1
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Marconi A, Vernaz G, Karunaratna A, Ngochera MJ, Durbin R, Santos ME. Genetic and developmental divergence in the neural crest programme between cichlid fish species. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.30.578004. [PMID: 38352436 PMCID: PMC10862805 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.30.578004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
Neural crest (NC) is a vertebrate-specific embryonic progenitor cell population at the basis of important vertebrate features such as the craniofacial skeleton and pigmentation patterns. Despite the wide-ranging variation of NC-derived traits across vertebrates, the contribution of NC to species diversification remains underexplored. Here, leveraging the adaptive diversity of African Great Lakes' cichlid species, we combined comparative transcriptomics and population genomics to investigate the evolution of the NC genetic programme in the context of their morphological divergence. Our analysis revealed substantial differences in transcriptional landscapes across somitogenesis, an embryonic period coinciding with NC development and migration. This included dozens of genes with described functions in the vertebrate NC gene regulatory network, several of which showed signatures of positive selection. Among candidates showing between-species expression divergence, we focused on teleost-specific paralogs of the NC-specifier sox10 (sox10a and sox10b) as prime candidates to influence NC development. These genes, expressed in NC cells, displayed remarkable spatio-temporal variation in cichlids, suggesting their contribution to inter-specific morphological differences. Finally, through CRISPR/Cas9 mutagenesis, we demonstrated the functional divergence between cichlid sox10 paralogs, with the acquisition of a novel skeletogenic function by sox10a. When compared to the teleost models zebrafish and medaka, our findings reveal that sox10 duplication, although retained in most teleost lineages, had variable functional fates across their phylogeny. Altogether, our study suggests that NC-related processes - particularly those controlled by sox10s - might be involved in generating morphological diversification between species and lays the groundwork for further investigations into mechanisms underpinning vertebrate NC diversification.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Maxon J. Ngochera
- Senga Bay Fisheries Research Center, Malawi Fisheries Department, P.O. Box 316, Salima, Malawi
| | - Richard Durbin
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
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2
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Long Z, Rieseberg LH. Documenting homoploid hybrid speciation. Mol Ecol 2024:e17412. [PMID: 38780141 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17412] [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: 01/29/2024] [Revised: 04/11/2024] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
Homoploid hybrid speciation is challenging to document because hybridization can lead to outcomes other than speciation. Thus, some authors have argued that establishment of homoploid hybrid speciation should include evidence that reproductive barriers isolating the hybrid neo-species from its parental species were derived from hybridization. While this criterion is difficult to satisfy, several recent papers have successfully employed a common pipeline to identify candidate genes underlying such barriers and (in one case) to validate their function. We describe this pipeline, its application to several plant and animal species and what we have learned about homoploid hybrid speciation as a consequence. We argue that - given the ubiquity of admixture and the polygenic basis of reproductive isolation - homoploid hybrid speciation could be much more common and more protracted than suggested by earlier conceptual arguments and theoretical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiqin Long
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Loren H Rieseberg
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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3
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Siller Wilks SJ, Heidinger BJ, Westneat DF, Solomon J, Rubenstein DR. The impact of parental and developmental stress on DNA methylation in the avian hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Mol Ecol 2024; 33:e17291. [PMID: 38343177 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17291] [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: 09/30/2023] [Revised: 12/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis coordinates an organism's response to environmental stress. The responsiveness and sensitivity of an offspring's stress response may be shaped not only by stressors encountered in their early post-natal environment but also by stressors in their parent's environment. Yet, few studies have considered how stressors encountered in both of these early life environments may function together to impact the developing HPA axis. Here, we manipulated stressors in the parental and post-natal environments in a population of house sparrows (Passer domesticus) to assess their impact on changes in DNA methylation (and corresponding gene expression) in a suite of genes within the HPA axis. We found that nestlings that experienced early life stress across both life-history periods had higher DNA methylation in a critical HPA axis gene, the glucocorticoid receptor (NR3C1). In addition, we found that the life-history stage when stress was encountered impacted some genes (HSD11B1, NR3C1 and NR3C2) differently. We also found evidence for the mitigation of parental stress by post-natal stress (in HSD11B1 and NR3C2). Finally, by assessing DNA methylation in both the brain and blood, we were able to evaluate cross-tissue patterns. While some differentially methylated regions were tissue-specific, we found cross-tissue changes in NR3C2 and NR3C1, suggesting that blood is a suitable tissue for assessing DNA methylation as a biomarker of early life stress. Our results provide a crucial first step in understanding the mechanisms by which early life stress in different life-history periods contributes to changes in the epigenome of the HPA axis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefanie J Siller Wilks
- Department of Ecology Evolution and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Britt J Heidinger
- Biological Sciences Department, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota, USA
| | - David F Westneat
- Department of Biology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, USA
| | - Joseph Solomon
- Department of Ecology Evolution and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Dustin R Rubenstein
- Department of Ecology Evolution and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
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4
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Mirchandani CD, Shultz AJ, Thomas GWC, Smith SJ, Baylis M, Arnold B, Corbett-Detig R, Enbody E, Sackton TB. A Fast, Reproducible, High-throughput Variant Calling Workflow for Population Genomics. Mol Biol Evol 2024; 41:msad270. [PMID: 38069903 PMCID: PMC10764099 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msad270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2023] [Revised: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
The increasing availability of genomic resequencing data sets and high-quality reference genomes across the tree of life present exciting opportunities for comparative population genomic studies. However, substantial challenges prevent the simple reuse of data across different studies and species, arising from variability in variant calling pipelines, data quality, and the need for computationally intensive reanalysis. Here, we present snpArcher, a flexible and highly efficient workflow designed for the analysis of genomic resequencing data in nonmodel organisms. snpArcher provides a standardized variant calling pipeline and includes modules for variant quality control, data visualization, variant filtering, and other downstream analyses. Implemented in Snakemake, snpArcher is user-friendly, reproducible, and designed to be compatible with high-performance computing clusters and cloud environments. To demonstrate the flexibility of this pipeline, we applied snpArcher to 26 public resequencing data sets from nonmammalian vertebrates. These variant data sets are hosted publicly to enable future comparative population genomic analyses. With its extensibility and the availability of public data sets, snpArcher will contribute to a broader understanding of genetic variation across species by facilitating the rapid use and reuse of large genomic data sets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cade D Mirchandani
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
- Genomics Institute, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Allison J Shultz
- Ornithology Department, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, CA 90007, USA
| | | | - Sara J Smith
- Informatics Group, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Biology, Mount Royal University, Calgary, AB T3E 6K6, Canada
| | - Mara Baylis
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
- Genomics Institute, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Brian Arnold
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
- Center for Statistics and Machine Learning, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Russ Corbett-Detig
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
- Genomics Institute, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Erik Enbody
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
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5
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Stubbs RL, Theodoridis S, Mora-Carrera E, Keller B, Potente G, Yousefi N, Jay P, Léveillé-Bourret É, Choudhury RR, Celep F, Kochjarová J, Conti E. The genomes of Darwin's primroses reveal chromosome-scale adaptive introgression and differential permeability of species boundaries. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2024; 241:911-925. [PMID: 37921572 DOI: 10.1111/nph.19361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023]
Abstract
Introgression is an important source of genetic variation that can determine species adaptation to environmental conditions. Yet, definitive evidence of the genomic and adaptive implications of introgression in nature remains scarce. The widespread hybrid zones of Darwin's primroses (Primula elatior, Primula veris, and Primula vulgaris) provide a unique natural laboratory for studying introgression in flowering plants and the varying permeability of species boundaries. Through analysis of 650 genomes, we provide evidence of an introgressed genomic region likely to confer adaptive advantage in conditions of soil toxicity. We also document unequivocal evidence of chloroplast introgression, an important precursor to species-wide chloroplast capture. Finally, we provide the first evidence that the S-locus supergene, which controls heterostyly in primroses, does not introgress in this clade. Our results contribute novel insights into the adaptive role of introgression and demonstrate the importance of extensive genomic and geographical sampling for illuminating the complex nature of species boundaries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca L Stubbs
- Department of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, University of Zurich, Zurich, 8008, Switzerland
| | - Spyros Theodoridis
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Frankfurt am Main, 60325, Germany
| | - Emiliano Mora-Carrera
- Department of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, University of Zurich, Zurich, 8008, Switzerland
| | - Barbara Keller
- Department of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, University of Zurich, Zurich, 8008, Switzerland
| | - Giacomo Potente
- Department of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, University of Zurich, Zurich, 8008, Switzerland
| | - Narjes Yousefi
- Department of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, University of Zurich, Zurich, 8008, Switzerland
| | - Paul Jay
- Center for GeoGenetics, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, 1350, Denmark
| | - Étienne Léveillé-Bourret
- Département de Sciences Biologiques, Institut de Recherche en Biologie Végétale (IRBV), Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, H1X 2B2, Canada
| | | | - Ferhat Celep
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Kırıkkale University, Kırıkkale, 71450, Turkey
| | - Judita Kochjarová
- Department of Phytology, Faculty of Forestry, Technical University in Zvolen, Zvolen, 96001, Slovak Republic
| | - Elena Conti
- Department of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, University of Zurich, Zurich, 8008, Switzerland
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6
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Ålund M, Cenzer M, Bierne N, Boughman JW, Cerca J, Comerford MS, Culicchi A, Langerhans B, McFarlane SE, Möst MH, North H, Qvarnström A, Ravinet M, Svanbäck R, Taylor SA. Anthropogenic Change and the Process of Speciation. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol 2023; 15:a041455. [PMID: 37788888 PMCID: PMC10691492 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a041455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/05/2023]
Abstract
Anthropogenic impacts on the environment alter speciation processes by affecting both geographical contexts and selection patterns on a worldwide scale. Here we review evidence of these effects. We find that human activities often generate spatial isolation between populations and thereby promote genetic divergence but also frequently cause sudden secondary contact and hybridization between diverging lineages. Human-caused environmental changes produce new ecological niches, altering selection in diverse ways that can drive diversification; but changes also often remove niches and cause extirpations. Human impacts that alter selection regimes are widespread and strong in magnitude, ranging from local changes in biotic and abiotic conditions to direct harvesting to global climate change. Altered selection, and evolutionary responses to it, impacts early-stage divergence of lineages, but does not necessarily lead toward speciation and persistence of separate species. Altogether, humans both promote and hinder speciation, although new species would form very slowly relative to anthropogenic hybridization, which can be nearly instantaneous. Speculating about the future of speciation, we highlight two key conclusions: (1) Humans will have a large influence on extinction and "despeciation" dynamics in the short term and on early-stage lineage divergence, and thus potentially speciation in the longer term, and (2) long-term monitoring combined with easily dated anthropogenic changes will improve our understanding of the processes of speciation. We can use this knowledge to preserve and restore ecosystems in ways that promote (re-)diversification, increasing future opportunities of speciation and enhancing biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Murielle Ålund
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Animal Ecology, Uppsala University, Uppsala 75236, Sweden
| | - Meredith Cenzer
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA
| | - Nicolas Bierne
- ISEM, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, Montpellier 34095, France
| | - Janette W Boughman
- Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - José Cerca
- CEES - Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo 0316, Norway
| | | | - Alessandro Culicchi
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Animal Ecology, Uppsala University, Uppsala 75236, Sweden
| | - Brian Langerhans
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, USA
| | - S Eryn McFarlane
- Department of Botany, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming 82071, USA
- Department of Biology, York University, Toronto, Ontario M3J 1P3, Canada
| | - Markus H Möst
- Research Department for Limnology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck 6020, Austria
| | - Henry North
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, United Kingdom
| | - Anna Qvarnström
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Animal Ecology, Uppsala University, Uppsala 75236, Sweden
| | - Mark Ravinet
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, United Kingdom
| | - Richard Svanbäck
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Animal Ecology, Uppsala University, Uppsala 75236, Sweden
| | - Scott A Taylor
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA
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7
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Siller Wilks SJ, Westneat DF, Heidinger BJ, Solomon J, Rubenstein DR. Epigenetic modification of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis during development in the house sparrow (Passer domesticus). Gen Comp Endocrinol 2023; 341:114336. [PMID: 37328040 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2023.114336] [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: 03/27/2023] [Revised: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/11/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Epigenetic modifications such as DNA methylation are important mechanisms for mediating developmental plasticity, where ontogenetic processes and their phenotypic outcomes are shaped by early environments. In particular, changes in DNA methylation of genes within the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis can impact offspring growth and development. This relationship has been well documented in mammals but is less understood in other taxa. Here, we use target-enriched enzymatic methyl sequencing (TEEM-seq) to assess how DNA methylation in a suite of 25 genes changes over development, how these modifications relate to the early environment, and how they predict differential growth trajectories in the house sparrow (Passer domesticus). We found that DNA methylation changes dynamically over the postnatal developmental period: genes with initially low DNA methylation tended to decline in methylation over development, whereas genes with initially high DNA methylation tended to increase in methylation. However, sex-specific differentially methylated regions (DMRs) were maintained across the developmental period. We also found significant differences in post-hatching DNA methylation in relation to hatch date, with higher levels of DNA methylation in nestlings hatched earlier in the season. Although these differences were largely absent by the end of development, a number of DMRs in HPA-related genes (CRH, MC2R, NR3C1, NR3C2, POMC)-and to a lesser degree HPG-related genes (GNRHR2)-predicted nestling growth trajectories over development. These findings provide insight into the mechanisms by which the early environment shapes DNA methylation in the HPA axis, and how these changes subsequently influence growth and potentially mediate developmental plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefanie J Siller Wilks
- Department of Ecology Evolution and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
| | - David F Westneat
- Department of Biology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Britt J Heidinger
- Biological Sciences Department, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND, USA
| | - Joseph Solomon
- Department of Ecology Evolution and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Dustin R Rubenstein
- Department of Ecology Evolution and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
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8
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Cerca J, Cotoras DD, Santander CG, Bieker VC, Hutchins L, Morin-Lagos J, Prada CF, Kennedy S, Krehenwinkel H, Rominger AJ, Meier J, Dimitrov D, Struck TH, Gillespie RG. Multiple paths toward repeated phenotypic evolution in the spiny-leg adaptive radiation (Tetragnatha; Hawai'i). Mol Ecol 2023; 32:4971-4985. [PMID: 37515430 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17082] [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: 12/08/2022] [Revised: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023]
Abstract
The repeated evolution of phenotypes provides clear evidence for the role of natural selection in driving evolutionary change. However, the evolutionary origin of repeated phenotypes can be difficult to disentangle as it can arise from a combination of factors such as gene flow, shared ancestral polymorphisms or mutation. Here, we investigate the presence of these evolutionary processes in the Hawaiian spiny-leg Tetragnatha adaptive radiation, which includes four microhabitat-specialists or ecomorphs, with different body pigmentation and size (Green, Large Brown, Maroon, and Small Brown). We investigated the evolutionary history of this radiation using 76 newly generated low-coverage, whole-genome resequenced samples, along with phylogenetic and population genomic tools. Considering the Green ecomorph as the ancestral state, our results suggest that the Green ecomorph likely re-evolved once, the Large Brown and Maroon ecomorphs evolved twice and the Small Brown evolved three times. We found that the evolution of the Maroon and Small Brown ecomorphs likely involved ancestral hybridization events, while the Green and Large Brown ecomorphs likely evolved through novel mutations, despite a high rate of incomplete lineage sorting in the dataset. Our findings demonstrate that the repeated evolution of ecomorphs in the Hawaiian spiny-leg Tetragnatha is influenced by multiple evolutionary processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Cerca
- Berkeley Evolab, Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
- Frontiers in Evolutionary Zoology, Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Natural History, NTNU University Museum, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Darko D Cotoras
- Department of Terrestrial Zoology, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Department of Entomology, California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Cindy G Santander
- Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Vanessa C Bieker
- Department of Natural History, NTNU University Museum, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Leke Hutchins
- Berkeley Evolab, Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Jaime Morin-Lagos
- Department of Natural History, NTNU University Museum, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Carlos F Prada
- Grupo de Investigación de Biología y Ecología de Artrópodos, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad del Tolima, Tolima, Colombia
| | - Susan Kennedy
- Department of Biogeography, Trier University, Trier, Germany
| | | | - Andrew J Rominger
- School of Biology and Ecology, University of Maine, Orono, Maine, USA
| | - Joana Meier
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Tree of Life Programme, Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK
| | - Dimitar Dimitrov
- Department of Natural History, University Museum of Bergen, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Torsten H Struck
- Frontiers in Evolutionary Zoology, Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Rosemary G Gillespie
- Berkeley Evolab, Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
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9
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Becker DJ, Merrifield JM, Vágási CI, Czirják GÁ, Pap PL. Spatial Variation in the Inflammatory Response of House Sparrows in their Native Range. ECOHEALTH 2023; 20:231-235. [PMID: 37936004 DOI: 10.1007/s10393-023-01652-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Revised: 06/28/2023] [Accepted: 07/28/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023]
Abstract
Characterizing spatial differences in wildlife immunity is the first step to identify environmental drivers of host defense and disease risks. The house sparrow (Passer domesticus) is a model system for ecoimmunology, but spatial differences in immunity have been largely restricted to the invasive range of this global species. We provide an initial test of spatial variation in immune response to phytohemagglutinin in the native range, finding that birds from Romania have greater inflammatory responses than birds from Egypt. Future broad surveys across the house sparrow native range could contextualize these differences and determine underlying drivers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel J Becker
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA.
| | - Jessie M Merrifield
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Csongor I Vágási
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, Centre for Systems Biology, Biodiversity and Bioresources, Hungarian Department of Biology and Ecology, Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Gábor Á Czirják
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
- Department of Wildlife Diseases, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - Péter L Pap
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, Centre for Systems Biology, Biodiversity and Bioresources, Hungarian Department of Biology and Ecology, Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
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10
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Moreira LR, Smith BT. Convergent genomic signatures of local adaptation across a continental-scale environmental gradient. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadd0560. [PMID: 37205757 PMCID: PMC10198635 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.add0560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2022] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Convergent local adaptation offers a glimpse into the role of constraint and stochasticity in adaptive evolution, in particular the extent to which similar genetic mechanisms drive adaptation to common selective forces. Here, we investigated the genomics of local adaptation in two nonsister woodpeckers that are codistributed across an entire continent and exhibit remarkably convergent patterns of geographic variation. We sequenced the genomes of 140 individuals of Downy (Dryobates pubescens) and Hairy (Dryobates villosus) woodpeckers and used a suite of genomic approaches to identify loci under selection. We showed evidence that convergent genes have been targeted by selection in response to shared environmental pressures, such as temperature and precipitation. Among candidates, we found multiple genes putatively linked to key phenotypic adaptations to climate, including differences in body size (e.g., IGFPB) and plumage (e.g., MREG). These results are consistent with genetic constraints limiting the pathways of adaptation to broad climatic gradients, even after genetic backgrounds diverge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas R. Moreira
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, NY, USA
- Department of Ornithology, American Museum of Natural History, New York City, NY, USA
- Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Brian Tilston Smith
- Department of Ornithology, American Museum of Natural History, New York City, NY, USA
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11
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Genome-wide parallelism underlies contemporary adaptation in urban lizards. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2216789120. [PMID: 36634133 PMCID: PMC9934206 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2216789120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Urbanization drastically transforms landscapes, resulting in fragmentation, degradation, and the loss of local biodiversity. Yet, urban environments also offer opportunities to observe rapid evolutionary change in wild populations that survive and even thrive in these novel habitats. In many ways, cities represent replicated "natural experiments" in which geographically separated populations adaptively respond to similar selection pressures over rapid evolutionary timescales. Little is known, however, about the genetic basis of adaptive phenotypic differentiation in urban populations nor the extent to which phenotypic parallelism is reflected at the genomic level with signatures of parallel selection. Here, we analyzed the genomic underpinnings of parallel urban-associated phenotypic change in Anolis cristatellus, a small-bodied neotropical lizard found abundantly in both urbanized and forested environments. We show that phenotypic parallelism in response to parallel urban environmental change is underlain by genomic parallelism and identify candidate loci across the Anolis genome associated with this adaptive morphological divergence. Our findings point to polygenic selection on standing genetic variation as a key process to effectuate rapid morphological adaptation. Identified candidate loci represent several functions associated with skeletomuscular development, morphology, and human disease. Taken together, these results shed light on the genomic basis of complex morphological adaptations, provide insight into the role of contingency and determinism in adaptation to novel environments, and underscore the value of urban environments to address fundamental evolutionary questions.
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12
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Nilsson P, Ravinet M, Cui Y, Berg PR, Zhang Y, Guo R, Luo T, Song Y, Trucchi E, Hoff SNK, Lv R, Schmid BV, Easterday WR, Jakobsen KS, Stenseth NC, Yang R, Jentoft S. Polygenic plague resistance in the great gerbil uncovered by population sequencing. PNAS NEXUS 2022; 1:pgac211. [PMID: 36712379 PMCID: PMC9802093 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgac211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Revised: 09/15/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Pathogens can elicit high selective pressure on hosts, potentially altering genetic diversity over short evolutionary timescales. Intraspecific variation in immune response is observable as variable survivability from specific infections. The great gerbil (Rhombomys opimus) is a rodent plague host with a heterogenic but highly resistant phenotype. Here, we investigate the genomic basis for plague-resistant phenotypes by exposing wild-caught great gerbils to plague (Yersinia pestis). Whole genome sequencing of 10 survivors and 10 moribund individuals revealed a subset of genomic regions showing elevated differentiation. Gene ontology analysis of candidate genes in these regions demonstrated enrichment of genes directly involved in immune functions, cellular metabolism and the regulation of apoptosis as well as pathways involved in transcription, translation, and gene regulation. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that the early activated great gerbil immune response to plague consisted of classical components of the innate immune system. Our approach combining challenge experiments with transcriptomics and population level sequencing, provides new insight into the genetic background of plague-resistance and confirms its complex nature, most likely involving multiple genes and pathways of both the immune system and regulation of basic cellular functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pernille Nilsson
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, 0371 Oslo, Norway
| | | | | | | | | | - Rong Guo
- Xinjiang Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Urumqi 830002, China
| | - Tao Luo
- Xinjiang Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Urumqi 830002, China
| | - Yajun Song
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing 100071, China
| | - Emiliano Trucchi
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Marche Polytechnic University, Via Brecce Bianche, 60131 Ancona, Italy
| | - Siv N K Hoff
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, 0371 Oslo, Norway
| | - Ruichen Lv
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing 100071, China
| | - Boris V Schmid
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, 0371 Oslo, Norway
| | - W Ryan Easterday
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, 0371 Oslo, Norway
| | | | | | - Ruifu Yang
- To whom correspondence should be addressed:
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13
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Verrelli BC, Alberti M, Des Roches S, Harris NC, Hendry AP, Johnson MTJ, Savage AM, Charmantier A, Gotanda KM, Govaert L, Miles LS, Rivkin LR, Winchell KM, Brans KI, Correa C, Diamond SE, Fitzhugh B, Grimm NB, Hughes S, Marzluff JM, Munshi-South J, Rojas C, Santangelo JS, Schell CJ, Schweitzer JA, Szulkin M, Urban MC, Zhou Y, Ziter C. A global horizon scan for urban evolutionary ecology. Trends Ecol Evol 2022; 37:1006-1019. [PMID: 35995606 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2022.07.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2022] [Revised: 07/21/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 10/31/2022]
Abstract
Research on the evolutionary ecology of urban areas reveals how human-induced evolutionary changes affect biodiversity and essential ecosystem services. In a rapidly urbanizing world imposing many selective pressures, a time-sensitive goal is to identify the emergent issues and research priorities that affect the ecology and evolution of species within cities. Here, we report the results of a horizon scan of research questions in urban evolutionary ecology submitted by 100 interdisciplinary scholars. We identified 30 top questions organized into six themes that highlight priorities for future research. These research questions will require methodological advances and interdisciplinary collaborations, with continued revision as the field of urban evolutionary ecology expands with the rapid growth of cities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian C Verrelli
- Center for Biological Data Science, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284, USA.
| | - Marina Alberti
- Department of Urban Design and Planning, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Simone Des Roches
- School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Nyeema C Harris
- Applied Wildlife Ecology Lab, Yale School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Andrew P Hendry
- Department of Biology, Redpath Museum, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 0C4, Canada
| | - Marc T J Johnson
- Department of Biology, Centre for Urban Environments, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON L5L 1C6, Canada
| | - Amy M Savage
- Department of Biology and Center for Computational & Integrative Biology, Rutgers University-Camden, Camden, NJ 08103, USA
| | | | - Kiyoko M Gotanda
- Department of Biological Sciences, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON L2S 3A1, Canada; Département de Biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC J1K 2R1, Canada
| | - Lynn Govaert
- Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, 12587 Berlin, Germany
| | - Lindsay S Miles
- Center for Biological Data Science, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284, USA
| | - L Ruth Rivkin
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON L5L 1C6, Canada; Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada
| | - Kristin M Winchell
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Kristien I Brans
- Department of Biology, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Cristian Correa
- Instituto de Conservación Biodiversidad y Territorio, Centro de Humedales Río Cruces, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, 5090000, Chile
| | - Sarah E Diamond
- Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Ben Fitzhugh
- Department of Anthropology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Nancy B Grimm
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - Sara Hughes
- School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - John M Marzluff
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Jason Munshi-South
- Louis Calder Center & Department of Biological Sciences, Fordham University, Armonk, NY 10504, USA
| | - Carolina Rojas
- Instituto de Estudios Urbanos y Territoriales, Centro de Desarrollo Sustentable CEDEUS, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, El Comendador 1916, Providencia, 7500000, Santiago, Chile
| | - James S Santangelo
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON L5L 1C6, Canada
| | - Christopher J Schell
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Jennifer A Schweitzer
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37917, USA
| | - Marta Szulkin
- Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, Banacha 2c, 02-097, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Mark C Urban
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology & Center of Biological Risk, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA
| | - Yuyu Zhou
- Department of Geological and Atmospheric Sciences, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
| | - Carly Ziter
- Department of Biology, Concordia University, Montreal, QC H4B 1R6, Canada
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14
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Hüppi E, Geiger M. Fast‐paced city life? Tempo and mode of phenotypic changes in urban birds from Switzerland. Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Evelyn Hüppi
- University of Zurich, Palaeontological Institute and Museum Zürich Switzerland
| | - Madeleine Geiger
- Naturmuseum St. Gallen St. Gallen Switzerland
- SWILD, Urban Ecology & Wildlife Research Zurich Switzerland
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15
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Clark JD, Benham PM, Maldonado JE, Luther DA, Lim HC. Maintenance of local adaptation despite gene flow in a coastal songbird. Evolution 2022; 76:1481-1494. [PMID: 35700208 PMCID: PMC9545442 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2021] [Revised: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 03/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Adaptation to local environments is common in widespread species and the basis of ecological speciation. The song sparrow (Melospiza melodia) is a widespread, polytypic passerine that occurs in shrubland habitats throughout North America. We examined the population structure of two parapatric subspecies that inhabit different environments: the Atlantic song sparrow (M. m. atlantica), a coastal specialist, and the eastern song sparrow (M. m. melodia), a shrubland generalist. These populations lacked clear mitochondrial population structure, yet coastal birds formed a distinct nuclear genetic cluster. We found weak overall genomic differentiation between these subspecies, suggesting either recent divergence, extensive gene flow, or a combination thereof. There was a steep genetic cline at the transition to coastal habitats, consistent with isolation by environment, not isolation by distance. A phenotype under divergent selection, bill size, varied with the amount of coastal ancestry in transitional areas, but larger bill size was maintained in coastal habitats regardless of ancestry, further supporting a role for selection in the maintenance of these subspecies. Demographic modeling suggested a divergence history of limited gene flow followed by secondary contact, which has emerged as a common theme in adaptive divergence across taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan D. Clark
- Department of Environmental Science and PolicyGeorge Mason UniversityFairfaxVirginia22030,Current Address: Department of Natural Resources and the EnvironmentUniversity of New HampshireDurhamNew Hampshire03824
| | - Phred M. Benham
- Museum of Vertebrate ZoologyUniversity of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyCalifornia94720
| | - Jesus E. Maldonado
- Department of Environmental Science and PolicyGeorge Mason UniversityFairfaxVirginia22030,Center for Conservation GenomicsSmithsonian Conservation Biology InstituteWashingtonD.C.20013
| | - David A. Luther
- Department of BiologyGeorge Mason UniversityFairfaxVirginia22030
| | - Haw Chuan Lim
- Center for Conservation GenomicsSmithsonian Conservation Biology InstituteWashingtonD.C.20013,Department of BiologyGeorge Mason UniversityFairfaxVirginia22030
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16
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Yazdi HP, Ravinet M, Rowe M, Saetre GP, Guldvog CØ, Eroukhmanoff F, Marzal A, Magallanes S, Runemark A. Extensive transgressive gene expression in testis but not ovary in the homoploid hybrid Italian sparrow. Mol Ecol 2022; 31:4067-4077. [PMID: 35726533 PMCID: PMC9542029 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2021] [Revised: 05/01/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Hybridization can result in novel allelic combinations which can impact the hybrid phenotype through changes in gene expression. While misexpression in F1 hybrids is well documented, how gene expression evolves in stabilized hybrid taxa remains an open question. As gene expression evolves in a stabilizing manner, break‐up of co‐evolved cis‐ and trans‐regulatory elements could lead to transgressive patterns of gene expression in hybrids. Here, we address to what extent gonad gene expression has evolved in an established and stable homoploid hybrid, the Italian sparrow (Passer italiae). Through comparison of gene expression in gonads from individuals of the two parental species (i.e., house and Spanish sparrow) to that of Italian sparrows, we find evidence for strongly transgressive expression in male Italian sparrows—2530 genes (22% of testis genes tested for inheritance) exhibit expression patterns outside the range of both parent species. In contrast, Italian sparrow ovary expression was similar to that of one of the parent species, the house sparrow (Passer domesticus). Moreover, the Italian sparrow testis transcriptome is 26 times as diverged from those of the parent species as the parental transcriptomes are from each other, despite being genetically intermediate. This highlights the potential for regulation of gene expression to produce novel variation following hybridization. Genes involved in mitochondrial respiratory chain complexes and protein synthesis are enriched in the subset that is over‐dominantly expressed in Italian sparrow testis, suggesting that selection on key functions has moulded the hybrid Italian sparrow transcriptome.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mark Ravinet
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Melissah Rowe
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), AB, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Glenn-Peter Saetre
- Department of Biosciences, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, University of Oslo, PO, Oslo, Norway
| | - Caroline Øien Guldvog
- Department of Biosciences, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, University of Oslo, PO, Oslo, Norway
| | - Fabrice Eroukhmanoff
- Department of Biosciences, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, University of Oslo, PO, Oslo, Norway
| | - Alfonso Marzal
- Department of Anatomy, Cellular Biology and Zoology, University of Extremadura, Badajoz, Spain
| | - Sergio Magallanes
- Department of Anatomy, Cellular Biology and Zoology, University of Extremadura, Badajoz, Spain.,Department of Wetland Ecology, Doñana Biological Station (EBD-CSIC), Avda. Américo Vespucio, 41092, Seville, Spain
| | - Anna Runemark
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
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17
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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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18
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Lattin CR, Kelly TR, Kelly MW, Johnson KM. Constitutive gene expression differs in three brain regions important for cognition in neophobic and non-neophobic house sparrows (Passer domesticus). PLoS One 2022; 17:e0267180. [PMID: 35536842 PMCID: PMC9089922 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0267180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2021] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Neophobia (aversion to new objects, food, and environments) is a personality trait that affects the ability of wildlife to adapt to new challenges and opportunities. Despite the ubiquity and importance of this trait, the molecular mechanisms underlying repeatable individual differences in neophobia in wild animals are poorly understood. We evaluated wild-caught house sparrows (Passer domesticus) for neophobia in the lab using novel object tests. We then selected a subset of neophobic and non-neophobic individuals (n = 3 of each, all females) and extracted RNA from four brain regions involved in learning, memory, threat perception, and executive function: striatum, caudal dorsomedial hippocampus, medial ventral arcopallium, and caudolateral nidopallium (NCL). Our analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) used 11,889 gene regions annotated in the house sparrow reference genome for which we had an average of 25.7 million mapped reads/sample. PERMANOVA identified significant effects of brain region, phenotype (neophobic vs. non-neophobic), and a brain region by phenotype interaction. Comparing neophobic and non-neophobic birds revealed constitutive differences in DEGs in three of the four brain regions examined: hippocampus (12% of the transcriptome significantly differentially expressed), striatum (4%) and NCL (3%). DEGs included important known neuroendocrine mediators of learning, memory, executive function, and anxiety behavior, including serotonin receptor 5A, dopamine receptors 1, 2 and 5 (downregulated in neophobic birds), and estrogen receptor beta (upregulated in neophobic birds). These results suggest that some of the behavioral differences between phenotypes may be due to underlying gene expression differences in the brain. The large number of DEGs in neophobic and non-neophobic birds also implies that there are major differences in neural function between the two phenotypes that could affect a wide variety of behavioral traits beyond neophobia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine R. Lattin
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Tosha R. Kelly
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, United States of America
| | - Morgan W. Kelly
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, United States of America
| | - Kevin M. Johnson
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, United States of America
- Center for Coastal Marine Sciences, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA, United States of America
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19
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Inbreeding is associated with shorter early-life telomere length in a wild passerine. CONSERV GENET 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10592-022-01441-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
AbstractInbreeding can have negative effects on survival and reproduction, which may be of conservation concern in small and isolated populations. However, the physiological mechanisms underlying inbreeding depression are not well-known. The length of telomeres, the DNA sequences protecting chromosome ends, has been associated with health or fitness in several species. We investigated effects of inbreeding on early-life telomere length in two small island populations of wild house sparrows (Passer domesticus) known to be affected by inbreeding depression. Using genomic measures of inbreeding we found that inbred nestling house sparrows (n = 371) have significantly shorter telomeres. Using pedigree-based estimates of inbreeding we found a tendency for inbred nestling house sparrows to have shorter telomeres (n = 1195). This negative effect of inbreeding on telomere length may have been complemented by a heterosis effect resulting in longer telomeres in individuals that were less inbred than the population average. Furthermore, we found some evidence of stronger effects of inbreeding on telomere length in males than females. Thus, telomere length may reveal subtle costs of inbreeding in the wild and demonstrate a route by which inbreeding negatively impacts the physiological state of an organism already at early life-history stages.
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20
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Quesada J, Chávez–Zichinelli CA, García–Arroyo M, Yeh PJ, Guevara R, Izquierdp-Palma J, MacGregor-Fors I. Bold or shy? Examining the risk–taking behavior and neophobia of invasive and non–invasive house sparrows. ANIMAL BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION 2022. [DOI: 10.32800/abc.2022.45.0097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Behavior provides a useful framework for understanding specialization, with animal personality aiding our understanding of the invasiveness of birds. Invasions imply dispersion into unknown areas and could require changes in behavior or spatial clustering based on personality. Reduced neophobia and increased exploring behavior could allow individuals to colonize new areas as they test and use non–familiar resources. Here, we hypothesized that house sparrow (Passer domesticus) individuals from invasive populations would exhibit bolder behavior than in non–invasive populations. We assessed risk taking and neophobia in male house sparrows in Barcelona (where it is considered native) and in Mexico City (where it has become widely invasive), captured in two different habitats, urban and non–urban. We assessed latency to enter an experimental cage and to explore it, and latency to feed and feeding time in the presence of a novel object. We found that sparrows from Mexico City, both from urban and non–urban areas, were quicker to enter the experimental cage than the sparrows from Barcelona. The time it took the birds to start exploring the cage gave a similar result. We found no differences between cities or habitats in the latency to feed and feeding time while exposed to a novel object. Our results partially support the view that the invader populations from Mexico City are bolder than those from Barcelona. Behavior is an important component of plasticity and its variability may have an important effect on adaptation to local situations. Future studies should disentangle the underlying mechanisms that explain the different personalities found in populations of different regions, contrasting populations of different densities, and taking different food availability scenarios into account.
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Affiliation(s)
- J. Quesada
- Departament de Vertebrats, Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - M. García–Arroyo
- Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Findland
| | - P. J. Yeh
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, USA
| | - R. Guevara
- Red de Biología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología A.C., Veracruz, Mexico
| | - J. Izquierdp-Palma
- Departament de Vertebrats, Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona, Spain
| | - I. MacGregor-Fors
- Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Findland
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21
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Abstract
Although research performed in cities will not uncover new evolutionary mechanisms, it could provide unprecedented opportunities to examine the interplay of evolutionary forces in new ways and new avenues to address classic questions. However, while the variation within and among cities affords many opportunities to advance evolutionary biology research, careful alignment between how cities are used and the research questions being asked is necessary to maximize the insights that can be gained. In this review, we develop a framework to help guide alignment between urban evolution research approaches and questions. Using this framework, we highlight what has been accomplished to date in the field of urban evolution and identify several up-and-coming research directions for further expansion. We conclude that urban environments can be used as evolutionary test beds to tackle both new and long-standing questions in evolutionary biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah E. Diamond
- Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, USA;,
| | - Ryan A. Martin
- Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, USA;,
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22
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Papadopulos AST, Helmstetter AJ, Osborne OG, Comeault AA, Wood DP, Straw EA, Mason L, Fay MF, Parker J, Dunning LT, Foote AD, Smith RJ, Lighten J. Rapid Parallel Adaptation to Anthropogenic Heavy Metal Pollution. Mol Biol Evol 2021; 38:3724-3736. [PMID: 33950261 PMCID: PMC8382892 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msab141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The impact of human-mediated environmental change on the evolutionary trajectories of wild organisms is poorly understood. In particular, capacity of species to adapt rapidly (in hundreds of generations or less), reproducibly and predictably to extreme environmental change is unclear. Silene uniflora is predominantly a coastal species, but it has also colonized isolated, disused mines with phytotoxic, zinc-contaminated soils. To test whether rapid, parallel adaptation to anthropogenic pollution has taken place, we used reduced representation sequencing (ddRAD) to reconstruct the evolutionary history of geographically proximate mine and coastal population pairs and found largely independent colonization of mines from different coastal sites. Furthermore, our results show that parallel evolution of zinc tolerance has occurred without gene flow spreading adaptive alleles between mine populations. In genomic regions where signatures of selection were detected across multiple mine-coast pairs, we identified genes with functions linked to physiological differences between the putative ecotypes, although genetic differentiation at specific loci is only partially shared between mine populations. Our results are consistent with a complex, polygenic genetic architecture underpinning rapid adaptation. This shows that even under a scenario of strong selection and rapid adaptation, evolutionary responses to human activities (and other environmental challenges) may be idiosyncratic at the genetic level and, therefore, difficult to predict from genomic data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander S T Papadopulos
- Molecular Ecology and Evolution Bangor, Environment Centre Wales, School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, United Kingdom
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew J Helmstetter
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, United Kingdom
- FRB-CESAB, Institut Bouisson Bertrand, Rue de l'École de Médecine, Montpellier, France
| | - Owen G Osborne
- Molecular Ecology and Evolution Bangor, Environment Centre Wales, School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, United Kingdom
| | - Aaron A Comeault
- Molecular Ecology and Evolution Bangor, Environment Centre Wales, School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel P Wood
- Molecular Ecology and Evolution Bangor, Environment Centre Wales, School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, United Kingdom
| | - Edward A Straw
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, United Kingdom
- Centre for Ecology, Evolution & Behaviour, Department of Biological Sciences, School for Life Sciences and the Environment, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, United Kingdom
| | | | - Michael F Fay
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, United Kingdom
- School of Plant Biology, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia
| | - Joe Parker
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, United Kingdom
- National Biofilms Innovation Centre, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
| | - Luke T Dunning
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew D Foote
- Molecular Ecology and Evolution Bangor, Environment Centre Wales, School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, United Kingdom
- Department of Natural History, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NTNU University Museum, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Rhian J Smith
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, United Kingdom
| | - Jackie Lighten
- Biosciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
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23
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Cerca J, Maurstad MF, Rochette NC, Rivera‐Colón AG, Rayamajhi N, Catchen JM, Struck TH. Removing the bad apples: A simple bioinformatic method to improve loci‐recovery in de novo RADseq data for non‐model organisms. Methods Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.13562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- José Cerca
- Frontiers in Evolutionary Zoology Natural History MuseumUniversity of Oslo Oslo Norway
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management University of California Berkeley CA USA
- Department of Natural History NTNU University MuseumNorwegian University of Science and Technology Trondheim Norway
| | - Marius F. Maurstad
- Frontiers in Evolutionary Zoology Natural History MuseumUniversity of Oslo Oslo Norway
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis University of Oslo Oslo Norway
| | - Nicolas C. Rochette
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior University of Illinois at Urbana‐ChampaignUrbana‐Champaign IL USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of California Los Angeles CA USA
| | - Angel G. Rivera‐Colón
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior University of Illinois at Urbana‐ChampaignUrbana‐Champaign IL USA
| | - Niraj Rayamajhi
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior University of Illinois at Urbana‐ChampaignUrbana‐Champaign IL USA
| | - Julian M. Catchen
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior University of Illinois at Urbana‐ChampaignUrbana‐Champaign IL USA
| | - Torsten H. Struck
- Frontiers in Evolutionary Zoology Natural History MuseumUniversity of Oslo Oslo Norway
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24
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Hofmeister NR, Werner SJ, Lovette IJ. Environmental correlates of genetic variation in the invasive European starling in North America. Mol Ecol 2021; 30:1251-1263. [PMID: 33464634 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2019] [Revised: 12/17/2020] [Accepted: 01/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Populations of invasive species that colonize and spread in novel environments may differentiate both through demographic processes and local selection. European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) were introduced to New York in 1890 and subsequently spread throughout North America, becoming one of the most widespread and numerous bird species on the continent. Genome-wide comparisons across starling individuals and populations can identify demographic and/or selective factors that facilitated this rapid and successful expansion. We investigated patterns of genomic diversity and differentiation using reduced-representation genome sequencing of 17 winter-season sampling sites. Consistent with this species' high dispersal rate and rapid expansion history, we found low geographical differentiation and few FST outliers even at a continental scale. Despite starting from a founding population of ~180 individuals, North American starlings show only a moderate genetic bottleneck, and models suggest a dramatic increase in effective population size since introduction. In genotype-environment associations we found that ~200 single-nucleotide polymorphisms are correlated with temperature and/or precipitation against a background of negligible genome- and range-wide divergence. Given this evidence, we suggest that local adaptation in North American starlings may have evolved rapidly even in this wide-ranging and evolutionarily young system. This survey of genomic signatures of expansion in North American starlings is the most comprehensive to date and complements ongoing studies of world-wide local adaptation in these highly dispersive and invasive birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie R Hofmeister
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.,Fuller Evolutionary Biology Program, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Scott J Werner
- United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Irby J Lovette
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.,Fuller Evolutionary Biology Program, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
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25
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Cuevas A, Ravinet M, Saetre GP, Eroukhmanoff F. Intraspecific genomic variation and local adaptation in a young hybrid species. Mol Ecol 2021; 30:791-809. [PMID: 33259111 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2019] [Revised: 11/02/2020] [Accepted: 11/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Hybridization increases genetic variation, hence hybrid species may have greater evolutionary potential once their admixed genomes have stabilized and incompatibilities have been purged. Yet, little is known about how such hybrid lineages evolve at the genomic level following their formation, in particular their adaptive potential. Here we investigate how the Italian sparrow (Passer italiae), a homoploid hybrid species, has evolved and locally adapted to its variable environment. Using restriction site-associated DNA sequencing (RAD-seq) on several populations across the Italian peninsula, we evaluate how genomic constraints and novel genetic variation have influenced population divergence and adaptation. We show that population divergence within this hybrid species has evolved in response to climatic variation, suggesting ongoing local adaptation. As found previously in other nonhybrid species, climatic differences appear to increase population differentiation. We also report strong population divergence in a gene known to affect beak morphology. Most of the strongly divergent loci among Italian sparrow populations do not seem to be differentiated between its parent species, the house and Spanish sparrows. Unlike in the hybrid, population divergence within each of the parental taxa has occurred mostly at loci with high allele frequency difference between the parental species, suggesting that novel combinations of parental alleles in the hybrid have not necessarily enhanced its evolutionary potential. Rather, our study suggests that constraints linked to incompatibilities may have restricted the evolution of this admixed genome, both during and after hybrid species formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angélica Cuevas
- Department of Biosciences, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Mark Ravinet
- Department of Biosciences, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.,School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Glenn-Peter Saetre
- Department of Biosciences, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Fabrice Eroukhmanoff
- Department of Biosciences, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
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26
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Schell CJ, Stanton LA, Young JK, Angeloni LM, Lambert JE, Breck SW, Murray MH. The evolutionary consequences of human-wildlife conflict in cities. Evol Appl 2021; 14:178-197. [PMID: 33519964 PMCID: PMC7819564 DOI: 10.1111/eva.13131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2020] [Revised: 07/03/2020] [Accepted: 08/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Human-wildlife interactions, including human-wildlife conflict, are increasingly common as expanding urbanization worldwide creates more opportunities for people to encounter wildlife. Wildlife-vehicle collisions, zoonotic disease transmission, property damage, and physical attacks to people or their pets have negative consequences for both people and wildlife, underscoring the need for comprehensive strategies that mitigate and prevent conflict altogether. Management techniques often aim to deter, relocate, or remove individual organisms, all of which may present a significant selective force in both urban and nonurban systems. Management-induced selection may significantly affect the adaptive or nonadaptive evolutionary processes of urban populations, yet few studies explicate the links among conflict, wildlife management, and urban evolution. Moreover, the intensity of conflict management can vary considerably by taxon, public perception, policy, religious and cultural beliefs, and geographic region, which underscores the complexity of developing flexible tools to reduce conflict. Here, we present a cross-disciplinary perspective that integrates human-wildlife conflict, wildlife management, and urban evolution to address how social-ecological processes drive wildlife adaptation in cities. We emphasize that variance in implemented management actions shapes the strength and rate of phenotypic and evolutionary change. We also consider how specific management strategies either promote genetic or plastic changes, and how leveraging those biological inferences could help optimize management actions while minimizing conflict. Investigating human-wildlife conflict as an evolutionary phenomenon may provide insights into how conflict arises and how management plays a critical role in shaping urban wildlife phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher J. Schell
- School of Interdisciplinary Arts and SciencesUniversity of Washington TacomaTacomaWAUSA
| | - Lauren A. Stanton
- Department of Zoology and PhysiologyUniversity of WyomingLaramieWYUSA
- Program in EcologyUniversity of WyomingLaramieWYUSA
| | - Julie K. Young
- USDA‐WS‐National Wildlife Research Center‐Predator Research FacilityMillvilleUTUSA
| | | | - Joanna E. Lambert
- Program in Environmental Studies and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of Colorado‐BoulderBoulderCOUSA
| | - Stewart W. Breck
- USDA‐WS‐National Wildlife Research CenterFort CollinsCOUSA
- Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation BiologyFort CollinsCOUSA
| | - Maureen H. Murray
- Urban Wildlife Institute and Davee Center for Epidemiology and EndocrinologyChicagoILUSA
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27
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Harpak A, Garud N, Rosenberg NA, Petrov DA, Combs M, Pennings PS, Munshi-South J. Genetic Adaptation in New York City Rats. Genome Biol Evol 2020; 13:5991490. [PMID: 33211096 PMCID: PMC7851592 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evaa247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/17/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) thrive in urban environments by navigating the anthropocentric environment and taking advantage of human resources and by-products. From the human perspective, rats are a chronic problem that causes billions of dollars in damage to agriculture, health, and infrastructure. Did genetic adaptation play a role in the spread of rats in cities? To approach this question, we collected whole-genome sequences from 29 brown rats from New York City (NYC) and scanned for genetic signatures of adaptation. We tested for 1) high-frequency, extended haplotypes that could indicate selective sweeps and 2) loci of extreme genetic differentiation between the NYC sample and a sample from the presumed ancestral range of brown rats in northeast China. We found candidate selective sweeps near or inside genes associated with metabolism, diet, the nervous system, and locomotory behavior. Patterns of differentiation between NYC and Chinese rats at putative sweep loci suggest that many sweeps began after the split from the ancestral population. Together, our results suggest several hypotheses on adaptation in rats living in proximity to humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arbel Harpak
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University
| | - Nandita Garud
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles
| | | | | | - Matthew Combs
- Department of Biological Sciences, Fordham University.,Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology, Columbia University
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28
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Rowe M, Whittington E, Borziak K, Ravinet M, Eroukhmanoff F, Sætre GP, Dorus S. Molecular Diversification of the Seminal Fluid Proteome in a Recently Diverged Passerine Species Pair. Mol Biol Evol 2020; 37:488-506. [PMID: 31665510 PMCID: PMC6993853 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msz235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Seminal fluid proteins (SFPs) mediate an array of postmating reproductive processes that influence fertilization and fertility. As such, it is widely held that SFPs may contribute to postmating, prezygotic reproductive barriers between closely related taxa. We investigated seminal fluid (SF) diversification in a recently diverged passerine species pair (Passer domesticus and Passer hispaniolensis) using a combination of proteomic and comparative evolutionary genomic approaches. First, we characterized and compared the SF proteome of the two species, revealing consistencies with known aspects of SFP biology and function in other taxa, including the presence and diversification of proteins involved in immunity and sperm maturation. Second, using whole-genome resequencing data, we assessed patterns of genomic differentiation between house and Spanish sparrows. These analyses detected divergent selection on immunity-related SF genes and positive selective sweeps in regions containing a number of SF genes that also exhibited protein abundance diversification between species. Finally, we analyzed the molecular evolution of SFPs across 11 passerine species and found a significantly higher rate of positive selection in SFPs compared with the rest of the genome, as well as significant enrichments for functional pathways related to immunity in the set of positively selected SF genes. Our results suggest that selection on immunity pathways is an important determinant of passerine SF composition and evolution. Assessing the role of immunity genes in speciation in other recently diverged taxa should be prioritized given the potential role for immunity-related proteins in reproductive incompatibilities in Passer sparrows.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissah Rowe
- Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.,Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.,Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Emma Whittington
- Center for Reproductive Evolution, Department of Biology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY
| | - Kirill Borziak
- Center for Reproductive Evolution, Department of Biology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY
| | - Mark Ravinet
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Fabrice Eroukhmanoff
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Glenn-Peter Sætre
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Steve Dorus
- Center for Reproductive Evolution, Department of Biology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY
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29
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Yamasaki YY, Kakioka R, Takahashi H, Toyoda A, Nagano AJ, Machida Y, Møller PR, Kitano J. Genome-wide patterns of divergence and introgression after secondary contact between Pungitius sticklebacks. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 375:20190548. [PMID: 32654635 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Speciation is a continuous process. Although it is known that differential adaptation can initiate divergence even in the face of gene flow, we know relatively little about the mechanisms driving complete reproductive isolation and the genomic patterns of divergence and introgression at the later stages of speciation. Sticklebacks contain many pairs of sympatric species differing in levels of reproductive isolation and divergence history. Nevertheless, most previous studies have focused on young species pairs. Here, we investigated two sympatric stickleback species, Pungitius pungitius and P. sinensis, whose habitats overlap in eastern Hokkaido; these species show hybrid male sterility, suggesting that they may be at a late stage of speciation. Our demographic analysis using whole-genome sequence data showed that these species split 1.73 Ma and came into secondary contact 37 200 years ago after a period of allopatry. This long period of allopatry might have promoted the evolution of intrinsic incompatibility. Although we detected on-going gene flow and signatures of introgression, overall genomic divergence was high, with considerable heterogeneity across the genome. The heterogeneity was significantly associated with variation in recombination rate. This sympatric pair provides new avenues to investigate the late stages of the stickleback speciation continuum. This article is part of the theme issue 'Towards the completion of speciation: the evolution of reproductive isolation beyond the first barriers'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yo Y Yamasaki
- Ecological Genetics Laboratory, National Institute of Genetics, Yata 1111, Mishima, Shizuoka 411-8540, Japan
| | - Ryo Kakioka
- Ecological Genetics Laboratory, National Institute of Genetics, Yata 1111, Mishima, Shizuoka 411-8540, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Takahashi
- National Fisheries University, 2-7-1 Nagata-honmachi, Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi 759-6595, Japan
| | - Atsushi Toyoda
- Comparative Genomics Laboratory, National Institute of Genetics, Yata 1111, Mishima, Shizuoka 411-8540, Japan
| | - Atsushi J Nagano
- Faculty of Agriculture, Ryukoku University, Otsu, Shiga 520-2194, Japan
| | - Yoshiyasu Machida
- Bihoro Museum, Midori 253-4, Bihoro, Abashiri, Hokkaido 092-0002, Japan
| | - Peter R Møller
- Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Universitatetsparken 15, Copenhagen 2100, Denmark
| | - Jun Kitano
- Ecological Genetics Laboratory, National Institute of Genetics, Yata 1111, Mishima, Shizuoka 411-8540, Japan
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30
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Mueller JC, Carrete M, Boerno S, Kuhl H, Tella JL, Kempenaers B. Genes acting in synapses and neuron projections are early targets of selection during urban colonization. Mol Ecol 2020; 29:3403-3412. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.15451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2019] [Accepted: 04/08/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jakob C. Mueller
- Department of Behavioural Ecology & Evolutionary Genetics Max Planck Institute for Ornithology Seewiesen Germany
| | - Martina Carrete
- Department of Conservation Biology Estación Biológica de Doñana – CSIC Sevilla Spain
- Department of Physical, Chemical and Natural Systems University Pablo de Olavide Sevilla Spain
| | - Stefan Boerno
- Sequencing Core Facility Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics Berlin Germany
| | - Heiner Kuhl
- Sequencing Core Facility Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics Berlin Germany
- Department of Ecophysiology and Aquaculture Leibniz‐Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries Berlin Germany
| | - José L. Tella
- Department of Conservation Biology Estación Biológica de Doñana – CSIC Sevilla Spain
| | - Bart Kempenaers
- Department of Behavioural Ecology & Evolutionary Genetics Max Planck Institute for Ornithology Seewiesen Germany
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31
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Hanson HE, Mathews NS, Hauber ME, Martin LB. The house sparrow in the service of basic and applied biology. eLife 2020; 9:e52803. [PMID: 32343224 PMCID: PMC7189751 DOI: 10.7554/elife.52803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2019] [Accepted: 04/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
From the northernmost tip of Scandinavia to the southernmost corner of Patagonia, and across six continents, house sparrows (Passer domesticus) inhabit most human-modified habitats of the globe. With over 7,000 articles published, the species has become a workhorse for not only the study of self-urbanized wildlife, but also for understanding life history and body size evolution, sexual selection and many other biological phenomena. Traditionally, house sparrows were studied for their adaptations to local biotic and climatic conditions, but more recently, the species has come to serve as a focus for studies seeking to reveal the genomic, epigenetic and physiological underpinnings of success among invasive vertebrate species. Here, we review the natural history of house sparrows, highlight what the study of these birds has meant to bioscience generally, and describe the many resources available for future work on this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haley E Hanson
- Global and Planetary Health, University of South FloridaTampaUnited States
| | - Noreen S Mathews
- Global and Planetary Health, University of South FloridaTampaUnited States
| | - Mark E Hauber
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and BehaviorUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignUrbanaUnited States
| | - Lynn B Martin
- Global and Planetary Health, University of South FloridaTampaUnited States
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32
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Liker A. Biologia Futura: adaptive changes in urban populations. Biol Futur 2020; 71:1-8. [DOI: 10.1007/s42977-020-00005-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2019] [Accepted: 02/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
AbstractCities represent novel environments where altered ecological conditions can generate strong selection pressures leading to the evolution of specific urban phenotypes. Is there evidence for such adaptive changes in urban populations which have colonized their new environments relatively recently? A growing number of studies suggest that rapid adaptations may be widespread in wild urban populations, including increased tolerance to various anthropogenic stressors, and physiological, morphological and behavioural changes in response to the altered resources and predation risk. Some of these adaptive changes are based on genetic differentiation, although other mechanisms, such as phenotypic plasticity and epigenetic effects, are also frequently involved.
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33
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Rodrigues ASL, Monsarrat S, Charpentier A, Brooks TM, Hoffmann M, Reeves R, Palomares MLD, Turvey ST. Unshifting the baseline: a framework for documenting historical population changes and assessing long-term anthropogenic impacts. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2019; 374:20190220. [PMID: 31679498 PMCID: PMC6863499 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Ecological baselines-reference states of species' distributions and abundances-are key to the scientific arguments underpinning many conservation and management interventions, as well as to the public support to such interventions. Yet societal as well as scientific perceptions of these baselines are often based on ecosystems that have been deeply transformed by human actions. Despite increased awareness about the pervasiveness and implications of this shifting baseline syndrome, ongoing global assessments of the state of biodiversity do not take into account the long-term, cumulative, anthropogenic impacts on biodiversity. Here, we propose a new framework for documenting such impacts, by classifying populations according to the extent to which they deviate from a baseline in the absence of human actions. We apply this framework to the bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) to illustrate how it can be used to assess populations with different geographies and timelines of known or suspected impacts. Through other examples, we discuss how the framework can be applied to populations for which there is a wide diversity of existing knowledge, by making the best use of the available ecological, historical and archaeological data. Combined across multiple populations, this framework provides a standard for assessing cumulative anthropogenic impacts on biodiversity. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'The past is a foreign country: how much can the fossil record actually inform conservation?'
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana S. L. Rodrigues
- Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, UMR 5175 (CNRS—Université de Montpellier—UPVM—EPHE), 1919 Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier, France
| | - Sophie Monsarrat
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Anne Charpentier
- Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, UMR 5175 (CNRS—Université de Montpellier—UPVM—EPHE), 1919 Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier, France
| | - Thomas M. Brooks
- International Union for Conservation of Nature, 28 Rue Mauverney, 1196 Gland, Switzerland
- World Agroforestry Center (ICRAF), University of The Philippines Los Baños, Laguna 4031, The Philippines
- Institute for Marine & Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia
| | - Michael Hoffmann
- Conservation and Policy, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London NW1 4RY, UK
| | - Randall Reeves
- Okapi Wildlife Associates, 27 Chandler Lane, Hudson, Quebec, Canada JOP 1HO
| | - Maria L. D. Palomares
- Sea Around Us, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, University of British Columbia, Vancouver V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Samuel T. Turvey
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London NW1 4RY, UK
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34
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Päckert M, Ait Belkacem A, Wolfgramm H, Gast O, Canal D, Giacalone G, Lo Valvo M, Vamberger M, Wink M, Martens J, Stuckas H. Genetic admixture despite ecological segregation in a North African sparrow hybrid zone (Aves, Passeriformes, Passer domesticus × Passer hispaniolensis). Ecol Evol 2019; 9:12710-12726. [PMID: 31788209 PMCID: PMC6875665 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2019] [Revised: 08/30/2019] [Accepted: 09/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Under different environmental conditions, hybridization between the same species might result in different patterns of genetic admixture. Particularly, species pairs with large distribution ranges and long evolutionary history may have experienced several independent hybridization events over time in different zones of overlap. In birds, the diverse hybrid populations of the house sparrow (Passer domesticus) and the Spanish sparrow (Passer hispaniolensis) provide a striking example. Throughout their range of sympatry, these two species do not regularly interbreed; however, a stabilized hybrid form (Passer italiae) exists on the Italian Peninsula and on several Mediterranean islands. The spatial distribution pattern on the Eurasian continent strongly contrasts the situation in North Africa, where house sparrows and Spanish sparrows occur in close vicinity of phenotypically intermediate populations across a broad mosaic hybrid zone. In this study, we investigate patterns of divergence and admixture among the two parental species, stabilized and nonstabilized hybrid populations in Italy and Algeria based on a mitochondrial marker, a sex chromosomal marker, and 12 microsatellite loci. In Algeria, despite strong spatial and temporal separation of urban early-breeding house sparrows and hybrids and rural late-breeding Spanish sparrows, we found strong genetic admixture of mitochondrial and nuclear markers across all study populations and phenotypes. That pattern of admixture in the North African hybrid zone is strikingly different from i) the Iberian area of sympatry where we observed only weak asymmetrical introgression of Spanish sparrow nuclear alleles into local house sparrow populations and ii) the very homogenous Italian sparrow population where the mitogenome of one parent (P. domesticus) and the Z-chromosomal marker of the other parent (P. hispaniolensis) are fixed. The North African sparrow hybrids provide a further example of enhanced hybridization along with recent urbanization and anthropogenic land-use changes in a mosaic landscape.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Päckert
- Senckenberg Naturhistorische Sammlungen Dresden, Senckenberg|Leibniz Institution for Biodiversity and Earth System ResearchDresdenGermany
| | - Abdelkrim Ait Belkacem
- Laboratoire d'Exploration et de Valorisation des Écosystèmes SteppiquesFaculté des Sciences de la nature et de la vieUniversité de DjelfaDjelfaAlgeria
| | - Hannes Wolfgramm
- Senckenberg Naturhistorische Sammlungen Dresden, Senckenberg|Leibniz Institution for Biodiversity and Earth System ResearchDresdenGermany
| | - Oliver Gast
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology Brno & Masaryk University BrnoBrnoCzech Republic
| | - David Canal
- Department of Evolutionary EcologyEstación Biológica de Doñana—CSICSevilleSpain
- Centro para el Estudio y Conservación de las Aves Rapaces en Argentina (CECARA‐UNLPam) & Instituto de las Ciencias de la Tierra y Ambientales de La Pampa (INCITAP)Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET)Santa RosaArgentina
| | | | - Mario Lo Valvo
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche, Chimiche e FarmaceuticheUniversità degli Studi di PalermoPalermoItaly
| | - Melita Vamberger
- Senckenberg Naturhistorische Sammlungen Dresden, Senckenberg|Leibniz Institution for Biodiversity and Earth System ResearchDresdenGermany
| | - Michael Wink
- Department of BiologyInstitute of Pharmacy and Molecular BiotechnologyHeidelberg UniversityHeidelbergGermany
| | - Jochen Martens
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular EvolutionJohannes Gutenberg UniversityMainzGermany
| | - Heiko Stuckas
- Senckenberg Naturhistorische Sammlungen Dresden, Senckenberg|Leibniz Institution for Biodiversity and Earth System ResearchDresdenGermany
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35
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Miles LS, Rivkin LR, Johnson MTJ, Munshi‐South J, Verrelli BC. Gene flow and genetic drift in urban environments. Mol Ecol 2019; 28:4138-4151. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.15221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2019] [Revised: 08/02/2019] [Accepted: 08/13/2019] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Lindsay S. Miles
- Integrative Life Sciences Doctoral Program Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond VA USA
- Department of Biology University of Toronto Mississauga Mississauga ON Canada
| | - L. Ruth Rivkin
- Department of Biology University of Toronto Mississauga Mississauga ON Canada
- Centre for Urban Environments University of Toronto Mississauga Mississauga ON Canada
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Toronto Toronto ON Canada
| | - Marc T. J. Johnson
- Department of Biology University of Toronto Mississauga Mississauga ON Canada
- Centre for Urban Environments University of Toronto Mississauga Mississauga ON Canada
| | - Jason Munshi‐South
- Louis Calder Center—Biological Field Station Fordham University Armonk NY USA
| | - Brian C. Verrelli
- Center for Life Sciences Education Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond VA USA
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36
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Qu Y, Chen C, Xiong Y, She H, Zhang YE, Cheng Y, DuBay S, Li D, Ericson PGP, Hao Y, Wang H, Zhao H, Song G, Zhang H, Yang T, Zhang C, Liang L, Wu T, Zhao J, Gao Q, Zhai W, Lei F. Rapid phenotypic evolution with shallow genomic differentiation during early stages of high elevation adaptation in Eurasian Tree Sparrows. Natl Sci Rev 2019; 7:113-127. [PMID: 34692022 PMCID: PMC8289047 DOI: 10.1093/nsr/nwz138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2019] [Revised: 08/31/2019] [Accepted: 09/01/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Known as the ‘third polar region’, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau represents one of the harshest highland environments in the world and yet a number of organisms thrive there. Previous studies of birds, animals and humans have focused on well-differentiated populations in later stages of phenotypic divergence. The adaptive processes during the initial phase of highland adaptation remain poorly understood. We studied a human commensal, the Eurasian Tree Sparrow, which has followed human agriculture to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Despite strong phenotypic differentiation at multiple levels, in particular in muscle-related phenotypes, highland and lowland populations show shallow genomic divergence and the colonization event occurred within the past few thousand years. In a one-month acclimation experiment investigating phenotypic plasticity, we exposed adult lowland tree sparrows to a hypoxic environment and did not observe muscle changes. Through population genetic analyses, we identified a signature of polygenic adaptation, whereby shifts in allele frequencies are spread across multiple loci, many of which are associated with muscle-related processes. Our results reveal a case of positive selection in which polygenic adaptation appears to drive rapid phenotypic evolution, shedding light on early stages of adaptive evolution to a novel environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanhua Qu
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Chunhai Chen
- BGI Genomics, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518084, China
| | - Ying Xiong
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Huishang She
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yong E Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China
| | - Yalin Cheng
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Shane DuBay
- Committee on Evolutionary Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
- Life Sciences Section, Integrative Research Center, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL 60605, USA
| | - Dongming Li
- Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Hebei Province, College of Life Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang 050024, China
| | - Per G P Ericson
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genetics, Swedish Museum of Natural History, SE-104 05 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Yan Hao
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Hongyuan Wang
- College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710119, China
| | - Hongfeng Zhao
- College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710119, China
| | - Gang Song
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Hailin Zhang
- BGI Genomics, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518084, China
| | - Ting Yang
- China National GeneBank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518120, China
| | - Chi Zhang
- BGI Genomics, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518084, China
| | - Liping Liang
- BGI Genomics, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518084, China
| | - Tianyu Wu
- BGI Genomics, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518084, China
| | - Jinyang Zhao
- BGI Genomics, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518084, China
| | - Qiang Gao
- BGI Genomics, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518084, China
| | - Weiwei Zhai
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China
- Human Genetics, Genome Institute of Singapore, Agency for Science, Technology, and Research, Singapore 138672, Singapore
| | - Fumin Lei
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China
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Rivkin LR, Santangelo JS, Alberti M, Aronson MFJ, de Keyzer CW, Diamond SE, Fortin M, Frazee LJ, Gorton AJ, Hendry AP, Liu Y, Losos JB, MacIvor JS, Martin RA, McDonnell MJ, Miles LS, Munshi‐South J, Ness RW, Newman AEM, Stothart MR, Theodorou P, Thompson KA, Verrelli BC, Whitehead A, Winchell KM, Johnson MTJ. A roadmap for urban evolutionary ecology. Evol Appl 2019; 12:384-398. [PMID: 30828362 PMCID: PMC6383741 DOI: 10.1111/eva.12734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2018] [Revised: 10/29/2018] [Accepted: 11/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Urban ecosystems are rapidly expanding throughout the world, but how urban growth affects the evolutionary ecology of species living in urban areas remains largely unknown. Urban ecology has advanced our understanding of how the development of cities and towns change environmental conditions and alter ecological processes and patterns. However, despite decades of research in urban ecology, the extent to which urbanization influences evolutionary and eco-evolutionary change has received little attention. The nascent field of urban evolutionary ecology seeks to understand how urbanization affects the evolution of populations, and how those evolutionary changes in turn influence the ecological dynamics of populations, communities, and ecosystems. Following a brief history of this emerging field, this Perspective article provides a research agenda and roadmap for future research aimed at advancing our understanding of the interplay between ecology and evolution of urban-dwelling organisms. We identify six key questions that, if addressed, would significantly increase our understanding of how urbanization influences evolutionary processes. These questions consider how urbanization affects nonadaptive evolution, natural selection, and convergent evolution, in addition to the role of urban environmental heterogeneity on species evolution, and the roles of phenotypic plasticity versus adaptation on species' abundance in cities. Our final question examines the impact of urbanization on evolutionary diversification. For each of these six questions, we suggest avenues for future research that will help advance the field of urban evolutionary ecology. Lastly, we highlight the importance of integrating urban evolutionary ecology into urban planning, conservation practice, pest management, and public engagement.
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Thompson KA, Rieseberg LH, Schluter D. Speciation and the City. Trends Ecol Evol 2018; 33:815-826. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2018.08.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2017] [Revised: 08/18/2018] [Accepted: 08/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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Santangelo JS, Rivkin LR, Johnson MTJ. The evolution of city life. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 285:rspb.2018.1529. [PMID: 30111603 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.1529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2018] [Accepted: 07/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Urbanization represents a dominant and growing form of disturbance to Earth's natural ecosystems, affecting biodiversity and ecosystem services on a global scale. While decades of research have illuminated the effects of urban environmental change on the structure and function of ecological communities in cities, only recently have researchers begun exploring the effects of urbanization on the evolution of urban populations. The 15 articles in this special feature represent the leading edge of urban evolutionary biology and address existing gaps in our knowledge. These gaps include: (i) the absence of theoretical models examining how multiple evolutionary mechanisms interact to affect evolution in urban environments; (ii) a lack of data on how urbanization affects natural selection and local adaptation; (iii) poor understanding of whether urban areas consistently affect non-adaptive and adaptive evolution in similar ways across multiple cities; (iv) insufficient data on the genetic and especially genomic signatures of urban evolutionary change; and (v) limited understanding of the evolutionary processes underlying the origin of new human commensals. Using theory, observations from natural populations, common gardens, genomic data and cutting-edge population genomic and landscape genetic tools, the papers in this special feature address these gaps and highlight the power of urban evolutionary biology as a globally replicated 'experiment' that provides a powerful approach for understanding how human altered environments affect evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- James S Santangelo
- Department of Biology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada L5L 1C6 .,Centre for Urban Environments, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada L5L 1C6.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 3B2
| | - L Ruth Rivkin
- Department of Biology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada L5L 1C6 .,Centre for Urban Environments, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada L5L 1C6.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 3B2
| | - Marc T J Johnson
- Department of Biology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada L5L 1C6 .,Centre for Urban Environments, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada L5L 1C6.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 3B2
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40
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Ravinet M, Elgvin TO, Trier C, Aliabadian M, Gavrilov A, Sætre GP. Signatures of human-commensalism in the house sparrow genome. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 285:rspb.2018.1246. [PMID: 30089626 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.1246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2018] [Accepted: 07/11/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
House sparrows (Passer domesticus) are a hugely successful anthrodependent species; occurring on nearly every continent. Yet, despite their ubiquity and familiarity to humans, surprisingly little is known about their origins. We sought to investigate the evolutionary history of the house sparrow and identify the processes involved in its transition to a human-commensal niche. We used a whole genome resequencing dataset of 120 individuals from three Eurasian species, including three populations of Bactrianus sparrows, a non-commensal, divergent house sparrow lineage occurring in the Near East. Coalescent modelling supports a split between house and Bactrianus sparrow 11 Kya and an expansion in the house sparrow at 6 Kya, consistent with the spread of agriculture following the Neolithic revolution. Commensal house sparrows therefore likely moved into Europe with the spread of agriculture following this period. Using the Bactrianus sparrow as a proxy for a pre-commensal, ancestral house population, we performed a comparative genome scan to identify genes potentially involved with adaptation to an anthropogenic niche. We identified potential signatures of recent, positive selection in the genome of the commensal house sparrow that are absent in Bactrianus populations. The strongest selected region encompasses two major candidate genes; COL11A-which regulates craniofacial and skull development and AMY2A, part of the amylase gene family which has previously been linked to adaptation to high-starch diets in humans and dogs. Our work examines human-commensalism in an evolutionary framework, identifies genomic regions likely involved in rapid adaptation to this new niche and ties the evolution of this species to the development of modern human civilization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark Ravinet
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Tore Oldeide Elgvin
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.,Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Cassandra Trier
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | | | - Andrey Gavrilov
- Institute of Zoology, Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Astana, Kazakhstan
| | - Glenn-Peter Sætre
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
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