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Vogt G. Phenotypic plasticity in the monoclonal marbled crayfish is associated with very low genetic diversity but pronounced epigenetic diversity. Curr Zool 2023; 69:426-441. [PMID: 37614917 PMCID: PMC10443617 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoac094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Accepted: 11/19/2022] [Indexed: 08/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Clonal organisms are particularly useful to investigate the contribution of epigenetics to phenotypic plasticity, because confounding effects of genetic variation are negligible. In the last decade, the apomictic parthenogenetic marbled crayfish, Procambarus virginalis, has been developed as a model to investigate the relationships between phenotypic plasticity and genetic and epigenetic diversity in detail. This crayfish originated about 30 years ago by autotriploidy from a single slough crayfish Procambarus fallax. As the result of human releases and active spreading, marbled crayfish has established numerous populations in very diverse habitats in 22 countries from the tropics to cold temperate regions. Studies in the laboratory and field revealed considerable plasticity in coloration, spination, morphometric parameters, growth, food preference, population structure, trophic position, and niche width. Illumina and PacBio whole-genome sequencing of marbled crayfish from representatives of 19 populations in Europe and Madagascar demonstrated extremely low genetic diversity within and among populations, indicating that the observed phenotypic diversity and ability to live in strikingly different environments are not due to adaptation by selection on genetic variation. In contrast, considerable differences were found between populations in the DNA methylation patterns of hundreds of genes, suggesting that the environmentally induced phenotypic plasticity is mediated by epigenetic mechanisms and corresponding changes in gene expression. Specific DNA methylation fingerprints persisted in local populations over successive years indicating the existence of epigenetic ecotypes, but there is presently no information as to whether these epigenetic signatures are transgenerationally inherited or established anew in each generation and whether the recorded phenotypic plasticity is adaptive or nonadaptive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Günter Vogt
- Faculty of Biosciences, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 234, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
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Baruzzi C, Snow NP, Vercauteren KC, Strickland BK, Arnoult JS, Fischer JW, Glow MP, Lavelle MJ, Smith BA, Steakley D, Lashley MA. Estimating body mass of wild pigs ( Sus scrofa) using body morphometrics. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e9853. [PMID: 36911312 PMCID: PMC9994471 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2022] [Revised: 01/27/2023] [Accepted: 02/03/2023] [Indexed: 03/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Wild pigs (Sus scrofa) are invading many areas globally and impacting biodiversity and economies in their non-native range. Thus, wild pigs are often targeted for eradication efforts. Age- and sex-specific body measurements are important for informing these eradication efforts because they reflect body condition, resource availability, and fecundity, which are common indicators of population trajectory. However, body mass is often difficult to collect, especially on large individuals that require specialized equipment or multiple people to weigh. Measurements that can be rapidly taken by a single land or wildlife manager on any size wild pig without aid from specialized equipment would be beneficial if they accurately infer wild pig body mass. Our goals were to assess whether morphometric measurements could accurately predict wild pig body mass, and to provide tools to directly input these measures and estimate wild pig body mass. Using linear models, we quantified the relationship between body mass and morphometric measurements (i.e., body length, chest girth, ear length, eye to snout length, hindfoot length, shoulder length, and tail length) from a subset (n = 102) of wild pigs culled at the Mississippi Alluvial Valley, Mississippi, USA. We evaluated separate models for each individual morphometric measurement. We then used the model coefficients to develop equations to predict wild pig body mass. We validated these equations predicting body mass of 1592 individuals collected across eight areas in Australia, Guam, and the USA for cross-validation. Each developed equation remained accurate when cross-validated across regions. Body length, chest girth, and shoulder length were the morphometrics that best predicted wild pig body mass. Our analyses indicated it is possible to use the presented equations to infer wild pig body mass from simple metrics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Baruzzi
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, North Florida Research and Education CenterUniversity of FloridaQuincyFloridaUSA
- Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and AquacultureMississippi State UniversityMississippi StateMississippiUSA
| | - Nathan P. Snow
- National Wildlife Research CenterUSDA/APHISFort CollinsColoradoUSA
| | | | - Bronson K. Strickland
- Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and AquacultureMississippi State UniversityMississippi StateMississippiUSA
| | - Jacques S. Arnoult
- Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and AquacultureMississippi State UniversityMississippi StateMississippiUSA
| | | | - Michael P. Glow
- National Wildlife Research CenterUSDA/APHISFort CollinsColoradoUSA
| | | | | | - Daryl Steakley
- Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and AquacultureMississippi State UniversityMississippi StateMississippiUSA
| | - Marcus A. Lashley
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and ConservationUniversity of FloridaGainesvilleFloridaUSA
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Marn N, Hudina S, Haberle I, Dobrović A, Klanjšček T. Physiological performance of native and invasive crayfish species in a changing environment: insights from Dynamic Energy Budget models. CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 10:coac031. [PMID: 35669378 PMCID: PMC9156854 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coac031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Revised: 04/06/2022] [Accepted: 04/12/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Crayfish are keystone species important for maintaining healthy freshwater ecosystems. Crayfish species native to Europe, such as Astacus astacus and Austropotamobius torrentium, are facing decline and are increasingly endangered by changing climate and invasions of non-native crayfish, such as Pacifastacus leniusculus and Procambarus virginalis. The success of these invasions largely depends on differences in ontogeny between the native species and the invaders and how changes in the environment will affect the ontogeny. Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) models can be used to investigate such differences because the models capture dependence of metabolism, and therefore ontogeny, on environmental conditions. We develop DEB models for all four species and investigate key elements of ontogeny and metabolism affecting interspecific competition. We then use the DEB models to predict individual growth and reproduction in current and new conditions that are expected to arise from climate change. Although observations suggest that P. leniusculus poses the major threat to native species, our analysis identifies P. virginalis, in spite of its smaller size, as the superior competitor by a large margin-at least when considering metabolism and ontogeny. Our simulations show that climate change is set to increase the competitive edge of P. virginalis even further. Given the prospects of P. virginalis dominance, especially when considering that it is able to withstand and spread at least some crayfish plague strains that severely affect native species, additional research into P. virginalis is necessary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina Marn
- Division for Marine and Environmental Research, Rudjer Boskovic Institute, 10002 Zagreb, Croatia
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia
| | - Sandra Hudina
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Ines Haberle
- Division for Marine and Environmental Research, Rudjer Boskovic Institute, 10002 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Ana Dobrović
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Tin Klanjšček
- Division for Marine and Environmental Research, Rudjer Boskovic Institute, 10002 Zagreb, Croatia
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Kouba A, Lipták B, Kubec J, Bláha M, Veselý L, Haubrock PJ, Oficialdegui FJ, Niksirat H, Patoka J, Buřič M. Survival, Growth, and Reproduction: Comparison of Marbled Crayfish with Four Prominent Crayfish Invaders. BIOLOGY 2021; 10:biology10050422. [PMID: 34068504 PMCID: PMC8151088 DOI: 10.3390/biology10050422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2021] [Revised: 05/03/2021] [Accepted: 05/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Biological invasions are increasingly recognized ecological and economic threats to biodiversity and are projected to increase in the future. Introduced freshwater crayfish in particular are protruding invaders, exerting tremendous impacts on native biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, as exemplified by the North American spiny-cheek, signal and red swamp crayfish as well as the Australian common yabby. The marbled crayfish is among the most outstanding freshwater crayfish invaders due to its parthenogenetic reproduction combined with early maturation and high fecundity. As their introduced ranges expand, their sympatric populations become more frequent. The question of which species and under what circumstances will dominate in their introduced communities is of great interest to biodiversity conservation as it can offer valuable insights for understanding and prioritization of management efforts. In order to examine which of the aforementioned species may be more successful as an invader, we conducted a set of independent trials evaluating survival, growth, claw injury, and reproduction using single-species stocks (intraspecific interactions) and mixed stocks (interspecific interactions) of marbled crayfish vs. other crayfish invaders since the onset of exogenous feeding. In both single and mixed stocks, red swamp crayfish and yabby grew faster than marbled crayfish, while marbled crayfish were superior to both spiny-cheek and signal crayfish in terms of growth. With the exception of signal crayfish, the faster-growing species consistently reached a higher survival rate. The faster-growing species tended to negatively impair smaller counterparts by greater claw injury, delayed maturation, and reduced fecundity. Only marbled crayfish laid eggs as early as 14 weeks in this study, which is earlier than previously reported in the literature. Thus, the success of marbled crayfish among invasive crayfish is significantly driven by relatively fast growth as well as an early and frequent reproduction. These results shed light on how interactions between invasive populations can unfold when their expansion ranges overlap in the wild, thereby contributing to the knowledge base on the complex population dynamics between existing and emerging invasive species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonín Kouba
- South Bohemian Research Center of Aquaculture and Biodiversity of Hydrocenoses, Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Zátiší 728/II, 38925 Vodňany, Czech Republic; (B.L.); (J.K.); (M.B.); (L.V.); (P.J.H.); (H.N.); (M.B.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Boris Lipták
- South Bohemian Research Center of Aquaculture and Biodiversity of Hydrocenoses, Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Zátiší 728/II, 38925 Vodňany, Czech Republic; (B.L.); (J.K.); (M.B.); (L.V.); (P.J.H.); (H.N.); (M.B.)
| | - Jan Kubec
- South Bohemian Research Center of Aquaculture and Biodiversity of Hydrocenoses, Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Zátiší 728/II, 38925 Vodňany, Czech Republic; (B.L.); (J.K.); (M.B.); (L.V.); (P.J.H.); (H.N.); (M.B.)
| | - Martin Bláha
- South Bohemian Research Center of Aquaculture and Biodiversity of Hydrocenoses, Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Zátiší 728/II, 38925 Vodňany, Czech Republic; (B.L.); (J.K.); (M.B.); (L.V.); (P.J.H.); (H.N.); (M.B.)
| | - Lukáš Veselý
- South Bohemian Research Center of Aquaculture and Biodiversity of Hydrocenoses, Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Zátiší 728/II, 38925 Vodňany, Czech Republic; (B.L.); (J.K.); (M.B.); (L.V.); (P.J.H.); (H.N.); (M.B.)
| | - Phillip J. Haubrock
- South Bohemian Research Center of Aquaculture and Biodiversity of Hydrocenoses, Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Zátiší 728/II, 38925 Vodňany, Czech Republic; (B.L.); (J.K.); (M.B.); (L.V.); (P.J.H.); (H.N.); (M.B.)
- Department of River Ecology and Conservation, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt, Clamecystrasse 12, 63571 Gelnhausen, Germany
| | - Francisco J. Oficialdegui
- Department of Wetland Ecology, Doñana Biological Station (EBD-CSIC), C/Américo Vespucio 26, Isla de la Cartuja, 41092 Seville, Spain;
| | - Hamid Niksirat
- South Bohemian Research Center of Aquaculture and Biodiversity of Hydrocenoses, Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Zátiší 728/II, 38925 Vodňany, Czech Republic; (B.L.); (J.K.); (M.B.); (L.V.); (P.J.H.); (H.N.); (M.B.)
| | - Jiří Patoka
- Department of Zoology and Fisheries, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, 16500 Prague-Suchdol, Czech Republic;
| | - Miloš Buřič
- South Bohemian Research Center of Aquaculture and Biodiversity of Hydrocenoses, Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Zátiší 728/II, 38925 Vodňany, Czech Republic; (B.L.); (J.K.); (M.B.); (L.V.); (P.J.H.); (H.N.); (M.B.)
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