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Rubio AO, Stuckert AMM, Geralds B, Nielsen R, MacManes MD, Summers K. What Makes a Mimic? Orange, Red, and Black Color Production in the Mimic Poison Frog (Ranitomeya imitator). Genome Biol Evol 2024; 16:evae123. [PMID: 38874406 PMCID: PMC11255871 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evae123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2023] [Revised: 05/08/2024] [Accepted: 06/03/2024] [Indexed: 06/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Aposematic organisms rely on their conspicuous appearance to signal that they are defended and unpalatable. Such phenotypes are strongly tied to survival and reproduction. Aposematic colors and patterns are highly variable; however, the genetic, biochemical, and physiological mechanisms producing this conspicuous coloration remain largely unidentified. Here, we identify genes potentially affecting color variation in two color morphs of Ranitomeya imitator: the orange-banded Sauce and the redheaded Varadero morphs. We examine gene expression in black and orange skin patches from the Sauce morph and black and red skin patches from the Varadero morph. We identified genes differentially expressed between skin patches, including those that are involved in melanin synthesis (e.g. mlana, pmel, tyrp1), iridophore development (e.g. paics, ppat, ak1), pteridine synthesis (e.g. gch1, pax3-a, xdh), and carotenoid metabolism (e.g. dgat2, rbp1, scarb2). In addition, using weighted correlation network analysis, we identified the top 50 genes with high connectivity from the most significant network associated with gene expression differences between color morphs. Of these 50 genes, 13 were known to be related to color production (gch1, gmps, gpr143, impdh1, mc1r, pax3-a, pax7, ppat, rab27a, rlbp1, tfec, trpm1, xdh).
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew O Rubio
- Department of Biology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858, USA
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA
| | - Adam M M Stuckert
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA
| | - BreAnn Geralds
- Department of Biology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858, USA
- School of Biological Sciences, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901, USA
| | - Rasmus Nielsen
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Matthew D MacManes
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824, USA
| | - Kyle Summers
- Department of Biology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858, USA
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Huang G, Zhang Y, Zhang W, Wei F. Genetic mechanisms of animal camouflage: an interdisciplinary perspective. Trends Genet 2024; 40:613-620. [PMID: 38644132 DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2024.03.009] [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: 02/10/2024] [Revised: 03/26/2024] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/23/2024]
Abstract
Camouflage is a classic example of a trait wherein animals respond to natural selection to avoid predation or attract prey. This unique phenomenon has attracted significant recent attention and the rapid development of integrative research methods is facilitating advances in our understanding of the in-depth genetic mechanisms of camouflage. In this review article, we revisit camouflage definitions and strategies and then we examine the underlying mechanisms of the two most common forms of camouflage, crypsis and masquerade, that have recently been elucidated using multiple approaches. We also discuss unresolved questions related to camouflage. Ultimately, we highlight the implications of camouflage for informing various key issues in ecology and evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guangping Huang
- Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Conservation Biology, College of Forestry, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China; CAS Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Yubo Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Wei Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Fuwen Wei
- Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Conservation Biology, College of Forestry, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China; CAS Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
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Clark B, Hickey A, Marconi A, Fischer B, Elkin J, Mateus R, Santos ME. Developmental plasticity and variability in the formation of egg-spots, a pigmentation ornament in the cichlid Astatotilapia calliptera. Evol Dev 2024; 26:e12475. [PMID: 38555511 DOI: 10.1111/ede.12475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2023] [Revised: 03/14/2024] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024]
Abstract
Vertebrate pigmentation patterns are highly diverse, yet we have a limited understanding of how evolutionary changes to genetic, cellular, and developmental mechanisms generate variation. To address this, we examine the formation of a sexually-selected male ornament exhibiting inter- and intraspecific variation, the egg-spot pattern, consisting of circular yellow-orange markings on the male anal fins of haplochromine cichlid fishes. We focus on Astatotilapia calliptera, the ancestor-type species of the Malawi cichlid adaptive radiation of over 850 species. We identify a key role for iridophores in initializing egg-spot aggregations composed of iridophore-xanthophore associations. Despite adult sexual dimorphism, aggregations initially form in both males and females, with development only diverging between the sexes at later stages. Unexpectedly, we found that the timing of egg-spot initialization is plastic. The earlier individuals are socially isolated, the earlier the aggregations form, with iridophores being the cell type that responds to changes to the social environment. Furthermore, we observe apparent competitive interactions between adjacent egg-spot aggregations, which strongly suggests that egg-spot patterning results mostly from cell-autonomous cellular interactions. Together, these results demonstrate that A. calliptera egg-spot development is an exciting model for investigating pigment pattern formation at the cellular level in a system with developmental plasticity, sexual dimorphism, and intraspecific variation. As A. calliptera represents the ancestral bauplan for egg-spots, these findings provide a baseline for informed comparisons across the incredibly diverse Malawi cichlid radiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bethan Clark
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Aaron Hickey
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Bettina Fischer
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Joel Elkin
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Rita Mateus
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence Physics of Life, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - M Emília Santos
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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Bohutínská M, Peichel CL. Divergence time shapes gene reuse during repeated adaptation. Trends Ecol Evol 2024; 39:396-407. [PMID: 38155043 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2023.11.007] [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: 08/10/2023] [Revised: 11/15/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023]
Abstract
When diverse lineages repeatedly adapt to similar environmental challenges, the extent to which the same genes are involved (gene reuse) varies across systems. We propose that divergence time among lineages is a key factor driving this variability: as lineages diverge, the extent of gene reuse should decrease due to reductions in allele sharing, functional differentiation among genes, and restructuring of genome architecture. Indeed, we show that many genomic studies of repeated adaptation find that more recently diverged lineages exhibit higher gene reuse during repeated adaptation, but the relationship becomes less clear at older divergence time scales. Thus, future research should explore the factors shaping gene reuse and their interplay across broad divergence time scales for a deeper understanding of evolutionary repeatability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magdalena Bohutínská
- Division of Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Bern, 3012, Switzerland; Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, 12800, Czech Republic.
| | - Catherine L Peichel
- Division of Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Bern, 3012, Switzerland
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Recknagel H, Leitão HG, Elmer KR. Genetic basis and expression of ventral colour in polymorphic common lizards. Mol Ecol 2024; 33:e17278. [PMID: 38268086 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Revised: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 01/26/2024]
Abstract
Colour is an important visual cue that can correlate with sex, behaviour, life history or ecological strategies, and has evolved divergently and convergently across animal lineages. Its genetic basis in non-model organisms is rarely known, but such information is vital for determining the drivers and mechanisms of colour evolution. Leveraging genetic admixture in a rare contact zone between oviparous and viviparous common lizards (Zootoca vivipara), we show that females (N = 558) of the two otherwise morphologically indistinguishable reproductive modes differ in their ventral colouration (from pale to vibrant yellow) and intensity of melanic patterning. We find no association between female colouration and reproductive investment, and no evidence for selection on colour. Using a combination of genetic mapping and transcriptomic evidence, we identified two candidate genes associated with ventral colour differentiation, DGAT2 and PMEL. These are genes known to be involved in carotenoid metabolism and melanin synthesis respectively. Ventral melanic spots were associated with two genomic regions, including a SNP close to protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) genes. Using genome re-sequencing data, our results show that fixed coding mutations in the candidate genes cannot account for differences in colouration. Taken together, our findings show that the evolution of ventral colouration and its associations across common lizard lineages is variable. A potential genetic mechanism explaining the flexibility of ventral colouration may be that colouration in common lizards, but also across squamates, is predominantly driven by regulatory genetic variation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hans Recknagel
- School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Henrique G Leitão
- School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Kathryn R Elmer
- School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
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Courtier-Orgogozo V. The loci of insect phenotypic evolution. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2023; 60:101134. [PMID: 37858791 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2023.101134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Revised: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 10/13/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
Insects are important elements of terrestrial ecosystems because they pollinate plants, destroy crops, transmit diseases to livestock and humans, and are important components of food chains. Here, I used Gephebase, a manually curated database of genetic variants associated with natural and domesticated trait variation, to explore current knowledge about the genes and the mutations known to contribute to natural phenotypic variation in insects. Analysis of over 600 mutations reveals that data are concentrated toward certain species and traits and that experimental approaches have changed over time. The distribution of coding and cis-regulatory changes varies with traits, experimental approaches, and identified gene loci. Recent studies highlight the important role of standing variation, repeated mutations in hotspot genes, recombination, inversions, and introgression.
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