Mortality costs of sexual selection and parental care in natural populations of birds

Abstract Is the cost of reproduction different between males and females? On the one hand, males typically compete intensely for mates, thus sexual selection theory predicts higher cost of reproduction for males in species with intense male‐male competition. On the other hand, care provisioning such as incubating the eggs and raising young may also be costly, thus parental care theory predicts higher mortality for the care‐giving sex, which is often the female. We tested both hypotheses of reproductive costs using phylogenetic comparative analyses of sex‐specific adult mortality rates of 194 bird species across 41 families. First, we show that evolutionary increases in male‐male competition were associated with male‐biased mortalities. This relationship is consistent between two measures of mating competition: social mating system and testis size. Second, as predicted by the parental cost hypothesis, females have significantly higher adult mortalities (mean ± SE, 0.364 ± 0.01) than males (0.328 ± 0.01). However, the mortality cost of parental care was only detectable in males, when the influence of mating competition was statistically controlled. Taken together, our results challenge the traditional explanation of female‐biased avian mortalities, because evolutionary changes in female care were unrelated to changes in mortality bias. The interspecific variation in avian mortality bias, as we show here, is driven by males, specifically via the costs of both mating competition and parental care. We also discuss alternative hypotheses for why most birds exhibit female‐biased mortalities, whereas in mammals male‐biased mortalities predominate.     

Taxonomic identification bias does not drive patterns of abundance and diversity in theropod dinosaurs

The ability of palaeontologists to correctly diagnose and classify new fossil species from incomplete morphological data is fundamental to our understanding of evolution. Different parts of the vertebrate skeleton have different likelihoods of fossil preservation and varying amounts of taxonomic information, which could bias our interpretations of fossil material. Substantial previous research has focused on the diversity and macroevolution of non-avian theropod dinosaurs. Theropods provide a rich dataset for analysis of the interactions between taxonomic diagnosability and fossil preservation. We use specimen data and formal taxonomic diagnoses to create a new metric, the Likelihood of Diagnosis, which quantifies the diagnostic likelihood of fossil species in relation to bone preservation potential. We use this to assess whether a taxonomic identification bias impacts the non-avian theropod fossil record. We find that the patterns of differential species abundance and clade diversity are not a consequence of their relative diagnosability. Although there are other factors that bias the theropod fossil record that are not investigated here, our results suggest that patterns of relative abundance and diversity for theropods might be more representative of Mesozoic ecology than often considered.     

苍砂白芥汤结合GnRH-a治疗子宫肌瘤疗效及对其卵巢功能、血清bFGF、NF-κB水平影响

摘要 目的：探讨苍砂白芥汤结合GnRH-a治疗子宫肌瘤疗效及对其卵巢功能、血清bFGF、NF-κB水平影响。方法：选取2019年5月至2021年5月于我院接受治疗的110例子宫肌瘤患者为本次研究对象,将患者分为观察组和对照组,每组55例。对照组患者接受GnRH-a治疗,观察组接受苍砂白芥汤结合GnRH-a治疗,对比两组临床治疗总有效率、孕酮（P）水平、卵泡刺激素（FSH）水平、雌二醇（E₂）水平、血管内皮生长因子（VEGF）水平、碱性成纤维细胞生长因子（bFGF）水平、基质金属蛋白酶3（MMP-3）水平、核转录因子-κB亚型P65（NF-κB P65）水平、肿瘤特异性生长因子（TSGF）水平。结果：观察组总有效率较对照组高（P<0.05）;两组治疗前P、FSH、E₂水平比较无差异（P>0.05）,两组治疗后P、FSH、E₂水平均有所下降,且观察组均低于对照组（P<0.05）;两组患者治疗前VEGF、bFGF、MMP-3水平比较无差异（P>0.05）,两组患者治疗后VEGF、bFGF、MMP-3水平均有所降低,且观察组均低于对照组（P<0.05）;两组治疗前NF-κB P65、TSGF水平比较无差异（P>0.05）,两组治疗后NF-κB P65、TSGF水平均有所下降,且观察组低于对照组（P<0.05）。结论：使用苍砂白芥汤结合GnRH-a治疗子宫肌瘤,可提高临床治疗效果,调节性激素水平,改善VEGF、bFGF、MMP-3、NF-κB P65、TSGF水平,值得临床推广使用。     

枯草芽孢杆菌同义密码子使用偏性对蛋白质折叠速率的影响

目前,有关同义密码子使用偏性对蛋白质折叠的影响研究中,样本蛋白均来源于不同的物种。考虑到同义密码子使用偏性的物种差异性,选取枯草杆菌的核蛋白为研究对象。首先,将每条核蛋白按二级结构截取为α螺旋片段、β折叠片段和无规卷曲（α-β混合）片段,并计算其蛋白质折叠速率。然后,整理每个片段相应的核酸序列信息,计算其同义密码子使用度。在此基础上,分析枯草芽孢杆菌核蛋白的同义密码子使用偏性与蛋白质折叠速率的相关性。发现对于不同二级结构的肽链片段,都有部分密码子的使用偏性与其对应的肽链折叠速率显著相关。进一步分析发现,与肽链片段折叠速率显著相关的密码子绝大部分为枯草杆菌全序列或核蛋白序列的每一组同义密码子中使用度最高的密码子。结果表明,在蛋白质的折叠过程中,枯草芽孢杆菌的同义密码子使用偏性起着重要作用。     

子宫肌瘤复发的相关因素分析

目的:探讨子宫肌瘤剔除术后复发的相关因素,为临床降低复发率提供科学依据和有效途径.方法:收集2002年1月至2010年12月北京市怀柔区第一医院妇科门诊收治的445例子宫肌瘤剔除术患者的临床资料及子宫肌瘤术后复发随访情况,对相关因素进行单因素和多因素logistic分析.结果:随访的445例患者复发94例,复发率为21.12％,复发距手术时间6～96个月,平均(38.5±12.8)个月.年龄、BMI、肌瘤数目、肌瘤大小、肌瘤部位、既往分娩史、术后用药与肌瘤复发显著相关,其中年龄、BMI、肌瘤数目是子宫肌瘤复发的独立危险因素,术后妊娠是子宫肌瘤复发的保护因素.结论:年龄、BMI、肌瘤数目是子宫肌瘤复发的独立危险因素,术后妊娠是保护因素.     

Not-so-social learning strategies

Social learning strategies (SLSs) are rules specifying the conditions in which it would be adaptive for animals to copy the behaviour of others rather than to persist with a previously established behaviour or to acquire a new behaviour through asocial learning. In behavioural ecology, cultural evolutionary theory and economics, SLSs are studied using a ‘phenotypic gambit’—from a purely functional perspective, without reference to their underlying psychological mechanisms. However, SLSs are described in these fields as if they were implemented by complex, domain-specific, genetically inherited mechanisms of decision-making. In this article, we suggest that it is time to begin investigating the psychology of SLSs, and we initiate this process by examining recent experimental work relating to three groups of strategies: copy when alternative unsuccessful, copy when model successful and copy the majority. In each case, we argue that the reported behaviour could have been mediated by domain-general and taxonomically general psychological mechanisms; specifically, by mechanisms, identified through conditioning experiments, that make associative learning selective. We also suggest experimental manipulations that could be used in future research to resolve more fully the question whether, in non-human animals, SLSs are mediated by domain-general or domain-specific psychological mechanisms.     

Sampling bias in estimating Design II variance components with S1 families

Summary The use of several S₁ individuals to represent an S₀ individual permits the use of a Design II mating scheme for plants with only one pistillate flower per plant. Estimates of additive (V _A ) and dominance (V _D ) variance from this mating scheme will be biased upwards, when a small number (10) of individuals of each S₁ line are used. This bias can be computed, and the additive and dominance estimates can be corrected. Of particular interest is the observation that the additive genetic variance contributes to bias in estimates of V _D . When S₀ plants are non inbred and their selfedprogeny (S₁ lines) are used to represent them in developing families for use in the Design II, where m₁ is the number of individuals used to represent an S₁ line in developing half sib-families and m₂ is the number of individuals used to represent the S₁ line in making up full sib-families. For example, in a 3×3 Design II, with about 10 individuals used to represent each S₁ line in each cross, m₂ = 10 and m₁ = 30. When m₁ = m₂ = 1, and Joint contribution from Department of Agronomy, University of Nebraska 68583, and the S. S. Cameron Laboratory, Werribee, Victoria 3030, Australia. Published as paper No. 7395, Journal Series     

On phylogenetic tests of irreversible evolution

"Dollo's law" states that, following loss, a complex trait cannot reevolve in an identical manner. Although the law has previously fallen into disrepute, it has only recently been challenged with statistical phylogenetic methods. We employ simulation studies of an irreversible binary character to show that rejections of Dollo's law based on likelihood-ratio tests of transition rate constraints or on reconstructions of ancestral states are frequently incorrect. We identify two major causes of errors: incorrect assignment of root state frequencies, and neglect of the effect of the character state on rates of speciation and extinction. Our findings do not necessarily overturn the conclusions of phylogenetic studies claiming reversals, but we demonstrate devastating flaws in the methods that are the foundation of all such studies. Furthermore, we show that false rejections of Dollo's law can be reduced by the use of appropriate existing models and model selection procedures. More powerful tests of irreversibility require data beyond phylogenies and character states of extant taxa, and we highlight empirical work that incorporates additional information.     

Evidence for targeting common siRNA hotspots and GC preference by plant Dicer-like proteins

Small interfering (si)RNAs isolated from Brassica juncea leaves infected by Turnip mosaic virus (TuMV) were characterized by cloning and sequencing. The TuMV siRNA population was dominated by 21 and 22-nt long species originated mainly from the same siRNA hotspots, indicating operational similarity between the plant Dicer-like (DCL) enzymes. Robust GC bias was observed for TuMV siRNAs versus the virus genome, indicating that DCL was more likely to target GC-rich regions. Furthermore, dicot micro-(mi)RNAs displayed higher GC% than their DCL1 substrate RNAs, implicating that the GC bias may be ancient, therefore may be important for the RNAi technology.     

Comparative Molecular Evolution of Primary (<Emphasis Type="BoldItalic">Buchnera</Emphasis>) and Secondary Symbionts of Aphids Based on Two Protein-Coding Genes

A+T content, phylogenetic relationships, codon usage, evolutionary rates, and ratio of synonymous versus non-synonymous substitutions have been studied in partial sequences of the atpD and aroQ/pheA genes of primary (Buchnera) and secondary symbionts of aphids and a set of selected non-symbiotic bacteria, belonging to the five subdivisions of the Proteobacteria. Compared to the homologous genes of the last group, both genes belonging to Buchnera behave in a similar way, showing a higher A+T content, forming a monophyletic group, a loss in codon bias, especially in third base position, an evolutionary acceleration and an increase in the number of non-synonymous substitutions, confirming previous results reported elsewhere for other genes. When available, these properties have been partly observed with the secondary symbionts, but with values that are intermediate between Buchnera and free living Proteobacteria. They show high A+T content, but not as high as Buchnera, a non-solved phylogenetic position between Buchnera, and the other γ-Proteobacteria, a loss in codon bias, again not as high as in Buchnera and a significant evolutionary acceleration in the case of the three atpD genes, but not when considering aroQ/pheA genes. These results give support to the hypothesis that they are symbionts at different stages of the symbiotic accommodation to the host.