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Fu S, Huang L, He H, Tang J, Wu S, Xue F. Differentiation of Developmental Pathways Results in Different Life-History Patterns between the High and Low Latitudinal Populations in the Asian Corn Borer. INSECTS 2022; 13:1026. [PMID: 36354850 PMCID: PMC9696888 DOI: 10.3390/insects13111026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2022] [Revised: 10/26/2022] [Accepted: 11/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Individual insects often exhibit two alternative pathways of non-diapausing and diapausing developments. Yet, most studies have focused on the latitudinal variation in life-history traits for non-diapausing individuals. No study has examined the differences in life history traits between non-diapausing and diapausing individuals along a latitudinal gradient. We used six different geographical populations of Ostrinia furnacalis to examine the latitudinal variation in life-history traits between non-diapausing and diapausing individuals in terms of their sex ratio, larval and pupal developmental times, pupal weight, growth rate, adult weight and weight loss, and sexual size dimorphism. The results showed that latitudinal variation in life-history traits for both non-diapausing and diapausing individuals exhibited a sawtooth pattern, but the life-history pattern of the two alternative developmental pathways was significantly different between the high and low latitudes. For the non-diapausing pathway, the high-latitudinal populations showed a significantly shorter larval developmental time, higher growth rate and greater body weight than the low-latitudinal populations, suggesting countergradient variation. Conversely, in the diapausing pathway, the high-latitudinal populations had longer larval developmental times, lower growth rates and relatively smaller body weights than the low-latitudinal populations, suggesting cogradient variation. We also found that in the high-latitudinal populations, larvae in the non-diapausing pathway had shorter developmental time and higher body weight, whereas larval developmental time of the low-latitudinal populations was longer and the body weight was smaller. The relationship between larval developmental time and pupal weight was also different between the two developmental pathways. These results provide new insights into the evolution of life-history traits in this moth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shu Fu
- College of Oceanology and Food Science, Quanzhou Normal University, Quanzhou 362000, China
- Institute of Entomology, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China
| | - Lili Huang
- Department of Ecology and Environment, Yuzhang Normal University, Nanchang 330103, China
| | - Haimin He
- Institute of Entomology, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China
| | - Jianjun Tang
- College of Computer and Information Engineering, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China
| | - Shaohui Wu
- Department of Entomology, University of Georgia, Tifton, GA 31793, USA
| | - Fangsen Xue
- Institute of Entomology, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China
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2
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Convergent evolution of antlions and wormlions: similarities and differences in the behavioural ecology of unrelated trap-building predators. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-021-03106-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
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3
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Liu Y, Henkel J, Beaurepaire A, Evans JD, Neumann P, Huang Q. Comparative genomics suggests local adaptations in the invasive small hive beetle. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:15780-15791. [PMID: 34824789 PMCID: PMC8601931 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2021] [Revised: 09/26/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Invasive species are a major driver of ecological and environmental changes that affect human health, food security, and natural biodiversity. The success and impact of biological invasions depend on adaptations to novel abiotic and biotic selective pressures. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying adaptations in invasive parasitic species are inadequately understood. Small hive beetles, Aethina tumida, are parasites of bee nests. Originally endemic to sub-Saharan Africa, they are now found nearly globally. Here, we investigated the molecular bases of the adaptations to novel environments underlying their invasion routes. Genomes of historic and recent adults A. tumida from both the endemic and introduced ranges were compared. Analysis of gene-environment association identified 3049 candidate loci located in 874 genes. Functional annotation showed a significant bias toward genes linked to growth and reproduction. One of the genes from the apoptosis pathway encodes an "ecdysone-related protein," which is a crucial regulator in controlling body size in response to environmental cues for holometabolous insects during cell death and renewal. Genes whose proteins regulate organ size, ovary activation, and oviposition were also detected. Functions of these enriched pathways parallel behavioral differences between introduced and native A. tumida populations, which may reflect patterns of local adaptation. The results considerably improve our understanding of the underlying mechanisms and ecological factors driving adaptations of invasive species. Deep functional investigation of these identified loci will help clarify the mechanisms of local adaptation in A. tumida.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanzhen Liu
- Vetsuisse FacultyInstitute of Bee HealthUniversity of BernBernSwitzerland
| | - Jan Henkel
- Vetsuisse FacultyInstitute of GeneticsUniversity of BernBernSwitzerland
| | - Alexis Beaurepaire
- Vetsuisse FacultyInstitute of Bee HealthUniversity of BernBernSwitzerland
| | - Jay D. Evans
- USDA‐ARS Beltsville Bee Research LaboratoryBeltsvilleMarylandUSA
| | - Peter Neumann
- Vetsuisse FacultyInstitute of Bee HealthUniversity of BernBernSwitzerland
- AgroscopeSwiss Bee Research CentreBernSwitzerland
| | - Qiang Huang
- Honeybee Research InstituteJiangxi Agricultural UniversityNanchangChina
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4
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Miler K, Stec D, Czarnoleski M. Heat wave effects on the behavior and life-history traits of sedentary antlions. Behav Ecol 2020; 31:1326-1333. [PMID: 33380898 PMCID: PMC7755325 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/araa085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2020] [Revised: 07/27/2020] [Accepted: 08/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Research on the behavioral responses of animals to extreme weather events, such as heat wave, is lacking even though their frequency and intensity in nature are increasing. Here, we investigated the behavioral response to a simulated heat wave in two species of antlions (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae). These insects spend the majority of their lives as larvae and live in sandy areas suitable for a trap-building hunting strategy. We used larvae of Myrmeleon bore and Euroleon nostras, which are characterized by different microhabitat preferences-sunlit in the case of M. bore and shaded in the case of E. nostras. Larvae were exposed to fluctuating temperatures (40 °C for 10 h daily and 25 °C for the remaining time) or a constant temperature (25 °C) for an entire week. We found increased mortality of larvae under heat. We detected a reduction in the hunting activity of larvae under heat, which corresponded to changes in the body mass of individuals. Furthermore, we found long-term consequences of the simulated heat wave, as it prolonged the time larvae needed to molt. These effects were pronounced in the case of E. nostras but did not occur or were less pronounced in the case of M. bore, suggesting that microhabitat-specific selective pressures dictate how well antlions handle heat waves. We, thus, present results demonstrating the connection between behavior and the subsequent changes to fitness-relevant traits in the context of a simulated heat wave. These results illustrate how even closely related species may react differently to the same event.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krzysztof Miler
- Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals, Polish Academy of Sciences, Sławkowska, Kraków, Poland
| | - Daniel Stec
- Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa, Kraków, Poland
| | - Marcin Czarnoleski
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa, Kraków, Poland
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5
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Kojima W, Nakakura T, Fukuda A, Lin C, Harada M, Hashimoto Y, Kawachi A, Suhama S, Yamamoto R. Latitudinal cline of larval growth rate and its proximate mechanisms in a rhinoceros beetle. Funct Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Wataru Kojima
- Graduate School of Sciences and Technology for Innovation Yamaguchi University Yamaguchi Japan
| | - Tatsunori Nakakura
- Graduate School of Sciences and Technology for Innovation Yamaguchi University Yamaguchi Japan
| | - Ayumi Fukuda
- Graduate School of Sciences and Technology for Innovation Yamaguchi University Yamaguchi Japan
| | - Chung‐Ping Lin
- Department of Life Science National Taiwan Normal University Taipei Taiwan
| | - Masahiro Harada
- Graduate School of Sciences and Technology for Innovation Yamaguchi University Yamaguchi Japan
| | - Yuki Hashimoto
- Graduate School of Sciences and Technology for Innovation Yamaguchi University Yamaguchi Japan
| | - Aika Kawachi
- Graduate School of Sciences and Technology for Innovation Yamaguchi University Yamaguchi Japan
| | - Shiho Suhama
- Graduate School of Sciences and Technology for Innovation Yamaguchi University Yamaguchi Japan
| | - Ryo Yamamoto
- Graduate School of Sciences and Technology for Innovation Yamaguchi University Yamaguchi Japan
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6
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Günter F, Beaulieu M, Freiberg KF, Welzel I, Toshkova N, Žagar A, Simčič T, Fischer K. Genotype-environment interactions rule the response of a widespread butterfly to temperature variation. J Evol Biol 2020; 33:920-929. [PMID: 32243031 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2019] [Revised: 03/04/2020] [Accepted: 03/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Understanding how organisms adapt to complex environments is a central goal of evolutionary biology and ecology. This issue is of special interest in the current era of rapidly changing climatic conditions. Here, we investigate clinal variation and plastic responses in life history, morphology and physiology in the butterfly Pieris napi along a pan-European gradient by exposing butterflies raised in captivity to different temperatures. We found clinal variation in body size, growth rates and concomitant development time, wing aspect ratio, wing melanization and heat tolerance. Individuals from warmer environments were more heat-tolerant and had less melanised wings and a shorter development, but still they were larger than individuals from cooler environments. These findings suggest selection for rapid growth in the warmth and for wing melanization in the cold, and thus fine-tuned genetic adaptation to local climates. Irrespective of the origin of butterflies, the effects of higher developmental temperature were largely as expected, speeding up development; reducing body size, potential metabolic activity and wing melanization; while increasing heat tolerance. At least in part, these patterns likely reflect adaptive phenotypic plasticity. In summary, our study revealed pronounced plastic and genetic responses, which may indicate high adaptive capacities in our study organism. Whether this may help such species, though, to deal with current climate change needs further investigation, as clinal patterns have typically evolved over long periods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franziska Günter
- Zoological Institute and Museum, Greifswald University, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Michaël Beaulieu
- Zoological Institute and Museum, Greifswald University, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Kasimir F Freiberg
- Zoological Institute and Museum, Greifswald University, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Ines Welzel
- Zoological Institute and Museum, Greifswald University, Greifswald, Germany
| | | | | | | | - Klaus Fischer
- Zoological Institute and Museum, Greifswald University, Greifswald, Germany
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7
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Rowiński PK, Laurila A, Gotthard K, Sowersby W, Lind MI, Richter-Boix A, Eckerström-Liedholm S, Rogell B. Parental effects influence life history traits and covary with an environmental cline in common frog populations. Oecologia 2020; 192:1013-1022. [PMID: 32277360 PMCID: PMC7165185 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-020-04642-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2018] [Accepted: 04/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Across latitudinal clines, the juvenile developmental rates of ectotherms often covary with the length of the growing season, due to life-history trade-offs imposed by the time-constrained environments. However, as the start of the growing season often varies substantially across years, adaptive parental effects on juvenile developmental rates may mediate the costs of a delayed season. By employing a meta-analysis, we tested whether larval developmental rates across a latitudinal cline of the common frog (Rana temporaria) are affected by fluctuating onsets of breeding, across years. We predicted that larval developmental rate will be inversely related to the onset of breeding, and that northern populations will be more prone to shorten their developmental rate in response to late breeding, as the costs of delayed metamorphosis should be highest in areas with a shorter growing season. We found that the larval period of both northern and southern populations responded to parental environmental conditions to a similar degree in absolute terms, but in different directions. In northern populations, a late season start correlated with decreased development time, suggesting that the evolution of parental effects aids population persistence in time-constrained environments. In southern populations, late season start correlated with increased development time, which could potentially be explained as a predator avoidance strategy. Our findings suggest that local ecological variables can induce adaptive parental effects, but responses are complex, and likely trade-off with other ecological factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Piotr K Rowiński
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, 106 91, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Anssi Laurila
- Animal Ecology, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, 752 36, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Karl Gotthard
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, 106 91, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Will Sowersby
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, 106 91, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Martin I Lind
- Animal Ecology, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, 752 36, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Alex Richter-Boix
- Animal Ecology, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, 752 36, Uppsala, Sweden
| | | | - Björn Rogell
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, 106 91, Stockholm, Sweden.
- Department of Aquatic Resources, Institute of Freshwater Research, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 178 93, Drottningholm, Sweden.
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8
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Gienger CM, Dochtermann NA, Tracy CR. Detecting trends in body size: empirical and statistical requirements for intraspecific analyses. Curr Zool 2019; 65:493-497. [PMID: 31616479 PMCID: PMC6784499 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoy079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2018] [Accepted: 10/09/2018] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Attributing biological explanations to observed ecogeographical and ecological patterns require eliminating potential statistical and sampling artifacts as alternative explanations of the observed patterns. Here, we assess the role of sample size, statistical power, and geographic inclusivity on the general validity and statistical significance of relationships between body size and latitude for 3 well-studied species of turtles. We extend those analyses to emphasize the importance of using statistically robust data in determining macroecological patterns. We examined intraspecific trends in body size with latitude in Chelydra serpentina, Chrysemys picta, and Trachemys scripta using Pearson’s correlations, diagnostic tests for influential points, and resampling. Existing data were insufficient to ascertain a latitudinal trend in body size for C. serpentina or T. scripta. There was a significant relationship for C. picta, however, resampling analyses show that, on average, 16 of the 23 available independent populations were needed to demonstrate a significant relationship and that at least 20 of 23 populations were required to obtain a statistically powerful correlation between body size and latitude. Furthermore, restricting the latitudes of populations resampled shows that body size trends of C. picta were largely due to leveraging effects of populations at the edge of the species range. Our results suggest that broad inferences regarding ecological trends in body size should be made with caution until underlying (intraspecific) patterns in body size can be statistically and conclusively demonstrated.
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Affiliation(s)
- C M Gienger
- Department of Biology, Center of Excellence for Field Biology, Austin Peay State University, Clarksville, TN, USA
- Address correspondence to C. M. Gienger. E-mail:
| | - Ned A Dochtermann
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND, USA
| | - C Richard Tracy
- Department of Biology, Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA
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9
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DeGregorio BA, Blouin-Demers G, Carfagno GL, Gibbons JW, Mullin SJ, Sperry JH, Willson JD, Wray K, Weatherhead PJ. Geographic variation in body size and sexual size dimorphism of North American Ratsnakes (Pantherophis spp. s.l.). CAN J ZOOL 2018. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2018-0005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Because body size affects nearly all facets of an organism’s life history, ecologists have long been interested in large-scale patterns of body-size variation, as well as why those large-scale patterns often differ between sexes. We explored body-size variation across the range of the sexually dimorphic Ratsnake complex (species of the genus Pantherophis Fitzinger, 1843 s.l.; formerly Elaphe obsoleta (Say in James, 1823)) in North America. We specifically explored whether variation in body size followed latitudinal patterns or varied with climatic variables. We found that body size did not conform to a climatic or latitudinal gradient, but instead, some of the populations with the largest snakes occurred near the core of the geographic range and some with the smallest occurred near the northern, western, and southern peripheries of the range. Males averaged 14% larger than females, although the degree of sexual size dimorphism varied between populations (range: 2%–25%). There was a weak trend for male body size to change in relation to temperature, whereas female body size did not. Our results indicate that relationships between climate and an ectotherm’s body size are more complicated than linear latitudinal clines and likely differ for males and females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brett A. DeGregorio
- Engineer Research and Development Center, 2902 Newmark Drive, Champaign, IL 61822, USA
| | - Gabriel Blouin-Demers
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, 30 Marie-Curie Private, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Gerardo L.F. Carfagno
- Department of Biology, Manhattan College, 4513 Manhattan College Parkway, Riverdale, NY 10471, USA
| | - J. Whitfield Gibbons
- Savannah River Ecology Lab, University of Georgia, Drawer E, Aiken, SC 29802, USA
| | - Stephen J. Mullin
- Department of Biology, Stephen F. Austin State University, SFA Box 13003, Nacogdoches, TX 75962, USA
| | - Jinelle H. Sperry
- Engineer Research and Development Center, 2902 Newmark Drive, Champaign, IL 61822, USA
| | - John D. Willson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
| | - Kenny Wray
- Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, 319 Stadium Drive, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA
| | - Patrick J. Weatherhead
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science, University of Illinois at Urbana – Champaign, 1102 South Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL 29801, USA
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10
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Romiti F, Redolfi De Zan L, Rossi de Gasperis S, Tini M, Scaccini D, Anaclerio M, Carpaneto GM. Latitudinal cline in weapon allometry and phenology of the European stag beetle. NATURE CONSERVATION 2017. [DOI: 10.3897/natureconservation.19.12681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
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11
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Alcalay Y, Scharf I, Ovadia O. Foraging syndromes and trait variation in antlions along a climatic gradient. Oecologia 2015; 178:1093-103. [PMID: 25764505 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-015-3284-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2014] [Accepted: 02/24/2015] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Behavioral syndromes arise when individual behavior is correlated over time and/or across environmental contexts, often resulting in inter-population behavioral differences. Three main hypotheses have been suggested to explain the evolution of behavioral syndromes. The constraint hypothesis suggests that behaviors originate from a shared mechanism with a strong genetic or physiological basis. In contrast, according to the adaptive hypothesis, behavioral syndromes depend on specific selective pressures in each environment, and thus should evolve when specific behavioral combinations are advantageous. Finally, behavioral syndromes can also arise owing to neutral stochastic processes. We tested here for variation in the foraging syndromes of pit-building antlions originating from different populations along a climatic gradient. Although inter-population variation existed in some traits, foraging syndromes were similar across populations, supporting the constraint hypothesis. These findings suggest that stabilizing selection, acting on the foraging behavior of antlions during their larval phase, outweighs local selection pressures, resulting in "constraint syndromes." We also explored behavioral repeatability of foraging-related traits within and among habitats (natural, novel and disturbed habitats), and detected different levels of repeatability: pit diameter was more repeatable than response time to prey, followed by prey exploitation efficiency. Behavioral repeatability of the same trait differed according to context, suggesting that repeatability is a trait in itself and should not be considered identical even when studying the same behavioral trait.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yehonatan Alcalay
- Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 84105, Beer-Sheva, Israel,
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12
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Nijhout HF, Riddiford LM, Mirth C, Shingleton AW, Suzuki Y, Callier V. The developmental control of size in insects. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS. DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY 2014; 3:113-34. [PMID: 24902837 PMCID: PMC4048863 DOI: 10.1002/wdev.124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 192] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The mechanisms that control the sizes of a body and its many parts remain among the great puzzles in developmental biology. Why do animals grow to a species-specific body size, and how is the relative growth of their body parts controlled to so they grow to the right size, and in the correct proportion with body size, giving an animal its species-characteristic shape? Control of size must involve mechanisms that somehow assess some aspect of size and are upstream of mechanisms that regulate growth. These mechanisms are now beginning to be understood in the insects, in particular in Manduca sexta and Drosophila melanogaster. The control of size requires control of the rate of growth and control of the cessation of growth. Growth is controlled by genetic and environmental factors. Insulin and ecdysone, their receptors, and intracellular signaling pathways are the principal genetic regulators of growth. The secretion of these growth hormones, in turn, is controlled by complex interactions of other endocrine and molecular mechanisms, by environmental factors such as nutrition, and by the physiological mechanisms that sense body size. Although the general mechanisms of growth regulation appear to be widely shared, the mechanisms that regulate final size can be quite diverse.
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13
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Parsons SMA, Joern A. Life history traits associated with body size covary along a latitudinal gradient in a generalist grasshopper. Oecologia 2013; 174:379-91. [PMID: 24065558 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-013-2785-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2013] [Accepted: 09/11/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Animal body size often varies systematically along latitudinal gradients, where individuals are either larger or smaller with varying season length. This study examines ecotypic responses by the generalist grasshopper Melanoplus femurrubrum (Orthoptera: Acrididae) in body size and covarying, physiologically based life history traits along a latitudinal gradient with respect to seasonality and energetics. The latitudinal compensation hypothesis predicts that smaller body size occurs in colder sites when populations must compensate for time constraints due to short seasons. Shorter season length requires faster developmental and growth rates to complete life cycles in one season. Using a common garden experimental design under laboratory conditions, we examined how grasshopper body size, consumption, developmental time, growth rate and metabolism varied among populations collected along an extended latitudinal gradient. When reared at the same temperature in the lab, individuals from northern populations were smaller, developed more rapidly, and showed higher growth rates, as expected for adaptations to shorter and generally cooler growing seasons. Temperature-dependent, whole organism metabolic rate scaled positively with body size and was lower at northern sites, but mass-specific standard metabolic rate did not differ among sites. Total food consumption varied positively with body size, but northern populations exhibited a higher mass-specific consumption rate. Overall, compensatory life history responses corresponded with key predictions of the latitudinal compensation hypothesis in response to season length.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheena M A Parsons
- Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, 66506, USA,
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14
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Fujimoto S, Kawajiri M, Suzuki Y, Yamahira K. Evolution of growth rates under the constraint of growth-development trade-off in a fish. POPUL ECOL 2011. [DOI: 10.1007/s10144-011-0297-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
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15
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Abstract
Body size of animals often increases with increasing latitude. These latitudinal clines in body size have interested biologists for over 150 years. However, the mechanisms that generate these clines in size are still unclear, though latitudinal gradients in temperature appear to play an important role. More importantly, many studies that examine latitudinal clines in body size and the mechanisms responsible for these clines use phenotypic data, confounding genetic (adaptive) and non-genetic (plasticity) sources of variation. Yet, most of these studies make adaptive conclusions based on phenotypic measures of size. Here I show the dangers of making adaptive inferences from phenotypic measures of size. In addition, I use a specific form of plasticity in body size of ectotherms, called the temperature - size rule, to illustrate how confusion about genetic and non-genetic contributions to phenotypic variation has hampered progress in understanding the evolution of latitudinal clines in size. Field-based measurements of body size can no doubt be influenced by plasticity, but demonstrating that latitudinal clines have a genetic basis is necessary to show that these patterns are adaptive.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Craig Stillwell
- Dept of Entomology, Univ. of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721-0036, USA. ( )
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16
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Cross-habitat variation in the phenology of a colonial spider: insights from a reciprocal transplant study. Naturwissenschaften 2010; 97:279-89. [PMID: 20069269 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-009-0640-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2009] [Revised: 11/30/2009] [Accepted: 12/04/2009] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
In species with widespread distribution, populations found in markedly different environments can show differences in developmental traits. This, in time, can have an effect on reproductive success. Sources of variation in developmental traits can be genetic or environmentally induced. I examined the relationship between environmental and genetic influences on juvenile development in populations of the colonial spider, Parawixia bistriata, located at sites with different moisture regimes and associated environmental variables (e.g., prey availability). It was expected that individuals from different populations would show differences in developmental traits and that those differences will be associated with lower reproductive success at dry sites. I recorded the phenology and developmental traits of native and transplanted individuals in the field and estimated reproductive success based on clutch size. Colonies from wet versus dry sites showed different phenologies, with individuals at dry sites maturing later. Transplant results suggest plasticity in instar duration caused by environmental effects. Despite differences in resources and spider phenology, clutch sizes of native dry and wet populations were similar. Transplanted individuals, however, were differentially affected. Transplants from wet to dry sites (WD) showed lower growth rates and smaller clutches, whereas transplants from dry to wet sites had larger clutch sizes than in native habitat. Delayed maturation and failure to reproduce in WD individuals is associated with a lower tendency to capture prey in groups and less aggressive interactions during prey capture. Thus, despite negative environmental effects on development, dry native individuals have evolved non-developmental traits that allow successful reproduction.
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17
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Pincheira-Donoso D, Hodgson DJ, Tregenza T. The evolution of body size under environmental gradients in ectotherms: why should Bergmann's rule apply to lizards? BMC Evol Biol 2008; 8:68. [PMID: 18304333 PMCID: PMC2268677 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2148-8-68] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2007] [Accepted: 02/27/2008] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The impact of environmental gradients on the evolution of life history traits is a central issue in macroecology and evolutionary biology. A number of hypotheses have been formulated to explain factors shaping patterns of variation in animal mass. One such example is Bergmann's rule, which predicts that body size will be positively correlated with latitude and elevation, and hence, with decreasing environmental temperatures. A generally accepted explanation for this phenotypic response is that as body mass increases, body surface area gets proportionally smaller, which contributes to reduced rates of heat-loss. Phylogenetic and non-phylogenetic evidence reveals that endotherms follow Bergmann's rule. In contrast, while previous non-phylogenetic studies supported this prediction in up to 75% of ectotherms, recent phylogenetic comparative analyses suggest that its validity for these organisms is controversial and less understood. Moreover, little attention has been paid to why some ectotherms conform to this rule, while others do not. Here, we investigate Bergmann's rule in the six main clades forming the Liolaemus genus, one of the largest and most environmentally diverse genera of terrestrial vertebrates. A recent study conducted on some species belonging to four of these six clades concluded that Liolaemus species follow Bergmann's rule, representing the only known phylogenetic support for this model in lizards. However, a later reassessment of this evidence, performed on one of the four analysed clades, produced contrasting conclusions. RESULTS Our results fail to support Bergmann's rule in Liolaemus lizards. Non-phylogenetic and phylogenetic analyses showed that none of the studied clades experience increasing body size with increasing latitude and elevation. CONCLUSION Most physiological and behavioural processes in ectotherms depend directly upon their body temperature. In cold environments, adaptations to gain heat rapidly are under strong positive selection to allow optimal feeding, mating and predator avoidance. Therefore, evolution of larger body size in colder environments appears to be a disadvantageous thermoregulatory strategy. The repeated lack of support for Bergmann's rule in ectotherms suggests that this model should be recognized as a valid rule exclusively for endotherms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Pincheira-Donoso
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, School of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Penryn TR10 9EZ, Cornwall, UK
| | - David J Hodgson
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, School of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Penryn TR10 9EZ, Cornwall, UK
| | - Tom Tregenza
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, School of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Penryn TR10 9EZ, Cornwall, UK
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Yamahira K, Takeshi K. Variation in juvenile growth rates among and within latitudinal populations of the medaka. POPUL ECOL 2007. [DOI: 10.1007/s10144-007-0055-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Abstract
Several recent studies have demonstrated that rapid growth early in life leads to decreased physiological performance. Nearly all involved experiments over short time periods (<1 day) to control for potentially confounding effects of size. This approach, however, neglects the benefits an individual accrues by growing. The net effect of growth can only be evaluated over a longer interval in which rapidly growing individuals are allowed the time required to attain the expected benefits of large size. We used two populations of Menidia menidia with disparate intrinsic growth rates to address this issue. We compared growth and survivorship among populations subject to predation in mesocosms under ambient light and temperature conditions for a period of up to 30 days to address two questions: Do the growth rates of fish in these populations respond differently to the presence of predators? Is the previously demonstrated survival cost of growth counterbalanced by the benefits of increased size? We found that growth was insensitive to predation risk: neither population appeared to modify growth rates in response to predation levels. Moreover, the fast-growing population suffered significantly higher mortality throughout the trials despite being 40% larger than the slow-growing population at the experiment's end. These results confirm that the costs of rapid growth extend over prolonged intervals and are not ameliorated merely by the attainment of large size.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephan B Munch
- Marine Sciences Research Center, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, New York 11794-5000, USA.
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