1
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Reichard M, Giannetti K, Ferreira T, Maouche A, Vrtílek M, Polačik M, Blažek R, Ferreira MG. Lifespan and telomere length variation across populations of wild-derived African killifish. Mol Ecol 2022; 31:5979-5992. [PMID: 34826177 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2020] [Revised: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Telomeres and telomerase prevent the continuous erosion of chromosome-ends caused by lifelong cell division. Shortened telomeres are associated with age-related pathologies. While short telomere length is positively correlated with increased lethality at the individual level, in comparisons across species short telomeres are associated with long (and not short) lifespans. Here, we tested this contradiction between individual and evolutionary patterns in telomere length using African annual killifish. We analysed lifespan and telomere length in a set of captive strains derived from well-defined wild populations of Nothobranchius furzeri and its sister species, N. kadleci, from sites along a strong gradient of aridity which ultimately determines maximum natural lifespan. Overall, males were shorter-lived than females, and also had shorter telomeres. Male lifespan (measured in controlled laboratory conditions) was positively associated with the amount of annual rainfall in the site of strain origin. However, fish from wetter climates had shorter telomeres. In addition, individual fish which grew largest over the juvenile period possessed shorter telomeres at the onset of adulthood. This demonstrates that individual condition and environmentally-driven selection indeed modulate the relationship between telomere length and lifespan in opposite directions, validating the existence of inverse trends within a single taxon. Intraindividual heterogeneity of telomere length (capable to detect very short telomeres) was not associated with mean telomere length, suggesting that the shortest telomeres are controlled by regulatory pathways other than those that determine mean telomere length. The substantial variation in telomere length between strains from different environments identifies killifish as a powerful system in understanding the adaptive value of telomere length.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Reichard
- Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Brno, Czech Republic.,Department of Ecology and Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Łódź, Łódź, Poland.,Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | | | | | - Ahmed Maouche
- Institute for Research on Cancer and Aging of Nice (IRCAN), UMR7284 U1081 Université Côte d'Azur, Nice, France
| | - Milan Vrtílek
- Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Matej Polačik
- Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Radim Blažek
- Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Miguel Godinho Ferreira
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Oeiras, Portugal.,Institute for Research on Cancer and Aging of Nice (IRCAN), UMR7284 U1081 Université Côte d'Azur, Nice, France
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2
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Reichard M, Janáč M, Blažek R, Žák J, Alila OD, Polačik M. Patterns and drivers of
Nothobranchius
killifish diversity in lowland Tanzania. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e8990. [PMID: 35784061 PMCID: PMC9198348 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2022] [Revised: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Temporary pools are seasonal wetland habitats with specifically adapted biota, including annual Nothobranchius killifishes that survive habitat desiccation as diapausing eggs encased in dry sediment. To understand the patterns in the structure of Nothobranchius assemblages and their potential in wetland conservation, we compared biodiversity components (alpha, beta, and gamma) between regions and estimated the role and sources of nestedness and turnover on their diversity. We sampled Nothobranchius assemblages from 127 pools across seven local regions in lowland Eastern Tanzania over 2 years, using dip net and seine nets. We estimated species composition and richness for each pool, and beta and gamma diversity for each region. We decomposed beta diversity into nestedness and turnover components. We tested nestedness in three main regions (Ruvu, Rufiji, and Mbezi) using the number of decreasing fills metric and compared the roles of pool area, isolation, and altitude on nestedness. A total of 15 species formed assemblages containing 1–6 species. Most Nothobranchius species were endemic to one or two adjacent regions. Regional diversity was highest in the Ruvu, Rufiji, and Mbezi regions. Nestedness was significant in Ruvu and Rufiji, with shared core (N. melanospilus, N. eggersi, and N. janpapi) and common (N. ocellatus and N. annectens) species, and distinctive rare species. Nestedness apparently resulted from selective colonization rather than selective extinction, and local species richness was negatively associated with altitude. The Nothobranchius assemblages in the Mbezi region were not nested, and had many endemic species and the highest beta diversity driven by species turnover. Overall, we found unexpected local variation in the sources of beta diversity (nestedness and turnover) within the study area. The Mbezi region contained the highest diversity and many endemic species, apparently due to repeated colonizations of the region rather than local diversification. We suggest that annual killifish can serve as a flagship taxon for small wetland conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Reichard
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic Brno Czech Republic
- Department of Ecology and Vertebrate Zoology University of Łódź Łódź Poland
- Department of Botany and Zoology Faculty of Science Masaryk University Brno Czech Republic
| | - Michal Janáč
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic Brno Czech Republic
- Department of Botany and Zoology Faculty of Science Masaryk University Brno Czech Republic
| | - Radim Blažek
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic Brno Czech Republic
- Department of Botany and Zoology Faculty of Science Masaryk University Brno Czech Republic
| | - Jakub Žák
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic Brno Czech Republic
- Department of Zoology Faculty of Science Charles University Prague Czech Republic
| | - Okinyi David Alila
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution University of Bern Bern Switzerland
- Department of Fish Ecology and Evolution Centre of Ecology, Evolution and Biogeochemistry EAWAG Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology Kastanienbaum Switzerland
| | - Matej Polačik
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic Brno Czech Republic
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3
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Reichard M, Blažek R, Žák J, Cellerino A, Polačik M. The sources of sex differences in aging in annual fishes. J Anim Ecol 2021; 91:540-550. [PMID: 34954818 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2021] [Accepted: 12/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Inter-sexual differences in lifespan (age at death) and aging (increase in mortality risk associated with functional deterioration) are widespread among animals, from nematodes to humans. Males often live shorter than females, but there is substantial unexplained variation among species and populations. Despite extensive research, it is poorly understood how lifespan differences between the sexes are modulated by an interplay among genetic, environmental and social factors. The goal of our study was to test how sex differences in lifespan and ageing are modulated by social and environmental factors, and by intrinsic differences between males and females. To disentangle the complex basis of sex differences in lifespan and aging, we combined comparative data from sex ratios in 367 natural populations of four species of African annual killifish with experimental results on sex differences in lifespan and aging from eight laboratory populations tested in treatments that varied social and environmental conditions. In the wild, females consistently outlived males. In captivity, sex-specific mortality depended on social conditions. In social-housed experimental groups, male-biased mortality persisted in two aggressive species, but ceased in two placid species. When social and physical contacts were prevented by housing all fish individually, male-biased mortality ceased in all four species. This outcome held across benign and challenging environmental conditions. Fitting demographic survival models revealed that increased baseline mortality was primarily responsible for a shorter male lifespan in social-housing conditions. The timing and rate of aging were not different between the sexes. No marker of functional aging we recorded in our study (lipofuscin accumulation, proliferative changes in kidney and liver) differed between males and females, despite their previously confirmed association with functional aging in Nothobranchius killifish. We show that sex differences in lifespan and aging in killifish are driven by a combination of social and environmental conditions, rather than differential functional aging. They are primarily linked to sexual selection but precipitated through multiple processes (predation, social interference). This demonstrates how sex-specific mortality varies among species even within an ecologically and evolutionary discrete lineage and explains how external factors mediate this difference.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Reichard
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic.,Department of Ecology and Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Łódź, Łódź, Poland.,Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Radim Blažek
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Jakub Žák
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic.,Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Alessandro Cellerino
- Bio@SNS, Scuola Normale Superiore, Department of Neurosciences, Pisa, Italy.,Fritz Lipmann Institute for Age Research, Leibniz Institute, Beutenbergstr. 11, Jena, Germany
| | - Matej Polačik
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
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4
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Riddle MR, Hu CK. Fish models for investigating nutritional regulation of embryonic development. Dev Biol 2021; 476:101-111. [PMID: 33831748 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2021.03.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2020] [Revised: 03/16/2021] [Accepted: 03/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
In recent decades, biologist have focused on the spatiotemporal regulation and function of genes to understand embryogenesis. It is clear that maternal diet impacts fetal development but how nutrients, like lipids and vitamins, modify developmental programs is not completely understood. Fish are useful research organisms for such investigations. Most species of fish produce eggs that develop outside the mother, dependent on a finite amount of yolk to form and grow. The developing embryo is a closed system that can be readily biochemically analyzed, easily visualized, and manipulated to understand the role of nutrients in tissue specification, organogenesis, and growth. Natural variation in yolk composition observed across fish species may be related to unique developmental strategies. In this review, we discuss the reasons that teleost fishes are powerful models to understand nutritional control of development and highlight three species that are particularly valuable for future investigations: the zebrafish, Danio rerio, the African Killifish, Nothobranchius furzeri, and the Mexican tetra, Astyanax mexicanus. This review is a part of a special issue on nutritional, hormonal, and metabolic drivers of development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Misty R Riddle
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, USA.
| | - Chi-Kuo Hu
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
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5
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Methling C, Blažek R, Řežucha R, Reichard M. Individual-level pace-of-life syndromes in annual killifish are mediated by intersexual and interspecific differences. Evol Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s10682-020-10059-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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6
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Vrtílek M, Žák J, Polačik M, Blažek R, Reichard M. Rapid growth and large body size in annual fish populations are compromised by density-dependent regulation. JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2019; 95:673-678. [PMID: 31102276 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.14052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2019] [Accepted: 05/17/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
We tested the effect of population density on maximum body size in three sympatric species of annual killifishes Nothobranchius spp. from African ephemeral pools. We found a clear negative effect of population density on body size, limiting their capacity for extremely fast development and rapid growth. This suggests that density-dependent population regulation and the ephemeral character of their habitat impose contrasting selective pressures on the life history of annual killifishes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milan Vrtílek
- The Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Jakub Žák
- The Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Brno, Czech Republic
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Sciences, Charles University, Praha, Czech Republic
| | - Matej Polačik
- The Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Radim Blažek
- The Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Martin Reichard
- The Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Brno, Czech Republic
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7
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Lambert JW, Reichard M, Pincheira-Donoso D. Live fast, diversify non-adaptively: evolutionary diversification of exceptionally short-lived annual killifishes. BMC Evol Biol 2019; 19:10. [PMID: 30626330 PMCID: PMC6327596 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-019-1344-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2018] [Accepted: 01/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Adaptive radiations are triggered by ecological opportunity – the access to novel niche domains with abundant available resources that facilitate the formation of new ecologically divergent species. Therefore, as new species saturate niche space, clades experience a diversity-dependent slowdown of diversification over time. At the other extreme of the radiation continuum, non-adaptively radiating lineages undergo diversification with minimal niche differentiation when ‘spatial opportunity’ (i.e. areas with suitable ‘ancestral’ ecological conditions) is available. Traditionally, most research has focused on adaptive radiations, while empirical studies on non-adaptive radiations remain lagging behind. A prolific clade of African fish with extremely short lifespan (Nothobranchius killifish), show the key evolutionary features of a candidate non-adaptive radiation – primarily allopatric species with minimal niche and phenotypic divergence. Here, we test the hypothesis that Nothobranchius killifish have non-adaptively diversified. We employ phylogenetic modelling to investigate the tempo and mode of macroevolutionary diversification of these organisms. Results Nothobranchius diversification has proceeded with minor niche differentiation and minimal morphological disparity among allopatric species. Additionally, we failed to identify evidence for a role of body size or biogeography in influencing diversification rates. Diversification has been homogeneous within this genus, with the only hotspot of species-richness not resulting from rapid diversification. However, species in sympatry show higher disparity, which may have been caused by character displacement among coexisting species. Conclusions Nothobranchius killifish have proliferated following the tempo and mode of a non-adaptive radiation. Our study confirms that this exceptionally short-lived group have diversified with minimal divergent niche adaptation, while one group of coexisting species seems to have facilitated spatial overlap among these taxa via the evolution of ecological character displacement. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12862-019-1344-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua W Lambert
- School of Life Sciences, Joseph Banks Laboratories, Brayford Campus, University of Lincoln, Lincoln, LN6 7DL, UK
| | - Martin Reichard
- The Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Daniel Pincheira-Donoso
- MacroBiodiversity Lab, Department of Biosciences, School of Science and Technology, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, NG11 8NS, UK.
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8
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Reichard M, Polačik M. Nothobranchius furzeri, an 'instant' fish from an ephemeral habitat. eLife 2019; 8:41548. [PMID: 30616713 PMCID: PMC6324871 DOI: 10.7554/elife.41548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2018] [Accepted: 12/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The turquoise killifish, Nothobranchius furzeri, is a promising vertebrate model in ageing research and an emerging model organism in genomics, regenerative medicine, developmental biology and ecotoxicology. Its lifestyle is adapted to the ephemeral nature of shallow pools on the African savannah. Its rapid and short active life commences when rains fill the pool: fish hatch, grow rapidly and mature in as few as two weeks, and then reproduce daily until the pool dries out. Its embryos then become inactive, encased in the dry sediment and protected from the harsh environment until the rains return. This invertebrate-like life cycle (short active phase and long developmental arrest) combined with a vertebrate body plan provide the ideal attributes for a laboratory animal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Reichard
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Matej Polačik
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
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9
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Žák J, Reichard M, Gvoždík L. Limited differentiation of fundamental thermal niches within the killifish assemblage from shallow temporary waters. J Therm Biol 2018; 78:257-262. [PMID: 30509644 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2018.10.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2018] [Revised: 10/08/2018] [Accepted: 10/13/2018] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The coexistence of ectothermic species is enabled among other factors by the differentiation of their thermal niches. While this phenomenon is well described from deep temperate lakes, it is unclear whether the same pattern applies to temporary pools. In this study, we examined fundamental thermal niches in three coexisting annual killifish species Nothobranchius furzeri, N. orthonotus and N. pienaari from temporary pools in southern Mozambique. We hypothesized that the disparate thermal requirements of the three congeneric species are a candidate niche component that facilitates their local coexistence. We estimated species' thermal requirements as preferred body temperatures (Tpref) in a horizontal thermal gradient. Under thermal gradient conditions, sympatric killifish maintained their body temperatures within similar Tpref ranges despite some variation in mean Tpref. The daily variation in water temperature in their native habitats enables killifish to thermoregulate at least for part of the diurnal cycle. We conclude that the coexistence of African annual killifish species is possible without the differentiation of their fundamental thermal niches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jakub Žák
- The Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Květná 8, 60365 Brno, Czech Republic; Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, 12800 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Martin Reichard
- The Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Květná 8, 60365 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Lumír Gvoždík
- The Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Květná 8, 60365 Brno, Czech Republic.
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10
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Vrtílek M, Žák J, Polačik M, Blažek R, Reichard M. Longitudinal demographic study of wild populations of African annual killifish. Sci Rep 2018; 8:4774. [PMID: 29555942 PMCID: PMC5859278 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-22878-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2017] [Accepted: 03/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The natural history of model organisms is often overlooked despite its importance to correctly interpret the outcome of laboratory studies. Ageing is particularly understudied in natural populations. To address this gap, we present lifetime demographic data from wild populations of an annual species, the turquoise killifish, Nothobranchius furzeri, a model species in ageing research, and two other species of coexisting annual killifishes. Annual killifish hatch synchronously, have non-overlapping generations, and reproduce daily after reaching sexual maturity. Data from 13 isolated savanna pools in southern Mozambique demonstrate that the pools supporting killifish populations desiccated 1–4 months after their filling, though some pools persisted longer. Declines in population size over the season were stronger than predicted, because they exceeded the effect of steady habitat shrinking on population density that, contrary to the prediction, decreased. Populations of N. furzeri also became more female-biased with progressing season suggesting that males had lower survival. Nothobranchius community composition did not significantly vary across the season. Our data clearly demonstrate that natural populations of N. furzeri and its congeners suffer strong mortality throughout their lives, with apparent selective disappearance (condition-dependent mortality) at the individual level. This represents selective force that can shape the evolution of lifespan, and its variation across populations, beyond the effects of the gradient in habitat persistence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milan Vrtílek
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Květná 8, Brno, 603 65, Czech Republic
| | - Jakub Žák
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Květná 8, Brno, 603 65, Czech Republic.,Faculty of Sciences, Charles University, Viničná 7, Praha 2, 128 44, Czech Republic
| | - Matej Polačik
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Květná 8, Brno, 603 65, Czech Republic
| | - Radim Blažek
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Květná 8, Brno, 603 65, Czech Republic
| | - Martin Reichard
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Květná 8, Brno, 603 65, Czech Republic.
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11
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Smith P, Willemsen D, Popkes M, Metge F, Gandiwa E, Reichard M, Valenzano DR. Regulation of life span by the gut microbiota in the short-lived African turquoise killifish. eLife 2017; 6. [PMID: 28826469 PMCID: PMC5566455 DOI: 10.7554/elife.27014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 238] [Impact Index Per Article: 34.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2017] [Accepted: 07/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Gut bacteria occupy the interface between the organism and the external environment, contributing to homeostasis and disease. Yet, the causal role of the gut microbiota during host aging is largely unexplored. Here, using the African turquoise killifish (Nothobranchius furzeri), a naturally short-lived vertebrate, we show that the gut microbiota plays a key role in modulating vertebrate life span. Recolonizing the gut of middle-age individuals with bacteria from young donors resulted in life span extension and delayed behavioral decline. This intervention prevented the decrease in microbial diversity associated with host aging and maintained a young-like gut bacterial community, characterized by overrepresentation of the key genera Exiguobacterium, Planococcus, Propionigenium and Psychrobacter. Our findings demonstrate that the natural microbial gut community of young individuals can causally induce long-lasting beneficial systemic effects that lead to life span extension in a vertebrate model. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.27014.001 Our bodies are home to lots of microorganisms, many of which are found throughout the gut. Gut microbes play important roles in human health, where they cooperate with our own cells to develop the immune system, synthesize essential vitamins, and help to absorb nutrients. When the cooperation between our own cells and the gut microbes fails, the microbial community within the gut can become a source of infection, sometimes leading to life-threatening diseases. Healthy individuals typically have many different types gut microbes, whereas people with poor health, or older individuals, will often have less diverse and a higher percentage of disease-causing microbes. For example, African turquoise killifish only live a few months, during which the composition of their gut microbes undergoes dramatic changes. While young fish harbor highly diverse microbial communities, older fish have less diverse communities and more microbes associated with disease. Until now, it was not known whether manipulating the gut composition could affect the aging process. By using the killifish as a model for their study, Smith et al. revealed that gut microbes affect how the fish survived and aged. When the guts of middle-aged fish were colonized with microbes transferred from younger fish, the older fish lived longer and were more active later in life. These fish also maintained a more diverse microbial community throughout their adulthood and shared key microbes with young fish – possibly associated with the improved health benefits. These results suggest that controlling the composition of the gut microbes can improve health and increase life span. The model system used in this study could provide new ways to manipulate the gut microbial community and gain key insights into how the gut microbes affect aging. Manipulating gut microbes to resemble a community found in young individuals could be a strategy to delay the onset of age-related diseases. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.27014.002
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Smith
- Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, Cologne, Germany
| | - David Willemsen
- Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, Cologne, Germany
| | - Miriam Popkes
- Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, Cologne, Germany
| | - Franziska Metge
- Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, Cologne, Germany
| | - Edson Gandiwa
- Chinhoyi University of Technology, Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe
| | - Martin Reichard
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Dario Riccardo Valenzano
- Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, Cologne, Germany.,CECAD, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
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12
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Comparative Ultrastructures of the Fertilized Egg Envelopes in Nothobranchius foerschi and Nothobranchius rachovii, Nothobranchiidae, Teleostei. Appl Microsc 2017. [DOI: 10.9729/am.2017.47.2.70] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
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13
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Reichard M, Blažek R, Polačik M, Vrtílek M. Hatching date variability in wild populations of four coexisting species of African annual fishes. Dev Dyn 2017; 246:827-837. [DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.24500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2016] [Revised: 02/17/2017] [Accepted: 03/11/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Martin Reichard
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology; Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic; Czech Republic
| | - Radim Blažek
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology; Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic; Czech Republic
| | - Matej Polačik
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology; Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic; Czech Republic
| | - Milan Vrtílek
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology; Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic; Czech Republic
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14
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Reichard M, Janáč M, Polačik M, Blažek R, Vrtílek M. Community assembly in Nothobranchius annual fishes: Nested patterns, environmental niche and biogeographic history. Ecol Evol 2017; 7:2294-2306. [PMID: 28405293 PMCID: PMC5383470 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2016] [Revised: 01/20/2017] [Accepted: 02/07/2017] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The assembly of local communities from regional species pools is shaped by historical aspects of distribution, environmental conditions, and biotic interactions. We studied local community assembly patterns in African annual killifishes of the genus Nothobranchius (Cyprinodontiformes), investigating data from 168 communities across the entire range of regionally co-existing species. Nothobranchius are small fishes associated with annually desiccating pools. We detected a nested pattern of local communities in one region (Southern Mozambique, with Nothobranchius furzeri as the core and dominant species), but no nestedness was found in the second region (Central Mozambique, with Nothobranchius orthonotus being the dominant species). A checkerboard pattern of local Nothobranchius community assembly was demonstrated in both regions. Multivariate environmental niche modeling revealed moderate differences in environmental niche occupancy between three monophyletic clades that largely co-occurred geographically and greater differences between strictly allopatric species within the clades. Most variation among species was observed along an altitudinal gradient; N. furzeri and Nothobranchius kadleci were absent from coastal plains, Nothobranchius pienaari, Nothobranchius rachovii, and Nothobranchius krysanovi were associated with lower altitude and N. orthonotus was intermediate and geographically most widespread species. We discuss implications for ecological and evolutionary research in this taxon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Reichard
- Institute of Vertebrate BiologyAcademy of Sciences of the Czech RepublicBrnoCzech Republic
| | - Michal Janáč
- Institute of Vertebrate BiologyAcademy of Sciences of the Czech RepublicBrnoCzech Republic
| | - Matej Polačik
- Institute of Vertebrate BiologyAcademy of Sciences of the Czech RepublicBrnoCzech Republic
| | - Radim Blažek
- Institute of Vertebrate BiologyAcademy of Sciences of the Czech RepublicBrnoCzech Republic
| | - Milan Vrtílek
- Institute of Vertebrate BiologyAcademy of Sciences of the Czech RepublicBrnoCzech Republic
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