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Tran SM, Howell KJ, Walsh MR. Increased eye size is favoured in Trinidadian killifish experimentally transplanted into low light, high competition environments. J Evol Biol 2024; 37:960-966. [PMID: 38766701 DOI: 10.1093/jeb/voae063] [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: 11/15/2023] [Revised: 03/25/2024] [Accepted: 05/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
Intraspecific variation in vertebrate eye size is well known. Ecological factors such as light availability are often correlated with shifts in relative eye size. However, experimental tests of selection on eye size are lacking. Trinidadian killifish (Anablepsoides hartii) are found in sites that differ in predation intensity. Sites that lack predators are characterized by lower light, high killifish densities, low resource availability, and intense competition for food. We previously found that killifish in sites that lack predators have evolved a larger "relative" eye size (eye size corrected for body size) than fish from sites with predators. Here, we used transplant experiments to test how selection operates on eye size when fish that are adapted to sites with predators are translocated into sites where predators are absent. We observed a significant "population × relative eye size" interaction; the relationship between relative eye size and a proxy for fitness (rates of individual growth) was positive in the transplanted fish. The trend was the opposite for resident fish. Such results provide experimental support that larger eyes enhance fitness and are favoured in environments characterized by low light and high competition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie M Tran
- Department of Biology, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, United States
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14854, United States
| | - Kaitlyn J Howell
- Department of Biology, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, United States
| | - Matthew R Walsh
- Department of Biology, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, United States
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Walsh MR, Roden C. Fish (eggs) out of water: evolutionary divergence in terrestrial embryonic plasticity in Trinidadian killifish. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20240083. [PMID: 38917866 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2024.0083] [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: 01/12/2024] [Accepted: 04/29/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Externally laid eggs are often responsive to environmental cues; however, it is unclear how such plasticity evolves. In Trinidad, the killifish (Anablepsoides hartii) is found in communities with and without predators. Here, killifish inhabit shallower, ephemeral habitats in sites with predators. Such shifts may increase the exposure of eggs to air and lead to possible desiccation. We compared egg-hatching plasticity between communities by rearing eggs terrestrially on peat moss or in water. The timing of hatching did not differ between communities when eggs were reared in water. Eggs from sites with predators responded to terrestrial incubation by hatching significantly earlier compared with water-reared eggs. These responses were weaker in sites with no predators. Such divergent trends show that the presence of predators is associated with evolutionary shifts in hatching plasticity. Our results provide evidence for local adaptation in embryonic plasticity at the population scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew R Walsh
- Department of Biology, University of Texas at Arlington , Arlington, TX 76019, USA
| | - Christopher Roden
- Department of Biology, University of Texas at Arlington , Arlington, TX 76019, USA
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Howell KJ, Walsh MR. Transplant experiments demonstrate that larger brains are favoured in high-competition environments in Trinidadian killifish. Ecol Lett 2023; 26:53-62. [PMID: 36262097 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2022] [Revised: 09/19/2022] [Accepted: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The extent to which the evolution of a larger brain is adaptive remains controversial. Trinidadian killifish (Anablepsoides hartii) are found in sites that differ in predation intensity; fish that experience decreased predation and increased intraspecific competition exhibit larger brains. We evaluated the connection between brain size and fitness (survival and growth) when killifish are found in their native habitats and when fish are transplanted from sites with predators to high-competition sites that lack predators. Selection for a larger brain was absent within locally adapted populations. Conversely, there was a strong positive relationship between brain size and growth in transplanted but not resident fish in high-competition environments. We also observed significantly larger brain sizes in the transplanted fish that were recaptured at the end of the experiment versus those that were not. Our results provide experimental support that larger brains increase fitness and are favoured in high-competition environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaitlyn J Howell
- Department of Biology, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, Texas, USA
| | - Matthew R Walsh
- Department of Biology, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, Texas, USA
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Moody EK, Sterup KL, Lozano-Vilano MDL. Morphological Evidence of Maladaptation to Introduced Predators in Gambusia senilis from its Extant Range in the Conchos Basin (Chihuahua, Mexico). WEST N AM NATURALIST 2021. [DOI: 10.3398/064.081.0306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Eric K. Moody
- Department of Biology, Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT 05753
| | | | - María de Lourdes Lozano-Vilano
- Private Consultant and Retired Professor of La Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, San Nicolas de los Garza, N.L., Mexico
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Walsh MR, Gillis MK. Transgenerational plasticity in the eye size of Daphnia. Biol Lett 2021; 17:20210143. [PMID: 34129799 PMCID: PMC8205523 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2021.0143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2021] [Accepted: 05/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
It is well established that environmental signals can induce phenotypic responses that persist for multiple generations. The induction of such 'transgenerational plasticity' (TGP) depends upon the ability of organisms to accurately receive and process information from environmental signals. Thus, sensory systems are likely intertwined with TGP. Here we tested the link between an environmental stressor and transgenerational responses in a component of the sensory system (eye size) that is linked to enhanced vision and ecologically relevant behaviours. We reared 45 clones of Daphnia pulicaria in the presence and absence of a low-quality resource (cyanobacteria) and evaluated shifts in relative eye size in offspring. Our results revealed divergent shifts in relative eye size within- and across-generations. Parental Daphnia that were fed cyanobacteria produced a smaller eye than Daphnia fed high-quality algae. Such differences were then reversed in the offspring generation; Daphnia whose mothers were fed cyanobacteria produced larger eyes than Daphnia that were continually fed green algae. We discuss the extent to which this maternal effect on eye size is an adaptive response linked to improved foraging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew R. Walsh
- Department of Biology, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA
| | - Michael K. Gillis
- Department of Biology, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA
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Howell KJ, Beston SM, Stearns S, Walsh MR. Coordinated evolution of brain size, structure, and eye size in Trinidadian killifish. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:365-375. [PMID: 33437435 PMCID: PMC7790632 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2020] [Revised: 10/29/2020] [Accepted: 11/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Brain size, brain architecture, and eye size vary extensively in vertebrates. However, the extent to which the evolution of these components is intricately connected remains unclear. Trinidadian killifish, Anablepsoides hartii, are found in sites that differ in the presence and absence of large predatory fish. Decreased rates of predation are associated with evolutionary shifts in brain size; males from sites without predators have evolved a relatively larger brain and eye size than males from sites with predators. Here, we evaluated the extent to which the evolution of brain size, brain structure, and eye size covary in male killifish. We utilized wild-caught and common garden-reared specimens to determine whether specific components of the brain have evolved in response to differences in predation and to determine if there is covariation between the evolution of brain size, brain structure, and eye size. We observed consistent shifts in brain architecture in second generation common garden reared, but not wild caught preserved fish. Male killifish from sites that lack predators exhibited a significantly larger telencephalon, optic tectum, cerebellum, and dorsal medulla when compared with fish from sites with predators. We also found positive connections between the evolution of brain structure and eye size but not between overall brain size and eye size. These results provide evidence for evolutionary covariation between the components of the brain and eye size. Such results suggest that selection, directly or indirectly, acts upon specific regions of the brain, rather than overall brain size, to enhance visual capabilities.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Sara Stearns
- Department of BiologyUniversity of Texas at ArlingtonArlingtonTXUSA
| | - Matthew R. Walsh
- Department of BiologyUniversity of Texas at ArlingtonArlingtonTXUSA
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Chang CH, Fuller RC. The Eye Size of the Bluefin Killifish (Lucania goodei) Varies from Springs to Swamps. COPEIA 2020. [DOI: 10.1643/ci-19-330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Chia-Hao Chang
- TIGP, Biodiversity Program, Tunghai University, No. 181, Sec. 4, Taiwan Blvd., Taichung City 407224, Taiwan; . Send reprint requests to this address
| | - Rebecca C. Fuller
- Department of Animal Biology, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois, 104 Shelford Vivarium, 606 E. Healey St., Champaign, Illinois 61820;
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Vinterstare J, Hulthén K, Nilsson DE, Nilsson PA, Brönmark C. More than meets the eye: Predator-induced pupil size plasticity in a teleost fish. J Anim Ecol 2020; 89:2258-2267. [PMID: 33460050 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2020] [Accepted: 06/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Most animals are visually oriented, and their eyes provide their 'window to the world'. Eye size correlates positively with visual performance, because larger eyes can house larger pupils that increase photon catch and contrast discrimination, particularly under dim light, which have positive effects on behaviours that enhance fitness, including predator avoidance and foraging. Recent studies have linked predation risk to selection for larger eyes and pupils, and such changes should be of importance for the majority of teleost fishes as they have a pupil that is fixed in size (eyes lack a pupillary sphincter muscle) and, hence, do not respond to changes in light conditions. Here, we quantify eye and pupil size of individual crucian carp, a common freshwater fish, following controlled manipulations of perceived predation risk (presence/absence). We also tested if crucian carp responded to increased predation risk by shifts in diel activity patterns. We found that crucian carp show phenotypic plasticity with regards to pupil size, but not eye size, as pupil size increased when exposed to predators (pike). Predator-exposed crucian carp also shifted from diurnal to nocturnal activity. Using a modelling exercise, we moreover show that the plastically enlarged pupils significantly increase visual range, especially for small objects under dim light conditions. Overall, our results provide compelling evidence for predator-induced pupil enlargement resulting in enhanced visual capabilities in a teleost fish. Pupil size plasticity in combination with the observed shift towards nocturnal activity may allow for efficient foraging also under dark conditions when predation risk from diurnal and visually oriented predators is reduced. The data highlight the powerful role of predation risk for eye development and evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jerker Vinterstare
- Department of Biology, Aquatic Ecology Unit, Ecology Building, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Kaj Hulthén
- Department of Biology, Aquatic Ecology Unit, Ecology Building, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Dan E Nilsson
- Department of Biology, Lund Vision Group, Biology Building, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Per Anders Nilsson
- Department of Biology, Aquatic Ecology Unit, Ecology Building, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.,Department of Environmental and Life Sciences, Karlstad University, Karlstad, Sweden
| | - Christer Brönmark
- Department of Biology, Aquatic Ecology Unit, Ecology Building, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
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Luehrmann M, Cortesi F, Cheney KL, Busserolles F, Marshall NJ. Microhabitat partitioning correlates with opsin gene expression in coral reef cardinalfishes (Apogonidae). Funct Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Martin Luehrmann
- Sensory Neurobiology Group Queensland Brain Institute The University of Queensland Brisbane Qld Australia
| | - Fabio Cortesi
- Sensory Neurobiology Group Queensland Brain Institute The University of Queensland Brisbane Qld Australia
| | - Karen L. Cheney
- Sensory Neurobiology Group Queensland Brain Institute The University of Queensland Brisbane Qld Australia
- School of Biological Sciences The University of Queensland Brisbane Qld Australia
| | - Fanny Busserolles
- Sensory Neurobiology Group Queensland Brain Institute The University of Queensland Brisbane Qld Australia
| | - N. Justin Marshall
- Sensory Neurobiology Group Queensland Brain Institute The University of Queensland Brisbane Qld Australia
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11
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Predation risk induces age- and sex-specific morphological plastic responses in the fathead minnow Pimephales promelas. Sci Rep 2019; 9:15378. [PMID: 31653876 PMCID: PMC6814781 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-51591-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2019] [Accepted: 10/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Although comprehending the significance of phenotypic plasticity for evolution is of major interest in biology, the pre-requirement for that, the understanding of variance in plasticity, is still in its infancy. Most researchers assess plastic traits at single developmental stages and pool results between sexes. Here, we study variation among sexes and developmental stages in inducible morphological defences, a well-known instance of plasticity. We raised fathead minnows, Pimephales promelas, under different levels of background predation risk (conspecific alarm cues or distilled water) in a split-clutch design and studied morphology in both juveniles and adults. In accordance with the theory that plasticity varies across ontogeny and sexes, geometric morphometry analyses revealed significant shape differences between treatments that varied across developmental stages and sexes. Alarm cue-exposed juveniles and adult males developed deeper heads, deeper bodies, longer dorsal fin bases, shorter caudal peduncles and shorter caudal fins. Adult alarm cue-exposed males additionally developed a larger relative eye size. These responses represent putative adaptive plasticity as they are linked to reduced predation risk. Perhaps most surprisingly, we found no evidence for inducible morphological defences in females. Understanding whether similar variation occurs in other taxa and their environments is crucial for modelling evolution.
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12
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Beston SM, Walsh MR. Natural selection favours a larger eye in response to increased competition in natural populations of a vertebrate. Funct Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Shannon M. Beston
- Department of Biology University of Texas at Arlington Arlington Texas
| | - Matthew R. Walsh
- Department of Biology University of Texas at Arlington Arlington Texas
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13
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Beston SM, Dudycha JL, Post DM, Walsh MR. The evolution of eye size in response to increased fish predation in Daphnia. Evolution 2019; 73:792-802. [PMID: 30843603 DOI: 10.1111/evo.13717] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2018] [Revised: 02/05/2019] [Accepted: 02/13/2019] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Variation in eye size is ubiquitous across taxa. Increased eye size is correlated with improved vision and increased fitness via shifts in behavior. Tests of the drivers of eye size evolution have focused on macroevolutionary studies evaluating the importance of light availability. Predator-induced mortality has recently been identified as a potential driver of eye size variation. Here, we tested the influence of increased predation by the fish predator, the alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) on eye size evolution in waterfleas (Daphnia ambigua) from lakes in Connecticut. We quantified the relative eye size of Daphnia from lakes with and without alewife using wild-caught and third-generation laboratory reared specimens. This includes comparisons between lakes where alewife are present seasonally (anadromous) or permanently (landlocked). Wild-caught specimens did not differ in eye size across all lakes. However, third-generation lab reared Daphnia from lakes with alewife, irrespective of the form of alewife predation, exhibited significantly larger eyes than Daphnia from lakes without alewife. This genetically based increase in eye size may enhance the ability of Daphnia to detect predators. Alternatively, such shifts in eye size may be an indirect response to Daphnia aggregating at the bottom of lakes. To test these mechanisms, we collected Daphnia as a function of depth and found that eye size differed in Daphnia found at the surface versus the bottom of the water column between anadromous alewife and no alewife lakes. However, we found no evidence of Daphnia aggregating at the bottom of lakes. Such results indicate that the evolution of a larger eye may be explained by a connection between eyes and enhanced survival. We discuss the cause of the lack of concordance in eye size variation between our phenotypic and genetic specimens and the ultimate drivers of eye size.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shannon M Beston
- Department of Biology, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, Texas, 76019
| | - Jeffry L Dudycha
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, 29208
| | - David M Post
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, 06520
| | - Matthew R Walsh
- Department of Biology, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, Texas, 76019
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Svanbäck R, Johansson F. Predation selects for smaller eye size in a vertebrate: effects of environmental conditions and sex. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 286:20182625. [PMID: 30963847 PMCID: PMC6408888 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.2625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2018] [Accepted: 02/05/2019] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Increased eye size in animals results in a larger retinal image and thus improves visual acuity. Thus, larger eyes should aid both in finding food as well as detecting predators. On the other hand, eyes are usually very conspicuous and several studies have suggested that eye size is associated with predation risk. However, experimental evidence is scant. In this study, we address how predation affects variation in eye size by performing two experiments using Eurasian perch juveniles as prey and either larger perch or pike as predators. First, we used large outdoor tanks to compare selection due to predators on relative eye size in open and artificial vegetated habitats. Second, we studied the effects of both predation risk and resource levels on phenotypic plasticity in relative eye size in indoor aquaria experiments. In the first experiment, we found that habitat altered selection due to predators, since predators selected for smaller eye size in a non-vegetated habitat, but not in a vegetated habitat. In the plasticity experiment, we found that fish predators induced smaller eye size in males, but not in females, while resource levels had no effect on eye size plasticity. Our experiments provide evidence that predation risk could be one of the driving factors behind variation in eye size within species.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Frank Johansson
- Animal Ecology, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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