1
|
Ginther SC, Cameron H, White CR, Marshall DJ. Metabolic loads and the costs of metazoan reproduction. Science 2024; 384:763-767. [PMID: 38753775 DOI: 10.1126/science.adk6772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2023] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024]
Abstract
Reproduction includes two energy investments-the energy in the offspring and the energy expended to make them. The former is well understood, whereas the latter is unquantified but often assumed to be small. Without understanding both investments, the true energy costs of reproduction are unknown. We present a framework for estimating the total energy costs of reproduction by combining data on the energy content of offspring (direct costs) and the metabolic load of bearing them (indirect costs). We find that direct costs typically represent the smaller fraction of the energy expended on reproduction. Mammals pay the highest reproductive costs (excluding lactation), ~90% of which are indirect. Ectotherms expend less on reproduction overall, and live-bearing ectotherms pay higher indirect costs compared with egg-layers. We show that the energy demands of reproduction exceed standard assumptions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Samuel C Ginther
- Centre for Geometric Biology, School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
| | - Hayley Cameron
- Centre for Geometric Biology, School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
- School of Biosciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Craig R White
- Centre for Geometric Biology, School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
| | - Dustin J Marshall
- Centre for Geometric Biology, School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Tower J. Selectively advantageous instability in biotic and pre-biotic systems and implications for evolution and aging. FRONTIERS IN AGING 2024; 5:1376060. [PMID: 38818026 PMCID: PMC11137231 DOI: 10.3389/fragi.2024.1376060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024]
Abstract
Rules of biology typically involve conservation of resources. For example, common patterns such as hexagons and logarithmic spirals require minimal materials, and scaling laws involve conservation of energy. Here a relationship with the opposite theme is discussed, which is the selectively advantageous instability (SAI) of one or more components of a replicating system, such as the cell. By increasing the complexity of the system, SAI can have benefits in addition to the generation of energy or the mobilization of building blocks. SAI involves a potential cost to the replicating system for the materials and/or energy required to create the unstable component, and in some cases, the energy required for its active degradation. SAI is well-studied in cells. Short-lived transcription and signaling factors enable a rapid response to a changing environment, and turnover is critical for replacement of damaged macromolecules. The minimal gene set for a viable cell includes proteases and a nuclease, suggesting SAI is essential for life. SAI promotes genetic diversity in several ways. Toxin/antitoxin systems promote maintenance of genes, and SAI of mitochondria facilitates uniparental transmission. By creating two distinct states, subject to different selective pressures, SAI can maintain genetic diversity. SAI of components of synthetic replicators favors replicator cycling, promoting emergence of replicators with increased complexity. Both classical and recent computer modeling of replicators reveals SAI. SAI may be involved at additional levels of biological organization. In summary, SAI promotes replicator genetic diversity and reproductive fitness, and may promote aging through loss of resources and maintenance of deleterious alleles.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- John Tower
- Molecular and Computational Biology Section, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Gupta VVSR, Tiedje JM. Ranking environmental and edaphic attributes driving soil microbial community structure and activity with special attention to spatial and temporal scales. MLIFE 2024; 3:21-41. [PMID: 38827504 PMCID: PMC11139212 DOI: 10.1002/mlf2.12116] [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: 09/27/2023] [Revised: 01/05/2024] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 06/04/2024]
Abstract
The incredibly complex soil microbial communities at small scales make their analysis and identification of reasons for the observed structures challenging. Microbial community structure is mainly a result of the inoculum (dispersal), the selective advantages of those organisms under the habitat-based environmental attributes, and the ability of those colonizers to sustain themselves over time. Since soil is protective, and its microbial inhabitants have long adapted to varied soil conditions, significant portions of the soil microbial community structure are likely stable. Hence, a substantial portion of the community will not correlate to often measured soil attributes. We suggest that the drivers be ranked on the basis of their importance to the fundamental needs of the microbes: (i) those that supply energy, i.e., organic carbon and electron acceptors; (ii) environmental effectors or stressors, i.e., pH, salt, drought, and toxic chemicals; (iii) macro-organism associations, i.e., plants and their seasonality, animals and their fecal matter, and soil fauna; and (iv) nutrients, in order, N, P, and probably of lesser importance, other micronutrients, and metals. The relevance of drivers also varies with spatial and time scales, for example, aggregate to field to regional, and persistent to dynamic populations to transcripts, and with the extent of phylogenetic difference, hence phenotypic differences in organismal groups. We present a summary matrix to provide guidance on which drivers are important for particular studies, with special emphasis on a wide range of spatial and temporal scales, and illustrate this with genomic and population (rRNA gene) data from selected studies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - James M. Tiedje
- Centre for Microbial EcologyMichigan State UniversityEast LansingMichiganUSA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Glazier DS, Gjoni V. Interactive effects of intrinsic and extrinsic factors on metabolic rate. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2024; 379:20220489. [PMID: 38186280 PMCID: PMC10772614 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0489] [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] [Received: 05/01/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Metabolism energizes all biological processes, and its tempo may importantly influence the ecological success and evolutionary fitness of organisms. Therefore, understanding the broad variation in metabolic rate that exists across the living world is a fundamental challenge in biology. To further the development of a more reliable and holistic picture of the causes of this variation, we review several examples of how various intrinsic (biological) and extrinsic (environmental) factors (including body size, cell size, activity level, temperature, predation and other diverse genetic, cellular, morphological, physiological, behavioural and ecological influences) can interactively affect metabolic rate in synergistic or antagonistic ways. Most of the interactive effects that have been documented involve body size, temperature or both, but future research may reveal additional 'hub factors'. Our review highlights the complex, intimate inter-relationships between physiology and ecology, knowledge of which can shed light on various problems in both disciplines, including variation in physiological adaptations, life histories, ecological niches and various organism-environment interactions in ecosystems. We also discuss theoretical and practical implications of interactive effects on metabolic rate and provide suggestions for future research, including holistic system analyses at various hierarchical levels of organization that focus on interactive proximate (functional) and ultimate (evolutionary) causal networks. This article is part of the theme issue 'The evolutionary significance of variation in metabolic rates'.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Vojsava Gjoni
- Department of Biology, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD 57609, USA
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Cossin-Sevrin N, Stier A, Hukkanen M, Zahn S, Viblanc VA, Anttila K, Ruuskanen S. Early-life environmental effects on mitochondrial aerobic metabolism: a brood size manipulation in wild great tits. J Exp Biol 2023; 226:jeb245932. [PMID: 37815441 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.245932] [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: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/11/2023]
Abstract
In avian species, the number of chicks in the nest and subsequent sibling competition for food are major components of the offspring's early-life environment. A large brood size is known to affect chick growth, leading in some cases to long-lasting effects for the offspring, such as a decrease in size at fledgling and in survival after fledging. An important pathway underlying different growth patterns could be the variation in offspring mitochondrial metabolism through its central role in converting energy. Here, we performed a brood size manipulation in great tits (Parus major) to unravel its impact on offspring mitochondrial metabolism and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in red blood cells. We investigated the effects of brood size on chick growth and survival, and tested for long-lasting effects on juvenile mitochondrial metabolism and phenotype. As expected, chicks raised in reduced broods had a higher body mass compared with enlarged and control groups. However, mitochondrial metabolism and ROS production were not significantly affected by the treatment at either chick or juvenile stages. Interestingly, chicks raised in very small broods were smaller in size and had higher mitochondrial metabolic rates. The nest of rearing had a significant effect on nestling mitochondrial metabolism. The contribution of the rearing environment in determining offspring mitochondrial metabolism emphasizes the plasticity of mitochondrial metabolism in relation to the nest environment. This study opens new avenues regarding the effect of postnatal environmental conditions in shaping offspring early-life mitochondrial metabolism.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nina Cossin-Sevrin
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turku, Finland
- Université de Strasbourg, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, UMR 7178, 67087 Strasbourg, France
| | - Antoine Stier
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turku, Finland
- Université de Strasbourg, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, UMR 7178, 67087 Strasbourg, France
- Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, ENTPE, UMR 5023 LEHNA, F-69622 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Mikaela Hukkanen
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, University of Helsinki, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Sandrine Zahn
- Université de Strasbourg, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, UMR 7178, 67087 Strasbourg, France
| | - Vincent A Viblanc
- Université de Strasbourg, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, UMR 7178, 67087 Strasbourg, France
| | - Katja Anttila
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turku, Finland
| | - Suvi Ruuskanen
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turku, Finland
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, FI-40014 Jyväskylä, Finland
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Heilpern SA, Herrera-R GA, Fiorella KJ, Moya L, Flecker AS, McIntyre PB. Species trait diversity sustains multiple dietary nutrients supplied by freshwater fisheries. Ecol Lett 2023; 26:1887-1897. [PMID: 37671723 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14299] [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: 10/27/2022] [Revised: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 09/07/2023]
Abstract
Species, through their traits, influence how ecosystems simultaneously sustain multiple functions. However, it is unclear how trait diversity sustains the multiple contributions biodiversity makes to people. Freshwater fisheries nourish hundreds of millions of people globally, but overharvesting and river fragmentation are increasingly affecting catches. We analyse how loss of nutritional trait diversity in consumed fish portfolios affects the simultaneous provisioning of six essential dietary nutrients using household data from the Amazon and Tonlé Sap, two of Earth's most productive and diverse freshwater fisheries. We find that fish portfolios with high trait diversity meet higher thresholds of required daily intakes for a greater variety of nutrients with less fish biomass. This beneficial biodiversity effect is driven by low redundancy in species nutrient content profiles. Our findings imply that sustaining the dietary contributions fish make to people given declining biodiversity could require more biomass and ultimately exacerbate fishing pressure in already-stressed ecosystems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian A Heilpern
- Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Guido A Herrera-R
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Kathryn J Fiorella
- Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Luis Moya
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Iquitos, Perú
| | - Alexander S Flecker
- Deparment of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Peter B McIntyre
- Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Mauritsson K, Jonsson T. A new flexible model for maintenance and feeding expenses that improves description of individual growth in insects. Sci Rep 2023; 13:16751. [PMID: 37798309 PMCID: PMC10556006 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-43743-1] [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: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Metabolic theories in ecology interpret ecological patterns at different levels through the lens of metabolism, typically applying allometric scaling to describe energy use. This requires a sound theory for individual metabolism. Common mechanistic growth models, such as 'von Bertalanffy', 'dynamic energy budgets' and the 'ontogenetic growth model' lack some potentially important aspects, especially regarding regulation of somatic maintenance. We develop a model for ontogenetic growth of animals, applicable to ad libitum and food limited conditions, based on an energy balance that expresses growth as the net result of assimilation and metabolic costs for maintenance, feeding and food processing. The most important contribution is the division of maintenance into a 'non-negotiable' and a 'negotiable' part, potentially resulting in hyperallometric scaling of maintenance and downregulated maintenance under food restriction. The model can also account for effects of body composition and type of growth at the cellular level. Common mechanistic growth models often fail to fully capture growth of insects. However, our model was able to capture empirical growth patterns observed in house crickets.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Karl Mauritsson
- Ecological Modelling Group, School of Bioscience, University of Skövde, Skövde, Sweden.
- Ecological and Environmental Modeling, Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.
| | - Tomas Jonsson
- Ecological Modelling Group, School of Bioscience, University of Skövde, Skövde, Sweden
- Ecological and Environmental Modeling, Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Glazier DS. The Relevance of Time in Biological Scaling. BIOLOGY 2023; 12:1084. [PMID: 37626969 PMCID: PMC10452035 DOI: 10.3390/biology12081084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2023] [Revised: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023]
Abstract
Various phenotypic traits relate to the size of a living system in regular but often disproportionate (allometric) ways. These "biological scaling" relationships have been studied by biologists for over a century, but their causes remain hotly debated. Here, I focus on the patterns and possible causes of the body-mass scaling of the rates/durations of various biological processes and life-history events, i.e., the "pace of life". Many biologists have regarded the rate of metabolism or energy use as the master driver of the "pace of life" and its scaling with body size. Although this "energy perspective" has provided valuable insight, here I argue that a "time perspective" may be equally or even more important. I evaluate various major ways that time may be relevant in biological scaling, including as (1) an independent "fourth dimension" in biological dimensional analyses, (2) a universal "biological clock" that synchronizes various biological rates/durations, (3) a scaling method that uses various biological time periods (allochrony) as scaling metrics, rather than various measures of physical size (allometry), as traditionally performed, (4) an ultimate body-size-related constraint on the rates/timing of biological processes/events that is set by the inevitability of death, and (5) a geological "deep time" approach for viewing the evolution of biological scaling patterns. Although previously proposed universal four-dimensional space-time and "biological clock" views of biological scaling are problematic, novel approaches using allochronic analyses and time perspectives based on size-related rates of individual mortality and species origination/extinction may provide new valuable insights.
Collapse
|
9
|
Losada M, Sobral M, Silvius KM, Varela S, Martínez Cortizas AM, Fragoso JMV. Mammal traits and soil biogeochemistry: Functional diversity relates to composition of soil organic matter. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10392. [PMID: 37600493 PMCID: PMC10433116 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Revised: 07/02/2023] [Accepted: 07/19/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Mammal diversity affects carbon concentration in Amazonian soils. It is known that some species traits determine carbon accumulation in organisms (e.g., size and longevity), and are also related to feeding strategies, thus linking species traits to the type of organic remains that are incorporated into the soil. Trait diversity in mammal assemblages - that is, its functional diversity - may therefore constitute another mechanism linking biodiversity to soil organic matter (SOM) accumulation. To address this hypothesis, we analyzed across 83 mammal assemblages in the Amazon biome (Guyana), the elemental (by ED-XRF and CNH analysis) and molecular (FTIR-ATR) composition of SOM of topsoils (401 samples) and trait diversity (functional richness, evenness, and divergence) for each mammal assemblage. Lower mammal functional richness but higher functional divergence were related to higher content of carbonyl and aliphatic SOM, potentially affecting SOM recalcitrance. Our results might allow the design of biodiversity management plans that consider the effect of mammal traits on carbon sequestration and accumulation in soils.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- María Losada
- EcoPast (GI‐1553), Departmento de Edafoloxía e Química Agrícola, Facultade de BioloxíaUniversidade de Santiago de CompostelaSantiago de CompostelaSpain
| | - Mar Sobral
- EcoPast (GI‐1553), Departmento de Edafoloxía e Química Agrícola, Facultade de BioloxíaUniversidade de Santiago de CompostelaSantiago de CompostelaSpain
| | - Kirsten M. Silvius
- Department of Forest Resources and Environmental ConservationVirginia TechBlacksburgVirginiaUSA
| | - Sara Varela
- MAPAS Lab, Departamento de Ecoloxía e Bioloxía AnimalUniversidade de VigoVigoSpain
| | - Antonio M. Martínez Cortizas
- CRETUS – EcoPast (GI‐1553), Departmento de Edafoloxía e Química Agrícola, Facultade de BioloxíaUniversidade de Santiago de CompostelaSantiago de CompostelaSpain
| | - José M. V. Fragoso
- Departamento de ZoologiaUniversidade de BrasíliaBrasíliaBrazil
- Institute of Biodiversity Science and SustainabilityCalifornia Academy of SciencesSan FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Wild KH, Roe JH, Schwanz L, Rodgers E, Dissanayake DSB, Georges A, Sarre SD, Noble DWA. Metabolic consequences of sex reversal in two lizard species: a test of the like-genotype and like-phenotype hypotheses. J Exp Biol 2023; 226:jeb245657. [PMID: 37309620 PMCID: PMC10357012 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.245657] [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] [Received: 02/07/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Vertebrate sex is typically determined genetically, but in many ectotherms sex can be determined by genes (genetic sex determination, GSD), temperature (temperature-dependent sex determination, TSD), or interactions between genes and temperature during development. TSD may involve GSD systems with either male or female heterogamety (XX/XY or ZZ/ZW) where temperature overrides chromosomal sex determination to cause a mismatch between genetic sex and phenotypic sex (sex reversal). In these temperature-sensitive lineages, phylogenetic investigations point to recurrent evolutionary shifts between genotypic and temperature-dependent sex determination. These evolutionary transitions in sex determination can occur rapidly if selection favours the reversed sex over the concordant phenotypic sex. To investigate the consequences of sex reversal on offspring phenotypes, we measured two energy-driven traits (metabolism and growth) and 6 month survival in two species of reptile with different patterns of temperature-induced sex reversal. Male sex reversal occurs in Bassiana duperreyi when chromosomal females (female XX) develop male phenotypes (maleSR XX), while female sex reversal occurs in Pogona vitticeps when chromosomal males (male ZZ) develop female phenotypes (femaleSR ZZ). We show metabolism in maleSR XX was like that of male XY; that is, reflective of phenotypic sex and lower than genotypic sex. In contrast, for Pogona vitticeps, femaleSR ZZ metabolism was intermediate between male ZZ and female ZW metabolic rate. For both species, our data indicate that differences in metabolism become more apparent as individuals become larger. Our findings provide some evidence for an energetic advantage from sex reversal in both species but do not exclude energetic processes as a constraint on the distribution of sex reversal in nature.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kristoffer H. Wild
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, AUS
- Centre for Conservation Ecology and Genomics, Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, Canberra, ACT 2617, AUS
| | - John H. Roe
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina Pembroke, Pembroke, NC 28372-1510, USA
| | - Lisa Schwanz
- Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Essie Rodgers
- Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Ecosystems, Harry Butler Institute, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA 6150, Australia
| | - Duminda S. B. Dissanayake
- Centre for Conservation Ecology and Genomics, Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, Canberra, ACT 2617, AUS
| | - Arthur Georges
- Centre for Conservation Ecology and Genomics, Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, Canberra, ACT 2617, AUS
| | - Stephen D. Sarre
- Centre for Conservation Ecology and Genomics, Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, Canberra, ACT 2617, AUS
| | - Daniel W. A. Noble
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, AUS
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Ratnayake OC, Chotiwan N, Saavedra-Rodriguez K, Perera R. The buzz in the field: the interaction between viruses, mosquitoes, and metabolism. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2023; 13:1128577. [PMID: 37360524 PMCID: PMC10289420 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1128577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 03/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Among many medically important pathogens, arboviruses like dengue, Zika and chikungunya cause severe health and economic burdens especially in developing countries. These viruses are primarily vectored by mosquitoes. Having surmounted geographical barriers and threat of control strategies, these vectors continue to conquer many areas of the globe exposing more than half of the world's population to these viruses. Unfortunately, no medical interventions have been capable so far to produce successful vaccines or antivirals against many of these viruses. Thus, vector control remains the fundamental strategy to prevent disease transmission. The long-established understanding regarding the replication of these viruses is that they reshape both human and mosquito host cellular membranes upon infection for their replicative benefit. This leads to or is a result of significant alterations in lipid metabolism. Metabolism involves complex chemical reactions in the body that are essential for general physiological functions and survival of an organism. Finely tuned metabolic homeostases are maintained in healthy organisms. However, a simple stimulus like a viral infection can alter this homeostatic landscape driving considerable phenotypic change. Better comprehension of these mechanisms can serve as innovative control strategies against these vectors and viruses. Here, we review the metabolic basis of fundamental mosquito biology and virus-vector interactions. The cited work provides compelling evidence that targeting metabolism can be a paradigm shift and provide potent tools for vector control as well as tools to answer many unresolved questions and gaps in the field of arbovirology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Oshani C. Ratnayake
- Center for Vector-borne Infectious Diseases, Dept. of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States
| | - Nunya Chotiwan
- Center for Vector-borne Infectious Diseases, Dept. of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States
- Chakri Naruebodindra Medical Institute, Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Samut Prakan, Thailand
| | - Karla Saavedra-Rodriguez
- Center for Vector-borne Infectious Diseases, Dept. of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States
| | - Rushika Perera
- Center for Vector-borne Infectious Diseases, Dept. of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Sobral M, Schleuning M, Martínez Cortizas A. Trait diversity shapes the carbon cycle. Trends Ecol Evol 2023:S0169-5347(23)00061-7. [PMID: 37045717 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2023.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2022] [Revised: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 04/14/2023]
Abstract
Trait evolution is shaped by carbon economics at the organismal level. Here, we expand this idea to the ecosystem level and show how the trait diversity of ecological communities influences the carbon cycle. Systematic shifts in trait diversity will likely trigger changes in the carbon cycle.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mar Sobral
- CRETUS, EcoPast (GI-1553), Facultade de Bioloxía, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
| | - Matthias Schleuning
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Antonio Martínez Cortizas
- CRETUS, EcoPast (GI-1553), Facultade de Bioloxía, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Brandl SJ, Lefcheck JS, Bates AE, Rasher DB, Norin T. Can metabolic traits explain animal community assembly and functioning? Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2023; 98:1-18. [PMID: 36054431 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2021] [Revised: 07/28/2022] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
All animals on Earth compete for free energy, which is acquired, assimilated, and ultimately allocated to growth and reproduction. Competition is strongest within communities of sympatric, ecologically similar animals of roughly equal size (i.e. horizontal communities), which are often the focus of traditional community ecology. The replacement of taxonomic identities with functional traits has improved our ability to decipher the ecological dynamics that govern the assembly and functioning of animal communities. Yet, the use of low-resolution and taxonomically idiosyncratic traits in animals may have hampered progress to date. An animal's metabolic rate (MR) determines the costs of basic organismal processes and activities, thus linking major aspects of the multifaceted constructs of ecological niches (where, when, and how energy is obtained) and ecological fitness (how much energy is accumulated and passed on to future generations). We review evidence from organismal physiology to large-scale analyses across the tree of life to propose that MR gives rise to a group of meaningful functional traits - resting metabolic rate (RMR), maximum metabolic rate (MMR), and aerobic scope (AS) - that may permit an improved quantification of the energetic basis of species coexistence and, ultimately, the assembly and functioning of animal communities. Specifically, metabolic traits integrate across a variety of typical trait proxies for energy acquisition and allocation in animals (e.g. body size, diet, mobility, life history, habitat use), to yield a smaller suite of continuous quantities that: (1) can be precisely measured for individuals in a standardized fashion; and (2) apply to all animals regardless of their body plan, habitat, or taxonomic affiliation. While integrating metabolic traits into animal community ecology is neither a panacea to disentangling the nuanced effects of biological differences on animal community structure and functioning, nor without challenges, a small number of studies across different taxa suggest that MR may serve as a useful proxy for the energetic basis of competition in animals. Thus, the application of MR traits for animal communities can lead to a more general understanding of community assembly and functioning, enhance our ability to trace eco-evolutionary dynamics from genotypes to phenotypes (and vice versa), and help predict the responses of animal communities to environmental change. While trait-based ecology has improved our knowledge of animal communities to date, a more explicit energetic lens via the integration of metabolic traits may further strengthen the existing framework.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Simon J Brandl
- Department of Marine Science, The University of Texas at Austin, Marine Science Institute, Port Aransas, TX, 78373, USA
| | - Jonathan S Lefcheck
- Tennenbaum Marine Observatories Network and MarineGEO Program, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Edgewater, MD, 21037, USA
| | - Amanda E Bates
- Biology Department, University of Victoria, 3800 Finnerty Road, Victoria, BC, V8P 5C2, Canada
| | - Douglas B Rasher
- Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, East Boothbay, ME, 04544, USA
| | - Tommy Norin
- DTU Aqua: National Institute of Aquatic Resources, Technical University of Denmark, 2800, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Gibb H, Bishop TR, Leahy L, Parr CL, Lessard J, Sanders NJ, Shik JZ, Ibarra‐Isassi J, Narendra A, Dunn RR, Wright IJ. Ecological strategies of (pl)ants: Towards a world-wide worker economic spectrum for ants. Funct Ecol 2023; 37:13-25. [PMID: 37056633 PMCID: PMC10084388 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.14135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Current global challenges call for a rigorously predictive ecology. Our understanding of ecological strategies, imputed through suites of measurable functional traits, comes from decades of work that largely focussed on plants. However, a key question is whether plant ecological strategies resemble those of other organisms.Among animals, ants have long been recognised to possess similarities with plants: as (largely) central place foragers. For example, individual ant workers play similar foraging roles to plant leaves and roots and are similarly expendable. Frameworks that aim to understand plant ecological strategies through key functional traits, such as the 'leaf economics spectrum', offer the potential for significant parallels with ant ecological strategies.Here, we explore these parallels across several proposed ecological strategy dimensions, including an 'economic spectrum', propagule size-number trade-offs, apparency-defence trade-offs, resource acquisition trade-offs and stress-tolerance trade-offs. We also highlight where ecological strategies may differ between plants and ants. Furthermore, we consider how these strategies play out among the different modules of eusocial organisms, where selective forces act on the worker and reproductive castes, as well as the colony.Finally, we suggest future directions for ecological strategy research, including highlighting the availability of data and traits that may be more difficult to measure, but should receive more attention in future to better understand the ecological strategies of ants. The unique biology of eusocial organisms provides an unrivalled opportunity to bridge the gap in our understanding of ecological strategies in plants and animals and we hope that this perspective will ignite further interest. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Heloise Gibb
- Department of Environment and Genetics and Centre for Future LandscapesLa Trobe UniversityBundooraVic.Australia
| | - Tom R. Bishop
- School of BiosciencesCardiff UniversityCardiffUK
- Department of Zoology and EntomologyUniversity of PretoriaPretoriaSouth Africa
| | - Lily Leahy
- Department of Environment and Genetics and Centre for Future LandscapesLa Trobe UniversityBundooraVic.Australia
| | - Catherine L. Parr
- Department of Zoology and EntomologyUniversity of PretoriaPretoriaSouth Africa
- Department of Earth, Ocean and Ecological SciencesUniversity of LiverpoolLiverpoolUK
| | | | - Nathan J. Sanders
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of MichiganAnn ArborMIUSA
| | - Jonathan Z. Shik
- Section for Ecology and Evolution, Department of BiologyUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
| | | | - Ajay Narendra
- Department of Biological SciencesMacquarie UniversityNSWAustralia
| | - Robert R. Dunn
- Department of Applied EcologyNorth Carolina State UniversityRaleighNCUSA
| | - Ian J. Wright
- Department of Biological SciencesMacquarie UniversityNSWAustralia
- Hawkesbury Institute for the EnvironmentWestern Sydney UniversityPenrithNSWAustralia
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Size and Cycle in Dusky Salamanders. J HERPETOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1670/22-022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
|
16
|
Glazier DS. Variable metabolic scaling breaks the law: from 'Newtonian' to 'Darwinian' approaches. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20221605. [PMID: 36259209 PMCID: PMC9579773 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.1605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Life's size and tempo are intimately linked. The rate of metabolism varies with body mass in remarkably regular ways that can often be described by a simple power function, where the scaling exponent (b, slope in a log-linear plot) is typically less than 1. Traditional theory based on physical constraints has assumed that b is 2/3 or 3/4, following natural law, but hundreds of studies have documented extensive, systematic variation in b. This overwhelming, law-breaking, empirical evidence is causing a paradigm shift in metabolic scaling theory and methodology from ‘Newtonian’ to ‘Darwinian’ approaches. A new wave of studies focuses on the adaptable regulation and evolution of metabolic scaling, as influenced by diverse intrinsic and extrinsic factors, according to multiple context-dependent mechanisms, and within boundary limits set by physical constraints.
Collapse
|
17
|
Concerted evolution of metabolic rate, economics of mating, ecology, and pace of life across seed beetles. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2205564119. [PMID: 35943983 PMCID: PMC9388118 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2205564119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Coevolution between females and males has led to remarkable differences between the sexes but has taken very different routes, even in closely related animal species, for reasons that are not well understood. We studied the physiological processes that convert resources into offspring (metabolism) in males and females of several related beetle species. We found that ecological factors dictate metabolic rate, which, in turn, have predictable direct and indirect effects on male–female coevolution. Our findings suggest that a complete understanding of differences between the sexes requires an understanding of how ecology affects metabolic processes and how these differ in the sexes. Male–female coevolution has taken different paths among closely related species, but our understanding of the factors that govern its direction is limited. While it is clear that ecological factors, life history, and the economics of reproduction are connected, the divergent links are often obscure. We propose that a complete understanding requires the conceptual integration of metabolic phenotypes. Metabolic rate, a nexus of life history evolution, is constrained by ecological factors and may exert important direct and indirect effects on the evolution of sexual dimorphism. We performed standardized experiments in 12 seed beetle species to gain a rich set of sex-specific measures of metabolic phenotypes, life history traits, and the economics of mating and analyzed our multivariate data using phylogenetic comparative methods. Resting metabolic rate (RMR) showed extensive evolution and evolved more rapidly in males than in females. The evolution of RMR was tightly coupled with a suite of life history traits, describing a pace-of-life syndrome (POLS), with indirect effects on the economics of mating. As predicted, high resource competition was associated with a low RMR and a slow POLS. The cost of mating showed sexually antagonistic coevolution, a hallmark of sexual conflict. The sex-specific costs and benefits of mating were predictably related to ecology, primarily through the evolution of male ejaculate size. Overall, our results support the tenet that resource competition affects metabolic processes that, in turn, have predictable effects on both life history evolution and reproduction, such that ecology shows both direct and indirect effects on male–female coevolution.
Collapse
|
18
|
Harrison JF, Biewener A, Bernhardt JR, Burger JR, Brown JH, Coto ZN, Duell ME, Lynch M, Moffett ER, Norin T, Pettersen AK, Smith FA, Somjee U, Traniello JFA, Williams TM. White Paper: An Integrated Perspective on the Causes of Hypometric Metabolic Scaling in Animals. Integr Comp Biol 2022; 62:icac136. [PMID: 35933126 PMCID: PMC9724154 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icac136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2022] [Revised: 04/16/2022] [Accepted: 05/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Larger animals studied during ontogeny, across populations, or across species, usually have lower mass-specific metabolic rates than smaller animals (hypometric scaling). This pattern is usually observed regardless of physiological state (e.g. basal, resting, field, maximally-active). The scaling of metabolism is usually highly correlated with the scaling of many life history traits, behaviors, physiological variables, and cellular/molecular properties, making determination of the causation of this pattern challenging. For across-species comparisons of resting and locomoting animals (but less so for across populations or during ontogeny), the mechanisms at the physiological and cellular level are becoming clear. Lower mass-specific metabolic rates of larger species at rest are due to a) lower contents of expensive tissues (brains, liver, kidneys), and b) slower ion leak across membranes at least partially due to membrane composition, with lower ion pump ATPase activities. Lower mass-specific costs of larger species during locomotion are due to lower costs for lower-frequency muscle activity, with slower myosin and Ca++ ATPase activities, and likely more elastic energy storage. The evolutionary explanation(s) for hypometric scaling remain(s) highly controversial. One subset of evolutionary hypotheses relies on constraints on larger animals due to changes in geometry with size; for example, lower surface-to-volume ratios of exchange surfaces may constrain nutrient or heat exchange, or lower cross-sectional areas of muscles and tendons relative to body mass ratios would make larger animals more fragile without compensation. Another subset of hypotheses suggests that hypometric scaling arises from biotic interactions and correlated selection, with larger animals experiencing less selection for mass-specific growth or neurolocomotor performance. A additional third type of explanation comes from population genetics. Larger animals with their lower effective population sizes and subsequent less effective selection relative to drift may have more deleterious mutations, reducing maximal performance and metabolic rates. Resolving the evolutionary explanation for the hypometric scaling of metabolism and associated variables is a major challenge for organismal and evolutionary biology. To aid progress, we identify some variation in terminology use that has impeded cross-field conversations on scaling. We also suggest that promising directions for the field to move forward include: 1) studies examining the linkages between ontogenetic, population-level, and cross-species allometries, 2) studies linking scaling to ecological or phylogenetic context, 3) studies that consider multiple, possibly interacting hypotheses, and 4) obtaining better field data for metabolic rates and the life history correlates of metabolic rate such as lifespan, growth rate and reproduction.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jon F Harrison
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-4501, USA
| | - Andrew Biewener
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Joanna R Bernhardt
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
- Yale Institute for Biospheric Studies, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Joseph R Burger
- Department of Biology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506, USA
| | - James H Brown
- Center for Evolutionary and Theoretical Immunology, The University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
| | - Zach N Coto
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Meghan E Duell
- Department of Biology, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada
| | - Michael Lynch
- Biodesign Center for Mechanisms of Evolution, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
| | - Emma R Moffett
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Tommy Norin
- DTU Aqua | National Institute of Aquatic Resources, Technical University of Denmark, Anker Engelunds Vej 1 Bygning 101A, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Amanda K Pettersen
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Felisa A Smith
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
| | - Ummat Somjee
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama City, Panama
| | | | - Terrie M Williams
- Division of Physical and Biological Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Brown JH, Burger JR, Hou C, Hall CAS. The Pace of Life: Metabolic Energy, Biological Time, and Life History. Integr Comp Biol 2022; 62:icac058. [PMID: 35903994 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icac058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
New biophysical theory and electronic databases raise the prospect of deriving fundamental rules of life, a conceptual framework for how the structures and functions of molecules, cells and individual organisms give rise to emergent patterns and processes of ecology, evolution and biodiversity. This framework is very general, applying across taxa of animals from 10-10 g protists to 108 g whales, and across environments from deserts and abyssal depths to rain forests and coral reefs. It has several hallmarks: 1) Energy is the ultimate limiting resource for organisms and the currency of biological fitness. 2) Most organisms are nearly equally fit, because in each generation at steady state they transfer an equal quantity of energy (22.4 kJ/g) and biomass (1 g/g) to surviving offspring. This is the equal fitness paradigm (EFP) of Brown et al. (2018). 3) The enormous diversity of life histories is due largely to variation in metabolic rates (e.g., energy uptake and expenditure via assimilation, respiration and production) and biological times (e.g., generation time). As in standard allometric and metabolic theory, most physiological and life history traits scale approximately as quarter-power functions of body mass, m (rates as ∼m-1/4 and times as ∼m1/4), and as exponential functions of temperature. 4) Time is the fourth dimension of life. Generation time is the pace of life. 5) There is, however, considerable variation not accounted for by the above scalings and existing theories. Much of this "unexplained" variation is due to natural selection on life history traits to adapt the biological times of generations to the clock times of geochronological environmental cycles. 7) Most work on biological scaling and metabolic ecology has focused on respiration rate. The emerging synthesis applies conceptual foundations of energetics and the EFP to shift the focus to production rate and generation time.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- James H Brown
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131USA
| | - Joseph R Burger
- Department of Biology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506USA
| | - Chen Hou
- Department of Biological Science, Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla, MO 65409USA
| | - Charles A S Hall
- Department of Environmental and Forest Biology and Program in Environmental Science, State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse NY, 13210, USA
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Castorena M, Olson ME, Enquist BJ, Fajardo A. Toward a general theory of plant carbon economics. Trends Ecol Evol 2022; 37:829-837. [PMID: 35717415 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2022.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2021] [Revised: 05/12/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Plant life-history variation reflects different outcomes of natural selection given the strictures of resource allocation trade-offs. However, there is limited theory of selection predicting how leaves, stems, roots, and reproductive organs should evolve in concert across environments. Here, we synthesize two optimality theories to offer a general theory of plant carbon economics, named as Gmax theory, that shows how life-history variation is limited to phenotypes that have an approximately similar lifetime net carbon gain per body mass. In consequence, fast-slow economics spectra are the result of trait combinations obtaining similar lifetime net carbon gains from leaves and similar net carbon investment costs in stems, roots, and reproductive organs. Gmax theory also helps explain ecosystem and crop productivity and even helps guide carbon conservation strategies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Matiss Castorena
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA.
| | - Mark E Olson
- Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México 04510, México
| | - Brian J Enquist
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA; Santa Fe Institute, 1399 Hyde Park Road, Santa Fe, NM 87501, USA
| | - Alex Fajardo
- Instituto de Investigación Interdisciplinario (I3), Universidad de Talca, Campus Lircay, Talca 3460000, Chile.
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Zachar I, Boza G. The Evolution of Microbial Facilitation: Sociogenesis, Symbiogenesis, and Transition in Individuality. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.798045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Metabolic cooperation is widespread, and it seems to be a ubiquitous and easily evolvable interaction in the microbial domain. Mutual metabolic cooperation, like syntrophy, is thought to have a crucial role in stabilizing interactions and communities, for example biofilms. Furthermore, cooperation is expected to feed back positively to the community under higher-level selection. In certain cases, cooperation can lead to a transition in individuality, when freely reproducing, unrelated entities (genes, microbes, etc.) irreversibly integrate to form a new evolutionary unit. The textbook example is endosymbiosis, prevalent among eukaryotes but virtually lacking among prokaryotes. Concerning the ubiquity of syntrophic microbial communities, it is intriguing why evolution has not lead to more transitions in individuality in the microbial domain. We set out to distinguish syntrophy-specific aspects of major transitions, to investigate why a transition in individuality within a syntrophic pair or community is so rare. We review the field of metabolic communities to identify potential evolutionary trajectories that may lead to a transition. Community properties, like joint metabolic capacity, functional profile, guild composition, assembly and interaction patterns are important concepts that may not only persist stably but according to thought-provoking theories, may provide the heritable information at a higher level of selection. We explore these ideas, relating to concepts of multilevel selection and of informational replication, to assess their relevance in the debate whether microbial communities may inherit community-level information or not.
Collapse
|
22
|
Potter T, Felmy A. An ecological explanation for hyperallometric scaling of reproduction. Funct Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.14045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tomos Potter
- Department of Zoology University of Oxford Oxford OX1 3PS
| | - Anja Felmy
- Department of Zoology University of Oxford Oxford OX1 3PS
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Baškiera S, Gvoždík L. Individual Variation in Thermal Reaction Norms Reveals Metabolic-Behavioral Relationships in an Ectotherm. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.850941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Ectothermic organisms respond to rapid environmental change through a combination of behavioral and physiological adjustments. As behavioral and physiological traits are often functionally linked, an effective ectotherm response to environmental perturbation will depend on the direction and magnitude of their association. The role of various modifiers in behavioral-physiological relationships remains largely unexplored. We applied a repeated-measures approach to examine the influence of body temperature and individual variation on the link between resting metabolic rate (RMR) and exploratory locomotor activity (ELA) in juvenile Alpine newts, Ichthyosaura alpestris. We analyzed trait relationships at two body temperatures separately and as parameters, intercepts and slopes, of thermal reaction norms for both traits. Body temperature affected the level of detectable among-individual variation in two different directions. Among-individual variation in ELA was detected at 12°C, while RMR was repeatable at 22°C. We found no support for a link between RMR and ELA at either temperature. While analysis of intercepts revealed among-individual variation in both traits, among-individual variation in slopes was detected in RMR only. Intercepts were positively associated at the individual, but not the whole-phenotypic, level. For ELA, the target of selection should be individual trait values across temperatures, rather than their thermal sensitivities. The positive association between intercepts of thermal reaction norms for ELA and RMR suggests that phenotypic selection acts on both traits in a correlated fashion. Measurements at one body temperature and within-individual variation hide the metabolic-behavioral relations. We conclude that correlative studies on flexible behavioral and physiological traits in ectotherms require repeated measurement at two or more body temperatures in order to avoid misleading results. This approach is needed to fully understand ectotherm responses to environmental change and its impact on their population dynamics.
Collapse
|
24
|
Lancaster LT. On the macroecological significance of eco-evolutionary dynamics: the range shift-niche breadth hypothesis. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210013. [PMID: 35067095 PMCID: PMC8784922 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Global correlations of range size and niche breadth, and their relationship to latitude, have long intrigued ecologists and biogeographers. Study of these patterns has given rise to a number of hypothesized ecological and evolutionary processes purported to shape biogeographic outcomes, including the climate variability hypothesis, oscillation hypothesis, ecological opportunity, competitive release and taxon cycles. Here, I introduce the alternative range shift-niche breadth hypothesis, which posits that broader niches and larger range sizes are jointly determined under eco-evolutionary processes unique to expanding ranges, which may or may not be adaptive, but which co-shape observed latitudinal gradients in niche breadth and range size during periods of widespread range expansion. I formulate this hypothesis in comparison against previous hypotheses, exploring how each relies on equilibrium versus non-equilibrium evolutionary processes, faces differing issues of definition and scale, and results in alternative predictions for comparative risk and resilience of global ecosystems. Such differences highlight that accurate understanding of process is critical when applying macroecological insight to biodiversity forecasting. Furthermore, past conceptual emphasis on a central role of local adaptation under equilibrium conditions may have obscured a ubiquitous role of non-equilibrium evolutionary processes for generating many important, regional and global macroecological patterns. This article is part of the theme issue 'Species' ranges in the face of changing environments (part I)'.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lesley T Lancaster
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 2TZ, UK
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Glazier DS. Complications with body-size correction in comparative biology: possible solutions and an appeal for new approaches. J Exp Biol 2022; 225:274353. [PMID: 35258614 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.243313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The magnitude of many kinds of biological traits relates strongly to body size. Therefore, a first step in comparative studies frequently involves correcting for effects of body size on the variation of a phenotypic trait, so that the effects of other biological and ecological factors can be clearly distinguished. However, commonly used traditional methods for making these body-size adjustments ignore or do not completely separate the causal interactive effects of body size and other factors on trait variation. Various intrinsic and extrinsic factors may affect not only the variation of a trait, but also its covariation with body size, thus making it difficult to remove completely the effect of body size in comparative studies. These complications are illustrated by several examples of how body size interacts with diverse developmental, physiological, behavioral and ecological factors to affect variation in metabolic rate both within and across species. Such causal interactions are revealed by significant effects of these factors on the body-mass scaling slope of metabolic rate. I discuss five possible major kinds of methods for removing body-size effects that attempt to overcome these complications, at least in part, but I hope that my Review will encourage the development of other, hopefully better methods for doing so.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Douglas S Glazier
- Department of Biology, Juniata College, 1700 Moore Street, Huntingdon, PA 16652, USA
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Enriquez-Urzelai U, Boratyński Z. Energetic dissociation of individual and species ranges. Biol Lett 2022; 18:20210374. [PMID: 35168378 PMCID: PMC8847892 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2021.0374] [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] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The use of energy is universal to all life forms and all levels of biological organization, potentially linking processes operating at variable scales. Individual and species ranges might be energetically constrained, yet divergent metabolic limitations at both scales can disassociate these individual and species traits. We analysed comparative energetic and range data to unravel the mechanistic basis of the dissociation between individual and species range sizes observed among mammalian species. Our results demonstrate that basal, or maintenance, metabolism negatively correlates with individual ranges, but, at the same time, it positively correlates with species ranges. High aerobic capacity, i.e. maximum metabolic rate, positively correlates with individual ranges, but it is weakly related to species range size. These antagonistic energetic constraints on both ranges could lead to a disassociation between individual and species traits and to a low covariation between home and species range sizes. We show that important organismal functions, such as basal and maximum metabolic rates, have the potential to unravel mechanisms operating at different levels of biological organization and to expose links between energy-dependent processes at different scales.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Urtzi Enriquez-Urzelai
- Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Květná 8, 60365 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Zbyszek Boratyński
- BIOPOLIS, CIBIO/InBio, Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, University of Porto, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Semple S, Ferrer-I-Cancho R, Gustison ML. Linguistic laws in biology. Trends Ecol Evol 2022; 37:53-66. [PMID: 34598817 PMCID: PMC8678306 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2021.08.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2021] [Revised: 08/24/2021] [Accepted: 08/25/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Linguistic laws, the common statistical patterns of human language, have been investigated by quantitative linguists for nearly a century. Recently, biologists from a range of disciplines have started to explore the prevalence of these laws beyond language, finding patterns consistent with linguistic laws across multiple levels of biological organisation, from molecular (genomes, genes, and proteins) to organismal (animal behaviour) to ecological (populations and ecosystems). We propose a new conceptual framework for the study of linguistic laws in biology, comprising and integrating distinct levels of analysis, from description to prediction to theory building. Adopting this framework will provide critical new insights into the fundamental rules of organisation underpinning natural systems, unifying linguistic laws and core theory in biology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stuart Semple
- School of Life and Health Sciences, University of Roehampton, London, UK.
| | - Ramon Ferrer-I-Cancho
- Complexity and Quantitative Linguistics Laboratory, Laboratory for Relational Algorithmics, Complexity, and Learning Research Group, Departament de Ciències de la Computació, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, 08034 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Morgan L Gustison
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Poust AW, Bogar L, Robinson WD, Poole G. A Framework for Investigating Rules of Life Across Disciplines. Integr Comp Biol 2021; 61:2208-2217. [PMID: 34351423 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icab175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Clearly and usefully defining the Rules of Life has long been an attractive yet elusive prospect for biologists. Life persists because requirements for existence and successful transmission of hereditary information are met. These requirements are met through mechanisms adopted by organisms, which produce solutions to environmentally imposed constraints on life. Yet, constraints and their suites of potential solutions are typically context-specific, operating at specific levels of organization, or holons, and having cascading effects across multiple levels, or the holarchy. We explore the idea that the interaction of constraints, mechanisms, and requirements within and across levels of organization may produce rules of life that can be productively defined. Although we stop short of listing specific rules, we provide a conceptual framework within which progress toward identifying rules might be made.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Laura Bogar
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106
| | - W Douglas Robinson
- Oak Creek Lab of Biology, Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA
| | - Geoffrey Poole
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717-3120
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Reply to Perez et al.: Experimental duration unlikely to bias global variation in plant thermal tolerances. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2102037118. [PMID: 34282015 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2102037118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
|