Expanding the evolutionary explanations for sex differences in the human skeleton

While the anatomy and physiology of human reproduction differ between the sexes, the effects of hormones on skeletal growth do not. Human bone growth depends on estrogen. Greater estrogen produced by ovaries causes bones in female bodies to fuse before males' resulting in sex differences in adult height and mass. Female pelves expand more than males' due to estrogen and relaxin produced and employed by the tissues of the pelvic region and potentially also due to greater internal space occupied by female gonads and genitals. Evolutionary explanations for skeletal sex differences (aka sexual dimorphism) that focus too narrowly on big competitive men and broad birthing women must account for the adaptive biology of skeletal growth and its dependence on the developmental physiology of reproduction. In this case, dichotomizing evolution into proximate‐ultimate categories may be impeding the progress of human evolutionary science, as well as enabling the popular misunderstanding and abuse of it.     

Goose parents lead migration V

Many migratory animals travel in large social groups. Large, avian migrants that fly in V-formations were proposed do so for energy saving by the use of up-wash by following individuals and regularly change leadership. As groups have been rather homogeneous in previous work, we aimed to explore leadership and its flight mechanics consequences in an extremely heterogeneous case of social migration, namely in spring migration of goose families. In families the experience of group members differs strongly and inclusive fitness may be important. We successfully collected overlapping spring migration tracking data of a complete family of greater white-fronted geese Anser a. albifrons and extracted leadership, flapping frequency and wind conditions in flight. Our data revealed V-formations where one parent was flying in front at all times. Although the father led the family group most of the time, he did not flap at higher frequency while doing so. In contrast, the mother flapped faster when leading, possibly because she experienced less supportive wind conditions than when the father led. We argue that in heterogeneous, social groups leadership might be fixed and not costly if supportive environmental conditions like wind can be used.     

Effect of deltamethrin-incorporated nets on mobility and survivorship of Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) adults and nymphs in the laboratory

The brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys Stål (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), is an invasive pest that attacks specialty and row crops in North America and Europe. There has been a concerted effort to reduce frequent broad-spectrum insecticide applications made on vulnerable crops. One tool that has emerged recently is the use of long-lasting insecticide-treated nets (LLINs) as a killing agent. Here, we conducted bioassays to evaluate the effect of direct contact on deltamethrin-impregnated LLINs on the behaviour and survivorship of H. halys nymphs and adults in the laboratory. Following exposure at three different durations (1.25, 4.25 or 7.25 min), vertical and horizontal mobility of adults and nymphs and the flight capacity of adults were recorded and compared with individuals that were not exposed (control). Exposure to LLINs reduced the horizontal distance and velocity and increased the angular velocity of adults only but reduced vertical mobility of adults and nymphs. Adult flights were not significantly affected by LLIN exposure. Mortality of adults and nymphs at 7-day post-exposure ranged from 73% to 77% regardless of exposure time. We discuss our findings within the context of the potential for and limitations of deploying LLINs in vulnerable crops to manage H. halys populations.     

Nests in the cities: adaptive and non-adaptive phenotypic plasticity and convergence in an urban bird

Phenotypic plasticity plays a critical role in adaptation to novel environments. Behavioural plasticity enables more rapid responses to unfamiliar conditions than evolution by natural selection. Urban ecosystems are one such novel environment in which behavioural plasticity has been documented. However, whether such plasticity is adaptive, and if plasticity is convergent among urban populations, is poorly understood. We studied the nesting biology of an ‘urban-adapter’ species, the dark-eyed junco (Junco hyemalis), to understand the role of plasticity in adapting to city life. We examined (i) whether novel nesting behaviours are adaptive, (ii) whether pairs modify nest characteristics in response to prior outcomes, and (iii) whether two urban populations exhibit similar nesting behaviour. We monitored 170 junco nests in urban Los Angeles and compared our results with prior research on 579 nests from urban San Diego. We found that nests placed in ecologically novel locations (off-ground and on artificial surfaces) increased fitness, and that pairs practiced informed re-nesting in site selection. The Los Angeles population more frequently nested off-ground than the San Diego population and exhibited a higher success rate. Our findings suggest that plasticity facilitates adaptation to urban environments, and that the drivers behind novel nesting behaviours are complex and multifaceted.     

小麦矮秆突变体jm22d响应赤霉素处理的转录组学分析

为拓宽小麦矮秆遗传资源,利用γ射线辐照济麦22获得了一个赤霉素不敏感型矮秆突变体jm22d。株高相关性状调查结果及茎秆细胞学试验显示,jm22d株高为53±1.8 cm,比野生型（WT）低约20 cm。jm22d整株茎秆共有4节,比WT少一节且各节间长度显著小于WT。与WT相比,jm22d茎秆细胞长度缩短。赤霉素含量测定发现,jm22d叶片中赤霉素含量高于WT,而茎秆中赤霉素含量低于WT（P<0.01）,因此,jm22d株高降低与赤霉素转运途径出现异常有关。为了深入研究jm22d对赤霉素的响应机理,对jm22d和WT幼苗进行赤霉素处理,分别收取处理0（D0）、1（D1）和3 d（D3）的样品进行转录组学分析。结果表明,与WT相比,在jm22d中共筛选到696个上调和1 067个下调的表达基因,其中62个和349个基因在3个时间点分别表现为上调和下调表达。叶绿素含量测定表明,jm22d中叶绿素含量随赤霉素处理时间的延长而降低,聚类分析结果表明,差异表达基因主要富集在光合作用-天线蛋白（photosynthesis-antenna proteins,ko00196）、卟啉和叶绿素代谢（porphyrin and chlorophyll metabolism,ko00860）、亚油酸新陈代谢（linoleic acid metabolism,ko00591）等通路,因此赤霉素处理对jm22d体内叶绿素含量的积累具有抑制作用。通过KEGG分析在植物激素信号转导途径中挖掘到5个差异表达基因（TraesCS2B01G582300、TraesCS2B01G600800、TraesCS2B01G556600、TraesCS2B01G630000和TraesCS6B01G439600）参与生长素、细胞分裂素等激素代谢途径,这些基因在jm22d中显著下调,这可能是jm22d矮化的重要原因。研究结果为矮秆突变体矮化机制的解析提供了重要参考。     

The long-run heterogeneous effects of a cholera pandemic on stature: Evidence from industrializing Japan

The recent COVID-19 pandemic poses the general question on how infectious diseases can persistently affect human health. A growing body of literature has found a significant amount of evidence on the long-term adverse effects of infectious diseases, such as influenza, typhoid fever, and yellow fever. However, we must be careful about the fact that little is known about the long-term consequences of the acute diarrheal disease pandemic cholera – Vibrio cholerae bacillus – which still threatens the health of the population in many developing countries. To bridge this gap in the body of knowledge, we utilized unique census-based data on army height at age 20 in early 20th-century Japan, with a difference-in-differences estimation strategy using regional variation in the intensity of cholera pandemics. We found that early-life exposure to a cholera pandemic had heterogeneous stunting effects on the final height of men; the magnitude of the stunting effects increased as the intensity of exposure increased.     

Plant functional traits and community assembly along interacting gradients of productivity and fragmentation

Quantifying the association of plant functional traits to environmental gradients is a promising approach for understanding and projecting community responses to land use and climatic changes. Although habitat fragmentation and climate are expected to affect plant communities interactively, there is a lack of empirical studies addressing trait associations to fragmentation in different climatic regimes.In this study, we analyse data on the key functional traits: specific leaf area (SLA), plant height, seed mass and seed number. First, we assess the evidence for the community assembly mechanisms habitat filtering and competition at different spatial scales, using several null-models and a comprehensive set of community-level trait convergence and divergence indices. Second, we analyse the association of community-mean traits with patch area and connectivity along a south–north productivity gradient.We found clear evidence for trait convergence due to habitat filtering. In contrast, the evidence for trait divergence due to competition fundamentally depended on the null-model used. When the null-model controlled for habitat filtering, there was only evidence for trait divergence at the smallest sampling scale (0.25 m × 0.25 m). All traits varied significantly along the S–N productivity gradient. While plant height and SLA were consistently associated with fragmentation, the association of seed mass and seed number with fragmentation changed along the S–N gradient.Our findings indicate trait convergence due to drought stress in the arid sites and due to higher productivity in the mesic sites. The association of plant traits to fragmentation is likely driven by increased colonization ability in small and/or isolated patches (plant height, seed number) or increased persistence ability in isolated patches (seed mass).Our study provides the first empirical test of trait associations with fragmentation along a productivity gradient. We conclude that it is crucial to study the interactive effects of different ecological drivers on plant functional traits.