1
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Gerwin J, Torres-Dowdall J, Brown TF, Meyer A. Expansion and Functional Diversification of Long-Wavelength-Sensitive Opsin in Anabantoid Fishes. J Mol Evol 2024; 92:432-448. [PMID: 38861038 PMCID: PMC11291592 DOI: 10.1007/s00239-024-10181-0] [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: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 05/25/2024] [Indexed: 06/12/2024]
Abstract
Gene duplication is one of the most important sources of novel genotypic diversity and the subsequent evolution of phenotypic diversity. Determining the evolutionary history and functional changes of duplicated genes is crucial for a comprehensive understanding of adaptive evolution. The evolutionary history of visual opsin genes is very dynamic, with repeated duplication events followed by sub- or neofunctionalization. While duplication of the green-sensitive opsins rh2 is common in teleost fish, fewer cases of multiple duplication events of the red-sensitive opsin lws are known. In this study, we investigate the visual opsin gene repertoire of the anabantoid fishes, focusing on the five lws opsin genes found in the genus Betta. We determine the evolutionary history of the lws opsin gene by taking advantage of whole-genome sequences of nine anabantoid species, including the newly assembled genome of Betta imbellis. Our results show that at least two independent duplications of lws occurred in the Betta lineage. The analysis of amino acid sequences of the lws paralogs of Betta revealed high levels of diversification in four of the seven transmembrane regions of the lws protein. Amino acid substitutions at two key-tuning sites are predicted to lead to differentiation of absorption maxima (λmax) between the paralogs within Betta. Finally, eye transcriptomics of B. splendens at different developmental stages revealed expression shifts between paralogs for all cone opsin classes. The lws genes are expressed according to their relative position in the lws opsin cluster throughout ontogeny. We conclude that temporal collinearity of lws expression might have facilitated subfunctionalization of lws in Betta and teleost opsins in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Gerwin
- Zoology and Evolutionary Biology, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
- German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Division Signaling and Functional Genomics and Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Julián Torres-Dowdall
- Zoology and Evolutionary Biology, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany.
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA.
| | - Thomas F Brown
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cellular Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - Axel Meyer
- Zoology and Evolutionary Biology, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany.
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2
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Torres-Dowdall J, Karagic N, Prabhukumar F, Meyer A. Differential Regulation of Opsin Gene Expression in Response to Internal and External Stimuli. Genome Biol Evol 2024; 16:evae125. [PMID: 38860496 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evae125] [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: 07/23/2023] [Revised: 05/24/2024] [Accepted: 06/01/2024] [Indexed: 06/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Determining how internal and external stimuli interact to determine developmental trajectories of traits is a challenge that requires the integration of different subfields of biology. Internal stimuli, such as hormones, control developmental patterns of phenotypic changes, which might be modified by external environmental cues (e.g. plasticity). Thyroid hormone (TH) modulates the timing of opsin gene expression in developing Midas cichlid fish (Amphilophus citrinellus). Moreover, fish reared in red light accelerate this developmental timing compared to fish reared in white light. Hence, we hypothesized that plasticity caused by variation in light conditions has coopted the TH signaling pathway to induce changes in opsin gene expression. We treated Midas cichlids with TH and crossed this treatment with two light conditions, white and red. We observed that not only opsin expression responded similarly to TH and red light but also that, at high TH levels, there is limited capacity for light-induced plasticity. Transcriptomic analysis of the eye showed that genes in the TH pathway were affected by TH, but not by light treatments. Coexpression network analyses further suggested that response to light was independent of the response to TH manipulations. Taken together, our results suggest independent mechanisms mediating development and plasticity during development of opsin gene expression, and that responses to environmental stimuli may vary depending on internal stimuli. This conditional developmental response to external factors depending on internal ones (e.g. hormones) might play a fundamental role in the patterns of phenotypic divergence observed in Midas cichlids and potentially other organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julián Torres-Dowdall
- Zoology and Evolutionary Biology, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
| | - Nidal Karagic
- Zoology and Evolutionary Biology, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Femina Prabhukumar
- Zoology and Evolutionary Biology, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Axel Meyer
- Zoology and Evolutionary Biology, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
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3
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Iwanicki T, Steck M, Bracken-Grissom H, Porter ML. Localization of multiple opsins in ocular and non-ocular tissues of deep-sea shrimps and the first evidence of co-localization in a rhabdomeric R8 cell (Caridea: Oplophoroidea). Vision Res 2024; 219:108403. [PMID: 38581820 DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2024.108403] [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: 11/30/2023] [Revised: 03/14/2024] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/08/2024]
Abstract
Bioluminescence is a prevalent phenomenon throughout the marine realm and is often the dominant source of light in mesophotic and aphotic depth horizons. Shrimp belonging to the superfamily Oplophoroidea are mesopelagic, perform diel vertical migration, and secrete a bright burst of bioluminescent mucous when threatened. Species in the family Oplophoridae also possess cuticular light-emitting photophores presumably for camouflage via counter-illumination. Many species within the superfamily express a single visual pigment in the retina, consistent with most other large-bodied mesopelagic crustaceans studied to date. Photophore-bearing species have an expanded visual opsin repertoire and dual-sensitivity visual systems, as evidenced by transcriptomes and electroretinograms. In this study, we used immunohistochemistry to describe opsin protein localization in the retinas of four species of Oplophoroidea and non-ocular tissues of Janicella spinicauda. Our results show that Acanthephyra purpurea (Acanthephyridae) retinas possess LWS-only photoreceptors, consistent with the singular peak sensitivity previously reported. Oplophoridae retinas contain two opsin clades (LWS and MWS) consistent with dual-sensitivity. Oplophorus gracilirostris and Systellaspis debilis have LWS in the proximal rhabdom (R1-7 cells) and MWS2 localized in the distal rhabdom (R8 cell). Surprisingly, Janicella spinicauda has LWS in the proximal rhabdom (R1-7) and co-localized MWS1 and MWS2 opsin paralogs in the distal rhabdom, providing the first evidence of co-localization of opsins in a crustacean rhabdomeric R8 cell. Furthermore, opsins were found in multiple non-ocular tissues of J. spinicauda, including nerve, tendon, and photophore. These combined data demonstrate evolutionary novelty and opsin duplication within Oplophoridae, with implications for visual ecology, evolution in mesophotic environments, and a mechanistic understanding of adaptive counter-illumination using photophore bioluminescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom Iwanicki
- The Earth Commons Institute, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, United States; School of Life Sciences, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, United States; Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Washington, DC 20013, United States.
| | - Mireille Steck
- School of Life Sciences, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, United States
| | - Heather Bracken-Grissom
- Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Washington, DC 20013, United States; Institute of Environment, Department of Biology, Florida International University, North Miami, FL 33181, United States
| | - Megan L Porter
- School of Life Sciences, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, United States
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4
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Choi N, Mathevon N, Hebets EA, Beauchaud M. Influence of ambient water coloration on habitat and conspecific choice in the female Lake Malawi cichlid, Metriaclima zebra. Curr Zool 2024; 70:214-224. [PMID: 38726246 PMCID: PMC11078059 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoad015] [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: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 05/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Female cichlid fish living in African great lakes are known to have sensory systems that are adapted to ambient light environments. These sensory system adaptations are hypothesized to have influenced the evolution of the diverse male nuptial coloration. In rock-dwelling Lake Malawi mbuna cichlids, however, the extent to which ambient light environments influence female sensory systems and potentially associated male nuptial coloration remains unknown. Yet, the ubiquitous blue flank coloration and UV reflection of male mbuna cichlids suggest the potential impacts of the blue-shifted ambient light environment on these cichlid's visual perception and male nuptial coloration in the shallow water depth in Lake Malawi. In the present study, we explored whether and how the sensory bias of females influences intersexual communication in the mbuna cichlid, Metriaclima zebra. A series of choice experiments in various light environments showed that M. zebra females 1) have a preference for the blue-shifted light environment, 2) prefer to interact with males in blue-shifted light environments, 3) do not show a preference between dominant and subordinate males in full-spectrum, long-wavelength filtered, and short-wavelength filtered light environments, and 4) show a "reversed" preference for subordinate males in the UV-filtered light environment. These results suggest that the visual perception of M. zebra females may be biased to the ambient light spectra in their natural habitat by local adaptation and that this sensory bias may influence the evolution of blue and UV reflective patterns in male nuptial coloration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noori Choi
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
- ENES Bioacoustics Research Laboratory, CRNL, CNRS, Inserm, Université de Saint-Etienne, Saint-Etienne, France
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Nicolas Mathevon
- ENES Bioacoustics Research Laboratory, CRNL, CNRS, Inserm, Université de Saint-Etienne, Saint-Etienne, France
| | - Eileen A Hebets
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - Marilyn Beauchaud
- ENES Bioacoustics Research Laboratory, CRNL, CNRS, Inserm, Université de Saint-Etienne, Saint-Etienne, France
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5
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Stieb SM, Cortesi F, Mitchell L, Jardim de Queiroz L, Marshall NJ, Seehausen O. Short-wavelength-sensitive 1 ( SWS1) opsin gene duplications and parallel visual pigment tuning support ultraviolet communication in damselfishes (Pomacentridae). Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11186. [PMID: 38628922 PMCID: PMC11019301 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11186] [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: 10/20/2023] [Revised: 03/05/2024] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Damselfishes (Pomacentridae) are one of the most behaviourally diverse, colourful and species-rich reef fish families. One remarkable characteristic of damselfishes is their communication in ultraviolet (UV) light. Not only are they sensitive to UV, they are also prone to have UV-reflective colours and patterns enabling social signalling. Using more than 50 species, we aimed to uncover the evolutionary history of UV colour and UV vision in damselfishes. All damselfishes had UV-transmitting lenses, expressed the UV-sensitive SWS1 opsin gene, and most displayed UV-reflective patterns and colours. We find evidence for several tuning events across the radiation, and while SWS1 gene duplications are generally very rare among teleosts, our phylogenetic reconstructions uncovered two independent duplication events: one close to the base of the most species-rich clade in the subfamily Pomacentrinae, and one in a single Chromis species. Using amino acid comparisons, we found that known spectral tuning sites were altered several times in parallel across the damselfish radiation (through sequence change and duplication followed by sequence change), causing repeated shifts in peak spectral absorbance of around 10 nm. Pomacentrinae damselfishes expressed either one or both copies of SWS1, likely to further finetune UV-signal detection and differentiation. This highly advanced and modified UV vision among damselfishes, in particular the duplication of SWS1 among Pomacentrinae, might be seen as a key evolutionary innovation that facilitated the evolution of the exuberant variety of UV-reflectance traits and the diversification of this coral reef fish lineage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara M. Stieb
- Center for Ecology, Evolution and BiogeochemistryEAWAG Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and TechnologyKastanienbaumSwitzerland
- Institute for Ecology and EvolutionUniversity of BernBernSwitzerland
- Queensland Brain InstituteThe University of QueenslandBrisbaneQueenslandAustralia
| | - Fabio Cortesi
- Queensland Brain InstituteThe University of QueenslandBrisbaneQueenslandAustralia
- School of the EnvironmentThe University of QueenslandBrisbaneAustralia
| | - Laurie Mitchell
- Queensland Brain InstituteThe University of QueenslandBrisbaneQueenslandAustralia
- Marine Eco‐Evo‐Devo UnitOkinawa Institute of Science and TechnologyOnna sonOkinawaJapan
| | - Luiz Jardim de Queiroz
- Center for Ecology, Evolution and BiogeochemistryEAWAG Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and TechnologyKastanienbaumSwitzerland
- Institute for Ecology and EvolutionUniversity of BernBernSwitzerland
| | - N. Justin Marshall
- Queensland Brain InstituteThe University of QueenslandBrisbaneQueenslandAustralia
| | - Ole Seehausen
- Center for Ecology, Evolution and BiogeochemistryEAWAG Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and TechnologyKastanienbaumSwitzerland
- Institute for Ecology and EvolutionUniversity of BernBernSwitzerland
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6
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Chau KD, Hauser FE, Van Nynatten A, Daane JM, Harris MP, Chang BSW, Lovejoy NR. Multiple Ecological Axes Drive Molecular Evolution of Cone Opsins in Beloniform Fishes. J Mol Evol 2024; 92:93-103. [PMID: 38416218 DOI: 10.1007/s00239-024-10156-1] [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: 06/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 02/29/2024]
Abstract
Ecological and evolutionary transitions offer an excellent opportunity to examine the molecular basis of adaptation. Fishes of the order Beloniformes include needlefishes, flyingfishes, halfbeaks, and allies, and comprise over 200 species occupying a wide array of habitats-from the marine epipelagic zone to tropical rainforest rivers. These fishes also exhibit a diversity of diets, including piscivory, herbivory, and zooplanktivory. We investigated how diet and habitat affected the molecular evolution of cone opsins, which play a key role in bright light and colour vision and are tightly linked to ecology and life history. We analyzed a targeted-capture dataset to reconstruct the evolutionary history of beloniforms and assemble cone opsin sequences. We implemented codon-based clade models of evolution to examine how molecular evolution was affected by habitat and diet. We found high levels of positive selection in medium- and long-wavelength beloniform opsins, with piscivores showing increased positive selection in medium-wavelength opsins and zooplanktivores showing increased positive selection in long-wavelength opsins. In contrast, short-wavelength opsins showed purifying selection. While marine/freshwater habitat transitions have an effect on opsin molecular evolution, we found that diet plays a more important role. Our study suggests that evolutionary transitions along ecological axes produce complex adaptive interactions that affect patterns of selection on genes that underlie vision.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine D Chau
- Department of Physical & Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Biology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Frances E Hauser
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Alexander Van Nynatten
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, Canada
| | - Jacob M Daane
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | | | - Belinda S W Chang
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Nathan R Lovejoy
- Department of Physical & Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON, Canada.
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON, Canada.
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
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7
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Fogg LG, Cortesi F, Gache C, Lecchini D, Marshall NJ, de Busserolles F. Developing and adult reef fish show rapid light-induced plasticity in their visual system. Mol Ecol 2023; 32:167-181. [PMID: 36261875 PMCID: PMC10099556 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16744] [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: 06/09/2022] [Revised: 10/06/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The visual capabilities of fish are optimized for their ecology and light environment over evolutionary time. Similarly, fish vision can adapt to regular changes in light conditions within their lifetime, e.g., ontogenetic or seasonal variation. However, we do not fully understand how vision responds to irregular short-term changes in the light environment, e.g., algal blooms and light pollution. In this study, we investigated the effect of short-term exposure to unnatural light conditions on opsin gene expression and retinal cell densities in juvenile and adult diurnal reef fish (convict surgeonfish; Acanthurus triostegus). Results revealed phenotypic plasticity in the retina across ontogeny, particularly during development. The most substantial differences at both molecular and cellular levels were found under constant dim light, while constant bright light and simulated artificial light at night had a lesser effect. Under dim light, juveniles and adults increased absolute expression of the cone opsin genes, sws2a, rh2c and lws, within a few days and juveniles also decreased densities of cones, inner nuclear layer cells and ganglion cells. These changes potentially enhanced vision under the altered light conditions. Thus, our study suggests that plasticity mainly comes into play when conditions are extremely different to the species' natural light environment, i.e., a diurnal fish in "constant night". Finally, in a rescue experiment on adults, shifts in opsin expression were reverted within 24 h. Overall, our study showed rapid, reversible light-induced changes in the retina of A. triostegus, demonstrating phenotypic plasticity in the visual system of a reef fish throughout life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lily G Fogg
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Fabio Cortesi
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Camille Gache
- PSL Research University, EPHE-UPVD-CNRS, UAR3278 CRIOBE, Papetoai, French Polynesia.,Laboratoire d'Excellence "CORAIL", Paris, France
| | - David Lecchini
- PSL Research University, EPHE-UPVD-CNRS, UAR3278 CRIOBE, Papetoai, French Polynesia.,Laboratoire d'Excellence "CORAIL", Paris, France
| | - N Justin Marshall
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Fanny de Busserolles
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
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8
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Ålund M, Harper B, Kjærnested S, Ohl JE, Phillips JG, Sattler J, Thompson J, Varg JE, Wargenau S, Boughman JW, Keagy J. Sensory environment affects Icelandic threespine stickleback's anti-predator escape behaviour. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20220044. [PMID: 35382599 PMCID: PMC8984813 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.0044] [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] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Human-induced changes in climate and habitats push populations to adapt to novel environments, including new sensory conditions, such as reduced visibility. We studied how colonizing newly formed glacial lakes with turbidity-induced low-visibility affects anti-predator behaviour in Icelandic threespine sticklebacks. We tested nearly 400 fish from 15 populations and four habitat types varying in visibility and colonization history in their reaction to two predator cues (mechano-visual versus olfactory) in high versus low-visibility light treatments. Fish reacted differently to the cues and were affected by lighting environment, confirming that cue modality and light levels are important for predator detection and evasion. Fish from spring-fed lakes, especially from the highlands (likely more diverged from marine fish than lowland fish), reacted fastest to mechano-visual cues and were generally most active. Highland glacial fish showed strong responses to olfactory cues and, counter to predictions from the flexible stem hypothesis, the greatest plasticity in response to light levels. This study, leveraging natural, repeated invasions of novel sensory habitats, (i) illustrates rapid changes in anti-predator behaviour that follow due to adaptation, early life experience, or both, and (ii) suggests an additional role for behavioural plasticity enabling population persistence in the face of frequent changes in environmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Murielle Ålund
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Animal Ecology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.,Department of Integrative Biology, and.,BEACON Center for the Study of Evolution in Action, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | | | - Sigurlaug Kjærnested
- Department of Aquaculture & Fish Biology, Hólar University College, Sauðárkrókur, Iceland
| | - Julian E Ohl
- Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland
| | - John G Phillips
- Department of Integrative Biology, and.,BEACON Center for the Study of Evolution in Action, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.,Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, USA
| | | | | | - Javier E Varg
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Animal Ecology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.,Department of Integrative Biology, and
| | - Sven Wargenau
- Institute of Cell Dynamics and Imaging, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Janette W Boughman
- Department of Integrative Biology, and.,BEACON Center for the Study of Evolution in Action, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Jason Keagy
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
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9
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Hauser FE, Ilves KL, Schott RK, Alvi E, López-Fernández H, Chang BSW. Evolution, inactivation and loss of short wavelength-sensitive opsin genes during the diversification of Neotropical cichlids. Mol Ecol 2021; 30:1688-1703. [PMID: 33569886 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2020] [Revised: 01/29/2021] [Accepted: 02/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Natural variation in the number, expression and function of sensory genes in an organism's genome is often tightly linked to different ecological and evolutionary forces. Opsin genes, which code for the first step in visual transduction, are ideal models for testing how ecological factors such as light environment may influence visual system adaptation. Neotropical cichlid fishes are a highly ecologically diverse group that evolved in a variety of aquatic habitats, including black (stained), white (opaque) and clear waters. We used cross-species exon capture to sequence Neotropical cichlid short wavelength-sensitive (SWS) opsins, which mediate ultraviolet (UV) to blue visual sensitivity. Neotropical cichlid SWS1 opsin (UV-sensitive) underwent a relaxation of selective constraint during the early phases of cichlid diversification in South America, leading to pseudogenization and loss. Conversely, SWS2a (blue-sensitive) experienced a burst of episodic positive selection at the base of the South American cichlid radiation. This burst coincides with SWS1 relaxation and loss, and is consistent with findings in ecomorphological studies characterizing a period of extensive ecological divergence in Neotropical cichlids. We use ancestral sequence reconstruction and protein modelling to investigate mutations along this ancestral branch that probably modified SWS2a function. Together, our results suggest that variable light environments played a prominent early role in shaping SWS opsin diversity during the Neotropical cichlid radiation. Our results also illustrate that long-term evolution under light-limited conditions in South America may have reduced visual system plasticity; specifically, early losses of UV sensitivity may have constrained the evolutionary trajectory of Neotropical cichlid vision.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frances E Hauser
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Katriina L Ilves
- Department of Natural History, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Ryan K Schott
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Erin Alvi
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Hernán López-Fernández
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Natural History, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Belinda S W Chang
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Centre for the Analysis of Genome Evolution and Function, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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10
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Mobley RB, Boughman JW. Variation in the Sensory Space of Three-spined Stickleback Populations. Integr Comp Biol 2020; 61:50-61. [PMID: 33382869 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icaa145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The peripheral sensory systems, whose morphological attributes help determine the acquisition of distinct types of information, provide a means to quantitatively compare multiple modalities of a species' sensory ecology. We used morphological metrics to characterize multiple sensory modalities-the visual, olfactory, and mechanosensory lateral line sensory systems-for Gasterosteus aculeatus, the three-spined stickleback, to compare how sensory systems vary in animals that evolve in different ecological conditions. We hypothesized that the dimensions of sensory organs and correlations among sensory systems vary in populations adapted to marine and freshwater environments, and have diverged further among freshwater lake-dwelling populations. Our results showed that among environments, fish differed in which senses are relatively elaborated or reduced. When controlling for body length, littoral fish had larger eyes, more neuromasts, and smaller olfactory tissue area than pelagic or marine populations. We also found differences in the direction and magnitude of correlations among sensory systems for populations even within the same habitat type. Our data suggest that populations take different trajectories in how visual, olfactory, and lateral line systems respond to their environment. For the populations we studied, sensory modalities do not conform in a predictable way to the ecological categories we assigned.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert B Mobley
- Department of Integrative Biology, Ecology, Evolutionary Biology and Behavior, BEACON, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Janette W Boughman
- Department of Integrative Biology, Ecology, Evolutionary Biology and Behavior, BEACON, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
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11
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Carleton KL, Yourick MR. Axes of visual adaptation in the ecologically diverse family Cichlidae. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2020; 106:43-52. [PMID: 32439270 PMCID: PMC7486233 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2020.04.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2020] [Revised: 04/21/2020] [Accepted: 04/21/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The family Cichlidae contains approximately 2000 species that live in diverse freshwater habitats including murky lakes, turbid rivers, and clear lakes from both the Old and New Worlds. Their visual systems are similarly diverse and have evolved specific sensitivities that differ along several axes of variation. Variation in cornea and lens transmission affect which wavelengths reach the retina. Variation in photoreceptor number and distribution affect brightness sensitivity, spectral sensitivity and resolution. Probably their most dynamic characteristic is the variation in visual pigment peak sensitivities. Visual pigments can be altered through changes in chromophore, opsin sequence and opsin expression. Opsin expression varies by altering which of the seven available cone opsins in their genomes are turned on. These opsins can even be coexpressed to produce seemingly infinitely tunable cone sensitivities. Both chromophore and opsin expression can vary on either rapid (hours or days), slower (seasonal or ontogenetic) or evolutionary timescales. Such visual system shifts have enabled cichlids to adapt to different habitats and foraging styles. Through both short term plasticity and longer evolutionary adaptations, cichlids have proven to be ecologically successful and an excellent model for studying organismal adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen L Carleton
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA.
| | - Miranda R Yourick
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA
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12
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Kanazawa N, Goto M, Harada Y, Takimoto C, Sasaki Y, Uchikawa T, Kamei Y, Matsuo M, Fukamachi S. Changes in a Cone Opsin Repertoire Affect Color-Dependent Social Behavior in Medaka but Not Behavioral Photosensitivity. Front Genet 2020; 11:801. [PMID: 32903371 PMCID: PMC7434946 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2020.00801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2020] [Accepted: 07/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Common ancestors of vertebrates had four types of cone opsins: short-wavelength sensitive 1 (SWS1), SWS2, rhodopsin 2 (RH2), and long-wavelength sensitive (LWS) types. Whereas fish and birds retain all the types, mammals have lost two of them (SWS2 and RH2) possibly because of their nocturnal lifestyle during the Mesozoic Era. Considering that the loss of cone opsin types causes so-called color blindness in humans (e.g., protanopia), the ability to discriminate color by trichromatic humans could be lower than that in potentially tetrachromatic birds and fish. Behavioral studies using color-blind (cone opsin-knockout) animals would be helpful to address such questions, but it is only recently that the genome-editing technologies have opened up this pathway. Using medaka as a model, we introduced frameshift mutations in SWS2 (SWS2a and/or SWS2b) after detailed characterization of the loci in silico, which unveiled the existence of a GC-AG intron and non-optic expressed-sequence-tags (ESTs) that include SWS2a in part. Transcripts from the mutated SWS2 loci are commonly reduced, suggesting that the SWS2a/b-double mutants could produce, if any, severely truncated (likely dysfunctional) SWS2s in small amounts. The mutants exhibited weakened body color preferences during mate choice. However, the optomotor response (OMR) test under monochromatic light revealed that the mutants had no defect in spectral sensitivity, even at the absorbance maxima (λmax) of SWS2s. Evolutionary diversification of cone opsins has often been discussed in relation to adaptation to dominating light in habitats (i.e., changes in the repertoire or λmax are for increasing sensitivity to the dominating light). However, the present results seem to provide empirical evidence showing that acquiring or losing a type of cone opsin (or changes in λmax) need not substantially affect photopic or mesopic sensitivity. Other points of view, such as color discrimination of species-specific mates/preys/predators against habitat-specific backgrounds, may be necessary to understand why cone opsin repertories are so various among animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nodoka Kanazawa
- Department of Chemical and Biological Sciences, Japan Women's University, Bunkyō, Japan
| | - Mayuko Goto
- Department of Chemical and Biological Sciences, Japan Women's University, Bunkyō, Japan
| | - Yumi Harada
- Department of Chemical and Biological Sciences, Japan Women's University, Bunkyō, Japan
| | - Chiaki Takimoto
- Department of Chemical and Biological Sciences, Japan Women's University, Bunkyō, Japan
| | - Yuuka Sasaki
- Department of Chemical and Biological Sciences, Japan Women's University, Bunkyō, Japan
| | - Tamaki Uchikawa
- Department of Chemical and Biological Sciences, Japan Women's University, Bunkyō, Japan.,National Institute for Basic Biology, Okazaki, Japan
| | - Yasuhiro Kamei
- National Institute for Basic Biology, Okazaki, Japan.,School of Life Sciences, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), Okazaki, Japan
| | - Megumi Matsuo
- Department of Chemical and Biological Sciences, Japan Women's University, Bunkyō, Japan
| | - Shoji Fukamachi
- Department of Chemical and Biological Sciences, Japan Women's University, Bunkyō, Japan
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13
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Carleton KL, Escobar-Camacho D, Stieb SM, Cortesi F, Marshall NJ. Seeing the rainbow: mechanisms underlying spectral sensitivity in teleost fishes. J Exp Biol 2020; 223:jeb193334. [PMID: 32327561 PMCID: PMC7188444 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.193334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Among vertebrates, teleost eye diversity exceeds that found in all other groups. Their spectral sensitivities range from ultraviolet to red, and the number of visual pigments varies from 1 to over 40. This variation is correlated with the different ecologies and life histories of fish species, including their variable aquatic habitats: murky lakes, clear oceans, deep seas and turbulent rivers. These ecotopes often change with the season, but fish may also migrate between ecotopes diurnally, seasonally or ontogenetically. To survive in these variable light habitats, fish visual systems have evolved a suite of mechanisms that modulate spectral sensitivities on a range of timescales. These mechanisms include: (1) optical media that filter light, (2) variations in photoreceptor type and size to vary absorbance and sensitivity, and (3) changes in photoreceptor visual pigments to optimize peak sensitivity. The visual pigment changes can result from changes in chromophore or changes to the opsin. Opsin variation results from changes in opsin sequence, opsin expression or co-expression, and opsin gene duplications and losses. Here, we review visual diversity in a number of teleost groups where the structural and molecular mechanisms underlying their spectral sensitivities have been relatively well determined. Although we document considerable variability, this alone does not imply functional difference per se. We therefore highlight the need for more studies that examine species with known sensitivity differences, emphasizing behavioral experiments to test whether such differences actually matter in the execution of visual tasks that are relevant to the fish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen L Carleton
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | | | - Sara M Stieb
- Centre of Ecology, Evolution and Biogeochemistry, EAWAG Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, 6047 Kastanienbaum, Switzerland
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
- Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072 QLD, Australia
| | - Fabio Cortesi
- Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072 QLD, Australia
| | - N Justin Marshall
- Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072 QLD, Australia
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14
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Schneider RF, Rometsch SJ, Torres-Dowdall J, Meyer A. Habitat light sets the boundaries for the rapid evolution of cichlid fish vision, while sexual selection can tune it within those limits. Mol Ecol 2020; 29:1476-1493. [PMID: 32215986 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15416] [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: 01/22/2018] [Revised: 03/07/2020] [Accepted: 03/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Cichlid fishes' famous diversity in body coloration is accompanied by a highly diverse and complex visual system. Although cichlids possess an unusually high number of seven cone opsin genes, they express only a subset of these during their ontogeny, accounting for their astonishing interspecific variation in visual sensitivities. Much of this diversity is thought to have been shaped by natural selection as cichlids inhabit a variety of habitats with distinct light environments. Also, sexual selection might have contributed to the observed visual diversity, and sexual dimorphism in coloration potentially co-evolved with sexual dimorphism in opsin expression. We investigated sex-specific opsin expression of several cichlids from Africa and the Neotropics and collected and integrated data sets on sex-specific body coloration, species-specific visual sensitivities, lens transmission and habitat light properties for some of them. We comparatively analysed this wide range of molecular and ecological data, illustrating how integrative approaches can address specific questions on the factors and mechanisms driving diversification, and the evolution of cichlid vision in particular. We found that both sexes expressed opsins at the same levels-even in sexually dimorphic cichlid species-which argues against coevolution of sexual dichromatism and differences in sex-specific visual sensitivity. Rather, a combination of environmental light properties and body coloration shaped the diversity in spectral sensitivities among cichlids. We conclude that although cichlids are particularly colourful and diverse and often sexually dimorphic, it would appear that natural rather than sexual selection is a more powerful force driving visual diversity in this hyperdiverse lineage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ralph F Schneider
- Lehrstuhl für Zoologie und Evolutionsbiologie, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany.,Department of Marine Ecology, GEOMAR, Kiel, Germany
| | - Sina J Rometsch
- Lehrstuhl für Zoologie und Evolutionsbiologie, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Julián Torres-Dowdall
- Lehrstuhl für Zoologie und Evolutionsbiologie, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Axel Meyer
- Lehrstuhl für Zoologie und Evolutionsbiologie, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
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15
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Yan H, Liu Q, Shen X, Liu W, Cui X, Hu P, Yuan Z, Zhang L, Song C, Liu L, Liu Y. Effects of different light conditions on the retinal microstructure and ultrastructure of Dicentrarchus labrax larvae. FISH PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY 2020; 46:613-628. [PMID: 31797174 DOI: 10.1007/s10695-019-00735-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2018] [Accepted: 11/12/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Light is a key environmental parameter known to influence fish throughout various stages of their life, from embryonic development to sexually mature adults. In a recent study, the effects of different light conditions on the growth of Dicentrarchus labrax larvae were investigated using light-emitting diodes (LEDs) as a light source. Here, pathological examinations were carried out to assess whether variations in light affected the visual system of the larvae, including any negative impacts on the retina or the growth rate. Although light did not affect the total thickness (TT) of the retina, the thickness of the retinal pigment epithelium layer (PRE), photoreceptor layer (PRos/is), outer nuclear layer (ONL), and inner nuclear layer (INL), and the PRE/TT and ONL/TT ratios were all significantly higher in larvae exposed to blue light than in larvae exposed to white light. Additionally, the thickness of PRE and the outer nuclear layer and the RPE/TT and ONL/TT ratios of larvae exposed to 2.0 W m-2 were significantly lower than in larvae exposed to 0.3 W m-2. By contrast, the INL/TT ratio in larvae exposed to 2.0 W m-2 was significantly higher than in larvae exposed to 0.3 W m-2. Additionally, the INL and ganglion cell layer nuclei density of larvae exposed to 2.0 W m-2 were significantly higher than in those exposed to 0.3 W m-2 (p < 0.05). Transmission electron microscopy revealed different levels of abnormalities in the photoreceptor layers in all treatment groups. Considering the growth of the larvae, the results of the study suggest that continuous LED exposure induced damage to photoreceptor cells but was not relevant to the growth performance of D. labrax larvae. Moreover, the results obtained here also support the high plasticity of retinal development in response to altered environmental light conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongwei Yan
- College of Fisheries and life Science, Dalian Ocean University, No. 52 Heishijiao Street, Shahekou District, Dalian, 116023, China
| | - Qi Liu
- College of Marine Science and Environment Engineering, Dalian Ocean University, No. 52 Heishijiao Street, Shahekou District, Dalian, 116023, China
| | - Xufang Shen
- College of Fisheries and life Science, Dalian Ocean University, No. 52 Heishijiao Street, Shahekou District, Dalian, 116023, China
| | - Wenlei Liu
- College of Marine Science and Environment Engineering, Dalian Ocean University, No. 52 Heishijiao Street, Shahekou District, Dalian, 116023, China
| | - Xin Cui
- College of Fisheries and life Science, Dalian Ocean University, No. 52 Heishijiao Street, Shahekou District, Dalian, 116023, China
| | - Pengfei Hu
- College of Marine Science and Environment Engineering, Dalian Ocean University, No. 52 Heishijiao Street, Shahekou District, Dalian, 116023, China
| | - Zhen Yuan
- College of Fisheries and life Science, Dalian Ocean University, No. 52 Heishijiao Street, Shahekou District, Dalian, 116023, China
| | - Lei Zhang
- College of Marine Science and Environment Engineering, Dalian Ocean University, No. 52 Heishijiao Street, Shahekou District, Dalian, 116023, China
| | - Changbin Song
- Institute of Semiconductors, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.35, Qinghua East Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 10083, China
| | - Lili Liu
- Institute of Semiconductors, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.35, Qinghua East Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 10083, China
| | - Ying Liu
- College of Marine Science and Environment Engineering, Dalian Ocean University, No. 52 Heishijiao Street, Shahekou District, Dalian, 116023, China.
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16
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Wright DS, van Eijk R, Schuart L, Seehausen O, Groothuis TGG, Maan ME. Testing sensory drive speciation in cichlid fish: Linking light conditions to opsin expression, opsin genotype and female mate preference. J Evol Biol 2019; 33:422-434. [PMID: 31820840 PMCID: PMC7187155 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2019] [Accepted: 12/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Ecological speciation is facilitated when divergent adaptation has direct effects on selective mating. Divergent sensory adaptation could generate such direct effects, by mediating both ecological performance and mate selection. In aquatic environments, light attenuation creates distinct photic environments, generating divergent selection on visual systems. Consequently, divergent sensory drive has been implicated in the diversification of several fish species. Here, we experimentally test whether divergent visual adaptation explains the divergence of mate preferences in Haplochromine cichlids. Blue and red Pundamilia co‐occur across south‐eastern Lake Victoria. They inhabit different photic conditions and have distinct visual system properties. Previously, we documented that rearing fish under different light conditions influences female preference for blue versus red males. Here, we examine to what extent variation in female mate preference can be explained by variation in visual system properties, testing the causal link between visual perception and preference. We find that our experimental light manipulations influence opsin expression, suggesting a potential role for phenotypic plasticity in optimizing visual performance. However, variation in opsin expression does not explain species differences in female preference. Instead, female preference covaries with allelic variation in the long‐wavelength‐sensitive opsin gene (LWS), when assessed under broad‐spectrum light. Taken together, our study presents evidence for environmental plasticity in opsin expression and confirms the important role of colour perception in shaping female mate preferences in Pundamilia. However, it does not constitute unequivocal evidence for the direct effects of visual adaptation on assortative mating.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Shane Wright
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Roel van Eijk
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Lisa Schuart
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.,University of Applied Sciences van Hall Larenstein, Leeuwarden, The Netherlands
| | - Ole Seehausen
- Institute of Ecology & Evolution, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.,Department Fish Ecology & Evolution, Eawag, Center for Ecology, Evolution and Biogeochemistry, Kastanienbaum, Switzerland
| | - Ton G G Groothuis
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Martine E Maan
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.,Institute of Ecology & Evolution, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.,Department Fish Ecology & Evolution, Eawag, Center for Ecology, Evolution and Biogeochemistry, Kastanienbaum, Switzerland
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17
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A detailed investigation of the visual system and visual ecology of the Barrier Reef anemonefish, Amphiprion akindynos. Sci Rep 2019; 9:16459. [PMID: 31712572 PMCID: PMC6848076 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-52297-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2019] [Accepted: 10/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Vision plays a major role in the life of most teleosts, and is assumingly well adapted to each species ecology and behaviour. Using a multidisciplinary approach, we scrutinised several aspects of the visual system and ecology of the Great Barrier Reef anemonefish, Amphiprion akindynos, including its orange with white patterning, retinal anatomy and molecular biology, its symbiosis with anemones and sequential hermaphroditism. Amphiprion akindynos possesses spectrally distinct visual pigments and opsins: one rod opsin, RH1 (498 nm), and five cone opsins, SWS1 (370 nm), SWS2B (408 nm), RH2B (498 nm), RH2A (520 nm), and LWS (554 nm). Cones were arranged in a regular mosaic with each single cone surrounded by four double cones. Double cones mainly expressed RH2B (53%) in one member and RH2A (46%) in the other, matching the prevailing light. Single cones expressed SWS1 (89%), which may serve to detect zooplankton, conspecifics and the host anemone. Moreover, a segregated small fraction of single cones coexpressed SWS1 with SWS2B (11%). This novel visual specialisation falls within the region of highest acuity and is suggested to increase the chromatic contrast of Amphiprion akindynos colour patterns, which might improve detection of conspecifics.
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18
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Yourick MR, Sandkam BA, Gammerdinger WJ, Escobar-Camacho D, Nandamuri SP, Clark FE, Joyce B, Conte MA, Kocher TD, Carleton KL. Diurnal variation in opsin expression and common housekeeping genes necessitates comprehensive normalization methods for quantitative real-time PCR analyses. Mol Ecol Resour 2019; 19:1447-1460. [PMID: 31325910 DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.13062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2019] [Revised: 06/17/2019] [Accepted: 06/24/2019] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
To determine the visual sensitivities of an organism of interest, quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) is often used to quantify expression of the light-sensitive opsins in the retina. While qRT-PCR is an affordable, high-throughput method for measuring expression, it comes with inherent normalization issues that affect the interpretation of results, especially as opsin expression can vary greatly based on developmental stage, light environment or diurnal cycles. We tested for diurnal cycles of opsin expression over a period of 24 hr at 1-hr increments and examined how normalization affects a data set with fluctuating expression levels using qRT-PCR and transcriptome data from the retinae of the cichlid Pelmatolapia mariae. We compared five methods of normalizing opsin expression relative to (a) the average of three stably expressed housekeeping genes (Ube2z, EF1-α and β-actin), (b) total RNA concentration, (c) GNAT2, (the cone-specific subunit of transducin), (d) total opsin expression and (e) only opsins expressed in the same cone type. Normalizing by proportion of cone type produced the least variation and would be best for removing time-of-day variation. In contrast, normalizing by housekeeping genes produced the highest daily variation in expression and demonstrated that the peak of cone opsin expression was in the late afternoon. A weighted correlation network analysis showed that the expression of different cone opsins follows a very similar daily cycle. With the knowledge of how these normalization methods affect opsin expression data, we make recommendations for designing sampling approaches and quantification methods based upon the scientific question being examined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miranda R Yourick
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
| | | | | | | | | | - Frances E Clark
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
| | - Brendan Joyce
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
| | - Matthew A Conte
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
| | - Thomas D Kocher
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
| | - Karen L Carleton
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
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19
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Wright DS, Meijer R, van Eijk R, Vos W, Seehausen O, Maan ME. Geographic variation in opsin expression does not align with opsin genotype in Lake Victoria cichlid populations. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:8676-8689. [PMID: 31410271 PMCID: PMC6686298 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2019] [Revised: 05/09/2019] [Accepted: 05/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Sensory adaptation to the local environment can contribute to speciation. Aquatic environments are well suited for studying this process: The natural attenuation of light through water results in heterogeneous light environments, to which vision-dependent species must adapt for communication and survival. Here, we study visual adaptation in sympatric Pundamilia cichlids from southeastern Lake Victoria. Species with blue or red male nuptial coloration co-occur at many rocky islands but tend to be depth-differentiated, entailing different visual habitats, more strongly at some islands than others. Divergent visual adaptation to these environments has been implicated as a major factor in the divergence of P. pundamilia and P. nyererei, as they show consistent differentiation in the long-wavelength-sensitive visual pigment gene sequence (LWS opsin). In addition to sequence variation, variation in the opsin gene expression levels may contribute to visual adaptation. We characterized opsin gene expression and LWS genotype across Pundamilia populations inhabiting turbid and clear waters, to examine how different mechanisms of visual tuning contribute to visual adaptation. As predicted, the short-wavelength-sensitive opsin (SWS2b) was expressed exclusively in a population from clear water. Contrary to prediction however, expression levels of the other opsins were species- and island-dependent and did not align with species differences in LWS genotype. Specifically, in two locations with turbid water, the shallow-water dwelling blue species expressed more LWS and less RH2A than the deeper-dwelling red species, while the opposite pattern occurred in the two locations with clear water. Visual modeling suggests that the observed distribution of opsin expression profiles and LWS genotypes does not maximize visual performance, implying the involvement of additional visual tuning mechanisms and/or incomplete adaptation. OPEN RESEARCH BADGE This article has earned an Open Data Badge for making publicly available the digitally-shareable data necessary to reproduce the reported results. The data is available at https://hdl.handle.net/10411/I1IUUQ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Shane Wright
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES)University of GroningenGroningenThe Netherlands
| | - Roy Meijer
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES)University of GroningenGroningenThe Netherlands
- University of Applied Sciences van Hall LarensteinLeeuwardenThe Netherlands
| | - Roel van Eijk
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES)University of GroningenGroningenThe Netherlands
| | - Wicher Vos
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES)University of GroningenGroningenThe Netherlands
| | - Ole Seehausen
- Institute of Ecology & EvolutionUniversity of BernBernSwitzerland
- Department Fish Ecology & EvolutionEawag, Center for Ecology, Evolution and BiogeochemistryKastanienbaumSwitzerland
| | - Martine E. Maan
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES)University of GroningenGroningenThe Netherlands
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20
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Härer A, Karagic N, Meyer A, Torres-Dowdall J. Reverting ontogeny: rapid phenotypic plasticity of colour vision in cichlid fish. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2019; 6:190841. [PMID: 31417763 PMCID: PMC6689635 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.190841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2019] [Accepted: 07/08/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Phenotypic plasticity, particularly during development, allows organisms to rapidly adjust to different environmental conditions. Yet, it is often unclear whether the extent and direction of plastic changes are restricted by an individual's ontogeny. Many species of cichlid fishes go through ontogenetic changes in visual sensitivity, from short to long wavelengths, by switching expression of cone opsin genes crucial for colour vision. During this progression, individuals often exhibit phenotypic plasticity to the ambient light conditions. However, it is commonly assumed that once an adult visual phenotype is reached, reverting to an earlier ontogenetic state with higher sensitivity at shorter wavelengths is not common. In this study, we experimentally demonstrate that four-month-old Midas cichlid fish (Amphilophus astorquii) show plasticity in single cone opsin expression after experiencing drastic changes in light conditions. Resulting shifts of visual sensitivity occurred presumably in an adaptive direction-towards shorter or longer wavelengths when exposed to short- or long-wavelength light, respectively. Single cone opsin expression changed within only a few days and went through a transitional phase of co-expression. When the environment was experimentally enriched in long-wavelength light, the corresponding change occurred gradually along a dorsoventral gradient within the retina. This plasticity allowed individuals to revert earlier ontogenetic changes and return to a more juvenile visual phenotype demonstrating previously unrecognized insights into temporal and spatial dynamics of phenotypic plasticity of the visual system in response to ambient light.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Härer
- Zoology and Evolutionary Biology, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Nidal Karagic
- Zoology and Evolutionary Biology, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Axel Meyer
- Zoology and Evolutionary Biology, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Julián Torres-Dowdall
- Zoology and Evolutionary Biology, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
- Zukunftskolleg, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
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21
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Escobar-Camacho D, Pierotti MER, Ferenc V, Sharpe DMT, Ramos E, Martins C, Carleton KL. Variable vision in variable environments: the visual system of an invasive cichlid ( Cichla monoculus) in Lake Gatun, Panama. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019; 222:jeb.188300. [PMID: 30787138 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.188300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2018] [Accepted: 02/10/2019] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
An adaptive visual system is essential for organisms inhabiting new or changing light environments. The Panama Canal exhibits such variable environments owing to its anthropogenic origin and current human activities. Within the Panama Canal, Lake Gatun harbors several exotic fish species including the invasive peacock bass (Cichla monoculus), a predatory Amazonian cichlid. In this research, through spectral measurements and molecular and physiological experiments, we studied the visual system of C. monoculus and its adaptive capabilities. Our results suggest that (1) Lake Gatun is a highly variable environment, where light transmission changes throughout the canal waterway, and that (2) C. monoculus has several visual adaptations suited for this red-shifted light environment. Cichla monoculus filters short wavelengths (∼400 nm) from the environment through its ocular media and tunes its visual sensitivities to the available light through opsin gene expression. More importantly, based on shifts in spectral sensitivities of photoreceptors alone, and on transcriptome analysis, C. monoculus exhibits extreme intraspecific variation in the use of vitamin A1/A2 chromophore in their photoreceptors. Fish living in turbid water had higher proportions of vitamin A2, shifting sensitivities to longer wavelengths, than fish living in clear water. Furthermore, we also found variation in retinal transcriptomes, where fish from turbid and clear waters exhibited differentially expressed genes that vary greatly in their function. We suggest that this phenotypic plasticity has been key in the invasion success of C. monoculus.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Michele E R Pierotti
- Naos Marine Laboratories, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Calzada de Amador, Bld 356, 0843-03092 Panama, Republic of Panama
| | - Viktoria Ferenc
- Plant Ecology Group, Institute of Evolution and Ecology, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 5, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Diana M T Sharpe
- Naos Marine Laboratories, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Calzada de Amador, Bld 356, 0843-03092 Panama, Republic of Panama
| | - Erica Ramos
- Department of Morphology, Biosciences Institute, São Paulo State University, Botucatu 18618-689, Brazil
| | - Cesar Martins
- Department of Morphology, Biosciences Institute, São Paulo State University, Botucatu 18618-689, Brazil
| | - Karen L Carleton
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
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22
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Tettamanti V, de Busserolles F, Lecchini D, Marshall NJ, Cortesi F. Visual system development of the spotted unicornfish, Naso brevirostris (Acanthuridae). J Exp Biol 2019; 222:jeb.209916. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.209916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2019] [Accepted: 11/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Ontogenetic changes of the visual system are often correlated to shifts in habitat and feeding behaviour of animals. Coral reef fishes begin their lives in the pelagic zone and then migrate to the reef. This habitat transition frequently involves a change in diet and light environment as well as major morphological modifications. The spotted unicornfish, Naso brevirostris, is known to shift diet from zooplankton to algae and back to mainly zooplankton when transitioning from larval to juvenile and then to adult stages. Concurrently, N. brevirostris also moves from an open pelagic to a coral-associated habitat before migrating up in the water column when reaching adulthood. Using retinal mapping techniques, we discovered that the distribution and density of ganglion and photoreceptor cells in N. brevirostris mostly changes during the transition from the larval to the juvenile stage, with only minor modifications thereafter. Similarly, visual gene (opsin) expression based on RNA sequencing, although qualitatively similar between stages (all fishes mainly expressed the same three cone opsins; SWS2B, RH2B, RH2A), also showed the biggest quantitative difference when transitioning from larvae to juveniles. The juvenile stage in particular seems mismatched with its reef-associated ecology, which may be due to this stage only lasting a fraction of the lifespan of these fishes. Hence, the visual ontogeny found in N. brevirostris is very different from the progressive changes found in other reef fishes calling for a thorough analysis of visual system development of the reef fish community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valerio Tettamanti
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, 4072 Brisbane, Australia
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Fanny de Busserolles
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, 4072 Brisbane, Australia
| | - David Lecchini
- PSL Research University: EPHE-UPVD-CNRS, USR3278 CRIOBE, BP 1013, 98729 Papetoai, Moorea, French Polynesia
- Laboratoire d'Excellence “CORAIL”, Paris, France
| | - N. Justin Marshall
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, 4072 Brisbane, Australia
| | - Fabio Cortesi
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, 4072 Brisbane, Australia
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Nandamuri SP, Conte MA, Carleton KL. Multiple trans QTL and one cis-regulatory deletion are associated with the differential expression of cone opsins in African cichlids. BMC Genomics 2018; 19:945. [PMID: 30563463 PMCID: PMC6299527 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-018-5328-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2018] [Accepted: 11/28/2018] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Dissecting the genetic basis of phenotypic diversity is one of the fundamental goals in evolutionary biology. Despite growing evidence for gene expression divergence being responsible for the evolution of complex traits, knowledge about the proximate genetic causes underlying these traits is still limited. African cichlids have diverse visual systems, with different species expressing different combinations of seven cone opsin genes. Using opsin expression variation in African cichlids as a model for gene expression evolution, this study aims to investigate the genetic architecture of opsin expression divergence in this group. Results Results from a genome-wide linkage mapping on the F2 progeny of an intergeneric cross, between two species with differential opsin expression show that opsins in Lake Malawi cichlids are controlled by multiple quantitative trait loci (QTLs). Most of these QTLs are located in trans to the opsins except for one cis-QTL for SWS1 on LG17. A closer look at this major QTL revealed the presence of a 691 bp deletion in the promoter of the SWS1 opsin (located 751 bp upstream of the start site) that is associated with a decrease in its expression. Phylogenetic footprinting indicates that the region spanning the deletion harbors a microRNA miR-729 and a conserved non-coding element (CNE) that also occurs in zebrafish and other teleosts. This suggests that the deletion might contain ancestrally preserved regulators that have been tuned for SWS1 gene expression in Lake Malawi. While this deletion is not common, it does occur in several other species within the lake. Conclusions Differential expression of cichlid opsins is associated with multiple overlapping QTL, with all but one in trans to the opsins they regulate. The one cis-acting factor is a deletion in the promoter of the SWS1 opsin, suggesting that ancestral polymorphic deletions may contribute to cichlid’s visual diversity. In addition to expanding our understanding of the molecular landscape of opsin expression in African cichlids, this study sheds light on the molecular mechanisms underlying phenotypic variation in natural populations. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12864-018-5328-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sri Pratima Nandamuri
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, 1210 Biology / Psychology Bldg #144, College Park, MD, 20742, USA
| | - Matthew A Conte
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, 1210 Biology / Psychology Bldg #144, College Park, MD, 20742, USA
| | - Karen L Carleton
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, 1210 Biology / Psychology Bldg #144, College Park, MD, 20742, USA.
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Scott R, MacPherson B, Gras R. A comparison of stable and fluctuating resources with respect to evolutionary adaptation and life-history traits using individual-based modeling and machine learning. J Theor Biol 2018; 459:52-66. [PMID: 30243755 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2018.09.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2017] [Revised: 09/08/2018] [Accepted: 09/17/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
There are three non-mutually-exclusive key strategies evolved by gene pools to cope with fluctuating food resource availability, including evolutionary adaptation, phenotypic plasticity, and migration. We focus primarily on evolutionary adaptation and behavioral plasticity, which is a type of phenotypic plasticity, resulting in life-history changes as ways of dealing with fluctuations in food resource availability. Using EcoSim, a predator-prey individual-based model, we compare individuals with stable food resources with those in environments where there are fluctuating food resources in terms of adaptation through behavioral plasticity and evolution. The purpose of our study is to determine whether evolution and behavioral plasticity truly play a role in adapting to an environment with fluctuating food resources, as well as to determine whether there are specific gene divergences between gene pools in fluctuating food resource environments versus gene pools where food resources are relatively stable. An important result of our study is that individuals in environments that are unstable with respect to food resource availability exhibited significant differences in behaviors versus those in environments with stable food resources. Although behavioral plasticity facilitates a rapid response to unstable food conditions, our study revealed the evolution of perceptual traits such as vision range in reaction to fluctuating food resources, indicating the importance of evolution in adapting to unstable resource environments in the long run. Moreover, using decision trees, we found that there were significant behavioral gene divergences between individuals in environments with fluctuating food resources as opposed to individuals in environments with stable food resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan Scott
- University of Windsor, School of Computer Science, University of Windsor, 401 Sunset Avenue, Windsor, ON N9B 3P4, Canada.
| | - Brian MacPherson
- University of Windsor, Department of Biology, 401 Sunset Avenue, Windsor, ON N9B 3P4, Canada.
| | - Robin Gras
- University of Windsor, School of Computer Science, University of Windsor, 401 Sunset Avenue, Windsor, ON N9B 3P4, Canada; University of Windsor, Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research, 401 Sunset Avenue, Windsor, ON N9B 3P4, Canada.
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25
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Genetic and plastic variation in opsin gene expression, light sensitivity, and female response to visual signals in the guppy. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:12247-12252. [PMID: 30420507 PMCID: PMC6275514 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1706730115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
High diversity in sexual color signaling in animals has attracted considerable and sustained interest from evolution researchers. It has been suggested that variations in visual properties in guppies result in diverse female preference for sexual color signals, leading to genetic variation based on male body colors. Here, we report that opsin expression varies because of allelic differences as well as the different rearing light environments. The variation in opsin expression influences the diversity in visual light sensitivity. Moreover, the expression of multiple opsin genes influences female responsiveness to the luminous orange colors. Consequently, genetic and environmental variation in opsin gene expression could affect female responsiveness and preference for male sexual colors, facilitating male color polymorphisms. According to the sensory drive model, variation in visual properties can lead to diverse female preferences, which in turn results in a range of male nuptial colors by way of sexual selection. However, the cause of variation in visual properties and the mechanism by which variation drives female response to visual signals remain unclear. Here, we demonstrate that both differences in the long-wavelength–sensitive 1 (LWS-1) opsin genotype and the light environment during rearing lead to variation in opsin gene expression. Opsin expression variation affects the visual sensitivity threshold to long wavelengths of light. Moreover, a behavioral assay using digitally modified video images showed that the expression of multiple opsin genes is positively correlated with the female responsiveness to images of males with luminous orange spots. The findings suggest that genetic polymorphisms and light environment in habitats induce variations in opsin gene expression levels. The variations may facilitate variations in visual sensitivity and female responsiveness to male body colors within and among populations.
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Härer A, Meyer A, Torres‐Dowdall J. Convergent phenotypic evolution of the visual system via different molecular routes: How Neotropical cichlid fishes adapt to novel light environments. Evol Lett 2018; 2:341-354. [PMID: 30283686 PMCID: PMC6121847 DOI: 10.1002/evl3.71] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2017] [Revised: 06/21/2018] [Accepted: 06/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
How predictable is evolution? This remains a fundamental but contested issue in evolutionary biology. When independent lineages colonize the same environment, we are presented with a natural experiment that allows us to ask if genetic and ecological differences promote species-specific evolutionary outcomes or whether species phenotypically evolve in a convergent manner in response to shared selection pressures. If so, are the molecular mechanisms underlying phenotypic convergence the same? In Nicaragua, seven species of cichlid fishes concurrently colonized two novel photic environments. Hence, their visual system represents a compelling model to address these questions, particularly since the adaptive value of phenotypic changes is well-understood. By analyzing retinal transcriptomes, we found that differential expression of genes responsible for color vision (cone opsins and cyp27c1) produced rapid and mostly convergent changes of predicted visual sensitivities. Notably, these changes occurred in the same direction in all species although there were differences in underlying gene expression patterns illustrating nonconvergence at the molecular level. Adaptive phenotypes evolved deterministically, even when species differ substantially in ecology and genetic variation. This provides strong evidence that phenotypic evolution of the visual system occurred in response to similar selective forces of the photic environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Härer
- Zoology and Evolutionary Biology, Department of BiologyUniversity of KonstanzGermany
| | - Axel Meyer
- Zoology and Evolutionary Biology, Department of BiologyUniversity of KonstanzGermany
- Radcliffe Institute for Advanced StudyHarvard UniversityCambridgeMassachusetts02138
| | - Julián Torres‐Dowdall
- Zoology and Evolutionary Biology, Department of BiologyUniversity of KonstanzGermany
- Zukunftskolleg, University of KonstanzKonstanzGermany
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27
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Karagic N, Härer A, Meyer A, Torres‐Dowdall J. Heterochronic opsin expression due to early light deprivation results in drastically shifted visual sensitivity in a cichlid fish: Possible role of thyroid hormone signaling. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART B-MOLECULAR AND DEVELOPMENTAL EVOLUTION 2018; 330:202-214. [DOI: 10.1002/jez.b.22806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2017] [Revised: 04/30/2018] [Accepted: 05/03/2018] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nidal Karagic
- Zoology and Evolutionary BiologyDepartment of BiologyUniversity of Konstanz Konstanz Germany
| | - Andreas Härer
- Zoology and Evolutionary BiologyDepartment of BiologyUniversity of Konstanz Konstanz Germany
| | - Axel Meyer
- Zoology and Evolutionary BiologyDepartment of BiologyUniversity of Konstanz Konstanz Germany
- Radcliffe Institute for Advanced StudyHarvard University Cambridge Massachusetts
| | - Julián Torres‐Dowdall
- Zoology and Evolutionary BiologyDepartment of BiologyUniversity of Konstanz Konstanz Germany
- ZukunftskollegUniversity of Konstanz Konstanz Germany
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28
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Cummings ME, Endler JA. 25 Years of sensory drive: the evidence and its watery bias. Curr Zool 2018; 64:471-484. [PMID: 30108628 PMCID: PMC6084598 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoy043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2018] [Accepted: 05/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
It has been 25 years since the formalization of the Sensory Drive hypothesis was published in the American Naturalist (1992). Since then, there has been an explosion of research identifying its utility in contributing to our understanding of inter- and intra-specific variation in sensory systems and signaling properties. The main tenet of Sensory Drive is that environmental characteristics will influence the evolutionary trajectory of both sensory (detecting capabilities) and signaling (detectable features and behaviors) traits in predictable directions. We review the accumulating evidence in 154 studies addressing these questions and categorized their approach in terms of testing for environmental influence on sensory tuning, signal characteristics, or both. For the subset of studies that examined sensory tuning, there was greater support for Sensory Drive processes shaping visual than auditory tuning, and it was more prevalent in aquatic than terrestrial habitats. Terrestrial habitats and visual traits were the prevalent habitat and sensory modality in the 104 studies showing support for environmental influence on signaling properties. An additional 19 studies that found no supporting evidence for environmental influence on signaling traits were all based in terrestrial ecosystems and almost exclusively involved auditory signals. Only 29 studies examined the complete coevolutionary process between sensory and signaling traits and were dominated by fish visual communication. We discuss biophysical factors that may contribute to the visual and aquatic bias for Sensory Drive evidence, as well as biotic factors that may contribute to the lack of Sensory Drive processes in terrestrial acoustic signaling systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Molly E Cummings
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas, Austin, TX, USA
| | - John A Endler
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, VIC, Australia
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Shimmura T, Nakayama T, Shinomiya A, Yoshimura T. Seasonal changes in color perception. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2018; 260:171-174. [PMID: 29288672 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2017.12.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2017] [Accepted: 12/26/2017] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
In temperate zones, organisms experience dynamic fluctuations in environment including changes in color. To cope with such seasonal changes in the environment, organisms adapt their physiology and behavior. Although color perception has been believed to be fixed throughout life, there is increasing evidence for the alteration in opsin gene expression induced by environmental stimuli in a number of animals. Very recently, dynamic seasonal plasticity in color perception has been reported in the seasonally breeding medaka fish. Interestingly, seasonal changes in human color perception have also been reported. Therefore, plasticity of color perception, induced by environmental stimuli, might be a common phenomenon across various species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tsuyoshi Shimmura
- Division of Seasonal Biology, National Institute for Basic Biology, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8585, Japan; Department of Basic Biology, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), Hayama 240-0193, Japan
| | - Tomoya Nakayama
- Division of Seasonal Biology, National Institute for Basic Biology, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8585, Japan; Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8601, Japan
| | - Ai Shinomiya
- Division of Seasonal Biology, National Institute for Basic Biology, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8585, Japan; Department of Basic Biology, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), Hayama 240-0193, Japan
| | - Takashi Yoshimura
- Division of Seasonal Biology, National Institute for Basic Biology, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8585, Japan; Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8601, Japan; Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules (WPI-ITbM), Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8601, Japan.
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30
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Schweikert LE, Grace MS. Altered environmental light drives retinal change in the Atlantic Tarpon (Megalops atlanticus) over timescales relevant to marine environmental disturbance. BMC Ecol 2018; 18:1. [PMID: 29347979 PMCID: PMC5774114 DOI: 10.1186/s12898-018-0157-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2017] [Accepted: 01/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background For many fish species, retinal function changes between life history stages as part of an encoded developmental program. Retinal change is also known to exhibit plasticity because retinal form and function can be influenced by light exposure over the course of development. Aside from studies of gene expression, it remains largely unknown whether retinal plasticity can provide functional responses to short-term changes in environmental light quality. The aim of this study was to determine whether the structure and function of the fish retina can change in response to altered light intensity and spectrum—not over the course of a developmental regime, but over shorter time periods relevant to marine habitat disturbance. Results The effects of light environment on sensitivity of the retina, as well as on cone photoreceptor distribution were examined in the Atlantic tarpon (Megalops atlanticus) on 2- and 4-month timescales. In a spectral experiment, juvenile M. atlanticus were placed in either ‘red’ or ‘blue’ light conditions (with near identical irradiance), and in an intensity experiment, juveniles were placed in either ‘bright’ or ‘dim’ light conditions (with near identical spectra). Analysis of the retina by electroretinography and anti-opsin immunofluorescence revealed that relative to fish held in the blue condition, those in the red condition exhibited longer-wavelength peak sensitivity and greater abundance of long-wavelength-sensitive (LWS) cone photoreceptors over time. Following pre-test dark adaption of the retina, fish held in the dim light required less irradiance to produce a standard retinal response than fish held in bright light, developing a greater sensitivity to white light over time. Conclusions The results show that structure and function of the M. atlanticus retina can rapidly adjust to changes in environmental light within a given developmental stage, and that such changes are dependent on light quality and the length of exposure. These findings suggest that the fish retina may be resilient to disturbances in environmental light, using retinal plasticity to compensate for changes in light quality over short timescales. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12898-018-0157-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorian E Schweikert
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Institute of Technology, 150 W. University Boulevard, Melbourne, FL, 32901, USA.,Department of Biology, Duke University, 130 Science Dr. Durham, Durham, NC, 27583, USA
| | - Michael S Grace
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Institute of Technology, 150 W. University Boulevard, Melbourne, FL, 32901, USA.
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31
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Valen R, Karlsen R, Helvik JV. Environmental, population and life-stage plasticity in the visual system of Atlantic cod. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018; 221:jeb.165191. [PMID: 29146770 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.165191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2017] [Accepted: 11/12/2017] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
The visual system is for many fishes essential in guiding behaviors, such as foraging, predator avoidance and mate choice. The marine environment is characterized by large spatio-temporal fluctuations in light intensity and spectral composition. However, visual capabilities are restricted by both space limitations set by eye size and by the genomic content of light-absorbing opsin genes. The rich array of visual opsins in teleosts may be used differentially to tune vision towards specific needs during ontogeny and to changing light. Yet, to what extent visual plasticity is a pre-programmed developmental event, or is triggered by photic environment, is unclear. Our previous studies on Atlantic cod revealed an evolutionary genomic loss of UV-sensitive sws1 and red-sensitive lws opsin families, while blue-sensitive sws2 and green-sensitive rh2 opsins had duplicated. The current study has taken an opsin expression approach to characterize visual plasticity in cod towards different spectral light during the larval stage, to maturation and extreme seasonal changes in the Barents Sea. Our data suggest that opsin plasticity in cod larvae is controlled by developmental programme rather than immediate light environment. The lack of expressional changes during maturation suggests a less important role for visual modulation related to mate choice. Although no seasonal effects on visual opsins were detected in migratory Northeast Arctic cod, the expressed opsin subset differed from the more stationary Norwegian coastal cod described in previous studies. Interestingly, these data provide the first indications of a population difference in actively used visual opsins associated with cod ecotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ragnhild Valen
- Department of Biology, University of Bergen, NO-5020 Bergen, Norway
| | - Rita Karlsen
- Department of Biology, University of Bergen, NO-5020 Bergen, Norway
| | - Jon Vidar Helvik
- Department of Biology, University of Bergen, NO-5020 Bergen, Norway
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32
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Luehrmann M, Stieb SM, Carleton KL, Pietzker A, Cheney KL, Marshall NJ. Short term colour vision plasticity on the reef: Changes in opsin expression under varying light conditions differ between ecologically distinct reef fish species. J Exp Biol 2018; 221:jeb.175281. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.175281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2017] [Accepted: 08/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Vision mediates important behavioural tasks such as mate choice, escape from predators and foraging. In fish, photoreceptors are generally tuned to specific visual tasks and/or to their light environment according to depth or water colour to ensure optimal performance. Evolutionary mechanisms acting on opsin genes, the protein component of the photopigment, can influence the spectral sensitivity of photoreceptors. Opsin genes are known to respond to environmental conditions on a number of time scales including shorter time frames due to seasonal variation, or through longer term evolutionary tuning. There is also evidence for ‘on-the-fly’ adaptations in adult fish in response to rapidly changing environmental conditions, however, results are contradictory. Here we investigated the ability of three reef fish species that belong to two ecologically distinct families, Yellow-striped cardinalfish, Ostorhinchus cyanosoma, Ambon damselfish, Pomacentrus amboinensis, and Lemon damselfish, Pomacentrus moluccensis, to alter opsin-gene expression as an adaptation to short-term (weeks to months) changes of environmental light conditions, and attempted to characterize the underlying expression regulation principles. We report the ability for all species to alter opsin gene expression within months and even a few weeks, suggesting that opsin expression in adult reef fish is not static. Furthermore, we found that opsin expression changes in single cones generally occurred more rapidly than in double cones, and identified different responses of RH2 opsin gene expression between the ecologically distinct reef fish families. Quantum catch correlation analysis suggested different regulation mechanisms for opsin expression dependent on gene class.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Luehrmann
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Sensory Neurobiology Group, 4072, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Sara M. Stieb
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Sensory Neurobiology Group, 4072, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Karen L. Carleton
- Department of Biology, The University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA
| | - Alisa Pietzker
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Sensory Neurobiology Group, 4072, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Karen L. Cheney
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Sensory Neurobiology Group, 4072, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, 4072, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - N. Justin Marshall
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Sensory Neurobiology Group, 4072, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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33
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Hauser FE, Ilves KL, Schott RK, Castiglione GM, López-Fernández H, Chang BSW. Accelerated Evolution and Functional Divergence of the Dim Light Visual Pigment Accompanies Cichlid Colonization of Central America. Mol Biol Evol 2017; 34:2650-2664. [PMID: 28957507 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msx192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Cichlids encompass one of the most diverse groups of fishes in South and Central America, and show extensive variation in life history, morphology, and colouration. While studies of visual system evolution in cichlids have focussed largely on the African rift lake species flocks, Neotropical cichlids offer a unique opportunity to investigate visual system evolution at broader temporal and geographic scales. South American cichlid colonization of Central America has likely promoted accelerated rates of morphological evolution in Central American lineages as they encountered reduced competition, renewed ecological opportunity, and novel aquatic habitats. To investigate whether such transitions have influenced molecular evolution of vision in Central American cichlids, we sequenced the dim-light rhodopsin gene in 101 Neotropical cichlid species, spanning the diversity of the clade. We find strong evidence for increased rates of evolution in Central American cichlid rhodopsin relative to South American lineages, and identify several sites under positive selection in rhodopsin that likely contribute to adaptation to different photic environments. We expressed a Neotropical cichlid rhodopsin protein invitro for the first time, and found that while its spectral tuning properties were characteristic of typical vertebrate rhodopsin pigments, the rate of decay of its active signalling form was much slower, consistent with dim light adaptation in other vertebrate rhodopsins. Using site-directed mutagenesis combined with spectroscopic assays, we found that a key amino acid substitution present in some Central American cichlids accelerates the rate of decay of active rhodopsin, which may mediate adaptation to clear water habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frances E Hauser
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Katriina L Ilves
- Department of Natural History, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Biology, Pace University, New York, NY
| | - Ryan K Schott
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Gianni M Castiglione
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Hernán López-Fernández
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Natural History, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Belinda S W Chang
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Centre for the Analysis of Genome Evolution and Function, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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Nandamuri SP, Yourick MR, Carleton KL. Adult plasticity in African cichlids: Rapid changes in opsin expression in response to environmental light differences. Mol Ecol 2017; 26:6036-6052. [PMID: 28926160 DOI: 10.1111/mec.14357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2017] [Revised: 08/01/2017] [Accepted: 08/14/2017] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Phenotypic plasticity allows organisms to adapt quickly to local environmental conditions and could facilitate adaptive radiations. Cichlids have recently undergone an adaptive radiation in Lake Malawi where they inhabit diverse light environments and tune their visual sensitivity through differences in cone opsin expression. While cichlid opsin expression is known to be plastic over development, whether adults remain plastic is unknown. Adult plasticity in visual tuning could play a role in cichlid radiations by enabling survival in changing environments and facilitating invasion into novel environments. Here we examine the existence of and temporal changes in adult visual plasticity of two closely related species. In complementary experiments, wild adult Metriaclima mbenji from Lake Malawi were moved to the lab under UV-deficient fluorescent lighting; while lab raised M. benetos were placed under UV-rich lighting designed to mimic light conditions in the wild. Surprisingly, adult cichlids in both experiments showed significant changes in the expression of the UV-sensitive single cone opsin, SWS1, in only 3 days. Modeling quantum catches in the light environments revealed a possible link between the light available to the SWS1 visual pigment and SWS1 expression. We conclude that adult cichlids can undergo rapid and significant changes in opsin expression in response to environmental light shifts that are relevant to their habitat and evolutionary history in Lake Malawi. This could have contributed to the rapid divergence characteristic of these fantastic fishes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Miranda R Yourick
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Karen L Carleton
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
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35
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Kopperud KL, Grace MS. Circadian Rhythms of Retinomotor Movement in a Marine Megapredator, the Atlantic Tarpon, Megalops atlanticus. Int J Mol Sci 2017; 18:E2068. [PMID: 28956858 PMCID: PMC5666750 DOI: 10.3390/ijms18102068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2017] [Revised: 09/21/2017] [Accepted: 09/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Many ecologically and economically important marine fish species worldwide spend portions of their lives in coastal regions that are increasingly inundated by artificial light at night. However, while extensive research illustrates the harmful effects of inappropriate light exposure on biological timing in humans, rodents and birds, comparable studies on marine fish are virtually nonexistent. This study aimed to assess the effects of light on biological clock function in the marine fish retina using the Atlantic tarpon (Megalops atlanticus) as a model. Using anti-opsin immunofluorescence, we observed robust rhythms of photoreceptor outer segment position (retinomotor movement) over the course of the daily light-dark cycle: cone outer segments were contracted toward the inner retina and rods were elongated during the day; the opposite occurred at night. Phase shifting the daily light-dark cycle caused a corresponding shift of retinomotor movement timing, and cone retinomotor movement persisted in constant darkness, indicating control by a circadian clock. Constant light abolished retinomotor movements of both photoreceptor types. Thus, abnormally-timed light exposure may disrupt normal M. atlanticus clock function and harm vision, which in turn may affect prey capture and predator avoidance. These results should help inform efforts to mitigate the effects of coastal light pollution on organisms in marine ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristin L Kopperud
- College of Science, Florida Institute of Technology, 150 West University Blvd, Melbourne, FL 32901, USA.
| | - Michael S Grace
- College of Science, Florida Institute of Technology, 150 West University Blvd, Melbourne, FL 32901, USA.
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36
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Schweikert LE, Grace MS. Spectral Sensitivity Change May Precede Habitat Shift in the Developing Retina of the Atlantic Tarpon (Megalops atlanticus). Physiol Biochem Zool 2017; 90:553-563. [PMID: 28665184 DOI: 10.1086/692993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Fish that undergo ontogenetic migrations between habitats often encounter new light environments that require changes in the spectral sensitivity of the retina. For many fish, sensitivity of the retina changes to match the environmental spectrum, but the timing of retinal change relative to habitat shift remains unknown. Does retinal change in fish precede habitat shift, or is it a response to encountered changes in environmental light? Spectral sensitivity changes were examined over the development of the Atlantic tarpon (Megalops atlanticus) retina relative to ontogenetic shifts in habitat light. Opsin gene isoform expression and inferred chromophore use of visual pigments were examined over the course of M. atlanticus development. Spectral sensitivity of the retina was then determined by electroretinography and compared to the spectroradiometric measurements of habitat light encountered by M. atlanticus from juveniles to adults. These data, along with previously known microspectrophotometric measurements of sensitivity in M. atlanticus, indicate retinal spectral sensitivity that matches the dominant wavelengths of environmental light for juvenile and adult fish. For the intervening subadult stage, however, spectral sensitivity does not match the dominant wavelength of light it occupies but better matches the dominant wavelengths of light in the habitat of its forthcoming migration. These results first indicate that the relationship between environmental light spectrum and spectral sensitivity of the retina changes during M. atlanticus development and then suggest that such changes may be programmed to support visual anticipation of new photic environments.
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37
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Nandamuri SP, Dalton BE, Carleton KL. Determination of the Genetic Architecture Underlying Short Wavelength Sensitivity in Lake Malawi Cichlids. J Hered 2017; 108:379-390. [PMID: 28498989 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esx020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2016] [Accepted: 02/27/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
African cichlids are an exemplary system to study organismal diversity and rapid speciation. Species differ in external morphology including jaw shape and body coloration, but also differ in sensory systems including vision. All cichlids have 7 cone opsin genes with species differing broadly in which opsins are expressed. The differential opsin expression results in closely related species with substantial differences in spectral sensitivity of their photoreceptors. In this work, we take a first step in determining the genetic basis of opsin expression in cichlids. Using a second generation cross between 2 species with different opsin expression patterns, we make a conservative estimate that short wavelength opsin expression is regulated by a few loci. Genetic mapping in 96 F2 hybrids provides clear evidence of a cis-regulatory region for SWS1 opsin that explains 34% of the variation in expression between the 2 species. Additionally, in situ hybridization has shown that SWS1 and SWS2B opsins are coexpressed in individual single cones in the retinas of F2 progeny. Results from this work will contribute to a better understanding of the genetic architecture underlying opsin expression. This knowledge will help answer long-standing questions about the evolutionary processes fundamental to opsin expression variation and how this contributes to adaptive cichlid divergence.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Brian E Dalton
- National & Environmental Sciences Department, Western State Colorado University, Gunnison, CO 81231
| | - Karen L Carleton
- From the Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742
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38
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Härer A, Torres-Dowdall J, Meyer A. Rapid adaptation to a novel light environment: The importance of ontogeny and phenotypic plasticity in shaping the visual system of Nicaraguan Midas cichlid fish (Amphilophus citrinellus
spp.). Mol Ecol 2017; 26:5582-5593. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.14289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2017] [Revised: 07/14/2017] [Accepted: 07/31/2017] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Härer
- Zoology and Evolutionary Biology; Department of Biology; University of Konstanz; Konstanz Germany
| | - Julián Torres-Dowdall
- Zoology and Evolutionary Biology; Department of Biology; University of Konstanz; Konstanz Germany
- Zukunftskolleg; University of Konstanz; Konstanz Germany
| | - Axel Meyer
- Zoology and Evolutionary Biology; Department of Biology; University of Konstanz; Konstanz Germany
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39
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Shimmura T, Nakayama T, Shinomiya A, Fukamachi S, Yasugi M, Watanabe E, Shimo T, Senga T, Nishimura T, Tanaka M, Kamei Y, Naruse K, Yoshimura T. Dynamic plasticity in phototransduction regulates seasonal changes in color perception. Nat Commun 2017; 8:412. [PMID: 28871081 PMCID: PMC5583187 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-00432-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2017] [Accepted: 06/28/2017] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
To cope with seasonal changes in the environment, organisms adapt their physiology and behavior. Although color perception varies among seasons, the underlying molecular basis and its physiological significance remain unclear. Here we show that dynamic plasticity in phototransduction regulates seasonal changes in color perception in medaka fish. Medaka are active and exhibit clear phototaxis in conditions simulating summer, but remain at the bottom of the tank and fail to exhibit phototaxis in conditions simulating winter. Mate preference tests using virtual fish created with computer graphics demonstrate that medaka are more attracted to orange-red-colored model fish in summer than in winter. Transcriptome analysis of the eye reveals dynamic seasonal changes in the expression of genes encoding photopigments and their downstream pathways. Behavioral analysis of photopigment-null fish shows significant differences from wild type, suggesting that plasticity in color perception is crucial for the emergence of seasonally regulated behaviors. Animal coloration and behavior can change seasonally, but it is unclear if visual sensitivity to color shifts as well. Here, Shimmura et al. show that medaka undergo seasonal behavioral change accompanied by altered expression of opsin genes, resulting in reduced visual sensitivity to mates during winter-like conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tsuyoshi Shimmura
- Division of Seasonal Biology, National Institute for Basic Biology, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi, 444-8585, Japan.,Department of Basic Biology, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), Hayama, 240-0193, Japan.,Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8601, Japan.,Department of Biological Production, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Fuchu, Tokyo, 183-8509, Japan
| | - Tomoya Nakayama
- Division of Seasonal Biology, National Institute for Basic Biology, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi, 444-8585, Japan.,Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8601, Japan
| | - Ai Shinomiya
- Division of Seasonal Biology, National Institute for Basic Biology, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi, 444-8585, Japan.,Department of Basic Biology, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), Hayama, 240-0193, Japan
| | - Shoji Fukamachi
- Department of Chemical and Biological Sciences, Japan Women's University, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 112-8681, Japan
| | - Masaki Yasugi
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology, National Institute for Basic Biology, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi, 444-8585, Japan
| | - Eiji Watanabe
- Department of Basic Biology, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), Hayama, 240-0193, Japan.,Laboratory of Neurophysiology, National Institute for Basic Biology, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi, 444-8585, Japan
| | - Takayuki Shimo
- Division of Seasonal Biology, National Institute for Basic Biology, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi, 444-8585, Japan.,Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8601, Japan
| | - Takumi Senga
- Division of Seasonal Biology, National Institute for Basic Biology, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi, 444-8585, Japan.,Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8601, Japan
| | - Toshiya Nishimura
- Laboratory of Molecular Genetics for Reproduction, National Institute for Basic Biology, Okazaki, Aichi, 444-8787, Japan.,Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8601, Japan
| | - Minoru Tanaka
- Department of Basic Biology, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), Hayama, 240-0193, Japan.,Laboratory of Molecular Genetics for Reproduction, National Institute for Basic Biology, Okazaki, Aichi, 444-8787, Japan.,Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8601, Japan
| | - Yasuhiro Kamei
- Department of Basic Biology, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), Hayama, 240-0193, Japan.,Spectrography and Bioimaging Facility, National Institute for Basic Biology, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi, 444-8585, Japan
| | - Kiyoshi Naruse
- Department of Basic Biology, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), Hayama, 240-0193, Japan.,Laboratory of Bioresources, National Institute for Basic Biology, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi, 444-8585, Japan
| | - Takashi Yoshimura
- Division of Seasonal Biology, National Institute for Basic Biology, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi, 444-8585, Japan. .,Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8601, Japan. .,Avian Bioscience Research Center, Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8601, Japan. .,Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules (WPI-ITbM), Nagoya University, Nagoya, 464-8601, Aichi, Japan.
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40
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Veen T, Brock C, Rennison D, Bolnick D. Plasticity contributes to a fine-scale depth gradient in sticklebacks' visual system. Mol Ecol 2017; 26:4339-4350. [PMID: 28570029 DOI: 10.1111/mec.14193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2016] [Revised: 05/06/2017] [Accepted: 05/15/2017] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
The light environment influences an animal's ability to forage, evade predators, and find mates, and consequently is known to drive local adaptation of visual systems. However, the light environment may also vary over fine spatial scales at which genetic adaptation is difficult. For instance, in aquatic systems, the available wavelengths of light change over a few metres depth. Do animals plastically adjust their visual system to such small-scale environmental light variation? Here, we show that in three-spine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus), opsin gene expression (an important determinant of colour vision) changes over a 2-m vertical gradient in nest depth. By experimentally altering the light environment using light filters to cover enclosures in a lake, we found that opsin expression can be adjusted on a short time frame (weeks) in response to the local light environment. This is to our knowledge the smallest spatial scale on which visual adjustments through opsin expression have been recorded in a natural setting along a continuously changing light environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thor Veen
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.,Life Sciences, Quest University, Squamish, BC, Canada
| | - Chad Brock
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.,Biodiversity Institute & the Department of Botany, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA
| | - Diana Rennison
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Daniel Bolnick
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
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41
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Friesen CN, Ramsey ME, Cummings ME. Differential sensitivity to estrogen-induced opsin expression in two poeciliid freshwater fish species. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2017; 246:200-210. [PMID: 28013033 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2016.12.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2016] [Revised: 11/29/2016] [Accepted: 12/19/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
The sensory system shapes an individual's perception of the world, including social interactions with conspecifics, habitat selection, predator detection, and foraging behavior. Sensory signaling can be modulated by steroid hormones, making these processes particularly vulnerable to environmental perturbations. Here we examine the influence of exogenous estrogen manipulation on the visual physiology of female western mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) and sailfin mollies (Poecilia latipinna), two poeciliid species that inhabit freshwater environments across the southern United States. We conducted two experiments to address this aim. First, we exposed females from both species to a one-week dose response experiment with three treatments of waterborne β-estradiol. Next, we conducted a one-week estrogen manipulation experiment with a waterborne estrogen (β-Estradiol), a selective estrogen receptor modulator (tamoxifen), or combination estrogen and tamoxifen treatment. We used quantitative PCR (qPCR) to examine the expression of cone opsins (SWS1, SWS2b, SWS2a, Rh2, LWS), rhodopsin (Rh1), and steroid receptor genes (ARα, ARβ, ERα, ERβ2, GPER) in the eyes of individual females from each species. Results from the dose response experiment revealed estradiol-sensitivity in opsin (SWS2a, Rh2, Rh1) and androgen receptor (ARα, ARβ) gene expression in mosquitofish females, but not sailfins. Meanwhile, our estrogen receptor modulation experiments revealed estrogen sensitivity in LWS opsin expression in both species, along with sensitivity in SWS1, SWS2b, and Rh2 opsins in mosquitofish. Comparisons of control females across experiments reveal species-level differences in opsin expression, with mosquitofish retinas dominated by short-wavelength sensitive opsins (SWS2b) and sailfins retinas dominated by medium- and long-wavelength sensitive opsins (Rh2 and LWS). Our research suggests that variation in exogenous levels of sex hormones within freshwater environments can modify the visual physiology of fishes in a species-specific manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caitlin N Friesen
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712, USA. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Caitlin_Friesen
| | - Mary E Ramsey
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Molly E Cummings
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712, USA
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42
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Marques DA, Taylor JS, Jones FC, Di Palma F, Kingsley DM, Reimchen TE. Convergent evolution of SWS2 opsin facilitates adaptive radiation of threespine stickleback into different light environments. PLoS Biol 2017; 15:e2001627. [PMID: 28399148 PMCID: PMC5388470 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.2001627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2016] [Accepted: 03/06/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Repeated adaptation to a new environment often leads to convergent phenotypic changes whose underlying genetic mechanisms are rarely known. Here, we study adaptation of color vision in threespine stickleback during the repeated postglacial colonization of clearwater and blackwater lakes in the Haida Gwaii archipelago. We use whole genomes from 16 clearwater and 12 blackwater populations, and a selection experiment, in which stickleback were transplanted from a blackwater lake into an uninhabited clearwater pond and resampled after 19 y to test for selection on cone opsin genes. Patterns of haplotype homozygosity, genetic diversity, site frequency spectra, and allele-frequency change support a selective sweep centered on the adjacent blue- and red-light sensitive opsins SWS2 and LWS. The haplotype under selection carries seven amino acid changes in SWS2, including two changes known to cause a red-shift in light absorption, and is favored in blackwater lakes but disfavored in the clearwater habitat of the transplant population. Remarkably, the same red-shifting amino acid changes occurred after the duplication of SWS2 198 million years ago, in the ancestor of most spiny-rayed fish. Two distantly related fish species, bluefin killifish and black bream, express these old paralogs divergently in black- and clearwater habitats, while sticklebacks lost one paralog. Our study thus shows that convergent adaptation to the same environment can involve the same genetic changes on very different evolutionary time scales by reevolving lost mutations and reusing them repeatedly from standing genetic variation.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A. Marques
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
- * E-mail:
| | - John S. Taylor
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Felicity C. Jones
- Stanford University School of Medicine, Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford, California, United States of America
- Friedrich Miescher Laboratory of the Max Planck Society, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Federica Di Palma
- Earlham Institute and University of East Anglia, Department of Biological Sciences, Norwich, United Kingdom
| | - David M. Kingsley
- Stanford University School of Medicine, Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford, California, United States of America
| | - Thomas E. Reimchen
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
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43
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Escobar-Camacho D, Ramos E, Martins C, Carleton KL. The opsin genes of amazonian cichlids. Mol Ecol 2017; 26:1343-1356. [PMID: 27997048 PMCID: PMC5342946 DOI: 10.1111/mec.13957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2016] [Revised: 11/04/2016] [Accepted: 11/21/2016] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Vision is a critical sense for organismal survival with visual sensitivities strongly shaped by the environment. Some freshwater fishes with a Gondwanan origin are distributed in both South American rivers including the Amazon and African rivers and lakes. These different habitats likely required adaptations to murky and clear environments. In this study, we compare the molecular basis of Amazonian and African cichlid fishes' visual systems. We used next-generation sequencing of genomes and retinal transcriptomes to examine three Amazonian cichlid species. Genome assemblies revealed six cone opsin classes (SWS1, SWS2B, SWS2A, RH2B, RH2A and LWS) and rod opsin (RH1). However, the functionality of these genes varies across species with different pseudogenes found in different species. Our results support evidence of an RH2A gene duplication event that is shared across both cichlid groups, but which was probably followed by gene conversion. Transcriptome analyses show that Amazonian species mainly express three opsin classes (SWS2A, RH2A and LWS), which likely are a good match to the long-wavelength-oriented light environment of the Amazon basin. Furthermore, analysis of amino acid sequences suggests that the short-wavelength-sensitive genes (SWS2B, SWS2A) may be under selective pressures to shift their spectral properties to a longer-wavelength visual palette. Our results agree with the 'sensitivity hypothesis' where the light environment causes visual adaptation. Amazonian cichlid visual systems are likely adapting through gene expression, gene loss and possibly spectral tuning of opsin sequences. Such mechanisms may be shared across the Amazonian fish fauna.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Erica Ramos
- Department of Morphology, Biosciences Institute, São Paulo State University, 18618-689 Botucatu, Brazil
| | - Cesar Martins
- Department of Morphology, Biosciences Institute, São Paulo State University, 18618-689 Botucatu, Brazil
| | - Karen L. Carleton
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
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44
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Stieb SM, Cortesi F, Sueess L, Carleton KL, Salzburger W, Marshall NJ. Why UV vision and red vision are important for damselfish (Pomacentridae): structural and expression variation in opsin genes. Mol Ecol 2017; 26:1323-1342. [PMID: 27997050 DOI: 10.1111/mec.13968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2016] [Revised: 11/29/2016] [Accepted: 12/05/2016] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Coral reefs belong to the most diverse ecosystems on our planet. The diversity in coloration and lifestyles of coral reef fishes makes them a particularly promising system to study the role of visual communication and adaptation. Here, we investigated the evolution of visual pigment genes (opsins) in damselfish (Pomacentridae) and examined whether structural and expression variation of opsins can be linked to ecology. Using DNA sequence data of a phylogenetically representative set of 31 damselfish species, we show that all but one visual opsin are evolving under positive selection. In addition, selection on opsin tuning sites, including cases of divergent, parallel, convergent and reversed evolution, has been strong throughout the radiation of damselfish, emphasizing the importance of visual tuning for this group. The highest functional variation in opsin protein sequences was observed in the short- followed by the long-wavelength end of the visual spectrum. Comparative gene expression analyses of a subset of the same species revealed that with SWS1, RH2B and RH2A always being expressed, damselfish use an overall short-wavelength shifted expression profile. Interestingly, not only did all species express SWS1 - a UV-sensitive opsin - and possess UV-transmitting lenses, most species also feature UV-reflective body parts. This suggests that damsels might benefit from a close-range UV-based 'private' communication channel, which is likely to be hidden from 'UV-blind' predators. Finally, we found that LWS expression is highly correlated to feeding strategy in damsels with herbivorous feeders having an increased LWS expression, possibly enhancing the detection of benthic algae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara M Stieb
- Sensory Neurobiology Group, Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia.,Zoological Institute, University of Basel, Basel, 4051, Switzerland
| | - Fabio Cortesi
- Sensory Neurobiology Group, Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia.,Zoological Institute, University of Basel, Basel, 4051, Switzerland
| | - Lorenz Sueess
- Sensory Neurobiology Group, Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Karen L Carleton
- Department of Biology, The University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA
| | | | - N J Marshall
- Sensory Neurobiology Group, Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
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45
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Maan ME, Seehausen O, Groothuis TGG. Differential Survival between Visual Environments Supports a Role of Divergent Sensory Drive in Cichlid Fish Speciation. Am Nat 2017; 189:78-85. [DOI: 10.1086/689605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
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46
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Wright DS, Demandt N, Alkema JT, Seehausen O, Groothuis TGG, Maan ME. Developmental effects of visual environment on species-assortative mating preferences in Lake Victoria cichlid fish. J Evol Biol 2016; 30:289-299. [DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2016] [Revised: 10/10/2016] [Accepted: 10/18/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- D. S. Wright
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES); University of Groningen; Groningen The Netherlands
| | - N. Demandt
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES); University of Groningen; Groningen The Netherlands
| | - J. T. Alkema
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES); University of Groningen; Groningen The Netherlands
| | - O. Seehausen
- Institute of Ecology & Evolution; University of Bern; Bern Switzerland
- Department Fish Ecology & Evolution; Eawag, Center for Ecology, Evolution and Biogeochemistry; Kastanienbaum Switzerland
| | - T. G. G. Groothuis
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES); University of Groningen; Groningen The Netherlands
| | - M. E. Maan
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES); University of Groningen; Groningen The Netherlands
- Institute of Ecology & Evolution; University of Bern; Bern Switzerland
- Department Fish Ecology & Evolution; Eawag, Center for Ecology, Evolution and Biogeochemistry; Kastanienbaum Switzerland
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47
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Stieb SM, Carleton KL, Cortesi F, Marshall NJ, Salzburger W. Depth-dependent plasticity in opsin gene expression varies between damselfish (Pomacentridae) species. Mol Ecol 2016; 25:3645-61. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.13712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2015] [Revised: 05/10/2016] [Accepted: 05/31/2016] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Sara M. Stieb
- Zoological Institute; University of Basel; Basel 4051 Switzerland
- Queensland Brain Institute; The University of Queensland; Brisbane QLD 4072 Australia
| | - Karen L. Carleton
- Department of Biology; University of Maryland; College Park MD 20742 USA
| | - Fabio Cortesi
- Zoological Institute; University of Basel; Basel 4051 Switzerland
- Queensland Brain Institute; The University of Queensland; Brisbane QLD 4072 Australia
| | - N. Justin Marshall
- Queensland Brain Institute; The University of Queensland; Brisbane QLD 4072 Australia
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48
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Sakai Y, Ohtsuki H, Kasagi S, Kawamura S, Kawata M. Effects of light environment during growth on the expression of cone opsin genes and behavioral spectral sensitivities in guppies (Poecilia reticulata). BMC Evol Biol 2016; 16:106. [PMID: 27193604 PMCID: PMC4870739 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-016-0679-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2016] [Accepted: 05/06/2016] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The visual system is important for animals for mate choice, food acquisition, and predator avoidance. Animals possessing a visual system can sense particular wavelengths of light emanating from objects and their surroundings and perceive their environments by processing information contained in these visual perceptions of light. Visual perception in individuals varies with the absorption spectra of visual pigments and the expression levels of opsin genes, which may be altered according to the light environments. However, which light environments and the mechanism by which they change opsin expression profiles and whether these changes in opsin gene expression can affect light sensitivities are largely unknown. This study determined whether the light environment during growth induced plastic changes in opsin gene expression and behavioral sensitivity to particular wavelengths of light in guppies (Poecilia reticulata). RESULTS Individuals grown under orange light exhibited a higher expression of long wavelength-sensitive (LWS) opsin genes and a higher sensitivity to 600-nm light than those grown under green light. In addition, we confirmed that variations in the expression levels of LWS opsin genes were related to the behavioral sensitivities to long wavelengths of light. CONCLUSIONS The light environment during the growth stage alters the expression levels of LWS opsin genes and behavioral sensitivities to long wavelengths of light in guppies. The plastically enhanced sensitivity to background light due to changes in opsin gene expression can enhance the detection and visibility of predators and foods, thereby affecting survival. Moreover, changes in sensitivities to orange light may lead to changes in the discrimination of orange/red colors of male guppies and might alter female preferences for male color patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yusuke Sakai
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, 980-8578, Sendai, Japan
| | - Hajime Ohtsuki
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, 980-8578, Sendai, Japan
| | - Satoshi Kasagi
- Department of Integrated Biosciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, University of Tokyo, 277-8562, Kashiwa, Japan
| | - Shoji Kawamura
- Department of Integrated Biosciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, University of Tokyo, 277-8562, Kashiwa, Japan
| | - Masakado Kawata
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, 980-8578, Sendai, Japan.
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Carleton KL, Dalton BE, Escobar-Camacho D, Nandamuri SP. Proximate and ultimate causes of variable visual sensitivities: Insights from cichlid fish radiations. Genesis 2016; 54:299-325. [PMID: 27061347 DOI: 10.1002/dvg.22940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2016] [Revised: 04/01/2016] [Accepted: 04/04/2016] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Animals vary in their sensitivities to different wavelengths of light. Sensitivity differences can have fitness implications in terms of animals' ability to forage, find mates, and avoid predators. As a result, visual systems are likely selected to operate in particular lighting environments and for specific visual tasks. This review focuses on cichlid vision, as cichlids have diverse visual sensitivities, and considerable progress has been made in determining the genetic basis for this variation. We describe both the proximate and ultimate mechanisms shaping cichlid visual diversity using the structure of Tinbergen's four questions. We describe (1) the molecular mechanisms that tune visual sensitivities including changes in opsin sequence and expression; (2) the evolutionary history of visual sensitivity across the African cichlid flocks; (3) the ontological changes in visual sensitivity and how modifying this developmental program alters sensitivities among species; and (4) the fitness benefits of spectral tuning mechanisms with respect to survival and mating success. We further discuss progress to unravel the gene regulatory networks controlling opsin expression and suggest that a simple genetic architecture contributes to the lability of opsin gene expression. Finally, we identify unanswered questions including whether visual sensitivities are experiencing selection, and whether similar spectral tuning mechanisms shape visual sensitivities of other fishes. genesis 54:299-325, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen L Carleton
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
| | - Brian E Dalton
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
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Martin M, Théry M, Rodgers G, Goven D, Sourice S, Mège P, Secondi J. UV wavelengths experienced during development affect larval newt visual sensitivity and predation efficiency. Biol Lett 2016; 12:20150954. [PMID: 26843556 PMCID: PMC4780554 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2015.0954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2015] [Accepted: 01/07/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
We experimentally investigated the influence of developmental plasticity of ultraviolet (UV) visual sensitivity on predation efficiency of the larval smooth newt, Lissotriton vulgaris. We quantified expression of SWS1 opsin gene (UV-sensitive protein of photoreceptor cells) in the retinas of individuals who had developed in the presence (UV+) or absence (UV-) of UV light (developmental treatments), and tested their predation efficiency under UV+ and UV- light (testing treatments). We found that both SWS1 opsin expression and predation efficiency were significantly reduced in the UV- developmental group. Larvae in the UV- testing environment displayed consistently lower predation efficiency regardless of their developmental treatment. These results prove for the first time, we believe, functional UV vision and developmental plasticity of UV sensitivity in an amphibian at the larval stage. They also demonstrate that UV wavelengths enhance predation efficiency and suggest that the magnitude of the behavioural response depends on retinal properties induced by the developmental lighting environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mélissa Martin
- UMR 7179 CNRS-MNHN, Mécanismes Adaptatifs et Evolution, Brunoy, France GECCO, Université d'Angers, France
| | - Marc Théry
- UMR 7179 CNRS-MNHN, Mécanismes Adaptatifs et Evolution, Brunoy, France
| | - Gwendolen Rodgers
- UMR 7179 CNRS-MNHN, Mécanismes Adaptatifs et Evolution, Brunoy, France
| | - Delphine Goven
- UPRES EA 2647/USC INRA 1330, Récepteurs et Canaux Ioniques Membranaires, Université d'Angers, France
| | - Stéphane Sourice
- GECCO, Université d'Angers, France UMR 6554 Littoral, Environnement, Télédétection, Géomatique, Université d'Angers, France
| | - Pascal Mège
- UMR 7179 CNRS-MNHN, Mécanismes Adaptatifs et Evolution, Brunoy, France GECCO, Université d'Angers, France
| | - Jean Secondi
- GECCO, Université d'Angers, France UMR 6554 Littoral, Environnement, Télédétection, Géomatique, Université d'Angers, France
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