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Maternal age can influence reproductive success and offspring fitness, but the timing, magnitude and direction of those impacts are not well understood. Evolutionary theory predicts that selection on fertility senescence is stronger than maternal effect senescence, and therefore, the rate of maternal effect senescence will be faster than fertility senescence. We used a 36-year study of northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) to investigate reproductive senescence. Our dataset included 103,746 sightings of 1203 known-age female northern elephant seals. We hypothesized that fertility (maternal reproductive success), offspring survival and recruitment into the breeding population, and male offspring production would decline with advanced maternal age. Furthermore, we hypothesized that older females would shorten their moulting haul out to allow for more time spent foraging. We found evidence for both fertility and maternal effect senescence, but no evidence for senescence impacting offspring recruitment or sex ratio. Breeding probability declined from 96.4% (95% CI: 94.8%-97.5%) at 11 years old to 89.7% (81.9%-94.3%) at 19 years old, and the probability of offspring survival declined from 30.3% (23.6%-38.0%) at 11 years old to 9.1% (3.2%-22.9%) at 19 years old. The rates of decline for fertility and maternal effect senescence were not different from each other. However, maternal effect senescence had a substantially greater impact on the number of offspring surviving to age 1 compared to fertility senescence. Compared to a hypothetical non-senescent population, maternal effect senescence resulted in 5.3% fewer surviving pups, whereas fertility senescence resulted in only 0.3% fewer pups produced per year. These results are consistent with evolutionary theory predicting weaker selection on maternal effect than fertility senescence. Maternal effect senescence may therefore be more influential on population dynamics than fertility senescence in some systems.

The fundamental trade-off between current and future reproduction has long been considered to result in a tendency for species that can grow large to begin reproduction at a larger size. Due to the prolonged time required to reach maturity, estimates of tree maturation size remain very rare and we lack a global view on the generality and the shape of this trade-off. Using seed production from five continents, we estimate tree maturation sizes for 486 tree species spanning tropical to boreal climates. Results show that a species' maturation size increases with maximum size, but in a non-proportional way: the largest species begin reproduction at smaller sizes than would be expected if maturation were simply proportional to maximum size. Furthermore, the decrease in relative maturation size is steepest in cold climates. These findings on maturation size drivers are key to accurately represent forests' responses to disturbance and climate change.

Many animals and plants have species-typical annual cycles, but individuals vary in their timing of life-history events. Individual variation in fur replacement (moult) timing is poorly understood in mammals due to the challenge of repeated observations and longitudinal sampling. We examined factors that influence variation in moult duration and timing among elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris). We quantified the onset and progression of fur loss in 1178 individuals. We found that an exceptionally rapid visible moult (7 days, the shortest of any mammals or birds), and a wide range of moult start dates (spanning 6-10× the event duration) facilitated high asynchrony across individuals (only 20% of individuals in the population moulting at the same time). Some of the variation was due to reproductive state, as reproductively mature females that skipped a breeding season moulted a week earlier than reproductive females. Moreover, individual variation in timing and duration within age-sex categories far outweighed (76-80%) variation among age-sex categories. Individuals arriving at the end of the moult season spent 50% less time on the beach, which allowed them to catch up in their annual cycles and reduce population-level variance during breeding. These findings underscore the importance of individual variation in annual cycles.

Araripesuchus is a genus of Notosuchia from the Upper Cretaceous of southern continents. A previous paleohistological study performed in individuals assigned to one of the South American the species (Araripesuchus buitreraensis) has revealed, among other palaeobiological inferences, cyclical and slow growth dynamics. To increase the knowledge about the growth dynamics and intraskeletal and interspecific histological variation, here we analyse the microstructure of femur, tibia, fibula, metatarsal (II, III and IV) and two osteoderms of an individual referred to Araripesuchus cf.buitreraensis (MPCA-Pv 263) from the Late Cretaceous of Argentina. All elements present a cortex formed by both parallel fibred and lamellar bone tissues interrupted by lines of arrested growth (LAGs), revealing a general slow growth rate annually interrupted. A similar growth strategy has been inferred for other notosuchians, as Iberosuchus macrodon, but an important variation regarding this parameter is evident in the clade. Although the bone tissue suggests that the individual reached the sexual maturity (i.e. increasing in the intrinsic fibre arrangement in the outer cortex), the absence of an external fundamental system indicates that somatic maturation has not been attained. MPCA-Pv 263 exhibit discrete layer of WFB in the cortical bone whose origin is still unambiguous. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While studies have explored the physical literacy of Chinese kindergarten teachers and its impact on young children's health, to date, none has provided a comprehensive analysis of Chinese kindergarten teachers' self-perceptions in relation to sport. This study explored the environmental stressors associated with participating in sport during the teenage years of 148 Chinese female pre-service kindergarten teachers majoring in early childhood education at a Chinese university through the analysis of their individual sports life history texts. The researchers found that there were multiple simultaneous pressures regarding girls' sport participation in China. First, there is the pain of student sports participation caused by the pull of multiple forces, and the inconsistency between government, school, family, and student demands for sports, which makes both sports and students a passive presence. Second, there is gender discrimination against women in the sports arena, which adds another burden for girls. Third, physical education teachers seem to have been unable to solve the physical and mental discomforts caused by perceptions of girls' limited ability, accidental injuries, anxiety and shyness in the sports process. The study revealed the profound impact of body culture and gender culture in Confucianism on adolescent girls' sports during puberty. The findings contribute to understanding and improving the pre-service physical education practices of female kindergarten teachers and female physical education practices during adolescence, as well as, in the long run, improving the quality of kindergarten children's physical activity in a context where females are the dominant occupational group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigating why individuals show consistent behavioral variation is an encompassing pursuit in the biological sciences, as it is closely correlated to physiological and life-history variances. Significant advances have been made to understand trait covariation utilizing a Pace-of-Life Syndrome (POLS) framework, along with generating predictions about behavioral and physiological traits that are associated with life-history patterns. This trait covariation is additionally associated with potential trade-offs, and thus limiting both physiological, behavioral, and life-history plasticity. Here, we begin to investigate if and/or how multilevel selection in Temnothorax rugatulus ants may result in a de-coupling of the cost and benefits associated with POLS. We compared the colony-level Pace-of-Life (POL) with worker survival under both control and stressful environmental conditions. While the core of the POLS hypothesis indicates that we should expect "fast" pace-of-life colonies to show decreased robustness, we instead find no association between worker lifespan and colony POL in control conditions. Under stressful conditions, we find evidence of higher robustness in "fast" colonies. This study emphasizes the need to better understand how and which mechanistic constraints are expected to drive trait correlations in Pace-of-Life Syndromes. Additionally, more focus should be placed on understanding evolutionary and mechanistic constraints across multiple levels of organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The question of what mechanisms maintain tropical biodiversity is a critical frontier in ecology, intensified by the heightened risk of biodiversity loss faced in tropical regions. Ecological theory has shed light on multiple mechanisms that could lead to the high levels of biodiversity in tropical forests. But variation in species abundances over time may be just as important as overall biodiversity, with a more immediate connection to the risk of extirpation and biodiversity loss. Despite the urgency, our understanding of the primary mechanisms driving fluctuations in species abundances has not been clearly established. Here, we introduce a theoretical framework based around life history; the schedule of birth, growth, and mortality over a lifespan, and its systematic variation across species. We develop a mean field model to predict expected fluctuations in abundance for a focal species in a larger community, and we quantify empirical life history variation among 90 tropical forest species in a 50 ha plot in Panama. Putting theory and data together, we show that life history provides a critical piece of this puzzle, allowing us to explain patterns of abundance fluctuations more accurately than previous models incorporating demographic stochasticity without life history variation, and without introducing unobserved couplings between species and their environment. This framework provides a starting point for more general models that incorporate multiple factors in addition to life history variation, and suggests the potential for a fine-grained assessment of extirpation risk based on the impacts of anthropogenic change on demographic rates across life stages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lifetime fitness of an individual is determined by the integrated results of survival and reproduction. Improving our understanding of variation in survival senescence within and between species will therefore provide greater insight into the evolution of different life history strategies. Survival is influenced by multiple factors, consequently, variation in patterns of senescence is expected between individuals and sexes and across mating systems and the continuum of life history strategies. To date there is little consensus regarding the mechanisms driving the evolution of sex differences in actuarial senescence, necessitating the need for studies of sex-specific senescence for species across a wide range of life histories. The Weddell seal is a species of long-lived mammal that displays moderate polygyny and little sexual size dimorphism, which makes it an unusual species compared to other long-lived mammals that share the polygynous mating system. Here we used 37 years of data for 1,879 female and 1,474 male Weddell seals from Erebus Bay, Antarctica, to estimate and compare sex-specific patterns of survival rates using basis splines which allow flexible modeling of age-specific patterns. We found that males had lower rates of survival throughout life and higher rates of actuarial senescence after early adulthood compared to females. These results add to our understanding of sex-specific survival rates in the species and contribute information for a long-lived, polygynous species that should aid in achieving a broader understanding of aging between sexes and across the tree of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Major changes in genetic variation are generally considered deleterious to populations. The massive biodiversity of insects distinguishes them from other animal groups. Insect deviant effective population sizes, alternative modes of reproduction, advantageous inbreeding, endosymbionts, and other factors translate to highly specific inbreeding and outbreeding outcomes. We review the evidence for inbreeding and outbreeding depression and consequences across wild and captive insect populations, highlighting conservation, invasion, and commercial production entomology. We not only discern patterns but also explain why they are often inconsistent or absent. We discuss how insect inbreeding and outbreeding depression operates in complex, sometimes contradictory directions, such as inbreeding being detrimental to individuals but beneficial to populations. We conclude by giving recommendations to (a) more comprehensively account for important variables in insect inbreeding and outbreeding depression, (b) standardize the means of measuring genetic variation and phenotypic impacts for insect populations so as to more reliably predict when inbreeding or outbreeding depression applies, and (c) outline possible remediation options, both nongenetic and genetic, including revision of restrictive international trade laws. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Exploring insects' biology through growth chamber experiments is a common practice that provides quantitative information on the stage-response of the species to external factors. Those experiments are commonly indicated as "Life tables studies" and provide for rearing a cohort of eggs under different conditions of temperature, relative humidity, diet, and photoperiod, to cite some examples. Tracking the life history of the individuals, it is possible to assess how the growth conditions affect the stage-development time, the stage-mortality, and the reproduction rate (egg production, pre-oviposition period, and coupling). Besides the biological knowledge, the quantitative information resulting from life table studies allows the parameter estimation of physiologically-based models. For this reason, life table studies are widely applied to insect pests, and they represent a piece of fundamental knowledge that can potentially drive integrated management programmes. This study explored the thermal response of Drosophila suzukii, an injurious insect pest present in many countries worldwide, at different controlled conditions. This species is responsible for several economic losses in soft fruit cultivations, develops on ripening fruits, and has the capability to quickly adapt to new territories and climates, closing multiple generations per year. Given its high invasive potential and the increasing need for low-impact control strategies, an in-depth exploration of the biology of this species and of the stage thermal response is fundamental. Specimens of an Italian strain from Apulia were reared in growth chambers at different constant temperatures (6, 9, 13, 18, 20, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 31, 32 and 33 °C). The life cycle of each specimen was individually tracked from the egg to the death of the adults, considering the larval stages distinction as well. Besides development and mortality, egg production over temperature has been recorded. The dataset was first analysed according to life tables studies; then, we also estimated the biological parameters of the most common equations describing development, mortality, and fertility involved in physiologically-based model applications. The results confirmed and extended the information on the thermal response already present in the literature, but with reference to a population adapted to warmer climates. The species successfully developed from egg to adult at 13–29 °C, while between 6–9 and 29–33 °C the development was limited to L2/L3 stages. Optimal temperatures are around 26–28 °C, depending on the life stage. This study provides one of the complete overviews of the thermal response of D. suzukii, which is available in the current literature, and opens the door to more accurate modelling frameworks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our qualitative study delves into the life history of a mother‐worker caring for two neurodiverse children, surfacing how the intensive mental load of balancing domestic and professional responsibilities permeates and shapes her identity. Employing narrative analysis and photovoice methods, we investigate how she navigates the logistical and emotional complexities in both roles across three distinct storytelling events: storying (mis)diagnoses, storying care needs and work negotiations, and storying coping. Our primary contribution lies in introducing the concept of the surrendered self, signaling the amplified and prolonged embodiment of one's provisional identity (mother) based on socio‐cultural expectations of who she thinks she ought to be, leading to the eclipse of other possible identities (woman, wife, worker). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Age and growth‐related data are basic biological parameters, essential in population ecology, evolution, and conservation biology. There is a growing body of published information on reptile demography derived from sclerochronology, a technique based on counting the growth layers deposited in bones (skeletochronology) and other hard body structures. Since the data are not always easily available, we compiled the existing published data, described the current status of knowledge, synthetized the conclusions of disparate studies, and identified patterns of research and information gaps, prioritizing the needs for future research. Our database includes the results of 468 published studies covering 236 reptile species from 41 families. These represent less than 2% of the total number of known extant species. Turtles and crocodiles are proportionally better studied, while snakes are the least examined group. The distribution of the research does not reflect conservation needs; we found an important geographic bias, with an overrepresentation of Northern temperate species. Only 23% of the studies checked the assumption of periodicity of growth marks deposition, and the method was found to be reliable or adequate in 79% of the cases. Overall, the data obtained through sclerochronology can be considered robust, especially if validation methods are employed, since the general goal is to characterize population parameters, trends, and dynamics, rather than determining the exact age of any specimen in particular. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Life history explains natural selection, resulting in phenotypic plasticity that can be studied through the growth pattern (growth rate and body size). The Baduy People, one of the indigenous peoples in Indonesia, exhibit prolonged growth, a slow growth rate, a low peak growth spurt, and small adult size as an adaptation to challenging biocultural conditions. The life history trade-offs of the Baduy People are demonstrated by ontogenetic allometry, which synchronizes between skeletal growth and future reproduction. The study aims to characterize the growth of Baduy children aged 0-5 years with more precise 'tracking' of developmental plasticity. We collected anthropometric data (body height-BH, body weight-BW, head circumference-HC, body mass index-BMI) using a cross-sectional method from 118 girls and 97 boys aged 0-5 years across 24 Baduy Luar hamlets. Data were analyzed with Generalized Additive Models for Location, Scale, and Shape (GAMLSS) in R version 4.2.1. Nutritional statuses were categorized based on the BMI z-score. The growth pattern showed a decline in growth rate after birth until 2 or 3 years, but the body size increased yearly. The body size (BH and BW) of Baduy children is lower than the Indonesian National Synthetic Growth Charts (INSGC), but most of them have a good nutritional status (>80%). This finding is consistent with the "small but healthy" hypothesis: a small body is an advantageous evolutionary strategy for energy efficiency and maximizing growth potential in challenging biocultural conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prolonged reproductive interactions can lead to social plasticity and fitness differences for a focal individual in response to their partner's characteristics. Age can provide a way to manipulate the influence of a social partner due to its predictable consequences for mate quality and reproductive effort. Here, we use a full factorial design to examine the interactions between male and female age on behavior and reproductive performance in the obligately caring, frequently biparental burying beetle Nicrophorus orbicollis. We found that both males and females increased their reproductive effort with age. However, this response was weaker than that of a related, more uniparental species that provides facultative care, indicating that details of age-related behavior are predictable based on species differences. We also found that male and female behavior depended on both their own and their partner's age, as well as their partner's behavior. Lastly, we found that mismatched age pairs had the highest levels of reproductive success. These results indicate that reproductive senescence does occur but that it can be mitigated by having a young social partner. This also suggests a rarely found pattern wherein age-mismatching may have beneficial consequences for both parental and offspring fitness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information on the life histories of male macaques after leaving their natal troops is limited. A solitary male Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata), estimated to be 5 years old, appeared in the urban area of Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture, northern Japan, where no troops are distributed, in May 2023. Because the animal was habituated to and fed frequently on garden crops, it likely came from the western part of the prefecture, where multiple crop-feeding troops are distributed. The male stayed in the hilly area in the central part of the city until June and then moved north in July. The male moved south to the tip of the Oshika Peninsula and returned to the urban area in August, after which the location of the male was unknown. This study demonstrated that (1) male macaques can move > 40 km from their natal troop, (2) the daily travel distance (average: 0.9 km) of solitary males was similar to that of troop animals, whereas the home-range size of solitary males was much bigger than that for single animals, and (3) the home-range location of solitary males changes quickly. These results implied that solitary males in novel environments prioritize finding new troops to join. Our study sheds light on aspects of male life history after dispersal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A culturally important food fish in Hawai'i, Achilles tang (Acanthurus achilles Shaw), recently experienced sharp declines in biomass, density, and average length in west Hawai'i Island. In December 2022, State resource managers placed a 2-year moratorium on the Achilles tang fishery in west Hawai'i Island so that the cause of the collapse could be explored. The lack of life-history information for Achilles tang from Hawai'i, or elsewhere in its range, has been noted as an impediment to decision-making. Therefore, our objectives were to characterize this population's age, growth, and reproductive biology. In working with community fishers, we collected 363 individuals ranging 69 – 264 mm in fork length (FL) and 0 – 39 years in age based on estimates from otoliths. Achilles tang in Hawai'i exhibit a high growth rate, reaching 138 ± 11 mm FL (mean ± SE) in their first year, and exhibit relatively little growth after their second year (< 5 mm yr−1). The majority of males (92.0% of n = 101) and females (73.6% of n = 159) were classified as spawning capable or actively spawning, without annual or lunar periodicity. Our study highlights that the basic biology of Achilles tang poses unique challenges to fisheries managers looking to ensure its sustainable harvest. Future research will aim to characterize the susceptibility of recruits' habitat to local environmental stressors and the relative connectivity of juvenile and adult habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introductions of close related species provides an opportunity to study differences in life history traits and their ability to cooccur in syntopy. We examine a case in which three species of Megabalanus barnacles coexist syntopically along the tropical southwestern Atlantic. A comparative life history study, focusing on parameters such as size, distribution, abundance, growth, and reproduction is presented. Through such an analysis, we could better understand the successful establishment of the non-indigenous M. coccopoma in the southwestern Atlantic, discern why the cryptogenic M. tintinnabulum flourishes across approximately 5000 km of Brazilian shores, and probe how the endemic M. vesiculosus occurs with these two species. Although we did not measure growth and reproduction period, the higher egg size and fecundity of M. vesiculosus might be allowing its extensive range of occurrence. The observed superior density of M. coccopoma in southern locations might be directly associated with its continuous reproduction period and fecundity. But the absence of M. coccopoma on northern shores can be attributed to the smaller egg size, not work wheel on oligotrophic warm water. The faster growth rate and large adult size of M. tintinnabulum appear to be beneficial in competitive intertidal environments of tropical shores. This study showed how close related species diverge in traits, and how such differences may act when in syntopy. The knowledge of how these factors relate to the establishment of nonindigenous species may furnish tools to understand future invasion scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atrazine is a predominant herbicide globally, and its residues are commonly found in natural water bodies due to its extensive use. Atrazine is known for its detrimental effects on the reproductive abilities of aquatic plants and animals. Our study explored the impact of maternal exposure to atrazine on the survival and performance of offspring using the water flea Daphnia magna as a model organism. We investigated how the life-history traits and population dynamics of maternal D. magna and their offspring are influenced by atrazine. We hypothesized that exposure to atrazine in mothers would negatively affect the survival and performance of their offspring. The findings revealed that short-term exposure to atrazine adversely affects fitness-related traits, manifesting as decreased survivorship and reduced fecundity. Offspring from atrazine-exposed mothers displayed a limited recovery in fitness; no mortality was observed during the 14-day experiment, yet fecundity remained significantly reduced. At the population level, maternal exposure to atrazine led to a decreased population carrying capacity. The notable maternal effects on offspring reproduction underscore the long-term toxicity of atrazine to D. magna populations, suggesting prolonged consequences even after the cessation of atrazine pollution. This study underscores the transgenerational effects of atrazine, highlighting its persistent threat to D. magna populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThis review evaluates the current knowledge of essential biological traits (diet, fecundity, maturity, length-weight relationships, spawning, growth, lifespan, and natural mortality) of marine fishes across European and adjacent waters. These traits are crucial for ecosystem modeling and stock assessments. Using data from FishBase, the largest and most comprehensive database on fishes, a gap analysis was performed to identify areas of research focus and the corresponding gaps that require further study. Biological data coverage is strong in the Baltic and North Seas but moderate in the Adriatic, Aegean, Biscay, Celtic, Levantine, and western Mediterranean Seas. Well-documented species include the European conger (Conger conger), thornback ray (Raja clavata), and transparent goby (Aphia minuta) which are reported from all areas. The narrowest knowledge gaps concern length-weight relationships, followed by spawning and growth, while natural mortality and fecundity are the least studied biological characteristics. Regional variations exist, particularly for protected species. Future research should focus on filling gaps by addressing overlooked species (bycatch and discarded species) and traits such as natural mortality and fecundity, with special attention to vulnerable groups like sharks and rays. Expanding biological data coverage will reduce uncertainties in stock assessments and improve ecosystem models, two widely used tools for sustainable fisheries management and marine conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Suites of coevolved traits related to reproduction and demography enable species to persist in the face of environmental change. In the case of biological invasions, the suite of life history traits, “life history strategies,” can be linked to successful establishment after an introduction. Conservation translocations share many similarities with biological invasions, yet studies examining the relationship between life history and translocation outcome are scarce. We collected data on key life history traits for all herpetofauna profiled in the IUCN Global Conservation Translocation Perspectives series to examine how life history can predict outcomes and difficulties of conservation translocations. For reptiles, our model showed that age at maturity showed a significant positive association with higher probabilities of more successful outcomes, while increased clutch/litter size and lifespan predicted less successful outcomes. We found no relationship between any life history trait and translocation outcome for amphibians. Our results showed that difficulties with conservation translocations are related more to phylogeny than life history. Amphibian translocations faced more difficulties due to the physical environment of release sites, but reptile translocations experienced more socio‐political difficulties. These relationships provide important insights for conservation practitioners that can be used in the feasibility and planning stages of translocations to anticipate and avoid challenges facing this complex and increasingly common form of conservation intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the Late Permian, saber‐toothed gorgonopsian therapsids were the dominant terrestrial predators, playing crucial roles as apex predators alongside therocephalian therapsids within Permian terrestrial ecosystems. The entire gorgonopsian clade went extinct during the Permo‐Triassic mass extinction, leaving other therapsids to continue into the Triassic. Gorgonopsians have not been well studied, particularly in terms of their growth patterns, with only a few genera having undergone osteohistological analysis. In this study, I present a thorough osteohistological examination of the most extensive collection of gorgonopsian specimens to date, spanning a diverse range of limb bones sourced from various species. The osteohistological analysis of gorgonopsian specimens reveals a trend of rapid growth characterized by a highly vascularized woven‐parallel complex. The abundance of growth marks and variable zone widths suggests a growth trajectory that could indicate longer lifespans and slower growth rates when compared to Early Triassic therapsids. The high vascularity, coupled with the observed growth patterns, implies that gorgonopsians experienced rapid growth during favorable conditions. However, the multiple growth marks indicate that they likely had the capacity for longer lifespans and more gradual maturation than their Early Triassic counterparts. Additionally, their ability to reach later ontogenetic stages supports the hypothesis that favorable environmental conditions facilitated larger body sizes. In contrast, Early Triassic therapsids primarily consisted of juveniles or individuals who reached reproductive maturity within a year, likely indicative of harsher conditions that contributed to higher mortality rates at younger ages. The onset of decreased growth rates, usually indicative of reproductive maturity, occurred later in gorgonopsians compared to Early Triassic therapsids and may have contributed to their decline, as the heightened juvenile mortality rates during the PTME would have limited the gorgonopsians' ability to reproduce effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A long-term study of a population of desert seed-eating ant colonies of the red harvester ant, Pogonomyrmex barbatus, in New Mexico, USA, shows that a colony can live for 20–30 years—the lifespan of its founding queen. A colony's collective behaviour shifts in the course of its life history. These changes, generated by social interactions within the colony, adjust the behaviour of the colony as it grows older and larger, in response to its environment and neighbouring colonies. A worker lives only a year and performs different tasks as it ages, in response to interactions with other workers and the local surroundings. A colony's behaviour changes—becoming more stable and consistent—as the colony grows older, with more ants to participate in social interactions. A neighbourhood of colonies, often of similar age, grows old together. Colonies differ in how they regulate foraging behaviour collectively to manage water loss. These differences influence how foragers of neighbouring colonies partition foraging area. In a harsh but stable environment, the gradual behavioural shifts over a colony's lifespan allow it to adjust to slow changes in the composition of its neighbourhood and in environmental conditions. This article is part of the discussion meeting issue 'Understanding age and society using natural populations' [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Living in groups offers social animals the significant advantage of accessing collective wisdom and enhanced information processing, enabling more accurate decisions related to foraging, navigation and habitat selection. Preserving group membership is crucial for sustaining access to collective wisdom, incentivizing animals to prioritize group cohesion. However, when individuals encounter divergent information about the quality of various options, this can create a conflict between pursuing immediate rewards and the maintenance of group membership to improve access to future pay-offs. In this study, I show that rational agents who seek to maximize long-term rewards will be more inclined to follow the decisions of their peers than those with short-term horizons. In doing so, they necessarily make less-rewarding decisions in the short-term, which manifests in a lower individual accuracy when choosing the better of two options. Furthermore, I demonstrate that intuitions about collective wisdom can be misleading in groups of agents who prioritize long-term rewards, with disagreement being a better signal for the accuracy of collective choices than consensus. These results demonstrate that observed patterns of sociality should be interpreted in the context of the life history of an individual and its peers, rather than through the lens of an isolated decision. This article is part of the discussion meeting issue 'Understanding age and society using natural populations'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exposure to early life adversity is linked to detrimental fitness outcomes across taxa. Owing to the challenges of collecting longitudinal data, direct evidence for long-term fitness effects of early life adversity from long-lived species remains relatively scarce. Here, we test the effects of early life adversity on male and female longevity in a free-ranging population of rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) on Cayo Santiago, Puerto Rico. We leveraged six decades of data to quantify the relative importance of 10 forms of early life adversity for 6599 macaques. Individuals that experienced more early life adversity died earlier than those that experienced less adversity. Mortality risk was highest during early life, defined as birth to 4 years old, but heightened mortality risk was also present in macaques that survived to adulthood. Females and males were affected differently by some forms of adversity, and these differences might be driven by varying energetic demands and dispersal patterns. Our results show that the fitness consequences of early life adversity are not uniform across individuals but vary as a function of the type of adversity, timing and social context, and thus contribute to our limited but growing understanding of the evolution of early life sensitivities. This article is part of the discussion meeting issue 'Understanding age and society using natural populations' [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How do women manage domestic work spatially? How does that change throughout life and relate to their subjectivities and womanhood? Informed by feminist geographers' concept of 'lived' space and queer studies' concept of disjunctive modernity, this paper spatialises women's domestic practices through examining 43 older Hong Kong women's life stories on domesticity. Hong Kong women, since childhood, have creatively employed temporal-spatial strategies to multiply and shrink domestic space to negotiate domestic responsibilities and gender hierarchy prescribed by family and society. Domestic space changes throughout life and intersects with other spaces, including work, institutional, entertainment and public spaces. Through performing various domestic spatial practices at different points in their life course, these women have developed gendered subjectivities such as self-reliant and independent 'modern' womanhood, dutiful daughters and tiresome working mothers, which complement, negotiate and contradict with each other, constituting what we term 'disjunctive modern Hong Kong womanhood'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides comprehensive data on the life history of Oxybelus trispinosus (Fabricius, 1787). Female individuals of this species supply approximately 3–4 flies per cell as a food source for their larvae. The collected prey includes specimens of four Diptera families: Calliphoridae, Muscidae, Sarcophagidae, and Tachinidae. Nests are constructed in various soil types, featuring a primary burrow measuring 6–7 cm in length that terminates in a single cell. Both male and female specimens were observed on plants of the Apiaceae family. Notably, these nests faced attacks from kleptoparasitic flies, specifically Metopia argyrocephala (Meigen, 1824) and Senotaina conica (Fallén, 1810) (Diptera: Sarcophagidae). The mature larva of Oxybelus trispinosus exhibits similarities to the larva of Oxybelus variegatus Wesmael, 1852, with a distinguishing characteristic of two straight horizontal lines of four bristles in the frontal region between the antennae. The parietal region is characterised by multiple setae: five setae from the pleurostomal ridge to the anterior tentorial fossa, three more on the sides, and six above the antennae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant strategies are phenotypes shaped by natural selection that enable populations to persist in a given environment. Plant strategy theory is essential for understanding the assembly of plant communities, predicting plant responses to climate change, and enhancing the restoration of our degrading biosphere. However, models of plant strategies vary widely and have tended to emphasize either functional traits or life‐history traits at the expense of integrating both into a general framework to improve our ecological and evolutionary understanding of plant form and function. Advancing our understanding of plant strategies will require investment in two complementary research agendas that together will unify functional ecology and population ecology. First, we must determine what is phenotypically possible by quantifying the dimensionality of plant traits. This step requires dense taxonomic sampling of traits on species representing the broad diversity of phylogenetic clades, environmental gradients, and geographical regions found across Earth. It is important that we continue to sample traits locally and share data globally to fill biased gaps in trait databases. Second, we must test the power of traits for explaining species distributions, demographic rates, and population growth rates across gradients of resource limitation, disturbance regimes, temperature, vegetation density, and frequencies of other strategies. This step requires thoughtful, theory‐driven empiricism. Reciprocal transplant experiments beyond the native range and synthetic demographic modelling are the most powerful methods to determine how trait‐by‐environment interactions influence fitness. Moving beyond easy‐to‐measure traits and evaluating the traits that are under the strongest ecological selection within different environmental contexts will improve our understanding of plant adaptations. Plant strategy theory is poised to (i) unpack the multiple dimensions of productivity and disturbance gradients and differentiate adaptations to climate and resource limitation from adaptations to disturbance, (ii) distinguish between the fundamental and realized niches of phenotypes, and (iii) articulate the distinctions and relationships between functional traits and life‐history traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Increasing genome size (GS) has been associated with slower rates of DNA replication and greater cellular nitrogen (N) and phosphorus demands. Despite most plant species having small genomes, the existence of larger GS species suggests that such costs may be negligible or represent benefits under certain conditions.Focussing on the widespread and diverse grass family (Poaceae), we used data on species' climatic niches and growth rates under different environmental conditions to test for growth costs or benefits associated with GS. The influence of photosynthetic pathway, life history and evolutionary history on grass GS was also explored.We found that evolutionary history, photosynthetic pathway and life history all influence the distribution of grass species' GS. Genomes were smaller in annual and C4 species, the latter allowing for small cells necessary for C4 leaf anatomy. We found larger GS were associated with high N availability and, for perennial species, low growth‐season temperature.Our findings reveal that GS is a globally important predictor of grass performance dependent on environmental conditions. The benefits for species with larger GS are likely due to associated larger cell sizes, allowing rapid biomass production where soil fertility meets N demands and/or when growth occurs via temperature‐independent cell expansion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fleas (Siphonaptera) are holometabolous insects with larval and adult stages that exhibit vastly different ecologies from each other. Adult fleas are parasitic and feed exclusively on the blood of a vertebrate host, whereas flea larvae do not live on hosts and consume dried faecal blood from adult fleas. Because flea larvae rely on adult flea faeces for food, excrement and eggs must fall in the same location; thus, larval density is likely high in these restricted habitats. However, the influence of larval density on the subsequent adult stage has not been examined. In the present study, we utilized egg density to investigate density‐dependent effects on larval development and adult body size in the cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis Bouché) (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae). Specifically, eggs were collected to create three different larval densities (n = 50, 100 and 150 per 56.7 cm2), and hatched larvae from all groups were fed an excess amount of adult faecal pellets. Larval development was measured by recording the proportion of eggs that developed to the pupal stage and the proportion of eggs that reached adulthood (eclosion). The body size of eclosed adults was quantified for both sexes using head length and length of the total body. We found that the number of eggs had no effect on the proportion of larvae that pupated or the proportion of larvae that eclosed; however, higher egg densities resulted in larger body sizes for both sexes. Overall, these data yield significant insight into how the ecology of larval fleas impacts the biology of the resultant adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Culicoides oxystoma Kieffer (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) has been vectoring several arboviruses, protozoa and nematodes, leading to mortality and morbidity of livestock and wild ruminants in the tropics and subtropics. Insight into the bacterial communities associated with the vector species must be worked out. This work tries to inventorize the bacterial communities associated with this important vector species. Acquisition of gut microbiota may be the parental origin, while some are obtained through feeding during larval stages. Culicoides oxystoma possesses semi‐aquatic life cycle strategies for egg‐laying and larval survival. The bacteria associated with C. oxystoma were compared throughout (i) life stages: egg, larval instars, pupa, adult: male and female obtained from laboratory colony; (ii) field‐collected adult: male and age‐graded females; and (iii) natural breeding substrate and artificial rearing substrate. The culture‐dependent bacteria were identified by Sanger sequencing of 16S rRNA, and haemolytic bacteria were screened on blood agar. Results show that Firmicutes and Proteobacteria are the predominant Phyla, of which Bacillus spp. was the most abundant across the life stages. Across the life history, Bacillus cereus, Bacillus pumilus, Bacillus tropicus, Lysinibacillus sp. and Paenibacillus sp. were retrieved routinely. Bacillus cereus and Alcaligenes faecalis were detected in the lab‐reared specimens and shared between the natural breeding site and rearing medium. From the adults trapped across two locations, B. cereus, Bacillus flexus, A. faecalis, Enterococcus faecium and Pseudomonas sp. were isolated. The bacterial species associated with this vector may influence various physiological traits, such as vectorial capacity, digestion and larval development, which need further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brown trout is a partially migratory salmonid that makes use of diverse habitats to maximise growth and fitness. One of the most substantial threats to brown trout is infection with pathogens from open net‐pen fish farming, which creates hotspots for pathogen reproduction and transmission. Western Norway is a global hotspot for both fish farming and wild salmonids, which generates conflicts due to the impacts of the farms on the behaviour, survival, and fitness of salmonids that overlap with farming activities. In this study, we tagged adult brown trout (>35 cm) at two spatiotemporal intervals that corresponded to two different life history stages: springtime in the river when trout were completing overwintering and summer in the fjord when trout were in their marine feeding phase. The tagging revealed three different behaviours, fish that remained in freshwater, fish that migrated between freshwater and the fjord, and fish that remained in the estuary. Although some trout moved >100 km to the outer fjord areas, most trout remained relatively close to the river. Depth sensor transmitters in a subset of trout also revealed that the trout remained in the upper water column. Most of the horizontal and vertical movements therefore resulted in spatial overlap with fish farming for the migratory trout, but not for resident trout that remained in the estuary or in freshwater. Findings reveal the challenges of managing a fish with such behavioural plasticity but the urgency of recognising how important inner fjord habitats are for migratory brown trout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Lepidoptera species have higher growth rates than Blattodea species. The different growth rates lead to different strategies to allocate energy to biosynthesis and somatic maintenance under free-feeding and low-food-availability conditions. Moreover, Lepidoptera and Blattodea spend sharply different amounts of energy on synthesizing one unit of bio-tissue, which, in turn, leads to different cellular qualities and abilities to resist stress, and may have effect on their adult lifespan. Based on this evidence, we postulate that the capability of maintaining homeostasis not only depends on the amount of energy allocated to maintenance, but also depends on the quality of the tissue, and that the tissue quality is at least partially due to the energetic investments in biosynthesis. In short, materials that are cheap to synthesize deteriorate faster, and allocating more energy to biosynthesis enhances somatic maintenance. Different life histories result in different strategies to allocate energy in biosynthesis, including growth and reproduction, and somatic maintenance. One of the most notable life history differences between Lepidoptera and Blattodea species is that the former grow much faster than the latter, and during metamorphosis, a large amount of tissue in Lepidoptera species disintegrates. In this review, using Lepidoptera caterpillars and cockroach nymphs as examples, we show that, due to these differences in growth processes, cockroach nymphs spend 20 times more energy on synthesizing one unit of biomass (indirect cost of growth) than butterfly caterpillars. Because of the low indirect cost of growth in caterpillars, the fraction of metabolic energy allocated to growth is six times lower, and that for maintenance is seven times higher in caterpillars, compared to cockroach nymphs, despite caterpillar's higher growth rates. Moreover, due to the higher biosynthetic energy cost in cockroach nymphs, they have better cellular qualities, including higher proteasomal activity for protein quality control and higher resistance to oxidative stress. We also show that under food restriction conditions, the fraction of assimilated energy allocated to growth was reduced by 120% in cockroach nymphs, as they lost body weight under food restriction, while this reduction was only 14% in hornworms, and the body mass increased at a lower rate. Finaly, we discuss future research, especially the difference in adult lifespans associated with the energetic differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Rhynchophorus ferrugineus is a noxious curculionid species found in date palm and coconut plantations worldwide. Its overall cryptic nature inhibits early detection of infestation symptoms and allows for its rapid expansion. Control methods in plantations usually include single-mode broad-spectrum chemical insecticides to both prevent and mitigate infestations. However, ecological concerns about hazards of both ecosystem and public health, call for safer and more sustainable solutions, including attractants, agronomic approaches, natural enemies and entomopathogenic organisms. This review highlights the published information on the biological traits, host plant spectrum, and management options such as biotechnic and biological control methods like the application of microbial organisms. Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), the red palm weevil (RPW), is a concealed voracious pest of different ornamental and economically important palm species, particularly the date palm. It can cause huge losses in ornamental and commercial palm plantations. RPW has spread rapidly from its original distribution in Southeast Asia to date palm-growing countries worldwide. It is now established in more than 50% of date palm-growing countries and 15% of the coconut-growing countries globally. To prevent further expansion of this pest, many countries have implemented strict legislative and quarantine measures surrounding the export of the palms plant genetic resources from RPW-infested countries. This review focuses on the general biology (life history, development), host range, geographical distribution, and management on the basis of biotechnic methods, farming practices, natural enemies, and important microbial control agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The incorporation of epigenetics (i.e., change in gene activity without change in DNA sequence) into studies of gene regulation and phenotypic expression has contributed to a significant improvement in our understanding of the evolution of life history traits. One important epigenetic mechanism is DNA methylation, which in vertebrates generally means the addition of a methyl group to a cytosine thus altering gene expression. Here, we discuss progress and gaps in our knowledge of the role of DNA methylation in facilitating diversity across four life history trait classes in fishes: developmental processes, size and growth rates, aging and sexual maturity, and sex regulation. We discuss insights into the regulatory aspect of gene expression in fish which can ultimately influence phenotypic diversity and speciation. We discuss how temperature influences methylation patterns affecting multiple traits. DNA methylation influence on gene expression varies depending on tissue types and the location within the genome of the methylated site (i.e., DNA methylation can increase or decrease gene expression). The role of DNA methyltransferases is also a common denominator across all tissue types in influencing the global methylome status regardless of species or environmental stressor. Organismal development stage is equally important, a decrease in global methylation throughout early development generally corresponds to elevated gene expression associated with growth and development. Finally, we discuss general limitations of DNA methylation studies with a focus on fish. We then provide recommendations for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fishes are an extremely diverse and interesting group of vertebrates, and provide protein and joy to humans throughout the globe. When I was asked if I could write an essay about my career as a fish ecologist my first thought was: what is there to write about? After some thought I decided to give it a try. I describe how I ended up studying fish and the diversity of fish and topics that I have worked on during my career. My path has included a lot of stochastic events, and I did not have a long-term goal or plan. My road has been a long and winding one, requiring collaboration with people with diverse backgrounds and competences. Teaching and supervision have also been a large part of my career. Many students later became colleagues, and some have become friends. Society and the university have changed over time; I include some comments on university education at the end. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Planaxis sulcatus (Born,1778) belonging to the Planaxidae is a tidal snail, is distributed along the west coast of the Pacific Ocean from Honshu to Kyushu, Japan. Seasonal change in the the pattern of internal growth of the shell of this species were investigated in a tidal zone of Sakurajima, Kagoshima, Japan. Shell samples were collected monthly from Decmber 2021 to November 2022 in the tidal flat along the Sakurajima coast of Sakurajima in Kagoshima Bay. Frequency distributions of shell size showed that newly juveniles appeared in spring. This species matures in the second year Growth of shell stops in individual with Lip formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although we have evidence that many organisms are exhibiting declines in body size in response to climate warming, we have little knowledge of underlying mechanisms or how associated phenotypic suites may coevolve. The better we understand coadaptations among physiology, morphology, and life history, the more accurate our predictions will be of organismal response to changing thermal environments. This is especially salient for ectotherms because they comprise 99% of species worldwide and are key to functioning ecosystems. Here, we assess body size, growth rates, and reproductive traits of a vertebrate ectotherm, the prairie lizard, Sceloporus consobrinus, for multiple populations along a latitudinal thermal gradient and compare body size clines between S. consobrinus and eastern fence lizard (S. undulatus) populations. We found that phenotypic values increased as environmental temperatures decreased for all traits examined, resulting in a pattern representative of countergradient variation. The positive covariation of phenotypes across the thermal gradient exemplifies the enigma of "master of all traits." This enigma was further illustrated by the energy expenditure toward growth and reproduction increasing as phenotypic values increased. The evolutionary responses appear to reveal overcompensation because annual energy expenditure toward growth and reproduction increased even as activity periods decreased. Overall, compensatory responses to cooler thermal environments were exhibited by prairie lizards in body size, growth rate, egg size, and clutch size, resulting in cold‐adapted populations allocating more energy toward maintenance, growth, and reproduction than lower latitude, warm‐adapted populations. If larger body size in ectotherms is a result of intrinsically faster physiological rates compensating for cooler temperatures and shorter activity periods, then smaller body sizes in warmer environments may be a result of greater reliance on available environmental temperatures for physiological rates and time for assimilating resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change can influence populations of monogamous species by affecting pair‐bond dynamics. This study examined the impact of climate on widowhood and divorce, and the subsequent effects on individual vital rates and life‐history outcomes over 54 years in a snow petrel (Pagodroma nivea) population. We found that environmental conditions can affect pair‐bond dynamics both directly and indirectly. Divorce was adaptive, occurring more frequently after breeding failure and leading to improved breeding success. Divorce probabilities also increased under severe climatic conditions, regardless of prior breeding success, supporting the 'Habitat‐mediated' mechanisms. Overall, pair‐bond disruptions reduced subsequent vital rates and lifetime outcomes. Climate forecasts from an Atmosphere–Ocean General Circulation Model projected increased male widowhood rates due to decreased sea ice negatively affecting female survival, despite considerable uncertainty. These findings highlight the importance of environmentally induced changes in demographic and pair‐bond disruption rates as crucial factors shaping demographic responses to climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During 1982–1985, laboratory and field studies of 125 eggs, 8055 nymphs and 1426 adults indicated a univoltine slow life cycle for Malenka depressa (Banks, 1898) in a first-order perennial stream in the Mediterranean climate of the San Francisco Bay area. Nymphal growth and adult emergence were continuous throughout the year, further enhanced by a thick, protective tree canopy shading of the canyon that provided an insulated stabilised thermal tube of cool air, ground and stream water temperatures. Leaf senescence of the overhead California bay trees was a perennial source of allochthonous food for the immature stages. Maximum assimilation efficiency for middle to late-nymphal growth stages fed on bay leaves was 42% at 10 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genus Acronyctodes Edwards is reexamined following caterpillar rearing and natural history observations, examination of genitalia, and DNA (COI) barcode analyses. Adults, caterpillars, and genitalia of known Mexican Acronyctodes are described and illustrated, and detailed distribution maps primarily derived from iNaturalist data are presented. Acronyctodes eximia (Hoffman & Vázquez) syn. n. is synonymized with A. cautama (Schaus), following a thorough examination of adult morphology, life history data, and DNA barcode analyses. The analysis of 128 COI barcodes, 18 of these representing unique haplotypes from five of the six described species, reveals that three can be reliably distinguished with this fragment. DNA barcodes support two species groups previously suggested by morphology: A. leonilaria + A. mexicanaria and A. cautama + A. colorata. New host plant records demonstrate Acronyctodes species are oligophagous and the study of distributional records reveal A. mexicanaria is sympatric to both A. cautama and A. leonilaria in parts of their ranges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is a historical and theoretical analysis of the work of Judith S. Kestenberg (1910–99), which focuses in particular on her developmental movement studies. As a Polish-Jewish émigré arriving in New York Psychoanalytic circles at the outbreak of the Second World War, her story is one of a female inside/outsider. Kestenberg was a nonconformist, innovative and eclectic thinker, who gravitated towards the unknown and unspoken; her work focused on the depth psychology of bodily movement and the transgenerational trauma of the Holocaust. These two seemingly dissimilar subjects were selectively received by psychoanalysis at the time. Lacking a comprehensive study of Kestenberg's oeuvre as a whole, this article sets out to accomplish an integration of the two. It identifies various reciprocities between her personal and professional history and traces epistemological continuities throughout her professional career. It also explores her personal experience of displacement, belonging and community, as they become visible from her biography. Examining her professional career, issues of transdisciplinarity and changes in theorizing and methodology in post-war American psychoanalysis also come into view. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The microhabitat preferences of chicken turtles (Deirochelys reticularia) have remained an area of speculation. To investigate this, we studied a population of chicken turtles located at Nags Head Woods Ecological Preserve (NHWEP) on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. This unique barrier island ecosystem contains > 20 independent, interdunal, and mostly permanent ponds in a relatively small area (< 500 ha), which provided a unique opportunity to determine the microhabitat preferences of chicken turtles. The ponds throughout NHWEP exhibit vast variation in abiotic factors that could influence chicken turtle presence. We used a backward selection Poisson regression modeling framework to investigate the composition of each pond in relation to environmental variables and D. reticularia presence. Our models included multiple factors that could potentially affect chicken turtle microhabitat preferences such as pond depth, mud depth, water clarity, canopy cover, water chemistry, and salinity. After examining these factors within our models, we discovered that pond depth, canopy cover, and salinity were the most important factors contributing to the presence of chicken turtles. Specifically, our analysis showed that chicken turtles prefer shallow ponds with minimal canopy cover and that exhibit little to no salinity. Thus, our findings provide an important baseline understanding of chicken turtle microhabitat use that could be critical to management within changing ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]