Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences This is an RSS file. You can use it to subscribe to this data in your favourite RSS reader or to display this data on your own website or blog.

Resistance of corals and coralline algae to ocean acidification: physiological control of calcification under natural pH variability
Ocean acidification is a threat to the continued accretion of coral reefs, though some undergo daily fluctuations in pH exceeding declines predicted by 2100. We test whether exposure to greater pH variability enhances resistance to ocean acidification for the coral Goniopora sp. and coralline alga Hydrolithon reinboldii from two sites: one with low pH variability (less than 0.15 units daily; Shell Island) and a site with high pH variability (up to 1.4 pH units daily; Tallon Island). We grew populations of both species for more than 100 days under a combination of differing pH variability (high/low) and means (ambient pH 8....
Source: Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences - August 8, 2018 Category: Biology Authors: Cornwall, C. E., Comeau, S., DeCarlo, T. M., Moore, B., D'Alexis, Q., McCulloch, M. T. Tags: physiology, ecology Global change and conservation Source Type: research

Ancient DNA reveals the chronology of walrus ivory trade from Norse Greenland
The importance of the Atlantic walrus ivory trade for the colonization, peak, and collapse of the medieval Norse colonies on Greenland has been extensively debated. Nevertheless, no studies have directly traced medieval European ivory back to distinct Arctic populations of walrus. Analysing the entire mitogenomes of 37 archaeological specimens from Europe, Svalbard, and Greenland, we here discover that Atlantic walrus comprises two monophyletic mitochondrial (MT) clades, which diverged between 23 400 and 251 120 years ago. Our improved genomic resolution allows us to reinterpret the geographical distribution of partial MT ...
Source: Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences - August 8, 2018 Category: Biology Authors: Star, B., Barrett, J. H., Gondek, A. T., Boessenkool, S. Tags: genomics, evolution Genetics and genomics Source Type: research

Perceptual teleology: expectations of action efficiency bias social perception
Primates interpret conspecific behaviour as goal-directed and expect others to achieve goals by the most efficient means possible. While this teleological stance is prominent in evolutionary and developmental theories of social cognition, little is known about the underlying mechanisms. In predictive models of social cognition, a perceptual prediction of an ideal efficient trajectory would be generated from prior knowledge against which the observed action is evaluated, distorting the perception of unexpected inefficient actions. To test this, participants observed an actor reach for an object with a straight or arched tra...
Source: Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences - August 8, 2018 Category: Biology Authors: Hudson, M., McDonough, K. L., Edwards, R., Bach, P. Tags: cognition Neuroscience and cognition Source Type: research

Behavioural evidence for polychromatic ultraviolet sensitivity in mantis shrimp
Stomatopod crustaceans are renowned for their elaborate visual systems. Their eyes contain a plethora of photoreceptors specialized for chromatic and polarization detection, including several that are sensitive to varying wavelength ranges and angles of polarization within the ultraviolet (UV) range (less than 400 nm). Behavioural experiments have previously suggested that UV photoreception plays a role in stomatopod communication, but these experiments have only manipulated the entire UV range. Here, using a behavioural approach, we examine UV vision in the stomatopod Haptosquilla trispinosa. Using binary trained choice a...
Source: Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences - August 1, 2018 Category: Biology Authors: Bok, M. J., Roberts, N. W., Cronin, T. W. Tags: neuroscience, behaviour Source Type: research

Do larger individuals cope with resource fluctuations better? An artificial selection approach
Size determines the rate at which organisms acquire and use resources but it is unclear what size should be favoured under unpredictable resource regimes. Some theories claim smaller organisms can grow faster following a resource pulse, whereas others argue larger species can accumulate more resources and maintain growth for longer periods between resource pulses. Testing these theories has relied on interspecific comparisons, which tend to confound body size with other life-history traits. As a more direct approach, we used 280 generations of artificial selection to evolve a 10-fold difference in mean body size between sm...
Source: Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences - August 1, 2018 Category: Biology Authors: Malerba, M. E., Palacios, M. M., Marshall, D. J. Tags: microbiology, ecology, evolution Source Type: research

The circadian activity rhythm is reset by nanowatt pulses of ultraviolet light
The circadian pacemaker synchronizes to the Earth's rotation by tracking step-by-step changes in illumination that occur as the sun passes the horizon. While twilight progressions of irradiance and colour are considered important stimuli in this process, comparably less thought has been given to the possibility that ultraviolet A (UVA) radiation might actually play a more formative role given its evolutionary significance in shaping 24 h timekeeping. Here, we show that Drosophila activity rhythms can be phase-shifted by UVA light at an energy range seated well below that of the visible spectrum. Because the energy threshol...
Source: Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences - August 1, 2018 Category: Biology Authors: Negelspach, D. C., Kaladchibachi, S., Fernandez, F. Tags: behaviour, systems biology Source Type: research

Agonistic character displacement of genetically based male colour patterns across darters
This study provides evidence that interspecific male–male aggressive interactions alone can promote elaborate male signal evolution both between and within species. We discuss the implications this has for male-driven ACD and cascade ACD. (Source: Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences)
Source: Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences - August 1, 2018 Category: Biology Authors: Moran, R. L., Fuller, R. C. Tags: evolution Source Type: research

The role of dietary competition in the origination and early diversification of North American euprimates
This study compared three competition models (non-competition, competitive displacement, competitive coexistence) with observed patterns of dietary niche overlap, reconstructed from three-dimensional molar morphology, at the time of the euprimate radiation in North America (at the Paleocene–Eocene boundary). Overlap of reconstructed multidimensional dietary niches between euprimates and members of their guild were analysed using a modified MANOVA to establish the nature of the competitive environment surrounding euprimate origins in North America (an immigration event). Results indicated that adapids entered the mamm...
Source: Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences - August 1, 2018 Category: Biology Authors: Stroik, L. K., Schwartz, G. T. Tags: palaeontology, evolution Palaeobiology Source Type: research

Urban hubs of connectivity: contrasting patterns of gene flow within and among cities in the western black widow spider
As urbanization drastically alters the natural landscape and generates novel habitats within cities, the potential for changes to gene flow for urban-dwelling species increases. The western black widow spider (Latrodectus hesperus) is a medically relevant urban adapter pest species, for which we have previously identified population genetic signatures consistent with urbanization facilitating gene flow, likely due to human-mediated transport. Here, in an analysis of 1.9 million genome-wide SNPs, we contrast broad-scale geographical analyses of 10 urban and 11 non-urban locales with fine-scale within-city analyses including...
Source: Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences - August 1, 2018 Category: Biology Authors: Miles, L. S., Dyer, R. J., Verrelli, B. C. Tags: genetics, evolution Special feature Source Type: research

Howling from the past: historical phylogeography and diversity losses in European grey wolves
Genetic bottlenecks resulting from human-induced population declines make alarming symbols for the irreversible loss of our natural legacy worldwide. The grey wolf (Canis lupus) is an iconic example of extreme declines driven by anthropogenic factors. Here, we assessed the genetic signatures of 150 years of wolf persecution throughout the Western Palaearctic by high-throughput mitochondrial DNA sequencing of historical specimens in an unprecedented spatio-temporal framework. Despite Late Pleistocene bottlenecks, we show that historical genetic variation had remained high throughout Europe until the last several hundred yea...
Source: Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences - August 1, 2018 Category: Biology Authors: Dufresnes, C., Miquel, C., Remollino, N., Biollaz, F., Salamin, N., Taberlet, P., Fumagalli, L. Tags: genetics, ecology, evolution Source Type: research

Landscape context shifts the balance of costs and benefits from wildflower borders on multiple ecosystem services
In the face of global biodiversity declines driven by agricultural intensification, local diversification practices are broadly promoted to support farmland biodiversity and multiple ecosystem services. The creation of flower-rich habitats on farmland has been subsidized in both the USA and EU to support biodiversity and promote delivery of ecosystem services. Yet, theory suggests that the landscape context in which local diversification strategies are implemented will influence their success. However, few studies have empirically evaluated this theory or assessed the ability to support multiple ecosystem services simultan...
Source: Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences - August 1, 2018 Category: Biology Authors: Grab, H., Poveda, K., Danforth, B., Loeb, G. Tags: ecology Global change and conservation Source Type: research

Differential allocation of parental investment and the trade-off between size and number of offspring
We present a stochastic dynamic model of DA in which females care for a series of clutches when mated with males of different quality. In each reproductive event, females choose the size and number of offspring. We find that if partner quality affects reproductive costs, then DA in total reproductive investment occurs only via changes in the number of offspring. DA in the optimal size of the offspring occurs only if partner quality affects the offspring benefit function. This is mostly in the form of greater female investment per offspring as male quality decreases. Simultaneously, we find that adaptive DA increases the nu...
Source: Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences - August 1, 2018 Category: Biology Authors: Ratikainen, I. I., Haaland, T. R., Wright, J. Tags: behaviour, theoretical biology, evolution Source Type: research

Latitudinal pattern of flowering synchrony in an invasive wind-pollinated plant
Flowering synchrony can play an important role in plants' reproductive success, which is essential for the successful establishment and spread of invasive plants. Although flowering synchrony has been found to be closely related to climatic factors, the effects of variation in such factors along latitudinal gradient on flowering synchrony and the role of flowering synchrony in the reproductive success of invading populations remain largely unexplored. In a 2-year field study, we examined the latitudinal variation of flowering phenology, especially flowering synchrony, in an invasive plant, Spartina alterniflora, along coas...
Source: Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences - August 1, 2018 Category: Biology Authors: Qiu, S., Xu, X., Liu, S., Liu, W., Liu, J., Nie, M., Shi, F., Zhang, Y., Weiner, J., Li, B. Tags: plant science, ecology Source Type: research

Borrelia afzelii alters reproductive success in a rodent host
The impact of a pathogen on the fitness and behaviour of its natural host depends upon the host–parasite relationship in a given set of environmental conditions. Here, we experimentally investigated the effects of Borrelia afzelii, one of the aetiological agents of Lyme disease in humans, on the fitness of its natural rodent host, the bank vole (Myodes glareolus), in semi-natural conditions with two contrasting host population densities. Our results show that B. afzelii can modify the reproductive success and spacing behaviour of its rodent host, whereas host survival was not affected. Infection impaired the breeding...
Source: Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences - August 1, 2018 Category: Biology Authors: Cayol, C., Giermek, A., Gomez-Chamorro, A., Hytönen, J., Kallio, E. R., Mappes, T., Salo, J., Voordouw, M. J., Koskela, E. Tags: ecology, evolution, health and disease and epidemiology Source Type: research

Adaptive evolution of distinct prey-specific toxin genes in rear-fanged snake venom
Venom proteins evolve rapidly, and as a trophic adaptation are excellent models for predator–prey evolutionary studies. The key to a deeper understanding of venom evolution is an integrated approach, combining prey assays with analysis of venom gene expression and venom phenotype. Here, we use such an approach to study venom evolution in the Amazon puffing snake, Spilotes sulphureus, a generalist feeder. We identify two novel three-finger toxins: sulditoxin and sulmotoxin 1. These new toxins are not only two of the most abundant venom proteins, but are also functionally intriguing, displaying distinct prey-specific t...
Source: Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences - August 1, 2018 Category: Biology Authors: Modahl, C. M., Mrinalini, , Frietze, S., Mackessy, S. P. Tags: biochemistry, evolution Source Type: research