Experimental evidence that chronic outgroup conflict reduces reproductive success in a cooperatively breeding fish

Conflicts with conspecific outsiders are common in group-living species, from ants to primates, and are argued to be an important selective force in social evolution. However, whilst an extensive empirical literature exists on the behaviour exhibited during and immediately after interactions with rivals, only very few observational studies have considered the cumulative fitness consequences of outgroup conflict. Using a cooperatively breeding fish, the daffodil cichlid (Neolamprologus pulcher), we conducted the first experimental test of the effects of chronic outgroup conflict on reproductive investment and output. ‘Intruded’ groups received long-term simulated territorial intrusions by neighbours that generated consistent group-defence behaviour; matched ‘Control’ groups (each the same size and with the same neighbours as an Intruded group) received no intrusions in the same period. Intruded groups had longer inter-clutch intervals and produced eggs with increasingly less protein than Control groups. Despite the lower egg investment, Intruded groups provided more parental care and achieved similar hatching success to Control groups. Ultimately, however, Intruded groups had fewer and smaller surviving offspring than Control groups at 1-month post-hatching. We therefore provide experimental evidence that outgroup conflict can decrease fitness via cumulative effects on reproductive success, confirming the selective potential of this empirically neglected aspect of sociality

The precision of propex Pixi with different instruments and coronal preflaring procedures

Objective:This study aimed to evaluate the influence of the instrument regarding the apical fit and type of the alloy and coronal preflaring procedures in the accuracy of Propex Pixi.Methods: A total of 40 extracted human single-rooted permanent teeth with apical diameters of 200 mu m were selected. A #10 K-file was inserted in the root canal until its end could be observed by a dental microscope to obtain the actual working length (WL). Electronic measurements were performed using Propex Pixi to the root apex ("0.0"). Different file alloys (stainless steel [SS] and nickel titanium [NiTi]) and sizes (#10, #15, and #20) were used before and after coronal flaring. Statistical analysis was performed by a factorial analysis of variance (P <= 0.05).Results: Results showed that the measurements of electronic length (EL) were closer to the actual working length (WL) after coronal flaring (P<0.05). A significant intraclass correlation was observed between EL and WL. In addition, results showed no significant differences between files with different sizes or alloys.Conclusion: Under the conditions of this study, Propex Pixi demonstrated adequate precision. Its accuracy was enhanced by coronal preflaring procedures regardless of the instrument type used (SS or NiTi) and the apical fit.- (undefined

Effect of Gutta-percha Solvents on the Bond Strength of Sealers to Intraradicular Dentin: A Systematic Review

Introduction: The aim of our systematic review was to assess the impact of gutta-percha solvents on the bond strength of endodontic sealers to intraradicular dentin using the push-out bond test. Methods and Materials: The literature was searched in databases (PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus) up to September 2020, using the following search terms: (bond strength AND solvent* AND sealer* AND (tooth root OR dentin OR retreatment OR root canal). No date limits were implemented, and English languages were included. The question research was constructed based on the PICO (Population, Intervention, Comparison, and Outcome) strategy: “Does gutta-percha solvents effect the bond strength of sealers to intraradicular dentin?”. The studies were analyzed by two reviewers and were included if they utilized extracted permanent human teeth with completely formed apices, as well as assessed the influence of gutta-percha solvents on the bond strength of sealers to intraradicular dentin using push-out bond test. Review articles, case reports and studies that included immature, bovine or artificial teeth were excluded. The risk of bias was evaluated based on the Cochrane criteria adopted to in vitro studies.&nbsp; Results: Thirty-two papers were analyzed, seven accomplished the eligibility criteria and were selected for our systematic review. The global risk of bias was high. Due to variations in the methodological variables, a meta-analysis could not be performed. Conclusion: Our systematic review highlighted the adverse effect of chloroform, which decreased the bond strength of different sealers, and the generally higher bond strength of epoxy resin-based sealers, detected with the push-out bond test. We recommend the standardization of methods in future studies to obtain a more definitive conclusion about the influence of solvents on the bond strength of sealers to intraradicular dentin

Fitness consequences of outgroup conflict

In social species across the animal kingdom, conspecific outsiders threaten the valuable resources of groups and their members. This outgroup conflict is recognised as a powerful selection pressure, but we argue that studies explicitly quantifying the fitness consequences need to be broader in scope: more attention should be paid to delayed, cumulative, and third-party fitness consequences, not just those arising immediately to group members involved in physical contests. In the first part of this review, we begin by documenting how single contests can have survival and reproductive consequences either immediately or with a delay. Then, we step beyond contests to describe fitness consequences that can also result from interactions with cues of rival presence and the general landscape of outgroup threat, and beyond single interactions to describe cumulative effects of territorial pressure and elevated outgroup-induced stress. Using examples from a range of taxa, we discuss which individuals are affected negatively and positively, considering both interaction participants and third-party group members of the same or the next generation. In the second part of the review, we provide suggestions about how to move forward. We highlight the importance of considering how different types of outgroup conflict can generate different selection pressures and of investigating variation in fitness consequences within and between species. We finish by discussing the value of theoretical modelling and long-term studies of natural populations, experimental manipulations, and meta-analyses to develop further our understanding of this crucial aspect of sociality

Variation between species, populations, groups and individuals in the fitness consequences of outgroup conflict

Out-group conflict is rife in the natural world, occurring from primates to ants. Traditionally, research on this aspect of sociality has focused on the interactions between groups and their conspecific rivals, investigating contest function and characteristics, which group members participate and what determines who wins. In recent years, however, there has been increasing interest in the consequences of out-group conflict. In this review, we first set the scene by outlining the fitness consequences that can arise immediately to contest participants, as well as a broader range of delayed, cumulative and third-party effects of out-group conflict on survival and reproductive success. For the majority of the review, we then focus on variation in these fitness consequences of out-group conflict, describing known examples both between species and between populations, groups and individuals of the same species. Throughout, we suggest possible reasons for the variation, provide examples from a diverse array of taxa, and suggest what is needed to advance this burgeoning area of social evolution. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Intergroup conflict across taxa’

Impacts of additional noise on the social interactions of a cooperatively breeding fish

Anthropogenic noise is a global pollutant known to affect the behaviour of individual animals in all taxa studied. However, there has been relatively little experimental testing of the effects of additional noise on social interactions between conspecifics, despite these forming a crucial aspect of daily life for most species. Here we use established paradigms to investigate how white-noise playback affects both group defensive actions against an intruder and associated within-group behaviours in a model fish species, the cooperatively breeding cichlid Neolamprologus pulcher. Additional noise did not alter defensive behaviour, but did result in changes to within-group behaviour. Both dominant and subordinate females, but not the dominant male, exhibited less affiliation and showed a tendency to produce more submissive displays to groupmates when there was additional noise compared to control conditions. Our experimental results therefore indicate the potential for anthropogenic noise to affect social interactions between conspecifics and that there can be intraspecific variation in the impacts of this global pollutant.Spreadsheet of study results includes four excel tabs, corresponding to each of the main elements of the manuscript: defensive actions against intruders, within-group affiliation displayed, within-group aggression displayed, and within-group submission displayed. DF = dominant female, DM = dominant male, S = subordinate. Funding provided by: European Research CouncilCrossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000781Award Number: 682253To investigate the influence of additional noise on territory defence and associated within-group behaviour, we gave 16 groups of daffodil cichlids (Neolamprologus pulcher) two treatments each in a repeated-measures design: during the simulated territorial intrusion of a rival female, there was playback of either white noise (additional noise) or silence (loudspeaker turned on but not playing any sound, as a control). We video-recorded all trials and scored behaviours using the ethogram from Braga Goncalves et al,. 2020. For each 10-min intrusion period, we scored defensive behaviours for each category of individual (DM, DF, SF) and the total amount received by the intruder. We also scored all affiliation and aggression displayed to other group members by each category of individual during the intrusion period. We examined the effect of additional noise on the total defensive effort against the intruder; we then determined whether the non-significant treatment difference was consistent across all three individual categories or if there were counterbalancing effects between group members. Second, we investigated the effect of additional noise on the overall amount of within-group aggression, affiliation and submission exhibited; we used the sequential Bonferroni correction as there was a separate test for each behaviour. For those behaviours found to be significantly different between treatments (affiliation and submission; see Results), we determined which group members were driving the differences

Author preferences for open access in Portugal: survey findings

In its relatively short existence, open access—the free, online, and immediate availability of scientific outputs in journals and repositories—has contributed to the availability and impact of scientific knowledge across the globe. As a result, the authors hypothesize that researchers and students increasingly prefer that their work appears in open access journals or open access repositories, resulting in improved access to quality, peer-reviewed scientific information and faster scientific and technological advances. Surveying authors at doctoral-granting institutions of higher education in Portugal, the authors seek to determine the extent to which this is true among Portuguese university teachers and researchers, to gauge their familiarity with open access, the importance they attach to open access when choosing a publication outlet, and to determine their preferences for achieving open access. The results show that Portuguese researchers are aware of the benefits of open access, regularly publish in open access journals, and deposit their papers in institutional or disciplinary repositories. The authors recommend continued improvement of training on institutional open access policies, European open access goals, and funding body requirements to increase open access to the fruits of Portuguese research still more.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Desire for memory, desire for museums: the experience of the Memory Hotspots

Considering the principles of the National Museum Policy, created in 2003, the Brazilian Museums Institute – Ibram supports and encourages the development of museum practices and processes aimed at rewriting the history of social groups which were deprived of the right to narrate and exhibit their memories and their heritage. As effective action, in 2008, the Department of Museums and Cultural Centres (Demu/Iphan) – which gave rise to Ibram in January 2009 – started the Memory Hotspots Programme, with the main goal of fostering wide popular participation in matters related to social memory and museums. The Memory Hotspots Programme was inspired in and directly influenced by the Ministry of Culture/MinC, which created the National Programme for Culture, Education and Citizenship (Living Culture). The purpose of this Programme is to contribute to make society conquer spaces, exchange experiences and develop initiatives that foster culture and citizenship, in a proactive manner. The partnership struck between civil society and the state power gave rise to Culture Hotspots, inspired in the anthropological “do-in” concept, idealized by the then Minster Gilberto Gil.

Desire for memory, desire for museums: the experience of the Memory Hotspots

Considering the principles of the National Museum Policy, created in 2003, the Brazilian Museums Institute – Ibram supports and encourages the development of museum practices and processes aimed at rewriting the history of social groups which were deprived of the right to narrate and exhibit their memories and their heritage. As effective action, in 2008, the Department of Museums and Cultural Centres (Demu/Iphan) – which gave rise to Ibram in January 2009 – started the Memory Hotspots Programme, with the main goal of fostering wide popular participation in matters related to social memory and museums. The Memory Hotspots Programme was inspired in and directly influenced by the Ministry of Culture/MinC, which created the National Programme for Culture, Education and Citizenship (Living Culture). The purpose of this Programme is to contribute to make society conquer spaces, exchange experiences and develop initiatives that foster culture and citizenship, in a proactive manner. The partnership struck between civil society and the state power gave rise to Culture Hotspots, inspired in the anthropological “do-in” concept, idealized by the then Minster Gilberto Gil.