Banana (Musa spp.) is an important crop in the African Great Lakes region in terms of income and food security, with the highest per capita consumption worldwide. Pests, diseases and climate change hamper sustainable production of bananas. New breeding tools with increased crossbreeding efficiency are being investigated to breed for resistant, high yielding hybrids of East African Highland banana (EAHB). These include genomic selection (GS), which will benefit breeding through increased genetic gain per unit time. Understanding trait variation and the correlation among economically important traits is an essential first step in the development and selection of suitable GS models for banana. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that trait variations in bananas are not affected by cross combination, cycle, field management and their interaction with genotype. A training population created using EAHB breeding material and its progeny was phenotyped in two contrasting conditions. A high level of correlation among vegetative and yield related traits was observed. Therefore, genomic selection models could be developed for traits that are easily measured. It is likely that the predictive ability of traits that are difficult to phenotype will be similar to less difficult traits they are highly correlated with. Genotype response to cycle and field management practices varied greatly with respect to traits. Yield related traits accounted for 31-35% of principal component variation under low and high input field management conditions. Resistance to Black Sigatoka was stable across cycles but varied under different field management depending on the genotype. The best cross combination was 1201K-1xSH3217 based on selection response (R) of hybrids. Genotyping using simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers revealed that the training population was genetically diverse, reflecting a complex pedigree background, which was mostly influenced by the male parents.

• MeSH
• banánovník genetika   MeSH
• fenotyp MeSH
• genetická variace * MeSH
• genom rostlinný MeSH
• genomika MeSH
• genotyp MeSH
• lokus kvantitativního znaku genetika   MeSH
• mikrosatelitní repetice genetika   MeSH
• populační genetika * MeSH
• selekce (genetika) * MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Afrika MeSH

Bažení po jídle (craving) má jasný vztah k excesivním stravovacím návykům, které lze často pozorovat u obézních, u osob, které se přejídají nebo osob s diagnózou bulimia nervosa. Ukazuje se také, že intenzita cravingu je významným prediktivním faktorem relapsu a jeho měření tak představuje důležitou etiologickou proměnnou, kterou je třeba při léčbě obezity a nadváhy brát v úvahu. Validní nástroj intenzity bažení po jídle v českých podmínkách chybí. Cílem naší práce bylo ověřit psychometrické vlastnosti české verze dotazníku měřícího neodolatelnou chuť k jídlu (General Food-Craving Questionnaire – Trait G-FCQ-T), který v současné době představuje jeden z nejpřesnějších a nejpoužívanějších měřících nástrojů v této oblasti. Analýza dat získaných od výběrového soboru 257 univerzitních studentů doložila, že český překlad dotazníku představuje validní metodu s uspokojivými psychometrickými vlastnostmi, která je připravená pro použití v běžné klinické praxi.

Recent findings show that food craving is strongly related to body weight and causes excessive eating patterns observed in obesity, binge eating and bulimia nervosa and its severity represents a good predictor of relapse. Our study aimed to validate the Czech translation of the General Food-Craving Questionnaire - Trait (G-FCQ-T) that currently represents one of the most reliable tools for food craving measurement. In order to achieve this goal we measured indices of food craving in 257 university students. The statistical analysis of the acquired data revealed that the Czech version of the G-FCQ-T has satisfactory psychometric properties and it is ready to be used in common clinical practice.

• MeSH
• faktorová analýza statistická MeSH
• financování organizované MeSH
• habituace (psychofyziologie) MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• obezita psychologie   rehabilitace   MeSH
• preference v jídle psychologie   MeSH
• průzkumy a dotazníky využití   MeSH
• psychiatrické posuzovací škály statistika a číselné údaje   MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH

Selective hunting can affect demographic characteristics and phenotypic traits of the targeted species. Hunting systems often involve harvesting quotas based on sex, age and/or size categories to avoid selective pressure. However, it is difficult to assess whether such regulations deter hunters from targeting larger "trophy" animals with longer horns that may have evolutionary consequences. Here, we compile 44,088 annually resolved and absolutely dated measurements of Alpine ibex (Capra ibex) horn growth increments from 8,355 males, harvested between 1978 and 2013, in the eastern Swiss Canton of Grisons. We aim to determine whether male ibex with longer horns were preferentially targeted, causing animals with early rapid horn growth to have shorter lives, and whether such hunting selection translated into long-term trends in horn size over the past four decades. Results show that medium- to longer-horned adult males had a higher probability of being harvested than shorter-horned individuals of the same age and that regulations do affect the hunters' behaviour. Nevertheless, phenotypic traits such as horn length, as well as body size and weight, remained stable over the study period. Although selective trophy hunting still occurs, it did not cause a measurable evolutionary response in Grisons' Alpine ibex populations; managed and surveyed since 1978. Nevertheless, further research is needed to understand whether phenotypic trait development is coinfluenced by other, potentially compensatory factors that may possibly mask the effects of selective, long-term hunting pressure.

• MeSH
• fenotyp MeSH
• kozy genetika   růst a vývoj   MeSH
• lidské činnosti * MeSH
• rohy růst a vývoj   MeSH
• selekce (genetika) * MeSH
• sporty MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Švýcarsko MeSH

Association mapping of the central part of porcine chromosome 2 harboring QTLs for carcass and meat quality traits was performed with 17 gene-tagged SNPs located between 44.0 and 77.5 Mb on a physical map (Sscrofa10.2) in Italian Large White pigs. For the analyzed animals records of estimated breeding values for average daily gain, back fat thickness, lean cuts, ham weight, feed conversion ratio, pH1, pHu, CIE L*, CIE a*, CIE b* and drip loss were available. A significant QTL for fat deposition (adjusted P=0.0081) and pH1 (adjusted P=0.0972) to MYOD1 at position 44.4 Mb and a QTL for growth and meatiness (adjusted P=0.0238-0.0601) to UBL5 at position 68.9 Mb were mapped. These results from association mapping are much more accurate than those from linkage mapping and facilitate further search for position candidate genes and causative mutations needed for application of markers through marker assisted selection.

• MeSH
• chov MeSH
• fenotyp MeSH
• jednonukleotidový polymorfismus MeSH
• koncentrace vodíkových iontů MeSH
• kvalita jídla * MeSH
• lokus kvantitativního znaku * MeSH
• mapování chromozomů metody   MeSH
• maso analýza   MeSH
• MyoD Protein genetika   MeSH
• prasata genetika   MeSH
• tělesná hmotnost MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH

We examined patterns of trait similarity (assortative mating) in married couples in four cultures, using both self-reports and spouse ratings on versions of the Revised NEO Personality Inventory. There was evidence of a subtle but pervasive perceived contrast bias in the spouse-rating data. However, there was strong agreement across methods of assessment and moderate agreement across cultures in the pattern of results. Most assortment effects were small, but correlations exceeding .40 were seen for a subset of traits, chiefly from the Openness and Agreeableness domains. Except in Russia, where more positive assortment was seen for younger couples, comparisons of younger and older cohorts showed little systematic difference. This suggested that mate selection, rather than convergence over time, accounted for similarity. Future research on personality similarity in dyads can utilize different designs but should assess personality at both domain and the facet levels.

• MeSH
• charakter * MeSH
• dospělí MeSH
• dvojčata psychologie   MeSH
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• longitudinální studie MeSH
• manželé psychologie   MeSH
• manželství psychologie   MeSH
• mladý dospělý MeSH
• osobnostní dotazník statistika a číselné údaje   MeSH
• psychometrie MeSH
• registrace MeSH
• sebezhodnocení (psychologie) MeSH
• senioři nad 80 let MeSH
• senioři MeSH
• srovnání kultur * MeSH
• výběrové chování MeSH
• Check Tag
• dospělí MeSH
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mladý dospělý MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• senioři nad 80 let MeSH
• senioři MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Research Support, N.I.H., Intramural MeSH
• srovnávací studie MeSH
• studie na dvojčatech MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Česká republika MeSH
• Nizozemsko MeSH
• Rusko MeSH
• Spojené státy americké MeSH

BACKGROUND: Current plant--herbivore interaction models and experiments with mammalian herbivores grazing plant monocultures show the superiority of a maximizing forage quality strategy (MFQ) over a maximizing intake strategy (MI). However, there is a lack of evidence whether grazers comply with the model predictions under field conditions. METHODOLOGY/FINDINGS: We assessed diet selection of sheep (Ovis aries) using plant functional traits in productive mesic vs. low-productivity dry species-rich grasslands dominated by resource-exploitative vs. resource-conservative species respectively. Each grassland type was studied in two replicates for two years. We investigated the first grazing cycle in a set of 288 plots with a diameter of 30 cm, i.e. the size of sheep feeding station. In mesic grasslands, high plot defoliation was associated with community weighted means of leaf traits referring to high forage quality, i.e. low leaf dry matter content (LDMC) and high specific leaf area (SLA), with a high proportion of legumes and the most with high community weighted mean of forage indicator value. In contrast in dry grasslands, high community weighted mean of canopy height, an estimate of forage quantity, was the best predictor of plot defoliation. Similar differences in selection on forage quality vs. quantity were detected within plots. Sheep selected plants with higher forage indicator values than the plot specific community weighted mean of forage indicator value in mesic grasslands whereas taller plants were selected in dry grasslands. However, at this scale sheep avoided legumes and plants with higher SLA, preferred plants with higher LDMC while grazing plants with higher forage indicator values in mesic grasslands. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that MFQ appears superior over MI only in habitats with a predominance of resource-exploitative species. Furthermore, plant functional traits (LDMC, SLA, nitrogen fixer) seem to be helpful correlates of forage quality only at the community level.

• MeSH
• biomasa MeSH
• býložravci fyziologie   MeSH
• dieta MeSH
• druhová specificita MeSH
• ekosystém * MeSH
• kvantitativní znak dědičný * MeSH
• lineární modely MeSH
• lipnicovité fyziologie   MeSH
• ovce fyziologie   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH

1. Changes in embryonic development and growth were analysed in relation to direct changes in postnatal growth and correlated responses in egg parameters using Japanese quail lines selected for more than 30 generations for high (HG) and low (LG) relative gain of body weight (BW) between 11 and 28 d of age, and constant BW at 49 d of age. 2. During the first 42 h as well as at the end of incubation, LG embryos were developmentally accelerated in comparison with their HG counterparts. An expected increase of line divergence across generations was observed only in traits analysed at the end of incubation. 3. In contrast to early generations, LG embryos continuously exhibited a higher BW than HG embryos and this difference temporarily disappeared only around incubation d 8. Analogous to early generations, the HG compared with LG embryos showed two periods of transient growth retardation compensated subsequently by a higher growth rate (incubation d 3-8 and 8-16). 4. More pronounced growth retardation of HG versus LG embryos in late versus early generations corresponded to more distinct decrease of HG versus LG growth rate during the first post-hatch days. Likewise, a disappearance of line BW differences on incubation d 8 characterising the late generations corresponded to the elimination of line differences in adult BW. 5. Alterations of growth pattern were associated with changes of egg size. While HG quail maintained a relatively constant adult BW and egg size across generations, the gradually increasing incidence of large eggs in the LG line allowed selection of birds with higher growth potential, which in turn amplified the line differences in the embryonic BW and eliminated the line differences in adult BW. Line differences in egg composition (larger albumen with lower density in LG compared with HG eggs) apparently contributed to the strengthening of line developmental divergence during incubation. 6. Transient lack of nutrient supply to HG embryos due to their developmental delay is probably responsible for a higher HG versus LG embryo mortality.

• MeSH
• časové faktory MeSH
• Coturnix embryologie   genetika   růst a vývoj   MeSH
• embryonální vývoj genetika   MeSH
• selekce (genetika) * MeSH
• tělesná hmotnost genetika   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

Population divergence in geographic isolation is due to a combination of factors. Natural and sexual selection may be important in shaping patterns of population differentiation, a pattern referred to as 'isolation by adaptation' (IBA). IBA can be complementary to the well-known pattern of 'isolation by distance' (IBD), in which the divergence of closely related populations (via any evolutionary process) is associated with geographic isolation. The barn swallow Hirundo rustica complex comprises six closely related subspecies, where divergent sexual selection is associated with phenotypic differentiation among allopatric populations. To investigate the relative contributions of selection and geographic distance to genome-wide differentiation, we compared genotypic and phenotypic variation from 350 barn swallows sampled across eight populations (28 pairwise comparisons) from four different subspecies. We report a draft whole-genome sequence for H. rustica, to which we aligned a set of 9493 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Using statistical approaches to control for spatial autocorrelation of phenotypic variables and geographic distance, we find that divergence in traits related to migratory behaviour and sexual signalling, as well as geographic distance, together explain over 70% of genome-wide divergence among populations. Controlling for IBD, we find 42% of genomewide divergence is attributable to IBA through pairwise differences in traits related to migratory behaviour and sexual signalling alone. By (i) combining these results with prior studies of how selection shapes morphological differentiation and (ii) accounting for spatial autocorrelation, we infer that morphological adaptation plays a large role in shaping population-level differentiation in this group of closely related populations.

• MeSH
• biologická evoluce * MeSH
• fenotyp MeSH
• genom MeSH
• populační genetika * MeSH
• reprodukční izolace MeSH
• selekce (genetika) * MeSH
• vlaštovkovití genetika   MeSH
• zeměpis MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

The expression of alternative reproductive tactics can be plastic and occur simultaneously depending on cues that vary spatially or temporally. For example, variation in resources and sexual selection intensity is expected to influence the pay-off of each tactic and shape the decision of which tactic to employ. Males of the nuptial gift-giving spider Pisaura mirabilis can adopt three tactics: offering a genuine prey gift, a 'worthless' non-nutritious gift or no gift. We hypothesized that resources and/or male body condition, and mating opportunity and sexual selection intensity, vary over the course of the mating season to shape the co-existence of alternative traits. We measured these variables in the field over two seasons, to investigate the predictions that as the mating season progresses, (i) males become more likely to employ a gift-giving tactic, and (ii) the likelihood of switching from worthless to genuine gifts increases. Prey availability increased over the season and co-varied with the propensity of males to employ the gift-giving tactic, but we found no support for condition-dependent gift giving. Males responded to an increase in female availability by increasing their mating effort (gift production). Furthermore, the frequency of genuine gift use increased with sexual selection intensity, consistent with the assumption that sperm competition intensity increases with time. Our results suggest that the frequency of alternative tactics is shaped by seasonal changes in ecological factors and sexual selection. This leads to relaxed selection for the gift-giving tactic early in the season when females are less choosy and resources more scarce, and increased selection for genuine gifts later in the season driven by mating opportunity and risk of sperm competition.

• MeSH
• pavouci genetika   fyziologie   MeSH
• selekce (genetika) MeSH
• sexuální chování zvířat fyziologie   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH

Behavioural isolation may lead to complete speciation when partial postzygotic isolation acts in the presence of divergent-specific mate-recognition systems. These conditions exist where Mus musculus musculus and M. m. domesticus come into contact and hybridize. We studied two mate-recognition signal systems, based on urinary and salivary proteins, across a Central European portion of the mouse hybrid zone. Introgression of the genomic regions responsible for these signals: the major urinary proteins (MUPs) and androgen binding proteins (ABPs), respectively, was compared to introgression at loci assumed to be nearly neutral and those under selection against hybridization. The preference of individuals taken from across the zone regarding these signals was measured in Y mazes, and we develop a model for the analysis of the transition of such traits under reinforcement selection. The strongest assortative preferences were found in males for urine and females for ABP. Clinal analyses confirm nearly neutral introgression of an Abp locus and two loci closely linked to the Abp gene cluster, whereas two markers flanking the Mup gene region reveal unexpected introgression. Geographic change in the preference traits matches our reinforcement selection model significantly better than standard cline models. Our study confirms that behavioural barriers are important components of reproductive isolation between the house mouse subspecies.

• MeSH
• alely MeSH
• chování zvířat MeSH
• genetické lokusy genetika   MeSH
• genetické markery MeSH
• hybridizace genetická MeSH
• modely genetické MeSH
• myši MeSH
• posilování (psychologie) MeSH
• pravděpodobnostní funkce MeSH
• savčí chromozomy genetika   MeSH
• selekce (genetika) MeSH
• zeměpis MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• myši MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural MeSH
• Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S. MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Evropa MeSH