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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Convergent Evolution Of Brain Morphology And Communication Modalities In Lizards, Christopher Robinson, Michael Patton, Brittany Andre, Michele Johnson
Convergent Evolution Of Brain Morphology And Communication Modalities In Lizards, Christopher Robinson, Michael Patton, Brittany Andre, Michele Johnson
Michele A Johnson
Animals communicate information within their environments via visual, chemical, auditory, and/or tactile modalities. The use of each modality is generally linked to particular brain regions, but it is not yet known whether the cellular morphology of neurons in these regions has evolved in association with the relative use of a modality. We investigated relationships between the behavioral use of communication modalities and neural morphologies in six lizard species. Two of these species (Anolis carolinensis and Leiocephalus carinatus) primarily use visual signals to communicate with conspecifics and detect potential prey, and two (Aspidoscelis gularis and Scincella lateralis) communicate and forage primarily …
Effects Of Mortality Risk And Growth On A Model Of Reproductive Effort: Why The Shine And Schwarzkopf Model Is Not General, Peter Niewiarowski, Arthur Dunham
Effects Of Mortality Risk And Growth On A Model Of Reproductive Effort: Why The Shine And Schwarzkopf Model Is Not General, Peter Niewiarowski, Arthur Dunham
Dr. Peter H. Niewiarowski
Using data and reanalysis of a model published by Shine and Schwarzkopf (1992), we reject the two unsubstantiated assertions made by Shine et al. (1996) about modeling the evolution of reproductive effort in squamate reptiles.
The Evolution Of Copulation Frequency And The Mechanisms Of Reproduction In Male Anolis Lizards, Michele Johnson, Maria Lopez, Tara Whittle, Bonnie Kircher, A Dill, Divina Varghese, Juli Wade
The Evolution Of Copulation Frequency And The Mechanisms Of Reproduction In Male Anolis Lizards, Michele Johnson, Maria Lopez, Tara Whittle, Bonnie Kircher, A Dill, Divina Varghese, Juli Wade
Michele A Johnson
The evolution of many morphological structures is associated with the behavioral context of their use, particularly for structures involved in copulation. Yet, few studies have considered evolutionary relationships among the integrated suite of structures associated with male reproduction. In this study, we examined nine species of lizards in the genus Anolis to determine whether larger copulatory morphologies and higher potential for copulatory muscle performance evolved in association with higher copulation rates. In 10–12 adult males of each species, we measured the size of the hemipenes and related muscles, the seminiferous tubules in the testes, and the renal sex segments in …
Sex-Specific Sod Levels And Dna Damage In Painted Dragon Lizards (Ctenophorus Pictus), Mats Olsson, Mo Healey, Cecile Perrin, Mark Wilson, Michael Tobler
Sex-Specific Sod Levels And Dna Damage In Painted Dragon Lizards (Ctenophorus Pictus), Mats Olsson, Mo Healey, Cecile Perrin, Mark Wilson, Michael Tobler
Mark R Wilson
When groups of individuals differ in activities that may influence the production of reactive molecules, such as superoxide, we expect selection to result in congruent upregulation of antioxidant production in the group(s) most at risk of suffering concomitant erosion of essential tissue and biomolecules, such as DNA. We investigate this in a (near) annual lizard species, the Australian painted dragon (Ctenophorus pictus), in which males and females have fundamentally different lifestyles, with males being overtly conspicuous and aggressive, whereas females are placid and camouflaged. When kept in identical conditions to females in captivity, males had higher levels of superoxide dismutase …
Predictors Of Telomere Content In Dragon Lizards, Cissy Ballen, Mo Healey, Mark Wilson, Michael Tobler, Mats Olsson
Predictors Of Telomere Content In Dragon Lizards, Cissy Ballen, Mo Healey, Mark Wilson, Michael Tobler, Mats Olsson
Mark R Wilson
Telomeres shorten as a consequence of DNA replication, in particular in cells with low production of telomerase and perhaps in response to physiological stress from exposure to reactive oxygen species, such as superoxide. This process of telomere attrition is countered by innate antioxidation, such as via the production of superoxide dismutase. We studied the inheritance of telomere length in the Australian painted dragon lizard (Ctenophorus pictus) and the extent to which telomere length covaries with masscorrected maternal reproductive investment, which reflects the level of circulating yolk precursor and antioxidant, vitellogenin. Our predictors of offspring telomere length explained 72 % of …
A Significant Component Of Ageing (Dna Damage) Is Reflected In Fading Breeding Colors: An Experimental Test Using Innate Antioxidant Mimetics In Painted Dragon Lizards, Mats Olsson, Michael Tobler, Mo Healey, Cecile Perrin, Mark Wilson
A Significant Component Of Ageing (Dna Damage) Is Reflected In Fading Breeding Colors: An Experimental Test Using Innate Antioxidant Mimetics In Painted Dragon Lizards, Mats Olsson, Michael Tobler, Mo Healey, Cecile Perrin, Mark Wilson
Mark R Wilson
A decade ahead of their time, von Schantz et al. united sexual selection and free radical biology by identifying causal links between deep-rooted physiological processes that dictate resistance to toxic waste from oxidative metabolism (reactive oxygen species, ROS), and phenotypic traits, such as ornaments.Ten years later, these ideas have still only been tested with indirect estimates of free radical levels (oxidative stress) subsequent to the action of innate and dietary antioxidants. Here, we measure net superoxide (a selection pressure for antioxidant production) and experimentally manipulate superoxide antioxidation using a synthetic mimetic of superoxide dismutase (SOD), Eukarion 134 (EUK). We then …
Net Superoxide Levels: Steeper Increase With Activity In Cooler Female And Hotter Male Lizards, Cissy Ballen, Mo Healey, Mark Wilson, Michael Tobler, Erik Wapstra, Mats Olsson
Net Superoxide Levels: Steeper Increase With Activity In Cooler Female And Hotter Male Lizards, Cissy Ballen, Mo Healey, Mark Wilson, Michael Tobler, Erik Wapstra, Mats Olsson
Mark R Wilson
"Ectotherms increase their body temperature in response to ambient heat, thereby elevating their metabolic rate. An often inferred consequence of this is an overall upregulation of gene expression and energetic expenditure, and a concomitant increased production of reactive oxygen species (e. g. superoxide) and, perhaps, a shortened lifespan. However, recent work shows that this may be a superficial interpretation. For example, sometimes a reduced temperature may in fact trigger up-regulation of gene expression. We studied temperature and associated activity effects in male and female Australian painted dragon lizards (Ctenophorus pictus) by allowing the lizards to bask for 4 h versus …