Coevolution

Ecology ◽  
2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael A. Brockhurst ◽  
Kayla C. King
Keyword(s):  
Historical Perspective ◽  
Evolutionary Dynamics ◽  
Evolutionary Change ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Central Process ◽  
Biological Communities ◽  
Pattern And Process ◽  
Interacting Species ◽  
Evolutionary Force ◽  
Almost All

Coevolution, the reciprocal evolutionary change of ecologically interacting species, is a central process shaping the structure of biological communities and affects almost all organisms on earth. Its power as an evolutionary force arises from the often intense selection imposed by interactions between species, and from the fact that other species themselves evolve, thereby necessitating continual and sometimes rapid evolutionary change. The pattern and process of coevolution can be observed both at the microevolutionary (e.g., evolution of traits among populations) and macroevolutionary scales (e.g., generation of new species). From a microevolutionary perspective, coevolution can give rise to rapid evolutionary dynamics that may affect ecological processes; moreover, coevolution leads to the evolution of adaptations (and counter-adaptations) in interacting species and thereby may give rise to coadaptation of traits between species. Coevolution can drive divergent microevolutionary trajectories both within and between populations potentially leading to diversification and ultimately speciation. Thus, coevolution is a process linking microevolution and macroevolution. From a macroevolutionary perspective, tightly coevolving species may cospeciate such that the phylogenies of interacting clades appear congruent. This bibliography begins with a historical perspective, before considering conceptual issues surrounding coevolution and the debates that have shaped the field. The key publications exploring the pattern and process of coevolution at both microevolutionary and macroevolutionary scales are outlined.

scholarly journals Evolutionary Ecology of Natural Comammox Nitrospira Populations

mSystems ◽  
2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alejandro Palomo ◽  
Arnaud Dechesne ◽  
Otto X. Cordero ◽  
Barth F. Smets
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Dynamics ◽  
Evolutionary Ecology ◽  
Single Species ◽  
Evolutionary Processes ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Interacting Species ◽  
Microbial Species ◽  
Experimental Systems ◽  
Over Time

Microbial species interact with each other and their environment (ecological processes) and undergo changes in their genomic repertoire over time (evolutionary processes). How these two classes of processes interact is largely unknown, especially for complex communities, as most studies of microbial evolutionary dynamics consider single species in isolation or a few interacting species in simplified experimental systems.

scholarly journals Eco-evolutionary dynamics

2009 ◽  
Vol 364 (1523) ◽  
pp. 1483-1489 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Pelletier ◽  
D. Garant ◽  
A.P. Hendry
Keyword(s):  
Time Scale ◽  
Evolutionary Dynamics ◽  
Evolutionary Change ◽  
Ecological Change ◽  
Evolutionary Changes ◽  
Microevolutionary Change ◽  
Theoretical Developments ◽  
Rapid Evolutionary Change

Evolutionary ecologists and population biologists have recently considered that ecological and evolutionary changes are intimately linked and can occur on the same time-scale. Recent theoretical developments have shown how the feedback between ecological and evolutionary dynamics can be linked, and there are now empirical demonstrations showing that ecological change can lead to rapid evolutionary change. We also have evidence that microevolutionary change can leave an ecological signature. We are at a stage where the integration of ecology and evolution is a necessary step towards major advances in our understanding of the processes that shape and maintain biodiversity. This special feature about ‘eco-evolutionary dynamics’ brings together biologists from empirical and theoretical backgrounds to bridge the gap between ecology and evolution and provide a series of contributions aimed at quantifying the interactions between these fundamental processes.

scholarly journals Forfeiting the founder effect: turnover defines biofilm community succession

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colin J. Brislawn ◽  
Emily B. Graham ◽  
Karl Dana ◽  
Peter Ihardt ◽  
Sarah J. Fansler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bacterial Colonization ◽  
Amplicon Sequencing ◽  
18S Rrna Gene ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Community Succession ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Functional Capabilities ◽  
Resolution Imaging ◽  
Successional Stages ◽  
Almost All

ABSTRACTMicrobial community succession is a fundamental process that effects underlying functions of almost all ecosystems; yet the roles and fates of the most abundant colonizers are poorly understood. Does early abundance spur long term persistence? How do deterministic and stochastic processes influence the roles of founder species? We performed a succession experiment within a hypersaline microbial mat ecosystem to investigate how ecological processes contributed to the turnover of founder species. Bacterial and micro-eukaryotic founder species were identified from primary succession and tracked through a defined maturation period using 16S and 18S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing in combination with high resolution imaging that utilized stable isotope tracers to evaluate basic functional capabilities. The majority of the founder species did not maintain high relative abundances in later stages of succession. Turnover (versus nestedness) was the dominant process shaping the final community structure. We also asked if different ecological processes acted on bacteria versus eukaryotes during successional stages and found that deterministic and stochastic forces corresponded more with eukaryote and bacterial colonization, respectively. Our results show that taxa from different kingdoms, that share habitat in the tight spatial confines of a biofilm, were influenced by different ecological forces and time scales of succession.

scholarly journals Effects of parasitism on antipredatory responses and defensive behaviors in the subterranean rodent Ctenomys talarum.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valentina Brachetta ◽  
Cristian Schleich ◽  
Roxana R. Zenuto
Keyword(s):  
Mate Selection ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Subterranean Rodent ◽  
Predator Cues ◽  
Biological Communities ◽  
Behavioral Adaptations ◽  
Defensive Behaviors ◽  
Ctenomys Talarum ◽  
Evolutionary Force ◽  
Elevated Maze

Predation represents an important evolutionary force shaping specific adaptations. Prey organisms present behavioral adaptations that allow them to recognize, avoid and defend themselves from their predators. In addition to predation, there is a growing consensus about the role of parasitism in the structuring of biological communities. In vertebrates, the effects on hosts include changes in daily activity, feeding, mate selection, reproduction, and modifications in responses to environmental stimuli. These behavioral variations can benefit the parasite (parasitic manipulation), benefit the host, or appear as a side effect of the infection. We evaluated the influence of parasitism on the behavioral and physiological response of Ctenomys talarum (Thomas 1898) to predator cues. We found that individuals exposed to cat odors and immobilization entered less often and stayed less time in the transparent arms of elevated maze, exhibiting a preference for protected areas (anxiogenic response). Additionally, we evaluated if the presence of parasites affected antipredatory behaviors in tuco-tucos (naturally parasitized, deparasitized or inoculated with Eimeria sp.). We did not find differences among the groups as regards responses to predator cues. Therefore, while exposure to predator cues triggered a stress response, the manipulation of parasite loads did not modify homeostasis under these experimental conditions.

scholarly journals Dynamical analysis of the global elevational diversity gradient in passerine birds reveals a prominent role for highlands as species pumps

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul van Els ◽  
Leonel Herrera-Alsina ◽  
Alex L. Pigot ◽  
Rampal Etienne
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Dynamics ◽  
Strong Support ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Dynamical Analysis ◽  
Reverse Direction ◽  
Passerine Birds ◽  
Diversification Rates ◽  
Diversity Gradient ◽  
As Species ◽  
Almost All

Abstract Low elevation regions harbor the majority of the world’s species diversity compared to high elevation areas. This global elevational diversity gradient, suggests that lowland species have had more time to diversify, or that net diversification rates have been higher in the lowlands (either due to higher ecological limits or intrinsically higher diversification rates). However, highlands seem to be cradles of diversity as they contain many young endemics, suggesting that their rates of speciation are exceptionally fast. Here, we use a phylogenetic diversification model that accounts for the dispersal of species between different elevations to examine the evolutionary dynamics of the elevational diversity gradient in passerine birds, a group that has radiated globally to occupy almost all elevations and latitudes. We find strong support for a model where passerines diversify at the same rate in the highlands and the lowlands but where the rate of dispersal from high to low elevations is more than twice as fast as in the reverse direction. This suggests that while there is no consistent trend in diversification across elevations, highland regions act as species pumps because the diversity they generate migrates into the lowlands, thus setting up the observed gradient in passerine diversity. This species pump is particularly strong in the tropics, where the inferred rate of speciation is 1.4 times faster than in the temperate zone. We conclude that despite their lower diversity, highland regions are disproportionally important for maintaining diversity in the adjacent lowlands. The extinction of species in the tropical highlands due to rapid climate change this century could thus have major and long-lasting impacts on global passerine diversity.

scholarly journals Eco-evolutionary feedbacks promote fluctuating selection and long-term stability of antagonistic networks

2018 ◽  
Vol 285 (1874) ◽  
pp. 20172596 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cecilia Siliansky de Andreazzi ◽  
Paulo R. Guimarães ◽  
Carlos J. Melián
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Variation ◽  
Evolutionary Dynamics ◽  
Species Interaction ◽  
Fluctuating Selection ◽  
Term Stability ◽  
Long Term Stability ◽  
Interacting Species ◽  
Species Abundances ◽  
Antagonistic Interactions

Studies have shown the potential for rapid adaptation in coevolving populations and that the structure of species interaction networks can modulate the vulnerability of ecological systems to perturbations. Although the feedback loop between population dynamics and coevolution of traits is crucial for understanding long-term stability in ecological assemblages, modelling eco-evolutionary dynamics in species-rich assemblages is still a challenge. We explore how eco-evolutionary feedbacks influence trait evolution and species abundances in 23 empirical antagonistic networks. We show that, if selection due to antagonistic interactions is stronger than other selective pressures, eco-evolutionary feedbacks lead to higher mean species abundances and lower temporal variation in abundances. By contrast, strong selection of antagonistic interactions leads to higher temporal variation of traits and on interaction strengths. Our results present a theoretical link between the study of the species persistence and coevolution in networks of interacting species, pointing out the ways by which coevolution may decrease the vulnerability of species within antagonistic networks to demographic fluctuation.

Daphnia as a Model for Eco-evolutionary Dynamics

2018 ◽  
pp. 403-424
Author(s):  
Matthew R. Walsh ◽  
Michelle Packer ◽  
Shannon Beston ◽  
Collin Funkhouser ◽  
Michael Gillis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Evolutionary Dynamics ◽  
Model Organism ◽  
Life History Evolution ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Evolutionary Forces ◽  
Evolutionary Changes ◽  
History Evolution ◽  
Ecological Importance ◽  
The Many

Much research has shown that variation in ecological processes can drive rapid evolutionary changes over periods of years to decades. Such contemporary adaptation sets the stage for evolution to have reciprocal impacts on the properties of populations, communities, and ecosystems, with ongoing interactions between ecological and evolutionary forces. The importance and generality of these eco-evolutionary dynamics are largely unknown. In this chapter, we promote the use of water fleas (Daphnia sp.) as a model organism in the exploration of eco-evolutionary interactions in nature. The many characteristics of Daphnia that make them suitable for laboratory study in conjunction with their well-known ecological importance in lakes, position Daphnia to contribute new and important insights into eco-evolutionary dynamics. We first review the influence of key environmental stressors in Daphnia evolution. We then highlight recent work documenting the pathway from life history evolution to ecology using Daphnia as a model. This review demonstrates that much is known about the influence of ecology on Daphnia life history evolution, while research exploring the genomic basis of adaptation as well as the influence of Daphnia life history traits on ecological processes is beginning to accumulate.

Plant-Herbivore Interactions

2001 ◽  
Author(s):  
May Berenbaum
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Charles Darwin ◽  
Evolutionary Change ◽  
The Other ◽  
Origin Of Species ◽  
Interacting Species ◽  
Single Host ◽  
External Conditions ◽  
Clear Insight ◽  
Plant Herbivore

As is the case with most supposedly modern concepts in evolutionary biology, the idea of coevolution, or reciprocal evolutionary change between interacting species, actually goes back to Charles Darwin. In the introduction to The Origin of Species (1859), he wrote: …In considering the Origin of Species, it is quite conceivable that a naturalist, reflecting on the mutual affinities of organic beings, on their embryological relations, their geographical distribution, geological succession, and other such facts, might come to the conclusion that species had not been independently created, but had descended, like varieties, from other species. Nevertheless, such a conclusion, even if wellfounded, would be unsatisfactory, until it could be shown how the innumerable species inhabiting this world have been modified, so as to acquire that perfection of structure and coadaptation which justly excites our admiration. It is, therefore, of the highest importance to gain a clear insight into the means of modification and coadaptation…. Early on, then, Darwin pointed out the importance of interactions among organisms in determining evolutionary change, as opposed to “external conditions such as climate, food,” or even “the volition” of the organism itself. Interactions among organisms, however, take many forms. Antagonistic interactions, in which one species benefits and the other is harmed, are themselves diverse. Among those interactions in which both species are animals, the gamut runs from predation, in which one species kills and consumes several individuals of the other species during its lifetime, to parasitism, in which one species merely saps the “reserves” and rarely kills its host. Intermediate and unique to the phylum Arthropoda is parasitoidism, in which one species kills its prey, as does a predator, but, like a parasite, is normally restricted to a single host individual. A comparable continuum exists for interactions between an animal and a plant species; these associations are usually referred to as forms of herbivory (with parasitoidism akin to internal seed feeders of plants). In mutualistic interactions, both species benefit from the interaction. Mutualisms can involve interactions between animals and plants, generally in which a food reward from the plant is exchanged for mobility provided by the animal partner.

scholarly journals Negative frequency dependent selection contributes to the maintenance of a global polymorphism in mitochondrial DNA

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zorana Kurbalija Novičić ◽  
Ahmed Sayadi ◽  
Mihailo Jelić ◽  
Göran Arnqvist
Keyword(s):  
Mitochondrial Dna ◽  
Genetic Variation ◽  
Life History ◽  
Balancing Selection ◽  
Food Resource ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Central Process ◽  
Frequency Dependent ◽  
Frequency Dependent Selection ◽  
Negative Frequency Dependent Selection

Abstract Background Understanding the forces that maintain diversity across a range of scales is at the very heart of biology. Frequency-dependent processes are generally recognized as the most central process for the maintenance of ecological diversity. The same is, however, not generally true for genetic diversity. Negative frequency dependent selection, where rare genotypes have an advantage, is often regarded as a relatively weak force in maintaining genetic variation in life history traits because recombination disassociates alleles across many genes. Yet, many regions of the genome show low rates of recombination and genetic variation in such regions (i.e., supergenes) may in theory be upheld by frequency dependent selection. Results We studied what is essentially a ubiquitous life history supergene (i.e., mitochondrial DNA) in the fruit fly Drosophila subobscura, showing sympatric polymorphism with two main mtDNA genotypes co-occurring in populations world-wide. Using an experimental evolution approach involving manipulations of genotype starting frequencies, we show that negative frequency dependent selection indeed acts to maintain genetic variation in this region. Moreover, the strength of selection was affected by food resource conditions. Conclusions Our work provides novel experimental support for the view that balancing selection through negative frequency dependency acts to maintain genetic variation in life history genes. We suggest that the emergence of negative frequency dependent selection on mtDNA is symptomatic of the fundamental link between ecological processes related to resource use and the maintenance of genetic variation.

Community-Level Interactions and Disease Dynamics

2021 ◽  
pp. 145-170
Author(s):  
Karen D. McCoy
Keyword(s):  
Local Area ◽  
Community Level ◽  
Disease Dynamics ◽  
Biological Communities ◽  
Natural Systems ◽  
Parasite Communities ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Host Parasite ◽  
Natural Communities ◽  
Over Time

An ecological community includes all individuals of all species that interact within a single patch or local area of habitat. Understanding the outcome of host–parasite interactions and predicting disease dynamics is particularly challenging at this biological scale because the different component species interact both directly and indirectly in complex ways. Current shifts in biodiversity due to global change, and its associated modifications to biological communities, will alter these interactions, including the probability of disease emergence, its dynamics over time, and its community-level consequences. Birds are integral component species of almost all natural communities. Due to their ubiquity and specific life history traits, they are defining actors in the ecology, evolution, and epidemiology of parasitic species. To better understand this role, this chapter examines the relative importance of birds and parasites in natural communities, revisiting basic notions in community ecology. The impact of changes in diversity for disease dynamics, including the debate surrounding dilution and amplification effects are specifically addressed. By considering the intrinsic complexities of natural communities, the importance of combining data from host and parasite communities to better understand how natural systems function over time and space is highlighted. The different elements in each section of the chapter are illustrated with brief, concrete examples from avian species, with a detailed example from marine bird communities in which Lyme disease bacteria circulate.

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