scholarly journals Multiple genetic changes underlie the evolution of long-tailed forest deer mice

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evan P Kingsley ◽  
Krzysztof M Kozak ◽  
Susanne Pfeifer ◽  
Dou-Shuan Yang ◽  
Hopi E Hoekstra
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Morphological Changes ◽  
Deer Mouse ◽  
Tail Length ◽  
Deer Mice ◽  
Phenotypic Change ◽  
Skeletal Morphology ◽  
Genetic Changes ◽  
The North ◽  
Caudal Vertebrae

Understanding both the role of selection in driving phenotypic change and its underlying genetic basis remain major challenges in evolutionary biology. Here we focus on a classic system of local adaptation in the North American deer mouse,Peromyscus maniculatus, which occupies two main habitat types, prairie and forest. Using historical collections we demonstrate that forest-dwelling mice have longer tails than those from non-forested habitats, even when we account for individual and population relatedness. Based on genome-wide SNP capture data, we find that mice from forested habitats in the eastern and western parts of their range form separate clades, suggesting that increased tail length evolved independently from a short-tailed ancestor. Two major changes in skeletal morphology can give rise to longer tails--increased number and increased length of vertebrae--and we find that forest mice in the east and west have both more and longer caudal vertebrae, but not trunk vertebrae, than nearby prairie forms. Using a second-generation intercross between a prairie and forest pair, we show that the number and length of caudal vertebrae are not correlated in this recombinant population, suggesting that variation in these traits is controlled by separate genetic loci. Together, these results demonstrate convergent evolution of the long-tailed forest phenotype through multiple, distinct genetic mechanisms (controlling vertebral length and vertebral number), thus suggesting that these morphological changes--either independently or together--are adaptive.

Tail length evolution in deer mice: linking morphology, behavior and function

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily R Hager ◽  
Hopi E Hoekstra
Keyword(s):  
Computational Models ◽  
Deer Mouse ◽  
Center Of Mass ◽  
Tail Length ◽  
Single Species ◽  
Deer Mice ◽  
Length Variation ◽  
Caudal Vertebrae ◽  
Long Tails ◽  
And Function

Abstract Determining how variation in morphology affects animal performance (and ultimately fitness) is key to understanding the complete process of evolutionary adaptation. Long tails have evolved many times in arboreal and semi-arboreal rodents; in deer mice, long tails have evolved repeatedly in populations occupying forested habit even within a single species (Peromyscus maniculatus). Here we use a combination of functional modeling, laboratory studies, and museum records to test hypotheses about the function of tail-length variation in deer mice. First, we use computational models, informed by museum records documenting natural variation in tail length, to test whether differences in tail morphology between forest and prairie subspecies can influence performance in behavioral contexts relevant for tail use. We find that the deer mouse tail plays little role in statically adjusting center of mass or in correcting body pitch and yaw, but rather it can affect body roll during arboreal locomotion. In this context, we find that even intraspecific tail-length variation could result in substantial differences in how much body rotation results from equivalent tail motions (i.e., tail effectiveness), but the relationship between commonly-used metrics of tail-length variation and effectiveness is non-linear. We further test whether caudal vertebra length, number, and shape are associated with differences in how much the tail can bend to curve around narrow substrates (i.e., tail curvature) and find that, as predicted, the shape of the caudal vertebrae is associated with intervertebral bending angle across taxa. However, although forest and prairie mice typically differ in both the length and number of caudal vertebrae, we do not find evidence that this pattern is the result of a functional trade-off related to tail curvature. Together, these results highlight how even simple models can both generate and exclude hypotheses about the functional consequences of trait variation for organismal-level performance.

scholarly journals SARS-CoV-2 infection and transmission in the North American deer mouse

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bryan D. Griffin ◽  
Mable Chan ◽  
Nikesh Tailor ◽  
Emelissa J. Mendoza ◽  
Anders Leung ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Respiratory Tract ◽  
North American ◽  
Direct Contact ◽  
Lower Respiratory Tract ◽  
Infectious Virus ◽  
Deer Mouse ◽  
Deer Mice ◽  
The North ◽  
Wild Deer ◽  
Theoretical Risk

AbstractWidespread circulation of SARS-CoV-2 in humans raises the theoretical risk of reverse zoonosis events with wildlife, reintroductions of SARS-CoV-2 into permissive nondomesticated animals. Here we report that North American deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection following intranasal exposure to a human isolate, resulting in viral replication in the upper and lower respiratory tract with little or no signs of disease. Further, shed infectious virus is detectable in nasal washes, oropharyngeal and rectal swabs, and viral RNA is detectable in feces and occasionally urine. We further show that deer mice are capable of transmitting SARS-CoV-2 to naïve deer mice through direct contact. The extent to which these observations may translate to wild deer mouse populations remains unclear, and the risk of reverse zoonosis and/or the potential for the establishment of Peromyscus rodents as a North American reservoir for SARS-CoV-2 remains unknown.

scholarly journals A chromosomal inversion drives evolution of multiple adaptive traits in deer mice

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily R. Hager ◽  
Olivia S. Harringmeyer ◽  
T. Brock Wooldridge ◽  
Shunn Theingi ◽  
Jacob T. Gable ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Local Adaptation ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Coat Color ◽  
Tail Length ◽  
Chromosomal Inversion ◽  
Deer Mice ◽  
Strong Linkage Disequilibrium ◽  
Multiple Traits ◽  
Adaptive Traits ◽  
Genetic Mechanisms

AbstractA long-standing question in evolutionary biology is how differences in multiple traits can evolve quickly and be maintained together during local adaptation. Using forest and prairie ecotypes in deer mice, which differ in both tail length and coat color, we discovered a 41 Mb chromosomal inversion that is strongly linked to variation in both traits. The inversion maintains highly divergent loci in strong linkage disequilibrium and likely originated ~170 kya, long before the forest-prairie divergence ~10 kya. Consistent with a role in local adaptation, inversion frequency is associated with phenotype and habitat across both a local transect and the species range. Still, although eastern and western forest subspecies share similar phenotypes, the inversion is absent in eastern North America. This work highlights the significance of inversion polymorphisms for the establishment and maintenance of multiple locally adaptive traits in mammals, and demonstrates that, even within a species, parallel phenotypes may evolve through nonparallel genetic mechanisms.

Adaptive tail-length evolution in deer mice is associated with differential Hoxd13 expression in early development

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evan P. Kingsley ◽  
Emily R Hager ◽  
Jean Marc Lassance ◽  
Kyle M. Turner ◽  
Olivia S. Harringmeyer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cumulative Effect ◽  
Tail Length ◽  
Gene Clusters ◽  
Deer Mice ◽  
Tail Bud ◽  
Caudal Vertebrae ◽  
Vertebra Number ◽  
Long Tails ◽  
Allele Specific ◽  
Genomic Regions

Variation in the size and number of axial segments underlies much of the diversity in animal body plans. Here, we investigate the evolutionary, genetic, and developmental mechanisms driving tail-length differences between forest and prairie ecotypes of deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus). We first show that long-tailed forest mice perform better in an arboreal locomotion assay, consistent with tails being important for balance during climbing. The long tails of these forest mice consist of both longer and more caudal vertebrae than prairie mice. Using quantitative genetics, we identify six genomic regions that contribute to differences in total tail length, three of which associate with vertebra length and the other three with vertebra number. For all six loci, the forest allele increases tail length, consistent with the cumulative effect of natural selection. Two of the genomic regions associated with variation in vertebra number contain Hox gene clusters. Of those, we find an allele-specific decrease in Hoxd13 expression in the embryonic tail bud of long-tailed forest mice, consistent with its role in axial elongation. Additionally, we find that forest embryos have more presomitic mesoderm than prairie embryos, and that this correlates with an increase in the number of neuromesodermal progenitors (NMPs), which are modulated by Hox13 paralogs. Together, these results suggest a role for Hoxd13 in the development of natural variation in adaptive morphology on a microevolutionary timescale.

scholarly journals Haemoglobin polymorphisms affect the oxygen-binding properties in Atlantic cod populations

2008 ◽  
Vol 276 (1658) ◽  
pp. 833-841 ◽  
Author(s):  
Øivind Andersen ◽  
Ola Frang Wetten ◽  
Maria Cristina De Rosa ◽  
Carl Andre ◽  
Cristiana Carelli Alinovi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Quaternary Structure ◽  
Atlantic Cod ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Oxygen Affinity ◽  
Oxygen Binding ◽  
Low Oxygen ◽  
Binding Properties ◽  
Important Species ◽  
The North

A major challenge in evolutionary biology is to identify the genes underlying adaptation. The oxygen-transporting haemoglobins directly link external conditions with metabolic needs and therefore represent a unique system for studying environmental effects on molecular evolution. We have discovered two haemoglobin polymorphisms in Atlantic cod populations inhabiting varying temperature and oxygen regimes in the North Atlantic. Three-dimensional modelling of the tetrameric haemoglobin structure demonstrated that the two amino acid replacements Met55β 1 Val and Lys62β 1 Ala are located at crucial positions of the α 1 β 1 subunit interface and haem pocket, respectively. The replacements are proposed to affect the oxygen-binding properties by modifying the haemoglobin quaternary structure and electrostatic feature. Intriguingly, the same molecular mechanism for facilitating oxygen binding is found in avian species adapted to high altitudes, illustrating convergent evolution in water- and air-breathing vertebrates to reduction in environmental oxygen availability. Cod populations inhabiting the cold Arctic waters and the low-oxygen Baltic Sea seem well adapted to these conditions by possessing the high oxygen affinity Val55–Ala62 haplotype, while the temperature-insensitive Met55–Lys62 haplotype predominates in the southern populations. The distinct distributions of the functionally different haemoglobin variants indicate that the present biogeography of this ecologically and economically important species might be seriously affected by global warming.

The ecology of the deer mouse Peromyscus maniculatus in a coastal coniferous forest. II. Reproduction

1974 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 119-131 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. M. F. S. Sadleir
Keyword(s):  
Deer Mouse ◽  
Coniferous Forest ◽  
Deer Mice ◽  
Reproductive Phenology ◽  
Corpora Lutea ◽  
Temperature Changes ◽  
Four Seasons ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Breeding Condition ◽  
Breeding Seasons

The duration and intensity of reproduction in deer mice was followed for four seasons by live and dead trapping. Three populations living in different types of forest habitat had synchronous breeding seasons, although there were major differences between years in the time of onset and cessation of breeding and in the proportion of females in breeding condition. No consistent relationships were found between either density changes or the incidence of parasitism and reproductive phenology. In the absence of overt food fluctuations there was a relationship between unseasonable temperature changes and breeding. Sudden increases in temperature may have stimulated the onset of breeding but its cessation before the autumn equinox was always associated with a considerable decrease in temperature if this occurred after April. In 57 pregnancies the corpora lutea count was 4.75 ± 1.12 and embryo count was 4.52 ± 1.16. [Formula: see text].

scholarly journals Late Holocene Sediment Deposition in Lake Wairarapa

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Martha Ingrid Trodahl
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Morphological Changes ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Hydrological Regime ◽  
Lake Management ◽  
Anthropogenic Influence ◽  
Eastern Shore ◽  
Ecological Value ◽  
The North ◽  
Development Scheme

<p>Lake Wairarapa is a highly modified lacustrine system at the southern end of the North Island, New Zealand. Not only is it situated in a region that is affected by catchment altering natural phenomena such as earthquakes, storms and fire, but both the catchment and hydrology of the lake have also been significantly altered by humans. Polynesian settlers arrived in the area approximately 700BP and proceeded to deforest the lowlands. European settlers began arriving from 1844AD onwards, completing deforestation of the lowlands and Eastern Uplands. In 1964 the Lower Wairarapa Valley Development Scheme was commissioned in an effort to alleviate flooding. This scheme significantly altered the hydrological regime of the lake. Interest in the condition of the lake and associated wetlands, and the realization that it has important recreational, cultural and ecological value, began to develop in the 1990's. This has led to a desire to see the lake restored to a more natural condition while still maintaining its flood protection capabilities. However, the lake has only been monitored over the last several decades. Any evidence of the lakes condition prior to this time is anecdotal and little is known of its natural tendencies and functions. This research has investigated and quantified morphological changes to Lake Wairarapa at the decadal and millenial scale using a combination of aerial photograph analysis, bathymetric survey comparison and lakebed core analysis. Study at these diverse scales has allowed the observed changes to be related to human environmental modification, while also being juxtaposed against natural trajectories of change. It is hoped that this can inform lake management and restoration efforts and provide a benchmark for measuring future changes to the lake, while also addressing wider issues concerning natural versus anthropogenic landscape change at the local and regional scale. The results of this project suggest that the lake has been steadily infilling over the last 6000BP – particularly along the eastern shore. For the two decades after significant hydrological changes to the lake associated with the Lower Wairarapa Valley Development Scheme, the rate of infilling on the eastern shore increased more than tenfold. However, this was accompanied by deepening in other parts of the lake. Today infilling along the eastern shore appears to have returned to natural rates and overall the lake in 2010 is only slightly smaller in volume than in 1975. Longer term anthropogenic influence on the lake and catchment was also evident. In particular Polynesian settlement and subsequent deforestation by fire was apparent in the lakebed cores. This result not only addresses the immediate issue of anthropogenic influence on this particular lacustrine system, but also informs the debate surrounding the dating of Polynesian arrival in New Zealand.</p>

Phenotypic change from transformed to normal induced by benzoquinonoid ansamycins accompanies inactivation of p60src in rat kidney cells infected with Rous sarcoma virus

1986 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
pp. 2198-2206
Author(s):  
Y Uehara ◽  
M Hori ◽  
T Takeuchi ◽  
H Umezawa
Keyword(s):  
Immune Complex ◽  
Rous Sarcoma Virus ◽  
Morphological Changes ◽  
Rat Kidney ◽  
Phenotypic Change ◽  
Permissive Temperature ◽  
Rous Sarcoma ◽  
Cell Extracts ◽  
Sarcoma Virus

Three benzenoid ansamycin antibiotics (herbimycin, macbecin, and geldanamycin) were found to reduce the intracellular phosphorylation of p60src at a permissive temperature (33 degrees C) in a rat kidney cell line infected with a temperature-sensitive mutant of Rous sarcoma virus. This effect was accompanied by morphological changes from the transformed to the normal phenotype. The filamentous staining pattern of actin fibers was observed in the cells treated with these antibiotics at 33 degrees C. Removal of the antibiotics allowed the cells to revert to the transformed morphology. Ansamitocin, another benzenoid ansamycin, and naphthalenoid ansamycins such as streptovaricin and rifamycins did not show this effect. Pulse-labeling of the antibiotic-treated cultures with 32Pi showed a marked reduction of 32P radioactivity incorporated into p60src. A parallel experiment with [35S]methionine showed that synthesis of p60src was slightly inhibited. The immune complex prepared by mixing the herbimycin-treated cell extracts with antibody against p60src was inactive in vitro in phosphorylating the complex itself. On the contrary, the immune complex derived from untreated cells was active in vitro even in the presence of the antibiotics. These results suggest that benzoquinonoid ansamycins have no direct effect on src kinase but destroy its intracellular environment, resulting in an irreversible alteration of p60src and loss of catalytic activity.

scholarly journals Spatial Variability of Beach Impact from Post-Tropical Cyclone Katia (2011) on Northern Ireland’s North Coast

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 1380 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giorgio Anfuso ◽  
Carlos Loureiro ◽  
Mohammed Taaouati ◽  
Thomas Smyth ◽  
Derek Jackson
Keyword(s):  
Tropical Cyclone ◽  
Morphological Changes ◽  
Response Prediction ◽  
Beach Erosion ◽  
North Coast ◽  
Engineering Structures ◽  
Wave Energy Dissipation ◽  
The North ◽  
Longshore Transport ◽  
Offshore Wave

In northern Europe, beach erosion, coastal flooding and associated damages to engineering structures are linked to mid-latitude storms that form through cyclogenesis and post-tropical cyclones, when a tropical cyclone moves north from its tropical origin. The present work analyses the hydrodynamic forcing and morphological changes observed at three beaches in the north coast of Northern Ireland (Magilligan, Portrush West’s southern and northern sectors, and Whiterocks), prior to, during, and immediately after post-tropical cyclone Katia. Katia was the second major hurricane of the active 2011 Atlantic hurricane season and impacted the British Isles on the 12–13 September 2011. During the Katia event, offshore wave buoys recorded values in excess of 5 m at the peak of the storm on the 13 September, but nearshore significant wave height ranged from 1 to 3 m, reflecting relevant wave energy dissipation across an extensive and shallow continental shelf. This was especially so at Magilligan, where widespread refraction and attenuation led to reduced shore-normal energy fluxes and very minor morphological changes. Morphological changes were restricted to upper beach erosion and flattening of the foreshore. Longshore transport was evident at Portrush West, with the northern sector experiencing erosion while the southern sector accreted, inducing a short-term rotational response in this embayment. In Whiterocks, berm erosion contributed to a general beach flattening and this resulted in an overall accretion due to sediment influx from the updrift western areas. Taking into account that the post-tropical cyclone Katia produced £100 m ($157 million, 2011 USD) in damage in the United Kingdom alone, the results of the present study represent a contribution to the general database of post-tropical storm response on Northern European coastlines, informing coastal response prediction and damage mitigation.

scholarly journals Development and Characterization of a Sin Nombre Virus Transmission Model in Peromyscus maniculatus

Viruses ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bryce Warner ◽  
Derek Stein ◽  
Bryan Griffin ◽  
Kevin Tierney ◽  
Anders Leung ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Peromyscus Maniculatus ◽  
Deer Mouse ◽  
Virus Transmission ◽  
Transmission Model ◽  
Deer Mice ◽  
Sin Nombre Virus ◽  
Infection Model ◽  
Main Driver ◽  
Heat Shock Responses

In North America, Sin Nombre virus (SNV) is the main cause of hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS), a severe respiratory disease with a fatality rate of 35–40%. SNV is a zoonotic pathogen carried by deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus), and few studies have been performed examining its transmission in deer mouse populations. Studying SNV and other hantaviruses can be difficult due to the need to propagate the virus in vivo for subsequent experiments. We show that when compared with standard intramuscular infection, the intraperitoneal infection of deer mice can be as effective in producing SNV stocks with a high viral RNA copy number, and this method of infection provides a more reproducible infection model. Furthermore, the age and sex of the infected deer mice have little effect on viral replication and shedding. We also describe a reliable model of direct experimental SNV transmission. We examined the transmission of SNV between deer mice and found that direct contact between deer mice is the main driver of SNV transmission rather than exposure to contaminated excreta/secreta, which is thought to be the main driver of transmission of the virus to humans. Furthermore, increases in heat shock responses or testosterone levels in SNV-infected deer mice do not increase the replication, shedding, or rate of transmission. Here, we have demonstrated a model for the transmission of SNV between deer mice, the natural rodent reservoir for the virus. The use of this model will have important implications for further examining SNV transmission and in developing strategies for the prevention of SNV infection in deer mouse populations.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document