phylogenetic relatedness
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2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Omer ◽  
Trevor Fristoe ◽  
Qiang Yang ◽  
Mialy Razanajatovo ◽  
Patrick Weigelt ◽  
...  

Abstract Darwin’s naturalization hypothesis predicts successful invaders to be distantly related to native species, whereas his pre-adaptation hypothesis predicts the opposite. It has been suggested that depending on the invasion stage (i.e. introduction, naturalization, and invasiveness), both hypotheses, now known as Darwin’s naturalization conundrum, could hold true. We tested this by analysing whether the likelihood of introduction for cultivation as well as subsequent stages of naturalization and invasion of species alien to Southern Africa are correlated with their phylogenetic distance to the native flora of this region. While species were more likely to be introduced for cultivation if they are distantly related to the native flora, the probability of subsequent naturalization was higher for species closely related to the native flora. Furthermore, the probability of becoming invasive was higher for naturalized species distantly related to the native flora. These results were consistent across three different metrics of phylogenetic distance. Our study reveals that the relationship between phylogenetic distance to the native flora and success of an alien species depends on the invasion stage.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Pierce ◽  
Wen-Yong Guo ◽  
Bruno Enrico Leone Cerabolini ◽  
Daniel Negreiros ◽  
Franco Faoro ◽  
...  

A phylogenetic framework explaining plant secondary metabolite diversity is lacking, but metabolite classes could represent adaptations to habitat resource availability. We test the hypothesis that primary adaptive strategies (competitors, C; stress-tolerators, S; ruderals, R) are associated, respectively, with nitrogenous metabolites synthesized in persistent organs (alkaloids), nitrogen-lacking aromatic terpenes and phenolics, and nitrogenous compounds prevalent in reproductive tissues (cyanogenic glucosides and glucosinolates). A matrix was compiled of 1019 species for which secondary metabolite pathways and CSR strategies are known. Accounting for phylogenetic relatedness and native biomes, we found that most phytochemical pathways did not correlate with strategy axes, but certain key associations were evident. C-selection was positively associated with amino acid-derived phenylpropanoids (low phylogenetic relatedness; λ<0.5) and pyrrolizidine alkaloids and galloyl derivatives (high λ), and negatively with N-lacking linear monoterpenes (low λ). Nitrogenous cyanogenic glucosides positively correlated with R-selection (low λ). Terpenoids were widely distributed, but correlated positively with S- and negatively with R-selection (low λ). Twenty-six correlations between phytochemicals and biomes (low λ) were evident. Most secondary metabolite synthesis pathways are widespread, reflecting common roles and obligate defence, and strong phylogenetic effects are often evident. However, the character of phytochemical/adaptive strategy associations agrees with ecological theory and thus reflects adaptation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Klára Plačková ◽  
Petr Bureš ◽  
František Zedek

AbstractPrevious studies on grass species suggested that the total centromere size (sum of all centromere sizes in a cell) may be determined by the genome size, possibly because stable scaling is important for proper cell division. However, it is unclear whether this relationship is universal. Here we analyze the total centromere size using the CenH3-immunofluorescence area as a proxy in 130 taxa including plants, animals, fungi, and protists. We verified the reliability of our methodological approach by comparing our measurements with available ChIP-seq-based measurements of the size of CenH3-binding domains. Data based on these two independent methods showed the same positive relationship between the total centromere size and genome size. Our results demonstrate that the genome size is a strong predictor (R-squared = 0.964) of the total centromere size universally across Eukaryotes. We also show that this relationship is independent of phylogenetic relatedness and centromere type (monocentric, metapolycentric, and holocentric), implying a common mechanism maintaining stable total centromere size in Eukaryotes.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maja Bolješić ◽  
Barbara Kraigher ◽  
Barbara Jerič Kokelj ◽  
Iztok Dogsa ◽  
Ines Mandic-Mulec

Microorganisms in nature form multicellular groups called biofilms. In biofilms bacteria embedded in a matrix of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) interact intensely, due to their proximity to each other. Most studies have investigated genetically homogeneous biofilms, leaving a gap in knowledge on genetically heterogeneous biofilms. Recent insights show that a Gram-positive model bacterium, Bacillus subtilis, discriminates between strains of high (kin) and low (non-kin) phylogenetic relatedness, reflected in merging (kin) and boundaries (non-kin) between swarms. However, it is not clear how kinship between interacting strains affects their fitness, the genotype distribution, and the EPS sharing in floating biofilms (pellicles). To address this gap in knowledge we cultivate B. subtilis strains as mixtures of kin and non-kin strains in static cultures, allowing them to form pellicles. We show here that in non-kin pellicles only one strain’s fitness was reduced; at the same time, strains segregated into larger patches and exhibited decreased matrix sharing, as compared to kin and isogenic pellicles, in which both strains had comparable colony forming units (CFU) counts and more homogenous cell mixing. Overall, our results emphasize kin discrimination (KD) as a social behavior that shapes fitness, spatial segregation and sharing of the extracellular matrix in genetically heterogenous biofilms of B. subtilis.


BMC Zoology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Beatrice Nervo ◽  
Angela Roggero ◽  
Dan Chamberlain ◽  
Enrico Caprio ◽  
Antonio Rolando ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Increasing temperatures and changes in precipitation patterns threaten the existence of many organisms. It is therefore informative to identify the functional traits that underlie differences in desiccation resistance to understand the response of different species to changes in water availability resulting from climate change. We used adult dung beetles as model species due to their importance to ecosystem services. We investigated: (i) the effect of physiological (water loss rate, water loss tolerance, body water content), morphological (body mass) and ecological (nesting behaviour) traits on desiccation resistance; (ii) the role of phylogenetic relatedness in the above associations; and, (iii) whether relatively large or small individuals within a species have similar desiccation resistance and whether these responses are consistent across species. Results Desiccation resistance decreased with increasing water loss rate and increased with increasing water loss tolerance (i.e. proportion of initial water content lost at the time of death). A lack of consistent correlation between these traits due to phylogenetic relatedness suggests that the relationship is not determined by a shared evolutionary history. The advantage of a large body size in favouring desiccation resistance depended on the nesting behaviour of the dung beetles. In rollers (one species), large body sizes increased desiccation resistance, while in tunnelers and dwellers, desiccation resistance seemed not to be dependent on body mass. The phylogenetic correlation between desiccation resistance and nesting strategies was significant. Within each species, large individuals showed greater resistance to desiccation, and these responses were consistent across species. Conclusions Resistance to desiccation was explained mainly by the dung beetles’ ability to reduce water loss rate (avoidance) and to tolerate water loss (tolerance). A reduction in water availability may impose a selection pressure on body size that varies based on nesting strategies, even though these responses may be phylogenetically constrained. Changes in water availability are more likely to affect dweller species, and hence the ecosystem services they provide.


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