Absence of Mate Choice and Postcopulatory Benefits in a Species with Extreme Sexual Size Dimorphism

Most hypotheses related to the evolution of female‐biased extreme sexual size dimorphism (SSD) attribute the differences in the size of each sex to selection for reproduction, either through selection for increased female fecundity or selection for male increased mobility and faster development. Very few studies, however, have tested for direct fitness benefits associated with the latter – small male size. Mecaphesa celer is a crab spider with extreme SSD, whose males are less than half the size of females and often weigh 10 times less. Here, we test the hypotheses that larger size in females and smaller size in males are sexually selected through differential pre‐ and postcopulatory reproductive benefits. To do so, we tested the following predictions: matings between small males and large females are more likely to occur due to mate choice; females mated to small males are less likely to accept second copulation attempts; and matings between small males and large females will result in larger clutches of longer‐lived offspring. Following staged mating trials in the laboratory, we found no support for any of our predictions, suggesting that SSD in M. celer may not be driven by pre‐ or post‐reproductive fitness benefits to small males.     

布氏田鼠秋季家群数量与捕食风险的关系

2004年9月25日至10月15日,在内蒙古锡林郭勒盟阿巴嘎旗白音图嘎苏木研究了布氏田鼠(Lasiopodomys brandtii)秋季家群数量与来自艾虎(Mustela eversmanni)的捕食风险。布氏田鼠家群数量调查采用标志重捕法和最小已知存活数估计法(即MNA法)确定,而艾虎对布氏田鼠捕食风险的衡量指标采用在研究期间布氏田鼠洞群区新出现的艾虎粪便和挖掘痕迹。研究区面积4 hm2,涉及91个布氏田鼠家群,658只布氏田鼠,其中,17个布氏田鼠家群有新出现的艾虎粪便,5个家群被艾虎掘开。运用非参数的Mann-Whitney U检验进行数据分析,从艾虎遗留的粪便痕迹来看,未出现艾虎粪便的布氏田鼠家群总秩和为1 096,出现艾虎粪便的田鼠洞群秩和为3 090,统计量U=315,校正Z=﹣3.241,校正P=0.001 2;另外,从艾虎掘开的田鼠家群来分析,没有被艾虎挖掘的布氏田鼠家群秩和为3 757,而被艾虎掘开的田鼠家群秩和为429,统计量U=16,校正Z值为﹣3.514,P=0.000 4。两组差异达到极显著水平,表明艾虎对秋季高数量的布氏田鼠家群具有显著的优先访问和攻击偏好,也意味着高数量的布氏田鼠秋季家群具有更高的被艾虎捕食的风险。     

Joint‐linkage mapping and GWAS reveal extensive genetic loci that regulate male inflorescence size in maize

Both insufficient and excessive male inflorescence size leads to a reduction in maize yield. Knowledge of the genetic architecture of male inflorescence is essential to achieve the optimum inflorescence size for maize breeding. In this study, we used approximately eight thousand inbreds, including both linkage populations and association populations, to dissect the genetic architecture of male inflorescence. The linkage populations include 25 families developed in the U.S. and 11 families developed in China. Each family contains approximately 200 recombinant inbred lines (RILs). The association populations include approximately 1000 diverse lines from the U.S. and China. All inbreds were genotyped by either sequencing or microarray. Inflorescence size was measured as the tassel primary branch number (TBN) and tassel length (TL). A total of 125 quantitative trait loci (QTLs) were identified (63 for TBN, 62 for TL) through linkage analyses. In addition, 965 quantitative trait nucleotides (QTNs) were identified through genomewide study (GWAS) at a bootstrap posterior probability (BPP) above a 5% threshold. These QTLs/QTNs include 24 known genes that were cloned using mutants, for example Ramosa3 (ra3), Thick tassel dwarf1 (td1), tasselseed2 (ts2), liguleless2 (lg2), ramosa1 (ra1), barren stalk1 (ba1), branch silkless1 (bd1) and tasselseed6 (ts6). The newly identified genes encode a zinc transporter (e.g. GRMZM5G838098 and GRMZM2G047762), the adapt in terminal region protein (e.g. GRMZM5G885628), O‐methyl‐transferase (e.g. GRMZM2G147491), helix‐loop‐helix (HLH) DNA‐binding proteins (e.g. GRMZM2G414252 and GRMZM2G042895) and an SBP‐box protein (e.g. GRMZM2G058588). These results provide extensive genetic information to dissect the genetic architecture of inflorescence size for the improvement of maize yield.     

CLUSTERED PRIMARY BRANCH 1, a new allele of DWARF11, controls panicle architecture and seed size in rice

Panicle architecture and seed size are important agronomic traits that directly determine grain yield in rice (Oryza sativa L.). Although a number of key genes controlling panicle architecture and seed size have been cloned and characterized in recent years, their genetic and molecular mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we identified a mutant that produced panicles with fascicled primary branching and reduced seeds in size. We isolated the underlying CLUSTERED PRIMARY BRANCH 1 (CPB1) gene, a new allele of DWARF11 (D11) encoding a cytochrome P450 protein involved in brassinosteroid (BR) biosynthesis pathway. Genetic transformation experiments confirmed that a His360Leu amino acid substitution residing in the highly conserved region of CPB1/D11 was responsible for the panicle architecture and seed size changes in the cpb1 mutants. Overexpression of CPB1/D11 under the background of cpb1 mutant not only rescued normal panicle architecture and plant height, but also had a larger leaf angle and seed size than the controls. Furthermore, the CPB1/D11 transgenic plants driven by panicle‐specific promoters can enlarge seed size and enhance grain yield without affecting other favourable agronomic traits. These results demonstrated that the specific mutation in CPB1/D11 influenced development of panicle architecture and seed size, and manipulation of CPB1/D11 expression using the panicle‐specific promoter could be used to increase seed size, leading to grain yield improvement in rice.     

Evaluating the impacts of wood production and trade on bird extinction risks

Biodiversity loss can be accelerated by human consumption in regions that are far removed from habitat degradation because of economic globalization, but no study has directly quantified the effects of global trade on extinction risks at a global scale with consideration for species differences. We propose a novel biodiversity footprint index based on bird extinction risks to evaluate the effects of global wood production and trade on biodiversity. Using 536 endangered bird species threatened by wood harvesting and logging, we calculated the “quasi-extinction” probabilities, that is, the probabilities that population sizes become lower than an extinction threshold after habitat loss based on initial population sizes and forest habitat loss rates. We then used bilateral wood trade data to link the biodiversity impacts in wood exporters to wood importers. We found that if recent trends in forest cover loss continue until 2100, bird species in Brazil would be the most rapidly and heavily affected by wood production and trade, followed by those in Indonesia; these two countries alone would account for about half of all global bird extinctions. Large-scale wood importers (i.e., China, Japan, and the United States) significantly elevate overseas extinction risks and, simultaneously, reduce domestic impacts, indicating a heavy responsibility of these countries for global biodiversity loss. We also conducted a scenario analysis, which showed that the total projected number of extinct species would not decrease if each country produced the amount of wood materials necessary to meet current consumption levels. This is because bird extinction risks in tropical wood importers, such as Mexico and the Philippines, as well as Japan and China will increase if these countries increase domestic wood production. Our biodiversity footprint index is useful to identify countries whose bird species are highly affected by wood production and trade, and to quantify the role of wood trade in bird species extinctions. Additional scenario analyses are needed to establish effective patterns of wood production and consumption for bird biodiversity conservation.     

Simple assumptions predicts prey selection by piscivorous fishes

Studies on trophic interactions permits the use of community-wide network analyses to evaluate the consequences of human interventions in natural communities. In this paper, we aimed to get insights into the underlying mechanism of prey selection for four piscivorous species, and evaluate behavioral responses to prey selection after an impoundment. We assemble six food web models to search for the hypothesis that best predict observed prey selection pattern of piscivorous fishes combining the following assumptions: (i) predation window, defined as the size range of prey species consumed by a piscivorous fish; (ii) prey strategies to avoid predation (iii) and prey abundance. We tested the probability of each hypothesis to reproduce two empirical data, one before and one after an impoundment with minimum assumptions. Before impoundment, we found that predators presented switching behavior, preying preferably on abundant prey; while after impoundment, predators consumed prey within its predation window. Those results explained better than the null hypotesis and all other assumptions; and corroborate with both theoretical and empirical studies. We conclude that different assumptions drives piscivorous fish behavior in different environments; and modelling procedures can be used to assess gaps in trophic interactions of fish communities.     

Comparison of effects of static,proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation and Mulligan stretching on hip flexion range of motion: a randomized controlled trial

The aim of this study was to compare the effects of static stretching, proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) stretching and Mulligan technique on hip flexion range of motion (ROM) in subjects with bilateral hamstring tightness. A total of 40 students (mean age: 21.5±1.3 years, mean body height: 172.8±8.2 cm, mean body mass index: 21.9±3.0 kg · m^-2) with bilateral hamstring tightness were enrolled in this randomized trial, of whom 26 completed the study. Subjects were divided into 4 groups performing (I) typical static stretching, (II) PNF stretching, (III) Mulligan traction straight leg raise (TSLR) technique, (IV) no intervention. Hip flexion ROM was measured using a digital goniometer with the passive straight leg raise test before and after 4 weeks by two physiotherapists blinded to the groups. 52 extremities of 26 subjects were analyzed. Hip flexion ROM increased in all three intervention groups (p<0.05) but not in the no-intervention group after 4 weeks. A statistically significant change in initial–final assessment differences of hip flexion ROM was found between groups (p<0.001) in favour of PNF stretching and Mulligan TSLR technique in comparison to typical static stretching (p=0.016 and p=0.02, respectively). No significant difference was found between Mulligan TSLR technique and PNF stretching (p=0.920). The initial–final assessment difference of hip flexion ROM was similar in typical static stretching and no intervention (p=0.491). A 4-week stretching intervention is beneficial for increasing hip flexion ROM in bilateral hamstring tightness. However, PNF stretching and Mulligan TSLR technique are superior to typical static stretching. These two interventions can be alternatively used for stretching in hamstring tightness.     

A comparative perspective on longevity: the effect of body size dominates over ecology in moths

Both physiologically and ecologically based explanations have been proposed to account for among‐species differences in lifespan, but they remain poorly tested. Phylogenetically explicit comparative analyses are still scarce and those that exist are biased towards homoeothermic vertebrates. Insect studies can significantly contribute as lifespan can feasibly be measured in a high number of species, and the selective forces that have shaped it may differ largely between species and from those acting on larger animals. We recorded adult lifespan in 98 species of geometrid moths. Phylogenetic comparative analyses were applied to study variation in species‐specific values of lifespan and to reveal its ecological and life‐history correlates. Among‐species and between‐gender differences in lifespan were found to be notably limited; there was also no evidence of phylogenetic signal in this trait. Larger moth species were found to live longer, with this result supporting a physiological rather than ecological explanation of this relationship. Species‐specific lifespan values could not be explained by traits such as reproductive season and larval diet breadth, strengthening the evidence for the dominance of physiological determinants of longevity over ecological ones.