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Altinok OA. Learning from disability studies to introduce the role of the individual to naturalistic accounts of disease. MEDICINE, HEALTH CARE, AND PHILOSOPHY 2024:10.1007/s11019-024-10216-9. [PMID: 38958899 DOI: 10.1007/s11019-024-10216-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/12/2024] [Indexed: 07/04/2024]
Abstract
Disability studies have been successfully focusing on individuals' lived experiences, the personalization of goals, and the constitution of the individual in defining disease and restructuring public understandings of disability. Although they had a strong influence in the policy making and medical modeling of disease, their framework has not been translated to traditional naturalistic accounts of disease. I will argue that, using new developments in evolutionary biology (Extended Evolutionary Synthesis [EES] about questions of proper function) and behavioral ecology (Niche conformance and construction about the questions of reference classes in biostatistics accounts), the main elements of the framework of disability studies can be used to represent life histories at the conceptual level of the two main "non-normative" accounts of disease. I chose these accounts since they are related to medicine in a more descriptive way. The success of the practical aspects of disability studies this way will be communicated without causing injustice to the individual since they will represent the individuality of the patient in two main naturalistic accounts of disease: the biostatistical account and the evolutionary functional account. Although most accounts criticizing the concept of disease as value-laden do not supply a positive element, disability studies can supply a good point for descriptive extension of the concept through inclusion of epistemic agency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ozan Altan Altinok
- Center for Ethics and Law in the Life Sciences, Leibniz University of Hannover, Otto - Brener Straße 1, Hannover, Germany.
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2
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Theska T, Renahan T, Sommer RJ. Starvation resistance in the nematode Pristionchus pacificus requires a conserved supplementary nuclear receptor. ZOOLOGICAL LETTERS 2024; 10:7. [PMID: 38481284 PMCID: PMC10938818 DOI: 10.1186/s40851-024-00227-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 03/17/2024]
Abstract
Nuclear hormone receptors (NHRs) are a deeply-conserved superfamily of metazoan transcription factors, which fine-tune the expression of their regulatory target genes in response to a plethora of sensory inputs. In nematodes, NHRs underwent an explosive expansion and many species have hundreds of nhr genes, most of which remain functionally uncharacterized. However, recent studies have reported that two sister receptors, Ppa-NHR-1 and Ppa-NHR-40, are crucial regulators of feeding-structure morphogenesis in the diplogastrid model nematode Pristionchus pacificus. In the present study, we functionally characterize Ppa-NHR-10, the sister paralog of Ppa-NHR-1 and Ppa-NHR-40, aiming to reveal whether it too regulates aspects of feeding-structure development. We used CRISPR/CAS9-mediated mutagenesis to create small frameshift mutations of this nuclear receptor gene and applied a combination of geometric morphometrics and unsupervised clustering to characterize potential mutant phenotypes. However, we found that Ppa-nhr-10 mutants do not show aberrant feeding-structure morphologies. Instead, multiple RNA-seq experiments revealed that many of the target genes of this receptor are involved in lipid catabolic processes. We hypothesized that their mis-regulation could affect the survival of mutant worms during starvation, where lipid catabolism is often essential. Indeed, using novel survival assays, we found that mutant worms show drastically decreased starvation resistance, both as young adults and as dauer larvae. We also characterized genome-wide changes to the transcriptional landscape in P. pacificus when exposed to 24 h of acute starvation, and found that Ppa-NHR-10 partially regulates some of these responses. Taken together, these results demonstrate that Ppa-NHR-10 is broadly required for starvation resistance and regulates different biological processes than its closest paralogs Ppa-NHR-1 and Ppa-NHR-40.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Theska
- Department for Integrative Evolutionary Biology, Max Planck Institute for Biology, Tübingen, Max-Planck-Ring 9, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Tess Renahan
- Department for Integrative Evolutionary Biology, Max Planck Institute for Biology, Tübingen, Max-Planck-Ring 9, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Ralf J Sommer
- Department for Integrative Evolutionary Biology, Max Planck Institute for Biology, Tübingen, Max-Planck-Ring 9, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.
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3
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Uller T, Milocco L, Isanta-Navarro J, Cornwallis CK, Feiner N. Twenty years on from Developmental Plasticity and Evolution: middle-range theories and how to test them. J Exp Biol 2024; 227:jeb246375. [PMID: 38449333 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.246375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/08/2024]
Abstract
In Developmental Plasticity and Evolution, Mary-Jane West-Eberhard argued that the developmental mechanisms that enable organisms to respond to their environment are fundamental causes of adaptation and diversification. Twenty years after publication of this book, this once so highly controversial claim appears to have been assimilated by a wealth of studies on 'plasticity-led' evolution. However, we suggest that the role of development in explanations for adaptive evolution remains underappreciated in this body of work. By combining concepts of evolvability from evolutionary developmental biology and quantitative genetics, we outline a framework that is more appropriate to identify developmental causes of adaptive evolution. This framework demonstrates how experimental and comparative developmental biology and physiology can be leveraged to put the role of plasticity in evolution to the test.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Uller
- Department of Biology, Lund University, 223 62 Lund, Sweden
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4
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Meuthen D, Salahinejad A, Chivers DP, Ferrari MCO. Transgenerational plasticity of exploratory behavior and a hidden cost of mismatched risk environments between parental sexes. Sci Rep 2023; 13:19737. [PMID: 37957198 PMCID: PMC10643415 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-46269-8] [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: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023] Open
Abstract
We require a better understanding of the relative contribution of different modes of non-genetic inheritance in behavioral trait development. Thus, we investigate variation in exploratory behavior, which is ecologically relevant and a target of selection. The metabolic hypothesis predicts exploratory behavior to be size-dependent across taxa. This size-dependency is cancelled out under high perceived risk, allowing us to determine the transgenerationally integrated estimated level of risk. Using fathead minnows Pimephales promelas, we manipulated perceived risk in mothers, fathers, caring males and offspring through continuous exposure to either conspecific alarm cues or to a control water treatment. In 1000 four-month old offspring, we determined body sizes and exploratory behavior. Perceived high risk in mothers, followed by personal risk, was most effective in eliminating size-dependent behavior whereas effects of paternal risk on offspring behavioral development were substantially weaker. When maternal risk is high, environmental mismatches between parents prevented offspring from responding appropriately to personal high risk. The environment of the caring male also impacted offspring behavior to a greater extent than that of its genetic parents. Our study highlights the high relative importance of maternal, personal and caring male risk environments and showcases potential costs of an environmental mismatch between parental sexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denis Meuthen
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, 112 Science Place, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5E2, Canada.
- Evolutionary Biology, Bielefeld University, Konsequenz 45, 33615, Bielefeld, Germany.
| | - Arash Salahinejad
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, 112 Science Place, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5E2, Canada
| | - Douglas P Chivers
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, 112 Science Place, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5E2, Canada
| | - Maud C O Ferrari
- Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, WCVM, University of Saskatchewan, 52 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5B4, Canada
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5
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Nadolski EM, Moczek AP. Promises and limits of an agency perspective in evolutionary developmental biology. Evol Dev 2023; 25:371-392. [PMID: 37038309 DOI: 10.1111/ede.12432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2022] [Revised: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 04/12/2023]
Abstract
An agent-based perspective in the study of complex systems is well established in diverse disciplines, yet is only beginning to be applied to evolutionary developmental biology. In this essay, we begin by defining agency and associated terminology formally. We then explore the assumptions and predictions of an agency perspective, apply these to select processes and key concept areas relevant to practitioners of evolutionary developmental biology, and consider the potential epistemic roles that an agency perspective might play in evo devo. Throughout, we discuss evidence supportive of agential dynamics in biological systems relevant to evo devo and explore where agency thinking may enrich the explanatory reach of research efforts in evolutionary developmental biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erica M Nadolski
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
| | - Armin P Moczek
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
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6
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Walsh DM, Rupik G. The agential perspective: Countermapping the modern synthesis. Evol Dev 2023; 25:335-352. [PMID: 37317654 DOI: 10.1111/ede.12448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Revised: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
We compare and contrast two theoretical perspectives on adaptive evolution-the orthodox Modern Synthesis perspective, and the nascent Agential Perspective. To do so, we develop the idea from Rasmus Grønfeldt Winther of a 'countermap', as a means for comparing the respective ontologies of different scientific perspectives. We conclude that the modern Synthesis perspective achieves an impressively comprehensive view of a universal set of dynamical properties of populations, but at the considerable cost of radically distorting the nature of the biological processes that contribute to evolution. For its part, the Agential Perspective offers the prospect of representing the biological processes of evolution with much greater fidelity, but at the expense of generality. Trade-offs of this sort are endemic to science, and inevitable. Recognizing them helps us to avoid the pitfalls of 'illicit reification', i.e. the mistake of interpreting a feature of a scientific perspective as a feature of the non-perspectival world. We argue that much of the traditional Modern Synthesis representation of the biology of evolution commits this illicit reification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denis M Walsh
- Department of Philosophy, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Gregory Rupik
- Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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7
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Murray BA, Soos C, Machin KL. The effects of pre-hatch elevated corticosterone and post-hatch restrictive food availability on the HPA axis development of mallard ducks (Anas platyrhynchos). Gen Comp Endocrinol 2023; 342:114339. [PMID: 37369328 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2023.114339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2022] [Revised: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023]
Abstract
Environmental changes can be stressors (altered habitat and food supply, climate change, etc.) to wild animals. Stressors trigger the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis to release corticosterone (CORT) which modifies energy homeostasis. During nesting, stressed females can deposit increased concentrations of CORT into eggs, altering egg viability and offspring characteristics, constituting a significant mechanism regulating population productivity in subsequent generations. In this study, increased maternal disposition of CORT was mimicked through a 15 ng/g in ovo injection of CORT into mallard duck eggs. Growth and HPA axis function were measured during post-hatch development. For growth, changes in mass were compared at hatch, 7 weeks and 11 weeks. The HPA axis was assessed at seven weeks by measuring CORT at baseline, followed by restraint stress, dexamethasone (negative feedback) and ACTH (maximal adrenal capacity) challenges. At eleven weeks of age, ducks were subjected to a 6-day 25% feed reduction to simulate a poor quality environment to evaluate response to a chronic stressor by comparing CORT at baseline and after restraint stress. Growth and CORT concentration did not differ between treatments at seven weeks or after feed restriction (11 weeks). The CORT dosage administered did not appear to affect HPA axis development in ducklings. Mallards are a highly adaptable species and may have overcome any early alterations to their phenotype. Further research is needed to determine the effects of increased maternal CORT on growth and the development of the HPA axis in ducks. SUMMARY STATEMENT: This study examines how maternal stress (simulated through elevated corticosterone in ovo) and post-hatch chronic stressors (food restriction) affect the development of the HPA axis in a precocial bird.
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Affiliation(s)
- Breanne A Murray
- Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, 52 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5B4, Canada
| | - Catherine Soos
- Ecotoxicology and Wildlife Health Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 115 Perimeter Road, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 0X4, Canada
| | - Karen L Machin
- Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, 52 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5B4, Canada.
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Dickins TE. The Role of Information in Evolutionary Biology. Acta Biotheor 2023; 71:17. [PMID: 37184719 PMCID: PMC10185631 DOI: 10.1007/s10441-023-09468-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 05/01/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
The Modern Synthesis has received criticism for its purported gene-centrism. That criticism relies on a concept of the gene as a unit of instructional information. In this paper I discuss information concepts and endorse one, developed from Floridi, that sees information as a functional relationship between data and context. I use this concept to inspect developmental criticisms of the Modern Synthesis and argue that the instructional gene arose as an idealization practice when evolutionary biologists made comment on development. However, a closer inspection of key claims shows that at least some associated with the Modern Synthesis were in fact adopting the data led definition I favour and made clear arguments for the role of developmental processes beyond genetic input. There was no instructional gene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas E Dickins
- Faculty of Science & Technology, Middlesex University, London, U.K..
- Centre for Philosophy of Natural and Social Science, London School of Economics, London, U.K..
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Kozlov AP. Carcino-Evo-Devo, A Theory of the Evolutionary Role of Hereditary Tumors. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24108611. [PMID: 37239953 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24108611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Revised: 05/08/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
A theory of the evolutionary role of hereditary tumors, or the carcino-evo-devo theory, is being developed. The main hypothesis of the theory, the hypothesis of evolution by tumor neofunctionalization, posits that hereditary tumors provided additional cell masses during the evolution of multicellular organisms for the expression of evolutionarily novel genes. The carcino-evo-devo theory has formulated several nontrivial predictions that have been confirmed in the laboratory of the author. It also suggests several nontrivial explanations of biological phenomena previously unexplained by the existing theories or incompletely understood. By considering three major types of biological development-individual, evolutionary, and neoplastic development-within one theoretical framework, the carcino-evo-devo theory has the potential to become a unifying biological theory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrei P Kozlov
- Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, 3 Gubkina Street, 117971 Moscow, Russia
- Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, 29 Polytekhnicheskaya Street, 195251 St. Petersburg, Russia
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10
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Ingold T. Evolution without Inheritance. CURRENT ANTHROPOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1086/722437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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11
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Phenotypic variation in Xenopus laevis tadpoles from contrasting climatic regimes is the result of adaptation and plasticity. Oecologia 2022; 200:37-50. [PMID: 35996029 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-022-05240-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2020] [Accepted: 08/06/2022] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
Abstract
Phenotypic variations between populations often correlate with climatic variables. Determining the presence of phenotypic plasticity and local adaptation of a species to different environments over a large spatial scale can provide insight on the persistence of a species across its range. Amphibians, and in particular their larvae, are good models for studies of phenotypic variation as they are especially sensitive to their immediate environment. Few studies have attempted to determine the mechanisms that drive phenotypic variation between populations of a single amphibian species over a large spatial scale especially across contrasting climatic regimes. The African clawed frog, Xenopus laevis, occurs in two regions with contrasting rainfall regimes in southern Africa. We hypothesised that the phenotypic variation of life-history traits of X. laevis tadpoles emerges from a combination of plastic and genetic responses. We predicted that plasticity would allow the development of tadpoles from both regions in each environment. We also predicted that local adaptation of larval traits would drive the differentiation of reaction norms between populations and lower survival in tadpoles reared away from their home environment. We measured growth, time to metamorphosis, and survival in a reciprocal transplant experiment using outdoor mesocosms. Supporting our prediction, we found that the measured variation of all traits was explained by both adaptation and plasticity. However, the reaction norms differed between populations suggesting adaptive and asymmetric plasticity. All tadpoles experienced lower survival when translocated, but only translocated tadpoles from the winter rainfall region matched survival of local tadpoles. This has implications for the dynamics of translocated X. laevis into novel environments, especially from the winter rainfall region. Our discovery of their asymmetric capacity to overcome novel environmental conditions by phenotypic plasticity alone provides insight into their invasion success.
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12
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Brachmann MK, Parsons K, Skúlason S, Gaggiotti O, Ferguson M. Variation in the genomic basis of parallel phenotypic and ecological divergence in benthic and pelagic morphs of Icelandic Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus). Mol Ecol 2022; 31:4688-4706. [PMID: 35861579 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Revised: 06/22/2022] [Accepted: 07/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Sympatric adaptive phenotypic divergence should be underlain by genomic differentiation between sub-populations. When divergence drives similar patterns of phenotypic and ecological variation within species we expect evolution to draw on common allelic variation. We investigated divergence histories and genomic signatures of adaptive divergence between benthic and pelagic morphs of Icelandic Arctic charr. Divergence histories for each of four populations were reconstructed using coalescent modelling and 14,187 single nucleotide polymorphisms. Sympatric divergence with continuous gene flow was supported in two populations while allopatric divergence with secondary contact was supported in one population; we could not differentiate between demographic models in the fourth population. We detected parallel patterns of phenotypic divergence along benthic-pelagic evolutionary trajectories among populations. Patterns of genomic differentiation between benthic and pelagic morphs were characterized by outlier loci in many narrow peaks of differentiation throughout the genome, which may reflect the eroding effects of gene flow on nearby neutral loci. We then used genome-wide association analyses to relate both phenotypic (body shape and size) and ecological (carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes) variation to patterns of genomic differentiation. Many peaks of genomic differentiation were associated with phenotypic and ecological variation in the three highly divergent populations, suggesting a genomic basis for adaptive divergence. We detected little evidence for a parallel genomic basis of differentiation as most regions and outlier loci were not shared among populations. Our results show that adaptive divergence can have varied genomic consequences in populations with relatively recent common origins, similar divergence histories, and parallel phenotypic divergence.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kevin Parsons
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, School of Life Science, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Skúli Skúlason
- Department of Aquaculture and Fish Biology, Hólar University, Saudárkrókur, Iceland.,Icelandic Museum of Natural History, Reykjavik, Iceland
| | - Oscar Gaggiotti
- School of biology, Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, UK
| | - Moira Ferguson
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
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Pla S, Benvenuto C, Capellini I, Piferrer F. Switches, stability and reversals in the evolutionary history of sexual systems in fish. Nat Commun 2022; 13:3029. [PMID: 35637181 PMCID: PMC9151764 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-30419-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2021] [Accepted: 04/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Sexual systems are highly diverse and have profound consequences for population dynamics and resilience. Yet, little is known about how they evolved. Using phylogenetic Bayesian modelling and a sample of 4614 species, we show that gonochorism is the likely ancestral condition in teleost fish. While all hermaphroditic forms revert quickly to gonochorism, protogyny and simultaneous hermaphroditism are evolutionarily more stable than protandry. In line with theoretical expectations, simultaneous hermaphroditism does not evolve directly from gonochorism but can evolve slowly from sequential hermaphroditism, particularly protandry. We find support for the predictions from life history theory that protogynous, but not protandrous, species live longer than gonochoristic species and invest the least in male gonad mass. The distribution of teleosts' sexual systems on the tree of life does not seem to reflect just adaptive predictions, suggesting that adaptations alone may not fully explain why some sexual forms evolve in some taxa but not others (Williams' paradox). We propose that future studies should incorporate mating systems, spawning behaviours, and the diversity of sex determining mechanisms. Some of the latter might constrain the evolution of hermaphroditism, while the non-duality of the embryological origin of teleost gonads might explain why protogyny predominates over protandry in teleosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanna Pla
- Institut de Ciències del Mar, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Chiara Benvenuto
- School of Science, Engineering and Environment, University of Salford, Salford, UK
| | | | - Francesc Piferrer
- Institut de Ciències del Mar, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Barcelona, Spain.
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Stuart KC, Sherwin WB, Cardilini AP, Rollins LA. Genetics and Plasticity Are Responsible for Ecogeographical Patterns in a Recent Invasion. Front Genet 2022; 13:824424. [PMID: 35360868 PMCID: PMC8963341 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.824424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 02/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Patterns of covariation between phenotype and environment are presumed to be reflective of local adaptation, and therefore translate to a meaningful influence on an individual’s overall fitness within that specific environment. However, these environmentally driven patterns may be the result of numerous and interacting processes, such as genetic variation, epigenetic variation, or plastic non-heritable variation. Understanding the relative importance of different environmental variables on underlying genetic patterns and resulting phenotypes is fundamental to understanding adaptation. Invasive systems are excellent models for such investigations, given their propensity for rapid evolution. This study uses reduced representation sequencing data paired with phenotypic data to examine whether important phenotypic traits in invasive starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) within Australia appear to be highly heritable (presumably genetic) or appear to vary with environmental gradients despite underlying genetics (presumably non-heritable plasticity). We also sought to determine which environmental variables, if any, play the strongest role shaping genetic and phenotypic patterns. We determined that environmental variables—particularly elevation—play an important role in shaping allelic trends in Australian starlings and may also reinforce neutral genetic patterns resulting from historic introduction regime. We examined a range of phenotypic traits that appear to be heritable (body mass and spleen mass) or negligibly heritable (e.g. beak surface area and wing length) across the starlings’ Australian range. Using SNP variants associated with each of these phenotypes, we identify key environmental variables that correlate with genetic patterns, specifically that temperature and precipitation putatively play important roles shaping phenotype in this species. Finally, we determine that overall phenotypic variation is correlated with underlying genetic variation, and that these interact positively with the level of vegetation variation within a region, suggesting that ground cover plays an important role in shaping selection and plasticity of phenotypic traits within the starlings of Australia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katarina C. Stuart
- Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- *Correspondence: Katarina C. Stuart,
| | - William B. Sherwin
- Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Adam P.A. Cardilini
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, VIC, Australia
| | - Lee A. Rollins
- Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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15
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The legacy of predator threat shapes prey foraging behaviour. Oecologia 2021; 198:79-89. [PMID: 34817645 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-021-05073-9] [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: 10/28/2020] [Accepted: 10/31/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Predators exert strong selection on prey foraging behaviour such that prey responses may reflect a combination of ancestral effects of predators (genetic and nongenetic transgenerational effects), past individual experience with predators (phenotypic plasticity), and current exposure to predators (behavioural response). However, the importance of these factors in shaping prey foraging behaviour is not well understood. To test the relative effects of ancestry, prior experience, and current exposure, we measured foraging rates and food size preference of different ancestry and exposure groups of Western mosquitofish in the presence and absence of immediate threat from predatory largemouth bass. Our results confirm that mosquitofish had lower foraging rate in the immediate presence of predator threat. Mosquitofish also foraged at a lower rate if they had ancestry with predators, regardless of immediate threat. In contrast, individual prior experience with predators only caused reduced foraging rates in the immediate presence of a predator. This suggests that phenotypic plasticity could carry a lower risk of maladaptive antipredator responses-i.e., reduced food intake-in the complete absence of a predator. Finally, in the presence of a predator, mosquitofish with both ancestry and experience with predators consumed larger, presumably more energetically valuable, food items. Overall, our results show that non-consumptive effects of predators on prey behaviour can persist within and across generations, such that the legacy of past predator exposure-or "the ghost of predation past"-may continue to shape prey behaviour even when predators are no longer around.
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Brun-Usan M, Rago A, Thies C, Uller T, Watson RA. Development and selective grain make plasticity 'take the lead' in adaptive evolution. BMC Ecol Evol 2021; 21:205. [PMID: 34800979 PMCID: PMC8605539 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-021-01936-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Biological evolution exhibits an extraordinary capability to adapt organisms to their environments. The explanation for this often takes for granted that random genetic variation produces at least some beneficial phenotypic variation in which natural selection can act. Such genetic evolvability could itself be a product of evolution, but it is widely acknowledged that the immediate selective gains of evolvability are small on short timescales. So how do biological systems come to exhibit such extraordinary capacity to evolve? One suggestion is that adaptive phenotypic plasticity makes genetic evolution find adaptations faster. However, the need to explain the origin of adaptive plasticity puts genetic evolution back in the driving seat, and genetic evolvability remains unexplained. RESULTS To better understand the interaction between plasticity and genetic evolvability, we simulate the evolution of phenotypes produced by gene-regulation network-based models of development. First, we show that the phenotypic variation resulting from genetic and environmental perturbation are highly concordant. This is because phenotypic variation, regardless of its cause, occurs within the relatively specific space of possibilities allowed by development. Second, we show that selection for genetic evolvability results in the evolution of adaptive plasticity and vice versa. This linkage is essentially symmetric but, unlike genetic evolvability, the selective gains of plasticity are often substantial on short, including within-lifetime, timescales. Accordingly, we show that selection for phenotypic plasticity can be effective in promoting the evolution of high genetic evolvability. CONCLUSIONS Without overlooking the fact that adaptive plasticity is itself a product of genetic evolution, we show how past selection for plasticity can exercise a disproportionate effect on genetic evolvability and, in turn, influence the course of adaptive evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Brun-Usan
- Institute for Life Sciences/Electronics and Computer Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.
- Department of Biology, Lund University, 22362, Lund, Sweden.
| | - Alfredo Rago
- Institute for Life Sciences/Electronics and Computer Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
- Department of Biology, Lund University, 22362, Lund, Sweden
| | - Christoph Thies
- Institute for Life Sciences/Electronics and Computer Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Tobias Uller
- Department of Biology, Lund University, 22362, Lund, Sweden
| | - Richard A Watson
- Institute for Life Sciences/Electronics and Computer Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
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17
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Smallegange IM. Integrating developmental plasticity into eco-evolutionary population dynamics. Trends Ecol Evol 2021; 37:129-137. [PMID: 34635340 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2021.09.005] [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: 07/20/2021] [Revised: 09/16/2021] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
There are increasing calls to incorporate developmental plasticity into the framework of eco-evolutionary dynamics. The current way is via genotype-specified reaction norms in which inheritance and phenotype expression are gene-based. I propose a developmental system perspective in which phenotypes are formed during individual development in a process comprising a complex set of interactions that involve genes, biochemistry, somatic state, and the (a)biotic environment, and where the developmental system is the unit of phenotype evolution. I explain how the two perspectives differ in assumptions and predictions, which can be contrasted using cue-and-response systems of anticipatory or mitigating developmental plasticity. This can lead to new ways of eco-evolutionary thinking, and deliver important explanations of how populations respond to environmental change through evolved developmental plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabel M Smallegange
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, PO Box 94240, 1090, GE, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; School of Natural & Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, UK.
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18
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Espinosa-Soto C, Hernández U, Posadas-García YS. Recombination facilitates genetic assimilation of new traits in gene regulatory networks. Evol Dev 2021; 23:459-473. [PMID: 34455697 DOI: 10.1111/ede.12391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2021] [Revised: 07/11/2021] [Accepted: 08/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
A new phenotypic variant may appear first in organisms through plasticity, that is, as a response to an environmental signal or other nongenetic perturbation. If such trait is beneficial, selection may increase the frequency of alleles that enable and facilitate its development. Thus, genes may take control of such traits, decreasing dependence on nongenetic disturbances, in a process called genetic assimilation. Despite an increasing amount of empirical studies supporting genetic assimilation, its significance is still controversial. Whether genetic assimilation is widespread depends, to a great extent, on how easily mutation and recombination reduce the trait's dependence on nongenetic perturbations. Previous research suggests that this is the case for mutations. Here we use simulations of gene regulatory network dynamics to address this issue with respect to recombination. We find that recombinant offspring of parents that produce a new phenotype through plasticity are more likely to produce the same phenotype without requiring any perturbation. They are also prone to preserve the ability to produce that phenotype after genetic and nongenetic perturbations. Our work also suggests that ancestral plasticity can play an important role for setting the course that evolution takes. In sum, our results indicate that the manner in which phenotypic variation maps unto genetic variation facilitates evolution through genetic assimilation in gene regulatory networks. Thus, we contend that the importance of this evolutionary mechanism should not be easily neglected.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Espinosa-Soto
- Instituto de Física, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí, Mexico
| | - Ulises Hernández
- Instituto de Física, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí, Mexico
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19
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Dubied M, Montuire S, Navarro N. Commonalities and evolutionary divergences of mandible shape ontogenies in rodents. J Evol Biol 2021; 34:1637-1652. [PMID: 34449936 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2021] [Revised: 08/17/2021] [Accepted: 08/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
In mammals, significant changes take place during postnatal growth, linked to changes in diet (from sucking to gnawing). During this period, mandible development is highly interconnected with muscle growth and the epigenetic interactions between muscle and bone control the spatialization of bone formation and remodelling in response to biomechanical strain. This mechanism contributes to postnatal developmental plasticity and may have influenced the course of evolutionary divergences between species and clades. We sought to model postnatal changes at a macroevolutionary scale by analysing ontogenetic trajectories of mandible shape across 16 species belonging mainly to two suborders of Rodents, Myomorpha and Hystricomorpha, which differ in muscle attachments, tooth growth and life-history traits. Myomorpha species present a much stronger magnitude of changes over a shorter growth period. Among Hystricomorpha, part of the observed adult shape is set up prenatally, and most postnatal trajectories are genus-specific, which agrees with nonlinear developmental trajectories over longer gestational periods. Beside divergence at large scale, we find some collinearities between evolutionary and developmental trajectories. A common developmental trend was also observed, leading to enlargement of the masseter fossa during postnatal growth. The tooth growth, especially hypselodonty, seems to be a major driver of divergences of postnatal trajectories. These muscle- and tooth-related effects on postnatal trajectories suggest opportunities for developmental plasticity in the evolution of the mandible shape, opportunities that may have differed across Rodent clades.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgane Dubied
- Biogeosciences, UMR 6282 CNRS, EPHE, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
| | - Sophie Montuire
- Biogeosciences, UMR 6282 CNRS, EPHE, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France.,EPHE, PSL University, Paris, France
| | - Nicolas Navarro
- Biogeosciences, UMR 6282 CNRS, EPHE, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France.,EPHE, PSL University, Paris, France
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20
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Vélez-Mora DP, Trigueros-Alatorre K, Quintana-Ascencio PF. Evidence of Morphological Divergence and Reproductive Isolation in a Narrow Elevation Gradient. Evol Biol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s11692-021-09541-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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21
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de Meo I, Østbye K, Kahilainen KK, Hayden B, Fagertun CHH, Poléo ABS. Predator community and resource use jointly modulate the inducible defense response in body height of crucian carp. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:2072-2085. [PMID: 33717443 PMCID: PMC7920785 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2020] [Revised: 12/15/2020] [Accepted: 12/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Phenotypic plasticity can be expressed as changes in body shape in response to environmental variability. Crucian carp (Carassius carassius), a widespread cyprinid, displays remarkable plasticity in body morphology and increases body depth when exposed to cues from predators, suggesting the triggering of an antipredator defense mechanism. However, these morphological changes could also be related to resource use and foraging behavior, as an indirect effect of predator presence. In order to determine whether phenotypic plasticity in crucian carp is driven by a direct or indirect response to predation threat, we compared twelve fish communities inhabiting small lakes in southeast Norway grouped by four categories of predation regimes: no predator fish, or brown trout (Salmo trutta), perch (Perca fluviatilis), or pike (Esox lucius) as main piscivores. We predicted the body shape of crucian carp to be associated with the species composition of predator communities and that the presence of efficient piscivores would result in a deeper body shape. We use stable isotope analyses to test whether this variation in body shape was related to a shift in individual resource use-that is, littoral rather than pelagic resource use would favor the development of a specific body shape-or other environmental characteristics. The results showed that increasingly efficient predator communities induced progressively deeper body shape, larger body size, and lower population densities. Predator maximum gape size and individual trophic position were the best variables explaining crucian carp variation in body depth among predation categories, while littoral resource use did not have a clear effect. The gradient in predation pressure also corresponded to a shift in lake productivity. These results indicate that crucian carp have a fine-tuned morphological defense mechanism against predation risk, triggered by the combined effect of predator presence and resource availability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilaria de Meo
- Department of Forestry and Wildlife ManagementInland Norway University of Applied SciencesKoppangNorway
| | - Kjartan Østbye
- Department of Forestry and Wildlife ManagementInland Norway University of Applied SciencesKoppangNorway
| | | | - Brian Hayden
- Biology DepartmentCanadian Rivers InstituteUniversity of New BrunswickFrederictonNBCanada
| | - Christian H. H. Fagertun
- Department of Forestry and Wildlife ManagementInland Norway University of Applied SciencesKoppangNorway
| | - Antonio B. S. Poléo
- Department of Forestry and Wildlife ManagementInland Norway University of Applied SciencesKoppangNorway
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22
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Abstract
This review essay reflects on recent discussions in evolutionary biology and philosophy of science on the central causes of evolution and the structure of causal explanations in evolutionary theory. In this debate, it has been argued that our view of evolutionary causation should be rethought by including more seriously developmental causes and causes of the individual acting organism. I use Tobias Uller's and Kevin Laland's volume Evolutionary Causation as well as recent reviews of it as a starting point to reflect on the causal role of agency, individuality, and the environment in evolution. In addition, I critically discuss classical philosophical frameworks of theory change (i.e. Popper's, Kuhn's and Lakatos') used in this debate to understand changing views of evolutionary causation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Baedke
- Department of Philosophy I, Ruhr University Bochum, Universitätsstr. 150, 44801, Bochum, Germany.
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23
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Ellison A, Pouv A, Pace DA. Different protein metabolic strategies for growth during food-induced physiological plasticity in echinoid larvae. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:jeb.230748. [PMID: 33526554 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.230748] [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: 06/10/2020] [Accepted: 01/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Food-induced morphological plasticity, a type of developmental plasticity, is a well-documented phenomenon in larvae of the echinoid echinoderm, Dendraster excentricus A recent study in our lab has shown that this morphological plasticity is associated with significant physiological plasticity for growth. The goal of the current study was to measure several aspects of protein metabolism in larvae growing at different rates to understand the mechanistic basis for this physiological growth plasticity. Larvae of D. excentricus were fed rations of 1000 algal cells ml-1 (low-fed larvae) or 10,000 algal cells ml-1 (high-fed larvae). Relative protein growth rate was 6.0 and 12.2% day-1 for low- and high-fed larvae, respectively. The energetic cost of protein synthesis was similar for the two treatments at 4.91 J mg-1 protein synthesized. Larvae in both treatments used about 50% of their metabolic energy production to fuel protein synthesis. Mass-specific rates of protein synthesis were also similar. Large differences in mass-specific rates of protein degradation were observed. Low-fed larvae had relatively low rates of degradation early in development that increased with larval age, surpassing those of high-fed larvae at 20 days post-fertilization. Changes in protein depositional efficiency during development were similar to those of larval growth efficiency, indicating that differences in protein metabolism are largely responsible for whole-organism growth plasticity. Low-fed larvae also had alanine transport rates that were 2 times higher than those of high-fed larvae. In total, these results provide an explanation for the differences in growth efficiency between low- and high-fed larvae and allow for a more integrated understanding of developmental plasticity in echinoid larvae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aimee Ellison
- Department of Biological Sciences, California State University Long Beach, Long Beach, CA 90084, USA
| | - Amara Pouv
- Department of Biological Sciences, California State University Long Beach, Long Beach, CA 90084, USA
| | - Douglas A Pace
- Department of Biological Sciences, California State University Long Beach, Long Beach, CA 90084, USA
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24
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Feiner N, Brun-Usan M, Uller T. Evolvability and evolutionary rescue. Evol Dev 2021; 23:308-319. [PMID: 33528902 DOI: 10.1111/ede.12374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2020] [Revised: 11/22/2020] [Accepted: 01/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The survival prospects of threatened species or populations can sometimes be improved by adaptive change. Such evolutionary rescue is particularly relevant when the threat comes from changing environments, or when long-term population persistence requires range expansion into new habitats. Conservation biologists are therefore often interested in whether or not populations or lineages show a disposition for adaptive evolution, that is, if they are evolvable. Here, we discuss four alternative perspectives that target different causes of evolvability and outline some of the key challenges those perspectives are designed to address. Standing genetic variation provides one familiar estimate of evolvability. Yet, the mere presence of genetic variation is often insufficient to predict if a population will adapt, or how it will adapt. The reason is that adaptive change not only depends on genetic variation, but also on the extent to which this genetic variation can be realized as adaptive phenotypic variation. This requires attention to developmental systems and how plasticity influences evolutionary potential. Finally, we discuss how a better understanding of the different factors that contribute to evolvability can be exploited in conservation practice.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Tobias Uller
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
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25
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Kavanagh KD. Evolution of island lizards remains a mystery. eLife 2020; 9:62230. [PMID: 32958136 PMCID: PMC7508555 DOI: 10.7554/elife.62230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2020] [Accepted: 09/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Lizards that live in the Greater Antilles exploit a large range of skeletal variations to adapt to similar habitats, in defiance of the theory of plasticity-led evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn D Kavanagh
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, North Dartmouth, United States
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26
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Feiner N, Jackson IS, Munch KL, Radersma R, Uller T. Plasticity and evolutionary convergence in the locomotor skeleton of Greater Antillean Anolis lizards. eLife 2020; 9:57468. [PMID: 32788040 PMCID: PMC7508556 DOI: 10.7554/elife.57468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2020] [Accepted: 08/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Plasticity can put evolution on repeat if development causes species to generate similar morphologies in similar environments. Anolis lizards offer the opportunity to put this role of developmental plasticity to the test. Following colonization of the four Greater Antillean islands, Anolis lizards independently and repeatedly evolved six ecomorphs adapted to manoeuvring different microhabitats. By quantifying the morphology of the locomotor skeleton of 95 species, we demonstrate that ecomorphs on different islands have diverged along similar trajectories. However, microhabitat-induced morphological plasticity differed between species and did not consistently improve individual locomotor performance. Consistent with this decoupling between morphological plasticity and locomotor performance, highly plastic features did not show greater evolvability, and plastic responses to microhabitat were poorly aligned with evolutionary divergence between ecomorphs. The locomotor skeleton of Anolis may have evolved within a subset of possible morphologies that are highly accessible through genetic change, enabling adaptive convergence independently of plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Kirke L Munch
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart TAS, Australia
| | | | - Tobias Uller
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
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27
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Radersma R, Noble DWA, Uller T. Plasticity leaves a phenotypic signature during local adaptation. Evol Lett 2020; 4:360-370. [PMID: 32774884 PMCID: PMC7403707 DOI: 10.1002/evl3.185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2020] [Accepted: 05/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Phenotypic responses to a novel or extreme environment are initially plastic, only later to be followed by genetic change. Whether or not environmentally induced phenotypes are sufficiently recurrent and fit to leave a signature in adaptive evolution is debated. Here, we analyze multivariate data from 34 plant reciprocal transplant studies to test: (1) if plasticity is an adaptive source of developmental bias that makes locally adapted populations resemble the environmentally induced phenotypes of ancestors; and (2) if plasticity, standing phenotypic variation and genetic divergence align during local adaptation. Phenotypic variation increased marginally in foreign environments but, as predicted, the direction of ancestral plasticity was generally well aligned with the phenotypic difference between locally adapted populations, making plasticity appear to "take the lead" in adaptive evolution. Plastic responses were sometimes more extreme than the phenotypes of locally adapted plants, which can give the impression that plasticity and evolutionary adaptation oppose each other; however, environmentally induced and locally adapted phenotypes were rarely misaligned. Adaptive fine‐tuning of phenotypes—genetic accommodation—did not fall along the main axis of standing phenotypic variation or the direction of plasticity, and local adaptation did not consistently modify the direction or magnitude of plasticity. These results suggest that plasticity is a persistent source of developmental bias that shapes how plant populations adapt to environmental change, even when plasticity does not constrain how populations respond to selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reinder Radersma
- Department of Biology Lund University Lund Sweden.,Biometris Wageningen University & Research Wageningen The Netherlands
| | - Daniel W A Noble
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology The Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia
| | - Tobias Uller
- Department of Biology Lund University Lund Sweden
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28
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Helanterä H, Uller T. Different perspectives on non-genetic inheritance illustrate the versatile utility of the Price equation in evolutionary biology. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 375:20190366. [PMID: 32146886 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The diversity of genetic and non-genetic processes that make offspring resemble their parents are increasingly well understood. In addition to genetic inheritance, parent-offspring similarity is affected by epigenetic, behavioural and cultural mechanisms that collectively can be referred to as non-genetic inheritance. Given the generality of the Price equation as a description of evolutionary change, is it not surprising that the Price equation has been adopted to model the evolutionary implications of non-genetic inheritance. In this paper, we briefly introduce the heredity perspectives on which those models rely, discuss the extent to which these perspectives make different assumptions and place different emphases on the roles of heredity and development in evolution, and the types of empirical research programmes they motivate. The existence of multiple perspectives and explanatory aims highlight, on the one hand, the versatility of the Price equation and, on the other hand, the importance of understanding how heredity and development can be conceptualized in evolutionary studies. This article is part of the theme issue 'Fifty years of the Price equation'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heikki Helanterä
- Ecology and Genetics Research Unit, University of Oulu, Pentti Kaiteran katu 1, 90014 Oulu, Finland
| | - Tobias Uller
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, 22362 Lund, Sweden
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29
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Affiliation(s)
- Armin P Moczek
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana
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30
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Abstract
Throughout the recent history of research at the intersection of evolution and development, notions such as developmental constraint, evolutionary novelty, and evolvability have been prominent, but the term "developmental bias" has scarcely been used. And one may even doubt whether a unique and principled definition of bias is possible. I argue that the concept of developmental bias can still play a vital scientific role by means of setting an explanatory agenda that motivates investigation and guides the formulation of integrative explanatory frameworks. Less crucial is a definition that would classify patterns of phenotypic variation and unify variational patterns involving different traits and taxa as all being "bias." Instead, what we should want is a concept that generates intellectual identity across various researchers, and that unites the diverse fields and approaches relevant to the study of developmental bias, from paleontology to behavioral biology. I point to some advantages of conducting research specifically under the label of "developmental bias," compared with employing other, more common terms such as "evolvability."
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Affiliation(s)
- Ingo Brigandt
- Department of Philosophy, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
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