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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Demonstrating Mate Choice Copying In Spiders Requires Further Research, R. Tucker Gilman, Kasey Fowler-Finn, Eileen A. Hebets Jan 2020

Demonstrating Mate Choice Copying In Spiders Requires Further Research, R. Tucker Gilman, Kasey Fowler-Finn, Eileen A. Hebets

Eileen Hebets Publications

Mate choice copying—when individuals learn to prefer mates or mate types that have been chosen by others—can influence trait evo-lution and speciation (Varela et al. 2018; Dion et al. 2019). Most examples of mate choice copying are from fish, birds, and mammals including humans (Varela et al. 2018). However, 2 invertebrate examples—fruit flies and wolf spiders—have been used to argue that the phenomenon may be phylogenetically widespread, and perhaps the rule rather than the exception in nature (Varela et al. 2018). Here, we revisit the evidence for mate choice copying in wolf spiders (Fowler-Finn et al. 2015) in light of …


Contemporary Sexual Selection Does Not Explain Variation In Male Display Traits Among Populations, J. Colton Watts, Allissa Flynn, Brigitte Tenhumberg, Eileen Hebets Jan 2019

Contemporary Sexual Selection Does Not Explain Variation In Male Display Traits Among Populations, J. Colton Watts, Allissa Flynn, Brigitte Tenhumberg, Eileen Hebets

Brigitte Tenhumberg Papers

Sexual selection is widely hypothesized to facilitate the evolution of reproductive isolation through divergence in sexual traits and sexual trait preferences among populations. However, direct evidence of divergent sexual selection causing intraspecific trait divergence remains limited. Using the wolf spider Schizocosa crassipes, we characterized patterns of female mate choice within and among geographic locations and related those patterns to geographic variation in male display traits to test whether divergent sexual selection caused by mate choice explains intraspecific trait variation. We found evidence of phenotypic selection on male behavior arising from female mate choice, but no evidence that selection varied …


Patterns Of Morphological And Molecular Evolution In The Antillean Tree Bat, Ardops Nichollsi (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae), Roxanne J. Larsen, Peter A. Larsen, Caleb D. Phillips, Hugh H. Genoways, Gary G. Kwiecinski, Scott C. Pedersen, Carleton J. Phillips, Robert J. Baker Mar 2017

Patterns Of Morphological And Molecular Evolution In The Antillean Tree Bat, Ardops Nichollsi (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae), Roxanne J. Larsen, Peter A. Larsen, Caleb D. Phillips, Hugh H. Genoways, Gary G. Kwiecinski, Scott C. Pedersen, Carleton J. Phillips, Robert J. Baker

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

Species endemic to oceanic islands offer unique insights into the mechanisms underlying evolution and have served as model systems for decades. Often these species show phenotypic variation that is correlated with the ecosystems in which they occur and such correlations may be a product of genetic drift, natural selection, and/or environmental factors. We explore the morphologic and genetic variation within Ardops nichollsi, a species of phyllostomid bat endemic to the Lesser Antillean islands. Ardops nichollsi is an ideal taxon to investigate the tempo of evolution in Chiroptera, as it: is a recently derived genus in the family Phyllostomidae; contains …


The Maintenance Of Phenotypic Divergence Through Sexual Selection: An Experimental Study In Barn Swallows Hirundo Rustica, Rebecca Safran, Yoni Vortman, Brittany R. Jenkins, Joanna K. Hubbard, Matt Wilkins, Rachel J. Bradley, Arnon Lotem Jul 2016

The Maintenance Of Phenotypic Divergence Through Sexual Selection: An Experimental Study In Barn Swallows Hirundo Rustica, Rebecca Safran, Yoni Vortman, Brittany R. Jenkins, Joanna K. Hubbard, Matt Wilkins, Rachel J. Bradley, Arnon Lotem

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Previous studies have shown that sexual signals can rapidly diverge among closely related species. However, we lack experimental studies to demonstrate that differences in trait-associated reproductive performance maintain sexual trait differences between closely related populations, in support for a role of sexual selection in speciation. Populations of Northern Hemisphere distributed barn swallows Hirundo rustica are closely related, yet differ in two plumage-based traits: ventral color and length of the outermost tail feathers (streamers). Here we provide experimental evidence that manipulations of these traits result in different reproductive consequences in two subspecies of barn swallow: (H. r. erythrogaster in North …


Genome-Wide Differentiation In Closely Related Populations: The Roles Of Selection And Geographic Isolation, Rebecca Safran, Elizabeth Scordato, Matt Wilkins, Joanna K. Hubbard, B. R. Jenkins, Tomáš Albrecht, Samuel Flaxman, H. Karaardiç, Yoni Vortman, Arnon Lotem, Patrik Nosil, P. Pap, Sheng-Feng Shen, S.-F. Chan, T. L. Parchman, Nolan C. Kane Jun 2016

Genome-Wide Differentiation In Closely Related Populations: The Roles Of Selection And Geographic Isolation, Rebecca Safran, Elizabeth Scordato, Matt Wilkins, Joanna K. Hubbard, B. R. Jenkins, Tomáš Albrecht, Samuel Flaxman, H. Karaardiç, Yoni Vortman, Arnon Lotem, Patrik Nosil, P. Pap, Sheng-Feng Shen, S.-F. Chan, T. L. Parchman, Nolan C. Kane

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Population divergence in geographic isolation is due to a combination of factors. Natural and sexual selection may be important in shaping patterns of population differentiation, a pattern referred to as “isolation by adaptation” (IBA). IBA can be complementary to the well-known pattern of “isolation by distance” (IBD), in which the divergence of closely related populations (via any evolutionary process) is associated with geographic isolation. The barn swallow Hirundo rustica complex comprises six closely related subspecies, where divergent sexual selection is associated with phenotypic differentiation among allopatric populations. To investigate the relative contributions of selection and geographic distance to genome-wide differentiation, …


The Complexities Of Female Mate Choice And Male Polymorphisms: Elucidating The Role Of Genetics, Age, And Mate-Choice Copying, Kasey D. Fowler-Finn, Laura Sullivan-Beckers, Amy M. Runck, Eileen A. Hebets Jan 2015

The Complexities Of Female Mate Choice And Male Polymorphisms: Elucidating The Role Of Genetics, Age, And Mate-Choice Copying, Kasey D. Fowler-Finn, Laura Sullivan-Beckers, Amy M. Runck, Eileen A. Hebets

Eileen Hebets Publications

Genetic, life history, and environmental factors dictate patterns of variation in sexual traits within and across populations, and thus the action and outcome of sexual selection. This study explores patterns of inheritance, diet, age, and mate-choice copying on the expression of male sexual signals and associated female mate choice in a phenotypically diverse group of Schizocosa wolf spiders. Focal spiders exhibit one of two male phenotypes: ‘ornamented’ males possess large black brushes on their forelegs, and ‘non-ornamented’ males possess no brushes. Using a quantitative genetics breeding design in a mixed population of ornamented/non-ornamented males, we found a strong genetic basis …


Genome-Wide Analysis Of Syntenic Gene Deletion In The Grasses, James C. Schnable, Michael Freeling, Eric Lyons Jan 2012

Genome-Wide Analysis Of Syntenic Gene Deletion In The Grasses, James C. Schnable, Michael Freeling, Eric Lyons

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The grasses, Poaceae, are one of the largest and most successful angiosperm families. Like many radiations of flowering plants, the divergence of the major grass lineages was preceded by a whole-genome duplication (WGD), although these events are not rare for flowering plants. By combining identification of syntenic gene blocks with measures of gene pair divergence and different frequencies of ancient gene loss, we have separated the two subgenomes present in modern grasses. Reciprocal loss of duplicated genes or genomic regions has been hypothesized to reproductively isolate populations and, thus, speciation. However, in contrast to previous studies in yeast and teleost …


A Robust New Metric Of Phenotypic Distance To Estimate And Compare Multiple Trait Differences Among Populations, Rebecca Safran, Samuel Flaxman, Michael Kopp, Darren E. Irwin, Derek Briggs, Matthew R. Evans, W. Chris Funk, David A. Gray, Eileen A. Hebets, Nathalie Seddon, Elizabeth Scordato, Laurel B. Symes, Joseph A. Tobias, David P.L. Toews, J. Albert C. Uy Jan 2012

A Robust New Metric Of Phenotypic Distance To Estimate And Compare Multiple Trait Differences Among Populations, Rebecca Safran, Samuel Flaxman, Michael Kopp, Darren E. Irwin, Derek Briggs, Matthew R. Evans, W. Chris Funk, David A. Gray, Eileen A. Hebets, Nathalie Seddon, Elizabeth Scordato, Laurel B. Symes, Joseph A. Tobias, David P.L. Toews, J. Albert C. Uy

Eileen Hebets Publications

Whereas a rich literature exists for estimating population genetic divergence, metrics of phenotypic trait divergence are lacking, particularly for comparing multiple traits among three or more populations. Here, we review and analyze via simulation Hedges’ g, a widely used parametric estimate of effect size. Our analyses indicate that g is sensitive to a combination of unequal trait variances and unequal sample sizes among populations and to changes in the scale of measurement. We then go on to derive and explain a new, non-parametric distance measure, “Δp”, which is calculated based upon a joint cumulative distribution function (CDF) from all …


An Evolutionary Expressed Sequence Tag Analysis Of Drosophila Spermatheca Genes, Adrianne Prokupek, Federico G. Hoffmann, Seong-Il Eyun, Etsuko N. Moriyama, Min Zhou, Lawrence G. Harshman Aug 2008

An Evolutionary Expressed Sequence Tag Analysis Of Drosophila Spermatheca Genes, Adrianne Prokupek, Federico G. Hoffmann, Seong-Il Eyun, Etsuko N. Moriyama, Min Zhou, Lawrence G. Harshman

Papers in Genetics

This study investigates genes enriched for expression in the spermatheca, the long-term sperm storage organ (SSO) of female Drosophila. SSO genes are likely to play an important role in processes of sexual selection such as sperm competition and cryptic female choice. Although there is keen interest in the mechanisms of sexual selection at the molecular level, very little is known about the female genes that are involved. In the present study, a high proportion of genes enriched for expression in the spermatheca are evolving rapidly. Most of the rapidly evolving genes are proteases and genes of unknown function that …


The Study Of Adaptation And Speciation In The Genomic Era, Jay F. Storz, Hopi E. Hoekstra Feb 2007

The Study Of Adaptation And Speciation In The Genomic Era, Jay F. Storz, Hopi E. Hoekstra

Jay F. Storz Publications

The availability of complete genome sequences and genetic linkage maps for a growing number of mammalian species is opening up exciting new opportunities for studies of evolutionary change in natural populations. For example, multilocus mapping approaches hold the promise of identifying the specific genetic changes that underlie ecological adaptation and reproductive isolation. The fact that many of the genomic resources that have been developed for Mus and Rattus are transferable to other muroid rodents means that roughly 25% of all mammalian species can now be considered ‘‘genome-enabled’’ study organisms to varying degrees. The transferability of genomic resources between model organisms …


Using Genome Scans Of Dna Polymorphism To Infer Adaptive Population Divergence, Jay F. Storz Mar 2005

Using Genome Scans Of Dna Polymorphism To Infer Adaptive Population Divergence, Jay F. Storz

Jay F. Storz Publications

Elucidating the genetic basis of adaptive population divergence is a goal of central importance in evolutionary biology. In principle, it should be possible to identify chromosomal regions involved in adaptive divergence by screening genome-wide patterns of DNA polymorphism to detect the locus-specific signature of positive directional selection. In the case of spatially separated populations that inhabit different environments or sympatric populations that exploit different ecological niches, it is possible to identify loci that underlie divergently selected traits by comparing relative levels of differentiation among large numbers of unlinked markers. In this review I first address the question of whether diversifying …