Changes in reproductive behaviour within the second demographic transition in the selected european countries Abstract The aim of this work is to analyze the changes in reproductive behavior within the second demographic transition in five countries of Europe. The Czech Republic, Estonia, The Netherlands, Finland and Portugal were selected. Each of them represents one of trajectories of the second demographic transition in the European region. Within theoretical concept of the second demographic transition the research of cultural factors was particularly stressed as they are considered to be the main factors of stimulation of the changes. Attention was focused on the analysis of value orientation of selected populations using data of the European Values Study (EVS) and the International Social Survey (ISSP). Analysis of reproductive behavior in those countries was included as well. It was found out, that changes in value orientation in the post-communistic countries couldn't have been the only determinant of changes in reproductive behavior. Moreover, the value change has been still taking place even in the countries where the second demographic transition started three or four decades ago. The European-wide mechanism of the differentiation in value orientations has been identified. The holders of liberal...

The processes and mechanisms that govern brain size evolution remain a widely discussed topic in evolutionary biology. How relative brain size relates to animal behaviour and cognition is even more controversial. Recent comparative and experimental studies have shown a positive relationship between relative brain size and complexity of behaviour. Some of the most important behaviours that have direct consequences for an individual’s fitness are reproductive behaviours, and they sometimes require quite complex behavioural repertoires. Selection for complex behaviour might therefore induce an expansion of brain size to allow for cognitively demanding tasks during courtship and mating. In the present study we investigated the effect of relative brain size on reproductive behaviour in male guppies (Poecilia reticulata), using fish from a recently established brain size artificial selection experiment. Females were paired with either a large- or a small-brained male, and we collected data on a suite of male courtship behaviours including sneak copulation attempts, courtship display, gonopodial swings and time spent following the female. Although the extent of orange colouration, a trait that varies across large- and small-brained males, affected male behaviour, we were not able to detect any difference in reproductive behaviour between the brain size selection lines. These results suggest that there is no strong association between male mating behaviour and relative brain size, and future studies will examine this question further. But currently, our results indicate that relative brain size might not be linked to reproductive behaviour to any significant extent, at least not in the guppy.

Chez les parasites à cycle complexe et à transmission trophique, des stratégies d’exploitation de l’hôte intermédiaire ont été sélectionnées. Notamment, de nombreux parasites sont capables d’altérer le comportement de leur hôte intermédiaire (manipulation comportementale). Cette manipulation n’intervient que lorsque le stade larvaire du parasite est infectieux pour l’hôte définitif. Avant d’atteindre cette infectivité, le développement du stade larvaire n’est pas suffisamment avancé pour lui permettre de s’établir dans l’hôte définitif (il est dit non-infectieux). La transmission prématurée d’un stade non-infectieux implique alors la mort du parasite. Les parasites capables de renforcer les défenses anti-prédateurs de leur hôte intermédiaire au stade non-infectieux (i.e. de le protéger vis-à-vis de la prédation), avant de manipuler leur comportement au stade infectieux (i.e. de les exposer à la prédation par l’hôte définitif) devraient avoir été sélectionnés. Dans ces travaux de thèse, j’ai pu montrer qu’au stade larvaire non-infectieux, le parasite acanthocéphale Pomphorhynchus laevis renforce les défenses anti-prédateurs de son hôte intermédiaire amphipode, ce qui a pour effet de diminuer ses risques de prédation. Cet effet protecteur de l’hôte intermédiaire affecte négativement l’approvisionnement de l’amphipode, bien que cela n’ait aucune incidence sur l’état des réserves énergétiques de l’hôte. De même, le comportement reproducteur de l’hôte mâle n’est pas affecté par l’infection par ce stade protecteur. Les origines de cette stratégie parasitaire sont discutées, et des perspectives écologiques à ce changement comportemental de l’hôte sont suggérées / In trophically-transmitted parasites, exploitation strategies of the intermediate host have been selected, in a way increasing parasites transmission probabilities to their definitive host. Particularly, numerous parasites are able to alter their intermediate host behaviour, a phenomenon called ‘behavioural manipulation’. This manipulation only occurs when the parasite developmental stage (or larval stage) is infective for the definitive host. Before reaching this stage, the development of parasite larvae is not sufficiently advanced to allow establishment in the definitive host (this stage is thus called ‘non-infective’). Early transmission of a non-infective stage therefore implies parasite death. Parasites able to reinforce their intermediate host anti-predatory defences when non-infective (i.e. protecting them from predation), before manipulating their intermediate host behaviour when infective (i.e. exposing them to predation by definitive hosts), should have been selected. In this thesis, I showed that, when non-infective, the acanthocephalan parasite Pomphorhynchus laevis strengthens its amphipod intermediate host anti-predatory defences, which diminishes its host predation risk. This protective-like strategy negatively affects the amphipod food intake, although it has no effect on host energetic reserves. Similarly, the male amphipod reproductive behaviour is not affected by infection with a non-infective stage of the parasite. The origins of such parasitic strategy are discussed, and ecological perspectives to this host behavioural change are suggested

Habitat selection, territorial behaviour and reproductive behaviour of dragonflies (Odonata) are discussed and biotic and abiotic factors affecting their territorial and reproductive behaviour are reviewed. The most important biotic factors are predation risk affecting larval survival and the presence of aquatic vegetation, which provides spatial structure. The review is complemented by a field study of territorial and reproductive behavior of dragonflies at an experimental site, at which the quality of individual pools was manipulated by a combination of the presence or absence of artificial vegetation and the presence or absence of an introduced top predator (late-instar larvae of Anax and Aeshna).