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PubMed1987

Epigenetic control of endogenous ecotropic virus expression in SL/Ni mice.

SL/Ni mice were found to be highly polymorphic in the expression of endogenous ecotropic virus (ETV). By selective mating of the mice with either high-virus or virus-free phenotypes, the following stably virus-positive and virus-negative sublines were obtained: SL/Ni-Eco+ and SL/Ni-Eco-, respectively. This polymorphism was produced by an epigenetic factor transmitted by SL/Ni-Eco- female mice via milk. F1 hybrids between SL/Ni-Eco- females with males of high-virus strains did not express ETV, whereas reciprocal F1 hybrids did. On the other hand, F1 mice between females of low-virus strains or of NFS mice lacking the ETV proviral genome and SL/Ni-Eco- males expressed a high level of ETV. Foster-nursing of newborn mice of high-virus strains by SL/Ni-Eco- foster-mothers or injection of pooled sera of SL/Ni-Eco mice resulted in intense inhibition of virus expression. On the contrary, nursing of SL/Ni-Eco- newborns by NFS/N foster-mothers resulted in high virus expression. These observations strongly support the hypothesis that failure to express ETV by SL/Ni-Eco- mice is due to a milk-transmitted maternal resistance factor, but probably not due to genetic heterogeneity among SL/Ni sublines. This factor caused strong, long-lasting, and selective suppression of endogenous ETV, but it did not confer resistance to exogenous infection of ETV. This activity was present also in the sera of SL/Ni-Eco- mice, since neonatal injection of the sera into high-virus strains of mice, SL/Ni-Eco+, SL/Kh, and AKR/Ms, caused strong selective suppression of ETV expression. By this procedure, the spontaneous occurrence of nonthymic lymphomas in SL/Kh mice was suppressed.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Engaged members of the Unification Church. Impact of a charismatic large group on adaptation and behavior.

This project was designed to study the psychological nature of compliance with unusual behavioral norms among members of a charismatic religious sect. Three hundred twenty-one members of the Unification Church had been placed into marital engagement a year previously in a highly unusual fashion: their partners were assigned to them by the group's leader as part of a religious ritual. The abrogation of contemporary norms for mate selection was not associated with increased psychological distress. Church-related life experiences, however, were perceived as being of considerable psychological impact. Multiple regression analyses further revealed that the vulnerability of respondents to perceived life disruption was relived by their affiliation to the sect. This "relief effect," associated with social and religious ties to the sect, apparently reinforces compliance with the group's behavorial norms, particularly since the manner of reinforcement is integrated into the social structure of the group.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1998

Secular changes in standards of bodily attractiveness in women: tests of a reproductive model.

OBJECTIVE: Since success at work is favored by a more slender body build while reproduction is favored by curvaceousness, standards of women's bodily attractiveness should be predictable from economic and reproductive variables. METHODS: This hypothesis was tested in a replication and extension of a study by Silverstein, Perdue, Peterson, Vogel, and Fantini (1986) which looked at correlates of curvaceousness of Vogue models over time. RESULTS: As economic prosperity increased, and as women's participation in the economy, and higher education, increased, curvaceousness of the standards declined. As the proportion of single women to men, both aged 20-24 years, increased, and as the birth rate declined, curvaceousness was reduced. DISCUSSION: Results suggest that cultural standards of attractiveness are influenced by an evolved psychology of mate selection.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Chemical communication of reproductive status in female cotton-top tamarins (Saguinus oedipus oedipus).

Among Callitrichids, scent secretions have been identified as carrying information regarding species, subspecies, gender, social status, individuality, hormonal status, and timing of ovulation. We propose that information regarding familiarity and reproductive status is also communicated. Seven male-female pairs of cotton-top tamarins (Saguinus oedipus oedipus) were presented with several drops of distilled water, a scent secretion from the female of that pair, scent secretions from unfamiliar, reproductively mature but noncycling females, and scent secretions from unfamiliar, reproductively cycling females. Behavioral responses from both males and females were recorded over a 10 min period. Differences in behavioral response for both males and females were significant across all four conditions. This indicates that cotton-top tamarins are capable of discriminating a familiar scent from an unfamiliar scent as well as the reproductive status of an unfamiliar female. The communication of this information may play an important role in regulating mate selection, reducing reproductive competition, and stabilizing transfers in and out of groups in the wild.

Animal Communication↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Male facial appearance signals physical strength to women.

Previous studies showed that male faces with extreme features that are likely to be associated with testosterone (T) are perceived as dominant and masculine. Women were reported to prefer masculinized male faces, as they may consider T markers to be an "honest" indication of good health. However, it is also likely that female preferences for certain male faces arise from the fact that dominant- and masculine-looking males are signaling characteristics which may be beneficial in intrasexual conflict, and thereby also indicate potential achievers of high status, an important factor in female mate selection. Although numerous studies were built on this assumption, nothing is known about the relationship between perceived facial dominance and physical strength in men. We measured hand-grip strength, as a measure of overall physical strength, in a sample of 32 male students, and recorded age, body weight, and height. Seventy-nine women rated facial images of these men for dominance, masculinity, and attractiveness. After controlling for age and body weight, hand-grip strength was found to correlate significantly positively with all three measures. The present data thus support the supposition that a male's physical strength is also signaled via facial characteristics of dominance and masculinity, which are considered attractive by women.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Attitudes of deaf individuals towards genetic testing.

Recent advances have made molecular genetic testing for several forms of deafness more widely available. Previous studies have examined the attitudes of the deaf towards genetic testing, including prenatal diagnosis. This study examines the attitudes of deaf college students towards universal newborn hearing screening, including molecular testing for specific forms of deafness, as well as the utilization of genetic test results for mate selection. We found that there may be differences in the attitudes of deaf individuals who associate closely with the deaf community (DC), and those who have equal involvement with both the deaf and hearing communities (EIC). The majority perceived newborn hearing screening for deafness to be helpful. However, more members of the EIC than the DC groups support newborn testing for genes for deafness. While there was reported interest in using genetic testing for partner selection, most participants reported they would not be interested in selecting a partner to have children with a specific hearing status. The results of this study point out important differences that genetic professionals should be aware of when counseling deaf individuals.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Longevity factor in hominoid social organization.

In most primate groups emigration of the maturing young of one or the other sex tends to serve as an incest avoidance mechanism. Among most primate species it is the males who change groups. This supports the theory that, in terms of reproductive success, males should compete for mates and females should compete for resources. In hominoids the combination of increased longevity and greater female discrimination in mate selection seems responsible for female emigration. This may relate to the high frequency of patrilocality and male control of resources among human groups.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis reveals a close linkage between the hinge region and trimeric IgA dominancy in a high IgA strain (HIGA) of ddY mice.

Polymerization of IgA has been suggested as one of the causes of mesangial deposition in IgA nephropathy. HIGA mice are an inbred model of IgA nephropathy, established by selective mating of ddY mice. This strain is characterized by a unique profile of the IgA molecule that is dominantly polymeric and has high serum levels with intense IgA deposition on the mesangium. We carried out quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis, using F2 generations by crossing HIGA with BALB/c mice. Significant linkage of polymeric IgA in serum samples was identified around D12Mit263, which is close to the gene of the immunoglobulin heavy chain on chromosome 12. The amino acid sequence of the alpha heavy chain revealed marked differences between BALB/c and HIGA mice. Furthermore, most differences were focussed on the hinge region. The DBA/2J strain, which has the same amino acid sequence in the hinge region as the HIGA strain, also showed polymeric IgA dominance but low IgA levels in sera. Size fraction analysis revealed that these polymeric IgA showed trimer dominance in both DBA/2J and HIGA mice. In conclusion, the hinge region plays a key role in trimeric IgA formation in HIGA mice.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1999

Nutritional effects on male calling behaviour in the variable field cricket.

In the variable field cricket, Gryllus lineaticeps, females prefer higher chirp rates and longer chirp durations in male calling song. Higher chirp rates are energetically more expensive to produce, but the energetic cost of calling does not vary with chirp duration. We tested the hypothesis that nutrition affects male chirp rate and chirp duration. Full-sibling brothers of similar age were placed on high- and low-nutrition feeding regimes. There was no effect of feeding regime on male weight; neither group showed a significant change in weight, and the two groups did not differ from each other in weight change. However, males on the high-nutrition feeding regime both called more frequently and called at higher chirp rates when they did call. The two groups did not differ in chirp duration, the duration of pulses within chirps or chirp dominant frequency. These results suggest that females select mates based on one nutrition-dependent call character (chirp rate) and one nutrition-independent call character (chirp duration). In addition, because males in the two groups did not show significant differences in weight change, and because males on the high-nutrition feeding regime engaged in energetically more expensive calling, these results suggest that males invest any excess energy above their basic maintenance requirements in the production of call types that increase their attractiveness to females. The absence of a relationship between body condition and calling song structure for males in the field may be a consequence of this pattern of energy allocation. Copyright 1999 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1994

Fetal H-2 odortypes are evident in the urine of pregnant female mice.

The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) imparts to each mouse an individual urinary odor, called "odortype", which reflects its MHC genotype. Perception of odortypes affects mate selection and embryonic implantation. Recent findings that odortypes are expressed as early as one day of age suggested that they might already be expressed in utero. We now report that at 9-12 days of gestation, odortypes specified by paternal (non-maternal) MHC haplotypes become apparent in maternal urine. Thus, odortypes are expressed in utero, can be sensed even before birth, and may serve in familial identification and communication.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Direct and indirect IQ heritability estimates: a puzzle.

Direct estimates of IQ heritability based on a single family relationship such as adopted-apart relatives are often 50% greater than indirect estimates that rely on differences in correlations such as the classical twin method or nonadoptive-adoptive comparisons. Factors such as nonadditive genetic variance, assortative mating, selective placement, measurement error, age differences, and genotype-environment correlation and interaction do not obviously explain the difference between direct and indirect IQ heritability estimates. Because direct estimates are derived from separated individuals and indirect estimates are derived from individuals reared together in families, some aspect of the within-family environment seems a likely candidate but its exact nature remains to be understood.

Adoption↗
PubMed1991

Differential assortative mating found for academic and demographic variables as a function of time of assessment.

The purpose of this study was to examine changes in spousal similarity that occur as a function of time of assessment and to assess the extent to which assortment is a function of initial versus "realized" similarity. Similarity for academic achievement test scores obtained when adults were in elementary and high-school grades was examined in approximately 170 couples. Similarity for occupational and educational traits achieved in adulthood and during marriage was also assessed. The data suggest small but significant assortative mating for test data obtained while husbands and wives were in elementary school. This is in contrast to the larger and significant spousal correlations observed for high-school test scores. Further adjustment procedures indicated that most of the significant high-school test score correlations remained, even after elementary school academic abilities were controlled for. Moreover, spousal correlations for academic-related variables assessed after marriage, such as occupation and college education, were only slightly higher than high-school test score correlations and showed some shrinkage after controlling for school-aged academic performance. Some minor convergence was found for one of the variables assessed after marriage using a multiple regression procedure advocated by Price and Vandenburg (1980). The discontinuity in assortment found for elementary, high-school, and adult variables is related to the mate selection procedure and how it appears to be based on the phenotype best approximating that of an adult.

Achievement↗
PubMed1976

Assortative mating in lesser snow geese (Anser caerulescens).

Assortative mating occurs in the dimorphic lesser snow geese in the wild. Mixed matings between the blue and white phases are much less frequent than would be expected by chance. Evidence from marked birds in field conditions indicated that mate choice was correlated with familial color. Birds from white families usually chose white mates, birds from blue families usually chose blue mates, and birds from mixed families chose mates of either color. Similar results were obtained under captive conditions when offspring from foster families with particular parental and offspring color combinations were allowed to choose mates. Both parental color and sibling color appeared to influence mate choice. The bird's own color did not appear to be important in mate choice in either field or experimental conditions, and in those cases where male and female parents differed in color neither parental color was more influential than the other in determining offspring mate choice. The results provide the first evidence, to our knowledge, that mate selection based on familial appearance operates intraspecifically in the wild.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Heteropteran chemical repellents identified in the citrus odor of a seabird (crested auklet: Aethia cristatella): evolutionary convergence in chemical ecology.

The exogenous application of chemical repellents is widespread in birds, but endogenous production is exceedingly rare. We herein report a new class of avian defensive compounds isolated from the feathers and volatile odor of the crested auklet (Aethia cristatella). Mass spectra indicate that n-hexanal, n-octanal, n-decanal, Z-4-decenal and a 12-carbon unsaturated aldehyde comprise the auklet odorant. Octanal and hexanal are also secreted in the repugnant metasternal gland emissions of heteropteran insects and are known to be potent invertebrate repellents. We suggest that the auklet odorant functions as an ectoparasite repellent and a signal of mate quality. This would represent a rare and direct link between vigor, quality and parasite resistance, one of several putative bases for mate selection. This is the first report of defensive compounds produced by a seabird or colonial bird and one of the few examples of chemical defense in a polar or subpolar marine vertebrate.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Eosinophil responses in sheep selected for high and low responsiveness to Trichostrongylus colubriformis.

A breeding programme, based on selection for faecal egg counts, has produced lines of sheep which demonstrate either increased resistance (high responder) or susceptibility (low responder) to challenge infection with T. colubriformis after vaccination with irradiated larvae. Circulating blood eosinophilia, a hallmark of helminth infections, was examined in third generation lambs from two separate selective matings and random bred control lambs. Numbers of eosinophils were higher in high responder lambs when compared to low responders after vaccination and challenge infections. Analysis of eosinophil counts confirmed a strong line effect and there was no evidence of a sex effect. Random bred lambs showed wide individual variations in eosinophil numbers and their response to infection. It was concluded that peripheral eosinophilia was more a measure of host responsiveness to infection than an indicator of helminthiasis. As such the eosinophil may serve as an indicator of the hosts ability to respond to T. colubriformis vaccination and infection.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

She is not a beauty even when she smiles: possible evolutionary basis for a relationship between facial attractiveness and hemispheric specialization.

The asymmetrical status of facial beauty has rarely been investigated. We studied positive facial characteristics, attractiveness and smiling, through the use of left-left and right-right composites of unfamiliar faces of women and men with natural expressions. Results showed that women's right-right composites were judged significantly more attractive than left-left composites while there was no left-right difference in men's composites (Experiment 1). On the other hand, left-left composites were judged to have more pronounced smiling expressions than right-right composites in both women's and men's faces (Experiment 2). The results confirm previous findings for leftward facial expressiveness and show for the first time asymmetry in facial attractiveness and a difference in its manifestation in women's and men's faces. The findings have biological implications for the relationship between the appearance of the sides of the face and hemispheric specialization. The organization of beauty in the human face may have been shaped by evolutionary pressures on facial asymmetries, especially as they pertain to mate selection.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Transmission of symptoms of anxiety and depression in nuclear families.

Anxiety and depression symptom scores from the SCL-90 questionnaire were observed in a large sample of nuclear families, and the effects of genes or family environment were estimated. Assuming no environmental transmission from parents to offspring, heritability was estimated at 0.43 for both anxiety and depression scores, and common sibling environment or reciprocal sibling influence explained 19% of the variances for both scores. Most of the (genetic or environmental) family effect seemed to be common for the two scores. There was no evidence of common determinants in the family for the symptom scores and alcohol consumption, not even of any substantial relationship within persons between symptoms and consumption. The spouse correlations were 0.25 for anxiety and 0.38 for depression. Similar values for the correlations between anxiety in one person and depression in his/her spouse implies a mate selection based on a single latent variable to which the two observed traits contribute.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

What is the role of the immune system in determining individually distinct body odours?

Genetically inbred mice and rats which are identical except for the genes of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) produce unique urinary odours which can be discriminated by other animals. Congenic strains differing in both the Class I and Class II regions of the MHC produce distinct urinary odours. These urine odours can be used for mate selection and parental recognition, and it has been suggested that they provide a unique genetic mechanism for kin recognition. However, the non-MHC genes and the X and Y chromosomes also modulate the urinary odours of rodents, and rearing rats in a bacteria-free environment inhibits the production of unique MHC-related odours. We have found that dietary differences produce a greater effect on individual odours than differences at one MHC locus. These results suggest that the MHC, commensal bacteria, and dietary products interact to produce urinary odours which can be used for individual recognition in rodents. The problem is: what is the role of the immune system in determining individually distinct body odours? A model that suggests possible answers to this question is proposed.

Animals↗