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CONSTRAINTS. "When the sexes have different optimal values for such traits, a shared genetic architecture can constrain them from evolving toward their respective trait optima." https://lnkd.in/ge7JD6J View in LinkedIn

SEXUAL DIMORPHISM. "Speciation is inhibited when the genetic basis of male and female ecological traits allows the sexes to diverge substantially. This is because sexual dimorphism, which can evolve quickly, can eliminate the frequency-dependent disruptive selection that would have provided the impetus for speciation." https://lnkd.in/gkBNC3c View in LinkedIn

SO ENDS this first weekend focused on the European Black Death. Beyond the biology of the selective pressure such a plague has on strengthening a population by winnowing out the weak, one impressive aspect of this particular bacteria is the cultural impact. The church weakened, the labor class strengthened, medicine took an uptick, art was no longer simply religious, and food was more available because there were less mouths to feed. One bacteria changed society forever. View in LinkedIn

“FEAR OF INFECTION led many people to isolate themselves from others, thereby further contributing to social chaos and individual anxiety and depression. The fear for one's own life and the lives of loved ones was rational and perhaps useful under the circumstances. Rational fear, however, often became transformed into panic, and at times panic led to rage and the adoption of bizarre practices. Some extremists became flagellants, whipping their bodies bloody as they marched from town to town, proclaiming that the plague was a well-deserved punishment from God.” https://lnkd.in/giSpPWR View in LinkedIn

MALE CAUSE OF DEATH. "Leucadendron xanthocomus. In contrast, the seed set and survival of females was not associated with display size. The ultimate cause of death in male plants appears to be the high maintenance cost of the abundant yellow non-photosynthetic display leaves that attract pollinators, but which cause considerable shading of photosynthetic leaves." https://lnkd.in/ge7JD6J View in LinkedIn

SOCIAL IMPACT. “In 1348, the Black Death swept across Europe and killed nearly 50% of the population. Immediately prices for labor, livestock, and consumables skyrocketed and governments everywhere ground to a halt. England was no exception as King Edward III had the additional concern of paying for his military campaigns against France during the opening phase of the Hundred Years War (1337-1453).” https://lnkd.in/g5DRQJ8 View in LinkedIn

MALE REPRODUCTIVE COST. "A striking example involves Leucadendron xanthocomus in which males can produce up to 20 times more flowers than females. Bond and Maze (1999) found that the number of insect visits to male plants increased linearly with floral display size, but that increasing display size was associated with a higher probability of plant death." https://lnkd.in/ge7JD6J View in LinkedIn

STRENGTHENED SECOND RESPONSE. “This might explain why, according to historical documents, medieval plague mortality declined steeply between the initial outbreak in 1347–1351 and the second outbreak in 1361 and why mortality levels remained lower in subsequent plague outbreaks throughout the medieval and early modern periods.” https://lnkd.in/gGtSd3Y View in LinkedIn

FLORAL MALE-MALE COMPETITION. "The larger floral displays of males in many animal-pollinated dioecious species are usually interpreted as resulting from male–male competition for mates, but few cases are known where this is associated with the reduced survival of male plants as a result of viability selection." https://lnkd.in/ge7JD6J View in LinkedIn

FRAILTY REDUCTION. “In particular, given that reproductive-aged individuals with relatively high frailty (i.e. an individual's risk of death relative to other members of the population) were more likely to die during the Black Death than their age-peers with lower frailty, the epidemic might have affected genetic variation with respect to disease susceptibility or immune competence and thus, acted to reduce average levels of frailty in the surviving population.” https://lnkd.in/g2FqTm7 View in LinkedIn