Environment‐induced changes in reproductive strategies and their transgenerational effects in the three‐spined stickleback

Álvarez-Quintero, Náyade; Velando, Alberto; Noguera, José C.; Kim, Sin‐Yeon

doi:10.1002/ece3.7052

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 101 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Indeed, in a recent study, we found that the level of oxidative DNA damage in sperm negatively influenced egg fertilization success in the same study population (our unpublished data). It is interesting to note that juveniles from redder families tend to die younger in this population due to genetic conflict between attractiveness and viability [ 36 ], and females do not prefer redder males in another adjacent annual population [ 57 ]. Nevertheless, red colouration may be selected due to its benefits for male sticklebacks in territory defence against other males [ 58 , 59 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this annual population, fish go through a single long reproductive season during which females spawn on average six clutches [ 72 ], and successful males simultaneously take care of multiple clutches from different females in their nests [ 73 ]. Thus, males’ behaviours during courtship, which are related to their cognitive ability [ 57 ] and possibly to their parental care behaviour, may be under strong sexual selection in this population. Contrary to expectations, in these annual populations, sexual ornaments of males may not honestly signal their physiological and physical state because they invest at maximum in the single reproductive season due to their relatively low life expectancy compared to northern populations [ 13 , 74 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Relationships between male secondary sexual traits, physiological state and offspring viability in the three-spined stickleback

2022

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Sexual signals produced by males play a central role in sexual selection, but the relationship between these traits and the quality of the bearer are often ambiguous. Secondary sexual traits may represent genetic quality of the bearer, resulting in positive relationships with physiological state, or may be costly to produce, showing trade-off with physiological state. A number of studies have explored the relationships between secondary sexual traits and other functional traits, but few have studied their fitness consequences. We studied the link between diverse physiological traits and both morphological and behavioural sexual traits and examined how their interplay influences offspring viability in the three-spined stickleback. Results Male sticklebacks showing nest building and courtship behaviour were smaller than those not investing in reproductive activities. There was no evidence that the expression of red nuptial colouration and the quality of courtship behaviour of males are positively related to their metabolic rates, swim ability, oxidative damage and mtDNA copy number. However, individuals showing larger red nuptial colour areas had higher levels of oxidative DNA damage in their sperm. Male courtship behaviour and aggressiveness, but not red colour area, were good predictors of offspring hatching and survival. Conclusions Our results suggest that, in our study population at the southern edge of the species’ distribution, sexual colouration of male sticklebacks was not a good indicator of their body state, but both courtship quality and aggressiveness during the courtship are reliable cues of their gamete quality, influencing the viability of their offspring. Thus, females that choose mates based on their courtship behaviour will have high fitness. In the study population, which represents a fast pace-of-life with high reproductive rate and short lifespan, sexual ornaments of males may not honestly signal their physiological and physical state because they invest at maximum in a single reproductive season despite high costs.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relationships between male secondary sexual traits, physiological state and offspring viability in the three-spined stickleback

2022

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

No effect of testosterone or sexual ornamentation on telomere dynamics: A case study and meta‐analyses

Taylor,

McQueen,

Eastwood

et al. 2024

Ecology and Evolution

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Life‐history theory predicts that reproductive investments are traded‐off against self‐maintenance. Telomeres, the protective caps on the ends of chromosomes, offer a promising avenue for assessing life‐history trade‐offs, as they shorten in response to stressors and are predictive of the remaining lifespan. In males, testosterone frequently mediates life‐history trade‐offs, in part, through its effects on sexual ornamentation, which is an important aspect of reproductive investment. However, studies of within‐individual associations between telomere dynamics and sexual ornamentation are limited in number and have produced mixed results. Furthermore, most such studies have been observational, making it difficult to discern the nature of any causal relationship. To address this, we used short‐acting testosterone implants in free‐living male superb fairy‐wrens (Malurus cyaneus) to stimulate the production of a sexual ornament: early moult into a costly blue breeding plumage. We found no evidence that elevated testosterone, and the consequent earlier moult into breeding plumage, accelerated telomere shortening. We therefore followed up with a systematic review and two meta‐analyses (28 studies, 54 effect sizes) exploring the associations between telomeres and (1) testosterone and (2) sexual ornamentation. In line with our experimental findings, neither meta‐analysis showed an overall correlation of testosterone or sexual ornamentation with telomere length or telomere dynamics. However, meta‐regression showed that experimental, compared to observational, studies reported greater evidence of trade‐offs. Our meta‐analyses highlight the need for further experimental studies to better understand potential responses of telomere length or telomere dynamics to testosterone or sexual ornamentation.

show abstract

An evolutionary perspective of lifespan and epigenetic inheritance

Auley

2023

Experimental Gerontology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Environment‐induced changes in reproductive strategies and their transgenerational effects in the three‐spined stickleback

Abstract: This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Cited by 4 publications

References 101 publications

Relationships between male secondary sexual traits, physiological state and offspring viability in the three-spined stickleback

Relationships between male secondary sexual traits, physiological state and offspring viability in the three-spined stickleback

No effect of testosterone or sexual ornamentation on telomere dynamics: A case study and meta‐analyses

An evolutionary perspective of lifespan and epigenetic inheritance

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About