Adaptive and maladaptive consequences of “matching habitat choice:” lessons from a rapidly-evolving butterfly metapopulation

Relationships between biased dispersal and local adaptation are currently debated. Here, I show how prior work on wild butterflies casts a novel light on this topic. “Preference” is defined as the set of likelihoods of accepting particular resources after encountering them. So defined, butterfly oviposition preferences are heritable habitat adaptations distinct from both habitat preference and biased dispersal, but influencing both processes. When a butterfly emigrates after its oviposition preference begins to reduce realized fecundity, the resulting biased dispersal is analogous to that occurring when a fish emigrates after its morphological habitat adaptations reduce its feeding rate. I illustrate preference-biased dispersal with examples from metapopulations of Melitaea cinxia and Euphydryas editha. E. editha were feeding on a well-defended host, Pedicularis, when humans created patches in which Pedicularis was killed and a less-defended host, Collinsia, was rendered phenologically available. Patch-specific natural selection favoured oviposition on Collinsia in logged (“clearing”) patches and on Pedicularis in undisturbed open forest. Quantitative variation in post-alighting oviposition preference was heritable, and evolved to be consistently different between patch types. This difference was driven more by biased dispersal than by spatial variation of natural selection. Insects developing on Collinsia in clearings retained adaptations to Pedicularis in clutch size, geotaxis and oviposition preference, forcing them to choose between emigrating in search of forest habitats with Pedicularis or staying and failing to find their preferred host. Insects that stayed suffered reduction of realized fecundity after delayed oviposition on Collinsia. Those that emigrated suffered even greater fitness penalty from consistently low offspring survival on Pedicularis. Paradoxically, most emigrants reduced both their own fitness and that of the recipient populations by dispersing from a benign natal habitat to which they were maladapted into a more demanding habitat to which they were well-adapted. “Matching habitat choice” reduced fitness when evolutionary lag rendered traditional cues unreliable in a changing environment

Robot rights? Towards a social-relational justification of moral consideration \ud

Should we grant rights to artificially intelligent robots? Most current and near-future robots do not meet the hard criteria set by deontological and utilitarian theory. Virtue ethics can avoid this problem with its indirect approach. However, both direct and indirect arguments for moral consideration rest on ontological features of entities, an approach which incurs several problems. In response to these difficulties, this paper taps into a different conceptual resource in order to be able to grant some degree of moral consideration to some intelligent social robots: it sketches a novel argument for moral consideration based on social relations. It is shown that to further develop this argument we need to revise our existing ontological and social-political frameworks. It is suggested that we need a social ecology, which may be developed by engaging with Western ecology and Eastern worldviews. Although this relational turn raises many difficult issues and requires more work, this paper provides a rough outline of an alternative approach to moral consideration that can assist us in shaping our relations to intelligent robots and, by extension, to all artificial and biological entities that appear to us as more than instruments for our human purpose

Lethal trap created by adaptive evolutionary response to an exotic resource

International audienceGlobal transport of organisms by humans provides novel resources to wild species, which often respond maladaptively. Native herbivorous insects have been killed feeding on toxic exotic plants, which acted as ‘ecological traps’1,2,3,4. We document a novel ‘eco-evolutionary trap’ stemming from the opposite effect; that is, high fitness on an exotic resource despite lack of adaptation to it. Plantago lanceolata was introduced to western North America by cattle-ranching. Feeding on this exotic plant released a large, isolated population of the native butterfly Euphydryas editha from a longstanding trade-off between maternal fecundity and offspring mortality. Because of this release—and despite a reduced insect developmental rate when feeding on this exotic—Plantago immediately supported higher larval survival than did the insects’ traditional host, Collinsia parviflora5. Previous work from the 1980s documented an evolving preference for Plantago by ovipositing adults6. We predicted that if this trend continued the insects could endanger themselves, because the availability of Plantago to butterflies is controlled by humans, who change land management practices faster than butterflies evolve6. Here we report the fulfilment of this prediction. The butterflies abandoned Collinsia and evolved total dependence on Plantago. The trap was set. In 2005, humans withdrew their cattle, springing the trap. Grasses grew around the Plantago, cooling the thermophilic insects, which then went extinct. This local extinction could have been prevented if the population had retained partial use of Collinsia, which occupied drier microhabitats unaffected by cattle removal. The flush of grasses abated quickly, rendering the meadow once again suitable for Euphydryas feeding on either host, but no butterflies were observed from 2008 to 2012. In 2013–2014, the site was naturally recolonized by Euphydryas feeding exclusively on Collinsia, returning the system to its starting point and setting the stage for a repeat of the anthropogenic evolutionary cycle

Microsatellites for the marsh fritillary butterfly: de novo transcriptome sequencing, and a comparison with amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers.

Journal ArticleResearch Support, Non-U.S. Gov'tBACKGROUND: Until recently the isolation of microsatellite markers from Lepidoptera has proved troublesome, expensive and time-consuming. Following on from a previous study of Edith's checkerspot butterfly, Euphydryas editha, we developed novel microsatellite markers for the vulnerable marsh fritillary butterfly, E. aurinia. Our goal was to optimize the process in order to reduce both time and cost relative to prevailing techniques. This was accomplished by using a combination of previously developed techniques: in silico mining of a de novo assembled transcriptome sequence, and genotyping the microsatellites found there using an economic method of fluorescently labelling primers. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In total, we screened nine polymorphic microsatellite markers, two of which were previously published, and seven that were isolated de novo. These markers were able to amplify across geographically isolated populations throughout Continental Europe and the UK. Significant deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium were evident in some populations, most likely due to the presence of null alleles. However, we used an F(st) outlier approach to show that these markers are likely selectively neutral. Furthermore, using a set of 128 individuals from 11 populations, we demonstrate consistency in population differentiation estimates with previously developed amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers (r = 0.68, p<0.001). SIGNIFICANCE: Rapid development of microsatellite markers for difficult taxa such as Lepidoptera, and concordant results with other putatively neutral molecular markers, demonstrate the potential of de novo transcriptional sequencing for future studies of population structure and gene flow that are desperately needed for declining species across fragmented landscapes.BBSRCOkinawa Institute for Science and Technology (OIST

Association of Short-term Change in Leukocyte Telomere Length With Cortical Thickness and Outcomes of Mental Training Among Healthy Adults

Importance:Telomere length is associated with the development of age-related diseases and structural differences in multiple brain regions. It remains unclear, however, whether change in telomere length is linked to brain structure change, and to what extent telomere length can be influenced through mental training. Objectives:To assess the dynamic associations between leukocyte telomere length (LTL) and cortical thickness (CT), and to determine whether LTL is affected by a longitudinal contemplative mental training intervention. Design, Setting, and Participants:An open-label efficacy trial of three 3-month mental training modules with healthy, meditation-naive adults was conducted. Data on LTL and CT were collected 4 times over 9 months between April 22, 2013, and March 31, 2015, as part of the ReSource Project. Data analysis was performed between September 23, 2016, and June 21, 2019. Of 1582 eligible individuals, 943 declined to participate; 362 were randomly selected for participation and assigned to training or retest control cohorts, with demographic characteristics matched. The retest control cohorts underwent all testing but no training. Intention-to-treat analysis was performed. Interventions:Training cohort participants completed 3 modules cultivating interoception and attention (Presence), compassion (Affect), or perspective taking (Perspective). Main Outcomes and Measures:Change in LTL and CT. Results:Of the 362 individuals randomized, 30 participants dropped out before study initiation (initial sample, 332). Data were available for analysis of the training intervention in 298 participants (n = 222 training; n = 76 retest control) (175 women [58.7%]; mean [SD] age, 40.5 [9.3] years). The training modules had no effect on LTL. In 699 observations from all 298 participants, mean estimated changes in the relative ratios of telomere repeat copy number to single-copy gene (T/S) were for no training, 0.004 (95% CI, -0.010 to 0.018); Presence, -0.007 (95% CI, -0.025 to 0.011); Affect, -0.005 (95% CI, -0.019 to 0.010); and Perspective, -0.001 (95% CI, -0.017 to 0.016). Cortical thickness change data were analyzed in 167 observations from 67 retest control participants (37 women [55.2%], mean [SD] age, 39.6 [9.0] years). In this retest control cohort subsample, naturally occurring LTL change was related to CT change in the left precuneus extending to the posterior cingulate cortex (mean t161 = 3.22; P < .001; r = 0.246). At the individual participant level, leukocyte telomere shortening as well as lengthening were observed. Leukocyte telomere shortening was related to cortical thinning (t77 = 2.38; P = .01; r = 0.262), and leukocyte telomere lengthening was related to cortical thickening (t77 = 2.42; P = .009; r = 0.266). All analyses controlled for age, sex, and body mass index. Conclusions and Relevance:The findings of this trial indicate an association between short-term change in LTL and concomitant change in plasticity of the left precuneus extending to the posterior cingulate cortex. This result contributes to the evidence that LTL changes more dynamically on the individual level than previously thought. Further studies are needed to determine potential long-term implications of such change in relation to cellular aging and the development of neurodegenerative disorders. No effect of contemplative mental training was noted in what may be, to date, the longest intervention with healthy adults. Trial Registration:ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01833104

Empresa social e economia solidária: perspectivas no campo da inserção laboral de portadores de transtorno mental

O processo da reforma psiquiátrica requer a implementação de políticas públicas que garantam a inserção laboral de portadores de transtorno mental. Para tal, é necessário que o trabalho seja compreendido como promotor de autonomia, de emancipação e de cidadania. O objetivo deste estudo é refletir acerca de concepções teóricas relacionadas à inserção social pelo trabalho, a fim de explorar o campo da inclusão de portadores de transtorno mental no mundo do trabalho. Foram escolhidos os conceitos de empresa social e de economia solidária como fundamentais para o estudo. Na empresa social, o sujeito é entendido como ser social, enfocando-se seu processo de formação no sentido da emancipação. Na economia solidária, objetiva-se o desenvolvimento de uma forma de economia mais justa que tem como característica a igualdade e a solidariedade. Sugerimos que a discussão desses conceitos possa contribuir para embasar a implantação de projetos de inclusão social pelo trabalho.El proceso de reforma psiquiátrica requiere de la implementación de políticas públicas que garanticen la inserción laboral de portadores de transtorno mental. Para ello, es necesario que el trabajo sea comprendido como promotor de autonomía, emancipación y ciudadanía. El objetivo de este estudio es reflexionar acerca de concepciones teóricas relacionadas con la inserción social mediante el trabajo, apuntando a explorar el campo de la inclusión de portadores de transtorno mental en el mundo laboral. Se eligieron los conceptos de empresa social y de economía solidaria como fundamentales para el estudio. En la empresa social, el sujeto es entendido como ser social, enfocándose su proceso de formación con sentido emancipatorio. En la economía solidaria, se objetiva el desarrollo de una economía más justa que tiene como característica la igualdad y solidaridad. Sugerimos que la discusión de tales conceptos aporte como base de implantación de proyectos de inclusión social mediante el trabajo.The psychiatric reform process requires the implementation of public policies that guarantee the work inclusion of individuals with mental disorders. To do this, work must be understood as a promoter of autonomy, emancipation and citizenship. The objective of this study is to reflect on the theoretical concepts related to social insertion through work, with the purpose of exploring the inclusion of individuals with mental disorders in the work market. The concepts social company and solidary economy where selected as fundamental for the study. In the social company, the subject is considered to be a social being, focusing on the development process towards emancipation. In solidary economy, the objective is to develop an economy that is more just, equal and solidary. Further discussions on these concepts should be developed to support the implementation of projects for social inclusion through work

Mitochondria dysfunction is associated with long-term cognitive impairment in an animal sepsis mode

Background: Several different mechanisms have been proposed to explain long-term cognitive impairment in sepsis survivors. The role of persisting mitochondrial dysfunction is not known. We thus sought to determine whether stimulation of mitochondrial dynamics improves mitochondrial function and long-term cognitive impairment in an experimental model of sepsis. Methods: Sepsis was induced in adult Wistar rats by cecal ligation and perforation (CLP). Animals received intracerebroventricular injections of either rosiglitazone (biogenesis activator), rilmenidine, rapamycin (autophagy activators), or n-saline (sham control) once a day on days 7–9 after the septic insult. Cognitive impairment was assessed by inhibitory avoidance and object recognition tests. Animals were killed 24 h, 3 and 10 days after sepsis with the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex removed to determine mitochondrial function. Results: Sepsis was associated with both acute (24 h) and late (10 days) brain mitochondrial dysfunction. Markers of mitochondrial biogenesis, autophagy and mitophagy were not up-regulated during these time points. Activation of biogenesis (rosiglitazone) or autophagy (rapamycin and rilmenidine) improved brain ATP levels and ex vivo oxygen consumption and the long-term cognitive impairment observed in sepsis survivors. Conclusion: Long-term impairment of brain function is temporally related to mitochondrial dysfunction. Activators of autophagy and mitochondrial biogenesis could rescue animals from cognitive impairment