1
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Sansalone G, Wroe S, Coates G, Attard MRG, Fruciano C. Unexpectedly uneven distribution of functional trade-offs explains cranial morphological diversity in carnivores. Nat Commun 2024; 15:3275. [PMID: 38627430 PMCID: PMC11021405 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47620-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2023] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Functional trade-offs can affect patterns of morphological and ecological evolution as well as the magnitude of morphological changes through evolutionary time. Using morpho-functional landscape modelling on the cranium of 132 carnivore species, we focused on the macroevolutionary effects of the trade-off between bite force and bite velocity. Here, we show that rates of evolution in form (morphology) are decoupled from rates of evolution in function. Further, we found theoretical morphologies optimising for velocity to be more diverse, while a much smaller phenotypic space was occupied by shapes optimising force. This pattern of differential representation of different functions in theoretical morphological space was highly correlated with patterns of actual morphological disparity. We hypothesise that many-to-one mapping of cranium shape on function may prevent the detection of direct relationships between form and function. As comparatively only few morphologies optimise bite force, species optimising this function may be less abundant because they are less likely to evolve. This, in turn, may explain why certain clades are less variable than others. Given the ubiquity of functional trade-offs in biological systems, these patterns may be general and may help to explain the unevenness of morphological and functional diversity across the tree of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriele Sansalone
- Institute for Marine Biological Resources and Biotechnology (CNR-IRBIM), National Research Council, Via S. Raineri 4, 98122, Messina, Italy.
- Function, Evolution and Anatomy Research Lab, Zoology Division, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia.
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via Campi 213D, 41125, Modena, Italy.
| | - Stephen Wroe
- Function, Evolution and Anatomy Research Lab, Zoology Division, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia
| | - Geoffrey Coates
- Function, Evolution and Anatomy Research Lab, Zoology Division, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia
| | - Marie R G Attard
- Function, Evolution and Anatomy Research Lab, Zoology Division, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia
- British Antarctic Survey, High Cross, Madingley Road, CB3 0ET, Cambridge, UK
| | - Carmelo Fruciano
- Institute for Marine Biological Resources and Biotechnology (CNR-IRBIM), National Research Council, Via S. Raineri 4, 98122, Messina, Italy.
- National Biodiversity Future Center, Piazza Marina 61, 90133, Palermo, Italy.
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Catania, via Androne 81, 95124, Catania, Italy.
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2
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Schraiber JG, Edge MD, Pennell M. Unifying approaches from statistical genetics and phylogenetics for mapping phenotypes in structured populations. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.02.10.579721. [PMID: 38496530 PMCID: PMC10942266 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.10.579721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
In both statistical genetics and phylogenetics, a major goal is to identify correlations between genetic loci or other aspects of the phenotype or environment and a focal trait. In these two fields, there are sophisticated but disparate statistical traditions aimed at these tasks. The disconnect between their respective approaches is becoming untenable as questions in medicine, conservation biology, and evolutionary biology increasingly rely on integrating data from within and among species, and once-clear conceptual divisions are becoming increasingly blurred. To help bridge this divide, we derive a general model describing the covariance between the genetic contributions to the quantitative phenotypes of different individuals. Taking this approach shows that standard models in both statistical genetics (e.g., Genome-Wide Association Studies; GWAS) and phylogenetic comparative biology (e.g., phylogenetic regression) can be interpreted as special cases of this more general quantitative-genetic model. The fact that these models share the same core architecture means that we can build a unified understanding of the strengths and limitations of different methods for controlling for genetic structure when testing for associations. We develop intuition for why and when spurious correlations may occur using analytical theory and conduct population-genetic and phylogenetic simulations of quantitative traits. The structural similarity of problems in statistical genetics and phylogenetics enables us to take methodological advances from one field and apply them in the other. We demonstrate this by showing how a standard GWAS technique-including both the genetic relatedness matrix (GRM) as well as its leading eigenvectors, corresponding to the principal components of the genotype matrix, in a regression model-can mitigate spurious correlations in phylogenetic analyses. As a case study of this, we re-examine an analysis testing for co-evolution of expression levels between genes across a fungal phylogeny, and show that including covariance matrix eigenvectors as covariates decreases the false positive rate while simultaneously increasing the true positive rate. More generally, this work provides a foundation for more integrative approaches for understanding the genetic architecture of phenotypes and how evolutionary processes shape it.
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3
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Dimayacyac JR, Wu S, Jiang D, Pennell M. Evaluating the Performance of Widely Used Phylogenetic Models for Gene Expression Evolution. Genome Biol Evol 2023; 15:evad211. [PMID: 38000902 PMCID: PMC10709115 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evad211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2023] [Revised: 11/09/2023] [Accepted: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Phylogenetic comparative methods are increasingly used to test hypotheses about the evolutionary processes that drive divergence in gene expression among species. However, it is unknown whether the distributional assumptions of phylogenetic models designed for quantitative phenotypic traits are realistic for expression data and importantly, the reliability of conclusions of phylogenetic comparative studies of gene expression may depend on whether the data is well described by the chosen model. To evaluate this, we first fit several phylogenetic models of trait evolution to 8 previously published comparative expression datasets, comprising a total of 54,774 genes with 145,927 unique gene-tissue combinations. Using a previously developed approach, we then assessed how well the best model of the set described the data in an absolute (not just relative) sense. First, we find that Ornstein-Uhlenbeck models, in which expression values are constrained around an optimum, were the preferred models for 66% of gene-tissue combinations. Second, we find that for 61% of gene-tissue combinations, the best-fit model of the set was found to perform well; the rest were found to be performing poorly by at least one of the test statistics we examined. Third, we find that when simple models do not perform well, this appears to be typically a consequence of failing to fully account for heterogeneity in the rate of the evolution. We advocate that assessment of model performance should become a routine component of phylogenetic comparative expression studies; doing so can improve the reliability of inferences and inspire the development of novel models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jose Rafael Dimayacyac
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Michael Smith Laboratories, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Shanyun Wu
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Daohan Jiang
- Department of Quantitative and Computational Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Matt Pennell
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Quantitative and Computational Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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4
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Dimayacyac JR, Wu S, Jiang D, Pennell M. Evaluating the Performance of Widely Used Phylogenetic Models for Gene Expression Evolution. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.02.09.527893. [PMID: 37645857 PMCID: PMC10461906 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.09.527893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
Phylogenetic comparative methods are increasingly used to test hypotheses about the evolutionary processes that drive divergence in gene expression among species. However, it is unknown whether the distributional assumptions of phylogenetic models designed for quantitative phenotypic traits are realistic for expression data and importantly, the reliability of conclusions of phylogenetic comparative studies of gene expression may depend on whether the data is well-described by the chosen model. To evaluate this, we first fit several phylogenetic models of trait evolution to 8 previously published comparative expression datasets, comprising a total of 54,774 genes with 145,927 unique gene-tissue combinations. Using a previously developed approach, we then assessed how well the best model of the set described the data in an absolute (not just relative) sense. First, we find that Ornstein-Uhlenbeck models, in which expression values are constrained around an optimum, were the preferred model for 66% of gene-tissue combinations. Second, we find that for 61% of gene-tissue combinations, the best fit model of the set was found to perform well; the rest were found to be performing poorly by at least one of the test statistics we examined. Third, we find that when simple models do not perform well, this appears to be typically a consequence of failing to fully account for heterogeneity in the rate of the evolution. We advocate that assessment of model performance should become a routine component of phylogenetic comparative expression studies; doing so can improve the reliability of inferences and inspire the development of novel models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jose Rafael Dimayacyac
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Canada
- Michael Smith Laboratories, University of British Columbia, Canada
| | - Shanyun Wu
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, USA
| | - Daohan Jiang
- Department of Quantitative and Computational Biology, University of Southern California, USA
| | - Matt Pennell
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Quantitative and Computational Biology, University of Southern California, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, USA
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5
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Auerbach BM, Savell KRR, Agosto ER. Morphology, evolution, and the whole organism imperative: Why evolutionary questions need multi-trait evolutionary quantitative genetics. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2023. [PMID: 37060292 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2022] [Revised: 03/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 04/16/2023]
Abstract
Since Washburn's New Physical Anthropology, researchers have sought to understand the complexities of morphological evolution among anatomical regions in human and non-human primates. Researchers continue, however, to preferentially use comparative and functional approaches to examine complex traits, but these methods cannot address questions about evolutionary process and often conflate function with fitness. Moreover, researchers also tend to examine anatomical elements in isolation, which implicitly assumes independent evolution among different body regions. In this paper, we argue that questions asked in primate evolution are best examined using multiple anatomical regions subjected to model-bound methods built from an understanding of evolutionary quantitative genetics. A nascent but expanding number of studies over the last two decades use this approach, examining morphological integration, evolvability, and selection modeling. To help readers learn how to use these methods, we review fundamentals of evolutionary processes within a quantitative genetic framework, explore the importance of neutral evolutionary theory, and explain the basics of evolutionary quantitative genetics, namely the calculation of evolutionary potential for multiple traits in response to selection. Leveraging these methods, we demonstrate their use to understand non-independence in possible evolutionary responses across the limbs, limb girdles, and basicranium of humans. Our results show that model-bound quantitative genetic methods can reveal unexpected genetic covariances among traits that create a novel but measurable understanding of evolutionary complexity among multiple traits. We advocate for evolutionary quantitative genetic methods to be a standard whenever appropriate to keep studies of primate morphological evolution relevant for the next seventy years and beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin M Auerbach
- Department of Anthropology, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Kristen R R Savell
- Department of Biology, Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, Connecticut, USA
| | - Elizabeth R Agosto
- Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology & Physiology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
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6
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Simon MN, Rothier PS, Donihue CM, Herrel A, Kolbe JJ. Can extreme climatic events induce shifts in adaptive potential? A conceptual framework and empirical test with Anolis lizards. J Evol Biol 2023; 36:195-208. [PMID: 36357963 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14115] [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: 05/03/2022] [Revised: 08/04/2022] [Accepted: 09/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Multivariate adaptation to climatic shifts may be limited by trait integration that causes genetic variation to be low in the direction of selection. However, strong episodes of selection induced by extreme climatic pressures may facilitate future population-wide responses if selection reduces trait integration and increases adaptive potential (i.e., evolvability). We explain this counter-intuitive framework for extreme climatic events in which directional selection leads to increased evolvability and exemplify its use in a case study. We tested this hypothesis in two populations of the lizard Anolis scriptus that experienced hurricane-induced selection on limb traits. We surveyed populations immediately before and after the hurricane as well as the offspring of post-hurricane survivors, allowing us to estimate both selection and response to selection on key functional traits: forelimb length, hindlimb length, and toepad area. The direct selection was parallel in both islands and strong in several limb traits. Even though overall limb integration did not change after the hurricane, both populations showed a non-significant tendency toward increased evolvability after the hurricane despite the direction of selection not being aligned with the axis of most variance (i.e., body size). The population with comparably lower between-limb integration showed a less constrained response to selection. Hurricane-induced selection, not aligned with the pattern of high trait correlations, likely conflicts with selection occurring during normal ecological conditions that favours functional coordination between limb traits, and would likely need to be very strong and more persistent to elicit a greater change in trait integration and evolvability. Future tests of this hypothesis should use G-matrices in a variety of wild organisms experiencing selection due to extreme climatic events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monique N Simon
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA
| | | | - Colin M Donihue
- Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Anthony Herrel
- UMR 7179, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique/Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France.,Functional Morphology Lab, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium.,Evolutionary Morphology of Vertebrates, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Jason J Kolbe
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, USA
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7
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Johnson NM, Baucom RS. Dicamba drift alters plant–herbivore interactions at the agro‐ecological interface. Ecosphere 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.4274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Nia M. Johnson
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department University of Michigan Ann Arbor Michigan USA
| | - Regina S. Baucom
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department University of Michigan Ann Arbor Michigan USA
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8
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Benítez HA, Sukhodolskaya RA, Avtaeva TA, Escobar-Suárez S, Órdenes-Claveria R, Laroze D, Hernández-P R, Vavilov DN. Quantifying elevational effect on the geometric body shape of Russian beetle Carabus exaratus (Coleoptera: Carabidae). ZOOL ANZ 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jcz.2022.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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9
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How Can Phenotypic Evolution be Characterized Over Time and Through Environmental Changes? J MAMM EVOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10914-022-09620-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
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10
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Fasanelli MN, Milla Carmona PS, Soto IM, Tuero DT. Allometry, sexual selection and evolutionary lines of least resistance shaped the evolution of exaggerated sexual traits within the genus Tyrannus. J Evol Biol 2022; 35:669-679. [PMID: 35290678 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2021] [Revised: 01/15/2022] [Accepted: 02/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Variational properties hold a fundamental role in shaping biological evolution, exerting control over the magnitude and direction of evolutionary change elicited by microevolutionary processes that sort variation, such as selection or drift. We studied the genus Tyrannus as a model for examining the conditions and drivers that facilitate the repeated evolution of exaggerated, secondary sexual traits in the face of significant functional limitations. In particular, we explore the role of allometry, sexual selection and their interaction, on the diversification of tail morphology in the genus, assessing whether and how they promoted or constrained phenotypic evolution. Non-deep-forked species tend to show reduced sexual dimorphism and moderate allometric variation in tail shape. The exaggerated and functionally constrained long feathers of deep-forked species, T. savana and T. forficatus, which show both marked sexual dimorphism and allometric tail shape variation, independently diverged from the rest of the genus following the same direction of main interspecific variation accrued during the evolution of non-deep-forked species. Moreover, the latter direction is also aligned with axes summarising sexual dimorphism and allometric variation on deep-forked species, a feature lacking in the rest of the species. Thus, exaggerated tail morphologies are interpreted as the result of amplified divergence through reorientation and co-option of allometric variation by sexual selection, repeatedly driving morphology along a historically favoured direction of cladogenetic evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martín Nicolás Fasanelli
- Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires - IEGEBA (CONICET-UBA), Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución -DEGE, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Laboratorio de Biología Integral de Sistemas Evolutivos, DEGE, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Pablo S Milla Carmona
- Laboratorio de Biología Integral de Sistemas Evolutivos, DEGE, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Laboratorio de Ecosistemas Marinos Fósiles, Instituto de Estudios Andinos - IDEAN (CONICET-UBA), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Ignacio María Soto
- Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires - IEGEBA (CONICET-UBA), Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución -DEGE, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Laboratorio de Biología Integral de Sistemas Evolutivos, DEGE, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Diego Tomás Tuero
- Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires - IEGEBA (CONICET-UBA), Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución -DEGE, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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11
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Duchen P, Alfaro ML, Rolland J, Salamin N, Silvestro D. On the Effect of Asymmetrical Trait Inheritance on Models of Trait Evolution. Syst Biol 2021; 70:376-388. [PMID: 32681798 PMCID: PMC7875446 DOI: 10.1093/sysbio/syaa055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2019] [Revised: 06/30/2020] [Accepted: 07/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Current phylogenetic comparative methods modeling quantitative trait evolution generally assume that, during speciation, phenotypes are inherited identically between the two daughter species. This, however, neglects the fact that species consist of a set of individuals, each bearing its own trait value. Indeed, because descendent populations after speciation are samples of a parent population, we can expect their mean phenotypes to randomly differ from one another potentially generating a "jump" of mean phenotypes due to asymmetrical trait inheritance at cladogenesis. Here, we aim to clarify the effect of asymmetrical trait inheritance at speciation on macroevolutionary analyses, focusing on model testing and parameter estimation using some of the most common models of quantitative trait evolution. We developed an individual-based simulation framework in which the evolution of phenotypes is determined by trait changes at the individual level accumulating across generations, and cladogenesis occurs then by separation of subsets of the individuals into new lineages. Through simulations, we assess the magnitude of phenotypic jumps at cladogenesis under different modes of trait inheritance at speciation. We show that even small jumps can strongly alter both the results of model selection and parameter estimations, potentially affecting the biological interpretation of the estimated mode of evolution of a trait. Our results call for caution when interpreting analyses of trait evolution, while highlighting the importance of testing a wide range of alternative models. In the light of our findings, we propose that future methodological advances in comparative methods should more explicitly model the intraspecific variability around species mean phenotypes and how it is inherited at speciation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Duchen
- Department of Computational Biology, University of Lausanne, Quartier Sorge, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Michael L Alfaro
- University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). College Life Sciences - Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Jonathan Rolland
- Department of Computational Biology, University of Lausanne, Quartier Sorge, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, #4200-6270 University Blvd, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Nicolas Salamin
- Department of Computational Biology, University of Lausanne, Quartier Sorge, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Daniele Silvestro
- Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland Nicolas Salamin and Daniele Silvestro contributed equally to this article
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12
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Zu P, Schiestl FP, Gervasi D, Li X, Runcie D, Guillaume F. Floral signals evolve in a predictable way under artificial and pollinator selection in Brassica rapa. BMC Evol Biol 2020; 20:127. [PMID: 32972368 PMCID: PMC7517814 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-020-01692-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2020] [Accepted: 09/16/2020] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Angiosperms employ an astonishing variety of visual and olfactory floral signals that are generally thought to evolve under natural selection. Those morphological and chemical traits can form highly correlated sets of traits. It is not always clear which of these are used by pollinators as primary targets of selection and which would be indirectly selected by being linked to those primary targets. Quantitative genetics tools for predicting multiple traits response to selection have been developed since long and have advanced our understanding of evolution of genetically correlated traits in various biological systems. We use these tools to predict the evolutionary trajectories of floral traits and understand the selection pressures acting on them. RESULTS We used data from an artificial selection and a pollinator (bumblebee, hoverfly) evolution experiment with fast cycling Brassica rapa plants to predict evolutionary changes of 12 floral volatiles and 4 morphological floral traits in response to selection. Using the observed selection gradients and the genetic variance-covariance matrix (G-matrix) of the traits, we showed that the observed responses of most floral traits including volatiles were predicted in the right direction in both artificial- and bumblebee-selection experiment. Genetic covariance had a mix of constraining and facilitating effects on evolutionary responses. We further revealed that G-matrices also evolved in the selection processes. CONCLUSIONS Overall, our integrative study shows that floral signals, especially volatiles, evolve under selection in a mostly predictable way, at least during short term evolution. Evolutionary constraints stemming from genetic covariance affected traits evolutionary trajectories and thus it is important to include genetic covariance for predicting the evolutionary changes of a comprehensive suite of traits. Other processes such as resource limitation and selfing also need to be considered for a better understanding of floral trait evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengjuan Zu
- Department of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, University of Zürich, Zollikerstrasse 107, CH-8008, Zürich, Switzerland
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Florian P Schiestl
- Department of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, University of Zürich, Zollikerstrasse 107, CH-8008, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Daniel Gervasi
- Department of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, University of Zürich, Zollikerstrasse 107, CH-8008, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Xin Li
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of California Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Daniel Runcie
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of California Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Frédéric Guillaume
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057, Zürich, Switzerland.
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13
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Simon MN, Brandt R, Kohlsdorf T, Arnold SJ. Bite performance surfaces of three ecologically divergent Iguanidae lizards: relationships with lower jaw bones. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blz067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Traits that interact to perform an ecologically relevant function are expected to be under multivariate non-linear selection. Using the lower jaw morphology as a biomechanical model, we test the hypothesis that lower jaw bones of lizards are subjected to stabilizing and correlational selection, associated with mechanical advantage and maximum bite force. We used three closely related tropidurine species that differ in size, head shape and microhabitat: Eurolophosaurus nanuzae, Tropidurus hispidus and Tropidurus semitaeniatus. We predicted a common pattern of correlational selection on bones that are part of in-levers or part of the out-lever of the lower jaw. The predicted pattern was found in E. nanuzae and T. hispidus, but this could not be shown to be statistically significant. For T. semitaeniatus, we found significant disruptive selection on a contrast involving the surangular, and also significant directional selection on linear combinations of traits in all species. The results indicate that the non-linear selection on lower jaw bones does not reflect an optimum to enhance mechanical advantage in all species. Divergent functional demands and specific ecological contexts of species seem relevant in shaping patterns of selection on morphology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monique Nouailhetas Simon
- Department of Genetics and Evolutionary Biology, Biosciences Institute, University of São Paulo, Butantã, São Paulo, Brazil
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR USA
| | - Renata Brandt
- Department of Biology, FFCLRP, University of São Paulo, Monte Alegre, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Tiana Kohlsdorf
- Department of Biology, FFCLRP, University of São Paulo, Monte Alegre, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Stevan J Arnold
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR USA
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14
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Dickson BV, Pierce SE. Functional performance of turtle humerus shape across an ecological adaptive landscape. Evolution 2019; 73:1265-1277. [PMID: 31008517 DOI: 10.1111/evo.13747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2019] [Revised: 03/11/2019] [Accepted: 04/08/2019] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
The concept of the adaptive landscape has been invaluable to evolutionary biologists for visualizing the dynamics of selection and adaptation, and is increasingly being used to study morpho-functional data. Here, we construct adaptive landscapes to explore functional trade-offs associated with variation in humerus morphology among turtles adapted to three different locomotor environments: marine, semiaquatic, and terrestrial. Humerus shape from 40 species of cryptodire turtles was quantified using a pseudolandmark approach. Hypothetical shapes were extracted in a grid across morphospace and four functional traits (strength, stride length, mechanical advantage, and hydrodynamics) measured on those shapes. Quantitative trait modeling was used to construct adaptive landscapes that optimize the functional traits for each of the three locomotor ecologies. Our data show that turtles living in different environments have statistically different humeral shapes. The optimum adaptive landscape for each ecology is defined by a different combination of performance trade-offs, with turtle species clustering around their respective adaptive peak. Further, species adhere to pareto fronts between marine-semiaquatic and semiaquatic-terrestrial optima, but not between marine-terrestrial. Our study demonstrates the utility of adaptive landscapes in informing the link between form, function, and ecological adaptation, and establishes a framework for reconstructing turtle ecological evolution using isolated humeri from the fossil record.
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Affiliation(s)
- Blake V Dickson
- Museum of Comparative Zoology and Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02138
| | - Stephanie E Pierce
- Museum of Comparative Zoology and Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02138
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Cresko WA, McGuigan KL, Phillips PC, Postlethwait JH. Studies of threespine stickleback developmental evolution: progress and promise. Genetica 2006; 129:105-26. [PMID: 16897450 DOI: 10.1007/s10709-006-0036-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2004] [Accepted: 03/14/2006] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
A promising route for understanding the origin and diversification of organismal form is through studies at the intersection of evolution and development (evo-devo). While much has been learned over the last two decades concerning macroevolutionary patterns of developmental change, a fundamental gap in the evo-devo synthesis is the integration of mathematical population and quantitative genetics with studies of how genetic variation in natural populations affects developmental processes. This micro-evo-devo synthesis requires model organisms with which to ask empirical questions. Threespine stickleback fish (Gasterosteus aculeatus), long a model for studying behavior, ecology and evolution, is emerging as a prominent model micro-evo-devo system. Research on stickleback over the last decade has begun to address the genetic basis of morphological variation and sex determination, and much of this work has important implications for understanding the genetics of speciation. In this paper we review recent threespine stickleback micro-evo-devo results, and outline the resources that have been developed to make this synthesis possible. The prospects for stickleback research to speed the micro-(and macro-) evo-devo syntheses are great, and this workhorse model system is well situated to continue contributing to our understanding of the generation of diversity in organismal form for many more decades.
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Affiliation(s)
- William A Cresko
- Center for Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-5289, USA.
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