Mate Choice Research Articles

Investigating the Effectiveness of Developing a Pre-Marriage Educational Package Based on Film Using Sternberg's Theory on Attitudes About Romance and Mate Selection in Unmarried Girls

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of a pre-marriage educational package based on Sternberg's theory on attitudes about romance and mate selection in single girls. Specifically, it examines the efficacy of a pre-marriage education program for single girls, using Sternberg's theory on love stories. Methodology: This research is applied in purpose, quasi-experimental in method, and uses a pre-test-post-test control group design with a follow-up stage (one month). The statistical population comprised individuals who attended the Haft Sange Zendegi Educational Institute in Izeh city in 2023, selected through available sampling. Fifty single girls were selected and divided into two groups (experimental and control). Before the training classes, both groups were assessed using the Attitudes about Romance and Mate Selection Scale. The experimental group underwent a film therapy program based on Sternberg's concepts for 25 sessions of two hours each, while the control group received no intervention. Data analysis was performed using multivariate analysis of covariance and repeated measures analysis of variance with SPSS 27 software. Findings: The findings indicated that implementing the pre-marriage educational protocol based on Sternberg's theory through film led to a significant shift in the attitudes of single females (P<0.001). There was a notable difference between the control and experimental groups in both the post-test and follow-up periods (P<0.001). Conclusion: This research highlights the potential of premarital counseling centered on movies. The findings suggest that unmarried girls' viewpoints on love and partner selection improved following the program, emphasizing the benefits of such interventions before marriage. Various stakeholders, including parents, educators, and counselors, can employ these guidelines to address a range of concerns.

Understanding Heat‐Associated Adult Platichthys stellatus Mortality: Differential Transcriptome Analysis of Juvenile and Adult Starry Flounder Liver under Heat Stress

The starry flounder Platichthys stellatus, an economically important benthic fish species widely distributed throughout the North Pacific Ocean, exhibits poor heat tolerance, resulting in frequent adult mass mortality in aquaculture settings. Heat stress disrupts the energy metabolism of P. stellatus, elevating blood glucose and implying its sensitivity to rising water temperatures. In particular, the survival of adult fish in aquaculture settings during the summer season is less than that of larvae or juveniles. This study aimed to understand the heat stress‐associated survival of adults by focusing on the molecular pathways of glycolysis/gluconeogenesis using comparative transcriptome analysis. Transcriptomes were obtained by RNA sequencing of P. stellatus livers of adults exposed to 16 and 28°C, together with juveniles at the same conditions. A total of 16,121,503–18,774,222 raw paired‐end reads were obtained after trimming. The assembled unigenes (39,489 out of 127,460) were annotated in the nr, Clusters of Orthologous Groups (COG), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), and Swiss‐Prot databases. A total of 6,858 differentially expressed genes were found in juveniles and adults at control (16°C) and high (28°C) water temperatures. Juveniles and adults had 1,856 genes downregulated and 1,548 genes upregulated at the 16°C control water temperature and 1,055 genes downregulated and 1,231 genes upregulated at 28°C, overall involving at least 47 KEGG pathways. When raising the water temperature and comparing the DEGs of juveniles and adults, respectively, we found that both groups showed similar upregulation patterns for the major heat shock protein (HSP) genes under temperature‐increasing conditions, indicating a conserved response mechanism. Additionally, both juvenile and adult fish showed similar upregulation of ER stress‐related genes, including endoplasmic reticulum chaperone BiP (BiP) and homocysteine‐responsive endoplasmic reticulum‐resident ubiquitin‐like domain member 1 (HERP), suggesting consistent transcriptional changes associated with ER stress under heat stress conditions. However, notable differences were observed in the expression of inflammation and immune response‐related genes, and juvenile P. stellatus showed upregulation of immune costimulatory protein B7‐H3 (B7H3) and immunoglobulin superfamily member 9 (IGSF9), while adults showed upregulation of high‐affinity immunoglobulin epsilon receptor subunit gamma (FCER1G), V‐type immunoglobulin domain‐containing suppressor of T‐cell activation (VSIR), and immunoglobulin superfamily DCC subclass member 3 (IGDCC3). Especially, phosphoglucomutase (PGM), glucose‐6‐phosphatase catalytic subunit (G6PC), phosphofructokinase (PFK), and bisphosphoglycerate mutase (BPGM), the enzymes involved in the glycolysis/gluconeogenesis pathway, showed significantly higher FPKM in adult P. stellatus than in juveniles. Overall, this study provides valuable insights into the transcriptional responses of P. stellatus to heat stress, which differ with age and may inform the development of strategies to improve the survival and productivity of this economically important fish species in aquaculture.

Multi-scale effects of habitat loss and the role of trait evolution.

Habitat loss (HL) is a major cause of species extinctions. Although the effects of HL beyond the directly impacted area have been previously observed, they have not been modelled explicitly, especially in an eco-evolutionary context. To start filling this gap, we study a two-patch deterministic consumer-resource model, with one of the patches experiencing loss of resources as a special case of HL. Our model allows foraging and mating within a patch as well as between patches. We then introduce heritable variation in consumer traits related to resource utilization and patch use to investigate eco-evolutionary dynamics and compare results with constant and no trait variation scenarios. Our results show that HL in one patch can indeed reduce consumer densities in the neighbouring patch but can also increase consumer densities in the neighbouring patch when the resources are overexploited. Yet at the landscape scale, the effect of HL on consumer densities is consistently negative. Patch isolation increases consumer density in the patch experiencing HL but has generally negative effects on the neighbouring patch, with context-dependent results at the landscape scale. With high cross-patch dependence and coupled foraging and mating preferences, local HL can sometimes even lead to landscape-level consumer extinction. Eco-evolutionary dynamics can rescue consumers from such extinction in some cases if their death rates are sufficiently small. More generally, trait evolution had positive or negative effects on equilibrium consumer densities after HL, depending on the evolving trait and the spatial scale considered. In summary, our findings show that HL at a local scale can affect the neighbouring patch and the landscape as a whole, where heritable trait variation can, in some cases, alleviate the impact of HL. We thus suggest joint consideration of multiple spatial scales and trait variation when assessing and predicting the impacts of HL.

The effect of microbiome on social spacing in Drosophila melanogaster depends on genetic background and sex.

The gut microbiome modulates many essential functions including metabolism, immunity, and behaviour. Specifically, within behaviour, social behaviours such as sociability, aggregation, mating preference, avoidance, oviposition, and aggression are known to be regulated in part by this host-microbiome relationship. Here, we show the microbiome's role in the determination of social spacing in a sex- and genotype-specific manner. Future work can be done on characterizing the microbiome in each of these fly strains to identify the species of microbes present as well as their abundance.

Phytochemical Screening and in-vitro Efficacy of Calpurnia aurea Against Two Transovarial Vectors: Amblyomma variegatum and Rhipicephalus microplus.

Ticks are the second most common vector of human infectious diseases after mosquitoes. Their transovarial transmission contributes to the maintenance of environmental diseases. This study evaluates the phytochemical screening and in vitro efficacy of Calpurnia aurea against the adult survival and egg hatchability of two transovarial transmission vectors: Amblyomma variegatum and Rhipicephalus microplus. Plant material was extracted using maceration techniques, and concentrated solutions of 12.5, 25, 50, 100, 200, and 400 ppm were prepared. Distilled water and diazinon were used as negative and positive controls, respectively. Ten adult ticks were exposed for 10 minutes, and dead ticks were counted after 24 hours of recovery. Twenty 15-day-old eggs were immersed for 10 minutes, and after 15 days of incubation, hatched and unhatched eggs were tallied. Preliminary phytochemical constituents were screened. A one-way analysis of variance and the probit regression model determined mean mortality and hatchability and estimated lethal and inhibitory concentrations, respectively. The ethanolic and aqueous leaf extracts caused 10±0.0% mortality in adult A. variegatum and R. microplus. The effective dose was LC50 of 27 and 29 ppm and LC50 of 37 and 41 ppm, respectively. At 400 ppm, the leaf ethanolic and aqueous extracts showed 18.7±0.9% and 18.3±1.7%; 18.3±1.2% and 19.7±0.3% egg hatching inhibition, respectively. The effective dose had an IC50 of 50 ppm and IC50s of 91 and 79 ppm, respectively. Flavonoids and saponins were found in both leaf and pod extracts. C. aurea extracts showed a more promising effect on tick survival and hatchability than synthetic diazinon. The susceptibility test indicated that the leaf extract could control vectors and contribute to environmental disease maintenance. Complex phytochemicals, especially phenolic compounds, are additional evidence of effectiveness in vector control. Further investigation of in vivo efficacy and advanced fractionation of phytochemicals is needed.

Annual variation of adult survival of a south-temperate House Wren population in Argentina

Identifying factors affecting the survival of individuals is essential for understanding the evolution of life-history traits and population dynamics. Despite numerous studies on this subject in north-temperate environments, there is a lack of equivalent studies at similar latitudes in the south. Here, we used a 14-year dataset of capture, banding, and resighting to estimate the annual variation in the apparent adult survival probability of a south-temperate population of House Wrens (Troglodytes aedon bonariae). We evaluated temporal variation in survival and the effect of environmental (climatic) and demographic variables (adult abundance, total number of fledglings produced during each breeding season) on survival estimators. We found that the probability of adult survival decreased as the abundance of breeding adults increased. This density-dependent effect could be related to the resident lifestyle of southern House Wrens, which could determine an intense competition for territories and resources that ultimately would affect their survival.

Self-Rated Health and its Impact on Survival of Older Adults.

Self -rated health (SRH) is a subjective assessment of health status that results from asking a question as "How do you assess your health?". The aim of this study was to determine the value of SRH for survival of older adults. This cohort study was conducted among a population aged 60 years and over living in the north region of Iran. The participants' characteristics including demographic information, life-style behaviors, medical history, body mass index, depressive symptoms, cognitive function, and social support were examined. SRH was categorized into two groups (1. poor or fair and 2. good or excellent). All of the study population were followed up again after 5 years to determine the survival condition. Totally, 1475 elderly people were included. Good or excellent SRH showed a significant association with male gender, to be married, higher physical activity, less co-morbid chronic disorders, no depressive symptoms, normal cognitive function, higher social support, smoking (P < 0.001), and normal body mass index (BMI) (P = 0.021); however, no significant association with age (P < 0.083) was observed. Out of 944 elderly people expressing good or excellent SRH, 85 (9%) persons died after 5-year follow-up (P < 0.001). Cox regression analysis revealed that SRH had a significant impact on mortality of older adults (adjusted hazard ratio = 1.447; 95% confidence interval: 1.008-2.076; P = 0.045). Considering health-related characteristics including age, gender, number of drugs the participant was taking, physical activity, BMI, and social support, SRH showed a significant effect on 5-year survival of older adults.

Colonization of Anopheles coustani, a neglected malaria vector in Madagascar.

Anopheles coustani has long been recognized as a secondary malaria vector in Africa. It has recently been involved in the transmission of both Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax in Madagascar. As most secondary malaria vectors, An. coustani mainly bites outdoors, which renders the control of this mosquito species difficult using classical malaria control measures, such as the use of bed nets or indoor residual spraying of insecticides. For a better understanding of the biology and vector competence of a vector species, it is useful to rear the species in the laboratory. The absence of a colony hinders the assessment of the bionomics of a species and the development of adapted control strategies. Here, we report the first successful establishment of an An. coustani colony from mosquitoes collected in Madagascar. We used a forced copulation procedure as this mosquito species will not mate in cages. We describe our mosquito colonization procedure with detailed biological features concerning larval to adult development and survival, recorded over the first six critical generations. The procedure should be easily applicable to An. coustani from different African countries, facilitating local investigation of An. coustani vector competence and insecticide resistance using the colony as a reference.

A Review of the Mate Choice Coping Theory

A Review of the Mate Choice Coping Theory

Представления о привлекательности мужского и женского тела и особенности полового диморфизма русских и бурят

The aim of the present study was to investigate sexual dimorphism of body parameters in modern Russians and Buryats, and to assess its association with preferences for male and female body traits in these populations. Sex and population differences in height, muscle and bone mass, fat deposition and hand grip strength were assessed using direct measurements in Buryats (N = 182, Ulan-Ude city, Buryatia) and Russians (N = 181, Tula city) (age: 17-26 years). Mate preferences for sexual dimorphism in body height, muscularity, physical strength and fat deposition in Buryats (N = 182) and Russians (N = 340) of the same age were assessed by a survey developed by the authors. The results revealed that modern Buryats have lower body height and lower body and muscle mass than Russians. However, Buryats demonstrated higher sexual dimorphism of bone and muscle mass. Russian women had higher fat deposition compared to Buryat women, which corresponded to Russian male preferences. Mate preferences for sexual dimorphism in muscularity and physical strength did not correspond to actual degrees of sex differences in these parameters either in Russians or Buryats. Our results suggest these traits are not directly associated with intersexual attractiveness, and were selected for in other selection processes leading to high sexual dimorphism. Our results also revealed population differences in the integral perception of the male body attractiveness: Russian women demonstrated preferences for a male “masculine complex”. In contrast, Buryat preferences for various body parameters were almost not correlated with each other. The results are discussed in line with evolutionary theory. The authors declare no conflicts of interests.

Constrained Multiobjective Optimization with Escape and Expansion Forces

Constraints may scatter the Pareto optimal solutions of a constrained multiobjective optimization problem (CMOP) into multiple feasible regions. To avoid getting trapped in local optimal feasible regions or a part of the global optimal feasible regions, a constrained multiobjective evolutionary algorithm (CMOEA) should consider both the escape force and the expansion force carefully during the search process. However, most CMOEAs fail to provide these two forces effectively. As a remedy for this limitation, this article proposes a method called TPEA. TPEA maintains three populations, termed Pop1, Pop2, and Pop3. Pop1 is a regular population, updated with a constrained NSGA-II variant. Pop2 and Pop3 are two auxiliary populations, containing the innermost and outermost nondominated infeasible solutions, respectively. The analysis reveals that these two types of nondominated infeasible solutions can contribute to the generation of escape and expansion forces, respectively. Due to these two forces, TPEA is likely to identify more global optimal feasible regions, which is crucial for constrained multiobjective optimization. Also, a mating selection strategy is developed in TPEA to coordinate the interaction among these three populations. Extensive experiments on 58 benchmark CMOPs and 35 real-world ones demonstrate that TPEA is significantly superior or comparable to six state-of-the-art CMOEAs on most test instances.

The effectiveness of powdery formulations of long pepper (&lt;em&gt;Piper longum&lt;/em&gt; L.) and sweet flag (&lt;em&gt;Acorus calamus&lt;/em&gt; L.) to combat the cowpea weevil (&lt;em&gt;Callosobruchus maculatus&lt;/em&gt; F.) on stored mung beans

The study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of Piper longum L. fruit and Acorus calamus L. rhizome powders in counteracting the Callosobruchus maculatus F. attacks on the mung bean. People frequently consume mung beans; thus, the insecticides, which are used to prevent seeds from infestations by storage pests, should be formulated in such a way that they can be readily removed from grains prior to cooking; for that reason, powdery formulations were selected. Neem plant (Azadirachta indica A.) gum was pulverized and incorporated as adjuvant according to weight. 100 g of mung bean seed lots were individually exposed to powdery formulations of 80%, 90% and 100% of P. longum and A. calamus, respectively and 100% of adjuvant, along with control. Consequently, five pairs of unsexed C. maculatus were introduced into eight treatments, with three replicates and laid out in the Completely Randomized Design. This experiment was designed to evaluate the adult survival, ovipositional capacity, adult emergence of the F1 and F2 generations and developmental period of C. maculatus, and weight loss in mung bean seeds. Simultaneously, qualitative analysis was done to determine the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, phenol, tannin, steroids, cardiac glycosides, saponin, and anthraquinone phytochemicals in selected botanicals. Data were subjected to the analysis of variance aided by SAS 9.4 version and means were separated by using the Duncan Multiple Range Test at the 5% significance level. According to the statistical analysis, mung beans treated with 100% A. calamus showed no survival of C. maculatus two days after treatment, whereas those treated with 90% A. calamus powdery pesticide showed 3.3% survival. Though minimum cumulative number of eggs was detected in 90% and 100% (11.0, 9.7) of A. calamus treated mung bean seeds, zero progeny development was observed until 60 days; therefore, no weight loss was detected on mung bean seeds. The study concluded that 90 and 100% of the powdery insecticides from A. calamus were efficacious in safeguarding the mung bean from C. maculatus.

Mate Choice, Exposure to Violence, Victimization, and Substance Use: A Comparison of Heterosexual and Sexual Minority Experiences

Mate Choice, Exposure to Violence, Victimization, and Substance Use: A Comparison of Heterosexual and Sexual Minority Experiences

Geographically variable mate preferences shed light on the processes maintaining inversion polymorphism

Abstract An important question in evolution is to understand the mechanisms that maintain phenotypic diversity, despite selection that should drive homogeneity. For example, selection by predators may promote the convergence of colour patterns among defended prey, resulting in the formation of mimetic communities. However, certain aposematic species, such as the Neotropical butterfly Heliconius numata, are polymorphic. In H. numata, wing pattern polymorphism, which is associated with chromosomal inversions, may be maintained via disassortative mating preferences, thought to favour the co-occurrence of individuals with different mimicry phenotypes in Peru. To test whether environmental variation due to geography influences mate choice, here we investigate the occurrence of disassortative mating among the two coexisting forms of H. numata in French Guiana, and its potential role in the maintenance of this polymorphism. Our experimental approach demonstrates that the two forms display weak and slightly asymmetrical disassortative mate preferences. Modelling and simulations suggest that this pattern of mate preference alone is not sufficient to maintain polymorphism, and predict the loss of the choosiest form, unless this form enjoys a survival advantage. In this aposematic species, such an advantage could arise from mimicry, but further studies into the benefits of mimicry and predator generalization are needed to test this hypothesis. More importantly, our results suggest that the balance between selective forces influencing polymorphism may vary across geographical and ecological contexts, and this warrants further study.

Evaluating population persistence of ornate box turtles (Terrapene ornata) at the northeast edge of their distribution

Turtles and tortoises are among the most threatened vertebrate groups. Their life history is characterized by delayed sexual maturity and a long lifespan, making populations susceptible to decline following perturbations. Despite the urgent conservation need, we are missing estimates of basic demographic traits for many species and populations. The ornate box turtle Terrapene ornata is a species lacking crucial demographic data. Many populations are isolated in fragmented habitats, especially in the eastern portion of their range. We carried out long‐term capture–mark–recapture surveys on two isolated populations in northern Illinois to estimate population vital rates and project population persistence with deterministic stage‐based matrix models. Using 34 years of data, we estimated adult female survival = 0.974 (95% CI: 0.946–0.988) and juvenile survival = 0.867 (95% CI: 0.688–0.951) at our most intensively surveyed site. At a second site using eight years of data, we estimated adult female survival = 0.897 (95% CI: 0.783–0.954) and juvenile survival = 0.844 (95% CI: 0.551–0.960). Despite seemingly high annual survival rates, populations declined under population projections using mean vital rates. Population growth was most sensitive to adult survival, with increasing sensitivity under more pessimistic scenarios. Our results highlight the importance of long‐term demographic studies for threatened species and demonstrate protecting adult female ornate box turtles is critical for ensuring populations persist at the northern edge of their distribution.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Incidence and Observed Survival of Malignant Brain Tumors in Belgium.

(1) Background: This study evaluates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the incidence, treatment, and survival of adults diagnosed with malignant brain tumors in Belgium in 2020. (2) Methods: We examined patients aged 20 and older with malignant brain tumors (2004-2020) from the Belgian Cancer Registry database, assessing incidence, WHO performance status, vital status, and treatment data. We compared 2020 incidence rates with projected rates and age-standardized rates to 2015-2019. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to assess observed survival (OS). (3) Results: In 2020, there was an 8% drop in age-specific incidence rates, particularly for those over 50. Incidence rates plunged by 37% in April 2020 during the first COVID-19 peak but partially recovered by July. For all malignant brain tumors together, the two-year OS decreased by four percentage points (p.p.) in 2020 and three p.p. in 2019, compared to that in 2015-2018. Fewer patients (-9 p.p.) with glioblastoma underwent surgery, and the proportion of patients not receiving surgery, radiotherapy, or systemic therapy increased by six percentage points in 2020. (4) Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly impacted the diagnosis, treatment strategies, and survival of brain tumor patients in Belgium during 2020. These findings should guide policymakers in future outbreak responses, emphasizing the need to maintain or adapt (neuro)-oncological care pathways and promote informed decision making when care capacity is limited.

Demographic mechanisms and anthropogenic drivers of contrasting population dynamics of hummingbirds

Conserving species requires knowledge of demographic rates (survival, recruitment) that govern population dynamics to allow allocation of limited resources to the most vulnerable stages of target species' life-cycles. Additionally, quantifying drivers of demographic change facilitates enactment of specific remediation strategies. However, knowledge gaps persist in how similar environmental changes lead to contrasting population dynamics through demographic rates. For sympatric hummingbird species, the population of urban-associated partial-migrant Anna's hummingbird (Calypte anna) has increased, yet the populations of Neotropical migrants including rufous, calliope, and black-chinned hummingbirds have decreased. Here, we developed an integrated population model to jointly analyze 25 years of mark-recapture data and population survey data for these four species. We examined the contributions of demographic rates on population growth and evaluated the effects of anthropogenic stressors including human population density and crop cover on demographic change in relation to species' life histories. While recruitment appeared to drive the population increase of urban-associated Anna's hummingbirds, decreases in juvenile survival contributed most strongly to population declines of Neotropical migrants and highlight a potentially vulnerable phase in their life-history. Moreover, rufous hummingbird adult and juvenile survival rates were negatively impacted by human population density. Mitigating threats associated with intensively modified anthropogenic environments is a promising avenue for slowing further hummingbird population loss. Overall, our model grants critical insight into how anthropogenic modification of habitat affects the population dynamics of species of conservation concern.

A many-objective evolutionary algorithm assisted by ideal hyperplane

In many-objective optimization problems (MaOPs), balancing convergence and diversity while rapidly converging to the Pareto front is an arduous task for evolutionary algorithms. In addition, with the increase of the number of targets, the number of non-dominant solutions increases exponentially, and the individual selection pressure is insufficient. For this problem, we propose a many-objective evolution algorithm assisted by an ideal hyperplane (MaOEA-IH). To begin, the ideal hyperplane is built from the extremums of each dimension of objective space, guiding the individual to the Pareto front of search. Second, a parallel p-norm mating selection strategy based on the ideal hyperplane is proposed to improve convergence. In addition, two other factors are taken into account: (1) different p-norms are used to measure different spatial scales; and (2) individual selection uncertainty is defined by incorporating a probabilistic perturbation mechanism. Following that, the sum of objectives is applied to shift-based density estimation, which serves as an evaluation criterion in the environmental selection operation. This method increases the chances of solutions with high convergence and diversity entering the next generation, thereby increasing selection pressure. On three benchmark problems of DTLZ, WFG, and MaF, we compare MaOEA-IH with seven excellent algorithms. The results demonstrate that the MaOEA-IH proposed is highly competitive in solving MaOPs.

Negative Selection on a SOD1 Mutation Limits Canine Degenerative Myelopathy While Avoiding Inbreeding.

Several hundred disease-causing mutations are currently known in domestic dogs. Breeding management is therefore required to minimize their spread. Recently, genetic methods such as direct-to-consumer testing have gained popularity; however, their effects on dog populations are unclear. Here, we aimed to evaluate the influence of genetic testing on the frequency of mutations responsible for canine degenerative myelopathy and assess the changes in the genetic structure of a Pembroke Welsh corgi population from Japan. Genetic testing of 5,512 dogs for the causative mutation in superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) (c.118G>A (p.E40K)) uncovered a recent decrease in frequency, plummeting from 14.5% (95/657) in 2019 to 2.9% (24/820) in 2022. Weir and Cockerham population differentiation (FST) based on genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of 117 selected dogs detected the SNP with the highest FST located in the intron of SOD1 adjacent to the c.118G>A mutation, supporting a selection signature on SOD1. Further genome-wide SNP analyses revealed no obvious changes in inbreeding levels and genetic diversity between the 2019 and 2022 populations. Our study highlights that genetic testing can help inform improved mating choices in breeding programs to reduce the frequency of risk variants and avoid inbreeding. This combined strategy could decrease the genetic risk of canine degenerative myelopathy, a fatal disease, within only a few years.

Monitoring wader breeding productivity

A robust understanding of the mechanisms driving demographic change in wild animal populations is fundamental to the delivery of effective conservation interventions. Demographic change can be driven by variation in adult survival, recruitment of juveniles into the breeding population or breeding productivity – the number of fledglings produced per breeding pair. Across Europe, low breeding productivity in wader populations has been a significant driver of population decline, increasing the importance of gathering accurate data on breeding productivity. Monitoring wader breeding productivity is challenging because finding nests can be time‐consuming and requires experienced fieldworkers; wader chicks are nidifugous and difficult to count due to their cryptic behaviour; and waders often have high re‐laying rates following nest failure, meaning that hatching or fledging can be highly asynchronous. This paper reviews approaches to estimating breeding productivity where fieldworkers either record the agitation or alarm‐calling behaviour of adults with dependent young, make direct observations of broods on survey visits, or both. Using a systematic literature search (restricted to Europe where most of these studies have taken place) we identified 38 peer‐reviewed papers which used this approach. The productivity metrics produced can be divided into the following categories: (i) ‘Hatching Success’ (HS), (ii) ‘Fledging Success’ (FS) and (iii) ‘Young Fledged Per Pair’ (YFP), from the coarsest to the most precise. The first two metrics are most often used when direct observations of broods are not possible due to the behaviour of broods or vegetation structure; YFP is preferred if brood counts are possible. Design of an appropriate metric depends on (i) whether accurate brood counts are possible; (ii) whether adults exhibit diagnostic agitation behaviour when young are present; (iii) whether individual breeding territories are separable; (iv) whether re‐nesting rates are assumed to be high; and (v) the availability of experienced surveyors (particularly where behavioural observations are required). Globally there are many wader species for which the methods described here could provide valuable information and we hope this review encourages further development or adoption of these methods.