1
|
Zhang R, Drummond AJ, Mendes FK. Fast Bayesian Inference of Phylogenies from Multiple Continuous Characters. Syst Biol 2024; 73:102-124. [PMID: 38085256 PMCID: PMC11129596 DOI: 10.1093/sysbio/syad067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2023] [Revised: 03/23/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Time-scaled phylogenetic trees are an ultimate goal of evolutionary biology and a necessary ingredient in comparative studies. The accumulation of genomic data has resolved the tree of life to a great extent, yet timing evolutionary events remain challenging if not impossible without external information such as fossil ages and morphological characters. Methods for incorporating morphology in tree estimation have lagged behind their molecular counterparts, especially in the case of continuous characters. Despite recent advances, such tools are still direly needed as we approach the limits of what molecules can teach us. Here, we implement a suite of state-of-the-art methods for leveraging continuous morphology in phylogenetics, and by conducting extensive simulation studies we thoroughly validate and explore our methods' properties. While retaining model generality and scalability, we make it possible to estimate absolute and relative divergence times from multiple continuous characters while accounting for uncertainty. We compile and analyze one of the most data-type diverse data sets to date, comprised of contemporaneous and ancient molecular sequences, and discrete and continuous morphological characters from living and extinct Carnivora taxa. We conclude by synthesizing lessons about our method's behavior, and suggest future research venues.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rong Zhang
- Programme in Emerging Infectious Diseases, Duke-NUS Medical School 169857, Singapore
| | - Alexei J Drummond
- Centre for Computational Evolution, The University of Auckland, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
| | - Fábio K Mendes
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Adams R, Cain Z, Assis R, DeGiorgio M. Robust Phylogenetic Regression. Syst Biol 2024; 73:140-157. [PMID: 38035624 PMCID: PMC11129599 DOI: 10.1093/sysbio/syad070] [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: 08/25/2022] [Revised: 11/16/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Modern comparative biology owes much to phylogenetic regression. At its conception, this technique sparked a revolution that armed biologists with phylogenetic comparative methods (PCMs) for disentangling evolutionary correlations from those arising from hierarchical phylogenetic relationships. Over the past few decades, the phylogenetic regression framework has become a paradigm of modern comparative biology that has been widely embraced as a remedy for shared ancestry. However, recent evidence has shown doubt over the efficacy of phylogenetic regression, and PCMs more generally, with the suggestion that many of these methods fail to provide an adequate defense against unreplicated evolution-the primary justification for using them in the first place. Importantly, some of the most compelling examples of biological innovation in nature result from abrupt lineage-specific evolutionary shifts, which current regression models are largely ill equipped to deal with. Here we explore a solution to this problem by applying robust linear regression to comparative trait data. We formally introduce robust phylogenetic regression to the PCM toolkit with linear estimators that are less sensitive to model violations than the standard least-squares estimator, while still retaining high power to detect true trait associations. Our analyses also highlight an ingenuity of the original algorithm for phylogenetic regression based on independent contrasts, whereby robust estimators are particularly effective. Collectively, we find that robust estimators hold promise for improving tests of trait associations and offer a path forward in scenarios where classical approaches may fail. Our study joins recent arguments for increased vigilance against unreplicated evolution and a better understanding of evolutionary model performance in challenging-yet biologically important-settings.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Richard Adams
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA
- Agricultural Statistics Laboratory, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA
| | - Zoe Cain
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Georgia College, Milledgeville, GA, USA
| | - Raquel Assis
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, USA
- Institute for Human Health and Disease Intervention, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, USA
| | - Michael DeGiorgio
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Title PO, Singhal S, Grundler MC, Costa GC, Pyron RA, Colston TJ, Grundler MR, Prates I, Stepanova N, Jones MEH, Cavalcanti LBQ, Colli GR, Di-Poï N, Donnellan SC, Moritz C, Mesquita DO, Pianka ER, Smith SA, Vitt LJ, Rabosky DL. The macroevolutionary singularity of snakes. Science 2024; 383:918-923. [PMID: 38386744 DOI: 10.1126/science.adh2449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
Snakes and lizards (Squamata) represent a third of terrestrial vertebrates and exhibit spectacular innovations in locomotion, feeding, and sensory processing. However, the evolutionary drivers of this radiation remain poorly known. We infer potential causes and ultimate consequences of squamate macroevolution by combining individual-based natural history observations (>60,000 animals) with a comprehensive time-calibrated phylogeny that we anchored with genomic data (5400 loci) from 1018 species. Due to shifts in the dynamics of speciation and phenotypic evolution, snakes have transformed the trophic structure of animal communities through the recurrent origin and diversification of specialized predatory strategies. Squamate biodiversity reflects a legacy of singular events that occurred during the early history of snakes and reveals the impact of historical contingency on vertebrate biodiversity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pascal O Title
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
- Environmental Resilience Institute, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47408, USA
- Museum of Zoology and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Sonal Singhal
- Museum of Zoology and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Department of Biology, California State University, Dominguez Hills, Carson, CA 90747, USA
| | - Michael C Grundler
- Museum of Zoology and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Gabriel C Costa
- Museum of Zoology and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences, Auburn University at Montgomery, Montgomery, AL 36117, USA
| | - R Alexander Pyron
- Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, 20560, USA
| | - Timothy J Colston
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, 20560, USA
- Biology Department, University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, Mayagüez 00680, Puerto Rico
| | - Maggie R Grundler
- Museum of Zoology and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Ivan Prates
- Museum of Zoology and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Natasha Stepanova
- Museum of Zoology and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Marc E H Jones
- Science Group: Fossil Reptiles, Amphibians and Birds Section, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK
- Research Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
- Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia
| | - Lucas B Q Cavalcanti
- Departamento de Sistemática e Ecologia, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, João Pessoa, Paraíba 58051-900, Brazil
| | - Guarino R Colli
- Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, Distrito Federal 70910-900, Brazil
| | - Nicolas Di-Poï
- Institute of Biotechnology, Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | | | - Craig Moritz
- Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia
| | - Daniel O Mesquita
- Departamento de Sistemática e Ecologia, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, João Pessoa, Paraíba 58051-900, Brazil
| | - Eric R Pianka
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Stephen A Smith
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Laurie J Vitt
- Sam Noble Museum and Department of Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA
| | - Daniel L Rabosky
- Museum of Zoology and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Fromm B, Sorger T. Rapid adaptation of cellular metabolic rate to the MicroRNA complements of mammals and its relevance to the evolution of endothermy. iScience 2024; 27:108740. [PMID: 38327773 PMCID: PMC10847693 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2022] [Revised: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2024] Open
Abstract
The metabolic efficiency of mammalian cells depends on the attenuation of intrinsic translation noise by microRNAs. We devised a metric of cellular metabolic rate (cMR), rMR/Mexp optimally fit to the number of microRNA families (mirFam), that is robust to variation in mass and sensitive to body temperature (Tb), consistent with the heat dissipation limit theory of Speakman and Król (2010). Using mirFam as predictor, an Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process of stabilizing selection, with an adaptive shift at the divergence of Boreoeutheria, accounted for 95% of the variation in cMR across mammals. Branchwise rates of evolution of cMR, mirFam and Tb concurrently increased 6- to 7-fold at the divergence of Boreoeutheria, independent of mass. Cellular MR variation across placental mammals was also predicted by the sum of model conserved microRNA-target interactions, revealing an unexpected degree of integration of the microRNA-target apparatus into the energy economy of the mammalian cell.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bastian Fromm
- The Arctic University Museum of Norway, UiT- The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Thomas Sorger
- Department of Biology, Roger Williams University, Bristol, RI 02809, USA
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Drury JP, Clavel J, Tobias JA, Rolland J, Sheard C, Morlon H. Limited ecological opportunity influences the tempo of morphological evolution in birds. Curr Biol 2024; 34:661-669.e4. [PMID: 38218182 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.12.055] [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: 08/24/2023] [Revised: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/15/2024]
Abstract
According to classic models of lineage diversification and adaptive radiation, phenotypic evolution should accelerate in the context of ecological opportunity and slow down when niches become saturated.1,2 However, only weak support for these ideas has been found in nature, perhaps because most analyses make the biologically unrealistic assumption that clade members contribute equally to reducing ecological opportunity, even when they occur in different continents or specialize on different habitats and diets. To view this problem through a different lens, we adapted a new phylogenetic modeling approach that accounts for the fact that competition for ecological opportunity only occurs between species that coexist and share similar habitats and diets. Applying this method to trait data for nearly all extant species of landbirds,3 we find a widespread signature of decelerating trait evolution in lineages adapted to similar habitats or diets. The strength of this pattern was consistent across latitudes when comparing tropical and temperate assemblages. Our results provide little support for the idea that increased diversity and tighter packing of niches accentuates evolutionary slowdowns in the tropics and instead suggest that limited ecological opportunity can be an important factor determining the rate of morphological diversification at a global scale.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan P Drury
- Department of Biosciences, Durham University, Stockton Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UK.
| | - Julien Clavel
- Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, LEHNA UMR 5023, CNRS, ENTPE, F-69622 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Joseph A Tobias
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot SL5 7PY, UK
| | - Jonathan Rolland
- CNRS, UMR5174, Laboratoire Evolution et Diversité Biologique, Université Toulouse 3 Paul Sabatier, Bâtiment 4R1, 118 Route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse, France
| | - Catherine Sheard
- School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1RL, UK; School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 2TZ, UK
| | - Hélène Morlon
- Institut de Biologie - École Normale Supérieure, Université PSL, CNRS, INSERM, 75005 Paris, France
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Bastide P, Didier G. The Cauchy Process on Phylogenies: A Tractable Model for Pulsed Evolution. Syst Biol 2023; 72:1296-1315. [PMID: 37603537 DOI: 10.1093/sysbio/syad053] [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: 04/06/2023] [Revised: 08/05/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 08/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Phylogenetic comparative methods use random processes, such as the Brownian Motion, to model the evolution of continuous traits on phylogenetic trees. Growing evidence for non-gradual evolution motivated the development of complex models, often based on Lévy processes. However, their statistical inference is computationally intensive and currently relies on approximations, high-dimensional sampling, or numerical integration. We consider here the Cauchy Process (CP), a particular pure-jump Lévy process in which the trait increment along each branch follows a centered Cauchy distribution with a dispersion proportional to its length. In this work, we derive an exact algorithm to compute both the joint probability density of the tip trait values of a phylogeny under a CP and the ancestral trait values and branch increments posterior densities in quadratic time. A simulation study shows that the CP generates patterns in comparative data that are distinct from any Gaussian process, and that restricted maximum likelihood parameter estimates and root trait reconstruction are unbiased and accurate for trees with 200 tips or less. The CP has only two parameters but is rich enough to capture complex-pulsed evolution. It can reconstruct posterior ancestral trait distributions that are multimodal, reflecting the uncertainty associated with the inference of the evolutionary history of a trait from extant taxa only. Applied on empirical datasets taken from the Evolutionary Ecology and Virology literature, the CP suggests nuanced scenarios for the body size evolution of Greater Antilles Lizards and for the geographical spread of the West Nile Virus epidemics in North America, both consistent with previous studies using more complex models. The method is efficiently implemented in C with an R interface in package cauphy, which is open source and freely available online.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Paul Bastide
- IMAG, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, Montpellier, France
| | - Gilles Didier
- IMAG, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, Montpellier, France
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Ortiz D, Pekár S, Bilat J, Shafaie S, Alvarez N, Gauthier J. Dynamic evolution of size and colour in the highly specialized Zodarion ant-eating spiders. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20230797. [PMID: 37554037 PMCID: PMC10410226 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.0797] [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: 04/05/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Ecological specialists constitute relevant case studies for understanding the mechanisms, potential and limitations of evolution. The species-rich and strictly myrmecophagous spiders of the genus Zodarion show diversified defence mechanisms, including myrmecomorphy of different ant species and nocturnality. Through Hybridization Capture Using RAD Probes (hyRAD), a phylogenomic technique designed for sequencing poorly preserved specimens, we reconstructed a phylogeny of Zodarion using 52 (approx. a third of the nominal) species that cover its phylogenetic and distributional diversity. We then estimated the evolution of body size and colour, traits that have diversified noticeably and are linked to defence mechanisms, across the group. Our genomic matrix of 300 loci led to a well-supported phylogenetic hypothesis that uncovered two main clades inside Zodarion. Ancestral state estimation revealed the highly dynamic evolution of body size and colour across the group, with multiple transitions and convergences in both traits, which we propose is likely indicative of multiple transitions in ant specialization across the genus. Our study will allow the informed targeted selection of Zodarion taxa of special interest for research into the group's remarkable adaptations to ant specialization. It also exemplifies the utility of hyRAD for phylogenetic studies using museum material.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- David Ortiz
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Stano Pekár
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Julia Bilat
- Geneva Natural History Museum, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Sepideh Shafaie
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
8
|
Rolland J, Henao-Diaz LF, Doebeli M, Germain R, Harmon LJ, Knowles LL, Liow LH, Mank JE, Machac A, Otto SP, Pennell M, Salamin N, Silvestro D, Sugawara M, Uyeda J, Wagner CE, Schluter D. Conceptual and empirical bridges between micro- and macroevolution. Nat Ecol Evol 2023; 7:1181-1193. [PMID: 37429904 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-023-02116-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2022] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/12/2023]
Abstract
Explaining broad molecular, phenotypic and species biodiversity patterns necessitates a unifying framework spanning multiple evolutionary scales. Here we argue that although substantial effort has been made to reconcile microevolution and macroevolution, much work remains to identify the links between biological processes at play. We highlight four major questions of evolutionary biology whose solutions require conceptual bridges between micro and macroevolution. We review potential avenues for future research to establish how mechanisms at one scale (drift, mutation, migration, selection) translate to processes at the other scale (speciation, extinction, biogeographic dispersal) and vice versa. We propose ways in which current comparative methods to infer molecular evolution, phenotypic evolution and species diversification could be improved to specifically address these questions. We conclude that researchers are in a better position than ever before to build a synthesis to understand how microevolutionary dynamics unfold over millions of years.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Rolland
- CNRS, UMR5174, Laboratoire Evolution et Diversité Biologique, Université Toulouse 3 Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France.
| | - L Francisco Henao-Diaz
- Department of Zoology, and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Michael Doebeli
- Department of Zoology, and Department of Mathematics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Rachel Germain
- Department of Zoology, and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Luke J Harmon
- Dept. of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, USA
| | - L Lacey Knowles
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | | | - Judith E Mank
- Department of Zoology, and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Antonin Machac
- Department of Zoology, and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Laboratory of Environmental Microbiology, Institute of Microbiology of the CAS, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Sarah P Otto
- Department of Zoology, and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Matt Pennell
- Departments of Quantitative and Computational Biology and Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Nicolas Salamin
- Department of Computational Biology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Daniele Silvestro
- Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Mauro Sugawara
- Department of Zoology, and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Mário Schenberg Institute, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Josef Uyeda
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Catherine E Wagner
- Department of Botany, and Program in Ecology and Evolution, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA
| | - Dolph Schluter
- Department of Zoology, and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Gao Y, Wu M. Accounting for 16S rRNA copy number prediction uncertainty and its implications in bacterial diversity analyses. ISME COMMUNICATIONS 2023; 3:59. [PMID: 37301942 PMCID: PMC10257666 DOI: 10.1038/s43705-023-00266-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2023] [Revised: 05/10/2023] [Accepted: 05/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
16S rRNA gene copy number (16S GCN) varies among bacterial species and this variation introduces potential biases to microbial diversity analyses using 16S rRNA read counts. To correct the biases, methods have been developed to predict 16S GCN. A recent study suggests that the prediction uncertainty can be so great that copy number correction is not justified in practice. Here we develop RasperGade16S, a novel method and software to better model and capture the inherent uncertainty in 16S GCN prediction. RasperGade16S implements a maximum likelihood framework of pulsed evolution model and explicitly accounts for intraspecific GCN variation and heterogeneous GCN evolution rates among species. Using cross-validation, we show that our method provides robust confidence estimates for the GCN predictions and outperforms other methods in both precision and recall. We have predicted GCN for 592605 OTUs in the SILVA database and tested 113842 bacterial communities that represent an exhaustive and diverse list of engineered and natural environments. We found that the prediction uncertainty is small enough for 99% of the communities that 16S GCN correction should improve their compositional and functional profiles estimated using 16S rRNA reads. On the other hand, we found that GCN variation has limited impacts on beta-diversity analyses such as PCoA, NMDS, PERMANOVA and random-forest test.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yingnan Gao
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, 485 McCormick Road, Charlottesville, VA, 22904, USA
| | - Martin Wu
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, 485 McCormick Road, Charlottesville, VA, 22904, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Hibbins MS, Breithaupt LC, Hahn MW. Phylogenomic comparative methods: Accurate evolutionary inferences in the presence of gene tree discordance. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2220389120. [PMID: 37216509 PMCID: PMC10235958 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2220389120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Phylogenetic comparative methods have long been a mainstay of evolutionary biology, allowing for the study of trait evolution across species while accounting for their common ancestry. These analyses typically assume a single, bifurcating phylogenetic tree describing the shared history among species. However, modern phylogenomic analyses have shown that genomes are often composed of mosaic histories that can disagree both with the species tree and with each other-so-called discordant gene trees. These gene trees describe shared histories that are not captured by the species tree, and therefore that are unaccounted for in classic comparative approaches. The application of standard comparative methods to species histories containing discordance leads to incorrect inferences about the timing, direction, and rate of evolution. Here, we develop two approaches for incorporating gene tree histories into comparative methods: one that constructs an updated phylogenetic variance-covariance matrix from gene trees, and another that applies Felsenstein's pruning algorithm over a set of gene trees to calculate trait histories and likelihoods. Using simulation, we demonstrate that our approaches generate much more accurate estimates of tree-wide rates of trait evolution than standard methods. We apply our methods to two clades of the wild tomato genus Solanum with varying rates of discordance, demonstrating the contribution of gene tree discordance to variation in a set of floral traits. Our approaches have the potential to be applied to a broad range of classic inference problems in phylogenetics, including ancestral state reconstruction and the inference of lineage-specific rate shifts.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mark S. Hibbins
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ONM5S 3B2, Canada
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN47405
| | - Lara C. Breithaupt
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN47405
- Department of Computer Science, Duke University, Durham, NC27710
| | - Matthew W. Hahn
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN47405
- Department of Computer Science, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN47405
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Bertram J, Fulton B, Tourigny JP, Peña-Garcia Y, Moyle LC, Hahn MW. CAGEE: Computational Analysis of Gene Expression Evolution. Mol Biol Evol 2023; 40:msad106. [PMID: 37158385 PMCID: PMC10195155 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msad106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2022] [Revised: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 05/01/2023] [Indexed: 05/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite the increasing abundance of whole transcriptome data, few methods are available to analyze global gene expression across phylogenies. Here, we present a new software package (Computational Analysis of Gene Expression Evolution [CAGEE]) for inferring patterns of increases and decreases in gene expression across a phylogenetic tree, as well as the rate at which these changes occur. In contrast to previous methods that treat each gene independently, CAGEE can calculate genome-wide rates of gene expression, along with ancestral states for each gene. The statistical approach developed here makes it possible to infer lineage-specific shifts in rates of evolution across the genome, in addition to possible differences in rates among multiple tissues sampled from the same species. We demonstrate the accuracy and robustness of our method on simulated data and apply it to a data set of ovule gene expression collected from multiple self-compatible and self-incompatible species in the genus Solanum to test hypotheses about the evolutionary forces acting during mating system shifts. These comparisons allow us to highlight the power of CAGEE, demonstrating its utility for use in any empirical system and for the analysis of most morphological traits. Our software is available at https://github.com/hahnlab/CAGEE/.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jason Bertram
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
- Department of Mathematics, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Ben Fulton
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
- University Information Technology Services, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
| | - Jason P Tourigny
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
- Department of Computer Science, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
| | | | - Leonie C Moyle
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
| | - Matthew W Hahn
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
- Department of Computer Science, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Sumner S, Favreau E, Geist K, Toth AL, Rehan SM. Molecular patterns and processes in evolving sociality: lessons from insects. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20220076. [PMID: 36802779 PMCID: PMC9939270 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2022] [Accepted: 09/16/2022] [Indexed: 02/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Social insects have provided some of the clearest insights into the origins and evolution of collective behaviour. Over 20 years ago, Maynard Smith and Szathmáry defined the most complex form of insect social behaviour-superorganismality-among the eight major transitions in evolution that explain the emergence of biological complexity. However, the mechanistic processes underlying the transition from solitary life to superorganismal living in insects remain rather elusive. An overlooked question is whether this major transition arose via incremental or step-wise modes of evolution. We suggest that examination of the molecular processes underpinning different levels of social complexity represented across the major transition from solitary to complex sociality can help address this question. We present a framework for using molecular data to assess to what extent the mechanistic processes that take place in the major transition to complex sociality and superorganismality involve nonlinear (implying step-wise evolution) or linear (implying incremental evolution) changes in the underlying molecular mechanisms. We assess the evidence for these two modes using data from social insects and discuss how this framework can be used to test the generality of molecular patterns and processes across other major transitions. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Collective behaviour through time'.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Seirian Sumner
- Centre for Biodiversity and Environmental Research, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Emeline Favreau
- Centre for Biodiversity and Environmental Research, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Katherine Geist
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, and Department of Entomology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
| | - Amy L. Toth
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, and Department of Entomology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
| | - Sandra M. Rehan
- Department of Biology, York University, Toronto, Canada M3J 1P3
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Mendes R, Nunes VL, Marabuto E, Costa GJ, Silva SE, Paulo OS, Simões PC. Testing drivers of acoustic divergence in cicadas (Cicadidae: Tettigettalna). J Evol Biol 2023; 36:461-479. [PMID: 36514855 PMCID: PMC10107868 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14133] [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: 01/27/2021] [Revised: 10/20/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Divergence in acoustic signals may have a crucial role in the speciation process of animals that rely on sound for intra-specific recognition and mate attraction. The acoustic adaptation hypothesis (AAH) postulates that signals should diverge according to the physical properties of the signalling environment. To be efficient, signals should maximize transmission and decrease degradation. To test which drivers of divergence exert the most influence in a speciose group of insects, we used a phylogenetic approach to the evolution of acoustic signals in the cicada genus Tettigettalna, investigating the relationship between acoustic traits (and their mode of evolution) and body size, climate and micro-/macro-habitat usage. Different traits showed different evolutionary paths. While acoustic divergence was generally independent of phylogenetic history, some temporal variables' divergence was associated with genetic drift. We found support for ecological adaptation at the temporal but not the spectral level. Temporal patterns are correlated with micro- and macro-habitat usage and temperature stochasticity in ways that run against the AAH predictions, degrading signals more easily. These traits are likely to have evolved as an anti-predator strategy in conspicuous environments and low-density populations. Our results support a role of ecological selection, not excluding a likely role of sexual selection in the evolution of Tettigettalna calling songs, which should be further investigated in an integrative approach.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Raquel Mendes
- Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (cE3c), Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Vera L Nunes
- Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (cE3c), Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Eduardo Marabuto
- Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (cE3c), Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Gonçalo J Costa
- Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (cE3c), Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Sara E Silva
- Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (cE3c), Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Octávio S Paulo
- Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (cE3c), Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Paula C Simões
- Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (cE3c), Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, Lisboa, Portugal
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Smith EG, Surm JM, Macrander J, Simhi A, Amir G, Sachkova MY, Lewandowska M, Reitzel AM, Moran Y. Micro and macroevolution of sea anemone venom phenotype. Nat Commun 2023; 14:249. [PMID: 36646703 PMCID: PMC9842752 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-35794-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Venom is a complex trait with substantial inter- and intraspecific variability resulting from strong selective pressures acting on the expression of many toxic proteins. However, understanding the processes underlying toxin expression dynamics that determine the venom phenotype remains unresolved. By interspecific comparisons we reveal that toxin expression in sea anemones evolves rapidly and that in each species different toxin family dictates the venom phenotype by massive gene duplication events. In-depth analysis of the sea anemone, Nematostella vectensis, revealed striking variation of the dominant toxin (Nv1) diploid copy number across populations (1-24 copies) resulting from independent expansion/contraction events, which generate distinct haplotypes. Nv1 copy number correlates with expression at both the transcript and protein levels with one population having a near-complete loss of Nv1 production. Finally, we establish the dominant toxin hypothesis which incorporates observations in other venomous lineages that animals have convergently evolved a similar strategy in shaping their venom.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Edward G Smith
- University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Department of Biological Sciences, Charlotte, NC, USA. .,School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom.
| | - Joachim M Surm
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.
| | - Jason Macrander
- University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Department of Biological Sciences, Charlotte, NC, USA.,Florida Southern College, Biology Department, Lakeland, FL, USA
| | - Adi Simhi
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.,The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, The School of Computer Science & Engineering, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Guy Amir
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.,The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, The School of Computer Science & Engineering, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Maria Y Sachkova
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.,Sars International Centre for Marine Molecular Biology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Magda Lewandowska
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Adam M Reitzel
- University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Department of Biological Sciences, Charlotte, NC, USA
| | - Yehu Moran
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Martin BS, Bradburd GS, Harmon LJ, Weber MG. Modeling the Evolution of Rates of Continuous Trait Evolution. Syst Biol 2022:6830631. [PMID: 36380474 DOI: 10.1093/sysbio/syac068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Rates of phenotypic evolution vary markedly across the tree of life, from the accelerated evolution apparent in adaptive radiations to the remarkable evolutionary stasis exhibited by so-called "living fossils". Such rate variation has important consequences for large-scale evolutionary dynamics, generating vast disparities in phenotypic diversity across space, time, and taxa. Despite this, most methods for estimating trait evolution rates assume rates vary deterministically with respect to some variable of interest or change infrequently during a clade's history. These assumptions may cause underfitting of trait evolution models and mislead hypothesis testing. Here, we develop a new trait evolution model that allows rates to vary gradually and stochastically across a clade. Further, we extend this model to accommodate generally decreasing or increasing rates over time, allowing for flexible modeling of "early/late bursts" of trait evolution. We implement a Bayesian method, termed "evolving rates" (evorates for short), to efficiently fit this model to comparative data. Through simulation, we demonstrate that evorates can reliably infer both how and in which lineages trait evolution rates varied during a clade's history. We apply this method to body size evolution in cetaceans, recovering substantial support for an overall slowdown in body size evolution over time with recent bursts among some oceanic dolphins and relative stasis among beaked whales of the genus Mesoplodon. These results unify and expand on previous research, demonstrating the empirical utility of evorates.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- B S Martin
- Department of Plant Biology, Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - G S Bradburd
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - L J Harmon
- Department of Biological Sciences, Institute for Bioinformatics and Evolutionary Studies (IBEST), University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83843, USA
| | - M G Weber
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Slater GJ. Topographically distinct adaptive landscapes for teeth, skeletons, and size explain the adaptive radiation of Carnivora (Mammalia). Evolution 2022; 76:2049-2066. [PMID: 35880607 PMCID: PMC9546082 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Models of adaptive radiation were originally developed to explain the early, rapid appearance of distinct modes of life within diversifying clades. Phylogenetic tests of this hypothesis have yielded limited support for temporally declining rates of phenotypic evolution across diverse clades, but the concept of an adaptive landscape that links form to fitness, while also crucial to these models, has received more limited attention. Using methods that assess the temporal accumulation of morphological variation and estimate the topography of the underlying adaptive landscape, I found evidence of an early partitioning of mandibulo-dental morphological variation in Carnivora (Mammalia) that occurs on an adaptive landscape with multiple peaks, consistent with classic ideas about adaptive radiation. Although strong support for this mode of adaptive radiation is present in traits related to diet, its signal is not present in body mass data or for traits related to locomotor behavior and substrate use. These findings suggest that adaptive radiations may occur along some axes of ecomorphological variation without leaving a signal in others and that their dynamics are more complex than simple univariate tests might suggest.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Graham J. Slater
- Department of the Geophysical SciencesUniversity of ChicagoChicagoIllinois60637
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Mahajan S, Agashe D. Evolutionary jumps in bacterial GC content. G3 GENES|GENOMES|GENETICS 2022; 12:6586800. [PMID: 35579351 PMCID: PMC9339322 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkac108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Genomic GC (Guanine-Cytosine) content is a fundamental molecular trait linked with many key genomic features such as codon and amino acid use. Across bacteria, GC content is surprisingly diverse and has been studied for many decades; yet its evolution remains incompletely understood. Since it is difficult to observe GC content evolve on laboratory time scales, phylogenetic comparative approaches are instrumental; but this dimension is rarely studied systematically in the case of bacterial GC content. We applied phylogenetic comparative models to analyze GC content evolution in multiple bacterial groups across 2 major bacterial phyla. We find that GC content diversifies via a combination of gradual evolution and evolutionary “jumps.” Surprisingly, unlike prior reports that solely focused on reductions in GC, we found a comparable number of jumps with both increased and decreased GC content. Overall, many of the identified jumps occur in lineages beyond the well-studied peculiar examples of endosymbiotic and AT-rich marine bacteria and do not support the predicted role of oxygen dependence. Our analysis of rapid and large shifts in GC content thus identifies new clades and novel contexts to further understand the ecological and evolutionary drivers of this important genomic trait.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Saurabh Mahajan
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research , Bengaluru 560065, India
- Atria University , Bengaluru 560024, India
| | - Deepa Agashe
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research , Bengaluru 560065, India
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Gao Y, Wu M. Microbial genomic trait evolution is dominated by frequent and rare pulsed evolution. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabn1916. [PMID: 35857501 PMCID: PMC9286504 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abn1916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 06/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
On the macroevolutionary time scale, does trait evolution proceed gradually or by rapid bursts (pulses) separated by prolonged periods of stasis or slow evolution? Although studies have shown that pulsed evolution is prevalent in animals, our knowledge about the tempo and mode of evolution across the tree of life is very limited. This long-standing debate calls for a test in bacteria and archaea, the most ancient and diverse forms of life with unique population genetic properties. Using a likelihood-based framework, we show that pulsed evolution is not only present but also prevalent and predominant in microbial genomic trait evolution. We detected two distinct types of pulsed evolution (small frequent and large rare jumps) that are predicted by the punctuated equilibrium and quantum evolution theories. Our findings suggest that major bacterial lineages could have originated in quick bursts and that pulsed evolution is a common theme across the tree of life.
Collapse
|
19
|
Proximate Composition, Predictive Analysis and Allometric Relationships, of the Edible Water Frog (Pelophylax epeiroticus) in Lake Pamvotida (Northwest Greece). SUSTAINABILITY 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/su14063150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
The edible water frog Pelophylax epeiroticus, distributed mainly in Northwest Greece and utilized commercially as food, was investigated in lake Pamvotida (Ioannina). The objective was to assess aspects of population structure (sex ratio, morphometric characteristics, allometric relationships) and proximate composition of the Epirus water frog (Pelophylax epeiroticus). Commercial samples (31 females and 54 males) were obtained and sex ratio, morphometric characteristics, allometric relationships and proximate composition were assessed. A significantly lower abundance of females was indicated (31 females and 54 males). Body length range was higher in females (females 3.4 mm, males 2.6 mm), whereas total weight range was higher in males (females 45.08 gr, males 48.35 gr). Differences in allometric relationships were indicated between sexes. The high protein (15.93 ± 3.32) and low lipid (0.25 ± 0.13) contents indicated that P. epeiroticus is an excellent food source of high nutritional value. A tree classification algorithm indicated that the principal contributing component for sex classification was dry matter, followed by a proportion of edible flesh and protein content. A predicted future increase in demand for wild-caught individuals requires the use of a suitable management plan, coupled with the development of farming practices aiming to assure the sustainable exploitation of this important resource and alleviate the pressure on its populations.
Collapse
|
20
|
General statistical model shows that macroevolutionary patterns and processes are consistent with Darwinian gradualism. Nat Commun 2022; 13:1113. [PMID: 35236836 PMCID: PMC8891346 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-28595-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2020] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Macroevolution posed difficulties for Darwin and later theorists because species’ phenotypes frequently change abruptly, or experience long periods of stasis, both counter to the theory of incremental change or gradualism. We introduce a statistical model that accommodates this uneven evolutionary landscape by estimating two kinds of historical change: directional changes that shift the mean phenotype along the branches of a phylogenetic tree, and evolvability changes that alter a clade’s ability to explore its trait-space. In mammals, we find that both processes make substantial independent contributions to explaining macroevolution, and are rarely linked. ‘Watershed’ moments of increased evolvability greatly outnumber reductions in evolutionary potentials, and large or abrupt phenotypic shifts are explicable statistically as biased random walks, allowing macroevolutionary theory to engage with the language and concepts of gradualist microevolution. Our findings recast macroevolutionary phenomena, illustrating the necessity of accounting for a variety of evolutionary processes simultaneously. ‘Macroevolution posed difficulties for Darwin and later theorists because species frequently change abruptly, or experience long periods of stasis, both counter to the theory of incremental change or gradualism. Here, the authors propose a macroevolutionary statistical model that accommodates this uneven evolutionary landscape, and shows how even abrupt macroevolutionary changes are compatible with gradualist microevolutionary processes.’
Collapse
|
21
|
Gao Y, Wu M. Modeling Pulsed Evolution and Time-independent Variation Improves the Confidence Level of Ancestral and Hidden State Predictions. Syst Biol 2022; 71:1225-1232. [PMID: 35212761 DOI: 10.1093/sysbio/syac016] [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: 04/06/2021] [Revised: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Ancestral state reconstruction is not only a fundamental tool for studying trait evolution, but also very useful for predicting the unknown trait values (hidden states) of extant species. A well-known problem in ancestral and hidden state predictions is that the uncertainty associated with predictions can be so large that predictions themselves are of little use. Therefore, for meaningful interpretation of predicted traits and hypothesis testing, it is prudent to accurately assess the uncertainty of the predictions. Commonly used constant-rate Brownian motion (BM) model fails to capture the complexity of tempo and mode of trait evolution in nature, making predictions under the BM model vulnerable to lack-of-fit errors from model misspecification. Using empirical data (mammalian body size and bacterial genome size), we show that the distribution of residual Z-scores under the BM model is neither homoscedastic nor normal as expected. Consequently, the 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of predicted traits are so unreliable that the actual coverage probability ranges from 33% (strongly permissive) to 100% (strongly conservative). Alternative methods such as BayesTraits and StableTraits that allow variable rates in evolution improve the predictions but are computationally expensive. Here we develop RasperGade, a method of ancestral and hidden state prediction that uses the Levy process to explicitly model gradual evolution, pulsed evolution and time-independent variation. Using the same empirical data, we show that RasperGade outperforms both BayesTraits and StableTraits in providing reliable confidence estimates and is orders-of-magnitude faster. Our results suggest that, when predicting the ancestral and hidden states of continuous traits, the rate variation should always be assessed and the quality of confidence estimates should always be examined.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yingnan Gao
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA
| | - Martin Wu
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Jhwueng DC. On the covariance of phylogenetic quantitative trait evolution models and their matrix condition. COMMUN STAT-SIMUL C 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/03610918.2022.2037639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
|
23
|
OUP accepted manuscript. Syst Biol 2022; 71:1487-1503. [DOI: 10.1093/sysbio/syac023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2021] [Revised: 02/20/2022] [Accepted: 03/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
|
24
|
García-Navas V, Tobias JA, Schweizer M, Wegmann D, Schodde R, Norman JA, Christidis L. Trophic niche shifts and phenotypic trait evolution are largely decoupled in Australasian parrots. BMC Ecol Evol 2021; 21:212. [PMID: 34837943 PMCID: PMC8626917 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-021-01940-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2021] [Accepted: 11/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Trophic shifts from one dietary niche to another have played major roles in reshaping the evolutionary trajectories of a wide range of vertebrate groups, yet their consequences for morphological disparity and species diversity differ among groups. METHODS Here, we use phylogenetic comparative methods to examine whether the evolution of nectarivory and other trophic shifts have driven predictable evolutionary pathways in Australasian psittaculid parrots in terms of ecological traits such as body size, beak shape, and dispersal capacity. RESULTS We found no evidence for an 'early-burst' scenario of lineage or morphological diversification. The best-fitting models indicate that trait evolution in this group is characterized by abrupt phenotypic shifts (evolutionary jumps), with no sign of multiple phenotypic optima correlating with different trophic strategies. Thus, our results point to the existence of weak directional selection and suggest that lineages may be evolving randomly or slowly toward adaptive peaks they have not yet reached. CONCLUSIONS This study adds to a growing body of evidence indicating that the relationship between avian morphology and feeding ecology may be more complex than usually assumed and highlights the importance of adding more flexible models to the macroevolutionary toolbox.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vicente García-Navas
- Department of Integrative Ecology, Doñana Biological Station EBD (CSIC), Seville, Spain.
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
- Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (cE3c), University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal.
| | - Joseph A Tobias
- Department of Life Sciences (Silwood Park), Faculty of Natural Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | | | - Daniel Wegmann
- Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Richard Schodde
- Australian National Wildlife Collection, CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, Canberra, Australia
| | | | - Les Christidis
- Southern Cross University, Coffs Harbour, NSW, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
McEntee JP, Zhelezov G, Werema C, Najar N, Peñalba JV, Mulungu E, Mbilinyi M, Karimi S, Chumakova L, Gordon Burleigh J, Bowie RCK. Punctuated evolution in the learned songs of African sunbirds. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20212062. [PMID: 34784761 PMCID: PMC8595995 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.2062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Learned traits are thought to be subject to different evolutionary dynamics than other phenotypes, but their evolutionary tempo and mode has received little attention. Learned bird song has been thought to be subject to rapid and constant evolution. However, we know little about the evolutionary modes of learned song divergence over long timescales. Here, we provide evidence that aspects of the territorial songs of Eastern Afromontane sky island sunbirds Cinnyris evolve in a punctuated fashion, with periods of stasis of the order of hundreds of thousands of years or more, broken up by evolutionary pulses. Stasis in learned songs is inconsistent with learned traits being subject to constant or frequent change, as would be expected if selection does not constrain song phenotypes over evolutionary timescales. Learned song may instead follow a process resembling peak shifts on adaptive landscapes. While much research has focused on the potential for rapid evolution in bird song, our results suggest that selection can tightly constrain the evolution of learned songs over long timescales. More broadly, these results demonstrate that some aspects of highly variable, plastic traits can exhibit punctuated evolution, with stasis over long time periods.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jay P McEntee
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.,Department of Biology, Missouri State University, Springfield, MO 65897, USA
| | - Gleb Zhelezov
- School of Mathematics, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FD, UK
| | - Chacha Werema
- Department of Zoology and Wildlife Conservation, University of Dar-es-salaam, PO Box 35064, Tanzania
| | - Nadje Najar
- School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68503, USA
| | - Joshua V Peñalba
- Museum für Naturkunde, Center for Integrative Biodiversity Discovery, Invalidenstrasse 43, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| | | | | | | | - Lyubov Chumakova
- School of Mathematics, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FD, UK
| | - J Gordon Burleigh
- Biology Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Rauri C K Bowie
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Harmon LJ, Pennell MW, Henao-Diaz LF, Rolland J, Sipley BN, Uyeda JC. Causes and Consequences of Apparent Timescaling Across All Estimated Evolutionary Rates. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ECOLOGY, EVOLUTION, AND SYSTEMATICS 2021. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-011921-023644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Evolutionary rates play a central role in connecting micro- and macroevolution. All evolutionary rate estimates, including rates of molecular evolution, trait evolution, and lineage diversification, share a similar scaling pattern with time: The highest rates are those measured over the shortest time interval. This creates a disconnect between micro- and macroevolution, although the pattern is the opposite of what some might expect: Patterns of change over short timescales predict that evolution has tremendous potential to create variation and that potential is barely tapped by macroevolution. In this review, we discuss this shared scaling pattern across evolutionary rates. We break down possible explanations for scaling into two categories, estimation error and model misspecification, and discuss how both apply to each type of rate. We also discuss the consequences of this ubiquitous pattern, which can lead to unexpected results when comparing ratesover different timescales. Finally, after addressing purely statistical concerns, we explore a few possibilities for a shared unifying explanation across the three types of rates that results from a failure to fully understand and account for how biological processes scale over time.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Luke J. Harmon
- Institute for Bioinformatics and Evolutionary Studies (IBEST) and Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho 83844, USA
| | - Matthew W. Pennell
- Department of Zoology and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - L. Francisco Henao-Diaz
- Department of Zoology and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Jonathan Rolland
- Laboratoire Evolution et Diversité Biologique, CNRS, UMR5174, Université Toulouse III–Paul Sabatier, 31062 Toulouse, France
| | - Breanna N. Sipley
- Program for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho 83844, USA
| | - Josef C. Uyeda
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, USA
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Nosil P, Feder JL, Gompert Z. Biodiversity, resilience and the stability of evolutionary systems. Curr Biol 2021; 31:R1149-R1153. [PMID: 34637720 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.01.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Various macro-evolutionary phenomena, such as long-term stability punctuated by bursts of evolution, are difficult to explain via the micro-evolutionary process of weak selection acting steadily on individual mutations. In contrast, bursts of change are expected if evolutionary systems are complex and balanced, with occasional disruption of balance. Such disruption represents the collapse of resilience, akin to the snapping of an elastic band. It can be driven by external factors, or by self-propagating feedback loops internal to a system. Thus, evolutionary resilience could help explain how evolution generates broader patterns of biodiversity. We outline evidence and tests for this hypothesis, which emphasizes the processes balancing evolution, as urged fifty years ago in ecological genetics and via modern results in a range of systems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Patrik Nosil
- CEFE, Univ. Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Univ Paul Valery Montpellier 3, Montpellier, 34293, France; Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA.
| | - Jeffrey L Feder
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
28
|
Button S, Borzée A. An integrative synthesis to global amphibian conservation priorities. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2021; 27:4516-4529. [PMID: 34091973 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2021] [Revised: 05/17/2021] [Accepted: 05/25/2021] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Human activities are driving many species to the brink of extinction, and the current distribution of protected areas only weakly alleviates pressure on threatened species. This discrepancy reflects the presence of protected areas on lands available instead of the ecological, evolutionary, or conservation values of species present. Habitat loss consequently continues to impact threatened species, as illustrated by geographic patterns of biodiversity loss for amphibians. Given the need to better align the boundaries of protected areas with at-risk biodiversity, we assessed the importance of various factors for identifying global and biome-level conservation priority areas, specifically for amphibians. We identified, mapped, and ranked areas of critical conservation importance for all amphibian species on earth using a new integrative tool that scores the urgency of conserving each species and location based on a combination of species characteristics and ecoregion-level human impacts. Our integrative approach is novel in that it accounts for likely threats to Data Deficient species, considers the irreplaceability of unique species that are phylogenetically isolated, and addresses the localized conservation implications of species endemicity and projected future human impacts to an ecoregion. For comparison, we also mapped and ranked amphibian biodiversity using species richness and an Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) score proxy. Our integrative approach predicted key regions for amphibian conservation that were not apparent when using a simple species richness or EDGE score proxy-based approach. Furthermore, by scaling conservation priority scores relative to biome, we identified several temperate and xeric regions of crucial yet overlooked conservation importance for amphibians. Until global amphibian diversity is thoroughly catalogued, we recommend using our integrative scoring approach to set geographic priorities for amphibian habitat protection, while acknowledging that this approach may be complemented by others (e.g., EDGE scores). Our study provides an avenue for avoiding common pitfalls of more simplistic species richness-based approaches for conservation planning, and can be used to improve the future design of protected areas.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sky Button
- Department of Biology, School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Vancouver, WA, USA
| | - Amaël Borzée
- Laboratory of Animal Behaviour and Conservation, College of Biology and the Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China
- IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group, Toronto, ON, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Adams RH, Blackmon H, DeGiorgio M. Of Traits and Trees: Probabilistic Distances under Continuous Trait Models for Dissecting the Interplay among Phylogeny, Model, and Data. Syst Biol 2021; 70:660-680. [PMID: 33587145 PMCID: PMC8208806 DOI: 10.1093/sysbio/syab009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2019] [Accepted: 02/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Stochastic models of character trait evolution have become a cornerstone of evolutionary biology in an array of contexts. While probabilistic models have been used extensively for statistical inference, they have largely been ignored for the purpose of measuring distances between phylogeny-aware models. Recent contributions to the problem of phylogenetic distance computation have highlighted the importance of explicitly considering evolutionary model parameters and their impacts on molecular sequence data when quantifying dissimilarity between trees. By comparing two phylogenies in terms of their induced probability distributions that are functions of many model parameters, these distances can be more informative than traditional approaches that rely strictly on differences in topology or branch lengths alone. Currently, however, these approaches are designed for comparing models of nucleotide substitution and gene tree distributions, and thus, are unable to address other classes of traits and associated models that may be of interest to evolutionary biologists. Here, we expand the principles of probabilistic phylogenetic distances to compute tree distances under models of continuous trait evolution along a phylogeny. By explicitly considering both the degree of relatedness among species and the evolutionary processes that collectively give rise to character traits, these distances provide a foundation for comparing models and their predictions, and for quantifying the impacts of assuming one phylogenetic background over another while studying the evolution of a particular trait. We demonstrate the properties of these approaches using theory, simulations, and several empirical data sets that highlight potential uses of probabilistic distances in many scenarios. We also introduce an open-source R package named PRDATR for easy application by the scientific community for computing phylogenetic distances under models of character trait evolution.[Brownian motion; comparative methods; phylogeny; quantitative traits.].
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Richard H Adams
- Department of Computer and Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL 33431, USA
| | - Heath Blackmon
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Michael DeGiorgio
- Department of Computer and Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL 33431, USA
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Mongiardino Koch N. Exploring adaptive landscapes across deep time: A case study using echinoid body size. Evolution 2021; 75:1567-1581. [PMID: 33782962 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2020] [Revised: 03/10/2021] [Accepted: 03/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Adaptive landscapes are a common way of conceptualizing the phenotypic evolution of lineages across deep time. Although multiple approaches exist to implement this concept into operational models of trait evolution, inferring adaptive landscapes from comparative datasets remains challenging. Here, I explore the macroevolutionary dynamics of echinoid body size using data from over 5000 specimens and a phylogenetic framework incorporating a dense fossil sampling and spanning approximately 270 million years. Furthermore, I implement a novel approach of exploring alternative parameterizations of adaptive landscapes that succeeds in finding simpler, yet better-fitting models. Echinoid body size has been constrained to evolve within a single adaptive optimum for much of the clade's history. However, most of the morphological disparity of echinoids was generated by multiple regime shifts that drove the repeated evolution of miniaturized and gigantic forms. Events of body size innovation occurred predominantly in the Late Cretaceous and were followed by a drastic slowdown following the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction. The discovery of these patterns is contingent upon directly sampling fossil taxa. The macroevolution of echinoid body size is therefore characterized by a late increase in disparity (likely linked to an expansion of ecospace), generated by active processes driving lineages toward extreme morphologies.
Collapse
|
31
|
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.
Collapse
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
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Castro KMSA, Amado TF, Olalla-Tárraga MÁ, Gouveia SF, Navas CA, Martinez PA. Water constraints drive allometric patterns in the body shape of tree frogs. Sci Rep 2021; 11:1218. [PMID: 33441858 PMCID: PMC7806824 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-80456-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Accepted: 12/16/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The origin of morphological diversity is a critical question in evolutionary biology. Interactions between the environment and developmental processes have determining roles in morphological diversity, creating patterns through space and over time. Also, the shape of organisms tends to vary with increasing size as a result of those developmental processes, known as allometry. Several studies have demonstrated that the body sizes of anurans are associated with hydric conditions in their environments and that localities with high water stress tend to select for larger individuals. However, how environmental conditions alter those patterns of covariance between size and shape is still elusive. We used 3D geometric morphometric analyses, associated with phylogenetic comparative methods, to determine if the morphological variations and allometric patterns found in Arboranae (Anura) is linked to water conservation mechanisms. We found effects of the hydric stress on the shape of Arboranae species, favouring globular shapes. Also, the allometric patterns varied in intensity according to the water stress gradient, being particularly relevant for smaller frogs, and more intense in environments with higher water deficits. Our study provides empirical evidence that more spherical body shapes, especially among smaller species, reflect an important adaptation of anurans to water conservation in water-constrained environments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen M S A Castro
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Conservação, Universidade Federal de Sergipe, São Cristóvão, Sergipe, 49.000-100, Brazil.
- PIBi Lab - Laboratório de Pesquisas Integrativas em Biodiversidade, Universidade Federal de Sergipe, São Cristóvão, Sergipe, 49100-000, Brazil.
| | - Talita F Amado
- Departamento de Biología, Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Tulipán s/n, Móstoles, 28933, Madrid, Spain
- PIBi Lab - Laboratório de Pesquisas Integrativas em Biodiversidade, Universidade Federal de Sergipe, São Cristóvão, Sergipe, 49100-000, Brazil
| | - Miguel Á Olalla-Tárraga
- Departamento de Biología, Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Tulipán s/n, Móstoles, 28933, Madrid, Spain
| | - Sidney F Gouveia
- Departamento de Ecologia, Universidade Federal de Sergipe, São Cristóvão, Sergipe, Brazil
- PIBi Lab - Laboratório de Pesquisas Integrativas em Biodiversidade, Universidade Federal de Sergipe, São Cristóvão, Sergipe, 49100-000, Brazil
| | - Carlos A Navas
- Departamento de Fisiologia Geral, Instituto de Biociência, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Pablo A Martinez
- Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Federal de Sergipe, São Cristóvão, Sergipe, Brazil
- PIBi Lab - Laboratório de Pesquisas Integrativas em Biodiversidade, Universidade Federal de Sergipe, São Cristóvão, Sergipe, 49100-000, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
De Lisle SP, Punzalan D, Rollinson N, Rowe L. Extinction and the temporal distribution of macroevolutionary bursts. J Evol Biol 2020; 34:380-390. [PMID: 33205504 PMCID: PMC7983991 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2020] [Revised: 09/29/2020] [Accepted: 11/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Phenotypic evolution through deep time is slower than expected from microevolutionary rates. This is the paradox of stasis. Previous models suggest stasis occurs because populations track adaptive peaks that remain relatively stable on million‐year intervals, raising the equally perplexing question of why these large changes are so rare. Here, we consider the possibility that peaks can move more rapidly than populations can adapt, resulting in extinction. We model peak movement with explicit population dynamics, parameterized with published microevolutionary estimates. Allowing extinction greatly increases the parameter space of peak movements that yield the appearance of stasis observed in real data through deep time. Extreme peak displacements, regardless of their frequency, will rarely result in an equivalent degree of trait evolution because of extinction. Thus, larger peak displacements will rarely be inferred using trait data from extant species or observed in fossil records. Our work highlights population ecology as an important contributor to macroevolutionary dynamics, presenting an alternative perspective on the paradox of stasis, where apparent constraint on phenotypic evolution in deep time reflects our restricted view of the subset of earth's lineages that were fortunate enough to reside on relatively stable peaks.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stephen P De Lisle
- Evolutionary Ecology Unit, Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - David Punzalan
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
| | - Njal Rollinson
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,School of the Environment, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Locke Rowe
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study, Uppsala, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Manceau M, Marin J, Morlon H, Lambert A. Model-Based Inference of Punctuated Molecular Evolution. Mol Biol Evol 2020; 37:3308-3323. [PMID: 32521005 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msaa144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
In standard models of molecular evolution, DNA sequences evolve through asynchronous substitutions according to Poisson processes with a constant rate (called the molecular clock) or a rate that can vary (relaxed clock). However, DNA sequences can also undergo episodes of fast divergence that will appear as synchronous substitutions affecting several sites simultaneously at the macroevolutionary timescale. Here, we develop a model, which we call the Relaxed Clock with Spikes model, combining basal, clock-like molecular substitutions with episodes of fast divergence called spikes arising at speciation events. Given a multiple sequence alignment and its time-calibrated species phylogeny, our model is able to detect speciation events (including hidden ones) cooccurring with spike events and to estimate the probability and amplitude of these spikes on the phylogeny. We identify the conditions under which spikes can be distinguished from the natural variance of the clock-like component of molecular substitutions and from variations of the clock. We apply the method to genes underlying snake venom proteins and identify several spikes at gene-specific locations in the phylogeny. This work should pave the way for analyses relying on whole genomes to inform on modes of species diversification.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marc Manceau
- Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Biology (CIRB), Collège de France, CNRS UMR 7241, INSERM U 1050, PSL Research University, Paris, France.,IBENS, Ecole Normale Supérieure, UMR 8197 CNRS, Paris, France.,DBSSE, ETH Zürich, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Julie Marin
- Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Biology (CIRB), Collège de France, CNRS UMR 7241, INSERM U 1050, PSL Research University, Paris, France
| | - Hélène Morlon
- IBENS, Ecole Normale Supérieure, UMR 8197 CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Amaury Lambert
- Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Biology (CIRB), Collège de France, CNRS UMR 7241, INSERM U 1050, PSL Research University, Paris, France.,Laboratoire de Probabilités, Statistique et Modélisation (LPSM), Sorbonne Université, CNRS UMR 8001, Paris, France
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Gemmell NJ, Rutherford K, Prost S, Tollis M, Winter D, Macey JR, Adelson DL, Suh A, Bertozzi T, Grau JH, Organ C, Gardner PP, Muffato M, Patricio M, Billis K, Martin FJ, Flicek P, Petersen B, Kang L, Michalak P, Buckley TR, Wilson M, Cheng Y, Miller H, Schott RK, Jordan MD, Newcomb RD, Arroyo JI, Valenzuela N, Hore TA, Renart J, Peona V, Peart CR, Warmuth VM, Zeng L, Kortschak RD, Raison JM, Zapata VV, Wu Z, Santesmasses D, Mariotti M, Guigó R, Rupp SM, Twort VG, Dussex N, Taylor H, Abe H, Bond DM, Paterson JM, Mulcahy DG, Gonzalez VL, Barbieri CG, DeMeo DP, Pabinger S, Van Stijn T, Clarke S, Ryder O, Edwards SV, Salzberg SL, Anderson L, Nelson N, Stone C. The tuatara genome reveals ancient features of amniote evolution. Nature 2020; 584:403-409. [PMID: 32760000 PMCID: PMC7116210 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2561-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2019] [Accepted: 06/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus)-the only living member of the reptilian order Rhynchocephalia (Sphenodontia), once widespread across Gondwana1,2-is an iconic species that is endemic to New Zealand2,3. A key link to the now-extinct stem reptiles (from which dinosaurs, modern reptiles, birds and mammals evolved), the tuatara provides key insights into the ancestral amniotes2,4. Here we analyse the genome of the tuatara, which-at approximately 5 Gb-is among the largest of the vertebrate genomes yet assembled. Our analyses of this genome, along with comparisons with other vertebrate genomes, reinforce the uniqueness of the tuatara. Phylogenetic analyses indicate that the tuatara lineage diverged from that of snakes and lizards around 250 million years ago. This lineage also shows moderate rates of molecular evolution, with instances of punctuated evolution. Our genome sequence analysis identifies expansions of proteins, non-protein-coding RNA families and repeat elements, the latter of which show an amalgam of reptilian and mammalian features. The sequencing of the tuatara genome provides a valuable resource for deep comparative analyses of tetrapods, as well as for tuatara biology and conservation. Our study also provides important insights into both the technical challenges and the cultural obligations that are associated with genome sequencing.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Neil J Gemmell
- Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
| | - Kim Rutherford
- Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Stefan Prost
- LOEWE-Center for Translational Biodiversity Genomics, Senckenberg Museum, Frankfurt, Germany
- South African National Biodiversity Institute, National Zoological Garden, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Marc Tollis
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
| | - David Winter
- School of Fundamental Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
| | | | - David L Adelson
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Alexander Suh
- Department of Ecology and Genetics - Evolutionary Biology, Evolutionary Biology Centre (EBC), Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Department of Organismal Biology - Systematic Biology, Evolutionary Biology Centre (EBC), Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Terry Bertozzi
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
- Evolutionary Biology Unit, South Australian Museum, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - José H Grau
- Amedes Genetics, Amedes Medizinische Dienstleistungen, Berlin, Germany
- Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, Leibniz-Institut für Evolutions- und Biodiversitätsforschung an der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Chris Organ
- Department of Earth Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Paul P Gardner
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Matthieu Muffato
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Hinxton, UK
| | - Mateus Patricio
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Hinxton, UK
| | - Konstantinos Billis
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Hinxton, UK
| | - Fergal J Martin
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Hinxton, UK
| | - Paul Flicek
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Hinxton, UK
| | - Bent Petersen
- Section for Evolutionary Genomics, The GLOBE Institute, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Lin Kang
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Pawel Michalak
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, USA
- Center for One Health Research, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, USA
- Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Thomas R Buckley
- Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research, Auckland, New Zealand
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Melissa Wilson
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Yuanyuan Cheng
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | | | - Ryan K Schott
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Melissa D Jordan
- The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Richard D Newcomb
- The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - José Ignacio Arroyo
- Departamento de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Nicole Valenzuela
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Tim A Hore
- Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Jaime Renart
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas 'Alberto Sols' CSIC-UAM, Madrid, Spain
| | - Valentina Peona
- Department of Ecology and Genetics - Evolutionary Biology, Evolutionary Biology Centre (EBC), Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Department of Organismal Biology - Systematic Biology, Evolutionary Biology Centre (EBC), Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Claire R Peart
- Department of Ecology and Genetics - Evolutionary Biology, Evolutionary Biology Centre (EBC), Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Division of Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilian University of Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Vera M Warmuth
- Department of Ecology and Genetics - Evolutionary Biology, Evolutionary Biology Centre (EBC), Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Division of Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilian University of Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Lu Zeng
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - R Daniel Kortschak
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Joy M Raison
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | | | - Zhiqiang Wu
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Didac Santesmasses
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Marco Mariotti
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Roderic Guigó
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Shawn M Rupp
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Victoria G Twort
- Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research, Auckland, New Zealand
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Nicolas Dussex
- Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Helen Taylor
- Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Hideaki Abe
- Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Donna M Bond
- Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - James M Paterson
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Daniel G Mulcahy
- Global Genome Initiative, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Vanessa L Gonzalez
- Global Genome Initiative, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA
| | | | | | - Stephan Pabinger
- Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT), Center for Health and Bioresources, Molecular Diagnostics, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Shannon Clarke
- AgResearch, Invermay Agricultural Centre, Mosgiel, New Zealand
| | - Oliver Ryder
- San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research, Escondido, CA, USA
| | - Scott V Edwards
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Steven L Salzberg
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Lindsay Anderson
- School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Nicola Nelson
- School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Clive Stone
- Ngatiwai Trust Board, Whangarei, New Zealand
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Womack MC, Bell RC. Two-hundred million years of anuran body-size evolution in relation to geography, ecology and life history. J Evol Biol 2020; 33:1417-1432. [PMID: 32672849 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2019] [Accepted: 07/07/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Surprisingly, little is known about body-size evolution within the most diverse amphibian order, anurans (frogs and toads), despite known effects of body size on the physiological, ecological and life-history traits of animals more generally. Here, we examined anuran body-size evolution among 2,434 species with over 200 million years of shared evolutionary history. We found clade-specific evolutionary shifts to new body-size optima along with numerous independent transitions to gigantic and miniature body sizes, despite the upper limits of anuran body size remaining quite consistent throughout the fossil record. We found a weak, positive correlation between a species' body size and maximum latitude and elevation, including a dearth of small species at higher elevations and broader latitudinal and elevational ranges in larger anurans. Although we found modest differences in mean anuran body size among microhabitats, there was extensive overlap in the range of body sizes across microhabitats. Finally, we found that larger anurans are more likely to consume vertebrate prey than smaller anurans are and that species with a free-swimming larval phase during development are larger on average than those in which development into a froglet occurs within the egg. Overall, anuran body size does not conform to geographic and ecological patterns observed in other tetrapods but is perhaps more notable for variation in body size within geographic regions, ecologies and life histories. Here, we document this variation and propose target clades for detailed studies aimed at disentangling how and why variation in body size was generated and is maintained in anurans.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Molly C Womack
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, District of Columbia, USA.,Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, USA
| | - Rayna C Bell
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, District of Columbia, USA.,Herpetology Department, California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, California, USA
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
Colston TJ, Kulkarni P, Jetz W, Pyron RA. Phylogenetic and spatial distribution of evolutionary diversification, isolation, and threat in turtles and crocodilians (non-avian archosauromorphs). BMC Evol Biol 2020; 20:81. [PMID: 32650718 PMCID: PMC7350713 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-020-01642-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2019] [Accepted: 06/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The origin of turtles and crocodiles and their easily recognized body forms dates to the Triassic and Jurassic. Despite their long-term success, extant species diversity is low, and endangerment is extremely high compared to other terrestrial vertebrate groups, with ~ 65% of ~ 25 crocodilian and ~ 360 turtle species now threatened by exploitation and habitat loss. Here, we combine available molecular and morphological evidence with statistical and machine learning algorithms to present a phylogenetically informed, comprehensive assessment of diversification, threat status, and evolutionary distinctiveness of all extant species. Results In contrast to other terrestrial vertebrates and their own diversity in the fossil record, the recent extant lineages of turtles and crocodilians have not experienced any global mass extinctions or lineage-wide shifts in diversification rate or body-size evolution over time. We predict threat statuses for 114 as-yet unassessed or data-deficient species and identify a concentration of threatened turtles and crocodilians in South and Southeast Asia, western Africa, and the eastern Amazon. We find that unlike other terrestrial vertebrate groups, extinction risk increases with evolutionary distinctiveness: a disproportionate amount of phylogenetic diversity is concentrated in evolutionarily isolated, at-risk taxa, particularly those with small geographic ranges. Our findings highlight the important role of geographic determinants of extinction risk, particularly those resulting from anthropogenic habitat-disturbance, which affect species across body sizes and ecologies. Conclusions Extant turtles and crocodilians maintain unique, conserved morphologies which make them globally recognizable. Many species are threatened due to exploitation and global change. We use taxonomically complete, dated molecular phylogenies and various approaches to produce a comprehensive assessment of threat status and evolutionary distinctiveness of both groups. Neither group exhibits significant overall shifts in diversification rate or body-size evolution, or any signature of global mass extinctions in recent, extant lineages. However, the most evolutionarily distinct species tend to be the most threatened, and species richness and extinction risk are centered in areas of high anthropogenic disturbance, particularly South and Southeast Asia. Range size is the strongest predictor of threat, and a disproportionate amount of evolutionary diversity is at risk of imminent extinction.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Timothy J Colston
- Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, 20052, USA. .,Present address: Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 32304, USA.
| | | | - Walter Jetz
- Center for Biodiversity and Global Change, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - R Alexander Pyron
- Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, 20052, USA
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Barua A, Mikheyev AS. Toxin expression in snake venom evolves rapidly with constant shifts in evolutionary rates. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20200613. [PMID: 32345154 PMCID: PMC7282918 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.0613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2020] [Accepted: 03/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Key innovations provide ecological opportunity by enabling access to new resources, colonization of new environments, and are associated with adaptive radiation. The most well-known pattern associated with adaptive radiation is an early burst of phenotypic diversification. Venoms facilitate prey capture and are widely believed to be key innovations leading to adaptive radiation. However, few studies have estimated their evolutionary rate dynamics. Here, we test for patterns of adaptive evolution in venom gene expression data from 52 venomous snake species. By identifying shifts in tempo and mode of evolution along with models of phenotypic evolution, we show that snake venom exhibits the macroevolutionary dynamics expected of key innovations. Namely, all toxin families undergo shifts in their rates of evolution, likely in response to changes in adaptive optima. Furthermore, we show that rapid-pulsed evolution modelled as a Lévy process better fits snake venom evolution than conventional early burst or Ornstein-Uhlenbeck models. While our results support the idea of snake venom being a key innovation, the innovation of venom chemistry lacks clear mechanisms that would lead to reproductive isolation and thus adaptive radiation. Therefore, the extent to which venom directly influences the diversification process is still a matter of contention.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Agneesh Barua
- Ecology and Evolution Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, 1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son, Kunigami-gun, Okinawa-ken 904-0495, Japan
| | - Alexander S. Mikheyev
- Ecology and Evolution Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, 1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son, Kunigami-gun, Okinawa-ken 904-0495, Japan
- Evolutionary genomics group, Australian National University, Canberra ACT 0200, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Voje KL, Di Martino E, Porto A. Revisiting a Landmark Study System: No Evidence for a Punctuated Mode of Evolution in Metrarabdotos. Am Nat 2020; 195:899-917. [PMID: 32364786 DOI: 10.1086/707664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Is speciation generally a "special time" in morphological evolution, or are lineage-splitting events just "more of the same" where the end product happens to be two separate lineages? Data on evolutionary dynamics during anagenetic and cladogenetic events among closely related lineages within a clade are rare, but the fossil record of the bryozoan genus Metrarabdotos is considered a textbook example of a clade where speciation causes rapid evolutionary change against a backdrop of morphological stasis within lineages. Here, we point to some methodological and measurement theoretical issues in the original work on Metrarabdotos. We then reanalyze a subset of the original data that can be meaningfully investigated using quantitative statistical approaches similar to those used in the original studies. We consistently fail to find variation in the evolutionary process during within-lineage evolution compared with cladogenetic events: the rates of evolution, the strength of selection, and the directions traveled in multivariate morphospace are not different when comparing evolution within lineages and at speciation events in Metrarabdotos, and genetic drift cannot be excluded as a sufficient explanation for the morphological differentiation within lineages and during speciation. Although widely considered the best example of a punctuated mode of evolution, morphological divergence and speciation are not linked in Metrarabdotos.
Collapse
|
40
|
Trait evolution is reversible, repeatable, and decoupled in the soldier caste of turtle ants. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:6608-6615. [PMID: 32152103 PMCID: PMC7104247 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1913750117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The scope of adaptive phenotypic change within a lineage is shaped by how functional traits evolve. Castes are defining functional traits of adaptive phenotypic change in complex insect societies, and caste evolution is expected to be phylogenetically conserved and developmentally constrained at broad phylogenetic scales. Yet how castes evolve at the species level has remained largely unaddressed. Turtle ant soldiers (genus Cephalotes), an iconic example of caste specialization, defend nest entrances by using their elaborately armored heads as living barricades. Across species, soldier morphotype determines entrance specialization and defensive strategy, while head size sets the specific size of defended entrances. Our species-level comparative analyses of morphotype and head size evolution reveal that these key ecomorphological traits are extensively reversible, repeatable, and decoupled within soldiers and between soldier and queen castes. Repeated evolutionary gains and losses of the four morphotypes were reconstructed consistently across multiple analyses. In addition, morphotype did not predict mean head size across the three most common morphotypes, and head size distributions overlapped broadly across all morphotypes. Concordantly, multiple model-fitting approaches suggested that soldier head size evolution is best explained by a process of divergent pulses of change. Finally, while soldier and queen head size were broadly coupled across species, the level of head size disparity between castes was decoupled from both queen head size and soldier morphotype. These findings demonstrate that caste evolution can be highly dynamic at the species level, reshaping our understanding of adaptive morphological change in complex social lineages.
Collapse
|
41
|
Phillips AG, Töpfer T, Böhning-Gaese K, Fritz SA. Rates of ecomorphological trait evolution in passerine bird clades are independent of age. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blz198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Although the links between species richness and diversification rates with clade age have been studied extensively, few studies have investigated the relationship between the rates of trait evolution and clade age. The rate of morphological trait evolution has repeatedly been shown to vary through time, as expected, for example, for adaptive radiations, but the strength and sources of this variation are not well understood. We compare the relationship between the rates of trait evolution and clade age across eight monophyletic clades of passerine birds by investigating ecomorphological traits, i.e. morphological traits that influence the ecology of the species directly. We study the ecomorphological divergence pattern using analyses of the disparity through time and determine the best-fitting model of evolution for each trait in each clade. We find no support for a consistent dependence of evolutionary rates on clade age across wing, tail, tarsus and beak shape in our eight clades and also show that early burst models of trait evolution are rarely the best-fitting models within these clades. These results suggest that key innovations or adaptive radiations might be less common evolutionary patterns and processes than generally thought or might depend on the taxonomic level investigated.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anna G Phillips
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Department of Biological Sciences, Institute for Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Till Töpfer
- Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig (ZFMK), Section Ornithology, Bonn, Germany
| | - Katrin Böhning-Gaese
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Department of Biological Sciences, Institute for Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Susanne A Fritz
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Department of Biological Sciences, Institute for Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
Abstract
Evolutionary biologists have long sought to understand the full complexity in pattern and process that shapes organismal diversity. Although phylogenetic comparative methods are often used to reconstruct complex evolutionary dynamics, they are typically limited to a single phenotypic trait. Extensions that accommodate multiple traits lack the ability to partition multidimensional data sets into a set of mosaic suites of evolutionarily linked characters. I introduce a comparative framework that identifies heterogeneity in evolutionary patterns across large data sets of continuous traits. Using a model of continuous trait evolution based on the differential accumulation of disparity across lineages in a phylogeny, the approach algorithmically partitions traits into a set of character suites that best explains the data, where each suite displays a distinct pattern in phylogenetic morphological disparity. When applied to empirical data, the approach revealed a mosaic pattern predicted by developmental biology. The evolutionary distinctiveness of individual suites can be investigated in more detail either by fitting conventional comparative models or by directly studying the phylogenetic patterns in disparity recovered during the analysis. This framework can supplement existing comparative approaches by inferring the complex, integrated patterns that shape evolution across the body plan from disparate developmental, morphometric, and environmental sources of phenotypic data.
Collapse
|
43
|
Blomberg SP, Rathnayake SI, Moreau CM. Beyond Brownian Motion and the Ornstein-Uhlenbeck Process: Stochastic Diffusion Models for the Evolution of Quantitative Characters. Am Nat 2019; 195:145-165. [PMID: 32017624 DOI: 10.1086/706339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Gaussian processes, such as Brownian motion and the Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process, have been popular models for the evolution of quantitative traits and are widely used in phylogenetic comparative methods. However, they have drawbacks that limit their utility. Here we describe new, non-Gaussian stochastic differential equation (diffusion) models of quantitative trait evolution. We present general methods for deriving new diffusion models and develop new software for fitting non-Gaussian evolutionary models to trait data. The theory of stochastic processes provides a mathematical framework for understanding the properties of current and future phylogenetic comparative methods. Attention to the mathematical details of models of trait evolution and diversification may help avoid some pitfalls when using stochastic processes to model macroevolution.
Collapse
|
44
|
MARTIN CHRISTOPHERH, RICHARDS EMILIEJ. The paradox behind the pattern of rapid adaptive radiation: how can the speciation process sustain itself through an early burst? ANNUAL REVIEW OF ECOLOGY, EVOLUTION, AND SYSTEMATICS 2019; 50:569-593. [PMID: 36237480 PMCID: PMC9555815 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-110617-062443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/27/2023]
Abstract
Rapid adaptive radiation poses a distinct question apart from speciation and adaptation: what happens after one speciation event? That is, how are some lineages able to continue speciating through a rapid burst? This question connects global macroevolutionary patterns to microevolutionary processes. Here we review major features of rapid radiations in nature and their mismatch with theoretical models and what is currently known about speciation mechanisms. Rapid radiations occur on three major diversification axes - species richness, phenotypic disparity, and ecological diversity - with exceptional outliers on each axis. The paradox is that the hallmark early stage of adaptive radiation, a rapid burst of speciation and niche diversification, is contradicted by most existing speciation models which instead predict continuously decelerating speciation rates and niche subdivision through time. Furthermore, while speciation mechanisms such as magic traits, phenotype matching, and physical linkage of co-adapted alleles promote speciation, it is often not discussed how these mechanisms could promote multiple speciation events in rapid succession. Additional mechanisms beyond ecological opportunity are needed to understand how rapid radiations occur. We review the evidence for five emerging theories: 1) the 'transporter' hypothesis: introgression and the ancient origins of adaptive alleles, 2) the 'signal complexity' hypothesis: the dimensionality of sexual traits, 3) the connectivity of fitness landscapes, 4) 'diversity begets diversity', and 5) flexible stem/'plasticity first'. We propose new questions and predictions to guide future work on the mechanisms underlying the rare origins of rapid radiation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- CHRISTOPHER H. MARTIN
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Integrative Biology and Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - EMILIE J. RICHARDS
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Integrative Biology and Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
45
|
Catalán A, Briscoe AD, Höhna S. Drift and Directional Selection Are the Evolutionary Forces Driving Gene Expression Divergence in Eye and Brain Tissue of Heliconius Butterflies. Genetics 2019; 213:581-594. [PMID: 31467133 PMCID: PMC6781903 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.119.302493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2019] [Accepted: 08/24/2019] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Investigating gene expression evolution over micro- and macroevolutionary timescales will expand our understanding of the role of gene expression in adaptation and speciation. In this study, we characterized the evolutionary forces acting on gene expression levels in eye and brain tissue of five Heliconius butterflies with divergence times of ∼5-12 MYA. We developed and applied Brownian motion (BM) and Ornstein-Uhlenbeck (OU) models to identify genes whose expression levels are evolving through drift, stabilizing selection, or a lineage-specific shift. We found that 81% of the genes evolve under genetic drift. When testing for branch-specific shifts in gene expression, we detected 368 (16%) shift events. Genes showing a shift toward upregulation have significantly lower gene expression variance than those genes showing a shift leading toward downregulation. We hypothesize that directional selection is acting in shifts causing upregulation, since transcription is costly. We further uncovered through simulations that parameter estimation of OU models is biased when using small phylogenies and only becomes reliable with phylogenies having ≥ 50 taxa. Therefore, we developed a new statistical test based on BM to identify highly conserved genes (i.e., evolving under strong stabilizing selection), which comprised 3% of the orthoclusters. In conclusion, we found that drift is the dominant evolutionary force driving gene expression evolution in eye and brain tissue in Heliconius Nevertheless, the higher proportion of genes evolving under directional than under stabilizing selection might reflect species-specific selective pressures on vision and the brain that are necessary to fulfill species-specific requirements.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ana Catalán
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Evolutionary Biology Centre (EBC), Uppsala University, 75236, Sweden
- Division of Evolutionary Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Planegg-Martinsried 82152, Germany
| | - Adriana D Briscoe
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, California 92697
| | - Sebastian Höhna
- Division of Evolutionary Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Planegg-Martinsried 82152, Germany
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Paleontology and Geobiology, 80333 Munich, Germany
- GeoBio-Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 80333 Munich, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
46
|
Voje KL. Testing eco-evolutionary predictions using fossil data: Phyletic evolution following ecological opportunity. Evolution 2019; 74:188-200. [PMID: 31461158 DOI: 10.1111/evo.13838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2019] [Revised: 07/02/2019] [Accepted: 07/15/2019] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Fossil sequences provide observations of phenotypes within a lineage over time and represent essential data for increasing our understanding of phyletic evolution beyond microevolutionary timescales. I investigate if fossil time series of the diatom Stephanodiscus niagarae/yellowstonensis follow evolutionary dynamics compatible with hypotheses for how the adaptive landscape changes when a population enters a new environment. The lineage-which has a remarkably detailed stratigraphic record-invaded Yellowstone Lake immediately after recession of ice from the basin 14,000 years ago. Several phyletic models portraying different types of evolutionary dynamics-both compatible and not compatible with changes in the adaptive landscape following ecological opportunity-were fitted to the fossil times-series of S. niagarae/yellowstonensis. Different models best describe the three analyzed traits. Two of the models (a new model of decelerated evolution and an Ornstein-Uhlenbeck model) capture trait dynamics compatible with an event of ecological opportunity, whereas the third model (random walk) does not. Entering a new environment may accordingly affect trait dynamics for thousands of years, but the effects can vary across phenotypes. However, tests of model adequacy reveal shortcomings in all three models explaining the trait dynamics, suggesting model development is needed to more fully understand the phyletic evolution in S. niagarae/yellowstonensis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kjetil Lysne Voje
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| |
Collapse
|
47
|
Martin CH, McGirr JA, Richards EJ, St. John ME. How to Investigate the Origins of Novelty: Insights Gained from Genetic, Behavioral, and Fitness Perspectives. Integr Org Biol 2019; 1:obz018. [PMID: 33791533 PMCID: PMC7671130 DOI: 10.1093/iob/obz018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Biologists are drawn to the most extraordinary adaptations in the natural world, often referred to as evolutionary novelties, yet rarely do we understand the microevolutionary context underlying the origins of novel traits, behaviors, or ecological niches. Here we discuss insights gained into the origins of novelty from a research program spanning biological levels of organization from genotype to fitness in Caribbean pupfishes. We focus on a case study of the origins of novel trophic specialists on San Salvador Island, Bahamas and place this radiation in the context of other rapid radiations. We highlight questions that can be addressed about the origins of novelty at different biological levels, such as measuring the isolation of novel phenotypes on the fitness landscape, locating the spatial and temporal origins of adaptive variation contributing to novelty, detecting dysfunctional gene regulation due to adaptive divergence, and connecting behaviors with novel traits. Evolutionary novelties are rare, almost by definition, and we conclude that integrative case studies can provide insights into this rarity relative to the dynamics of adaptation to more common ecological niches and repeated parallel speciation, such as the relative isolation of novel phenotypes on fitness landscapes and the transient availability of ecological, genetic, and behavioral opportunities.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- C H Martin
- Department of Integrative Biology and Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - J A McGirr
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27514, USA
| | - E J Richards
- Department of Integrative Biology and Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - M E St. John
- Department of Integrative Biology and Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| |
Collapse
|
48
|
Godoy PL, Benson RBJ, Bronzati M, Butler RJ. The multi-peak adaptive landscape of crocodylomorph body size evolution. BMC Evol Biol 2019; 19:167. [PMID: 31390981 PMCID: PMC6686447 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-019-1466-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2018] [Accepted: 06/24/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Little is known about the long-term patterns of body size evolution in Crocodylomorpha, the > 200-million-year-old group that includes living crocodylians and their extinct relatives. Extant crocodylians are mostly large-bodied (3-7 m) predators. However, extinct crocodylomorphs exhibit a wider range of phenotypes, and many of the earliest taxa were much smaller (< 1.2 m). This suggests a pattern of size increase through time that could be caused by multi-lineage evolutionary trends of size increase or by selective extinction of small-bodied species. Here, we characterise patterns of crocodylomorph body size evolution using a model fitting-approach (with cranial measurements serving as proxies). We also estimate body size disparity through time and quantitatively test hypotheses of biotic and abiotic factors as potential drivers of crocodylomorph body size evolution. RESULTS Crocodylomorphs reached an early peak in body size disparity during the Late Jurassic, and underwent an essentially continual decline since then. A multi-peak Ornstein-Uhlenbeck model outperforms all other evolutionary models fitted to our data (including both uniform and non-uniform), indicating that the macroevolutionary dynamics of crocodylomorph body size are better described within the concept of an adaptive landscape, with most body size variation emerging after shifts to new macroevolutionary regimes (analogous to adaptive zones). We did not find support for a consistent evolutionary trend towards larger sizes among lineages (i.e., Cope's rule), or strong correlations of body size with climate. Instead, the intermediate to large body sizes of some crocodylomorphs are better explained by group-specific adaptations. In particular, the evolution of a more aquatic lifestyle (especially marine) correlates with increases in average body size, though not without exceptions. CONCLUSIONS Shifts between macroevolutionary regimes provide a better explanation of crocodylomorph body size evolution on large phylogenetic and temporal scales, suggesting a central role for lineage-specific adaptations rather than climatic forcing. Shifts leading to larger body sizes occurred in most aquatic and semi-aquatic groups. This, combined with extinctions of groups occupying smaller body size regimes (particularly during the Late Cretaceous and Cenozoic), gave rise to the upward-shifted body size distribution of extant crocodylomorphs compared to their smaller-bodied terrestrial ancestors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pedro L Godoy
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK. .,Present Address: Department of Anatomical Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA.
| | | | - Mario Bronzati
- Laboratório de Paleontologia de Ribeirão Preto, FFCLRP, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Richard J Butler
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| |
Collapse
|
49
|
Huey RB, Garland T, Turelli M. Revisiting a Key Innovation in Evolutionary Biology: Felsenstein’s “Phylogenies and the Comparative Method”. Am Nat 2019; 193:755-772. [DOI: 10.1086/703055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
|
50
|
Tureček P, Slavík J, Kozák M, Havlíček J. Non-particulate inheritance revisited: evolution in systems with Parental Variability-Dependent Inheritance. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blz041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Petr Tureček
- Department of Philosophy and History of Science, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Jakub Slavík
- Department of Stochastic Informatics, Institute of Information Theory and Automation, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Pod Vodárenskou věží Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Michal Kozák
- Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Nuclear Sciences and Physical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague, Trojanova, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Havlíček
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná, Prague, Czech Republic
| |
Collapse
|