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Zimmer C, Hanson HE, Garrison M, Reese D, Dor R, Søraker JS, Ho Thu P, Sheldon EL, Martin LB. Immune gene expression and epigenetic potential affect the consumption of risky food by female house sparrows. Brain Behav Immun 2024; 119:6-13. [PMID: 38552921 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2024.03.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Revised: 03/15/2024] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 06/11/2024] Open
Abstract
When organisms move into new areas, they are likely to encounter novel food resources. Even if they are nutritious, these foods can also be risky, as they might be contaminated by parasites. The behavioural immune system of animals could help them avoid the negative effects of contaminated resources, but our understanding of behavioural immunity is limited, particularly whether and how behavioural immunity interacts with physiological immunity. Here, we asked about the potential for interplay between these two traits, specifically how the propensity of an individual house sparrow (Passer domesticus) to take foraging risks was related to its ability to regulate a key facet of its immune response to bacterial pathogens. Previously, we found that sparrows at expanding geographic range edges were more exploratory and less risk-averse to novel foods; in those same populations, birds tended to over-express Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), a pattern-recognition receptor that distinguishes cell-wall components of Gram-negative bacteria, making it the major sensor of potentially lethal gut microbial infections including salmonellosis. When we investigated how birds would respond to a typical diet (i.e., mixed seeds) spiked with domesticated chicken faeces, birds that expressed more TLR4 or had higher epigenetic potential for TLR4 (more CpG dinucleotides in the putative gene promoter) ate more food, spiked or not. Females expressing abundant TLR4 were also willing to take more foraging risks and ate more spiked food. In males, TLR4 expression was not associated with risk-taking. Altogether, our results indicate that behaviour and immunity covary among individual house sparrows, particularly in females where those birds that maintain more immune surveillance also are more disposed to take foraging risks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cedric Zimmer
- Global Health and Interdisciplinary Disease Research Center, University of South Florida 33612, USA; Laboratoire d'Ethologie Expérimentale et Comparée, LEEC, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, UR 4443, 93430 Villetaneuse, France.
| | - Haley E Hanson
- Global Health and Interdisciplinary Disease Research Center, University of South Florida 33612, USA
| | - Marisa Garrison
- Global Health and Interdisciplinary Disease Research Center, University of South Florida 33612, USA
| | - Darrys Reese
- Global Health and Interdisciplinary Disease Research Center, University of South Florida 33612, USA
| | - Roi Dor
- Department of Natural Life Sciences, The Open University of Israel, Ra'Anana, Israel
| | - Jørgen S Søraker
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics, Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology Høgskoleringen 5, NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway; Department of Natural History, NTNU University Museum, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Phuong Ho Thu
- Vietnam National University of Forestry, Hanoi 100000, Viet Nam
| | - Elizabeth L Sheldon
- Global Health and Interdisciplinary Disease Research Center, University of South Florida 33612, USA
| | - Lynn B Martin
- Global Health and Interdisciplinary Disease Research Center, University of South Florida 33612, USA
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2
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Ranke PS, Pepke ML, Søraker JS, David G, Araya‐Ajoy YG, Wright J, Nafstad ÅM, Rønning B, Pärn H, Ringsby TH, Jensen H, Sæther B. Long-distance dispersal in the short-distance dispersing house sparrow ( Passer domesticus). Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11356. [PMID: 38694748 PMCID: PMC11056847 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2024] [Revised: 04/05/2024] [Accepted: 04/12/2024] [Indexed: 05/04/2024] Open
Abstract
The house sparrow (Passer domesticus) is a small passerine known to be highly sedentary. Throughout a 30-year capture-mark-recapture study, we have obtained occasional reports of recoveries far outside our main metapopulation study system, documenting unusually long dispersal distances. Our records constitute the highest occurrence of long-distance dispersal events recorded for this species in Scandinavia. Such long-distance dispersals radically change the predicted distribution of dispersal distances and connectedness for our study metapopulation. Moreover, it reveals a much greater potential for colonization than formerly recorded for the house sparrow, which is an invasive species across four continents. These rare and occasional long-distance dispersal events are challenging to document but may have important implications for the genetic composition of small and isolated populations and for our understanding of dispersal ecology and evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter S. Ranke
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics (CBD), Department of BiologyNorwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)TrondheimNorway
- BirdLife NorwayTrondheimNorway
| | - Michael L. Pepke
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics (CBD), Department of BiologyNorwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)TrondheimNorway
- Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics, Globe Institute, Faculty of Health and Medical SciencesUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
| | - Jørgen S. Søraker
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics (CBD), Department of BiologyNorwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)TrondheimNorway
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of BiologyUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | - Gabriel David
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics (CBD), Department of BiologyNorwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)TrondheimNorway
- Animal Ecology, Department of Ecology and GeneticsUppsala UniversityUppsalaSweden
| | - Yimen G. Araya‐Ajoy
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics (CBD), Department of BiologyNorwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)TrondheimNorway
| | - Jonathan Wright
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics (CBD), Department of BiologyNorwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)TrondheimNorway
| | - Ådne M. Nafstad
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics (CBD), Department of BiologyNorwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)TrondheimNorway
| | - Bernt Rønning
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics (CBD), Department of BiologyNorwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)TrondheimNorway
- Department of Teacher EducationNorwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)TrondheimNorway
| | - Henrik Pärn
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics (CBD), Department of BiologyNorwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)TrondheimNorway
- Department of Aquatic Resources (SLU Aqua)Swedish University of Agricultural SciencesLysekilSweden
| | - Thor Harald Ringsby
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics (CBD), Department of BiologyNorwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)TrondheimNorway
| | - Henrik Jensen
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics (CBD), Department of BiologyNorwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)TrondheimNorway
| | - Bernt‐Erik Sæther
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics (CBD), Department of BiologyNorwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)TrondheimNorway
- The Gjærevoll Centre, Department of BiologyNorwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)TrondheimNorway
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Lauer ME, Kodak H, Albayrak T, Lima MR, Ray D, Simpson-Wade E, Tevs DR, Sheldon EL, Martin LB, Schrey AW. Introduced house sparrows (Passer domesticus) have greater variation in DNA methylation than native house sparrows. J Hered 2024; 115:11-18. [PMID: 37910845 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esad067] [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: 06/22/2023] [Revised: 09/27/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023] Open
Abstract
As a highly successful introduced species, house sparrows (Passer domesticus) respond rapidly to their new habitats, generating phenotypic patterns across their introduced range that resemble variation in native regions. Epigenetic mechanisms likely facilitate the success of introduced house sparrows by aiding particular individuals to adjust their phenotypes plastically to novel conditions. Our objective here was to investigate patterns of DNA methylation among populations of house sparrows at a broad geographic scale that included different introduction histories: invading, established, and native. We defined the invading category as the locations with introductions less than 70 years ago and the established category as the locations with greater than 70 years since introduction. We screened DNA methylation among individuals (n = 45) by epiRADseq, expecting that variation in DNA methylation among individuals from invading populations would be higher when compared with individuals from established and native populations. Invading house sparrows had the highest variance in DNA methylation of all three groups, but established house sparrows also had higher variance than native ones. The highest number of differently methylated regions were detected between invading and native populations of house sparrow. Additionally, DNA methylation was negatively correlated to time-since introduction, which further suggests that DNA methylation had a role in the successful colonization's of house sparrows.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Ellesse Lauer
- Department of Biology, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro and Savannah, GA 30458 and 31419, United States
| | - Haley Kodak
- Department of Biology, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro and Savannah, GA 30458 and 31419, United States
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, United States
| | - Tamer Albayrak
- Department of Biology, Budur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University, Burdur, Turkey
| | - Marcos R Lima
- Laboratório de Ecologia Evolutiva e Conservação, Departamento de Biologia Animal e Vegetal, Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Londrina, Paraná, Brazil
| | - Daniella Ray
- Department of Biology, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro and Savannah, GA 30458 and 31419, United States
| | - Emma Simpson-Wade
- Department of Biology, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro and Savannah, GA 30458 and 31419, United States
- Biomedical Science, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, United States
| | - David R Tevs
- Department of Biology, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro and Savannah, GA 30458 and 31419, United States
| | - Elizabeth L Sheldon
- USF Global Health and Infectious Disease Research Center and USF Genomics Center, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, United States
| | - Lynn B Martin
- USF Global Health and Infectious Disease Research Center and USF Genomics Center, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, United States
| | - Aaron W Schrey
- Department of Biology, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro and Savannah, GA 30458 and 31419, United States
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Swaegers J, De Cupere S, Gaens N, Lancaster LT, Carbonell JA, Sánchez Guillén RA, Stoks R. Plasticity and associated epigenetic mechanisms play a role in thermal evolution during range expansion. Evol Lett 2024; 8:76-88. [PMID: 38370551 PMCID: PMC10872138 DOI: 10.1093/evlett/qrac007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Revised: 12/06/2022] [Accepted: 12/28/2022] [Indexed: 02/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Due to global change, many species are shifting their distribution and are thereby confronted with novel thermal conditions at the moving range edges. Especially during the initial phases of exposure to a new environment, it has been hypothesized that plasticity and associated epigenetic mechanisms enable species to cope with environmental change. We tested this idea by capitalizing on the well-documented southward range expansion of the damselfly Ischnura elegans from France into Spain where the species invaded warmer regions in the 1950s in eastern Spain (old edge region) and in the 2010s in central Spain (new edge region). Using a common garden experiment at rearing temperatures matching the ancestral and invaded thermal regimes, we tested for evolutionary changes in (thermal plasticity in) larval life history and heat tolerance in these expansion zones. Through the use of de- and hypermethylating agents, we tested whether epigenetic mechanisms play a role in enabling heat tolerance during expansion. We used the phenotype of the native sister species in Spain, I. graellsii, as proxy for the locally adapted phenotype. New edge populations converged toward the phenotype of the native species through plastic thermal responses in life history and heat tolerance while old edge populations (partly) constitutively evolved a faster life history and higher heat tolerance than the core populations, thereby matching the native species. Only the heat tolerance of new edge populations increased significantly when exposed to the hypermethylating agent. This suggests that the DNA methylation machinery is more amenable to perturbation at the new edge and shows it is able to play a role in achieving a higher heat tolerance. Our results show that both (evolved) plasticity as well as associated epigenetic mechanisms are initially important when facing new thermal regimes but that their importance diminishes with time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janne Swaegers
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Stress Ecology and Ecotoxicology, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Simon De Cupere
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Stress Ecology and Ecotoxicology, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Noah Gaens
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Stress Ecology and Ecotoxicology, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Lesley T Lancaster
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom
| | - José A Carbonell
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Biology, University of Seville, Seville, Spain
| | | | - Robby Stoks
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Stress Ecology and Ecotoxicology, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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Koller KK, Kernbach ME, Reese D, Unnasch TR, Martin LB. House Sparrows Vary Seasonally in Their Ability to Transmit West Nile Virus. Physiol Biochem Zool 2023; 96:332-341. [PMID: 37713719 DOI: 10.1086/725888] [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] [Indexed: 09/17/2023]
Abstract
AbstractSeasonality in infectious disease prevalence is predominantly attributed to changes in exogenous risk factors. For vectored pathogens, high abundance, activity, and/or diversity of vectors can exacerbate disease risk for hosts. Conversely, many host defenses, particularly immune responses, are seasonally variable. Seasonality in host defenses has been attributed, in part, to the proximate (i.e., metabolic) and ultimate (i.e., reproductive fitness) costs of defense. In this study, our goal was to discern whether any seasonality is observable in how a common avian host, the house sparrow (Passer domesticus), copes with a common zoonotic arbovirus, the West Nile virus (WNV), when hosts are studied under controlled conditions. We hypothesized that if host biorhythms play a role in vector-borne disease seasonality, birds would be most vulnerable to WNV when breeding and/or molting (i.e., when other costly physiological activities are underway) and thus most transmissive of WNV at these times of year (unless birds died from infection). Overall, the results only partly supported our hypothesis. Birds were most transmissive of WNV in fall (after their molt is complete and when WNV is most prevalent in the environment), but WNV resistance, WNV tolerance, and WNV-dependent mortality did not vary among seasons. These results collectively imply that natural arboviral cycles could be partially underpinned by endogenous physiological changes in hosts. However, other disease systems warrant study, as this result could be specific to the nonnative and highly commensal nature of the house sparrow or a consequence of the relative recency of the arrival of WNV to the United States.
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The Mutagenic Consequences of DNA Methylation within and across Generations. EPIGENOMES 2022; 6:epigenomes6040033. [PMID: 36278679 PMCID: PMC9624357 DOI: 10.3390/epigenomes6040033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2022] [Revised: 09/20/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
DNA methylation is an epigenetic modification with wide-ranging consequences across the life of an organism. This modification can be stable, persisting through development despite changing environmental conditions. However, in other contexts, DNA methylation can also be flexible, underlying organismal phenotypic plasticity. One underappreciated aspect of DNA methylation is that it is a potent mutagen; methylated cytosines mutate at a much faster rate than other genetic motifs. This mutagenic property of DNA methylation has been largely ignored in eco-evolutionary literature, despite its prevalence. Here, we explore how DNA methylation induced by environmental and other factors could promote mutation and lead to evolutionary change at a more rapid rate and in a more directed manner than through stochastic genetic mutations alone. We argue for future research on the evolutionary implications of DNA methylation driven mutations both within the lifetime of organisms, as well as across timescales.
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7
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Wellenreuther M, Dudaniec RY, Neu A, Lessard JP, Bridle J, Carbonell JA, Diamond SE, Marshall KE, Parmesan C, Singer MC, Swaegers J, Thomas CD, Lancaster LT. The importance of eco-evolutionary dynamics for predicting and managing insect range shifts. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2022; 52:100939. [PMID: 35644339 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2022.100939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Revised: 05/17/2022] [Accepted: 05/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Evolutionary change impacts the rate at which insect pests, pollinators, or disease vectors expand or contract their geographic ranges. Although evolutionary changes, and their ecological feedbacks, strongly affect these risks and associated ecological and economic consequences, they are often underappreciated in management efforts. Greater rigor and scope in study design, coupled with innovative technologies and approaches, facilitates our understanding of the causes and consequences of eco-evolutionary dynamics in insect range shifts. Future efforts need to ensure that forecasts allow for demographic and evolutionary change and that management strategies will maximize (or minimize) the adaptive potential of range-shifting insects, with benefits for biodiversity and ecosystem services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maren Wellenreuther
- The New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research Ltd, Nelson, New Zealand; School of Biological Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Rachael Y Dudaniec
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Anika Neu
- Zoological Institute and Museum, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | | | - Jon Bridle
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, UK
| | - José A Carbonell
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Biology, University of Seville, Seville, Spain; Laboratory of Evolutionary Stress Ecology and Ecotoxicology, University of Leuven, Charles Deberiotstraat 32, Leuven B-3000, Belgium
| | - Sarah E Diamond
- Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Katie E Marshall
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Camille Parmesan
- Station d'Écologie Théorique et Expérimentale (SETE), CNRS, 2 route du CNRS, 09200 Moulis, France; Biological and Marine Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth PL4 8AA, UK; Dept of Geological Sciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712
| | - Michael C Singer
- Station d'Écologie Théorique et Expérimentale (SETE), CNRS, 2 route du CNRS, 09200 Moulis, France; Biological and Marine Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth PL4 8AA, UK
| | - Janne Swaegers
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Stress Ecology and Ecotoxicology, University of Leuven, Charles Deberiotstraat 32, Leuven B-3000, Belgium
| | - Chris D Thomas
- Leverhulme Centre for Anthropocene Biodiversity, University of York, Wentworth Way, York YO10 5DD, UK
| | - Lesley T Lancaster
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen UK AB24 2TZ.
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Hanson HE, Wang C, Schrey AW, Liebl AL, Ravinet M, Jiang RH, Martin LB. Epigenetic Potential and DNA Methylation in an Ongoing House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) Range Expansion. Am Nat 2022; 200:662-674. [DOI: 10.1086/720950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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9
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Hanson HE, Zimmer C, Koussayer B, Schrey AW, Maddox JD, Martin LB. Epigenetic potential affects immune gene expression in house sparrows. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:224/6/jeb238451. [PMID: 33775934 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.238451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2020] [Accepted: 02/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Epigenetic mechanisms may play a central role in mediating phenotypic plasticity, especially during range expansions, when populations face a suite of novel environmental conditions. Individuals may differ in their epigenetic potential (EP; their capacity for epigenetic modifications of gene expression), which may affect their ability to colonize new areas. One form of EP, the number of CpG sites, is higher in introduced house sparrows (Passer domesticus) than in native birds in the promoter region of a microbial surveillance gene, Toll-like Receptor 4 (TLR4), which may allow invading birds to fine-tune their immune responses to unfamiliar parasites. Here, we compared TLR4 gene expression from whole blood, liver and spleen in house sparrows with different EP, first challenging some birds with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), to increase gene expression by simulating a natural infection. We expected that high EP would predict high inducibility and reversibility of TLR4 expression in the blood of birds treated with LPS, but we did not make directional predictions regarding organs, as we could not repeatedly sample these tissues. We found that EP was predictive of TLR4 expression in all tissues. Birds with high EP expressed more TLR4 in the blood than individuals with low EP, regardless of treatment with LPS. Only females with high EP exhibited reversibility in gene expression. Further, the effect of EP varied between sexes and among tissues. Together, these data support EP as one regulator of TLR4 expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haley E Hanson
- University of South Florida, Global Health and Infectious Disease Research, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
| | - Cedric Zimmer
- University of South Florida, Global Health and Infectious Disease Research, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
| | - Bilal Koussayer
- University of South Florida, Global Health and Infectious Disease Research, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
| | - Aaron W Schrey
- Georgia Southern University Armstrong Campus, Department of Biology, Savannah, GA 31419, USA
| | - J Dylan Maddox
- Field Museum of Natural History, 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60605, USA.,American Public University System, Environmental Sciences, Charles Town, WV 25414, USA.,Universidad Científica del Perú, Laboratorio de Biotecnología y Bioenergética, Iquitos 16007, Perú
| | - Lynn B Martin
- University of South Florida, Global Health and Infectious Disease Research, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
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Stevenson TJ, Hanson HE, Martin LB. Theory, hormones and life history stages: an introduction to the symposium epigenetic variation in endocrine systems. Integr Comp Biol 2020; 60:1454-1457. [PMID: 33326579 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icaa140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
All organisms must respond to environmental stimuli, and most metazoans do so through endocrine system regulation. Hormonal fluctuations allow organisms to maintain and return to homeostasis following perturbations, making them vital for survival and fitness. Many components of the endocrine system (e.g., proteins, steroids, receptors, genome response elements, etc.) and the physiological and behavioral processes they regulate are conserved among vertebrates (e.g., the glucocorticoid stress response). However, there are sometimes dramatic differences among and within species, particularly in how hormonal variation affects phenotypes. Some such variation is driven by internal factors such as genetics, developmental stage, sex, individual age, and body condition in addition to external factors such as the type, magnitude, and duration of environmental stimuli. Eco-evolutionary endocrinology has been quite successful in describing this variation among and within species, but we have only just begun to understand how these factors interact to affect phenotypic diversity, ecological function, and evolution. Mounting evidence suggests that various molecular epigenetic modifications of genome structure and activity, such as deoxyribonucleic acid methylation, histone modifications, non-coding RNAs, and small RNAs, mediate the interactions between environmental conditions, individual traits, and the endocrine system. As some epigenetic modifications can be induced or removed by environmental stimuli, they represent promising candidates underlying endocrine regulation and variation, particularly epigenetic marks that can be stably inherited. This symposium discussed the role of epigenetic modifications in endocrine systems, mainly in natural populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tyler J Stevenson
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland
| | - Haley E Hanson
- Center for Global Health and Infectious Disease Research, College of Public Health University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Lynn B Martin
- Center for Global Health and Infectious Disease Research, College of Public Health University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
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