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Gossmann TI, Shanmugasundram A, Börno S, Duvaux L, Lemaire C, Kuhl H, Klages S, Roberts LD, Schade S, Gostner JM, Hildebrand F, Vowinckel J, Bichet C, Mülleder M, Calvani E, Zelezniak A, Griffin JL, Bork P, Allaine D, Cohas A, Welch JJ, Timmermann B, Ralser M. Ice-Age Climate Adaptations Trap the Alpine Marmot in a State of Low Genetic Diversity. Curr Biol 2019; 29:1712-1720.e7. [PMID: 31080084 PMCID: PMC6538971 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.04.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2018] [Revised: 02/16/2019] [Accepted: 04/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Some species responded successfully to prehistoric changes in climate [1, 2], while others failed to adapt and became extinct [3]. The factors that determine successful climate adaptation remain poorly understood. We constructed a reference genome and studied physiological adaptations in the Alpine marmot (Marmota marmota), a large ground-dwelling squirrel exquisitely adapted to the "ice-age" climate of the Pleistocene steppe [4, 5]. Since the disappearance of this habitat, the rodent persists in large numbers in the high-altitude Alpine meadow [6, 7]. Genome and metabolome showed evidence of adaptation consistent with cold climate, affecting white adipose tissue. Conversely, however, we found that the Alpine marmot has levels of genetic variation that are among the lowest for mammals, such that deleterious mutations are less effectively purged. Our data rule out typical explanations for low diversity, such as high levels of consanguineous mating, or a very recent bottleneck. Instead, ancient demographic reconstruction revealed that genetic diversity was lost during the climate shifts of the Pleistocene and has not recovered, despite the current high population size. We attribute this slow recovery to the marmot's adaptive life history. The case of the Alpine marmot reveals a complicated relationship between climatic changes, genetic diversity, and conservation status. It shows that species of extremely low genetic diversity can be very successful and persist over thousands of years, but also that climate-adapted life history can trap a species in a persistent state of low genetic diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toni I Gossmann
- University of Sheffield, Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK; Bielefeld University, Department of Animal Behaviour, 33501 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Achchuthan Shanmugasundram
- Molecular Biology of Metabolism Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, UK; Centre for Genomic Research, Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Biosciences Building, Crown Street, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK
| | - Stefan Börno
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Sequencing Core Facility, Ihnestrasse 73, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Ludovic Duvaux
- IRHS, Université d'Angers, INRA, Agrocampus-Ouest, SFR 4207 QuaSaV, 49071 Beaucouzé, France; BIOGECO, INRA, Université de Bordeaux, 69 Route d'Arcachon, 33612 Cestas, France
| | - Christophe Lemaire
- IRHS, Université d'Angers, INRA, Agrocampus-Ouest, SFR 4207 QuaSaV, 49071 Beaucouzé, France
| | - Heiner Kuhl
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Sequencing Core Facility, Ihnestrasse 73, 14195 Berlin, Germany; Department of Ecophysiology and Aquaculture, Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, 12587 Berlin, Germany
| | - Sven Klages
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Sequencing Core Facility, Ihnestrasse 73, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Lee D Roberts
- Department of Biochemistry and Cambridge Systems Biology Centre, University of Cambridge, 80 Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1GA, UK; Leeds Institute of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Sophia Schade
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Sequencing Core Facility, Ihnestrasse 73, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Johanna M Gostner
- Division of Medical Biochemistry, Medical University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Falk Hildebrand
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), 69117 Heidelberg, Germany; Earlham Institute, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7UZ, UK; Gut Health and Microbes Programme, Quadram Institute, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7UQ, UK
| | - Jakob Vowinckel
- Department of Biochemistry and Cambridge Systems Biology Centre, University of Cambridge, 80 Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1GA, UK
| | | | - Michael Mülleder
- Department of Biochemistry and Cambridge Systems Biology Centre, University of Cambridge, 80 Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1GA, UK; Department of Biochemistry, Charitè, Am Chariteplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Enrica Calvani
- Molecular Biology of Metabolism Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, UK; Department of Biochemistry and Cambridge Systems Biology Centre, University of Cambridge, 80 Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1GA, UK
| | - Aleksej Zelezniak
- Molecular Biology of Metabolism Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, UK; Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, 412 96 Göteborg, Sweden; Science for Life Laboratory, KTH - Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm 171 65, Sweden
| | - Julian L Griffin
- Department of Biochemistry and Cambridge Systems Biology Centre, University of Cambridge, 80 Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1GA, UK
| | - Peer Bork
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), 69117 Heidelberg, Germany; Max-Delbrück-Centre for Molecular Medicine, 13092 Berlin, Germany; Molecular Medicine Partnership Unit, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Dominique Allaine
- Université de Lyon, F-69000, Lyon; Université Lyon 1; CNRS, UMR 5558, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, 69622 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Aurélie Cohas
- Université de Lyon, F-69000, Lyon; Université Lyon 1; CNRS, UMR 5558, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, 69622 Villeurbanne, France
| | - John J Welch
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EH, UK
| | - Bernd Timmermann
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Sequencing Core Facility, Ihnestrasse 73, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Markus Ralser
- Molecular Biology of Metabolism Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, UK; Department of Biochemistry and Cambridge Systems Biology Centre, University of Cambridge, 80 Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1GA, UK; Department of Biochemistry, Charitè, Am Chariteplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany.
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Bichet C, Allainé D, Sauzet S, Cohas A. Faithful or not: direct and indirect effects of climate on extra-pair paternities in a population of Alpine marmots. Proc Biol Sci 2016; 283:20162240. [PMID: 28003452 PMCID: PMC5204170 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.2240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2016] [Accepted: 11/18/2016] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite being identified an area that is poorly understood regarding the effects of climate change, behavioural responses to climatic variability are seldom explored. Climatic variability is likely to cause large inter-annual variation in the frequency of extra-pair litters produced, a widespread alternative mating tactic to help prevent, correct or minimize the negative consequences of sub-optimal mate choice. In this study, we investigated how climatic variability affects the inter-annual variation in the proportion of extra-pair litters in a wild population of Alpine marmots. During 22 years of monitoring, the annual proportion of extra-pair litters directly increased with the onset of earlier springs and indirectly with increased snow in winters. Snowier winters resulted in a higher proportion of families with sexually mature male subordinates and thus, created a social context within which extra-pair paternity was favoured. Earlier spring snowmelt could create this pattern by relaxing energetic, movement and time constraints. Further, deeper snow in winter could also contribute by increasing litter size and juvenile survival. Optimal mate choice is particularly relevant to generate adaptive genetic diversity. Understanding the influence of environmental conditions and the capacity of the individuals to cope with them is crucial within the context of rapid climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Coraline Bichet
- Laboratoire Biométrie et Biologie Évolutive, Université de Lyon, CNRS, UMR 5558, Université Lyon 1, 69622, Villeurbanne, Lyon 69000, France
- Institut für Vogelforschung 'Vogelwarte Helgoland' (Institute of Avian Research), Wilhelmshaven 26386, Germany
| | - Dominique Allainé
- Laboratoire Biométrie et Biologie Évolutive, Université de Lyon, CNRS, UMR 5558, Université Lyon 1, 69622, Villeurbanne, Lyon 69000, France
| | - Sandrine Sauzet
- Laboratoire Biométrie et Biologie Évolutive, Université de Lyon, CNRS, UMR 5558, Université Lyon 1, 69622, Villeurbanne, Lyon 69000, France
| | - Aurélie Cohas
- Laboratoire Biométrie et Biologie Évolutive, Université de Lyon, CNRS, UMR 5558, Université Lyon 1, 69622, Villeurbanne, Lyon 69000, France
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Canale CI, Ozgul A, Allainé D, Cohas A. Differential plasticity of size and mass to environmental change in a hibernating mammal. Glob Chang Biol 2016; 22:3286-3303. [PMID: 26994312 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.13286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2015] [Revised: 02/23/2016] [Accepted: 02/29/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Morphological changes following changes in species' distribution and phenology have been suggested to be the third universal response to global environmental change. Although structural size and body mass result from different genetic, physiological, and ecological mechanisms, they are used interchangeably in studies evaluating population responses to environmental change. Using a 22-year (1991-2013) dataset including 1768 individuals, we investigated the coupled dynamics of size and mass in a hibernating mammal, the Alpine marmot (Marmota marmota), in response to local environmental conditions. We (i) quantified temporal trends in both traits, (ii) determined the environmental drivers of trait dynamics, and (iii) identified the life-history processes underlying the observed changes. Both phenotypic traits were followed through life: we focused on the initial trait value (juvenile size and mass) and later-life development (annual change in size [Δsize] and mass [Δmass]). First, we demonstrated contrasting dynamics between size and mass over the study period. Juvenile size and subsequent Δsize showed significant declines, whereas juvenile mass and subsequent Δmass remained constant. As a consequence of smaller size associated with a similar mass, individuals were in better condition in recent years. Second, size and mass showed different sensitivities to environmental variables. Both traits benefited from early access to resources in spring, whereas Δmass, particularly in early life, also responded to summer and winter conditions. Third, the interannual variation in both traits was caused by changes in early life development. Our study supports the importance of considering the differences between size and mass responses to the environment when evaluating the mechanisms underlying population dynamics. The current practice of focusing on only one trait in population modeling can lead to misleading conclusions when evaluating species' resilience to contemporary climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cindy I Canale
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Arpat Ozgul
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Dominique Allainé
- UMR-CNRS 5558, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, Université Claude Bernard, Lyon 1, 43 Bd. du 11 novembre 1918, F-69622, Villeurbanne Cedex, France
| | - Aurelie Cohas
- UMR-CNRS 5558, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, Université Claude Bernard, Lyon 1, 43 Bd. du 11 novembre 1918, F-69622, Villeurbanne Cedex, France
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