scholarly journals Polygenic variation in sexual investment across an ephemerality gradient in Daphnia pulex

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen B Barnard-Kubow ◽  
Dörthe Becker ◽  
Connor S Murray ◽  
Robert Porter ◽  
Grace Gutierrez ◽  
...  

Species across the tree of life can switch between asexual and sexual reproduction. In facultatively sexual species, the ability to switch between reproductive modes is often environmentally dependent and subject to local adaptation. However, the ecological and evolutionary factors that influence the maintenance and turnover of polymorphism associated with facultative sex remain unclear. To address this basic question, we studied the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of polymorphism in reproductive strategy in a metapopulation of the model facultative sexual, Daphnia pulex, located in the southern United Kingdom. We found that patterns of clonal diversity, but not genetic diversity varied with ephemerality. Reconstruction of a multi-year pedigree demonstrated the co-existence of clones that were found to differ in their investment into male production. Mapping of quantitative variation in male production using lab-generated and field-collected individuals identified multiple putative QTL underlying this trait, and we identified a plausible candidate gene. The evolutionary history of these QTL suggests that they are relatively young, and male limitation in this system is a rapidly evolving trait. Our work highlights the dynamic nature of the genetic structure and composition of facultative sex across space and time and suggests that quantitative genetic variation in reproductive strategy can undergo rapid evolutionary turnover.

Biomedicines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 808
Author(s):  
Laura Pérez-Lago ◽  
Teresa Aldámiz-Echevarría ◽  
Rita García-Martínez ◽  
Leire Pérez-Latorre ◽  
Marta Herranz ◽  
...  

A successful Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variant, B.1.1.7, has recently been reported in the UK, causing global alarm. Most likely, the new variant emerged in a persistently infected patient, justifying a special focus on these cases. Our aim in this study was to explore certain clinical profiles involving severe immunosuppression that may help explain the prolonged persistence of viable viruses. We present three severely immunosuppressed cases (A, B, and C) with a history of lymphoma and prolonged SARS-CoV-2 shedding (2, 4, and 6 months), two of whom finally died. Whole-genome sequencing of 9 and 10 specimens from Cases A and B revealed extensive within-patient acquisition of diversity, 12 and 28 new single nucleotide polymorphisms, respectively, which suggests ongoing SARS-CoV-2 replication. This diversity was not observed for Case C after analysing 5 sequential nasopharyngeal specimens and one plasma specimen, and was only observed in one bronchoaspirate specimen, although viral viability was still considered based on constant low Ct values throughout the disease and recovery of the virus in cell cultures. The acquired viral diversity in Cases A and B followed different dynamics. For Case A, new single nucleotide polymorphisms were quickly fixed (13–15 days) after emerging as minority variants, while for Case B, higher diversity was observed at a slower emergence: fixation pace (1–2 months). Slower SARS-CoV-2 evolutionary pace was observed for Case A following the administration of hyperimmune plasma. This work adds knowledge on SARS-CoV-2 prolonged shedding in severely immunocompromised patients and demonstrates viral viability, noteworthy acquired intra-patient diversity, and different SARS-CoV-2 evolutionary dynamics in persistent cases.


2017 ◽  
Vol 284 (1861) ◽  
pp. 20170859 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mauricio J. Carter ◽  
Martin I. Lind ◽  
Stuart R. Dennis ◽  
William Hentley ◽  
Andrew P. Beckerman

Inducible, anti-predator traits are a classic example of phenotypic plasticity. Their evolutionary dynamics depend on their genetic basis, the historical pattern of predation risk that populations have experienced and current selection gradients. When populations experience predators with contrasting hunting strategies and size preferences, theory suggests contrasting micro-evolutionary responses to selection. Daphnia pulex is an ideal species to explore the micro-evolutionary response of anti-predator traits because they face heterogeneous predation regimes, sometimes experiencing only invertebrate midge predators and other times experiencing vertebrate fish and invertebrate midge predators. We explored plausible patterns of adaptive evolution of a predator-induced morphological reaction norm. We combined estimates of selection gradients that characterize the various habitats that D. pulex experiences with detail on the quantitative genetic architecture of inducible morphological defences. Our data reveal a fine scale description of daphnid defensive reaction norms, and a strong covariance between the sensitivity to cues and the maximum response to cues. By analysing the response of the reaction norm to plausible, predator-specific selection gradients, we show how in the context of this covariance, micro-evolution may be more uniform than predicted from size-selective predation theory. Our results show how covariance between the sensitivity to cues and the maximum response to cues for morphological defence can shape the evolutionary trajectory of predator-induced defences in D. pulex .


2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 205511691772522
Author(s):  
Sofia García-Pertierra ◽  
Esteban Gonzàlez-Gasch ◽  
Carmen Catalá Puyol ◽  
Jose María Closa Boixeda

Case summary A 5-year-old male neutered domestic shorthair cat was presented to our referral centre with a 13 month history of chronic tenesmus due to malunion of the right caudal iliac body. Constipation and pelvic canal stenosis were initially addressed by the referring veterinarian with a right femoral head and neck excision and a right acetabulectomy without observable clinical improvement. At admission, abdominal radiographs revealed severe colonic distension and a narrowed pelvic canal caused by the right proximal femur. Rectal examination and colonography revealed a dynamic compression of the rectum, which worsened with femoral abduction and improved with femoral adduction. A right hindlimb amputation was performed to relieve the obstruction. The cat defaecated 2 days postoperatively and was discharged uneventfully. Neither faecal tenesmus nor dyschaezia were observed over the following 10 months. Relevance and novel information The dynamic nature of the rectal obstruction most likely prevented the development of an irreversible colonic dilatation leading to a megacolon. This is the first report describing a chronic dynamic rectal compression, which was successfully managed with a right hindlimb amputation without the need for subtotal colectomy.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carmen Ortega-Sabater ◽  
Gabriel Fernandez-Calvo ◽  
Víctor M Pérez-García

Evolutionary dynamics allows to understand many changes happening in a broad variety of biological systems, ranging from individuals to complete ecosystems. It is also behind a number of remarkable organizational changes that happen during the natural history of cancers. These reflect tumour heterogeneity, which is present at all cellular levels, including the genome, proteome and phenome, shaping its development and interrelation with its environment. An intriguing observation in different cohorts of oncological patients is that tumours exhibit an increased proliferation as the disease progresses, while the timescales involved are apparently too short for the fixation of sufficient driver mutations to promote an explosive growth. In this paper we discuss how phenotypic plasticity, emerging from a single genotype, may play a key role and provide a ground for a continuous acceleration of the proliferation rate of clonal populations with time. Here we address this question by means of stochastic and deterministic mathematical models that capture proliferation trait heterogeneity in clonal populations and elucidate the contribution of phenotypic transitions on tumour growth dynamics.


Author(s):  
Andersonn Silveira Prestes

The establishment and spread of exotic species is a contemporary major concern. Alien species may become invasive in their new habitat, leading to both/either environmental and/or economic impacts. I briefly reviewed the literature in the last decade about the relationship of exotic species and native communities. I identified that professionals usually approach the subject in two main points of view: (1) researchers tend to point out the impacts of alien species on entire communities, evaluating if the relationship is positive, negative or neutral; (2) they focus on the eco-evolutionary processes involved in the introductions, the dynamics of invasion, and individual study cases. When evaluating the response of introductions to entire communities, evidence seems to be ambiguous and may support positive, negative or neutral relationship, especially depending on the scale approached. The unique eco-evolutionary pathways of each introduction may be a great shortcoming in the searching for generalities. On the other hand, advances have been made in understanding the dynamics of invasion on different lineages through a more selective/individualized approach. I suggest that the dynamics of invasion might be studied through a perspective in which different eco-evolutionary processes, levels of organization (from gene to entire communities), the history of the organism(s) and time are taken into account. Individual cases might be compared in attempt to understand how the relationship exotic and native works and in the search for generalities.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacob W. Malcom ◽  
Thomas E. Juenger ◽  
Mathew A. Leibold

ABSTRACTBackgroundIdentifying the molecular basis of heritable variation provides insight into the underlying mechanisms generating phenotypic variation and the evolutionary history of organismal traits. Life history trait variation is of central importance to ecological and evolutionary dynamics, and contemporary genomic tools permit studies of the basis of this variation in non-genetic model organisms. We used high density genotyping, RNA-Seq gene expression assays, and detailed phenotyping of fourteen ecologically important life history traits in a wild-caught panel of 32Daphnia pulexclones to explore the molecular basis of trait variation in a model ecological species.ResultsWe found extensive phenotypic and a range of heritable genetic variation (~0 < H2< 0.44) in the panel, and accordingly identify 75-261 genes—organized in 3-6 coexpression modules—associated with genetic variation in each trait. The trait-related coexpression modules possess well-supported promoter motifs, and in conjunction with marker variation at trans- loci, suggest a relatively small number of important expression regulators. We further identify a candidate genetic network with SNPs in eight known transcriptional regulators, and dozens of differentially expressed genes, associated with life history variation. The gene-trait associations include numerous un-annotated genes, but also support several a priori hypotheses, including an ecdysone-induced protein and several Gene Ontology pathways.ConclusionThe genetic and gene expression architecture ofDaphnialife history traits is complex, and our results provide numerous candidate loci, genes, and coexpression modules to be tested as the molecular mechanisms that underlieDaphniaeco-evolutionary dynamics.


mBio ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy D. Read ◽  
Sandeep J. Joseph ◽  
Xavier Didelot ◽  
Brooke Liang ◽  
Lisa Patel ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Chlamydia psittaci is an obligate intracellular bacterium. Interest in Chlamydia stems from its high degree of virulence as an intestinal and pulmonary pathogen across a broad range of animals, including humans. C. psittaci human pulmonary infections, referred to as psittacosis, can be life-threatening, which is why the organism was developed as a bioweapon in the 20th century and is listed as a CDC biothreat agent. One remarkable recent result from comparative genomics is the finding of frequent homologous recombination across the genome of the sexually transmitted and trachoma pathogen Chlamydia trachomatis. We sought to determine if similar evolutionary dynamics occurred in C. psittaci. We analyzed 20 C. psittaci genomes from diverse strains representing the nine known serotypes of the organism as well as infections in a range of birds and mammals, including humans. Genome annotation revealed a core genome in all strains of 911 genes. Our analyses showed that C. psittaci has a history of frequently switching hosts and undergoing recombination more often than C. trachomatis. Evolutionary history reconstructions showed genome-wide homologous recombination and evidence of whole-plasmid exchange. Tracking the origins of recombinant segments revealed that some strains have imported DNA from as-yet-unsampled or -unsequenced C. psittaci lineages or other Chlamydiaceae species. Three ancestral populations of C. psittaci were predicted, explaining the current population structure. Molecular clock analysis found that certain strains are part of a clonal epidemic expansion likely introduced into North America by South American bird traders, suggesting that psittacosis is a recently emerged disease originating in New World parrots. IMPORTANCE Chlamydia psittaci is classified as a CDC biothreat agent based on its association with life-threatening lung disease, termed psittacosis, in humans. Because of the recent remarkable findings of frequent recombination across the genome of the human sexually transmitted and ocular trachoma pathogen Chlamydia trachomatis, we sought to determine if similar evolutionary dynamics occur in C. psittaci. Twenty C. psittaci genomes were analyzed from diverse strains that may play a pathogenic role in human disease. Evolution of the strains revealed genome-wide recombination occurring at a higher rate than for C. trachomatis. Certain strains were discovered to be part of a recent epidemic clonal expansion originating in South America. These strains may have been introduced into the United States from South American bird traders, suggesting that psittacosis is a recently emerged disease originating in New World parrots. Our analyses indicate that C. psittaci strains have a history of frequently switching hosts and undergoing recombination.


PEDIATRICS ◽  
1956 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 832-832
Author(s):  
Frederick J. Martin

Gastrointestinal allergy has been said to be a rare cause of colic in infancy. We had been impressed by the family history of allergy elicited in many cases. Frequent occurrence in colicky babies of stools containing mucus, eosinophils, and sometimes blood, was also noted. The Nance method of staining stool mucus for eosinophils was used. A point was made of inquiring concerning hay fever, allergic asthma, perennial allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis, frequent and severe sinusitis and migraine headache, in the mother, father, siblings, grandfathers, uncles, aunts and first cousins. This has been done in the case of all newborns. The following data were accumulated from newborns whom we treated throughout the course of their complaint. We found 367 colicky infants among 611 who came from allergic families, an incidence of 60.1 per cent; among 296 infants from non-allergic families, 74 had colic, an incidence of 25 per cent. Where the father and mother both suffered from major manifestations of allergy, out of 55 infants, 43 had colic, an incidence of 78.2 per cent. A total of 814 infants had 308 colicky babies among them, an incidence of 36.1 pen cent in our practice. These data were gathered because we could find none in the literature answering the basic question of the incidence of colic in private pediatric practice. A broad cross-section of social classes and nationalities found in a metropolitan area were included. The over-all incidence of 36.1 per cent was a surprise to us. The incidence of 60.1 per cent of colic found in allergic families was impressive.


2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rohan Maddamsetti ◽  
Richard E. Lenski ◽  
Jeffrey E. Barrick

Twelve replicate populations of Escherichia coli have been evolving in the laboratory for more than 25 years and 60,000 generations. We analyzed bacteria from whole-population samples frozen every 500 generations through 20,000 generations for one well-studied population, called Ara???1. By tracking 42 known mutations in these samples, we reconstructed the history of this population???s genotypic evolution over this period. The evolutionary dynamics of Ara???1 show strong evidence of selective sweeps as well as clonal interference between competing lineages bearing different beneficial mutations. In some cases, sets of several mutations approached fixation simultaneously, often conveying no information about their order of origination; we present several possible explanations for the existence of these mutational cohorts. Against a backdrop of rapid selective sweeps both earlier and later, we found that two clades coexisted for over 6000 generations before one drove the other extinct. In that time, at least nine mutations arose in the clade that prevailed. We found evidence that the clades evolved a frequency-dependent interaction, which prevented the competitive exclusion of either clade, but which eventually collapsed as beneficial mutations accumulated in the clade that prevailed. Clonal interference and frequency dependence can occur even in the simplest microbial populations. Furthermore, frequency dependence may generate dynamics that extend the period of coexistence that would otherwise be sustained by clonal interference alone.


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