DOCSLIB.ORG

The Behavioural Ecology of Social Associations in Fishes Stacey

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Behavioural Ecology of Social Associations in Fishes Stacey The Behavioural Ecology of Social Associations in Fishes by Stacey Sui Yee Lee-Jenkins A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Biology Carleton University Ottawa, Ontario ©2012 Stacey Sui Yee Lee-Jenkins Library and Archives Bibliotheque et Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du 1+1 Branch Patrimoine de I'edition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A0N4 Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-93686-3 Our file Notre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-93686-3 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non­ L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library and permettant a la Bibliotheque et Archives Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par telecommunication ou par I'lnternet, preter, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des theses partout dans le loan, distrbute and sell theses monde, a des fins commerciales ou autres, sur worldwide, for commercial or non­ support microforme, papier, electronique et/ou commercial purposes, in microform, autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. The author retains copyright L'auteur conserve la propriete du droit d'auteur ownership and moral rights in this et des droits moraux qui protege cette these. Ni thesis. Neither the thesis nor la these ni des extraits substantiels de celle-ci substantial extracts from it may be ne doivent etre imprimes ou autrement printed or otherwise reproduced reproduits sans son autorisation. without the author's permission. In compliance with the Canadian Conformement a la loi canadienne sur la Privacy Act some supporting forms protection de la vie privee, quelques may have been removed from this formulaires secondaires ont ete enleves de thesis. cette these. While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires aient inclus dans in the document page count, their la pagination, il n'y aura aucun contenu removal does not represent any loss manquant. of content from the thesis. Canada ABSTRACT My thesis focuses on the behavioural ecology of social associations using fishes as a study system. The first part of the thesis examined the influence of social familiarity on shoaling behaviour in the banded killifish (.Fundulus diaphanus) in the laboratory and the field. Killifish preferred familiar shoal mates and this preference occurred in the form of cliques in the social network of a wild population. These social cliques were assorted by body size and furthermore individuals with apparent key roles in the network were larger than others. The second part of the thesis examined how brood-mixing events shape and influence social associations based on familiarity and kinship during early ontogeny in the convict cichlid (Amatitlania siquia). First, I optimised microsatellite markers for this species to determine if brood mixing occurs in wild broods (in the Rio Cabuyo). I genotyped 50 wild broods and categorized them into sibsets. My data indicated that 78% of the broods were mixed (contained foreign young). Potentially 26% of broods contained young from extra-pair copulations. Given the mixed kinship in broods, I performed a four-way choice experiment where I disentangled the effects of social familiarity and kinship on social partner choice in cichlid young (= fry) at varying developmental stages. Smaller fry did not have a shoal preference, whereas larger fry preferred to associate with familiar kin. Lastly, given that fry become separated from their parents and brood mates (= family) during predation encounters in nature and that some fry have a preference for familiar kin, I performed a ‘homing’ experiment in both the field and laboratory to determine if fry that were experimentally displaced from their family would successfully return to it. Displacement distance influenced the likelihood and time displaced fry took to return to their family in both the field and laboratory, and in the laboratory trials, this relationship was influenced by a fry’s body length. The body length of the fish affected the outcome of the field trials; larger fry were more likely to refuge than return to the brood, and smaller fry were more likely to be eaten than to refuge. PREFACE Co-authorship Statement for Chapters 3, 7 and 9 Of the six data chapters included in this thesis, Chapter 3 and Chapter 7 are currently published in peer-reviewed articles and Chapter 9 is currently under review. For Chapter 3 and 9, Dr. Jean-Guy Godin and I collaboratively developed the experimental projects (the questions, logistics, experimental design and analyses). I performed all of the methods, data collections and analyses and wrote up the first draft of the manuscript for these chapters. Dr. Godin provided editorial suggestions and comments which improved these manuscripts. For Chapter 7, the initial development of this project was in collaboration between Dr. Godin, Dr. Myron Smith and I. The collection of convict cichlid fry in Costa Rica was performed by Dr. Godin and 1.1 performed all of the microsatellite optimisation procedures (DNA extraction, PCR, fragment analyses) and subsequent data analysis (allele binning and sibset identification). Adam Densmore was instrumental in the further refinement of the DNA extraction and PCR optimisation which was necessary for the future analysis of this large dataset. Dr. Smith provided me with the genetic technique training required to complete this project and provided lab space and equipment to do so. He also provided insights into the analysis of these data. I wrote up the first draft of this manuscript and all three co-authors provided editorial comments and suggestions for revision. I have received permission from all co-authors to include our collaborative manuscripts in my doctoral thesis (see Appendices). Moreover, I have permission from each publisher (Chapters 3 & 7) to reproduce these published manuscripts in my thesis. To cite this thesis as a whole document or any o f the unpublished chapters I recommend the following citation: Lee-Jenkins, S.S.Y. 2012. The Behavioural Ecology of Social Associations in Fishes. PhD Thesis, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The following citations are the published manuscripts (Chapters 3 & 7) reproduced herein and the submitted manuscript currently under peer-review (Chapter 9) at the time o f thesis submission: C hapter 3: Lee-Jenkins, S.S.Y. & Godin, J.-G.J. 2010. Social familiarity and shoal formation in juvenile fishes. Journal o f Fish Biology, 76, 580-590. Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell. C hapter 7: Lee-Jenkins, S.S.Y., Densmore, A.M., Godin, J.-G.J. & Smith, M.L. 2011. Polymorphic microsatellite loci optimised for studies on the convict cichlid fish (Amatitlania siquia). Environmental Biology o f Fishes, 92, 261-266. Publisher: Springer. C hapter 9: Lee-Jenkins, S.S.Y. & Godin, J.-G.J. Concurrent effects of familiarity and kinship on social affiliations in convict cichlid (Amatitlania siquia) young. Behaviour [under review: MS# BES-S-12-00095] v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis is the result of an academic ‘journey’ and represents a few tangents from my original thesis research proposal. During my time as a graduate student, I have learned so much about adapting to current circumstances, both the good and the bad! This entire process has been both challenging and rewarding for me, and I have many people to thank. First, I would like to thank my thesis supervisor, Dr. Jean-Guy Godin. Thank you for your guidance, patience and support throughout my graduate career. You have provided me with so many amazing opportunities: field work in Costa Rica and Trinidad, presenting at a large variety of conferences, mentoring students, and moreover you have always encouraged me to expand my professional development (be involved!) and to further develop my skills as a researcher and teacher. I’ve enjoyed our chats about work/life balance and the many lab dinners at the Godins’ (Thank you Heather Godin for the delicious food!). I have learned so much about science during my time in the Godin Lab, thank you for a rewarding and unforgettable experience. My thesis advisory committee (Drs. Gabriel Blouin-Demers and Mark Forbes, and my supervisor) has provided many helpful suggestions during my committee meetings, for which I am grateful. Additionally, thank you Mark for adopting me into your lab when I first arrived and for the use of your microscope! Thank you to my friends (many of whom I met in grad school) who have been supportive throughout this process: Stacey Robinson, Colin Henein, Jen Schellinck, Kim Hair, Tonia Robb, Ryan Chlebak, Michelle Zanuttig, Amanda Goth, Katie Lucas, Jen McAllister, Andrea Main, Devon Metcalf, and Lara Annett. I have particularly enjoyed being involved in the Biology Department with Stacey Robinson; it has been fun being the ‘Staceys’ together! Moreover, I would also like to thank my past and present labmates, many of you have become my close friends: Adam, Alex, Sarah, Kim, Pat, Heather, Pierre-Luc, Kat, Rich, Rebecca, Alisa, Amelia, Steph, Shawn, Megan and Keegan. You have been the most amazing lab mates who have kept me laughing and sane! I’ve enjoyed my many discussions about science with Sarah, Pat and Heather. I would particularly like to thank Adam, Alex, Rebecca and Sarah who contributed directly to my thesis research. Dr. Brian Wisenden has been a very enthusiastic collaborator on the convict cichlid work. I would like to thank him for sharing his convict cichlid knowledge, introducing me to the Rio Cabuyo and Rio Potrero field sites in Costa Rica and for commenting on portions of my thesis research. I would also like to thank Drs. Grant Brown, Jen Snekser and Murray Itzkowitz who provided some breeding convict cichlids for the Godin Lab cichlid population, which made this thesis work possible.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Evaluating Longitudinal Changes in Behavior and 11-Ketotestosterone in Parental Convict Cichlids (Amatitlania Siquia)
    Georgia State University ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University Biology Theses Department of Biology 5-10-2019 PAIR BOND DYNAMICS: EVALUATING LONGITUDINAL CHANGES IN BEHAVIOR AND 11-KETOTESTOSTERONE IN PARENTAL CONVICT CICHLIDS (AMATITLANIA SIQUIA) Celine Richards Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/biology_theses Recommended Citation Richards, Celine, "PAIR BOND DYNAMICS: EVALUATING LONGITUDINAL CHANGES IN BEHAVIOR AND 11-KETOTESTOSTERONE IN PARENTAL CONVICT CICHLIDS (AMATITLANIA SIQUIA)." Thesis, Georgia State University, 2019. https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/biology_theses/92 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Biology at ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Biology Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. PAIR BOND DYNAMICS: EVALUATING LONGITUDINAL CHANGES IN BEHAVIOR AND 11-KETOTESTOSTERONE IN PARENTAL CONVICT CICHLIDS (AMATITLANIA SIQUIA) By CELINE RICHARDS Under the Direction of Edmund Rodgers, PhD ABSTRACT Bi-parental care and pair bonding often coincide in nature. The reproductive success of the organisms that apply this strategy is dependent upon defensive behaviors and territorial aggression. Some of these organisms also display affiliative behavior within the pair pond during the time of parental care. The behavioral dynamics that occur over the course of the pair bond and their relationship to the reproductive success of the organism is not well understood. Convict cichlids (Amatitlania siquia) form pair bonds during the breeding season and provide bi- parental care; their behavioral repertoire is ideal for studying pair bonding. The androgen profile of organisms that provide parental care through aggressive means is also not fully understood.
    [Show full text]
  • Thesis Ebi Antony George
    Individual and social mechanisms regulating the dance activity within honey bee forager groups A Thesis Submitted to the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Biology by Ebi Antony George National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai October 2019 Declaration Date: 11 October 2019 iii Certificate v Publications George EA, Brockmann A. 2019 Social modulation of individual differences in dance communication in honey bees. Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 73, 41. (doi:10.1007/s00265-019- 2649-0) Content from the above publication has been incorporated in the thesis with permission from the publisher (License no: 4570571255954). George EA, Bröger A-K, Thamm M, Brockmann A, Scheiner R. 2019 Inter-individual variation in honey bee dance intensity correlates with expression of the foraging gene. Genes, Brain and Behavior. 1– 11. (doi:10.1111/gbb.12592) Content from the above publication has been incorporated in the thesis with permission from the publisher (License no: 4675421240663). vii Acknowledgements Charles Darwin rightly said that “it is the long history of humankind (and animal kind, too) that those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed”. These words highlight an interesting parallel between the paradigm I studied (the foraging activity of the honey bee colony) and my own experience during my PhD at the National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore. In both cases, any successful endeavour depended on the interaction between a diverse group of individuals, each supporting the other. Even though it is my name on the first page of this thesis, I am part of a multitude of people who have all contributed academically and otherwise to this document.
    [Show full text]
  • View/Download
    CICHLIFORMES: Cichlidae (part 6) · 1 The ETYFish Project © Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara COMMENTS: v. 6.0 - 18 April 2020 Order CICHLIFORMES (part 6 of 8) Family CICHLIDAE Cichlids (part 6 of 7) Subfamily Cichlinae American Cichlids (Acarichthys through Cryptoheros) Acarichthys Eigenmann 1912 Acara (=Astronotus, from acará, Tupí-Guaraní word for cichlids), original genus of A. heckelii; ichthys, fish Acarichthys heckelii (Müller & Troschel 1849) in honor of Austrian ichthyologist Johann Jakob Heckel (1790-1857), who proposed the original genus, Acara (=Astronotus) in 1840, and was the first to seriously study cichlids and revise the family Acaronia Myers 1940 -ia, belonging to: Acara (=Astronotus, from acará, Tupí-Guaraní word for cichlids), original genus of A. nassa [replacement name for Acaropsis Steindachner 1875, preoccupied by Acaropsis Moquin-Tandon 1863 in Arachnida] Acaronia nassa (Heckel 1840) wicker basket or fish trap, presumably based on its local name, Bocca de Juquia, meaning “fish trap mouth,” referring to its protractile jaws and gape-and-suck feeding strategy Acaronia vultuosa Kullander 1989 full of facial expressions or grimaces, referring to diagnostic conspicuous black markings on head Aequidens Eigenmann & Bray 1894 aequus, same or equal; dens, teeth, referring to even-sized teeth of A. tetramerus, proposed as a subgenus of Astronotus, which has enlarged anterior teeth Aequidens chimantanus Inger 1956 -anus, belonging to: Chimantá-tepui, Venezuela, where type locality (Río Abácapa, elevation 396 m) is
    [Show full text]
  • Why Are Invaders Invasive? Development of Tools to Understand the Success and Impact of Invasive Species
    Why are invaders invasive? Development of tools to understand the success and impact of invasive species Nigel Gareth Taylor Submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Leeds School of Biology September 2016 ii The candidate confirms that the work submitted is his own, except where work which has formed part of jointly-authored publications has been included. The contribution of the candidate and the other authors to this work has been explicitly indicated below. The candidate confirms that appropriate credit has been given within the thesis where reference has been made to the work of others. Chapter Three is based on a jointly authored publication: Taylor, N.G. & Dunn, A.M. (2016) Size matters: predation of fish eggs and larvae by native and invasive amphipods. Biological Invasions. DOI: 10.1007/s10530-016-1265-4 Nigel Taylor developed the idea, conducted the experiments, analysed the data and wrote the manuscript. Alison Dunn formulated the idea, supervised the research and contributed to writing the manuscript. Caroline Liddell provided assistance in conducting the experiments. This copy has been supplied on the understanding that it is copyright material and that no quotation from the thesis may be published without proper acknowledgement. © 2016 The University of Leeds and Nigel Taylor The right of Nigel Taylor to be identified as Author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. iii iv Acknowledgements Sincere thanks go to my supervisor, Alison Dunn. You have offered continued guidance and support when needed, on intellectually stimulating topics as well as mundane logistical ones, but also allowed me freedom to make my own mistakes.
    [Show full text]
  • LVEES 2017, April 7, 2017. Desales University
    LVEES 2017, April 7, 2017. DeSales University 9:00 Introduction Improving with age? Light’s influence on rate of leaf maturation and leaf 9:15 chemistry explains differential herbivory of spicebush in sun and shade habitats Lydia Fisher* and Richard Niesenbaum. Muhlenberg College Schizocladia ischiensis’s organellar genomes: insights into the evolutionary transition to complexity of brown algae 9:30 Brian Cheda1*, Edward L. Braun2, Jeffrey Boore3, Mathew P. Salomon4, Hiroshi Kawai5, Takahiro Yamagishi6, and Naomi Phillips1. 1Arcadia University Resolution of intragenomic conflict during adaptive evolution of Saccharomyces 9:45 cerevisiae Rebecca Unterborn*, Sean Buskirk, and Gregory Lang. Lehigh University Surveillance for tick-borne pathogens in blacklegged ticks in the Lehigh Valley 10:00 region of Pennsylvania Bess Fleischman ‘17* and Thomas Yanushefski ’18*. Muhlenberg College Possible effects of climate change on a native and invasive species of terrestrial 10:15 slug Melissa Mayol* and Erika V. Iyengar. Muhlenberg College 10:30 Break Exploratory behavior as a component of personality in Carolina, black-capped, 10:45 and hybrid chickadees Breanna L. Bennett*, Sarah E. Polekoff, and Robert L. Curry. Villanova University The chemical ecology of a hybridizing chickadee system: olfaction and 11:00 reinforcement Alex Huynh. Lehigh University Teaching evolutionary concepts through digital evolution 11:15 Sean Buskirk* and Gregory Lang. Lehigh University Do promiscuous females mate similarly? A study of female egg distribution in 11:30 the Sheepshead minnow (Cyprinodon variegatus) Andrew Bloch. Lehigh University Alterations to partner interactions during periods of conflict in the biparental 11:45 convict cichlid (Amatitlania siquia) Timothy Paciorek* and Murray Itzkowitz. Lehigh University Noon Lunch Testing the potential for cognitive ability to act as a reproductive isolating 1:00 barrier Michael A.
    [Show full text]
  • Aggression Towards Shared Enemies by Heterospecific and Conspecific
    Oecologia (2019) 191:359–368 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-019-04483-0 BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY – ORIGINAL RESEARCH Aggression towards shared enemies by heterospecifc and conspecifc cichlid fsh neighbours Topi K. Lehtonen1,2 Received: 8 September 2018 / Accepted: 5 August 2019 / Published online: 31 August 2019 © The Author(s) 2019 Abstract Successful territory defence is a prerequisite for reproduction across many taxa, and often highly sensitive to the actions of territorial neighbours. Nevertheless, to date, assessments of the signifcance of the behaviour of heterospecifc neighbours have been infrequent and taxonomically restricted. In this feld study, I examined the importance of both heterospecifc and conspecifc neighbours in a biparental fsh, the convict cichlid, Amatitlania siquia. This was done by assessing the colonisa- tion rates of vacant territories, the rates of aggression by the territory holders, and the overall rates of aggression towards intruders, in treatments that controlled the proximity of both neighbour types. Convict cichlid pairs colonised vacant nesting resources (territory locations) at similar rates independent of the proximity of heterospecifc (moga, Hypsophrys nicaraguensis) or conspecifc neighbours. However, a model of sympatric cichlid intruder was subjected to considerably higher overall levels of aggression when mogas were nearby. In contrast, the proximity of conspecifcs did not have a signifcant efect on the overall aggression towards the intruder. These results suggest that previously demonstrated higher survival of convict cichlid broods in close proximity of mogas may be driven by aggression towards shared enemies. No conclusive evidence was found regarding whether mogas also infuence convict cichlids’ investment into anti-intruder aggression: the results show a marginally non-signifcant trend, and a moderately large efect size, to the direction of a lower investment in mogas’, but not conspecifcs’, proximity.
    [Show full text]
  • Carotenoid-Based Coloration in Cichlid Fishes
    Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, Part A 173 (2014) 42–51 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, Part A journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/cbpa Review Carotenoid-based coloration in cichlid fishes Kristina M. Sefc a, Alexandria C. Brown b,c,1, Ethan D. Clotfelter b,⁎ a Institute of Zoology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010 Graz, Austria b Department of Biology, Amherst College, Amherst, MA 01002, USA c Graduate Program in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003 USA article info abstract Article history: Animal colors play important roles in communication, ecological interactions and speciation. Carotenoid Received 21 November 2013 pigments are responsible for many yellow, orange and red hues in animals. Whereas extensive knowledge on Received in revised form 3 March 2014 the proximate mechanisms underlying carotenoid coloration in birds has led to testable hypotheses on avian Accepted 14 March 2014 color evolution and signaling, much less is known about the expression of carotenoid coloration in fishes. Available online 22 March 2014 Here, we promote cichlid fishes (Perciformes: Cichlidae) as a system in which to study the physiological and evolutionary significance of carotenoids. Cichlids include some of the best examples of adaptive radiation and Keywords: fi fi Pigment color pattern diversi cation in vertebrates. In this paper, we examine tness correlates of carotenoid pigmentation Trade-off in cichlids and review hypotheses regarding the signal content of carotenoid-based ornaments. Carotenoid-based Antioxidant coloration is influenced by diet and body condition and is positively related to mating success and social domi- Signal nance.
    [Show full text]
  • Body Size Evolution and Diversity of Fishes Using the Neotropical Cichlids (Cichlinae) As a Model System
    Body Size Evolution and Diversity of Fishes using the Neotropical Cichlids (Cichlinae) as a Model System by Sarah Elizabeth Steele A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Toronto © Copyright by Sarah Elizabeth Steele 2018 Body Size Evolution and Diversity of Fishes using the Neotropical Cichlids (Cichlinae) as a Model System Sarah Elizabeth Steele Doctor of Philosophy Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Toronto 2018 Abstract The influence of body size on an organism’s physiology, morphology, ecology, and life history has been considered one of the most fundamental relationships in ecology and evolution. The ray-finned fishes are a highly diverse group of vertebrates. Yet, our understanding of diversification in this group is incomplete, and the role of body size in creating this diversity is largely unknown. I examined body size in Neotropical cichlids (Cichlinae) to elucidate the large- and small-scale factors affecting body size diversity and distribution, and how body size shapes species, morphological, and ecological diversity in fishes. Characterization of body size distributions across the phylogeny of Neotropical cichlids revealed considerable overlap in body size, particularly in intermediate-sized fishes, with few, species-poor lineages exhibiting extreme body size. Three potential peaks of adaptive evolution in body size were identified within Cichlinae. I found freshwater fishes globally tend to be smaller and their distributions more diverse and right-skewed than marine counterparts, irrespective of taxonomy and clade age, with a strengthening of these trends in riverine systems. Comparisons of Neotropical cichlid body size diversity and distribution to this broader context shows that body size patterns are largely abnormal compared to most freshwater fishes, particularly those of the Neotropics.
    [Show full text]
  • SICB 2014 Annual Meeting Abstracts
    SICB 2014 Annual Meeting Abstracts 50.7 ABBOTT, EM*; AZIZI, E; Univ. of California, Irvine; P2.8 ABBOTT, J.*; VANLEUVEN, A.; SKOPEC, M.; Weber State [email protected] University; [email protected] The effect of muscle relaxation rate on tendon recoil during energy Caching behavior of non−food items in woodrats (Neotoma dissipating tasks albigula) Series elastic elements, such as tendons and aponeuroses, can Woodrats (genus Neotoma) are commonly referred to as packrats due amplify muscle power, minimize energy consumption and limit to their characteristic behavior of caching both food and non−food injury susceptibility. Specifically, during energy dissipating tasks, objects from their surroundings. We conducted a series of muscles initially store energy in tendons before recoil of the tendon experiments to evaluate the caching behavior of non−food items in stretches the fascicles as muscle force declines. This mechanism is Neotoma albigula. Trials were run to see if the woodrats showed a thought to reduce the rate of stretch directly applied to a muscle preference for brilliance, color or scent of a non−food object, jingle fascicle and may function to protect the muscle from stretch−induced bells. The brilliance trial investigated whether woodrats prefer shiny damage. We hypothesized that the rate of muscle relaxation over dull objects, as anecdotal evidence suggests that woodrats prefer determines the rate of tendon recoil. Previous studies have shown shiny objects and sometimes will even trade dull objects for shinier that the rate of muscle relaxation can vary as a function of ones. Woodrats were placed in cages that had two external temperature as well as muscle fiber type composition.
    [Show full text]
  • The Role of Introduction and Range Expansion in Shaping Behavior of a Non-Native Spider
    University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 8-2019 Living life on the edge: The role of introduction and range expansion in shaping behavior of a non-native spider Angela Chuang University of Tennessee, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss Recommended Citation Chuang, Angela, "Living life on the edge: The role of introduction and range expansion in shaping behavior of a non-native spider. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 2019. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/5655 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by Angela Chuang entitled "Living life on the edge: The role of introduction and range expansion in shaping behavior of a non-native spider." I have examined the final electronic copy of this dissertation for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Susan E. Riechert, Major Professor We have read this dissertation and recommend its acceptance: Daniel Simberloff, James Fordyce, Todd Freeberg Accepted for the Council: Dixie L. Thompson Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official studentecor r ds.) Living life on the edge: The role of invasion processes in shaping personalities in a non-native spider species A Dissertation Presented for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree The University of Tennessee, Knoxville Angela Chuang August 2019 Copyright © 2019 by Angela Chuang All rights reserved.
    [Show full text]
  • Conservation and Novelty in the Microrna Genomic Landscape of Hyperdiverse Cichlid Fishes
    www.nature.com/scientificreports OPEN Conservation and novelty in the microRNA genomic landscape of hyperdiverse cichlid fshes Received: 13 June 2019 Peiwen Xiong1, Ralf F. Schneider1,2, C. Darrin Hulsey1, Axel Meyer1 & Paolo Franchini 1 Accepted: 5 September 2019 MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play crucial roles in the post-transcriptional control of messenger RNA (mRNA). Published: xx xx xxxx These miRNA-mRNA regulatory networks are present in nearly all organisms and contribute to development, phenotypic divergence, and speciation. To examine the miRNA landscape of cichlid fshes, one of the most species-rich families of vertebrates, we profled the expression of both miRNA and mRNA in a diverse set of cichlid lineages. Among these, we found that conserved miRNAs difer from recently arisen miRNAs (i.e. lineage specifc) in average expression levels, number of target sites, sequence variability, and physical clustering patterns in the genome. Furthermore, conserved miRNA target sites tend to be enriched at the 5′ end of protein-coding gene 3′ UTRs. Consistent with the presumed regulatory role of miRNAs, we detected more negative correlations between the expression of miRNA-mRNA functional pairs than in random pairings. Finally, we provide evidence that novel miRNA targets sites are enriched in genes involved in protein synthesis pathways. Our results show how conserved and evolutionarily novel miRNAs difer in their contribution to the genomic landscape and highlight their particular evolutionary roles in the adaptive diversifcation of cichlids. Regulatory changes are major drivers of adaptive diversifcation1. Te genomic mechanisms determining levels of gene expression are likely critical to adaptive phenotypic innovations, but we are only now beginning to uncover how diferent kinds of regulatory mechanisms contribute to diversifcation.
    [Show full text]
  • Conservation and Novelty in the Microrna Genomic Landscape of Hyperdiverse Cichlid Fishes
    www.nature.com/scientificreports OPEN Conservation and novelty in the microRNA genomic landscape of hyperdiverse cichlid fshes Received: 13 June 2019 Peiwen Xiong1, Ralf F. Schneider1,2, C. Darrin Hulsey1, Axel Meyer1 & Paolo Franchini 1 Accepted: 5 September 2019 MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play crucial roles in the post-transcriptional control of messenger RNA (mRNA). Published: xx xx xxxx These miRNA-mRNA regulatory networks are present in nearly all organisms and contribute to development, phenotypic divergence, and speciation. To examine the miRNA landscape of cichlid fshes, one of the most species-rich families of vertebrates, we profled the expression of both miRNA and mRNA in a diverse set of cichlid lineages. Among these, we found that conserved miRNAs difer from recently arisen miRNAs (i.e. lineage specifc) in average expression levels, number of target sites, sequence variability, and physical clustering patterns in the genome. Furthermore, conserved miRNA target sites tend to be enriched at the 5′ end of protein-coding gene 3′ UTRs. Consistent with the presumed regulatory role of miRNAs, we detected more negative correlations between the expression of miRNA-mRNA functional pairs than in random pairings. Finally, we provide evidence that novel miRNA targets sites are enriched in genes involved in protein synthesis pathways. Our results show how conserved and evolutionarily novel miRNAs difer in their contribution to the genomic landscape and highlight their particular evolutionary roles in the adaptive diversifcation of cichlids. Regulatory changes are major drivers of adaptive diversifcation1. Te genomic mechanisms determining levels of gene expression are likely critical to adaptive phenotypic innovations, but we are only now beginning to uncover how diferent kinds of regulatory mechanisms contribute to diversifcation.
    [Show full text]