Sources of Variation in Social Plasticity in Female Mate Preferences and Male Traits

Female preferences are an important cause of selection on male traits, and exploring the sources of variation in these preferences has been the focus of intense behavioral research. This is due to the fact that understanding this variation is integral to understating the maintenance of variation and complexity in male traits, as well as the evolution and divergence of populations. This project aims to explore the sources of variation in these mating preferences, as well as examine whether similar sources affect components of male traits. This was accomplished using the well-studied mating system of the Green Treefrog, Hyla cinerea that features female preferences for the male advertisement call. Using playback experiments, I dissect the constituent parts of female preferences – preference functions and choosiness, and demonstrate that sources of variation in preferences can be due to interactions between choosiness and social experience, as well as interactions between female body size and the shape of a female’s preference function and the constituent traits of the preference function curve. Further, I demonstrate that social experience also affects the male trait, and can drive variation in the presentation of advertisement calls. This work demonstrates that while sexual selection can be a strong and directional driver of the evolution of mating behaviors, substantial variation can arise from a number of sources that may have profound effects for the evolution of species

Interventions to prevent obesity in Latinx children birth to 6 years globally: a systematic review

Abstract Objective: To conduct a systematic review of obesity prevention interventions in Latinx children ages birth to 6 years published in any language from 2010–2020. Design: We used PubMed, ERIC, PsycINFO, Scopus, Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO) and Google Scholar databases to conduct a search on May 1 2020, January 1 2021 and November 1 2022. We included randomised controlled trials, quasi-experimental studies and non-randomised interventions with a control or comparison group that reported measures of adiposity. Setting: Interventions taking place in the United States, Latin America or the Caribbean. Participants: Latinx children ages birth to 6 years. Results: Of 8601 unique records identified, forty manuscripts about thirty-nine unique studies describing thirty distinct interventions in the United States and nine interventions in Latin America and the Caribbean met our inclusion criteria. Interventions were primarily based in early care and education centres (n 13) or combined home settings, for example home and community (n 7). Randomised interventions taking place in community or home settings were more likely to report significant reductions in adiposity or weight-related outcomes compared to other settings. Using the Cochrane risk of bias tools for randomised and non-randomised studies, we judged thirty-eight randomised trials and nine non-randomised interventions to have a high or unclear risk of bias. Conclusions: The results highlight a need for more rigorous designs and more effective intervention strategies in Latinx children at risk for having overweight and obesity. Registered with the PROSPERO database for systematic reviews under registration number CRD42020161339

Sources of Variation in Social Plasticity in Female Mate Preferences and Male Traits

Female preferences are an important cause of selection on male traits, and exploring the sources of variation in these preferences has been the focus of intense behavioral research. This is due to the fact that understanding this variation is integral to understating the maintenance of variation and complexity in male traits, as well as the evolution and divergence of populations. This project aims to explore the sources of variation in these mating preferences, as well as examine whether similar sources affect components of male traits. This was accomplished using the well-studied mating system of the Green Treefrog, Hyla cinerea that features female preferences for the male advertisement call. Using playback experiments, I dissect the constituent parts of female preferences – preference functions and choosiness, and demonstrate that sources of variation in preferences can be due to interactions between choosiness and social experience, as well as interactions between female body size and the shape of a female’s preference function and the constituent traits of the preference function curve. Further, I demonstrate that social experience also affects the male trait, and can drive variation in the presentation of advertisement calls. This work demonstrates that while sexual selection can be a strong and directional driver of the evolution of mating behaviors, substantial variation can arise from a number of sources that may have profound effects for the evolution of species

Barriers and Facilitators to Compliance with a State Healthy Eating Policy in Early Care and Education Centers

Background: Early care and education (ECE) policies can improve childhood obesity risk factors. We evaluated barriers and facilitators to implementing mandatory nutrition standards for foods provided in South Carolina ECE centers serving lowincome children, comparing centers participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) with non-CACFP centers. Methods: We mailed 261 surveys (demographics, policies and practices, barriers and facilitators) to center directors after new state nutrition standards were implemented in South Carolina. We conducted univariate and bivariate analyses to explore relationships between barriers, facilitators, and center-level characteristics, by CACFP status. Results: We received 163 surveys (62% response rate). Centers had a median [interquartile range (IQR)] of 5 (4–7) classrooms and 59 (37.5–89) total children enrolled. More than half (60.1%) of directors reported they were moderately or fully informed about the standards. The most common barriers were food costs (17.8%) and children’s food preferences (17.8%). More non-CACFP directors reported food costs as a barrier (28.6% vs. 6.5%, p \u3c 0.001), having to spend additional money on healthier foods (48.8% vs. 28.6%, p = 0.01), and having to provide additional nutrition education to parents (28.6% vs. 11.7%, p = 0.01), compared with CACFP directors. Conclusions: Center directors were generally well informed about the nutrition standards. The most common barriers to implementing the standards were food costs and children’s food preferences. Centers participating in CACFP may be in a better position to adhere to new state nutrition standards, as they receive some federal reimbursement for serving healthy foods and may be more accustomed to regulation

Neelon_Hoebel All Data for BehavEcol

Excel file containing all data used for figures and statistical analysis

Data from: Social plasticity in choosiness in green tree frogs, Hyla cinerea

Mate choice is an important driver of the evolution of sexual traits and can promote divergence and speciation. Understanding the underlying variation in mate choice decisions is crucial to understand variation in the strength and direction of sexual selection. We explored whether variation in the social environment influences mate choice decisions and focus on the aspect of mate choice termed choosiness (i.e. the effort invested in mate assessment and acquisition). Using call playbacks, we manipulated the social environment female green tree frogs would experience as they entered a chorus, and then we conducted two-choice playback trials to assess whether females exhibited social plasticity in choosiness. We explored social plasticity at 2 levels: in one experiment, we manipulated the presence or absence of preferred (attractive) and less preferred (unattractive) conspecific males (i.e. intraspecific context), and in the other experiment, we manipulated the presence or absence of preferred (conspecific) and less preferred closely related heterospecific males (i.e. interspecific context). We found that in the intraspecific context, the presence of attractive males increased choosiness, while absence of attractive males reduced choosiness. In the interspecific context, choosiness remained stable in most treatments, but was lowered when females experienced a mixture of conspecific and heterospecific calls. We discuss the effect of social plasticity in choosiness on mate choice decisions and highlight its evolutionary consequences

Data from: On the architecture of mate choice decisions: preference functions and choosiness are distinct traits

Mate choice is an important cause of sexual selection; it can drive the evolution of extravagant ornaments and displays, and promote speciation through the reproductive isolation generated by rapid divergence of sexual traits. Understanding mate choice requires knowledge of the traits involved in generating mating preferences, and how those traits may interact with each other. It has been proposed that mate choice decisions are the outcome of two components that vary independently: the preference function (the ranking of the attractiveness of prospective mates) and choosiness (the effort invested in mate assessment). Here we test this hypothesis by examine individual variation in female preference functions and choosiness in Green Treefrogs (Hyla cinerea). We show that measures describing preference functions and choosiness are not correlated. We also show that both components are influenced differently by variation in female body size, and that preference function shape (closed and preferring intermediate values or open-ended and preferring extremes) has a strong influence on this relationship: function traits are positively correlated with body size only for individuals with closed functions, while choosiness is positively correlated with body size for individuals with open functions, but negatively for those with closed functions

Data For On the Architecture of Mate Choice Decisions_Dryad

The data file includes female mating responses for preference function shape; preference function traits of peak, tolerance, responsiveness, and strength; choosieness; principle component data of female preferences; as well as physical characteristics of tested individuals