scholarly journals Rapid local adaptation in both sexual and asexual invasive populations of monkeyflowers (Mimulus spp.)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Violeta I. Simón-Porcar ◽  
Jose L. Silva ◽  
Mario Vallejo-Marín
Keyword(s):  
Phenotypic Plasticity ◽  
Local Adaptation ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Phenotypic Selection ◽  
Fruit Production ◽  
Phenotypic Traits ◽  
Transplant Experiment ◽  
Reciprocal Transplant Experiment ◽  
Fitness Advantage ◽  
The Uk

AbstractBackground and AimsTraditionally, local adaptation has been seen as the outcome of a long evolutionary history, particularly in sexual lineages. In contrast, phenotypic plasticity has been thought to be most important during the initial stages of population establishment and in asexual species. We evaluated the roles of adaptive evolution and phenotypic plasticity in the invasive success of two closely related species of invasive monkeyflowers (Mimulus) in the United Kingdom (UK) that have contrasting reproductive strategies: M. guttatus combines sexual (seeds) and asexual (clonal growth) reproduction while M. × robertsii is entirely asexual.MethodsWe compared the clonality (number of stolons), floral and vegetative phenotype, and phenotypic plasticity of native (M. guttatus) and invasive (M. guttatus and M. × robertsii) populations grown in controlled environment chambers under the environmental conditions at each latitudinal extreme of the UK. The goal was to discern the roles of temperature and photoperiod on the expression of phenotypic traits. Next, we tested the existence of local adaptation in the two species within the invasive range with a reciprocal transplant experiment at two field sites in the latitudinal extremes of the UK, and analysed which phenotypic traits underlie potential local fitness advantage in each species.Key ResultsPopulations of M. guttatus in the UK showed local adaptation through sexual function (fruit production), while M. × robertsii showed local adaptation via asexual function (stolon production). Phenotypic selection analyses revealed that different traits are associated with fitness in each species. Invasive and native populations of M. guttatus had similar phenotypic plasticity and clonality. M. × robertsii presents greater plasticity and clonality than native M. guttatus, but most populations have restricted clonality under the warm conditions of the south of UK.ConclusionsOur study provides experimental evidence of local adaptation in a strictly asexual invasive species with high clonality and phenotypic plasticity. This indicates that even asexual taxa can rapidly (< 200 years) adapt to novel environmental conditions in which alternative strategies may not ensure the persistence of populations.

scholarly journals Does Local Adaptation Impact on the Distribution of Competing Aedes Disease Vectors?

Climate ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 36
Author(s):  
Kelly L. Bennett ◽  
William Owen McMillan ◽  
Jose R. Loaiza
Keyword(s):  
Local Adaptation ◽  
Resource Competition ◽  
Disease Vectors ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Transplant Experiment ◽  
Reciprocal Transplant Experiment ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Ecological Resources ◽  
The Face ◽  
Arboviral Disease

Ae. (Stegomyia) aegypti L. and Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus Skuse mosquitoes are major arboviral disease vectors in human populations. Interspecific competition between these species shapes their distribution and hence the incidence of disease. While Ae. albopictus is considered a superior competitor for ecological resources and displaces its contender Ae. aegypti from most environments, the latter is able to persist with Ae. albopictus under particular environmental conditions, suggesting species occurrence cannot be explained by resource competition alone. The environment is an important determinant of species displacement or coexistence, although the factors underpinning its role remain little understood. In addition, it has been found that Ae. aegypti can be adapted to the environment across a local scale. Based on data from the Neotropical country of Panama, we present the hypothesis that local adaptation to the environment is critical in determining the persistence of Ae. aegypti in the face of its direct competitor Ae. albopictus. We show that although Ae. albopictus has displaced Ae. aegypti in some areas of Panama, both species coexist across many areas, including regions where Ae. aegypti appear to be locally adapted to dry climate conditions and less vegetated environments. Based on these findings, we describe a reciprocal transplant experiment to test our hypothesis, with findings expected to provide fundamental insights into the role of environmental variation in shaping the landscape of emerging arboviral disease.

scholarly journals Demonstration of local adaptation of maize landraces by reciprocal transplantation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Garrett M Janzen ◽  
María Rocío Aguilar-Rangel ◽  
Carolina Cíntora-Martínez ◽  
Karla Azucena Blöcher-Juárez ◽  
Eric González-Segovia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Structure ◽  
Local Adaptation ◽  
Population Genetic Structure ◽  
Population Genetic ◽  
Elevational Gradient ◽  
Transplant Experiment ◽  
South American ◽  
Anthocyanin Pigmentation ◽  
Reciprocal Transplant Experiment ◽  
Maize Landraces

Populations are locally adapted when they exhibit higher fitness than foreign populations in their native habitat. Maize landrace adaptations to highland and lowland conditions are of interest to researchers and breeders. To determine the prevalence and strength of local adaptation in maize landraces, we performed a reciprocal transplant experiment across an elevational gradient in Mexico. We grew 120 landraces, grouped into four populations (Mexican Highland, Mexican Lowland, South American Highland, South American Lowland), in Mexican highland and lowland common gardens and collected phenotypes relevant to fitness, as well as reported highland-adaptive traits such as anthocyanin pigmentation and macrohair density. 67k DArTseq markers were generated from field specimens to allow comparison between phenotypic patterns and population genetic structure. We found phenotypic patterns consistent with local adaptation, though these patterns differ between the Mexican and South American populations. While population genetic structure largely recapitulates drift during post-domestication dispersal, landrace phenotypes reflect adaptations to native elevation. Quantitative trait QST was greater than neutral FST for many traits, signaling divergent directional selection between pairs of populations. All populations exhibited higher fitness metric values when grown at their native elevation, and Mexican landraces had higher fitness than South American landraces when grown in our Mexican sites. Highland populations expressed generally higher anthocyanin pigmentation than lowland populations, and more so in the highland site than in the lowland site. Macrohair density was largely non-plastic, and Mexican landraces and highland landraces were generally more pilose. Analysis of δ13C indicated that lowland populations may have lower WUE. Each population demonstrated garden-specific correlations between highland trait expression and fitness, with stronger positive correlations in the highland site. These results give substance to the long-held presumption of local adaptation of New World maize landraces to elevation and other environmental variables across North and South America.

scholarly journals Differences in pollination success between local and foreign flower color phenotypes: a translocation experiment with Gentiana lutea (Gentianaceae)

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Javier A Guitián ◽  
Mar Sobral ◽  
Tania Veiga ◽  
María Losada ◽  
Pablo Guitián ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Local Adaptation ◽  
Bombus Terrestris ◽  
Flower Color ◽  
Color Variation ◽  
Transplant Experiment ◽  
Cantabrian Mountains ◽  
Reciprocal Transplant Experiment ◽  
Gentiana Lutea ◽  
Pollinator Community ◽  
Floral Visitor

Background. The adaptive maintenance of flower color variation is frequently attributed to pollinators in part because they preferentially visit certain flower phenotypes. We test whether Gentiana lutea – which shows a flower color variation (from orange to yellow) in the Cantabrian Mountains range (north of Spain) − is locally adapted to the pollinator community. Methods. We transplant orange-flowering individuals to a population with yellow-flowering individuals and vice-versa, to assess whether there is a pollination advantage in the local morph comparing its visitation rate with the foreign morph. Results. Our reciprocal transplant experiment showed no clear signal of local morph advantage at one site; thus, there is no evidence of local adaptation in Gentiana lutea to the pollinator assemblage. However, some floral visitor groups (such as Bombus pratorum, B. soroensis ancaricus and B. lapidarius decipiens) consistently preferred the local morph to the foreign morph whereas others (such as Bombus terrestris) consistently preferred the foreign morph. Discussion. We concluded that there is no evidence of local adaptation to the pollinator community in each of the two G. lutea populations studied. The consequences for local adaptation to pollinator on G. lutea flower color would depend on the variation along the Cantabrian Mountains range in morph frequency and pollinator community composition.

scholarly journals Differences in pollination success between local and foreign flower color phenotypes: a translocation experiment with Gentiana lutea (Gentianaceae)

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Javier A Guitián ◽  
Mar Sobral ◽  
Tania Veiga ◽  
María Losada ◽  
Pablo Guitián ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Local Adaptation ◽  
Bombus Terrestris ◽  
Flower Color ◽  
Color Variation ◽  
Transplant Experiment ◽  
Cantabrian Mountains ◽  
Reciprocal Transplant Experiment ◽  
Gentiana Lutea ◽  
Pollinator Community ◽  
Floral Visitor

Background. The adaptive maintenance of flower color variation is frequently attributed to pollinators in part because they preferentially visit certain flower phenotypes. We test whether Gentiana lutea – which shows a flower color variation (from orange to yellow) in the Cantabrian Mountains range (north of Spain) − is locally adapted to the pollinator community. Methods. We transplant orange-flowering individuals to a population with yellow-flowering individuals and vice-versa, to assess whether there is a pollination advantage in the local morph comparing its visitation rate with the foreign morph. Results. Our reciprocal transplant experiment showed no clear signal of local morph advantage at one site; thus, there is no evidence of local adaptation in Gentiana lutea to the pollinator assemblage. However, some floral visitor groups (such as Bombus pratorum, B. soroensis ancaricus and B. lapidarius decipiens) consistently preferred the local morph to the foreign morph whereas others (such as Bombus terrestris) consistently preferred the foreign morph. Discussion. We concluded that there is no evidence of local adaptation to the pollinator community in each of the two G. lutea populations studied. The consequences for local adaptation to pollinator on G. lutea flower color would depend on the variation along the Cantabrian Mountains range in morph frequency and pollinator community composition.

scholarly journals Seed local adaptation and seedling plasticity account for Gleditsia triacanthos tree invasion across biomes

2019 ◽  
Vol 124 (2) ◽  
pp. 307-318 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro M Tognetti ◽  
Noemí Mazia ◽  
Gonzalo Ibáñez
Keyword(s):  
Phenotypic Plasticity ◽  
Seed Germination ◽  
Water Potential ◽  
Local Adaptation ◽  
Tropical Forests ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Seedling Survival ◽  
Common Garden ◽  
Temperate Grasslands ◽  
Vegetation Removal

Abstract Background and Aims Phenotypic plasticity and local adaption can contribute to the success of invasive species. While the former is an environmentally induced trait, the latter involves a selection process to filter the best genotype for a location. We examined the evidence for phenotypic plasticity and local adaptation for seed and seedling traits of the invasive tree Gleditsia triacanthos, with three origins distributed along an approx. 10° latitude gradient across three biomes. Methods In sub-tropical forests, dry woodlands and secondary temperate grasslands in Argentina, we harvested seeds from clusters of neighbouring trees (i.e. families) distributed within 15–20 km in each origin (biome). We manipulated the environmental conditions relevant to each biome, assuming that propagule availability did not represent an ecological barrier. In growth chambers, we evaluated seed imbibition and seed germination under different light, temperature and water potential. In a 2 year common garden, we evaluated the impact of resident vegetation removal on seedling survival and growth. Key Results Mean time to complete seed imbibition differed among origins; seeds from temperate grasslands reached full imbibition before seeds from dry woodlands and sub-tropical forests. Germination was always >70 %, but was differentially affected by water potential, and light quantity (dark–light) and quality (red–far red) among origins, suggesting local adaptation. In the common garden, vegetation removal rather than origin negatively affected seedling survival and enhanced seedling growth. Vegetation removal increased basal diameter, leaves per plant and spine number, and reduced the height:basal diameter ratio. Conclusions We conclude that local adaptation in seed germination traits and plastic changes in seedling allometry (e.g. height:diameter) may allow this tree to respond over the short and long term to changes in environmental conditions, and to contribute to shape G. triacanthos as a successful woody invader. Overall, our study revealed how local adaptation and plasticity can explain different aspects of tree invasion capacity across biomes.

scholarly journals Individual reversible plasticity as a genotype-level bet-hedging strategy

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
T.R. Haaland ◽  
J. Wright ◽  
I.I. Ratikainen
Keyword(s):  
Phenotypic Plasticity ◽  
Environmental Change ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Life History Theory ◽  
Reaction Norm ◽  
Phenotypic Traits ◽  
Bet Hedging ◽  
Hedging Strategy ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Environmental Fluctuations

AbstractReversible plasticity in phenotypic traits allows organisms to cope with environmental variation within lifetimes, but costs of plasticity may limit just how well the phenotype matches the environmental optimum. An additional adaptive advantage of plasticity might be to reduce fitness variance, or bet-hedging to maximize geometric (rather than simply arithmetic) mean fitness. Here we model the evolution of reaction norm slopes, with increasing costs as the slope or degree of plasticity increases. We find that greater investment in plasticity (i.e. steeper reaction norm slopes) is favoured in scenarios promoting bet-hedging as a response to multiplicative fitness accumulation (i.e. coarser environmental grains and fewer time steps prior to reproduction), because plasticity lowers fitness variance across environmental conditions. In contrast, in scenarios with finer environmental grain and many time steps prior to reproduction, bet-hedging plays less of a role and individual-level optimization favours evolution of shallower reaction norm slopes. We discuss contrasting predictions from this partitioning of the different adaptive causes of plasticity into short-term individual benefits versus long-term genotypic (bet-hedging) benefits under different costs of plasticity scenarios, thereby enhancing our understanding of the evolution of optimum levels of plasticity in examples from thermal physiology to advances in avian lay dates.Impact summaryPhenotypic plasticity is a key mechanism by which organisms cope with environmental change. Plasticity relies on the existence of some reliable environmental cue that allows organisms to infer current or future conditions, and adjust their traits in response to better match the environment. In contrast, when environmental fluctuations are unpredictable, bet-hedging favours lineages that persist by lowering their fitness variance, either among or within individuals. Plasticity and bet-hedging are therefore often considered to be alternative modes of adaptation to environmental change. However, we here make the point that plasticity also has the capacity to change an organism’s variance in fitness across different environmental conditions, and could thus itself be part of – and not an alternative to – a bet-hedging strategy. We show that bet-hedging at the genotype level affects the optimal degree of plasticity that individuals use to track environmental fluctuations, because despite a reduction in expected fitness at the individual level, costly investment in the ability to be plastic also lowers variance in fitness. We also discuss alternative predictions that arise from scenarios with different types of costs of plasticity. Evolutionary bet-hedging and phenotypic plasticity are both topics experiencing a renewed surge of interest as researchers seek to better integrate different adaptations to ongoing rapid environmental change in a range of areas of literature within ecology and evolution, including behavioural ecology, evolutionary physiology and life-history theory. We believe that demonstrating an important novel link between these two mechanisms is of interest to research in many different fields, and opens new avenues for understanding organismal adaptation to environmental change.

scholarly journals In a nutshell, a reciprocal transplant experiment reveals local adaptation and fitness trade-offs in response to urban evolution in an acorn-dwelling ant

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan A. Martin ◽  
Lacy D. Chick ◽  
Matthew L. Garvin ◽  
Sarah E. Diamond
Keyword(s):  
Urban Environment ◽  
Local Adaptation ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Rural Environment ◽  
Reciprocal Transplant ◽  
Transplant Experiment ◽  
Reciprocal Transplant Experiment ◽  
Evolutionary Patterns ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Rural Environments

AbstractUrban-driven evolution is widely evident, but whether these changes confer fitness benefits and thus represent cases of adaptive urban evolution is less clear. We performed a multi-year field reciprocal transplant experiment of acorn-dwelling ants across urban and rural environments. Fitness trade-offs via survival were consistent with local adaptation: we found a survival advantage of the ‘home’ treatments compared to the ‘away’ treatments. Seasonal bias in survival was consistent with evolutionary patterns of gains and losses in thermal tolerance traits across the urbanization gradient, such that rural ants in the urban environment were more vulnerable in the summer, putatively due to low heat tolerance and urban ants in the rural environment were more vulnerable in winter, putatively due to an evolved loss of cold tolerance. The results for fitness via fecundity were more complex. Fecundity differences were present in the rural environment, but not the urban environment, and could reflect mismatched cues for the seasonal production of reproductives. To broadly contextualize our results, we performed a multi-species meta-analysis of urban adaptive evolution studies and found general support for local adaptation. The rural adaptation signal was stronger than for urban adaptation, consistent with the relative differences in time for adaptation to occur.

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