Plasticity or fixed adaptive traits? Strategies for predation avoidance in Rana arvalis tadpoles

The archetypal shrub type that dominates most of the regions that experience mediterranean-type climate (MTC) is an evergreen shrub with thick and leathery leaves (sclerophyllous). The occurrence of large stands of such shrubs in all MTC regions led early biogeographers to hypothesize that the MTC selects for this growth form and leaf type and that this had led to convergent evolution (see Chapters 1 and 2). This hypothesis has received considerable research interest and continues to be examined. In this chapter we consider the structure and physiology of these archetypal MTC region shrub species and examine evidence for convergent evolution in their structure and function. We also assess the key adaptive traits that enable the shrub species that compose mediterranean-type vegetation (MTV) communities to thrive in MTC regions.

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Adaptive traits for drought tolerance in red-grained wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) landraces

Arid Land Research and Management ◽

10.1080/15324982.2021.1905103 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-32

Author(s):

Muhammad Waseem ◽

Sahar Mumtaz ◽

Mansoor Hameed ◽

Sana Fatima ◽

Muhammad Sajid Aqeel Ahmad ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Triticum Aestivum ◽

Drought Tolerance ◽

Triticum Aestivum L ◽

Adaptive Traits

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Shifts in morphology, gene expression, and selection underlie web loss in Hawaiian Tetragnatha spiders

BMC Ecology and Evolution ◽

10.1186/s12862-021-01779-9 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Cory A. Berger ◽

Michael S. Brewer ◽

Nobuaki Kono ◽

Hiroyuki Nakamura ◽

Kazuharu Arakawa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Genetic Basis ◽

Adaptive Traits ◽

Deep Time ◽

Selective Pressures ◽

Silk Production ◽

Silk Glands ◽

Genetic Mechanisms ◽

Orb Web ◽

Short Time ◽

Web Building

Abstract Background A striking aspect of evolution is that it often converges on similar trajectories. Evolutionary convergence can occur in deep time or over short time scales, and is associated with the imposition of similar selective pressures. Repeated convergent events provide a framework to infer the genetic basis of adaptive traits. The current study examines the genetic basis of secondary web loss within web-building spiders (Araneoidea). Specifically, we use a lineage of spiders in the genus Tetragnatha (Tetragnathidae) that has diverged into two clades associated with the relatively recent (5 mya) colonization of, and subsequent adaptive radiation within, the Hawaiian Islands. One clade has adopted a cursorial lifestyle, and the other has retained the ancestral behavior of capturing prey with sticky orb webs. We explore how these behavioral phenotypes are reflected in the morphology of the spinning apparatus and internal silk glands, and the expression of silk genes. Several sister families to the Tetragnathidae have undergone similar web loss, so we also ask whether convergent patterns of selection can be detected in these lineages. Results The cursorial clade has lost spigots associated with the sticky spiral of the orb web. This appears to have been accompanied by loss of silk glands themselves. We generated phylogenies of silk proteins (spidroins), which showed that the transcriptomes of cursorial Tetragnatha contain all major spidroins except for flagelliform. We also found an uncharacterized spidroin that has higher expression in cursorial species. We found evidence for convergent selection acting on this spidroin, as well as genes involved in protein metabolism, in the cursorial Tetragnatha and divergent cursorial lineages in the families Malkaridae and Mimetidae. Conclusions Our results provide strong evidence that independent web loss events and the associated adoption of a cursorial lifestyle are based on similar genetic mechanisms. Many genes we identified as having evolved convergently are associated with protein synthesis, degradation, and processing, which are processes that play important roles in silk production. This study demonstrates, in the case of independent evolution of web loss, that similar selective pressures act on many of the same genes to produce the same phenotypes and behaviors.

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Acquisition of Adaptive Traits via Interspecific Association: Ecological Consequences and Applications

Ecologies ◽

10.3390/ecologies2010004 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 43-70

Author(s):

Aabir Banerji

Keyword(s):

Natural Selection ◽

Gene Transfer ◽

Horizontal Gene Transfer ◽

Natural Resource Management ◽

Natural Resource ◽

Environmental Cues ◽

Ecological Interactions ◽

Interspecific Association ◽

Adaptive Traits ◽

Exogenous Substances

Adaptative traits enable organisms to survive and reproduce. Though these traits are often innate features (ones that may or may not exhibit variability in response to environmental cues or originate from horizontal gene transfer), this is not always the case. Many species endure natural selection not with the traits they possess intrinsically but with exogenous substances and abilities that they acquire from other species, via ecological interactions akin to outsourcing, pillaging, and fraud. Here, I review the mechanisms of this exogenous trait acquisition and highlight some of their repercussions and usefulness for natural resource management, industry, and human health.

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An Overview of the Helminths of Moor Frog Rana arvalis Nilsson, 1842 (Amphibia: Anura) in the Volga Basin

Diversity ◽

10.3390/d13020061 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (2) ◽

pp. 61

Author(s):

Igor V. Chikhlyaev ◽

Alexander B. Ruchin

Keyword(s):

Systematic Position ◽

Helminth Fauna ◽

Helminth Species ◽

Volga Basin ◽

Rana Arvalis ◽

Amphibian Species ◽

Volga River ◽

Spirometra Erinacei ◽

First Time ◽

Moor Frog

This is the first review of the helminth fauna of the moor frog Rana arvalis Nilsson, 1842 from the Volga river basin (Russia). The article summarizes the authors’ and literature data on the helminthic fauna of this species. The method of complete helminthological dissection was used. Thirthy-eight helminth species were recorded from three classes: Cestoda (1), Trematoda (28), and Chromadorea (9). Nine helminth species are new to the moor frog in Russia: trematodes Gorgodera varsoviensis Sinitzin, 1905, Strigea falconis Szidat, 1928, larvae, Neodiplostomum spathoides Dubois, 1937, larvae, Tylodelphys excavata (Rudolphi, 1803), larvae, Pharyngostomum cordatum (Diesing, 1850), larvae, Astiotrema monticelli Stossich, 1904, larvae and Encyclometra colubrimurorum (Rudolphi, 1819), larvae, nematodes Strongyloides spiralis Grabda-Kazubska, 1978 and Icosiella neglecta (Diesing, 1851). The cestode Spirometra erinacei (Rudolphi, 1918), larvae were observed of this amphibian species in the Volga basin for the first time. The nematodes Rhabdias bufonis, Oswaldocruzia filiformis, Cosmocerca ornata and the trematode Haplometra cylindracea form the core of the helminth fauna of the moor frog. Information on species of helminths includes systematic position, localization, areas of detection, type and scheme of life cycle, geographical distribution, and degree of specificity to host amphibians.

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Identifications of immune-responsive genes for adaptative traits by comparative transcriptome analysis of spleen tissue from Kazakh and Suffolk sheep

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-82878-x ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Hua Yang ◽

Yong-Lin Yang ◽

Guo-Qing Li ◽

Qian Yu ◽

Jinzeng Yang

Keyword(s):

High Throughput Sequencing ◽

Killer Cell ◽

Cell Lineage ◽

Production Performance ◽

Adaptive Traits ◽

Spleen Tissue ◽

Indigenous Sheep ◽

Immunological Mechanisms ◽

Iga Production ◽

Suffolk Sheep

AbstractAridity and heat are significant environmental stressors that affect sheep adaptation and adaptability, thus influencing immunity, growth, reproduction, production performance, and profitability. The aim of this study was to profile mRNA expression levels in the spleen of indigenous Kazakh sheep breed for comparative analysis with the exotic Suffolk breed. Spleen histomorphology was observed in indigenous Kazakh sheep and exotic Suffolk sheep raised in Xinjiang China. Transcriptome sequencing of spleen tissue from the two breeds were performed via Illumina high-throughput sequencing technology and validated by RT-qPCR. Blood cytokine and IgG levels differed between the two breeds and IgG and IL-1β were significantly higher in Kazakh sheep than in Suffolk sheep (p < 0.05), though spleen tissue morphology was the same. A total of 52.04 Gb clean reads were obtained and the clean reads were assembled into 67,271 unigenes using bioinformatics analysis. Profiling analysis of differential gene expression showed that 1158 differentially expressed genes were found when comparing Suffolk with Kazakh sheep, including 246 up-regulated genes and 912 down-regulated genes. Utilizing gene ontology annotation and pathway analysis, 21 immune- responsive genes were identified as spleen-specific genes associated with adaptive traits and were significantly enriched in hematopoietic cell lineage, natural killer cell-mediated cytotoxicity, complement and coagulation cascades, and in the intestinal immune network for IgA production. Four pathways and up-regulated genes associated with immune responses in indigenous sheep played indispensable and promoting roles in arid and hot environments. Overall, this study provides valuable transcriptome data on the immunological mechanisms related to adaptive traits in indigenous and exotic sheep and offers a foundation for research into adaptive evolution.

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Native Amazonian Canga Grasses Show Distinct Nitrogen Growth Responses in Iron Mining Substrates

Plants ◽

10.3390/plants10050849 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (5) ◽

pp. 849

Author(s):

Cecilio F. Caldeira ◽

Madson O. Lima ◽

Silvio J. Ramos ◽

Markus Gastauer

Keyword(s):

Native Species ◽

Perennial Grasses ◽

Growth Responses ◽

Adaptive Traits ◽

N Application ◽

Gas Exchanges ◽

Stomatal Morphology ◽

Iron Mining ◽

Adverse Environmental Conditions ◽

Biomass Increase

Native species may have adaptive traits that are advantageous for overcoming the adverse environmental conditions faced during the early stages of mine land rehabilitation. Here, we examined the nitrogen (N) growth responses of two native perennial grasses (Axonopus longispicus and Paspalum cinerascens) from canga in nutrient-poor iron mining substrates. We carried out vegetative propagation and recovered substantial healthy tillers from field-collected tussocks of both species. These tillers were cultivated in mining substrates at increasing N levels. The tillering rates of both species increased with the N application. Nonetheless, only in P. cinerascens did the N application result in significant biomass increase. Such growth gain was a result of changes in leaf pigment, stomatal morphology, gas exchanges, and nutrients absorption that occurred mainly under the low N additions. Reaching optimum growth at 80 mg N dm−3, these plants showed no differences from those in the field. Our study demonstrates that an input of N as fertilizer can differentially improve the growth of native grasses and that P. cinerascens plants are able to deposit high quantities of carbon and protect soil over the seasons, thus, making them promising candidates for restoring nutrient cycling, accelerating the return of other species and ecosystem services.

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Mapping of Quantitative Trait Loci Controlling Adaptive Traits in Coastal Douglas Fir. III. Quantitative Trait Loci-by-Environment Interactions

Genetics ◽

10.1093/genetics/165.3.1489 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 165 (3) ◽

pp. 1489-1506

Author(s):

Kathleen D Jermstad ◽

Daniel L Bassoni ◽

Keith S Jech ◽

Gary A Ritchie ◽

Nicholas C Wheeler ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quantitative Trait Loci ◽

Quantitative Trait ◽

Complex Traits ◽

Moisture Stress ◽

Interval Mapping ◽

Douglas Fir ◽

Adaptive Traits ◽

Growth Cessation ◽

Trait Loci ◽

Growth Initiation

Abstract Quantitative trait loci (QTL) were mapped in the woody perennial Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii [Mirb.] Franco) for complex traits controlling the timing of growth initiation and growth cessation. QTL were estimated under controlled environmental conditions to identify QTL interactions with photoperiod, moisture stress, winter chilling, and spring temperatures. A three-generation mapping population of 460 cloned progeny was used for genetic mapping and phenotypic evaluations. An all-marker interval mapping method was used for scanning the genome for the presence of QTL and single-factor ANOVA was used for estimating QTL-by-environment interactions. A modest number of QTL were detected per trait, with individual QTL explaining up to 9.5% of the phenotypic variation. Two QTL-by-treatment interactions were found for growth initiation, whereas several QTL-by-treatment interactions were detected among growth cessation traits. This is the first report of QTL interactions with specific environmental signals in forest trees and will assist in the identification of candidate genes controlling these important adaptive traits in perennial plants.

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