Biology subjects

Corral-Lopez, A.

Publications and source records attributed to Corral-Lopez, A..

5 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2023

Metamorphosis reverses the risk-taking behavioral phenotype in moor frog along a latitudinal gradient

O_LIUnderstanding how demographic processes and environmental conditions shape behavioural variation across populations is pivotal in evolutionary ecology. However, the role that such processes play in the link between behaviour and life-history traits across populations remains largely unclear. C_LIO_LIThe moor frog (Rana arvalis) has colonized Sweden via two distinct routes from south via Denmark and from north via Finland. We collected R. arvalis eggs from multiple populations along a 1700 km latitudinal gradient across Northern Europe and raised tadpoles in a common garden experiment. We assessed developmental growth and proactivity levels in ca. 300 individuals at two key stages of anuran larval development: tadpoles (Gosner stage 32) and froglets (Gosner stage 46). C_LIO_LIWe found strong behavioural differences along the latitudinal gradient and between developmental stages. Tadpoles from northernmost populations were bolder (shorter times to leave a shelter) and showed higher activity levels in an open field test compared to those from southern populations. C_LIO_LIHowever, these behavioural patterns reversed at the froglet stage, with individuals from northern populations showing reduced proactivity that those from southern populations. Further analyses indicated significant associations between developmental growth and boldness, with contrasting patterns across developmental stages and colonization routes. C_LIO_LIIn line with recent revisitations of the pace-of-life syndrome theory (POLS) for animal personality, our findings suggest a decoupling of correlations between behaviour and life history traits across ontogeny, likely reflecting adaptive responses to divergent ecological and demographic constraints along the latitudinal gradient. C_LI

animal behavior and cognition↗

bioRxiv2023

Deep learning reveals the role of copy number variation in the genetic architecture of a highly polymorphic sexual trait

The extraordinary variation in male guppy coloration has proven a powerful model for studying the interplay of natural and sexual selection. However, this variation has hampered the high-resolution characterization and determination of the genetic architecture underlying male guppy color, as well as clouded our understanding of how this exceptional level of diversity is maintained. Here we identify the heritability and genetic basis of male color variation using convolutional neural networks for high-resolution phenotyping coupled with selection experiments, controlled pedigrees and whole-genome resequencing for a Genome Wide Association Study (GWAS) of color. Our phenotypic and genomic results converge to show that color patterning in guppies is a combination of many heritable features, each with a largely independent genetic architecture spanning the entire genome. Autosomally-inherited ornaments are polygenic, with significant contributions from loci involved in neural crest cell migration. Unusually, our GWAS results suggest that gene duplicates from the autosomes to the Y chromosome are responsible for much of the sex-linked variation in color in guppies, providing a potential mechanism for the maintenance of variation of this classic model trait.

evolutionary biology↗

bioRxiv2023

Functional convergence of genomic and transcriptomic genetic architecture underlying sociability in a live-bearing fish

The organization and coordination of fish schools provide a valuable model to investigate the genetic architecture of affiliative behaviors and dissect the mechanisms underlying social behaviors and personalities. We used quantitative genetic methods in replicate guppy selection lines that vary in schooling propensity to investigate the genetic basis of sociability phenotypes. Alignment and attraction, the two major traits forming the sociability personality axis in this species, showed heritability estimates at the upper end of the range previously described for social behaviors, with important variation across sexes. Consistent with findings in collective motion patterns, experimental evolution of schooling propensity increases the sociability of female, but not male, guppies when swimming with unfamiliar conspecifics, a highly relevant trait in a species with fission-fusion social systems in natural populations. Our results from PoolSeq and RNASeq convergently identify genes involved in neuron migration and synaptic function, highlighting a crucial role of glutamatergic synaptic function and calcium-dependent signaling processes in the evolution of schooling.

evolutionary biology↗

bioRxiv2023

Experience with mating receptivity cues affects sexual behaviour of male guppies, but not their strength of preference towards receptive females

Females are traditionally presented as the choosier sex, selecting males based on the quality of their traits. Yet, there is increasing evidence that male mate choice is also important, even in species without male parental care. Social environment and learning are key factors in determining mate preference, and animals are able to use the information they gather from previous experience to potentially increase their odds of obtaining a high-quality mate. We examined how the social environment affects male mate choice in the guppy (Poecilia reticulata). We evaluated whether male guppies with previous social experience of female receptivity cues learn to prefer and adapt their behavioural repertoire towards females with higher receptiveness levels, as this represents an optimal use of time and energy and is more likely to result in insemination. For this, we measured sexual preference and behaviour for receptive females in no-choice and dichotomous choice tests using guppy males experienced or naive to female receptivity cues. Experience with receptivity cues did not change the strength of preference towards receptive females. However, male guppies that had previous experience with female receptivity cues adapted their mating tactic compared to naive males. The change in mating tactics but lack of preference towards receptive females shows that the influence of social learning is present but might be weaker than predicted in this species. Furthermore, these results provide further support to studies of female mate choice suggesting mating status is not a key factor driving the strength of sexual preferences in natural populations.

animal behavior and cognition↗

bioRxiv2022

Evolution of schooling propensity in the guppy drives changes in anti-predator behavior that are linked to neuroanatomy

One of the most spectacular displays of social behavior is the synchronized movements that many animal groups perform to travel, forage and escape from predators. However, elucidating the neural mechanisms underlying the evolution of collective behaviors, as well as their fitness effects, remains challenging. Here, we study anti-predator behavior in guppies experimentally selected for divergence in polarization, an important behavioral aspect of coordinated movement. We find that groups from artificially selected lines remain more polarized than control groups in the presence of a threat. Neuroanatomical measurements of polarization-selected individuals indicated changes in brain regions previously suggested to be important regulators of perception, fear and attention, and motor response. Additional visual acuity and temporal resolution tests performed in polarization-selected and control individuals indicate that observed differences in anti-predator and schooling behavior should not be attributable to changes in visual perception, but rather are more likely the result of the more efficient relay of sensory input in the brain of polarization-selected fish. Our findings highlight that brain morphology may play a fundamental role in the evolution of coordinated movement and anti-predator behavior.

evolutionary biology↗