Social aggression mediated via kin selection and ecological competition in the Amazon molly, Poecilia formosa

The maintenance of sexual reproduction is still a largely unresolved question in evolutionary biology, and one of the most puzzling aspects of this is the co-existence of sexual and asexual species. This often leads to widespread niche overlap, posing an interesting challenge to the Competitive Exclusion Principle. Despite this, there seems to be something preventing either the sexuals or asexuals from outcompeting the other. I investigated this using the clonal fish, the Amazon molly (Poecilia formosa). Females produce daughters that are genetically identical to themselves and each other, and are sexual parasites of their parental species, the sailfin molly (P. latipinna) and the Atlantic molly (P. mexicana). They overlap and compete in many aspects of their ecological niche, behavioral, and life history parameters. The ‘behavioral regulation hypothesis’ predicts that the maintenance of this species complex is driven by adaptive male mate choice. However, little attention has been given to counter-adaptations that may allow Amazon females to thwart male mate choice. One of the most likely means of circumventing male choice is aggression towards the preferred sexual females. Here, I investigated two questions: 1) How costly is female-female aggressive behaviors in Amazon mollies in comparison to sailfin females, and 2) How does the social environment help regulate aggression in Amazon females (i.e., kin selection). First, I found that Amazon females were on average more aggressive over time when compared to their sexual hosts, sailfin molly females. Amazon females, however, incurred a higher cost of being aggressive. Aggressor females of this species had a lower body fat content than their conspecific recipients. By contrast, sailfin females showed no differentiation between aggressors and recipients. Secondly, Amazon mollies have the ability to distinguish between different clonal lineages: clonal females prefer genetically identical, clonal sisters to slightly different clones. Intriguingly, they do this using multiple sensory modalities, including visual and/or chemical cues. In natural water, wild caught females preferred clonal sisters when chemical information was available, while the preference using visual information was non-existent. Most importantly, however, they scale their aggressive behaviors according to the relatedness to other females: they are more aggressive to non-related clones. In conclusion, female competition can be quantitatively measured and that these aggressive behaviors are costly to perform. I demonstrate that even in species with very small genetic differences between individuals, kin selection can be adaptive. Indeed, even minute differences in relatedness (extremely close kin are favored over very close kin) can provide enough substrate for the evolution of kin recognition. Their discriminatory abilities and regulation of behavior provides a powerful example of natural selection in species with limited genetic diversity

Casanovas are liars : behavioral syndromes, sperm competition risk, and the evolution of deceptive male mating behavior in live-bearing fishes [version 2; referees: 2 approved, 1 approved with reservations]

Male reproductive biology can by characterized through competition over mates as well as mate choice. Multiple mating and male mate choice copying, especially in internally fertilizing species, set the stage for increased sperm competition, i.e., sperm of two or more males can compete for fertilization of the female’s ova. In the internally fertilizing fish Poecilia mexicana, males respond to the presence of rivals with reduced expression of mating preferences (audience effect), thereby lowering the risk of by-standing rivals copying their mate choice. Also, males interact initially more with a non-preferred female when observed by a rival, which has been interpreted in previous studies as a strategy to mislead rivals, again reducing sperm competition risk (SCR). Nevertheless, species might differ consistently in their expression of aggressive and reproductive behaviors, possibly due to varying levels of SCR. In the current study, we present a unique data set comprising ten poeciliid species (in two cases including multiple populations) and ask whether species can be characterized through consistent differences in the expression of aggression, sexual activity and changes in mate choice under increased SCR. We found consistent species-specific differences in aggressive behavior, sexual activity as well as in the level of misleading behavior, while decreased preference expression under increased SCR was a general feature of all but one species examined. Furthermore, mean sexual activity correlated positively with the occurrence of potentially misleading behavior. An alternative explanation for audience effects would be that males attempt to avoid aggressive encounters, which would predict stronger audience effects in more aggressive species. We demonstrate a positive correlation between mean aggressiveness and sexual activity (suggesting a hormonal link as a mechanistic explanation), but did not detect a correlation between aggressiveness and audience effects. Suites of correlated behavioral tendencies are termed behavioral syndromes, and our present study provides correlational evidence for the evolutionary significance of SCR in shaping a behavioral syndrome at the species level across poeciliid taxa

Impact of regular blood donation on the human body; donors’ perspective. Donors’ opinion on side effects of regular blood donation on human body

Introduction. Voluntary blood donation refers to ”unpaid, non-remunerated” donation of blood by healthy people for those who require blood transfusion. Recently in Poland, there is an observed decrease in the number of blood donations which, among others, may be ascribed to demographic changes and epidemics of various diseases but also to myths, prejudice and misconceptions regarding the act of donating blood. The most objective source of opinion on the subject are the donors themselves. The study aim was to explore the opinions of blood donors regarding the impact of regular blood donation on the human body as well as their experience related to blood donation. Material and methods. The method of a diagnostic opinion survey was used with a questionnaire developed for the purpose of the study. The questionnaire consisted of 6 closed-ended and 5 sociodemographic questions. It was completed by 2387 blood donors (responders). The IBM SPSS Statistics 20 program was used for predictive analytics and calculations. The statistical significance was established at p ≤ 0.05. Results. In the opinion of most responders (78.3%) one cannot get addictive to blood donation. The majority of blood donors (85.2%) believe that no increased production of red blood cells (RBCs) in bone marrow occurs as result of regular blood donations. As the greatest health benefit for the donor himself, 81.4% of the responders declared the boosted/enhanced sense of well-being as result of offering one’s own blood to other people. Conclusions. The knowledge and experience of voluntary blood donors should be carefully considered by organizers of blood-promotion campaigns. The conviction that no side effects are associated with long term blood donation gets stronger with the increase in the volume of donated blood. Altruism was the most frequently declared motive for donating blood

Wpływ regularnego oddawania krwi na organizm ludzki w opinii honorowych dawców krwi. Następstwa oddawania krwi w opinii krwiodawców

Introduction. Honorary blood donation is the selfless donation of blood by healthy people to people who require blood transfusions. Recently, a decrease in the number of blood donations has been observed in Poland, caused by rumors about blood donation. Blood donors are the people who can most objectively assess the effect of donating blood on the human body. The aim of the study was to know the opinions and experiences of blood donors on the impact of systematic blood donation on the human body. Material and Methods. The research was carried out using a diagnostic survey method. The author's questionnaire consists of 12 closed questions and the certificate. It had been filled by 2387 respondents (blood donors). The calculations were made using the IBM SPSS Statistics 20 program. The level of significance was specified at the level of p ≤ 0.05. Results. Most (78.3%) of blood donors believe that donating blood cannot be addictive. The largest percentage of the respondents (85.2%) believe that there is no overproduction of blood due to regular blood donation. Most of the respondents (80.6%) mentioned better mental well-being as the greatest advantage of donating blood for human body. Conclusions. Promotion of blood donation should be based on the knowledge and experience of honorary blood donors. The belief that there are no side effects associated with donating blood grows with the amount of donation. Blood donors decide to donate blood mainly for altruistic reasons.Wstęp. Honorowe dawstwo krwi polega na bezinteresownym oddawaniu krwi przez osoby zdrowe chorym, którzy wymagają transfuzji. W ostatnim czasie w Polsce obserwuje się spadek liczby donacji krwi, spowodowany m.in. zmianami demograficznymi oraz epidemiami. Niezwykle istotny wpływ na to zjawisko ma również występowanie mitów dotyczących krwiodawstwa. Skutki oddawania krwi dla organizmu najbardziej obiektywnie ocenić mogą sami honorowi dawcy krwi. Celem badania było poznanie opinii honorowych dawców krwi na temat wpływu systematycznego oddawania krwi na organizm ludzki oraz ich doświadczeń związanych z donacjami krwi. Materiał i metody. Badanie przeprowadzono metodą sondażu diagnostycznego z wykorzystaniem autorskiego kwestionariusza ankiety składającego się z 6 pytań zamkniętych oraz 5 pytań metryczkowych. Przebadano grupę 2387 krwiodawców. Obliczenia wykonano przy użyciu programu IBM SPSS Statistics 20. Poziom istotności określono na poziomie p ≤ 0,05. Wyniki. W większości (78,3%) honorowi dawcy krwi uważają, że od oddawania krwi nie można się uzależnić. Największy odsetek respondentów (85,2%) jest zdania, że w związku z regularnym oddawaniem krwi nie może dojść do zjawiska jej nadprodukcji. Większość ankietowanych (81,4%) za największą zaletę oddawania krwi uznaje lepsze samopoczucie psychiczne po oddaniu krwi. Wnioski. Promocja krwiodawstwa powinna bazować na wiedzy i doświadczeniu honorowych dawców krwi. Przekonanie o braku skutków ubocznych związanych z oddawaniem krwi wzrasta wraz z liczbą donacji. Krwiodawcy decydują się na oddawanie krwi głównie z powodów altruistycznych

Sexual harassment in live-bearing fishes (Poeciliidae): comparing courting and noncourting species

Sexual harassment by males has been reported from several live-bearing fishes (Poeciliidae) and has been shown to inflict costs on females. For example, poeciliid females have reduced feeding opportunities when accompanied by a male because females dedicate attention to avoiding male copulation attempts. Poeciliid species differ considerably in male mating behavior, such as the presence or absence of courtship. Courting males display in front of the females, but males attempting to sneak-copulate approach females from behind, that is, in the blind portion of their visual field, and force copulations, which can be viewed as a male persistence trait. We predicted that poeciliid females need to be more vigilant in the presence of noncourting males, and costs of harassment by noncourting males might be stronger. In a comparative approach we examined the costs of male sexual harassment for females as reduced feeding time in 9 species of live-bearing fishes, including courting (Poecilia latipinna, Poecilia reticulata, Xiphophorus cortezi, Xiphophorus variatus) and noncourting species (Poecilia mexicana [surface- and cave-dwelling form], Poecilia orri, Gambusia affinis, Gambusia geiseri, Heterandria formosa). In all species examined except for the cave form of P. mexicana, focal females spent significantly less time feeding in the presence of a male than when together with another female. The time females spent feeding was found to significantly decline with increasing male mating activity (sum of all sexual behaviors), but there was no support for the idea that females would spend more time feeding in the presence of courting males compared with noncourting one

Untersuchungen des Europäischen Amtes für Betrugsbekämpfung in Polen

Mit dem Beitritt weiterer Mitgliedsstaaten und einhergehender Erhöhung des Gemeinschaftshaushalts hat auch die Zahl der Betrügereien und Uregelmäßigkeiten zu Lasten der Europäischen Union drastisch zugenommen. Das Europäische Amt für Betrugsbekämpfung (OLAF) führt als Teil der Kommission interne und externe Kontrollen zum Schutze der finanziellen Interessen der EU. Um den bestmöglichen Ermittlungserfolg sicherzustellen, erhielt OLAF auch die Befugnis, Kontrollen vor Ort bei den Wirtschaftbeteiligten vorzunehmen. Bei der Durchführung dieser Untersuchungen befinden sich die Bediensteten des OLAF allerdings in einem Spannungsfeld – neben den gemeinschaftsrechtlichen Regelungen müssen sie die einzelstaatlichen Verfahrensvorschriften beachten. Die vorliegende Arbeit behandelt neben den einschlägigen gemeinschaftsrechtlichen Regelungen das bei Untersuchungen des OLAF in der Republik Polen relevante innerstaatliche Recht und beleuchtet die sich daraus ergebenden Auswirkungen des nationalen Verwaltungsrechts auf die Untersuchungen des OLAF

Casanovas are liars: behavioral syndromes, sperm competition risk, and the evolution of deceptive male mating behavior in live-bearing fishes

Male reproductive biology can by characterized through competition over mates as well as mate choice. Multiple mating and male mate choice copying, especially in internally fertilizing species, set the stage for increased sperm competition, i.e., sperm of two or more males can compete for fertilization of the female’s ova. In the internally fertilizing fish Poecilia mexicana, males respond to the presence of rivals with reduced expression of mating preferences (audience effect), thereby lowering the risk of by-standing rivals copying their mate choice. Also, males interact initially more with a non-preferred female when observed by a rival, which has been interpreted in previous studies as a strategy to mislead rivals, again reducing sperm competition risk (SCR). Nevertheless, species might differ consistently in their expression of aggressive and reproductive behaviors, possibly due to varying levels of SCR. In the current study, we present a unique data set comprising ten poeciliid species (in two cases including multiple populations) and ask whether species can be characterized through consistent differences in the expression of aggression, sexual activity and changes in mate choice under increased SCR. We found consistent species-specific differences in aggressive behavior, sexual activity as well as in the level of misleading behavior, while decreased preference expression under increased SCR was a general feature of all but one species examined. Furthermore, mean sexual activity correlated positively with the occurrence of potentially misleading behavior. An alternative explanation for audience effects would be that males attempt to avoid aggressive encounters, which would predict stronger audience effects in more aggressive species. We demonstrate a positive correlation between mean aggressiveness and sexual activity (suggesting a hormonal link as a mechanistic explanation), but did not detect a correlation between aggressiveness and audience effects. Suites of correlated behavioral tendencies are termed behavioral syndromes, and our present study provides correlational evidence for the evolutionary significance of SCR in shaping a behavioral syndrome at the species level across poeciliid taxa

Autoimmune meningitis and encephalitis in adult-onset still disease – Case report

Introduction Adult-onset Still disease (AOSD) is a rare systemic inflammatory disease of unknown cause. Its symptoms usually include persistent fever, fugitive salmon-colored rash, arthritis, sore throat (not specific), but it may also lead to internal organs’ involvement, which presents with enlargement of the liver and spleen, swollen lymph nodes, carditis or pleuritis – potentially life-threatening complications. In rare cases, AOSD can cause aseptic meningitis or/and encephalitis. Case presentation We report a case of 31-year-old male patient, who was referred to neurological department for extending diagnostics of frontal lobes lesions with involvement of adjacent meninges. Abnormalities have been revealed in brain MRI, which was performed due to persistent headaches, visual disturbances, fever, fatigue and cognitive decline. Wide differential diagnosis was performed including laboratory findings, contrast enhanced MRI, MR spectroscopy, flow cytometry and finally brain biopsy to exclude neoplastic or infectious origin. Final diagnosis of autoimmune meningoencephalitis in adult-onset Still disease has been made. Conclusion Adult-onset Still disease is a rare cause of inflammatory changes in central nervous system, which if diagnosed, may be treated successfully with steroids (commonly available agent), intravenous immunoglobulins or more specific immunomodulating regiments

Kin recognition in a clonal fish, Poecilia formosa

Relatedness strongly influences social behaviors in a wide variety of species. For most species, the highest typical degree of relatedness is between full siblings with 50% shared genes. However, this is poorly understood in species with unusually high relatedness between individuals: clonal organisms. Although there has been some investigation into clonal invertebrates and yeast, nothing is known about kin selection in clonal vertebrates. We show that a clonal fish, the Amazon molly (Poecilia formosa), can distinguish between different clonal lineages, associating with genetically identical, sister clones, and use multiple sensory modalities. Also, they scale their aggressive behaviors according to the relatedness to other females: they are more aggressive to non-related clones. Our results demonstrate that even in species with very small genetic differences between individuals, kin recognition can be adaptive. Their discriminatory abilities and regulation of costly behaviors provides a powerful example of natural selection in species with limited genetic diversity.Funding was provided by an Adams Memorial Scholarship, Robberson Research Grant, Graduate Student Senate Research Grant, L.G. Hill Award, Eddie Carol Smith Scholarship, GAANN fellowship (AMM), and an Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Research Award (IS).Ye

SCAview: an Intuitive Visual Approach to the Integrative Analysis of Clinical Data in Spinocerebellar Ataxias

With SCAview, we present a prompt and comprehensive tool that enables scientists to browse large datasets of the most common spinocerebellar ataxias intuitively and without technical effort. Basic concept is a visualization of data, with a graphical handling and filtering to select and define subgroups and their comparison. Several plot types to visualize all data points resulting from the selected attributes are provided. The underlying synthetic cohort is based on clinical data from five different European and US longitudinal multicenter cohorts in spinocerebellar ataxia type 1, 2, 3, and 6 (SCA1, 2, 3, and 6) comprising > 1400 patients with overall > 5500 visits. First, we developed a common data model to integrate the clinical, demographic, and characterizing data of each source cohort. Second, the available datasets from each cohort were mapped onto the data model. Third, we created a synthetic cohort based on the cleaned dataset. With SCAview, we demonstrate the feasibility of mapping cohort data from different sources onto a common data model. The resulting browser-based visualization tool with a thoroughly graphical handling of the data offers researchers the unique possibility to visualize relationships and distributions of clinical data, to define subgroups and to further investigate them without any technical effort. Access to SCAview can be requested via the Ataxia Global Initiative and is free of charge