framework for designing specific novel therapeutic approaches targeting the cell and tissue interactions driving tumour metastasis and its manifold effects on the whole body.}, } @article {pmid21120133, year = {2010}, author = {Ruchty, M and Helmchen, F and Wehner, R and Kleineidam, CJ}, title = {Representation of thermal information in the antennal lobe of leaf-cutting ants.}, journal = {Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience}, volume = {4}, number = {}, pages = {174}, pmid = {21120133}, issn = {1662-5153}, abstract = {Insects are equipped with various types of antennal sensilla, which house thermosensitive neurons adapted to receive different parameters of the thermal environment for a variety of temperature-guided behaviors. In the leaf-cutting ant Atta vollenweideri, the physiology and the morphology of the thermosensitive sensillum coeloconicum (Sc) has been thoroughly investigated. However, the central projections of its receptor neurons are unknown. Here we selectively stained the three neurons found in single Sc and tracked their axons into the brain of Atta vollenweideri workers. Each of the three axons terminates in a single glomerulus of the antennal lobe (Sc-glomeruli). Two of the innervated glomeruli are adjacent to each other and are located laterally, while the third one is clearly separated and located medially in the antennal lobe. Using two-photon Ca(2+) imaging of antennal lobe projection neurons, we studied where in the antennal lobe thermal information is represented. In the 11 investigated antennal lobes, we found up to 10 different glomeruli in a single specimen responding to temperature stimulation. Both, warm- and cold-sensitive glomeruli could be identified. The thermosensitive glomeruli were mainly located in the medial part of the antennal lobe. Based on the general representation of thermal information in the antennal lobe and functional data on the Sc-glomeruli we conclude that temperature stimuli received by Sc are processed in the medial of the three target glomeruli. The present study reveals an important role of the antennal lobe in temperature processing and links a specific thermosensitive neuron to its central target glomerulus.}, } @article {pmid21070589, year = {2011}, author = {Amdam, GV}, title = {Social context, stress, and plasticity of aging.}, journal = {Aging cell}, volume = {10}, number = {1}, pages = {18-27}, doi = {10.1111/j.1474-9726.2010.00647.x}, pmid = {21070589}, issn = {1474-9726}, support = {P01 AG22500/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Aging/*physiology ; Animals ; *Bees/physiology ; Behavior, Animal/*physiology ; Drosophila ; Energy Metabolism/physiology ; Signal Transduction/physiology ; *Social Behavior ; Social Environment ; Stress, Physiological ; }, abstract = {Positive social contact is an important factor in healthy aging, but our understanding of how social interactions influence senescence is incomplete. As life expectancy continues to increase because of reduced death rates among elderly, the beneficial role of social relationships is emerging as a cross-cutting theme in research on aging and healthspan. There is a need to improve knowledge on how behavior shapes, and is shaped by, the social environment, as well as needs to identify and study biological mechanisms that can translate differences in the social aspects of behavioral efforts, relationships, and stress reactivity (the general physiological and behavioral response-pattern to harmful, dangerous or unpleasant situations) into variation in aging. Honey bees (Apis mellifera) provide a genetic model in sociobiology, behavioral neuroscience, and gerontology that is uniquely sensitive to social exchange. Different behavioral contact between these social insects can shorten or extend lifespan more than 10-fold, and some aspects of their senescence are reversed by social cues that trigger aged individuals to express youthful repertoires of behavior. Here, I summarize how variation in social interactions contributes to this plasticity of aging and explain how beneficial and detrimental roles of social relationships can be traced from environmental and biological effects on honey bee physiology and behavior, to the expression of recovery-related plasticity, stress reactivity, and survival during old age. This system provides intriguing opportunities for research on aging.}, } @article {pmid20941878, year = {2010}, author = {Reddy, WM}, title = {Neuroscience and the fallacies of functionalism.}, journal = {History and theory}, volume = {49}, number = {3}, pages = {412-425}, doi = {10.1111/j.1468-2303.2010.00551.x}, pmid = {20941878}, issn = {0018-2656}, mesh = {*Cognitive Science/education/history ; *Culture ; *Emotions ; Evolution, Molecular ; History, 20th Century ; History, 21st Century ; *Neurosciences/education/history ; *Research/education/history ; Stress, Psychological/ethnology/history ; }, abstract = {Smail's "On Deep History and the Brain" is rightly critical of the functionalist fallacies that have plagued evolutionary theory, sociobiology, and evolutionary psychology. However, his attempt to improve on these efforts relies on functional explanations that themselves oversimplify the lessons of neuroscience. In addition, like explanations in evolutionary psychology, they are highly speculative and cannot be confirmed or disproved by evidence. Neuroscience research is too diverse to yield a single picture of brain functioning. Some recent developments in neuroscience research, however, do suggest that cognitive processing provides a kind of “operating system” that can support a great diversity of cultural material. These developments include evidence of “top-down” processing in motor control, in visual processing, in speech recognition, and in “emotion regulation.” The constraints that such a system may place on cultural learning and transmission are worth investigating. At the same time, historians are well advised to remain wary of the pitfalls of functionalism.}, } @article {pmid20934258, year = {2011}, author = {Huang, Z and Jiang, Y and Liang, J}, title = {Pathogenesis could be one of the anti-cheating mechanisms for Pseudomonas aeruginosa society.}, journal = {Medical hypotheses}, volume = {76}, number = {2}, pages = {166-168}, doi = {10.1016/j.mehy.2010.09.007}, pmid = {20934258}, issn = {1532-2777}, mesh = {*Bacterial Physiological Phenomena ; Biofilms ; Cystic Fibrosis/*microbiology ; Humans ; Lung/*microbiology ; Lung Diseases/*microbiology ; Models, Biological ; Pseudomonas Infections/*microbiology ; Pseudomonas aeruginosa/*physiology ; Respiratory Tract Infections/microbiology ; }, abstract = {Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the major pathogen of chronic lung infections in individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF). Traditionally, it has been regarded as living in planktonic form, and as being able to perform only simple physiological activities. Recent studies in biofilm infections in CF patients, however, show that P. aeruginosa can perform many social behaviors, like cooperation and cheating. Based on the theory of "survival of the fittest", it may be presumed that every individual will take advantage of cheating instead of cooperation to increase its fitness, at the cost of group survival. In reality, however, a bacterial society can remain stable, even though cheaters arise frequently in the population. It is therefore possible that there are anti-cheating mechanisms in a bacterial society. The cheaters of P. aeruginosa will cause the loss or the decrease of the pathogenesis of the microorganism in the cystic fibrosis host. These defects in pathogenesis will be disadvantageous to bacterial colonization and compromise the resistance to host immunity. We therefore propose the hypothesis that the pathogenesis in cystic fibrosis lung infections could be one of the anti-cheating mechanisms that contribute to the hidden costs of the cheater strains. To test this hypothesis, we designed an experiment in an animal model of CF. If this hypothesis can be confirmed, it will illustrate that nontrivial analogies exist between microbial social behaviors and the social traits that are observed in the more traditional model systems for sociobiology. This will not only provide a genetic model for sociobiology research, but also cast light on the social control of chronic bacterial infections.}, } @article {pmid20883129, year = {2010}, author = {Bollazzi, M and Roces, F}, title = {The thermoregulatory function of thatched nests in the South American grass-cutting ant, Acromyrmex heyeri.}, journal = {Journal of insect science (Online)}, volume = {10}, number = {}, pages = {137}, pmid = {20883129}, issn = {1536-2442}, mesh = {Acclimatization ; Animals ; Ants/microbiology/*physiology ; *Body Temperature Regulation ; Ecosystem ; Fungi/physiology ; *Nesting Behavior ; Soil ; Sunlight ; }, abstract = {The construction of mound-shaped nests by ants is considered as a behavioral adaptation to low environmental temperatures, i.e., colonies achieve higher and more stables temperatures than those of the environment. Besides the well-known nests of boreal Formica wood-ants, several species of South American leaf-cutting ants of the genus Acromyrmex construct thatched nests. Acromyrmex workers import plant fragments as building material, and arrange them so as to form a thatch covering a central chamber, where the fungus garden is located. Thus, the degree of thermoregulation attained by the fungus garden inside the thatched nest largely depends on how the thatch affects the thermal relations between the fungus and the environment. This work was aimed at studying the thermoregulatory function of the thatched nests built by the grass-cutting ant Acromyrmex heyeri Forel (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae). Nest and environmental temperatures were measured as a function of solar radiation on the long-term. The thermal diffusivity of the nest thatch was measured and compared to that of the surrounding soil, in order to assess the influence of the building material on the nest's thermoregulatory ability. The results showed that the average core temperature of thatched nests was higher than that of the environment, but remained below values harmful for the fungus. This thermoregulation was brought about by the low thermal diffusivity of the nest thatch built by workers with plant fragments, instead of the readily-available soil particles that have a higher thermal diffusivity. The thatch prevented diurnal nest overheating by the incoming solar radiation, and avoided losses of the accumulated daily heat into the cold air during the night. The adaptive value of thatching behavior in Acromyrmex leaf-cutting ants occurring in the southernmost distribution range is discussed.}, } @article {pmid20807261, year = {2011}, author = {Fink, B and Matts, PJ and Röder, S and Johnson, R and Burquest, M}, title = {Differences in visual perception of age and attractiveness of female facial and body skin.}, journal = {International journal of cosmetic science}, volume = {33}, number = {2}, pages = {126-131}, doi = {10.1111/j.1468-2494.2010.00594.x}, pmid = {20807261}, issn = {1468-2494}, mesh = {Adolescent ; Adult ; Age Factors ; Aged ; Arm/*physiology ; Epidermis/*physiology ; Face/*physiology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Perception/*physiology ; Thorax/*physiology ; Young Adult ; }, abstract = {Perception of age and health is critical in the judgement of attractiveness. The few studies conducted on the significance of apparent skin condition on human physical appearance have studied faces alone or isolated fields of images facial skin. Little is known about whether perception of the face matches that of other body parts or if body skin affects overall age and attractiveness perception when presented in combination with facial skin. We hypothesized that independent presentation of female faces, chests and arms (including hands) - cropped from a full face and upper body image - would result in significant differences in perception of age and attractiveness compared to the corresponding composite. Furthermore, we sought to investigate whether relatively young and attractive looking skin on selected, individual parts of the body affects overall perception. Digital photographs of 52 women aged 45-65 years were collected and processed to yield four derivative sets of images: One set showed the composite of all features, i.e. the face, the chest and the arms, whereas the other three were cropped carefully to show each part of the upper body described above independently. A total of 240 participants judged these faces for perceived age and attractiveness. Our results showed significant differences in perception with the chest and the arms being judged significantly younger than the face or composite image of the same women. Moreover, arms and chest images were perceived as more attractive than face and composite images. Finally, regression analysis indicated that differences between the perceived and chronological values of overall age perception could be predicted by age perception of the face and arms. These results continue to support the significance of facial age perception in assessment of a woman's age, but highlight that body skin also plays a role in overall age impression.}, } @article {pmid20805426, year = {2010}, author = {Moukarbel, GV and Albert, MA}, title = {The ecology of stent thrombosis: a view from a sociobiological perspective.}, journal = {Circulation}, volume = {122}, number = {11}, pages = {1053-1055}, doi = {10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.110.973727}, pmid = {20805426}, issn = {1524-4539}, mesh = {Black People/ethnology/genetics ; Coronary Artery Disease/ethnology/genetics/*therapy ; Drug-Eluting Stents/*adverse effects ; Humans ; Risk Factors ; Social Class ; *Sociobiology ; Thrombosis/*epidemiology/ethnology/genetics ; White People/ethnology/genetics ; }, } @article {pmid20642143, year = {2009}, author = {Cohen, MN}, title = {Rethinking the origins of agriculture. Introduction.}, journal = {Current anthropology}, volume = {50}, number = {5}, pages = {591-595}, doi = {10.1086/603548}, pmid = {20642143}, issn = {0011-3204}, mesh = {Agriculture/*history ; Anthropology, Cultural ; Behavior ; History, Ancient ; Humans ; Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid20618552, year = {2010}, author = {Samson, N and Fink, B and Matts, PJ and Dawes, NC and Weitz, S}, title = {Visible changes of female facial skin surface topography in relation to age and attractiveness perception.}, journal = {Journal of cosmetic dermatology}, volume = {9}, number = {2}, pages = {79-88}, doi = {10.1111/j.1473-2165.2010.00489.x}, pmid = {20618552}, issn = {1473-2165}, mesh = {Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aging/*psychology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Perception ; Skin Aging/*physiology ; }, abstract = {OBJECTIVES: Evolutionary psychology suggests that a woman's age and physical appearance are important mate choice criteria. Given that changes in female facial skin surface topography are important, prominent visible signs of aging, male perceptual sensitivity for variation in this trait may also affect preference and attractiveness judgment.

METHODS: Two experiments were conducted to investigate perception (Experiment 1) and noticeability (Experiment 2) of skin surface topography manipulations in facial images of six British women, aged 45-65 years. In Experiment 1 skin surface topography cues were completely removed on the cheeks, the "crow's feet" area adjacent to the eye, under the eyes, above the upper lip, and on the forehead while, in Experiment 2, it was removed gradually (20% increments) on the forehead and around the eyes. In both experiments, stimuli were presented to American and German participants (total N = 300, aged 15-55 years) in omnibus pair-wise combinations (within-face). With each pair, respondents were asked to select that face which they considered as younger looking (Experiments 1 and 2) and more attractive (Experiment 1).

RESULTS: Faces with skin surface topography cues removed were judged significantly younger and more attractive than their original (unmodified) counterparts, with modifications on the forehead and around the eyes showing the highest differences. In these areas, participants were able to detect at least a 20% visual change in skin surface topography.

CONCLUSIONS: The results support the assertion that even small changes in skin surface topography affect the perceptions of a woman's facial age and attractiveness and may, thus, also influence men's mate preferences.}, } @article {pmid20584170, year = {2010}, author = {Korb, J and Foster, KR}, title = {Ecological competition favours cooperation in termite societies.}, journal = {Ecology letters}, volume = {13}, number = {6}, pages = {754-760}, doi = {10.1111/j.1461-0248.2010.01471.x}, pmid = {20584170}, issn = {1461-0248}, mesh = {Animals ; *Competitive Behavior ; *Cooperative Behavior ; Ecological and Environmental Phenomena ; Female ; Isoptera/*physiology ; Male ; }, abstract = {Conflict and competition lie at the heart of the theories of both ecology and sociobiology. Despite this, the interaction between societal conflicts on one hand and ecological competition on the other remains poorly understood. Here, we investigate this interaction in two ecologically similar sympatric termite species, Cryptotermes secundus Hill and Cryptotermes domesticus Haviland. We manipulated the incidence of king and queen loss (within-species conflict) and the incidence of cohabitation of the two species (between-species competition) in a series of 2 year experiments. Manipulation alone had no detectable effect and most colonies survived the 2-year period. In contrast, promoting both within- and between-species conflict caused the great majority of colonies to die. Moreover, the resulting colony loss was much more rapid in the conflict-ridden C. domesticus than in C. secundus. Our data suggest that ecological competition among species can greatly exacerbate the impact of internal conflicts, thereby promoting the evolution of within-species cooperation.}, } @article {pmid20573968, year = {2010}, author = {Ruchty, M and Roces, F and Kleineidam, CJ}, title = {Detection of minute temperature transients by thermosensitive neurons in ants.}, journal = {Journal of neurophysiology}, volume = {104}, number = {3}, pages = {1249-1256}, doi = {10.1152/jn.00390.2010}, pmid = {20573968}, issn = {1522-1598}, mesh = {Adaptation, Physiological/physiology ; Animals ; Ants/*physiology ; Body Temperature/physiology ; Body Temperature Regulation/*physiology ; Cold Temperature ; Hot Temperature ; Neurons/*physiology ; Reaction Time/physiology ; Thermoreceptors/*physiology ; Thermosensing/*physiology ; }, abstract = {The antennae of leaf-cutting ants are equipped with sensilla coeloconica that house three receptor neurons, one of which is thermosensitive. Using convective heat (air at different temperatures), we investigated the physiological characteristics of the thermosensitive neuron associated with the sensilla coeloconica in the leaf-cutting ant Atta vollenweideri. The thermosensitive neuron very quickly responds to a drop in temperature with a brief phasic increase (50 ms) in spike rate and thus classifies as cold receptor (ambient temperature = 24°C). The short latency and the brief phasic response enable the thermosensitive neuron to follow temperature transients up to an estimated frequency of around 5 Hz. Although the neuron responds as a cold receptor, it is extremely sensitive to warm stimuli. A temperature increase of only 0.005°C already leads to a pronounced decrease in the resting activity of the thermosensitive neuron. Through sensory adaptation, the sensitivity to temperature transients is maintained over a wide range of ambient temperatures (18-30°C). We conclude that the thermosensitive neuron of the sensilla coeloconica is adapted to detect minute temperature transients, providing the ants with thermal information of their microenvironment, which they may use for orientation.}, } @article {pmid20515893, year = {2010}, author = {Schooling, CM and Leung, GM}, title = {A socio-biological explanation for social disparities in non-communicable chronic diseases: the product of history?.}, journal = {Journal of epidemiology and community health}, volume = {64}, number = {11}, pages = {941-949}, doi = {10.1136/jech.2008.086553}, pmid = {20515893}, issn = {1470-2738}, mesh = {Cardiovascular Diseases/epidemiology/history ; *Chronic Disease/mortality ; Diabetes Mellitus/epidemiology/history ; Epigenesis, Genetic ; Female ; *Healthcare Disparities/history/trends ; History, 19th Century ; History, 20th Century ; Humans ; Male ; Models, Theoretical ; *Sociobiology ; }, abstract = {This study places social disparities in the major non-communicable chronic diseases within their global economic and historical contexts. Rapid economic transition outside the developed world provides a unique opportunity to re-examine the origins of, and biological mechanisms driving, social disparities. Gaps in prevailing theories focusing on material resources, civic infrastructure and social structure are identified. Using longstanding experimental evidence and epigenetic theories, it is suggested that exposure to economic development over generations (ie, improved living conditions over historical time) could by acting on different biological axes (somatotrophic and gonadotrophic) generate specific patterns of social disparities. Moreover, these same processes could initially generate a transient epidemic of diabetes as well as a permanent increase in male risk of premature ischaemic heart disease. As such, this study demonstrates the importance of context, and implies that current evidence from the developed world may be largely uninformative for preventing or mitigating social disparities in non-communicable chronic diseases elsewhere, suggesting research efforts should be focused on developing countries.}, } @article {pmid20375319, year = {2009}, author = {Foster, KR}, title = {A defense of sociobiology.}, journal = {Cold Spring Harbor symposia on quantitative biology}, volume = {74}, number = {}, pages = {403-418}, doi = {10.1101/sqb.2009.74.041}, pmid = {20375319}, issn = {1943-4456}, mesh = {Altruism ; Animals ; Female ; History, 20th Century ; History, 21st Century ; Humans ; Insecta/physiology ; Male ; Models, Biological ; Social Behavior ; *Sociobiology/history/statistics & numerical data/trends ; Vertebrates/physiology ; }, abstract = {To counter recent claims that sociobiology is in disarray or requires reformulation, I discuss the semantics, theory, and data that underlie the field. A historical perspective is used to identify the cause of current debates. I argue that semantic precision is required in discussing terms such as kin selection, group selection, and altruism, but once care is taken, the objections to the unity of theoretical sociobiology largely evaporate. More work is required, however, to understand group adaptation, which might be taken to be the process of optimizing phenotypes that is driven by group, rather than individual, context. From the empirical perspective, the eusocial insects with their fixed division between work and reproduction are often a sounding board in discussions. Here, one finds clear evidence for the role of kin selection and relatedness in both the origin of eusociality and its maintenance. Data from other systems including the social vertebrates, microorganisms, and even plants also support the role of relatedness and particularly family life in the evolution of cooperation and altruism. These data, however, in no way invalidate the claim that group selection is also a central process in social evolution and I discuss the empirical evidence for group selection. The foundations of sociobiology are solid and the future should build on these foundations. Exciting new areas include the importance of community and species-level selection in evolution and elucidating the molecular mechanisms that underlie social traits.}, } @article {pmid20338535, year = {2010}, author = {Radick, G}, title = {Darwin's puzzling Expression.}, journal = {Comptes rendus biologies}, volume = {333}, number = {2}, pages = {181-187}, doi = {10.1016/j.crvi.2009.12.006}, pmid = {20338535}, issn = {1768-3238}, mesh = {Agonistic Behavior ; Animals ; Behavior, Animal ; Crotalus/physiology ; Emotions/*physiology ; *Facial Expression ; Female ; Habits ; History, 19th Century ; Human Characteristics ; Humans ; Male ; Psychology/*history ; Selection, Genetic ; Social Problems/history ; Sociobiology/*history ; }, abstract = {Charles Darwin's The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals (1872) is a very different kind of work from On the Origin of Species (1859). This "otherness" is most extreme in the character of the explanations that Darwin offers in the Expression. Far from promoting his theory of natural selection, the Expression barely mentions that theory, instead drawing on explanatory principles which recall less Darwinian than Lamarckian and structuralist biological theorizing. Over the years, historians have offered a range of solutions to the puzzle of why the Expression is so "non-Darwinian". Close examination shows that none of these meets the case. However, recent research on Darwin's lifelong engagement with the controversies in his day over the unity of the human races makes possible a promising new solution. For Darwin, emotional expression served the cause of defending human unity precisely to the extent that natural selection theory did not apply.}, } @article {pmid20338534, year = {2010}, author = {Cela-Conde, CJ and Burges, L and Nadal, M and Olivera, A}, title = {Altruism and fairness: Unnatural selection?.}, journal = {Comptes rendus biologies}, volume = {333}, number = {2}, pages = {174-180}, doi = {10.1016/j.crvi.2009.12.005}, pmid = {20338534}, issn = {1768-3238}, mesh = {*Altruism ; Animals ; Behavior, Animal/physiology ; Biological Evolution ; Courtship ; Family ; Female ; Group Processes ; History, 19th Century ; Humans ; Interpersonal Relations ; Male ; *Marriage ; *Morals ; *Selection, Genetic ; *Social Justice ; Sociobiology/*history ; }, abstract = {Darwin admitted that the evolution of moral phenomena such as altruism and fairness, which are usually in opposition to the maximization of individual reproductive success, was not easily accounted for by natural selection. Later, authors have proposed additional mechanisms, including kin selection, inclusive fitness, and reciprocal altruism. In the present work, we explore the extent to which sexual selection has played a role in the appearance of human moral traits. It has been suggested that because certain moral virtues, including altruism and kindness, are sexually attractive, their evolution could have been shaped by the process of sexual selection. Our review suggests that although it is possible that sexual selection played such a role, it is difficult to determine the extent of its relevance, the specific form of this influence, and its interplay with other evolutionary mechanisms.}, } @article {pmid20338532, year = {2010}, author = {Cohen, C}, title = {Darwin on woman.}, journal = {Comptes rendus biologies}, volume = {333}, number = {2}, pages = {157-165}, doi = {10.1016/j.crvi.2009.12.003}, pmid = {20338532}, issn = {1768-3238}, mesh = {Animals ; Anthropology, Cultural/history ; Archaeology/history ; Biological Evolution ; Courtship ; Culture ; Esthetics ; Female ; *Gender Identity ; History, 19th Century ; Humans ; Male ; *Marriage ; Sexual Behavior, Animal ; Sociobiology/*history ; *Women ; }, abstract = {In his 1871 book The Descent of Man, Darwin exposed the idea of sexual selection as a major principle of human evolution. His main hypothesis, which was already briefly presented in The Origin of Species, is that there exists, besides "natural selection", another form of selection, milder in its effect, but no less efficient. This selection is operated by females to mate and reproduce with some partners that are gifted with more qualities than others, and more to their taste. At more evolved stages, sexual selection was exerted by men who became able to choose the women most attractive to their taste. However, Darwin insists, sexual selection in the human species is limited by a certain number of cultural practices. If Darwin's demonstration sometimes carried the prejudices of his times regarding gender differences he was the first who took into account the importance of sexual choices in his view on evolution, and who insisted on the evolutionary role of women at the dawn of humanity. Thus, he opened the space for a rich reflection, which after him was widely developed and discussed in anthropological and gender studies.}, } @article {pmid20338531, year = {2010}, author = {Veuille, M}, title = {Darwin and sexual selection: One hundred years of misunderstanding.}, journal = {Comptes rendus biologies}, volume = {333}, number = {2}, pages = {145-156}, doi = {10.1016/j.crvi.2009.12.002}, pmid = {20338531}, issn = {1768-3238}, mesh = {Agonistic Behavior/physiology ; Animals ; Competitive Behavior/*physiology ; Courtship/psychology ; Female ; Gene Pool ; History, 19th Century ; Humans ; Male ; Mating Preference, Animal/*physiology ; Natural History/*history ; Selection, Genetic/*physiology ; Sex Characteristics ; Sexuality ; Sociobiology/*history ; }, abstract = {Darwin's book on the Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex (1871) is often viewed as the continuation of The Origin of Species published 12 years earlier (1859), both because of the implicit parallelism between natural selection and sexual selection, and because Darwin himself presents the book as developing a subject (man) which he intentionally omitted in the Origin. But the Descent can also be viewed as the continuation of his book on Variation published three years earlier (1868). Firstly because Darwin's hypothesis of pangenesis links the selection process to the origin of variation through use and disuse, an idea underlying his speculations on the origin of moral sense in humans. Second because like the action of the horticulturist on his domestic crops, sexual selection exerted by one sex on the other sex can develop fancy traits that are not easily accounted for by their utility to the selected organism itself, such as artistic taste, pride, courage, and the morphological differences between human populations. These traits are difficult to reconcile with pangenesis. They add up to other contradictions of the book possibly resulting from Darwin's erroneous inference about the mechanism of inheritance, like those on the determination of sex-ratio, or the confusion between individual adaptation and the advantage to the species. These inconsistencies inaugurate a weakening of the Darwinian message, which will last 50 years after his death. They contributed to the neglect of sexual selection for a century. Darwin however maintained a logical distinction between evolutionary mechanisms and hereditary mechanisms, and an epistemological distinction between evolutionary theory and Pangenesis hypothesis. In the modern context of Mendelian genetics, Darwin's sexual selection retrospectively appears as luminous an idea in its pure principle as natural selection, even though the mechanisms governing the evolution of sexual choice in animals remain largely unresolved.}, } @article {pmid20212009, year = {2010}, author = {Brandstaetter, AS and Rössler, W and Kleineidam, CJ}, title = {Dummies versus air puffs: efficient stimulus delivery for low-volatile odors.}, journal = {Chemical senses}, volume = {35}, number = {4}, pages = {323-333}, doi = {10.1093/chemse/bjq022}, pmid = {20212009}, issn = {1464-3553}, mesh = {Air ; Alkanes/chemistry/pharmacology ; Animals ; Ants/physiology ; Calcium/metabolism ; Manikins ; Neurons/physiology ; *Odorants ; Receptors, Odorant/physiology ; Smell/physiology ; Stimulation, Chemical ; Volatilization ; }, abstract = {Aiming to unravel how animals perceive odors, a variety of neurophysiological techniques are used today. For olfactory stimulation, odors are commonly incorporated into a constant airstream that carries odor molecules to the receptor organ (air-delivered stimulation). Such odor delivery works well for odors of high volatility (naturally effective over long distances) but less or not at all for low-volatile odors (usually only received at short range). We developed a new odor stimulation technique especially suited for low-volatile odors and compared it with conventional air-delivered stimulation using 2 neurophysiological approaches. Odor-loaded dummies were moved into close vicinity of the receptor organs on the antenna of the Florida carpenter ant Camponotus floridanus (dummy-delivered stimulation). Neuronal activity was monitored either at receptor neuron level using electroantennography or in the first olfactory neuropile, the antennal lobes, using calcium imaging. We tested 3 odors of different volatility: C. floridanus' highly volatile alarm pheromone undecane, its low-volatile trail pheromone nerolic acid, and an even less volatile, behaviorally active C23 alkene, cis-9-tricosene. For low-volatile odors, dummy-delivered stimulation was particularly efficient. We conclude that dummy-delivered stimulation is advantageous compared to the commonly used air-delivered stimulation when studying an animal's detection and processing of low-volatile odors.}, } @article {pmid20211744, year = {2010}, author = {Groeneveld, LF and Blanco, MB and Raharison, JL and Rahalinarivo, V and Rasoloarison, RM and Kappeler, PM and Godfrey, LR and Irwin, MT}, title = {MtDNA and nDNA corroborate existence of sympatric dwarf lemur species at Tsinjoarivo, eastern Madagascar.}, journal = {Molecular phylogenetics and evolution}, volume = {55}, number = {3}, pages = {833-845}, doi = {10.1016/j.ympev.2010.03.004}, pmid = {20211744}, issn = {1095-9513}, mesh = {Animals ; Bayes Theorem ; Cell Nucleus/genetics ; Cheirogaleidae/anatomy & histology/classification/*genetics ; Conservation of Natural Resources ; DNA, Mitochondrial/genetics ; Evolution, Molecular ; *Genetic Speciation ; Geography ; Haplotypes ; Likelihood Functions ; Madagascar ; *Phylogeny ; Principal Component Analysis ; Sequence Alignment ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; }, abstract = {Madagascar is a biodiversity hotspot, well known for its endemic primates, the lemurs. Numbers of recognized lemur species have increased drastically in some genera (e.g. Microcebus), while field-based studies revealed low species diversity in the dwarf lemurs (genus Cheirogaleus). Only three (C. medius, C. major, C. crossleyi) of seven described species have to date been identified in field-based studies. Blanco et al. (2009) reported two sympatric Cheirogaleus species at Tsinjoarivo based on morphological data, one of which they attributed to C. crossleyi and the other of which they described as C. sibreei-like, or possibly a new species. Based on comparative analyses of mtDNA (cytb) and nDNA (vWF, fiba, adora3), we confirm the presence of C. crossleyi and show that the C. sibreei-like individuals form a well-defined fourth clade, basal to the three recognized species. Whereas these molecular analyses demonstrate that a non-holotype museum specimen considered by Groves (2000) to belong to C. sibreei does not cluster with the C. sibreei-like individuals from Tsinjoarivo, morphometric analysis of one Tsinjoarivo individual, the C. sibreei holotype from Ankeramadinika, and samples of C. medius, C. major, and C. crossleyi strongly suggests that the fourth (and basal) clade is indeed C. sibreei. Tsinjoarivo therefore becomes the only known field site harboring C. sibreei today. Given ongoing forest loss and fragmentation at Tsinjoarivo we can surmise that this population, critical to our understanding of the evolution of the genus Cheirogaleus, is also critically endangered.}, } @article {pmid20211229, year = {2010}, author = {Pyritz, L and Fichtel, C and Kappeler, P}, title = {Conceptual and methodological issues in the comparative study of collective group movements.}, journal = {Behavioural processes}, volume = {84}, number = {3}, pages = {681-684}, doi = {10.1016/j.beproc.2010.02.025}, pmid = {20211229}, issn = {1872-8308}, mesh = {Animals ; Behavior, Animal ; Behavioral Sciences/*methods ; Environment ; *Group Processes ; Models, Psychological ; Movement/*physiology ; Research Design ; Terminology as Topic ; }, abstract = {In our commentary, we highlight several conceptual and methodological problems that have hampered broader integration of studies of collective group movements. Specifically, we argue that studies of captive animals should only be used to elucidate behavioural mechanisms. Moreover, the diversity of physical environments in which group movements occur as well as the social diversity of groups deserve more consideration in integrative studies. Furthermore, tests of predictions based on modelling studies are often hampered by the fact that models include variables that are difficult or impossible to measure in real animals. We also advocate the use of an empirical, rather than subjective establishment of operational definitions of group movements and the associated individual roles. Finally, we emphasize the utility of controlled experiments in the study of collective decision-making and group movements and encourage their wider application.}, } @article {pmid20185083, year = {2010}, author = {Schulz, AW}, title = {It takes two: sexual strategies and game theory.}, journal = {Studies in history and philosophy of biological and biomedical sciences}, volume = {41}, number = {1}, pages = {41-49}, doi = {10.1016/j.shpsc.2009.12.004}, pmid = {20185083}, issn = {1879-2499}, mesh = {*Biological Evolution ; Choice Behavior ; *Decision Making ; Female ; *Game Theory ; History, 20th Century ; History, 21st Century ; Humans ; Male ; Psychology/*history ; Selection, Genetic ; Sexual Behavior/*history ; Sexuality/history ; Social Behavior ; Sociobiology/*history ; }, abstract = {David Buss's Sexual Strategies Theory is one of the major evolutionary psychological research programmes, but, as I try to show in this paper, its theoretical and empirical foundations cannot yet be seen to be fully compelling. This lack of cogency comes about due to Buss's failure to attend to the interactive nature of his subject matter, which leads him to overlook two classic and well known issues of game theoretic and evolutionary biological analysis. Firstly, Buss pays insufficient attention to the fact that, since mate choice is a cooperative decision, what is adaptive for the two sexes individually is irrelevant to the evolutionary explanation of our sexual strategies; instead, all that matters is what is adaptive given the choices made by the other sex. Secondly, Buss does not pay enough attention to the difference between polymorphic and monomorphic evolutionarily stable states in his attempt to empirically confirm his theory. Because of this, the data he presents and analyses are unable to show that natural selection is the most important element in the explanation of the origins of our sexual strategies. In this way, I try to make clear that, at least as things stand now, Buss has failed to provide compelling grounds for thinking that Sexual Strategies Theory can make a major contribution to human psychology.}, } @article {pmid20131320, year = {2010}, author = {Stieb, SM and Muenz, TS and Wehner, R and Rössler, W}, title = {Visual experience and age affect synaptic organization in the mushroom bodies of the desert ant Cataglyphis fortis.}, journal = {Developmental neurobiology}, volume = {70}, number = {6}, pages = {408-423}, doi = {10.1002/dneu.20785}, pmid = {20131320}, issn = {1932-846X}, mesh = {Aging/physiology ; Analysis of Variance ; Animals ; Ants/*physiology/ultrastructure ; Darkness ; Dendrites/physiology/ultrastructure ; Immunohistochemistry ; Microscopy, Confocal ; Microscopy, Electron ; Mushroom Bodies/*physiology/ultrastructure ; Neuronal Plasticity/physiology ; Neurons/*physiology/ultrastructure ; Photic Stimulation ; Presynaptic Terminals/physiology/ultrastructure ; Social Behavior ; Synapses/*physiology/ultrastructure ; Visual Perception/physiology ; }, abstract = {Desert ants of the genus Cataglyphis undergo an age-related polyethism from interior workers involved in brood care and food processing to short-lived outdoor foragers with remarkable visual navigation capabilities. The quick transition from dark to light suggests that visual centers in the ant's brain express a high degree of plasticity. To investigate structural synaptic plasticity in the mushroom bodies (MBs)-sensory integration centers supposed to be involved in learning and memory-we immunolabeled and quantified pre- and postsynaptic profiles of synaptic complexes (microglomeruli, MG) in the visual (collar) and olfactory (lip) input regions of the MB calyx. The results show that a volume increase of the MB calyx during behavioral transition is associated with a decrease in MG numbers in the collar and, less pronounced, in the lip. Analysis of tubulin-positive profiles indicates that presynaptic pruning of projection neurons and dendritic expansion in intrinsic Kenyon cells are involved. Light-exposure of dark-reared ants of different age classes revealed similar effects. The results indicate that this structural synaptic plasticity in the MB calyx is primarily driven by visual experience rather than by an internal program. This is supported by the fact that dark-reared ants age-matched to foragers had MG numbers comparable to those of interior workers. Ants aged artificially for up to 1 year expressed a similar plasticity. These results suggest that the high degree of neuronal plasticity in visual input regions of the MB calyx may be an important factor related to behavior transitions associated with division of labor.}, } @article {pmid20091843, year = {2010}, author = {Clough, D and Heistermann, M and Kappeler, PM}, title = {Host intrinsic determinants and potential consequences of parasite infection in free-ranging red-fronted lemurs (Eulemur fulvus rufus).}, journal = {American journal of physical anthropology}, volume = {142}, number = {3}, pages = {441-452}, doi = {10.1002/ajpa.21243}, pmid = {20091843}, issn = {1096-8644}, mesh = {Age Factors ; Analysis of Variance ; Animals ; Feces/chemistry/parasitology ; Female ; Hormones/analysis ; *Host-Parasite Interactions ; Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic/*parasitology/*veterinary ; Lemur/*parasitology ; Linear Models ; Longitudinal Studies ; Madagascar ; Male ; Sex Factors ; Sexual Behavior, Animal ; Social Dominance ; Spatial Behavior ; }, abstract = {Parasites and infectious diseases represent ecological forces shaping animal social evolution. Although empirical studies supporting this link abound in various vertebrate orders, both the study of the dynamics and impact of parasite infections and infectious diseases in strepsirrhine primates have received little empirical attention. We conducted a longitudinal parasitological study on four groups of wild red-fronted lemurs (Eulemur fulvus rufus) at Kirindy Forest, Madagascar, during two field seasons in consecutive years to investigate i) the degree of gastrointestinal parasite infection on population and individual levels and ii) factors potentially determining individual infection risk. Using a comprehensive dataset with multiple individually assignable parasite samples as well as information on age, sex, group size, social rank, and endocrine status (fecal androgen and glucocorticoid), we examined parasite infection patterns and host traits that may affect individual infection risk. In addition, we examined whether parasite infection affects mating and reproductive success. Our results indicated high variability in parasite infection on individual and population levels. Time of year and group size was important determinants of variability in parasite infection. Variation in hormone levels was also associated with parasite species richness and parasite infection intensity. Differences in parasite infection between years indicate a potential immune-enhancing function of steroid hormones on nematode infections, which has not been reported before from other vertebrates studied under natural conditions. Male mating and reproductive success were not correlated to any measure of parasite infection, which suggests a nonfunctional role of the parasites we examined in primate sexual selection.}, } @article {pmid22947780, year = {2010}, author = {Hugill, N and Fink, B and Neave, N}, title = {The role of human body movements in mate selection.}, journal = {Evolutionary psychology : an international journal of evolutionary approaches to psychology and behavior}, volume = {8}, number = {1}, pages = {147470491000800107}, doi = {10.1177/147470491000800107}, pmid = {22947780}, issn = {1474-7049}, mesh = {*Human Body ; Humans ; Marriage/*psychology ; Motion Perception/*physiology ; Movement/*physiology ; Nonverbal Communication/*psychology ; Sexual Behavior/*psychology ; *Social Perception ; }, abstract = {It is common scientific knowledge, that most of what we say within a conversation is not only expressed by the words' meaning alone, but also through our gestures, postures, and body movements. This non-verbal mode is possibly rooted firmly in our human evolutionary heritage, and as such, some scientists argue that it serves as a fundamental assessment and expression tool for our inner qualities. Studies of nonverbal communication have established that a universal, culture-free, non-verbal sign system exists, that is available to all individuals for negotiating social encounters. Thus, it is not only the kind of gestures and expressions humans use in social communication, but also the way these movements are performed, as this seems to convey key information about an individual's quality. Dance, for example, is a special form of movement, which can be observed in human courtship displays. Recent research suggests that people are sensitive to the variation in dance movements, and that dance performance provides information about an individual's mate quality in terms of health and strength. This article reviews the role of body movement in human non-verbal communication, and highlights its significance in human mate preferences in order to promote future work in this research area within the evolutionary psychology framework.}, } @article {pmid20029932, year = {2010}, author = {Kelber, C and Rössler, W and Kleineidam, CJ}, title = {Phenotypic plasticity in number of glomeruli and sensory innervation of the antennal lobe in leaf-cutting ant workers (A. vollenweideri).}, journal = {Developmental neurobiology}, volume = {70}, number = {4}, pages = {222-234}, doi = {10.1002/dneu.20782}, pmid = {20029932}, issn = {1932-846X}, mesh = {Animals ; Ants/anatomy & histology/*cytology ; Axons ; Brain/anatomy & histology/cytology ; Cell Count ; Imaging, Three-Dimensional ; Microscopy, Confocal ; Neuronal Plasticity ; Olfactory Pathways/anatomy & histology/cytology ; Olfactory Receptor Neurons/cytology ; Organ Size ; Phenotype ; Sensory Receptor Cells/*cytology ; *Social Behavior ; }, abstract = {In the leaf-cutting ant Atta vollenweideri, the worker caste exhibits a pronounced size-polymorphism, and division of labor is dependent on worker size (alloethism). Behavior is largely guided by olfaction, and the olfactory system is highly developed. In a recent study, two different phenotypes of the antennal lobe of Atta vollenweideri workers were found: MG- and RG-phenotype (with/without a macroglomerulus). Here we ask whether the glomerular numbers are related to worker size. We found that the antennal lobes of small workers contain approximately 390 glomeruli (low-number; LN-phenotype), and in large workers we found a substantially higher number of approximately 440 glomeruli (high-number; HN-phenotype). All LN-phenotype workers and some small HN-phenotype workers do not possess an MG (LN-RG-phenotype and HN-RG-phenotype), and the remaining majority of HN-phenotype workers do possess an MG (HN-MG-phenotype). Using mass-staining of antennal olfactory receptor neurons we found that the sensory tracts divide the antennal lobe into six clusters of glomeruli (T1-T6). In LN-phenotype workers, approximately 50 glomeruli are missing in the T4-cluster. Selective staining of single sensilla and their associated receptor neurons revealed that T4-glomeruli are innervated by receptor neurons from the main type of olfactory sensilla, the Sensilla trichodea curvata. The other type of olfactory sensilla (Sensilla basiconica) exclusively innervates T6-glomeruli. Quantitative analyses of differently sized workers revealed that the volume of T6 glomeruli scales with the power of 2.54 to the number of Sensilla basiconica. The results suggest that developmental plasticity leading to antennal-lobe phenotypes promotes differences in olfactory-guided behavior and may underlie task specialization within ant colonies.}, } @article {pmid19996580, year = {2010}, author = {Oberzaucher, E and Grammer, K}, title = {Immune reactivity and attractiveness.}, journal = {Gerontology}, volume = {56}, number = {6}, pages = {521-524}, doi = {10.1159/000265559}, pmid = {19996580}, issn = {1423-0003}, mesh = {Animals ; Beauty ; *Biological Evolution ; Environment ; Esthetics/*psychology ; Genetic Variation/physiology ; Humans ; *Immunity, Innate/physiology ; Perception/*physiology ; Physical Fitness/physiology/psychology ; Reproductive Behavior/physiology/psychology ; Sex Attractants/physiology ; Sex Characteristics ; Smell/physiology ; Sociobiology ; }, abstract = {Over the past decades, information about the characteristics of attractiveness has accumulated. We know about eight pillars of beauty, among them youthfulness, symmetry, hormone markers and body odor. But what is the biological function of these attractive signals? Is there one common function to be found in all eight beauty markers? In this paper, we argue that attractiveness signals immune resistance. Being attractive would thus be an honest signal for an immune system that coped well with the environmental challenges it was exposed to during ontogeny. This is a prerequisite for developmental stability, which again affects the differentiation of beauty characteristics. We argue that human preferences and mate choice criteria have evolved in coevolution with parasites, and that the current parasite load modulates our decision making.}, } @article {pmid19954263, year = {2010}, author = {Clough, D}, title = {Gastro-intestinal parasites of red-fronted lemurs in Kirindy Forest, western Madagascar.}, journal = {The Journal of parasitology}, volume = {96}, number = {2}, pages = {245-251}, doi = {10.1645/GE-2258.1}, pmid = {19954263}, issn = {1937-2345}, mesh = {Animals ; Feces/parasitology ; Female ; Gastrointestinal Diseases/epidemiology/parasitology/*veterinary ; Helminthiasis, Animal/epidemiology/*parasitology ; Lemur/*parasitology ; Linear Models ; Madagascar/epidemiology ; Male ; Prevalence ; Primate Diseases/epidemiology/*parasitology ; Protozoan Infections, Animal/epidemiology/*parasitology ; Seasons ; }, abstract = {Although parasites are important regulatory factors in animal populations, basic knowledge on their fauna in many vertebrate taxa is lacking. In particular, parasite infections of primate species have gained little attention. Here, I present data on the gastro-intestinal fauna of a population of wild red-fronted lemurs (Eulemur fulvus rufus; Primates: Lemuriformes) monitored over a total of 8 mo during 2 consecutive field seasons in 2006 and 2007 in Kirindy Forest, western Madagascar. Using fecal samples for parasite analyses, I identified 10 parasite species, including 6 nematodes (Lemuricola vauceli, Trichuris sp., 2 species of Callistoura, 1 trichostrongylid, and 1 strongyloid), 1 anoplocephalid cestode, a dicrocoeliid trematode, as well as 2 protozoans (Entamoeba sp. and Balantidium coli). The population in Kirindy Forest had the highest prevalence and number of parasite species ever recorded for species of lemurs. Additionally, prevalence of some parasite species differed between the social groups studied. These findings lead to 2 conclusions. First, it is important to extend a parasitological study to several social groups of a host population, since groups may differ in parasite fauna as a result of minor microclimatic or habitat parameters, and, second, short-term assessments of lemur health might underestimate the real parasite burden.}, } @article {pmid19950119, year = {2010}, author = {Kuebler, LS and Kelber, C and Kleineidam, CJ}, title = {Distinct antennal lobe phenotypes in the leaf-cutting ant (Atta vollenweideri).}, journal = {The Journal of comparative neurology}, volume = {518}, number = {3}, pages = {352-365}, doi = {10.1002/cne.22217}, pmid = {19950119}, issn = {1096-9861}, mesh = {Adaptation, Physiological/*physiology ; Animals ; Ants/cytology/*physiology ; Behavior, Animal/*physiology ; Brain/cytology/*physiology ; Calcium Signaling/physiology ; Chemoreceptor Cells/cytology/physiology ; Exploratory Behavior/physiology ; Feeding Behavior/physiology ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted ; Microscopy, Confocal ; Neural Pathways/cytology/physiology ; Neuropil/cytology/physiology ; Phenotype ; Pheromones/physiology ; Sensory Receptor Cells/cytology/*physiology ; Sex Characteristics ; Smell/physiology ; Staining and Labeling ; }, abstract = {Leaf-cutting ants (Atta vollenweideri) express a remarkable size polymorphism across the two sexual castes (queens and males) but in particular within the worker caste. Worker size is related to behavior (alloethism), separating workers into behavioral subcastes. The neuronal mechanisms underlying differences in behavior within the worker caste are still unknown. In this study, we first compared selected neuropils, in particular, the antennal lobes (AL) in males, queens, and workers. The males' ALs contain three extremely large, sex-specific glomeruli (macroglomeruli; MGs) and in total comprise fewer glomeruli (242) than the ALs of queens (about 346 glomeruli). In contrast to males, the queen ALs contain only one large glomerulus at a lateral position. The largest number of glomeruli was found in workers (396-442). In a previous paper, we described an MG in the workers' AL, and, in the second part of this study, we show that within workers two distinct, size-related AL phenotypes exist: the MG phenotype (containing a macroglomerulus) and the RG phenotype, with all glomeruli of regular size. This neuroanatomical polyphenism is established during pupal development and separates the worker caste into two neuroanatomical subcastes. Third, we investigate the functional significance of the MG in workers. By using calcium imaging to monitor activity of AL projection neurons, we show that the releaser component of the trail pheromone is represented in the same region as the MG. We propose that phenotypic trait variation in the organization of the ALs leads to differences in odor information processing that finally result in size-related differences in trail-following behavior.}, } @article {pmid19913420, year = {2009}, author = {Weidenmüller, A and Mayr, C and Kleineidam, CJ and Roces, F}, title = {Preimaginal and adult experience modulates the thermal response behavior of ants.}, journal = {Current biology : CB}, volume = {19}, number = {22}, pages = {1897-1902}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2009.08.059}, pmid = {19913420}, issn = {1879-0445}, mesh = {Adaptation, Physiological ; Animals ; Ants/growth & development/*physiology ; Behavior, Animal ; *Body Temperature Regulation ; }, abstract = {Colonies of social insects display an amazing degree of flexibility in dealing with long-term and short-term perturbations in their environment. The key organizational element of insect societies is division of labor. Recent literature suggests that interindividual variability in response thresholds plays an important role in the emergence of division of labor among workers (reviewed in [1, 2]). Genetic variation can only partly explain the variability among workers. Here we document the effects of both preimaginal and adult thermal experience on the behavioral differentiation of Camponotus rufipes ant workers. We show that preimaginal temperature (22 degrees C or 32 degrees C during pupal stage) affects temperature-response thresholds and temperature preferences of adult brood-tending workers. We further show that brood-carrying experience gathered as adult during several repeated temperature increases modifies thermal behavior. Experienced workers showed a faster transition from first sensing the temperature stimulus to responding with brood translocation. Developmental plasticity of workers provides a colony with flexibility in dealing with thermal variations and constitutes an important mechanism underlying interindividual variability. Adult thermal experience further fine tunes the behavioral response thresholds and reinforces behavioral differentiation among workers.}, } @article {pmid19892586, year = {2009}, author = {Margoliash, D and Nusbaum, HC}, title = {Language: the perspective from organismal biology.}, journal = {Trends in cognitive sciences}, volume = {13}, number = {12}, pages = {505-510}, pmid = {19892586}, issn = {1879-307X}, support = {F32 DC000378/DC/NIDCD NIH HHS/United States ; R01 DC007206/DC/NIDCD NIH HHS/United States ; R01 DC007206-05/DC/NIDCD NIH HHS/United States ; DC00378/DC/NIDCD NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Animal Communication ; Animals ; Biological Evolution ; Humans ; *Language ; *Language Development ; *Sociobiology ; }, abstract = {The evolution of language and its mechanisms has been a topic of intense speculation and debate, particularly considering the question of innate endowment. Modern biological sciences - neurobiology and neuroethology - have made great strides in understanding proximate and ultimate causes of behavior. These insights are generally ignored in the debate regarding linguistic knowledge, especially in the realm of syntax where core theoretical constructs have been proposed unconstrained by evolutionary biology. The perspective of organismal biology offers an approach to the study of language that is sensitive to its evolutionary context, a growing trend in other domains of cognitive science. The emergence of a research program in the comparative biology of syntax is one concrete example of this trend.}, } @article {pmid19889046, year = {2010}, author = {Samson, N and Fink, B and Matts, PJ}, title = {Visible skin condition and perception of human facial appearance.}, journal = {International journal of cosmetic science}, volume = {32}, number = {3}, pages = {167-184}, doi = {10.1111/j.1468-2494.2009.00535.x}, pmid = {19889046}, issn = {1468-2494}, mesh = {*Face ; Humans ; *Skin ; Skin Pigmentation ; Surface Properties ; *Visual Perception ; }, abstract = {Evolutionary psychology suggests that certain human beauty standards have evolved to provide reliable cues of fertility and health. Hence, preferences for some physical characteristics of the face and body are thought to reflect adaptations for the promotion of mate choice. Studies that have investigated facial attractiveness have concentrated mainly on features such as symmetry, averageness and sex-typical traits, which are developed under the influence of sex steroids. Few studies, however, have addressed the effect of human skin condition on perception of facial appearance in this context, and possible implications for sexual selection. There is now accumulating evidence that skin pigmentation and skin surface topography cues, particularly in women, have a significant influence on attractiveness judgements, as they seem primarily to signal aspects of age and health. This article (i) reviews briefly some of the main determinants of visible skin condition, (ii) presents recent evidence on its signalling value in face perception and (iii) suggests areas for future research with reference to an evolutionary psychology framework.}, } @article {pmid19779863, year = {2010}, author = {Michalska, K and Skoracka, A and Navia, D and Amrine, JW}, title = {Behavioural studies on eriophyoid mites: an overview.}, journal = {Experimental & applied acarology}, volume = {51}, number = {1-3}, pages = {31-59}, pmid = {19779863}, issn = {1572-9702}, mesh = {Animals ; *Ecosystem ; Female ; Host-Parasite Interactions ; Male ; Mites/*physiology ; Sexual Behavior, Animal/*physiology ; }, abstract = {Eriophyoid mites are excellent candidates for ethological research using the approaches of behavioural ecology and sociobiology. These tiny haplodiploid mites are highly specialized plant parasites, producing galls, forming nests, inhabiting refuges or living freely on plants. They reproduce via spermatophores deposited on a substrate and without pairing, which is a fascinating, though still poorly understood, mode of reproduction widespread in some groups of arthropods. Eriophyoid males can be involved in external sperm competition. In some species they also guard pre-emergent females and deposit spermatophores beside them. Although slow-walking, the minute eriophyoid mites can disperse for long distances on air currents or specific animal carriers. After landing on a plant they can distinguish between suitable and unsuitable hosts. Biological observations on a deuterogynous species indicate that parasociality could occur among eriophyoid mites. Many eriophyoids are of economic importance. Knowledge of their behaviour may promote understanding their ecology, may resolve problems in their phylogeny and may help developing methods for their control. In this paper, attention is directed to dispersal modes of eriophyoid mites, their feeding and host acceptance, spermatophore deposition and mating, defence against predators, and social behaviour.}, } @article {pmid19641307, year = {2009}, author = {Kelber, C and Rössler, W and Roces, F and Kleineidam, CJ}, title = {The antennal lobes of fungus-growing ants (Attini): neuroanatomical traits and evolutionary trends.}, journal = {Brain, behavior and evolution}, volume = {73}, number = {4}, pages = {273-284}, doi = {10.1159/000230672}, pmid = {19641307}, issn = {1421-9743}, mesh = {Animals ; Ants/*anatomy & histology/microbiology/physiology ; Brain/*anatomy & histology ; Feeding Behavior ; Fungi/physiology ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted ; Microscopy, Confocal ; Olfactory Pathways/*anatomy & histology ; Olfactory Receptor Neurons/anatomy & histology ; Organ Size ; Species Specificity ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Ants of the tribe Attini are characterized by their obligate cultivation of symbiotic fungi. In addition to the complex chemical communication system of ants in general, substrate selection and fungus cultivation pose high demands on the olfactory system of the Attini. Indeed, behavioral studies have shown a rich diversity of olfactory-guided behaviors and tremendous odor sensitivity has been demonstrated. To allow fine-tuned behavioral responses, adaptations within the olfactory system of the Attini are expected. We compared the number, volumes and position of the glomeruli (functional units) of the antennal lobe of 25 different species from all three major Attini groups (lower, higher and leaf-cutting Attini). The antennal lobes of all investigated Attini comprise a high number of glomeruli (>257). The highest number (630) was found in Apterostigma cf. mayri. This species is at a basal position within the Attini phylogeny, and we suggest that a high number of glomeruli might have been advantageous in the evolution of the advanced olfactory systems of the Attini. In the leaf-cutting Attini, an extremely large glomerulus (macroglomerulus) near the antennal nerve entrance was recently described in two species. Preliminary results show that this macroglomerulus is involved in processing of trail-pheromone information. In our comparative study, we find this macroglomerulus in all investigated leaf-cutting Attini, but in none of the lower and higher Attini species. It is found only in large workers, and for all investigated species it is located close to the entrance of the antennal nerve. Our results indicate that the presence of a macroglomerulus in large workers of leaf-cutting Attini is a derived over-expression of a trait in the polymorphic leaf-cutting species. It presumably represents an olfactory adaptation to elaborate foraging and mass recruitment systems, and adds to the complexity of division of labor and social organization known for this group.}, } @article {pmid19575567, year = {2009}, author = {Velicer, GJ and Vos, M}, title = {Sociobiology of the myxobacteria.}, journal = {Annual review of microbiology}, volume = {63}, number = {}, pages = {599-623}, doi = {10.1146/annurev.micro.091208.073158}, pmid = {19575567}, issn = {1545-3251}, support = {R01 GM079690-02/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; GM07690/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; R01 GM079690-01/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; R01 GM079690-03/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; R01 GM079690/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial ; Locomotion ; Myxococcus xanthus/genetics/*physiology ; Signal Transduction ; Spores, Bacterial/physiology ; }, abstract = {Cooperation is integral to much of biological life but can be threatened by selfish evolutionary strategies. Diverse cooperative traits have evolved among microbes, but particularly sophisticated forms of sociality have arisen in the myxobacteria, including group motility and multicellular fruiting body development. Myxobacterial cooperation has succeeded against socially destructive cheaters and can readily re-evolve from some socially defective genotypes. However, social harmony does not extend far. Spatially structured natural populations of the model species Myxococcus xanthus have fragmented into a large number of socially incompatible genotypes that exclude, exploit, and/or antagonize one another, including genetically similar neighbors. Here, we briefly review basic social evolution concepts as they pertain to microbes, discuss potential benefits of myxobacterial social traits, highlight recent empirical studies of social evolution in M. xanthus, and consider their implications for how myxobacterial cooperation and conflict evolve in the wild.}, } @article {pmid19525039, year = {2009}, author = {Turabián Fernández, JL and Pérez Franco, B}, title = {[Can fish live out of water? Implications for teaching the biopsychosocial concept in family medicine].}, journal = {Atencion primaria}, volume = {41}, number = {11}, pages = {629-632}, pmid = {19525039}, issn = {0212-6567}, mesh = {Family Practice/*education ; *Psychology ; *Sociobiology ; Spain ; }, } @article {pmid19442928, year = {2009}, author = {Driscoll, C}, title = {On our best behavior: optimality models in human behavioral ecology.}, journal = {Studies in history and philosophy of biological and biomedical sciences}, volume = {40}, number = {2}, pages = {133-141}, doi = {10.1016/j.shpsc.2009.03.005}, pmid = {19442928}, issn = {1879-2499}, mesh = {Animals ; *Behavior ; Behavior, Animal ; Genetics, Behavioral ; Humans ; Models, Biological ; Phenotype ; *Selection, Genetic ; *Sociobiology ; }, abstract = {This paper discusses problems associated with the use of optimality models in human behavioral ecology. Optimality models are used in both human and non-human animal behavioral ecology to test hypotheses about the conditions generating and maintaining behavioral strategies in populations via natural selection. The way optimality models are currently used in behavioral ecology faces significant problems, which are exacerbated by employing the so-called 'phenotypic gambit': that is, the bet that the psychological and inheritance mechanisms responsible for behavioral strategies will be straightforward. I argue that each of several different possible ways we might interpret how optimality models are being used for humans face similar and additional problems. I suggest some ways in which human behavioral ecologists might adjust how they employ optimality models; in particular, I urge the abandonment of the phenotypic gambit in the human case.}, } @article {pmid19425098, year = {2009}, author = {Kappeler, PM and Mass, V and Port, M}, title = {Even adult sex ratios in lemurs: Potential costs and benefits of subordinate males in Verreaux's sifaka (Propithecus verreauxi) in the Kirindy Forest CFPF, Madagascar.}, journal = {American journal of physical anthropology}, volume = {140}, number = {3}, pages = {487-497}, doi = {10.1002/ajpa.21091}, pmid = {19425098}, issn = {1096-8644}, mesh = {Aggression ; Animals ; Environment ; Female ; Lemur/*physiology ; Madagascar ; Male ; Population Dynamics ; *Sex Ratio ; Sexual Behavior, Animal ; Social Behavior ; Social Dominance ; Trees ; }, abstract = {Optimal group size and composition are determined by both the costs and benefits of group living for the group's members. Verreaux's sifakas (Propithecus verreauxi), a diurnal lemur, form multimale multifemale groups with the tendency toward even adult sex ratios despite a small average number of females per group. The unexpected presence of multiple adult males may be explained by tolerance of other group members if subordinate males provide benefits to the group that outweigh the costs associated with their presence. Results based on both demographic data collected over a 13-year period and behavioral observations suggest that subordinate males provide no benefits in terms of infant survival and defense against group takeover by outside males. Although groups with more males are more likely to win intergroup encounters, subordinate males do not participate in these encounters more often than expected. Subordinate males are not costly to other group members in terms of direct intragroup feeding competition, but aggression rates between dominant and immigrated subordinate males increase in the mating season. Even though subordinate males provide very few benefits to the group, they are not very costly either and thus may be tolerated by resident females and dominant males. This tolerance may help to partially explain the tendency towards their unusual adult sex ratio.}, } @article {pmid19263100, year = {2009}, author = {Lührs, ML and Dammhahn, M and Kappeler, PM and Fichtel, C}, title = {Spatial memory in the grey mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus).}, journal = {Animal cognition}, volume = {12}, number = {4}, pages = {599-609}, pmid = {19263100}, issn = {1435-9456}, mesh = {Animals ; Cheirogaleidae/*psychology ; *Discrimination Learning ; Female ; Male ; *Orientation ; *Space Perception ; *Spatial Behavior ; }, abstract = {Wild animals face the challenge of locating feeding sites distributed across broad spatial and temporal scales. Spatial memory allows animals to find a goal, such as a productive feeding patch, even when there are no goal-specific sensory cues available. Because there is little experimental information on learning and memory capabilities in free-ranging primates, the aim of this study was to test whether grey mouse lemurs (Microcebus murinus), as short-term dietary specialists, rely on spatial memory in relocating productive feeding sites. In addition, we asked what kind of spatial representation might underlie their orientation in their natural environment. Using an experimental approach, we set eight radio-collared grey mouse lemurs a memory task by confronting them with two different spatial patterns of baited and non-baited artificial feeding stations under exclusion of sensory cues. Positional data were recorded by focal animal observations within a grid system of small foot trails. A change in the baiting pattern revealed that grey mouse lemurs primarily used spatial cues to relocate baited feeding stations and that they were able to rapidly learn a new spatial arrangement. Spatially concentrated, non-random movements revealed preliminary evidence for a route-based restriction in mouse lemur space; during a subsequent release experiment, however, we found high travel efficiency in directed movements. We therefore propose that mouse lemur spatial memory is based on some kind of mental representation that is more detailed than a route-based network map.}, } @article {pmid19203142, year = {2009}, author = {Burghardt, GM}, title = {Darwin's legacy to comparative psychology and ethology.}, journal = {The American psychologist}, volume = {64}, number = {2}, pages = {102-110}, doi = {10.1037/a0013385}, pmid = {19203142}, issn = {0003-066X}, mesh = {*Biological Evolution ; Ethology/*history ; History, 19th Century ; Humans ; Psychology, Comparative/*history ; United Kingdom ; }, abstract = {Charles Darwin made numerous seminal contributions to the study of animal behavior over his long career. This essay places these contributions in the context of Darwin's life, showing his long-standing interest in psychological and behavioral issues encompassing all species, including humans. Ten areas are highlighted: natural history; communication; sexual selection and courtship; comparative cognition; emotion; instinct and behavioral development; inheritance of behavior; phylogeny of behavior; sociobiology and behavioral ecology; and applied animal behavior, animal welfare, and conservation. Several newer emphases that Darwin anticipated are briefly discussed. Darwin, while not always correct by current standards, crucially aided the process of firmly embedding psychological phenomena in a naturalistic scientific ethos.}, } @article {pmid19193227, year = {2009}, author = {Groeneveld, LF and Weisrock, DW and Rasoloarison, RM and Yoder, AD and Kappeler, PM}, title = {Species delimitation in lemurs: multiple genetic loci reveal low levels of species diversity in the genus Cheirogaleus.}, journal = {BMC evolutionary biology}, volume = {9}, number = {}, pages = {30}, pmid = {19193227}, issn = {1471-2148}, mesh = {Animals ; Bayes Theorem ; Biodiversity ; Cell Nucleus/genetics ; Cheirogaleidae/classification/*genetics ; Cluster Analysis ; DNA, Mitochondrial/genetics ; Evolution, Molecular ; *Genetic Speciation ; *Genetics, Population ; Geography ; Haplotypes ; Likelihood Functions ; Madagascar ; *Phylogeny ; Sequence Alignment ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Species are viewed as the fundamental unit in most subdisciplines of biology. To conservationists this unit represents the currency for global biodiversity assessments. Even though Madagascar belongs to one of the top eight biodiversity hotspots of the world, the taxonomy of its charismatic lemuriform primates is not stable. Within the last 25 years, the number of described lemur species has more than doubled, with many newly described species identified among the nocturnal and small-bodied cheirogaleids. Here, we characterize the diversity of the dwarf lemurs (genus Cheirogaleus) and assess the status of the seven described species, based on phylogenetic and population genetic analysis of mtDNA (cytb + cox2) and three nuclear markers (adora3, fiba and vWF).

RESULTS: This study identified three distinct evolutionary lineages within the genus Cheirogaleus. Population genetic cluster analyses revealed a further layer of population divergence with six distinct genotypic clusters.

CONCLUSION: Based on the general metapopulation lineage concept and multiple concordant data sets, we identify three exclusive groups of dwarf lemur populations that correspond to three of the seven named species: C. major, C. medius and C. crossleyi. These three species were found to be genealogically exclusive in both mtDNA and nDNA loci and are morphologically distinguishable. The molecular and morphometric data indicate that C. adipicaudatus and C. ravus are synonymous with C. medius and C. major, respectively. Cheirogaleus sibreei falls into the C. medius mtDNA clade, but in morphological analyses the membership is not clearly resolved. We do not have sufficient data to assess the status of C. minusculus. Although additional patterns of population differentiation are evident, there are no clear subdivisions that would warrant additional specific status. We propose that ecological and more geographic data should be collected to confirm these results.}, } @article {pmid19112663, year = {2008}, author = {Strassmann, JE}, title = {Joan E. Strassmann.}, journal = {Current biology : CB}, volume = {18}, number = {21}, pages = {R986-7}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2008.08.019}, pmid = {19112663}, issn = {0960-9822}, mesh = {Animals ; Cooperative Behavior ; Dictyostelium/cytology ; Prejudice ; Research ; Social Responsibility ; Sociobiology/education/*trends ; Teaching ; }, } @article {pmid19095080, year = {2009}, author = {Ruchty, M and Romani, R and Kuebler, LS and Ruschioni, S and Roces, F and Isidoro, N and Kleineidam, CJ}, title = {The thermo-sensitive sensilla coeloconica of leaf-cutting ants (Atta vollenweideri).}, journal = {Arthropod structure & development}, volume = {38}, number = {3}, pages = {195-205}, doi = {10.1016/j.asd.2008.11.001}, pmid = {19095080}, issn = {1873-5495}, mesh = {Animals ; Ants/*anatomy & histology/physiology ; Behavior, Animal ; Electrodes ; Electrophysiology ; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning ; Microscopy, Electron, Transmission ; Models, Anatomic ; Neurons/*physiology ; Sensory Receptor Cells/*ultrastructure ; Social Behavior ; Temperature ; Time Factors ; Tungsten ; }, abstract = {Social insects show a variety of temperature-guided behaviors. Depending on whether heat reaches the sensillum via air movements (convective heat) or as radiant heat, specific adaptations of thermo-sensitive sensilla are expected. In the present study the morphology and the physiology of thermo-sensitive peg-in-pit sensilla (S. coeloconica) of the leaf-cutting ant Atta vollenweideri were investigated. S. coeloconica are located predominantly in a single cluster on the apical antennomere, and connect to the outside through a small aperture. The sensory peg is double-walled, embedded in a chamber and innervated by three unbranched dendrites. Using tungsten electrodes, activity of the sensory neurons was measured. In most cases, the neuron with the largest spike amplitude responds to changes in air temperature (convective heat) as well as to radiant heat. In response to a drop in air temperature, the neuron shows a phasic-tonic response followed by a complete adaptation within 1 min (cold-sensitive neuron). Based on their morphology and physiology, it is suggested that the S. coeloconica are involved in the recently described thermal orientation behavior of A. vollenweideri leaf-cutting ants.}, } @article {pmid19079045, year = {2008}, author = {Seeley, TD}, title = {Obituary: martin lindauer (1918-2008).}, journal = {Nature}, volume = {456}, number = {7223}, pages = {718}, doi = {10.1038/456718a}, pmid = {19079045}, issn = {1476-4687}, mesh = {Animals ; Bees/physiology ; Behavior, Animal ; Behavioral Sciences/*history ; Germany ; History, 20th Century ; Sociobiology/history ; }, } @article {pmid19077000, year = {2009}, author = {Jokela, M and Keltikangas-Järvinen, L}, title = {Adolescent leadership and adulthood fertility: revisiting the "central theoretical problem of human sociobiology".}, journal = {Journal of personality}, volume = {77}, number = {1}, pages = {213-229}, doi = {10.1111/j.1467-6494.2008.00543.x}, pmid = {19077000}, issn = {1467-6494}, mesh = {Adolescent ; Adolescent Behavior ; Adult ; Attitude to Health ; Female ; *Fertility ; Finland ; *Health Behavior ; Humans ; Interpersonal Relations ; *Leadership ; Male ; *Personality ; *Social Class ; Social Environment ; Socioeconomic Factors ; Urban Population ; Young Adult ; }, abstract = {Human motivation for social status may reflect an evolved psychological adaptation that increased individual reproductive success in the evolutionary past. However, the association between status striving and reproduction in contemporary humans is unclear. It may be hypothesized that personality traits related to status achievement increase fertility even if modern indicators of socioeconomic status do not. We examined whether four subcomponents of type-A personality--leadership, hard-driving, eagerness, and aggressiveness--assessed at the age of 12 to 21 years predicted the likelihood of having children by the age of 39 in a population-based sample of Finnish women and men (N=1,313). Survival analyses indicated that high adolescent leadership increased adulthood fertility in men and women, independently of education level and urbanicity of residence. The findings suggest that personality determinants of status achievement may predict increased reproductive success in contemporary humans.}, } @article {pmid19067751, year = {2009}, author = {Nadell, CD and Xavier, JB and Foster, KR}, title = {The sociobiology of biofilms.}, journal = {FEMS microbiology reviews}, volume = {33}, number = {1}, pages = {206-224}, doi = {10.1111/j.1574-6976.2008.00150.x}, pmid = {19067751}, issn = {0168-6445}, support = {5P50 GM 068763-01/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Bacteria/chemistry/genetics/metabolism ; *Bacterial Physiological Phenomena ; Biofilms/*growth & development ; Biological Evolution ; Models, Biological ; }, abstract = {Biofilms are densely packed communities of microbial cells that grow on surfaces and surround themselves with secreted polymers. Many bacterial species form biofilms, and their study has revealed them to be complex and diverse. The structural and physiological complexity of biofilms has led to the idea that they are coordinated and cooperative groups, analogous to multicellular organisms. We evaluate this idea by addressing the findings of microbiologists from the perspective of sociobiology, including theories of collective behavior (self-organization) and social evolution. This yields two main conclusions. First, the appearance of organization in biofilms can emerge without active coordination. That is, biofilm properties such as phenotypic differentiation, species stratification and channel formation do not necessarily require that cells communicate with one another using specialized signaling molecules. Second, while local cooperation among bacteria may often occur, the evolution of cooperation among all cells is unlikely for most biofilms. Strong conflict can arise among multiple species and strains in a biofilm, and spontaneous mutation can generate conflict even within biofilms initiated by genetically identical cells. Biofilms will typically result from a balance between competition and cooperation, and we argue that understanding this balance is central to building a complete and predictive model of biofilm formation.}, } @article {pmid18668265, year = {2008}, author = {Bollazzi, M and Kronenbitter, J and Roces, F}, title = {Soil temperature, digging behaviour, and the adaptive value of nest depth in South American species of Acromyrmex leaf-cutting ants.}, journal = {Oecologia}, volume = {158}, number = {1}, pages = {165-175}, pmid = {18668265}, issn = {0029-8549}, mesh = {*Adaptation, Biological ; Animals ; *Ants ; *Nesting Behavior ; *Soil ; *Temperature ; }, abstract = {In leaf-cutting ants, workers are expected to excavate the nest at a soil depth that provides suitable temperatures, since the symbiotic fungus cultivated inside nest chambers is highly dependent on temperature for proper growth. We hypothesize that the different nesting habits observed in Acromyrmex leaf-cutting ants in the South American continent, i.e. superficial and subterranean nests, depend on the occurrence, across the soil profile, of the temperature range preferred by workers for digging. To test this hypothesis, we first explored whether the nesting habits in the genus Acromyrmex are correlated with the prevailing soil temperature regimes at the reported nest locations. Second, we experimentally investigated whether Acromyrmex workers engaged in digging use soil temperature as a cue to decide where to excavate the nest. A bibliographic survey of nesting habits of 21 South American Acromyrmex species indicated that nesting habits are correlated with the soil temperature regimes: the warmer the soil at the nesting site, the higher the number of species inhabiting subterranean nests, as compared to superficial nests. For those species showing nesting plasticity, subterranean nests occurred in hot soils, and superficial nests in cold ones. Experimental results indicated that Acromyrmex lundi workers use soil temperature as an orientation cue to decide where to start digging, and respond to rising and falling soil temperatures by moving to alternative digging places, or by stopping digging, respectively. The soil temperature range preferred for digging, between 20 degrees C and maximally 30.6 degrees C, matched the range at which colony growth would be maximized. It is suggested that temperature-sensitive digging guides digging workers towards their preferred range of soil temperature. Workers' thermopreferences lead to a concentration of digging activity at the soil layers where the preferred range occurs, and therefore, to the construction of superficial nests in cold soils, and subterranean ones in hot soils. The adaptive value of the temperature-related nesting habits, and the temperature-sensitive digging, is further discussed.}, } @article {pmid18621587, year = {2008}, author = {Groh, C and Rössler, W}, title = {Caste-specific postembryonic development of primary and secondary olfactory centers in the female honeybee brain.}, journal = {Arthropod structure & development}, volume = {37}, number = {6}, pages = {459-468}, doi = {10.1016/j.asd.2008.04.001}, pmid = {18621587}, issn = {1873-5495}, mesh = {Animals ; Bees/anatomy & histology/*growth & development/physiology ; Brain/anatomy & histology/*growth & development ; Female ; Mushroom Bodies/growth & development/innervation/physiology ; Neuropil/cytology/physiology ; Pupa/anatomy & histology/growth & development ; Smell/*physiology ; *Social Dominance ; Time Factors ; }, abstract = {Eusocial insects are characterized by division of labor among a sterile worker caste and a reproductive queen. In the honeybee both female castes are determined postembryonically by environmental factors, and queens develop substantially faster than workers. Since olfaction plays a crucial role in organizing honeybee behavior and social interactions, we compared the development of primary and secondary olfactory centers in the brain. Age-synchronized queen and worker pupae were raised in incubators at 34.5 degrees C, and their external morphology was characterized for all pupal stages. The development of olfactory synaptic neuropil was analyzed using anti-synapsin immunocytochemistry, f-actin-phalloidin labeling and confocal microscopy. In the antennal lobes of queens olfactory glomeruli formed approximately 4 days earlier than in workers. The adult number of olfactory glomeruli was in a similar range, but the total glomerular volume was slightly smaller in queens. Olfactory and visual subdivisions (lip, collar) of the mushroom-body calyx formed early, whereas the basal ring separated late. Synaptic microglomeruli in the olfactory lip were established approximately 3-4 days earlier in queens compared to workers. We propose that developmental heterochrony results in fewer synapses in olfactory centers (smaller glomeruli, fewer microglomeruli) in queens, which may result in poorer performance on olfactory learning tasks compared to workers.}, } @article {pmid18621145, year = {2008}, author = {Zube, C and Rössler, W}, title = {Caste- and sex-specific adaptations within the olfactory pathway in the brain of the ant Camponotus floridanus.}, journal = {Arthropod structure & development}, volume = {37}, number = {6}, pages = {469-479}, doi = {10.1016/j.asd.2008.05.004}, pmid = {18621145}, issn = {1873-5495}, mesh = {*Adaptation, Physiological ; Animals ; Ants/*anatomy & histology/physiology ; Brain/*anatomy & histology/physiology ; Female ; Imaging, Three-Dimensional ; Male ; Mushroom Bodies/anatomy & histology/innervation/physiology ; Neurons, Afferent/cytology/metabolism ; Serotonin/metabolism ; Sex Characteristics ; Smell/*physiology ; Social Dominance ; }, abstract = {Olfaction plays a key role in mediating ant behavior, and ant societies are characterized by caste- and sex-specific division of labor. We propose that caste- and sex-specific adaptations in the olfactory pathway promote differences in olfactory behavior. This study compares olfactory centers in the brain of large (major) workers, small (minor) workers, virgin queens, and males of the carpenter ant Camponotus floridanus. The number of glomeruli in the antennal lobe was similar in the female castes, although the glomerular volumes differed. Males had approximately 45% fewer glomeruli compared to females (approximately 258 and approximately 434) and one antennal sensory tract was absent. A dual output pathway to the mushroom bodies was present in males. In contrast to females, however, the number of glomeruli connected to the medial antennocerebral tract was substantially smaller than those associated with the lateral tract. All glomeruli in the male antennal lobe contained serotonergic processes, whereas in the female castes glomeruli in the large tract six cluster lacked serotonergic innervations. We conclude that differences in general glomerular organization are subtle among the female castes, but sex-specific differences in the number, connectivity and neuromodulatory innervation of glomeruli are substantial and likely to underlie differences in olfactory processing and learning.}, } @article {pmid18615575, year = {2009}, author = {Barthold, J and Fichtel, C and Kappeler, P}, title = {What is it going to be? Pattern and potential function of natal coat change in sexually dichromatic redfronted lemurs (Eulemur fulvus rufus).}, journal = {American journal of physical anthropology}, volume = {138}, number = {1}, pages = {1-10}, doi = {10.1002/ajpa.20868}, pmid = {18615575}, issn = {1096-8644}, mesh = {Aging/*physiology ; Animals ; Behavior, Animal/physiology ; Ecosystem ; Face/anatomy & histology ; Female ; Germany ; Hair Color ; Lemur/*anatomy & histology/classification ; Madagascar ; Male ; Sex Characteristics ; }, abstract = {In some primate species, pelage colorations at birth contrast with adult colorations. The intensity of natal coats and their phylogenetic distribution is highly variable within primates. Natal coat coloration seems to change to adult coloration in most species when infants become independent from their mothers, but an accepted functional explanation for natal coats is not available. Here we describe pelage coloration change in sexually dichromatic redfronted lemurs (Eulemur fulvus rufus) in Kirindy Forest, and propose a new functional hypothesis for this phenomenon. In this species, infants are born with adult male coloration and female infants subsequently undergo a change in coloration. Using digital pictures and behavioral data collected on eight mother-offspring dyads from birth until the end of the coloration change, we 1) described timing and pattern of pelage developmentin redfronted lemur infants and 2) examined behavioral developmental correlates of the coloration change. The color change took place between 7 and 17 weeks of age and coincided with advanced physical independence; a pattern also found in monochromatic primate species with natal coats. No behavioral differences between male and female infants were found. Hypotheses about the ultimate function of natal coats focusing on enhanced infant care or reduced infanticide risk did not explain the pelage change in redfronted lemurs. The natal pelage pattern in this species may instead serve as sexual mimicry. Accordingly, female infants may mimic males during the most vulnerable developmental phase to avoid sex-specific aggression by adult females in a species with intense female-female aggression and competition.}, } @article {pmid18565745, year = {2008}, author = {Basile, R and Pirk, CW and Tautz, J}, title = {Trophallactic activities in the honeybee brood nest--heaters get supplied with high performance fuel.}, journal = {Zoology (Jena, Germany)}, volume = {111}, number = {6}, pages = {433-441}, doi = {10.1016/j.zool.2007.11.002}, pmid = {18565745}, issn = {0944-2006}, mesh = {Animals ; Bees/*physiology ; Body Temperature/physiology ; Body Temperature Regulation/*physiology ; Feeding Behavior/physiology ; Honey ; *Hot Temperature ; Nesting Behavior/*physiology ; *Social Behavior ; }, abstract = {Honeybees actively regulate their brood temperature by heating between 33 and 36 degrees C if ambient temperatures are lower. Heat is generated by vibrating the flight muscles. Heating rapidly depletes the worker's internal energy; therefore heating performance is limited by the honey that is ingested before the heating process. Stored honey is the predefined fuel for flying and heating, but it is stored at a distance from the broodcomb, causing a potential logistic problem of efficient energy supply in the brood area. Our study focused on the behaviour and the thoracic temperature of the participants in trophallactic food exchanges on the broodcomb. We found that 85.5% of the recipients in a trophallactic food exchange have a higher thoracic temperature during feeding contacts than donors and after the feeding contact the former engage in brood heating more often. The donor bees have lower thoracic temperature and shuttle constantly between honey stores and the broodcomb where they transfer the stored honey to heating bees. Providing heat-emitting workers with small doses of high performance fuel contributes to an economic distribution of resources consistent with physiological conditions of the bees and the ecological requirements of the hive. The trophallaxis-based system is essential to provide the energy-intensive brood warming activity. The emerging independence from ambient temperatures is not only beneficial for brood rearing during times of sudden cold spells, but also enables the honeybees in temperate regions to raise brood in early spring and might be the decisive factor for the occurrence of honeybees in temperate climates in general.}, } @article {pmid18511689, year = {2008}, author = {Hughes, WO and Oldroyd, BP and Beekman, M and Ratnieks, FL}, title = {Ancestral monogamy shows kin selection is key to the evolution of eusociality.}, journal = {Science (New York, N.Y.)}, volume = {320}, number = {5880}, pages = {1213-1216}, doi = {10.1126/science.1156108}, pmid = {18511689}, issn = {1095-9203}, mesh = {Altruism ; Animals ; Ants ; Bees ; *Biological Evolution ; Female ; Male ; Phylogeny ; *Sexual Behavior, Animal ; *Social Behavior ; Sociobiology ; Wasps ; }, abstract = {Close relatedness has long been considered crucial to the evolution of eusociality. However, it has recently been suggested that close relatedness may be a consequence, rather than a cause, of eusociality. We tested this idea with a comparative analysis of female mating frequencies in 267 species of eusocial bees, wasps, and ants. We found that mating with a single male, which maximizes relatedness, is ancestral for all eight independent eusocial lineages that we investigated. Mating with multiple males is always derived. Furthermore, we found that high polyandry (>2 effective mates) occurs only in lineages whose workers have lost reproductive totipotency. These results provide the first evidence that monogamy was critical in the evolution of eusociality, strongly supporting the prediction of inclusive fitness theory.}, } @article {pmid18492169, year = {2005}, author = {Fink, B and Neave, N}, title = {The biology of facial beauty.}, journal = {International journal of cosmetic science}, volume = {27}, number = {6}, pages = {317-325}, doi = {10.1111/j.1467-2494.2005.00286.x}, pmid = {18492169}, issn = {1468-2494}, abstract = {It was once widely believed that standards of beauty were arbitrarily variable. Recent research suggests, however, that people's views of facial attractiveness are remarkably consistent, regardless of race, nationality or age. Facial characteristics are known to influence human attractiveness judgements and evolutionary psychologists suggest that these characteristics all pertain to health, leading to the conclusion that humans have evolved to view certain bodily features as attractive because the features were displayed by healthy others. Here we review some of the fundamental principles of sexual selection theory that apply to human beauty and summarize the major findings of human beauty perception.}, } @article {pmid18482022, year = {2008}, author = {Fink, B and Matts, PJ and Klingenberg, H and Kuntze, S and Weege, B and Grammer, K}, title = {Visual attention to variation in female facial skin color distribution.}, journal = {Journal of cosmetic dermatology}, volume = {7}, number = {2}, pages = {155-161}, doi = {10.1111/j.1473-2165.2008.00382.x}, pmid = {18482022}, issn = {1473-2165}, mesh = {Adolescent ; Adult ; Age Factors ; Analysis of Variance ; Attention ; *Beauty ; *Eye Movements ; *Face ; Female ; Humans ; Judgment ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Photic Stimulation ; Photography ; *Skin Pigmentation ; Visual Perception ; White People ; }, abstract = {OBJECTIVES: Visible skin condition of women is argued to influence human physical attraction. Recent research has shown that people are sensitive to variation in skin color distribution, and such variation affects visual perception of female facial attractiveness, healthiness, and age.

METHODS: The eye gaze of 39 males and females, aged 13 to 45 years, was tracked while they viewed images of shape- and topography-standardized stimulus faces that varied only in terms of skin color distribution.

RESULTS: The number of fixations and dwell time were significantly higher when viewing stimulus faces with the homogeneous skin color distribution of young people, compared with those of more elderly people. In accordance with recent research, facial stimuli with even skin tones were also judged to be younger and received higher attractiveness ratings. Finally, visual attention measures were negatively correlated with perceived age, but positively associated with attractiveness judgments.

CONCLUSIONS: Variation in visible skin color distribution (independent of facial form and skin surface topography) is able to selectively attract people's attention toward female faces, and this higher attention results in more positive statements about a woman's face.}, } @article {pmid18369788, year = {2008}, author = {Scharf, ME and Zhou, X and Schwinghammer, MA}, title = {Application of RNA interference in functional genomics studies of a social insect.}, journal = {Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.)}, volume = {442}, number = {}, pages = {205-229}, doi = {10.1007/978-1-59745-191-8_15}, pmid = {18369788}, issn = {1064-3745}, mesh = {Animals ; Behavior, Animal/*physiology ; *Genomics ; Humans ; Insect Proteins/genetics/metabolism ; Isoptera/*genetics/physiology ; RNA/genetics/isolation & purification/metabolism ; *RNA Interference ; RNA, Small Interfering/genetics/metabolism ; Social Behavior ; }, abstract = {Social insects represent a group of organisms that have dual importance from perspectives relating to both basic and applied science. From a basic perspective, social insects serve as excellent model systems for studying social organization, behavioral ecology, neurobiology, and phenotypic plasticity. From applied perspectives, social insects play important roles in the pollination of agricultural crops, in the damage of human structures and commodities, and in cellulose processing in natural ecosystems. With the advent of insect sociogenomics research (and the ability to identify dozens or hundreds of relevant candidate genes from a single experiment) has come a great demand for functional genomics tools for application in gene characterization. To date, RNAi is one of the most powerful tools to have become available for such functional characterizations, and it has broad relevance across a range of insect sociobiology research topics.}, } @article {pmid18350268, year = {2008}, author = {Brandstaetter, AS and Endler, A and Kleineidam, CJ}, title = {Nestmate recognition in ants is possible without tactile interaction.}, journal = {Die Naturwissenschaften}, volume = {95}, number = {7}, pages = {601-608}, pmid = {18350268}, issn = {0028-1042}, mesh = {Aggression ; Animals ; Ants/*physiology ; Nesting Behavior ; *Recognition, Psychology ; *Social Behavior ; Touch ; }, abstract = {Ants of the genus Camponotus are able to discriminate recognition cues of colony members (nestmates) from recognition cues of workers of a different colony (non-nestmates) from a distance of 1 cm. Free moving, individual Camponotus floridanus workers encountered differently treated dummies on a T-bar and their behavior was recorded. Aggressive behavior was scored as mandibular threat towards dummies. Dummies were treated with hexane extracts of postpharyngeal glands (PPGs) from nestmates or non-nestmates which contain long-chain hydrocarbons in ratios comparable to what is found on the cuticle. The cuticular hydrocarbon profile bears cues which are essential for nestmate recognition. Although workers were prevented from antennating the dummies, they showed significantly less aggressive behavior towards dummies treated with nestmate PPG extracts than towards dummies treated with non-nestmate PPG extracts. In an additional experiment, we show that cis-9-tricosene, an alkene naturally not found in C. floridanus' cuticular profile, is behaviorally active and can interfere with nestmate recognition when presented together with a nestmate PPG extract. Our study demonstrates for the first time that the complex multi-component recognition cues can be perceived and discriminated by ants at close range. We conclude that contact chemosensilla are not crucial for nestmate recognition since tactile interaction is not necessary.}, } @article {pmid18348154, year = {2008}, author = {Dunny, GM and Brickman, TJ and Dworkin, M}, title = {Multicellular behavior in bacteria: communication, cooperation, competition and cheating.}, journal = {BioEssays : news and reviews in molecular, cellular and developmental biology}, volume = {30}, number = {4}, pages = {296-298}, doi = {10.1002/bies.20740}, pmid = {18348154}, issn = {1521-1878}, mesh = {Bacteria/metabolism ; *Bacterial Physiological Phenomena ; Biofilms ; Cell Communication ; Colony Count, Microbial ; Evolution, Molecular ; Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial ; Microbiological Techniques ; Models, Biological ; *Mutation ; Pseudomonas aeruginosa/*metabolism ; }, abstract = {The sociobiology of bacteria, largely unappreciated and ignored by the microbiology research community two decades ago is now a major research area, catalyzed to a significant degree by studies of communication and cooperative behavior among the myxobacteria and in quorum sensing (QS) and biofilm formation by pseudomonads and other microbes. Recently, the topic of multicellular cooperative behaviors among bacteria has been increasingly considered in the context of evolutionary biology. Here we discuss the significance of two recent studies of the phenomenon of "cheating" mutants and their exploitation of cooperating microbial populations of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.}, } @article {pmid18302694, year = {2008}, author = {Walker, FM and Taylor, AC and Sunnucks, P}, title = {Female dispersal and male kinship-based association in southern hairy-nosed wombats (Lasiorhinus latifrons).}, journal = {Molecular ecology}, volume = {17}, number = {5}, pages = {1361-1374}, doi = {10.1111/j.1365-294X.2008.03670.x}, pmid = {18302694}, issn = {1365-294X}, mesh = {*Animal Migration ; Animals ; Female ; Male ; Marsupialia/genetics/*physiology ; *Sex Characteristics ; *Social Behavior ; }, abstract = {Generalizations about sociobiology require investigations of species with diverse ecological roles and phylogenetic affiliations. The southern hairy-nosed wombat (Lasiorhinus latifrons) is valuable here, in that it is a marsupial of semi-arid habitat, and one of the largest burrowing herbivores (commonly attaining 26 kg). Its sociobiology is poorly understood because the species is nocturnal, shy, and difficult to observe or capture nondisruptively. To investigate aspects of the species' sociobiology in continuous habitat, we applied high-intensity, temporally replicated, noninvasive sampling and genotyping of hairs to identify individuals and their sex. Spatial relatedness (kinship) structure was estimated, and related to patterns of burrow-use. To understand the association of kinship with burrow/warren-sharing and preferential colocation between wombats, > 100 genetically 'tagged' individuals at Brookfield Conservation Park (Murraylands, South Australia) were 'tracked' through multiple seasons between 1999 and 2001. Dispersal was female-biased, and may be performed by females after breeding. Conversely, males were philopatric. Male kin relationships were characterized by preferential burrow- and warren-sharing among closely related males, often in associations lasting for years. In contrast, females under-associated with their close female relatives and did not form matrilineal groupings with potential for favourable kin interactions. This fundamental departure from the predominant mammalian pattern raises questions about the origins and maintenance of the system, which is now known from all three species of wombat. The present study provides starting points to address those questions by adding to our knowledge of longitudinal spatiotemporal associations and habitat use of a marsupial with the unusual system of female-biased dispersal, and by outlining robust methodologies.}, } @article {pmid18217526, year = {2007}, author = {Wilson, DS and Wilson, EO}, title = {Rethinking the theoretical foundation of sociobiology.}, journal = {The Quarterly review of biology}, volume = {82}, number = {4}, pages = {327-348}, doi = {10.1086/522809}, pmid = {18217526}, issn = {0033-5770}, mesh = {Animals ; *Biological Evolution ; Humans ; *Selection, Genetic ; Sociobiology/methods/*trends ; }, abstract = {Current sociobiology is in theoretical disarray, with a diversity of frameworks that are poorly related to each other Part of the problem is a reluctance to revisit the pivotal events that took place during the 1960s, including the rejection of group selection and the development of alternative theoretical frameworks to explain the evolution of cooperative and altruistic behaviors. In this article, we take a "back to basics" approach, explaining what group selection is, why its rejection was regarded as so important, and how it has been revived based on a more careful formulation and subsequent research. Multilevel selection theory (including group selection) provides an elegant theoretical foundation for sociobiology in the future, once its turbulent past is appropriately understood.}, } @article {pmid18089255, year = {2007}, author = {Wohlrab, S and Stahl, J and Kappeler, PM}, title = {Modifying the body: motivations for getting tattooed and pierced.}, journal = {Body image}, volume = {4}, number = {1}, pages = {87-95}, doi = {10.1016/j.bodyim.2006.12.001}, pmid = {18089255}, issn = {1873-6807}, mesh = {Art ; Beauty ; Body Image ; Body Piercing/*psychology ; Humans ; Individuality ; *Motivation ; Personal Space ; Social Conformity ; Social Identification ; Tattooing/*psychology ; }, abstract = {Body modifications have been prevalent for centuries and are practiced for a great variety of reasons. Lately, tattoos and body piercings have become increasingly popular. Thus, a profound understanding of the underlying motivations behind obtaining tattoos and body piercings nowadays is required. A considerable body of research on motivational aspects already exists, mainly using explorative approaches to describe motivations. In this paper we provide a review of the existing relevant literature. Furthermore, we establish ten broad motivational categories, comprising motivations for getting tattooed and body pierced, for reference in future research.}, } @article {pmid18089024, year = {2004}, author = {Frantsevich, L and Gorb, S}, title = {Structure and mechanics of the tarsal chain in the hornet, Vespa crabro (Hymenoptera: Vespidae): implications on the attachment mechanism.}, journal = {Arthropod structure & development}, volume = {33}, number = {1}, pages = {77-89}, doi = {10.1016/j.asd.2003.10.003}, pmid = {18089024}, issn = {1873-5495}, abstract = {Two combined mechanisms on the hornet tarsus are adapted to attachment to the substrate: a friction-based (claws and spines) and an adhesion-based one (arolium). There are two ranges of substrate roughness optimal for attachment, either very smooth or very rough. There is an intermediate range of substrate grains of small but non-zero size, where both of these mechanisms fail. The optimal size of substrate grains for hornet grasping was 50-100 microm. Maximal hold to the substrate was achieved when surface irregularities were clamped between the claws of opposite legs. In such a position, the insect could withstand an external force which was almost 25 times larger than its own weight. The tarsal chain is an important part of the entire attachment mechanism. The articulations in the kinematic chain of tibia-tarsus-pretarsus are monocondylar. Three tarsal muscles and one head of the claw retractor muscle originate in the tibia. On pull to the retractor tendon, the tarsus bends in a plane. All elements of the tarsal kinematic chain have one active degree of freedom. The distance between the intertarsomeric articulation point and the tendon of the claw retractor (75-194 microm) corresponds to an efficiency of 1 degrees per 1-3 mircom of pulling distance travelled by the tendon. The claw turns about 1 degrees per 4.3-5.0 microm of pulling distance travelled by the unguitractor. The arolium turns forward and downward simultaneously with flexion of the claws. The kinematic chain of the arolium lacks real condylar joints except the joint at the base of the manubrium. Other components are tied by flexible transmissions of the membranous cuticle. The walking hornet rests on distal tarsomeres of extended tarsi. If the retractor tendon inside the tarsus is fixed, passive extension of the tarsomeres might be replaced by claw flexion. Tarsal chain rigidity, measured with the force tester, increased when the retractor tendon was tightened. Probably, pull to the tendon compresses the tarsomeres, increasing friction within contacting areas of rippled surfaces surrounding condyles within articulations.}, } @article {pmid18081752, year = {2008}, author = {Fink, B and Matts, PJ}, title = {The effects of skin colour distribution and topography cues on the perception of female facial age and health.}, journal = {Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology : JEADV}, volume = {22}, number = {4}, pages = {493-498}, doi = {10.1111/j.1468-3083.2007.02512.x}, pmid = {18081752}, issn = {1468-3083}, mesh = {Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Analysis of Variance ; Chi-Square Distribution ; Child ; *Cues ; Esthetics ; *Face ; Female ; *Health Status Indicators ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; *Skin Aging ; *Skin Pigmentation ; *Visual Perception ; }, abstract = {According to evolutionary psychology, the preference for some facial characteristics reflects adaptations for mate choice because they signal aspects of mate quality. Although morphological features such as facial symmetry and sexually dimorphic traits have been studied extensively in recent years, little is known about skin condition in this context. The preferences for young and healthy looking skin could offer an explanation as to why women place such an importance on the condition of their skin and its refinement through e.g., cosmetic products. Recent research showed that facial skin colour distribution significantly influences the perception of age and attractiveness of female faces, independent of skin surface topography cues. However, the relative effect of skin colour distribution and topography cues on age and health perception remains to be investigated. We present data showing that both skin colour distribution and skin surface topography cues not only significantly influence the perception of female facial age and health but also convey differential information with regard to the strength of these effects. Our data indicate that skin surface topography cues account for a large proportion of variation in facial age perception, whereas skin colour distribution seems to be a stronger health cue.}, } @article {pmid26181309, year = {2007}, author = {Tybur, JM and Miller, GF and Gangestad, SW}, title = {Testing the Controversy : An Empirical Examination of Adaptationists' Attitudes Toward Politics and Science.}, journal = {Human nature (Hawthorne, N.Y.)}, volume = {18}, number = {4}, pages = {313-328}, pmid = {26181309}, issn = {1045-6767}, abstract = {Critics of evolutionary psychology and sociobiology have advanced an adaptationists-as-right-wing-conspirators (ARC) hypothesis, suggesting that adaptationists use their research to support a right-wing political agenda. We report the first quantitative test of the ARC hypothesis based on an online survey of political and scientific attitudes among 168 US psychology Ph.D. students, 31 of whom self-identified as adaptationists and 137 others who identified with another non-adaptationist meta-theory. Results indicate that adaptationists are much less politically conservative than typical US citizens and no more politically conservative than non-adaptationist graduate students. Also, contrary to the "adaptationists-as-pseudo-scientists" stereotype, adaptationists endorse more rigorous, progressive, quantitative scientific methods in the study of human behavior than non-adaptationists.}, } @article {pmid18041786, year = {2008}, author = {Zube, C and Kleineidam, CJ and Kirschner, S and Neef, J and Rössler, W}, title = {Organization of the olfactory pathway and odor processing in the antennal lobe of the ant Camponotus floridanus.}, journal = {The Journal of comparative neurology}, volume = {506}, number = {3}, pages = {425-441}, doi = {10.1002/cne.21548}, pmid = {18041786}, issn = {0021-9967}, mesh = {Animals ; Ants/*physiology ; Brain/*physiology ; Calcium Signaling/physiology ; Fluorescent Dyes ; Fura-2 ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted ; Microscopy, Confocal ; Microscopy, Fluorescence ; Odorants ; Olfactory Pathways/cytology/*physiology ; Pheromones/physiology ; Sense Organs/*physiology ; Signal Transduction/physiology ; Smell/*physiology ; }, abstract = {Ants rely heavily on olfaction for communication and orientation. Here we provide the first detailed structure-function analyses within an ant's central olfactory system asking whether in the carpenter ant, Camponotus floridanus, the olfactory pathway exhibits adaptations to processing many pheromonal and general odors. Using fluorescent tracing, confocal microscopy, and 3D-analyses we demonstrate that the antennal lobe (AL) contains up to approximately 460 olfactory glomeruli organized in seven distinct clusters innervated via seven antennal sensory tracts. The AL is divided into two hemispheres regarding innervation of glomeruli by either projection neurons (PNs) with axons leaving via the medial (m) or lateral (l) antennocerebral tract (ACT). M- and l-ACT PNs differ in their target areas in the mushroom-body calyx and lateral horn. Three additional ACTs project to the lateral protocerebrum only. We analyzed odor processing in AL glomeruli by retrograde loading of PNs with Fura-2 dextran and fluorimetric calcium imaging. Odor responses were reproducible and comparable across individuals. Calcium responses to pheromonal and nonpheromonal odors were very sensitive (10(-11) dilution) and patterns were partly overlapping, indicating that processing of both odor classes is not spatially segregated within the AL. Response patterns to the main trail-pheromone component nerolic acid remained stable over a wide range of intensities (7-8 log units), while response durations increased indicating that odor quality is maintained by a stable pattern and intensity is mainly encoded in response durations. The structure-function analyses contribute new insights into important aspects of odor processing in a highly advanced insect olfactory system.}, } @article {pmid18023011, year = {2007}, author = {Michel, GF and Tyler, AN}, title = {Developing human nature: "development to" versus "development from?".}, journal = {Developmental psychobiology}, volume = {49}, number = {8}, pages = {788-799}, doi = {10.1002/dev.20261}, pmid = {18023011}, issn = {0012-1630}, mesh = {Biological Evolution ; Culture ; *Human Development ; Humans ; Parenting ; Psychological Theory ; Sociobiology ; }, abstract = {Evolutionary psychology (EP) emphasizes that socio-cultural experiences are constrained by the characteristics of the individual. Therefore, cultural experience acts on a nervous system biased to respond to in particular ways (i.e., human nature). For EP, evolutionary lineage and adaptive significance explain the development of such human nature (a "development to" approach). Gottlieb, and others in Developmental psychobiology (DPB), have explained the development of "instinctive" behavior patterns of a wide variety of animals using a "development from" approach. The DPB approach does not contradict a human nature that reflects an evolutionary heritage with adaptive value. We present three examples that demonstrate how a DPB approach to development accounts both for the expression of patterns specific to the individual as well as patterns that are species-typical (human nature, for humans) without shifting explanatory constructs and frameworks.}, } @article {pmid17972271, year = {2008}, author = {Eberle, M and Kappeler, PM}, title = {Mutualism, reciprocity, or kin selection? Cooperative rescue of a conspecific from a boa in a nocturnal solitary forager the gray mouse lemur.}, journal = {American journal of primatology}, volume = {70}, number = {4}, pages = {410-414}, doi = {10.1002/ajp.20496}, pmid = {17972271}, issn = {0275-2565}, mesh = {Animals ; Behavior, Animal/*physiology ; Cheirogaleidae/genetics/*physiology ; *Cooperative Behavior ; Female ; Madagascar ; Male ; Observation ; Pedigree ; *Selection, Genetic ; }, abstract = {Predator mobbing is a widespread phenomenon in many taxa but the evolution of cooperative mobbing as an adaptive behavior is still subject to debate. Here, we report evidence for cooperative predator defense in a nocturnal solitarily foraging primate, the gray mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus). Several mouse lemurs mobbed a snake that held a non-related male conspecific until he could escape. Evolutionary hypotheses to explain cooperative mobbing include (1) by-product mutualism, when individuals defend others in the process of defending themselves; (2) reciprocity, where animals achieve a higher fitness when helping each other than when they do not cooperate; and (3) kin selection where animals help each other only if they share genes by common descent. Owing to the solitary activity of this species, reciprocity seems to be least likely to explain our observations. By-product mutualism cannot be ruled out entirely but, if costs of snake mobbing are relatively low, the available detailed socio-genetic information indicates that kin selection, rather than any of the other proposed mechanisms, is the primary evolutionary force behind the observed cooperative rescue.}, } @article {pmid17971224, year = {2007}, author = {Feldhaar, H and Straka, J and Krischke, M and Berthold, K and Stoll, S and Mueller, MJ and Gross, R}, title = {Nutritional upgrading for omnivorous carpenter ants by the endosymbiont Blochmannia.}, journal = {BMC biology}, volume = {5}, number = {}, pages = {48}, pmid = {17971224}, issn = {1741-7007}, mesh = {Amino Acids/analysis ; Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena ; Animals ; Ants/microbiology/*physiology ; DNA Fingerprinting ; DNA, Bacterial/genetics ; Enterobacteriaceae/*physiology ; Hemolymph/chemistry ; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; *Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Carpenter ants (genus Camponotus) are considered to be omnivores. Nonetheless, the genome sequence of Blochmannia floridanus, the obligate intracellular endosymbiont of Camponotus floridanus, suggests a function in nutritional upgrading of host resources by the bacterium. Thus, the strongly reduced genome of the endosymbiont retains genes for all subunits of a functional urease, as well as those for biosynthetic pathways for all but one (arginine) of the amino acids essential to the host.

RESULTS: Nutritional upgrading by Blochmannia was tested in 90-day feeding experiments with brood-raising in worker-groups on chemically defined diets with and without essential amino acids and treated or not with antibiotics. Control groups were fed with cockroaches, honey water and Bhatkar agar. Worker-groups were provided with brood collected from the queenright mother-colonies (45 eggs and 45 first instar larvae each). Brood production did not differ significantly between groups of symbiotic workers on diets with and without essential amino acids. However, aposymbiotic worker groups raised significantly less brood on a diet lacking essential amino acids. Reduced brood production by aposymbiotic workers was compensated when those groups were provided with essential amino acids in their diet. Decrease of endosymbionts due to treatment with antibiotic was monitored by qRT-PCR and FISH after the 90-day experimental period. Urease function was confirmed by feeding experiments using 15N-labelled urea. GC-MS analysis of 15N-enrichment of free amino acids in workers revealed significant labelling of the non-essential amino acids alanine, glycine, aspartic acid, and glutamic acid, as well as of the essential amino acids methionine and phenylalanine.

CONCLUSION: Our results show that endosymbiotic Blochmannia nutritionally upgrade the diet of C. floridanus hosts to provide essential amino acids, and that it may also play a role in nitrogen recycling via its functional urease. Blochmannia may confer a significant fitness advantage via nutritional upgrading by enhancing competitive ability of Camponotus with other ant species lacking such an endosymbiont. Domestication of the endosymbiont may have facilitated the evolutionary success of the genus Camponotus.}, } @article {pmid17952017, year = {2008}, author = {Baptista, T and Aldana, E and Angeles, F and Beaulieu, S}, title = {Evolution theory: an overview of its applications in psychiatry.}, journal = {Psychopathology}, volume = {41}, number = {1}, pages = {17-27}, doi = {10.1159/000109951}, pmid = {17952017}, issn = {1423-033X}, mesh = {Adaptation, Psychological ; *Biological Evolution ; Humans ; Mental Disorders/genetics ; Psychiatry/*trends ; *Psychological Theory ; Sociobiology ; }, abstract = {OBJECTIVES: (1) Describe the concept, mechanisms and outcome of evolution; (2) review the current topics in research and clinical psychiatry where evolutionary concepts are explicitly applied.

METHODS: The authors reviewed relevant textbooks of evolution, evolutionary psychiatry/psychology and articles in scientific journals, and discussed these topics in a college course at McGill University School of Medicine, Montreal, Canada.

RESULTS: (1) Most natural scientists agree that evolution has occurred in all living beings. However, the mechanisms and outcomes of evolution are controversial. (2) In the first three quarters of the 20th century, several authors provided theories about human psychology based on ethological concepts. The so-called evolutionary psychology/psychiatry developed more recently, and it explores the adaptive/nonadaptive features of psychopathology and mental disorders. In the 1990 s a concept of mental disorder (as a harmful dysfunction) based on evolutionary theory has been developed.

CONCLUSIONS: Evolution is a pivotal concept in biology with relevant applications in psychiatry. We suggest encouraging the interaction between psychiatric educators and researchers in evolutionary psychiatry and biology in order to improve the education of psychiatric residents in this subject.}, } @article {pmid17879668, year = {2007}, author = {Wohlrab, S and Fink, B and Pyritz, LW and Rahlfs, M and Kappeler, PM}, title = {Visual attention to plain and ornamented human bodies: an eye-tracking study.}, journal = {Perceptual and motor skills}, volume = {104}, number = {3 Pt 2}, pages = {1337-1349}, doi = {10.2466/pms.104.4.1337-1349}, pmid = {17879668}, issn = {0031-5125}, mesh = {Adult ; Affect/*physiology ; Body Modification, Non-Therapeutic/*psychology ; Cicatrix/psychology ; Computer Simulation ; Esthetics/psychology ; Eye Movements/*physiology ; Female ; Fixation, Ocular/*physiology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Sex Factors ; Sexual Behavior/psychology ; Social Perception ; Somatotypes/psychology ; Tattooing/psychology ; Time Factors ; Visual Perception/*physiology ; }, abstract = {Signaling mate quality through visual adornments is a common phenomenon in animals and humans. However, humans are probably the only species who applies artificial ornaments. Such deliberate alterations of the skin, e.g., tattoos and scarring patterns, have been discussed by researchers as potential handicap signals, but there is still very little information about a potential biological signaling value of body modification. In this study eye-tracking was employed to investigate the signaling value of tattoos and other body modification. Measurement of gaze duration of 50 individuals while watching plain, scarred, accessorized, and tattooed bodies of artificial human images indicated that participants looked significantly longer at tattooed than at scarred, accessorized, and plain bodies. Generally, male participants paid more attention to tattooed stimuli of both sexes. More detailed analyses showed that particularly female tattooed stimuli were looked at longer. These findings are discussed within an evolutionary framework by suggesting that tattoos might have some signaling value which influences the perception of both male and female conspecifics and may hence also affect mating decisions.}, } @article {pmid17786975, year = {2007}, author = {Thompson, GJ and Yockey, H and Lim, J and Oldroyd, BP}, title = {Experimental manipulation of ovary activation and gene expression in honey bee (Apis mellifera) queens and workers: testing hypotheses of reproductive regulation.}, journal = {Journal of experimental zoology. Part A, Ecological genetics and physiology}, volume = {307}, number = {10}, pages = {600-610}, doi = {10.1002/jez.415}, pmid = {17786975}, issn = {1932-5223}, mesh = {Animals ; Bees/*genetics ; Carbon Dioxide/*pharmacology ; Female ; Gene Expression/drug effects/*genetics ; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental/drug effects/*genetics ; *Genes, Insect ; Ovary/drug effects/*physiology ; RNA, Messenger/metabolism ; Receptors, Biogenic Amine/genetics ; Reproduction/drug effects/*genetics ; Ribosomal Proteins/genetics ; }, abstract = {A fundamental issue in sociobiology is to understand how social insect females regulate their individual reproduction to maximize colony and personal fitness. Although the social cues mediating reproductive output within castes of the honey bees (Apis mellifera) are understood at a basic level, the underlying gene regulatory networks are not. In this study, we investigate the expression of 25 genes whose function suggests a role in the gene networks that regulate ovary activation--a functional determinant of reproductive skew. To this end, we used CO2 narcosis to manipulate ovary activation in queens and workers, and then quantified concomitant changes in gene expression using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Of the 25 genes studied, ten were differentially expressed between treated and control groups in at least one caste. Two of these genes, a ribosomal protein and a tyramine receptor, were differentially expressed between treatments and controls in both castes. We use the expression pattern of all differentially expressed genes to test hypotheses for the caste-specific regulation of ovary activation in honey bees.}, } @article {pmid17762151, year = {2007}, author = {Modak, T and Pradhan, S and Watve, M}, title = {Sociobiology of biodegradation and the role of predatory protozoa in biodegrading communities.}, journal = {Journal of biosciences}, volume = {32}, number = {4}, pages = {775-780}, pmid = {17762151}, issn = {0250-5991}, mesh = {Animals ; Eukaryota/*physiology ; Models, Biological ; }, abstract = {Predatory protozoa are known to enhance biodegradation by bacteria in a variety of systems including rumen. This is apparently counterintuitive since many protozoa do not themselves produce extracellular degradative enzymes and prey upon bacterial degraders. We propose a mechanism of protozoal enhancement of bacterial biodegradation based on the sociobiology of biodegradation. Since extracellular enzyme production by degraders involves a cost to the bacterial cell, cheaters that do not make the enzyme will have a selective advantage. In the presence of cheaters, degraders that physically attach to water-insoluble substrate will have a selective advantage over free-floating degraders. On the other hand, cheaters will benefit by being free floaters since they consume the solubilized products of extracellular enzymes. Predatory ciliated protozoa are more likely to consume free-floating cheaters. Thus, due to protozoan predation a control is exerted on the cheater population. We illustrate the dynamics of such a system with the help of a computer simulation model. Available data on rumen and other biodegradation systems involving protozoa are compatible with the assumptions and predictions of the model.}, } @article {pmid17722990, year = {2006}, author = {Prindle, D}, title = {Stephen Jay Gould as a political theorist.}, journal = {Politics and the life sciences : the journal of the Association for Politics and the Life Sciences}, volume = {25}, number = {1-2}, pages = {2-14}, doi = {10.2990/1471-5457(2006)25[2:SJGAAP]2.0.CO;2}, pmid = {17722990}, issn = {0730-9384}, mesh = {Biological Evolution ; History, 20th Century ; History, 21st Century ; Humans ; Male ; Natural History ; *Paleontology ; *Philosophy ; *Political Systems ; *Sociobiology ; }, abstract = {Before his death in 2002, paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould elaborated a large and inclusive theory of life's change. In this essay I concentrate on the aspects of Gould's vast theory that have the most direct political relevance. I briefly discuss his views on the philosophy of science. I examine the way he combined political values and methodology in a seamless, critical analysis of intelligence-testing and sociobiology. I concentrate most extensively on the impact his "punctuated equilibria" concept has made on contemporary political analysis, and I demonstrate that in their appropriation of this concept political scientists have violated the rules that Gould himself articulated for its use. In closing, I consider the possibility that a comprehensive theory of life, a theory that must include political values, might approach traditional questions of political thought more satisfyingly than has conventional philosophy.}, } @article {pmid17722989, year = {2006}, author = {Tingley, D}, title = {Evolving political science. Biological adaptation, rational action, and symbolism.}, journal = {Politics and the life sciences : the journal of the Association for Politics and the Life Sciences}, volume = {25}, number = {1-2}, pages = {23-41}, doi = {10.2990/1471-5457(2006)25[23:EPS]2.0.CO;2}, pmid = {17722989}, issn = {0730-9384}, mesh = {*Adaptation, Biological ; *Biological Evolution ; *Genetics, Behavioral ; Humans ; *Political Systems ; Selection, Genetic ; *Sociobiology ; }, abstract = {Political science, as a discipline, has been reluctant to adopt theories and methodologies developed in fields studying human behavior from an evolutionary standpoint. I ask whether evolutionary concepts are reconcilable with standard political-science theories and whether those concepts help solve puzzles to which these theories classically are applied. I find that evolutionary concepts readily and simultaneously accommodate theories of rational choice, symbolism, interpretation, and acculturation. Moreover, phenomena perennially hard to explain in standard political science become clearer when human interactions are understood in light of natural selection and evolutionary psychology. These phenomena include the political and economic effects of emotion, status, personal attractiveness, and variations in information-processing and decision-making under uncertainty; exemplary is the use of "focal points" in multiple-equilibrium games. I conclude with an overview of recent research by, and ongoing debates among, scholars analyzing politics in evolutionarily sophisticated terms.}, } @article {pmid17716686, year = {2007}, author = {Kleineidam, CJ and Rössler, W and Hölldobler, B and Roces, F}, title = {Perceptual differences in trail-following leaf-cutting ants relate to body size.}, journal = {Journal of insect physiology}, volume = {53}, number = {12}, pages = {1233-1241}, doi = {10.1016/j.jinsphys.2007.06.015}, pmid = {17716686}, issn = {0022-1910}, mesh = {Animals ; Ants/*physiology ; Behavior, Animal/*physiology ; Body Size/*physiology ; Motor Activity/*physiology ; Perception/*physiology ; Pheromones ; }, abstract = {Leaf-cutting ants of the genus Atta have highly size-polymorphic workers, and size is related to division of labor. We studied trail-following behavior of different-sized workers in a laboratory colony of Atta vollenweideri. For small and large workers, we measured responsiveness and preference to artificial conspecific and heterospecific pheromone trails made from poison gland extracts of A. vollenweideri and A. sexdens. Responsiveness was measured as the probability of trail-following, and preference was measured by testing the discrimination between one conspecific and one heterospecific trail. Minute amounts of the releaser component methyl-4-methylpyrrole-2-carboxylate (0.4pg/1m), present in both, conspecific and heterospecific trails, suffice to elicit trail-following behavior. Workers followed heterospecific trails, and these trails (after normalizing their concentration) were as effective as conspecific trails. Small workers were less likely to follow a trail of a given concentration than large workers. In the discrimination test, small workers preferred the conspecific trail over the heterospecific trail, whereas large workers showed no significant preference. It is suggested that large workers primarily respond to the releaser component present in both trails, whereas small workers focus more on the conspecific traits provided by the blend of components contained in the trail pheromone.}, } @article {pmid17705223, year = {2008}, author = {Fichtel, C}, title = {Ontogeny of conspecific and heterospecific alarm call recognition in wild Verreaux's sifakas (Propithecus verreauxi verreauxi).}, journal = {American journal of primatology}, volume = {70}, number = {2}, pages = {127-135}, doi = {10.1002/ajp.20464}, pmid = {17705223}, issn = {0275-2565}, mesh = {Acoustic Stimulation ; Age Factors ; Animals ; Escape Reaction/physiology ; Madagascar ; Pattern Recognition, Physiological/*physiology ; Species Specificity ; Strepsirhini/*growth & development/physiology ; Vocalization, Animal/*physiology ; }, abstract = {The production of vocalizations in nonhuman primates is predominantly innate, whereas learning influences the usage and comprehension of vocalizations. In this study, I examined the development of alarm call recognition in free-ranging infant Verreaux's sifakas. Specifically, I investigated their ability to recognize conspecific alarm calls as well as those of sympatric redfronted lemurs (Eulemur fulvus rufus) in Kirindy forest, western Madagascar. Both species have functionally referential alarm calls for aerial predators and give general alarm calls for both aerial and general predators and also other kinds of threats, such as intergroup encounters with conspecifics. I conducted playback experiments with members of two birth cohorts (nine and ten individuals) to determine the age at which infant Verreaux's sifakas discriminate between conspecific alarm calls, heterospecific alarm calls, and non-alarm vocalizations (parrot song). Most 3-4 months old infants fled toward adults after hearing any playback stimuli, whereas 4-5-month-old infants did so only after presentation of alarm calls. Moreover, all infants of these age classes showed a longer latency to flee after the parrot song indicating their emerging ability to discriminate between alarm calls and non-alarm stimuli. At an age of about 6 months, infants switched from fleeing toward adults to performing adult-like escape responses after presentation of conspecific and heterospecific alarm calls. Thus, the ability to discriminate between alarm from non-alarm stimuli precedes the appearance of adult-like responses. The transition to adult-like escape behavior was coincident with the physical independence of infants from their mothers.}, } @article {pmid17662895, year = {2007}, author = {Westerhof, W}, title = {Evolutionary, biologic, and social aspects of skin color.}, journal = {Dermatologic clinics}, volume = {25}, number = {3}, pages = {293-302, vii}, doi = {10.1016/j.det.2007.05.001}, pmid = {17662895}, issn = {0733-8635}, mesh = {Animals ; *Biological Evolution ; Biology ; Hominidae ; Humans ; Pan troglodytes ; Racial Groups/genetics ; Skin Pigmentation/genetics/*physiology ; *Sociobiology ; }, abstract = {To understand the diversity of skin color now observed in people of the five continents, one has to go back in history. In fact, geology, archeological findings, biology and medical science, as well as anthropology, linguistics, and contemporary genetic techniques enable us to patch up a clear picture of the past up to the present - the evolution of the Homo sapiens. Owing to its undeniable visibility, skin color has always had a sociologic connotation, which has up to the present time caused division between people.}, } @article {pmid17639411, year = {2007}, author = {Leonhardt, SD and Brandstaetter, AS and Kleineidam, CJ}, title = {Reformation process of the neuronal template for nestmate-recognition cues in the carpenter ant Camponotus floridanus.}, journal = {Journal of comparative physiology. A, Neuroethology, sensory, neural, and behavioral physiology}, volume = {193}, number = {9}, pages = {993-1000}, pmid = {17639411}, issn = {0340-7594}, mesh = {Aggression ; Animals ; Ants/*physiology ; Hydrocarbons ; Male ; Neurons, Afferent/physiology ; Recognition, Psychology/*physiology ; *Social Behavior ; Stimulation, Chemical ; }, abstract = {Ants use cuticular hydrocarbons (CHC-profiles) as multicomponent recognition cues to identify colony members (nestmates). Recognition cues (label) are thought to be perceived during ant-ant encounters and compared to a neuronal template that represents the colony label. Over time, the CHC-profile may change, and the template is adjusted accordingly. A phenotype mismatch between label and template, as happens with CHC-profiles of foreign workers (non-nestmates), frequently leads to aggressive behavior. We investigated the template reformation in workers of the carpenter ant Camponotus floridanus by masking their antennae with postpharyngeal gland (PPG) extracts from nestmates or non-nestmates. The behavioral response of manipulated workers encountering unmanipulated workers was measured independently after 2 and after 15 h. After 2 h of incubation, workers treated with either of the two PPG-extracts showed low aggression towards nestmates and high aggression towards non-nestmates. In contrast, after 15 h of incubation, workers treated with non-nestmate PPG-extract showed low aggression towards both nestmates and non-nestmates. The slow (>2 h) adjustment of the template indicates a reformation localized in the central nervous system rather than in chemosensory neurons. In addition, our data show that template adjustment to a new CHC-profile does not impair the assessment of the old CHC-profile as nestmate label.}, } @article {pmid17610828, year = {2007}, author = {Dapporto, L and Romana Dani, F and Turillazzi, S}, title = {Social dominance molds cuticular and egg chemical blends in a paper wasp.}, journal = {Current biology : CB}, volume = {17}, number = {13}, pages = {R504-5}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2007.05.002}, pmid = {17610828}, issn = {0960-9822}, mesh = {Animals ; Female ; Fertility/physiology ; Hydrocarbons/*metabolism ; Ovum/*metabolism ; *Social Dominance ; Wasps/*metabolism ; }, abstract = {Hamilton's theory [1] for the evolution of social behaviour predicts that helpers may renounce direct reproduction to help their more fertile kin. Intra-colony recognition among queens and helpers (subordinate queens or workers) is consequently a central issue in insect sociobiology. In social insects, cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) are involved in recognition, and egg-laying and non-egg-laying individuals often differ in CHC composition. These differences are assumed to be directly determined by fertility status [2,3]. In several ants and in Polistes wasps, when egg-layers disappear they are substituted by helpers, which develop their ovaries and become chemically similar to their former queens [2,3]. Sometimes helpers lay eggs in the presence of queens, which recognize and destroy the subordinates' eggs [4]. In ponerine ants, eggs often have the same chemical signature as the maternal cuticle [2]. If chemical signatures depend on fertility, egg-laying subordinates should match the queen's signature even when she is present, making egg recognition and differential oophagy impossible. In the study reported here, we experimentally separated fertility from dominance and analyzed the dynamics of hydrocarbon profiles of the cuticle of Polistes dominulus foundresses and the shell surface of their eggs. We have demonstrated that, contrary to the widely accepted view, dominance, rather than fertility, determines chemical signatures in Polistes wasps. This explains why queens can recognize their own eggs and police reproduction by subordinates if they become fertile and lay eggs.}, } @article {pmid17577211, year = {2008}, author = {Hilgartner, R and Zinner, D and Kappeler, PM}, title = {Life history traits and parental care in Lepilemur ruficaudatus.}, journal = {American journal of primatology}, volume = {70}, number = {1}, pages = {2-11}, doi = {10.1002/ajp.20410}, pmid = {17577211}, issn = {0275-2565}, mesh = {Animals ; Female ; Lemuridae/*growth & development/*physiology ; Litter Size ; Male ; *Maternal Behavior ; Pair Bond ; *Paternal Behavior ; Predatory Behavior ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy, Animal ; Reproduction ; Seasons ; }, abstract = {In this study we investigated the importance of biparental care for the evolution and/or maintenance of pair-living in red-tailed sportive lemurs (Lepilemur ruficaudatus), a nocturnal folivorous lemur. Between 2000 and 2005, we collected data on life history traits from a total of 14 radio-collared pairs of adults and their offspring in Kirindy forest, western Madagascar. Predation rate varied between years with a minimum of 0% and a maximum of 40% per year. Patterns of parental care were quantified during simultaneous focal observations of both pair-partners in 2003 and 2004. Mating activity was limited to the months of May and June, as indicated by conspicuous changes of vulval morphology and male mate guarding behavior. After a gestation length of about 5 months, which is much longer than expected for a lemur of this body mass, single infants were born in November. Lactation lasted for about 50 days. Apart from lactation, females provided infant care by warming, grooming and transporting infants orally. Infants were parked in dense vegetation while females foraged. Males were seen only rarely in proximity to infants and we found no evidence for direct infant care provided by social fathers. We conclude that the necessity of direct infant care cannot explain the evolution and/or maintenance of pair-living in Lepilemur ruficaudatus.}, } @article {pmid17535420, year = {2007}, author = {Wilting, A and Buckley-Beason, VA and Feldhaar, H and Gadau, J and O'Brien, SJ and Linsenmair, KE}, title = {Clouded leopard phylogeny revisited: support for species recognition and population division between Borneo and Sumatra.}, journal = {Frontiers in zoology}, volume = {4}, number = {}, pages = {15}, pmid = {17535420}, issn = {1742-9994}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: The clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) is one of the least known cat species and depletion of their forested habitats puts it under heavy pressure. Recently reclassification of Bornean clouded leopards (N. nebulosa diardi) to species level (N.diardi) was suggested based on molecular and morphological evidence. Since the genetic results were based solely on three Bornean samples we re-evaluated this partition using additional samples of Bornean clouded leopards (N = 7) and we were also able to include specimens from Sumatra (N = 3), which were lacking in previous analysis.

RESULTS: We found strong support for the distinction between N. nebulosa and N. diardi based on three fragments of mtDNA (900 bp) and 18 microsatellites. Forty-one fixed mitochondrial nucleotide differences and non-overlapping allele sizes in 8 of 18 microsatellite loci distinguished N. nebulosa and N. diardi. This is equivalent to the genetic divergence among recognized species in the genus Panthera. Sumatran clouded leopards clustered with specimens from Borneo, suggesting that Sumatran individuals also belong to N. diardi. Additionally, a significant population subdivision was apparent among N. diardi from Sumatra and Borneo based on mtDNA and microsatellite data.

CONCLUSION: Referring to their origin on two Sunda Islands we propose to give N. diardi the common name "Sundaland clouded leopard". The reduced gene flow between Borneo and Sumatra might suggest the recognition of two subspecies of N. diardi. Based on this reclassification of clouded leopards not only species, but also the populations on Borneo and Sumatra should be managed separately and a higher priority should be placed to protect the different populations from extinction.}, } @article {pmid17511107, year = {2007}, author = {Gray, J}, title = {Are we born moral?.}, journal = {The New York review of books}, volume = {54}, number = {8}, pages = {26-28}, pmid = {17511107}, issn = {0028-7504}, mesh = {Animals ; Behavior/classification/ethics ; *Biological Evolution ; History, 18th Century ; History, 19th Century ; History, 20th Century ; History, 21st Century ; History, Ancient ; Humans ; *Morals ; *Philosophy/history ; Primates/psychology ; *Sociobiology/history/methods/trends ; }, abstract = {Reviews of: Hauser, Marc D. Moral minds: how nature designed our universal sense of right and wrong. (New York: Ecco, 2006); and Waal, F.B.M. de. Primates and philosophers: how morality evolved. (Princeton, N.J. : Princeton University Press, 2006).}, } @article {pmid17470343, year = {2007}, author = {Foster, KR and Xavier, JB}, title = {Cooperation: bridging ecology and sociobiology.}, journal = {Current biology : CB}, volume = {17}, number = {9}, pages = {R319-21}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2007.03.005}, pmid = {17470343}, issn = {0960-9822}, mesh = {Animals ; Biofilms/*growth & development ; *Biological Evolution ; *Cooperative Behavior ; Ecology ; *Environment ; Models, Biological ; Pseudomonas fluorescens/*growth & development ; Sociobiology ; }, abstract = {Ecology is considered central to the evolution of cooperation, but there is little direct evidence for this. New support for the idea has come from a study which shifted the path of evolution from cooperation to cheating in flasks of bacteria, simply by altering their disturbance regime.}, } @article {pmid17448474, year = {2007}, author = {Fichtel, C and Kraus, C and Ganswindt, A and Heistermann, M}, title = {Influence of reproductive season and rank on fecal glucocorticoid levels in free-ranging male Verreaux's sifakas (Propithecus verreauxi).}, journal = {Hormones and behavior}, volume = {51}, number = {5}, pages = {640-648}, doi = {10.1016/j.yhbeh.2007.03.005}, pmid = {17448474}, issn = {0018-506X}, mesh = {Adrenal Cortex Hormones/analysis/*metabolism ; Aggression/physiology ; Analysis of Variance ; Animals ; Feces/chemistry ; Hierarchy, Social ; Immunoassay/methods ; Male ; Reproduction/*physiology ; *Seasons ; *Social Dominance ; Strepsirhini/*metabolism ; }, abstract = {Studies in anthropoid primates and other mammals suggest that reproductive season, rank, reproductive skew, aggression received, and social support are the major factors influencing glucocorticoid output. In which way these are also affecting adrenal function in lemurid primates has been studied rarely. Here, we examine the influence of reproductive season and rank on glucocorticoid output in male sifakas (Propithecus verreauxi), a species characterized by high breeding seasonality, a hierarchy among males and extreme reproductive skew towards dominant males. We established a fecal assay for non-invasively monitoring adrenal activity and collected 315 fecal samples during the reproductive and birth season from 10 male sifakas living in 5 groups in Western Madagascar. We found a significant effect of season on glucocorticoid output, with males exhibiting higher fecal glucocorticoid levels during the reproductive compared to the birth season in conjunction with an increase in overall aggression rates during the former period. Moreover, our data indicate a significant effect of rank on adrenocortical activity with dominant males exhibiting higher glucocorticoid levels than subordinate males in the reproductive season. However, dominant males did not differ significantly in rates of initiated or received aggression and rates of affiliative behavior from subordinates but showed significantly lower rates of submission. Given their highly formalized dominance relationships, we conclude that higher glucocorticoid output in dominant males during the 4-month reproductive season is likely related to higher energetic demands necessary to cope with the challenges of male reproduction rather than to physical demands of increased fighting frequency to maintain dominance status. High rank in sifakas may thus carry high costs, which, however, may be outweighed by monopolization of almost all paternities. In sum, our data generally support the findings on the relationship between environmental and social factors and glucocorticoid output found in non-lemurid primates.}, } @article {pmid17382343, year = {2007}, author = {Kleineidam, CJ and Ruchty, M and Casero-Montes, ZA and Roces, F}, title = {Thermal radiation as a learned orientation cue in leaf-cutting ants (Atta vollenweideri).}, journal = {Journal of insect physiology}, volume = {53}, number = {5}, pages = {478-487}, doi = {10.1016/j.jinsphys.2007.01.011}, pmid = {17382343}, issn = {0022-1910}, mesh = {*Animal Communication ; Animals ; Ants/physiology ; Convection ; Cues ; *Feeding Behavior ; Functional Laterality ; Hot Temperature ; *Infrared Rays ; *Orientation ; Thermal Conductivity ; }, abstract = {We explored the ability of leaf-cutting ants (Atta vollenweideri) to learn the location of a food reward by using thermal information as an orientation cue. During training of single workers, the conditioned stimulus was a distant thermal source placed frontally, 15 mm away from a platform having a leaf fragment as reward. After training, single workers were confronted with the choice between two sides, one being coupled, in a pseudo-randomized design, with a thermal stimulus heated 5 degrees C above environmental temperature. After 10 learning trials, workers significantly chose the side with the thermal stimulus. This showed that workers can use thermal information for spatial orientation in the context of foraging, which may help them to locate, for instance, highly attractive sun-exposed leaves. Thermal radiation alone as orientation cue was sufficient to allow learning, since preclusion of thermal convection during training and test did not impair workers' response. Shielding of both thorax and gaster from the thermal source did not weaken learning, suggesting the sole participation of head and antennae in temperature reception. A thermal stimulus heated 1 degrees C above environmental temperature could not be used as a learned orientation cue, even when foragers were allowed to directly contact the thermal source.}, } @article {pmid17379522, year = {2007}, author = {Brockhurst, MA and Buckling, A and Gardner, A}, title = {Cooperation peaks at intermediate disturbance.}, journal = {Current biology : CB}, volume = {17}, number = {9}, pages = {761-765}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2007.02.057}, pmid = {17379522}, issn = {0960-9822}, support = {//Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom ; }, mesh = {Biofilms/*growth & development ; *Biological Evolution ; *Cooperative Behavior ; *Environment ; *Models, Biological ; Population Dynamics ; Pseudomonas fluorescens/*growth & development ; Selection, Genetic ; Sociobiology ; }, abstract = {Explaining cooperation is a challenge for evolutionary biology. Surprisingly, the role of extrinsic ecological parameters remains largely unconsidered. Disturbances are widespread in nature and have evolutionary consequences. We develop a mathematical model predicting that cooperative traits most readily evolve at intermediate disturbance. Under infrequent disturbance, cooperation breaks down through the accumulation of evolved cheats. Higher rates of disturbance prevent this because the resulting bottlenecks increase genetic structuring (relatedness) promoting kin selection for cooperation. However, cooperation cannot be sustained under very frequent disturbance if population density remains below the level required for successful cooperation. We tested these predictions by using cooperative biofilm formation by the bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens. The proportion of biofilm-forming bacteria peaked at intermediate disturbance, in a manner consistent with model predictions. Under infrequent and intermediate disturbance, most bacteria occupied the biofilm, but the proportion of cheats was higher under less frequent disturbance. Under frequent disturbance, many bacteria did not occupy the biofilm, suggesting that biofilm dwelling was not as beneficial under frequent versus intermediate disturbance. Given the ubiquity of disturbances in nature, these results suggest that they may play a major role in the evolution of social traits in microbes.}, } @article {pmid17330867, year = {2007}, author = {Löttker, P and Huck, M and Zinner, DP and Heymann, EW}, title = {Grooming relationships between breeding females and adult group members in cooperatively breeding moustached tamarins (Saguinus mystax).}, journal = {American journal of primatology}, volume = {69}, number = {10}, pages = {1159-1172}, doi = {10.1002/ajp.20411}, pmid = {17330867}, issn = {0275-2565}, mesh = {Animals ; Female ; Fertility/*physiology ; *Grooming ; *Helping Behavior ; Male ; Maternal Behavior ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy, Animal/*psychology ; Saguinus/physiology/*psychology ; Sexual Behavior, Animal ; Social Behavior ; Time Factors ; }, abstract = {Grooming is the most common form of affiliative behavior in primates that apart from hygienic and hedonistic benefits offers important social benefits for the performing individuals. This study examined grooming behavior in a cooperatively breeding primate species, characterized by single female breeding per group, polyandrous matings, dizygotic twinning, delayed offspring dispersal, and intensive helping behavior. In this system, breeding females profit from the presence of helpers but also helpers profit from staying in a group and assisting in infant care due to the accumulation of direct and indirect fitness benefits. We examined grooming relationships of breeding females with three classes of partners (breeding males, potentially breeding males, (sub)adult non-breeding offspring) during three reproductive phases (post-partum ovarian inactivity, ovarian activity, pregnancy) in two groups of wild moustached tamarins (Saguinus mystax). We investigated whether grooming can be used to regulate group size by either "pay-for-help" or "pay-to-stay" mechanisms. Grooming of breeding females with breeding males and non-breeding offspring was more intense and more balanced than with potentially breeding males, and most grooming occurred during the breeding females' pregnancies. Grooming was skewed toward more investment by the breeding females with breeding males during the phases of ovarian activity, and with potentially breeding males during pregnancies. Our results suggest that grooming might be a mechanism used by female moustached tamarins to induce mate association with the breeding male, and to induce certain individuals to stay in the group and help with infant care.}, } @article {pmid17314628, year = {2007}, author = {Dowd, S and Davidhizar, R and Giger, JN}, title = {The mystery of altruism and transcultural nursing.}, journal = {The health care manager}, volume = {26}, number = {1}, pages = {64-67}, doi = {10.1097/00126450-200701000-00008}, pmid = {17314628}, issn = {1525-5794}, mesh = {*Altruism ; *Career Choice ; Humans ; *Transcultural Nursing ; United States ; }, abstract = {Why do some individuals choose the professions they do? Is it for altruistic reasons? This article examines this question from the standpoints of sociobiology, evolutionary biology, game theory, and memetics. Implications for transcultural nursing are included. The Giger-Davidhizar Transcultural Assessment Model is presented as a nursing model and might explain altruism even beyond other models. An overview of the Giger-Davidhizar Transcultural Assessment Model is included.}, } @article {pmid17312251, year = {2006}, author = {Segerstrale, U}, title = {Wilson and the unification of science.}, journal = {Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences}, volume = {1093}, number = {}, pages = {46-73}, doi = {10.1196/annals.1382.004}, pmid = {17312251}, issn = {0077-8923}, mesh = {Animals ; History, 20th Century ; History, 21st Century ; Humans ; *Interdisciplinary Communication ; Massachusetts ; Sociobiology/*history ; }, abstract = {This article analyzes the thought and intellectual contribution of Edward O. Wilson, among the most prominent and influential convergenists. It concentrates on the deep ambition going as a bright thread through Wilson's whole scientific output: the unification of science and knowledge. It traces the background of this ambition in Wilson's personal history and follows its various articulations throughout his career.}, } @article {pmid17288021, year = {2006}, author = {}, title = {Genes and lifestyle: are we victims of our own success?.}, journal = {Harvard men's health watch}, volume = {11}, number = {5}, pages = {1-3}, pmid = {17288021}, issn = {1089-1102}, mesh = {Agriculture/trends ; Biological Evolution ; Diet ; Escape Reaction/physiology ; Genetics, Population ; Humans ; Industry/trends ; Informatics/trends ; *Life Style ; Motor Activity ; *Sociobiology ; Stress, Physiological/physiopathology/prevention & control ; }, } @article {pmid17278868, year = {2006}, author = {Lantos, J}, title = {The sociobiology of humanism.}, journal = {The Hastings Center report}, volume = {36}, number = {6}, pages = {20-22}, doi = {10.1353/hcr.2006.0097}, pmid = {17278868}, issn = {0093-0334}, mesh = {*Altruism ; *Humanism ; Humans ; Motivation ; *Physician-Patient Relations ; *Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid17251126, year = {2007}, author = {Hilgartner, R and Raoilison, M and Büttiker, W and Lees, DC and Krenn, HW}, title = {Malagasy birds as hosts for eye-frequenting moths.}, journal = {Biology letters}, volume = {3}, number = {2}, pages = {117-120}, pmid = {17251126}, issn = {1744-9561}, support = {P 18425/FWF_/Austrian Science Fund FWF/Austria ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Birds/*parasitology ; Eye/*parasitology ; Feeding Behavior/*physiology ; Madagascar ; Male ; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning/veterinary ; Moths/anatomy & histology/*physiology/ultrastructure ; Tears/metabolism ; }, abstract = {While tear-feeding in moths on mammals is widespread, there have been no reports of this behaviour in Madagascar and none on birds. We report that a moth, Hemiceratoides hieroglyphica belonging to the Calpini, a generally fruit-feeding or blood-feeding lineage of noctuids, attacks sleeping birds in Madagascar. This moth is able to intrude its sharply tipped proboscis into a closed bird's eye. The proboscis is characterized by a specific armoury of hooks, barbs and spines similar to that in piercing calpines but dissimilar to that in other tear-feeding moths. This is the first report of exploitation of tears by Lepidoptera from the closed eyes of sleeping birds.}, } @article {pmid17245766, year = {2007}, author = {Fichtel, C}, title = {Avoiding predators at night: antipredator strategies in red-tailed sportive lemurs (Lepilemur ruficaudatus).}, journal = {American journal of primatology}, volume = {69}, number = {6}, pages = {611-624}, doi = {10.1002/ajp.20363}, pmid = {17245766}, issn = {0275-2565}, mesh = {Acoustic Stimulation ; Analysis of Variance ; *Animal Communication ; Animals ; Behavior, Animal/*physiology ; Escape Reaction/*physiology ; Lemuridae/*physiology ; Madagascar ; Predatory Behavior/physiology ; Sound Spectrography ; }, abstract = {Although about one-third of all primate species are nocturnal, their antipredator behavior has rarely been studied directly. Crypsis and a solitary lifestyle have traditionally been considered to be the main adaptive antipredator strategies of nocturnal primates. However, a number of recent studies have revealed that nocturnal primates are not as cryptic and solitary as previously suggested. Thus, the antipredator strategies available for diurnal primates that rely on early detection and warning of approaching predators may also be available to nocturnal species. In order to shed additional light on the antipredator strategies of nocturnal primates, I studied pair-living red-tailed sportive lemurs (Lepilemur ruficaudatus) in Western Madagascar. In an experimental field study I exposed adult sportive lemurs that lived in pairs and had offspring to playbacks of vocalizations of their main aerial and terrestrial predators, as well as to their own mobbing calls (barks) given in response to disturbances at their tree holes. I documented the subjects' immediate behavioral responses, including alarm calls, during the first minute following a playback. The sportive lemurs did not give alarm calls in response to predator call playbacks or to playbacks with barks. Other behavioral responses, such as gaze and escape directions, corresponded to the hunting strategies of the two classes of predators, suggesting that the corresponding vocalizations were correctly categorized. In response to barks, they scanned the ground and fled. Because barks do not indicate any specific threats, they are presumably general alarm calls. Thus, sportive lemurs do not rely on early warning of acoustically simulated predators; rather, they show adaptive escape strategies and use general alarm calls that are primarily directed toward the predator but may also serve to warn kin and pair-partners.}, } @article {pmid17216571, year = {2007}, author = {Gibbons, MC and Brock, M and Alberg, AJ and Glass, T and LaVeist, TA and Baylin, S and Levine, D and Fox, CE}, title = {The sociobiologic integrative model (SBIM): enhancing the integration of sociobehavioral, environmental, and biomolecular knowledge in urban health and disparities research.}, journal = {Journal of urban health : bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine}, volume = {84}, number = {2}, pages = {198-211}, pmid = {17216571}, issn = {1099-3460}, support = {ES 03819/ES/NIEHS NIH HHS/United States ; CA 73790/CA/NCI NIH HHS/United States ; U01 CA086308/CA/NCI NIH HHS/United States ; 5U01 CA 086308/CA/NCI NIH HHS/United States ; 5U01 AG 018033/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States ; P30 ES003819/ES/NIEHS NIH HHS/United States ; U01 AG018033/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Causality ; Environmental Exposure/adverse effects/economics ; *Epidemiologic Research Design ; Female ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease/epidemiology ; Genotype ; Humans ; Interdisciplinary Communication ; Lung Neoplasms/economics/epidemiology/etiology/genetics ; Male ; Models, Econometric ; Sociobiology/*methods ; *Socioeconomic Factors ; Sociology, Medical ; Systems Integration ; *Urban Health ; }, abstract = {Disentangling the myriad determinants of disease, within the context of urban health or health disparities, requires a transdisciplinary approach. Transdisciplinary approaches draw on concepts from multiple scientific disciplines to develop a novel, integrated perspective from which to conduct scientific investigation. Most historic and contemporary conceptual models of health were derived either from the sociobehavioral sciences or the biomolecular sciences. Those models deriving from the sociobehavioral sciences generally lack detail on involved biological mechanisms whereas those derived from the biomolecular sciences largely do not consider socioenvironmental determinants. As such, advances in transdisciplinary characterizations of health in complex systems like the urban environment or health disparities may be impeded. This paper suggests a sociobiologic organizing model that encourages a multilevel, integrative perspective in the study of urban health and health disparities.}, } @article {pmid17215376, year = {2007}, author = {Oprea, RD and Smith, VL and Winn, AM}, title = {A compensation election for binary social choice.}, journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America}, volume = {104}, number = {3}, pages = {1093-1096}, pmid = {17215376}, issn = {0027-8424}, mesh = {*Choice Behavior ; Cohort Studies ; Humans ; Models, Economic ; Sociobiology ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; }, abstract = {We report experimental results examining the properties of a bidding mechanism, the "Compensation Election," which is designed to implement a simple binary choice between two options. We may think of the group decision problem as a choice between a new rule and the status quo. The rule and the status quo are each common outcomes that apply across all individuals, but the value or cost that they induce on each individual differs according to each individual's circumstances: some gain, some lose, and others are unaffected by a change to the new from the old. Rather than casting votes, each subject submits a bid reflecting his willingness to pay to induce the group to select one option and the amount he wishes to be paid if the alternative option is selected. The Compensation Election chooses the option that receives the highest sum of bids. We find that, although the Compensation Election allows subjects to strategically bid above their value (or even for the option they do not prefer), such behavior is not the norm. We also find that subjects' bids more truthfully reveal their values when there are more bidders in the election.}, } @article {pmid17210011, year = {2007}, author = {Lehmann, L}, title = {The evolution of trans-generational altruism: kin selection meets niche construction.}, journal = {Journal of evolutionary biology}, volume = {20}, number = {1}, pages = {181-189}, doi = {10.1111/j.1420-9101.2006.01202.x}, pmid = {17210011}, issn = {1010-061X}, mesh = {*Adaptation, Biological ; *Altruism ; *Biological Evolution ; Computer Simulation ; *Models, Theoretical ; *Selection, Genetic ; }, abstract = {A cornerstone result of sociobiology states that limited dispersal can induce kin competition to offset the kin selected benefits of altruism. Several mechanisms have been proposed to circumvent this dilemma but all assume that actors and recipients of altruism interact during the same time period. Here, this assumption is relaxed and a model is developed where individuals express an altruistic act, which results in posthumously helping relatives living in the future. The analysis of this model suggests that kin selected benefits can then feedback on the evolution of the trait in a way that promotes altruistic helping at high rates under limited dispersal. The decoupling of kin competition and kin selected benefits results from the fact that by helping relatives living in the future, an actor is helping individuals that are not in direct competition with itself. A direct consequence is that behaviours which actors gain by reducing the common good of present and future generations can be opposed by kin selection. The present model integrates niche-constructing traits with kin selection theory and delineates demographic and ecological conditions under which altruism can be selected for; and conditions where the 'tragedy of the commons' can be reduced.}, } @article {pmid17207887, year = {2007}, author = {Foster, KR and Parkinson, K and Thompson, CR}, title = {What can microbial genetics teach sociobiology?.}, journal = {Trends in genetics : TIG}, volume = {23}, number = {2}, pages = {74-80}, pmid = {17207887}, issn = {0168-9525}, support = {G0400103(70396)/MRC_/Medical Research Council/United Kingdom ; G0400103/MRC_/Medical Research Council/United Kingdom ; 074950/WT_/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom ; 5P50 GM068763-01/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; P50 GM068763/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Coercion ; Genetics, Behavioral ; *Genetics, Microbial ; Humans ; Models, Biological ; Pedigree ; Social Identification ; *Sociobiology ; }, abstract = {Progress in our understanding of sociobiology has occurred with little knowledge of the genetic mechanisms that underlie social traits. However, several recent studies have described microbial genes that affect social traits, thereby bringing genetics to sociobiology. A key finding is that simple genetic changes can have marked social consequences, and mutations that affect cheating and recognition behaviors have been discovered. The study of these mutants confirms a central theoretical prediction of social evolution: that genetic relatedness promotes cooperation. Microbial genetics also provides an important new perspective: that the genome-to-phenome mapping of social organisms might be organized to constrain the evolution of social cheaters. This constraint can occur both through pleiotropic genes that link cheating to a personal cost and through the existence of phoenix genes, which rescue cooperative systems from selfish and destructive strategies. These new insights show the power of studying microorganisms to improve our understanding of the evolution of cooperation.}, } @article {pmid17196324, year = {2007}, author = {Plummer, R and Fennell, D}, title = {Exploring co-management theory: prospects for sociobiology and reciprocal altruism.}, journal = {Journal of environmental management}, volume = {85}, number = {4}, pages = {944-955}, doi = {10.1016/j.jenvman.2006.11.003}, pmid = {17196324}, issn = {0301-4797}, mesh = {Conservation of Natural Resources/*methods ; Models, Theoretical ; Sociobiology/*methods ; }, abstract = {Co-management has gained prominence due to the sustained interest in participatory forms of natural resource management. While theoretical development posed an initial challenge, it has become an integral part of the co-management literature. This paper comprehensively explores co-management theory. It begins with an investigation of theory itself. The major elements of theory (concepts, variables and relational propositions) are described and a typology of theoretical statements (formats) is conceptualized. Co-management theory is subsequently charted according to the four schemes (modelling, propositional, analytical and meta-theoretical) which make up the typology. Given the maturing nature of the co-management literature and the absence of any meta-theoretical schemes, we examine the central and underlying assumption of co-operation through the science of sociobiology. Reciprocal altruism is pursued to explain why non-kin co-operate, and is adapted to elucidate the potentials and pitfalls of co-management. This meta-theory enriches understanding of co-management, provides guidance to the other theoretical schemes, and offers a foundational basis upon which construction of subtle predications is possible.}, } @article {pmid17177313, year = {2007}, author = {Vogel, ER and Janson, CH}, title = {Predicting the frequency of food-related agonism in white-faced capuchin monkeys (Cebus capucinus), using a novel focal-tree method.}, journal = {American journal of primatology}, volume = {69}, number = {5}, pages = {533-550}, doi = {10.1002/ajp.20368}, pmid = {17177313}, issn = {0275-2565}, mesh = {*Agonistic Behavior ; Animals ; *Behavior, Animal ; Cebus/*psychology ; Costa Rica ; Feeding Behavior/*psychology ; Female ; Male ; Regression Analysis ; }, abstract = {Food abundance and distribution have played a central role in the conceptual theory of primate socioecology [Janson, Behaviour 105:53-76, 1988; Isbell, Behavioral Ecology 2:143-155, 1991; Sterck et al., Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 41:291-309, 1997; van Schaik, In: Standen V, Foley RA, editors, Comparative Socioecology. Oxford: Blackwell. p 195-218, 1989]. This theory predicts that agonistic ("contest") competition should occur when food is distributed in discrete, defensible patches; in contrast, when food sources are distributed uniformly or randomly, non-agonistic ("scramble") competition is expected. Primatologists usually measure resource density and patchiness from a botanical perspective, ignoring the biology of the animal being studied. Such an approach may be irrelevant in terms of how animals view the dispersion of resources. Using a novel focal-tree method that measures resource availability on a scale that is both spatially and temporally relevant to the animal under investigation, we take a cost-benefit approach to predict the frequency of food-related agonism in white-faced capuchin monkeys (Cebus capucinus) from 11 ecological and social variables. We retained four variables in the regression model: two representing the opportunity for aggression (i.e., feeding bout length and the number of feeding adult females), and two representing opportunity costs (i.e., fruit abundance and the number of potential feeding sites in the focal tree). The results of this study indicate that the amount of food-related aggression in white-faced capuchins can be predicted by variables representing the costs and benefits of contesting a food resource.}, } @article {pmid17160983, year = {2007}, author = {Fink, B and Neave, N and Seydel, H}, title = {Male facial appearance signals physical strength to women.}, journal = {American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council}, volume = {19}, number = {1}, pages = {82-87}, doi = {10.1002/ajhb.20583}, pmid = {17160983}, issn = {1042-0533}, mesh = {Adolescent ; Adult ; *Beauty ; *Face ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Marriage ; *Physical Fitness ; }, abstract = {Previous studies showed that male faces with extreme features that are likely to be associated with testosterone (T) are perceived as dominant and masculine. Women were reported to prefer masculinized male faces, as they may consider T markers to be an "honest" indication of good health. However, it is also likely that female preferences for certain male faces arise from the fact that dominant- and masculine-looking males are signaling characteristics which may be beneficial in intrasexual conflict, and thereby also indicate potential achievers of high status, an important factor in female mate selection. Although numerous studies were built on this assumption, nothing is known about the relationship between perceived facial dominance and physical strength in men. We measured hand-grip strength, as a measure of overall physical strength, in a sample of 32 male students, and recorded age, body weight, and height. Seventy-nine women rated facial images of these men for dominance, masculinity, and attractiveness. After controlling for age and body weight, hand-grip strength was found to correlate significantly positively with all three measures. The present data thus support the supposition that a male's physical strength is also signaled via facial characteristics of dominance and masculinity, which are considered attractive by women.}, } @article {pmid17146141, year = {2006}, author = {Adriaens, PR and De Block, A}, title = {The evolution of a social construction: the case of male homosexuality.}, journal = {Perspectives in biology and medicine}, volume = {49}, number = {4}, pages = {570-585}, doi = {10.1353/pbm.2006.0051}, pmid = {17146141}, issn = {0031-5982}, mesh = {Attitude/*ethnology ; *Cultural Evolution ; Homosexuality, Male/*ethnology/psychology ; Humans ; Interpersonal Relations ; Male ; Reproductive Behavior/ethnology/psychology ; Selection, Genetic ; Social Identification ; *Sociobiology ; }, abstract = {Male homosexuality has been viewed by evolutionary psychologists as a Darwinian paradox, and by other social scientists as a social construction. We argue that it is better understood as an evolutionary social construction. Male homosexuality as we now know it is an 18th-century invention, but nonexclusive same-sex sexual behavior has a long evolutionary history. According to the alliance-formation hypothesis, same-sex sexuality evolved by natural selection because it created or strengthened male-male alliances and allowed low-status males to reposition themselves in the group hierarchy and thereby increase their reproductive success. This hypothesis makes sense of some odd findings about male homosexuality and helps to explain the rise in exclusive male homosexuality in the 18th century. The sociohistorical conditions around 1700 may have resulted in an increase in same-sex sexual behavior. Cultural responses to same-sex sexuality led to the spread of exclusive homosexual behavior and to the creation of a homosexual identity. Understanding male homosexuality as an evolutionary social construction can help us move beyond the traditionally polarized debate between evolutionary psychologists and social constructionists.}, } @article {pmid17100096, year = {2006}, author = {Popov, SV}, title = {[Adaptivity of social systems: the problem for scientific research].}, journal = {Zhurnal obshchei biologii}, volume = {67}, number = {5}, pages = {335-343}, pmid = {17100096}, issn = {0044-4596}, mesh = {*Adaptation, Physiological ; Animals ; *Biological Evolution ; Hormones/physiology ; Humans ; *Models, Biological ; Nervous System Physiological Phenomena ; *Social Behavior ; *Sociobiology ; Species Specificity ; }, abstract = {The notion of adaptive evolution of social systems as of a real process of selection of the properties of such systems implies group selection. But strong evidences of effective group selection seem impossible, at least in vertebrates. However, understanding the origin of social systems adaptivity based on individual selection is difficult, as well, without analyzing the proximal mechanisms of the formation of such systems. I suppose that social systems change due to changes of individual features that underlie the proximal mechanisms of the system formation. These features are the characteristics of neurophysiological and hormonal regulatory mechanisms. They are strongly associated with intrinsic biochemical processes and are coded in the genome. Thus, the evolution of social systems is the evolution of their proximal mechanisms. At the same time, the specificity of neurophysiological and hormonal regulation determines not only social interactions, but also the individual behaviour of animals. The most important characteristics of life history, such as the regime of activity, foraging strategy, etc., are strongly affected by the same regulatory mechanisms. This view is useful for understanding the relations combining many features into an integrated and adaptive species-specific life form. I suppose that such forms emerged as evolutionary consequences of changes in regulatory mechanisms adaptive to specific environment. Thus, we have as substantial reasons to discuss adaptations of social systems to ecological features as to discuss ecological features adapted to particular social systems. The species-specificity of regulatory mechanisms is probably based on different kinds of evolutionary choice between the rapidity and the perfection of adaptation, between flexibility and stability, and between sensibility and resistibility. I think that this choice depends largely on the predictability of the environment. The less predictable it is, the more it increases the selective value of sensibility, flexibility, and rapidity of evolution. On the contrary, stable and predictable environment stimulates less rapid but more perfect adaptations. Such choices consolidate in the genome during evolution as specific features of neurophysiological and hormonal regulation systems. These specific features, in their turn, determine ecological, behavioural, and physiological species-specificity. From this point of view, evolutionary changes in social systems can be readily perceived as consequences of the selection of individuals, promoting optimal properties under particular conditional features of regulation systems. The boundary condition for this model is the absence of specificity of the characteristics of regulation systems to different forms of stress. This condition needs to be considered closely.}, } @article {pmid17072827, year = {2006}, author = {Kirschner, S and Kleineidam, CJ and Zube, C and Rybak, J and Grünewald, B and Rössler, W}, title = {Dual olfactory pathway in the honeybee, Apis mellifera.}, journal = {The Journal of comparative neurology}, volume = {499}, number = {6}, pages = {933-952}, doi = {10.1002/cne.21158}, pmid = {17072827}, issn = {0021-9967}, mesh = {Animals ; Axons/physiology/ultrastructure ; Bees/*cytology/physiology ; Brain/*cytology/physiology ; Dendrites/physiology/ultrastructure ; Female ; Fluorescent Dyes ; Microscopy, Confocal ; Mushroom Bodies/cytology/physiology ; Neuropil/cytology/physiology ; Olfactory Pathways/*cytology/physiology ; Smell/*physiology ; Species Specificity ; }, abstract = {The antennal lobes (ALs) are the primary olfactory centers in the insect brain. In the AL of the honeybee, olfactory glomeruli receive input via four antennal sensory tracts (T1-4). Axons of projection neurons (PNs) leave the AL via several antenno-cerebral tracts (ACTs). To assign the input-output connectivity of all glomeruli, we investigated the spatial relationship of the antennal tracts and two prominent AL output tracts (medial and lateral ACT) mainly formed by uniglomerular (u) PNs using fluorescent tracing, confocal microscopy, and 3D analyses. Furthermore, we investigated the projections of all ACTs in higher olfactory centers, the mushroom-bodies (MB) and lateral horn (LH). The results revealed a clear segregation of glomeruli into two AL hemispheres specifically supplied by PNs of the medial and lateral ACT. PNs of the lateral ACT innervate glomeruli in the ventral-rostral AL and primarily receive input from T1 (plus a few glomeruli from T2 and T3). PNs of the medial ACT innervate glomeruli in the dorsal-caudal hemisphere, and mainly receive input from T3 (plus a few glomeruli from T2 and T4). The PNs of the m- and l-ACT terminate in different areas of the MB calyx and LH and remain largely segregated. Tracing of three mediolateral (ml) ACTs mainly formed by multiglomerular PNs revealed terminals in distinct compartments of the LH and in three olfactory foci within the lateral protocerebrum. The results indicate that olfactory input in the honeybee is processed via two separate, mainly uPN pathways to the MB calyx and LH and several pathways to the lateral protocerebrum.}, } @article {pmid17039475, year = {2006}, author = {Fink, B and Thanzami, V and Seydel, H and Manning, JT}, title = {Digit ratio and hand-grip strength in German and Mizos men: cross-cultural evidence for an organizing effect of prenatal testosterone on strength.}, journal = {American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council}, volume = {18}, number = {6}, pages = {776-782}, doi = {10.1002/ajhb.20549}, pmid = {17039475}, issn = {1042-0533}, mesh = {Adult ; Analysis of Variance ; Anthropometry ; Asian People ; *Cross-Cultural Comparison ; *Fetal Development ; Fingers/*anatomy & histology/embryology ; Germany ; *Hand Strength ; Humans ; India ; Male ; Sex Characteristics ; Testosterone/*blood ; White People ; }, abstract = {The ratio of the length of the second and fourth digits (2D:4D), a putative proxy of prenatal testosterone (PT), is correlated with measures of physical fitness. The relationship between the organizing effect of PT on physical fitness is likely to arise as a response to intrasexual male competition for females. Physical strength is also likely to be important in intrasexual conflict, but nothing is known concerning the relationship between 2D:4D and strength. The strength of an individual is strongly influenced by body size, and 2D:4D is strongly dependent on ethnicity. We present evidence that strength, as measured from hand-grip strength, is related to 2D:4D in samples from two ethnic groups (52 Caucasian men from Germany, and 88 Oriental Mizos men from northeast India) which differed markedly in size. We found that 1) the German men were heavier and stronger, but had higher 2D:4D (lower PT) than the Mizos men; 2) a median split for grip strength into low (LGS) and high (HGS) groups showed that for right-hand 2D:4D (but not left-hand 2D:4D), the LGS men had higher 2D:4D than the HGS men; and 3) the relationships between right 2D:4D and grip strength were independent of ethnicity, age, height, and weight. Measures of grip strength correlate strongly with strength in other muscle groups, so we conclude that PT may have an early organizing effect on strength in men, and this is likely to be widespread in human groups.}, } @article {pmid17019834, year = {2004}, author = {Geher, G and Derieg, M and Downey, HJ}, title = {Required parental investment and mating patterns: a quantitative analysis in the context of evolutionarily stable strategies.}, journal = {Social biology}, volume = {51}, number = {1-2}, pages = {54-70}, doi = {10.1080/19485565.2004.9989083}, pmid = {17019834}, issn = {0037-766X}, mesh = {*Biological Evolution ; Costs and Cost Analysis ; Courtship/*psychology ; Female ; Gene Frequency ; Humans ; Male ; *Models, Genetic ; *Models, Psychological ; Parenting/ethnology/*psychology ; Phenotype ; *Psychology, Social ; Reproductive Behavior/ethnology/*psychology ; Sex Factors ; *Sociobiology ; }, abstract = {Much social psychological research has been dedicated to understanding mating strategies from the standpoint of genetic-fitness payout (e.g., Simpson and Gangestad, 2000). The current work is designed to provide a coherent, quantitative model for predicting different classes of mating strategies in both males and females. Specifically, the framework developed in this paper is an elaboration of Dawkins' (1989) quantitative assessment of different male and female mating strategies. Dawkins suggests that the prevalence of different strategies employed should be predictable in terms of evolutionary stable strategies. In the current work, a quantitative analysis predicting the prevalence of different mating strategies within each sex was conducted. The mathematical functions derived suggest that variability in the costs associated with raising offspring affects the expected prevalence of mating strategies differently for males and females. According to the present model, variability in female strategies should be less affected by changes in parental investment (PI) than variability in male strategies. Important predictions regarding male and female mating strategies across cultures are discussed.}, } @article {pmid17019830, year = {2004}, author = {Tittle, CR}, title = {Comments on: "Sex, status, and criminality: a theoretical nexus.}, journal = {Social biology}, volume = {51}, number = {3-4}, pages = {166-70; discussion 171-3}, pmid = {17019830}, issn = {0037-766X}, mesh = {Age Factors ; *Biological Evolution ; *Competitive Behavior ; Crime/*psychology ; Female ; *Forensic Psychiatry ; Humans ; Male ; Models, Genetic ; *Reproductive Behavior ; Risk Assessment ; Risk Factors ; Sex Factors ; *Social Class ; *Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid17019829, year = {2004}, author = {Duntley, JD and Shackelford, TK}, title = {Toward an evolutionary forensic psychology.}, journal = {Social biology}, volume = {51}, number = {3-4}, pages = {161-5; discussion 171-3}, doi = {10.1080/19485565.2004.9989092}, pmid = {17019829}, issn = {0037-766X}, mesh = {Age Factors ; *Biological Evolution ; *Competitive Behavior ; Crime/*psychology ; Crime Victims ; Female ; *Forensic Psychiatry ; Humans ; Male ; Models, Genetic ; *Reproductive Behavior ; Sex Factors ; *Social Class ; *Sociobiology ; }, abstract = {Most theories of crime have not explored intensively biological and especially evolutionary explanations for criminal behavior. Ellis presents a valuable new perspective that proposes that attention to physiological mechanisms shaped by evolutionary forces can provide insights into the causes of crime and sex differences in the patterns of crime. We discuss other theories and research relevant to Ellis' theory. We also propose that an evolutionary psychological perspective of crime will help to invigorate research and lead to a better understanding of criminality. An integrated evolutionary forensic psychology will help to explain sources of conflict between individuals, situations in which conflict leads to victimization, and victim defenses and coping mechanisms.}, } @article {pmid17019828, year = {2004}, author = {Ellis, L}, title = {Sex, status, and criminality: a theoretical nexus.}, journal = {Social biology}, volume = {51}, number = {3-4}, pages = {144-160}, doi = {10.1080/19485565.2004.9989091}, pmid = {17019828}, issn = {0037-766X}, mesh = {Adolescent ; Adult ; Age Factors ; *Biological Evolution ; *Competitive Behavior ; Crime/*psychology ; Crime Victims/psychology ; Female ; *Forensic Psychiatry ; Humans ; Male ; Models, Theoretical ; *Reproductive Behavior ; Risk Assessment ; Risk Factors ; Sex Factors ; *Social Class ; *Sociobiology ; }, abstract = {This article offers a theoretical explanation for relationships between social status and involvement in serious and persistent criminal behavior from an evolutionary perspective. The theory's central premise is that natural selection has produced females who bias their mating choices toward males who strive for status. This bias has resulted in males devoting greater time and energy to status striving (relative to females). To account for why nearly all "victimizing" forms of criminality are more common among males than among females, the theory asserts that status striving exists along a continuum of competitive/victimizing behavior. One end of this continuum is epitomized by crude (criminal) forms of the behavior that societies generally discourage and even punish. The other end consists of sophisticated (commercial) forms that societies tolerate and even encourage. According to the theory, most males begin to exhibit non-playful forms of competitive/victimizing behavior around the onset of puberty as they start their reproductive careers. Adolescent males with the greatest abilities to learn will transition quickly from crude forms of competitive/victimizing behavior to more sophisticated forms, while males who have the greatest difficulties learning will transition more slowly. A major deduction from the theory is that genes on the Y-chromosome must be affecting the brain in ways that promote status-striving behavior. This deduction needs empirical scrutiny, although it is consistent with evidence (a) that the Y-chromosome transforms would-be ovaries into testes, the latter being specialized organs for the production of testosterone, and (b) that testosterone alters brain functioning in ways that contribute to both status striving and criminality.}, } @article {pmid17019827, year = {2004}, author = {Figueredo, AJ and Vásquez, G and Brumbach, BH and Schneider, SM}, title = {The heritability of life history strategy: the K-factor, covitality, and personality.}, journal = {Social biology}, volume = {51}, number = {3-4}, pages = {121-143}, doi = {10.1080/19485565.2004.9989090}, pmid = {17019827}, issn = {0037-766X}, mesh = {Adult ; Aged ; Altruism ; Data Collection ; Family Relations ; Female ; *Genetic Variation ; Humans ; Inheritance Patterns/*genetics ; *Life Change Events ; Male ; Middle Aged ; *Models, Genetic ; Personality/*genetics ; Psychometrics/*instrumentation ; Reproductive Behavior ; *Social Behavior ; Social Environment ; *Sociobiology ; United States ; }, abstract = {Archival data from the MIDUS survey (Brim et al., 2000), a nationally representative sample, on 309 MZ and 333 DZ twin pairs aged 25-74 years were used to test the psychometrics and behavioral genetics of life history strategy. We organized 253 of the originally administered 2,000 questions into 30 scales measuring life history traits (e.g., quality of family relationships and altruism towards kin), medical symptoms (e.g., thyroid problems), personality traits (e.g., neuroticism, extraversion, conscientiousness), and social background (e.g., financial security). A single higher-order factor, indicating a general life history strategy, composed of three lower-order factors, was replicated. Factor analyses were then performed on the genetic variance-covariance matrices. We found that (a) a single higher-order factor explained the preponderance of the genetic correlations among the scales and (b) this higher-order factor was itself 68 percent heritable and accounted for 82 percent of the genetic variance among the three component lower-order factors.}, } @article {pmid16944555, year = {2005}, author = {Cullen, DO}, title = {Nature versus nurture: eugenics.}, journal = {Choice (Chicago, Ill.)}, volume = {43}, number = {3}, pages = {405-413}, pmid = {16944555}, issn = {0009-4978}, mesh = {Biological Evolution ; Culture ; Disabled Persons ; Ethnicity ; Eugenics/*history ; Genetic Determinism ; Germany ; History, 20th Century ; Human Rights Abuses/history ; Humans ; Intelligence/genetics ; Internationality ; Literature, Modern ; National Socialism/history ; Persons with Mental Disabilities ; Prejudice ; Racial Groups ; Sexual Behavior ; Sociobiology/history ; Sterilization, Involuntary/history ; United Kingdom ; United States ; }, } @article {pmid16910972, year = {2006}, author = {Wenseleers, T}, title = {Modelling social evolution: the relative merits and limitations of a Hamilton's rule-based approach.}, journal = {Journal of evolutionary biology}, volume = {19}, number = {5}, pages = {1419-22; discussion 1426-36}, doi = {10.1111/j.1420-9101.2006.01144.x}, pmid = {16910972}, issn = {1010-061X}, mesh = {Altruism ; Animals ; *Behavior, Animal ; *Biological Evolution ; *Cooperative Behavior ; Game Theory ; Humans ; *Models, Biological ; Nonlinear Dynamics ; Selection, Genetic ; Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid16910967, year = {2006}, author = {Leimar, O and Hammerstein, P}, title = {Facing the facts.}, journal = {Journal of evolutionary biology}, volume = {19}, number = {5}, pages = {1403-5; discussion 1426-36}, doi = {10.1111/j.1420-9101.2006.01156.x}, pmid = {16910967}, issn = {1010-061X}, mesh = {Altruism ; Animals ; *Behavior, Animal ; *Biological Evolution ; *Cooperative Behavior ; Game Theory ; Humans ; *Models, Biological ; Selection, Genetic ; Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid16910964, year = {2006}, author = {Foster, KR}, title = {Balancing synthesis with pluralism in sociobiology.}, journal = {Journal of evolutionary biology}, volume = {19}, number = {5}, pages = {1394-6; discussion 1426-36}, doi = {10.1111/j.1420-9101.2006.01188.x}, pmid = {16910964}, issn = {1010-061X}, mesh = {Altruism ; Animals ; *Behavior, Animal ; *Biological Evolution ; *Cooperative Behavior ; Game Theory ; Humans ; *Models, Biological ; Selection, Genetic ; *Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid16889463, year = {2006}, author = {Bracha, HS and Hayashi, K}, title = {Resilience in the aftermath of terrorism and during warzone exposure: Is it religiousness or is it number of blood relatives?.}, journal = {The Journal of clinical psychiatry}, volume = {67}, number = {7}, pages = {1156; author reply 1156-7}, doi = {10.4088/jcp.v67n0721a}, pmid = {16889463}, issn = {0160-6689}, mesh = {*Adaptation, Psychological/physiology ; Biological Evolution ; *Family Characteristics ; Female ; Genetic Phenomena ; Humans ; Israel/epidemiology ; Judaism ; Life Change Events ; Male ; *Religion and Psychology ; Sociobiology ; Stress, Psychological/epidemiology/psychology ; Terrorism/*psychology ; *Warfare ; }, } @article {pmid21672755, year = {2006}, author = {Bauer, RT}, title = {Same sexual system but variable sociobiology: evolution of protandric simultaneous hermaphroditism in Lysmata shrimps.}, journal = {Integrative and comparative biology}, volume = {46}, number = {4}, pages = {430-438}, doi = {10.1093/icb/icj036}, pmid = {21672755}, issn = {1540-7063}, abstract = {The sexual system of the decapod (caridean) shrimp Lysmata is protandric simultaneous hermaphroditism (PSH). Individuals first mature as males (male phase = MP) and then when older (larger) change to the external phenotype of female carideans (female phase = FP). However, unlike purely protandric carideans, Lysmata FPs retain reduced male gonadal tissues and ducts, and are able to mate nonreciprocally as males as well as to reproduce as females. Thus, FPs of Lysmata species are functional simultaneous hermaphrodites although most reproductive effort is devoted to embryo production and incubation. The question explored here is, given the propensity of carideans to protandry, the apparent low cost, and high reproductive advantage of PSH, why has not PSH evolved more frequently? The mating systems and sexual selection of caridean shrimps, the original sex of protandric individuals, the cost of maleness, and sex allocation theory are discussed in relation to protandry and PSH. None of these factors adequately explains the evolution of PSH of Lysmata species. Lysmata has at least 2 species groups with very different sociobiologies; these groups do not appear to share current selective pressures that would explain PSH in both. A historical contingency hypothesis, testable in part with a phylogenetic analysis, may explain the evolution of PSH in Lysmata.}, } @article {pmid16859337, year = {2001}, author = {Corning, PA}, title = {The sociobiology of democracy revisited: a reply and a reiteration.}, journal = {Politics and the life sciences : the journal of the Association for Politics and the Life Sciences}, volume = {20}, number = {2}, pages = {231-234}, doi = {10.1017/s0730938400005517}, pmid = {16859337}, issn = {0730-9384}, } @article {pmid16710402, year = {2006}, author = {Foster, KR}, title = {Sociobiology: the Phoenix effect.}, journal = {Nature}, volume = {441}, number = {7091}, pages = {291-292}, doi = {10.1038/441291a}, pmid = {16710402}, issn = {1476-4687}, mesh = {Animals ; Biodiversity ; *Biological Evolution ; Male ; Mutation/genetics ; Myxococcus xanthus/*cytology/genetics/*physiology ; Social Behavior ; Spores, Bacterial/*cytology/genetics/*physiology ; }, } @article {pmid16700298, year = {2006}, author = {Bruchhausen, W}, title = {[The evolutionist fallacy of early visitors. Analogies between 'primitive peoples' and prehistoric man in medical historiography].}, journal = {Medizinhistorisches Journal}, volume = {41}, number = {1}, pages = {5-30}, pmid = {16700298}, issn = {0025-8431}, mesh = {Anthropology/*history ; *Biological Evolution ; Europe ; *Historiography ; History, 19th Century ; History, 20th Century ; History, 21st Century ; Medicine, Traditional/*history ; Sociobiology/*history ; }, abstract = {Accounts of 'prehistoric medicine' and 'ethnomedicine' have sometimes led to conclusions by analogy in medical historiography that are seen as highly problematic in modern cultural anthropology. However, this review of medical historical writings of the last three centuries shows that evolutionist identifications of early with foreign medicine were not a permanent trait of medical historiography. This approach flourished mainly in the climate of certain movements or periods that were characterised by fanatical belief in progress and by social utopias: the French Revolution, Darwinism and the period of industrial expansion in Germany, and National Socialism. Medical historiography shared this problematic approach with contemporary (social and cultural) anthropology, and - despite this methodological misuse - both acknowledged the legitimacy or even requirement of studying also similarities in the development of different periods and cultures.}, } @article {pmid16670991, year = {2006}, author = {Nonacs, P and Liebert, AE and Starks, PT}, title = {Transactional skew and assured fitness return models fail to predict patterns of cooperation in wasps.}, journal = {The American naturalist}, volume = {167}, number = {4}, pages = {467-480}, doi = {10.1086/501168}, pmid = {16670991}, issn = {1537-5323}, mesh = {Animals ; *Behavior, Animal ; Biological Evolution ; *Cooperative Behavior ; Female ; Male ; Models, Biological ; Reproduction ; Wasps/*physiology ; }, abstract = {Cooperative breeders often exhibit reproductive skew, where dominant individuals reproduce more than subordinates. Two approaches derived from Hamilton's inclusive fitness model predict when subordinate behavior is favored over living solitarily. The assured fitness return (AFR) model predicts that subordinates help when they are highly likely to gain immediate indirect fitness. Transactional skew models predict dominants and subordinates "agree" on a level of reproductive skew that induces subordinates to join groups. We show the AFR model to be a special case of transactional skew models that assumes no direct reproduction by subordinates. We use data from 11 populations of four wasp species (Polistes, Liostenogaster) as a test of whether transactional frameworks suffice to predict when subordinate behavior should be observed in general and the specific level of skew observed in cooperative groups. The general prediction is supported; in 10 of 11 cases, transactional models correctly predict presence or absence of cooperation. In contrast, the specific prediction is not consistent with the data. Where cooperation occurs, the model accurately predicts highly biased reproductive skew between full sisters. However, the model also predicts that distantly related or unrelated females should cooperate with low skew. This prediction fails: cooperation with high skew is the observed norm. Neither the generalized transactional model nor the special-case AFR model can explain this significant feature of wasp sociobiology. Alternative, nontransactional hypotheses such as parental manipulation and kin recognition errors are discussed.}, } @article {pmid16612810, year = {2006}, author = {Frantsevich, L and Gorb, S}, title = {Courtship dances in the flies of the genus Lispe (Diptera: Muscidae): from the fly's viewpoint.}, journal = {Archives of insect biochemistry and physiology}, volume = {62}, number = {1}, pages = {26-42}, doi = {10.1002/arch.20118}, pmid = {16612810}, issn = {0739-4462}, mesh = {Aggression ; Animals ; Diptera/*classification/*physiology/ultrastructure ; Ecosystem ; Female ; Male ; Motor Activity ; Sexual Behavior, Animal/*physiology ; Species Specificity ; Videotape Recording ; }, abstract = {Two predatory fly species, Lispe consanguinea Loew, 1858 and L. tentaculata DeGeer, 1776, inhabit the supralittoral zone at the shore of a fresh-water reservoir. Both species look alike and possess similar "badges," reflective concave silvery scales on the face. Flies occupy different lek habitats. Males of the first species patrol the bare wet sand on the beach just above the surf. Males of the second species reside on the more textured heaps of algae and stones. Courtship and aggressive behaviour of males was video-recorded and analysed frame by frame. Visual stimuli provided by the conspecific partner were computed in the body-fixed space of a fly observer. Males of L. consanguinea perform long pedestrian dances of pendulating circular arcs (frequency 2 s(-1), median radius 2.5 cm, linear velocity 0.130 m/s). Right and left side runs are equally probable. Circular runs are interrupted by standby intervals of average duration 0.35 s. The female views the male as a target covering 2 by 2 ommatidia, moving abruptly with the angular velocity over 200 degrees/s in a horizontal direction down the path of about 50 degrees till the next standpoint. Dancing is evenly distributed around the female. On the contrary, the male fixates the image of the female within the narrow front sector (median +/-10 degrees); the target in his view has 6-7 times less angular velocity and angular span of oscillations, and its image in profile overlays 6-8 by 2 ommatidia. If the female walks, the male combines tracking with voluntary circular dances. Rival males circle about one another at a distance shorter than 15 mm, but not in close contact. Males of L. tentaculata are capable of similar circular courting dances, but do so rarely. Usually they try to mount any partner immediately. In the latter species, male combat consists of fierce wrestling. Flies of both species often walk sideward and observe the partner not in front but at the side.}, } @article {pmid16602273, year = {2006}, author = {Yamaguchi, N and Dugdale, HL and Macdonald, DW}, title = {Female receptivity, embryonic diapause, and superfetation in the European badger (Meles meles): implications for the reproductive tactics of males and females.}, journal = {The Quarterly review of biology}, volume = {81}, number = {1}, pages = {33-48}, doi = {10.1086/503923}, pmid = {16602273}, issn = {0033-5770}, mesh = {Animals ; Blastocyst ; Embryo Implantation ; *Embryo Implantation, Delayed ; Embryonic Development ; Female ; Fertilization ; Male ; *Mustelidae ; Pregnancy ; *Sexual Behavior, Animal ; *Superfetation ; Territoriality ; }, abstract = {The European badger Meles meles is thought to mate throughout the year with two mating peaks occurring in late winter/spring and summer/autumn. After mating, fertilized ova enter embryonic diapause (delayed implantation) at the blastocyst stage, which lasts up to eleven months. Even if mating is successful, however, the estrous cycle may continue during embryonic diapause, which suggests that female badgers are capable of superfetation (conception during pregnancy). This may increase female fitness by facilitating polyandry, and reduce the risk of infanticide by resident males through paternity confusion. Detailed understanding of female receptivity, specifically the association of superfetation with embryonic diapause, may explain field observations of seemingly inconsistent reproductive tactics of male badgers with regard to, for instance, whether or not they guard mates or defend territories. The combination of embryonic diapause and superfetation may occur in other mustelids; if so, the sociobiology of mustelids will need reevaluating, and the Mustelidae may prove to be a good model taxon for studies of sexual conflict in the reproduction of eutherian mammals.}, } @article {pmid16599973, year = {2006}, author = {Kronauer, DJ and Schöning, C and Boomsma, JJ}, title = {Male parentage in army ants.}, journal = {Molecular ecology}, volume = {15}, number = {4}, pages = {1147-1151}, doi = {10.1111/j.1365-294X.2005.02850.x}, pmid = {16599973}, issn = {0962-1083}, mesh = {Alleles ; Animals ; Ants/*genetics/physiology ; Genotype ; Male ; Microsatellite Repeats/genetics ; *Sexual Behavior, Animal ; }, abstract = {In most social insects workers do not mate, but have retained the ability to produce haploid eggs that can develop into viable male offspring. Under what circumstances this reproductive potential is realized and how the ensuing worker-queen conflict over male production is resolved, is an area of active research in insect sociobiology. Here we present microsatellite data for 176 males from eight colonies of the African army ant Dorylus (Anomma) molestus. Comparison with worker genotypes and inferred queen genotypes from the same colonies show that workers do not or at best very rarely reproduce in the presence of the queen. Queens of D. (A.) molestus are known to be highly multiply mated. This implies that workers are on average more closely related to queen sons than to other workers' sons, so that our results are consistent with predictions from inclusive fitness theory. It remains unknown, however, whether worker sterility is maintained by active worker policing or by self-restraint.}, } @article {pmid16586035, year = {2006}, author = {Brockmann, A and Dietz, D and Spaethe, J and Tautz, J}, title = {Beyond 9-ODA: sex pheromone communication in the European honey bee Apis mellifera L.}, journal = {Journal of chemical ecology}, volume = {32}, number = {3}, pages = {657-667}, pmid = {16586035}, issn = {0098-0331}, mesh = {*Animal Communication ; Animals ; Bees/*physiology ; Fatty Acids, Monounsaturated/*metabolism ; Sex Attractants/*metabolism ; }, abstract = {The major component of the mandibular gland secretion of queen honeybees (Apis mellifera L.), 9-ODA ((2E)-9-oxodecenoic acid), has been known for more than 40 yr to function as a long-range sex pheromone, attracting drones at congregation areas and drone flyways. Tests of other mandibular gland components failed to demonstrate attraction. It remained unclear whether these components served any function in mating behavior. We performed dual-choice experiments, using a rotating drone carousel, to test the attractiveness of 9-ODA compared to mixtures of 9-ODA with three other most abundant components in virgin queen mandibular gland secretions: (2E)-9-hydroxydecenoic acid (9-HDA), (2E)-10-hydroxydecenoic acid (10-HDA), and p-hydroxybenzoate (HOB). We found no differences in the number of drones attracted to 9-ODA or the respective mixtures over a distance. However, adding 9-HDA and 10-HDA, or 9-HDA, 10-HDA, and HOB to 9-ODA increased the number of drones making contact with the baited dummy. On the basis of these results, we suggest that at least 9-HDA and 10-HDA are additional components of the sex pheromone blend of A. mellifera.}, } @article {pmid16566001, year = {2006}, author = {Kelber, C and Rössler, W and Kleineidam, CJ}, title = {Multiple olfactory receptor neurons and their axonal projections in the antennal lobe of the honeybee Apis mellifera.}, journal = {The Journal of comparative neurology}, volume = {496}, number = {3}, pages = {395-405}, doi = {10.1002/cne.20930}, pmid = {16566001}, issn = {0021-9967}, mesh = {Animals ; Bees/*anatomy & histology ; Brain Mapping/*methods ; Microscopy, Confocal/methods ; Models, Anatomic ; Models, Neurological ; Olfactory Pathways/*anatomy & histology/physiology ; Olfactory Receptor Neurons/*cytology/physiology ; Sense Organs/*cytology/innervation ; }, abstract = {The poreplate sensilla of honeybees are equipped with multiple olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs), which innervate glomeruli of the antennal lobe (AL). We investigated the axonal projection pattern in glomeruli of the AL (glomerular pattern), formed by the multiple ORNs of individual poreplate sensilla. We used the different glomerular patterns to draw conclusions about the equipment of poreplate sensilla with different ORN types. ORNs of single poreplate sensilla were stained and analyzed by laser-scanning confocal microscopy and 3D software (AMIRA). In 13 specimens we found between 7 and 23 ORNs. This is in accordance with data found in the literature (5-35 ORNs) suggesting that all ORNs of the single poreplate sensilla were stained. The ORNs innervate the AL via all four sensory tracts (T1-T4), and glomeruli of the anterior part of the AL are more often innervated. Each ORN innervates a single glomerulus (uniglomerular), and all ORNs of one poreplate sensillum project to different glomeruli. Visual inspection and individual identification of glomeruli, based on the honeybee digital AL atlas, were used to evaluate mapping of glomeruli by a rigid transformation of the experimental ALs onto a reference AL. ORNs belonging to individual poreplate sensilla form variable glomerular patterns, and we did not find a common organization of glomerular patterns. We conclude that poreplate sensilla are equipped with different ORN types but that the same ORN types can be found in different poreplate sensilla. The equipment of poreplate sensilla with ORNs is overlapping. The mapping of glomeruli by rigid transformation is revealed to be a powerful tool for comparative neuroanatomy.}, } @article {pmid16557021, year = {2006}, author = {Groh, C and Ahrens, D and Rossler, W}, title = {Environment- and age-dependent plasticity of synaptic complexes in the mushroom bodies of honeybee queens.}, journal = {Brain, behavior and evolution}, volume = {68}, number = {1}, pages = {1-14}, doi = {10.1159/000092309}, pmid = {16557021}, issn = {0006-8977}, mesh = {Animals ; Bees/cytology/growth & development/*physiology ; Behavior, Animal/*physiology ; Developmental Biology ; Female ; Male ; Mushroom Bodies/cytology/growth & development/*physiology ; Neuronal Plasticity/*physiology ; Phenotype ; Pupa/growth & development ; Sex Characteristics ; Sex Differentiation ; *Social Environment ; Synapses/*physiology ; Temperature ; }, abstract = {Diversity in behavior plays a crucial role for the division of labor in insect societies. Social insects such as honeybees provide excellent model systems to investigate neuronal principles underlying behavioral plasticity. The two female castes, queens and workers, differ substantially in anatomy, physiology, aging and behavior. The different phenotypes are induced by environmental factors rather than genetic differences. Here we investigated environment- and age-dependent effects on the synaptic organization within higher order neuropils of the honeybee brain. Synaptic complexes (microglomeruli) in sensory-input regions of the mushroom bodies, prominent higher sensory integration centers, were analyzed quantitatively using fluorescent markers and confocal microscopy. Pre- and postsynaptic compartments of individual microglomeruli were labeled by anti-synapsin immunolabeling and f-actin detection with phalloidin in dendritic spines of mushroom-body intrinsic neurons. The results demonstrate that in queens the numbers of microglomeruli in the olfactory and visual input regions of the mushroom-body calyx are significantly lower than in workers. In queens raised in incubators, microglomeruli were affected by differences in pupal rearing temperature within the range of naturally occurring temperatures (32-36 degrees C). The highest numbers of microglomeruli developed at a lower temperature compared to workers (33.5 vs. 34.5 degrees C). We found a striking adult plasticity of microglomeruli numbers throughout the extended life-span of queens. Whereas microglomeruli in the olfactory lip increased with age (approximately 55%), microglomeruli in the visual collar significantly decreased (approximately 35%). We propose that developmental and adult plasticity of the synaptic circuitry in the mushroom-body calyx might underlie caste- and age-specific adaptations in behavior.}, } @article {pmid16554114, year = {2006}, author = {Panksepp, J}, title = {Emotional endophenotypes in evolutionary psychiatry.}, journal = {Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry}, volume = {30}, number = {5}, pages = {774-784}, doi = {10.1016/j.pnpbp.2006.01.004}, pmid = {16554114}, issn = {0278-5846}, mesh = {Animals ; *Biological Evolution ; Brain Chemistry/physiology ; Emotions/*physiology ; Humans ; Mental Disorders/*physiopathology/psychology ; Neurosciences/trends ; Phenotype ; Psychiatry/*trends ; }, abstract = {Evolutionary psychiatry emerged from the conceptual successes of sociobiology and evolutionary psychology. It will need to avoid the many mistakes that biology-free Evolutionary Psychology has been prey to. It should not ignore the wealth of information that exists between the phenotypic expression of symptoms and the genotypic sources of core brain/mind processes that are disrupted in psychiatric disorders. Syndromal-conceptual thinking has become a barrier to illuminating the biological sources of psychiatric disorders. Endophenoytpic-biomarker approaches now offer robust alternatives for generating linkages between psychiatrically relevant psychological changes and the neurobiological infrastructure of disordered mentation. Here I summarize recent advances in endophenotypic thinking in biological psychiatry, and suggest that various core emotional-affective processes may be among the most important endophenotypes that need to be clarified at both neurobiological and genetic levels of analysis. To this end, I discuss strategies to link basic emotional processes that are commonly imbalanced in psychiatric disorders to neuroanatomical, neurochemical, neurophysiology, and molecular genetic levels of analysis. Conjoint animal behavioral-genetic and gene expression, microarray analyses can clarify a variety of key emotional endophenotypes and thereby provide a coherent infrastructure for psychiatric systematics. To further clarify the neurobiological dimensions of psychiatric disorders, we must also focus on psychosocial and environmental stress vectors that converge to create imbalanced emotional and motivational brain activities of psychiatric significance.}, } @article {pmid16536874, year = {2006}, author = {O'Mathúna, DP}, title = {Human dignity in the Nazi era: implications for contemporary bioethics.}, journal = {BMC medical ethics}, volume = {7}, number = {}, pages = {E2}, pmid = {16536874}, issn = {1472-6939}, mesh = {Animal Rights ; *Bioethical Issues ; *Bioethics ; Biological Evolution ; Dehumanization ; Ethical Relativism ; Eugenics/*trends ; Euthanasia ; Genetic Engineering ; History, 19th Century ; History, 20th Century ; Holocaust/history ; *Human Rights ; Humans ; National Socialism/*history ; Personhood ; Philosophy ; Public Policy ; Quality of Life ; Selection, Genetic ; Sociobiology/history ; *Value of Life ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: The justification for Nazi programs involving involuntary euthanasia, forced sterilisation, eugenics and human experimentation were strongly influenced by views about human dignity. The historical development of these views should be examined today because discussions of human worth and value are integral to medical ethics and bioethics. We should learn lessons from how human dignity came to be so distorted to avoid repetition of similar distortions.

DISCUSSION: Social Darwinism was foremost amongst the philosophies impacting views of human dignity in the decades leading up to Nazi power in Germany. Charles Darwin's evolutionary theory was quickly applied to human beings and social structure. The term 'survival of the fittest' was coined and seen to be applicable to humans. Belief in the inherent dignity of all humans was rejected by social Darwinists. Influential authors of the day proclaimed that an individual's worth and value were to be determined functionally and materialistically. The popularity of such views ideologically prepared German doctors and nurses to accept Nazi social policies promoting survival of only the fittest humans.A historical survey reveals five general presuppositions that strongly impacted medical ethics in the Nazi era. These same five beliefs are being promoted in different ways in contemporary bioethical discourse. Ethical controversies surrounding human embryos revolve around determinations of their moral status. Economic pressures force individuals and societies to examine whether some people's lives are no longer worth living. Human dignity is again being seen as a relative trait found in certain humans, not something inherent. These views strongly impact what is taken to be acceptable within medical ethics.

SUMMARY: Five beliefs central to social Darwinism will be examined in light of their influence on current discussions in medical ethics and bioethics. Acceptance of these during the Nazi era proved destructive to many humans. Their widespread acceptance today would similarly lead to much human death and suffering. A different ethic is needed which views human dignity as inherent to all human individuals.}, } @article {pmid16513924, year = {2006}, author = {Spaethe, J and Tautz, J and Chittka, L}, title = {Do honeybees detect colour targets using serial or parallel visual search?.}, journal = {The Journal of experimental biology}, volume = {209}, number = {Pt 6}, pages = {987-993}, doi = {10.1242/jeb.02124}, pmid = {16513924}, issn = {0022-0949}, mesh = {Animals ; Attention/*physiology ; Bees/*physiology ; *Color Perception ; Decision Making ; Photic Stimulation ; Sucrose ; *Visual Perception ; }, abstract = {In humans, visual search tasks are commonly used to address the question of how visual attention is allocated in a specific task and how individuals search for a specific object (;target') among other objects (;distractors') that vary in number and complexity. Here, we apply the methodology of visual search experiments to honeybees, which we trained to choose a coloured disc (target) among a varying number of differently coloured discs (distractors). We measured accuracy and decision time as a function of distractor number and colour. We found that for all colour combinations, decision time increased and accuracy decreased with increasing distractor number, whereas performance increased when more targets were present. These findings are characteristic of a serial search in primates, when stimuli are examined sequentially. We found no evidence for parallel search in bees, which would be characterized by a ;pop out' effect, in which the slope of decision time (and accuracy) over distractor number would be near zero. Additionally, we found that decision time and number of errors were significantly higher when bees had to choose a blue target among yellow distractors compared with the inverse colour combination, a phenomenon known as search asymmetry in humans.}, } @article {pmid16475304, year = {2002}, author = {Shennan, S}, title = {Archaeology and evolutionary ecology.}, journal = {World archaeology}, volume = {34}, number = {1}, pages = {1-5}, doi = {10.1080/00438240220134223}, pmid = {16475304}, issn = {0043-8243}, mesh = {*Archaeology/history/methods/trends ; *Biological Evolution ; *Ecology/history/trends ; History, Ancient ; *Sociobiology/history/methods/trends ; }, } @article {pmid16466837, year = {2006}, author = {Fink, B and Brookes, H and Neave, N and Manning, JT and Geary, DC}, title = {Second to fourth digit ratio and numerical competence in children.}, journal = {Brain and cognition}, volume = {61}, number = {2}, pages = {211-218}, doi = {10.1016/j.bandc.2006.01.001}, pmid = {16466837}, issn = {0278-2626}, support = {R37 HD045914/HD/NICHD NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {*Achievement ; Child ; *Cognition ; Female ; Fingers/*anatomy & histology ; Humans ; Male ; *Mathematics ; Pregnancy ; Testosterone/*physiology ; Time Factors ; }, abstract = {The ratio between the 2nd and 4th fingers (2D:4D)-a potential proxy for prenatal testosterone (T) exposure-shows a sex difference, with males usually having lower mean values; the latter potentially indicates higher prenatal T exposure. We studied relations between 2D:4D and competencies in the domains of counting, number knowledge, and visual-number representation in 73 children aged 6-11 years. Significant negative correlations between numerical performance in all of these areas and right and left hand 2D:4D ratios were found for boys but not girls. To the extent that 2D:4D ratios reflects prenatal exposure to T, the implications are (i) high prenatal T may be associated with better performance on some basic numerical measures for boys, and (ii) prenatal exposure to T may affect boys and girls differently with respect to some numerical competencies.}, } @article {pmid16412411, year = {2006}, author = {Fitch, WT}, title = {The biology and evolution of music: a comparative perspective.}, journal = {Cognition}, volume = {100}, number = {1}, pages = {173-215}, doi = {10.1016/j.cognition.2005.11.009}, pmid = {16412411}, issn = {0010-0277}, mesh = {Animal Communication ; Animals ; Archaeology ; *Biological Evolution ; Birds ; Humans ; Language ; Mammals ; *Music ; Selection, Genetic ; *Sociobiology ; }, abstract = {Studies of the biology of music (as of language) are highly interdisciplinary and demand the integration of diverse strands of evidence. In this paper, I present a comparative perspective on the biology and evolution of music, stressing the value of comparisons both with human language, and with those animal communication systems traditionally termed "song". A comparison of the "design features" of music with those of language reveals substantial overlap, along with some important differences. Most of these differences appear to stem from semantic, rather than structural, factors, suggesting a shared formal core of music and language. I next review various animal communication systems that appear related to human music, either by analogy (bird and whale "song") or potential homology (great ape bimanual drumming). A crucial comparative distinction is between learned, complex signals (like language, music and birdsong) and unlearned signals (like laughter, ape calls, or bird calls). While human vocalizations clearly build upon an acoustic and emotional foundation shared with other primates and mammals, vocal learning has evolved independently in our species since our divergence with chimpanzees. The convergent evolution of vocal learning in other species offers a powerful window into psychological and neural constraints influencing the evolution of complex signaling systems (including both song and speech), while ape drumming presents a fascinating potential homology with human instrumental music. I next discuss the archeological data relevant to music evolution, concluding on the basis of prehistoric bone flutes that instrumental music is at least 40,000 years old, and perhaps much older. I end with a brief review of adaptive functions proposed for music, concluding that no one selective force (e.g., sexual selection) is adequate to explaining all aspects of human music. I suggest that questions about the past function of music are unlikely to be answered definitively and are thus a poor choice as a research focus for biomusicology. In contrast, a comparative approach to music promises rich dividends for our future understanding of the biology and evolution of music.}, } @article {pmid16397498, year = {2006}, author = {Amdam, GV and Csondes, A and Fondrk, MK and Page, RE}, title = {Complex social behaviour derived from maternal reproductive traits.}, journal = {Nature}, volume = {439}, number = {7072}, pages = {76-78}, pmid = {16397498}, issn = {1476-4687}, support = {P01 AG022500/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States ; P01 AG022500-04/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Aging/physiology ; Animals ; Bees/*physiology ; *Biological Evolution ; Feeding Behavior/*physiology ; Female ; Infertility, Female ; Maternal Behavior/*physiology ; Ovary/physiology ; Pollen/metabolism ; Reproduction/*physiology ; *Social Behavior ; }, abstract = {A fundamental goal of sociobiology is to explain how complex social behaviour evolves, especially in social insects, the exemplars of social living. Although still the subject of much controversy, recent theoretical explanations have focused on the evolutionary origins of worker behaviour (assistance from daughters that remain in the nest and help their mother to reproduce) through expression of maternal care behaviour towards siblings. A key prediction of this evolutionary model is that traits involved in maternal care have been co-opted through heterochronous expression of maternal genes to result in sib-care, the hallmark of highly evolved social life in insects. A coupling of maternal behaviour to reproductive status evolved in solitary insects, and was a ready substrate for the evolution of worker-containing societies. Here we show that division of foraging labour among worker honey bees (Apis mellifera) is linked to the reproductive status of facultatively sterile females. We thereby identify the evolutionary origin of a widely expressed social-insect behavioural syndrome, and provide a direct demonstration of how variation in maternal reproductive traits gives rise to complex social behaviour in non-reproductive helpers.}, } @article {pmid16351902, year = {2003}, author = {Streit, S and Bock, F and Pirk, CW and Tautz, J}, title = {Automatic life-long monitoring of individual insect behaviour now possible.}, journal = {Zoology (Jena, Germany)}, volume = {106}, number = {3}, pages = {169-171}, doi = {10.1078/0944-2006-00113}, pmid = {16351902}, issn = {0944-2006}, abstract = {Automatic tracking and identification of individuals has the potential to revolutionize the study of insects, especially social insects, by opening up options for questions which could not be asked before. To achieve this we developed a reliable and cost-sensible RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification) based solution that automatically recognises a virtually unlimited number (18 x 10(18) possible ID numbers) of individual insects down to the size of bees and ants. The data are collected automatically for any desired time span (if interesting, up to the entire life of the individual), pre-processed and saved in a database for further analysis. The usage of database techniques allows parallel data processing with a virtually unlimited number of parameter connections. ID numbers can be linked to any simultaneously recorded parameters of interest, e.g. spatial and temporal information as shown here for a bumblebee colony.}, } @article {pmid16351871, year = {2002}, author = {Frantsevich, L and Gorb, S}, title = {Arcus as a tensegrity structure in the arolium of wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae).}, journal = {Zoology (Jena, Germany)}, volume = {105}, number = {3}, pages = {225-237}, doi = {10.1078/0944-2006-00067}, pmid = {16351871}, issn = {0944-2006}, abstract = {The unfolding of the hymenopteran attachment pad (arolium) may be achieved in two ways, hydraulic and mechanical. The first was confirmed in experiments with pressure applied to more proximal leg parts and on immersion in hypotonic solutions. Presumably, this way of unfolding does not play an important role for a living hornet. Mechanical unfolding was studied experimentally with the aid of a micromanipulator pulling the tendon of the musculus retractor unguis. Ablation experiments on different parts of the arolium indicated that the arcus is the most crucial element for mechanical unfolding. The shape of the arcus in closed and open conditions was measured using a 3D measurement microscope and reconstructed by means of 3D computer graphics. The arcus coils up upon being freed from the arolium tissues, and coils up even more after immersion into a 10% aqueous solution of NaOH. Geometrical models of the arcus are proposed, from which the rotational moment of elasticity is derived. Conformations and deformations of the arcus are quantified in order to explain its role in the folding and unfolding processes of the arolium. The diversity of approaches supports the idea that the arcus is a prestressed (tensegrity) structure providing immediate, soft, and graded transmission of forces during folding and unfolding action of the arolium.}, } @article {pmid16263918, year = {2005}, author = {Wittenberg-Lyles, EM}, title = {Information sharing in interdisciplinary team meetings: an evaluation of hospice goals.}, journal = {Qualitative health research}, volume = {15}, number = {10}, pages = {1377-1391}, doi = {10.1177/1049732305282857}, pmid = {16263918}, issn = {1049-7323}, mesh = {Anthropology, Cultural ; *Case Management ; *Hospice Care ; Humans ; *Interdisciplinary Communication ; Midwestern United States ; Needs Assessment ; Nurse's Role ; Observation ; Organizational Objectives ; *Patient Care Team ; Qualitative Research ; Sociobiology ; }, abstract = {The author observed interdisciplinary team (IDT) meetings of "Town Hospice" to examine how the company goal of providing for the "psychosocial needs of the patient and their loved ones" is addressed. More specifically, she used an ethnographic approach to explore how case managers negotiate the addition of psychosocial information about patients during IDT meetings. She found that psychosocial information on patients was primarily limited to three types of information sharing: (a) information related to care goals, (b) family issues related to bereavement and caretaking, and (c) the request of additional help from team members. Furthermore, she understood that the addition of psychosocial information creates a dialectical tension for the team.}, } @article {pmid16261185, year = {2006}, author = {Fink, B and Manning, JT and Neave, N}, title = {The 2nd-4th digit ratio (2D:4D) and neck circumference: implications for risk factors in coronary heart disease.}, journal = {International journal of obesity (2005)}, volume = {30}, number = {4}, pages = {711-714}, doi = {10.1038/sj.ijo.0803154}, pmid = {16261185}, issn = {0307-0565}, mesh = {Adolescent ; Adult ; Body Mass Index ; Coronary Disease/*diagnosis ; Female ; Fingers/*anatomy & histology ; Humans ; Male ; Neck/*anatomy & histology ; Predictive Value of Tests ; Risk Factors ; Sex Characteristics ; Waist-Hip Ratio ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: The ratio of the lengths of the 2nd and 4th digit (2D:4D) is negatively related to prenatal and adult concentrations of testosterone (T). Testosterone appears to be a protective against myocardial infarction (MI) in men as men with low 2D:4D are older at first MI than men with high 2D:4D, and men with coronary artery disease have lower T levels than men with normal angiograms. Neck circumference (NC), a simple and time-saving screening measure to identify obesity is reported to be positively correlated with the factors of the metabolic syndrome, a complex breakdown of normal physiology characterized by obesity, insulin resistance, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension, and is therefore likely to increase the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD).

OBJECTIVE: To investigate possible associations between 2D:4D ratios and NC in men and women.

2D:4D ratios, NC, along with measures of waist and hip circumferences, body mass index (BMI), and waist-to-hip ratio was recorded from 127 men and 117 women.

RESULTS: A significant positive correlation between 2D:4D and NC and was found for men but not for women after controlling for body mass index (BMI); the higher the ratio the higher the NC.

DISCUSSION: This finding supports the suggestion of NC to serve as a predictor for increased risk for CHD as previously suggested. In addition, the present association suggests a predisposition for men towards CHD via 2D:4D as proxy to early sex-steroid exposure.}, } @article {pmid16254085, year = {2005}, author = {Becker, DV and Kenrick, DT and Guerin, S and Maner, JK}, title = {Concentrating on beauty: sexual selection and sociospatial memory.}, journal = {Personality & social psychology bulletin}, volume = {31}, number = {12}, pages = {1643-1652}, doi = {10.1177/0146167205279583}, pmid = {16254085}, issn = {0146-1672}, support = {5R01MH64734/MH/NIMH NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Analysis of Variance ; Attention ; *Beauty ; Biological Evolution ; Cues ; *Face ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Marriage ; *Mental Recall ; Psychological Theory ; Recognition, Psychology ; Sex Factors ; *Social Desirability ; Sociobiology ; }, abstract = {In three experiments, location memory for faces was examined using a computer version of the matching game Concentration. Findings suggested that physical attractiveness led to more efficient matching for female faces but not for male faces. Study 3 revealed this interaction despite allowing participants to initially see, attend to, and match the attractive male faces in the first few turns. Analysis of matching errors suggested that, compared to other targets, attractive women were less confusable with one another. Results are discussed in terms of the different functions that attractiveness serves for men and women.}, } @article {pmid16254083, year = {2005}, author = {Berman, MI and Frazier, PA}, title = {Relationship power and betrayal experience as predictors of reactions to infidelity.}, journal = {Personality & social psychology bulletin}, volume = {31}, number = {12}, pages = {1617-1627}, doi = {10.1177/0146167205277209}, pmid = {16254083}, issn = {0146-1672}, mesh = {Adolescent ; Adult ; Biological Evolution ; Courtship/psychology ; Deception ; Emotions ; Female ; Humans ; *Interpersonal Relations ; *Jealousy ; Least-Squares Analysis ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Minnesota ; *Power, Psychological ; Psychological Theory ; *Self Concept ; Sex Factors ; Sexual Behavior ; Sexual Partners/*psychology ; Sociobiology ; Trust ; }, abstract = {Explanations for sexual infidelity have been dominated by an evolutionary psychological theory of jealousy that finds its strongest support in research that employs a forced-choice hypothetical infidelity paradigm wherein participants imagine experiencing infidelity and choose whether sexual or emotional infidelity would be more distressing. Robust gender differences that support evolutionary psychological perspectives are consistently found using this paradigm, but recent work suggests that gender differences may be attenuated among actual infidelity victims. However, no research has used the forced-choice paradigm to compare real and hypothetical infidelity. This study uses this paradigm to compare reactions to imagined dating infidelity to those of infidelity victims. No gender differences are observed in response to the forced-choice question among victims of infidelity. Gender differences among participants who imagined infidelity are partially mediated by level of relationship power. Difficulties with the hypothetical forced-choice paradigm and implications for the evolutionary psychological theory of jealousy are discussed.}, } @article {pmid16193609, year = {2005}, author = {Cassidy, A}, title = {Popular evolutionary psychology in the UK: an unusual case of science in the media?.}, journal = {Public understanding of science (Bristol, England)}, volume = {14}, number = {2}, pages = {115-141}, doi = {10.1177/0963662505050792}, pmid = {16193609}, issn = {0963-6625}, mesh = {Behavior ; *Bibliometrics ; *Biological Evolution ; History, 20th Century ; History, 21st Century ; Humans ; *Mass Media/history ; *Psychology/history ; Science/history ; Sociobiology/history ; United Kingdom ; }, abstract = {This paper presents findings from quantitative analyses of UK press and print media coverage of evolutionary psychology during the 1990s. It argues that evolutionary psychology presents an interesting case for studies of science in the media in several different ways. First, press coverage of evolutionary psychology was found to be closely linked with the publications of popular books on the subject. Secondly, when compared to coverage of other subjects, a higher proportion of academics and authors wrote about evolutionary psychology in the press, contributing to the development of a scientific controversy in the public domain. Finally, it was found that evolutionary psychology coverage appeared in different areas of the daily press, and was rarely written about by specialist science journalists. The possible reason for these features are then explored, including the boom in popular science publishing during the 1990s, evolutionary psychology's status as a new subject of study and discussion, and the nature of the subject its as theoretically based and with a human, "everyday" subject matter.}, } @article {pmid16191608, year = {2005}, author = {Fink, B and Grammer, K and Mitteroecker, P and Gunz, P and Schaefer, K and Bookstein, FL and Manning, JT}, title = {Second to fourth digit ratio and face shape.}, journal = {Proceedings. Biological sciences}, volume = {272}, number = {1576}, pages = {1995-2001}, pmid = {16191608}, issn = {0962-8452}, mesh = {Adult ; Austria ; Body Weights and Measures ; Face/*anatomy & histology ; Female ; Fingers/*anatomy & histology ; Gonadal Steroid Hormones/*blood ; Humans ; Male ; Multivariate Analysis ; Pattern Recognition, Visual/*physiology ; *Sex Characteristics ; }, abstract = {The average human male face differs from the average female face in size and shape of the jaws, cheek-bones, lips, eyes and nose. It is possible that this dimorphism is determined by sex steroids such as testosterone (T) and oestrogen (E), and several studies on the perception of such characteristics have been based on this assumption, but those studies focussed mainly on the relationship of male faces with circulating hormone levels; the corresponding biology of the female face remains mainly speculative. This paper is concerned with the relative importance of prenatal T and E levels (assessed via the 2D : 4D finger length ratio, a proxy for the ratio of T/E) and sex in the determination of facial form as characterized by 64 landmark points on facial photographs of 106 Austrians of college age. We found that (i) prenatal sex steroid ratios (in terms of 2D : 4D) and actual chromosomal sex dimorphism operate differently on faces, (ii) 2D : 4D affects male and female face shape by similar patterns, but (iii) is three times more intense in men than in women. There was no evidence that these effects were confounded by allometry or facial asymmetry. Our results suggest that studies on the perception of facial characteristics need to consider differential effects of prenatal hormone exposure and actual chromosomal gender in order to understand how characteristics have come to be rated 'masculine' or 'feminine' and the consequences of these perceptions in terms of mate preferences.}, } @article {pmid16162355, year = {2005}, author = {Frantsevich, LI and Cruse, H}, title = {Leg coordination during turning on an extremely narrow substrate in a bug, Mesocerus marginatus (Heteroptera, Coreidae).}, journal = {Journal of insect physiology}, volume = {51}, number = {10}, pages = {1092-1104}, doi = {10.1016/j.jinsphys.2005.05.008}, pmid = {16162355}, issn = {0022-1910}, mesh = {Animals ; Biomechanical Phenomena ; Extremities/physiology ; Heteroptera/*physiology ; Walking/physiology ; }, abstract = {The turning movement of a bug, Mesocerus marginatus, is observed when it walks upside-down below a horizontal beam and, at the end of the beam, performs a sharp turn by 180 degrees . The turn at the end of the beam is accomplished in three to five steps, without strong temporal coordination among legs. During the stance, leg endpoints (tarsi) run through rounded trajectories, rotating to the same side in all legs. During certain phases of the turn, a leg is strongly depressed and the tarsus crosses the midline. Swing movements rotate to the same side as do leg endpoints in stance, in strong contrast to the typical swing movements found in turns or straight walk on a flat surface. Terminal location is found after the search through a trajectory that first moves away from the body and then loops back to find substrate. When a leg during stance has crossed the midline, in the following swing movement the leg may move even stronger on the contralateral side, i.e. is stronger depressed, in contrast to swing movements in normal walking, where the leg is elevated. These results suggest that the animals apply a different control strategy compared to walking and turning on a flat surface.}, } @article {pmid16046041, year = {2006}, author = {Fuse, K and Crenshaw, EM}, title = {Gender imbalance in infant mortality: a cross-national study of social structure and female infanticide.}, journal = {Social science & medicine (1982)}, volume = {62}, number = {2}, pages = {360-374}, doi = {10.1016/j.socscimed.2005.06.006}, pmid = {16046041}, issn = {0277-9536}, mesh = {Cross-Cultural Comparison ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; *Infant Mortality ; Infant, Newborn ; Infanticide/ethnology/*statistics & numerical data ; Male ; Prejudice ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Sex Distribution ; Social Change ; *Social Class ; *Sociology, Medical ; Survival Rate ; *Vulnerable Populations ; }, abstract = {Sex differentials in infant mortality vary widely across nations. Because newborn girls are biologically advantaged in surviving to their first birthday, sex differentials in infant mortality typically arise from genetic factors that result in higher male infant mortality rates. Nonetheless, there are cases where mortality differentials arise from social or behavioral factors reflecting deliberate discrimination by adults in favor of boys over girls, resulting in atypical male to female infant mortality ratios. This cross-national study of 93 developed and developing countries uses such macro-social theories as modernization theory, gender perspectives, human ecology, and sociobiology/evolutionary psychology to predict gender differentials in infant mortality. We find strong evidence for modernization theory, human ecology, and the evolutionary psychology of group process, but mixed evidence for gender perspectives.}, } @article {pmid16035401, year = {2004}, author = {Atran, S and Norenzayan, A}, title = {Religion's evolutionary landscape: counterintuition, commitment, compassion, communion.}, journal = {The Behavioral and brain sciences}, volume = {27}, number = {6}, pages = {713-30; discussion 730-70}, doi = {10.1017/s0140525x04000172}, pmid = {16035401}, issn = {0140-525X}, mesh = {Anxiety ; Ceremonial Behavior ; *Cognition ; *Consciousness ; Cultural Evolution ; *Culture ; Empathy ; Existentialism ; Folklore ; *Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Humans ; Intuition ; *Religion ; *Sociobiology ; Superstitions ; }, abstract = {Religion is not an evolutionary adaptation per se, but a recurring cultural by-product of the complex evolutionary landscape that sets cognitive, emotional, and material conditions for ordinary human interactions. Religion exploits only ordinary cognitive processes to passionately display costly devotion to counterintuitive worlds governed by supernatural agents. The conceptual foundations of religion are intuitively given by task-specific panhuman cognitive domains, including folkmechanics, folkbiology, and folkpsychology. Core religious beliefs minimally violate ordinary notions about how the world is, with all of its inescapable problems, thus enabling people to imagine minimally impossible supernatural worlds that solve existential problems, including death and deception. Here the focus is on folkpsychology and agency. A key feature of the supernatural agent concepts common to all religions is the triggering of an "Innate Releasing Mechanism," or "agency detector," whose proper (naturally selected) domain encompasses animate objects relevant to hominid survival--such as predators, protectors, and prey--but which actually extends to moving dots on computer screens, voices in wind, and faces on clouds. Folkpsychology also crucially involves metarepresentation, which makes deception possible and threatens any social order. However, these same metacognitive capacities provide the hope and promise of open-ended solutions through representations of counterfactual supernatural worlds that cannot be logically or empirically verified or falsified. Because religious beliefs cannot be deductively or inductively validated, validation occurs only by ritually addressing the very emotions motivating religion. Cross-cultural experimental evidence encourages these claims.}, } @article {pmid16006331, year = {2005}, author = {Suzuki, S and Akiyama, E}, title = {Reputation and the evolution of cooperation in sizable groups.}, journal = {Proceedings. Biological sciences}, volume = {272}, number = {1570}, pages = {1373-1377}, pmid = {16006331}, issn = {0962-8452}, mesh = {*Biological Evolution ; *Cooperative Behavior ; Group Processes ; Humans ; Interpersonal Relations ; *Models, Psychological ; Population Density ; *Social Desirability ; }, abstract = {The evolution of cooperation in social dilemmas has been of considerable concern in various fields such as sociobiology, economics and sociology. It might be that, in the real world, reputation plays an important role in the evolution of cooperation. Recently, studies that have addressed indirect reciprocity have revealed that cooperation can evolve through reputation, even though pairs of individuals interact only a few times. To our knowledge, most indirect reciprocity models have presumed dyadic interaction; no studies have attempted analysis of the evolution of cooperation in large communities where the effect of reputation is included. We investigate the evolution of cooperation in sizable groups in which the reputation of individuals affects the decision-making process. This paper presents the following: (i) cooperation can evolve in a four-person case, (ii) the evolution of cooperation becomes difficult as group size increases, even if the effect of reputation is included, and (iii) three kinds of final social states exist. In medium-sized communities, cooperative species can coexist in a stable manner with betrayal species.}, } @article {pmid15948334, year = {2003}, author = {de Melo-Martin, I}, title = {Biological explanations and social responsibility.}, journal = {Studies in history and philosophy of biological and biomedical sciences}, volume = {34}, number = {2}, pages = {345-358}, doi = {10.1016/s1369-8486(02)00070-5}, pmid = {15948334}, issn = {1369-8486}, mesh = {Aggression ; *Genetic Determinism ; *Genetics, Behavioral/ethics ; Humans ; Intelligence ; Sex Factors ; Social Justice ; *Social Responsibility ; Sociobiology ; Substance-Related Disorders ; }, abstract = {The aim of this paper is to show that critics of biological explanations of human nature may be granting too much to those who oppose such explanations when they argue that the truth of genetic determinism implies an end to critical evaluation and reform of our social institutions. This is the case because when we argue that biological determinism exempts us from social critique we are erroneously presupposing that our social values, practices, and institutions have nothing to do with what makes biological explanations troublesome. My argument is that what constitutes a problem for those who are concerned with social justice is not the fact that particular behaviours may be genetically determined, but the fact that our value system, and social institutions create the conditions that make such behaviours problematic. Thus, I will argue that even if genetic determinism were correct, the requirement of assessing and transforming our social practices and institutions would be far from superfluous. Biology is rarely destiny for human beings and the institutions they create.}, } @article {pmid15933326, year = {2005}, author = {Whitfield, KE}, title = {Studying biobehavioral aspects of health disparities among older adult minorities.}, journal = {Journal of urban health : bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine}, volume = {82}, number = {2 Suppl 3}, pages = {iii103-10}, pmid = {15933326}, issn = {1099-3460}, mesh = {Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/*ethnology/*genetics ; Aged ; *Behavioral Research ; Emigration and Immigration ; *Genetic Research ; Humans ; *Minority Groups/psychology ; Models, Genetic ; Research Design ; Sociobiology ; Socioeconomic Factors ; Substance-Related Disorders/*ethnology/*genetics ; }, abstract = {Current projections suggest that by 2050, the total number of non-Hispanic Whites aged 65 and over will double, the number of Blacks aged 65 and over will more than triple, and the number of Hispanics will increase 11-fold. These significant increases in older minority adults in the United States are in direct contrast to the current limited knowledge about health behaviors like smoking, drinking, and drug use among older Americans. This represents a major area of opportunity for researchers to advance science on the long-term effects of substance abuse and HIV/AIDS. The provision of appropriate public health information for these populations depends, in part, on increased basic and social/behavioral research and particularly on integrative biobehavioral approaches in these understudied older groups. This article provides a brief overview of some of the challenges faced in studying older ethnic minority adults. These include issues such as recruitment, conceptualization, and methodology. Some potential areas for future research are offered.}, } @article {pmid15843501, year = {2005}, author = {Kleineidam, CJ and Obermayer, M and Halbich, W and Rössler, W}, title = {A macroglomerulus in the antennal lobe of leaf-cutting ant workers and its possible functional significance.}, journal = {Chemical senses}, volume = {30}, number = {5}, pages = {383-392}, doi = {10.1093/chemse/bji033}, pmid = {15843501}, issn = {0379-864X}, mesh = {Animals ; Ants/*anatomy & histology/*physiology ; Electrophysiology/methods ; In Vitro Techniques ; Olfactory Nerve/anatomy & histology ; Olfactory Pathways/physiology ; Organ Size ; Pheromones/physiology ; Plant Leaves ; Pyrazines ; Pyrroles/metabolism ; Sense Organs/*anatomy & histology ; Species Specificity ; }, abstract = {Ants have a well-developed olfactory system, and pheromone communication is essential for regulating social life within their colonies. We compared the organization of primary olfactory centers (antennal lobes, ALs) in the brain of two closely related species of leaf-cutting ants (Atta vollenweideri, Atta sexdens). Both species express a striking size polymorphism associated with polyethism. We discovered that the ALs of large workers contain a substantially enlarged glomerulus (macroglomerulus, MG) at the entrance of the antennal nerve. This is the first description of an MG in non-sexual individuals of an insect. The location of the MG is laterally reversed in the two species, and workers of different size express a disproportional allometry of glomerular volumes. While ALs of large workers contain an MG, glomeruli in small workers are all similar in size. We further compared electroantennogram (EAG) responses to two common trail pheromone components of leaf-cutting ants: 4-methylpyrrol-2-carboxylate and 2-ethyl-3,6-dimethylpyrazine. At high concentrations the ratio of the EAG signals to 2-ethyl-3,6-dimethylpyrazine versus 4-methylpyrrol-2-carboxylate was significantly smaller in A. vollenweideri compared with the ratio of EAG signals to the same two components in A. sexdens. The differences in EAG signals and the species specific MG location in large workers provide correlative evidence that the MG may be involved in the detection of the trail pheromone.}, } @article {pmid15828154, year = {2004}, author = {Saukko, P}, title = {Genomic susceptibility-testing and pregnancy: something old, something new.}, journal = {New genetics and society}, volume = {23}, number = {3}, pages = {313-325}, doi = {10.1080/1463677042000305075}, pmid = {15828154}, issn = {1463-6778}, mesh = {Abortion, Eugenic ; Abortion, Spontaneous ; Attitude to Health ; Female ; Feminism ; Fetus ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease/*psychology ; Genetic Testing/*psychology ; Humans ; Internet ; *Life Style ; Patient Advocacy ; *Pregnancy ; Pregnant Women/*psychology ; Prenatal Diagnosis/*psychology ; Sociobiology ; *Venous Thrombosis/etiology/genetics/prevention & control ; Women/psychology ; }, abstract = {This essay explores how testing for common and complex or genomic, as opposed to genetic, susceptibility to deep vein thrombosis both challenges and consolidates old social discourses on genes, gender and pregnancy. The nexus between genetics and reproduction usually crystallizes in the moral dilemma of selective termination. This essay examines online discussion among women with a genomic predisposition to deep vein thrombosis, which is associated with miscarriage and stillbirth. It explores the women's exchanges on what to 'do' in order to safely carry to term a foetus, which may always also have the genomic susceptibility. Interpreting DNA not in terms of predicting fate but of suggesting how to modify one's behaviour in order to give and care for life blunts its eugenic edge. However, this interpretation also shoulders discussants with the complicated and laborious responsibility of modifying themselves, their life styles and the life styles of their families--all of which falls within women's traditional labour of love in the privatized age of bioindividuality.}, } @article {pmid15821094, year = {2005}, author = {Hunt, JH and Amdam, GV}, title = {Bivoltinism as an antecedent to eusociality in the paper wasp genus Polistes.}, journal = {Science (New York, N.Y.)}, volume = {308}, number = {5719}, pages = {264-267}, pmid = {15821094}, issn = {1095-9203}, support = {P01 AG022500/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States ; P01 AG022500-03/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States ; P01 AG 22500/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Biological Evolution ; Feeding Behavior ; Female ; Larva/growth & development ; Life Cycle Stages ; Models, Biological ; Sex Characteristics ; Sexual Behavior, Animal ; Social Behavior ; Wasps/*physiology ; }, abstract = {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.}, } @article {pmid15761469, year = {2005}, author = {Robinson, GE and Grozinger, CM and Whitfield, CW}, title = {Sociogenomics: social life in molecular terms.}, journal = {Nature reviews. Genetics}, volume = {6}, number = {4}, pages = {257-270}, doi = {10.1038/nrg1575}, pmid = {15761469}, issn = {1471-0056}, mesh = {Animals ; Biological Evolution ; Gene Expression Profiling ; *Genetics, Behavioral ; Genetics, Population ; *Genomics ; Molecular Biology ; Neurosciences ; *Social Behavior ; Sociobiology ; }, abstract = {Spectacular progress in molecular biology, genome-sequencing projects and genomics makes this an appropriate time to attempt a comprehensive understanding of the molecular basis of social life. Promising results have already been obtained in identifying genes that influence animal social behaviour and genes that are implicated in social evolution. These findings - derived from an eclectic mix of species that show varying levels of sociality - provide the foundation for the integration of molecular biology, genomics, neuroscience, behavioural biology and evolutionary biology that is necessary for this endeavour.}, } @article {pmid15758201, year = {2005}, author = {Bromham, L and Leys, R}, title = {Sociality and the rate of molecular evolution.}, journal = {Molecular biology and evolution}, volume = {22}, number = {6}, pages = {1393-1402}, doi = {10.1093/molbev/msi133}, pmid = {15758201}, issn = {0737-4038}, mesh = {Animals ; Ants/genetics ; Bees/genetics ; Crustacea/genetics ; DNA/genetics ; DNA, Mitochondrial/genetics ; *Evolution, Molecular ; Isoptera/genetics ; *Models, Genetic ; Mole Rats/genetics ; Mutation ; Phylogeny ; RNA/genetics ; *Sociobiology ; Time Factors ; Wasps/genetics ; }, abstract = {The molecular clock does not tick at a uniform rate in all taxa but may be influenced by species characteristics. Eusocial species (those with reproductive division of labor) have been predicted to have faster rates of molecular evolution than their nonsocial relatives because of greatly reduced effective population size; if most individuals in a population are nonreproductive and only one or few queens produce all the offspring, then eusocial animals could have much lower effective population sizes than their solitary relatives, which should increase the rate of substitution of "nearly neutral" mutations. An earlier study reported faster rates in eusocial honeybees and vespid wasps but failed to correct for phylogenetic nonindependence or to distinguish between potential causes of rate variation. Because sociality has evolved independently in many different lineages, it is possible to conduct a more wide-ranging study to test the generality of the relationship. We have conducted a comparative analysis of 25 phylogenetically independent pairs of social lineages and their nonsocial relatives, including bees, wasps, ants, termites, shrimps, and mole rats, using a range of available DNA sequences (mitochondrial and nuclear DNA coding for proteins and RNAs, and nontranslated sequences). By including a wide range of social taxa, we were able to test whether there is a general influence of sociality on rates of molecular evolution and to test specific predictions of the hypothesis: (1) that social species have faster rates because they have reduced effective population sizes; (2) that mitochondrial genes would show a greater effect of sociality than nuclear genes; and (3) that rates of molecular evolution should be correlated with the degree of sociality. We find no consistent pattern in rates of molecular evolution between social and nonsocial lineages and no evidence that mitochondrial genes show faster rates in social taxa. However, we show that the most highly eusocial Hymenoptera do have faster rates than their nonsocial relatives. We also find that social parasites (that utilize the workers from related species to produce their own offspring) have faster rates than their social relatives, which is consistent with an effect of lower effective population size on rate of molecular evolution. Our results illustrate the importance of allowing for phylogenetic nonindependence when conducting investigations of determinants of variation in rate of molecular evolution.}, } @article {pmid15749153, year = {2005}, author = {Borrello, ME}, title = {The rise, fall and resurrection of group selection.}, journal = {Endeavour}, volume = {29}, number = {1}, pages = {43-47}, doi = {10.1016/j.endeavour.2004.11.003}, pmid = {15749153}, issn = {0160-9327}, mesh = {Altruism ; Animals ; *Behavior, Animal ; *Biological Evolution ; Developmental Biology/*history ; Europe ; History, 19th Century ; History, 20th Century ; Humans ; Instinct ; Natural History/history ; *Selection, Genetic ; Sociobiology/*history ; }, abstract = {The changing fate of group selection theory illustrates nicely the importance of studying the history of science. It was Charles Darwin that first used something like group selection to explain how natural selection could give rise to altruistic behavior and moral instinct. These instincts could be accommodated by his theory of evolution, he argued, if they had evolved 'for the good of the community'. By the 1960s, group selection had a new and vocal advocate in V.C. Wynne-Edwards. But this gave critics of the theory that selection might act on groups, rather than at the level of individuals or genes, a definable target, and from the mid-1960s to the 1980s group selection was considered the archetypal example of flawed evolutionary thinking. However, at the end of the 20th century ideas of group selection re-emerged as an important component of a multilevel theory of evolution.}, } @article {pmid15716146, year = {2005}, author = {Vauclair, J and Donnot, J}, title = {Infant holding biases and their relations to hemispheric specializations for perceiving facial emotions.}, journal = {Neuropsychologia}, volume = {43}, number = {4}, pages = {564-571}, doi = {10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2004.07.005}, pmid = {15716146}, issn = {0028-3932}, mesh = {Adolescent ; Adult ; *Emotions ; *Facial Expression ; Female ; *Functional Laterality ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant Behavior ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; *Parent-Child Relations ; Posture ; *Visual Perception ; }, abstract = {Since Salk [Salk, L. (1960). The effects of the normal heartbeat sound on the behavior of the new-born infant: implications for mental health. World Mental Health 12, 168-175] reported a left-side preference for cradling an infant, several studies have attempted to elucidate the origin of this bias. Sex and handedness were the first variables tested but none of them is sufficient for explaining this bias. Manning and Chamberlain [Manning, J. T., & Chamberlain, A. T. (1991). Left-side cradling and brain lateralization. Ethology and Sociobiology, 12, 237-244] proposed that the explanation had to do with hemispheric specialization of emotions and suggested that the mother could better monitor her infant's emotional state when holding on the left side than on the right side. Moreover, the infant could monitor its mother's emotional state, since the most expressive side of mother's face (the left) is visible to the infant. We used two Chimeric Figures Tasks in order to assess (1) the preferred visual field for perceiving an emotion and (2) the most expressive side of the face. Holding biases were measured in a concrete situation using an infant doll. Our main objective was to assess the relation between the asymmetric visual perception and the holding direction in a large sample of university students. We replicated a left-holding preference (66%) in our sample and found an effect of participants' holding posture and a limited effect of laterality but no effect of sex. The most significant finding concerns the links between the preferred visual field and the preferred holding side. This effect was observed in the sample of women, in right-handers, and in the sub-group of participants with care-giving skills. These findings suggest a leading role for the right hemisphere for side of holding.}, } @article {pmid15715844, year = {2005}, author = {Hart, AG and Ratnieks, FL}, title = {Crossing the taxonomic divide: conflict and its resolution in societies of reproductively totipotent individuals.}, journal = {Journal of evolutionary biology}, volume = {18}, number = {2}, pages = {383-395}, doi = {10.1111/j.1420-9101.2004.00832.x}, pmid = {15715844}, issn = {1010-061X}, mesh = {Aggression/physiology ; Animals ; Ants/physiology ; *Hierarchy, Social ; *Models, Biological ; Mole Rats/physiology ; *Ploidies ; Reproduction/*physiology ; Sexual Behavior, Animal/physiology ; *Social Behavior ; Sociobiology ; }, abstract = {Reproduction in groups may be unequal, with one or a few individuals monopolizing direct reproduction assisted by nonbreeding helpers. In social insects this has frequently led to a pronounced queen-worker dichotomy and a loss of reproductive totipotency among workers. However, in some invertebrate and all vertebrate societies, all or most individuals remain reproductively totipotent. In these groups, conflicts of interest over reproduction are potentially greatest. Here, we synthesize previous analyses of reproductive conflict, aggression and breeder replacement in haplodiploid societies of totipotent individuals and extend them to cover diploid (vertebrate) examples. We test predictions arising from this approach using the best-studied invertebrate (Dinoponera queenless ants) and vertebrate (naked mole-rat, Heterocephalus glaber) examples, although in principle our analysis applies to all similar groups. We find that premature replacement of a parent breeder by nonbreeders (overthrow) is rare. Dominant coercive control of nonbreeders by the breeder is often unnecessary and honest signalling of breeder vitality can maintain group stability and resolve conflicts over reproduction. We hope that by providing an explicit transfer of social theory between ants and naked mole-rats we will stimulate further cross-taxonomic studies that will greatly broaden our understanding of sociality.}, } @article {pmid19244685, year = {2005}, author = {Feest, U}, title = {Giving up instincts in psychology -- or not?.}, journal = {Passauer Schriften zur Psychologiegeschichte}, volume = {13}, number = {}, pages = {242-259}, pmid = {19244685}, mesh = {*Behavior/physiology ; Behavior Therapy/education/history ; *Cognition/physiology ; Concept Formation/physiology ; History, 20th Century ; *Instinct ; Mental Health/history ; Motivation ; *Personal Construct Theory ; Psychology/education/history ; *Psychology, Experimental/education/history ; *Psychology, Social/education/history ; Sociobiology/education/history ; *Textbooks as Topic/history ; }, abstract = {In this paper I argue that while McDougall's theory of instincts is widely regarded as having been discarded by mid-1920's psychologists, it in fact continued to be influential in the work of some later psychologists. A case-study is presented which analyzes the development of E.C. Tolman's concept of "demand" (purpose, determining adjustment, instinct) out of McDougall's earlier notion of "instinct".}, } @article {pmid15609717, year = {2004}, author = {Takeuchi, H and Kunieda, T and Tokuhiro-Sawata, M and Park, JM and Fujiyuki, T and Kubo, T}, title = {[Molecular ethology using the honeybee as a model animal].}, journal = {Tanpakushitsu kakusan koso. Protein, nucleic acid, enzyme}, volume = {49}, number = {16}, pages = {2542-2548}, pmid = {15609717}, issn = {0039-9450}, mesh = {Animals ; Bees/anatomy & histology/*genetics/*physiology ; *Behavior, Animal ; Calcium Signaling/genetics ; *Ethology ; Gene Expression Regulation/genetics ; Insect Proteins/*physiology ; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases/physiology ; Models, Animal ; Mushroom Bodies/*physiology ; Neuronal Plasticity/genetics ; RNA, Untranslated/genetics/physiology ; *Social Behavior ; *Sociobiology ; Tachykinins/isolation & purification/physiology ; Transcription Factors/physiology ; }, } @article {pmid15584202, year = {2003}, author = {Osborne, MA and Fogarty, RF}, title = {Views from the periphery: discourses of race and place in French military medicine.}, journal = {History and philosophy of the life sciences}, volume = {25}, number = {3}, pages = {363-389}, doi = {10.1080/03919710412331324433}, pmid = {15584202}, issn = {0391-9714}, mesh = {Africa ; Anthropology, Physical/*history ; Attitude to Health/ethnology ; Biological Evolution ; Colonialism/*history ; Culture ; France ; Geography ; Hierarchy, Social ; History, 19th Century ; History, 20th Century ; Humans ; Military Medicine/*history ; Racial Groups/classification/*genetics ; Social Class ; Sociobiology/*history ; World War I ; }, abstract = {Numerous authors have interpreted the history of anthropological and medical conceptions of race in nineteenth century France as following a path mapped out by phrenology, anthropometry, and Paul Broca's version of physical anthropology. On balance, this has resulted in an historical narrative centered on Parisian intellectual life and one leaving the impression that by the 1890s anthropological theories had moved away from ethnological and cultural explanations toward more biological views of race. This article, by contrast, examines the world beyond Paris and the literatures of naval and army medicine from about 1830 to 1920. It describes the contours of a medical and anthropological pluralism in matters of race and ethnicity and argues that cultural and ethnological perspectives remained important to theorists of race through World War I.}, } @article {pmid15482070, year = {2004}, author = {Moskowitz, AK}, title = {"Scared stiff": catatonia as an evolutionary-based fear response.}, journal = {Psychological review}, volume = {111}, number = {4}, pages = {984-1002}, doi = {10.1037/0033-295X.111.4.984}, pmid = {15482070}, issn = {0033-295X}, mesh = {Animals ; Behavior, Animal ; *Biological Evolution ; Catatonia/*physiopathology/psychology ; Escape Reaction/*physiology ; Fear/*physiology ; Humans ; Models, Psychological ; Sociobiology ; }, abstract = {Catatonia, long viewed as a motor disorder, may be better understood as a fear response, akin to the animal defense strategy tonic immobility (after G. G. Gallup & J. D. Maser, 1977). This proposal, consistent with K. L. Kahlbaum's (1874/1973) original conception, is based on similarities between catatonia and tonic immobility ("death feint") as well as evidence that catatonia is associated with anxiety and agitated depression and responds dramatically to benzodiazepines. It is argued that catatonia originally derived from ancestral encounters with carnivores whose predatory instincts were triggered by movement but is now inappropriately expressed in very different modern threat situations. Found in a wide range of psychiatric and serious medical conditions, catatonia may represent a common "end state" response to feelings of imminent doom and can serve as a template to understand other psychiatric disorders.}, } @article {pmid15462031, year = {2004}, author = {Levy, N}, title = {Cohen and kinds: a response to Nathan Nobis.}, journal = {Journal of applied philosophy}, volume = {21}, number = {2}, pages = {213-217}, doi = {10.1111/j.0264-3758.2004.00274.x}, pmid = {15462031}, issn = {0264-3758}, mesh = {*Animal Rights ; Animals ; *Philosophy ; Sociobiology ; *Species Specificity ; }, } @article {pmid15342515, year = {2004}, author = {Rueppell, O and Pankiw, T and Nielsen, DI and Fondrk, MK and Beye, M and Page, RE}, title = {The genetic architecture of the behavioral ontogeny of foraging in honeybee workers.}, journal = {Genetics}, volume = {167}, number = {4}, pages = {1767-1779}, pmid = {15342515}, issn = {0016-6731}, mesh = {Aging ; Animals ; Base Sequence ; Bees/genetics/growth & development/*physiology ; Behavior, Animal/*physiology ; Crosses, Genetic ; DNA Primers ; Feeding Behavior/*physiology ; Female ; Male ; Models, Genetic ; Quantitative Trait Loci ; }, abstract = {The initiation of foraging during the life course of honeybee workers is of central interest to understanding the division of labor in social insects, a central theme in sociobiology and behavioral research. It also provides one of the most complex phenotypic traits in biological systems because of the interaction of various external, social, and individual factors. This study reports on a comprehensive investigation of the genetic architecture of the age of foraging initiation in honeybees. It comprises an estimation of genetic variation, the study of candidate loci, and two complementary quantitative trait loci (QTL) maps using two selected, continually bred lines of honeybees. We conclude that considerable genetic variation exists between the selected lines for this central life history component. The study reveals direct pleiotropic and epistatic effects of candidate loci (including previously identified QTL for foraging behavior). Furthermore, two maps of the honeybee genome were constructed from over 400 AFLP markers. Both maps confirm the extraordinary recombinational size of the honeybee genome. On the basis of these maps, we report four new significant QTL and two more suggestive QTL that influence the initiation of foraging.}, } @article {pmid15336678, year = {2004}, author = {Thompson, GJ and Oldroyd, BP}, title = {Evaluating alternative hypotheses for the origin of eusociality in corbiculate bees.}, journal = {Molecular phylogenetics and evolution}, volume = {33}, number = {2}, pages = {452-456}, doi = {10.1016/j.ympev.2004.06.016}, pmid = {15336678}, issn = {1055-7903}, mesh = {Animals ; Bees/*classification/*genetics ; *Biological Evolution ; Cytochromes b/genetics ; Likelihood Functions ; *Phylogeny ; Reproduction/genetics ; *Social Behavior ; Sociobiology ; }, abstract = {We use a likelihood-based statistical test to evaluate the extent to which the available molecular data sets can be used to falsify alternative phylogenetic hypotheses describing the inter-relationship among corbiculate bee tribes. Based on the results of this test, we explore three alternative models of behavioural character state evolution and evaluate the support each model has for single-origin versus dual-origin hypotheses for 'highly' eusocial behaviour. We show that only one of four data sets could statistically reject any of the 15 possible outgroup-rooted phylogenetic hypotheses. However, a cytochrome b data set rejected all but three alternative topologies. Using this information, a simple model of behavioural character state evolution, in which transitions between solitary/communal, 'primitively' eusocial, and 'highly' eusocial are unconstrained, supports single-origin hypotheses for 'highly' eusocial behaviour, in spite of phylogenetic uncertainty. By contrast, an ordered model, in which 'highly' eusocial is constrained to be an evolutionarily terminal state, supports a dual-origins hypothesis. Our results show that the molecular phylogenetic evidence favouring a dual-origins hypothesis for 'highly' eusocial behaviour is, at present, conditional on information from one gene (cyt b) and on specific, though likely realistic, assumptions regarding the nature of eusocial evolution.}, } @article {pmid15293515, year = {2003}, author = {Allhoff, F}, title = {Evolutionary ethics from Darwin to Moore.}, journal = {History and philosophy of the life sciences}, volume = {25}, number = {1}, pages = {51-79}, doi = {10.1080/03919710312331272945}, pmid = {15293515}, issn = {0391-9714}, mesh = {*Biological Evolution ; Dissent and Disputes/*history ; Ethics/*history ; Happiness ; History, 19th Century ; Humans ; *Morals ; Selection, Genetic ; }, abstract = {Evolutionary ethics has a long history, dating all the way back to Charles Darwin. Almost immediately after the publication of the Origin, an immense interest arose in the moral implications of Darwinism and whether the truth of Darwinism would undermine traditional ethics. Though the biological thesis was certainly exciting, nobody suspected that the impact of the Origin would be confined to the scientific arena. As one historian wrote, 'whether or not ancient populations of armadillos were transformed into the species that currently inhabit the new world was certainly a topic about which zoologists could disagree. But it was in discussing the broader implications of the theory...that tempers flared and statements were made which could transform what otherwise would have been a quiet scholarly meeting into a social scandal' (Farber 1994, 22). Some resistance to the biological thesis of Darwinism sprung from the thought that it was incompatible with traditional morality and, since one of them had to go, many thought that Darwinism should be rejected. However, some people did realize that a secular ethics was possible so, even if Darwinism did undermine traditional religious beliefs, it need not have any effects on moral thought. Before I begin my discussion of evolutionary ethics from Darwin to Moore, I would like to make some more general remarks about its development. There are three key events during this history of evolutionary ethics. First, Charles Darwin published On the Origin of the Species (Darwin 1859). Since one did not have a fully developed theory of evolution until 1859, there exists little work on evolutionary ethics until then. Shortly thereafter, Herbert Spencer (1898) penned the first systematic theory of evolutionary ethics, which was promptly attacked by T.H. Huxley (Huxley 1894). Second, at about the turn of the century, moral philosophers entered the fray and attempted to demonstrate logical errors in Spencer's work; such errors were alluded to but never fully brought to the fore by Huxley. These philosophers were the well known moralists from Cambridge: Henry Sidgwick (Sidgwick 1902, 1907) and G.E. Moore (Moore 1903), though their ideas hearkened back to David Hume (Hume 1960). These criticisms were so strong that the industry of evolutionary ethics was largely abandoned (though with some exceptions) for many years. Third, E.O. Wilson, a Harvard entomologist, published Sociobiology: The New Synthesis in 1975 (Wilson E.O. 1975), which sparked renewed interest in evolutionary ethics and offered new directions of investigation. These events suggest the following stages for the history of evolutionary ethics: development, criticism and abandonment, revival. In this paper, I shall focus on the first two stages, since those are the ones on which the philosophical merits have already been largely decided. The revival stage is still in progress and we shall eventually find out whether it was a success.}, } @article {pmid15232949, year = {2004}, author = {Sachs, JL and Mueller, UG and Wilcox, TP and Bull, JJ}, title = {The evolution of cooperation.}, journal = {The Quarterly review of biology}, volume = {79}, number = {2}, pages = {135-160}, doi = {10.1086/383541}, pmid = {15232949}, issn = {0033-5770}, support = {57756//PHS HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Algorithms ; Animals ; *Biological Evolution ; Computational Biology ; *Cooperative Behavior ; Humans ; Models, Biological ; Selection, Genetic ; *Sociobiology ; Symbiosis ; }, abstract = {Darwin recognized that natural selection could not favor a trait in one species solely for the benefit of another species. The modern, selfish-gene view of the world suggests that cooperation between individuals, whether of the same species or different species, should be especially vulnerable to the evolution of noncooperators. Yet, cooperation is prevalent in nature both within and between species. What special circumstances or mechanisms thus favor cooperation? Currently, evolutionary biology offers a set of disparate explanations, and a general framework for this breadth of models has not emerged. Here, we offer a tripartite structure that links previously disconnected views of cooperation. We distinguish three general models by which cooperation can evolve and be maintained: (i) directed reciprocation--cooperation with individuals who give in return; (ii) shared genes--cooperation with relatives (e.g., kin selection); and (iii) byproduct benefits--cooperation as an incidental consequence of selfish action. Each general model is further subdivided. Several renowned examples of cooperation that have lacked explanation until recently--plant-rhizobium symbioses and bacteria-squid light organs--fit squarely within this framework. Natural systems of cooperation often involve more than one model, and a fruitful direction for future research is to understand how these models interact to maintain cooperation in the long term.}, } @article {pmid15205063, year = {2004}, author = {Brody, S}, title = {Slimness is associated with greater intercourse and lesser masturbation frequency.}, journal = {Journal of sex & marital therapy}, volume = {30}, number = {4}, pages = {251-261}, doi = {10.1080/00926230490422368}, pmid = {15205063}, issn = {0092-623X}, mesh = {Adult ; *Body Constitution ; *Coitus/psychology ; Female ; Germany ; Humans ; Interpersonal Relations ; Male ; *Masturbation/epidemiology/psychology ; Obesity/*complications/psychology ; Personal Satisfaction ; *Self Concept ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; }, abstract = {I examined the relationship of recalled and diary recorded frequency of penile-vaginal intercourse (FSI), noncoital partnered sexual activity, and masturbation to measured waist and hip circumference in 120 healthy adults aged 19-38. Slimmer waist (in men and in the sexes combined) and slimmer hips (in men and women) were associated with greater FSI. Slimmer waist and hips were associated with rated importance of intercourse for men. Noncoital partnered sexual activity had a less consistent association with slimness. Slimmer waist and hips were associated with less masturbation (in men and in the sexes combined). I discuss the results in terms of differences between different sexual behaviors, attractiveness, emotional relatedness, physical sensitivity, sexual dysfunction, sociobiology, psychopharmacological aspects of excess fat and carbohydrate consumption, and implications for sex therapy.}, } @article {pmid15186826, year = {2004}, author = {Kronauer, DJ and Hölldobler, B and Gadau, J}, title = {Phylogenetics of the new world honey ants (genus Myrmecocystus) estimated from mitochondrial DNA sequences.}, journal = {Molecular phylogenetics and evolution}, volume = {32}, number = {1}, pages = {416-421}, doi = {10.1016/j.ympev.2004.03.011}, pmid = {15186826}, issn = {1055-7903}, mesh = {Algorithms ; Animals ; Ants/classification/*genetics ; DNA, Mitochondrial/*genetics ; Evolution, Molecular ; Phylogeny ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Species Specificity ; }, } @article {pmid15164940, year = {2004}, author = {Thienpont, K and Verleye, G}, title = {Cognitive ability and occupational status in a British cohort.}, journal = {Journal of biosocial science}, volume = {36}, number = {3}, pages = {333-349}, doi = {10.1017/s0021932003006229}, pmid = {15164940}, issn = {0021-9320}, mesh = {Achievement ; Aptitude/*classification ; Child ; Child Development ; *Cognition ; Employment/*statistics & numerical data ; Female ; Genetic Variation ; Humans ; Intelligence/genetics ; Longitudinal Studies ; Male ; Occupations ; Social Mobility/*statistics & numerical data ; Sociobiology ; United Kingdom ; }, abstract = {The relation between individual trait differences, social mobility and social structure is central to social biology. Because genetic variance underlies phenotypic variance in some of these traits, for example IQ, several mechanisms determine the population variance. Polygenic inheritance is the basic mechanism. Social mobility and assortative partner choice distribute the trait variance within generations. This feedback circle is constrained by sociological conditions at several levels of analysis. Fundamental to this theory of social assortment is the relation between social-biological traits and social class on the one hand, and these traits and social mobility on the other hand. The focus here is on the relation between social class, social mobility and cognitive ability. The National Child Development Study is drawn upon, including the last follow-up (1999-2000). By approaching this relationship through various methods, both social-biological and sociological aspects of this research question can be assessed.}, } @article {pmid15164937, year = {2004}, author = {Van de Putte, B and Matthijs, K and Vlietinck, R}, title = {A social component in the negative effect of sons on maternal longevity in pre-industrial humans.}, journal = {Journal of biosocial science}, volume = {36}, number = {3}, pages = {289-297}, doi = {10.1017/s0021932003006266}, pmid = {15164937}, issn = {0021-9320}, mesh = {Belgium ; Competitive Behavior ; Family Characteristics ; Female ; History, 18th Century ; History, 19th Century ; History, 20th Century ; Humans ; Immune Tolerance ; Longevity/*immunology ; Male ; Maternal Welfare/*history ; *Nuclear Family ; Social Class ; Sociobiology ; Socioeconomic Factors ; Testosterone/adverse effects ; Time Factors ; }, abstract = {Due to their effect on maternal testosterone levels, sons are said to have reduced maternal longevity in pre-industrial humans. This analysis, using information from a Flemish agricultural village in the 18th-20th centuries, confirms the presence of a negative effect of sons on maternal longevity. However, the effect is mainly observed for mothers belonging to the least privileged social group and for sons surviving their fifth birthday. Both findings make the above-mentioned biological explanation relative. However, a plausible alternative, social interpretation is male-dominated intra-household resource competition. It is reasonable to assume that only sons above a certain age are able to claim a serious amount of resources and that competition is strongest within the least privileged social group.}, } @article {pmid15160975, year = {2004}, author = {Wallace, R and Wallace, D and Wallace, RG}, title = {Coronary heart disease, chronic inflammation, and pathogenic social hierarchy: a biological limit to possible reductions in morbidity and mortality.}, journal = {Journal of the National Medical Association}, volume = {96}, number = {5}, pages = {609-619}, pmid = {15160975}, issn = {0027-9684}, support = {I-P50-ES09600-05/ES/NIEHS NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Acculturation ; Black or African American/ethnology/genetics ; Central Nervous System/immunology ; Chronic Disease ; Coronary Disease/*ethnology/genetics/immunology ; *Hierarchy, Social ; Humans ; Inflammation/complications/*ethnology/genetics/immunology ; *Prejudice ; Selection, Genetic ; *Sociobiology ; Sociology, Medical ; }, abstract = {We suggest that a particular form of social hierarchy, which we characterize as "pathogenic", can, from the earliest stages of life, exert a formal analog to evolutionary selection pressure, literally writing a permanent developmental image of itself upon immune function as chronic vascular inflammation and its consequences. The staged nature of resulting disease emerges "naturally" as a rough analog to punctuated equilibrium in evolutionary theory, although selection pressure is a passive filter rather than an active agent, like structured psychosocial stress. Exposure differs according to the social constructs of race, class, and ethnicity, accounting in large measure for observed population-level differences in rates of coronary heart disease across industrialized societies. American Apartheid, which enmeshes both majority and minority communities in a social construct of pathogenic hierarchy, appears to present a severe biological limit to continuing declines in coronary heart disease for powerful as well as subordinate subgroups: "Culture"--to use the words of the evolutionary anthropologist Robert Boyd--"is as much a part of human biology as the enamel on our teeth".}, } @article {pmid15066420, year = {2004}, author = {Castro, L and Toro, MA}, title = {Mutual benefit can promote the evolution of preferential interactions and in this way can lead to the evolution of true altruism.}, journal = {Theoretical population biology}, volume = {65}, number = {3}, pages = {239-247}, doi = {10.1016/j.tpb.2004.01.003}, pmid = {15066420}, issn = {0040-5809}, mesh = {Alleles ; *Altruism ; *Biological Evolution ; Computer Simulation ; *Cooperative Behavior ; Gene Frequency ; *Genetic Phenomena ; Humans ; *Interpersonal Relations ; Linkage Disequilibrium ; Models, Genetic ; Models, Statistical ; Population Dynamics ; *Sociobiology ; }, abstract = {We analyse the evolution of the assortment of encounters through active choice of companions among individuals that interact cooperatively in a situation of mutual benefit. Using a simple mathematical model, we show that mutual benefit can favour the evolution of a preference to interact with individuals that are similar to themselves with respect to an arbitrary tag even when both the preference and the tag depend on two independent and unlinked genes. Two necessary requisites to obtain this result are: (i) a small population or a large subdivided metapulation and (ii) an asymmetry between partners in such a way that one of them (donor) proposes the cooperation and elects the partner, whereas the other (receiver) never rejects the offer. We also show that mutual benefit can be the starting point for the evolution of altruistic behaviours as long as there are preferential interactions. This requires that the tag used in the election of partners is the altruistic or selfish behaviour itself.}, } @article {pmid15065920, year = {2004}, author = {Kanazawa, S}, title = {General intelligence as a domain-specific adaptation.}, journal = {Psychological review}, volume = {111}, number = {2}, pages = {512-523}, doi = {10.1037/0033-295X.111.2.512}, pmid = {15065920}, issn = {0033-295X}, mesh = {*Adaptation, Psychological ; Humans ; *Intelligence ; }, abstract = {General intelligence (g) poses a problem for evolutionary psychology's modular view of the human brain. The author advances a new evolutionary psychological theory of the evolution of general intelligence and argues that general intelligence evolved as a domain-specific adaptation for the originally limited sphere of evolutionary novelty in the ancestral environment. It has accidentally become universally important merely because we now live in an evolutionarily novel world. The available data seem to support the author's contention that intelligent people can solve problems better than less intelligent people only if the problems are evolutionarily novel, and they have no advantage in solving evolutionarily familiar problems. This perspective can also solve some empirical anomalies, such as the "central theoretical problem of human sociobiology" (D. R. Vining, 1986, p. 167) and the geographic distribution of general intelligence throughout the world.}, } @article {pmid15045707, year = {2003}, author = {Ekman, P}, title = {Emotions inside out. 130 Years after Darwin's "The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animal".}, journal = {Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences}, volume = {1000}, number = {}, pages = {1-6}, doi = {10.1196/annals.1280.002}, pmid = {15045707}, issn = {0077-8923}, mesh = {Animals ; Biological Evolution ; *Emotions ; History, 19th Century ; Humans ; *Nonverbal Communication ; Psychology, Comparative/*history ; Sociobiology/*history ; }, } @article {pmid15024125, year = {2004}, author = {Groh, C and Tautz, J and Rössler, W}, title = {Synaptic organization in the adult honey bee brain is influenced by brood-temperature control during pupal development.}, journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America}, volume = {101}, number = {12}, pages = {4268-4273}, pmid = {15024125}, issn = {0027-8424}, mesh = {Animals ; Bees/*anatomy & histology/growth & development ; Brain/*anatomy & histology/growth & development ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique ; Pupa/growth & development ; Synapses/*metabolism ; Temperature ; }, abstract = {Recent studies have shown that the behavioral performance of adult honey bees is influenced by the temperature experienced during pupal development. Here we explore whether there are temperature-mediated effects on the brain. We raised pupae at different constant temperatures between 29 and 37 degrees C and performed neuroanatomical analyses of the adult brains. Analyses focused on sensory-input regions in the mushroom bodies, brain areas associated with higher-order processing such as learning and memory. Distinct synaptic complexes [microglomeruli (MG)] within the mushroom body calyces were visualized by using fluorophore-conjugated phalloidin and an antibody to synapsin. The numbers of MG were different in bees that had been raised at different temperatures, and these differences persisted after the first week of adult life. In the olfactory-input region (lip), MG numbers were highest in bees raised at the temperature normally maintained in brood cells (34.5 degrees C) and significantly decreased in bees raised at 1 degrees C below and above this norm. Interestingly, in the neighboring visual-input region (collar), MG numbers were less affected by temperature. We conclude that thermoregulatory control of brood rearing can generate area- and modality-specific effects on synaptic neuropils in the adult brain. We propose that resulting differences in the synaptic circuitry may affect neuronal plasticity and may underlie temperature-mediated effects on multimodal communication and learning.}, } @article {pmid15008660, year = {2004}, author = {Keefe, FJ and Blumenthal, JA}, title = {Health psychology: what will the future bring?.}, journal = {Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association}, volume = {23}, number = {2}, pages = {156-157}, doi = {10.1037/0278-6133.23.2.156}, pmid = {15008660}, issn = {0278-6133}, mesh = {Behavioral Medicine/*trends ; Cost-Benefit Analysis ; Evidence-Based Medicine ; Forecasting ; Humans ; Mental Disorders/therapy ; Mental Health Services/organization & administration ; Population Dynamics ; Sociobiology ; Systems Integration ; United States ; }, abstract = {This commentary highlights several important themes and trends in this series of articles focusing on the future of health psychology. First, the challenges posed by changes in populations will only be met if health psychologists can develop a contextual competency. Second, with increasing evidence for the efficacy of health psychology interventions comes heightened interest in testing the effectiveness of these interventions. Third, issues of cost-effectiveness of health psychology will become increasingly important. Fourth, the growing integration of technological advances (e.g., telehealth, the Internet) into health psychology has major implications. Finally, the numerous changes outlined in this series of articles will demand that health psychologists extend and refine their theoretical models including the biopsychosocial model.}, } @article {pmid14738082, year = {2003}, author = {Jianhui, L and Fan, H}, title = {Science as ideology: the rejection and reception of sociobiology in China.}, journal = {Journal of the history of biology}, volume = {36}, number = {3}, pages = {567-578}, doi = {10.1023/b:hist.0000004580.34274.78}, pmid = {14738082}, issn = {0022-5010}, mesh = {Biology/*history ; China ; *Historiography ; History, 20th Century ; Philosophy/*history ; Science/*history ; United States ; }, abstract = {The spread of sociobiology in China is not simply an internal event in the development of science. From the day it was introduced to China, its destiny was closely bound up with the development and change of Chinese society. Although it did not create as great disturbance as in America, it did have a significant impact in academic circles. However, scholars have paid little attention to these historical events. Today, sociobiology seems outdated and Wilson's grand agenda seems to have faded with the passing of time, but the mark that he made on the history of science is still striking. A review of the process of reception of sociobiology in China is helpful for understanding this theory as well as the society of China.}, } @article {pmid14609390, year = {2003}, author = {Millon, T}, title = {It's time to rework the blueprints: building a science for clinical psychology.}, journal = {The American psychologist}, volume = {58}, number = {11}, pages = {949-961}, doi = {10.1037/0003-066X.58.11.949}, pmid = {14609390}, issn = {0003-066X}, mesh = {Biological Evolution ; Humans ; Interpersonal Relations ; *Models, Psychological ; Psychology, Clinical/*trends ; Psychotherapy/*trends ; Social Behavior ; }, abstract = {The aims in this article are to connect the conceptual structure of clinical psychological science to what the author believes to be the omnipresent principles of evolution, use the evolutionary model to create a deductively derived clinical theory and taxonomy, link the theory and taxonomy to comprehensive and integrated approaches to assessment, and outline a framework for an integrative synergistic model of psychotherapy. These foundations also provide a framework for a systematic approach to the subject realms of personology and psychopathology. Exploring nature's deep principles, the model revives the personologic concept christened by Henry Murray some 65 years ago; it also parallels the interface between human social functioning and evolutionary biology proposed by Edward Wilson in his concept of sociobiology.}, } @article {pmid14602943, year = {2001}, author = {Barinaga, M}, title = {Life extension--our salvation or our ruin?.}, journal = {Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE}, volume = {2001}, number = {1}, pages = {ns1}, doi = {10.1126/sageke.2001.1.ns1}, pmid = {14602943}, issn = {1539-6150}, mesh = {Aging/ethics ; *Ethics ; Humans ; *Life Expectancy ; Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid14598995, year = {2003}, author = {Biglan, A}, title = {Selection by consequences: one unifying principle for a transdisciplinary science of prevention.}, journal = {Prevention science : the official journal of the Society for Prevention Research}, volume = {4}, number = {4}, pages = {213-232}, pmid = {14598995}, issn = {1389-4986}, support = {BCS 960 1236/BC/NCI NIH HHS/United States ; CA38273/CA/NCI NIH HHS/United States ; CA86169/CA/NCI NIH HHS/United States ; DA12202/DA/NIDA NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {*Behavioral Sciences ; Humans ; Mental Disorders/*prevention & control ; Parenting ; Selection, Genetic ; Sociobiology ; }, abstract = {The principle of selection by consequences is critical to the analysis of a broad range of phenomena in the biological and behavioral sciences from the evolution of species to the selection of cultural practices. This paper reviews the role of that principle in diverse areas of the biobehavioral sciences and discusses how it can provide one dimension along which the diverse disciplines relevant to the prevention of problems of human behavior can be integrated. Such integration should improve the ability of prevention science to reduce the incidence and prevalence of human behavior problems.}, } @article {pmid14533019, year = {2003}, author = {Palmer, CT and Thornhill, R}, title = {Straw men and fairy tales: Evaluating reactions to A Natural History of Rape.}, journal = {Journal of sex research}, volume = {40}, number = {3}, pages = {249-255}, doi = {10.1080/00224490309552189}, pmid = {14533019}, issn = {0022-4499}, mesh = {*Attitude ; Coitus/psychology ; Female ; Humans ; Insemination ; Judgment ; Literature, Modern ; Male ; Metaphor ; Psychopathology ; *Rape/psychology ; Sociobiology ; United States ; *Violence/psychology ; }, abstract = {In this paper we respond to two frequent criticisms of our book, A Natural History of Rape (Thornhill & Palmer, 2000). The first criticism portrays the book as little more than a "just-so story" that human rape is an adaptation. We demonstrate that this portrayal is not accurate. The second criticism reflects a common response to the book s challenge of the popular assertion that rapists are not motivated by sexual desire but instead commit these crimes motivated by the urge to power, domination, and violence, and the urge to degrade and humiliate women. We demonstrate that such criticisms of our book are inherently contradictory and illogical. We believe it is important for sex researchers to understand that these sorts of criticisms are seriously flawed so that future research efforts toward understanding the causes of sexual coercion are not stalled.}, } @article {pmid12875823, year = {2003}, author = {Amdam, GV and Omholt, SW}, title = {The hive bee to forager transition in honeybee colonies: the double repressor hypothesis.}, journal = {Journal of theoretical biology}, volume = {223}, number = {4}, pages = {451-464}, doi = {10.1016/s0022-5193(03)00121-8}, pmid = {12875823}, issn = {0022-5193}, mesh = {Aging ; Animals ; Bees/*physiology ; Behavior, Animal/*physiology ; Central Nervous System/*physiology ; Feeding Behavior ; Models, Biological ; *Social Behavior ; Starvation ; }, abstract = {In summer, the honeybee (Apis mellifera) worker population consists of two temporal castes, a hive bee group performing a multitude of tasks including nursing inside the nest, and a forager group specialized on collecting nectar, pollen, water and propolis. Elucidation of the regulatory mechanisms responsible for the hive bee to forager transition holds a prominent position within present day sociobiology. Here we suggest a new explanation dubbed the "double repressor hypothesis" aimed to account for the substantial amount of empirical data in this field. This is the first time where both the regular transition and starvation-induced precocious transition are explained within the same regulatory framework. We suggest that the transition is under regulatory control by an internal and an external repressor of the allatoregulatory central nervous system, where these two repressors modulate a positive regulatory feedback loop involving juvenile hormone (JH) and the lipoprotein vitellogenin. The concepts of age-neutrality, fixed and variable response thresholds and reinforcement are integral parts of our explanation, and in addition they are given explicit physiological content. The hypothesis is represented by a differential equations model at the level of the individual bee, and by a discrete individual-based colony model. The two models generate predictions in accordance with empirical data concerning the cumulative probability of becoming a forager, mean age at onset of foraging, reversal of foragers, time window of reversal, relationship between JH titre and onset of foraging, relative representations of genotypic groups, and effects of forager depletion and confinement.}, } @article {pmid12870633, year = {2003}, author = {Badcott, D}, title = {The basis and relevance of emotional dignity.}, journal = {Medicine, health care, and philosophy}, volume = {6}, number = {2}, pages = {123-131}, pmid = {12870633}, issn = {1386-7423}, mesh = {Aged ; Biological Evolution ; Cognitive Dissonance ; *Emotions ; Empathy ; Europe ; Humans ; *Interpersonal Relations ; *Morals ; Personhood ; Selection, Genetic ; Self Concept ; *Social Perception ; Social Values ; Sociobiology ; *Vulnerable Populations ; }, abstract = {The paper is a preliminary examination of the origin and role of psychological perception or "feeling" of dignity in human beings. Following Ayala's naturalistic account of morality, a sense of emotional dignity is seen as an outcome of processes of natural selection, cultural evolution, and above all a need for social inclusion. It is suggested that the existence of emotional dignity as part of a human species-related continuum provides an explanation of why we treat those in a persistent vegetative state, the severely and hopelessly mentally impaired, the senile demented, cadavers and archaeological remains with dignity and respect. For older Europeans, dissonance between physical and mental abilities, unfamiliarity with social and cultural changes and relative proximity to death may influence their emotional dignity and hence vulnerability.}, } @article {pmid12846516, year = {2003}, author = {Greitemeyer, T and Rudolph, U and Weiner, B}, title = {Whom would you rather help: an acquaintance not responsible for her plight or a responsible sibling?.}, journal = {The Journal of social psychology}, volume = {143}, number = {3}, pages = {331-340}, doi = {10.1080/00224540309598448}, pmid = {12846516}, issn = {0022-4545}, mesh = {Adult ; Biological Evolution ; Female ; *Helping Behavior ; Humans ; Life Change Events ; Male ; *Siblings ; *Social Responsibility ; }, abstract = {When 2 persons--an acquaintance who could not have avoided a problem and a close relative who is responsible for her own plight--ask for help, attribution theory and sociobiology conflict about who will receive help. Attribution theorists assume that the nonresponsible acquaintance will be supported, but sociobiologists argue that the responsible sibling will receive help. The authors tested the hypothesis that characteristics of the situation affect which theory better predicts help giving. The results confirmed that in situations that do not affect life and death, a nonresponsible acquaintance would receive more help than a responsible sibling. But in life-or-death situations, inasmuch as the reproductive fitness of the person in need is in danger, a responsible sibling would be supported more than a nonresponsible acquaintance.}, } @article {pmid12771160, year = {2003}, author = {Thom, C}, title = {The tremble dance of honey bees can be caused by hive-external foraging experience.}, journal = {The Journal of experimental biology}, volume = {206}, number = {Pt 13}, pages = {2111-2116}, doi = {10.1242/jeb.00398}, pmid = {12771160}, issn = {0022-0949}, mesh = {*Animal Communication ; Animals ; Bees/*physiology ; Feeding Behavior/*physiology ; Flight, Animal/*physiology ; }, abstract = {The tremble dance of honey bee nectar foragers is part of the communication system that regulates a colony's foraging efficiency. A forager that returns to the hive with nectar, but then experiences a long unloading delay because she has difficulty finding a nectar receiver bee, will perform a tremble dance to recruit additional nectar receiver bees. A forager that experiences a short unloading delay will perform a waggle dance to recruit more nectar foragers. A long unloading delay was until now the only known cause of tremble dancing. However, several studies suggested that factors at the food source may also cause tremble dancing. Here I test whether one of these factors, crowding of nectar foragers at the food source, stimulates tremble dancing because it causes long unloading delays. To do so, I increased the density of nectar foragers at a food source by suddenly reducing the size of an artificial feeder, and recorded the unloading delay experienced by each forager, as well as the dance she performed, if any. A forager's unloading delay was measured as the time interval between entering the hive and either (1) the first unloading contact with a nectar receiver bee, or (2) the start of the first dance, if dancing began before the first unloading contact. I also recorded the unloading delays and dances of nectar foragers that returned from natural food sources. The results show that crowding of nectar foragers at the food source increases the probability of tremble dancing, but does not cause long unloading delays, and that tremble dancers that foraged at natural food sources also often have short unloading delays. When the cause of the tremble dance is not a low supply of nectar receiver bees, the tremble dance may have a function in addition to the recruitment of nectar receiver bees.}, } @article {pmid12764481, year = {2003}, author = {Cardoso, MH and Castiel, LD}, title = {[Collective health, the new genetics, and market eugenics].}, journal = {Cadernos de saude publica}, volume = {19}, number = {2}, pages = {653-662}, doi = {10.1590/s0102-311x2003000200032}, pmid = {12764481}, issn = {0102-311X}, mesh = {Bioethics ; *Eugenics ; Genetics ; Genome, Human ; Humans ; *Public Health ; Sociobiology ; }, abstract = {Due to constant advances in genetic manipulation, the field of public health is faced with the possible emergence of a reductionist genomic emphasis, beyond socio-cultural influences. Under such circumstances, the main focus of public health interventions would shift towards a genomic approach to "individuals" and their "families", to the detriment of their consecrated object - "populations", thereby moving away from the current central priority of efforts (and resources) aimed at reducing ill-health due to socioeconomic inequalities. Even admitting the benefits of genetic knowledge, a new eugenic practice may emerge from the availability of genetic tests on the marketplace aimed at individuals that can afford to consume them.}, } @article {pmid12737658, year = {2003}, author = {Kronauer, DJ and Gadau, J and Hölldobler, B}, title = {Genetic evidence for intra- and interspecific slavery in honey ants (genus Myrmecocystus).}, journal = {Proceedings. Biological sciences}, volume = {270}, number = {1517}, pages = {805-810}, pmid = {12737658}, issn = {0962-8452}, mesh = {Animals ; Ants/*classification/genetics/*physiology ; Genetic Markers/genetics ; Heredity ; Inbreeding ; Mitochondria/genetics ; Reproduction ; *Social Dominance ; Species Specificity ; }, abstract = {The New World honey ant species Myrmecocystus mimicus is well known for its highly stereotyped territorial tournaments, and for the raids on conspecific nests that can lead to intraspecific slavery. Our results from mitochondrial and nuclear markers show that the raided brood emerges in the raiding colony and is subsequently incorporated into the colony's worker force. We also found enslaved conspecifics in a second honey ant species, M. depilis, the sister taxon of M. mimicus, which occurs in sympatry with M. mimicus at the study site. Colonies of this species furthermore contained raided M. mimicus workers. Both species have an effective mating frequency that is not significantly different from 1. This study provides genetic evidence for facultative intra- and interspecific slavery in the genus Myrmecocystus. Slavery in ants has evolved repeatedly and supposedly by different means. We propose that, in honey ants, secondary contact between two closely related species that both exhibit intraspecific slavery gave rise to an early form of facultative interspecific slavery.}, } @article {pmid12678086, year = {2002}, author = {Hanson, R}, title = {Why health is not special: errors in evolved bioethics intuitions.}, journal = {Social philosophy & policy}, volume = {19}, number = {2}, pages = {153-179}, doi = {10.1017/s0265052502192077}, pmid = {12678086}, issn = {0265-0525}, mesh = {Animals ; Attitude to Health ; Bayes Theorem ; Bioethics ; Biological Evolution ; Delivery of Health Care/economics/*ethics ; Ethics ; Gift Giving ; Health ; *Health Behavior ; Health Expenditures ; Health Policy ; Humans ; Interpersonal Relations ; *Intuition ; *Morals ; Mortality ; National Health Programs ; Paternalism ; Philosophy ; Placebos ; Preventive Medicine ; Social Class ; Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid12633515, year = {2002}, author = {Wahlqvist, ML and Wahlqvist, ML}, title = {'Malnutrition' in the aged: the dietary assessment.}, journal = {Public health nutrition}, volume = {5}, number = {6A}, pages = {911-913}, doi = {10.1079/PHN2002369}, pmid = {12633515}, issn = {1368-9800}, mesh = {Aged ; *Aging ; *Feeding Behavior ; *Geriatric Assessment ; Humans ; Nutrition Disorders/*etiology ; }, abstract = {Changing demography towards older populations requires nutritionists to review food--health relationships in regard to older age groups, to the ageing process, to precursors of disability and survival, and to the changeability of health status through diet in later life. Nutritional status in later life may be complex with combined features of under-, over- and disordered nutrition -- dysnutrition. Further, beyond food components (essential nutrients and more), foods themselves, integrals of food intake and the socio-cultural aspects of food intake play a significant role in the health and well-being of the aged and require measurement. Ageing socio-biology provides opportunities and imposes limitations on the usual food intake instruments. However, rapid assessment procedures can be particularly valuable as highlighted in the Food Habits in Later Life project of the International Union of Nutritional Sciences. There are critical issues to which dietary methodology can be applied to the aged: a disappearing knowledge base, relevant health-enhancing strategies and the creation of new food--health opportunities. Many communities now wish to use such information to develop food-based dietary guidelines for their aged members.}, } @article {pmid12614581, year = {2003}, author = {Oli, MK}, title = {Hamilton goes empirical: estimation of inclusive fitness from life-history data.}, journal = {Proceedings. Biological sciences}, volume = {270}, number = {1512}, pages = {307-311}, pmid = {12614581}, issn = {0962-8452}, mesh = {Altruism ; Animals ; *Biological Evolution ; *Models, Genetic ; Population Dynamics ; Reproduction/genetics ; *Selection, Genetic ; Sociobiology ; }, abstract = {Hamilton's theory of kin selection is one of the most important advances in evolutionary biology since Darwin. Central to the kin-selection theory is the concept of inclusive fitness. However, despite the importance of inclusive fitness in evolutionary theory, empirical estimation of inclusive fitness has remained an elusive task. Using the concept of individual fitness, I present a method for estimating inclusive fitness and its components for diploid organisms with age-structured life histories. The method presented here: (i) allows empirical estimation of inclusive fitness from life-history data; (ii) simultaneously considers all components of fitness, including timing and magnitude of reproduction; (iii) is consistent with Hamilton's definition of inclusive fitness; and (iv) adequately addresses shortcomings of existing methods of estimating inclusive fitness. I also demonstrate the application of this new method for testing Hamilton's rule.}, } @article {pmid12606988, year = {2003}, author = {Hannonen, M and Sundström, L}, title = {Sociobiology: Worker nepotism among polygynous ants.}, journal = {Nature}, volume = {421}, number = {6926}, pages = {910}, doi = {10.1038/421910a}, pmid = {12606988}, issn = {0028-0836}, mesh = {Animals ; Ants/*physiology ; Discrimination Learning ; Female ; Male ; Models, Biological ; *Reproduction ; *Social Behavior ; }, } @article {pmid12554437, year = {2003}, author = {Danforth, BN and Conway, L and Ji, S}, title = {Phylogeny of eusocial Lasioglossum reveals multiple losses of eusociality within a primitively eusocial clade of bees (Hymenoptera: Halictidae).}, journal = {Systematic biology}, volume = {52}, number = {1}, pages = {23-36}, doi = {10.1080/10635150390132687}, pmid = {12554437}, issn = {1063-5157}, mesh = {Animals ; Bees/classification/*genetics ; Likelihood Functions ; *Phylogeny ; *Sociobiology ; }, abstract = {We performed a phylogenetic analysis of the species, species groups, and subgenera within the predominantly eusocial lineage of Lasioglossum (the Hemihalictus series) based on three protein coding genes: mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I, nuclear elongation factor 1alpha and long-wavelength rhodopsin. The entire data set consisted of 3421 aligned nucleotide sites, 854 of which were parsimony informative. Analyses by equal weights parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian methods yielded good resolution among the 53 taxa/populations, with strong bootstrap support and high posterior probabilities for most nodes. There was no significant incongruence among genes, and parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian methods yielded congruent results. We mapped social behavior onto the resulting tree for 42 of the taxa/populations to infer the likely history of social evolution within Lasioglossum. Our results indicate that eusociality had a single origin within Lasioglossum. Within the predominantly eusocial clade, however, there have been multiple (six) reversals from eusociality to solitary nesting, social polymorphism, or social parasitism, suggesting that these reversals may be more common in primitively eusocial Hymenoptera than previously anticipated. Our results support the view that eusociality is hard to evolve but easily lost. This conclusion is potentially important for understanding the early evolution of the advanced eusocial insects, such as ants, termites, and corbiculate bees.}, } @article {pmid12554435, year = {2003}, author = {Schwarz, MP and Bull, NJ and Cooper, SJ}, title = {Molecular phylogenetics of allodapine bees, with implications for the evolution of sociality and progressive rearing.}, journal = {Systematic biology}, volume = {52}, number = {1}, pages = {1-14}, doi = {10.1080/10635150390132632}, pmid = {12554435}, issn = {1063-5157}, mesh = {Africa ; Animals ; Australia ; Base Composition/genetics ; Base Sequence ; Bees/classification/*genetics ; Electron Transport Complex IV/genetics ; Likelihood Functions ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Peptide Elongation Factor 1/genetics ; *Phylogeny ; *Sociobiology ; }, abstract = {Allodapine bees have long been regarded as providing useful material for examining the origins of social behavior. Previous researchers have assumed that sociality arose within the Allodapini and have linked the evolution of sociality to a transition from mass provisioning to progressive provisioning of brood. Early phylogenetic studies of allodapines were based on morphological and life-history data, but critical aspects of these studies relied on small character sets, where the polarity and coding of characters is problematic. We used nucleotide sequence data from one nuclear and two mitochondrial gene fragments to examine phylogenetic structure among nine allodapine genera. Our data set comprised 1506 nucleotide positions, of which 402 were parsimony informative. Maximum parsimony, log determinant, and maximum likelihood analyses produced highly similar phylogenetic topologies, and all analyses indicated that the tropical African genus Macrogalea was the sister group to all other allodapines. This finding conflicts with that of previous studies, in which Compsomelissa + Halterapis formed the most basal group. Changing the basal node of the Allodapini has major consequences for understanding evolution in this tribe. Our results cast doubt on the previous hypotheses that progressive provisioning and castelike social behavior evolved among lineages leading to the extant allodapine taxa. Instead, our results suggest that mass provisioning in Halterapis is a derived feature and that social behavior is an ancestral trait for all allodapine lineages. The forms of social behavior present in extant allodapines are likely to have resulted from a long evolutionary history, which may help explain the complexity of social traits found in many allodapine bees.}, } @article {pmid12548429, year = {2003}, author = {Dornhaus, A and Brockmann, A and Chittka, L}, title = {Bumble bees alert to food with pheromone from tergal gland.}, journal = {Journal of comparative physiology. A, Neuroethology, sensory, neural, and behavioral physiology}, volume = {189}, number = {1}, pages = {47-51}, doi = {10.1007/s00359-002-0374-y}, pmid = {12548429}, issn = {0340-7594}, mesh = {Animals ; Bees ; Endocrine Glands/*metabolism ; Exocrine Glands/metabolism ; Feeding Behavior/*drug effects ; *Food ; Hypopharynx/metabolism ; Insect Hormones/biosynthesis/classification ; Mandible/metabolism ; Motor Activity/drug effects ; Pheromones/*pharmacology ; Time Factors ; Tissue Extracts/pharmacology ; }, abstract = {Foragers of Bombus terrestris are able to alert their nestmates to the presence of food sources. It has been supposed that this happens at least partially through the distribution of a pheromone inside the nest. We substantiate this claim using a behavioral test in which an alerting signal is transmitted from one colony to another by long distance air transport, so excluding all other modalities of information exchange. We then investigated the source of the pheromone and were able to show that a hexane extract from tergites V-VII of bumble bee workers elicits higher activity, like a successful forager does. Extracts from other glands, such as the mandibular, labial, hypopharyngeal, and Dufour's gland as well as extracts from other parts of the cuticle had no effect. This suggests that bumble bees possess a pheromone-producing gland, similar to the Nasanov gland in honey bees. Indeed, an extract from the honey bee Nasanov gland also proved to alert bumble bee workers, suggesting a possible homology of the glands.}, } @article {pmid12510594, year = {2002}, author = {McLoughlin, G}, title = {Is depression normal in human beings? A critique of the evolutionary perspective.}, journal = {International journal of mental health nursing}, volume = {11}, number = {3}, pages = {170-173}, doi = {10.1046/j.1440-0979.2002.00244.x}, pmid = {12510594}, issn = {1445-8330}, mesh = {Adaptation, Psychological ; *Biological Evolution ; Depression/*etiology/psychology ; Depressive Disorder/*etiology ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; *Genetics, Behavioral ; Humans ; Models, Genetic ; Models, Psychological ; Selection, Genetic ; Sociobiology ; }, abstract = {To the evolutionary biologist human beings at every stage of their development represent 'compromises' in their continual adaptation to their changing environments. Using a neo-Darwinian perspective, evolutionary psychiatrists such as Randolph Nesse (Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Michigan) argue that while natural selection does not shape disease itself, it does shape human traits and therefore vulnerability to disease. Accordingly, for him, depression is a human emotion which may represent a surviving positive response and is therefore not always pathological. This critique examines Nesse's principal arguments and reveals a number of weaknesses in those arguments. The article concludes with a review of the therapeutic and preventive implications of his evolutionary perspective on depressive states as well as some implications for mental health nurses.}, } @article {pmid12481652, year = {2002}, author = {Puppe, B}, title = {[The development of the relationship between sow and piglet in the domestic pig--a sociobiological observation].}, journal = {Berliner und Munchener tierarztliche Wochenschrift}, volume = {115}, number = {11-12}, pages = {445-452}, pmid = {12481652}, issn = {0005-9366}, mesh = {Animal Welfare ; Animals ; Animals, Newborn/physiology/psychology ; Animals, Suckling/physiology/*psychology ; *Behavior, Animal ; Ethology ; Female ; Lactation/*physiology ; Male ; *Sucking Behavior/physiology ; Swine/physiology/*psychology ; Weaning ; }, abstract = {The nursing and suckling behaviour of the domestic pig is a complex social behavioural interaction aimed to ensure the milk flow from the sow to the piglets. Ultimately caused theoretical frameworks from basic ethology and/or sociobiology are increasingly used to explain such social behavioural patterns. The present paper gives a short survey of ethophysiological aspects of the nursing and suckling behaviour in domestic pigs and, thereafter, discusses the development and consequences of some parts of the suckling behaviour and the maternal lactation performance in terms of a possible parent-offspring and weaning conflict. It is concluded that--additional to proximately caused mechanisms--the ontogeny of domestic pigs can be interpreted with such principles. In housing systems allowing the animals more control over their behaviour (e.g. their investment) ultimate causes should be more considered. Especially the pathways on which the ultimate strategies become effective via proximate mechanisms do not seem to be understood in total and require specific research. However, it is suggested that effective improvements of welfare, health and productivity can only be reached with the knowledge and integration of both ultimate and proximate causes of behaviour.}, } @article {pmid12298031, year = {2002}, author = {Patzig, G}, title = {Can moral norms be rationally justified?.}, journal = {Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English)}, volume = {41}, number = {18}, pages = {3353-3358}, doi = {10.1002/1521-3773(20020916)41:18<3353::AID-ANIE3353>3.0.CO;2-X}, pmid = {12298031}, issn = {1433-7851}, mesh = {*Ethical Theory ; Humans ; *Morals ; Social Justice/*ethics ; Sociobiology/ethics ; }, } @article {pmid12122463, year = {2002}, author = {Seeley, TD and Kühnholz, S and Seeley, RH}, title = {An early chapter in behavioral physiology and sociobiology: the science of Martin Lindauer.}, journal = {Journal of comparative physiology. A, Neuroethology, sensory, neural, and behavioral physiology}, volume = {188}, number = {6}, pages = {439-453}, doi = {10.1007/s00359-002-0318-6}, pmid = {12122463}, issn = {0340-7594}, mesh = {Animals ; Bees ; Behavior, Animal ; Germany ; History, 20th Century ; Physiology/*history ; Sociobiology/*history ; }, abstract = {The fields of behavioral physiology and sociobiology enjoyed spectacular success in post World War II Germany. One of the major contributors to this blossoming in behavioral science was Martin Lindauer, who furthered the research approach of his mentor (Karl von Frisch), made numerous seminal discoveries, and nurtured a strong next generation in the area of neurobiology and behavior. We review the scientific development of Martin Lindauer within the German academic system in the years surrounding World War II, examine his research approach and achievements, and discuss his unusually successful methods of scientific pedagogy.}, } @article {pmid12034873, year = {2002}, author = {Julian, GE and Fewell, JH and Gadau, J and Johnson, RA and Larrabee, D}, title = {Genetic determination of the queen caste in an ant hybrid zone.}, journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America}, volume = {99}, number = {12}, pages = {8157-8160}, pmid = {12034873}, issn = {0027-8424}, support = {R29 MH 51329/MH/NIMH NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Ants/*genetics/physiology ; DNA Primers ; Female ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Reproduction ; Seasons ; *Social Behavior ; Southwestern United States ; }, abstract = {The question of how reproductives and sterile workers differentiate within eusocial groups has long been a core issue in sociobiology because it requires the loss of individual direct fitness in favor of indirect or group-level fitness gains. The evolution of social behavior requires that differentiation between workers and female reproductives be environmentally determined, because genetically determined sterility would be quickly eliminated. Nevertheless, we report clear evidence of genetic caste determination in populations of two seed harvester ant species common to the southwestern USA, Pogonomyrmex rugosus and Pogonomyrmex barbatus. The genetic differentiation between workers and queens is found only in areas of sympatry of the two species, and thus appears to arisen from hybridization. Our data suggest that this hybridization has had a profound historical effect on the caste determination systems and mating patterns of each of these species.}, } @article {pmid12033558, year = {2002}, author = {Peters, J and Shackelford, TK and Buss, DM}, title = {Understanding domestic violence against women: using evolutionary psychology to extend the feminist functional analysis.}, journal = {Violence and victims}, volume = {17}, number = {2}, pages = {255-264}, doi = {10.1891/vivi.17.2.255.33644}, pmid = {12033558}, issn = {0886-6708}, mesh = {Adolescent ; Adult ; Age Factors ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; *Biological Evolution ; Female ; Feminism ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; New York City ; Psychological Theory ; *Reproduction ; Risk Factors ; Sociobiology ; Spouse Abuse/*psychology/statistics & numerical data ; }, abstract = {Evolutionary psychologists such as Wilson and Daly (1993b) hypothesize that one goal of male-perpetrated domestic violence is control over female sexuality, including the deterrence of infidelity. According to this hypothesis, domestic violence varies with women's reproductive value or expected future reproduction, declining steeply as women age. We tested this hypothesis with a sample of 3,969 cases of male-perpetrated partner-abuse reported to a single police precinct in a large urban area over a 14-year period. Results show that (a) rates of domestic violence decrease as women age, (b) younger men are at greatest risk for perpetrating domestic violence, (c) younger, reproductive age women incur nearly 10 times the risk of domestic violence as do older, post-reproductive age women, and (d) the greater risk of domestic violence incurred by reproductive age women is not attributable solely to mateship to younger, more violent men. Discussion addresses theoretical implications of these findings and suggests a refinement of the feminist hypothesis of domestic violence against women.}, } @article {pmid12033552, year = {2002}, author = {Gebo, E}, title = {A contextual exploration of siblicide.}, journal = {Violence and victims}, volume = {17}, number = {2}, pages = {157-168}, doi = {10.1891/vivi.17.2.157.33649}, pmid = {12033552}, issn = {0886-6708}, mesh = {Adolescent ; Adult ; Age Distribution ; Ethnicity/statistics & numerical data ; Female ; Homicide/psychology/*statistics & numerical data ; Humans ; Male ; Psychological Theory ; Records/statistics & numerical data ; Sex Distribution ; *Siblings ; Sociobiology ; United States ; }, abstract = {This article contextualizes the exploration of sibling homicide, or siblicide, a phenomenon that traditionally has received very little attention within the academic literature. Siblicide is examined in relation to other family homicides and other known homicides. Given the traditional frequency, duration, and intensity of youthful sibling relationships, juvenile homicides are disaggregated from adult homicides to reveal whether there are any differences. Although previous research has questioned the use of the Supplementary Homicide Reports for this type of analysis (Daly, Wilson, Salmon, Hiraiwa-Hasegawa, & Hasegawa 2001), the utility of the data set is demonstrated. The results of this exploration suggest that siblicide may be examined within the theoretical contexts of sociobiology and routine activities theory.}, } @article {pmid28547700, year = {2002}, author = {Röschard, J and Roces, F}, title = {The effect of load length, width and mass on transport rate in the grass-cutting ant Atta vollenweideri.}, journal = {Oecologia}, volume = {131}, number = {2}, pages = {319-324}, doi = {10.1007/s00442-002-0882-z}, pmid = {28547700}, issn = {1432-1939}, abstract = {In the present study we investigated the economics of load transport in the grass-cutting ant Atta vollenweideri by focusing on the effects of load mass, width and length on individual transport rates. Both running speed of foragers and the amount of material transported a given distance per unit time, i.e. gross material transport rate, were evaluated in both field and laboratory colonies. In order to separate the effects of load mass, load length and width on transport rate, workers were presented with paper fragments which differed twofold either in length, width or mass, but not in the other parameters. When controlling for fragment mass, both running speed of foragers and gross material transport rate were observed to be higher when they carried short fragments: A twofold increase in fragment length had a marked negative effect on manoeuvrability during transport and, as a consequence, on material transport rate. In contrast, if fragment mass was doubled and length maintained, running speed differed according to the mass of the loads, with heavier fragments being transported at the slower pace. For the sizes tested, heavy fragments yielded a higher transport rate in spite of the slower speed of transport, as they did not slow down foragers so much that it counterbalanced the positive effects of fragment mass on material transport rate. Doubling the width of the fragments without changing their mass had no influence on running speed and transport rate. When presented with a choice of dropped fragments differing in the size variables mentioned above, workers discriminated among fragments of different size and preferred shorter fragments, thus rejecting loads that are associated with higher travel times and lower material transport rates. It is argued that, based on the energetics of cutting, workers might maximize their individual harvesting rate by cutting long grass fragments, since the longer a grass fragment, the larger the amount of material harvested per unit cutting effort. Our results indicate, however, that larger loads negatively affect transport rates. The sizes of the fragments cut by grass-cutting ants under natural conditions may represent the outcome of an evolutionary trade-off between maximizing harvesting rate at the cutting site and minimizing the effects of fragment size on material transport rates.}, } @article {pmid11919381, year = {2002}, author = {Schwartz, J}, title = {Population genetics and sociobiology: conflicting views of evolution.}, journal = {Perspectives in biology and medicine}, volume = {45}, number = {2}, pages = {224-240}, doi = {10.1353/pbm.2002.0039}, pmid = {11919381}, issn = {0031-5982}, mesh = {*Biological Evolution ; *Biology ; *Genetics, Population ; Humans ; *Models, Genetic ; Selection, Genetic ; }, abstract = {This article explores the tension between the population genetics and sociobiological approaches to the study of evolution. Whereas population geneticists, like Stanford's Marc Feldman, insist that the genetic complexities of organisms cannot be overlooked, sociobiologists (many of whom now prefer to call themselves "behavioral ecologists") rely on optimization models that are based on the simplest possible genetics.These optimization approaches have their roots in the classical result known as the fundamental theorem of natural selection, formulated by R. A. Fisher in 1930. From the start there was great uncertainty over the proper interpretation of Fisher's theorem, which became confused with Sewall Wright's immensely influential adaptive landscape concept. In the 1960s, a new generation of mathematical biologists proved that Fisher's theorem did not hold when fitness depended on more than one locus. Similar reasoning was used to attack W. D. Hamilton's inclusive fitness theory. A new theory, known as the theory of long-term evolution, attempts to reconcile the rigorous population genetics approach with the long-standing sociobiological view that natural selection acts to increase the fitness of organisms.}, } @article {pmid11807284, year = {2001}, author = {Segerstrale, U}, title = {World views and Trojan horses in the sociobiology debate.}, journal = {Journal of biosciences}, volume = {26}, number = {5}, pages = {549-554}, pmid = {11807284}, issn = {0250-5991}, mesh = {Adaptation, Psychological ; Animals ; *Behavior, Animal ; Genetic Variation ; Genetics, Behavioral ; Humans ; }, } @article {pmid11733168, year = {2001}, author = {Lehmann, FO}, title = {The efficiency of aerodynamic force production in Drosophila.}, journal = {Comparative biochemistry and physiology. Part A, Molecular & integrative physiology}, volume = {131}, number = {1}, pages = {77-88}, doi = {10.1016/s1095-6433(01)00467-6}, pmid = {11733168}, issn = {1095-6433}, mesh = {Animals ; Behavior, Animal ; Drosophila/*physiology ; }, abstract = {Total efficiency of aerodynamic force production in insect flight depends on both the efficiency with which flight muscles turn metabolic energy into muscle mechanical power and the efficiency with which this power is converted into aerodynamic flight force by the flapping wings. Total efficiency has been estimated in tethered flying fruit flies Drosophila by modulating their power expenditures in a virtual reality flight simulator while simultaneously measuring stroke kinematics, locomotor performance and metabolic costs. During flight, muscle efficiency increases with increasing flight force production, whereas aerodynamic efficiency of lift production decreases with increasing forces. As a consequence of these opposite trends, total flight efficiency in Drosophila remains approximately constant within the kinematic working range of the flight motor. Total efficiency is broadly independent of different profile power estimates and typically amounts to 2-3%. The animal achieves maximum total efficiency near hovering flight conditions, when the beating wings produce flight forces that are equal to the body weight of the insect. It remains uncertain whether this small advantage in total efficiency during hovering flight was shaped by evolutionary factors or results from functional constraints on both the production of mechanical power by the indirect flight muscles and the unsteady aerodynamic mechanisms in flapping flight.}, } @article {pmid11729318, year = {2001}, author = {Lehmann, FO}, title = {Matching spiracle opening to metabolic need during flight in Drosophila.}, journal = {Science (New York, N.Y.)}, volume = {294}, number = {5548}, pages = {1926-1929}, doi = {10.1126/science.1064821}, pmid = {11729318}, issn = {0036-8075}, mesh = {Animals ; Carbon Dioxide/metabolism ; Dehydration/*metabolism ; Desiccation ; Diffusion ; Drosophila melanogaster/*metabolism ; Electric Conductivity ; Energy Metabolism ; Flight, Animal/*physiology ; Oxygen/metabolism ; *Oxygen Consumption ; Trachea/metabolism ; Water/*metabolism ; }, abstract = {The respiratory exchange system of insects must maximize the flux of respiratory gases through the spiracles of the tracheal system while minimizing water loss. This trade-off between gas exchange and water loss becomes crucial when locomotor activity is increased during flight and metabolic needs are greatest. Insects that keep their spiracles mostly closed during flight reduce water loss but limit the flux of oxygen and carbon dioxide into and out of the tracheal system and thus attenuate locomotor performance. Insects that keep their spiracles completely open allow maximum gas exchange but face desiccation stress more quickly. Experiments in which water vapor was used as a tracer gas to track changes in the conductance of the respiratory system indicated that flying fruit flies minimize potential water loss by matching the area of the open spiracles to their gas exchange required for metabolic needs. This behavior maintained approximately constant pressure for carbon dioxide (1.35 kilopascals) and oxygen (19.9 kilopascals) within the tracheal system while reducing respirometric water loss by up to 23% compared with a strategy in which the spiracles are held wide open during flight. The adaptive spiracle-closing behavior in fruit flies has general implications for the ecology of flying insects because it shows how these animals may cope with environmental challenges during high locomotor performance.}, } @article {pmid11728916, year = {2001}, author = {Mysterud, I}, title = {Triumph of Sociobiology.}, journal = {Trends in cognitive sciences}, volume = {5}, number = {12}, pages = {550}, doi = {10.1016/s1364-6613(00)01831-3}, pmid = {11728916}, issn = {1879-307X}, } @article {pmid11657929, year = {1999}, author = {Sloane, A}, title = {Singer, preference utilitarianism and infanticide.}, journal = {Studies in Christian ethics}, volume = {12}, number = {2}, pages = {47-73}, doi = {10.1177/095394689901200204}, pmid = {11657929}, issn = {0953-9468}, mesh = {Altruism ; Biology ; Christianity ; *Congenital, Hereditary, and Neonatal Diseases and Abnormalities ; Emotions ; Ethical Analysis ; *Ethical Theory ; Ethicists ; *Ethics ; Euthanasia, Passive ; *Homicide ; Humans ; Individuality ; *Infant, Newborn ; *Infanticide ; Morals ; Personhood ; Quality of Life ; Social Justice ; Sociobiology ; Value of Life ; }, } @article {pmid11619938, year = {1998}, author = {Helmreich, S}, title = {Recombination, rationality, reductionism and romantic reactions: culture, computers, and the genetic algorithm.}, journal = {Social studies of science}, volume = {28}, number = {1}, pages = {39-71}, doi = {10.1177/030631298028001002}, pmid = {11619938}, issn = {0306-3127}, mesh = {*Algorithms ; Computer Simulation/history ; Computers/*history ; Culture ; Europe ; Genetics/*history ; History, 20th Century ; United States ; }, abstract = {The genetic algorithm (GA) is a computational procedure that 'evolves' solutions to optimization problems by generating populations of possible solutions, and then by treating these solutions metaphorically as individuals that can 'mate' and 'compete' to 'survive' and 'reproduce'. In this paper, I explore how culturally specific notions of evolution, population, reproduction, sex/gender, and kinship inflect the ways GAs are assembled and understood. Combining the results of fieldwork among GA workers with analysis of GA texts, I contend that the picture of 'nature' embedded in GAs is resonant with the values of secularized Judeo-Christian white middle-class US-American and European heterosexual culture. I also maintain that GA formulations are accented by languages inherited from sociobiology. I argue that examining GAs can help us track how dominant meanings of 'nature' are being stabilized and refigured in an age in which exchanges of metaphor between biology and computer science are increasingly common.}, } @article {pmid11370154, year = {2001}, author = {Nelkin, D}, title = {Beyond risk. Reporting about genetics in the post-Asilomar press.}, journal = {Perspectives in biology and medicine}, volume = {44}, number = {2}, pages = {199-207}, doi = {10.1353/pbm.2001.0032}, pmid = {11370154}, issn = {0031-5982}, mesh = {Bioethics ; *Biotechnology ; DNA, Recombinant ; *Genetic Therapy/adverse effects ; Journalism/*standards ; *Mass Media ; Risk Assessment ; Sociobiology ; United States ; }, } @article {pmid11179576, year = {2001}, author = {Smith, EA and Mulder, MB and Hill, K}, title = {Controversies in the evolutionary social sciences: a guide for the perplexed.}, journal = {Trends in ecology & evolution}, volume = {16}, number = {3}, pages = {128-135}, doi = {10.1016/s0169-5347(00)02077-2}, pmid = {11179576}, issn = {1872-8383}, abstract = {It is 25 years since modern evolutionary ideas were first applied extensively to human behavior, jump-starting a field of study once known as 'sociobiology'. Over the years, distinct styles of evolutionary analysis have emerged within the social sciences. Although there is considerable complementarity between approaches that emphasize the study of psychological mechanisms and those that focus on adaptive fit to environments, there are also substantial theoretical and methodological differences. These differences have generated a recurrent debate that is now exacerbated by growing popular media attention to evolutionary human behavioral studies. Here, we provide a guide to current controversies surrounding evolutionary studies of human social behavior, emphasizing theoretical and methodological issues. We conclude that a greater use of formal models, measures of current fitness costs and benefits, and attention to adaptive tradeoffs, will enhance the power and reliability of evolutionary analyses of human social behavior.}, } @article {pmid11171345, year = {2001}, author = {Lehmann, FO and Dickinson, MH}, title = {The production of elevated flight force compromises manoeuvrability in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster.}, journal = {The Journal of experimental biology}, volume = {204}, number = {Pt 4}, pages = {627-635}, doi = {10.1242/jeb.204.4.627}, pmid = {11171345}, issn = {0022-0949}, mesh = {Animals ; Drosophila melanogaster/*physiology ; Female ; *Flight, Animal ; Orientation ; Photic Stimulation ; Time Factors ; User-Computer Interface ; Wings, Animal/physiology ; }, abstract = {In this study, we have investigated how enhanced total flight force production compromises steering performance in tethered flying fruit flies, Drosophila melanogaster. The animals were flown in a closed-loop virtual-reality flight arena in which they modulated total flight force production in response to vertically oscillating visual patterns. By simultaneously measuring stroke amplitude and stroke frequency, we recorded the ability of each fly to modulate its wing kinematics at different levels of aerodynamic force production. At a flight force that exactly compensates body weight, the temporal deviations with which fruit flies vary their stroke amplitude and frequency are approximately 2.7 degrees and 4.8 Hz of their mean value, respectively. This variance in wing kinematics decreases with increasing flight force production, and at maximum force production fruit flies are restricted to a unique combination of stroke amplitude, stroke frequency and mean force coefficient. This collapse in the kinematic envelope during peak force production could greatly attenuate the manoeuvrability and stability of animals in free flight.}, } @article {pmid19708273, year = {2001}, author = {Blanckaert, C}, title = {[The science of anthropometry: measuring the human body and sociobiology, 1860-1920].}, journal = {Revista brasileira de historia}, volume = {21}, number = {41}, pages = {145-156}, doi = {10.1590/s0102-01882001000200008}, pmid = {19708273}, issn = {0102-0188}, mesh = {*Anthropology, Physical/education/history ; *Anthropometry/history ; *Crime/economics/ethnology/history/psychology ; Criminology/economics/education/history ; Ethnicity/education/ethnology/history/psychology ; Heredity/physiology ; History, 19th Century ; History, 20th Century ; *Human Body ; Human Characteristics ; Humans ; *Population Groups/education/ethnology/history/psychology ; Public Health/economics/education/history ; Social Change/history ; Social Identification ; *Sociobiology/education/history ; }, } @article {pmid10834287, year = {2000}, author = {Crognier, E}, title = {Biological adaptation and social behaviour.}, journal = {Annals of human biology}, volume = {27}, number = {3}, pages = {221-237}, doi = {10.1080/030144600282118}, pmid = {10834287}, issn = {0301-4460}, mesh = {*Adaptation, Physiological ; Animals ; Biological Evolution ; Culture ; Humans ; *Selection, Genetic ; *Social Behavior ; }, abstract = {In 1930, both Fisher and Wright identified Darwin's initial concept of adaptive evolution in the light of the genetical theory with intergenerational variation in allelic frequencies brought about by the action of natural selection through differential reproduction. They emphasized that selection only works at the level of the individual and that its only consequence is to increase fitness. One genetical evolution not easy to explain on these bases was that of social behaviour because any altruistic gene disadvantageous for its carriers in an antisocial environment would have been opposed by selection. In the 1950s, ethologists focusing on what appeared to be evolved collective behaviours, hypothesized that selection could operate at group level. Though the controversy between group selectionists and evolutionary geneticists ended by the rejection of the evolutionary role of group selection, it has remained a subject of investigation until now. Kin selection, proposed by Hamilton, offered a solution to the problem of the evolution of altruism and gave the impetus to the trend of adaptive explanations of basic behaviours, which was to become the core of human sociobiology. The intrusion of behaviour into the process of adaptive evolution was an invitation to investigate culture as an evolutive process. The first sociobiological interpretations of culture as a derivative of genetic processes were followed by other ideas in which culture, though channelled by evolved predispositions, was essentially free from biological determinism. It is concluded that as we have come to better understand human adaptation, its complexities have been further revealed, a development already implicit in Darwin's notion.}, } @article {pmid10821787, year = {2000}, author = {Degen, J and Gewecke, M and Roeder, T}, title = {Octopamine receptors in the honey bee and locust nervous system: pharmacological similarities between homologous receptors of distantly related species.}, journal = {British journal of pharmacology}, volume = {130}, number = {3}, pages = {587-594}, pmid = {10821787}, issn = {0007-1188}, mesh = {Animals ; Bees/*metabolism ; Binding, Competitive/drug effects ; Female ; Grasshoppers/*metabolism ; Male ; Nervous System/drug effects/*metabolism ; Octopamine/*metabolism/physiology ; Receptors, Biogenic Amine/agonists/antagonists & inhibitors/*metabolism ; Species Specificity ; Synaptic Transmission/drug effects/physiology ; }, abstract = {Honey bees are perhaps the most versatile models to study the cellular and pharmacological basis underlying behaviours ranging from learning and memory to sociobiology. For both aspects octopamine (OA) is known to play a vital role. The neuronal octopamine receptor of the honey bee shares pharmacological similarities with the neuronal octopamine receptor of the locust. Both, agonists and antagonists known to have high affinities for the locust neuronal octopamine receptor have also high affinities for the bee neuronal octopamine receptor. The distribution of receptors is more or less congruent between locusts and bees. Optic lobes and especially the mushroom bodies are areas of greatest octopamine receptor expression in both species, which mirrors the physiological significance of octopamine in the insect nervous system. The neuronal octopamine receptor of insects served as a model to study the pharmacological similarity of homologous receptors from distantly related species, because bees and locusts are separated by at least 330 million years of evolution.}, } @article {pmid10816788, year = {2000}, author = {Immel, UD and Hummel, S and Herrmann, B}, title = {Reconstruction of kinship by fecal DNA analysis of orangutans.}, journal = {Anthropologischer Anzeiger; Bericht uber die biologisch-anthropologische Literatur}, volume = {58}, number = {1}, pages = {63-67}, pmid = {10816788}, issn = {0003-5548}, mesh = {Amelogenin ; Animals ; DNA/*genetics/history ; Dental Enamel Proteins/genetics ; Feces/*chemistry ; Female ; *Genetics, Population ; Germany ; History, Ancient ; Humans ; Male ; Microsatellite Repeats/genetics ; Pedigree ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Pongo pygmaeus/*genetics ; }, abstract = {Genetic analysis is a useful tool for assigning biological relationships. Thus, it will improve genetic management of wild animal populations and breeding colonies. Kinship analysis will give new insights into the behavior, sociobiology and genetic management of orangutans. In this study, chromosomal DNA from orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus ssp.) was extracted from excrements. Feces samples were screened for up to nine microsatellite markers from related zoo populations of orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus ssp.) kept at the Zoological Garden Berlin and the Zoological Garden Heidelberg, Germany. Family structures are documented in the "International Studybook of the Orangutan" (Perkins 1995) and the "Europäisches Erhaltungszucht Programm 1998" (Becker 1998). To examine whether human short tandem repeat loci (STR) are suitable for the reconstruction of kinship in orangutans, nine STRs, commonly used in forensic studies and the amelogenin system, were amplified in a multiplex-PCR approach (AmpFlSTR Profiler Plus). We were able to show that five of the nine human autosomal STRs in question amplified successfully in orangutans. Thus, we could reconstruct kinship structures of the Berlin and Heidelberg populations.}, } @article {pmid10604438, year = {1999}, author = {Breitner, JC and Miech, RA}, title = {Sex and sociobiology: a role for APOE?.}, journal = {Neurobiology of aging}, volume = {20}, number = {4}, pages = {445}, doi = {10.1016/s0197-4580(99)00077-9}, pmid = {10604438}, issn = {0197-4580}, mesh = {Alzheimer Disease/genetics ; Apolipoproteins E/*genetics ; Evolution, Molecular ; Female ; Genetics, Population ; Humans ; Male ; Reproduction/physiology ; *Sex Characteristics ; }, } @article {pmid10517299, year = {1999}, author = {Schaffner, KF}, title = {Coming home to Hume: a sociobiological foundation for a concept of 'health' and morality.}, journal = {The Journal of medicine and philosophy}, volume = {24}, number = {4}, pages = {365-375}, doi = {10.1076/jmep.24.4.365.5978}, pmid = {10517299}, issn = {0360-5310}, mesh = {Bioethics ; *Biology ; Health ; Human Characteristics ; Humans ; Morals ; *Philosophy, Medical ; Social Responsibility ; Social Values ; *Sociobiology ; }, abstract = {Assessing the normative status of concepts of health and disease involves one in questions regarding the relationship between fact and value. Some have argued that Christopher Boorse's conception of health and disease lacks such a valuational element because it cannot account for types of harms which, while disvalued, do not have evolutionarily dysfunctional consequences. I take Boorse's account and incorporate some Humean-like sociobiological assumptions in order to respond to this challenge. The possession of moral sentiments, I argue, offers an evolutionary advantage (thus falling within Boorse's definition of normal functional abilities). However, this does not amount to emotivism: on the contrary, these sentiments can be the basis of a value system. This value structure introduces the concept of sympathizing with a fellow being's suffering as the basis of a normative dimension to disease. For example, it holds the disvalue of disease to lie in the fact that disease involves suffering and functional limitations. The naturalistic Humean type of account presented here thus jumps the normative-descriptive divide. When Boorse's account is extended to include social sentiments and behaviors, a conception of health emerges which is broader than Boorse's or Kass's, but narrower than the WHO's.}, } @article {pmid10335614, year = {1999}, author = {Lehmann, FO}, title = {Ambient temperature affects free-flight performance in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster.}, journal = {Journal of comparative physiology. B, Biochemical, systemic, and environmental physiology}, volume = {169}, number = {3}, pages = {165-171}, doi = {10.1007/s003600050207}, pmid = {10335614}, issn = {0174-1578}, mesh = {Animals ; Biomechanical Phenomena ; Body Constitution ; *Cold Temperature ; Drosophila melanogaster/*physiology ; Female ; Flight, Animal/*physiology ; Muscles/physiology ; Regression Analysis ; }, abstract = {To gain insight into how temperature affects locomotor performance in insects, the limits of flight performance have been estimated in freely flying fruit flies Drosophila melanogaster by determining the maximum load that a fly could carry following take-off. At a low ambient temperature of 15 degrees C, muscle mechanical power output matches the minimum power requirements for hovering flight. Aerodynamic force production rises with increasing temperature and eventually saturates at a flight force that is roughly equal to 2.1 times the body mass. Within the two-fold range of different body sizes, maximum flight force production during free flight does not decrease with decreasing body size as suggested by standard aerodynamic theories. Estimations of flight muscle mechanical power output yields a peak performance of 110 W kg-1 muscle tissue for short-burst flight that was measured at an ambient temperature of 30 degrees C. With respect to the uncertainties in estimating muscle mechanical power during free flight, the estimated values are similar to those that were published for flight under tethered flight conditions.}, } @article {pmid10074382, year = {1999}, author = {Cherney, ID and Ryalls, BO}, title = {Gender-linked differences in the incidental memory of children and adults.}, journal = {Journal of experimental child psychology}, volume = {72}, number = {4}, pages = {305-328}, doi = {10.1006/jecp.1999.2492}, pmid = {10074382}, issn = {0022-0965}, mesh = {Adult ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Memory/*physiology ; Sex Factors ; Speech/physiology ; }, abstract = {The hunter-gatherer theory (M. Eals & I. Silverman, 1994, Ethology and Sociobiology, 15, 95-105) predicts that females should have better incidental memory for objects and locations than males. We tested this prediction with 3- to 6-year-old children (Study 1) and adults (Study 2). In Study 1, 80 children were asked to recognize 18 gender-stereotyped toys which they had previously seen in a playroom for 2 min. In Study 2, 40 adults were asked to recall the identity and location of 30 gender-stereotyped objects which they had previously seen in an office for 2 min. Analyses in both studies indicated that females and males remembered more toys or objects congruent with their own sex but that there was no overall advantage for females. Implications for the hunter-gatherer theory, gender-schema theory, and our understanding of the development of incidental memory are discussed.}, } @article {pmid10196040, year = {1999}, author = {Daly, M and Wilson, MI}, title = {Human evolutionary psychology and animal behaviour.}, journal = {Animal behaviour}, volume = {57}, number = {3}, pages = {509-519}, doi = {10.1006/anbe.1998.1027}, pmid = {10196040}, issn = {0003-3472}, abstract = {Homo sapiens is increasingly being studied within the evolutionary (adaptationist, selectionist) framework favoured by animal behaviour researchers. There are various labels for such work, including evolutionary psychology, human behavioural ecology and human sociobiology. Collectively, we call these areas 'human evolutionary psychology' (HEP) because their shared objective is an evolutionary understanding of human information processing and decision making. Sexual selection and sex differences have been especially prominent in recent HEP research, but many other topics have been addressed, including parent-offspring relations, reciprocity and exploitation, foraging strategies and spatial cognition. Many HEP researchers began their scientific careers in animal behaviour, and in many ways, HEP research is scarcely distinguishable from other animal behaviour research. Currently controversial issues in HEP, such as the explanation(s) for observed levels of heritable diversity, the kinds of data needed to test adaptationist hypotheses, and the characterization of a species-typical 'environment of evolutionary adaptedness', are issues in animal behaviour as well. What gives HEP a distinct methodological flavour is that the research animal can talk, an ability that has both advantages and pitfalls for researchers. The proper use of self-reports and other verbal data in HEP might usefully become a subject of future research in its own right. Copyright 1999 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.}, } @article {pmid21268432, year = {1999}, author = {Shaw, DG}, title = {The return of science.}, journal = {History and theory}, volume = {38}, number = {4}, pages = {1-9}, doi = {10.1111/0018-2656.00101}, pmid = {21268432}, issn = {0018-2656}, mesh = {Culture ; Evolution, Molecular ; Genetic Fitness ; *Historiography ; History, 20th Century ; *Humanities/education/history ; Natural Science Disciplines/education/history ; *Social Change/history ; *Social Sciences/education/history ; *Sociobiology/education/history ; }, } @article {pmid19967826, year = {1999}, author = {Snigurowicz, D}, title = {Sex, simians, and spectacle in nineteenth-century France: or, how to tell a "man" from a monkey.}, journal = {Canadian journal of history}, volume = {34}, number = {1}, pages = {51-81}, doi = {10.3138/cjh.34.1.51}, pmid = {19967826}, mesh = {Animals ; Anthropology/education/history ; *Biological Evolution ; Evolution, Molecular ; France/ethnology ; History, 19th Century ; *Hominidae ; *Human Body ; Human Characteristics ; *Sex ; Sex Characteristics ; *Societies, Scientific/history ; *Sociobiology/education/history ; }, } @article {pmid26197486, year = {1998}, author = {Thiessen, D and Umezawa, Y}, title = {The sociobiology of everyday life : A new look at a very old novel.}, journal = {Human nature (Hawthorne, N.Y.)}, volume = {9}, number = {3}, pages = {293-320}, pmid = {26197486}, issn = {1045-6767}, abstract = {The 1000-year-old novel The Tale of Genji, written by Murasaki Shikibu around 1002 CE, shows the operation of general principles of sociobiology. Isolated from western influences and cloaked in Japanese traditions, the common traits associated with reproductive processes are clearly evident. The novel depicts the differential investment of males and females in offspring, male competitive behaviors, and concerns for paternity, kin selection, reciprocal social exchange, species-typical emotional expression, female mate choice, positive assortative mating, and acknowledgment of hereditary transmission of physical and psychological traits. The nature of human behavior in Genji's time seems little different than now and has all the attributes of species-specific and universal traits. Indeed, it can be argued that the fundamental characteristics of Homo sapiens have never changed, being influenced only in form by culture. The qualitative and quantitative evaluation of ancient texts is a strong methodology for understanding the invariant nature of human behavior.}, } @article {pmid9721689, year = {1998}, author = {Wenseleers, T and Ito, F and Van Borm, S and Huybrechts, R and Volckaert, F and Billen, J}, title = {Widespread occurrence of the micro-organism Wolbachia in ants.}, journal = {Proceedings. Biological sciences}, volume = {265}, number = {1404}, pages = {1447-1452}, pmid = {9721689}, issn = {0962-8452}, mesh = {Animals ; Ants/*microbiology/*physiology ; Biological Evolution ; *Disorders of Sex Development ; Female ; Male ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Reproduction ; Rickettsiaceae/isolation & purification/pathogenicity/*physiology ; *Sex Determination Processes ; Social Behavior ; Species Specificity ; }, abstract = {For more than 20 years, sex allocation in hymenopteran societies has been a major topic in insect sociobiology. A recurring idea was that relatedness asymmetrics arising from their haplodiploid sex determination system would lead to various parent-offspring conflicts over optimal reproduction. A possible weakness of existing theory is that only interests of nuclear genes are properly accounted for. Yet, a diversity of maternally transmitted elements manipulate the reproduction of their host in many solitary arthropod groups. The bacterium Wolbachia is a striking example of such a selfish cytoplasmic element, with effects ranging from reproductive incompatibility between host strains, induction of parthenogenesis and feminization of males. This paper reports on a first PCR-based Wolbachia screening in ants. Out of 50 Indo-Australian species, 50% screened positive for an A-group strain. One of these species also harboured a B-group strain in a double infection. Various factors that might explain the unusually high incidence of Wolbachia in ants are discussed. In general, Wolbachia may represent a widespread and previously unrecognized party active in the conflicts of interest within social insect colonies.}, } @article {pmid9711050, year = {1998}, author = {Radcliffe, J and Rass, L}, title = {Spatial Mendelian games.}, journal = {Mathematical biosciences}, volume = {151}, number = {2}, pages = {199-218}, doi = {10.1016/s0025-5564(98)10011-1}, pmid = {9711050}, issn = {0025-5564}, mesh = {Alleles ; Animals ; Female ; *Game Theory ; *Gene Frequency ; Linear Models ; Male ; *Models, Genetic ; *Population Density ; *Population Dynamics ; }, abstract = {This paper considers complex models arising in sociobiology. These combine genetic and strategic aspects to model the effect of gene-linked strategies on the ability of individuals to survive to maturity, mate and produce offspring. Several important models considered in the literature are generalised and extended to incorporate a spatial aspect. Individuals are allowed to migrate. Contests, e.g. for food or amongst males for females, take place locally. The choice of the point at which the population structure is measured affects the complexity of the equations describing the system, although it is possible to utilise any point in the life cycle. For our spatial models the simplest approach is to measure the population structure immediately after migration. A saddle point method, developed by the authors, has previously been used to obtain results for simple discrete time spatial models. It is utilised here to obtain the speed of first spread of a new gene-linked strategy for the much more complex sociobiological models included in this paper. This demonstrates the wide-ranging applicability and power of the method.}, } @article {pmid9697004, year = {1998}, author = {Brüne, M}, title = {[The relevance of ethology for psychiatry].}, journal = {Fortschritte der Neurologie-Psychiatrie}, volume = {66}, number = {7}, pages = {296-302}, doi = {10.1055/s-2007-995266}, pmid = {9697004}, issn = {0720-4299}, mesh = {Animals ; Behavior, Animal/physiology ; Biological Evolution ; *Ethology ; Humans ; *Psychiatry ; }, abstract = {Darwin's evolutionary theory was the starting point for ethology, associated with an impact on scientific psychiatry. Psychiatry and ethology have common scientific and methodological prerequisites: inductive and deductive methods and "gestalt theory" as a basis for observing and describing behaviour patterns with subsequent causal analysis. There have been early endeavours to anchor ethological thinking in psychiatry but this tendency did not prevail for the following reasons: on the one hand, the methodology of ethology was immature or not applicable to man, whereas on the other hand the dominating experiential phenomenological school of Karl Jaspers and Kurt Schneider stressed the privileged position of human thinking, perception, and feeling. These fundamental categories of human existence did not appear amenable to any causal ethological analysis. Psychiatry and evolutionary biology were linked in an atrocious manner during the Nazi regime, both being abused for propaganda purposes and genocide. More recently, there is a "reconciliation" of both disciplines. In psychiatric nosology, operational, behaviour-oriented diagnostic systems have been introduced; ethology has opened up for theories of learning; new subsections like human ethology and sociobiology have evolved. The seeming incompatibility of (behavioural) biological psychiatry and experiential phenomenological psychopathology may be overcome on the basis of Konrad Lorenz' evolutionary epistemology. The functional analysis of human feeling and behaviour in psychotic disorders on the basis of Jackson's theory of the evolution and dissolution of the nervous system may serve as an example. The significance of an "ethological psychiatry" for diagnostic and therapeutical processes of psychiatric disorders derive from prognostic possibilities and the analysis of non-verbal communication in therapist-patient-interactions, but have not yet been systematically investigated.}, } @article {pmid21238305, year = {1998}, author = {Bednekoff, PA and Lima, SL}, title = {Randomness, chaos and confusion in the study of antipredator vigilance.}, journal = {Trends in ecology & evolution}, volume = {13}, number = {7}, pages = {284-287}, doi = {10.1016/s0169-5347(98)01327-5}, pmid = {21238305}, issn = {0169-5347}, abstract = {The study of antipredator vigilance underwent a rapid and relatively recent synthesis 15-20 years ago. During the rise of behavioral ecology and sociobiology, researchers began to measure how often animals looked up from feeding. Subsequently, the field of vigilance crystallized quickly around a few striking results and an elegant theory. The convenient mathematical assumptions of this original theory continue to channel researchers' attentions today. Although data tend to match these assumptions - flock members scan independently, vigilance sequences are essentially unpredictable, and interscan intervals are highly variable - the assumptions themselves are difficult to justify. Some of our basic ideas about vigilance require detailed re-examination.}, } @article {pmid9624675, year = {1998}, author = {Day, RN}, title = {Shining a light on protein sociobiology.}, journal = {Nature biotechnology}, volume = {16}, number = {6}, pages = {514-515}, doi = {10.1038/nbt0698-514}, pmid = {9624675}, issn = {1087-0156}, mesh = {Animals ; *Energy Transfer ; Green Fluorescent Proteins ; Humans ; Indicators and Reagents ; Luminescent Proteins/*metabolism ; Models, Biological ; Molecular Probes/*metabolism ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins/metabolism ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2/metabolism ; bcl-2-Associated X Protein ; }, } @article {pmid26196776, year = {1997}, author = {Barash, DP}, title = {In search of behavioral individuality.}, journal = {Human nature (Hawthorne, N.Y.)}, volume = {8}, number = {2}, pages = {153-169}, pmid = {26196776}, issn = {1045-6767}, abstract = {Living things are not created identical: In sexually reproducing species, individuals-except monozygotic twins-are different. Although widely acknowledged, behavioral individuality has received relatively little empirical or theoretical attention. Yet it seems likely that research focusing on individual differences will yield important insights for evolutionarily minded students of behavioral biology, including those interested in better understanding Homo sapiens.}, } @article {pmid26196774, year = {1997}, author = {Walter, A}, title = {The evolutionary psychology of mate selection in Morocco : A multivariate analysis.}, journal = {Human nature (Hawthorne, N.Y.)}, volume = {8}, number = {2}, pages = {113-137}, pmid = {26196774}, issn = {1045-6767}, abstract = {Patterns of mate preference in Morocco are investigated in order to test whether they support hypotheses advanced by David Buss and other evolutionary psychologists. Because of the custom of cousin marriage in Morocco, a multivariate model that included cosocialization data was developed for the purpose of testing the Westermarck hypothesis of inbreeding avoidance. Hence, two previously separate domains of research are unified in one design that permits the further exploration of questions pertaining to the domain specificity of psychological mechanisms. Multiple independent mate choice predictors were identified using logistic regression analysis. Results support the Westermarck hypothesis of inbreeding avoidance. Sleeping in the same room during childhood was found in both sexes to produce an aversion to marriage. Other evidence suggests that aversion to inbreeding extends further among females than males in that females but not males show an aversion to marriage to related individuals with whom they had daily social contact in early childhood. The evolutionary prediction that females differ from males concerning resource holding capacity was also supported. Females showed a preference for males whom they judged to have higher social status than theirs, while this criterion was unimportant for males. The predicted sex difference in preferred age of marriage partner was also supported. Contrary to previous findings, the predicted difference between the sexes with regard to physical attractiveness was not supported.}, } @article {pmid9156325, year = {1997}, author = {Guo, SW and Xiong, M}, title = {Genes preserved in relatives.}, journal = {Human heredity}, volume = {47}, number = {3}, pages = {138-154}, doi = {10.1159/000154402}, pmid = {9156325}, issn = {0001-5652}, support = {R0I GM 56515/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; R29 GM 52205/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Family ; Female ; Genes/*genetics ; *Genetics, Medical ; Humans ; Hymenoptera/genetics ; Male ; Models, Genetic ; Pedigree ; Probability ; }, abstract = {The genes of an individual are said to be preserved in his relatives if they possess, collectively, all copies of his genes. We present a method for computing the probability that an individual's genes are preserved in his relatives. Using this method, we compute gene preservation probabilities (up to three linked loci) for a variety of relationships for humans and for haplodiploid species. The results suggest that some widely held notions in ethology and sociobiology seem to be questionable. From the gene preservation viewpoint, two brothers are far from enough to justify the sacrifice of one's own life, because the probability that an individual's genes are preserved in his two siblings is dismally small. The precise probability that an individual's genes are all preserved in a group of his relatives depends on the precise specification of the pedigree structure. We also demonstrate that, for a hymenopteran female, there is no practical difference, in terms of gene preservation probability, between helping her sisters to breed and breeding her own offspring. In fact, since the genes of her sister will be either lost or preserved in her nieces/nephews, it is more appropriate to compare the probability of preserving her genes through her own offspring with that through her nieces/nephews. We show that her chance of preserving all her genes is much higher if she chooses to breed her own offspring instead of helping her sister.}, } @article {pmid26196591, year = {1997}, author = {Hrdy, SB}, title = {Raising Darwin's consciousness : Female sexuality and the prehominid origins of patriarchy.}, journal = {Human nature (Hawthorne, N.Y.)}, volume = {8}, number = {1}, pages = {1-49}, pmid = {26196591}, issn = {1045-6767}, abstract = {Sociobiologists and feminists agree that men in patriarchal social systems seek to control females, but sociobiologists go further, using Darwin's theory of sexual selection and Trivers's ideas on parental investment to explain why males should attempt to control female sexuality. From this perspective, the stage for the development under some conditions of patriarchal social systems was set over the course of primate evolution.Sexual selection encompasses both competition between males and female choice. But in applying this theory to our "lower origins" (prehominid ancestors), Darwin assumed that choices were made by essentially "coy" females. I argue here that female solicitation of multiple males (either simultaneously or sequentially, depending on the breeding system) characterized prehominid females; this prehominid legacy of cyclical sexual assertiveness, itself possibly a female counter-strategy to male efforts to control the timing of female reproduction, generated further male counter-strategies. This dialectic had important implications for emerging hominid mating systems, human evolution, and the development of patriarchal arrangements in some human societies. For hominid males who will invest in offspring, there would be powerful selection for emotions, behaviors, and customs that ensure them certainty of paternity. The sexual modesty that so struck Darwin can be explained as a recent evolved or learned (perhaps both) adaptation in women to avoid penalties imposed by patrilines on daughters and mates who failed to conform to the patriline's prevailing norms for their sex. Other supposedly innate universals, such as female preferences for wealthy husbands, are also likely to be facultative accommodations by women to constraints set up when patrilines monopolized resources needed by females to survive and reproduce, and passed on intergenerational control of these resources preferentially to sons.}, } @article {pmid15719495, year = {1997}, author = {Drew, AP}, title = {Genes and human behavior: the emerging paradigm.}, journal = {Zygon}, volume = {32}, number = {1}, pages = {41-50}, doi = {10.1111/0591-2385.691997069}, pmid = {15719495}, issn = {0591-2385}, mesh = {Alcoholism/genetics ; Behavioral Research ; Divorce ; *Genetic Determinism ; Genetic Research ; *Genetics, Behavioral ; Homosexuality ; Humans ; Schizophrenia/genetics ; Sociobiology ; Suicide ; Twins/genetics ; }, abstract = {The physical properties of human beings and other organisms as well as their social behavioral traits are manifestations of both genetic inheritance and environment. Recent behavioral research has indicated that certain characteristics or behaviors--such as schizophrenia, divorce, and homosexuality--are highly heritable and are not governed exclusively by social environment. A balanced view of human behavior includes the effects of social learning as well as of genetically determined behavior. A new paradigm promotes enhanced understanding and acceptance of human diversity, be it cultural, racial, or sexual, and has the potential to unite scientists and theologians by creating common grounds of understanding.}, } @article {pmid9037895, year = {1997}, author = {Pitchappan, RM and Balakrishnan, K and Sudarsen, V and Brahmajothi, V and Mahendran, V and Amalraj, S and Santhakumari, R and Vijayakumar, K and Sivalingam, P and Ramasamy, S}, title = {Sociobiology and HLA genetic polymorphism in hill tribes, the Irula of the Nilgiri hills and the Malayali of the Shevroy hills, south India.}, journal = {Human biology}, volume = {69}, number = {1}, pages = {59-74}, pmid = {9037895}, issn = {0018-7143}, mesh = {Emigration and Immigration ; Ethnicity/*genetics ; HLA Antigens/*genetics ; Humans ; India ; *Marriage ; *Polymorphism, Genetic ; Social Class ; }, abstract = {Two endogamous tribes of Tamil Nadu, South India, the Irula of the Nilgiri hills and the Malayali of the Shevroy hills, were studied for their sociobiology and HLA polymorphism. For sociobiological studies 166 marriages in the Irula and 368 marriages in the Malayali were recorded. The number and spatial distribution of patrilineal clans and their marriageable range (number of clans from which the brides came) were studied. Eight clans in the Irula and 16 clans in the Malayali were identified. Of these the Kuppar of the Irula and the Malayan of Malayali were the largest clans, and both of them had the greatest marriageable range. The numerical strength and the resultant spatial distribution correlated well with the marriageable range. HLA-A, B, and DR polymorphism was studied on 191 Irula and 42 Malayali following standard procedures. HLA typing revealed high frequencies (> 10%) of alleles HLA-A2, A9, A11, B17, B35, B40, DR2, and DR7 in both tribes, but the Irula had elevated HLA-A10, B8, and DR8 frequencies and the Malayali had elevated HLA-A31, B7, DR4, and DR5 frequencies. Two-locus haplotypes A10-B8 and A2-B5 were identified in both tribes, but A11-B40 and A2-B53 were present only in the Irula and A33-B44 and B15-DR6 were present only in the Malayali. The sociobiology of the Irula was correlated to the HLA genetic profile. The Irula sample was stratified based on clan and HLA data; The Kuppar clan was closer to the Kalkatti, the second largest clan, than to the Pungar and the Sambar clans. Thus the numerical strength and spatial distribution of various exogamous clans, presumably a result of migration during different periods of history, is reflected in the marriageable range and thus in the genetic distance. In studying HLA or any other genetic polymorphism of an endogamous tribe or caste, one needs to consider the social structure, spatial distribution, and marriageable range.}, } @article {pmid10164904, year = {1997}, author = {Wiseman, V}, title = {Caring: the neglected health outcome? or input?.}, journal = {Health policy (Amsterdam, Netherlands)}, volume = {39}, number = {1}, pages = {43-53}, doi = {10.1016/s0168-8510(96)00848-2}, pmid = {10164904}, issn = {0168-8510}, mesh = {Australia ; Biology ; Caregivers/*economics/psychology ; Empathy ; Ethical Theory ; Home Nursing/economics/*standards ; Humans ; Interpersonal Relations ; Models, Econometric ; Motivation ; *Outcome Assessment, Health Care ; Paternalism ; Program Evaluation ; Sociobiology ; }, abstract = {In most forms of evaluation of health care--and it is certainly true of economic evaluation--and is considering the outcomes of such care, caring tends to be omitted, or simply forgotten. It is often the case that little more than lip service is paid to the inclusion of caring as an input. This paper takes a closer look at caring, the neglected outcome of health care. The perspective starts from that of economics but other disciplines are examined briefly along the way to determine whether they deal better with caring than does the dismal science of economics. It is concluded that there is a need for greater consideration of caring as both an outcome and an input in evaluation of health care and that in the specific context of economic evaluation, when considering caring, economists might usefully look to other disciplines to broaden and deepen their conceptualisation of both benefits and costs in their economic evaluation studies.}, } @article {pmid17735318, year = {1996}, author = {Wilson, TP}, title = {The image of sociobiology.}, journal = {Science (New York, N.Y.)}, volume = {274}, number = {5288}, pages = {703b-4b}, doi = {10.1126/science.274.5288.703b}, pmid = {17735318}, issn = {0036-8075}, } @article {pmid8966549, year = {1996}, author = {Wilson, TP}, title = {The image of sociobiology.}, journal = {Science (New York, N.Y.)}, volume = {274}, number = {5288}, pages = {703-704}, pmid = {8966549}, issn = {0036-8075}, mesh = {*Behavior ; *Biological Science Disciplines ; Humans ; *Social Sciences ; }, } @article {pmid17847218, year = {1996}, author = {Hrdy, SB and Rodman, P and Charnov, EL and Seger, J and Hawkes, K and Emlen, ST and Foster, SA and Gowaty, PA and Haig, D and Hauser, M and Jacobs, LF and Smuts, BB}, title = {Sociobiology's Successes.}, journal = {Science (New York, N.Y.)}, volume = {274}, number = {5285}, pages = {162-163}, doi = {10.1126/science.274.5285.162}, pmid = {17847218}, issn = {0036-8075}, } @article {pmid11645812, year = {1996}, author = {Murphy, GL}, title = {Fertility technologies and trans-kin altruism.}, journal = {The Journal of medical humanities}, volume = {17}, number = {3}, pages = {195-202}, pmid = {11645812}, issn = {1041-3545}, mesh = {Aborted Fetus ; *Adoption ; *Altruism ; Biological Evolution ; *Biology ; Family Relations ; Fetus ; Gene Pool ; Human Characteristics ; Humans ; Motivation ; Oocyte Donation ; Parent-Child Relations ; *Reproductive Techniques, Assisted ; *Sociobiology ; Tissue Donors ; }, abstract = {If a couple wishes to have children, is able to have them through the usual biological process, and there are no known genetic problems facing such children, then that couple would be best advised to have biological offspring. In fact, most people would consider this to be simply the natural "default setting" for such decisions. But if they are not able to have such offspring, or if there is a significant probability that such offspring would have some catastrophic genetic problem, then it might be better for the couple to adopt a child not related to them biologically. This would, in the first place, avoid problematic uses of fertility technologies, such as the use of ova from aborted fetuses. But it would also provide an opportunity for the exercise of trans-kin altruism, something which is not always easy to practice but which is an essential feature of our humanity as it has developed through the evolutionary process. That is to say, there are both negative and positive reasons for adoption. Negatively, it may enable us to avoid ethically questionable uses of technology. Positively, it responds to and reinforces a feature of our evolutionary history which is crucial to what it means for us to be human.}, } @article {pmid11660746, year = {1996}, author = {MacKellar, C}, title = {The biological child.}, journal = {Ethics & medicine : a Christian perspective on issues in bioethics}, volume = {12}, number = {3}, pages = {65-69}, pmid = {11660746}, issn = {0266-688X}, mesh = {Adoption ; Biology ; *Christianity ; Cloning, Organism ; Embryo Transfer ; Female ; Fertilization in Vitro ; Humans ; Marriage ; Oocyte Donation ; *Parent-Child Relations ; *Reproductive Techniques, Assisted ; Sexuality ; Sociobiology ; Spermatozoa ; Surrogate Mothers ; Tissue Donors ; Twinning, Monozygotic ; Twins ; }, } @article {pmid11644886, year = {1996}, author = {Crigger, BJ}, title = {Where do moral decisions come from?.}, journal = {The Hastings Center report}, volume = {26}, number = {1}, pages = {33-38}, pmid = {11644886}, issn = {0093-0334}, mesh = {*Bioethics ; Biology ; Ethical Relativism ; *Ethical Theory ; *Ethics ; Ethics, Medical ; *Human Characteristics ; Humans ; *Metaphor ; Moral Development ; *Morals ; Narration ; Self Concept ; Sociobiology ; }, abstract = {[Mark] Johnson asks us to take seriously theory as an imaginative construction that offers, not an objective account of the world, but a dynamic, intersubjective construal of it....A common feature [of the four books discussed] is the conviction that moral universals are somehow bound up with dynamic processes that have their origin in the human form, not with disembodied rules or rational arguments per se.}, } @article {pmid8862877, year = {1996}, author = {Daly, M}, title = {Evolutionary adaptationism: another biological approach to criminal and antisocial behaviour.}, journal = {Ciba Foundation symposium}, volume = {194}, number = {}, pages = {183-91; discussion 192-5}, doi = {10.1002/9780470514825.ch11}, pmid = {8862877}, issn = {0300-5208}, mesh = {*Adaptation, Psychological ; Animals ; Antisocial Personality Disorder/*psychology ; Biological Evolution ; Crime/*psychology ; *Genetics, Behavioral ; Humans ; Selection, Genetic ; }, abstract = {Although in a sense "genetic', the conceptual framework of evolutionary psychology, behavioural ecology and sociobiology is distinct from that of behaviour genetics. Considerable confusion has resulted from failures to recognize the distinctions. These disciplines are primarily concerned with the characterization of evolved adaptations, which are usually species-typical and environmentally contingent, so theory and research in these fields mainly concerns environmental rather than genetic sources of behavioural variation. Heritable behavioural variation is in general neither predicted by nor supportive of adaptationist theories. One might even say that substantial heritability of an apparently consequential attribute is a datum that challenges the tenets of adaptationism. Behaviour genetics and evolutionary adaptationism have had only limited mutual influence, but increasing knowledge of the processes by which genotypes affect behavioural phenotypes should facilitate development of a more synthetic approach.}, } @article {pmid11644738, year = {1995}, author = {Potter, VR}, title = {Global bioethics: linking genes to ethical behavior.}, journal = {Perspectives in biology and medicine}, volume = {39}, number = {1}, pages = {118-131}, doi = {10.1353/pbm.1995.0066}, pmid = {11644738}, issn = {0031-5982}, mesh = {Aggression ; Altruism ; Bioethics ; *Biological Evolution ; *Biology ; Brain Diseases ; Brain Injuries ; *Ecology ; Ethics ; Genetic Determinism ; *Genetics, Behavioral ; Humans ; Moral Development ; *Morals ; Religion ; Sexuality ; Social Responsibility ; *Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid11658108, year = {1995}, author = {Udry, JR}, title = {Policy and ethical implications of biosocial research.}, journal = {Population research and policy review}, volume = {14}, number = {3}, pages = {347-357}, pmid = {11658108}, issn = {0167-5923}, mesh = {*Behavioral Research ; *Biology ; Female ; *Genetics, Behavioral ; Humans ; Intelligence ; Men ; Public Policy ; Racial Groups ; *Research ; Sex Factors ; Sexuality ; Social Control, Formal ; Social Problems ; Social Sciences ; *Sociobiology ; Violence ; Women ; }, } @article {pmid7486887, year = {1995}, author = {Schröder, I}, title = {[Voluntary, controlled limited reproduction in humans--a conflict to modern evolutionary biology?].}, journal = {Anthropologischer Anzeiger; Bericht uber die biologisch-anthropologische Literatur}, volume = {53}, number = {3}, pages = {277-284}, pmid = {7486887}, issn = {0003-5548}, mesh = {Adult ; *Biological Evolution ; Child ; *Contraception Behavior ; Family Characteristics ; Female ; Humans ; Life Style ; Male ; *Population Control ; *Social Values ; }, abstract = {In western industrialized countries it is widespread to limit individual reproduction voluntarily and deliberately. This phenomenon of minimizing reproduction conflicts with the maximization of biological fitness, expected on the basis of sociobiology. Some positions and attitudes of demography and sociobiology that appear to be contradictive are critically discussed, and with several examples it is expounded that we are dealing with misunderstanding rather than inconsistencies in many cases. The majority of misunderstandings can be put down to an inadequate differentiation between proximate and ultimate levels of causation. However, proximate interpretations of the problem of minimizing reproduction from a sociobiological perspective are frequently unsatisfactory. Therefore, the demographic model of "competing pleasures of life" (Konkurrenz der Genüsse) was connected with evolutionary biology. Combining demographic and biological aspects reveals that human striving for material and non-material values (pleasures of life), originally was highly adaptive and fitness-enhancing as behaviors to acquire resources and secure social status. Not until a society offered a variety of behavioral and consumer alternatives and simultaneously sophisticated methods of contraception these behavioral patterns dissociated from their function of survival and became independent.}, } @article {pmid7577370, year = {1995}, author = {Goffman, TE}, title = {Sociobiology and cervical cancer.}, journal = {Oncology (Williston Park, N.Y.)}, volume = {9}, number = {8}, pages = {702}, pmid = {7577370}, issn = {0890-9091}, mesh = {Condoms/adverse effects/*standards ; Female ; Humans ; Sexual Behavior ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/*prevention & control ; Virus Diseases/*prevention & control/transmission ; }, } @article {pmid7613325, year = {1995}, author = {Clarke, A}, title = {Population screening for genetic susceptibility to disease.}, journal = {BMJ (Clinical research ed.)}, volume = {311}, number = {6996}, pages = {35-38}, pmid = {7613325}, issn = {0959-8138}, mesh = {Behavioral Research ; Biology ; Child ; *Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Genetic Research ; *Genetic Testing ; Health Planning ; Humans ; Politics ; Prejudice ; Public Health ; Resource Allocation ; *Risk Assessment ; Sociobiology ; }, abstract = {Genetic screening for susceptibility to common diseases, such as the common cancers, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes, may soon be technically feasible. Commercial interests should not be allowed to introduce such screening before proper evaluation or without adequate counselling and support. The evaluation of such testing should include psychosocial and medical outcomes and outcomes for those given low risks as well as high risks. These tests may distract attention away from environmental factors contributing to disease, for which social and political measures may be more appropriate than individualised susceptibility screening and lifestyle modification.}, } @article {pmid11660163, year = {1995}, author = {Rothman, BK}, title = {Of maps and imaginations: sociology confronts the genome.}, journal = {Social problems}, volume = {42}, number = {1}, pages = {1-10}, pmid = {11660163}, issn = {0037-7791}, mesh = {Biology ; DNA Fingerprinting ; Ethics ; Family Relations ; Female ; Genetic Engineering ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; *Genetic Testing ; Genetics ; *Human Genome Project ; Humans ; Men ; Occupational Exposure ; *Prenatal Diagnosis ; *Social Dominance ; Social Sciences ; Sociobiology ; *Sociology ; Wedge Argument ; Women ; *Women's Rights ; }, } @article {pmid7700879, year = {1995}, author = {Ferriere, R and Michod, RE}, title = {Invading wave of cooperation in a spatial iterated prisoner's dilemma.}, journal = {Proceedings. Biological sciences}, volume = {259}, number = {1354}, pages = {77-83}, doi = {10.1098/rspb.1995.0012}, pmid = {7700879}, issn = {0962-8452}, support = {HD 19949/HD/NICHD NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {*Game Theory ; *Spatial Behavior ; }, abstract = {Explaining the emergence of cooperative behaviours in a selfish world remains a major challenge for sociobiology. The iterated prisoner's dilemma offers a well-studied metaphor with which to explore theoretically the evolution of cooperation by reciprocation. Our current understanding is that 'tit-for-tat' should be the very first step (if not the aim) of evolution towards cooperation, but that mobility of the players in space seems to raise a devastating obstacle to the spread of tit-for-tat, by allowing egoists to exploit cooperation and escape retaliation. The second point is based on models that represent mobility only implicitly (in terms of travelling costs) and assume random interactions. Here we develop a more explicit theory of spatial iterated games: individual mobility is represented in terms of a diffusion process and interactions--defined locally--are inherently non-random. Our model reveals the existence of critical levels of individual mobility allowing for the evolution of cooperation. In fact, tit-for-tat can spread and take over among mobile players even when originating from extreme rarity. The dynamics of invasion of tit-for-tat develop as a travelling wave which propagates the cooperative strategy through space. Significant mobility is required to make the pioneering moves of cooperators towards the front of invasion less hazardous; it also contributes to neutralizing those defectors who may intrude the core of a cluster of cooperative players.}, } @article {pmid21236937, year = {1995}, author = {Schwenk, K}, title = {Of tongues and noses: chemoreception in lizards and snakes.}, journal = {Trends in ecology & evolution}, volume = {10}, number = {1}, pages = {7-12}, doi = {10.1016/s0169-5347(00)88953-3}, pmid = {21236937}, issn = {0169-5347}, abstract = {Lizards and snakes inhabit a world so richly textured in chemical information that, as primates, we can only imagine it. Subtle nuances of chemical shading underline nearly every fundamental activity of their lives, from finding foot to finding mates. Recent work examines the nature of these chemical messages, mechanisms for their perception, the interplay of the chemical senses in the sociobiology of the group, and patterns of chemosensory evolution. Emerging is a new sense of lizard and snake behavioral complexity that belies the common notion of these animals as simple automata and points to a surprising capacity for plasticity and learning.}, } @article {pmid11653029, year = {1995}, author = {Agar, N}, title = {Designing babies: morally permissible ways to modify the human genome.}, journal = {Bioethics}, volume = {9}, number = {1}, pages = {1-15}, doi = {10.1111/j.1467-8519.1995.tb00297.x}, pmid = {11653029}, issn = {0269-9702}, mesh = {Biology ; *Ethics ; *Eugenics ; *Genetic Engineering ; *Genetic Enhancement ; *Genetic Therapy ; Goals ; Human Genome Project ; Humans ; Psychology ; Sociobiology ; }, abstract = {My focus in this paper is the question of the moral acceptability of attempts to modify the human genome. Much of the debate in this area has revolved around the distinction between supposedly therapeutic modification on the one hand, and eugenic modification on the other. In the first part of the paper I reject some recent arguments against genetic engineering. In the second part I seek to distinguish between permissible and impermissible forms of intervention in such a way that does not appeal to the therapeutic/eugenic distinction. If I am right much of what we would intuitively call eugenic intervention will be morally acceptable. Central to my argument is an asymmetry in the way genetic engineers can influence a person's capacities on the one hand and life-goals on the other. Forms of genetic intervention that have a high probability of producing a mismatch of life-goals and capacities will be ruled out.}, } @article {pmid7560919, year = {1995}, author = {Dickemann, M}, title = {Wilson's Panchreston: the inclusive fitness hypothesis of sociobiology re-examined.}, journal = {Journal of homosexuality}, volume = {28}, number = {1-2}, pages = {147-183}, doi = {10.1300/J082v28n01_09}, pmid = {7560919}, issn = {0091-8369}, mesh = {Animals ; Female ; *Gender Identity ; Gene Frequency ; Genotype ; Homosexuality/*genetics/psychology ; Humans ; Male ; Phenotype ; Reproduction/genetics ; Selection, Genetic ; *Sex ; Sexual Behavior ; Social Environment ; }, abstract = {Of several hypotheses proposed by sociobiologists to explain "homosexuality", the most widely discussed is the inclusive fitness hypothesis, which is examined here in the work of the primary sociobiological proponents, E. O. Wilson, Michael Ruse, and James Weinrich. After reviewing the basic evolutionary concepts of natural selection, adaptation, and inclusive fitness/kin selection, I analyze the inclusive fitness hypotheses of homosexuality, taking as an exemplar the initial statement of E. O. Wilson. The implicit assumptions is this hypothesis are identified: that "homosexuality" is a unitary phenomenon, of direct genetic origin, occurring at similar frequencies across societies and through time, without direct reproductive gain, with therefore must be of genetic advantage to relatives. Each of these implicit assumptions is discussed and assessed in turn. The inclusive fitness hypothesis, derived primarily from current stereotypes about homosexuals in Western society, is found to be misconceived and without scientific merit. A general discussion of the nature-nurture, or essentialist-social-constructionist, controversy as it involves this hypothesis concludes the essay.}, } @article {pmid8089010, year = {1994}, author = {Gaylin, W}, title = {Knowing good and doing good.}, journal = {The Hastings Center report}, volume = {24}, number = {3}, pages = {36-41}, pmid = {8089010}, issn = {0093-0334}, mesh = {Biology ; Criminal Psychology ; *Emotions ; Ethical Analysis ; Ethical Theory ; *Ethics, Medical ; Human Characteristics ; Humans ; Interdisciplinary Communication ; Internal-External Control ; *Moral Development ; *Morals ; *Personal Autonomy ; *Philosophy, Medical ; *Social Responsibility ; Sociobiology ; Virtues ; }, } @article {pmid21236207, year = {1993}, author = {Deutsch, JC}, title = {Human sociobiology comes of age.}, journal = {Trends in ecology & evolution}, volume = {8}, number = {11}, pages = {388-390}, doi = {10.1016/0169-5347(93)90037-P}, pmid = {21236207}, issn = {0169-5347}, } @article {pmid8211168, year = {1993}, author = {Barash, DP}, title = {Sex, violence, and sociobiology.}, journal = {Science (New York, N.Y.)}, volume = {262}, number = {5133}, pages = {491}, doi = {10.1126/science.8211168}, pmid = {8211168}, issn = {0036-8075}, mesh = {Animals ; *Biological Evolution ; Child ; Child Abuse ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; *Sexual Behavior ; Sexual Behavior, Animal ; Sociology ; *Violence ; }, } @article {pmid8346327, year = {1993}, author = {Oliver, MB and Hyde, JS}, title = {Gender differences in sexuality: a meta-analysis.}, journal = {Psychological bulletin}, volume = {114}, number = {1}, pages = {29-51}, doi = {10.1037/0033-2909.114.1.29}, pmid = {8346327}, issn = {0033-2909}, mesh = {Female ; *Gender Identity ; Humans ; Male ; Psychosexual Development ; *Sexual Behavior ; Stereotyping ; }, abstract = {This meta-analysis surveyed 177 usable sources that reported data on gender differences on 21 different measures of sexual attitudes and behaviors. The largest gender difference was in incidence of masturbation: Men had the greater incidence (d = .96). There was also a large gender difference in attitudes toward casual sex: Males had considerably more permissive attitudes (d = .81). There were no gender differences in attitudes toward homosexuality or in sexual satisfaction. Most other gender differences were in the small-to-moderate range. Gender differences narrowed from the 1960s to the 1980s for many variables. Chodorow's neoanalytic theory, sociobiology, social learning theory, social role theory, and script theory are discussed in relation to these findings.}, } @article {pmid21236141, year = {1993}, author = {Crawford, CB}, title = {The future of sociobiology: Counting babies or studying proximate mechanisms.}, journal = {Trends in ecology & evolution}, volume = {8}, number = {5}, pages = {183-186}, doi = {10.1016/0169-5347(93)90145-F}, pmid = {21236141}, issn = {0169-5347}, abstract = {Much of the debate over applying the theory of evolution to the study of human behaviour has died down because most critics now realize that the political ramifications of sociobiology are no more, or no less, than those of behaviourism, psychoanalysis or cognitive science. But controversy remains. It is scientific, and concerns the 'proper' way to do human sociobiology. I contrast the perspective of those sociobiologists who use the approach of behavioural ecology, and who have come to be known as 'darwinian anthropologists' or 'darwinian social scientists', with their critics, who refer to themselves as evolutionary or 'darwinian psychologists', describe the research methods that each uses, and ask if those issues must also be confronted by those studying animals.}, } @article {pmid12345859, year = {1993}, author = {Begossi, A}, title = {[Human ecology: an overview of man-environment relationships].}, journal = {Interciencia}, volume = {18}, number = {3}, pages = {121-132}, pmid = {12345859}, issn = {0378-1844}, mesh = {Americas ; Anthropology ; *Anthropology, Cultural ; *Biology ; Brazil ; *Culture ; Developing Countries ; *Ecology ; *Environment ; *Geography ; Latin America ; Social Sciences ; South America ; }, } @article {pmid8293201, year = {1993}, author = {Midgley, M}, title = {Must good causes compete?.}, journal = {Cambridge quarterly of healthcare ethics : CQ : the international journal of healthcare ethics committees}, volume = {2}, number = {2}, pages = {133-141}, doi = {10.1017/s0963180100000827}, pmid = {8293201}, issn = {0963-1801}, mesh = {*Bioethical Issues ; *Bioethics ; Biology ; Capitalism ; Choice Behavior ; Communism ; *Competitive Behavior ; *Conflict, Psychological ; Consensus ; *Decision Making ; *Dissent and Disputes ; Ethical Relativism ; Existentialism ; Global Health ; *Group Processes ; Humans ; Interpersonal Relations ; Negotiating ; Social Values ; Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid11660362, year = {1992}, author = {Kaye, HL}, title = {Are our genes our destiny? We are more than our DNA.}, journal = {Current}, volume = {345}, number = {}, pages = {4-9}, pmid = {11660362}, issn = {0011-3131}, mesh = {Alcoholism ; Biological Evolution ; Biology ; Dehumanization ; Eugenics ; *Genetic Determinism ; *Genetics, Behavioral ; Human Characteristics ; *Human Genome Project ; Humans ; Pedigree ; Public Policy ; Religion ; Reproduction ; Social Change ; Sociobiology ; Violence ; }, } @article {pmid12287532, year = {1992}, author = {Braeckman, J}, title = {[The population explosion in sociobiological perspective].}, journal = {Tijdschrift voor sociale wetenschappen}, volume = {37}, number = {3}, pages = {292-304}, pmid = {12287532}, issn = {0040-7615}, mesh = {*Biology ; *Culture ; Demography ; Genetics ; *Genetics, Population ; Population ; Population Characteristics ; *Population Control ; *Population Dynamics ; *Population Growth ; Public Policy ; *Research ; Social Sciences ; *Sociology ; }, abstract = {The author uses the assertions of Anne and Paul Erlich regarding population growth as a basis for his analysis of whether the field of sociobiology offers hope that humans can control reproduction effectively. He notes that "sociobiology is rather pessimistic about this since it is the essence of human nature to reproduce and multiply. In spite of this there are reasons to believe that humankind is able to achieve...a declining birth rate, and this thesis...takes account of the genetic or natural and the cultural make-up of human beings." (SUMMARY IN ENG)}, } @article {pmid17802580, year = {1992}, author = {Barash, DP}, title = {Anomalies in sociobiology.}, journal = {Science (New York, N.Y.)}, volume = {256}, number = {5053}, pages = {14-79}, doi = {10.1126/science.256.5053.14}, pmid = {17802580}, issn = {0036-8075}, } @article {pmid11659544, year = {1992}, author = {Dreyfuss, RC and Nelkin, D}, title = {The jurisprudence of genetics.}, journal = {Vanderbilt law review}, volume = {45}, number = {2}, pages = {313-348}, pmid = {11659544}, issn = {0042-2533}, mesh = {Adoption ; *Biology ; Criminal Law ; DNA Fingerprinting ; Employment ; Eugenics ; Family Relations ; Female ; Freedom ; Genetic Counseling ; *Genetic Determinism ; Genetic Diseases, Inborn ; *Genetic Testing ; *Genetics ; *Genetics, Behavioral ; Human Genome Project ; Humans ; *Individuality ; *Jurisprudence ; Liability, Legal ; Mass Screening ; Occupational Exposure ; Parent-Child Relations ; Personal Autonomy ; *Personhood ; Prejudice ; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects ; Reproductive Techniques, Assisted ; Science ; Self Concept ; *Social Change ; Social Values ; *Sociobiology ; Surrogate Mothers ; United States ; Women ; Wrongful Life ; }, } @article {pmid12286744, year = {1992}, author = {Mumtaz, S}, title = {Comments on "Cultural Perceptions and the Productive Roles of Rural Pakistani Women".}, journal = {Pakistan development review}, volume = {31}, number = {4 Pt 2}, pages = {1305-1307}, pmid = {12286744}, issn = {0030-9729}, mesh = {*Agriculture ; Asia ; Behavior ; *Culture ; Developing Countries ; Economics ; Employment ; *Evaluation Studies as Topic ; Health Workforce ; Pakistan ; Social Behavior ; }, } @article {pmid11656142, year = {1992}, author = {Betzig, L and Lombardo, LH}, title = {Who's pro-choice and why.}, journal = {Ethology and sociobiology}, volume = {13}, number = {1}, pages = {49-71}, doi = {10.1016/0162-3095(92)90006-p}, pmid = {11656142}, issn = {0162-3095}, mesh = {*Abortion, Induced ; Adolescent ; *Attitude ; Biology ; Data Collection ; Family ; Female ; Financial Support ; Freedom ; Government Regulation ; Humans ; Infertility ; Medicaid ; *Men ; Michigan ; Minors ; Parent-Child Relations ; Parental Consent ; Personal Autonomy ; Politics ; Poverty ; Public Opinion ; *Public Policy ; Religion ; Single Person ; Social Control, Formal ; Sociobiology ; *Socioeconomic Factors ; Spouses ; *State Government ; Third-Party Consent ; *Women ; }, } @article {pmid11656141, year = {1992}, author = {Hill, EM and Low, BS}, title = {Contemporary abortion patterns: a life history approach.}, journal = {Ethology and sociobiology}, volume = {13}, number = {1}, pages = {35-48}, doi = {10.1016/0162-3095(92)90005-o}, pmid = {11656141}, issn = {0162-3095}, mesh = {*Abortion, Induced ; Age Factors ; Biology ; Child ; Cost-Benefit Analysis ; Decision Making ; Ecology ; Female ; Humans ; Men ; *Motivation ; *Parents ; *Reproduction ; Sociobiology ; Socioeconomic Factors ; Women ; }, } @article {pmid16145783, year = {1991}, author = {Davidson, N}, title = {Abortion and the family.}, journal = {The Human life review}, volume = {17}, number = {3}, pages = {65-84}, pmid = {16145783}, issn = {0097-9783}, mesh = {*Abortion, Induced/psychology ; Adoption ; Child ; Child Rearing ; *Family Relations ; Female ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Infanticide ; Male ; Marriage ; Minors ; Parental Consent ; Politics ; Pregnancy ; Sex Factors ; Sexual Behavior ; Single-Parent Family ; *Social Values ; Sociobiology ; Third-Party Consent ; United States ; Women's Rights ; }, } @article {pmid11651103, year = {1990}, author = {Pellegrino, ED}, title = {Science and theology: from a medical perspective.}, journal = {The Linacre quarterly}, volume = {57}, number = {4}, pages = {19-35}, doi = {10.1080/00243639.1990.11878078}, pmid = {11651103}, issn = {0024-3639}, mesh = {*Bioethics ; Biology ; Christianity ; *Ethics, Medical ; Goals ; Health ; Human Characteristics ; Humans ; Interdisciplinary Communication ; Interprofessional Relations ; *Medicine ; Moral Obligations ; Philosophy ; *Physician's Role ; Physician-Patient Relations ; *Religion ; *Science ; Social Responsibility ; Sociobiology ; *Theology ; }, } @article {pmid11659273, year = {1990}, author = {Lammers, A and Peters, T}, title = {Genethics: implications of the human genome project.}, journal = {Christian century (Chicago, Ill. : 1902)}, volume = {107}, number = {27}, pages = {868-872}, pmid = {11659273}, issn = {0009-5281}, mesh = {Biology ; *Christianity ; Eugenics ; *Genetic Engineering ; Genetic Testing ; Health Care Rationing ; *Human Genome Project ; Humans ; *Religion ; Resource Allocation ; *Risk ; *Risk Assessment ; Social Responsibility ; Sociobiology ; *Theology ; }, } @article {pmid2685860, year = {1989}, author = {Kofoed, L and MacMillan, J}, title = {Darwinian evolution of social behavior: implications for group psychotherapy.}, journal = {Psychiatry}, volume = {52}, number = {4}, pages = {475-481}, doi = {10.1080/00332747.1989.11024472}, pmid = {2685860}, issn = {0033-2747}, mesh = {*Biological Evolution ; Group Processes ; Group Structure ; Humans ; Psychotherapy, Group/*methods ; *Social Behavior ; }, abstract = {Medicine typically looks to biology for guidance in examining complexity. Application of biological principles to social processes has not been easy. Still, we need not abandon biology in the study of complex social phenomena. Biologists have come to view the study of proximate form and function (revealed by disciplines such as anatomy, psychology and physiology) versus the study of how the form and function ultimately "got to be" (revealed by disciplines such as ethology and sociobiology) as distinct and complementary levels of understanding (Lorenz 1981; Mayr 1982). Though we cannot undertake in this paper explication of the value of understanding the ultimate, as well as the proximate, in studying biological phenomena, interested readers will find a comprehensive discussion in Mayr. The evolutionary principles structuring social interactions are becoming understood and hold promise as a biologically valid system for organizing and guiding the study of complex social behaviors (Essock-Vitale and Fairbanks 1979; Kofoed and MacMillan 1987). Psychological processes have evolved in varying complexities as mechanisms to enable and guide social behavior, increasing the probability that such behavior will be adaptive in a wide variety of circumstances (Trivers 1971). Dynamic and social psychologies describe the proximate internal and interactive intricacies that have resulted from this process but cannot help us understand the goals evolution has "naturally designed" (Thompson 1986) these mechanisms to achieve. The hypothesized drives or instincts underlying most psychological models, often derived from a simplistic understanding of evolutionary theory, are usually simply taken for granted in the development of these models.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)}, } @article {pmid17834681, year = {1989}, author = {Crozier, RH}, title = {Insect sociobiology: the genetics of social evolution.}, journal = {Science (New York, N.Y.)}, volume = {245}, number = {4915}, pages = {313-314}, doi = {10.1126/science.245.4915.313}, pmid = {17834681}, issn = {0036-8075}, } @article {pmid2765974, year = {1989}, author = {Höschl, C}, title = {[Sociobiology].}, journal = {Bratislavske lekarske listy}, volume = {90}, number = {6}, pages = {462-466}, pmid = {2765974}, issn = {0006-9248}, mesh = {Animals ; Ethology ; *Genetics, Behavioral ; Humans ; *Social Behavior ; }, abstract = {Sociobiology represents a systematic study of the biological basis of social behavior. Suggesting its relations to genetics, psychiatry, the theory of games, and ethology, the author summarizes the main sociobiological postulates. The review is intended for postgraduate education.}, } @article {pmid2780959, year = {1989}, author = {Bercovitch, FB}, title = {Future research on Cayo Santiago-derived group M rhesus monkeys at Sabana Seca: the socioendocrinology of male reproductive development.}, journal = {Puerto Rico health sciences journal}, volume = {8}, number = {1}, pages = {177-179}, pmid = {2780959}, issn = {0738-0658}, support = {RR00167/RR/NCRR NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Academies and Institutes ; Animals ; Luteinizing Hormone/*blood ; Macaca/*physiology ; Macaca mulatta/*physiology ; Male ; Puerto Rico ; Sexual Behavior, Animal/*physiology ; *Sexual Maturation ; Social Dominance ; Social Environment ; Testosterone/*blood ; }, abstract = {Group M is an intact social group transferred from Cayo Santiago to Sabana Seca in 1984 and will be used for research integrating biomedical and behavioral investigations. The initial research planned for Group M will assess how social factors mediate the interactions between hormones and behavior as they affect male reproductive maturation. Preliminary data indicate that social status can accelerate endocrine maturation in males and that high ranking males may have a head start in initiating their reproductive careers. Elucidating the socioendocrinology of male reproductive development will complement the many studies that have been undertaken on the sociobiology of male rhesus macaques at Cayo Santiago.}, } @article {pmid2520021, year = {1989}, author = {Geiger, G}, title = {Sociobiology and the structural stability of behavior patterns.}, journal = {Mathematical biosciences}, volume = {93}, number = {1}, pages = {117-145}, doi = {10.1016/0025-5564(89)90016-3}, pmid = {2520021}, issn = {0025-5564}, mesh = {Animals ; *Behavior, Animal ; Game Theory ; *Genetics, Behavioral ; Insecta ; Mutation/genetics ; *Social Behavior ; }, abstract = {A structural stability approach to population-genetic systems and to dynamic evolutionary games is attempted in order to examine the theoretical significance of sociobiological selection models. A criterion of weak selection is derived that is not restricted to differential reproduction in polymorphic systems but describes possible directions of evolutionary change in time scales governed by genetic mutation rates. The criterion applies to the problems of how the initial mutational basis of an adaptive trait may be established and how this may happen, for analogous traits, independently in different species. Two basic sociobiological concepts are reconsidered with reference to the criterion. It is shown that W. D. Hamilton's condition of increases in inclusive fitness due to altruistic interactions among kin expresses the structural instability of populations against the evolution of altruistic behavior. Using the dynamic approach to evolutionary game theory, it is demonstrated that if a behavioral phenotype is an evolutionarily stable strategy, it is structurally stable against perturbations of the fitness payoffs, provided selection is weak. These results are applied to material problems of the evolution of animal social behavior.}, } @article {pmid17747429, year = {1989}, author = {Queller, DC}, title = {The sociobiology of plants: plant reproductive ecology.}, journal = {Science (New York, N.Y.)}, volume = {243}, number = {4888}, pages = {244}, doi = {10.1126/science.243.4888.244}, pmid = {17747429}, issn = {0036-8075}, } @article {pmid28514068, year = {1989}, author = {Weiss, ML}, title = {DNA fingerprints in physical anthropology.}, journal = {American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council}, volume = {1}, number = {5}, pages = {567-579}, doi = {10.1002/ajhb.1310010507}, pmid = {28514068}, issn = {1520-6300}, abstract = {Hypervariabal minisatellite DNA is a recently described class of nuclear sequences with no known biological function. The minisatellites do form a subtype of restricition fragment length polymorphisms possessing several characteristics particularly intriguing to anthropologists interested in forensics, sociobiology, primate conservation, genetic variability, and molecular evolution. The sequence occupy at least five dozen loci scattered throughout the human genome. Unlike many polymorphisms, many of the loci have numerous alleles each present at similar frequencies. Such a genetic structure produces exceptionally high levels of heterozygosity and thus provides a tool for the individualization of tissue samples. Additionally, as the alleles are inherited in a Mendelian fashion, the minisatellites provide a superb tool for the identification of paternity (or maternity). Unlike standard blood groups, levels of variability are so high in populations studied to data that parentage can be established by inclusion rather than exclution. Homologous sequences are shown to exist in a variety of Old World primates. Visualization of genetic fingerprints in nonhumans may allow for determination of paternity where the pool of potential sires is available, while also providing information on levels of genetic variability. These capabilities will ultimately provide for better management of primate colonies. Used in concert with behavioral data, a number of sociobiological will also become more amenable to investigation.}, } @article {pmid2925369, year = {1989}, author = {Covington, CH}, title = {Incest: the psychological problem and the biological contradiction.}, journal = {Issues in mental health nursing}, volume = {10}, number = {1}, pages = {69-87}, doi = {10.3109/01612848909140835}, pmid = {2925369}, issn = {0161-2840}, support = {NU-05895-01/02/NU/BHP HRSA HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Adult ; Child ; Culture ; Female ; Humans ; *Incest ; Male ; *Psychoanalytic Theory ; Psychosexual Development ; Taboo ; }, abstract = {We have yet to map an "inbreeding avoider" gene or design a psychological test that can accurately diagnose incest transgressors. Until those events occur, sociobiology, nursing, and psychology must explain phenomena, such as the incest taboo, with a theoretical language of supposition. It is in this light that the etiology of taboo is analyzed. This article proposes that a propensity for sexual selection originates in the gene system, and what becomes taboo is acquired through the learning that accompanies the experiences of the individual and culture when sexual selection occurs. Influences of the genetic system and psychological culture on the existence of a taboo are contrasted. The conclusion posits an eclectic taboo hypothesis, derived from the congruencies found in the literature, and suggests how this hypothesis can guide nursing interventions with incestual families.}, } @article {pmid2576695, year = {1989}, author = {Schmidt, HD and Maass, FU}, title = {[The sociobiological ideas of Arthur Schopenhauer].}, journal = {Zeitschrift fur Psychologie mit Zeitschrift fur angewandte Psychologie}, volume = {197}, number = {4}, pages = {341-350}, pmid = {2576695}, issn = {0044-3409}, mesh = {Biology/*history ; Germany ; History, 19th Century ; History, 20th Century ; Humans ; Philosophy/*history ; Psychology, Social/*history ; }, abstract = {Starting from the basic ideas of sociobiology we prove that Schopenhauer, in his "Metaphysics of Sexual Love", has to pass for a precursor of sociobiological thinking. Several consequences of this parallel are discussed: The quest for strategic principles of organismic growth and evolution as a positive characteristic of both approaches--the hypothesis of a dominant genetic determination of human behaviour as an outcome of a typical bourgeois view of mankind connecting Schopenhauer and sociobiologists--the necessity of taking into consideration biological predispositions of flexible (learned) behaviour as elements of sociobiological models enjoying the same rights as genetical ones--the utility of Schopenhauer's natural philosophy for the purpose of complementing historical knowledge of many disciplines (also psychology).}, } @article {pmid3171907, year = {1988}, author = {Archer, J}, title = {The sociobiology of bereavement: a reply to Littlefield and Rushton.}, journal = {Journal of personality and social psychology}, volume = {55}, number = {2}, pages = {272-278}, doi = {10.1037//0022-3514.55.2.272}, pmid = {3171907}, issn = {0022-3514}, mesh = {Adaptation, Biological ; Adaptation, Psychological ; Age Factors ; *Bereavement ; Biological Evolution ; Child ; Female ; Health Status ; Humans ; Male ; Models, Psychological ; Object Attachment ; Parents/psychology ; Sex Factors ; }, abstract = {This article offers a critique of Littlefield and Rushton's (1986) application of sociobiological principles to bereavement following the death of a child. The following general issues are considered: (a) whether behavior is always adaptive and (b) the distinction between proximate and ultimate explanations. It is argued that grief is a maladaptive by-product of another, adaptive feature and that hypotheses about the severity of grief are best derived from proximate considerations rather than genetic relatedness. The use of a single-item rating scale to measure grief is questioned, and it is noted that interspouse reliabilities reported in the article were low, a problem not solved (as claimed) by aggregation. Criticisms are made of the specific hypotheses, notably in terms of their origins in sociobiological theory. It is argued that functional hypotheses are not alternatives to proximate mechanisms, but enable some proximate mechanisms to be viewed from the perspective of evolutionary biology.}, } @article {pmid3065285, year = {1988}, author = {Post, SG}, title = {History, infanticide, and imperiled newborns.}, journal = {The Hastings Center report}, volume = {18}, number = {4}, pages = {14-17}, pmid = {3065285}, issn = {0093-0334}, mesh = {Biology ; Congenital Abnormalities/history ; Culture ; Ethical Relativism ; *Ethics, Medical ; *Euthanasia, Active ; History, 18th Century ; History, 19th Century ; History, 20th Century ; History, Ancient ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Infanticide/*history ; Internationality ; Morals ; Sociobiology ; Value of Life ; Wedge Argument ; }, } @article {pmid17774589, year = {1988}, author = {Harding, RS}, title = {Primate sociobiology: primate social systems.}, journal = {Science (New York, N.Y.)}, volume = {241}, number = {4865}, pages = {605}, doi = {10.1126/science.241.4865.605}, pmid = {17774589}, issn = {0036-8075}, } @article {pmid17223680, year = {1988}, author = {Wiser, JL}, title = {The good life and the life sciences.}, journal = {Politics and the life sciences : the journal of the Association for Politics and the Life Sciences}, volume = {6}, number = {2}, pages = {220-2, 226-9.}, doi = {10.1017/s0730938400003324}, pmid = {17223680}, issn = {0730-9384}, mesh = {Biological Evolution ; *Biology ; Ethics ; Human Characteristics ; Humans ; Morals ; Nature ; *Philosophy ; *Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid17223679, year = {1988}, author = {Sorenson, LR}, title = {On the problematic dimensions of bioethics and the pre-conditions of natural right.}, journal = {Politics and the life sciences : the journal of the Association for Politics and the Life Sciences}, volume = {6}, number = {2}, pages = {215-20, 226-9.}, doi = {10.1017/s0730938400003312}, pmid = {17223679}, issn = {0730-9384}, mesh = {Bioethics ; *Biology ; Genetic Determinism ; Genetic Engineering/ethics ; *Human Characteristics ; Humans ; Medicine ; *Morals ; *Nature ; *Philosophy ; Sociobiology ; Species Specificity ; }, } @article {pmid17223678, year = {1988}, author = {Salkever, SG}, title = {Final causes and instant cases: a comment.}, journal = {Politics and the life sciences : the journal of the Association for Politics and the Life Sciences}, volume = {6}, number = {2}, pages = {213-5, 226-9.}, doi = {10.1017/s0730938400003300}, pmid = {17223678}, issn = {0730-9384}, mesh = {*Biology ; Causality ; Morals ; *Philosophy ; Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid17223677, year = {1988}, author = {Lopreato, J}, title = {Human nature and morality: a sociobiological perspective.}, journal = {Politics and the life sciences : the journal of the Association for Politics and the Life Sciences}, volume = {6}, number = {2}, pages = {208-13, 226-9.}, doi = {10.1017/s0730938400003294}, pmid = {17223677}, issn = {0730-9384}, mesh = {Biological Evolution ; Ethics ; *Human Characteristics ; Humans ; *Morals ; Nature ; *Philosophy ; Science ; *Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid17223676, year = {1988}, author = {Fortin, EL}, title = {Aristotle and the sociobiologists: an old controversy revived.}, journal = {Politics and the life sciences : the journal of the Association for Politics and the Life Sciences}, volume = {6}, number = {2}, pages = {205-8, 226-9.}, doi = {10.1017/s0730938400003282}, pmid = {17223676}, issn = {0730-9384}, mesh = {Biology ; Disease ; *Morals ; *Nature ; *Philosophy ; *Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid17223675, year = {1988}, author = {Engelhardt, HT}, title = {Biological nihilism and modern moral and political theory.}, journal = {Politics and the life sciences : the journal of the Association for Politics and the Life Sciences}, volume = {6}, number = {2}, pages = {202-5, 226-9.}, doi = {10.1017/s0730938400003270}, pmid = {17223675}, issn = {0730-9384}, mesh = {Biological Evolution ; *Biology ; Biomedical Technology ; Cultural Diversity ; Democracy ; Disease ; Ethics ; Genetic Engineering/ethics ; *Human Characteristics ; Humans ; Informed Consent/ethics ; Medicine ; *Morals ; Negotiating ; *Philosophy ; Secularism ; Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid17223674, year = {1988}, author = {Cornell, JF}, title = {On the relevance of Aristotle's bioethics.}, journal = {Politics and the life sciences : the journal of the Association for Politics and the Life Sciences}, volume = {6}, number = {2}, pages = {199-201, 226-9.}, doi = {10.1017/s0730938400003269}, pmid = {17223674}, issn = {0730-9384}, mesh = {Animals ; Bioethics ; Biological Evolution ; Biology ; *Human Characteristics ; Humans ; Medicine ; Nature ; *Philosophy ; *Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid17223673, year = {1988}, author = {Bokina, J}, title = {History and biological teleology.}, journal = {Politics and the life sciences : the journal of the Association for Politics and the Life Sciences}, volume = {6}, number = {2}, pages = {195-8, 226-9.}, doi = {10.1017/s0730938400003257}, pmid = {17223673}, issn = {0730-9384}, mesh = {Biological Evolution ; *Biology ; History, Ancient ; *Human Characteristics ; Humans ; Medicine ; *Philosophy/history ; *Sociobiology ; Value of Life ; }, } @article {pmid17223672, year = {1988}, author = {Bluhm, WT}, title = {Aristotelian teleology and Aristotelian reason: a commentary.}, journal = {Politics and the life sciences : the journal of the Association for Politics and the Life Sciences}, volume = {6}, number = {2}, pages = {192-5, 226-9.}, doi = {10.1017/s0730938400003245}, pmid = {17223672}, issn = {0730-9384}, mesh = {Biological Evolution ; Biology ; Disease ; Ethics ; *Human Characteristics ; Humans ; Medicine ; Morals ; *Philosophy ; *Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid17223671, year = {1988}, author = {Arnhart, L}, title = {Aristotle's biopolitics: a defense of biological teleology against biological nihilism.}, journal = {Politics and the life sciences : the journal of the Association for Politics and the Life Sciences}, volume = {6}, number = {2}, pages = {173-91, 226-9.}, doi = {10.1017/s0730938400003233}, pmid = {17223671}, issn = {0730-9384}, mesh = {Animals ; Bioethics ; Biological Evolution ; *Biology ; Disease ; Genetic Engineering/ethics ; Genetics, Behavioral ; *Human Characteristics ; Humans ; Medicine ; *Morals ; *Nature ; Neurology ; *Philosophy ; *Sociobiology ; }, abstract = {Modern Darwinian biology seems to promote nihilism, for it seems to teach that there is no rationally discoverable standard in nature for giving meaning to life. The purpose of this article is to argue for a revival of Aristotle's biological teleology as a reasonable alternative to biological nihilism. The article begins with Edward Wilson's vain struggle against nihilism. Then it is argued that a teleological understanding of nature is assumed in the practice of medicine, as illustrated by one case from Oliver Sacks' neurological practice. The article then considers the importance of biological teleology for Aristotle's moral and political philosophy, and attention is given to some points of agreement and disagreement with contemporary sociobiologists. The main part of the article is then devoted to a defense of Aristotle's biology against the five objections that might be made by a Darwinian biologist. Finally, the article illustrates the practical implications of this issue for bioethics by considering the recent work of Engelhardt.}, } @article {pmid11650379, year = {1988}, author = {Ewing, CM}, title = {Tailored genes: IVF, genetic engineering, and eugenics.}, journal = {Reproductive and genetic engineering}, volume = {1}, number = {1}, pages = {31-40}, pmid = {11650379}, issn = {0895-5565}, mesh = {Animals ; Animals, Genetically Modified ; Biology ; DNA, Recombinant ; Embryo Transfer ; Embryo, Mammalian ; *Eugenics ; Female ; *Fertilization in Vitro ; Genetic Diseases, Inborn ; *Genetic Engineering ; Genetic Testing ; Genetic Therapy ; Human Experimentation ; Human Genome Project ; Humans ; Preimplantation Diagnosis ; Prejudice ; Prenatal Diagnosis ; Reproductive Techniques, Assisted ; Sex Determination Analysis ; Sex Preselection ; Sociobiology ; Stereotyping ; *Women ; Women's Rights ; }, } @article {pmid11650141, year = {1988}, author = {Smith, GP}, title = {Biotechnology and the law: social responsibility or freedom of scientific inquiry?.}, journal = {Mercer law review}, volume = {39}, number = {2}, pages = {437-460}, pmid = {11650141}, issn = {0025-987X}, mesh = {Animals ; Animals, Genetically Modified ; Biological Evolution ; Biology ; Biomedical Technology ; DNA, Recombinant ; Dehumanization ; *Freedom ; *Genetic Engineering ; Human Rights ; Humans ; Microbiology ; Patents as Topic ; Personal Autonomy ; Reproductive Techniques, Assisted ; *Science ; Social Control, Formal ; Social Responsibility ; Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid3343946, year = {1988}, author = {Aboitiz, F}, title = {Epigenesis and the evolution of the human brain.}, journal = {Medical hypotheses}, volume = {25}, number = {1}, pages = {55-59}, doi = {10.1016/0306-9877(88)90047-3}, pmid = {3343946}, issn = {0306-9877}, mesh = {*Biological Evolution ; Brain/*growth & development/physiology ; Cell Count ; Humans ; Nerve Net/physiology ; Synapses/physiology ; }, abstract = {This article proposes an hypothesis for the evolution of the human brain. It is based on the concepts of (i) regulation of nerve cell proliferation, and (ii) selective stabilisation of synapses during development. The former process is supposed to be rigidly regulated by the genome, while the latter (selective stabilisation) is proposed as developing in a more plastic manner. It is suggested here that genetic alterations of the regulation of neuroblast proliferation led to epigenetic rearrangements in selective synapse stabilisation, thus producing significant changes in cerebral connectivity. This view is in agreement with the punctuationalist theory of human evolution, and differs from other approaches to human nature, such as structuralist grammar and sociobiology.}, } @article {pmid3281132, year = {1988}, author = {Kofoed, L}, title = {Selective dimensions of personality: psychiatry and sociobiology in collision.}, journal = {Perspectives in biology and medicine}, volume = {31}, number = {2}, pages = {228-242}, doi = {10.1353/pbm.1988.0058}, pmid = {3281132}, issn = {0031-5982}, mesh = {Altruism ; Biological Evolution ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; *Models, Genetic ; *Personality ; Personality Disorders/*genetics ; Selection, Genetic ; Social Behavior ; }, } @article {pmid3051076, year = {1988}, author = {Holcomb, HR}, title = {The modern synthesis and Lewontin's critique of sociobiology.}, journal = {History and philosophy of the life sciences}, volume = {10}, number = {2}, pages = {315-341}, pmid = {3051076}, issn = {0391-9714}, mesh = {Biology/*trends ; History, 20th Century ; Humans ; *Philosophy, Medical ; Sociology/*trends ; United States ; }, } @article {pmid17784299, year = {1987}, author = {Brown, CR}, title = {Avian sociobiology: population ecology of the cooperatively breeding acorn woodpecker.}, journal = {Science (New York, N.Y.)}, volume = {238}, number = {4833}, pages = {1590-1591}, doi = {10.1126/science.238.4833.1590}, pmid = {17784299}, issn = {0036-8075}, } @article {pmid21227865, year = {1987}, author = {Page, RE and Breed, MD}, title = {Kin recognition in social bees.}, journal = {Trends in ecology & evolution}, volume = {2}, number = {9}, pages = {272-275}, doi = {10.1016/0169-5347(87)90034-6}, pmid = {21227865}, issn = {0169-5347}, abstract = {Kin recognition in social insects has become a central issue in sociobiology because studies of the recognition abilities of social insects provide a test of kin selection theory. W.D. Hamilton(1) formalized kin selection theory by showing how individuals can gain fitness by increasing the reproductive output of relatives (kin). The social interactions of individuals, or groups, should be influenced by the genetic structure of the population. The ability to recognize kin can increase the adaptive value of social behavior by modulating it according to genetic relationship. From this, the specific prediction emerges: if individuals can distinguish among others with which they interact on the basis of the degree to which they are related, then behavior should be biased preferentially toward more closely related reproductive individuals.}, } @article {pmid3664561, year = {1987}, author = {Novotná, D and Vacková, J and Jůnová, J}, title = {[The contribution of sociobiology to the question of sex differences in the human psyche].}, journal = {Casopis lekaru ceskych}, volume = {126}, number = {31}, pages = {968-971}, pmid = {3664561}, issn = {0008-7335}, mesh = {Female ; Humans ; Male ; *Sex Characteristics ; *Verbal Behavior ; }, } @article {pmid3574475, year = {1987}, author = {Burke, T and Bruford, MW}, title = {DNA fingerprinting in birds.}, journal = {Nature}, volume = {327}, number = {6118}, pages = {149-152}, doi = {10.1038/327149a0}, pmid = {3574475}, issn = {0028-0836}, mesh = {Animals ; Birds/*genetics ; DNA/*genetics ; DNA, Satellite/genetics ; Genetic Variation ; Humans ; Nucleic Acid Hybridization ; *Nucleotide Mapping ; Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid ; }, abstract = {Several regions of the human genome are highly variable in populations because the number of repeats in these regions of a short 'minisatellite' sequence varies at high frequency. Different minisatellites have a core sequence in common, however, and probes made up of tandem repeats of this core sequence detect many highly variable DNA fragments in several species including humans, cats, dogs and mice. The hypervariable sequences detected in this way are dispersed in the genome and their variability means that they can be used as a DNA 'fingerprint', providing a novel method for the identification of individuals, confirmation of biological relationships and human genetic analysis. We show here that human minisatellite-derived probes also detect highly variable regions in bird DNAs. Segregation analysis in a house sparrow family confirms that these regions comprise many mostly heterozygous dispersed loci and we conclude that house sparrow DNA fingerprints are analogous to those of humans. Fingerprint analysis identified one nestling, with fingerprint bands not present in the parent pair's fingerprints, which we conclude resulted from an extrapair copulation. Extrabond copulations have been described in many wild bird species, but their success and hence adaptive significance have rarely been quantifiable. DNA fingerprinting will be of great significance to studies of the sociobiology, demography and ecology of wild birds.}, } @article {pmid3588800, year = {1987}, author = {Rushton, JP}, title = {An evolutionary theory of health, longevity, and personality: sociobiology and r/K reproductive strategies.}, journal = {Psychological reports}, volume = {60}, number = {2}, pages = {539-549}, doi = {10.2466/pr0.1987.60.2.539}, pmid = {3588800}, issn = {0033-2941}, mesh = {Animals ; *Biological Evolution ; *Health ; *Health Status ; Humans ; *Longevity ; *Personality ; }, } @article {pmid3578999, year = {1987}, author = {Parisi, T}, title = {Why Freud failed. Some implications for neurophysiology and sociobiology.}, journal = {The American psychologist}, volume = {42}, number = {3}, pages = {235-245}, doi = {10.1037//0003-066x.42.3.235}, pmid = {3578999}, issn = {0003-066X}, mesh = {*Freudian Theory ; Humans ; Neurophysiology/*trends ; *Psychoanalytic Theory ; Sociology/*trends ; }, } @article {pmid3615300, year = {1987}, author = {Kofoed, L and MacMillan, JE}, title = {Sociobiology of addiction in adolescence.}, journal = {Pediatrician}, volume = {14}, number = {1-2}, pages = {39-45}, pmid = {3615300}, issn = {0300-1245}, mesh = {Adolescent ; Alcoholism/psychology ; Family ; Humans ; Peer Group ; Personality Development ; Psychotherapy, Group ; Risk ; Social Environment ; Substance-Related Disorders/genetics/*psychology/rehabilitation ; }, abstract = {The authors review the application of evolutionary theory to the study of social, including parental and reproductive, behavior through a system of ideas known as sociobiology. Using this approach they suggest that evolutionary models predict the conflicts of adolescence. They develop a model explaining the genetic association of alcoholism and the tendency for antisocial behavior, and suggest why such behaviors most commonly begin in adolescence. Potential implications for the treatment of adolescent substance abusers are explored.}, } @article {pmid3330387, year = {1987}, author = {Rushton, JP}, title = {Toward a theory of human multiple birthing: sociobiology and r/K reproductive strategies.}, journal = {Acta geneticae medicae et gemellologiae}, volume = {36}, number = {3}, pages = {289-296}, doi = {10.1017/s0001566000006048}, pmid = {3330387}, issn = {0001-5660}, mesh = {Animals ; Behavior ; Behavior, Animal ; Biological Evolution ; Female ; *Fertility ; Genetics, Behavioral ; Growth ; Humans ; Litter Size ; Physiology, Comparative ; Pregnancy ; *Pregnancy, Multiple ; Racial Groups ; *Reproduction ; }, abstract = {Using symbols from population biology, a continuum of reproductive strategies can be distinguished ranging from r, the production of large numbers of offspring provided with minimal care, to K, the production of few offspring nurtured intensively. While all humans are at the K end of the continuum, some are proposed to be more so than others. If multiple egg production is part of an r-reproductive strategy, certain facts may be ordered. Compared to mothers of singletons, for example, mothers of DZ twins have a lower age of menarche, a shorter menstrual cycle, a higher number of marriages, a higher rate of coitus, more illegitimate children, a closer spacing of births, a greater fecundity, more wasted pregnancies, a larger family, an earlier menopause, and an earlier mortality. Further, all twins have a shorter gestation period, a lower birth weight, and a greater incidence of infant mortality, with DZ twins having a greater frequency of health disorders, a higher mortality rate, and a lower rate of enrollment in volunteer registries. Multiple birthing also occurs more frequently in families of lower than of higher social status, and in those of African than of European and especially than of Oriental descent.}, } @article {pmid3327082, year = {1987}, author = {Ayala, FJ}, title = {Sociobiology and ethics. "Taking Darwin Seriously". By Michael Ruse. Essay review.}, journal = {History and philosophy of the life sciences}, volume = {9}, number = {2}, pages = {315-325}, pmid = {3327082}, issn = {0391-9714}, mesh = {*Biological Evolution ; Biology/history ; Ethics/*history ; History, 19th Century ; History, 20th Century ; Sociology/*history ; }, } @article {pmid3783426, year = {1986}, author = {Littlefield, CH and Rushton, JP}, title = {When a child dies: the sociobiology of bereavement.}, journal = {Journal of personality and social psychology}, volume = {51}, number = {4}, pages = {797-802}, doi = {10.1037//0022-3514.51.4.797}, pmid = {3783426}, issn = {0022-3514}, mesh = {Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Family ; Female ; *Grief ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Parents/*psychology ; Psychological Tests ; Social Support ; }, abstract = {According to modern evolutionary theory, the fitness of individuals consists of both their personal reproductive success and the reproductive success of those with whom they share genes in common. It follows that one of the most biologically costly events possible is the death of a child. This study investigated the grief intensity of bereaved parents and their immediate families using ratings made by 263 bereaved parents. Predictions were derived from sociobiological tenets relating to parental investment, paternal uncertainty, and the propagation potential of both parents and children. Consequently, it was found that mothers grieved more than fathers, healthy children were grieved for more than unhealthy children; male children were grieved for more than female children; health of child and sex of child interacted such that the pattern of grief intensity obtained was healthy male greater than healthy female = unhealthy female = unhealthy male; similar children were grieved for more than dissimilar children; maternal grandmothers grieved more than either maternal grandfathers or paternal grandmothers, who in turn grieved more than paternal grandfathers; and mothers' siblings grieved more than fathers' siblings.}, } @article {pmid3711875, year = {1986}, author = {Kofoed, L and MacMillan, J}, title = {Alcoholism and antisocial personality. The sociobiology of an addiction.}, journal = {The Journal of nervous and mental disease}, volume = {174}, number = {6}, pages = {332-335}, doi = {10.1097/00005053-198606000-00003}, pmid = {3711875}, issn = {0022-3018}, mesh = {Adaptation, Physiological ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Age Factors ; Alcohol Drinking ; Alcoholism/*genetics/psychology ; Antisocial Personality Disorder/*genetics/psychology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Models, Genetic ; Reproduction ; *Selection, Genetic ; Sexual Behavior ; *Social Behavior ; }, abstract = {Alcohol consumption may become adaptive from the evolutionary viewpoint when drinking settings and intoxication can be used to enhance the "cheating" reproductive strategy of antisocial personality disorder. This may explain the selective pressures leading to the association of familial alcoholism and antisocial personality disorder.}, } @article {pmid17819237, year = {1986}, author = {West-Eberhard, MJ}, title = {Animal behavior: experimental behavioral ecology and sociobiology.}, journal = {Science (New York, N.Y.)}, volume = {231}, number = {4733}, pages = {64-65}, doi = {10.1126/science.231.4733.64}, pmid = {17819237}, issn = {0036-8075}, } @article {pmid3775437, year = {1986}, author = {Cathey, B and Brown, F}, title = {Attitudes toward and knowledge of sociobiology among college science professors.}, journal = {Social biology}, volume = {33}, number = {1-2}, pages = {148-152}, doi = {10.1080/19485565.1986.9988633}, pmid = {3775437}, issn = {0037-766X}, mesh = {*Attitude ; *Biology ; *Faculty ; Humans ; Science ; *Sociology ; }, } @article {pmid3775434, year = {1986}, author = {Umberson, D}, title = {Sociobiology: a valid explanation of child abuse?.}, journal = {Social biology}, volume = {33}, number = {1-2}, pages = {131-137}, doi = {10.1080/19485565.1986.9988630}, pmid = {3775434}, issn = {0037-766X}, mesh = {Animals ; *Biological Evolution ; Child ; *Child Abuse ; Genetics ; Humans ; Reproduction ; Stress, Psychological/complications ; }, } @article {pmid24306112, year = {1985}, author = {De Meira Penna, JO}, title = {A psychological approach to ethics.}, journal = {Journal of religion and health}, volume = {24}, number = {3}, pages = {184-196}, doi = {10.1007/BF01597312}, pmid = {24306112}, issn = {0022-4197}, abstract = {This article has the purpose of calling attention to C.G. Jung's archetypal concept of the Self as an approach to ethics. The distinction between simple morality and transcendent ethics is established. Comparison is made between the archetype of the Self and Kant's categorical imperative. Freud's superego, however, is assimilated to a "natural" outlook on morality, such as the notion of altruism in sociobiology. The superego is only the psychic effect of the current moral code-which could be explained either culturally or as a Lamarckian acquired characteristic of the unconscious. Jung's transcendent ethics is expressed in an "ethical mandala."}, } @article {pmid3842508, year = {1985}, author = {Dunbar, R}, title = {The sociobiology of war.}, journal = {Medicine and war}, volume = {1}, number = {3}, pages = {201-208}, doi = {10.1080/07488008508408643}, pmid = {3842508}, issn = {0748-8009}, mesh = {Aggression ; *Ethology ; Genetics, Behavioral ; Humans ; *Social Behavior ; *Warfare ; }, } @article {pmid3991031, year = {1985}, author = {Lattanzi, A}, title = {[Sociobiology and psychobiology: in the pantheon of science or in the basement of failures?].}, journal = {Minerva medica}, volume = {76}, number = {13}, pages = {651-655}, pmid = {3991031}, issn = {0026-4806}, mesh = {*Behavior ; *Biology ; Humans ; Neurophysiology ; Personality ; Psychophysiology ; Sociology ; *Terminology as Topic ; }, abstract = {The term sociobiology, coined by Wilson to describe the concept that human behaviour has a biological basis rooted in the genes, has aroused considerable controversy. The present report not only Wilson's hypothesis but takes it even further by putting forward the hypothesis that every human personality trait and resultant behavioural pattern is brought about by certain protein molecules, coded by the genes which activate special closed brain neuron circuits. The term "psychobiology" is suggested for this hypothesis, and "molecular personality code" for the whole complex of molecules mentioned above.}, } @article {pmid12315292, year = {1985}, author = {Granberg, D and Granberg, BW}, title = {A search for gender differences on fertility-related attitudes: questioning the relevance of sociobiology theory for understanding social psychological aspects of human reproduction.}, journal = {Psychology of women quarterly}, volume = {9}, number = {4}, pages = {431-437}, doi = {10.1111/j.1471-6402.1985.tb00893.x}, pmid = {12315292}, issn = {0361-6843}, mesh = {*Abortion, Induced ; Americas ; *Attitude ; *Behavior ; *Biology ; *Data Collection ; Demography ; Developed Countries ; Developing Countries ; *Family Characteristics ; *Family Planning Services ; *Gender Identity ; North America ; Population ; Population Characteristics ; Psychology ; Research ; Sampling Studies ; *Sex Factors ; *Social Behavior ; United States ; }, } @article {pmid4011383, year = {1985}, author = {Clements, CD}, title = {"Therefore choose life": reconciling medical and environmental bioethics.}, journal = {Perspectives in biology and medicine}, volume = {28}, number = {3}, pages = {407-423}, doi = {10.1353/pbm.1985.0011}, pmid = {4011383}, issn = {0031-5982}, mesh = {*Bioethics ; Biology ; *Conservation of Natural Resources ; Cost Control/trends ; Delivery of Health Care/economics ; *Ethics, Medical ; Fertility ; *Human Characteristics ; Humans ; *Moral Obligations ; Patient Selection ; Personhood ; *Resource Allocation ; *Social Justice ; *Social Responsibility ; Sociobiology ; *Value of Life ; }, } @article {pmid3975154, year = {1985}, author = {Clements, CD}, title = {Bioethical essentialism and scientific population thinking.}, journal = {Perspectives in biology and medicine}, volume = {28}, number = {2}, pages = {188-207}, doi = {10.1353/pbm.1985.0052}, pmid = {3975154}, issn = {0031-5982}, mesh = {Abortion, Eugenic ; Aged ; *Bioethics ; Biology ; Decision Making ; *Ethical Analysis ; Ethical Relativism ; *Ethical Theory ; *Ethics ; Ethics, Medical ; Female ; Humans ; Interdisciplinary Communication ; *Philosophy ; Pregnancy ; Schizophrenic Psychology ; Social Values ; Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid6150376, year = {1984}, author = {Rose, S}, title = {DNA in medicine. Human perfectibility.}, journal = {Lancet (London, England)}, volume = {2}, number = {8416}, pages = {1380-1383}, doi = {10.1016/s0140-6736(84)92069-5}, pmid = {6150376}, issn = {0140-6736}, mesh = {Animals ; *Biological Evolution ; Biology ; *DNA/genetics ; Environment ; Forecasting ; Genes ; Genetic Diseases, Inborn ; Genetic Engineering ; Genotype ; Human Characteristics ; Humans ; Mutation ; Phenotype ; Phenylketonurias/genetics ; Selection, Genetic ; Social Environment ; Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid6502147, year = {1984}, author = {MacMillan, J and Kofoed, L}, title = {Sociobiology and antisocial personality. An alternative perspective.}, journal = {The Journal of nervous and mental disease}, volume = {172}, number = {12}, pages = {701-706}, doi = {10.1097/00005053-198412000-00001}, pmid = {6502147}, issn = {0022-3018}, mesh = {Adaptation, Psychological ; Adolescent ; Antisocial Personality Disorder/diagnosis/*etiology/genetics ; Biology ; Crime ; Disease Susceptibility ; Female ; Genes ; Humans ; Male ; Psychopathology ; Reproduction ; Sex Characteristics ; Social Dominance ; Socioeconomic Factors ; Sociology ; }, abstract = {The clinical characteristics of antisocial personality disorder are well defined, but poorly explained in developmental or etiological terms. After reviewing basic tenets of sociobiology, a theory of the etiology of antisocial personality is developed. Predictions that flow from this etiological theory are compared with published data for the disorder. These comparisons suggest that sociobiological theory provides a powerful and predictive etiological hypothesis for antisocial personality disorder. Social and clinical implications and avenues for future study of antisocial personality are suggested, as are potential relationships of this theoretical approach to other psychopathological conditions.}, } @article {pmid6500919, year = {1984}, author = {Morison, RS}, title = {The biological limits on autonomy.}, journal = {The Hastings Center report}, volume = {14}, number = {5}, pages = {43-49}, pmid = {6500919}, issn = {0093-0334}, mesh = {*Bioethical Issues ; Bioethics ; Biology ; Ethics, Medical ; *Human Characteristics ; Humans ; Informed Consent ; Paternalism ; Patient Advocacy ; *Personal Autonomy ; *Philosophy ; *Researcher-Subject Relations ; Social Justice ; *Social Values ; Sociobiology ; Theology ; }, } @article {pmid11649786, year = {1984}, author = {Ruse, M}, title = {Genesis revisited: can we do better than God?.}, journal = {Zygon}, volume = {19}, number = {3}, pages = {297-316}, doi = {10.1111/j.1467-9744.1984.tb00932.x}, pmid = {11649786}, issn = {0591-2385}, mesh = {Biological Evolution ; *Biology ; *Eugenics ; *Genetic Engineering ; *Human Characteristics ; Humans ; Morals ; Risk ; Risk Assessment ; *Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid6502646, year = {1984}, author = {Midgley, M}, title = {Sociobiology.}, journal = {Journal of medical ethics}, volume = {10}, number = {3}, pages = {158-160}, doi = {10.1136/jme.10.3.158}, pmid = {6502646}, issn = {0306-6800}, mesh = {Biological Evolution ; *Biology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Politics ; *Sociology ; Terminology as Topic ; }, } @article {pmid6741137, year = {1984}, author = {Elgee, NJ}, title = {Health belief systems and the psychobiology of war.}, journal = {The Western journal of medicine}, volume = {140}, number = {6}, pages = {964-968}, pmid = {6741137}, issn = {0093-0415}, mesh = {*Biology ; Humans ; Philosophy ; Psychology ; *Sociobiology ; *Warfare ; }, abstract = {Belief systems overlie powerful biological and psychological forces that are root causes of war. Much as in medicine where an appreciation of health belief systems is necessary in the control of illness and disease, so the paths to the control of war may lie in an understanding of belief systems and ways to circumvent them. Such understanding gives strong theoretical support to many time-honored but underutilized international initiative and educational ventures. The effort of the medical community to educate the public about biomedical aspects of nuclear war should gain more balance and sophistication with an appreciation of belief systems in the psychobiology of war.}, } @article {pmid28556001, year = {1983}, author = {West-Eberhard, MJ}, title = {CURRENT PROBLEMS IN SOCIOBIOLOGY: AN ADAPTATIONIST REVIEW.}, journal = {Evolution; international journal of organic evolution}, volume = {37}, number = {6}, pages = {1325-1326}, doi = {10.1111/j.1558-5646.1983.tb00251.x}, pmid = {28556001}, issn = {1558-5646}, } @article {pmid17795823, year = {1983}, author = {Blaustein, AR}, title = {The situation of sociobiology.}, journal = {Science (New York, N.Y.)}, volume = {220}, number = {4593}, pages = {188-189}, doi = {10.1126/science.220.4593.188}, pmid = {17795823}, issn = {0036-8075}, } @article {pmid6839262, year = {1983}, author = {Sloman, L}, title = {Inclusive fitness, altruism and family adaptation.}, journal = {Canadian journal of psychiatry. Revue canadienne de psychiatrie}, volume = {28}, number = {1}, pages = {18-23}, doi = {10.1177/070674378302800105}, pmid = {6839262}, issn = {0706-7437}, mesh = {*Adaptation, Psychological ; Adult ; *Altruism ; Child ; Child Rearing ; *Family ; Family Therapy ; Gender Identity ; Hierarchy, Social ; Humans ; Parent-Child Relations ; Personality Development ; Self Concept ; *Social Adjustment ; }, abstract = {An integrative model of family functioning is put forward using a sociobiological framework. Three key sociobiological concepts that have a relevance to family interaction are inclusive fitness, altruism, and a struggle for status. The term 'inclusive fitness' encompasses the parents' own fitness and that of their kith and kin. Altruism refers to how parents promote the survival of their progeny and extended family. The struggle for status refers to a struggle for power and prestige. According to the author's hypothesis 'inclusive fitness' exerts its influence through the struggle for status which in turn influences the degree of altruism and the level of 'family adaptation'. The parents' level of inclusive fitness largely determines the level of family adaptation which in turn influences the growth and individuation of the next generation. A common negative outcome of failure in the struggle for status and power is a displacement of the struggle for power into a family context. Failure in a struggle for status between peer group members would in a pretechnological society probably have reflected a relative lack of fitness. Failure in the struggle for status is likely to generate maladaptive cycles in the family which will lower the inclusive fitness of the parents. A concept of ideal family functioning is derived from sociobiology and specifically related to a high inclusive fitness in the parents. The author argues that sociobiological concepts can contribute to the development of an integrative theory of family behaviour. The clinical implications of this model are explored.}, } @article {pmid6687153, year = {1983}, author = {Futuyma, DJ and Risch, SJ}, title = {Sexual orientation, sociobiology, and evolution.}, journal = {Journal of homosexuality}, volume = {9}, number = {2-3}, pages = {157-168}, doi = {10.1300/j082v09n02_10}, pmid = {6687153}, issn = {0091-8369}, mesh = {*Biological Evolution ; Body Weight ; Ethics ; Family ; Female ; Genetic Variation ; *Homosexuality ; Humans ; Male ; *Models, Genetic ; Pregnancy ; Twins ; }, abstract = {Sociobiologists have proposed evolutionary explanations of homosexuality. Such hypotheses assume that the homosexual orientation is a distinct, reifiable trait, rather than an expression of universal sexual and emotional drives. For homosexuality to constitute an evolved trait, it must have a genetic basis. However, there is no reliable evidence that homosexual and heterosexual orientations are caused by genetic differences. On these and other grounds, we find sociobiological explanations of homosexuality to be implausible and unsupported by evidence. Evolutionary theory provides no guide to morality or ethical progress, nor for appropriate social attitudes toward homosexuality.}, } @article {pmid6415979, year = {1983}, author = {Jeuken, M}, title = {Thinking about mind and matter from biology.}, journal = {Acta biotheoretica}, volume = {32}, number = {2}, pages = {79-92}, pmid = {6415979}, issn = {0001-5342}, mesh = {Biological Evolution ; *Biology ; Computers ; Humans ; Models, Psychological ; Research ; Sociology ; *Thinking ; }, abstract = {In biology, man is an object of research; therefore the question might be asked whether inspirations can go from biological data to the reflections on the mind-matter relation in man. The social aspect of man, as treated by sociobiology, is left out of consideration. The knowledge that man is mind, or has a mind, is no result of biological research. It is a datum from philosophy. The biologist, however, is living in a culture which knows about the mental character of man, and this is incorporated in his investigations. He knows that mental activities are connected with processes in the central nervous system and that, especially in the brain, localizations of mental activities are found. As a result of the split-brain experiments with patients and animals, some have arrived at the conclusion that there is a double consciousness. An approach from biology can lead to statements of a philosophical character, as, for example, statements about the unity, or even identity, of mind and matter. The theories of identity meet with great interest in scientific circles, and the truth value of identity statements is investigated. The system theory is taken into consideration. On a philosophical level a revaluation of the concept of matter can lead to a different sort of identity theory.}, } @article {pmid6135231, year = {1983}, author = {Wold, PN}, title = {Impulse disorders and sociobiology of war.}, journal = {The Pharos of Alpha Omega Alpha-Honor Medical Society. Alpha Omega Alpha}, volume = {46}, number = {2}, pages = {6-10}, pmid = {6135231}, issn = {0031-7179}, mesh = {Adaptation, Psychological/physiology ; Antisocial Personality Disorder/psychology ; Borderline Personality Disorder/psychology ; Brain/metabolism ; Combat Disorders/metabolism/*psychology ; Cyclothymic Disorder/psychology ; Humans ; Impulsive Behavior/metabolism/*psychology ; Male ; Neurotransmitter Agents/metabolism ; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic/*psychology ; }, } @article {pmid6751341, year = {1982}, author = {Farley, F}, title = {Altruism: a complex sociobiological concept applied to renal transplantation.}, journal = {AANNT journal}, volume = {9}, number = {5}, pages = {53-56}, pmid = {6751341}, issn = {0744-1479}, mesh = {*Altruism ; *Biology ; Humans ; Kidney Failure, Chronic/*surgery ; *Kidney Transplantation ; Motivation ; *Sociobiology ; Tissue Donors/*psychology ; *Tissue and Organ Procurement ; }, } @article {pmid6755531, year = {1982}, author = {Masters, RD}, title = {Is sociobiology reactionary? The political implications of inclusive-fitness theory.}, journal = {The Quarterly review of biology}, volume = {57}, number = {3}, pages = {275-292}, doi = {10.1086/412803}, pmid = {6755531}, issn = {0033-5770}, mesh = {Altruism ; *Biological Evolution ; Humans ; Models, Genetic ; Models, Psychological ; *Social Behavior ; }, abstract = {Is inclusive fitness theory, popularly called "sociobiology," necessarily conservative or reactionary? While this criticism is usually focused on the extension of evolutionary reasoning to human behavior, it implies that contemporary biological theory is ideologically biased. Historical, logical, and empirical evidence shows, however, that models of natural selection based on reproductive success--particularly when redefined in terms of inclusive fitness--are not incompatible with scientific objectivity. This approach is a cost-benefit analysis of social behavior, akin to "rational actor" models in economics, game theory, and public-choice theory. Derived from the "social-contract" tradition in Western political philosophy, epitomized by such varied thinkers as Thrasymachus, Hobbes, and Rousseau, such a calculus of individual advantage has had as broad a range of ideological overtones as the contrasting "'sociological" tradition of Aristotle, Marx, and Durkheim. Previous evolutionary explanations of human society have likewise suggested diverse political conclusions. Indeed, if inclusive-fitness models do have political implications, they could well challenge existing sociopolitical beliefs and institutions rather than support them.}, } @article {pmid7047359, year = {1982}, author = {Baker, PT}, title = {Human population biology: a viable transdisciplinary science.}, journal = {Human biology}, volume = {54}, number = {2}, pages = {203-220}, pmid = {7047359}, issn = {0018-7143}, mesh = {*Anthropology, Physical/history ; *Biology/history ; *Demography/history ; History, 20th Century ; Humans ; Research/history ; }, } @article {pmid11649392, year = {1982}, author = {Simon, RL}, title = {The sociobiology muddle.}, journal = {Ethics}, volume = {92}, number = {2}, pages = {327-340}, doi = {10.1086/292330}, pmid = {11649392}, issn = {0014-1704}, mesh = {Altruism ; Biological Evolution ; *Biology ; *Ethics ; *Evaluation Studies as Topic ; Female ; Genetic Determinism ; Genetics, Behavioral ; Human Characteristics ; Humans ; Men ; Pedigree ; Public Policy ; *Sociobiology ; Women ; }, } @article {pmid7188076, year = {1982}, author = {Wilson, EO}, title = {Sociobiology, individuality, and ethics: a response.}, journal = {Perspectives in biology and medicine}, volume = {26}, number = {1}, pages = {19-29}, doi = {10.1353/pbm.1982.0005}, pmid = {7188076}, issn = {0031-5982}, mesh = {*Behavioral Sciences ; *Biology ; Choice Behavior ; Culture ; Ethical Theory ; *Ethics ; Genetics, Behavioral ; *Human Characteristics ; Humans ; *Individuality ; Models, Psychological ; Personal Autonomy ; *Social Values ; *Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid7188074, year = {1982}, author = {Davis, BD}, title = {The importance of human individuality for sociobiology.}, journal = {Perspectives in biology and medicine}, volume = {26}, number = {1}, pages = {1-18}, doi = {10.1353/pbm.1982.0001}, pmid = {7188074}, issn = {0031-5982}, mesh = {*Behavioral Sciences ; *Biology ; Ethical Theory ; Ethics ; Freedom ; Genetics, Behavioral ; *Human Characteristics ; Humans ; *Individuality ; Personal Autonomy ; Philosophy ; Religion ; *Social Values ; *Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid7309500, year = {1981}, author = {}, title = {Fresh thoughts on sociobiology.}, journal = {The Hastings Center report}, volume = {11}, number = {5}, pages = {48-49}, pmid = {7309500}, issn = {0093-0334}, mesh = {*Biology ; *Ethics ; }, } @article {pmid11650510, year = {1981}, author = {Albin, RS}, title = {Sociobiology: its implications for the humanities.}, journal = {Humanities report}, volume = {3}, number = {8}, pages = {4-8}, pmid = {11650510}, issn = {0190-2180}, mesh = {Altruism ; *Biology ; *Ethics ; *Humanities ; Humans ; *Interdisciplinary Communication ; *Interprofessional Relations ; Religion ; Social Sciences ; *Sociobiology ; Theology ; }, } @article {pmid16593061, year = {1981}, author = {Darlington, PJ}, title = {Genes, individuals, and kin selection.}, journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America}, volume = {78}, number = {7}, pages = {4440-4443}, pmid = {16593061}, issn = {0027-8424}, abstract = {The altruistic-gene theory of kin selection requires conditions so improbable that its reality is doubtful. The gene-quantity theory, including the theory of inclusive fitness, assumes that selection acts on sums of kins' genes, but no effective mechanism is apparent. Insect and human societies may have evolved by individual selection, in two steps: first something made staying together advantageous to individuals, and then altruistic behaviors evolved in net-gain lotteries, also (statistically) advantageous to individuals. Kin selection is not required in these or any other unequivocal cases; the theory should be reexamined and probably abandoned. The probability of kin selection is further reduced by the cost of evolution by selection. Much current evolutionary mathematics and determinist sociobiology, which ignore how the cost of selection limits the precision of adaptations, including adaptive behaviors, may be dangerously unrealistic.}, } @article {pmid11649425, year = {1981}, author = {Dugger, WM}, title = {Do genes hold culture on a leash?.}, journal = {Social science quarterly}, volume = {62}, number = {2}, pages = {243-246}, pmid = {11649425}, issn = {0038-4941}, mesh = {*Altruism ; Biological Evolution ; *Biology ; *Cultural Evolution ; *Genetics, Behavioral ; Humans ; *Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid11649424, year = {1981}, author = {Lopreato, J}, title = {The battle of BB guns against sociobiology.}, journal = {Social science quarterly}, volume = {62}, number = {2}, pages = {234-242}, pmid = {11649424}, issn = {0038-4941}, mesh = {*Altruism ; Biological Evolution ; *Biology ; Cultural Evolution ; Ethics ; Genetics ; Genetics, Behavioral ; Humans ; *Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid11649423, year = {1981}, author = {Dugger, WM}, title = {Sociobiology for social scientists: a critical introduction to E.O. Wilson's evolutionary paradigm.}, journal = {Social science quarterly}, volume = {62}, number = {2}, pages = {221-233}, pmid = {11649423}, issn = {0038-4941}, mesh = {*Altruism ; Biological Evolution ; *Biology ; Cultural Evolution ; Ethics ; Eugenics ; *Genetics, Behavioral ; Human Characteristics ; Humans ; Social Control, Formal ; Social Sciences ; *Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid7233182, year = {1981}, author = {Lewin, R}, title = {Cultural diversity tied to genetic differences.}, journal = {Science (New York, N.Y.)}, volume = {212}, number = {4497}, pages = {908-910}, doi = {10.1126/science.7233182}, pmid = {7233182}, issn = {0036-8075}, mesh = {Animals ; *Biological Evolution ; *Biology ; *Culture ; *Genes ; Humans ; *Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid11662905, year = {1981}, author = {Lewin, R}, title = {Genes, mind and Edward O. Wilson.}, journal = {New society}, volume = {56}, number = {963}, pages = {176-178}, pmid = {11662905}, issn = {0028-6729}, mesh = {Biological Evolution ; *Biology ; *Cultural Evolution ; Genetic Variation ; *Genetics, Behavioral ; Humans ; Literature ; *Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid11616857, year = {1981}, author = {Turkle, S}, title = {"Mon oncle de Marienbad: sociobiology comes to the land of the structuralists.}, journal = {Contemporary French civilization}, volume = {6}, number = {1-2}, pages = {67-87}, doi = {10.3828/cfc.1981-1982.6.1-2.005}, pmid = {11616857}, issn = {0147-9156}, mesh = {France ; History, Modern 1601- ; Psychiatry/*history ; }, } @article {pmid11614593, year = {1981}, author = {Degler, C}, title = {Can a historian or social scientist learn anything from sociobiology? An attempt at an answer.}, journal = {Historical methods}, volume = {14}, number = {4}, pages = {173-179}, doi = {10.1080/01615440.1981.10594070}, pmid = {11614593}, issn = {0161-5440}, mesh = {*Historiography ; *History of Medicine ; History, Modern 1601- ; }, } @article {pmid7341670, year = {1981}, author = {Ruse, M}, title = {Are there gay genes? Sociobiology and homosexuality.}, journal = {Journal of homosexuality}, volume = {6}, number = {4}, pages = {5-34}, doi = {10.1300/j082v06n04_02}, pmid = {7341670}, issn = {0091-8369}, mesh = {Female ; *Heterozygote ; *Homosexuality ; Humans ; Male ; Parent-Child Relations ; *Selection, Genetic ; }, abstract = {This paper considers recent hypotheses prepared by sociobiologists purportedly giving Darwinian evolutionary explanations of human homosexuality. Four models are considered: balanced superior heterozygote fitness, kin selection, parental manipulation, and homosexuality as a maladaptive side effect of intensive natural selection for superior male heterosexual behavior. The evidence for the models is reviewed, and their philosophical adequacy is considered in some depth. It is argued that although the models pass obvious methodological hurdles and meet other criteria, as yet, the evidence for their applicability is indecisive.}, } @article {pmid7335463, year = {1981}, author = {Gambill, JD}, title = {The relevance of sociobiology for mental illness.}, journal = {Perspectives in biology and medicine}, volume = {25}, number = {1}, pages = {155-165}, doi = {10.1353/pbm.1981.0058}, pmid = {7335463}, issn = {0031-5982}, mesh = {Animals ; Behavior ; *Biological Evolution ; Biology ; Humans ; *Mental Disorders ; *Sociology ; }, } @article {pmid7230822, year = {1981}, author = {Galanter, M}, title = {Sociobiology and informal social controls of drinking: findings from two charismatic sects.}, journal = {Journal of studies on alcohol}, volume = {42}, number = {1}, pages = {64-79}, doi = {10.15288/jsa.1981.42.64}, pmid = {7230822}, issn = {0096-882X}, mesh = {Adult ; *Alcohol Drinking ; Female ; Group Structure ; Humans ; Male ; Neurotic Disorders/psychology ; *Religion ; *Social Control, Informal ; }, } @article {pmid7020534, year = {1981}, author = {King, JC}, title = {Sociobiology: are values and ethics determined by the gene?.}, journal = {Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences}, volume = {368}, number = {}, pages = {1-15}, doi = {10.1111/j.1749-6632.1981.tb15428.x}, pmid = {7020534}, issn = {0077-8923}, mesh = {Animals ; Conflict, Psychological ; *Ethics ; *Genetics, Behavioral ; Genetics, Population ; Humans ; Molecular Biology ; *Social Values ; Violence ; }, } @article {pmid24311013, year = {1980}, author = {Hamburgh, M}, title = {Is the holocaust relevant to sociobiology?.}, journal = {Journal of religion and health}, volume = {19}, number = {4}, pages = {320-325}, doi = {10.1007/BF00996255}, pmid = {24311013}, issn = {0022-4197}, abstract = {Sociobiologists have emphasized that altruism and benevolent behavior are part of the genetic repertoire of most animals and certainly of man. They have constructed a theory of "ethics" as a biological phenomenon without reference to the concept of evil. It is concluded here however, that holocaust behavior is not equivalent to the "natural manifestation of an incompletely tamed animal flashing its teeth." Biologists have been too rigid in trying to equate "ethical behavior" with "social behavior." The added dimension of ethical behavior is a special kind of sensitivity to the needs of others, just as evil is the total lack of it. The evolution of this moral sense may itself have important selective value for the human species, whose survival depends on creating maximal diversity in its gene pool.}, } @article {pmid11649389, year = {1980}, author = {Nelson, JR}, title = {A theologian's response to Wilson's On Human Nature.}, journal = {Zygon}, volume = {15}, number = {4}, pages = {397-405}, doi = {10.1111/j.1467-9744.1980.tb00399.x}, pmid = {11649389}, issn = {0591-2385}, mesh = {Altruism ; *Biology ; *Christianity ; Freedom ; Genetics, Behavioral ; Humans ; Personal Autonomy ; Religion ; *Sociobiology ; Theology ; }, } @article {pmid7461961, year = {1980}, author = {Tiger, L}, title = {Sociobiology and politics.}, journal = {The Hastings Center report}, volume = {10}, number = {6}, pages = {35-37}, pmid = {7461961}, issn = {0093-0334}, mesh = {*Biology ; Genetics, Medical ; Human Rights ; Humans ; Individuality ; *Politics ; *Social Sciences ; }, } @article {pmid7461958, year = {1980}, author = {Wilson, EO}, title = {The ethical implications of human sociobiology.}, journal = {The Hastings Center report}, volume = {10}, number = {6}, pages = {27-29}, pmid = {7461958}, issn = {0093-0334}, mesh = {Aggression ; Biological Evolution ; *Biology ; *Ethics ; Humans ; *Social Behavior ; }, } @article {pmid17815158, year = {1980}, author = {Michod, RE and Abugov, R}, title = {Adaptive topography in family-structured models of kin selection.}, journal = {Science (New York, N.Y.)}, volume = {210}, number = {4470}, pages = {667-669}, doi = {10.1126/science.210.4470.667}, pmid = {17815158}, issn = {0036-8075}, abstract = {Adaptive topographies provide a means of summarizing the qualitative dynamics of evolution. Inclusive fitness serves as an organizing concept in much of sociobiology. Through the use of Sewall Wright's "fitness function," the theoretical equivalence of these concepts for weak selection in family-structured populations is demonstrated.}, } @article {pmid11663093, year = {1980}, author = {Shannon, TA}, title = {Ethical implications of developments in genetics.}, journal = {The Linacre quarterly}, volume = {47}, number = {4}, pages = {346-368}, pmid = {11663093}, issn = {0024-3639}, mesh = {*Biology ; *Biomedical Research ; *DNA, Recombinant ; *Ethical Analysis ; *Ethics ; Genetic Diseases, Inborn ; *Genetic Engineering ; Genetics ; Health ; Human Characteristics ; Humans ; *Individuality ; *Personhood ; *Reproductive Techniques, Assisted ; *Research ; Research Personnel ; Science ; Self Concept ; *Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid11662890, year = {1980}, author = {Albury, WR}, title = {Politics and rhetoric in the sociobiology debate.}, journal = {Social studies of science}, volume = {10}, number = {4}, pages = {519-536}, doi = {10.1177/030631278001000409}, pmid = {11662890}, issn = {0306-3127}, mesh = {Altruism ; *Attitude ; *Biology ; Genetics, Behavioral ; Humans ; Methods ; Politics ; *Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid11661872, year = {1980}, author = {Perry, RJ}, title = {Sociobiology: science in the service of ideology.}, journal = {Ethics}, volume = {91}, number = {1}, pages = {125-137}, doi = {10.1086/292208}, pmid = {11661872}, issn = {0014-1704}, mesh = {*Biology ; Brain ; Cultural Evolution ; *Genetics, Behavioral ; Human Characteristics ; Humans ; Intelligence ; *Sociobiology ; Violence ; }, } @article {pmid11662824, year = {1980}, author = {Rosenfeld, A}, title = {Sociobiology stirs a controversy over limits of science.}, journal = {Smithsonian}, volume = {11}, number = {6}, pages = {73-81}, pmid = {11662824}, issn = {0037-7333}, mesh = {Altruism ; Attitude ; *Biology ; *Genetics, Behavioral ; Humans ; Literature ; Social Change ; *Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid7440245, year = {1980}, author = {Turner, JR}, title = {Oscillations of frequency in Batesian mimics, hawks and doves, and other simple frequency dependent polymorphisms.}, journal = {Heredity}, volume = {45}, number = {1}, pages = {113-126}, doi = {10.1038/hdy.1980.55}, pmid = {7440245}, issn = {0018-067X}, mesh = {Adaptation, Biological ; Alleles ; Competitive Behavior ; *Gene Frequency ; Genes, Dominant ; Mathematics ; Phenotype ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; *Population Dynamics ; Selection, Genetic ; }, abstract = {It is customary to infer the properties of the internal equilibria produced by frequency dependent selection from the properties of the boundary equilibria (often called the "invasion" criterion). This paper demonstrates that there are some circumstances that there is a truly stable, unique, internal equilibrium. For two alleles with complete dominance, if phenotype fitness declines monotonically with increasing frequency, then the internal point of equal phenotype fitness is the unique internal equilibrium of the genes, and is not unstable; this criterion may also be met if the fitness of one phenotype increases with frequency. It must be truly stable, in the sense of not producing oscillations, if the decline of fitness is linear or convex upwards and no phenotype is lethal at any frequency; the hawk-dove game complies with both conditions, and at least the second condition is likely to be met in most of the models encountered in sociobiology. However, an equilibrium which induces damped oscillations, or perhaps even complex limit cycles, is possible if at least one phenotype can be lethal at high frequency, or if the decline in fitness is strongly curvilinear and concave upwards. One case of curvilinear frequency dependence, a dimorphic batesian mimic with a non-mimetic form, is examined in detail. Although oscillations about the recessive or Y-linked, this will only occur when selection coefficients are very large, and (except for Y-linkage) only if both sexes can be mimetic. As selection is density as well as frequency dependent, such conditions may be produced in the real world by large fluctuations in population size.}, } @article {pmid7025205, year = {1980}, author = {Simon, HA}, title = {The behavioral and social sciences.}, journal = {Science (New York, N.Y.)}, volume = {209}, number = {4452}, pages = {72-78}, doi = {10.1126/science.7025205}, pmid = {7025205}, issn = {0036-8075}, mesh = {Behavior/physiology ; Behavioral Sciences/*history/trends ; Biological Evolution ; Cognition/physiology ; History, 20th Century ; Humans ; Research ; Social Sciences/*history/trends ; }, abstract = {In the social sciences, as in other sciences, progress is often placed by advances in observational techniques and instruments. This article reviews some of the recent technical progress in the social sciences ans then discusses three substantive frontier areas that are particularly exciting at present: evolutionary theory, especially in relation to sociobiology, the theory of human rational choice, and the newly christened discipline of cognitive science. All three claim to provide explanations for broad areas of human behavior.}, } @article {pmid7007572, year = {1980}, author = {Stewart, J}, title = {[Genetic analysis of human behavior: epistemological methods and limits].}, journal = {Journal de genetique humaine}, volume = {28}, number = {2}, pages = {115-121}, pmid = {7007572}, issn = {0021-7743}, mesh = {Gene Frequency ; *Genetic Techniques ; *Genetics, Behavioral ; Humans ; Intelligence ; Mathematics ; Pedigree ; Schizophrenia/genetics ; }, abstract = {The genetics of human behavior, whether dealing with socio-biology, or with the heritability of schizophrenia or of IQ levels, is currently a controversial domain. The author briefly presents the relatively new methods of genetic pedigree examination utilizing likelihood calculation analyses, and compares this method to the more classical evaluations by family, twin, and adopted children studies. Illustrative examples are drawn from work on the genetics of schizophrenia.}, } @article {pmid10246043, year = {1980}, author = {Masters, RD}, title = {Sociobiology -- a new way of viewing the world.}, journal = {American medical news}, volume = {23}, number = {11}, pages = {suppl 7-8}, pmid = {10246043}, issn = {0001-1843}, mesh = {Bioethics ; Biological Evolution ; Biology/*trends ; Female ; Gender Identity ; Humans ; Internationality ; Legislation, Medical ; Male ; Social Behavior ; *Sociobiology ; Sociology/*trends ; }, } @article {pmid11662873, year = {1980}, author = {Wilson, EO}, title = {The attempt to suppress human behavioral genetics.}, journal = {The Journal of general education}, volume = {29}, number = {4}, pages = {277-287}, pmid = {11662873}, issn = {0021-3667}, mesh = {Attitude ; Biology ; Genetic Testing ; *Genetics, Behavioral ; Humans ; Intelligence ; *Politics ; Research Personnel ; *Social Change ; *Social Control, Informal ; Sociobiology ; XYY Karyotype ; }, } @article {pmid11662803, year = {1980}, author = {Wind, J}, title = {Man's selfish genes, social behavior and ethics.}, journal = {Journal of social and biological structures}, volume = {3}, number = {1}, pages = {33-41}, doi = {10.1016/0140-1750(80)90018-4}, pmid = {11662803}, issn = {0140-1750}, mesh = {*Altruism ; Biological Evolution ; *Biology ; Family ; Gene Pool ; Humans ; *Sociobiology ; Survival ; }, } @article {pmid11661898, year = {1980}, author = {Hamburgh, M}, title = {The paradox of human goodness.}, journal = {Ethics in science & medicine}, volume = {7}, number = {3-4}, pages = {127-140}, pmid = {11661898}, issn = {0306-4581}, mesh = {*Altruism ; Animal Experimentation ; Animal Welfare ; Animals ; Bioethics ; Biological Evolution ; *Biology ; *Conflict, Psychological ; Cross-Cultural Comparison ; Culture ; *Ethics ; Female ; Genetic Variation ; Genetics, Behavioral ; Humans ; Maternal Behavior ; Mother-Child Relations ; Rats ; Religion ; Socialization ; *Sociobiology ; Survival ; Theology ; }, } @article {pmid7419308, year = {1980}, author = {Lewontin, RC}, title = {Sociobiology: another biological determinism.}, journal = {International journal of health services : planning, administration, evaluation}, volume = {10}, number = {3}, pages = {347-363}, doi = {10.2190/7826-DPXC-KA90-3MPR}, pmid = {7419308}, issn = {0020-7314}, mesh = {Animals ; *Biology ; Capitalism ; Female ; *Genetics, Behavioral ; Human Characteristics ; Humans ; Male ; Phenotype ; Selection, Genetic ; Sex Factors ; Social Class ; *Sociobiology ; *Sociology ; }, abstract = {Sociobiology is a form of biological determinism which argues that human social organization is constrained by genes that have been selected in evolution. In particular, it regards male dominance, hierarchical society, entrepreneurial economic activity, territoriality, and aggression as a consequences of human genes. It is shown that sociobiological theory is carefully constructed to make it impossible to test, that it makes a number of fundamental errors in attempting to describe "human nature," that there is no evidence for inheritance of human social traits, and that the evolutionary arguments used are merely fanciful, adaptive stories.}, } @article {pmid7395921, year = {1980}, author = {Karp, LE}, title = {Clinical sociobiology.}, journal = {American journal of medical genetics}, volume = {6}, number = {1}, pages = {1-2}, doi = {10.1002/ajmg.1320060102}, pmid = {7395921}, issn = {0148-7299}, mesh = {Animals ; Humans ; *Insemination, Artificial ; *Insemination, Artificial, Heterologous ; Male ; Sexual Behavior ; Sexual Behavior, Animal ; *Social Medicine ; }, } @article {pmid7371622, year = {1980}, author = {Hamburgh, M}, title = {Is biology relevant to ethics? Yet another entry into the sociobiology debate.}, journal = {Ethics in science & medicine}, volume = {7}, number = {1}, pages = {49-56}, pmid = {7371622}, issn = {0306-4581}, mesh = {*Biology ; Democracy ; *Ethics ; *Sociobiology ; *Sociology ; }, } @article {pmid11661921, year = {1979}, author = {Midgley, M}, title = {Gene-juggling.}, journal = {Philosophy (London, England)}, volume = {54}, number = {210}, pages = {439-458}, doi = {10.1017/s0031819100063488}, pmid = {11661921}, issn = {0031-8191}, mesh = {*Altruism ; Biological Evolution ; *Biology ; *Ethics ; *Genetics, Behavioral ; Humans ; *Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid17750153, year = {1979}, author = {Beecher, MD and Beecher, IM}, title = {Sociobiology of bank swallows: reproductive strategy of the male.}, journal = {Science (New York, N.Y.)}, volume = {205}, number = {4412}, pages = {1282-1285}, doi = {10.1126/science.205.4412.1282}, pmid = {17750153}, issn = {0036-8075}, abstract = {Male bank swallows pursue a mixed reproductive strategy. As previously documented, they form monogamous pair bonds with females with whom they will share parental duties of nest-building, incubation, and feeding of the young. In addition, however, they routinely seek promiscuous copulations with other females, both before and after pair-bonding.}, } @article {pmid11663326, year = {1979}, author = {Browning, DS and Lyon, B}, title = {Sociobiology and ethical reflection.}, journal = {Theology today (Princeton, N.J.)}, volume = {36}, number = {2}, pages = {229-238}, doi = {10.1177/004057367903600211}, pmid = {11663326}, issn = {0040-5736}, mesh = {Biological Evolution ; *Biology ; Decision Making ; Ethics ; Genetics, Behavioral ; Humans ; Motivation ; Philosophy ; Religion ; Social Values ; *Sociobiology ; Survival ; Theology ; }, } @article {pmid11662764, year = {1979}, author = {Frankel, C}, title = {Sociobiology and its critics.}, journal = {Commentary (New York, N.Y.)}, volume = {68}, number = {1}, pages = {39-47}, pmid = {11662764}, issn = {0010-2601}, mesh = {Attitude ; *Biology ; Evaluation Studies as Topic ; Genetics, Behavioral ; History, 20th Century ; Human Characteristics ; Humans ; Science ; Social Sciences ; *Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid11649388, year = {1979}, author = {Burhoe, RW}, title = {Religion's role in human evolution: the missing link between ape-man's selfish genes and civilized altruism.}, journal = {Zygon}, volume = {14}, number = {2}, pages = {135-162}, doi = {10.1111/j.1467-9744.1979.tb00353.x}, pmid = {11649388}, issn = {0591-2385}, mesh = {*Altruism ; *Biological Evolution ; *Biology ; *Cultural Evolution ; Gene Pool ; Human Characteristics ; Humans ; *Religion ; *Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid11662582, year = {1979}, author = {Morin, AJ}, title = {Revelation and heresy in sociobiology: a review essay.}, journal = {Science, technology & human values}, volume = {4}, number = {27}, pages = {24-35}, pmid = {11662582}, issn = {0162-2439}, mesh = {*Biology ; Politics ; Social Sciences ; Social Values ; *Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid11615095, year = {1979}, author = {Haraway, D}, title = {The biological enterprise: sex, mind, and profit from human engineering to sociobiology.}, journal = {Radical history review}, volume = {Spec}, number = {}, pages = {206-237}, doi = {10.1215/01636545-1979-20-206}, pmid = {11615095}, issn = {0163-6545}, mesh = {Biology/*history ; History, Modern 1601- ; Psychology/*history ; Research/*history ; Sexual Behavior/*history ; United States ; }, } @article {pmid11662591, year = {1979}, author = {Brungs, RA}, title = {Biotechnology and the control of life.}, journal = {Thought}, volume = {54}, number = {212}, pages = {37-57}, doi = {10.5840/thought19795415}, pmid = {11662591}, issn = {0040-6457}, mesh = {Behavior ; Behavior Control ; Bioethics ; Biology ; *Biomedical Technology ; *Christianity ; *Eugenics ; *Freedom ; Human Characteristics ; Human Rights ; Humans ; Individuality ; Personhood ; Reproductive Techniques, Assisted ; Sexuality ; *Social Change ; Social Control, Formal ; Social Desirability ; Social Justice ; *Social Responsibility ; Social Values ; Social Welfare ; Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid11661817, year = {1979}, author = {Simon, RL and Zegura, SL}, title = {Sociobiology and morality.}, journal = {Social research}, volume = {46}, number = {4}, pages = {766-786}, pmid = {11661817}, issn = {0037-783X}, mesh = {*Altruism ; Biological Evolution ; *Biology ; Ethical Analysis ; *Ethics ; Human Characteristics ; Humans ; *Morals ; *Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid11643498, year = {1979}, author = {Campbell, DT}, title = {Comments on the sociobiology of ethics and moralizing.}, journal = {Behavioral science}, volume = {24}, number = {1}, pages = {37-45}, doi = {10.1002/bs.3830240106}, pmid = {11643498}, issn = {0005-7940}, mesh = {*Altruism ; Biological Evolution ; *Biology ; *Ethical Theory ; *Ethics ; Genetics, Behavioral ; Humans ; *Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid11643497, year = {1979}, author = {Boehm, C}, title = {Some problems with altruism in the search for moral universals.}, journal = {Behavioral science}, volume = {24}, number = {1}, pages = {15-24}, doi = {10.1002/bs.3830240104}, pmid = {11643497}, issn = {0005-7940}, mesh = {*Altruism ; Biological Evolution ; *Biology ; Genetics, Behavioral ; Humans ; *Morals ; *Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid11662654, year = {1978}, author = {Hampshire, S}, title = {The illusion of sociobiology.}, journal = {The New York review of books}, volume = {25}, number = {15}, pages = {64-69}, pmid = {11662654}, issn = {0028-7504}, mesh = {*Biology ; Genetics, Behavioral ; History, 20th Century ; Humans ; *Philosophy ; *Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid11663879, year = {1978}, author = {Wilson, EO}, title = {The nature of human nature.}, journal = {New scientist (1971)}, volume = {80}, number = {1123}, pages = {20-22}, pmid = {11663879}, issn = {0262-4079}, mesh = {*Biology ; Cultural Evolution ; Genetic Variation ; Genetics, Behavioral ; *Human Characteristics ; Humans ; Sexuality ; *Sociobiology ; Socioeconomic Factors ; }, } @article {pmid11661593, year = {1978}, author = {Harris, M and Wilson, EO}, title = {Encounter: the envelope and the twig.}, journal = {The Sciences}, volume = {18}, number = {8}, pages = {10-15+}, doi = {10.1002/j.2326-1951.1978.tb01264.x}, pmid = {11661593}, issn = {0036-861X}, mesh = {*Biology ; Cultural Evolution ; Genetics, Behavioral ; Humans ; *Sociobiology ; Socioeconomic Factors ; }, } @article {pmid11663892, year = {1978}, author = {Hull, D}, title = {The sociology of sociobiology.}, journal = {New scientist (1971)}, volume = {79}, number = {1121}, pages = {862-865}, pmid = {11663892}, issn = {0262-4079}, mesh = {Biological Evolution ; *Biology ; History ; Humans ; Research Personnel ; Science ; *Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid11661771, year = {1978}, author = {Dorozynski, A}, title = {Sociobiology: science's enfant terrible.}, journal = {Science forum}, volume = {11}, number = {2}, pages = {15-16}, pmid = {11661771}, mesh = {Biological Evolution ; *Biology ; Genetics, Behavioral ; Humans ; *Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid17745083, year = {1978}, author = {Barash, DP}, title = {Sociobiology: the underlying concept.}, journal = {Science (New York, N.Y.)}, volume = {200}, number = {4346}, pages = {1106-1107}, doi = {10.1126/science.200.4346.1106}, pmid = {17745083}, issn = {0036-8075}, } @article {pmid11663865, year = {1978}, author = {Friedeman, H}, title = {Criminal research prompts Dutch sociobiology debate.}, journal = {New scientist (1971)}, volume = {78}, number = {1104}, pages = {494-495}, pmid = {11663865}, issn = {0262-4079}, mesh = {*Attitude ; *Behavioral Research ; Biology ; *Genetics, Behavioral ; Humans ; Mental Disorders ; Netherlands ; *Prisoners ; *Research ; Research Personnel ; Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid11662914, year = {1978}, author = {Brownstein, L}, title = {Sociobiology: the investigation of the biological aspects of social behavior and organization.}, journal = {Sociology}, volume = {12}, number = {2}, pages = {360-368}, doi = {10.1177/003803857801200214}, pmid = {11662914}, issn = {0038-0385}, mesh = {Altruism ; *Biology ; Cultural Evolution ; Genetics, Behavioral ; Humans ; Social Sciences ; *Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid11662493, year = {1978}, author = {Pines, M}, title = {Is sociobiology all wet?.}, journal = {Psychology today}, volume = {11}, number = {12}, pages = {23-24}, pmid = {11662493}, issn = {0033-3107}, mesh = {Altruism ; Attitude ; *Biology ; Genetics, Behavioral ; Humans ; Research Personnel ; *Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid17757284, year = {1978}, author = {Baer, D}, title = {The sociobiology debate.}, journal = {Science (New York, N.Y.)}, volume = {200}, number = {4340}, pages = {382}, doi = {10.1126/science.200.4340.382}, pmid = {17757284}, issn = {0036-8075}, } @article {pmid11662715, year = {1978}, author = {}, title = {A genetic defense of the free market.}, journal = {Business week}, volume = {}, number = {2529}, pages = {}, pmid = {11662715}, issn = {0007-7135}, mesh = {*Biology ; *Economics ; *Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid17752353, year = {1978}, author = {Walsh, J}, title = {Sociobiology baptized as issue by activists.}, journal = {Science (New York, N.Y.)}, volume = {199}, number = {4332}, pages = {955}, doi = {10.1126/science.199.4332.955-a}, pmid = {17752353}, issn = {0036-8075}, } @article {pmid11649393, year = {1978}, author = {Barkow, JH}, title = {Culture and sociobiology.}, journal = {American anthropologist}, volume = {80}, number = {1}, pages = {5-20}, doi = {10.1525/aa.1978.80.1.02a00010}, pmid = {11649393}, issn = {0002-7294}, mesh = {Altruism ; *Biological Evolution ; *Biology ; *Cultural Evolution ; Ecology ; Human Characteristics ; Humans ; *Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid17750018, year = {1978}, author = {Loy, J}, title = {Primate sociobiology.}, journal = {Science (New York, N.Y.)}, volume = {199}, number = {4328}, pages = {527-528}, doi = {10.1126/science.199.4328.527}, pmid = {17750018}, issn = {0036-8075}, } @article {pmid11661556, year = {1978}, author = {Simon, MA}, title = {Sociobiology: the Aesop's fables of science.}, journal = {The Sciences}, volume = {18}, number = {2}, pages = {18-21+}, doi = {10.1002/j.2326-1951.1978.tb01629.x}, pmid = {11661556}, issn = {0036-861X}, mesh = {Behavioral Research ; *Biology ; Genetics ; *Human Characteristics ; Research ; Social Sciences ; *Sociobiology ; Socioeconomic Factors ; }, } @article {pmid11663807, year = {1977}, author = {Lewin, R}, title = {Biological limits to morality.}, journal = {New scientist (1971)}, volume = {76}, number = {1082}, pages = {694-696}, pmid = {11663807}, issn = {0262-4079}, mesh = {*Altruism ; Biological Evolution ; *Biology ; Genetics ; Human Characteristics ; Humans ; *Morals ; Philosophy ; *Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid11643415, year = {1977}, author = {Stent, GS}, title = {You can take the ethics out of altruism but you can't take the altruism out of ethics.}, journal = {The Hastings Center report}, volume = {7}, number = {6}, pages = {33-36}, pmid = {11643415}, issn = {0093-0334}, mesh = {*Altruism ; Biological Evolution ; *Biology ; Cultural Evolution ; Genetics ; Humans ; Social Values ; *Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid11661511, year = {1977}, author = {Currier, R}, title = {Sociobiology: the new heresy.}, journal = {Human behavior; the newsmagazine of the social sciences}, volume = {5}, number = {11}, pages = {16-22}, pmid = {11661511}, issn = {0046-8134}, mesh = {Attitude ; *Biology ; *Genetics, Behavioral ; Humans ; Intelligence ; Journalism ; Prejudice ; *Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid11648869, year = {1977}, author = {Cowen, RC}, title = {Who oppresses scientists?.}, journal = {Christian Science monitor (Boston, Mass. : Eastern ed.)}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {25}, pmid = {11648869}, mesh = {*Biology ; Freedom ; *Human Rights ; Humans ; *Politics ; Science ; *Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid11662422, year = {1977}, author = {Holton, G}, title = {Sociobiology: the new synthesis?.}, journal = {Newsletter on science, technology & human values}, volume = {}, number = {21}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1177/016224397700200432}, pmid = {11662422}, issn = {0738-2618}, mesh = {Attitude ; Biological Evolution ; *Biology ; History ; History, 19th Century ; History, 20th Century ; History, Ancient ; Methods ; Philosophy ; Science ; Social Change ; Social Sciences ; *Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid17730155, year = {1977}, author = {Clark, ME}, title = {Sociobiology and scientific debate.}, journal = {Science (New York, N.Y.)}, volume = {197}, number = {4306}, pages = {822}, doi = {10.1126/science.197.4306.822}, pmid = {17730155}, issn = {0036-8075}, } @article {pmid17790773, year = {1977}, author = {Barash, DP}, title = {Sociobiology of Rape in Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos): Responses of the Mated Male.}, journal = {Science (New York, N.Y.)}, volume = {197}, number = {4305}, pages = {788-789}, doi = {10.1126/science.197.4305.788}, pmid = {17790773}, issn = {0036-8075}, abstract = {Male mallards respond to rapes of their mate by intervening aggressively against the rapist or rapists, by attempting to force a copulation with the rape victim, or both. Aggressive intervention is more likely against a solitary male than against a group, and forced copulations are more likely immediately after a rape and especially when the rape appears to have been successful. This behavior pattern reflects, strategies consistent with maximizing individual male fitness.}, } @article {pmid17774314, year = {1977}, author = {}, title = {Sociobiology Symposium Highlights AAAS Pacific Division Annual Meeting.}, journal = {Science (New York, N.Y.)}, volume = {197}, number = {4303}, pages = {547-548}, doi = {10.1126/science.197.4303.547}, pmid = {17774314}, issn = {0036-8075}, } @article {pmid17788861, year = {1977}, author = {Simpson, GG}, title = {An adversary view of sociobiology.}, journal = {Science (New York, N.Y.)}, volume = {195}, number = {4280}, pages = {773-774}, doi = {10.1126/science.195.4280.773}, pmid = {17788861}, issn = {0036-8075}, } @article {pmid11661442, year = {1977}, author = {DeVore, I and Morris, S}, title = {The new science of genetic self-interest.}, journal = {Psychology today}, volume = {10}, number = {9}, pages = {42-46+}, pmid = {11661442}, issn = {0033-3107}, mesh = {Adoption ; *Altruism ; Biological Evolution ; *Biology ; Cost-Benefit Analysis ; *Family ; *Family Relations ; Female ; Gene Pool ; Genetics, Behavioral ; Homicide ; Humans ; Infanticide ; Interpersonal Relations ; Men ; Moral Obligations ; Pedigree ; Reproduction ; Social Change ; Social Dominance ; Social Responsibility ; *Sociobiology ; Socioeconomic Factors ; Women ; }, } @article {pmid11662864, year = {1977}, author = {Stevens, VJ}, title = {Sociobiology, science and human behavior.}, journal = {Behaviorists for Social Action journal}, volume = {1}, number = {1}, pages = {1-4}, pmid = {11662864}, issn = {0739-5051}, mesh = {Altruism ; Behavior ; Behavior Control ; *Biology ; Genetics, Behavioral ; Humans ; Politics ; *Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid11643387, year = {1977}, author = {Holtzman, E}, title = {The sociobiology controversy.}, journal = {International journal of health services : planning, administration, evaluation}, volume = {7}, number = {3}, pages = {515-527}, doi = {10.2190/ETXN-KL3Q-91PU-0GEN}, pmid = {11643387}, issn = {0020-7314}, mesh = {Biological Evolution ; *Biology ; Genetics, Behavioral ; Humans ; Moral Obligations ; *Public Policy ; Science ; *Social Change ; Social Responsibility ; *Sociobiology ; Socioeconomic Factors ; }, } @article {pmid11662348, year = {1976}, author = {}, title = {Genes über alles.}, journal = {Time}, volume = {108}, number = {24}, pages = {93+}, pmid = {11662348}, issn = {0040-781X}, mesh = {*Biology ; Genetics ; *Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid11648812, year = {1976}, author = {MacPherson, M}, title = {Sociobiology: scientists at odds. How much of our behavior is determined by our genes?.}, journal = {The Washington post}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {B1+}, pmid = {11648812}, mesh = {Aggression ; Altruism ; *Attitude ; Biological Evolution ; *Biology ; Family ; *Genetics, Behavioral ; Homosexuality ; *Human Characteristics ; Humans ; Interpersonal Relations ; Reproduction ; *Research Personnel ; Science ; *Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid11662875, year = {1976}, author = {Bates, WR}, title = {The disturbing political implications of 'sociobiology'.}, journal = {Science forum}, volume = {9}, number = {5}, pages = {23-24}, pmid = {11662875}, mesh = {*Biology ; Politics ; *Social Change ; Social Problems ; *Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid11643309, year = {1976}, author = {Emlen, ST}, title = {An alternative case for sociobiology.}, journal = {Science (New York, N.Y.)}, volume = {192}, number = {4241}, pages = {736-738}, doi = {10.1126/science.11643309}, pmid = {11643309}, issn = {0036-8075}, mesh = {Biological Evolution ; *Biology ; Developing Countries ; Genetics ; Health Care Rationing ; Resource Allocation ; Social Change ; *Sociobiology ; Socioeconomic Factors ; }, } @article {pmid11663708, year = {1976}, author = {, }, title = {The new synthesis is an old story.}, journal = {New scientist (1971)}, volume = {70}, number = {1000}, pages = {346-348}, pmid = {11663708}, issn = {0262-4079}, mesh = {Altruism ; Biological Evolution ; *Biology ; Cultural Evolution ; Genetics ; *Human Characteristics ; Humans ; Prejudice ; Science ; Social Dominance ; Social Problems ; *Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid11663707, year = {1976}, author = {Lewin, R}, title = {The course of a controversy.}, journal = {New scientist (1971)}, volume = {70}, number = {1000}, pages = {344-345}, pmid = {11663707}, issn = {0262-4079}, mesh = {*Biology ; Genetics ; Human Characteristics ; *Sociobiology ; Socioeconomic Factors ; }, } @article {pmid11662418, year = {1976}, author = {Gould, SJ}, title = {Biological potential vs. biological determinism.}, journal = {Natural history}, volume = {85}, number = {5}, pages = {12+}, pmid = {11662418}, issn = {0028-0712}, mesh = {Altruism ; *Biology ; Genetics, Behavioral ; Human Characteristics ; Humans ; *Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid17731070, year = {1976}, author = {Harris, CL}, title = {The implications of sociobiology.}, journal = {Science (New York, N.Y.)}, volume = {192}, number = {4238}, pages = {428}, doi = {10.1126/science.192.4238.428}, pmid = {17731070}, issn = {0036-8075}, } @article {pmid17731069, year = {1976}, author = {Atkinson, DE}, title = {The implications of sociobiology.}, journal = {Science (New York, N.Y.)}, volume = {192}, number = {4238}, pages = {428}, doi = {10.1126/science.192.4238.428-a}, pmid = {17731069}, issn = {0036-8075}, } @article {pmid17731068, year = {1976}, author = {Masters, RD}, title = {The implications of sociobiology.}, journal = {Science (New York, N.Y.)}, volume = {192}, number = {4238}, pages = {427-428}, doi = {10.1126/science.192.4238.427}, pmid = {17731068}, issn = {0036-8075}, } @article {pmid17731067, year = {1976}, author = {Alper, S and Beckwith, J and Chorover, SL and Hunt, J and Inouye, H and Judd, T and Lange, RV and Sternberg, P}, title = {The implications of sociobiology.}, journal = {Science (New York, N.Y.)}, volume = {192}, number = {4238}, pages = {424-427}, doi = {10.1126/science.192.4238.424}, pmid = {17731067}, issn = {0036-8075}, } @article {pmid11643314, year = {1976}, author = {Caplan, A}, title = {Ethics, evolution, and the milk of human kindness.}, journal = {The Hastings Center report}, volume = {6}, number = {2}, pages = {20-25}, pmid = {11643314}, issn = {0093-0334}, mesh = {Altruism ; *Biological Evolution ; *Biology ; *Ethics ; Genetics ; Genetics, Behavioral ; Human Characteristics ; Humans ; Social Values ; *Sociobiology ; Socioeconomic Factors ; }, } @article {pmid11643303, year = {1976}, author = {May, RM}, title = {Sociobiology: a new synthesis and an old quarrel.}, journal = {Nature}, volume = {260}, number = {5550}, pages = {390-392}, doi = {10.1038/260390a0}, pmid = {11643303}, issn = {0028-0836}, mesh = {Biological Evolution ; *Biology ; Genetics ; Human Characteristics ; *Sociobiology ; Socioeconomic Factors ; }, } @article {pmid11643305, year = {1976}, author = {Wade, N}, title = {Sociobiology: troubled birth for new discipline.}, journal = {Science (New York, N.Y.)}, volume = {191}, number = {4232}, pages = {1151-1155}, doi = {10.1126/science.11643305}, pmid = {11643305}, issn = {0036-8075}, mesh = {*Biology ; Genetics, Behavioral ; Humans ; Politics ; Social Change ; *Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid17792699, year = {1976}, author = {Tuttle, RH}, title = {Quantitative sociobiology.}, journal = {Science (New York, N.Y.)}, volume = {191}, number = {4230}, pages = {939-940}, doi = {10.1126/science.191.4230.939}, pmid = {17792699}, issn = {0036-8075}, } @article {pmid11661296, year = {1976}, author = {, }, title = {Sociobiology: tool for social oppression.}, journal = {Science for the people}, volume = {8}, number = {2}, pages = {7-9}, pmid = {11661296}, issn = {0048-9662}, mesh = {Biological Evolution ; *Biology ; Genetics ; Human Characteristics ; *Social Change ; *Sociobiology ; Socioeconomic Factors ; }, } @article {pmid11649466, year = {1976}, author = {Wilson, EO}, title = {Academic vigilantism and the political significance of sociobiology.}, journal = {Bioscience}, volume = {26}, number = {3}, pages = {183+}, pmid = {11649466}, issn = {0006-3568}, mesh = {Biological Evolution ; *Biology ; Cultural Evolution ; Decision Making ; *Genetics ; Genetics, Behavioral ; Human Characteristics ; Humans ; Politics ; Social Responsibility ; Social Values ; *Sociobiology ; *Socioeconomic Factors ; }, } @article {pmid11649465, year = {1976}, author = {, }, title = {Sociobiology--another biological determinism.}, journal = {Bioscience}, volume = {26}, number = {3}, pages = {182, 184-186}, pmid = {11649465}, issn = {0006-3568}, mesh = {Biological Evolution ; *Biology ; Cultural Evolution ; *Genetics, Behavioral ; Human Characteristics ; Humans ; *Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid11649464, year = {1976}, author = {, }, title = {Sociobiology--another biological determinism.}, journal = {Bioscience}, volume = {26}, number = {3}, pages = {182+}, pmid = {11649464}, issn = {0006-3568}, mesh = {Altruism ; Biological Evolution ; *Biology ; Cultural Evolution ; *Genetics ; Genetics, Behavioral ; Human Characteristics ; Humans ; *Sociobiology ; *Socioeconomic Factors ; }, } @article {pmid11648682, year = {1975}, author = {Young, P}, title = {Is behavior inherited?.}, journal = {National observer (Washington, D.C.)}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {1+}, pmid = {11648682}, issn = {0027-9803}, mesh = {Altruism ; Biological Evolution ; *Biology ; *Genetics, Behavioral ; Human Characteristics ; Humans ; *Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid28309298, year = {1975}, author = {Maschwitz, U and Mühlenberg, M}, title = {[Not Available].}, journal = {Oecologia}, volume = {20}, number = {1}, pages = {65-83}, pmid = {28309298}, issn = {1432-1939}, abstract = {The sociobiology of Leptogenys ocellifera especially its predatory behavior and food recruitment was investigated. Leptogenys binghami and Leptogenys diminuta were observed comparatively. L. ocellifera: Colony size, nesting sites, and nest emigration. L. ocellifera lives in large colonies of several tens of thousands workers. It nests in existing soil cavities. The nesting site is changed in irregular intervals. According to our results the nest emigration is released by environmental factors.Trail system. There are several elaborated permanent routes leading from the nest into the surroundings. Those routes can be used continuously day and night over a period of several months. Guard ants are posting along the trails. Mainly in the evening, males were observed on the trails running back and forth. This behavior is interpreted as mating running". In the peripheral surroundings of the nest the routes may change within few hours or even minutes according to the food supply.Recruitment trails. The workers leave the nest singly or in groups. When an ant meets a prey animal it returns to the closest frequented trail rubbing its gaster tip on the ground while the sting is intermittendly extruded. The alarm secretion is released from the venom gland. It works as both orientation and recruiting signal and attracts new workers from the trail. No tactile signals are involved in food recruitment. The new workers in their turn intesify the alarm trail. Prey carrying workers lay trails to the nest which recruit further ants. Once the food source is exploited the alarm effect, even on strong trails, would decrease within half an hour. Recruitment trails which have been used over some time may become permanent routes. Along the permanent routes in addition to the recruiting substance an orientation component could be detected which lasts at least over 5 hrs. Its source is still unknownPredatory behavior. During foraging the workers frequently show digging behavior especially on places with fresh soil. Alarm secretion increases the digging activity. By this method L. ocellifera captures mainly animals which live in the soil, especially termites and earth worms. Other arthropods and snails are also predated. Larger prey objects are hunted and cut into pieces cooperatively. The pieces are transported into the nest by single workers. Killed termites are layed down near or on the trails by the foragers. Such depots are emptied by other workers. L. binghami and L. diminuta: L. binghami lives in natural earth cavities. It forages singly as a rule. Its main prey animals are termites. The trail secretion is mainly used during nest emigration. This is performed in a fast and well organized way. L. diminuta nests near the surface of the soil. It is a typical group prdator. The successful scouts lay recruiting trails while returning into the nest. The observed raids contained three to more than hundred workers led only sometimes by the scout. Prey objects (mainly larger arthropods) are hunted and retrieved cooperatively.}, } @article {pmid17736538, year = {1975}, author = {Kolata, GB}, title = {Sociobiology (II): The Evolution of Social Systems.}, journal = {Science (New York, N.Y.)}, volume = {187}, number = {4172}, pages = {156-157}, doi = {10.1126/science.187.4172.156}, pmid = {17736538}, issn = {0036-8075}, } @article {pmid17844206, year = {1975}, author = {Kolata, GB}, title = {Sociobiology (I): models of social behavior.}, journal = {Science (New York, N.Y.)}, volume = {187}, number = {4171}, pages = {50-51}, doi = {10.1126/science.187.4171.50}, pmid = {17844206}, issn = {0036-8075}, } @article {pmid4473799, year = {1974}, author = {McGuire, MT}, title = {Proceedings: The sociobiology of nonhuman primate aggression.}, journal = {Psychopharmacology bulletin}, volume = {10}, number = {4}, pages = {60-61}, pmid = {4473799}, issn = {0048-5764}, mesh = {*Aggression ; Animals ; Climate ; Geography ; Humans ; *Primates ; *Social Behavior ; }, } @article {pmid4975813, year = {1968}, author = {Altmann, SA}, title = {Sociobiology of rhesus monkeys. IV. Testing Mason's hypothesis of sex differences in affective behavior.}, journal = {Behaviour}, volume = {32}, number = {1}, pages = {49-69}, doi = {10.1163/156853968x00081}, pmid = {4975813}, issn = {0005-7959}, mesh = {*Affect ; Animals ; *Behavior, Animal ; Female ; *Haplorhini ; Humans ; Male ; Sex Factors ; *Stress, Psychological ; }, } @article {pmid4960474, year = {1965}, author = {Altmann, SA}, title = {Sociobiology of rhesus monkeys. II. Stochastics of social communication.}, journal = {Journal of theoretical biology}, volume = {8}, number = {3}, pages = {490-522}, doi = {10.1016/0022-5193(65)90024-x}, pmid = {4960474}, issn = {0022-5193}, mesh = {Animals ; *Behavior, Animal ; *Communication ; Group Processes ; Haplorhini ; Information Theory ; Memory ; Models, Theoretical ; }, } @article {pmid19591255, year = {1964}, author = {Gatewood, WB}, title = {The evolution controversy in North Carolina, 1920-1927.}, journal = {The Mississippi quarterly}, volume = {17}, number = {4}, pages = {192-207}, pmid = {19591255}, issn = {0026-637X}, mesh = {Biological Evolution ; Genetics/education/history ; Government/history ; History, 20th Century ; Humans ; *Legislation as Topic/history ; North Carolina/ethnology ; *Public Opinion ; *Religion and Science ; *Social Change/history ; *Sociobiology/education/history ; Southeastern United States/ethnology ; Theology/education/history ; }, } @article {pmid14012344, year = {1962}, author = {ALTMANN, SA}, title = {A field study of the sociobiology of rhesus monkeys, Macaca mulatta.}, journal = {Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences}, volume = {102}, number = {}, pages = {338-435}, doi = {10.1111/j.1749-6632.1962.tb13650.x}, pmid = {14012344}, issn = {0077-8923}, mesh = {Animals ; *Behavior ; *Haplorhini ; *Macaca mulatta ; *Sexual Behavior ; *Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid14442812, year = {1959}, author = {SCHINZEL, A}, title = {[Sociobiological consequences of the overloading of the family].}, journal = {Medizinische Klinik}, volume = {54}, number = {}, pages = {1775-1778}, pmid = {14442812}, issn = {0025-8458}, mesh = {*Family ; *Mental Disorders ; *Sociobiology ; *Sociology ; *Stress, Physiological ; }, } @article {pmid1551329, year = {1992}, author = {Moffitt, TE and Caspi, A and Belsky, J and Silva, PA}, title = {Childhood experience and the onset of menarche: a test of a sociobiological model.}, journal = {Child development}, volume = {63}, number = {1}, pages = {47-58}, doi = {10.1111/j.1467-8624.1992.tb03594.x}, pmid = {1551329}, issn = {0009-3920}, support = {MH43746/MH/NIMH NIH HHS/United States ; MH45070/MH/NIMH NIH HHS/United States ; R01HD15496/HD/NICHD NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Adolescent ; Body Weight ; Child ; Cohort Studies ; Family/psychology ; Female ; Humans ; Internal-External Control ; *Life Change Events ; Longitudinal Studies ; Menarche/*psychology ; New Zealand ; *Sexual Maturation ; Social Behavior ; *Social Environment ; }, abstract = {We tested predictions about psychosocial factors in the onset of menarche using data from a longitudinal study of 16-year-old girls. Belsky, Steinberg, and Draper have proposed a model that seeks to explain individual differences in maturational timing in terms of stressful childhood experiences. Their model hypothesizes that (1) individuals who grow up under conditions of family stress (2) experience behavioral and psychological problems which (3) provoke earlier reproductive readiness. In this study, the effect of family stressors on menarche was mediated by neither behavior problems nor weight, contrary to the predictions. However, the most provocative proposition advanced by Belsky et al. received empirical support. Family conflict and father absence in childhood predicted an earlier age of menarche, and these factors in combination with weight showed some evidence of an additive influence on menarche. A genetic inheritance model may provide a more parsimonious account of these data than does a conditional adaptation model derived from sociobiology.}, } @article {pmid1514120, year = {1992}, author = {Lieberman, L and Reynolds, LT and Friedrich, D}, title = {The fitness of human sociobiology: the future utility of four concepts in four subdisciplines.}, journal = {Social biology}, volume = {39}, number = {1-2}, pages = {158-169}, doi = {10.1080/19485565.1992.9988812}, pmid = {1514120}, issn = {0037-766X}, mesh = {Altruism ; Animals ; *Anthropology, Cultural ; *Attitude ; *Behavior, Animal ; Ego ; Humans ; *Psychology, Child ; Sexual Behavior ; Sexual Behavior, Animal ; *Specialization ; }, abstract = {Reported here are the results of a survey inquiring into the rate of acceptance of four sociobiological concepts in regard to their usefulness for future research. Included in the survey were members of four subdisciplines: animal behavior (biology), biological anthropology, cultural anthropology, and developmental psychology. Three types of institutions were included: universities, four- and five-year colleges, and community colleges. A total of 1,631 responses are reported with the degree of acceptance varying from highest to lowest as follows: biology, biological anthropology, developmental psychology, and cultural anthropology. These variations are related to the central concepts of each subdiscipline.}, } @article {pmid1342729, year = {1992}, author = {Dorschel, A}, title = {[A functional explanation of normative prescriptive-evaluative judgments and the concept of "evolutionary ethics"].}, journal = {History and philosophy of the life sciences}, volume = {14}, number = {2}, pages = {309-328}, pmid = {1342729}, issn = {0391-9714}, mesh = {*Bioethics ; *Biological Evolution ; Ethology/*history ; History, 20th Century ; Humans ; Judgment ; Morals ; Philosophy/history ; Social Behavior ; }, abstract = {Neodarwinian ethology, today above all represented by sociobiology, is conceived of by responsible exponents as a descriptive and explanatory theory that cannot include any normative declarations. Still other, indeed notable, authors belonging to the discipline in question, either underhand or frankly employ prescriptive or evaluative judgments, or they claim (what is not an insight of natural science) that it is impossible to provide a rational foundation for prescriptive or evaluative judgments. (Michael Ruse and Edward O. Wilson even assert the latter without relinquishing the former.) Several functional explanations of normative validity claims advanced by Michael Ruse, Edward O. Wilson, Donald T. Campbell, Florian von Schilcher and Neil Tennant are designed to show that prescriptive or evaluative judgments cannot be justified. The reasonableness of this move is, however, dubious, because it implies strategies of raising oneself into a privileged status or of rendering the position of oneself immune from criticism by shifting it among the objects of the theory. Then Wilson's concept of 'evolutionary ethics' is thoroughly--and critically--analyzed. The suspicion that Wilson's fallacies in the transition from biological facts to moral norms are of exemplary nature is finally examined on the basis of tenets advanced by Herbert Spencer, Wolfgang Wickler, and Hans Mohr.}, } @article {pmid2351894, year = {1990}, author = {Kopelman, LM}, title = {What is applied about "applied" philosophy?.}, journal = {The Journal of medicine and philosophy}, volume = {15}, number = {2}, pages = {199-218}, doi = {10.1093/jmp/15.2.199}, pmid = {2351894}, issn = {0360-5310}, mesh = {Biology ; Casuistry ; *Ethical Analysis ; *Ethics ; Euthanasia, Passive ; Humans ; Medical Laboratory Science/legislation & jurisprudence ; *Morals ; *Philosophy ; Sociobiology ; United States ; }, abstract = {"Applied" is a technical term describing a variety of new philosophical enterprises. The author examines and rejects the view that these fields are derivative. Whatever principles, judgments, or background theories that are employed to solve problems in these areas are either changed by how they are used, or at least the possibility exists of their being changed. Hence we ought to stop calling these endeavors "applied", or agree that the meaning of "apply" will have to include the possibility that what is applied may be changed. The so-called applied fields of philosophy, therefore, are not derivative. The strongest cases to the contrary are the foundationalist views that what we apply is epistemically privileged. Different foundationalist views take different principles, judgments, or background theories to be epistemically privileged. Strong and weak versions of each of these foundationalist views are considered but none establish these fields as derivative.}, } @article {pmid2353913, year = {1990}, author = {Thiessen, D and Ross, M}, title = {The use of a sociobiological questionnaire (SQ) for the assessment of sexual dimorphism.}, journal = {Behavior genetics}, volume = {20}, number = {2}, pages = {297-305}, pmid = {2353913}, issn = {0001-8244}, support = {MH-14076-20/MH/NIMH NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Adolescent ; Adult ; Bias ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; *Sex Characteristics ; *Sexual Behavior ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; }, abstract = {A sociobiology questionnaire (SQ) (Thiessen and Kittrell, 1980) was administered to 527 undergraduate males and females. Twenty-seven predictions were tested. Sixteen of the predictions were statistically confirmed, and eight were in the expected direction. Overall, females appeared to be more interested in their mate's success than their own and were more selective in the choice of mates. Males gave more evidence of competitiveness and tended to mate polygamously. The results are compatible with theoretical expectations about mating strategies (Buss, 1987; Rushton et al., 1984; Thiessen and Gregg, 1980). A number of problems with regard to the application of sociobiological and sociocultural theories to human behavior are discussed.}, } @article {pmid2335122, year = {1990}, author = {Charlesworth, M}, title = {Human genome analysis and the concept of human nature.}, journal = {Ciba Foundation symposium}, volume = {149}, number = {}, pages = {180-9; discussion 189-98}, doi = {10.1002/9780470513903.ch13}, pmid = {2335122}, issn = {0300-5208}, mesh = {Genetics, Medical ; *Genome, Human ; Humans ; Psychology ; }, abstract = {The possibilities opened up by human genome analysis appear to provide support for quasi-deterministic views of human nature but an analysis of the debate over sociobiology shows that we cannot derive a theory of human nature directly from biological and genetic evidence. From this perspective human genome analysis and the forms of human genetic engineering that it makes possible cannot alter our concept of human nature although they make us more aware of the 'plasticity' of the human. The possibility envisaged by some neo-eugenicists (and often accepted by their opponents) of a radical reshaping of human nature is as misconceived as the view of some sociobiologists that human nature is biologically determined. Human genome analysis raises formidable ethical, social and legal problems and we need to develop criteria that will enable us to decide which kinds of genetic manipulation will help to enhance human life and which will not. This will involve having a clear concept of human nature and the values it implies. But we shall not derive this concept of human nature from genetics itself.}, } @article {pmid1697772, year = {1990}, author = {Stadler, PF and Schuster, P}, title = {Dynamics of small autocatalytic reaction networks--I. Bifurcations, permanence and exclusion.}, journal = {Bulletin of mathematical biology}, volume = {52}, number = {4}, pages = {485-508}, pmid = {1697772}, issn = {0092-8240}, mesh = {*Catalysis ; *Models, Theoretical ; RNA/metabolism ; }, abstract = {Catalysis in replication networks has become an important issue in biophysics and other areas of biology. Examples are RNA catalysis, idiotype recognition in the immune response and dynamical models of Maynard-Smith games in sociobiology. Chemical reaction networks describing catalysed, template-induced reproduction of three species are analysed in full generality. The nine-dimensional parameter space is reduced to three relevant angular coordinates which determine completely the phase portraits (PPs) and the bifurcation patterns. All cases are classified and all generic as well as most of the non-generic transitions are listed and described.}, } @article {pmid2497867, year = {1989}, author = {Wolpert, L}, title = {The social responsibility of scientists: moonshine and morals.}, journal = {BMJ (Clinical research ed.)}, volume = {298}, number = {6678}, pages = {941-943}, doi = {10.1136/bmj.298.6678.941}, pmid = {2497867}, issn = {0959-8138}, mesh = {Biology ; Eugenics ; Humans ; Moral Obligations ; *Morals ; National Socialism ; Nuclear Warfare ; Philosophy ; *Science ; *Social Responsibility ; Sociobiology ; }, } @article {pmid494840, year = {1979}, author = {Wickler, W}, title = {Pre-Wilsonian sociobiology.}, journal = {Zeitschrift fur Tierpsychologie}, volume = {49}, number = {4}, pages = {433-434}, doi = {10.1111/j.1439-0310.1979.tb00303.x}, pmid = {494840}, issn = {0044-3573}, mesh = {Animals ; Behavior ; *Biology ; Genetics, Behavioral ; Humans ; Physiology ; *Sociology ; }, } @article {pmid762537, year = {1979}, author = {Essock-Vitale, SM and Fairbanks, LA}, title = {Sociobiological theories of kin selection and reciprocal altruism and their relevance for psychiatry.}, journal = {The Journal of nervous and mental disease}, volume = {167}, number = {1}, pages = {23-28}, doi = {10.1097/00005053-197901000-00003}, pmid = {762537}, issn = {0022-3018}, mesh = {Adult ; *Altruism ; Animals ; Child ; Family Characteristics ; Hospitals, Psychiatric ; Humans ; Mental Disorders/genetics/*psychology ; *Psychological Theory ; *Selection, Genetic ; *Social Behavior ; United States ; }, abstract = {The revelance of sociobiology to psychiatry is examined through a consideration of the theories of kin selection and reciprocal altruism. Predictions developed from these theories are compared with currently available mental-health statistics. The theory of kin selection is used to predict a positive correlation between mental health and the existence of an active kin-support system. Similarly, the theory of reciprocal altruism is used to predict a positive correlation between mental health and the existence of an active friend-support system. The findings tend to support both sets of predictions in that individuals with access to kin-support and/or friend-support systems are less likely to be hospitalized with psychiatric disorders than are individuals without access to such systems. Sociobiology may be useful to psychiatry in that in some cases it provides: a) a new focus on the adaptive functions of human behavior which may serve to aid the psychiatrist in evaluating individual problems; b) functional predictions which may help to identify segments of the population which are more at risk for psychiatric disorders than others, thereby providing guidelines for preventive psychiatry; and c) direction for research into unexplored aspects of human social relationships and their relevance to psychiatric disorders.}, } @article {pmid523288, year = {1979}, author = {McGuire, MT}, title = {Sociobiology: its potential contributions to psychiatry.}, journal = {Perspectives in biology and medicine}, volume = {23}, number = {1}, pages = {50-69}, pmid = {523288}, issn = {0031-5982}, mesh = {*Behavior ; Biological Evolution ; *Biology ; Ecology ; Genetics, Population ; Humans ; Marriage ; Mentally Ill Persons ; Phenotype ; *Psychiatry ; Sexual Behavior ; *Sociobiology ; *Sociology ; }, } @article {pmid435219, year = {1979}, author = {Lewontin, RC}, title = {Sociobiology as an adaptationist program.}, journal = {Behavioral science}, volume = {24}, number = {1}, pages = {5-14}, doi = {10.1002/bs.3830240103}, pmid = {435219}, issn = {0005-7940}, mesh = {*Adaptation, Physiological ; Adaptation, Psychological ; Animals ; Biological Evolution ; *Biology ; Gene Pool ; Genetics, Behavioral ; Genotype ; Humans ; Phenotype ; Selection, Genetic ; Social Adjustment ; *Sociology ; }, } @article {pmid435218, year = {1979}, author = {Beck, H}, title = {The Ocean-Hill Brownsville and Cambodian-Kent State crises: a biobehavioral approach to human sociobiology.}, journal = {Behavioral science}, volume = {24}, number = {1}, pages = {25-36}, doi = {10.1002/bs.3830240105}, pmid = {435218}, issn = {0005-7940}, mesh = {*Biology ; Humans ; Mass Behavior ; Models, Psychological ; Orientation ; *Politics ; Psychotherapy, Group ; Social Behavior ; *Social Conformity ; *Sociology ; United States ; }, abstract = {The author traces the origin of his thinking on a biobehavioral systems approach to human sociobiology as it evolved from his observations and analyses of on-the-ground human behavior in local, Ocean-Hill Brownsville, and nationwide, Cambodia-Kent State, political crises, as well as from his naturalistic observations of face-to-face behavior in group psychotherapy. He argues that the resulting sociobiological paradigm--arrived at independently by several other workers--is a fruitful alternative to sociobiological models derived from population biology and genetics.}, } @article {pmid86354, year = {1979}, author = {Busch, JA}, title = {Sociobiology and general systems theory: a critique of the new synthesis.}, journal = {Behavioral science}, volume = {24}, number = {1}, pages = {60-71}, doi = {10.1002/bs.3830240108}, pmid = {86354}, issn = {0005-7940}, mesh = {Adaptation, Psychological/physiology ; Animals ; *Biology ; Brain/physiology ; Genetics, Behavioral ; Humans ; Models, Psychological ; Social Behavior ; *Sociology ; Symbolism ; }, } @article {pmid683325, year = {1978}, author = {Parker, GA}, title = {Selfish genes, evolutionary games, and the adaptiveness of behaviour.}, journal = {Nature}, volume = {274}, number = {5674}, pages = {849-855}, doi = {10.1038/274849a0}, pmid = {683325}, issn = {0028-0836}, mesh = {*Altruism ; Animals ; *Biological Evolution ; Ethics ; Family ; Genes ; Humans ; Models, Biological ; Parents ; Selection, Genetic ; *Social Behavior ; }, abstract = {The science of sociobiology, which began in principle with the work of Fisher and Haldane and has more recently been developed by Hamilton, Maynard Smith, Trivers, Wilson and others, has been the centre of both scientific and political controversy. Dr Parker discusses the strengths and weaknesses of the approach, and illustrates that behaviour can be adapted in a complex way in conformity with sociobiological theory.}, } @article {pmid667232, year = {1978}, author = {Tobach, E}, title = {Ethology and sociobiology.}, journal = {Biological psychiatry}, volume = {13}, number = {3}, pages = {299-300}, pmid = {667232}, issn = {0006-3223}, mesh = {*Biology ; *Ethology ; *Psychiatry ; }, } @article {pmid645953, year = {1978}, author = {Galanter, M}, title = {The "relief effect": a sociobiological model for neurotic distress and large-group therapy.}, journal = {The American journal of psychiatry}, volume = {135}, number = {5}, pages = {588-591}, doi = {10.1176/ajp.135.5.588}, pmid = {645953}, issn = {0002-953X}, mesh = {Animals ; *Biological Evolution ; Genetics, Behavioral ; Group Processes ; Humans ; *Models, Biological ; Models, Psychological ; Neurotic Disorders/*psychology/therapy ; *Psychotherapy, Group ; Social Adjustment ; *Social Behavior ; }, abstract = {The author discusses the new discipline of sociobiology. He develops the hypothesis that relief of neurotic distress may be associated with experiencing social affiliation and presents data that demonstrate a decline in neurotic symptom intensity in individuals who joined a cohesive religious sect. Anthropological and ethological evidence for the adaptive value of this "relief effect" provides a basis for the evolution of this trait. The author proposes a corresponding model for psychotherapy in large groups.}, } @article {pmid714627, year = {1978}, author = {Caplan, AL}, title = {In what ways are recent developments in biology and sociobiology relevant to ethics?.}, journal = {Perspectives in biology and medicine}, volume = {21}, number = {4}, pages = {536-550}, doi = {10.1353/pbm.1978.0017}, pmid = {714627}, issn = {0031-5982}, mesh = {Animals ; Behavior/physiology ; Biological Evolution ; Biology/*trends ; Ethical Relativism ; *Ethics ; Humans ; Morals ; Social Values ; *Sociobiology ; Sociology/*trends ; }, } @article {pmid848049, year = {1977}, author = {Klopfer, PH}, title = {Social Darwinism lives! (Should it?).}, journal = {The Yale journal of biology and medicine}, volume = {50}, number = {1}, pages = {77-84}, pmid = {848049}, issn = {0044-0086}, mesh = {Animals ; *Behavior, Animal ; Lemur ; *Sociology ; Species Specificity ; }, abstract = {Sociobiology has made a resurgence in recent years, but has become enmeshed in political controversy. Indeed, much of the work in sociobiology has been used to justify repressive or racist measures. It is argued that the unfortunate alliance of some sociobiologists and politicians is a poor basis for discrediting the field itself; that a science of sociobiology is possible and, if we seek to know the nature of our social heritage (if any!), needs be vigorously pursued.}, } @article {pmid562158, year = {1977}, author = {Aspey, WP}, title = {Wolf spider sociobiology: II. Density parameters influencing agonistic behavior in Schizocosa crassipes.}, journal = {Behaviour}, volume = {62}, number = {1-2}, pages = {142-163}, doi = {10.1163/156853977x00072}, pmid = {562158}, issn = {0005-7959}, mesh = {*Aggression ; *Agonistic Behavior ; Animals ; *Crowding ; Dominance-Subordination ; Humans ; Male ; Motor Activity ; *Population Density ; *Spiders ; }, } @article {pmid562157, year = {1977}, author = {Aspey, WP}, title = {Wolf spider sociobiology: I. Agonistic display and dominance-subordinance relations in adult male Schizocosa crassipes.}, journal = {Behaviour}, volume = {62}, number = {1-2}, pages = {103-141}, doi = {10.1163/156853977x00063}, pmid = {562157}, issn = {0005-7959}, mesh = {*Aggression ; *Agonistic Behavior ; Animals ; Behavior, Animal ; *Dominance-Subordination ; Humans ; Male ; Motor Activity ; *Social Dominance ; *Spiders ; Territoriality ; }, } @article {pmid972028, year = {1976}, author = {}, title = {Sociobiology: the debate continues.}, journal = {The Hastings Center report}, volume = {6}, number = {5}, pages = {18-9, 48-50}, pmid = {972028}, issn = {0093-0334}, mesh = {*Behavior ; *Biological Evolution ; *Biology ; *Ethics ; *Genetics, Medical ; *Sociobiology ; }, }