scholarly journals Influence of Geographical and Climatic Factors on Quercus variabilis Blume Fruit Phenotypic Diversity

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 329
Author(s):  
Shuang Gao ◽  
Yue Ren ◽  
Joseph Masabni ◽  
Feng Zou ◽  
Huan Xiong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climatic Factors ◽  
Phenotypic Diversity ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Variation Pattern ◽  
Positive Correlation ◽  
Fruit Length ◽  
Quercus Variabilis ◽  
Adaptive Mechanisms ◽  
Fruit Samples ◽  
Increasing Precipitation

Quercus variabilis Blume is one of the most ecologically valuable tree species in China and is known to have adaptive mechanisms to climate change. Our objective was to quantify the variation pattern in the fruit morphology of Q. variabilis. Fruit samples were collected from 43 natural populations in autumn of 2019. Our results indicated that the coefficient of variation (CV) of the fruit length (FL) and fruit width (FW) were 10.08% and 11.21%, respectively. There were significant differences in the FL, FW, and fruit length-to-width ratios (FL/FW) among the studied populations. Also, there was a significant positive correlation between the FW and FL. The FL decreased with increasing precipitation in the wettest quarter (PWQ). A concave trend was observed in the variations in FL with the equivalent latitude (ELAT), longitude (LON), annual mean air temperature (MAT), and annual precipitation (AP). A similar concave trend was observed for the FL/FW with LON, MAT, and AP. A positive correlation was observed between the FW, FL and FL/FW, and the ELAT. The cluster analysis revealed five groups of the 43 natural populations. Our study findings suggests that Q. variabilis has high levels of phenotypic plasticity for geographical and climatic factors.

scholarly journals Reproduction in Trypanosomatids: Past and Present

Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 471
Author(s):  
Camino Gutiérrez-Corbo ◽  
Bárbara Domínguez-Asenjo ◽  
María Martínez-Valladares ◽  
Yolanda Pérez-Pertejo ◽  
Carlos García-Estrada ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Phenotypic Diversity ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Genetic Exchange ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Current Debate ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Experimental Works ◽  
Genomic Recombination ◽  
The Impact

Diseases caused by trypanosomatids (Sleeping sickness, Chagas disease, and leishmaniasis) are a serious public health concern in low-income endemic countries. These diseases are produced by single-celled parasites with a diploid genome (although aneuploidy is frequent) organized in pairs of non-condensable chromosomes. To explain the way they reproduce through the analysis of natural populations, the theory of strict clonal propagation of these microorganisms was taken as a rule at the beginning of the studies, since it partially justified their genomic stability. However, numerous experimental works provide evidence of sexual reproduction, thus explaining certain naturally occurring events that link the number of meiosis per mitosis and the frequency of mating. Recent techniques have demonstrated genetic exchange between individuals of the same species under laboratory conditions, as well as the expression of meiosis specific genes. The current debate focuses on the frequency of genomic recombination events and its impact on the natural parasite population structure. This paper reviews the results and techniques used to demonstrate the existence of sex in trypanosomatids, the inheritance of kinetoplast DNA (maxi- and minicircles), the impact of genetic exchange in these parasites, and how it can contribute to the phenotypic diversity of natural populations.

Genomic and phenotypic diversity for adaption to future climate in natural populations of perennial ryegrass

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Luis Blanco-Pastor ◽  
Thomas Keep ◽  
Philippe Barre ◽  
Abraham Escobar-Gutiérrez ◽  
Evelin Willner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Perennial Ryegrass ◽  
Phenotypic Diversity ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Future Climate

scholarly journals Distance from Africa, not climate, explains within-population phenotypic diversity in humans

2008 ◽  
Vol 276 (1658) ◽  
pp. 809-814 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lia Betti ◽  
François Balloux ◽  
William Amos ◽  
Tsunehiko Hanihara ◽  
Andrea Manica
Keyword(s):  
Climatic Factors ◽  
Phenotypic Diversity ◽  
Morphological Diversity ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Relative Role ◽  
Morphometric Traits ◽  
Perfect Agreement ◽  
Skull Measurements ◽  
Sub Saharan

The relative importance of ancient demography and climate in determining worldwide patterns of human within-population phenotypic diversity is still open to debate. Several morphometric traits have been argued to be under selection by climatic factors, but it is unclear whether climate affects the global decline in morphological diversity with increasing geographical distance from sub-Saharan Africa. Using a large database of male and female skull measurements, we apply an explicit framework to quantify the relative role of climate and distance from Africa. We show that distance from sub-Saharan Africa is the sole determinant of human within-population phenotypic diversity, while climate plays no role. By selecting the most informative set of traits, it was possible to explain over half of the worldwide variation in phenotypic diversity. These results mirror those previously obtained for genetic markers and show that ‘bones and molecules’ are in perfect agreement for humans.

Assessment of the phenotypic diversity in natural populations of Annona coriacea Mart.: implications for breeding

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samara Raquel de Sousa ◽  
Marcones Ferreira Costa ◽  
Carlos Humberto Aires Matos Filho ◽  
Lúcio Flavo Lopes Vasconcelos ◽  
Ademir Sérgio Ferreira de Araújo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Phenotypic Diversity ◽  
Natural Populations

scholarly journals The Role of Stochasticity in the Origin of Epigenetic Variation in Animal Populations

2020 ◽  
Vol 60 (6) ◽  
pp. 1544-1557 ◽  
Author(s):  
C Biwer ◽  
B Kawam ◽  
V Chapelle ◽  
F Silvestre
Keyword(s):  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Phenotypic Diversity ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Genetic Mutation ◽  
Epigenetic Variation ◽  
Epigenetic Variability ◽  
Evolutionary Potential ◽  
Environmental Variance ◽  
Animal Populations

Synopsis Epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation modulate gene expression in a complex fashion are consequently recognized as among the most important contributors to phenotypic variation in natural populations of plants, animals, and microorganisms. Interactions between genetics and epigenetics are multifaceted and epigenetic variation stands at the crossroad between genetic and environmental variance, which make these mechanisms prominent in the processes of adaptive evolution. DNA methylation patterns depend on the genotype and can be reshaped by environmental conditions, while transgenerational epigenetic inheritance has been reported in various species. On the other hand, DNA methylation can influence the genetic mutation rate and directly affect the evolutionary potential of a population. The origin of epigenetic variance can be attributed to genetic, environmental, or stochastic factors. Generally less investigated than the first two components, variation lacking any predictable order is nevertheless present in natural populations and stochastic epigenetic variation, also referred to spontaneous epimutations, can sustain phenotypic diversity. Here, potential sources of such stochastic epigenetic variability in animals are explored, with a focus on DNA methylation. To this day, quantifying the importance of stochasticity in epigenetic variability remains a challenge. However, comparisons between the mutation and the epimutation rates showed a high level of the latter, suggesting a significant role of spontaneous epimutations in adaptation. The implications of stochastic epigenetic variability are multifold: by affecting development and subsequently phenotype, random changes in epigenetic marks may provide additional phenotypic diversity, which can help natural populations when facing fluctuating environments. In isogenic lineages and asexually reproducing organisms, poor or absent genetic diversity can hence be tolerated. Further implication of stochastic epigenetic variability in adaptation is found in bottlenecked invasive species populations and populations using a bet-hedging strategy.

scholarly journals The ‘algebra of evolution’: the Robertson–Price identity and viability selection for body mass in a wild bird population

2020 ◽  
Vol 375 (1797) ◽  
pp. 20190359 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. K. Hajduk ◽  
C. A. Walling ◽  
A. Cockburn ◽  
L. E. B. Kruuk
Keyword(s):  
Phenotypic Diversity ◽  
Additive Genetic Variance ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Phenotypic Selection ◽  
Relative Fitness ◽  
Price Equation ◽  
Genetic Covariance ◽  
Selection Gradient ◽  
Viability Selection ◽  
Temporal Correlations

By the Robertson–Price identity, the change in a quantitative trait owing to selection, is equal to the trait's covariance with relative fitness. In this study, we applied the identity to long-term data on superb fairy-wrens Malurus cyaneus , to estimate phenotypic and genetic change owing to juvenile viability selection. Mortality in the four-week period between fledging and independence was 40%, and heavier nestlings were more likely to survive, but why? There was additive genetic variance for both nestling mass and survival, and a positive phenotypic covariance between the traits, but no evidence of additive genetic covariance. Comparing standardized gradients, the phenotypic selection gradient was positive, β P = 0.108 (0.036, 0.187 95% CI), whereas the genetic gradient was not different from zero, β A = −0.025 (−0.19, 0.107 95% CI). This suggests that factors other than nestling mass were the cause of variation in survival. In particular, there were temporal correlations between mass and survival both within and between years. We suggest that use of the Price equation to describe cross-generational change in the wild may be challenging, but a more modest aim of estimating its first term, the Robertson–Price identity, to assess within-generation change can provide valuable insights into the processes shaping phenotypic diversity in natural populations. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Fifty years of the Price equation’.

scholarly journals Fluctuating Asymmetry, Developmental Noise and Developmental Stability: Future Prospects for the Population Developmental Biology Approach

Symmetry ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 1376 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vladimir M. Zakharov ◽  
Elena G. Shadrina ◽  
Ilya E. Trofimov
Keyword(s):  
Developmental Biology ◽  
Fluctuating Asymmetry ◽  
Population Biology ◽  
Phenotypic Diversity ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Developmental Stability ◽  
The State ◽  
Future Prospects ◽  
Genetically Determined ◽  
Developmental Noise

Developmental noise—which level may vary within a certain backlash allowed by natural selection—is a reflection of the state of a developing system or developmental stability. Phenotypic variations inside the genetically determined norm observed in case of fluctuating asymmetry provide a unique opportunity for evaluating this form of ontogenetic variability. Low levels of developmental noise for the biologic system under study is observed under certain conditions, while its increase acts as a measure of stress. The concordance of changes in developmental stability with changes in other parameters of developmental homeostasis indicates the significance of fluctuating asymmetry estimates. All this determines the future prospects of the study of fluctuating asymmetry not only for developmental biology, but also for population biology. The study of developmental stability may act as the basis of an approach of population developmental biology to assess the nature of the phenotypic diversity and the state of natural populations under various impacts and during evolutionary transformations.

Variation in pheno-morphological and agronomic traits among burr medic (Medicago polymorpha L.) populations collected in Sicily, Italy

2010 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 59 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Graziano ◽  
G. Di Giorgio ◽  
P. Ruisi ◽  
G. Amato ◽  
D. Giambalvo
Keyword(s):  
Field Experiments ◽  
Agronomic Traits ◽  
Phenotypic Diversity ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Environmental Parameters ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Livestock Farming ◽  
Medicago Polymorpha ◽  
Large Variability ◽  
Burr Medic

The present study assessed the diversity of pheno-morphological and agronomic traits among 31 natural populations of burr medic (Medicago polymorpha L.) from different environments throughout Sicily, and analysed the patterns of phenotypic diversity in relation to the environmental parameters of each collection site. Three commercial cultivars (Cavalier, Santiago, and Anglona) were also included in the study as check cultivars. Two field experiments were performed in 2005–06 in a hilly area of the Sicilian inland. Principal components analysis (PCA) was performed on the sites using geographic, climatic, and pedological data to assess the differences in types of collection sites. PCA was also performed on the accessions using pheno-morphological and agronomic data to establish the importance of different traits in explaining multivariate polymorphisms. Sicilian burr medic populations showed highly significant inter-population differences for all of the recorded pheno-morphological and agronomic traits, and several populations had agronomic attributes that were more pronounced than those of the check cultivars. PCA did not clearly differentiate the accessions according to their habitats of origin, but in some cases, accessions from the same habitat had a tendency to stay together. Populations from drier and warmer habitats flowered earlier and were less productive than those from wetter and colder ones. The large variability in both pheno-morphological and agronomic traits among Sicilian populations may be valuable when searching for suitable M. polymorpha material to exploit in pastures and crop–livestock farming systems in the Mediterranean region.

Morpho-phenological diversity among Tunisian natural populations of Brachypodium hybridum

2014 ◽  
Vol 153 (6) ◽  
pp. 1006-1016 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. NEJI ◽  
F. GEUNA ◽  
W. TAAMALLI ◽  
Y. IBRAHIM ◽  
M. SMIDA ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Geographic Distribution ◽  
Phenotypic Diversity ◽  
Average Length ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Mantel Test ◽  
Population Variation ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Temperate Cereal

SUMMARYBrachypodium hybridum belongs to the Poaceae grass subfamily. It has a close genetic relationship with temperate cereal crops, which means that it can be used as a model for temperate cereal and grass crops. In order to improve knowledge on the genetic diversity of this species, 145 lines of B. hybridum representative of nine populations and all the ecoregions of Tunisia were characterized on the basis of 18 morpho-phenologic features. The results show a considerable variation between populations and ecoregions in all traits studied. Variation was relatively higher for reproductive than vegetative traits. The majority of traits showed very low to high heritability with low border value for average length of spikelet (ALS) and an average value of 0·64. It is noticeable that high values of heritability were observed for most vegetative descriptors, with low values for reproductive ones. Differentiation between populations (QST) varied from 0·02 for ALS to 0·78 for average length of leaves with a mean value across traits of 0·4, which confirms the wide intra-population variation in Tunisian natural population of B. hybridum. Pairwise QST showed that the greatest differentiation among populations was registered between Ain Drahem and Jbel Zaghouan and the smallest between Haouria and Raoued. Overall, the Ain Draham population showed the largest differentiation from the rest of the populations. To infer the effect of geographic distribution of the species, a Mantel test was applied between observed pairwise differentiation and geographic distance between populations and between ecoregions: the results show a positive, but not significant, relationship. In addition a significant negative relationship was found between phenotypic diversity and altitude, indicating that genetic diversity decreased with increasing altitude. Taken together, the high levels of intra-population variation and the lack of correlation between genetic differentiation and geographic distribution suggest a potentially important rate of long-distance seed dispersal and confirm the role played by natural selection in the population structure of Tunisian natural populations of B. hybridum.

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