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Cataño Tenorio I, Joya CD, Márquez EJ. Spatial population genetic structure of Caquetaia kraussii (Steindachner, 1878) evidenced by species-specific microsatellite loci in the middle and low basin of the Cauca River, Colombia. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0304799. [PMID: 38833482 PMCID: PMC11149877 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0304799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 05/17/2024] [Indexed: 06/06/2024] Open
Abstract
The adaptative responses and divergent evolution shown in the environments habited by the Cichlidae family allow to understand different biological properties, including fish genetic diversity and structure studies. In a zone that has been historically submitted to different anthropogenic pressures, this study assessed the genetic diversity and population structure of cichlid Caquetaia kraussii, a sedentary species with parental care that has a significant ecological role for its contribution to redistribution and maintenance of sedimentologic processes in its distribution area. This study developed de novo 16 highly polymorphic species-specific microsatellite loci that allowed the estimation of the genetic diversity and differentiation in 319 individuals from natural populations in the area influenced by the Ituango hydroelectric project in the Colombian Cauca River. Caquetaia kraussii exhibits high genetic diversity levels (Ho: 0.562-0.885; He: 0.583-0.884) in relation to the average neotropical cichlids and a three group-spatial structure: two natural groups upstream and downstream the Nechí River mouth, and one group of individuals with high relatedness degree, possibly independently formed by founder effect in the dam zone. The three genetic groups show recent bottlenecks, but only the two natural groups have effective population size that suggest their long-term permanence. The information generated is relevant not only for management programs and species conservation purposes, but also for broadening the available knowledge on the factors influencing neotropical cichlids population genetics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isaí Cataño Tenorio
- Sede Medellín, Facultad de Ciencias, Escuela de Biociencias, Grupo de Investigación de Biotecnología Animal, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Medellín, Colombia
| | - Cristhian Danilo Joya
- Sede Medellín, Facultad de Ciencias, Escuela de Biociencias, Grupo de Investigación de Biotecnología Animal, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Medellín, Colombia
| | - Edna Judith Márquez
- Sede Medellín, Facultad de Ciencias, Escuela de Biociencias, Grupo de Investigación de Biotecnología Animal, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Medellín, Colombia
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Thavornkanlapachai R, Armstrong KN, Knuckey C, Huntley B, Hanrahan N, Ottewell K. Species-specific SNP arrays for non-invasive genetic monitoring of a vulnerable bat. Sci Rep 2024; 14:1847. [PMID: 38253562 PMCID: PMC10803360 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-51461-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Genetic tagging from scats is one of the minimally invasive sampling (MIS) monitoring approaches commonly used to guide management decisions and evaluate conservation efforts. Microsatellite markers have traditionally been used but are prone to genotyping errors. Here, we present a novel method for individual identification in the Threatened ghost bat Macroderma gigas using custom-designed Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) arrays on the MassARRAY system. We identified 611 informative SNPs from DArTseq data from which three SNP panels (44-50 SNPs per panel) were designed. We applied SNP genotyping and molecular sexing to 209 M. gigas scats collected from seven caves in the Pilbara, Western Australia, employing a two-step genotyping protocol and identifying unique genotypes using a custom-made R package, ScatMatch. Following data cleaning, the average amplification rate was 0.90 ± 0.01 and SNP genotyping errors were low (allelic dropout 0.003 ± 0.000) allowing clustering of scats based on one or fewer allelic mismatches. We identified 19 unique bats (9 confirmed/likely males and 10 confirmed/likely females) from a maternity and multiple transitory roosts, with two male bats detected using roosts, 9 km and 47 m apart. The accuracy of our SNP panels enabled a high level of confidence in the identification of individual bats. Targeted SNP genotyping is a valuable tool for monitoring and tracking of non-model species through a minimally invasive sampling approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rujiporn Thavornkanlapachai
- Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Bentley Delivery Centre, Locked Bag 104, Bentley, WA, 6983, Australia.
| | - Kyle N Armstrong
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia
- South Australian Museum, Adelaide, SA, 5000, Australia
| | - Chris Knuckey
- Biologic Environmental, 24 Wickham Street, East Perth, WA, 6004, Australia
| | - Bart Huntley
- Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Bentley Delivery Centre, Locked Bag 104, Bentley, WA, 6983, Australia
| | - Nicola Hanrahan
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Richmond, NSW, 2753, Australia
- Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT, 0815, Australia
| | - Kym Ottewell
- Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Bentley Delivery Centre, Locked Bag 104, Bentley, WA, 6983, Australia
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Scarparo G, Palanchon M, Brelsford A, Purcell J. Social antagonism facilitates supergene expansion in ants. Curr Biol 2023; 33:5085-5095.e4. [PMID: 37979579 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.10.049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2023] [Revised: 08/07/2023] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 11/20/2023]
Abstract
Antagonistic selection has long been considered a major driver of the formation and expansion of sex chromosomes. For example, sexually antagonistic variation on an autosome can select for suppressed recombination between that autosome and the sex chromosome, leading to a neo-sex chromosome. Autosomal supergenes, chromosomal regions containing tightly linked variants affecting the same complex trait, share similarities with sex chromosomes, raising the possibility that sex chromosome evolution models can explain the evolution of genome structure and recombination in other contexts. We tested this premise in a Formica ant species, wherein we identified four supergene haplotypes on chromosome 3 underlying colony social organization and sex ratio. We discovered a novel rearranged supergene variant (9r) on chromosome 9 underlying queen miniaturization. The 9r is in strong linkage disequilibrium with one chromosome 3 haplotype (P2) found in multi-queen (polygyne) colonies. We suggest that queen miniaturization is strongly disfavored in the single-queen (monogyne) background and is thus socially antagonistic. As such, divergent selection experienced by ants living in alternative social "environments" (monogyne and polygyne) may have contributed to the emergence of a genetic polymorphism on chromosome 9 and associated queen-size dimorphism. Consequently, an ancestral polygyne-associated haplotype may have expanded to include the polymorphism on chromosome 9, resulting in a larger region of suppressed recombination spanning two chromosomes. This process is analogous to the formation of neo-sex chromosomes and consistent with models of expanding regions of suppressed recombination. We propose that miniaturized queens, 16%-20% smaller than queens without 9r, could be incipient intraspecific social parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Scarparo
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, 165 Entomology Bldg. Citrus Drive, Riverside, CA 92521, USA.
| | - Marie Palanchon
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, University of California, Riverside, 2710 Life Science Bldg., Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Alan Brelsford
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, University of California, Riverside, 2710 Life Science Bldg., Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Jessica Purcell
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, 165 Entomology Bldg. Citrus Drive, Riverside, CA 92521, USA.
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Watowich MM, Chiou KL, Graves B, tague MJM, Brent LJ, Higham JP, Horvath JE, Lu A, Martinez MI, Platt ML, Schneider-Crease IA, Lea AJ, Snyder-Mackler N. Best practices for genotype imputation from low-coverage sequencing data in natural populations. Mol Ecol Resour 2023:10.1111/1755-0998.13854. [PMID: 37602981 PMCID: PMC10879460 DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.13854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2023] [Revised: 07/01/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023]
Abstract
Monitoring genetic diversity in wild populations is a central goal of ecological and evolutionary genetics and is critical for conservation biology. However, genetic studies of nonmodel organisms generally lack access to species-specific genotyping methods (e.g. array-based genotyping) and must instead use sequencing-based approaches. Although costs are decreasing, high-coverage whole-genome sequencing (WGS), which produces the highest confidence genotypes, remains expensive. More economical reduced representation sequencing approaches fail to capture much of the genome, which can hinder downstream inference. Low-coverage WGS combined with imputation using a high-confidence reference panel is a cost-effective alternative, but the accuracy of genotyping using low-coverage WGS and imputation in nonmodel populations is still largely uncharacterized. Here, we empirically tested the accuracy of low-coverage sequencing (0.1-10×) and imputation in two natural populations, one with a large (n = 741) reference panel, rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta), and one with a smaller (n = 68) reference panel, gelada monkeys (Theropithecus gelada). Using samples sequenced to coverage as low as 0.5×, we could impute genotypes at >95% of the sites in the reference panel with high accuracy (median r2 ≥ 0.92). We show that low-coverage imputed genotypes can reliably calculate genetic relatedness and population structure. Based on these data, we also provide best practices and recommendations for researchers who wish to deploy this approach in other populations, with all code available on GitHub (https://github.com/mwatowich/LoCSI-for-non-model-species). Our results endorse accurate and effective genotype imputation from low-coverage sequencing, enabling the cost-effective generation of population-scale genetic datasets necessary for tackling many pressing challenges of wildlife conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina M. Watowich
- Department of Biology, University of Washington; Seattle, WA, 98195 USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University; Nashville, TN, 37235
| | - Kenneth L. Chiou
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University; Tempe, AZ, 85281 USA
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University; Tempe, AZ, 85281 USA
| | - Brian Graves
- Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Urbana, IL 61801
| | - Michael J. Mon tague
- Department of Neuroscience, Perelman School of Medicine; University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Lauren J.N. Brent
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter; Exeter EX4 4QG, UK
| | - James P. Higham
- Department of Anthropology, New York University; New York, NY 10003, USA
- New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology; New York, NY, 10016 USA
| | - Julie E. Horvath
- Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, North Carolina Central University; Durham, NC 27707, USA
- Research and Collections Section, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences; Raleigh, NC 27601, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University; Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University; Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Amy Lu
- Department of Anthropology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
| | - Melween I. Martinez
- Caribbean Primate Research Center, Unit of Comparative Medicine, University of Puerto Rico; San Juan, PR 00936, USA
| | - Michael L. Platt
- Department of Neuroscience, Perelman School of Medicine; University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Department of Psychology, School of Arts and Sciences; University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Marketing Department, Wharton School of Business; University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - India A. Schneider-Crease
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University; Tempe, AZ, 85281 USA
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University; Tempe, AZ, 85281 USA
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University; Tempe, AZ, 85281 USA
| | - Amanda J. Lea
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, 37235, USA
- Child and Brain Development, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, Canada
| | - Noah Snyder-Mackler
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University; Tempe, AZ, 85281 USA
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University; Tempe, AZ, 85281 USA
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University; Tempe, AZ, 85281 USA
- Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center, Arizona State University; Tempe, AZ, 85281 USA
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Chambers EA, Tarvin RD, Santos JC, Ron SR, Betancourth-Cundar M, Hillis DM, Matz MV, Cannatella DC. 2b or not 2b? 2bRAD is an effective alternative to ddRAD for phylogenomics. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e9842. [PMID: 36911313 PMCID: PMC9994478 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9842] [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: 01/24/2023] [Revised: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 02/03/2023] [Indexed: 03/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Restriction-site-associated DNA sequencing (RADseq) has become an accessible way to obtain genome-wide data in the form of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for phylogenetic inference. Nonetheless, how differences in RADseq methods influence phylogenetic estimation is poorly understood because most comparisons have largely relied on conceptual predictions rather than empirical tests. We examine how differences in ddRAD and 2bRAD data influence phylogenetic estimation in two non-model frog groups. We compare the impact of method choice on phylogenetic information, missing data, and allelic dropout, considering different sequencing depths. Given that researchers must balance input (funding, time) with output (amount and quality of data), we also provide comparisons of laboratory effort, computational time, monetary costs, and the repeatability of library preparation and sequencing. Both 2bRAD and ddRAD methods estimated well-supported trees, even at low sequencing depths, and had comparable amounts of missing data, patterns of allelic dropout, and phylogenetic signal. Compared to ddRAD, 2bRAD produced more repeatable datasets, had simpler laboratory protocols, and had an overall faster bioinformatics assembly. However, many fewer parsimony-informative sites per SNP were obtained from 2bRAD data when using native pipelines, highlighting a need for further investigation into the effects of each pipeline on resulting datasets. Our study underscores the importance of comparing RADseq methods, such as expected results and theoretical performance using empirical datasets, before undertaking costly experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Anne Chambers
- Department of Integrative Biology and Biodiversity Center University of Texas at Austin Austin Texas USA.,Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management and Museum of Vertebrate Zoology University of California Berkeley Berkeley California USA
| | - Rebecca D Tarvin
- Department of Integrative Biology and Biodiversity Center University of Texas at Austin Austin Texas USA.,Department of Integrative Biology and Museum of Vertebrate Zoology University of California Berkeley Berkeley California USA
| | - Juan C Santos
- Department of Biological Sciences St John's University New York New York USA
| | - Santiago R Ron
- Museo de Zoología, Escuela de Ciencias Biológicas Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador Quito Ecuador
| | | | - David M Hillis
- Department of Integrative Biology and Biodiversity Center University of Texas at Austin Austin Texas USA
| | - Mikhail V Matz
- Department of Integrative Biology and Biodiversity Center University of Texas at Austin Austin Texas USA
| | - David C Cannatella
- Department of Integrative Biology and Biodiversity Center University of Texas at Austin Austin Texas USA
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Davidović S, Marinković S, Hribšek I, Patenković A, Stamenković-Radak M, Tanasković M. Sex ratio and relatedness in the Griffon vulture ( Gyps fulvus) population of Serbia. PeerJ 2022; 10:e14477. [PMID: 36523455 PMCID: PMC9745909 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.14477] [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: 07/13/2022] [Accepted: 11/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Once a widespread species across the region of Southeast Europe, the Griffon vulture is now confined to small and isolated populations across the Balkan Peninsula. The population from Serbia represents its biggest and most viable population that can serve as an important reservoir of genetic diversity from which the birds can be used for the region's reintroduction programmes. The available genetic data for this valuable population are scarce and as a protected species that belongs to the highly endangered vulture group, it needs to be well described so that it can be properly managed and used as a restocking population. Considering the serious recent bottleneck event that the Griffon vulture population from Serbia experienced we estimated the overall relatedness among the birds from this population. Sex ratio, another important parameter that shows the vitality and strength of the population was evaluated as well. Methods During the annual monitoring that was performed in the period from 2013-2021, we collected blood samples from individual birds that were marked in the nests. In total, 169 samples were collected and each was used for molecular sexing while 58 presumably unrelated birds from different nests were used for inbreeding and relatedness analyses. The relatedness was estimated using both biparentally (10 microsatellite loci) and uniparentally (Cytb and D-loop I of mitochondrial DNA) inherited markers. Results The level of inbreeding was relatively high and on average it was 8.3% while the mean number of relatives for each bird was close to three. The sex ratio was close to 1:1 and for the analysed period of 9 years, it didn't demonstrate a statistically significant deviation from the expected ratio of 1:1, suggesting that this is a stable and healthy population. Our data suggest that, even though a relatively high level of inbreeding can be detected among the individual birds, the Griffon vulture population from Serbia can be used as a source population for restocking and reintroduction programmes in the region. These data combined with previously observed genetic differentiation between the populations from the Iberian and Balkan Peninsulas suggest that the introduction of foreign birds should be avoided and that local birds should be used instead.
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Affiliation(s)
- Slobodan Davidović
- Department of Genetics of Populations and Ecogenotoxicology, Institute for Biological Research “Siniša Stanković”—National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia,Birds of Prey Protection Foundation, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Saša Marinković
- Birds of Prey Protection Foundation, Belgrade, Serbia,Department of Ecology, Institute for Biological Research “Siniša Stanković”—National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Irena Hribšek
- Birds of Prey Protection Foundation, Belgrade, Serbia,Natural History Museum Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Aleksandra Patenković
- Department of Genetics of Populations and Ecogenotoxicology, Institute for Biological Research “Siniša Stanković”—National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Marina Stamenković-Radak
- Department of Genetics of Populations and Ecogenotoxicology, Institute for Biological Research “Siniša Stanković”—National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia,Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Marija Tanasković
- Department of Genetics of Populations and Ecogenotoxicology, Institute for Biological Research “Siniša Stanković”—National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
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Seascape genomics of common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) reveals adaptive diversity linked to regional and local oceanography. BMC Ecol Evol 2022; 22:88. [PMID: 35818031 PMCID: PMC9275043 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-022-02038-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 06/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
High levels of standing genomic variation in wide-ranging marine species may enhance prospects for their long-term persistence. Patterns of connectivity and adaptation in such species are often thought to be influenced by spatial factors, environmental heterogeneity, and oceanographic and geomorphological features. Population-level studies that analytically integrate genome-wide data with environmental information (i.e., seascape genomics) have the potential to inform the spatial distribution of adaptive diversity in wide-ranging marine species, such as many marine mammals. We assessed genotype-environment associations (GEAs) in 214 common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) along > 3000 km of the southern coast of Australia.
Results
We identified 747 candidate adaptive SNPs out of a filtered panel of 17,327 SNPs, and five putatively locally-adapted populations with high levels of standing genomic variation were disclosed along environmentally heterogeneous coasts. Current velocity, sea surface temperature, salinity, and primary productivity were the key environmental variables associated with genomic variation. These environmental variables are in turn related to three main oceanographic phenomena that are likely affecting the dispersal of common dolphins: (1) regional oceanographic circulation, (2) localised and seasonal upwellings, and (3) seasonal on-shelf circulation in protected coastal habitats. Signals of selection at exonic gene regions suggest that adaptive divergence is related to important metabolic traits.
Conclusion
To the best of our knowledge, this represents the first seascape genomics study for common dolphins (genus Delphinus). Information from the associations between populations and their environment can assist population management in forecasting the adaptive capacity of common dolphins to climate change and other anthropogenic impacts.
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Mosher CM, Johnson CJ, Murray BW. Reduced genetic diversity associated with the northern expansion of an amphibian species with high habitat specialization,
Ascaphus truei
, resolved using two types of genetic markers. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e8716. [PMID: 35342604 PMCID: PMC8931771 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2021] [Revised: 01/18/2022] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Reconstruction of historical relationships between geographic regions within a species’ range can indicate dispersal patterns and help predict future responses to shifts in climate. Ascaphus truei (coastal tailed frog) is an indicator species of the health of forests and perennial streams in the Coastal and Cascade Mountains of the Pacific Northwest of North America. We used two genetic techniques—microsatellite and genotype‐by‐sequencing (GBS)—to compare the within‐region genetic diversity of populations near the northern extent of the species’ range (British Columbia, Canada) to two geographic regions in British Columbia and two in Washington, USA, moving toward the core of the range. Allelic richness and heterozygosity declined substantially as latitude increased. The northernmost region had the lowest mean expected heterozygosities for both techniques (microsatellite, M = 0.20, SE = 0.080; GBS, M = 0.025, SE = 0.0010) and the southernmost region had the highest (microsatellite, M = 0.88, SE = 0.054; GBS, M = 0.20, SE = 0.0029). The northernmost regions (NC and MC) clustered together in population structure models for both genetic techniques. Our discovery of reduced diversity may have important conservation and management implications for population connectivity and the response of A. truei to climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cherie M. Mosher
- University of Northern British Columbia Prince George British Columbia Canada
| | - Chris J. Johnson
- University of Northern British Columbia Prince George British Columbia Canada
| | - Brent W. Murray
- University of Northern British Columbia Prince George British Columbia Canada
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Scarparo G, Sankovitz M, Loope KJ, Wilson‐Rankin E, Purcell J. Early queen joining and long-term queen associations in polygyne colonies of an invasive wasp revealed by longitudinal genetic analysis. Evol Appl 2021; 14:2901-2914. [PMID: 34950236 PMCID: PMC8674895 DOI: 10.1111/eva.13324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2021] [Revised: 10/30/2021] [Accepted: 11/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Invasive social insects rank among the most damaging of terrestrial species. They are responsible for extensive damage and severely threaten the biodiversity of environments where they are introduced. Variation in colony social form commonly occurs in introduced populations of yellowjacket wasps (genus Vespula). In particular, invasive colonies may contain multiple queens (i.e., polygyne) and persist several years, while in the native range, the colonies are usually annual and harbor a single queen (i.e., monogyne). In this study, we used genome-wide loci obtained by double digest restriction site-associated DNA sequencing (RADseq) to investigate the genetic structure and queen turnover in colonies of the western yellowjacket, Vespula pensylvanica, in their introduced range in Hawaii. Of the 27 colonies monitored over four months (October-January), 19 were polygyne and already contained multiple queens on the first day of sampling. Contrary to previous speculation, this finding suggests that polygyny often arises early in the annual colony cycle, before the production of new queens in the fall. Furthermore, polygyne colonies exhibited a prolonged average lifespan relative to those headed by a single queen. As a result, there is no clear window during which colony eradication efforts would be more effective than upon first discovery. The relatedness among nestmate queens was slightly above zero, indicating that these colonies are generally composed of nonrelatives. The queen turnover within each colony was low, and we detected some full-sibling workers sampled up to four months apart. Finally, we did not detect any population structure among colonies, suggesting that queens disperse up to several kilometers. Taken together, our results provide the first insights into the requeening dynamics in this invasive and incipiently polygyne population and illuminate the early establishment of multiple long-lasting queens in these damaging colonies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Scarparo
- Department of EntomologyUniversity of California RiversideRiversideCaliforniaUSA
| | - Madison Sankovitz
- Department of EntomologyUniversity of California RiversideRiversideCaliforniaUSA
| | - Kevin J. Loope
- Department of EntomologyUniversity of California RiversideRiversideCaliforniaUSA
- Department of Fish and Wildlife ConservationVirginia TechBlacksburgVirginiaUSA
| | - Erin Wilson‐Rankin
- Department of EntomologyUniversity of California RiversideRiversideCaliforniaUSA
| | - Jessica Purcell
- Department of EntomologyUniversity of California RiversideRiversideCaliforniaUSA
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Genome-wide analysis reveals associations between climate and regional patterns of adaptive divergence and dispersal in American pikas. Heredity (Edinb) 2021; 127:443-454. [PMID: 34537819 PMCID: PMC8551249 DOI: 10.1038/s41437-021-00472-3] [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: 05/31/2021] [Revised: 09/06/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding the role of adaptation in species' responses to climate change is important for evaluating the evolutionary potential of populations and informing conservation efforts. Population genomics provides a useful approach for identifying putative signatures of selection and the underlying environmental factors or biological processes that may be involved. Here, we employed a population genomic approach within a space-for-time study design to investigate the genetic basis of local adaptation and reconstruct patterns of movement across rapidly changing environments in a thermally sensitive mammal, the American pika (Ochotona princeps). Using genotypic data at 49,074 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), we analyzed patterns of genome-wide diversity, structure, and migration along three independent elevational transects located at the northern extent (Tweedsmuir South Provincial Park, British Columbia, Canada) and core (North Cascades National Park, Washington, USA) of the Cascades lineage. We identified 899 robust outlier SNPs within- and among-transects. Of those annotated to genes with known function, many were linked with cellular processes related to climate stress including ATP-binding, ATP citrate synthase activity, ATPase activity, hormone activity, metal ion-binding, and protein-binding. Moreover, we detected evidence for contrasting patterns of directional migration along transects across geographic regions that suggest an increased propensity for American pikas to disperse among lower elevation populations at higher latitudes where environments are generally cooler. Ultimately, our data indicate that fine-scale demographic patterns and adaptive processes may vary among populations of American pikas, providing an important context for evaluating biotic responses to climate change in this species and other alpine-adapted mammals.
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Nazareno AG, Knowles LL. There Is No 'Rule of Thumb': Genomic Filter Settings for a Small Plant Population to Obtain Unbiased Gene Flow Estimates. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:677009. [PMID: 34721447 PMCID: PMC8551369 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.677009] [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: 03/07/2021] [Accepted: 06/16/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The application of high-density polymorphic single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) markers derived from high-throughput sequencing methods has heralded plenty of biological questions about the linkages of processes operating at micro- and macroevolutionary scales. However, the effects of SNP filtering practices on population genetic inference have received much less attention. By performing sensitivity analyses, we empirically investigated how decisions about the percentage of missing data (MD) and the minor allele frequency (MAF) set in bioinformatic processing of genomic data affect direct (i.e., parentage analysis) and indirect (i.e., fine-scale spatial genetic structure - SGS) gene flow estimates. We focus specifically on these manifestations in small plant populations, and particularly, in the rare tropical plant species Dinizia jueirana-facao, where assumptions implicit to analytical procedures for accurate estimates of gene flow may not hold. Avoiding biases in dispersal estimates are essential given this species is facing extinction risks due to habitat loss, and so we also investigate the effects of forest fragmentation on the accuracy of dispersal estimates under different filtering criteria by testing for recent decrease in the scale of gene flow. Our sensitivity analyses demonstrate that gene flow estimates are robust to different setting of MAF (0.05-0.35) and MD (0-20%). Comparing the direct and indirect estimates of dispersal, we find that contemporary estimates of gene dispersal distance (σ r t = 41.8 m) was ∼ fourfold smaller than the historical estimates, supporting the hypothesis of a temporal shift in the scale of gene flow in D. jueirana-facao, which is consistent with predictions based on recent, dramatic forest fragmentation process. While we identified settings for filtering genomic data to avoid biases in gene flow estimates, we stress that there is no 'rule of thumb' for bioinformatic filtering and that relying on default program settings is not advisable. Instead, we suggest that the approach implemented here be applied independently in each separate empirical study to confirm appropriate settings to obtain unbiased population genetics estimates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alison G. Nazareno
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
- Department of Genetics, Ecology and Evolution, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - L. Lacey Knowles
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
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12
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Baecklund TM, Morrison J, Donaldson ME, Hueffer K, Kyle CJ. The role of a mechanistic host in maintaining arctic rabies variant distributions: Assessment of functional genetic diversity in Alaskan red fox (Vulpes vulpes). PLoS One 2021; 16:e0249176. [PMID: 33831031 PMCID: PMC8031376 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0249176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2020] [Accepted: 03/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Populations are exposed to different types and strains of pathogens across heterogeneous landscapes, where local interactions between host and pathogen may present reciprocal selective forces leading to correlated patterns of spatial genetic structure. Understanding these coevolutionary patterns provides insight into mechanisms of disease spread and maintenance. Arctic rabies (AR) is a lethal disease with viral variants that occupy distinct geographic distributions across North America and Europe. Red fox (Vulpes vulpes) are a highly susceptible AR host, whose range overlaps both geographically distinct AR strains and regions where AR is absent. It is unclear if genetic structure exists among red fox populations relative to the presence/absence of AR or the spatial distribution of AR variants. Acquiring these data may enhance our understanding of the role of red fox in AR maintenance/spread and inform disease control strategies. Using a genotyping-by-sequencing assay targeting 116 genomic regions of immunogenetic relevance, we screened for sequence variation among red fox populations from Alaska and an outgroup from Ontario, including areas with different AR variants, and regions where the disease was absent. Presumed neutral SNP data from the assay found negligible levels of neutral genetic structure among Alaskan populations. The immunogenetically-associated data identified 30 outlier SNPs supporting weak to moderate genetic structure between regions with and without AR in Alaska. The outliers included SNPs with the potential to cause missense mutations within several toll-like receptor genes that have been associated with AR outcome. In contrast, there was a lack of genetic structure between regions with different AR variants. Combined, we interpret these data to suggest red fox populations respond differently to the presence of AR, but not AR variants. This research increases our understanding of AR dynamics in the Arctic, where host/disease patterns are undergoing flux in a rapidly changing Arctic landscape, including the continued northward expansion of red fox into regions previously predominated by the arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus).
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Affiliation(s)
- Tristan M. Baecklund
- Environmental and Life Sciences Graduate Program, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
- * E-mail:
| | - Jaycee Morrison
- Forensic Science Undergraduate Program, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
| | - Michael E. Donaldson
- Environmental and Life Sciences Graduate Program, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
| | - Karsten Hueffer
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska, United States of America
| | - Christopher J. Kyle
- Environmental and Life Sciences Graduate Program, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
- Forensic Science Department, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
- Natural Resources DNA Profiling & Forensic Centre, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
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13
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Cockburn A, Peñalba JV, Jaccoud D, Kilian A, Brouwer L, Double MC, Margraf N, Osmond HL, Kruuk LEB, van de Pol M. hiphop: Improved paternity assignment among close relatives using a simple exclusion method for biallelic markers. Mol Ecol Resour 2021; 21:1850-1865. [PMID: 33750003 DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.13389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2020] [Revised: 03/08/2021] [Accepted: 03/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Assignment of parentage with molecular markers is most difficult when the true parents have close relatives in the adult population. Here, we present an efficient solution to that problem by extending simple exclusion approaches to parentage analysis with single nucleotide polymorphic markers (SNPs). We augmented the previously published homozygote opposite test (hot), which counts mismatches due to the offspring and candidate parent having different homozygous genotypes, with an additional test. In this case, parents homozygous for the same SNP are incompatible with heterozygous offspring (i.e., "Homozygous Identical Parents, Heterozygous Offspring are Precluded": hiphop). We tested this approach in a cooperatively breeding bird, the superb fairy-wren, Malurus cyaneus, where rates of extra-pair paternity are exceptionally high, and where paternity assignment is challenging because breeding males typically have first-order adult relatives in their neighbourhood. Combining the tests and conditioning on the maternal genotype with a set of 1376 autosomal SNPs always allowed us to distinguish a single most likely sire from his relatives, and also to identify cases where the true sire must have been unsampled. In contrast, if just the hot test was used, we failed to identify a single most-likely sire in 2.5% of cases. Resampling enabled us to create guidelines for the number of SNPs required when first-order relatives coexist in the mating pool. Our method, implemented in the R package hiphop, therefore provides unambiguous parentage assignments even in systems with complex social organisation. We also identified a suite of Z- and W-linked SNPs that always identified sex correctly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Cockburn
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Joshua V Peñalba
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia.,Division of Evolutionary Biology, Ludwig Maximilians Universitat Munchen, Munchen, Germany
| | - Damian Jaccoud
- Diversity Arrays Technology Pty Ltd, Bruce, ACT, Australia
| | - Andrzej Kilian
- Diversity Arrays Technology Pty Ltd, Bruce, ACT, Australia
| | - Lyanne Brouwer
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia.,Department of Animal Ecology and Physiology, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Michael C Double
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia.,Australian Antarctic Division, Kingston, TAS, Australia
| | - Nicolas Margraf
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia.,Musée d'histoire naturelle de La Chaux-de-Fonds, Neuchatel, Switzerland
| | - Helen L Osmond
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Loeske E B Kruuk
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Martijn van de Pol
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia.,Netherlands Institute of Ecology, Wageningen, The Netherlands
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14
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Genome-wide SNPs detect no evidence of genetic population structure for reef manta rays (Mobula alfredi) in southern Mozambique. Heredity (Edinb) 2020; 126:308-319. [PMID: 33005043 DOI: 10.1038/s41437-020-00373-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2020] [Revised: 09/13/2020] [Accepted: 09/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Little is known about the extent of genetic connectivity along continuous coastlines in manta rays, or whether site visitation is influenced by relatedness. Such information is pertinent to defining population boundaries and understanding localized dispersal patterns and behaviour. Here, we use 3057 genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to evaluate population genetic structure and assess the levels of relatedness at aggregation sites of reef manta rays (Mobula alfredi) in southern Mozambique (n = 114). Contrary to indications of limited dispersal along the southern Mozambican coastline inferred from photo-identification and telemetry studies, our results show no evidence of population structure (non-significant FST < 0.001) for M. alfredi along this coast. We also found no evidence that individuals sampled at the same site were more related than expected by chance for males, females or across both sexes, suggesting that kinship may not influence visitation patterns at these sites. We estimated the effective population size (Ne) of this population to be 375 (95% CI = 369-380). Comparison to a distant eastern Indian Ocean site (Western Australia, n = 15) revealed strong genetic differentiation between Mozambique and Western Australia (FST = 0.377), identifying the Indian Ocean basin as a barrier to dispersal. Our findings show that genetic connectivity in M. alfredi extends for several hundred kilometres along continuous coastlines. We therefore recommend that the population in Mozambique be considered a discrete management unit, and future conservation plans should prioritize integrated strategies along the entire southern coastline.
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15
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Rabier R, Robert A, Lacroix F, Lesobre L. Genetic assessment of a conservation breeding program of the houbara bustard (Chlamydotis undulata undulata) in Morocco, based on pedigree and molecular analyses. Zoo Biol 2020; 39:422-435. [PMID: 32956518 DOI: 10.1002/zoo.21569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2019] [Revised: 08/20/2020] [Accepted: 09/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Protection and restoration of species in the wild may require conservation breeding programs under genetic management to minimize deleterious effects of genetic changes that occur in captivity, while preserving populations' genetic diversity and evolutionary resilience. Here, through interannual pedigree analyses, we first assessed the efficiency of a 21-year genetic management, including minimization of mean kinship, inbreeding avoidance, and regular addition of founders, of a conservation breeding program targeting on Houbara bustard (Chlamydotis undulata undulata) in Morocco. Secondly, we compared pedigree analyses, the classical way of assessing and managing genetic diversity in captivity, to molecular analyses based on seven microsatellites. Pedigree-based results indicated an efficient maintenance of the genetic diversity (99% of the initial genetic diversity retained) while molecular-based results indicated an increase in allelic richness and an increase in unbiased expected heterozygosity across time. The pedigree-based average inbreeding coefficient F remained low (between 0.0004 and 0.003 in 2017) while the proportion of highly inbred individuals (F > .1) decreased over time and reached 0.2% in 2017. Furthermore, pedigree-based F and molecular-based individual multilocus heterozygosity were weakly negatively correlated, (Pearson's r = -.061 when considering all genotyped individuals), suggesting that they cannot be considered as alternatives, but rather as complementary sources of information. These findings suggest that a strict genetic monitoring and management, based on both pedigree and molecular tools can help mitigate genetic changes and allow to preserve genetic diversity and evolutionary resilience in conservation breeding programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robin Rabier
- Reneco International Wildlife Consultant LLC, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.,Centre d'Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation (CESCO), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France.,Emirates Center for Wildlife Propagation, Missour, Morocco
| | - Alexandre Robert
- Centre d'Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation (CESCO), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Frédéric Lacroix
- Reneco International Wildlife Consultant LLC, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.,Emirates Center for Wildlife Propagation, Missour, Morocco
| | - Loïc Lesobre
- Reneco International Wildlife Consultant LLC, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.,Emirates Center for Wildlife Propagation, Missour, Morocco
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16
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Galla SJ, Moraga R, Brown L, Cleland S, Hoeppner MP, Maloney RF, Richardson A, Slater L, Santure AW, Steeves TE. A comparison of pedigree, genetic and genomic estimates of relatedness for informing pairing decisions in two critically endangered birds: Implications for conservation breeding programmes worldwide. Evol Appl 2020; 13:991-1008. [PMID: 32431748 PMCID: PMC7232769 DOI: 10.1111/eva.12916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2019] [Revised: 12/27/2019] [Accepted: 01/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Conservation management strategies for many highly threatened species include conservation breeding to prevent extinction and enhance recovery. Pairing decisions for these conservation breeding programmes can be informed by pedigree data to minimize relatedness between individuals in an effort to avoid inbreeding, maximize diversity and maintain evolutionary potential. However, conservation breeding programmes struggle to use this approach when pedigrees are shallow or incomplete. While genetic data (i.e., microsatellites) can be used to estimate relatedness to inform pairing decisions, emerging evidence indicates this approach may lack precision in genetically depauperate species, and more effective estimates will likely be obtained from genomic data (i.e., thousands of genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms, or SNPs). Here, we compare relatedness estimates and subsequent pairing decisions using pedigrees, microsatellites and SNPs from whole-genome resequencing approaches in two critically endangered birds endemic to New Zealand: kakī/black stilt (Himantopus novaezelandiae) and kākāriki karaka/orange-fronted parakeet (Cyanoramphus malherbi). Our findings indicate that SNPs provide more precise estimates of relatedness than microsatellites when assessing empirical parent-offspring and full sibling relationships. Further, our results show that relatedness estimates and subsequent pairing recommendations using PMx are most similar between pedigree- and SNP-based approaches. These combined results indicate that in lieu of robust pedigrees, SNPs are an effective tool for informing pairing decisions, which has important implications for many poorly pedigreed conservation breeding programmes worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie J. Galla
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of CanterburyChristchurchNew Zealand
| | - Roger Moraga
- Tea Break Bioinformatics, LtdPalmerston NorthNew Zealand
| | - Liz Brown
- New Zealand Department of ConservationTwizelNew Zealand
| | | | - Marc P. Hoeppner
- Institute for Clinical Molecular BiologyChristian‐Albrechts‐University KielKielGermany
| | | | - Anne Richardson
- The Isaac Conservation and Wildlife TrustChristchurchNew Zealand
| | - Lyndon Slater
- New Zealand Department of ConservationRangioraNew Zealand
| | - Anna W. Santure
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of AucklandAucklandNew Zealand
| | - Tammy E. Steeves
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of CanterburyChristchurchNew Zealand
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17
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Furlan EM, Gruber B, Attard CRM, Wager RNE, Kerezsy A, Faulks LK, Beheregaray LB, Unmack PJ. Assessing the benefits and risks of translocations in depauperate species: A theoretical framework with an empirical validation. J Appl Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Elise M. Furlan
- Institute for Applied Ecology University of Canberra Canberra ACT Australia
| | - Bernd Gruber
- Institute for Applied Ecology University of Canberra Canberra ACT Australia
| | - Catherine R. M. Attard
- Molecular Ecology Laboratory College of Science and Engineering Flinders University Adelaide SA Australia
| | - Robert N. E. Wager
- Bush Heritage Australia Melbourne Vic. Australia
- “Rockatoo” Esk Qld Australia
| | - Adam Kerezsy
- Bush Heritage Australia Melbourne Vic. Australia
- DrFishContracting Lake Cargelligo NSW Australia
| | - Leanne K. Faulks
- Sugadaira Research Station Mountain Science Center University of Tsukuba Tsukuba Japan
| | - Luciano B. Beheregaray
- Molecular Ecology Laboratory College of Science and Engineering Flinders University Adelaide SA Australia
| | - Peter J. Unmack
- Institute for Applied Ecology University of Canberra Canberra ACT Australia
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18
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Hall D, Zhao W, Wennström U, Andersson Gull B, Wang XR. Parentage and relatedness reconstruction in Pinus sylvestris using genotyping-by-sequencing. Heredity (Edinb) 2020; 124:633-646. [PMID: 32123330 PMCID: PMC7171117 DOI: 10.1038/s41437-020-0302-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2019] [Revised: 02/17/2020] [Accepted: 02/18/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Estimating kinship is fundamental for studies of evolution, conservation, and breeding. Genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) and other restriction based genotyping methods have become widely applied in these applications in non-model organisms. However, sequencing errors, depth, and reproducibility between library preps could potentially hinder accurate genetic inferences. In this study, we tested different sets of parameters in data filtering, different reference populations and eight estimation methods to obtain a robust procedure for relatedness estimation in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.). We used a seed orchard as our study system, where candidate parents are known and pedigree reconstruction can be compared with theoretical expectations. We found that relatedness estimates were lower than expected for all categories of kinship estimated if the proportion of shared SNPs was low. However, estimates reached expected values if loci showing an excess of heterozygotes were removed and genotyping error rates were considered. The genetic variance-covariance matrix (G-matrix) estimation, however, performed poorly in kinship estimation. The reduced relatedness estimates are likely due to false heterozygosity calls. We analyzed the mating structure in the seed orchard and identified a selfing rate of 3% (including crosses between clone mates) and external pollen contamination of 33.6%. Little genetic structure was observed in the sampled Scots pine natural populations, and the degree of inbreeding in the orchard seed crop is comparable to natural stands. We illustrate that under our optimized data processing procedure, relatedness, and genetic composition, including level of pollen contamination within a seed orchard crop, can be established consistently by different estimators.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Hall
- Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, UPSC, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Wei Zhao
- Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, UPSC, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.,Advanced Innovation Center for Tree Breeding by Molecular Design; College of Biological Sciences and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
| | | | | | - Xiao-Ru Wang
- Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, UPSC, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
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19
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Gervais L, Perrier C, Bernard M, Merlet J, Pemberton JM, Pujol B, Quéméré E. RAD-sequencing for estimating genomic relatedness matrix-based heritability in the wild: A case study in roe deer. Mol Ecol Resour 2019; 19:1205-1217. [PMID: 31058463 DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.13031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2018] [Revised: 04/19/2019] [Accepted: 04/23/2019] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Estimating the evolutionary potential of quantitative traits and reliably predicting responses to selection in wild populations are important challenges in evolutionary biology. The genomic revolution has opened up opportunities for measuring relatedness among individuals with precision, enabling pedigree-free estimation of trait heritabilities in wild populations. However, until now, most quantitative genetic studies based on a genomic relatedness matrix (GRM) have focused on long-term monitored populations for which traditional pedigrees were also available, and have often had access to knowledge of genome sequence and variability. Here, we investigated the potential of RAD-sequencing for estimating heritability in a free-ranging roe deer (Capreolous capreolus) population for which no prior genomic resources were available. We propose a step-by-step analytical framework to optimize the quality and quantity of the genomic data and explore the impact of the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) calling and filtering processes on the GRM structure and GRM-based heritability estimates. As expected, our results show that sequence coverage strongly affects the number of recovered loci, the genotyping error rate and the amount of missing data. Ultimately, this had little effect on heritability estimates and their standard errors, provided that the GRM was built from a minimum number of loci (above 7,000). Genomic relatedness matrix-based heritability estimates thus appear robust to a moderate level of genotyping errors in the SNP data set. We also showed that quality filters, such as the removal of low-frequency variants, affect the relatedness structure of the GRM, generating lower h2 estimates. Our work illustrates the huge potential of RAD-sequencing for estimating GRM-based heritability in virtually any natural population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Gervais
- CEFS, INRA, Université de Toulouse, Castanet-Tolosan, Cedex, France.,Laboratoire Évolution & Diversité Biologique (EDB UMR 5174), CNRS, IRD, UPS, Université Fédérale de Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées, Toulouse, France
| | | | - Maria Bernard
- SIGENAE, INRA, Jouy-en-Josas, France.,GABI, INRA, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Joël Merlet
- CEFS, INRA, Université de Toulouse, Castanet-Tolosan, Cedex, France
| | - Josephine M Pemberton
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Benoit Pujol
- Laboratoire Évolution & Diversité Biologique (EDB UMR 5174), CNRS, IRD, UPS, Université Fédérale de Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées, Toulouse, France.,PSL Université Paris: EPHE-UPVD-CNRS, Université de Perpignan, Perpignan, France
| | - Erwan Quéméré
- CEFS, INRA, Université de Toulouse, Castanet-Tolosan, Cedex, France
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20
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Foroughirad V, Levengood AL, Mann J, Frère CH. Quality and quantity of genetic relatedness data affect the analysis of social structure. Mol Ecol Resour 2019; 19:1181-1194. [PMID: 31056823 DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.13028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2019] [Revised: 04/17/2019] [Accepted: 04/18/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Kinship plays a fundamental role in the evolution of social systems and is considered a key driver of group living. To understand the role of kinship in the formation and maintenance of social bonds, accurate measures of genetic relatedness are critical. Genotype-by-sequencing technologies are rapidly advancing the accuracy and precision of genetic relatedness estimates for wild populations. The ability to assign kinship from genetic data varies depending on a species' or population's mating system and pattern of dispersal, and empirical data from longitudinal studies are crucial to validate these methods. We use data from a long-term behavioural study of a polygynandrous, bisexually philopatric marine mammal to measure accuracy and precision of parentage and genetic relatedness estimation against a known partial pedigree. We show that with moderate but obtainable sample sizes of approximately 4,235 SNPs and 272 individuals, highly accurate parentage assignments and genetic relatedness coefficients can be obtained. Additionally, we subsample our data to quantify how data availability affects relatedness estimation and kinship assignment. Lastly, we conduct a social network analysis to investigate the extent to which accuracy and precision of relatedness estimation improve statistical power to detect an effect of relatedness on social structure. Our results provide practical guidance for minimum sample sizes and sequencing depth for future studies, as well as thresholds for post hoc interpretation of previous analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vivienne Foroughirad
- Division of Marine Science and Conservation, Duke University Marine Laboratory, Beaufort, North Carolina
| | - Alexis L Levengood
- Global Change Ecology Research Group, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore DC, Queensland, Australia
| | - Janet Mann
- Departments of Biology and Psychology, Georgetown University, Washington, District of Columbia
| | - Céline H Frère
- Global Change Ecology Research Group, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore DC, Queensland, Australia
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21
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Dang BT, Vu QHD, Biesack EE, Doan TV, Truong OT, Tran TL, Ackiss AS, Stockwell BL, Carpenter KE. Population genomics of the peripheral freshwater fish Polynemus melanochir (Perciformes, Polynemidae) in a changing Mekong Delta. CONSERV GENET 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10592-019-01189-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
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22
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Batley KC, Sandoval‐Castillo J, Kemper CM, Attard CRM, Zanardo N, Tomo I, Beheregaray LB, Möller LM. Genome-wide association study of an unusual dolphin mortality event reveals candidate genes for susceptibility and resistance to cetacean morbillivirus. Evol Appl 2019; 12:718-732. [PMID: 30976305 PMCID: PMC6439501 DOI: 10.1111/eva.12747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2018] [Revised: 11/25/2018] [Accepted: 11/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Infectious diseases are significant demographic and evolutionary drivers of populations, but studies about the genetic basis of disease resistance and susceptibility are scarce in wildlife populations. Cetacean morbillivirus (CeMV) is a highly contagious disease that is increasing in both geographic distribution and incidence, causing unusual mortality events (UME) and killing tens of thousands of individuals across multiple cetacean species worldwide since the late 1980s. The largest CeMV outbreak in the Southern Hemisphere reported to date occurred in Australia in 2013, where it was a major factor in a UME, killing mainly young Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus). Using cases (nonsurvivors) and controls (putative survivors) from the most affected population, we carried out a genome-wide association study to identify candidate genes for resistance and susceptibility to CeMV. The genomic data set consisted of 278,147,988 sequence reads and 35,493 high-quality SNPs genotyped across 38 individuals. Association analyses found highly significant differences in allele and genotype frequencies among cases and controls at 65 SNPs, and Random Forests conservatively identified eight as candidates. Annotation of these SNPs identified five candidate genes (MAPK8, FBXW11, INADL, ANK3 and ACOX3) with functions associated with stress, pain and immune responses. Our findings provide the first insights into the genetic basis of host defence to this highly contagious disease, enabling the development of an applied evolutionary framework to monitor CeMV resistance across cetacean species. Biomarkers could now be established to assess potential risk factors associated with these genes in other CeMV-affected cetacean populations and species. These results could also possibly aid in the advancement of vaccines against morbilliviruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimberley C. Batley
- Molecular Ecology Laboratory, College of Science and EngineeringFlinders UniversityAdelaideSouth AustraliaAustralia
- Cetacean Ecology, Behaviour, and Evolution Laboratory, College of Science and EngineeringFlinders UniversityAdelaideSouth AustraliaAustralia
| | - Jonathan Sandoval‐Castillo
- Molecular Ecology Laboratory, College of Science and EngineeringFlinders UniversityAdelaideSouth AustraliaAustralia
| | | | - Catherine R. M. Attard
- Molecular Ecology Laboratory, College of Science and EngineeringFlinders UniversityAdelaideSouth AustraliaAustralia
- Cetacean Ecology, Behaviour, and Evolution Laboratory, College of Science and EngineeringFlinders UniversityAdelaideSouth AustraliaAustralia
| | - Nikki Zanardo
- Molecular Ecology Laboratory, College of Science and EngineeringFlinders UniversityAdelaideSouth AustraliaAustralia
- Cetacean Ecology, Behaviour, and Evolution Laboratory, College of Science and EngineeringFlinders UniversityAdelaideSouth AustraliaAustralia
| | - Ikuko Tomo
- South Australian MuseumAdelaideSouth AustraliaAustralia
| | - Luciano B. Beheregaray
- Molecular Ecology Laboratory, College of Science and EngineeringFlinders UniversityAdelaideSouth AustraliaAustralia
| | - Luciana M. Möller
- Molecular Ecology Laboratory, College of Science and EngineeringFlinders UniversityAdelaideSouth AustraliaAustralia
- Cetacean Ecology, Behaviour, and Evolution Laboratory, College of Science and EngineeringFlinders UniversityAdelaideSouth AustraliaAustralia
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23
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Escoda L, Fernández‐González Á, Castresana J. Quantitative analysis of connectivity in populations of a semi‐aquatic mammal using kinship categories and network assortativity. Mol Ecol Resour 2019; 19:310-326. [DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.12967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2018] [Revised: 05/10/2018] [Accepted: 05/15/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lídia Escoda
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology CSIC‐Universitat Pompeu Fabra Barcelona Spain
| | | | - Jose Castresana
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology CSIC‐Universitat Pompeu Fabra Barcelona Spain
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24
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Ackiss AS, Bird CE, Akita Y, Santos MD, Tachihara K, Carpenter KE. Genetic patterns in peripheral marine populations of the fusilier fish Caesio cuning within the Kuroshio Current. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:11875-11886. [PMID: 30598783 PMCID: PMC6303744 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2018] [Revised: 08/25/2018] [Accepted: 09/05/2018] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
AIM Mayr's central-peripheral population model (CCPM) describes the marked differences between central and peripheral populations in genetic diversity, gene flow, and census size. When isolation leads to genetic divergence, these peripheral populations have high evolutionary value and can influence biogeographic patterns. In tropical marine species with pelagic larvae, powerful western-boundary currents have great potential to shape the genetic characteristics of peripheral populations at latitudinal extremes. We tested for the genetic patterns expected by the CCPM in peripheral populations that are located within the Kuroshio Current for the Indo-Pacific reef fish, Caesio cuning. METHODS We used a panel of 2,677 SNPs generated from restriction site-associated DNA (RAD) sequencing to investigate genetic diversity, relatedness, effective population size, and spatial patterns of population connectivity from central to peripheral populations of C. cuning along the Kuroshio Current. RESULTS Principal component and cluster analyses indicated a genetically distinct lineage at the periphery of the C. cuning species range and examination of SNPs putatively under divergent selection suggested potential for local adaptation in this region. We found signatures of isolation-by-distance and significant genetic differences between nearly all sites. Sites closest to the periphery exhibited increased within-population relatedness and decreased effective population size. MAIN CONCLUSIONS Despite the potential for homogenizing gene flow along the Kuroshio Current, peripheral populations in C. cuning conform to the predictions of the CCPM. While oceanography, habitat availability, and dispersal ability are all likely to shape the patterns found in C. cuning across this central-peripheral junction, the impacts of genetic drift and natural selection in increasing smaller peripheral populations appear to be probable influences on the lineage divergence found in the Ryukyu Islands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda S. Ackiss
- Department of Biological SciencesOld Dominion UniversityNorfolkVirginia
| | - Christopher E. Bird
- Department of Life SciencesTexas A&M University – Corpus ChristiCorpus ChristiTexas
| | - Yuichi Akita
- Okinawa Prefectural Fisheries Research and Extension CenterItomanOkinawaJapan
| | - Mudjekeewis D. Santos
- Genetic Fingerprinting LaboratoryNational Fisheries Research and Development InstituteQuezon CityPhilippines
| | - Katsunori Tachihara
- Laboratory of Fisheries Biology & Coral Reef Studies, Faculty of ScienceUniversity of the RyukyusRyukyusOkinawaJapan
| | - Kent E. Carpenter
- Department of Biological SciencesOld Dominion UniversityNorfolkVirginia
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25
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Le Clec’h W, Chevalier FD, McDew-White M, Allan F, Webster BL, Gouvras AN, Kinunghi S, Tchuenté LAT, Garba A, Mohammed KA, Ame SM, Webster JP, Rollinson D, Emery AM, Anderson TJC. Whole genome amplification and exome sequencing of archived schistosome miracidia. Parasitology 2018; 145:1739-1747. [PMID: 29806576 PMCID: PMC6193844 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182018000811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Adult schistosomes live in the blood vessels and cannot easily be sampled from humans, so archived miracidia larvae hatched from eggs expelled in feces or urine are commonly used for population genetic studies. Large collections of archived miracidia on FTA cards are now available through the Schistosomiasis Collection at the Natural History Museum (SCAN). Here we describe protocols for whole genome amplification of Schistosoma mansoni and Schistosome haematobium miracidia from these cards, as well as real time PCR quantification of amplified schistosome DNA. We used microgram quantities of DNA obtained for exome capture and sequencing of single miracidia, generating dense polymorphism data across the exome. These methods will facilitate the transition from population genetics, using limited numbers of markers to population genomics using genome-wide marker information, maximising the value of collections such as SCAN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Winka Le Clec’h
- Texas Biomedical Research Institute, Department of Genetics, PO Box 760549, San Antonio, TX 78245-0549, USA
| | - Frédéric D. Chevalier
- Texas Biomedical Research Institute, Department of Genetics, PO Box 760549, San Antonio, TX 78245-0549, USA
| | - Marina McDew-White
- Texas Biomedical Research Institute, Department of Genetics, PO Box 760549, San Antonio, TX 78245-0549, USA
| | - Fiona Allan
- The Natural History Museum, Department of Life Sciences, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, United Kingdom
| | - Bonnie L. Webster
- The Natural History Museum, Department of Life Sciences, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, United Kingdom
| | - Anouk N. Gouvras
- The Natural History Museum, Department of Life Sciences, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, United Kingdom
| | - Safari Kinunghi
- National Institute for Medical Research, Mwanza Research Centre, Mwanza, United Republic of Tanzania
| | - Louis-Albert Tchuem Tchuenté
- Laboratoire de Parasitologie et Ecologie, Université de Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon
- Center for Schistosomiasis & Parasitology, P.O. Box 7244, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Amadou Garba
- Réseau International Schistosomoses, Environnement, Aménagement et Lutte (RISEAL-Niger), 333, Avenue des Zarmakoye, B.P. 13724, Niamey, Niger
| | - Khalfan A. Mohammed
- Helminth Control Laboratory Unguja, Ministry of Health, Zanzibar, United Republic of Tanzania
| | - Shaali M. Ame
- Public Health Laboratory - Ivo de Carneri, Pemba, United Republic of Tanzania
| | - Joanne P. Webster
- Centre for Emerging, Endemic and Exotic Diseases, Department of Patholobiology and Population Sciences, Royal Veterinary College, University of London, AL9 7TA, UK United Kingdom
| | - David Rollinson
- The Natural History Museum, Department of Life Sciences, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, United Kingdom
| | - Aidan M. Emery
- The Natural History Museum, Department of Life Sciences, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, United Kingdom
| | - Timothy J. C. Anderson
- Texas Biomedical Research Institute, Department of Genetics, PO Box 760549, San Antonio, TX 78245-0549, USA
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26
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Combs M, Byers KA, Ghersi BM, Blum MJ, Caccone A, Costa F, Himsworth CG, Richardson JL, Munshi-South J. Urban rat races: spatial population genomics of brown rats ( Rattus norvegicus) compared across multiple cities. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 285:20180245. [PMID: 29875297 PMCID: PMC6015871 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.0245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2018] [Accepted: 05/15/2018] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Urbanization often substantially influences animal movement and gene flow. However, few studies to date have examined gene flow of the same species across multiple cities. In this study, we examine brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) to test hypotheses about the repeatability of neutral evolution across four cities: Salvador, Brazil; New Orleans, USA; Vancouver, Canada; and New York City, USA. At least 150 rats were sampled from each city and genotyped for a minimum of 15 000 genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms. Levels of genome-wide diversity were similar across cities, but varied across neighbourhoods within cities. All four populations exhibited high spatial autocorrelation at the shortest distance classes (less than 500 m) owing to limited dispersal. Coancestry and evolutionary clustering analyses identified genetic discontinuities within each city that coincided with a resource desert in New York City, major waterways in New Orleans, and roads in Salvador and Vancouver. Such replicated studies are crucial to assessing the generality of predictions from urban evolution, and have practical applications for pest management and public health. Future studies should include a range of global cities in different biomes, incorporate multiple species, and examine the impact of specific characteristics of the built environment and human socioeconomics on gene flow.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Combs
- Louis Calder Center-Biological Field Station, Fordham University, 31 Whippoorwill Road, Armonk, NY 10504, USA
| | - Kaylee A Byers
- Department of Interdisciplinary Studies, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada
- Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative, The Animal Health Centre, Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Bruno M Ghersi
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Michael J Blum
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Adalgisa Caccone
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Federico Costa
- Instituto Gonçalo Moniz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Ministério da Saúde, Salvador, BA, 40296-710, Brazil
- Instituto de Saúde Coletiva, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, BA, Brazil
| | - Chelsea G Himsworth
- Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative, The Animal Health Centre, Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada
- School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | | | - Jason Munshi-South
- Louis Calder Center-Biological Field Station, Fordham University, 31 Whippoorwill Road, Armonk, NY 10504, USA
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27
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Waterhouse MD, Erb LP, Beever EA, Russello MA. Adaptive population divergence and directional gene flow across steep elevational gradients in a climate-sensitive mammal. Mol Ecol 2018; 27:2512-2528. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.14701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2017] [Accepted: 03/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew D. Waterhouse
- Department of Biology; University of British Columbia; Kelowna British Columbia Canada
| | - Liesl P. Erb
- Departments of Biology and Environmental Studies; Warren Wilson College; Asheville North Carolina
| | - Erik A. Beever
- U.S. Geological Survey; Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center; Bozeman Montana
- Department of Ecology; Montana State University; Bozeman Montana
| | - Michael A. Russello
- Department of Biology; University of British Columbia; Kelowna British Columbia Canada
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28
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Attard CRM, Beheregaray LB, Sandoval-Castillo J, Jenner KCS, Gill PC, Jenner MNM, Morrice MG, Möller LM. From conservation genetics to conservation genomics: a genome-wide assessment of blue whales ( Balaenoptera musculus) in Australian feeding aggregations. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2018; 5:170925. [PMID: 29410806 PMCID: PMC5792883 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.170925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2017] [Accepted: 01/02/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Genetic datasets of tens of markers have been superseded through next-generation sequencing technology with genome-wide datasets of thousands of markers. Genomic datasets improve our power to detect low population structure and identify adaptive divergence. The increased population-level knowledge can inform the conservation management of endangered species, such as the blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus). In Australia, there are two known feeding aggregations of the pygmy blue whale (B. m. brevicauda) which have shown no evidence of genetic structure based on a small dataset of 10 microsatellites and mtDNA. Here, we develop and implement a high-resolution dataset of 8294 genome-wide filtered single nucleotide polymorphisms, the first of its kind for blue whales. We use these data to assess whether the Australian feeding aggregations constitute one population and to test for the first time whether there is adaptive divergence between the feeding aggregations. We found no evidence of neutral population structure and negligible evidence of adaptive divergence. We propose that individuals likely travel widely between feeding areas and to breeding areas, which would require them to be adapted to a wide range of environmental conditions. This has important implications for their conservation as this blue whale population is likely vulnerable to a range of anthropogenic threats both off Australia and elsewhere.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine R. M. Attard
- Molecular Ecology Lab, College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, South Australia 5001, Australia
- Cetacean Ecology, Behaviour and Evolution Lab, College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, South Australia 5001, Australia
| | - Luciano B. Beheregaray
- Molecular Ecology Lab, College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, South Australia 5001, Australia
| | - Jonathan Sandoval-Castillo
- Molecular Ecology Lab, College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, South Australia 5001, Australia
| | - K. Curt S. Jenner
- Centre for Whale Research, PO Box 1622, Fremantle, Western Australia 6959, Australia
| | - Peter C. Gill
- Blue Whale Study, C/- Post Office, Narrawong, Victoria 3285, Australia
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, PO Box 423, Warrnambool, Victoria 3280, Australia
| | | | - Margaret G. Morrice
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, PO Box 423, Warrnambool, Victoria 3280, Australia
| | - Luciana M. Möller
- Molecular Ecology Lab, College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, South Australia 5001, Australia
- Cetacean Ecology, Behaviour and Evolution Lab, College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, South Australia 5001, Australia
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