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Strickland K, Matthews B, Jónsson ZO, Kristjánsson BK, Phillips JS, Einarsson Á, Räsänen K. Microevolutionary change in wild stickleback: Using integrative time-series data to infer responses to selection. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2410324121. [PMID: 39231210 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2410324121] [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: 05/23/2024] [Accepted: 08/07/2024] [Indexed: 09/06/2024] Open
Abstract
A central goal in evolutionary biology is to understand how different evolutionary processes cause trait change in wild populations. However, quantifying evolutionary change in the wild requires linking trait change to shifts in allele frequencies at causal loci. Nevertheless, datasets that allow for such tests are extremely rare and existing theoretical approaches poorly account for the evolutionary dynamics that likely occur in ecological settings. Using a decade-long integrative phenome-to-genome time-series dataset on wild threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus), we identified how different modes of selection (directional, episodic, and balancing) drive microevolutionary change in correlated traits over time. Most strikingly, we show that feeding traits changed by as much 25% across 10 generations which was driven by changes in the genetic architecture (i.e., in both genomic breeding values and allele frequencies at genetic loci for feeding traits). Importantly, allele frequencies at genetic loci related to feeding traits changed at a rate greater than expected under drift, suggesting that the observed change was a result of directional selection. Allele frequency dynamics of loci related to swimming traits appeared to be under fluctuating selection evident in periodic population crashes in this system. Our results show that microevolutionary change in a wild population is characterized by different modes of selection acting simultaneously on different traits, which likely has important consequences for the evolution of correlated traits. Our study provides one of the most thorough descriptions to date of how microevolutionary processes result in trait change in a natural population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kasha Strickland
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, United Kingdom
- Department of Aquaculture and Fish Biology, Háskólinn á Hólum, Hólum í Hjaltadal, Sauðárkrókur 551, Iceland
| | - Blake Matthews
- Department of Fish Ecology and Evolution, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, EAWAG, Kastanienbaum CH-6047, Switzerland
| | - Zophonías O Jónsson
- Institute of Life and Environmental Sciences, School of Engineering and Natural Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavík 102, Iceland
| | - Bjarni K Kristjánsson
- Department of Aquaculture and Fish Biology, Háskólinn á Hólum, Hólum í Hjaltadal, Sauðárkrókur 551, Iceland
| | - Joseph S Phillips
- Department of Aquaculture and Fish Biology, Háskólinn á Hólum, Hólum í Hjaltadal, Sauðárkrókur 551, Iceland
- Department of Biology, Creighton University, Omaha, NE 68178
| | - Árni Einarsson
- Institute of Life and Environmental Sciences, School of Engineering and Natural Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavík 102, Iceland
| | - Katja Räsänen
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, EAWAG, Duebendorf 8600, Switzerland
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä 40014, Finland
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2
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Strickland K, Räsänen K, Kristjánsson BK, Phillips JS, Einarsson A, Snorradóttir RG, Bartrons M, Jónsson ZO. Genome-phenotype-environment associations identify signatures of selection in a panmictic population of threespine stickleback. Mol Ecol 2023; 32:1708-1725. [PMID: 36627230 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Revised: 12/01/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Adaptive genetic divergence occurs when selection imposed by the environment causes the genomic component of the phenotype to differentiate. However, genomic signatures of natural selection are usually identified without information on which trait is responding to selection by which selective agent(s). Here, we integrate whole-genome sequencing with phenomics and measures of putative selective agents to assess the extent of adaptive divergence in threespine stickleback occupying the highly heterogeneous lake Mývatn, NE Iceland. We find negligible genome wide divergence, yet multiple traits (body size, gill raker structure and defence traits) were divergent along known ecological gradients (temperature, predatory bird densities and water depth). SNP based heritability of all measured traits was high (h2 = 0.42-0.65), indicating adaptive potential for all traits. Environment-association analyses further identified thousands of loci putatively involved in selection, related to genes linked to, for instance, neuron development and protein phosphorylation. Finally, we found that loci linked to water depth were concurrently associated with pelvic spine length variation - supporting the conclusion that divergence in pelvic spine length occurred in the face of gene flow. Our results suggest that whilst there is substantial genetic variation in the traits measured, phenotypic divergence of Mývatn stickleback is mostly weakly associated with environmental gradients, potentially as a result of substantial gene flow. Our study illustrates the value of integrative studies that combine genomic assays of multivariate trait variation with landscape genomics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kasha Strickland
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.,Department of Aquaculture and Fish Biology, Hólar University, Sauðárkrókur, Iceland
| | - Katja Räsänen
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, EAWAG and Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH, Zurich, Switzerland.,Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | | | - Joseph S Phillips
- Department of Aquaculture and Fish Biology, Hólar University, Sauðárkrókur, Iceland.,Department of Biology, Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska, USA
| | | | - Ragna G Snorradóttir
- Department of Aquaculture and Fish Biology, Hólar University, Sauðárkrókur, Iceland
| | - Mireia Bartrons
- Aquatic Ecology Group, University of Vic (UVic-UCC), Catalonia, Spain
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3
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Sowersby W, Cerca J, Wong BBM, Lehtonen TK, Chapple DG, Leal-Cardín M, Barluenga M, Ravinet M. Pervasive admixture and the spread of a large-lipped form in a cichlid fish radiation. Mol Ecol 2021; 30:5551-5571. [PMID: 34418206 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2019] [Revised: 07/31/2021] [Accepted: 08/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Adaptive radiations have proven important for understanding the mechanisms and processes underlying biological diversity. The convergence of form and function, as well as admixture and adaptive introgression, are common in adaptive radiations. However, distinguishing between these two scenarios remains a challenge for evolutionary research. The Midas cichlid species complex (Amphilophus spp.) is a prime example of adaptive radiation, with phenotypic diversification occurring at various stages of genetic differentiation. One species, A. labiatus, has large fleshy lips, is associated with rocky lake substrates, and occurs patchily within Lakes Nicaragua and Managua. By contrast, the similar, but thin-lipped, congener, A. citrinellus, is more common and widespread. We investigated the evolutionary history of the large-lipped form, specifically regarding whether the trait has evolved independently in both lakes from ancestral thin-lipped populations, or via dispersal and/or admixture events. We collected samples from distinct locations in both lakes, and assessed differences in morphology and ecology. Using RAD-seq, we genotyped thousands of SNPs to measure population structure and divergence, demographic history, and admixture. We found significant between-species differences in ecology and morphology, local intraspecific differences in body shape and trophic traits, but only limited intraspecific variation in lip shape. Despite clear ecological differences, our genomic approach uncovered pervasive admixture between the species and low genomic differentiation, with species within lakes being genetically more similar than species between lakes. Taken together, our results suggest a single origin of large-lips, followed by pervasive admixture and adaptive introgression, with morphology being driven by local ecological opportunities, despite ongoing gene-flow.
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Affiliation(s)
- Will Sowersby
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Biology, Osaka City University, Osaka, Japan
| | - José Cerca
- Frontiers of Evolutionary Zoology Research Group, Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.,Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA.,Department of Natural History, NTNU University Museum, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Bob B M Wong
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Topi K Lehtonen
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.,Organismal and Evolutionary Biology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - David G Chapple
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Mariana Leal-Cardín
- Department of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, Madrid, Spain.,Universidad de Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain
| | - Marta Barluenga
- Department of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, Madrid, Spain
| | - Mark Ravinet
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.,Division of Population Genetics, National Institute of Genetics, Mishima, Japan.,School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
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4
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Skúlason S, Parsons KJ, Svanbäck R, Räsänen K, Ferguson MM, Adams CE, Amundsen P, Bartels P, Bean CW, Boughman JW, Englund G, Guðbrandsson J, Hooker OE, Hudson AG, Kahilainen KK, Knudsen R, Kristjánsson BK, Leblanc CA, Jónsson Z, Öhlund G, Smith C, Snorrason SS. A way forward with eco evo devo: an extended theory of resource polymorphism with postglacial fishes as model systems. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2019; 94:1786-1808. [PMID: 31215138 PMCID: PMC6852119 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2018] [Revised: 05/12/2019] [Accepted: 05/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
A major goal of evolutionary science is to understand how biological diversity is generated and altered. Despite considerable advances, we still have limited insight into how phenotypic variation arises and is sorted by natural selection. Here we argue that an integrated view, which merges ecology, evolution and developmental biology (eco evo devo) on an equal footing, is needed to understand the multifaceted role of the environment in simultaneously determining the development of the phenotype and the nature of the selective environment, and how organisms in turn affect the environment through eco evo and eco devo feedbacks. To illustrate the usefulness of an integrated eco evo devo perspective, we connect it with the theory of resource polymorphism (i.e. the phenotypic and genetic diversification that occurs in response to variation in available resources). In so doing, we highlight fishes from recently glaciated freshwater systems as exceptionally well-suited model systems for testing predictions of an eco evo devo framework in studies of diversification. Studies on these fishes show that intraspecific diversity can evolve rapidly, and that this process is jointly facilitated by (i) the availability of diverse environments promoting divergent natural selection; (ii) dynamic developmental processes sensitive to environmental and genetic signals; and (iii) eco evo and eco devo feedbacks influencing the selective and developmental environments of the phenotype. We highlight empirical examples and present a conceptual model for the generation of resource polymorphism - emphasizing eco evo devo, and identify current gaps in knowledge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Skúli Skúlason
- Department of Aquaculture and Fish BiologyHólar UniversitySauðárkrókur, 551Iceland
- Icelandic Museum of Natural History, Brynjólfsgata 5ReykjavíkIS‐107Iceland
| | - Kevin J. Parsons
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health & Comparative MedicineUniversity of GlasgowGlasgow, G12 8QQU.K.
| | - Richard Svanbäck
- Animal Ecology, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Science for Life LaboratoryUppsala University, Norbyvägen 18DUppsala, SE‐752 36Sweden
| | - Katja Räsänen
- Department of Aquatic EcologyEAWAG, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, and Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH‐Zurich, Ueberlandstrasse 133CH‐8600DübendorfSwitzerland
| | - Moira M. Ferguson
- Department of Integrative BiologyUniversity of GuelphGuelph, Ontario N1G 2W1Canada
| | - Colin E. Adams
- Scottish Centre for Ecology and the Natural Environment, IBAHCMUniversity of GlasgowGlasgow G12 8QQU.K.
| | - Per‐Arne Amundsen
- Freshwater Ecology Group, Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and EconomicsUniversity of TromsöTromsö, N‐9037Norway
| | - Pia Bartels
- Department of Ecology and Environmental ScienceUmeå UniversityUmeå, SE‐90187Sweden
| | - Colin W. Bean
- Scottish Natural Heritage, Caspian House, Mariner Court, Clydebank Business ParkClydebank, G81 2NRU.K.
| | - Janette W. Boughman
- Department of Integrative BiologyMichigan State UniversityEast Lansing, MI 48824U.S.A.
| | - Göran Englund
- Department of Ecology and Environmental ScienceUmeå UniversityUmeå, SE‐90187Sweden
| | - Jóhannes Guðbrandsson
- Institute of Life and Environmental SciencesUniversity of IcelandReykjavik, 101Iceland
| | | | - Alan G. Hudson
- Department of Ecology and Environmental ScienceUmeå UniversityUmeå, SE‐90187Sweden
| | - Kimmo K. Kahilainen
- Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, Campus Evenstad, Anne Evenstadvei 80Koppang, NO‐2480Norway
| | - Rune Knudsen
- Freshwater Ecology Group, Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and EconomicsUniversity of TromsöTromsö, N‐9037Norway
| | | | - Camille A‐L. Leblanc
- Department of Aquaculture and Fish BiologyHólar UniversitySauðárkrókur, 551Iceland
| | - Zophonías Jónsson
- Institute of Life and Environmental SciencesUniversity of IcelandReykjavik, 101Iceland
| | - Gunnar Öhlund
- Department of Ecology and Environmental ScienceUmeå UniversityUmeå, SE‐90187Sweden
| | - Carl Smith
- School of BiologyUniversity of St Andrews, St. AndrewsFife, KY16 9AJU.K.
| | - Sigurður S. Snorrason
- Institute of Life and Environmental SciencesUniversity of IcelandReykjavik, 101Iceland
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5
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Seymour M, Räsänen K, Kristjánsson BK. Drift versus selection as drivers of phenotypic divergence at small spatial scales: The case of Belgjarskógur threespine stickleback. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:8133-8145. [PMID: 31380077 PMCID: PMC6662300 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2019] [Revised: 05/17/2019] [Accepted: 05/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Divergence in phenotypic traits is facilitated by a combination of natural selection, phenotypic plasticity, gene flow, and genetic drift, whereby the role of drift is expected to be particularly important in small and isolated populations. Separating the components of phenotypic divergence is notoriously difficult, particularly for multivariate phenotypes. Here, we assessed phenotypic divergence of threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) across 19 semi-interconnected ponds within a small geographic region (~7.5 km2) using comparisons of multivariate phenotypic divergence (PST), neutral genetic (FST), and environmental (EST) variation. We found phenotypic divergence across the ponds in a suite of functionally relevant phenotypic traits, including feeding, defense, and swimming traits, and body shape (geometric morphometric). Comparisons of PSTs with FSTs suggest that phenotypic divergence is predominantly driven by neutral processes or stabilizing selection, whereas phenotypic divergence in defensive traits is in accordance with divergent selection. Comparisons of population pairwise PSTs with ESTs suggest that phenotypic divergence in swimming traits is correlated with prey availability, whereas there were no clear associations between phenotypic divergence and environmental difference in the other phenotypic groups. Overall, our results suggest that phenotypic divergence of these small populations at small geographic scales is largely driven by neutral processes (gene flow, drift), although environmental determinants (natural selection or phenotypic plasticity) may play a role.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathew Seymour
- Department of Aquaculture and Fish BiologyHólar UniversitySkagafjörðurIceland
- Department of Aquatic EcologyEAWAG and Institute of Integrative BiologyETH‐ZurichDübendorfSwitzerland
- Molecular Ecology and Fisheries Genetics LaboratorySchool of Biological SciencesBangor UniversityBangorUK
| | - Katja Räsänen
- Department of Aquatic EcologyEAWAG and Institute of Integrative BiologyETH‐ZurichDübendorfSwitzerland
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6
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Piggott CVH, Verspoor E, Greer R, Hooker O, Newton J, Adams CE. Phenotypic and resource use partitioning amongst sympatric, lacustrine brown trout, Salmo trutta. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/bly032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Camilla V H Piggott
- Scottish Centre for Ecology & the Natural Environment, IBAHCM, University of Glasgow, Rowardennan, Glasgow, UK
| | - Eric Verspoor
- The Rivers and Lochs Institute, University of the Highlands and Islands, Inverness, UK
| | | | - Oliver Hooker
- Scottish Centre for Ecology & the Natural Environment, IBAHCM, University of Glasgow, Rowardennan, Glasgow, UK
- PR Statistics, Hope Park Crescent, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Jason Newton
- NERC Life Sciences Mass Spectrometry Facility, SUERC, East Kilbride, UK
| | - Colin E Adams
- Scottish Centre for Ecology & the Natural Environment, IBAHCM, University of Glasgow, Rowardennan, Glasgow, UK
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7
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Marques DA, Lucek K, Haesler MP, Feller AF, Meier JI, Wagner CE, Excoffier L, Seehausen O. Genomic landscape of early ecological speciation initiated by selection on nuptial colour. Mol Ecol 2016; 26:7-24. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.13774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2016] [Revised: 06/30/2016] [Accepted: 07/14/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- David Alexander Marques
- Institute of Ecology & Evolution; University of Bern; Bern Switzerland
- Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology; Kastanienbaum Switzerland
| | - Kay Lucek
- Institute of Ecology & Evolution; University of Bern; Bern Switzerland
- Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology; Kastanienbaum Switzerland
- University of Sheffield; Sheffield UK
| | - Marcel Philipp Haesler
- Institute of Ecology & Evolution; University of Bern; Bern Switzerland
- Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology; Kastanienbaum Switzerland
| | - Anna Fiona Feller
- Institute of Ecology & Evolution; University of Bern; Bern Switzerland
- Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology; Kastanienbaum Switzerland
| | - Joana Isabel Meier
- Institute of Ecology & Evolution; University of Bern; Bern Switzerland
- Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology; Kastanienbaum Switzerland
| | - Catherine E. Wagner
- Institute of Ecology & Evolution; University of Bern; Bern Switzerland
- Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology; Kastanienbaum Switzerland
- Department of Botany, Biodiversity Institute; University of Wyoming; Laramie WY USA
| | - Laurent Excoffier
- Institute of Ecology & Evolution; University of Bern; Bern Switzerland
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics; Lausanne Switzerland
| | - Ole Seehausen
- Institute of Ecology & Evolution; University of Bern; Bern Switzerland
- Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology; Kastanienbaum Switzerland
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8
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Evaluating ‘Plasticity-First’ Evolution in Nature: Key Criteria and Empirical Approaches. Trends Ecol Evol 2016; 31:563-574. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2016.03.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 300] [Impact Index Per Article: 37.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2015] [Revised: 03/10/2016] [Accepted: 03/14/2016] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
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9
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Lucek K, Kristjánsson BK, Skúlason S, Seehausen O. Ecosystem size matters: the dimensionality of intralacustrine diversification in Icelandic stickleback is predicted by lake size. Ecol Evol 2016; 6:5256-72. [PMID: 27551381 PMCID: PMC4984502 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2016] [Revised: 05/10/2016] [Accepted: 05/16/2016] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Cases of evolutionary diversification can be characterized along a continuum from weak to strong genetic and phenotypic differentiation. Several factors may facilitate or constrain the differentiation process. Comparative analyses of replicates of the same taxon at different stages of differentiation can be useful to identify these factors. We estimated the number of distinct phenotypic groups in three‐spine stickleback populations from nine lakes in Iceland and in one marine population. Using the inferred number of phenotypic groups in each lake, genetic divergence from the marine population, and physical lake and landscape variables, we tested whether ecosystem size, approximated by lake size and depth, or isolation from the ancestral marine gene pool predicts the occurrence and the extent of phenotypic and genetic diversification within lakes. We find intralacustrine phenotypic diversification to be the rule rather than the exception, occurring in all but the youngest lake population and being manifest in ecologically important phenotypic traits. Neutral genetic data further indicate nonrandom mating in four of nine studied lakes, and restricted gene flow between sympatric phenotypic groups in two. Although neither the phenotypic variation nor the number of intralacustrine phenotypic groups was associated with any of our environmental variables, the number of phenotypic traits that were differentiated was significantly positively related to lake size, and evidence for restricted gene flow between sympatric phenotypic groups was only found in the largest lakes where trait specific phenotypic differentiation was highest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kay Lucek
- Aquatic Ecology and Evolution Institute of Ecology and Evolution University of Bern Baltzerstrasse 6CH-3012 Bern Switzerland; Department of Fish Ecology and Evolution EAWAG Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology Center for Ecology, Evolution and Biogeochemistry CH-6047 Kastanienbaum Switzerland; Department of Animal and Plant Sciences University of Sheffield Sheffield UK
| | - Bjarni K Kristjánsson
- Department of Aquaculture and Fish Biology Hólar University College 550 Saudárkrókur Iceland
| | - Skúli Skúlason
- Department of Aquaculture and Fish Biology Hólar University College 550 Saudárkrókur Iceland
| | - Ole Seehausen
- Aquatic Ecology and Evolution Institute of Ecology and Evolution University of Bern Baltzerstrasse 6CH-3012 Bern Switzerland; Department of Fish Ecology and Evolution EAWAG Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology Center for Ecology, Evolution and Biogeochemistry CH-6047 Kastanienbaum Switzerland
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10
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Karvonen A, Lucek K, Marques DA, Seehausen O. Divergent Macroparasite Infections in Parapatric Swiss Lake-Stream Pairs of Threespine Stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus). PLoS One 2015; 10:e0130579. [PMID: 26086778 PMCID: PMC4472517 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0130579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2015] [Accepted: 05/21/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Spatial heterogeneity in diversity and intensity of parasitism is a typical feature of most host-parasite interactions, but understanding of the evolutionary implications of such variation is limited. One possible outcome of infection heterogeneities is parasite-mediated divergent selection between host populations, ecotypes or species which may facilitate the process of ecological speciation. However, very few studies have described infections in population-pairs along the speciation continuum from low to moderate or high degree of genetic differentiation that would address the possibility of parasite-mediated divergent selection in the early stages of the speciation process. Here we provide an example of divergent parasitism in freshwater fish ecotypes by examining macroparasite infections in threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) of four Swiss lake systems each harbouring parapatric lake-stream ecotype pairs. We demonstrate significant differences in infections within and between the pairs that are driven particularly by the parasite taxa transmitted to fish from benthic invertebrates. The magnitude of the differences tended to correlate positively with the extent of neutral genetic differentiation between the parapatric lake and stream populations of stickleback, whereas no such correlation was found among allopatric populations from similar or contrasting habitats. This suggests that genetic differentiation is unrelated to the magnitude of parasite infection contrasts when gene flow is constrained by geographical barriers while in the absence of physical barriers, genetic differentiation and the magnitude of differences in infections tend to be positively correlated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anssi Karvonen
- University of Jyväskylä, Department of Biological and Environmental Science, FI-40014 University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
- * E-mail:
| | - Kay Lucek
- Eawag, Centre of Ecology, Evolution and Biogeochemistry, Department of Fish Ecology and Evolution, Kastanienbaum, Switzerland
- Division of Aquatic Ecology & Macroevolution, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - David A. Marques
- Eawag, Centre of Ecology, Evolution and Biogeochemistry, Department of Fish Ecology and Evolution, Kastanienbaum, Switzerland
- Division of Aquatic Ecology & Macroevolution, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Ole Seehausen
- Eawag, Centre of Ecology, Evolution and Biogeochemistry, Department of Fish Ecology and Evolution, Kastanienbaum, Switzerland
- Division of Aquatic Ecology & Macroevolution, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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11
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Chavarie L, Howland K, Harris L, Tonn W. Polymorphism in lake trout in Great Bear Lake: intra-lake morphological diversification at two spatial scales. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/bij.12398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Louise Chavarie
- Department of Biological Sciences; University of Alberta; Edmonton AB T6G 2E9 Canada
| | - Kimberly Howland
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada; 501 University Crescent Winnipeg MB R3T 2N6 Canada
| | - Les Harris
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada; 501 University Crescent Winnipeg MB R3T 2N6 Canada
| | - William Tonn
- Department of Biological Sciences; University of Alberta; Edmonton AB T6G 2E9 Canada
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12
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Ólafsdóttir GÁ, Andreou A, Magellan K, Kristjánsson BK. Divergence in social foraging among morphs of the three-spined stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/bij.12320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Alexandreou Andreou
- Research Centre of the Westfjords; University of Iceland; Adalstraeti 21 Bolungarvik IS415 Iceland
| | - Kit Magellan
- Institut d'Ecologia Aquàtica; Universitat de Girona; E-17071 Girona España
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13
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Lucek K, Sivasundar A, Kristjánsson BK, Skúlason S, Seehausen O. Quick divergence but slow convergence during ecotype formation in lake and stream stickleback pairs of variable age. J Evol Biol 2014; 27:1878-92. [DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2013] [Revised: 05/08/2014] [Accepted: 05/25/2014] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- K. Lucek
- Aquatic Ecology and Evolution; Institute of Ecology & Evolution; University of Bern; Bern Switzerland
- Department of Fish Ecology and Evolution; EAWAG Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology; Center for Ecology, Evolution and Biogeochemistry; Kastanienbaum Switzerland
| | - A. Sivasundar
- Aquatic Ecology and Evolution; Institute of Ecology & Evolution; University of Bern; Bern Switzerland
- Department of Fish Ecology and Evolution; EAWAG Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology; Center for Ecology, Evolution and Biogeochemistry; Kastanienbaum Switzerland
| | - B. K. Kristjánsson
- Department of Aquaculture and Fish Biology; Hólar University College; Sauðárkrókur Iceland
| | - S. Skúlason
- Department of Aquaculture and Fish Biology; Hólar University College; Sauðárkrókur Iceland
| | - O. Seehausen
- Aquatic Ecology and Evolution; Institute of Ecology & Evolution; University of Bern; Bern Switzerland
- Department of Fish Ecology and Evolution; EAWAG Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology; Center for Ecology, Evolution and Biogeochemistry; Kastanienbaum Switzerland
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Robinson BW. Evolution of growth by genetic accommodation in Icelandic freshwater stickleback. Proc Biol Sci 2013; 280:20132197. [PMID: 24132309 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2013.2197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Classical Darwinian adaptation to a change in environment can ensue when selection favours beneficial genetic variation. How plastic trait responses to new conditions affect this process depends on how plasticity reveals to selection the influence of genotype on phenotype. Genetic accommodation theory predicts that evolutionary rate may sharply increase when a new environment induces plastic responses and selects on sufficient genetic variation in those responses to produce an immediate evolutionary response, but natural examples are rare. In Iceland, marine threespine stickleback that have colonized freshwater habitats have evolved more rapid individual growth. Heritable variation in growth is greater for marine full-siblings reared at low versus high salinity, and genetic variation exists in plastic growth responses to low salinity. In fish from recently founded freshwater populations reared at low salinity, the plastic response was strongly correlated with growth. Plasticity and growth were not correlated in full-siblings reared at high salinity nor in marine fish at either salinity. In well-adapted lake populations, rapid growth evolved jointly with stronger plastic responses to low salinity and the persistence of strong plastic responses indicates that growth is not genetically assimilated. Thus, beneficial plastic growth responses to low salinity have both guided and evolved along with rapid growth as stickleback adapted to freshwater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beren W Robinson
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, , Guelph, Ontario, Canada , N1G 2W1
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Millet A, Kristjánsson BK, Einarsson A, Räsänen K. Spatial phenotypic and genetic structure of threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) in a heterogeneous natural system, Lake Mývatn, Iceland. Ecol Evol 2013; 3:3219-32. [PMID: 24223263 PMCID: PMC3797472 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2013] [Revised: 07/03/2013] [Accepted: 07/04/2013] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Eco-evolutionary responses of natural populations to spatial environmental variation strongly depend on the relative strength of environmental differences/natural selection and dispersal/gene flow. In absence of geographic barriers, as often is the case in lake ecosystems, gene flow is expected to constrain adaptive divergence between environments – favoring phenotypic plasticity or high trait variability. However, if divergent natural selection is sufficiently strong, adaptive divergence can occur in face of gene flow. The extent of divergence is most often studied between two contrasting environments, whereas potential for multimodal divergence is little explored. We investigated phenotypic (body size, defensive structures, and feeding morphology) and genetic (microsatellites) structure in threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) across five habitat types and two basins (North and South) within the geologically young and highly heterogeneous Lake Mývatn, North East Iceland. We found that (1) North basin stickleback were, on average, larger and had relatively longer spines than South basin stickleback, whereas (2) feeding morphology (gill raker number and gill raker gap width) differed among three of five habitat types, and (3) there was only subtle genetic differentiation across the lake. Overall, our results indicate predator and prey mediated phenotypic divergence across multiple habitats in the lake, in face of gene flow.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antoine Millet
- Department of Aquaculture and Fish Biology, Hólar University College IS-551, Sauðárkrókur, Iceland
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16
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Karvonen A, Kristjánsson BK, Skúlason S, Lanki M, Rellstab C, Jokela J. Water temperature, not fish morph, determines parasite infections of sympatric Icelandic threespine sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus). Ecol Evol 2013; 3:1507-17. [PMID: 23789063 PMCID: PMC3686187 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2013] [Revised: 03/18/2013] [Accepted: 03/19/2013] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Parasite communities of fishes are known to respond directly to the abiotic environment of the host, for example, to water quality and water temperature. Biotic factors are also important as they affect the exposure profile through heterogeneities in parasite distribution in the environment. Parasites in a particular environment may pose a strong selection on fish. For example, ecological differences in selection by parasites have been hypothesized to facilitate evolutionary differentiation of freshwater fish morphs specializing on different food types. However, as parasites may also respond directly to abiotic environment the parasite risk does not depend only on biotic features of the host environment. It is possible that different morphs experience specific selection gradients by parasites but it is not clear how consistent the selection is when abiotic factors change. We examined parasite pressure in sympatric morphs of threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) across a temperature gradient in two large Icelandic lakes, Myvatn and Thingvallavatn. Habitat-specific temperature gradients in these lakes are opposite. Myvatn lava rock morph lives in a warm environment, while the mud morph lives in the cold. In Thingvallavatn, the lava rock morph lives in a cold environment and the mud morph in a warm habitat. We found more parasites in fish living in higher temperature in both lakes, independent of the fish morph, and this pattern was similar for the two dominating parasite taxa, trematodes and cestodes. However, at the same time, we also found higher parasite abundance in a third morph living in deep cold-water habitat in Thingvallavatn compared to the cold-water lava morph, indicating strong effect of habitat-specific biotic factors. Our results suggest complex interactions between water temperature and biotic factors in determining the parasite community structure, a pattern that may have implications for differentiation of stickleback morphs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anssi Karvonen
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of JyväskyläP.O. Box 35, FI-40014, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Bjarni K Kristjánsson
- Department of Aquaculture and Fish Biology, Holar University CollegeIS-550, Saudarkrokur, Iceland
| | - Skúli Skúlason
- Department of Aquaculture and Fish Biology, Holar University CollegeIS-550, Saudarkrokur, Iceland
| | - Maiju Lanki
- Department of Biosciences, University of HelsinkiP.O.Box 65, FI-00014, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Christian Rellstab
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of JyväskyläP.O. Box 35, FI-40014, Jyväskylä, Finland
- Swiss Federal Research Institute WSLZürcherstrasse 111, CH-8903, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Jukka Jokela
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and TechnologyP.O. Box 611, CH-8600, Dübendorf, Switzerland
- ETH Zürich, Institute of Integrative BiologyCH-8092, Zürich, Switzerland
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17
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Seymour M, Räsänen K, Holderegger R, Kristjánsson BK. Connectivity in a pond system influences migration and genetic structure in threespine stickleback. Ecol Evol 2013; 3:492-502. [PMID: 23531709 PMCID: PMC3605840 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2012] [Revised: 12/11/2012] [Accepted: 12/11/2012] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Neutral genetic structure of natural populations is primarily influenced by migration (the movement of individuals and, subsequently, their genes) and drift (the statistical chance of losing genetic diversity over time). Migration between populations is influenced by several factors, including individual behavior, physical barriers, and environmental heterogeneity among populations. However, drift is expected to be stronger in populations with low immigration rate and small effective population size. With the technological advancement in geological information systems and spatial analysis tools, landscape genetics now allows the development of realistic migration models and increased insight to important processes influencing diversity of natural populations. In this study, we investigated the relationship between landscape connectivity and genetic distance of threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) inhabiting a pond complex in Belgjarskógur, Northeast Iceland. We used two landscape genetic approaches (i.e., least-cost-path and isolation-by-resistance) and asked whether gene flow, as measured by genetic distance, was more strongly associated with Euclidean distance (isolation-by-distance) or with landscape connectivity provided by areas prone to flooding (as indicated by Carex sp. cover)? We found substantial genetic structure across the study area, with pairwise genetic distances among populations (DPS) ranging from 0.118 to 0.488. Genetic distances among populations were more strongly correlated with least-cost-path and isolation-by-resistance than with Euclidean distance, whereas the relative contribution of isolation-by-resistance and Euclidian distance could not be disentangled. These results indicate that migration among stickleback populations occurs via periodically flooded areas. Overall, this study highlights the importance of transient landscape elements influencing migration and genetic structure of populations at small spatial scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathew Seymour
- Department of Aquatic Ecology and Institute of Integrative Biology, EAWAGETH Zurich, Überlandstrasse 133, CH-8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
- Department of Aquaculture and Fish Biology, Hólar University CollegeHáeyri 1, 550 Skagafjörður, Iceland
| | - Katja Räsänen
- Department of Aquatic Ecology and Institute of Integrative Biology, EAWAGETH Zurich, Überlandstrasse 133, CH-8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Rolf Holderegger
- Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, WSL Swiss Federal Research InstituteCH-8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Bjarni K Kristjánsson
- Department of Aquaculture and Fish Biology, Hólar University CollegeHáeyri 1, 550 Skagafjörður, Iceland
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18
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Natsopoulou ME, Pálsson S, Ólafsdóttir GÁ. Parasites and parallel divergence of the number of individual MHC alleles between sympatric three-spined stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus morphs in Iceland. JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2012; 81:1696-1714. [PMID: 23020569 DOI: 10.1111/j.1095-8649.2012.03430.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Two pairs of sympatric three-spined stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus morphs and two single morph populations inhabiting mud and lava or rocky benthic habitats in four Icelandic lakes were screened for parasites and genotyped for MHC class IIB diversity. Parasitic infection differed consistently between G. aculeatus from different benthic habitats. Gasterosteus aculeatus from the lava or rocky habitats were more heavily infected in all lakes. A parallel pattern was also found in individual MHC allelic variation with lava G. aculeatus morphs exhibiting lower levels of variation than the mud morphs. Evidence for selective divergence in MHC allele number is ambiguous but supported by two findings in addition to the parallel pattern observed. MHC allele diversity was not consistent with diversity reported at neutral markers (microsatellites) and in Þingvallavatn the most common number of alleles in each morph was associated with lower infection levels. In the Þingvallavatn lava morph, lower infection levels by the two most common parasites, Schistocephalus solidus and Diplostomum baeri, were associated with different MHC allele numbers.
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Affiliation(s)
- M E Natsopoulou
- Research Centre of the Westfjords, University of Iceland, Adalstraeti 21, 415 Bolungarvík, Iceland
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Mehlis M, Frommen JG, Rahn AK, Bakker TCM. Inbreeding in three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatusL.): effects on testis and sperm traits. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2012. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1095-8312.2012.01950.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Marion Mehlis
- Institute for Evolutionary Biology and Ecology; University of Bonn; An der Immenburg 1 D-53121 Bonn Germany
| | - Joachim G. Frommen
- Institute for Evolutionary Biology and Ecology; University of Bonn; An der Immenburg 1 D-53121 Bonn Germany
- Department of Behavioural Ecology; Institute of Ecology and Evolution; University of Bern; Wohlenstrasse 50a CH-3032 Hinterkappelen Switzerland
| | - Anna K. Rahn
- Institute for Evolutionary Biology and Ecology; University of Bonn; An der Immenburg 1 D-53121 Bonn Germany
| | - Theo C. M. Bakker
- Institute for Evolutionary Biology and Ecology; University of Bonn; An der Immenburg 1 D-53121 Bonn Germany
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20
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Kotrschal A, Räsänen K, Kristjánsson BK, Senn M, Kolm N. Extreme sexual brain size dimorphism in sticklebacks: a consequence of the cognitive challenges of sex and parenting? PLoS One 2012; 7:e30055. [PMID: 22276144 PMCID: PMC3261870 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0030055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2011] [Accepted: 12/08/2011] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Selection pressures that act differently on males and females produce numerous differences between the sexes in morphology and behaviour. However, apart from the controversial report that males have slightly heavier brains than females in humans, evidence for substantial sexual dimorphism in brain size is scarce. This apparent sexual uniformity is surprising given that sexually distinct selection pressures are ubiquitous and that brains are one of the most plastic vertebrate organs. Here we demonstrate the highest level of sexual brain size dimorphism ever reported in any vertebrate: male three-spined stickleback of two morphs in an Icelandic lake have 23% heavier brains than females. We suggest that this dramatic sexual size dimorphism is generated by the many cognitively demanding challenges that males are faced in this species, such as an elaborate courtship display, the construction of an ornate nest and a male-only parental care system. However, we consider also alternative explanations for smaller brains in females, such as life-history trade-offs. Our demonstration of unprecedented levels of sexual dimorphism in brain size in the three-spined stickleback implies that behavioural and life-history differences among the sexes can have strong effects also on neural development and proposes new fields of research for understanding brain evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Kotrschal
- Department of Animal Ecology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, University of Uppsala, Uppsala, Sweden.
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21
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Muschick M, Barluenga M, Salzburger W, Meyer A. Adaptive phenotypic plasticity in the Midas cichlid fish pharyngeal jaw and its relevance in adaptive radiation. BMC Evol Biol 2011; 11:116. [PMID: 21529367 PMCID: PMC3103464 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2148-11-116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 135] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2011] [Accepted: 04/30/2011] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Phenotypic evolution and its role in the diversification of organisms is a central topic in evolutionary biology. A neglected factor during the modern evolutionary synthesis, adaptive phenotypic plasticity, more recently attracted the attention of many evolutionary biologists and is now recognized as an important ingredient in both population persistence and diversification. The traits and directions in which an ancestral source population displays phenotypic plasticity might partly determine the trajectories in morphospace, which are accessible for an adaptive radiation, starting from the colonization of a novel environment. In the case of repeated colonizations of similar environments from the same source population this "flexible stem" hypothesis predicts similar phenotypes to arise in repeated subsequent radiations. The Midas Cichlid (Amphilophus spp.) in Nicaragua has radiated in parallel in several crater-lakes seeded by populations originating from the Nicaraguan Great Lakes. Here, we tested phenotypic plasticity in the pharyngeal jaw of Midas Cichlids. The pharyngeal jaw apparatus of cichlids, a second set of jaws functionally decoupled from the oral ones, is known to mediate ecological specialization and often differs strongly between sister-species. Results We performed a common garden experiment raising three groups of Midas cichlids on food differing in hardness and calcium content. Analyzing the lower pharyngeal jaw-bones we find significant differences between diet groups qualitatively resembling the differences found between specialized species. Observed differences in pharyngeal jaw expression between groups were attributable to the diet's mechanical resistance, whereas surplus calcium in the diet was not found to be of importance. Conclusions The pharyngeal jaw apparatus of Midas Cichlids can be expressed plastically if stimulated mechanically during feeding. Since this trait is commonly differentiated - among other traits - between Midas Cichlid species, its plasticity might be an important factor in Midas Cichlid speciation. The prevalence of pharyngeal jaw differentiation across the Cichlidae further suggests that adaptive phenotypic plasticity in this trait could play an important role in cichlid speciation in general. We discuss several possibilities how the adaptive radiation of Midas Cichlids might have been influenced in this respect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moritz Muschick
- Lehrstuhl für Zoologie und Evolutionsbiologie, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstrasse 10, 78457 Konstanz, Germany
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22
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Raeymaekers JAM, Boisjoly M, Delaire L, Berner D, Räsänen K, Hendry AP. Testing for mating isolation between ecotypes: laboratory experiments with lake, stream and hybrid stickleback. J Evol Biol 2010; 23:2694-708. [PMID: 20939859 DOI: 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2010.02133.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Mating isolation is a frequent contributor to ecological speciation - but how consistently does it evolve as a result of divergent selection? We tested for genetically based mating isolation between lake and stream threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus L.) from the Misty watershed, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. We combined several design elements that are uncommon in the studies of stickleback mate choice: (i) we used second-generation laboratory-reared fish (to reduce environmental and maternal effects), (ii) we allowed for male-male competitive interactions (instead of the typical no-choice trials) and (iii) we included hybrids along with pure types. Males of different types (Lake, Inlet, hybrid) were paired in aquaria, allowed to build nests and then exposed sequentially to females of all three types. We found that Lake and Inlet males differed in behaviours thought to influence stickleback mate choice (inter- and intra-sexual aggression, display and nest activities), whereas hybrids were either intermediate or apparently 'inferior' in these behaviours. Despite these differences, Lake and Inlet fish did not mate assortatively and hybrid males did not have a mating disadvantage. Our study reinforces the noninevitability of mating isolation evolving in response to ecological differences and highlights the need to further investigate the factors promoting and constraining progress towards ecological speciation.
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Affiliation(s)
- J A M Raeymaekers
- Laboratory of Animal Diversity and Systematics, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
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23
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Yoder JB, Clancey E, Des Roches S, Eastman JM, Gentry L, Godsoe W, Hagey TJ, Jochimsen D, Oswald BP, Robertson J, Sarver BAJ, Schenk JJ, Spear SF, Harmon LJ. Ecological opportunity and the origin of adaptive radiations. J Evol Biol 2010; 23:1581-96. [PMID: 20561138 DOI: 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2010.02029.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 430] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Ecological opportunity--through entry into a new environment, the origin of a key innovation or extinction of antagonists--is widely thought to link ecological population dynamics to evolutionary diversification. The population-level processes arising from ecological opportunity are well documented under the concept of ecological release. However, there is little consensus as to how these processes promote phenotypic diversification, rapid speciation and adaptive radiation. We propose that ecological opportunity could promote adaptive radiation by generating specific changes to the selective regimes acting on natural populations, both by relaxing effective stabilizing selection and by creating conditions that ultimately generate diversifying selection. We assess theoretical and empirical evidence for these effects of ecological opportunity and review emerging phylogenetic approaches that attempt to detect the signature of ecological opportunity across geological time. Finally, we evaluate the evidence for the evolutionary effects of ecological opportunity in the diversification of Caribbean Anolis lizards. Some of the processes that could link ecological opportunity to adaptive radiation are well documented, but others remain unsupported. We suggest that more study is required to characterize the form of natural selection acting on natural populations and to better describe the relationship between ecological opportunity and speciation rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- J B Yoder
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844-3051, USA
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Hendry AP, Bolnick DI, Berner D, Peichel CL. Along the speciation continuum in sticklebacks. JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2009; 75:2000-2036. [PMID: 20738669 DOI: 10.1111/j.1095-8649.2009.02419.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 166] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Speciation can be viewed as a continuum, potentially divisible into several states: (1) continuous variation within panmictic populations, (2) partially discontinuous variation with minor reproductive isolation, (3) strongly discontinuous variation with strong but reversible reproductive isolation and (4) complete and irreversible reproductive isolation. Research on sticklebacks (Gasterosteidae) reveals factors that influence progress back and forth along this continuum, as well as transitions between the states. Most populations exist in state 1, even though some of these show evidence of disruptive selection and positive assortative mating. Transitions to state 2 seem to usually involve strong divergent selection coupled with at least a bit of geographic separation, such as parapatry (e.g. lake and stream pairs and mud and lava pairs) or allopatry (e.g. different lakes). Transitions to state 3 can occur when allopatric or parapatric populations that evolved under strong divergent selection come into secondary contact (most obviously the sympatric benthic and limnetic pairs), but might also occur between populations that remained in parapatry or allopatry. Transitions to state 4 might be decoupled from these selective processes, because the known situations of complete, or nearly complete, reproductive isolation (Japan Sea and Pacific Ocean pair and the recognized gasterosteid species) are always associated with chromosomal rearrangements and environment-independent genetic incompatibilities. Research on sticklebacks has thus revealed complex and shifting interactions between selection, adaptation, mutation and geography during the course of speciation.
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Affiliation(s)
- A P Hendry
- Redpath Museum & Department of Biology, McGill University, 859 Sherbrooke St. W., Montréal, Québec, H3A 2K6 Canada.
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25
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Bolnick DI, Snowberg LK, Patenia C, Stutz WE, Ingram T, Lau OL. Phenotype-dependent native habitat preference facilitates divergence between parapatric lake and stream stickleback. Evolution 2009; 63:2004-16. [PMID: 19473386 DOI: 10.1111/j.1558-5646.2009.00699.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 120] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Adaptive divergence between adjoining populations reflects a balance between the diversifying effect of divergent selection and the potentially homogenizing effect of gene flow. In most models of migration-selection balance, gene flow is assumed to reflect individuals' inherent capacity to disperse, without regard to the match between individuals' phenotypes and the available habitats. However, habitat preferences can reduce dispersal between contrasting habitats, thereby alleviating migration load and facilitating adaptive divergence. We tested whether habitat preferences contribute to adaptive divergence in a classic example of migration-selection balance: parapatric lake and stream populations of three-spine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus). Using a mark-transplant-recapture experiment on morphologically divergent parapatric populations, we showed that 90% of lake and stream stickleback returned to their native habitat, reducing migration between habitats by 76%. Furthermore, we found that dispersal into a nonnative habitat was phenotype dependent. Stream fish moving into the lake were morphologically more lake-like than those returning to the stream (and the converse for lake fish entering the stream). The strong native habitat preference documented here increases the extent of adaptive divergence between populations two- to fivefold relative to expectations with random movement. These results illustrate the potential importance of adaptive habitat choice in driving parapatric divergence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel I Bolnick
- Section of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA.
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26
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Butlin RK, Galindo J, Grahame JW. Review. Sympatric, parapatric or allopatric: the most important way to classify speciation? Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2008; 363:2997-3007. [PMID: 18522915 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2008.0076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 233] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The most common classification of modes of speciation begins with the spatial context in which divergence occurs: sympatric, parapatric or allopatric. This classification is unsatisfactory because it divides a continuum into discrete categories, concentrating attention on the extremes, and it subordinates other dimensions on which speciation processes vary, such as the forces driving differentiation and the genetic basis of reproductive isolation. It also ignores the fact that speciation is a prolonged process that commonly has phases in different spatial contexts. We use the example of local adaptation and partial reproductive isolation in the intertidal gastropod Littorina saxatilis to illustrate the inadequacy of the spatial classification of speciation modes. Parallel divergence in shell form in response to similar environmental gradients in England, Spain and Sweden makes this an excellent model system. However, attempts to demonstrate 'incipient' and 'sympatric' speciation involve speculation about the future and the past. We suggest that it is more productive to study the current balance between local adaptation and gene flow, the interaction between components of reproductive isolation and the genetic basis of differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roger K Butlin
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK.
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