1
|
Xiong Y, Rozzi R, Zhang Y, Fan L, Zhao J, Li D, Yao Y, Xiao H, Liu J, Zeng X, Xu H, Jiang Y, Lei F. Convergent evolution toward a slow pace of life predisposes insular endotherms to anthropogenic extinctions. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadm8240. [PMID: 38996028 PMCID: PMC11244536 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adm8240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 06/10/2024] [Indexed: 07/14/2024]
Abstract
Island vertebrates have evolved a number of morphological, physiological, and life history characteristics that set them apart from their mainland relatives. However, to date, the evolution of metabolism and its impact on the vulnerability to extinction of insular vertebrates remains poorly understood. This study used metabolic data from 2813 species of tetrapod vertebrates, including 695 ectothermic and 2118 endothermic species, to reveal that island mammals and birds evolved convergent metabolic strategies toward a slow pace of life. Insularity was associated with shifts toward slower metabolic rates and greater generation lengths in endotherms, while insularity just drove the evolution of longer generation lengths in ectotherms. Notably, a slow pace of life has exacerbated the extinction of insular endemic species in the face of anthropogenic threats. These findings have important implications for understanding physiological adaptations associated with the island syndrome and formulating conservation strategies across taxonomic groups with different metabolic modes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ying Xiong
- Department of Zoology, College of Life science, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya’an 625000, China
| | - Roberto Rozzi
- Zentralmagazin Naturwissenschaftlicher Sammlungen, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, 06108 Halle (Saale), Germany
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz-Institut für Evolutions- und Biodiversitätsforschung, 10115 Berlin, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstraße 4, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Yizhou Zhang
- Department of Zoology, College of Life science, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya’an 625000, China
| | - Liqing Fan
- Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology in Tibet Plateau, Tibet Agricultural & Animal Husbandry University, Ministry of Education, Nyingchi 860000, China
| | - Jidong Zhao
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Qinling Ecological Security, Shaanxi Institude of Zoology, Xi’an 710000, China
| | - Dongming Li
- Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Hebei Province, College of Life Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang 050024, China
| | - Yongfang Yao
- Department of Zoology, College of Life science, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya’an 625000, China
| | - Hongtao Xiao
- Department of Zoology, College of Life science, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya’an 625000, China
| | - Jing Liu
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, Key Laboratory of Tropical Animal and Plant Ecology of Hainan Province, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou 571158, China
| | - Xianyin Zeng
- Department of Zoology, College of Life science, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya’an 625000, China
| | - Huailiang Xu
- Department of Zoology, College of Life science, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya’an 625000, China
| | - Yanzhi Jiang
- Department of Zoology, College of Life science, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya’an 625000, China
| | - Fumin Lei
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Matthews TJ. Evolution: The rise and fall of island dwarfs and giants. Curr Biol 2023; 33:R684-R686. [PMID: 37339596 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.04.062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/22/2023]
Abstract
Islands are arenas for a range of striking evolutionary phenomena, including the island rule - the tendency for larger animals to shrink and smaller animals to enlarge. A new study of insular mammals finds such body size shifts predispose these evolutionary marvels to greater extinction risk.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas J Matthews
- GEES (School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences) and Birmingham Institute of Forest Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK; CE3C - Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes/Azorean Biodiversity Group / CHANGE - Global Change and Sustainability Institute and Universidade dos Açores - Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Environment, PT-9700-042, Angra do Heroísmo, Açores, Portugal.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Perez-Martinez CA, Leal M. Lizards as models to explore the ecological and neuroanatomical correlates of miniaturization. BEHAVIOUR 2021. [DOI: 10.1163/1568539x-bja10104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Extreme body size reductions bring about unorthodox anatomical arrangements and novel ways in which animals interact with the environment. Drawing from studies of vertebrates and invertebrates, we provide a theoretical framework for miniaturization to inform hypotheses using lizards as a study system. Through this approach, we demonstrate the repeated evolution of miniaturization across 11 families and a tendency for miniaturized species to occupy terrestrial microhabitats, possibly driven by physiological constraints. Differences in gross brain morphology between two gecko species demonstrate a proportionally larger telencephalon and smaller olfactory bulbs in the miniaturized species, though more data are needed to generalize this trend. Our study brings into light the potential contributions of miniaturized lizards to explain patterns of body size evolution and its impact on ecology and neuroanatomy. In addition, our findings reveal the need to study the natural history of miniaturized species, particularly in relation to their sensory and physiological ecology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Manuel Leal
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65201, USA
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
van der Geer AA. Size matters: micro-evolution in Polynesian rats highlights body size changes as initial stage in evolution. PeerJ 2020; 8:e9076. [PMID: 32377457 PMCID: PMC7194086 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.9076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2019] [Accepted: 04/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Microevolutionary patterns in populations of introduced rodent species have often been the focus of analytic studies for their potential relevance to understanding vertebrate evolution. The Polynesian rat (Rattus exulans) is an excellent proxy species because of its wide geographic and temporal distribution: its native and introduced combined range spans half the globe and it has been living for at least seven centuries wherever it was introduced. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of long-term isolation (insularity; up to 4,000 years) and geographic variables on skull shape variation using geometric morphometrics. A sample of 513 specimens from 103 islands and four mainland areas was analysed. This study, to my knowledge the first to extensively sample introduced rats, analysed 59 two-dimensional landmarks on the skull. Landmarks were obtained in three separate aspects (dorsal, lateral, ventral skull view). The coordinate data were then subjected to a multivariate ordination analysis (principal components analysis, or PCA), multivariate regressions, and a canonical variates analysis (CVA). Three measures of disparity were evaluated for each view. The results show that introduced Polynesian rats evolve skull shapes that conform to the general mammalian interspecific pattern of cranial evolutionary allometry (CREA), with proportionally longer snouts in larger specimens. In addition, larger skulls are more tubular in shape than the smaller skulls, which are more balloon-shaped with a rounder and wider braincase relative to those of large skulls. This difference is also observed between the sexes (sexual dimorphism), due to the slightly larger average male size. Large, tubular skulls with long snouts are typical for Polynesia and Remote Oceania, where no native mammals occur. The greater disparity of Polynesian rats on mammal species-poor islands ('exulans-only' region) provides further insight into how diversity may affect diversification through ecological release from predators and competitors.
Collapse
|