@article{SchneebergerSchulzeScheffleretal.2021,
  author    = {Schneeberger, Karin and Schulze, Michael and Scheffler, Ingo and Caspers, Barbara A.},
  title     = {Evidence of female preference for odor of distant over local males in a bat with female dispersal},
  series = {Behavioral ecology : the official journal of the International Society for Behavioral Ecology},
  volume    = {32},
  journal   = {Behavioral ecology : the official journal of the International Society for Behavioral Ecology},
  number    = {4},
  publisher = {Oxford University Press},
  address   = {Oxford},
  issn      = {1045-2249},
  doi       = {10.1093/beheco/arab003},
  pages     = {657 -- 661},
  year      = {2021},
  abstract  = {Geographic variation of sexually selected male traits is common in animals. Female choice also varies geographically and several studies found female preference for local males, which is assumed to lead to local adaptation and, therefore, increases fitness. As females are the nondispersing sex in most mammalian taxa, this preference for local males might be explained by the learning of male characteristics. Studies on the preference of females in female-dispersing species are lacking so far. To find out whether such females would also show preferences for local males, we conducted a study on greater sac-winged bats (Saccopteryx bilineata), a species where females disperse and males stay in their natal colony. Male greater sac-winged bats possess a wing pouch that is filled with odoriferous secretion and fanned toward females during courtship display. In a combination of chemical analysis and behavioral preference tests, we analyzed whether the composition of wing sac secretion varies between two geographically distinct populations (300 km), and whether females show a preference for local or distant male scent. Using gas chromatography, we found significant differences in the composition of the wing sac odors between the two geographically distinct populations. In addition, the behavioral preference experiments revealed that females of both populations preferred the scent of geographically distant males over local males. The wing sac odor might thus be used to guarantee optimal outbreeding when dispersing to a new colony. This is-to our knowledge-the first study on odor preference of females of a species with female-biased dispersal.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{TebbeOttensmannHavensteinetal.2022,
  author    = {Tebbe, Jonas and Ottensmann, Meinolf and Havenstein, Katja and Efstratiou, Artemis and Lenz, Tobias L. and Caspers, Barbara A. and Forcada, Jaume and Tiedemann, Ralph and Hoffman, Joseph},
  title     = {Intronic primers reveal unexpectedly high major histocompatibility complex diversity in Antarctic fur seals},
  series = {Scientific reports},
  volume    = {12},
  journal   = {Scientific reports},
  number    = {1},
  publisher = {Nature Publishing Group},
  address   = {London},
  issn      = {2045-2322},
  doi       = {10.1038/s41598-022-21658-7},
  pages     = {14},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) is a group of genes comprising one of the most important components of the vertebrate immune system. Consequently, there has been much interest in characterising MHC variation and its relationship with fitness in a variety of species. Due to the exceptional polymorphism of MHC genes, careful PCR primer design is crucial for capturing all of the allelic variation present in a given species. We therefore developed intronic primers to amplify the full-length 267 bp protein-coding sequence of the MHC class II DQB exon 2 in the Antarctic fur seal. We then characterised patterns of MHC variation among mother-offspring pairs from two breeding colonies and detected 19 alleles among 771 clone sequences from 56 individuals. The distribution of alleles within and among individuals was consistent with a single-copy, classical DQB locus showing Mendelian inheritance. Amino acid similarity at the MHC was significantly associated with genome-wide relatedness, but no relationship was found between MHC heterozygosity and genome-wide heterozygosity. Finally, allelic diversity was several times higher than reported by a previous study based on partial exon sequences. This difference appears to be related to allele-specific amplification bias, implying that primer design can strongly impact the inference of MHC diversity.},
  language  = {en}
}
@misc{EccardFeyCaspersetal.2011,
  author    = {Eccard, Jana and Fey, Karen and Caspers, Barbara A. and Yl{\"o}nen, Hannu},
  title     = {Breeding state and season affect interspecific interaction types},
  series = {Postprints der Universit{\"a}t Potsdam Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe},
  journal   = {Postprints der Universit{\"a}t Potsdam Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe},
  number    = {729},
  issn      = {1866-8372},
  doi       = {10.25932/publishup-42939},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-429398},
  pages     = {623 -- 633},
  year      = {2011},
  abstract  = {Indirect resource competition and interference are widely occurring mechanisms of interspecific interactions. We have studied the seasonal expression of these two interaction types within a two-species, boreal small mammal system. Seasons differ by resource availability, individual breeding state and intraspecific social system. Live-trapping methods were used to monitor space use and reproduction in 14 experimental populations of bank voles Myodes glareolus in large outdoor enclosures with and without a dominant competitor, the field vole Microtus agrestis. We further compared vole behaviour using staged dyadic encounters in neutral arenas in both seasons. Survival of the non-breeding overwintering bank voles was not affected by competition. In the spring, the numbers of male bank voles, but not of females, were reduced significantly in the competition populations. Bank vole home ranges expanded with vole density in the presence of competitors, indicating food limitation. A comparison of behaviour between seasons based on an analysis of similarity revealed an avoidance of costly aggression against opponents, independent of species. Interactions were more aggressive during the summer than during the winter, and heterospecific encounters were more aggressive than conspecific encounters. Based on these results, we suggest that interaction types and their respective mechanisms are not either-or categories and may change over the seasons. During the winter, energy constraints and thermoregulatory needs decrease direct aggression, but food constraints increase indirect resource competition. Direct interference appears in the summer, probably triggered by each individual's reproductive and hormonal state and the defence of offspring against conspecific and heterospecific intruders. Both interaction forms overlap in the spring, possibly contributing to spring declines in the numbers of subordinate species.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{EccardFeyCaspersetal.2011,
  author    = {Eccard, Jana and Fey, Karen and Caspers, Barbara A. and Yl{\"o}nen, Hannu},
  title     = {Breeding state and season affect interspecific interaction types indirect resource competition and direct interference},
  series = {Oecologia},
  volume    = {167},
  journal   = {Oecologia},
  number    = {3},
  publisher = {Springer},
  address   = {New York},
  issn      = {0029-8549},
  doi       = {10.1007/s00442-011-2008-y},
  pages     = {623 -- 633},
  year      = {2011},
  abstract  = {Indirect resource competition and interference are widely occurring mechanisms of interspecific interactions. We have studied the seasonal expression of these two interaction types within a two-species, boreal small mammal system. Seasons differ by resource availability, individual breeding state and intraspecific social system. Live-trapping methods were used to monitor space use and reproduction in 14 experimental populations of bank voles Myodes glareolus in large outdoor enclosures with and without a dominant competitor, the field vole Microtus agrestis. We further compared vole behaviour using staged dyadic encounters in neutral arenas in both seasons. Survival of the non-breeding overwintering bank voles was not affected by competition. In the spring, the numbers of male bank voles, but not of females, were reduced significantly in the competition populations. Bank vole home ranges expanded with vole density in the presence of competitors, indicating food limitation. A comparison of behaviour between seasons based on an analysis of similarity revealed an avoidance of costly aggression against opponents, independent of species. Interactions were more aggressive during the summer than during the winter, and heterospecific encounters were more aggressive than conspecific encounters. Based on these results, we suggest that interaction types and their respective mechanisms are not either-or categories and may change over the seasons. During the winter, energy constraints and thermoregulatory needs decrease direct aggression, but food constraints increase indirect resource competition. Direct interference appears in the summer, probably triggered by each individual's reproductive and hormonal state and the defence of offspring against conspecific and heterospecific intruders. Both interaction forms overlap in the spring, possibly contributing to spring declines in the numbers of subordinate species.},
  language  = {en}
}