1
|
Cox DTC, Gaston KJ. Cathemerality: a key temporal niche. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2024; 99:329-347. [PMID: 37839797 DOI: 10.1111/brv.13024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Revised: 10/01/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023]
Abstract
Given the marked variation in abiotic and biotic conditions between day and night, many species specialise their physical activity to being diurnal or nocturnal, and it was long thought that these strategies were commonly fairly fixed and invariant. The term 'cathemeral', was coined in 1987, when Tattersall noted activity in a Madagascan primate during the hours of both daylight and darkness. Initially thought to be rare, cathemerality is now known to be a quite widespread form of time partitioning amongst arthropods, fish, birds, and mammals. Herein we provide a synthesis of present understanding of cathemeral behaviour, arguing that it should routinely be included alongside diurnal and nocturnal strategies in schemes that distinguish and categorise species across taxa according to temporal niche. This synthesis is particularly timely because (i) the study of animal activity patterns is being revolutionised by new and improved technologies; (ii) it is becoming apparent that cathemerality covers a diverse range of obligate to facultative forms, each with their own common sets of functional traits, geographic ranges and evolutionary history; (iii) daytime and nighttime activity likely plays an important but currently neglected role in temporal niche partitioning and ecosystem functioning; and (iv) cathemerality may have an important role in the ability of species to adapt to human-mediated pressures.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel T C Cox
- Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall, TR10 9FE, UK
| | - Kevin J Gaston
- Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall, TR10 9FE, UK
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Kemp AD. Effect of binocular visual cue availability on fruit and insect grasping performance in two cheirogaleids: Implications for primate origins hypotheses. J Hum Evol 2024; 188:103456. [PMID: 38325119 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2023.103456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Revised: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
Forward-facing eyes with parallel optic axes, which provide a wide field of binocular vision and precise depth perception, are among the diagnostic features of crown primates; however, the adaptive significance of this feature remains contentious. Two of the most prominent primate-origins hypotheses propose that either foraging for fruit or nocturnal predation on insects created selective pressures that led to the evolution of diagnostic primate traits, including a wide binocular field. To determine whether either of these hypotheses provides a viable explanation for the evolution of primates' derived eye orientation, the importance of binocular depth cues for the two tasks invoked by these hypotheses was evaluated experimentally in Microcebus murinus and Cheirogaleus medius, cheirogaleids' considered reasonable living analogs of the earliest euprimates. Performance in grasping insects and fruit was evaluated when the animals made use of their full binocular visual field and when their binocular visual field was restricted using a helmet-mounted blinder. Restriction of the binocular field had no effect on fruit grasping performance; however, restriction of the binocular field resulted in a significant deficit in insect predation performance. Differences in behavioral variables also suggest that insect predation is a more visually demanding task than fruit foraging. These results support the role of insect predation, but not fruit foraging, in contributing to the selective pressures that led to the evolution of parallel optic axes and a wide binocular field in crown primates.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Addison D Kemp
- Department of Integrative Anatomical Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, 403 Bishop Memorial Teaching Building, 133 San Pablo St, Los Angeles, CA, 90033-9112, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Munds RA, Cooper EB, Janiak MC, Lam LG, DeCasien AR, Bauman Surratt S, Montague MJ, Martinez MI, Research Unit CB, Kawamura S, Higham JP, Melin AD. Variation and heritability of retinal cone ratios in a free-ranging population of rhesus macaques. Evolution 2022; 76:1776-1789. [PMID: 35790204 PMCID: PMC9544366 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2022] [Revised: 05/03/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
A defining feature of catarrhine primates is uniform trichromacy-the ability to distinguish red (long; L), green (medium; M), and blue (short; S) wavelengths of light. Although the tuning of photoreceptors is conserved, the ratio of L:M cones in the retina is variable within and between species, with human cone ratios differing from other catarrhines. Yet, the sources and structure of variation in cone ratios are poorly understood, precluding a broader understanding of color vision variability. Here, we report a large-scale study of a pedigreed population of rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). We collected foveal RNA and analyzed opsin gene expression using cDNA and estimated additive genetic variance of cone ratios. The average L:M ratio and standard error was 1.03:1 ± 0.02. There was no age effect, and genetic contribution to variation was negligible. We found marginal sex effects with females having larger ratios than males. S cone ratios (0.143:1 ± 0.002) had significant genetic variance with a heritability estimate of 43% but did not differ between sexes or age groups. Our results contextualize the derived human condition of L-cone dominance and provide new information about the heritability of cone ratios and variation in primate color vision.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rachel A. Munds
- Department of Anthropology and ArchaeologyUniversity of CalgaryCalgaryABT2N 1N4Canada
| | - Eve B. Cooper
- Department of AnthropologyNew York UniversityNew YorkNew York10003,New York Consortium in Evolutionary PrimatologyNew YorkNew York10460
| | - Mareike C. Janiak
- Department of Anthropology and ArchaeologyUniversity of CalgaryCalgaryABT2N 1N4Canada,Department of AnthropologyNew York UniversityNew YorkNew York10003,School of Science, Engineering and EnvironmentUniversity of SalfordSalfordM5 4NTUnited Kingdom
| | - Linh Gia Lam
- Department of Anthropology and ArchaeologyUniversity of CalgaryCalgaryABT2N 1N4Canada
| | - Alex R. DeCasien
- Department of AnthropologyNew York UniversityNew YorkNew York10003,New York Consortium in Evolutionary PrimatologyNew YorkNew York10460,Section on Developmental NeurogenomicsNational Institute of Mental HealthBethesdaMaryland20892
| | | | - Michael J. Montague
- Department of NeuroscienceUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPennsylvania19104
| | - Melween I. Martinez
- Caribbean Primate Research CenterUniversity of Puerto RicoSan JuanPuerto Rico00936
| | | | - Shoji Kawamura
- Department of Integrated BiosciencesUniversity of TokyoKashiwa277‐8562Japan
| | - James P. Higham
- Department of AnthropologyNew York UniversityNew YorkNew York10003,New York Consortium in Evolutionary PrimatologyNew YorkNew York10460
| | - Amanda D. Melin
- Department of Anthropology and ArchaeologyUniversity of CalgaryCalgaryABT2N 1N4Canada,Department of Medical GeneticsUniversity of CalgaryCalgaryABT2N 1N4Canada,Alberta Children's Hospital Research InstituteUniversity of CalgaryCalgaryABT2N 1N4Canada
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Dominy NJ, Melin AD. Liminal Light and Primate Evolution. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ANTHROPOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-anthro-010220-075454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The adaptive origins of primates and anthropoid primates are topics of enduring interest to biological anthropologists. A convention in these discussions is to treat the light environment as binary—night is dark, day is light—and to impute corresponding selective pressure on the visual systems and behaviors of primates. In consequence, debate has tended to focus on whether a given trait can be interpreted as evidence of nocturnal or diurnal behavior in the primate fossil record. Such classification elides the variability in light, or the ways that primates internalize light in their environments. Here, we explore the liminality of light by focusing on what it is, its many sources, and its flux under natural conditions. We conclude by focusing on the intensity and spectral properties of twilight, and we review the mounting evidence of its importance as a cue that determines the onset or offset of primate activities as well as the entrainment of circadian rhythms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nathaniel J. Dominy
- Department of Anthropology, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire 03755, USA
| | - Amanda D. Melin
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Sánchez-Solano KG, Morales-Mávil JÉ, Laska M, Melin A, Hernández-Salazar LT. Visual detection and fruit selection by the mantled howler monkey (Alouatta palliata). Am J Primatol 2020; 82:e23186. [PMID: 32812274 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2020] [Revised: 07/23/2020] [Accepted: 08/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Howler monkeys (platyrrhini) have evolved routine trichromatic color vision independently from catarrhines, which presents an opportunity to test hypotheses concerning the adaptive value of distinguishing reddish from greenish hues. A longstanding hypothesis posits that trichromacy aids in the efficient detection of reddish-ripe fruits, which could be an advantage for the detection of the nutritional content of the fruit, such as sugars. In the present study, we assessed fruit visual conspicuity and selection based on color and sucrose content by wild mantled howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata) on Agaltepec Island, Mexico. We used colorimetry to classify dietary fruits as cryptic (greenish) or conspicuous (reddish) against their background leaves. Species-specific color models indicate that trichromatic howler monkeys should be more efficient in discriminating the conspicuous ripe fruits from leaves compared to detecting cryptic ripe fruits from leaves. We found howler monkeys consume more cryptic fruits compared to conspicuous fruits, and that they consume more unripe fruits than ripe fruits. The consumption (acceptance) of fruit was independent of sucrose content, and thus this disaccharide may not play an essential role in mantled howler food selection. Our findings suggest that routine trichromatic color vision may aid in the detection and discrimination of conspicuously colored fruits, but that the final decision whether to accept or reject a fruit probably involves the use of other senses in addition to vision.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Karem G Sánchez-Solano
- Biología de la Conducta, Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Veracruz, México
| | - Jorge É Morales-Mávil
- Biología de la Conducta, Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Veracruz, México
| | - Matthias Laska
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, IFM Biology, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Amanda Melin
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.,Department of Medical Genetics and Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Laura T Hernández-Salazar
- Biología de la Conducta, Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Veracruz, México
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Gawne TJ, Norton TT. An opponent dual-detector spectral drive model of emmetropization. Vision Res 2020; 173:7-20. [PMID: 32445984 DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2020.03.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2019] [Revised: 03/21/2020] [Accepted: 03/25/2020] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
In post-natal developing eyes a feedback mechanism uses optical cues to regulate axial growth so as to achieve good focus, a process termed emmetropization. However, the optical cues that the feedback mechanism uses have remained unclear. Here we present evidence that a primary visual cue may be the detection of different image statistics by the short-wavelength sensitive (SWS) and long-wavelength sensitive (LWS) cone photoreceptors, caused by longitudinal chromatic aberration (LCA). We use as a model system the northern tree shrew Tupaia belangeri, diurnal cone-dominated dichromatic mammals closely related to primates. We present an optical model in which the SWS and LWS photoreceptors each represent an image at different levels of defocus. The model posits that an imbalance between SWS and LWS image statistics directs eye growth towards the point at which these image statistics are in balance. Under spectrally broadband ("white") lighting, the focus of the eye is driven to a target point approximately in the middle of the visible spectrum, which is emmetropia. Calculations suggest that the SWS cone array, despite the sparse number of SWS cones, can plausibly detect the wavelength-dependent differences in defocus and guide refractive development. The model is consistent with the effects of various narrow-band illuminants on emmetropization in tree shrews. Simulations suggest that common artificial light spectra do not interfere with emmetropization. Simulations also suggest that multi-spectral multi-focal lenses, where the different optical zones of a multifocal lens have different spectral filtering properties, could be an anti-myopia intervention.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Timothy J Gawne
- Dept. of Optometry and Vision Science, University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), Birmingham, AL, United States.
| | - Thomas T Norton
- Dept. of Optometry and Vision Science, University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), Birmingham, AL, United States
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Eyun S. Accelerated pseudogenization of trace amine-associated receptor genes in primates. GENES, BRAIN, AND BEHAVIOR 2019; 18:e12543. [PMID: 30536583 PMCID: PMC6849804 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2018] [Revised: 12/03/2018] [Accepted: 12/05/2018] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Trace amines (TAs) in the mammalian brain have been investigated for four decades. Trace amine-associated receptors (TAARs) were discovered during the search for receptors activated by TAs. TAARs are considered a second class of vertebrate olfactory receptors and successfully proliferated in conjunction with adaptation to living on the ground to detect carnivore odors. Thus, therian mammals have a high number of TAAR genes due to rapid species-specific gene duplications. In primate lineages, however, their genomes have significantly smaller numbers of TAAR genes than do other mammals. To elucidate the evolutionary force driving these patterns, exhaustive data mining of TAAR genes was performed for 13 primate genomes (covering all four infraorders) and two nonprimate euarchontan genomes. This study identified a large number of pseudogenes in many of these primate genomes and thus investigated the pseudogenization event process for the TAAR repertoires. The degeneration of TAARs is likely associated with arboreal inhabitants reducing their exposure to carnivores, and this was accelerated by the change in the nose shape of haplorhines after their divergence from strepsirrhines. Arboreal life may have decreased the reliance on the chemosensing of predators, suggestive of leading to the depauperation of TAAR subfamilies. The evolutionary deterioration of TAARs in primates has been reestablished in recently derived primates due to high selection pressure and probably functional diversity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Seong‐il Eyun
- Department of Life ScienceChung‐Ang UniversitySeoulKorea
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Duytschaever G, Janiak MC, Ong PS, Wells K, Dominy NJ, Melin AD. Opsin genes of select treeshrews resolve ancestral character states within Scandentia. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2019; 6:182037. [PMID: 31183134 PMCID: PMC6502361 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.182037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2018] [Accepted: 03/21/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Treeshrews are small, squirrel-like mammals in the order Scandentia, which is nested together with Primates and Dermoptera in the superordinal group Euarchonta. They are often described as living fossils, and researchers have long turned to treeshrews as a model or ecological analogue for ancestral primates. A comparative study of colour vision-encoding genes within Scandentia found a derived amino acid substitution in the long-wavelength sensitive opsin gene (OPN1LW) of the Bornean smooth-tailed treeshrew (Dendrogale melanura). The opsin, by inference, is red-shifted by ca 6 nm with an inferred peak sensitivity of 561 nm. It is tempting to view this trait as a novel visual adaptation; however, the genetic and functional diversity of visual pigments in treeshrews is unresolved outside of Borneo. Here, we report gene sequences from the northern smooth-tailed treeshrew (Dendrogale murina) and the Mindanao treeshrew (Tupaia everetti, the senior synonym of Urogale everetti). We found that the opsin genes are under purifying selection and that D. murina shares the same substitution as its congener, a result that distinguishes Dendrogale from other treeshrews, including T. everetti. We discuss the implications of opsin functional variation in light of limited knowledge about the visual ecology of smooth-tailed treeshrews.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gwen Duytschaever
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Mareike C. Janiak
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Perry S. Ong
- Institute of Biology, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines
| | - Konstans Wells
- Department of Biosciences, Swansea University, Wales, UK
| | - Nathaniel J. Dominy
- Department of Anthropology, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Amanda D. Melin
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Niimura Y, Matsui A, Touhara K. Acceleration of Olfactory Receptor Gene Loss in Primate Evolution: Possible Link to Anatomical Change in Sensory Systems and Dietary Transition. Mol Biol Evol 2019; 35:1437-1450. [PMID: 29659972 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msy042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Primates have traditionally been regarded as vision-oriented animals with low olfactory ability, though this "microsmatic primates" view has been challenged recently. To clarify when and how degeneration of the olfactory system occurred and to specify the relevant factors during primate evolution, we here examined the olfactory receptor (OR) genes from 24 phylogenetically and ecologically diverse primate species. The results revealed that strepsirrhines with curved noses had functional OR gene repertoires that were nearly twice as large as those for haplorhines with simple noses. Neither activity pattern (nocturnal/diurnal) nor color vision system showed significant correlation with the number of functional OR genes while phylogeny and nose structure (haplorhine/strepsirrhine) are statistically controlled, but extent of folivory did. We traced the evolutionary fates of individual OR genes by identifying orthologous gene groups, demonstrating that the rates of OR gene losses were accelerated at the ancestral branch of haplorhines, which coincided with the acquisition of acute vision. The highest rate of OR gene loss was observed at the ancestral branch of leaf-eating colobines; this reduction is possibly linked with the dietary transition from frugivory to folivory because odor information is essential for fruit foraging but less so for leaf foraging. Intriguingly, we found accelerations of OR gene losses in an external branch to every hominoid species examined. These findings suggest that the current OR gene repertoire in each species has been shaped by a complex interplay of phylogeny, anatomy, and habitat; therefore, multiple factors may contribute to the olfactory degeneration in primates.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yoshihito Niimura
- Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.,ERATO Touhara Chemosensory Signal Project, JST, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.,Lead Contact
| | - Atsushi Matsui
- Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.,ERATO Touhara Chemosensory Signal Project, JST, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kazushige Touhara
- Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.,ERATO Touhara Chemosensory Signal Project, JST, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Kries K, Barros MAS, Duytschaever G, Orkin JD, Janiak MC, Pessoa DMA, Melin AD. Colour vision variation in leaf-nosed bats (Phyllostomidae): Links to cave roosting and dietary specialization. Mol Ecol 2018; 27:3627-3640. [PMID: 30059176 DOI: 10.1111/mec.14818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2017] [Revised: 06/15/2018] [Accepted: 06/21/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Bats are a diverse radiation of mammals of enduring interest for understanding the evolution of sensory specialization. Colour vision variation among species has previously been linked to roosting preferences and echolocation form in the suborder Yinpterochiroptera, yet questions remain about the roles of diet and habitat in shaping bat visual ecology. We sequenced OPN1SW and OPN1LW opsin genes for 20 species of leaf-nosed bats (family Phyllostomidae; suborder Yangochiroptera) with diverse roosting and dietary ecologies, along with one vespertilionid species (Myotis lavali). OPN1LW genes appear intact for all species, and predicted spectral tuning of long-wavelength opsins varied among lineages. OPN1SW genes appear intact and under purifying selection for Myotis lavali and most phyllostomid bats, with two exceptions: (a) We found evidence of ancient OPN1SW pseudogenization in the vampire bat lineage, and loss-of-function mutations in all three species of extant vampire bats; (b) we additionally found a recent, independently derived OPN1SW pseudogene in Lonchophylla mordax, a cave-roosting species. These mutations in leaf-nosed bats are independent of the OPN1SW pseudogenization events previously reported in Yinpterochiropterans. Therefore, the evolution of monochromacy (complete colour blindness) has occurred in both suborders of bats and under various evolutionary drivers; we find independent support for the hypothesis that obligate cave roosting drives colour vision loss. We additionally suggest that haematophagous dietary specialization and corresponding selection on nonvisual senses led to loss of colour vision through evolutionary sensory trade-off. Our results underscore the evolutionary plasticity of opsins among nocturnal mammals.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kelly Kries
- Department of Anthropology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Marília A S Barros
- Department of Physiology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
| | - Gwen Duytschaever
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Joseph D Orkin
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Mareike C Janiak
- Department of Anthropology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey
| | - Daniel M A Pessoa
- Department of Physiology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
| | - Amanda D Melin
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.,Department of Medical Genetics, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Janiak MC, Chaney ME, Tosi AJ. Evolution of Acidic Mammalian Chitinase Genes (CHIA) Is Related to Body Mass and Insectivory in Primates. Mol Biol Evol 2017; 35:607-622. [PMID: 29216399 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msx312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Insects are an important food resource for many primates, but the chitinous exoskeletons of arthropods have long been considered to be indigestible by the digestive enzymes of most mammals. However, recently mice and insectivorous bats were found to produce the enzyme acidic mammalian chitinase (AMCase) to digest insect exoskeletons. Here, we report on the gene CHIA and its paralogs, which encode AMCase, in a comparative sample of nonhuman primates. Our results show that early primates likely had three CHIA genes, suggesting that insects were an important component of the ancestral primate diet. With some exceptions, most extant primate species retain only one functional CHIA paralog. The exceptions include two colobine species, in which all CHIA genes have premature stop codons, and several New World monkey species that retain two functional genes. The most insectivorous species in our sample also have the largest number of functional CHIA genes. Tupaia chinensis and Otolemur garnettii retain three functional CHIA paralogs, whereas Tarsius syrichta has a total of five, two of which may be duplications specific to the tarsier lineage. Selection analyses indicate that CHIA genes are under more intense selection in species with higher insect consumption, as well as in smaller-bodied species (<500 g), providing molecular support for Kay's Threshold, a well-established component of primatological theory which proposes that only small primates can be primarily insectivorous. These findings suggest that primates, like mice and insectivorous bats, may use the enzyme AMCase to digest the chitin in insect exoskeletons, providing potentially significant nutritional benefits.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mareike C Janiak
- Department of Anthropology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ.,Center for Human Evolutionary Studies, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ.,Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, NY
| | - Morgan E Chaney
- Department of Anthropology, Kent State University, Kent, OH.,School of Biomedical Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH
| | - Anthony J Tosi
- Department of Anthropology, Kent State University, Kent, OH.,School of Biomedical Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Moritz GL, Ong PS, Perry GH, Dominy NJ. Functional preservation and variation in the cone opsin genes of nocturnal tarsiers. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2017; 372:rstb.2016.0075. [PMID: 28193820 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2016.0075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/14/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The short-wavelength sensitive (S-) opsin gene OPN1SW is pseudogenized in some nocturnal primates and retained in others, enabling dichromatic colour vision. Debate on the functional significance of this variation has focused on dark conditions, yet many nocturnal species initiate activity under dim (mesopic) light levels that can support colour vision. Tarsiers are nocturnal, twilight-active primates and exemplary visual predators; they also express different colour vision phenotypes, raising the possibility of discrete adaptations to mesopic conditions. To explore this premise, we conducted a field study in two stages. First, to estimate the level of functional constraint on colour vision, we sequenced OPN1SW in 12 wild-caught Philippine tarsiers (Tarsius syrichta). Second, to explore whether the dichromatic visual systems of Philippine and Bornean (Tarsius bancanus) tarsiers-which express alternate versions of the medium/long-wavelength sensitive (M/L-) opsin gene OPN1MW/OPN1LW-confer differential advantages specific to their respective habitats, we used twilight and moonlight conditions to model the visual contrasts of invertebrate prey. We detected a signature of purifying selection for OPN1SW, indicating that colour vision confers an adaptive advantage to tarsiers. However, this advantage extends to a relatively small proportion of prey-background contrasts, and mostly brown arthropod prey amid leaf litter. We also found that the colour vision of T. bancanus is advantageous for discriminating prey under twilight that is enriched in shorter (bluer) wavelengths, a plausible idiosyncrasy of understorey habitats in Borneo.This article is part of the themed issue 'Vision in dim light'.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gillian L Moritz
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, 104 Biological Sciences Building, Campus Box 90383, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Perry S Ong
- Institute of Biology, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines
| | - George H Perry
- Departments of Anthropology and Biology, Pennsylvania State University, 513 Carpenter Building, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Nathaniel J Dominy
- Department of Anthropology, Dartmouth College, 6047 Silsby Hall, Hanover, NH 03755, USA .,Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, Class of 1978 Life Sciences Center, 78 College Street, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Hauser FE, Ilves KL, Schott RK, Castiglione GM, López-Fernández H, Chang BSW. Accelerated Evolution and Functional Divergence of the Dim Light Visual Pigment Accompanies Cichlid Colonization of Central America. Mol Biol Evol 2017; 34:2650-2664. [PMID: 28957507 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msx192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Cichlids encompass one of the most diverse groups of fishes in South and Central America, and show extensive variation in life history, morphology, and colouration. While studies of visual system evolution in cichlids have focussed largely on the African rift lake species flocks, Neotropical cichlids offer a unique opportunity to investigate visual system evolution at broader temporal and geographic scales. South American cichlid colonization of Central America has likely promoted accelerated rates of morphological evolution in Central American lineages as they encountered reduced competition, renewed ecological opportunity, and novel aquatic habitats. To investigate whether such transitions have influenced molecular evolution of vision in Central American cichlids, we sequenced the dim-light rhodopsin gene in 101 Neotropical cichlid species, spanning the diversity of the clade. We find strong evidence for increased rates of evolution in Central American cichlid rhodopsin relative to South American lineages, and identify several sites under positive selection in rhodopsin that likely contribute to adaptation to different photic environments. We expressed a Neotropical cichlid rhodopsin protein invitro for the first time, and found that while its spectral tuning properties were characteristic of typical vertebrate rhodopsin pigments, the rate of decay of its active signalling form was much slower, consistent with dim light adaptation in other vertebrate rhodopsins. Using site-directed mutagenesis combined with spectroscopic assays, we found that a key amino acid substitution present in some Central American cichlids accelerates the rate of decay of active rhodopsin, which may mediate adaptation to clear water habitats.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Frances E Hauser
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Katriina L Ilves
- Department of Natural History, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Biology, Pace University, New York, NY
| | - Ryan K Schott
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Gianni M Castiglione
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Hernán López-Fernández
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Natural History, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Belinda S W Chang
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Centre for the Analysis of Genome Evolution and Function, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Temporal niche expansion in mammals from a nocturnal ancestor after dinosaur extinction. Nat Ecol Evol 2017; 1:1889-1895. [DOI: 10.1038/s41559-017-0366-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2017] [Accepted: 10/05/2017] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
|
15
|
Insights into visual pigment adaptation and diversity from model ecological and evolutionary systems. Curr Opin Genet Dev 2017; 47:110-120. [PMID: 29102895 DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2017.09.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2017] [Revised: 09/18/2017] [Accepted: 09/29/2017] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Sensory systems provide valuable insight into the evolution of molecular mechanisms underlying organismal anatomy, physiology, and behaviour. Visual pigments, which mediate the first step in visual transduction, offer a unique window into the relationship between molecular variation and visual performance, and enhance our understanding of how ecology, life history, and physiology may shape genetic variation across a variety of organisms. Here we review recent work investigating vertebrate visual pigments from a number of perspectives. Opsin gene duplication, loss, differential expression, structural variation, and the physiological context in which they operate, have profoundly shaped the visual capabilities of vertebrates adapting to novel environments. We note the importance of conceptual frameworks in investigating visual pigment diversity in vertebrates, highlighting key examples including evolutionary transitions between different photic environments, major shifts in life history evolution and ecology, evolutionary innovations in visual system anatomy and physiology, as well as shifts in visually mediated behaviours and behavioural ecology. We emphasize the utility of studying visual pigment evolution in the context of these different perspectives, and demonstrate how the integrative approaches discussed in this review contribute to a better understanding of the underlying molecular processes mediating adaptation in sensory systems, and the contexts in which they occur.
Collapse
|
16
|
Peichl L, Kaiser A, Rakotondraparany F, Dubielzig RR, Goodman SM, Kappeler PM. Diversity of photoreceptor arrangements in nocturnal, cathemeral and diurnal Malagasy lemurs. J Comp Neurol 2017; 527:13-37. [DOI: 10.1002/cne.24167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2016] [Revised: 12/29/2016] [Accepted: 12/30/2016] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Leo Peichl
- Max Planck Institute for Brain Research; Max-von-Laue-Straße 4, 60438 Frankfurt am Main Germany
- Ernst Strüngmann Institute for Neuroscience; Deutschordenstraße 46, 60528 Frankfurt am Main Germany
- Institute of Cellular and Molecular Anatomy, Dr. Senckenbergische Anatomie, Goethe University Frankfurt; Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60590 Frankfurt am Main Germany
| | - Alexander Kaiser
- Department Biology II; Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich; Großhaderner Straße 2-4, 82152 Martinsried-Planegg Germany
- Institute of Zoology; University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover; Bünteweg 17, 30559 Hannover Germany
| | - Felix Rakotondraparany
- Département de Zoologie et Biodiversité Animale; Université d’Antananarivo; BP 906, Antananarivo 101 Madagascar
| | - Richard R. Dubielzig
- School of Veterinary Medicine; University of Wisconsin; 2015 Linden Drive Madison Wisconsin 53706
| | - Steven M. Goodman
- The Field Museum of Natural History; 1400 South Lake Shore Drive, Chicago Illinois 60605
- Association Vahatra; BP 3972, Antananarivo 101 Madagascar
| | - Peter M. Kappeler
- Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Unit, German Primate Center; Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen Germany
- Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach-Institute of Zoology and Anthropology; University Göttingen; Kellnerweg 6, 37077 Göttingen Germany
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Mason VC, Li G, Minx P, Schmitz J, Churakov G, Doronina L, Melin AD, Dominy NJ, Lim NTL, Springer MS, Wilson RK, Warren WC, Helgen KM, Murphy WJ. Genomic analysis reveals hidden biodiversity within colugos, the sister group to primates. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2016; 2:e1600633. [PMID: 27532052 PMCID: PMC4980104 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1600633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2016] [Accepted: 07/13/2016] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Colugos are among the most poorly studied mammals despite their centrality to resolving supraordinal primate relationships. Two described species of these gliding mammals are the sole living members of the order Dermoptera, distributed throughout Southeast Asia. We generated a draft genome sequence for a Sunda colugo and a Philippine colugo reference alignment, and used these to identify colugo-specific genetic changes that were enriched in sensory and musculoskeletal-related genes that likely underlie their nocturnal and gliding adaptations. Phylogenomic analysis and catalogs of rare genomic changes overwhelmingly support the contested hypothesis that colugos are the sister group to primates (Primatomorpha), to the exclusion of treeshrews. We captured ~140 kb of orthologous sequence data from colugo museum specimens sampled across their range and identified large genetic differences between many geographically isolated populations that may result in a >300% increase in the number of recognized colugo species. Our results identify conservation units to mitigate future losses of this enigmatic mammalian order.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Victor C. Mason
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, Interdisciplinary Program in Genetics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Gang Li
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, Interdisciplinary Program in Genetics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Patrick Minx
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA
| | - Jürgen Schmitz
- Institute of Experimental Pathology (ZMBE), University of Münster, D-48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Gennady Churakov
- Institute of Experimental Pathology (ZMBE), University of Münster, D-48149 Münster, Germany
- Institute of Evolution and Biodiversity, University of Münster, D-48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Liliya Doronina
- Institute of Experimental Pathology (ZMBE), University of Münster, D-48149 Münster, Germany
| | | | - Nathaniel J. Dominy
- Departments of Anthropology and Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
| | - Norman T-L. Lim
- Natural Sciences and Science Education, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637616, Singapore
- Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117377 , Singapore
| | - Mark S. Springer
- Department of Biology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Richard K. Wilson
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA
| | - Wesley C. Warren
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA
| | - Kristofer M. Helgen
- Division of Mammals, Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC 20013, USA
| | - William J. Murphy
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, Interdisciplinary Program in Genetics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Jacobs RL, Bradley BJ. Considering the Influence of Nonadaptive Evolution on Primate Color Vision. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0149664. [PMID: 26959829 PMCID: PMC4784951 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0149664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2015] [Accepted: 02/03/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Color vision in primates is variable across species, and it represents a rare trait in which the genetic mechanisms underlying phenotypic variation are fairly well-understood. Research on primate color vision has largely focused on adaptive explanations for observed variation, but it remains unclear why some species have trichromatic or polymorphic color vision while others are red-green color blind. Lemurs, in particular, are highly variable. While some species are polymorphic, many closely-related species are strictly dichromatic. We provide the first characterization of color vision in a wild population of red-bellied lemurs (Eulemur rubriventer, Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar) with a sample size (87 individuals; NX chromosomes = 134) large enough to detect even rare variants (0.95 probability of detection at ≥ 3% frequency). By sequencing exon 5 of the X-linked opsin gene we identified opsin spectral sensitivity based on known diagnostic sites and found this population to be dichromatic and monomorphic for a long wavelength allele. Apparent fixation of this long allele is in contrast to previously published accounts of Eulemur species, which exhibit either polymorphic color vision or only the medium wavelength opsin. This unexpected result may represent loss of color vision variation, which could occur through selective processes and/or genetic drift (e.g., genetic bottleneck). To indirectly assess the latter scenario, we genotyped 55 adult red-bellied lemurs at seven variable microsatellite loci and used heterozygosity excess and M-ratio tests to assess if this population may have experienced a recent genetic bottleneck. Results of heterozygosity excess but not M-ratio tests suggest a bottleneck might have occurred in this red-bellied lemur population. Therefore, while selection may also play a role, the unique color vision observed in this population might have been influenced by a recent genetic bottleneck. These results emphasize the need to consider adaptive and nonadaptive mechanisms of color vision evolution in primates.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rachel L. Jacobs
- Department of Anthropology, Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, The George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia, United States of America
- Interdepartmental Doctoral Program in Anthropological Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, United States of America
- Centre ValBio Research Station, Ranomafana, Fianarantsoa, Madagascar
- * E-mail:
| | - Brenda J. Bradley
- Department of Anthropology, Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, The George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|