How migratory populations become resident

Migratory behaviour is rapidly changing in response to recent environmental changes, yet it is difficult to predict how migration will evolve in the future. To understand what determines the rate of adaptive evolutionary change in migratory behaviour, we simulated the evolution of residency using an individual-based threshold model, which allows for variation in selection, number of genes, environmental effects and assortative mating. Our model indicates that the recent reduction in migratory activity found in a population of Eurasian blackcaps ( Sylvia atricapilla ) is only compatible with this trait being under strong directional selection, in which residents have the highest fitness and fitness declines exponentially with migration distance. All other factors had minor effects on the adaptive response. Under this form of selection, a completely migratory population will become partially migratory in 6 and completely resident in 98 generations, demonstrating the persistence of partial migration, even under strong directional selection. Resident populations will preserve large amounts of cryptic genetic variation, particularly if migration is controlled by a large number of genes with small effects. This model can be used to realistically simulate the evolution of any threshold trait, including semi-continuous traits like migration, for predicting evolutionary response to natural selection in the wild.

Download Full-text

Selection analysis on the rapid evolution of a secondary sexual trait

Proceedings of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.2015.1244 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 282 (1813) ◽

pp. 20151244 ◽

Cited By ~ 27

Author(s):

Swanne P. Gordon ◽

David Reznick ◽

Jeff D. Arendt ◽

Allen Roughton ◽

Michelle N. Ontiveros Hernandez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Reproductive Success ◽

Environmental Changes ◽

Rapid Evolution ◽

Evolutionary Process ◽

Common Garden ◽

Evolutionary Change ◽

Black Pigment ◽

Sexually Selected Traits ◽

Evolutionary Response ◽

In The Wild

Evolutionary analyses of population translocations (experimental or accidental) have been important in demonstrating speed of evolution because they subject organisms to abrupt environmental changes that create an episode of selection. However, the strength of selection in such studies is rarely measured, limiting our understanding of the evolutionary process. This contrasts with long-term, mark–recapture studies of unmanipulated populations that measure selection directly, yet rarely reveal evolutionary change. Here, we present a study of experimental evolution of male colour in Trinidadian guppies where we tracked both evolutionary change and individual-based measures of selection. Guppies were translocated from a predator-rich to a low-predation environment within the same stream system. We used a combination of common garden experiments and monthly sampling of individuals to measure the phenotypic and genetic divergence of male coloration between ancestral and derived fish. Results show rapid evolutionary increases in orange coloration in both populations (1 year or three generations), replicating the results of previous studies. Unlike previous studies, we linked this evolution to an individual-based analysis of selection. By quantifying individual reproductive success and survival, we show, for the first time, that males with more orange and black pigment have higher reproductive success, but males with more black pigment also have higher risk of mortality. The net effect of selection is thus an advantage of orange but not black coloration, as reflected in the evolutionary response. This highlights the importance of considering all components of fitness when understanding the evolution of sexually selected traits in the wild.

Download Full-text

Transposable Elements and Teleost Migratory Behaviour

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms22020602 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (2) ◽

pp. 602

Author(s):

Elisa Carotti ◽

Federica Carducci ◽

Adriana Canapa ◽

Marco Barucca ◽

Samuele Greco ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Transposable Elements ◽

Environmental Changes ◽

Chromosomal Rearrangements ◽

Quantitative Difference ◽

Regulatory Elements ◽

Phylogenetic Position ◽

Migratory Behaviour ◽

Relative Contribution ◽

Migratory Routes ◽

Eukaryotic Genomes

Transposable elements (TEs) represent a considerable fraction of eukaryotic genomes, thereby contributing to genome size, chromosomal rearrangements, and to the generation of new coding genes or regulatory elements. An increasing number of works have reported a link between the genomic abundance of TEs and the adaptation to specific environmental conditions. Diadromy represents a fascinating feature of fish, protagonists of migratory routes between marine and freshwater for reproduction. In this work, we investigated the genomes of 24 fish species, including 15 teleosts with a migratory behaviour. The expected higher relative abundance of DNA transposons in ray-finned fish compared with the other fish groups was not confirmed by the analysis of the dataset considered. The relative contribution of different TE types in migratory ray-finned species did not show clear differences between oceanodromous and potamodromous fish. On the contrary, a remarkable relationship between migratory behaviour and the quantitative difference reported for short interspersed nuclear (retro)elements (SINEs) emerged from the comparison between anadromous and catadromous species, independently from their phylogenetic position. This aspect is likely due to the substantial environmental changes faced by diadromous species during their migratory routes.

Download Full-text

Previously unknown behavior in parasitic cuckoo females: male-like vocalization during migratory activity

Avian Research ◽

10.1186/s40657-021-00246-9 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Swetlana G. Meshcheryagina ◽

Alexey Opaev

Keyword(s):

Vocal Communication ◽

Harmonic Spectrum ◽

Common Cuckoo ◽

Neck Extension ◽

Migratory Activity ◽

Call Production ◽

In Captivity ◽

In The Wild ◽

Combined Features ◽

Female Call

Abstract Background In the last decade, enigmatic male-like cuckoo calls have been reported several times in East Asia. These calls exhibited a combination of vocal traits of both Oriental Cuckoo (Cuculus optatus) and Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) advertising calls, and some authors therefore suggested that the enigmatic calls were produced by either Common × Oriental Cuckoo male hybrids or Common Cuckoo males having a gene mutation. However, the exact identity of calling birds are still unknown. Methods We recorded previously unknown male-like calls from three captive Oriental Cuckoo females, and compared these calls with enigmatic vocalizations recorded in the wild as well as with advertising vocalizations of Common and Oriental Cuckoo males. To achieve this, we measured calls automatically. Besides, we video-recorded captive female emitting male-like calls, and compared these recordings with the YouTube recordings of calling males of both Common and Oriental Cuckoos to get insight into the mechanism of call production. Results The analysis showed that female male-like calls recorded in captivity were similar to enigmatic calls recorded in the wild. Therefore, Oriental Cuckoo females might produce the latter calls. Two features of these female calls appeared to be unusual among birds. First, females produced male-like calls at the time of spring and autumn migratory activity and on migration in the wild. Because of this, functional significance of this call remained puzzling. Secondly, the male-like female call unexpectedly combined features of both closed-mouth (closed beak and simultaneous inflation of the ‘throat sac’) and open-mouth (prominent harmonic spectrum and the maximum neck extension observed at the beginning of a sound) vocal behaviors. Conclusions The Cuculus vocalizations outside the reproductive season remain poorly understood. Here, we found for the first time that Oriental Cuckoo females can produce male-like calls in that time. Because of its rarity, this call might be an atavism. Indeed, female male-like vocalizations are still known in non-parasitic tropical and apparently more basal cuckoos only. Therefore, our findings may shed light on the evolution of vocal communication in avian brood parasites.

Download Full-text

RpoS-Dependent Stress Response and Exoenzyme Production in Vibrio vulnificus

Applied and Environmental Microbiology ◽

10.1128/aem.69.10.6114-6120.2003 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 69 (10) ◽

pp. 6114-6120 ◽

Cited By ~ 54

Author(s):

A. Hülsmann ◽

T. M. Rosche ◽

I.-S. Kong ◽

H. M. Hassan ◽

D. M. Beam ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hydrogen Peroxide ◽

Stress Response ◽

Mutant Strain ◽

Environmental Changes ◽

Vibrio Vulnificus ◽

High Sensitivity ◽

Striking Difference ◽

Wild Type ◽

Hydrolytic Activities ◽

In The Wild

ABSTRACT Vibrio vulnificus is an estuarine bacterium capable of causing rapidly fatal infections through both ingestion and wound infection. Like other opportunistic pathogens, V. vulnificus must adapt to potentially stressful environmental changes while living freely in seawater, upon colonization of the oyster gut, and upon infection of such diverse hosts as humans and eels. In order to begin to understand the ability of V. vulnificus to respond to such stresses, we examined the role of the alternate sigma factor RpoS, which is important in stress response and virulence in many pathogens. An rpoS mutant of V. vulnificus strain C7184o was constructed by homologous recombination. The mutant strain exhibited a decreased ability to survive diverse environmental stresses, including exposure to hydrogen peroxide, hyperosmolarity, and acidic conditions. The most striking difference was a high sensitivity of the mutant to hydrogen peroxide. Albuminase, caseinase, and elastase activity were detected in the wild type but not in the mutant strain, and an additional two hydrolytic activities (collagenase and gelatinase) were reduced in the mutant strain compared to the wild type. Additionally, the motility of the rpoS mutant was severely diminished. Overall, these studies suggest that rpoS in V. vulnificus is important for adaptation to environmental changes and may have a role in virulence.

Download Full-text

Evolution of the additive genetic variance–covariance matrix under continuous directional selection on a complex behavioural phenotype

Proceedings of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.2015.1119 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 282 (1819) ◽

pp. 20151119 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

Vincent Careau ◽

Matthew E. Wolak ◽

Patrick A. Carter ◽

Theodore Garland

Keyword(s):

Covariance Matrix ◽

Adaptive Response ◽

Genetic Variance ◽

Environmental Changes ◽

Wheel Running ◽

Additive Genetic Variance ◽

Phenotypic Selection ◽

Directional Selection ◽

Genetic Covariance ◽

Variance Covariance Matrix

Given the pace at which human-induced environmental changes occur, a pressing challenge is to determine the speed with which selection can drive evolutionary change. A key determinant of adaptive response to multivariate phenotypic selection is the additive genetic variance–covariance matrix ( G ). Yet knowledge of G in a population experiencing new or altered selection is not sufficient to predict selection response because G itself evolves in ways that are poorly understood. We experimentally evaluated changes in G when closely related behavioural traits experience continuous directional selection. We applied the genetic covariance tensor approach to a large dataset ( n = 17 328 individuals) from a replicated, 31-generation artificial selection experiment that bred mice for voluntary wheel running on days 5 and 6 of a 6-day test. Selection on this subset of G induced proportional changes across the matrix for all 6 days of running behaviour within the first four generations. The changes in G induced by selection resulted in a fourfold slower-than-predicted rate of response to selection. Thus, selection exacerbated constraints within G and limited future adaptive response, a phenomenon that could have profound consequences for populations facing rapid environmental change.

Download Full-text

Phenotypic plasticity and adaptive evolution contribute to advancing flowering phenology in response to climate change

Proceedings of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.2012.1051 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 279 (1743) ◽

pp. 3843-3852 ◽

Cited By ~ 257

Author(s):

Jill T. Anderson ◽

David W. Inouye ◽

Amy M. McKinney ◽

Robert I. Colautti ◽

Tom Mitchell-Olds

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Phenotypic Plasticity ◽

Adaptive Evolution ◽

Field Experiments ◽

Flowering Phenology ◽

Directional Selection ◽

Major Life ◽

Quantitative Genetic ◽

Evolutionary Response

Anthropogenic climate change has already altered the timing of major life-history transitions, such as the initiation of reproduction. Both phenotypic plasticity and adaptive evolution can underlie rapid phenological shifts in response to climate change, but their relative contributions are poorly understood. Here, we combine a continuous 38 year field survey with quantitative genetic field experiments to assess adaptation in the context of climate change. We focused on Boechera stricta (Brassicaeae), a mustard native to the US Rocky Mountains. Flowering phenology advanced significantly from 1973 to 2011, and was strongly associated with warmer temperatures and earlier snowmelt dates. Strong directional selection favoured earlier flowering in contemporary environments (2010–2011). Climate change could drive this directional selection, and promote even earlier flowering as temperatures continue to increase. Our quantitative genetic analyses predict a response to selection of 0.2 to 0.5 days acceleration in flowering per generation, which could account for more than 20 per cent of the phenological change observed in the long-term dataset. However, the strength of directional selection and the predicted evolutionary response are likely much greater now than even 30 years ago because of rapidly changing climatic conditions. We predict that adaptation will likely be necessary for long-term in situ persistence in the context of climate change.

Download Full-text

Stable partial migration under a genetic threshold model of migratory behaviour

Ecography ◽

10.1111/ecog.01977 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 39 (12) ◽

pp. 1210-1215 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Marleen M. P. Cobben ◽

Arie J. van Noordwijk

Keyword(s):

Threshold Model ◽

Partial Migration ◽

Migratory Behaviour

Download Full-text

Inheritance of Resistance to Pepper huasteco yellow vein virus in Capsicum annuum L.

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci13745-18 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 54 (5) ◽

pp. 783-786

Author(s):

Jesús Enrique Retes-Manjarrez ◽

Sergio Hernández-Verdugo ◽

Carlos Alfonso López-Orona ◽

Raymundo Medina-López ◽

José Antonio Garzón-Tiznado ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Capsicum Annuum ◽

Maternal Inheritance ◽

Recessive Gene ◽

Yellow Vein ◽

Susceptible Parent ◽

Sources Of Resistance ◽

Breeding Programs ◽

Number Of Genes ◽

In The Wild ◽

Resistant Trait

Pepper huasteco yellow vein virus (PHYVV) is a major disease in pepper (Capsicum annuum) that causes quantitative and qualitative losses to the crop in Central America and part of North America. To date, no resistant cultivars are available, and breeding is hampered by the lack of knowledge of the inheritance of this trait. Sources of resistance to PHYVV have been identified in the wild peppers of Mexico. The objectives of this study were to determine the grade of dominance, to analyze the maternal influence, and to estimate the number of genes involved in this resistant trait to PHYVV in the resistant wild pepper accession UAS12. Three susceptible parent lines—‘Anaheim’ (Ana), ‘Ancho Gigante’ (AG), and ‘Yolo Wonder’ (YW)—were crossed with resistant UAS12 accession to develop F1 (reciprocal), F2, and BC1 progenies in three families. Plants from this study were inoculated with PHYVV through Bemisia tabaci, evaluated phenotypically, and the segregation of disease scores was studied. A single recessive gene was found to control resistance to PHYVV in the resistant UAS12 accession, although segregation patterns suggested that other minor genes could participate in the expression of this resistant trait. No proof was found for maternal inheritance of PHYVV resistance. The gene symbol phv is proposed for PHYVV resistance in UAS12 accession in pepper. These results provide useful information for the design of pepper breeding programs in the introgression of this trait into commercial pepper backgrounds.

Download Full-text

A comparison of alternative genetic models for litter size in pigs

Animal Science ◽

10.1017/s1357729800014818 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 63 (2) ◽

pp. 255-264 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

M. Pérez-Enciso ◽

J. P. Bidanel ◽

I. Baquedano ◽

J. L. Noguera

Keyword(s):

Litter Size ◽

Threshold Model ◽

Genetic Correlations ◽

Maximum Likelihood Estimates ◽

Direct Selection ◽

Curvilinear Relationship ◽

Large White ◽

Threshold Trait ◽

Capacity Model ◽

Successive Generations

AbstractPredictions of two models were compared. The models relate ovulation rate (OR) and prenatal survival (PS) to litter size (LS): the uterine capacity model (UCM), where maximum LS is limited by uterine capacity (UC), and the threshold model (TM) whereby PS is modelled as a binary threshold trait. Records were simulated according to both models using statistics from Trench Large White gilts. Both models were able to reproduce closely the observed curvilinear relationship between OR and LS, with LS reaching a plateau at high OR. Several genetic correlations (ρg) fulfilling the conditions h20R = 0·34 and h2LS = 0·12 (the residual maximum likelihood estimates in the population) were studied by means of stochastic computer simulation. The genetic correlation between OR and LS was very sensitive to changes in h2uc, whereas ρgLS,PS was always positive, and ρgOR,PS was always negative. The correlation between PS and UC was larger than 0·90, except for very small h2UC This suggests that genes affecting PS have a strong influence on UC and that PS can be a good indirect criterion to select for UC. Both models predicted that the advantage of an index combining OR and LS with respect to direct selection on LS diminishes in successive generations of selection and that the size of the experiment needed to detect significant differences is very large. Records were also simulated by halving the mean and variance of UC, so as to mimic unilateral hysterectomy-ovariectomy (UHO). If the UHO treatment results in halving UC, LS of UHO females should behave very much as half the UC of intact females.

Download Full-text

Evolutionary response to size-selective mortality in an exploited fish population

Proceedings of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.2006.0275 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 274 (1613) ◽

pp. 1015-1022 ◽

Cited By ~ 242

Author(s):

Douglas P Swain ◽

Alan F Sinclair ◽

J Mark Hanson

Keyword(s):

Gadus Morhua ◽

Atlantic Cod ◽

Fish Population ◽

Fish Populations ◽

Selective Mortality ◽

Genetic Changes ◽

Evolutionary Response ◽

In The Wild ◽

Size At Age ◽

Change In Mean

Many collapsed fish populations have failed to recover after a decade or more with little fishing. This may reflect evolutionary change in response to the highly selective mortality imposed by fisheries. Recent experimental work has demonstrated a rapid genetic change in growth rate in response to size-selective harvesting of laboratory fish populations. Here, we use a 30-year time-series of back-calculated lengths-at-age to test for a genetic response to size-selective mortality in the wild in a heavily exploited population of Atlantic cod ( Gadus morhua ). Controlling for the effects of density- and temperature-dependent growth, the change in mean length of 4-year-old cod between offspring and their parental cohorts was positively correlated with the estimated selection differential experienced by the parental cohorts between this age and spawning. This result supports the hypothesis that there have been genetic changes in growth in this population in response to size-selective fishing. Such changes may account for the continued small size-at-age in this population despite good conditions for growth and little fishing for over a decade. This study highlights the need for management regimes that take into account the evolutionary consequences of fishing.

Download Full-text