Plumage Colouration and the Provisioning Behaviour of Male and Female Eastern Phoebes

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 164-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Ian Horn ◽  
Gary Ritchison
Keyword(s):  
Selective Advantage ◽  
Good Genes ◽  
Plumage Colour ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Mate Quality ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Nest Sites ◽  
Male Plumage ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Provisioning Behaviour

Many factors, including nestling age, brood size, and mate quality, can influence the provisioning behaviour of adult birds. Mate quality may affect provisioning behaviour because high-quality individuals may be ‘good parents’ and provision at higher rates. Alternatively, individuals paired to high-quality mates may provision at higher rates because the benefits provided by such mates ( e.g. good genes) increase the likelihood of reproductive success. We examined variation in the plumage colour of male and female Eastern Phoebes ( Sayornis phoebe) and the possible relationship between such variation and provisioning behaviour. During the 2006–2007 breeding seasons, we captured, banded, and measured adult Eastern Phoebes and collected belly feathers for spectral analyses. We also videotaped nests to quantify provisioning behaviour. Male Eastern Phoebes were larger than females, but the plumage (belly feathers) of males and females did not differ in brightness, hue, and carotenoid chroma (all P ≥ 0.37). Females provisioned nestlings at higher rates than males ( P = 0.009), but we found no significant relationship between provisioning rates of males and females and plumage colour. However, relationships between female provisioning rates and the brightness and carotenoid chroma of their mates’ belly feathers approached significance ( P ≤ 0.08). The larger size of male Eastern Phoebes suggests there is male–male competition for access to resources ( e.g. nest sites and mates), with larger size conferring a selective advantage. However, the absence of intersexual differences in plumage colour suggests limited sexual selection driven by female choice for extra-pair partners. Differences in provisioning rates of males and females may be due to male uncertainty of paternity status or to intersexual differences in foraging behaviour. The relationship between female provisioning rates and male plumage quality suggests that females may invest more in reproduction if male Eastern Phoebes with brighter, carotenoid-rich belly plumage are better able to provide quality nest sites and territories or, perhaps, high-quality genes that can potentially enhance female fitness (differential-allocation hypothesis).

scholarly journals Lightweight males of Podisus nigrispinus (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) neglect lightweight females due low reproductive fitness

2016 ◽  
Vol 77 (2) ◽  
pp. 267-276 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. I. A. Pereira ◽  
R. B. Silva ◽  
W. S. Tavares ◽  
J. B. Malaquias ◽  
J. C. Zanuncio
Keyword(s):  
Stink Bugs ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Gossypium Hirsutum L ◽  
Nymphal Stage ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Food Shortages ◽  
Quality Diet ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Heteroptera Pentatomidae ◽  
Coleoptera Tenebrionidae

Abstract Sexual choice by male stink bugs is important because females that experience food shortages lay fewer eggs with lower viability compared with well-fed females. In this study, we investigated whether Podisus nigrispinus (Dallas) (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) males fed with a low-quality diet during its nymphal stage show selectivity for sexual partners resulting in high-quality progeny. Lightweight males and females were obtained from nymphs fed weekly with Tenebrio molitor L. (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) pupae. By contrast, heavyweight males and females were fed three times a week and received an extra nutritional source: cotton leaves, Gossypium hirsutum L. (Malvaceae). Lightweight males preferred to mate with heavy females (77.78 ± 14.69%), whereas heavyweight males did not discriminated between light or heavyweight females. Females mated with lightweight males showed similar levels of reproduction to those mated with heavyweight males. The results provide an indication of the importance of male and female body weight for sexual selection in Asopinae stink bugs.

scholarly journals Brooding and provisioning of nestlings by male and female White-eyed Vireos (Vireo griseus)

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-32
Author(s):  
Gary Ritchison ◽  
Jeffrey A Hawkins ◽  
Brianna C Ritchison
Keyword(s):  
Interspecific Variation ◽  
Biparental Care ◽  
East Central ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Adult Behavior ◽  
Extra Pair Paternity ◽  
Nest Sites ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Vireo Griseus ◽  
Limit Energy

Most species of songbirds exhibit biparental care, but, for many taxa and species, little is known about the relative contributions of males and females in brooding and provisioning nestlings. Additional studies of the contributions of males and females in brooding and feeding nestlings are needed to better understand the respective roles of males and females as well as the factors that might contribute to interspecific variation in those roles. We examined the roles of adult male and female White-eyed Vireos ( Vireo griseus) in brooding and provisioning nestlings in east-central Kentucky during the 1996 breeding season. Nests were located by monitoring adult behavior and checking likely nest sites. Once eggs hatched, nests were video-recorded to monitor the behavior of adults. Subsequent review of videos revealed that both male and female White-eyed Vireos brooded young and that males provisioned nestlings at higher rates than females. In contrast to males in many other species of songbirds, male White-eyed Vireos assisted in brooding young and provisioned nestlings at higher rates than their mates. One possible explanation for this is that low rates of extra-pair paternity might increase male confidence of their paternity status. Parental care provided by male White-eyed Vireos may also limit energy expenditure by their mates and increase the likelihood of females re-nesting if nests are predated or initiating second nesting attempts if initial attempts are successful.

GONADOTROPHIN PATTERNS IN MALE AND FEMALE RATS:

1968 ◽  
Vol 58 (4) ◽  
pp. 600-612 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Boyd ◽  
Donald C. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Ascorbic Acid ◽  
Testosterone Propionate ◽  
Female Rats ◽  
Female Rat ◽  
Feedback Effects ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Prostate Weight ◽  
Male And Female Rats ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Normal Males

ABSTRACT The effects of various doses of testosterone propionate (TP) upon the release of luteinizing hormone (LH or ICSH) from the hypophysis of a gonadectomized male or female rat were compared. Prostate weight in hypophysectomized male parabiotic partners was used to evaluate the quantity of circulating LH. Hypophyseal LH was measured by the ovarian ascorbic acid depletion method. Males castrated when 45 days old secreted significantly more LH and had three times the amount of pituitary LH as ovariectomized females. Administration of 25 μg TP daily reduced the amount of LH in the plasma, and increased the amount in the pituitary gland, in both sexes. Treatment with 50 μg caused a further reduction in plasma LH in males, but not in females, while pituitary levels in both were equal to that of their respective controls. LH fell to the same low level in partners of males or females receiving 100 μg TP. When gonadectomized at 39 days, males and females had the same amount of plasma LH, but males had more stored hormone. Pituitary levels were unchanged from controls following treatment with 12.5, 25 or 50 μg TP daily, but plasma values dropped an equal amount in both sexes with the latter two doses. Androgenized males or females, gonadectomized when 39 days old, were very sensitive to the effects of TP and plasma LH was significantly reduced with 12.5 μg daily. Pituitary LH in androgenized males was higher than that of normal males but was reduced to normal by small amounts of TP. The amount of stored LH in androgenized females was not different from that of normal females and it was unchanged by any dose of TP tested. Results are consistent with the conclusion that the male hypothalamic-hypophyseal axis is at least as sensitive as the female axis to the negative feedback effects of TP. Androgenization increases the sensitivity to TP in both males and females.

Gender Differences in Clothing Worn in Current Popular Comic Books

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyle Landon Jossy
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Comic Books ◽  
Book Industry ◽  
Comic Book ◽  
Lower Body ◽  
Female Characters ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Males And Females

This study looked at how males and females were portrayed, based on the amount of skin shown in the clothing worn.  A Content analysis was performed on a sample of 20 randomly selected popular comics from the last 3 years.  Both male and female characters were rated on how much skin they showed in three clothing categories; neck line, sleeve length, and lower body.  Results showed that in all 3 categories, women consistently wore more revealing clothing.  The findings demonstraetd that the comic book industry is comparable to other forms of media, in the sexualization of female characters, by having them wear more revealing clothing.

scholarly journals Spinal Muscular Atrophy after Nusinersen Therapy: Improved Physiology in Pediatric Patients with No Significant Change in Urine, Serum, and Liquor 1H-NMR Metabolomes in Comparison to an Age-Matched, Healthy Cohort

Metabolites ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 206
Author(s):  
Leon Deutsch ◽  
Damjan Osredkar ◽  
Janez Plavec ◽  
Blaž Stres
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Spinal Muscular Atrophy ◽  
1H Nmr ◽  
Pediatric Patients ◽  
Muscular Atrophy ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Healthy Cohort ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Urine Serum

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a genetically heterogeneous group of rare neuromuscular diseases and was until recently the most common genetic cause of death in children. The effects of 2-month nusinersen therapy on urine, serum, and liquor 1H-NMR metabolomes in SMA males and females were not explored yet, especially not in comparison to the urine 1H-NMR metabolomes of matching male and female cohorts. In this prospective, single-centered study, urine, serum, and liquor samples were collected from 25 male and female pediatric patients with SMA before and after 2 months of nusinersen therapy and urine samples from a matching healthy cohort (n = 125). Nusinersen intrathecal application was the first therapy for the treatment of SMA by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Metabolomes were analyzed using targeted metabolomics utilizing 600 MHz 1H-NMR, parametric and nonparametric multivariate statistical analyses, machine learning, and modeling. Medical assessment before and after nusinersen therapy showed significant improvements of movement, posture, and strength according to various medical tests. No significant differences were found in metabolomes before and after nusinersen therapy in urine, serum, and liquor samples using an ensemble of statistical and machine learning approaches. In comparison to a healthy cohort, 1H-NMR metabolomes of SMA patients contained a reduced number and concentration of urine metabolites and differed significantly between males and females as well. Significantly larger data scatter was observed for SMA patients in comparison to matched healthy controls. Machine learning confirmed urinary creatinine as the most significant, distinguishing SMA patients from the healthy cohort. The positive effects of nusinersen therapy clearly preceded or took place devoid of significant rearrangements in the 1H-NMR metabolomic makeup of serum, urine, and liquor. Urine creatinine was successful at distinguishing SMA patients from the matched healthy cohort, which is a simple systemic novelty linking creatinine and SMA to the physiology of inactivity and diabetes, and it facilitates the monitoring of SMA disease in pediatric patients through non-invasive urine collection.

scholarly journals Stem cell treatment improves post stroke neurological outcomes: a comparative study in male and female rats

2021 ◽  
pp. svn-2020-000834
Author(s):  
Koteswara Rao Nalamolu ◽  
Bharath Chelluboina ◽  
Casimir A Fornal ◽  
Siva Reddy Challa ◽  
David M Pinson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cells ◽  
Sex Differences ◽  
Motor Function ◽  
Infarct Volume ◽  
Female Rats ◽  
Human Umbilical Cord ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Post Stroke ◽  
Male And Female Rats ◽  
Males And Females

Background and purposeThe therapeutic potential of different stem cells for ischaemic stroke treatment is intriguing and somewhat controversial. Recent results from our laboratory have demonstrated the potential benefits of human umbilical cord blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) in a rodent stroke model. We hypothesised that MSC treatment would effectively promote the recovery of sensory and motor function in both males and females, despite any apparent sex differences in post stroke brain injury.MethodsTransient focal cerebral ischaemia was induced in adult Sprague-Dawley rats by occlusion of the middle cerebral artery. Following the procedure, male and female rats of the untreated group were euthanised 1 day after reperfusion and their brains were used to estimate the resulting infarct volume and tissue swelling. Additional groups of stroke-induced male and female rats were treated with MSC or vehicle and were subsequently subjected to a battery of standard neurological/neurobehavioral tests (Modified Neurological Severity Score assessment, adhesive tape removal, beam walk and rotarod). The tests were administered at regular intervals (at days 1, 3, 5, 7 and 14) after reperfusion to determine the time course of neurological and functional recovery after stroke.ResultsThe infarct volume and extent of swelling of the ischaemic brain were similar in males and females. Despite similar pathological stroke lesions, the clinical manifestations of stroke were more pronounced in males than females, as indicated by the neurological scores and other tests. MSC treatment significantly improved the recovery of sensory and motor function in both sexes, and it demonstrated efficacy in both moderate stroke (females) and severe stroke (males).ConclusionsDespite sex differences in the severity of post stroke outcomes, MSC treatment promoted the recovery of sensory and motor function in male and female rats, suggesting that it may be a promising treatment for stroke.

Mammalian exocrine secretions XIX. Chemical characterization of the interdigital secretion of the Black Wildebeest, Connochaetes gnou

2020 ◽  
Vol 75 (9-10) ◽  
pp. 339-351
Author(s):  
Barend V. Burger ◽  
Desmond Slade ◽  
Marlize Z. Bekker ◽  
Aron H. Goitom
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Characterization ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Black Wildebeest ◽  
Connochaetes Gnou ◽  
Electron Impact Mass ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Strong Attachment ◽  
Impact Mass ◽  
Acid Esters

AbstractUsing gas chromatography (GC) in conjunction with electron impact mass spectrometry and retention-time comparison, 94 compounds, ranging from 2-methyl-2-propenal to octadecanoic acid, were identified in the interdigital secretions of male and female black wildebeests, Connochaetes gnou (also known as the white-tailed gnu). The constituents of these secretions belong to many different compound classes, including hydrocarbons, alcohols, aromatics and aliphatic carbonyl compounds including carboxylic acids as well as carboxylic acid esters. Relatively small quantitative differences were found between the male and female interdigital secretions. It was concluded that these compounds probably do not play a significant role in territorial marking or in chemical communication between males and females of the species, but they could be involved in preserving the remarkably strong attachment between members of social subgroups in black wildebeest populations.

scholarly journals Inter-Limb Jump Asymmetries and Their Association with Sport-Specific Performance in Young Male and Female Swimmers

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (14) ◽  
pp. 7324
Author(s):  
Max I. Phukan ◽  
Rohit K. Thapa ◽  
Gopal Kumar ◽  
Chris Bishop ◽  
Helmi Chaabene ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
National Level ◽  
Young Male ◽  
Front Crawl ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Standing Long Jump ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Specific Performance ◽  
Long Jump ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Level Of Agreement

This study aimed to examine inter-limb jump asymmetries and their association with sport-specific performance in young swimmers. Thirty-eight (male, n = 19; female, n = 19) regional/national level young swimmers (age: 12.3 ± 1.2 years; height: 159.6 ± 8.2 cm; body mass: 52.5 ± 9.2 kg) participated in this study. Inter-limb asymmetries were assessed for single-leg countermovement jump (SLCMJ) and single-leg standing long jump (SLSLJ). Sport-specific performance was evaluated using front crawl (i.e., 50 m and 25 m) and front crawl kick (i.e., 50 m and 25 m). The kappa coefficient revealed a “slight” level of agreement (Κ = 0.156, 0.184, and 0.197 for female, male, and all, respectively) between the direction of asymmetry for SLCMJ and SLSLJ, indicating that asymmetries rarely favored the same limb during both tests. A paired sample t-test showed a significant difference (p = 0.025) between asymmetry scores obtained in SLCMJ and SLSLJ. No significant difference was found in asymmetry scores between males and females (p = 0.099 to 0.977). Additionally, no association between asymmetry scores and sport-specific performance was observed (p > 0.05). Our findings highlight the independent nature of inter-limb asymmetries derived from SLCMJ and SLSLJ among young male and female swimmers. Further, our results suggest no association between jumping asymmetries and sport-specific performance.

Profile of a short-acting κ-antagonist, LY2795050, on self-grooming behaviors, forced swim test and locomotor activity: sex comparison in mice

2021 ◽  
pp. 026988112199688
Author(s):  
Eduardo R Butelman ◽  
Caroline Baynard ◽  
Bryan D McElroy ◽  
Thomas E Prisinzano ◽  
Mary Jeanne Kreek
Keyword(s):  
Locomotor Activity ◽  
Forced Swim Test ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Short Acting ◽  
Swim Test ◽  
Central Nervous System Dysfunction ◽  
Forced Swim ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Κ Receptor

Background: Novel short-acting κ(kappa)-opioid receptor selective antagonists are translational tools to examine the impact of the κ-receptor/dynorphin system in assays related to central nervous system dysfunction (e.g., substance use disorders, anhedonia and depression). The effects of such compounds have been compared in males and females under very limited conditions. Aims: The goal of this study was to examine potential sex differences in the effects of a κ-agonist and a short-acting κ-antagonist in an ethologically relevant test of anhedonia, the “splash test” of self-grooming, and also in the forced swim test and in locomotor activity. Methods: We examined the dose-dependence of grooming deficits caused by the κ-agonist U50,488 (0.1–3.2 mg/kg intraperitoneal (i.p.)) in gonadally intact adult male and female C57BL/6J mice. We then compared the effects of the short-acting κ-antagonist LY2795050 ((3-chloro-4-(4-(((2S)-2-pyridin-3-ylpyrrolidin-1-yl)methyl) phenoxy)benzamide)); 0.032–0.1 mg/kg i.p.) in blocking grooming deficits caused by U50,488 (3.2 mg/kg). The effects of LY2795050 were also studied in the forced swim test (FST). The effects of LY2795050 in blocking the locomotor depressant effects of U50,488 (10 mg/kg) were also studied. Results: U50,488 produced dose-dependent grooming deficits in male and female mice, and LY2795050 prevented these effects. In contrast, LY2795050 decreased immobility in the FST in males at a dose of 0.1 mg/kg, but not in females, up to a dose of 0.32 mg/kg. Also, LY2795050 (0.32 mg/kg) prevented and also reversed the locomotor-depressant effects of U50,488 (10 mg/kg), in males and females. Conclusions: This study further implicates the κ-receptor system in ethologically relevant aspects of anhedonia, and confirms sexual dimorphism in some behavioral effects of novel κ-antagonists.

scholarly journals The differential transmissibility of myxoma virus strains of differing virulence grades by the rabbit flea Spilopsyllus cuniculi (Dale)

1975 ◽  
Vol 75 (2) ◽  
pp. 237-247 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. R. Mead-Briggs ◽  
J. A. Vaughan
Keyword(s):  
Host Resistance ◽  
Oryctolagus Cuniculus ◽  
Selective Advantage ◽  
Myxoma Virus ◽  
Laboratory Studies ◽  
Natural Conditions ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Virus Strains ◽  
Sampling Times

SUMMARYLaboratory studies showed that few rabbit fleas (Spilopsyllus cuniculi (Dale)) transmitted myxomatosis after removal from wild rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus (L)) that had been infected for fewer than 10–12 days, irrespective of the virulence of the myxoma virus strain involved. Rabbits infected with fully virulent (Grade I) strains died within 10–15 days and few fleas from these hosts became infective; averaging all the samples taken, 12% of the fleas were infective. Also, few fleas acquired infectivity on individual rabbits which recovered from infection with attenuated strains; the mean was 8% infective. Rabbits which died between 17 and 44 days after infection had higher proportions of infective fleas at all sampling times; the mean was 42% infective. Male and female fleas transmitted virus with equal efficiency.For rabbits infected with any of the attenuated virus strains the mean percentage of infective fleas was inversely related to the survival time of the host. Rabbits infected with moderately attenuated strains (Grades IIIA and IIIB) had, on average, the highest proportion of infective fleas; hence such strains have a selective advantage and have become predominant under natural conditions in Britain. The changes that might occur if there is an increase in host resistance to myxomatosis are discussed.

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