An ecological role for assortative mating under infection?

Campbell, Lewis J.; Head, Megan L.; Wilfert, Lena; Griffiths, Amber Gieselle Firefly

doi:10.1007/s10592-017-0951-9

Cited by 8 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 97 publications

(120 reference statements)

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“…Many species use the MHC genotype of a potential partner, detected via pheromones, as the basis of mate choice behaviours (Campbell, Head, Wilfert, & Griffiths, 2017;Jordan & Bruford, 1998;Penn & Potts, 1999). The up-regulation of the olfactory receptor OR8D2 in frogs originating from positive disease history populations is therefore striking, particularly given that the ability to detect favourable MHC profiles in a mate is likely to be under stronger…”

Section: Up-regulated Genesmentioning

confidence: 99%

A novel approach to wildlife transcriptomics provides evidence of disease‐mediated differential expression and changes to the microbiome of amphibian populations

et al. 2018

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Ranaviruses are responsible for a lethal, emerging infectious disease in amphibians and threaten their populations throughout the world. Despite this, little is known about how amphibian populations respond to ranaviral infection. In the United Kingdom, ranaviruses impact the common frog (Rana temporaria). Extensive public engagement in the study of ranaviruses in the UK has led to the formation of a unique system of field sites containing frog populations of known ranaviral disease history. Within this unique natural field system, we used RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) to compare the gene expression profiles of R. temporaria populations with a history of ranaviral disease and those without. We have applied a RNA read-filtering protocol that incorporates Bloom filters, previously used in clinical settings, to limit the potential for contamination that comes with the use of RNA-Seq in nonlaboratory systems. We have identified a suite of 407 transcripts that are differentially expressed between populations of different ranaviral disease history. This suite contains genes with functions related to immunity, development, protein transport and olfactory reception among others. A large proportion of potential noncoding RNA transcripts present in our differentially expressed set provide first evidence of a possible role for long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) in amphibian response to viruses. Our read-filtering approach also removed significantly more bacterial reads from libraries generated from positive disease history populations. Subsequent analysis revealed these bacterial read sets to represent distinct communities of bacterial species, which is suggestive of an interaction between ranavirus and the host microbiome in the wild.

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Section: Up-regulated Genesmentioning

confidence: 99%

A novel approach to wildlife transcriptomics provides evidence of disease‐mediated differential expression and changes to the microbiome of amphibian populations

et al. 2018

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“…In contrast, we found a positive association between genome-wide similarity and breeding success, suggesting female koalas are more likely to produce offspring with males that are more genetically similar overall. A recent review showed mating with similar individuals can allow populations to adapt more quickly to virulent diseases and parasites ( Campbell et al, 2017 ). Assortative mate preferences may help protect koala populations from threatening infectious diseases such as chlamydia ( Polkinghorne, Hanger & Timms, 2013 ) and koala retrovirus ( Denner & Young, 2013 ), and should be examined further.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Studies have shown that, in some circumstances, carrying multiple copies of the same MHC allele allows for higher disease resistance ( Grimholt et al, 2003 ; Nuismer, Otto & Blanquart, 2008 ). However, MHC assortative mating may make populations more vulnerable to future disease outbreaks or other stochastic events ( Campbell et al, 2017 ). We suggest that female koalas might not solely choose more-similar mates but may rather optimize the quantity and combination of MHC alleles in the offspring (see also Milinski, 2006 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Disentangling the mechanisms of mate choice in a captive koala population

Brandies

Grueber

Ivy

et al. 2018

PeerJ

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Successful captive breeding programs are crucial to the long-term survival of many threatened species. However, pair incompatibility (breeding failure) limits sustainability of many captive populations. Understanding whether the drivers of this incompatibility are behavioral, genetic, or a combination of both, is crucial to improving breeding programs. We used 28 years of pairing data from the San Diego Zoo koala colony, plus genetic analyses using both major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-linked and non-MHC-linked microsatellite markers, to show that both genetic and non-genetic factors can influence mating success. Male age was reconfirmed to be a contributing factor to the likelihood of a koala pair copulating. This trend could also be related to a pair’s age difference, which was highly correlated with male age in our dataset. Familiarity was reconfirmed to increase the probability of a successful copulation. Our data provided evidence that females select mates based on MHC and genome-wide similarity. Male heterozygosity at MHC class II loci was associated with both pre- and post-copulatory female choice. Genome-wide similarity, and similarity at the MHC class II DAB locus, were also associated with female choice at the post-copulatory level. Finally, certain MHC-linked alleles were associated with either increased or decreased mating success. We predict that utilizing a variety of behavioral and MHC-dependent mate choice mechanisms improves female fitness through increased reproductive success. This study highlights the complexity of mate choice mechanisms in a species, and the importance of ascertaining mate choice mechanisms to improve the success of captive breeding programs.

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“…Studies have also shown that, in some circumstances, carrying multiple copies of the same MHC allele allows for higher disease resistance (Grimholt et al 2003;Nuismer et al 2008). However, MHC assortative mating may make populations more vulnerable to future disease outbreaks or other stochastic events (Campbell et al 2017). Therefore, we suggest that female koalas may not solely choose more-similar mates but may rather optimise the quantity and combination of MHC alleles in the offspring (see also Milinski 2006).…”

Section: Genetic Determinants Of Koala Mate Choicementioning

confidence: 89%

“…In contrast, we found a positive association between genome-wide similarity and breeding success, suggesting female koalas are more likely to produce offspring with males that are more genetically similar overall. A recent review highlighted how mating with similar individuals can allow populations to adapt more quickly to virulent diseases and parasites (Campbell et al 2017). Assortative mate preferences may therefore help protect koala populations from threatening infectious diseases such as chlamydia and koala retrovirus, and should be examined further.…”

Section: Genetic Determinants Of Koala Mate Choicementioning

confidence: 99%

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Successful captive breeding programs are crucial to the long-term survival of threatened species. However, pair incompatibility limits sustainability of many captive populations. Understanding whether the drivers of this incompatibility are behavioural or genetic, or a combination of both, is crucial to improving breeding programs. We used twenty-eight years of pairing data from the San Diego Zoo koala colony, plus genetic analyses using both MHC-linked and non-MHC-linked microsatellite markers, to show that both behavioural and genetic determinants can influence mating success. Male age was reconfirmed to be a contributing factor to the likelihood of a pair copulating. Familiarity was also reconfirmed to increase the probability of a successful copulation. Our data provided evidence that females select mates based on MHC and genome-wide similarity. Male heterozygosity at class II MHC loci influenced both pre-and post-copulatory female choice. Genome-wide similarity and similarity at the MHCII DAB locus were also found to influence female choice at the post-copulatory level. Finally, certain MHC-linked alleles were associated with increased or decreased mating success. We predict that utilising a variety of behavioural and MHC-dependent mate choice mechanisms improves female fitness through increased reproductive success. This study highlights the complexity of mate choice mechanisms within a species and the importance of ascertaining mate choice mechanisms to improve the success of captive breeding programs.

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An ecological role for assortative mating under infection?

Cited by 8 publications

References 97 publications

A novel approach to wildlife transcriptomics provides evidence of disease‐mediated differential expression and changes to the microbiome of amphibian populations

A novel approach to wildlife transcriptomics provides evidence of disease‐mediated differential expression and changes to the microbiome of amphibian populations

Disentangling the mechanisms of mate choice in a captive koala population

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