scholarly journals Complementary genomic and epigenomic adaptation to environmental heterogeneity

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yangchun Gao ◽  
Yiyong Chen ◽  
Shiguo Li ◽  
Xuena Huang ◽  
Juntao Hu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Heterogeneity ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Explanatory Variable ◽  
Environmental Adaptation ◽  
Epigenetic Variation ◽  
Botryllus Schlosseri ◽  
Functional Perspective ◽  
Local Environments ◽  
Adaptive Mechanisms ◽  
Structure Patterns

While adaptation is commonly thought to result from selection on DNA sequence-based variation, recent studies have highlighted an analogous epigenetic component as well. However, the extent to which these adaptive mechanisms to adaptation to environmental heterogeneity are redundant or complementary remains unclear. To address the underlying genetic and epigenetic mechanisms and their relationship underlying environmental adaptation, we screened the genomes and epigenomes of nine global populations of a predominately sessile marine invasive tunicate, Botryllus schlosseri. We detected clear population genetic and epigenetic differentiation, which were both significantly influenced by local environments, and the minimum annual sea surface temperature (T_min) was simultaneously identified as the top explanatory variable for both types of variation. However, there remain some degree of difference in population structure patterns between two levels, suggesting a certain level of autonomy in epigenetic variation. From the functional perspective, a set of functional genes and biological pathways were shared between two levels, indicating a conjoint contribution of genetic and epigenetic variation to environmental adaptation. Moreover, we also detected genetic- or epigenetic-specific genes/pathways in relation to a wide variety of core processes potentially underlying adaptation to local environmental factors, suggesting the partly independent relationship between two mechanisms. We infer that complementary genetic and epigenetic routes to adaptation are available in this system. Collectively, these mechanisms may facilitate population persistence under environmental changes and sustain successful invasions in novel but contrasting environments.

scholarly journals Stronger Environmental Adaption of Abundant than Rare Microbes in Wetland Soils from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenjie Wan ◽  
Geoffrey Michael Gadd ◽  
Yuyi Yang ◽  
Wenke Yuan ◽  
Jidong Gu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stochastic Process ◽  
Community Assembly ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Model Analysis ◽  
Ammonia Nitrogen ◽  
Environmental Adaptation ◽  
Tibet Plateau ◽  
Wetland Soils ◽  
Phylogenetic Distance ◽  
Qinghai Tibet Plateau

Abstract Background: Disentangling the biogeographic patterns of rare and abundant microbial sub-communities is essential in order to understand the generation and maintenance of microbial diversity with respect to the functions they provide. However, little is known about ecological assembly processes and environmental adaptation of rare and abundant microbial sub-communities across large spatial-scale wetlands. Using Illumina sequencing, we investigated the taxonomic and phylogenetic β-diversity of rare and abundant bacterial and fungal sub-communities in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau wetland soils. Additionally, we determined environmental breadths and phylogenetic signals of ecological preferences of rare and abundant microbial sub-communities, and investigated community assembly processes of microbial taxa. Results: We found that both taxonomic and phylogenetic similarities of rare and abundant microbial sub-communities attenuated with geographical distance. Based on threshold indicator taxa analysis and Blomberg’s K statistic, abundant microbial taxa exhibited broader environmental thresholds and stronger phylogenetic signals for ecological traits than rare microbial taxa. The strong correlations between community compositional dissimilarity and phylogenetic distance of rare microbial sub-communities also revealed that rare taxa may be more sensitive to environmental changes. In addition, the rare microbial sub-communities exhibited closer phylogenetic clustering compared with abundant microbial sub-communities. The null model analysis revealed that dispersal limitation belonging to stochastic process dominated ecological assembly of abundant bacterial sub-community, and rare and abundant fungal sub-communities; variable selection belonging to deterministic process governed community assembly of rare bacterial taxa. Neutral model analysis and variation partitioning analysis further confirmed that abundant microbial sub-communities were less environmentally constrained. Soil ammonia nitrogen was the crucial factor in mediating the balance between stochasticity and determinism of both rare and abundant microbial sub-communities, as reflected by distinct differences in stochastic process with higher ammonia nitrogen content.Conclusions: Abundant microbial sub-communities may have better environmental adaptation potential and are less dispersed by environmental changes compared with rare microbial sub-communities. Our findings extend knowledge of the adaptation of rare and abundant microbial taxa to ongoing environmental change and could facilitate prediction of biodiversity loss caused by global climate change and increasing human activity in wetlands of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

scholarly journals Introduction to the Special Issue: Assessing the Environmental Adaptation of Wildlife and Production Animals: Applications of Physiological Indices and Welfare Assessment Tools

Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 2280
Author(s):  
Edward Narayan
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Environmental Adaptation ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Wild Animals ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Welfare Assessment ◽  
Farm Production ◽  
Physiological Indices ◽  
Human Care ◽  
Production Animals

Wild animals under human care as well as domesticated farm production animals are often exposed to environmental changes (e [...]

scholarly journals Environmental Heterogeneity and Phenotypic Divergence: Can Heritable Epigenetic Variation Aid Speciation?

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruth Flatscher ◽  
Božo Frajman ◽  
Peter Schönswetter ◽  
Ovidiu Paun
Keyword(s):  
Biological Sciences ◽  
Environmental Heterogeneity ◽  
Phenotypic Diversity ◽  
Adaptive Strategies ◽  
Epigenetic Variation ◽  
Adaptive Responses ◽  
Adaptive Traits ◽  
Phenotypic Differentiation ◽  
Genome Wide

The dualism of genetic predisposition and environmental influences, their interactions, and respective roles in shaping the phenotype have been a hot topic in biological sciences for more than two centuries. Heritable epigenetic variation mediates between relatively slowly accumulating mutations in the DNA sequence and ephemeral adaptive responses to stress, thereby providing mechanisms for achieving stable, but potentially rapidly evolving phenotypic diversity as a response to environmental stimuli. This suggests that heritable epigenetic signals can play an important role in evolutionary processes, but so far this hypothesis has not been rigorously tested. A promising new area of research focuses on the interaction between the different molecular levels that produce phenotypic variation in wild, closely-related taxa that lack genome-wide genetic differentiation. By pinpointing specific adaptive traits and investigating the mechanisms responsible for phenotypic differentiation, such study systems could allow profound insights into the role of epigenetics in the evolution and stabilization of phenotypic discontinuities, and could add to our understanding of adaptive strategies to diverse environmental conditions and their dynamics.

scholarly journals Adaptive diversification in the cellular circadian behavior of Arabidopsis leaf- and root-derived cells

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shunji Nakamura ◽  
Tokitaka Oyama
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Cellular Level ◽  
Circadian System ◽  
Circadian Clocks ◽  
Intrinsic Properties ◽  
Adaptive Diversification ◽  
Local Environments ◽  
Fluctuating Environments ◽  
Circadian Behavior

The plant circadian system is based on self-sustained cellular oscillations and is utilized to adapt to daily and seasonal environmental changes. The cellular circadian clocks in the above- and belowground plant organs are subjected to diverse local environments. Individual cellular clocks are affected by other cells/tissues in plants, and the intrinsic properties of cellular clocks remain to be elucidated. In this study, we showed the circadian properties of leaf- and root-derived cells of a CCA1::LUC Arabidopsis transgenic plant and demonstrated that the cells in total isolation from other cells harbor a genuine circadian clock. Quantitative and statistical analyses for individual cellular bioluminescence rhythms revealed a difference in amplitude and precision of light/dark entrainment between the two cell-types, suggesting that leaf-derived cells have a clock with a stronger persistence against fluctuating environments. Circadian systems in the leaves and roots are diversified to adapt to their local environments at the cellular level.

RNA N-6-methyladenosine enzymes and resistance of cancer cells to chemotherapy and radiotherapy

Epigenomics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 801-809 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meiyi Xiang ◽  
Wensu Liu ◽  
Wei Tian ◽  
Abin You ◽  
Dajun Deng
Keyword(s):  
Drug Resistance ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Rna Modification ◽  
Rna Modifications ◽  
Resistance Development ◽  
Development Of Resistance ◽  
Promising Target ◽  
Adaptive Mechanisms

Aim: As one of the early adaptive mechanisms by which cells respond to environmental changes, RNA modification appears to be a very promising target for cancer treatment. Results: RNA modifications are currently a hot topic in epigenetic research. Emerging experimental studies show that expression alterations of multiple m6A enzymes, including demethylase FTO, methyltransferase METTL3 and WTAP, mediate the development of resistance of cancer cells to various treatments. A set of small molecular chemical drugs targeted to these m6A enzymes are under development. Intervention of RNA m6A methylation is a possible therapeutic strategy to overcome drug resistance. Conclusions: RNA m6A methylation may play a crucial role in drug resistance development and intervention in cancer cells.

scholarly journals Messinian vegetation and climate of the intermontane Florina–Ptolemais–Servia Basin, NW Greece inferred from palaeobotanical data: how well do plant fossils reflect past environments?

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 192067
Author(s):  
Johannes M. Bouchal ◽  
Tuncay H. Güner ◽  
Dimitrios Velitzelos ◽  
Evangelos Velitzelos ◽  
Thomas Denk
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Heterogeneity ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Sedimentary Environment ◽  
Pollen Record ◽  
Close Match ◽  
Plant Fossils ◽  
Temperature And Precipitation ◽  
Plant Assemblage ◽  
Precipitation Seasonality ◽  
Northwestern Greece

The late Miocene is marked by pronounced environmental changes and the appearance of strong temperature and precipitation seasonality. Although environmental heterogeneity is to be expected during this time, it is challenging to reconstruct palaeoenvironments using plant fossils. We investigated leaves and dispersed spores/pollen from 6.4 to 6 Ma strata in the intermontane Florina–Ptolemais–Servia Basin (FPS) of northwestern Greece. To assess how well plant fossils reflect the actual vegetation of the FPS, we assigned fossil taxa to biomes providing a measure for environmental heterogeneity. Additionally, the palynological assemblage was compared with pollen spectra from modern lake sediments to assess biases in spore/pollen representation in the pollen record. We found a close match of the Vegora assemblage with modern Fagus–Abies forests of Turkey. Using taxonomic affinities of leaf fossils, we further established close similarities of the Vegora assemblage with modern laurophyllous oak forests of Afghanistan. Finally, using information from sedimentary environment and taphonomy, we distinguished local and distantly growing vegetation types. We then subjected the plant assemblage of Vegora to different methods of climate reconstruction and discussed their potentials and limitations. Leaf and spore/pollen records allow accurate reconstructions of palaeoenvironments in the FPS, whereas extra-regional vegetation from coastal lowlands is probably not captured.

scholarly journals Different strategies for breaking physical seed dormancy in field conditions in two fruit morphs of Vachellia caven (Fabaceae)

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 8-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana E. Ferreras ◽  
Paula I. Marcora ◽  
M. Paula Venier ◽  
Guillermo Funes
Keyword(s):  
Seed Dormancy ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Environmental Variables ◽  
Environmental Heterogeneity ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Gradual Increase ◽  
Field Conditions ◽  
Fruit Morphology ◽  
Physical Dormancy ◽  
And Coping

AbstractDifferences in fruit morphology among or within species might indicate differences in other regenerative traits, such as seed dormancy and germination. In species with physical dormancy (PY), environmental conditions are suggested to be responsible for dormancy break in field. Seeds of Vachellia caven have PY. This species exhibits two fruit morphs highly represented in Córdoba forests, Argentina: one is dehiscent and the other is indehiscent. In this study we performed a burial experiment with the aim to determine if the differences in V. caven fruit morphology were related to different patterns of PY break of their seeds in field conditions. We related these patterns to (1) environmental conditions that could influence the loss of PY, and (2) histological features of the lens zone. Seeds of both morphs exhibited dormancy break within 14 months of the start of the experiment, but with different patterns. The dehiscent morph showed an abrupt percentage of seeds that broke dormancy 14 months after the beginning of the experiment, probably after undergoing environmental changes similar to those suggested by the two-stage softening model. The indehiscent morph showed a gradual increase in seeds that broke dormancy, not clearly related to any of the environmental variables studied. No differences in seed coat structure of the lens zone were observed between morphs. The existence of both morphs could confer the species with higher possibilities of establishing and coping with environmental heterogeneity. Those characteristics contribute to the understanding of the success of this species in open and disturbed environments.

Reconstructing Climatic and Environmental Changes of the Past 1000 Years: A Reappraisal

2003 ◽  
Vol 14 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 233-296 ◽  
Author(s):  
Willie Soon ◽  
Sallie Baliunas ◽  
Craig Idso ◽  
Sherwood Idso ◽  
David R. Legates
Keyword(s):  
Environmental History ◽  
20Th Century ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Local Climate ◽  
Proxy Records ◽  
Local Environments ◽  
Climate Indicators ◽  
Climatic Period ◽  
History Of

The 1000-year climatic and environmental history of the Earth contained in various proxy records is examined. As indicators, the proxies duly represent or record aspects of local climate. Questions on the relevance and validity of the locality paradigm for climatological research become sharper as studies of climatic changes on timescales of 50–100 years or longer are pursued. This is because thermal and dynamical constraints imposed by local geography become increasingly important as the air-sea-land interaction and coupling timescales increase. Because the nature of the various proxy climate indicators are so different, the results cannot be combined into a simple hemispheric or global quantitative composite. However, considered as an ensemble of individual observations, an assemblage of the local representations of climate establishes the reality of both the Little Ice Age and the Medieval Warm Period as climatic anomalies with world-wide imprints, extending earlier results by Bryson et al. (1963), Lamb (1965), and numerous other research efforts. Furthermore, these individual proxies are used to determine whether the 20th century is the warmest century of the 2nd Millennium at a variety of globally dispersed locations. Many records reveal that the 20th century is likely not the warmest nor a uniquely extreme climatic period of the last millennium, although it is clear that human activity has significantly impacted some local environments.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document