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Leblanc CA, Räsänen K, Morrissey M, Skúlason S, Ferguson M, Kristjánsson BK. Fine scale diversity in the lava: genetic and phenotypic diversity in small populations of Arctic charr Salvelinus alpinus. BMC Ecol Evol 2024; 24:45. [PMID: 38622503 PMCID: PMC11017478 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-024-02232-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND A major goal in evolutionary biology is to understand the processes underlying phenotypic variation in nature. Commonly, studies have focused on large interconnected populations or populations found along strong environmental gradients. However, studies on small fragmented populations can give strong insight into evolutionary processes in relation to discrete ecological factors. Evolution in small populations is believed to be dominated by stochastic processes, but recent work shows that small populations can also display adaptive phenotypic variation, through for example plasticity and rapid adaptive evolution. Such evolution takes place even though there are strong signs of historical bottlenecks and genetic drift. Here we studied 24 small populations of the freshwater fish Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) found in groundwater filled lava caves. Those populations were found within a few km2-area with no apparent water connections between them. We studied the relative contribution of neutral versus non-neutral evolutionary processes in shaping phenotypic divergence, by contrasting patterns of phenotypic and neutral genetic divergence across populations in relation to environmental measurements. This allowed us to model the proportion of phenotypic variance explained by the environment, taking in to account the observed neutral genetic structure. RESULTS These populations originated from the nearby Lake Mývatn, and showed small population sizes with low genetic diversity. Phenotypic variation was mostly correlated with neutral genetic diversity with only a small environmental effect. CONCLUSIONS Phenotypic diversity in these cave populations appears to be largely the product of neutral processes, fitting the classical evolutionary expectations. However, the fact that neutral processes did not explain fully the phenotypic patterns suggests that further studies can increase our understanding on how neutral evolutionary processes can interact with other forces of selection at early stages of divergence. The accessibility of these populations has provided the opportunity for long-term monitoring of individual fish, allowing tracking how the environment can influence phenotypic and genetic divergence for shaping and maintaining diversity in small populations. Such studies are important, especially in freshwater, as habitat alteration is commonly breaking populations into smaller units, which may or may not be viable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camille A Leblanc
- Department of Aquaculture and Fish Biology, Hólar University, Sauðárkrókur, Iceland.
| | - Katja Räsänen
- Department of Biology and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | | | - Skúli Skúlason
- Department of Aquaculture and Fish Biology, Hólar University, Sauðárkrókur, Iceland
- Icelandic Museum of Natural History, Reykjavik, Iceland
| | - Moira Ferguson
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
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2
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Porter CK, Benkman CW. Performance tradeoffs and resource availability drive variation in reproductive isolation between sympatrically diverging crossbills. Am Nat 2021; 199:362-379. [DOI: 10.1086/718235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
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3
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Trevail AM, Green JA, Bolton M, Daunt F, Harris SM, Miller PI, Newton S, Owen E, Polton JA, Robertson G, Sharples J, Patrick SC. Environmental heterogeneity promotes individual specialisation in habitat selection in a widely distributed seabird. J Anim Ecol 2021; 90:2875-2887. [PMID: 34492121 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2020] [Accepted: 08/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Individual specialisations in behaviour are predicted to arise where divergence benefits fitness. Such specialisations are more likely in heterogeneous environments where there is both greater ecological opportunity and competition-driven frequency dependent selection. Such an effect could explain observed differences in rates of individual specialisation in habitat selection, as it offers individuals an opportunity to select for habitat types that maximise resource gain while minimising competition; however, this mechanism has not been tested before. Here, we use habitat selection functions to quantify individual specialisations while foraging by black-legged kittiwakes Rissa tridactyla, a marine top predator, at 15 colonies around the United Kingdom and Ireland, along a gradient of environmental heterogeneity. We find support for the hypothesis that individual specialisations in habitat selection while foraging are more prevalent in heterogeneous environments. This trend was significant across multiple dynamic habitat variables that change over short time-scales and did not arise through site fidelity, which highlights the importance of environmental processes in facilitating behavioural adaptation by predators. Individual differences may drive evolutionary processes, and therefore these results suggest that there is broad scope for the degree of environmental heterogeneity to determine current and future population, species and community dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice M Trevail
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.,Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK
| | - Jonathan A Green
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Mark Bolton
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Sandy, UK
| | - Francis Daunt
- Centre for Ecology & Hydrology Edinburgh, Penicuik, UK
| | | | - Peter I Miller
- Remote Sensing Group, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Plymouth, UK
| | | | - Ellie Owen
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Sandy, UK
| | | | - Gail Robertson
- School of Mathematics, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Jonathan Sharples
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Samantha C Patrick
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
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4
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Edelaar P, Bolnick DI. Appreciating the Multiple Processes Increasing Individual or Population Fitness. Trends Ecol Evol 2019; 34:435-446. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2019.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2018] [Revised: 01/30/2019] [Accepted: 02/01/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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5
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Byers JA, Sadowsky A, Levi Zada A. Index of host habitat preference explored by movement-based simulations and trap captures. J Anim Ecol 2018; 87:1320-1330. [PMID: 29938788 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2018] [Accepted: 06/06/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Animal species likely have different strengths of host habitat preference (HHP) that might be characterized by a standardized index ranging from 0 (no preference) to 1 (maximum preference). We hypothesized that in some species, HHP may result from individuals dispersing out of the host habitat having a probability of turning back at the boundary, or after entering host habitat by reducing speed or increasing size of turning angles. Computer simulations of individuals moving between various sized patches of host and nonhost habitat were conducted based on these three behaviours hypothesized to affect HHP. In the rebounding model, simulations resulted in equilibria of animal numbers inside and outside of host habitat that depend on sizes of these areas, initial number and the rebounding probability. Curvilinear regression of simulation results suggested an equation that predicted numbers in the host habitat and was solved for rebounding probability. A modified equation that sampled population densities (e.g., insect pheromone trap catches) inside and outside host habitat areas gave the rebounding probability, an index of HHP, without requiring the sizes of the areas. Simulations with traps and moving animals verified that the modified equation could predict the index correctly. The modified equation also estimates an index of HHP from sampled densities due to speed reductions and a combination of this and rebounding. Changes in angular turning size upon entering host habitat, however, did not affect habitat preference. Using pheromone trap captures, we found that the lesser date moth Batrachedra amydraula has a HHP for date Phoenix dactylifera plantations of 0.96. Host habitat preference indexes also were calculated from sampled insect densities reported in the literature. The new index of HHP is useful to characterize habitat patches of many organisms and aid understanding of animal spatial distributions and speciation processes. In addition, the index can be applied in studies of invasive species, trap crops of pest insects and conservation management.
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Affiliation(s)
- John A Byers
- Department of Entomology, Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
| | | | - Anat Levi Zada
- Institute of Plant Protection, Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Center, Rishon LeZion, Israel
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6
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Angeletti D, Sebbio C, Carlini A, Strinati C, Nascetti G, Carere C, Cimmaruta R. The role of habitat choice in micro-evolutionary dynamics: An experimental study on the Mediterranean killifish Aphanius fasciatus (Cyprinodontidae). Ecol Evol 2018; 7:10536-10545. [PMID: 29299235 PMCID: PMC5743487 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2017] [Revised: 09/06/2017] [Accepted: 09/13/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Habitat choice is defined as a nonrandom distribution of genotypes in different microhabitats. Therefore, it could exert a great impact on the genetic variance of natural populations by promoting genetic divergence, local adaptation, and may even lead to sympatric speciation. Despite this potential role in micro‐ and macro‐evolutionary processes, there is little empirical evidence that the various genotypes within a population may differ in habitat choice‐related behaviors. Here, we tested whether habitat choice may have contributed to genetic divergence within a local population of the Mediterranean killifish Aphanius fasciatus, which emerged between groups inhabiting microhabitats with different oxygen concentrations during previous field studies. In a first experiment, we studied the distribution of individuals in conditions of hypoxia and normoxia to test whether they had a different ability to shy away from a hypoxic environment; in a second experiment, we analyzed the individual behavior of fish separately in the two conditions, to verify whether they showed peculiar behavioral responses linked to a possible differential distribution. We then analyzed the six allozyme loci, whose allelic and genotypic frequencies were significantly divergent in the previous studies. In the first test, we found that the distribution of the two homozygote genotypes of the glucose‐6‐phosphate isomerase‐1 locus (GPI‐1) was significantly different between the hypoxic and the normoxic conditions. During the second test, all individuals were more active in hypoxic conditions, but the two GPI‐1 homozygotes showed a significant difference in time spent performing surface breathing, which was consistent with their distribution observed in the first experiment. These results provide evidence that individual behavioral traits, related to genetic features, may lead to a nonrandom distribution of genotypes in heterogeneous although contiguous microhabitats and, consequently, that habitat choice can play a significant role in driving the micro‐evolutionary dynamics of this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dario Angeletti
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences Ichthyogenic Experimental Marine Center (CISMAR) Tuscia University Tarquinia VT Italy
| | - Claudia Sebbio
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences Ichthyogenic Experimental Marine Center (CISMAR) Tuscia University Tarquinia VT Italy.,Department of Monitoring of Environmental Quality Italian National Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA) Rome Italy
| | - Alessandro Carlini
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences Ichthyogenic Experimental Marine Center (CISMAR) Tuscia University Tarquinia VT Italy
| | - Claudia Strinati
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences Ichthyogenic Experimental Marine Center (CISMAR) Tuscia University Tarquinia VT Italy
| | - Giuseppe Nascetti
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences Ichthyogenic Experimental Marine Center (CISMAR) Tuscia University Tarquinia VT Italy
| | - Claudio Carere
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences Ichthyogenic Experimental Marine Center (CISMAR) Tuscia University Tarquinia VT Italy
| | - Roberta Cimmaruta
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences Ichthyogenic Experimental Marine Center (CISMAR) Tuscia University Tarquinia VT Italy
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7
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Kopp M, Servedio MR, Mendelson TC, Safran RJ, Rodríguez RL, Hauber ME, Scordato EC, Symes LB, Balakrishnan CN, Zonana DM, van Doorn GS. Mechanisms of Assortative Mating in Speciation with Gene Flow: Connecting Theory and Empirical Research. Am Nat 2018; 191:1-20. [DOI: 10.1086/694889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 130] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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8
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Akcali CK, Porter CK. Comment on Van Belleghem et al. 2016: Habitat choice mechanisms in speciation and other forms of diversification. Evolution 2017; 71:2754-2761. [DOI: 10.1111/evo.13375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2017] [Revised: 08/06/2017] [Accepted: 08/07/2017] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Christopher K. Akcali
- Department of Biology; University of North Carolina; Chapel Hill North Carolina 27599 USA
- North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences; Raleigh North Carolina 27601 USA
| | - Cody K. Porter
- Department of Zoology and Physiology; University of Wyoming; Laramie Wyoming 82071 USA
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9
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Johannesson K, Butlin RK, Panova M, Westram AM. Mechanisms of Adaptive Divergence and Speciation in Littorina saxatilis: Integrating Knowledge from Ecology and Genetics with New Data Emerging from Genomic Studies. POPULATION GENOMICS 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/13836_2017_6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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10
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Berner D, Ammann M, Spencer E, Rüegg A, Lüscher D, Moser D. Sexual isolation promotes divergence between parapatric lake and stream stickleback. J Evol Biol 2016; 30:401-411. [PMID: 27862535 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2016] [Accepted: 11/07/2016] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Speciation can be initiated by adaptive divergence between populations in ecologically different habitats, but how sexually based reproductive barriers contribute to this process is less well understood. We here test for sexual isolation between ecotypes of threespine stickleback fish residing in adjacent lake and stream habitats in the Lake Constance basin, Central Europe. Mating trials exposing females to pairings of territorial lake and stream males in outdoor mesocosms allowing for natural reproductive behaviour reveal that mating occurs preferentially between partners of the same ecotype. Compared to random mating, this sexual barrier reduces gene flow between the ecotypes by some 36%. This relatively modest strength of sexual isolation is surprising because comparing the males between the two ecotypes shows striking differentiation in traits generally considered relevant to reproductive behaviour (body size, breeding coloration, nest size). Analysing size differences among the individuals in the mating trials further indicates that assortative mating is not related to ecotype differences in body size. Overall, we demonstrate that sexually based reproductive isolation promotes divergence in lake-stream stickleback along with other known reproductive barriers, but we also caution against inferring strong sexual isolation from the observation of strong population divergence in sexually relevant traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Berner
- Zoological Institute, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - M Ammann
- Zoological Institute, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - E Spencer
- Ocean and Earth Science, National Oceanography Centre Southampton, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - A Rüegg
- Zoological Institute, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - D Lüscher
- Zoological Institute, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - D Moser
- Zoological Institute, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
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11
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Otte T, Hilker M, Geiselhardt S. Phenotypic plasticity of mate recognition systems prevents sexual interference between two sympatric leaf beetle species. Evolution 2016; 70:1819-28. [PMID: 27272669 DOI: 10.1111/evo.12976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2015] [Revised: 05/10/2016] [Accepted: 05/21/2016] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Maladaptive sexual interactions among heterospecific individuals (sexual interference) can prevent the coexistence of animal species. Thus, the avoidance of sexual interference by divergence of mate recognition systems is crucial for a stable coexistence in sympatry. Mate recognition systems are thought to be under tight genetic control. However, we demonstrate that mate recognition systems of two closely related sympatric leaf beetle species show a high level of host-induced phenotypic plasticity. Mate choice in the mustard leaf beetles, Phaedon cochleariae and P. armoraciae, is mediated by cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs). Divergent host plant use causes a divergence of CHC phenotypes, whereas similar host use leads to their convergence. Consequently, both species exhibit significant behavioral isolation when they feed on alternative host species, but mate randomly when using a common host. Thus, sexual interference between these syntopic leaf beetles is prevented by host-induced phenotypic plasticity rather than by genotypic divergence of mate recognition systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Otte
- Institute of Biology, Dahlem Centre of Plant Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin, Haderslebener Street 9, 12163, Berlin, Germany
| | - Monika Hilker
- Institute of Biology, Dahlem Centre of Plant Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin, Haderslebener Street 9, 12163, Berlin, Germany
| | - Sven Geiselhardt
- Institute of Biology, Dahlem Centre of Plant Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin, Haderslebener Street 9, 12163, Berlin, Germany.
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12
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Westram AM, Panova M, Galindo J, Butlin RK. Targeted resequencing reveals geographical patterns of differentiation for loci implicated in parallel evolution. Mol Ecol 2016; 25:3169-86. [PMID: 27061172 DOI: 10.1111/mec.13640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2015] [Revised: 03/08/2016] [Accepted: 03/23/2016] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Parallel divergence and speciation provide evidence for the role of divergent selection in generating biological diversity. Recent studies indicate that parallel phenotypic divergence may not have the same genetic basis in different geographical locations - 'outlier loci' (loci potentially affected by divergent selection) are often not shared among parallel instances of phenotypic divergence. However, limited sharing may be due, in part, to technical issues if false-positive outliers occur. Here, we test this idea in the marine snail Littorina saxatilis, which has evolved two partly isolated ecotypes (adapted to crab predation vs. wave action) in multiple locations independently. We argue that if the low extent of sharing observed in earlier studies in this system is due to sampling effects, we expect outliers not to show elevated FST when sequenced in new samples from the original locations and also not to follow predictable geographical patterns of elevated FST . Following a hierarchical sampling design (within vs. between country), we applied capture sequencing, targeting outliers from earlier studies and control loci. We found that outliers again showed elevated levels of FST in their original location, suggesting they were not generated by sampling effects. Outliers were also likely to show increased FST in geographically close locations, which may be explained by higher levels of gene flow or shared ancestral genetic variation compared with more distant locations. However, in contrast to earlier findings, we also found some outlier types to show elevated FST in geographically distant locations. We discuss possible explanations for this unexpected result.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anja M Westram
- Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
| | - Marina Panova
- Department of Marine Sciences - Tjärnö, University of Gothenburg, SE-452 96, Strömstad, Sweden
| | - Juan Galindo
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Genética e Inmunología, Facultad de Biología, Universidade de Vigo, 36310, Vigo, Spain.,ECIMAT, Estación de Ciencias Mariñas de Toralla, Universidade de Vigo, Illa de Toralla, 36331, Vigo, Spain
| | - Roger K Butlin
- Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK.,Department of Marine Sciences - Tjärnö, University of Gothenburg, SE-452 96, Strömstad, Sweden
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13
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Sitnikova T, Maximova N. On morphological and ecological evidence of adaptive differentiation among stony cliff littoral Baikal gastropods. J NAT HIST 2016. [DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2015.1059961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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14
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Carvalho J, Sotelo G, Galindo J, Faria R. Genetic characterization of flat periwinkles (Littorinidae) from the Iberian Peninsula reveals interspecific hybridization and different degrees of differentiation. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/bij.12762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- João Carvalho
- Departamento de Bioquímica; Xenética e Inmunoloxía; Facultade de Bioloxía; Universidade de Vigo. Campus de Vigo; 36310 Vigo Spain
- Departamento de Biologia Ambiental; Faculdade de Ciências; Universidade de Lisboa. Campo Grande; 1749-016 Lisboa Portugal
- CIBIO; Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos; InBIO; Laboratório Associado; Universidade do Porto. Campus Agrário de Vairão; 4485-661 Vairão Portugal
| | - Graciela Sotelo
- CIBIO; Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos; InBIO; Laboratório Associado; Universidade do Porto. Campus Agrário de Vairão; 4485-661 Vairão Portugal
| | - Juan Galindo
- Departamento de Bioquímica; Xenética e Inmunoloxía; Facultade de Bioloxía; Universidade de Vigo. Campus de Vigo; 36310 Vigo Spain
| | - Rui Faria
- CIBIO; Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos; InBIO; Laboratório Associado; Universidade do Porto. Campus Agrário de Vairão; 4485-661 Vairão Portugal
- IBE; Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-UPF); Department of Experimental and Health Sciences; Pompeu Fabra University. Doctor Aiguader 88; 08003 Barcelona Spain
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15
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Moser D, Frey A, Berner D. Fitness differences between parapatric lake and stream stickleback revealed by a field transplant. J Evol Biol 2016; 29:711-9. [PMID: 26709953 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2015] [Revised: 12/16/2015] [Accepted: 12/18/2015] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Molecular comparisons of populations diverging into ecologically different environments often reveal strong differentiation in localized genomic regions, with the remainder of the genome being weakly differentiated. This pattern of heterogeneous genomic divergence, however, is rarely connected to direct measurements of fitness differences among populations. We here do so by performing a field enclosure experiment in threespine stickleback fish residing in a lake and in three replicate adjoining streams, and displaying weak yet heterogeneous genomic divergence between these habitats. Tracking survival over 29 weeks, we consistently find that lake genotypes transplanted into the streams suffer greatly reduced viability relative to local stream genotypes and that the performance of F1 hybrid genotypes is intermediate. This observed selection against migrants and hybrids combines to a total reduction in gene flow from the lake into streams of around 80%. Overall, our study identifies a strong reproductive barrier between parapatric stickleback populations, and cautions against inferring weak fitness differences between populations exhibiting weak overall genomic differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Moser
- Zoological Institute, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - A Frey
- Zoological Institute, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - D Berner
- Zoological Institute, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
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16
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Nonaka E, Svanbäck R, Thibert-Plante X, Englund G, Brännström Å. Mechanisms by Which Phenotypic Plasticity Affects Adaptive Divergence and Ecological Speciation. Am Nat 2015; 186:E126-43. [DOI: 10.1086/683231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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17
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Berner D, Thibert-Plante X. How mechanisms of habitat preference evolve and promote divergence with gene flow. J Evol Biol 2015; 28:1641-55. [PMID: 26119841 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2015] [Revised: 06/13/2015] [Accepted: 06/19/2015] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Habitat preference may promote adaptive divergence and speciation, yet the conditions under which this is likely are insufficiently explored. We use individual-based simulations to study the evolution and consequence of habitat preference during divergence with gene flow, considering four different underlying genetically based behavioural mechanisms: natal habitat imprinting, phenotype-dependent, competition-dependent and direct genetic habitat preference. We find that the evolution of habitat preference generally requires initially high dispersal, is facilitated by asymmetry in population sizes between habitats, and is hindered by an increasing number of underlying genetic loci. Moreover, the probability of habitat preference to emerge and promote divergence differs greatly among the underlying mechanisms. Natal habitat imprinting evolves most easily and can allow full divergence in parameter ranges where no divergence is possible in the absence of habitat preference. The reason is that imprinting represents a one-allele mechanism of assortative mating linking dispersal behaviour very effectively to local selection. At the other extreme, direct genetic habitat preference, a two-allele mechanism, evolves under restricted conditions only, and even then facilitates divergence weakly. Overall, our results indicate that habitat preference can be a strong reproductive barrier promoting divergence with gene flow, but that this is highly contingent on the underlying preference mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Berner
- Zoological Institute, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - X Thibert-Plante
- National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA.,Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.,Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, and IceLab, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
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18
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Westram AM, Galindo J, Alm Rosenblad M, Grahame JW, Panova M, Butlin RK. Do the same genes underlie parallel phenotypic divergence in different Littorina saxatilis populations? Mol Ecol 2014; 23:4603-16. [PMID: 25113130 PMCID: PMC4285301 DOI: 10.1111/mec.12883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2014] [Revised: 07/24/2014] [Accepted: 07/29/2014] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Parallel patterns of adaptive divergence and speciation are cited as powerful evidence for the role of selection driving these processes. However, it is often not clear whether parallel phenotypic divergence is underlain by parallel genetic changes. Here, we asked about the genetic basis of parallel divergence in the marine snail Littorina saxatilis, which has repeatedly evolved coexisting ecotypes adapted to either crab predation or wave action. We sequenced the transcriptome of snails of both ecotypes from three distant geographical locations (Spain, Sweden and United Kingdom) and mapped the reads to the L. saxatilis reference genome. We identified genomic regions potentially under divergent selection between ecotypes within each country, using an outlier approach based on F(ST) values calculated per locus. In line with previous studies indicating that gene reuse is generally common, we expected to find extensive sharing of outlier loci due to recent shared ancestry and gene flow between at least two of the locations in our study system. Contrary to our expectations, we found that most outliers were country specific, suggesting that much of the genetic basis of divergence is not shared among locations. However, we did find that more outliers were shared than expected by chance and that differentiation of shared outliers is often generated by the same SNPs. We discuss two mechanisms potentially explaining the limited amount of sharing we observed. First, a polygenic basis of divergent traits might allow for multiple distinct molecular mechanisms generating the same phenotypic patterns. Second, additional, location-specific axes of selection that we did not focus on in this study may produce distinct patterns of genetic divergence within each site.
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Affiliation(s)
- A M Westram
- Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S102TN, UK
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Ley A, Hardy O. Contrasting patterns of gene flow between sister plant species in the understorey of African moist forests – The case of sympatric and parapatric Marantaceae species. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2014; 77:264-74. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2014.04.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2013] [Revised: 02/20/2014] [Accepted: 04/17/2014] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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20
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Marques JF, Wang HL, Svensson GP, Frago E, Anderbrant O. Genetic divergence and evidence for sympatric host-races in the highly polyphagous brown tail moth, Euproctis chrysorrhoea (Lepidoptera: Erebidae). Evol Ecol 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/s10682-014-9701-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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21
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Winkelmann K, Genner MJ, Takahashi T, Rüber L. Competition-driven speciation in cichlid fish. Nat Commun 2014; 5:3412. [PMID: 24577259 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms4412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2013] [Accepted: 02/10/2014] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Theoretically, competition can initiate divergence in habitat use between individuals of a species, leading to restricted gene flow and eventual speciation. Evidence that sister species differ in habitat use is commonplace and consistent with this mechanism, but empirical experimental support is surprisingly scarce. Here we provide evidence that competition has taken a key role in the evolution of genetically distinct ecomorphs of the Lake Tanganyika cichlid fish Telmatochromis temporalis. Experiments show that differences in substrate use between a large-bodied rock-living ecomorph and a neighbouring small-bodied shell-living ecomorph are mediated by size-dependent competition that drives assortative mate-pair formation. Specifically, adults of the larger ecomorph outcompete adults of the smaller ecomorph on favoured rock substrate, compelling the smaller adults to use shell habitat. These results support a role for competition in maintaining reproductive isolation, and highlight the need to identify ecological processes that impose selection to improve our understanding of speciation and adaptive radiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai Winkelmann
- 1] Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK [2] School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1UG, UK
| | - Martin J Genner
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1UG, UK
| | - Tetsumi Takahashi
- Laboratory of Animal Ecology, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-Oiwake, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan
| | - Lukas Rüber
- Naturhistorisches Museum der Burgergemeinde Bern, Bernastrasse 15, Bern 3005, Switzerland
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22
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Galindo J, Rivas MJ, Saura M, Rolán-Alvarez E. Selection on hybrids of ecologically divergent ecotypes of a marine snail: the relative importance of exogenous and endogenous barriers. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2013. [DOI: 10.1111/bij.12197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Juan Galindo
- Departamento de Bioquímica; Xenética e Inmunoloxía; Facultade de Bioloxía; Universidade de Vigo, Campus de Vigo; 36310 Vigo Spain
| | - Maria J. Rivas
- Departamento de Bioquímica; Xenética e Inmunoloxía; Facultade de Bioloxía; Universidade de Vigo, Campus de Vigo; 36310 Vigo Spain
| | - María Saura
- Departamento de Bioquímica; Xenética e Inmunoloxía; Facultade de Bioloxía; Universidade de Vigo, Campus de Vigo; 36310 Vigo Spain
- Departamento de Mejora Genética Animal; Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA); Crta. La Coruña Km 7,5 28040 Madrid Spain
| | - Emilio Rolán-Alvarez
- Departamento de Bioquímica; Xenética e Inmunoloxía; Facultade de Bioloxía; Universidade de Vigo, Campus de Vigo; 36310 Vigo Spain
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23
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Haller BC, Mazzucco R, Dieckmann U. Evolutionary branching in complex landscapes. Am Nat 2013; 182:E127-41. [PMID: 24021409 DOI: 10.1086/671907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Divergent adaptation to different environments can promote speciation, and it is thus important to consider spatial structure in models of speciation. Earlier theoretical work, however, has been limited to particularly simple types of spatial structure (linear environmental gradients and spatially discrete metapopulations), leaving unaddressed the effects of more realistic patterns of landscape heterogeneity, such as nonlinear gradients and spatially continuous patchiness. To elucidate the consequences of such complex landscapes, we adapt an established spatially explicit individual-based model of evolutionary branching. We show that branching is most probable at intermediate levels of various types of heterogeneity and that different types of heterogeneity have, to some extent, additive effects in promoting branching. In contrast to such additivity, we find a novel refugium effect in which refugia in hostile environments provide opportunities for colonization, thus increasing the probability of branching in patchy landscapes. Effects of patchiness depend on the scale of patches relative to dispersal. Providing a needed connection to empirical research on biodiversity and conservation policy, we introduce empirically accessible spatial environmental metrics that quantitatively predict a landscape's branching propensity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin C Haller
- Department of Biology and Redpath Museum, McGill University, 859 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, Quebec H3A 0C4, Canada
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24
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Thibert-Plante X, Gavrilets S. Evolution of mate choice and the so-called magic traits in ecological speciation. Ecol Lett 2013; 16:1004-13. [PMID: 23782866 DOI: 10.1111/ele.12131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2012] [Revised: 01/07/2013] [Accepted: 05/01/2013] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Non-random mating provides multiple evolutionary benefits and can result in speciation. Biological organisms are characterised by a myriad of different traits, many of which can serve as mating cues. We consider multiple mechanisms of non-random mating simultaneously within a unified modelling framework in an attempt to understand better which are more likely to evolve in natural populations going through the process of local adaptation and ecological speciation. We show that certain traits that are under direct natural selection are more likely to be co-opted as mating cues, leading to the appearance of magic traits (i.e. phenotypic traits involved in both local adaptation and mating decisions). Multiple mechanisms of non-random mating can interact so that trait co-evolution enables the evolution of non-random mating mechanisms that would not evolve alone. The presence of magic traits may suggest that ecological selection was acting during the origin of new species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xavier Thibert-Plante
- National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA.
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25
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Geiselhardt S, Otte T, Hilker M. Looking for a similar partner: host plants shape mating preferences of herbivorous insects by altering their contact pheromones. Ecol Lett 2012; 15:971-7. [PMID: 22708843 DOI: 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2012.01816.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2012] [Revised: 04/23/2012] [Accepted: 05/16/2012] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The role of phenotypical plasticity in ecological speciation and the evolution of sexual isolation remains largely unknown. We investigated whether or not divergent host plant use in an herbivorous insect causes assortative mating by phenotypically altering traits involved in mate recognition. We found that males of the mustard leaf beetle Phaedon cochleariae preferred to mate with females that were reared on the same plant species to females provided with a different plant species, based on divergent cuticular hydrocarbon profiles that serve as contact pheromones. The cuticular hydrocarbon phenotypes of the beetles were host plant specific and changed within 2 weeks after a shift to a novel host plant species. We suggest that plant-induced phenotypic divergence in mate recognition cues may act as an early barrier to gene flow between herbivorous insect populations on alternative host species, preceding genetic divergence and thus, promoting ecological speciation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sven Geiselhardt
- Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Haderslebener Str. 9, Berlin, D-12163, Germany.
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