La Fundación Ciudad del Saber (FCDS) de Panamá, ha planteado la necesidad de utilizar la prospect... more La Fundación Ciudad del Saber (FCDS) de Panamá, ha planteado la necesidad de utilizar la prospectiva como una estrategia para la identificación de oportunidades tecnológicas y de innovación en temas prioritarios (Gestión del Agua, Educación y Salud) para la sociedad panameña tomando como horizonte el año 2040. Este artículo, presenta los resultados de la consultoríaconducción de talleres de prospectiva desarrollados para el tema de la SALUD por parte del Equipo multinacional integrado por expertos de la Empresa IALE Tecnología (España Chile), la Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana y la Universidad de Medellín (Colombia). El objetivo de la consultoría ha sido aplicar las metodologías adecuadas para la conducción de talleres de prospectiva, de acuerdo a los temas previamente identificados y con la participación de expertos en el tema de la SALUD convocados por la FCDS. Los conocimientos generados durante los talleres han permitido identificar las aplicaciones tecnológicas innovadoras m...
1. Polymorphic warning signals in aposematic species are enigmatic because predator learning and ... more 1. Polymorphic warning signals in aposematic species are enigmatic because predator learning and discrimination should select for the most common coloration, resulting in positive frequency-dependent survival selection. 2. Here, we investigated whether differential mating success could create sufficiently strong negative frequency-dependent selection for rare morphs to explain polymorphic (white and yellow) warning coloration in male wood tiger moths (Parasemia plantaginis). 3. We conducted an experiment in semi-natural conditions where we estimated mating success for both white and yellow male moths under three different morph frequencies. 4. Contrary to expectations, mating success was positively frequency-dependent: white morph males had high relative fitness when common, likewise yellow morph males had high relative fitness when instead they were common. We hence built a model parameterized with our data to examine whether polymorphism can be maintained despite two sources of positive frequency dependence. The model includes known spatial variation in the survival advantage enjoyed by the yellow morph and assumes that relative mating success follows our experimentally derived values. It predicts that polymorphism is possible under migration for up to approximately 20% exchange of individuals between subpopulations in each generation. 5. Our results suggest that differential mating success combined with spatial variation in predator communities may operate as a selection mosaic that prevents complete fixation of either morph
Results of GC-MS analysis using Selected Ion Monitoring of ions 124, 138 and 151 of the neck flui... more Results of GC-MS analysis using Selected Ion Monitoring of ions 124, 138 and 151 of the neck fluid of a single moth. Top row shows total abundance of all three ions.
Bird (a, b) and ant (c) response to pure pyrazine. Birds ate fewer oats soaked with 2-sec-butyl-3... more Bird (a, b) and ant (c) response to pure pyrazine. Birds ate fewer oats soaked with 2-sec-butyl-3-methoxypyrazine (a; both in a concentration of 1ng/µl (P) and 0.1ng/µl (Pb)). Also, they tended to have longer latencies to approach pyrazine-soaked oats (both concentrations pooled) than control oats (b). Ant response to 2-sec-butyl-3-methoxypyrazine was, in contrast, not different from that to the control sugar solution (c).
Many animals protect themselves from predation with chemicals, both self-made or sequestered from... more Many animals protect themselves from predation with chemicals, both self-made or sequestered from their diet. The potential drivers of the diversity of these chemicals have been long studied, but our knowledge them, and their acquisition mode, is heavily based on specialist herbivores that sequester their defences. The wood tiger moth (Arctia plantaginis, Linnaeus, 1758) is a well-studied aposematic species, but the nature of its chemical defences has not been fully described. Here we report the presence of two methoxypyrazines, 2-sec-butyl-3-methoxypyrazine and 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine, in the moths’ defensive secretions. By raising larvae on an artificial diet, we confirm, for the first time, that their defensive compounds are produced de novo rather than sequestered from their diet. Pyrazines are known for their defensive function in invertebrates due to their distinctive odour, inducing aversion and facilitating predator learning. While their synthesis has been suspected, it has never previously been experimentally confirmed. Our results highlight the importance of considering de novo synthesis, in addition to sequestration, when studying the defensive capabilities of insects and other invertebrates
Fig. 3 Boxplot illustrating the difference in distance between the observed tadpole transport dis... more Fig. 3 Boxplot illustrating the difference in distance between the observed tadpole transport distances and the nearest known pool available for each tracked frog and species. Asterisks denote statistically significant differences based on Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon and Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Tests (p <0.05). (Color figure online)
Fig. 1 Photographs of the two study species: a Ameerega trivittata and b Dendrobates tinctorius t... more Fig. 1 Photographs of the two study species: a Ameerega trivittata and b Dendrobates tinctorius transporting tadpoles while wearing a radio-transmitter. Ameerega trivittata typically transports 15–30 tadpoles while D. tinctorius only transport one or two tadpoles. The numbers and arrows indicate: (1) tadpoles, (2) radio-transmitter, and (3) a silicone waistband for attachment. (Color figure online)
Data for Gordon et al. JAE-2015-00035.R1 Colour polymorphism, torn apart by opposing positive fre... more Data for Gordon et al. JAE-2015-00035.R1 Colour polymorphism, torn apart by opposing positive frequency-dependent selection, yet maintained in space. Gordon, Swanne; Kokko, Hanna; Rojas, Bibiana; Nokelainen, Ossi; Mappes, Johanna
Many species of Neotropical frogs have evolved to deposit their tadpoles in small water bodies in... more Many species of Neotropical frogs have evolved to deposit their tadpoles in small water bodies inside plant structures called phytotelmata. These pools are small enough to exclude large predators but have limited nutrients and high desiccation risk. Here, we explore phytotelm use by three common Neotropical species: Osteocephalus oophagus, an arboreal frog that periodically feeds eggs to its tadpoles; Dendrobates tinctorius, a tadpole-transporting poison frog with cannibalistic tadpoles; and Allobates femoralis, a terrestrial tadpole-transporting poison frog with omnivorous tadpoles. We found that D. tinctorius occupies pools across the chemical and vertical gradient, whereas A. femoralis and O. oophagus appear to have narrower niches that are restricted primarily by pool height, water capacity, alkalinity, and salinity. Dendrobates tinctorius tadpoles are particularly flexible, and can survive in a wide range of chemical, physical, and biological conditions, whereas O. oophagus see...
Aggression between juveniles can be unexpected, as their primary motivation is to survive until t... more Aggression between juveniles can be unexpected, as their primary motivation is to survive until their reproductive stage. However, instances of aggression, which may escalate to cannibalism, can be vital for survival, although the factors (e.g. genetic or environmental) leading to cannibalism vary across taxa. While cannibalism can greatly accelerate individual growth, it may also reduce inclusive fitness when kin are consumed. As a solution to this problem, some cannibals demonstrate kin discrimination and preferentially attack unrelated individuals. Here, we used both experimental and modeling approaches to consider how physical traits (e.g. size in relation to opponent) and genetic relatedness mediate aggressive behavior in dyads of cannibalistic Dendrobates tinctorius tadpoles. We paired sibling, half-sibling, and non-sibling tadpoles of different sizes together in an arena and recorded their aggression and activity. We found that the interaction between size and relatedness pre...
Animals are often difficult to distinguish at an individual level, and being able to identify ind... more Animals are often difficult to distinguish at an individual level, and being able to identify individuals can be crucial in ecological or behavioral studies. In response to this challenge, biologists have developed a range of marking (tattoos, brands, toe-clips) and tagging (banding, collars, PIT, VIA, VIE) methods to identify individuals and cohorts. Animals with complex life cycles are notoriously hard to mark because of the distortion or loss of the tag across metamorphosis. In amphibians, few studies have attempted larval tagging and none have been conducted on a tropical species. Here, we present the first successful account of VIE tagging in early larval stages (Gosner stage 25) of the dyeing poison frog (Dendrobates tinctorius) coupled with a novel anesthetic (2-PHE) application for tadpoles that does not require buffering. Mean weight of individuals at time of tagging was 0.12 g, which is the smallest and developmentally youngest anuran larvae tagged to date. We report 81% t...
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2019
Significance With our comprehensive set of field (model survival), laboratory (controlled learnin... more Significance With our comprehensive set of field (model survival), laboratory (controlled learning, palatability, toxin analysis), and molecular data, we provide evidence that polymorphism can persist in an aposematic population, despite expectations of positive frequency-dependent selection. We show that this can happen if prey species carrying a strong signal can exploit predator learning to elicit broad avoidance of many signals, even if predators only have experience with a single signal. This could allow novel signals to be protected within a population of aposematic prey. Thus, under the expectations of broad generalization coupled with limited gene flow, weak aposematic signals can persist, contributing to the overall diversity of signals found within aposematic species.
La Fundación Ciudad del Saber (FCDS) de Panamá, ha planteado la necesidad de utilizar la prospect... more La Fundación Ciudad del Saber (FCDS) de Panamá, ha planteado la necesidad de utilizar la prospectiva como una estrategia para la identificación de oportunidades tecnológicas y de innovación en temas prioritarios (Gestión del Agua, Educación y Salud) para la sociedad panameña tomando como horizonte el año 2040. Este artículo, presenta los resultados de la consultoríaconducción de talleres de prospectiva desarrollados para el tema de la SALUD por parte del Equipo multinacional integrado por expertos de la Empresa IALE Tecnología (España Chile), la Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana y la Universidad de Medellín (Colombia). El objetivo de la consultoría ha sido aplicar las metodologías adecuadas para la conducción de talleres de prospectiva, de acuerdo a los temas previamente identificados y con la participación de expertos en el tema de la SALUD convocados por la FCDS. Los conocimientos generados durante los talleres han permitido identificar las aplicaciones tecnológicas innovadoras m...
1. Polymorphic warning signals in aposematic species are enigmatic because predator learning and ... more 1. Polymorphic warning signals in aposematic species are enigmatic because predator learning and discrimination should select for the most common coloration, resulting in positive frequency-dependent survival selection. 2. Here, we investigated whether differential mating success could create sufficiently strong negative frequency-dependent selection for rare morphs to explain polymorphic (white and yellow) warning coloration in male wood tiger moths (Parasemia plantaginis). 3. We conducted an experiment in semi-natural conditions where we estimated mating success for both white and yellow male moths under three different morph frequencies. 4. Contrary to expectations, mating success was positively frequency-dependent: white morph males had high relative fitness when common, likewise yellow morph males had high relative fitness when instead they were common. We hence built a model parameterized with our data to examine whether polymorphism can be maintained despite two sources of positive frequency dependence. The model includes known spatial variation in the survival advantage enjoyed by the yellow morph and assumes that relative mating success follows our experimentally derived values. It predicts that polymorphism is possible under migration for up to approximately 20% exchange of individuals between subpopulations in each generation. 5. Our results suggest that differential mating success combined with spatial variation in predator communities may operate as a selection mosaic that prevents complete fixation of either morph
Results of GC-MS analysis using Selected Ion Monitoring of ions 124, 138 and 151 of the neck flui... more Results of GC-MS analysis using Selected Ion Monitoring of ions 124, 138 and 151 of the neck fluid of a single moth. Top row shows total abundance of all three ions.
Bird (a, b) and ant (c) response to pure pyrazine. Birds ate fewer oats soaked with 2-sec-butyl-3... more Bird (a, b) and ant (c) response to pure pyrazine. Birds ate fewer oats soaked with 2-sec-butyl-3-methoxypyrazine (a; both in a concentration of 1ng/µl (P) and 0.1ng/µl (Pb)). Also, they tended to have longer latencies to approach pyrazine-soaked oats (both concentrations pooled) than control oats (b). Ant response to 2-sec-butyl-3-methoxypyrazine was, in contrast, not different from that to the control sugar solution (c).
Many animals protect themselves from predation with chemicals, both self-made or sequestered from... more Many animals protect themselves from predation with chemicals, both self-made or sequestered from their diet. The potential drivers of the diversity of these chemicals have been long studied, but our knowledge them, and their acquisition mode, is heavily based on specialist herbivores that sequester their defences. The wood tiger moth (Arctia plantaginis, Linnaeus, 1758) is a well-studied aposematic species, but the nature of its chemical defences has not been fully described. Here we report the presence of two methoxypyrazines, 2-sec-butyl-3-methoxypyrazine and 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine, in the moths’ defensive secretions. By raising larvae on an artificial diet, we confirm, for the first time, that their defensive compounds are produced de novo rather than sequestered from their diet. Pyrazines are known for their defensive function in invertebrates due to their distinctive odour, inducing aversion and facilitating predator learning. While their synthesis has been suspected, it has never previously been experimentally confirmed. Our results highlight the importance of considering de novo synthesis, in addition to sequestration, when studying the defensive capabilities of insects and other invertebrates
Fig. 3 Boxplot illustrating the difference in distance between the observed tadpole transport dis... more Fig. 3 Boxplot illustrating the difference in distance between the observed tadpole transport distances and the nearest known pool available for each tracked frog and species. Asterisks denote statistically significant differences based on Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon and Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Tests (p <0.05). (Color figure online)
Fig. 1 Photographs of the two study species: a Ameerega trivittata and b Dendrobates tinctorius t... more Fig. 1 Photographs of the two study species: a Ameerega trivittata and b Dendrobates tinctorius transporting tadpoles while wearing a radio-transmitter. Ameerega trivittata typically transports 15–30 tadpoles while D. tinctorius only transport one or two tadpoles. The numbers and arrows indicate: (1) tadpoles, (2) radio-transmitter, and (3) a silicone waistband for attachment. (Color figure online)
Data for Gordon et al. JAE-2015-00035.R1 Colour polymorphism, torn apart by opposing positive fre... more Data for Gordon et al. JAE-2015-00035.R1 Colour polymorphism, torn apart by opposing positive frequency-dependent selection, yet maintained in space. Gordon, Swanne; Kokko, Hanna; Rojas, Bibiana; Nokelainen, Ossi; Mappes, Johanna
Many species of Neotropical frogs have evolved to deposit their tadpoles in small water bodies in... more Many species of Neotropical frogs have evolved to deposit their tadpoles in small water bodies inside plant structures called phytotelmata. These pools are small enough to exclude large predators but have limited nutrients and high desiccation risk. Here, we explore phytotelm use by three common Neotropical species: Osteocephalus oophagus, an arboreal frog that periodically feeds eggs to its tadpoles; Dendrobates tinctorius, a tadpole-transporting poison frog with cannibalistic tadpoles; and Allobates femoralis, a terrestrial tadpole-transporting poison frog with omnivorous tadpoles. We found that D. tinctorius occupies pools across the chemical and vertical gradient, whereas A. femoralis and O. oophagus appear to have narrower niches that are restricted primarily by pool height, water capacity, alkalinity, and salinity. Dendrobates tinctorius tadpoles are particularly flexible, and can survive in a wide range of chemical, physical, and biological conditions, whereas O. oophagus see...
Aggression between juveniles can be unexpected, as their primary motivation is to survive until t... more Aggression between juveniles can be unexpected, as their primary motivation is to survive until their reproductive stage. However, instances of aggression, which may escalate to cannibalism, can be vital for survival, although the factors (e.g. genetic or environmental) leading to cannibalism vary across taxa. While cannibalism can greatly accelerate individual growth, it may also reduce inclusive fitness when kin are consumed. As a solution to this problem, some cannibals demonstrate kin discrimination and preferentially attack unrelated individuals. Here, we used both experimental and modeling approaches to consider how physical traits (e.g. size in relation to opponent) and genetic relatedness mediate aggressive behavior in dyads of cannibalistic Dendrobates tinctorius tadpoles. We paired sibling, half-sibling, and non-sibling tadpoles of different sizes together in an arena and recorded their aggression and activity. We found that the interaction between size and relatedness pre...
Animals are often difficult to distinguish at an individual level, and being able to identify ind... more Animals are often difficult to distinguish at an individual level, and being able to identify individuals can be crucial in ecological or behavioral studies. In response to this challenge, biologists have developed a range of marking (tattoos, brands, toe-clips) and tagging (banding, collars, PIT, VIA, VIE) methods to identify individuals and cohorts. Animals with complex life cycles are notoriously hard to mark because of the distortion or loss of the tag across metamorphosis. In amphibians, few studies have attempted larval tagging and none have been conducted on a tropical species. Here, we present the first successful account of VIE tagging in early larval stages (Gosner stage 25) of the dyeing poison frog (Dendrobates tinctorius) coupled with a novel anesthetic (2-PHE) application for tadpoles that does not require buffering. Mean weight of individuals at time of tagging was 0.12 g, which is the smallest and developmentally youngest anuran larvae tagged to date. We report 81% t...
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2019
Significance With our comprehensive set of field (model survival), laboratory (controlled learnin... more Significance With our comprehensive set of field (model survival), laboratory (controlled learning, palatability, toxin analysis), and molecular data, we provide evidence that polymorphism can persist in an aposematic population, despite expectations of positive frequency-dependent selection. We show that this can happen if prey species carrying a strong signal can exploit predator learning to elicit broad avoidance of many signals, even if predators only have experience with a single signal. This could allow novel signals to be protected within a population of aposematic prey. Thus, under the expectations of broad generalization coupled with limited gene flow, weak aposematic signals can persist, contributing to the overall diversity of signals found within aposematic species.
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