Sensitive periods during the development and expression of vertebrate sexual signals: A systematic review

McDermott, Molly T.; Safran, Rebecca J.

doi:10.1002/ece3.8203

Cited by 7 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 131 publications

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“…However, this seems unlikely, because we have previously shown that bcarotene administered at 1 mg g-1 expedited developmental rate in P. corroboree, whereby larvae consuming b-carotene metamorphosed sooner (McInerney et al, 2019). Given this result, an alternative reason why we did not detect a positive effect of b-carotene on exploration behavior might be that there is a sensitive phase in development during which access to dietary carotenoids has a disproportionate effect on the expression of behavior (Noguera et al, 2015;Kelleher et al, 2019;McDermott & Safran, 2021). Individuals were only exposed to b-carotene following metamorphosis, so the possibility exists that b-carotene could have an effect on behavior if supplied during the larval life stage.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 74%

Captive diet does not influence exploration behavior upon reintroduction to the wild in a critically endangered amphibian

Kelleher¹,

Silla²,

Hunter³

et al. 2022

Front. Conserv. Sci.

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Exploration behavior can have profound effects on individual fitness. Consequently, knowledge of the proximate mechanisms underpinning exploration behavior may inform conservation breeding programs (CBPs) for threatened species. However, the environmental factors that influence exploration behavior in captivity and during the reintroduction process remain poorly understood. Dietary micronutrients, such as carotenoids, are known to affect the expression of energetically costly behavioral traits, and theoretically may also influence the degree of exploration behavior in various contexts. Here, we investigate whether dietary β-carotene supplementation in captivity influences exploration behavior upon reintroduction to the wild in the critically endangered southern corroboree frog, Pseudophryne corroboree. We conducted a manipulative dietary experiment where captive bred P. corroboree were supplemented with different doses of β-carotene for 40 weeks prior to release. Frogs (n = 115) were reintroduced to the wild using a soft-release approach, where they were released into field enclosures specifically designed for this species. Upon reintroduction, the frogs’ initial exploration behavior was measured using a standardized behavioral assay. There was no effect of diet treatment on any measure of exploration behavior (mean latency to leave the initial refuge, time spent mobile within the release apparatus and latency to disperse into the field enclosure). However, there was a significant relationship between individual body size and latency to leave the refuge, whereby smaller individuals left the refuge more rapidly. While these findings provide no evidence that β-carotene at the dosages tested influences P. corroboree exploration behavior in a reintroduction context, the effect of body size draws attention to the potential for bodily state to influence exploration behavior. We discuss the need for ongoing research investigating the influence of captive diet on post release behavior, and highlight how knowledge concerning state-dependent behavior might help to inform and direct reintroduction programs.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 74%

Captive diet does not influence exploration behavior upon reintroduction to the wild in a critically endangered amphibian

Kelleher¹,

Silla²,

Hunter³

et al. 2022

Front. Conserv. Sci.

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“…The Critical Period with Later Modifiers model posits that the effect of an exposure on an outcome can be altered by events that occur after the initial exposure ( figure 1 b ). Before exploring this model, we and others make a distinction between ‘critical’ and ‘sensitive’ periods ( box 1 ; see also [ 22 , 23 ]). Both terms refer to timeframes characterized by high developmental plasticity, making it such that external stimuli during these periods have a larger effect on future phenotype than those occurring at other life stages.…”

Section: Applications Of Lifecourse Epidemiology Conceptual Models In...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As evidenced by growing literature on reaction norms and polyphenisms investigating how nutrition, predator exposure, temperature and social environment influence phenotypes in diverse taxa (reviewed in [16][17][18]), there is vast interest in mechanisms of developmental plasticity, the extent to which such mechanisms link experiences to phenotypes [19] and whether these phenomena are subject to constraints [20]. Further, the importance of the timing of exposures in shaping the phenotypes upon which natural selection acts is increasingly recognized [21][22][23][24]. Central to each of these inquiries is how evolution has shaped the form of developmental plasticity [5,14,25,26].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Applications of conceptual models from lifecourse epidemiology in ecology and evolutionary biology

et al. 2022

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In ecology and evolutionary biology (EEB), the study of developmental plasticity seeks to understand ontogenetic processes underlying the phenotypes upon which natural selection acts. A central challenge to this inquiry is ascertaining a causal effect of the exposure on the manifestation of later-life phenotype due to the time elapsed between the two events. The exposure is a potential cause of the outcome—i.e. an environmental stimulus or experience. The later phenotype might be a behaviour, physiological condition, morphology or life-history trait. The latency period between the exposure and outcome complicates causal inference due to the inevitable occurrence of additional events that may affect the relationship of interest. Here, we describe six distinct but non-mutually exclusive conceptual models from the field of lifecourse epidemiology and discuss their applications to EEB research. The models include Critical Period with No Later Modifiers, Critical Period with Later Modifiers, Accumulation of Risk with Independent Risk Exposures, Accumulation of Risk with Risk Clustering, Accumulation of Risk with Chains of Risk and Accumulation of Risk with Trigger Effect. These models, which have been widely used to test causal hypotheses regarding the early origins of adult-onset disease in humans, are directly relevant to research on developmental plasticity in EEB.

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“…Early-life conditions can have a carry-over influence on the resolution of lifehistory trade-offs that may ultimately drive fitness. Environmental conditions during early development can have a deep impact on fitness components later in life [7,8], life-history strategies [9] as well as on phenotypic expression, including that of sexual traits [10][11][12]. However, the influence of parasite burden in early life on the eco-evolutionary dynamics of sexual traits in adulthood is an unexplored question.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parasites during early life mediate the strength of phenotypic selection on sexual traits.

Martínez‐Padilla¹,

Camacho²,

Cañal³

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Sexually selected phenotypes are key to understanding population and eco-evolutionary dynamics since the expression of these traits is tightly linked to reproduction and population viability. Parasites are major agents of selection that alter both phenotypic expression and fitness. However, the carry-over effects of parasites in early life in selection on phenotypes expressed later in life are unknown. We capitalised on a long-term monitored population of pied flycatchers, Ficedula hypoleuca, where nestlings are naturally exposed to nest-dwelling, blood-sucking blowfly larvae. We explored whether parasitism by blowflies during early life and breeding mediates selection on forehead patch size (FPS), a sexual and social signal in the study species. We also explored whether FPS of males is a reliable proxy of ectoparasite burden of their offspring. We found that the strength of selection on FPS increased with the abundance of blowfly larvae only during growth, but also, that male FPS was a reliable predictor of the blowflies burden of their offspring. We highlight the major role of parasites as agents of selection in early life, but not during reproduction in adulthood. We discuss the implications of our results on the direct and indirect benefits females may obtain by mating to highly ornamented males.

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Sensitive periods during the development and expression of vertebrate sexual signals: A systematic review

Cited by 7 publications

References 131 publications

Captive diet does not influence exploration behavior upon reintroduction to the wild in a critically endangered amphibian

Captive diet does not influence exploration behavior upon reintroduction to the wild in a critically endangered amphibian

Applications of conceptual models from lifecourse epidemiology in ecology and evolutionary biology

Parasites during early life mediate the strength of phenotypic selection on sexual traits.

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