Diversity in genome size and GC content shows adaptive potential in orchids and is closely linked to partial endoreplication, plant life‐history traits and climatic conditions

The ultimate cause of genome size (GS) evolution in eukaryotes remains a major and unresolved puzzle in evolutionary biology. Large-scale comparative studies have failed to find consistent correlations between GS and organismal properties, resulting in the ‘ C -value paradox’. Current hypotheses for the evolution of GS are based either on the balance between mutational events and drift or on natural selection acting upon standing genetic variation in GS. It is, however, currently very difficult to evaluate the role of selection because within-species studies that relate variation in life-history traits to variation in GS are very rare. Here, we report phylogenetic comparative analyses of GS evolution in seed beetles at two distinct taxonomic scales, which combines replicated estimation of GS with experimental assays of life-history traits and reproductive fitness. GS showed rapid and bidirectional evolution across species, but did not show correlated evolution with any of several indices of the relative importance of genetic drift. Within a single species, GS varied by 4–5% across populations and showed positive correlated evolution with independent estimates of male and female reproductive fitness. Collectively, the phylogenetic pattern of GS diversification across and within species in conjunction with the pattern of correlated evolution between GS and fitness provide novel support for the tenet that natural selection plays a key role in shaping GS evolution.

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The importance of plant-soil interactions, soil nutrients, and plant life history traits for the temporal dynamics of Jacobaea vulgaris in a chronosequence of old-fields

Oikos ◽

10.1111/j.1600-0706.2011.19964.x ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 121 (8) ◽

pp. 1251-1262 ◽

Cited By ~ 31

Author(s):

Tess F. J. van de Voorde ◽

Wim H. van der Putten ◽

T. Martijn Bezemer

Keyword(s):

Life History ◽

Soil Nutrients ◽

Life History Traits ◽

Temporal Dynamics ◽

Old Fields ◽

Jacobaea Vulgaris ◽

Plant Soil ◽

Plant Life ◽

Plant Soil Interactions

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Every cog and wheel: Unraveling biocomplexity at the genomic and phenotypic level in a population complex of Chinook salmon

10.1101/2021.03.26.437213 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Shannon J. O’Leary ◽

Tasha Q. Thompson ◽

Mariah H. Meek

Keyword(s):

Life History ◽

Chinook Salmon ◽

Life History Traits ◽

Central Valley ◽

Genomic Diversity ◽

Adaptive Potential ◽

Structural Genomic ◽

Environmental Pressures ◽

Fundamental Building Block ◽

Salmon Population

AbstractGenomic diversity is the fundamental building block of biodiversity and the necessary ingredient for adaptation. Our rapidly increasing ability to quantify functional, compositional, and structural genomic diversity of populations forces the question of how to balance conservation goals – should the focus be on important functional diversity and key life history traits or on maximizing genomic diversity as a whole? Specifically, the intra-specific diversity (biocomplexity) comprised of phenotypic and genetic variation can determine the ability of a population to respond to changing environmental conditions. Here, we explore the biocomplexity of California’s Central Valley Chinook salmon population complex at a genomic level. Notably, despite apparent gene flow among individuals of different migration (life history) phenotypes inhabiting the same tributaries, each group is characterized by a component of unique genomic diversity. Our results emphasize the importance of formulating conservation goals focused on maintaining biocomplexity at both the phenotypic and genotypic level. Doing so will maintain the adaptive potential to increase the probability of persistence of the population complex despite changing environmental pressures.

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Adaptive Evolution of Plant Life History in Urban Environments

Urban Evolutionary Biology ◽

10.1093/oso/9780198836841.003.0010 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 142-156

Author(s):

Amanda J. Gorton ◽

Liana T. Burghardt ◽

Peter Tiffin

Keyword(s):

Life History ◽

Adaptive Evolution ◽

Life Histories ◽

Life History Traits ◽

Urban Environments ◽

Adaptive Divergence ◽

Growing Season Length ◽

Plant Life ◽

Rural Environments ◽

Shape Selection

Many of the environmental factors that shape selection on plant life-history traits, including temperature, water availability, growing-season length, nutrient availability, and biotic community, differ between urban and rural environments, as well as within urban environments. Therefore, we might expect that plant life-history traits are of central importance to plant adaptation to urban environments. While the study of adaptive evolution of plant life-history traits in urban environments is in its early stages, those studies that have been conducted provide clear evidence for adaptive divergence between urban and rural plant populations in plant life-history traits related to phenology, fecundity, and dispersal. This chapter reviews the existing studies that provide a foundation for understanding the adaptation of plant life histories in urban environments, and also point to directions of potentially fruitful further research.

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Life history trait differences between a lake and a stream-dwelling population of the Pyrenean brook newt (Calotriton asper)

Amphibia-Reptilia ◽

10.1163/15685381-00002921 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 35 (1) ◽

pp. 53-62 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Neus Oromi ◽

Fèlix Amat ◽

Delfi Sanuy ◽

Salvador Carranza

Keyword(s):

Mitochondrial Dna ◽

Life History ◽

Life History Traits ◽

Climatic Conditions ◽

Life History Trait ◽

Genetic Structuring ◽

Dna Variation ◽

Juvenile Dispersal ◽

Fast Running ◽

High Altitude Lake

The Pyrenean brook newt (Calotriton asper) is a salamandrid that mostly lives in fast running and cold mountain-streams, although some populations are also found in lakes. In the present work, we report in detail on the occurrence of facultative paedomorphosis traits in a population from a Pyrenean high altitude lake. We compare its morphology, life history traits and mitochondrial DNA variation with a nearby lotic metamorphic population. Our results indicate that the lacustrine newts are smaller and present a less developed sexual dimorphism, smooth skin, and that 53% of the adults retain gills at different degrees of development, but not gill slits. Although both populations and sexes have the same age at sexual maturity (four years), the lacustrine population presents higher longevity (12 and 9 years for males and females, respectively) than the one living in the stream (8 and 9 years). The variation on the climatic conditions at altitudinal scale is probably the main cause of the differences in life history traits found between the two populations. The food availability, which could to be limiting in the lacustrine population, is another factor that can potentially affect body size. These results are congruent with the significant mitochondrial DNA genetic isolation between populations, probably a consequence of the lack of juvenile dispersal. We found low cytochrome b variability and significant genetic structuring in the lake population that is very remarkably considering the short distance to the nearby stream population and the whole species’ pattern. We suggest that a bottleneck effect and/or phenotypic plasticity may have resulted in the appearance of a paedomorphic morph in the lake.

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Contrasting GC-content dynamics across 33 mammalian genomes: Relationship with life-history traits and chromosome sizes

Genome Research ◽

10.1101/gr.104372.109 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 20 (8) ◽

pp. 1001-1009 ◽

Cited By ~ 137

Author(s):

J. Romiguier ◽

V. Ranwez ◽

E. J. P. Douzery ◽

N. Galtier

Keyword(s):

Life History ◽

Life History Traits ◽

Gc Content ◽

Mammalian Genomes

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Genome size is not related to life-history traits in primates

Genome ◽

10.1139/g04-125 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 48 (2) ◽

pp. 273-278 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Serge Morand ◽

Robert E Ricklefs

Keyword(s):

Life History ◽

Body Size ◽

Genome Size ◽

Dna Content ◽

Sexual Maturity ◽

Life History Traits ◽

Age At Maturity ◽

Brain Mass ◽

Gestation Time ◽

C Value

Genome size (C value, the haploid DNA content of the nucleus) varies widely among eukaryotes, increasing through duplication or insertion of transposable elements and decreasing through deletions. Here, we investigate relationships between genome size and life-history attributes potentially related to fitness, including body mass, brain mass, gestation time, age at sexual maturity, and longevity, in 42 species of primates. Using multivariate and phylogenetically informed analyses, we show that genome size is unrelated to any of these traits. Genome size exhibits little variation within primates and its evolution does not appear to be correlated with changes in life-history traits. This further indicates that the phenotypic consequences of variation in genome size are dependent on the particular biology of the group in question.Key words: age at maturity, body size, brain mass, C value, genome size, gestation time, life history, primate.

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