1
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Koné DCE, Jacob S, Huet M, Philippe H, Legrand D. The phenotypic and demographic response to the combination of copper and thermal stressors strongly varies within the ciliate species, Tetrahymena thermophila. ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY REPORTS 2024; 16:e13307. [PMID: 39344497 PMCID: PMC11440147 DOI: 10.1111/1758-2229.13307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 06/08/2024] [Indexed: 10/01/2024]
Abstract
Copper pollution can alter biological and trophic functions. Organisms can utilise different tolerance strategies, including accumulation mechanisms (intracellular vacuoles, external chelation, etc.) to maintain themselves in copper-polluted environments. Accumulation mechanisms can influence the expression of other phenotypic traits, allowing organisms to deal with copper stress. Whether copper effects on accumulation strategies interact with other environmental stressors such as temperature and how this may differ within species are still unsolved questions. Here, we tested experimentally whether the combined effect of copper and temperature modulates traits linked to demography, morphology, movement and accumulation in six strains of the ciliate Tetrahymena thermophila. We also explored whether copper accumulation might modulate environmental copper concentration effects on phenotypic and demographic traits. Results showed high intraspecific variability in the phenotypic and demographic response to copper, with interactive effects between temperature and copper. In addition, they suggested an attenuation effect of copper accumulation on the sensitivity of traits to copper, but with great variation between strains, temperatures and copper concentrations. Diversity of responses among strains and their thermal dependencies pleads for the integration of intraspecific variability and multiple stressors approaches in ecotoxicological studies, thus improving the reliability of assessments of the effects of pollutants on biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Staffan Jacob
- Centre National de la Recherche ScientifiqueStation d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale, UAR2029MoulisAriègeFrance
| | - Michèle Huet
- Centre National de la Recherche ScientifiqueStation d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale, UAR2029MoulisAriègeFrance
| | - Hervé Philippe
- Centre National de la Recherche ScientifiqueStation d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale, UAR2029MoulisAriègeFrance
| | - Delphine Legrand
- Centre National de la Recherche ScientifiqueStation d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale, UAR2029MoulisAriègeFrance
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2
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Jiménez AG, Marolf C, Swanson DL. Oxidative stress across multiple tissues in house sparrows (Passer domesticus) acclimated to warm, stable cold, and unpredictable cold thermal treatments. J Comp Physiol B 2024:10.1007/s00360-024-01572-2. [PMID: 38995419 DOI: 10.1007/s00360-024-01572-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2024] [Revised: 05/24/2024] [Accepted: 06/03/2024] [Indexed: 07/13/2024]
Abstract
With climate change increasing not just mean temperatures but the frequency of cold snaps and heat waves, animals occupying thermally variable areas may be faced with thermal conditions for which they are not prepared. Studies of physiological adaptations of temperate resident birds to such thermal variability are largely lacking in the literature. To address this gap, we acclimated winter-phenotype house sparrows (Passer domesticus) to stable warm, stable cold, and fluctuating cold temperatures. We then measured several metrics of the oxidative stress (OS) system, including enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants and lipid oxidative damage, in brain (post-mitotic), kidney (mitotic), liver (mitotic) and pectoralis muscle (post-mitotic). We predicted that high metabolic flexibility could be linked to increases in reactive oxygen damage. Alternatively, if variation in ROS production is not associated with metabolic flexibility, then we predict no antioxidant compensation with thermal variation. Our data suggest that ROS production is not associated with metabolic flexibility, as we found no differences across thermal treatment groups. However, we did find differences across tissues. Brain catalase activity demonstrated the lowest values compared with kidney, liver and muscle. In contrast, brain glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities were higher than those in kidney and liver. Muscle GPx activities were intermediate to brain and kidney/liver. Lipid peroxidation damage was lowest in the kidney and highest in muscle tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Chelsi Marolf
- Department of Biology, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD, USA
| | - David L Swanson
- Department of Biology, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD, USA
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3
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Schmidlin K, Ogbunugafor CB, Geiler-Samerotte K. Environment by environment interactions (ExE) differ across genetic backgrounds (ExExG). BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.08.593194. [PMID: 38766025 PMCID: PMC11100745 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.08.593194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
While the terms "gene-by-gene interaction" (GxG) and "gene-by-environment interaction" (GxE) are commonplace within the fields of quantitative and evolutionary genetics, "environment-by-environment interaction" (ExE) is a term used less often. In this study, we find that environment-by-environment interactions are a meaningful driver of phenotypes, and that they differ across different genotypes (suggestive of ExExG). To reach this conclusion, we analyzed a large dataset of roughly 1,000 mutant yeast strains with varying degrees of resistance to different antifungal drugs. We show that the effectiveness of a drug combination, relative to single drugs, often varies across different drug resistant mutants. Even mutants that differ by only a single nucleotide change can have dramatically different drug x drug (ExE) interactions. We also introduce a new framework that better predicts the direction and magnitude of ExE interactions for some mutants. Studying how ExE interactions change across genotypes (ExExG) is not only important when modeling the evolution of pathogenic microbes, but also for broader efforts to understand the cell biology underlying these interactions and to resolve the source of phenotypic variance across populations. The relevance of ExExG interactions have been largely omitted from canon in evolutionary and population genetics, but these fields and others stand to benefit from perspectives that highlight how interactions between external forces craft the complex behavior of living systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kara Schmidlin
- Biodesign Center for Mechanisms of Evolution, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe AZ, 85287
| | - C. Brandon Ogbunugafor
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT,06511
- Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM, 87501
| | - Kerry Geiler-Samerotte
- Biodesign Center for Mechanisms of Evolution, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe AZ, 85287
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4
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Derelle R, Verdonck R, Jacob S, Huet M, Akerman I, Philippe H, Legrand D. The macronuclear genomic landscape within Tetrahymena thermophila. Microb Genom 2024; 10:001175. [PMID: 38206129 PMCID: PMC10868616 DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.001175] [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: 09/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
The extent of intraspecific genomic variation is key to understanding species evolutionary history, including recent adaptive shifts. Intraspecific genomic variation remains poorly explored in eukaryotic micro-organisms, especially in the nuclear dimorphic ciliates, despite their fundamental role as laboratory model systems and their ecological importance in many ecosystems. We sequenced the macronuclear genome of 22 laboratory strains of the oligohymenophoran Tetrahymena thermophila, a model species in both cellular biology and evolutionary ecology. We explored polymorphisms at the junctions of programmed eliminated sequences, and reveal their utility to barcode very closely related cells. As for other species of the genus Tetrahymena, we confirm micronuclear centromeres as gene diversification centres in T. thermophila, but also reveal a two-speed evolution in these regions. In the rest of the genome, we highlight recent diversification of genes coding for extracellular proteins and cell adhesion. We discuss all these findings in relation to this ciliate's ecology and cellular characteristics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Romain Derelle
- Station d’Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale, UAR2029, CNRS, Moulis, France
- Present address: NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Respiratory Infections, National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Rik Verdonck
- Station d’Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale, UAR2029, CNRS, Moulis, France
- Present address: Centre for Environmental Sciences, Environmental Biology, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Staffan Jacob
- Station d’Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale, UAR2029, CNRS, Moulis, France
| | - Michèle Huet
- Station d’Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale, UAR2029, CNRS, Moulis, France
| | - Ildem Akerman
- Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Hervé Philippe
- Station d’Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale, UAR2029, CNRS, Moulis, France
| | - Delphine Legrand
- Station d’Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale, UAR2029, CNRS, Moulis, France
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5
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Svendsen NA, Radchuk V, Morel-Journel T, Thuillier V, Schtickzelle N. Complexity vs linearity: relations between functional traits in a heterotrophic protist. BMC Ecol Evol 2023; 23:1. [PMID: 36631737 PMCID: PMC9832698 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-022-02102-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2022] [Accepted: 12/26/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Functional traits are phenotypic traits that affect an organism's performance and shape ecosystem-level processes. The main challenge when using functional traits to quantify biodiversity is to choose which ones to measure since effort and money are limited. As one way of dealing with this, Hodgson et al. (Oikos 85:282, 1999) introduced the idea of two types of traits, with soft traits that are easy and quick to quantify, and hard traits that are directly linked to ecosystem functioning but difficult to measure. If a link exists between the two types of traits, then one could use soft traits as a proxy for hard traits for a quick but meaningful assessment of biodiversity. However, this framework is based on two assumptions: (1) hard and soft traits must be tightly connected to allow reliable prediction of one using the other; (2) the relationship between traits must be monotonic and linear to be detected by the most common statistical techniques (e.g. linear model, PCA). RESULTS Here we addressed those two assumptions by focusing on six functional traits of the protist species Tetrahymena thermophila, which vary both in their measurement difficulty and functional meaningfulness. They were classified as: easy traits (morphological traits), intermediate traits (movement traits) and hard traits (oxygen consumption and population growth rate). We detected a high number (> 60%) of non-linear relations between the traits, which can explain the low number of significant relations found using linear models and PCA analysis. Overall, these analyses did not detect any relationship strong enough to predict one trait using another, but that does not imply there are none. CONCLUSIONS Our results highlighted the need to critically assess the relations among the functional traits used as proxies and those functional traits which they aim to reflect. A thorough assessment of whether such relations exist across species and communities is a necessary next step to evaluate whether it is possible to take a shortcut in quantifying functional diversity by collecting the data on easily measurable traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nils A. Svendsen
- grid.7942.80000 0001 2294 713XEarth and Life Institute, Biodiversity Research Center, Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Viktoriia Radchuk
- grid.418779.40000 0001 0708 0355Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW), Alfred-Kowalke-Straße 17, 10315 Berlin, Germany
| | - Thibaut Morel-Journel
- grid.7942.80000 0001 2294 713XEarth and Life Institute, Biodiversity Research Center, Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium ,grid.440907.e0000 0004 1784 3645Centre Interdisciplinaire de Recherche en Biologie (CIRB), Collège de France, PSL Research University, CNRS UMR 7241, Paris, France
| | - Virginie Thuillier
- grid.7942.80000 0001 2294 713XEarth and Life Institute, Biodiversity Research Center, Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Nicolas Schtickzelle
- grid.7942.80000 0001 2294 713XEarth and Life Institute, Biodiversity Research Center, Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium
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6
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Campana JLM, Raffard A, Chaine AS, Huet M, Legrand D, Jacob S. Dispersal plasticity driven by variation in fitness across species and environmental gradients. Ecol Lett 2022; 25:2410-2421. [PMID: 36198081 PMCID: PMC9827879 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14101] [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: 06/08/2022] [Revised: 07/07/2022] [Accepted: 08/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Dispersal plasticity, when organisms adjust their dispersal decisions depending on their environment, can play a major role in ecological and evolutionary dynamics, but how it relates to fitness remains scarcely explored. Theory predicts that high dispersal plasticity should evolve when environmental gradients have a strong impact on fitness. Using microcosms, we tested in five species of the genus Tetrahymena whether dispersal plasticity relates to differences in fitness sensitivity along three environmental gradients. Dispersal plasticity was species- and environment-dependent. As expected, dispersal plasticity was generally related to fitness sensitivity, with higher dispersal plasticity when fitness is more affected by environmental gradients. Individuals often preferentially disperse out of low fitness environments, but leaving environments that should yield high fitness was also commonly observed. We provide empirical support for a fundamental, but largely untested, assumption in dispersal theory: the extent of dispersal plasticity correlates with fitness sensitivity to the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Allan Raffard
- Université catholique de Louvain, Earth and Life Institute, Biodiversity Research CentreLouvain‐la‐NeuveBelgium,Present address:
Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, INRAE, CARRTELThonon‐les‐BainsFrance
| | - Alexis S. Chaine
- Station d'Ecologie Théorique et ExpérimentaleUAR CNRS 2029MoulisFrance
| | - Michèle Huet
- Station d'Ecologie Théorique et ExpérimentaleUAR CNRS 2029MoulisFrance
| | - Delphine Legrand
- Station d'Ecologie Théorique et ExpérimentaleUAR CNRS 2029MoulisFrance
| | - Staffan Jacob
- Station d'Ecologie Théorique et ExpérimentaleUAR CNRS 2029MoulisFrance
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7
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Schneider HM. Characterization, costs, cues and future perspectives of phenotypic plasticity. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2022; 130:131-148. [PMID: 35771883 PMCID: PMC9445595 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcac087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Plastic responses of plants to the environment are ubiquitous. Phenotypic plasticity occurs in many forms and at many biological scales, and its adaptive value depends on the specific environment and interactions with other plant traits and organisms. Even though plasticity is the norm rather than the exception, its complex nature has been a challenge in characterizing the expression of plasticity, its adaptive value for fitness and the environmental cues that regulate its expression. SCOPE This review discusses the characterization and costs of plasticity and approaches, considerations, and promising research directions in studying plasticity. Phenotypic plasticity is genetically controlled and heritable; however, little is known about how organisms perceive, interpret and respond to environmental cues, and the genes and pathways associated with plasticity. Not every genotype is plastic for every trait, and plasticity is not infinite, suggesting trade-offs, costs and limits to expression of plasticity. The timing, specificity and duration of plasticity are critical to their adaptive value for plant fitness. CONCLUSIONS There are many research opportunities to advance our understanding of plant phenotypic plasticity. New methodology and technological breakthroughs enable the study of phenotypic responses across biological scales and in multiple environments. Understanding the mechanisms of plasticity and how the expression of specific phenotypes influences fitness in many environmental ranges would benefit many areas of plant science ranging from basic research to applied breeding for crop improvement.
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8
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Swanson DL, Zhang Y, Jimenez AG. Skeletal muscle and metabolic flexibility in response to changing energy demands in wild birds. Front Physiol 2022; 13:961392. [PMID: 35936893 PMCID: PMC9353400 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2022.961392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2022] [Accepted: 06/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Phenotypically plastic responses of animals to adjust to environmental variation are pervasive. Reversible plasticity (i.e., phenotypic flexibility), where adult phenotypes can be reversibly altered according to prevailing environmental conditions, allow for better matching of phenotypes to the environment and can generate fitness benefits but may also be associated with costs that trade-off with capacity for flexibility. Here, we review the literature on avian metabolic and muscle plasticity in response to season, temperature, migration and experimental manipulation of flight costs, and employ an integrative approach to explore the phenotypic flexibility of metabolic rates and skeletal muscle in wild birds. Basal (minimum maintenance metabolic rate) and summit (maximum cold-induced metabolic rate) metabolic rates are flexible traits in birds, typically increasing with increasing energy demands. Because skeletal muscles are important for energy use at the organismal level, especially to maximum rates of energy use during exercise or shivering thermogenesis, we consider flexibility of skeletal muscle at the tissue and ultrastructural levels in response to variations in the thermal environment and in workloads due to flight exercise. We also examine two major muscle remodeling regulatory pathways: myostatin and insulin-like growth factor -1 (IGF-1). Changes in myostatin and IGF-1 pathways are sometimes, but not always, regulated in a manner consistent with metabolic rate and muscle mass flexibility in response to changing energy demands in wild birds, but few studies have examined such variation so additional study is needed to fully understand roles for these pathways in regulating metabolic flexibility in birds. Muscle ultrastrutural variation in terms of muscle fiber diameter and associated myonuclear domain (MND) in birds is plastic and highly responsive to thermal variation and increases in workload, however, only a few studies have examined ultrastructural flexibility in avian muscle. Additionally, the relationship between myostatin, IGF-1, and satellite cell (SC) proliferation as it relates to avian muscle flexibility has not been addressed in birds and represents a promising avenue for future study.
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Affiliation(s)
- David L. Swanson
- Department of Biology, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD, United States
| | - Yufeng Zhang
- College of Health Science, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, United States
| | - Ana Gabriela Jimenez
- Department of Biology, Colgate University, Hamilton, NY, United States
- *Correspondence: Ana Gabriela Jimenez,
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9
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Gibert A, Marin S, Mouginot P, Archambeau J, Illes M, Ollivier G, Gandara A, Pujol B. Non-reproducible signals of adaptation to elevation between open and understorey microhabitats in snapdragon plants. J Evol Biol 2021; 35:322-332. [PMID: 34897875 PMCID: PMC9299861 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2021] [Revised: 10/29/2021] [Accepted: 12/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Experimental studies on local adaptation rarely investigate how different environmental variables might modify signals of adaptation or maladaptation. In plant common garden experiments, signals of adaptation or maladaptation to elevation are usually investigated in open habitats under full light. However, most plants inhabit heterogeneous habitats where environmental conditions differ. Understorey microhabitats are common and differ in terms of tree shade, temperature, water availability, microbiota, allelochemicals etc. Germination is a fitness-related trait of major importance for the adaptation of plants to contrasted climate conditions. It is affected by shade in snapdragon plants (Antirrhinum majus) and many other plant species. Here, we tested for the reproducibility of signals extrapolated from germination results between open and understorey microhabitats in two parapatric snapdragon plant subspecies (A. m. striatum and A. m. pseudomajus) characterized by a similar elevation range by using common garden experiments at different elevations. Signals observed under one microhabitat systematically differed in the other. Most scenarios could be inferred, with signals either shifting, appearing or disappearing between different environments. Our findings imply that caution should be taken when extrapolating the evolutionary significance of these types of experimental signals because they are not stable from one local environmental condition to the next. Forecasting the ability of plants to adapt to environmental changes based on common garden and reciprocal transplant experiments must account for the multivariate nature of the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anaïs Gibert
- PSL Université Paris, EPHE-UPVD-CNRS, USR 3278 CRIOBE, Université de Perpignan, Perpignan Cedex, France
| | - Sara Marin
- PSL Université Paris, EPHE-UPVD-CNRS, USR 3278 CRIOBE, Université de Perpignan, Perpignan Cedex, France.,Laboratoire Évolution et Diversité Biologique (EDB UMR 5174), Université Fédérale de Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées, CNRS, IRD, UPS, Toulouse, France
| | - Pierick Mouginot
- PSL Université Paris, EPHE-UPVD-CNRS, USR 3278 CRIOBE, Université de Perpignan, Perpignan Cedex, France
| | | | - Morgane Illes
- Laboratoire Évolution et Diversité Biologique (EDB UMR 5174), Université Fédérale de Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées, CNRS, IRD, UPS, Toulouse, France
| | - Gabriel Ollivier
- Laboratoire Évolution et Diversité Biologique (EDB UMR 5174), Université Fédérale de Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées, CNRS, IRD, UPS, Toulouse, France
| | - Alice Gandara
- Laboratoire Évolution et Diversité Biologique (EDB UMR 5174), Université Fédérale de Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées, CNRS, IRD, UPS, Toulouse, France
| | - Benoit Pujol
- PSL Université Paris, EPHE-UPVD-CNRS, USR 3278 CRIOBE, Université de Perpignan, Perpignan Cedex, France
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10
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Zilio G, Nørgaard LS, Petrucci G, Zeballos N, Gougat-Barbera C, Fronhofer EA, Kaltz O. Parasitism and host dispersal plasticity in an aquatic model system. J Evol Biol 2021; 34:1316-1325. [PMID: 34157176 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2021] [Revised: 05/19/2021] [Accepted: 06/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Dispersal is a central determinant of spatial dynamics in communities and ecosystems, and various ecological factors can shape the evolution of constitutive and plastic dispersal behaviours. One important driver of dispersal plasticity is the biotic environment. Parasites, for example, influence the internal condition of infected hosts and define external patch quality. Thus, state-dependent dispersal may be determined by infection status and context-dependent dispersal by the abundance of infected hosts in the population. A prerequisite for such dispersal plasticity to evolve is a genetic basis on which natural selection can act. Using interconnected microcosms, we investigated dispersal in experimental populations of the freshwater protist Paramecium caudatum in response to the bacterial parasite Holospora undulata. For a collection of 20 natural host strains, we found substantial variation in constitutive dispersal and to a lesser degree in dispersal plasticity. First, infection tended to increase or decrease dispersal relative to uninfected controls, depending on strain identity, indicative of state-dependent dispersal plasticity. Infection additionally decreased host swimming speed compared to the uninfected counterparts. Second, for certain strains, there was a weak negative association between dispersal and infection prevalence, such that uninfected hosts dispersed less when infection was more frequent in the population, indicating context-dependent dispersal plasticity. Future experiments may test whether the observed differences in dispersal plasticity are sufficiently strong to be picked up by natural selection. The evolution of dispersal plasticity as a strategy to mitigate parasite effects spatially may have important implications for epidemiological dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giacomo Zilio
- ISEM, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Louise S Nørgaard
- ISEM, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France.,School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Vic., Australia
| | - Giovanni Petrucci
- ISEM, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Nathalie Zeballos
- ISEM, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France.,CEFE, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | | | | | - Oliver Kaltz
- ISEM, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
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11
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Stotz GC, Salgado-Luarte C, Escobedo VM, Valladares F, Gianoli E. Global trends in phenotypic plasticity of plants. Ecol Lett 2021; 24:2267-2281. [PMID: 34216183 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2020] [Revised: 01/26/2021] [Accepted: 05/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Predicting plastic responses is crucial to assess plant species potential to adapt to climate change, but little is known about which factors drive the biogeographical patterns of phenotypic plasticity in plants. Theory predicts that climatic variability would select for increased phenotypic plasticity, whereas evidence indicates that stressful conditions can limit phenotypic plasticity. Using a meta-analytic, phylogeny-corrected approach to global data on plant phenotypic plasticity, we tested whether latitude, climate, climatic variability and/or stressful conditions are predictors of plastic responses at a biogeographical scale. We found support for a positive association between phenotypic plasticity and climatic variability only for plasticity in allocation. Plasticity in leaf morphology, size and physiology were positively associated with mean annual temperature. We also found evidence that phenotypic plasticity in physiology is limited by cold stress. Overall, plant plastic responses to non-climatic factors were stronger than responses to climatic factors. However, while climatic conditions were associated with plant plastic responses to climatic factors, they generally did not relate to plastic responses to other abiotic or biotic factors. Our study highlights the need to consider those factors that favour and limit phenotypic plasticity in order to improve predictive frameworks addressing plant species' potential to adapt to climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gisela C Stotz
- Sustainability Research Centre, Life Sciences Faculty, Universidad Andrés Bello, Santiago, Chile.,Departamento de Biología, Universidad de La Serena, La Serena, Chile
| | | | - Víctor M Escobedo
- Laboratorio de Biología Vegetal, Instituto de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Talca, Talca, Chile
| | - Fernando Valladares
- Departamento de Biogeografía y Cambio Global, LINCGlobal, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, MNCN-CSIC, Madrid, España.,Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Móstoles, Madrid, España
| | - Ernesto Gianoli
- Departamento de Biología, Universidad de La Serena, La Serena, Chile.,Departamento de Botánica, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
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12
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Jacob S, Legrand D. Phenotypic plasticity can reverse the relative extent of intra- and interspecific variability across a thermal gradient. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20210428. [PMID: 34187192 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.0428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Intra- and interspecific variability can both ensure ecosystem functions. Generalizing the effects of individual and species assemblages requires understanding how much within and between species trait variation is genetically based or results from phenotypic plasticity. Phenotypic plasticity can indeed lead to rapid and important changes of trait distributions, and in turn community functionality, depending on environmental conditions, which raises a crucial question: could phenotypic plasticity modify the relative importance of intra- and interspecific variability along environmental gradients? We quantified the fundamental niche of five genotypes in monocultures for each of five ciliate species along a wide thermal gradient in standardized conditions to assess the importance of phenotypic plasticity for the level of intraspecific variability compared to differences between species. We showed that phenotypic plasticity strongly influences trait variability and reverses the relative extent of intra- and interspecific variability along the thermal gradient. Our results show that phenotypic plasticity may lead to either increase or decrease of functional trait variability along environmental gradients, making intra- and interspecific variability highly dynamic components of ecological systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Staffan Jacob
- Station d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale du CNRS UAR5321, 2 route du CNRS, 09200, Moulis, France
| | - Delphine Legrand
- Station d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale du CNRS UAR5321, 2 route du CNRS, 09200, Moulis, France
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Lürig MD, Donoughe S, Svensson EI, Porto A, Tsuboi M. Computer Vision, Machine Learning, and the Promise of Phenomics in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.642774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
For centuries, ecologists and evolutionary biologists have used images such as drawings, paintings and photographs to record and quantify the shapes and patterns of life. With the advent of digital imaging, biologists continue to collect image data at an ever-increasing rate. This immense body of data provides insight into a wide range of biological phenomena, including phenotypic diversity, population dynamics, mechanisms of divergence and adaptation, and evolutionary change. However, the rate of image acquisition frequently outpaces our capacity to manually extract meaningful information from images. Moreover, manual image analysis is low-throughput, difficult to reproduce, and typically measures only a few traits at a time. This has proven to be an impediment to the growing field of phenomics – the study of many phenotypic dimensions together. Computer vision (CV), the automated extraction and processing of information from digital images, provides the opportunity to alleviate this longstanding analytical bottleneck. In this review, we illustrate the capabilities of CV as an efficient and comprehensive method to collect phenomic data in ecological and evolutionary research. First, we briefly review phenomics, arguing that ecologists and evolutionary biologists can effectively capture phenomic-level data by taking pictures and analyzing them using CV. Next we describe the primary types of image-based data, review CV approaches for extracting them (including techniques that entail machine learning and others that do not), and identify the most common hurdles and pitfalls. Finally, we highlight recent successful implementations and promising future applications of CV in the study of phenotypes. In anticipation that CV will become a basic component of the biologist’s toolkit, our review is intended as an entry point for ecologists and evolutionary biologists that are interested in extracting phenotypic information from digital images.
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