Beautiful parents have more daughters: a further implication of the generalized Trivers-Willard hypothesis (gTWH)

The generalized Trivers-Willard hypothesis (gTWH) [Kanazawa, S., 2005. Big and tall parents have more sons: further generalizations of the Trivers-Willard hypothesis. J. Theor. Biol. 235, 583-590) proposes that parents who possess any heritable trait which increases the male reproductive success at a greater rate than female reproductive success in a given environment will have a higher-than-expected offspring sex ratio, and parents who possess any heritable trait which increases the female reproductive success at a greater rate than male reproductive success in a given environment will have a lower-than-expected offspring sex ratio. One heritable trait which increases the reproductive success of daughters much more than that of sons is physical attractiveness. I therefore predict that physically attractive parents have a lower-than-expected offspring sex ratio (more daughters). Further, if beautiful parents have more daughters and physical attractiveness is heritable, then, over evolutionary history, women should gradually become more attractive than men. The analysis of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) confirm both of these hypotheses. Very attractive individuals are 26% less likely to have a son, and women are significantly more physically attractive than men in the representative American sample.     

Evolutionary graph theory: breaking the symmetry between interaction and replacement

We study evolutionary dynamics in a population whose structure is given by two graphs: the interaction graph determines who plays with whom in an evolutionary game; the replacement graph specifies the geometry of evolutionary competition and updating. First, we calculate the fixation probabilities of frequency dependent selection between two strategies or phenotypes. We consider three different update mechanisms: birth-death, death-birth and imitation. Then, as a particular example, we explore the evolution of cooperation. Suppose the interaction graph is a regular graph of degree h, the replacement graph is a regular graph of degree g and the overlap between the two graphs is a regular graph of degree l. We show that cooperation is favored by natural selection if b/c>hg/l. Here, b and c denote the benefit and cost of the altruistic act. This result holds for death-birth updating, weak-selection and large population size. Note that the optimum population structure for cooperators is given by maximum overlap between the interaction and the replacement graph (g=h=l), which means that the two graphs are identical. We also prove that a modified replicator equation can describe how the expected values of the frequencies of an arbitrary number of strategies change on replacement and interaction graphs: the two graphs induce a transformation of the payoff matrix.     

Cellular automaton simulation examining progenitor hierarchy structure effects on mammary ductal carcinoma in situ

A computer simulation is used to model ductal carcinoma in situ, a form of non-invasive breast cancer. The simulation uses known histological morphology, cell types, and stochastic cell proliferation to evolve tumorous growth within a duct. The ductal simulation is based on a hybrid cellular automaton design using genetic rules to determine each cell's behavior. The genetic rules are a mutable abstraction that demonstrate genetic heterogeneity in a population. Our goal was to examine the role (if any) that recently discovered mammary stem cell hierarchies play in genetic heterogeneity, DCIS initiation and aggressiveness. Results show that simpler progenitor hierarchies result in greater genetic heterogeneity and evolve DCIS significantly faster. However, the more complex progenitor hierarchy structure was able to sustain the rapid reproduction of a cancer cell population for longer periods of time.     

An evolutionary hybrid cellular automaton model of solid tumour growth

We propose a cellular automaton model of solid tumour growth, in which each cell is equipped with a micro-environment response network. This network is modelled using a feed-forward artificial neural network, that takes environmental variables as an input and from these determines the cellular behaviour as the output. The response of the network is determined by connection weights and thresholds in the network, which are subject to mutations when the cells divide. As both available space and nutrients are limited resources for the tumour, this gives rise to clonal evolution where only the fittest cells survive. Using this approach we have investigated the impact of the tissue oxygen concentration on the growth and evolutionary dynamics of the tumour. The results show that the oxygen concentration affects the selection pressure, cell population diversity and morphology of the tumour. A low oxygen concentration in the tissue gives rise to a tumour with a fingered morphology that contains aggressive phenotypes with a small apoptotic potential, while a high oxygen concentration in the tissue gives rise to a tumour with a round morphology containing less evolved phenotypes. The tissue oxygen concentration thus affects the tumour at both the morphological level and on the phenotype level.     

Tit-for-tat or win-stay, lose-shift?

The repeated Prisoner's Dilemma is usually known as a story of tit-for-tat (TFT). This remarkable strategy has won both of Robert Axelrod's tournaments. TFT does whatever the opponent has done in the previous round. It will cooperate if the opponent has cooperated, and it will defect if the opponent has defected. But TFT has two weaknesses: (i) it cannot correct mistakes (erroneous moves) and (ii) a population of TFT players is undermined by random drift when mutant strategies appear which play always-cooperate (ALLC). Another equally simple strategy called 'win-stay, lose-shift' (WSLS) has neither of these two disadvantages. WSLS repeats the previous move if the resulting payoff has met its aspiration level and changes otherwise. Here, we use a novel approach of stochastic evolutionary game dynamics in finite populations to study mutation-selection dynamics in the presence of erroneous moves. We compare four strategies: always-defect (ALLD), ALLC, TFT and WSLS. There are two possible outcomes: if the benefit of cooperation is below a critical value then ALLD is selected; if the benefit of cooperation is above this critical value then WSLS is selected. TFT is never selected in this evolutionary process, but lowers the selection threshold for WSLS.     

鸡骨常山属三个种的核形态

研究了鸡骨常山属（Alstonia）3个种的核形态,其中盆架树（A.rostrata）的核型属首次报道,3个种的体细胞染色体数目均为2n=42,且糖胶树（A.scholaris）和鸡骨常山（A.yunnanensis）的染色体数目同前人报道的2n=44不同。盆架树的间期核和有丝分裂前期染色体分别为棒状前染色体型和中间型,核型公式为2n=42=3M＋21m＋18sm,核型不对称性类型为2A型。糖胶树的间期核和有丝分裂前期染色体分别为球状前染色体型和中间型,核型公式为2n=42=14m＋24sm＋4st,核型不对称性类型为3A型。鸡骨常山的间期核和有丝分裂前期染色体分别为复杂染色体中央粒型和中间型,核型公式为2n=42=5m＋37sm,核型不对称性类型为3B型。根据核形态结果,结合形态学特征和已有的细胞学资料,初步讨论了该属几个种的系统位置及演化趋势。     

免疫进化算法在建立地位指数曲线模型中的应用

选择Schumacher方程构建优势高和地位指数均能写成显式表达式的多形地位指数曲线模型,以同时兼顾优势高和地位指数的估测误差最小为目标函数,采用免疫进化算法求解参数．实例分析表明：该文建立的多形地位指数曲线模型能够客观地反映不同立地下优势高的生长规律,且误差小,应用方便．     

Effects of fighting decisions on formation and structure of dominance hierarchies

The characteristics of complex social systems often cannot be predicted from exploring individual agonistic interactions in isolation. In a series of models, this study linked the decision-making processes that govern dyadic interactions with the emergent properties of hierarchical structures in social groups. Contrary to the intuitive expectation that resolution of ambiguities in fighting between closely matched opponents effectively promotes the formation of a social hierarchy, engagement in contests with opponents of dissimilar status lead to a faster emergence of hierarchical structures. The increased certainty of outcome in such asymmetric contests both reinforced the previously established dominance, and allowed for an indirect resolution of existing ambiguous relationships. High-return fights also resulted in a more rapid hierarchy formation, while escalating in fights decreased the costs of maintaining hierarchical relationships and increased their stability.     

The phylogeny of the social Anelosimus spiders (Araneae: Theridiidae) inferred from six molecular loci and morphology

We use fragments of three nuclear genes (Histone 3, 18SrDNA, and 28SrDNA) and three mitochondrial genes (16SrDNA, ND1, and COI) totalling approximately 4.5kb, in addition to morphological data, to estimate the phylogenetic relationships among Anelosimus spiders, well known for their sociality. The analysis includes 67 individuals representing 23 of the 53 currently recognized Anelosimus species and all species groups previously recognized by morphological evidence. We analyse the data using Bayesian, maximum likelihood, and parsimony methods, considering the genes individually as well as combined (mitochondrial, nuclear, and both combined) in addition to a 'total evidence' analysis including morphology. Most of the data partitions are congruent in agreeing on several fundamental aspects of the phylogeny, and the combined molecular data yield a tree broadly similar to an existing morphological hypothesis. We argue that such congruence among data partitions is an important indicator of support that may go undetected by standard robustness estimators. Our results strongly support Anelosimus monophyly, and the monophyly of the recently revised American 'eximius lineage', although slightly altered by excluding A. pacificus. There was consistent support for the scattering of American Anelosimus species in three clades suggesting intercontinental dispersal. Several recently described species are reconstructed as monophyletic, supporting taxonomic decisions based on morphology and behaviour in this taxonomically difficult group. Corroborating previous results from morphology, the molecular data suggest that social species are scattered across the genus and thus that sociality has evolved multiple times, a significant finding for exploring the causes and consequences of social evolution in this group of organisms.