scholarly journals Toward a Predictive Framework for Convergent Evolution: Integrating Natural History, Genetic Mechanisms, and Consequences for the Diversity of Life

2017 ◽  
Vol 190 (S1) ◽  
pp. S1-S12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anurag A. Agrawal
Keyword(s):  
Natural History ◽  
Convergent Evolution ◽  
Genetic Mechanisms ◽  
Diversity Of Life

scholarly journals Integrating natural history-derived phenomics with comparative genomics to study the genetic architecture of convergent evolution

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sangeet Lamichhaney ◽  
Daren C. Card ◽  
Phil Grayson ◽  
João F.R. Tonini ◽  
Gustavo A. Bravo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Genomics ◽  
Natural History ◽  
Convergent Evolution ◽  
Phenotypic Diversity ◽  
Taxonomic Diversity ◽  
Gold Rush ◽  
Phenotypic Data ◽  
Natural History Collection ◽  
Genomic Studies ◽  
Genetic Mechanisms

AbstractEvolutionary convergence has been long considered primary evidence of adaptation driven by natural selection and provides opportunities to explore evolutionary repeatability and predictability. In recent years, there has been increased interest in exploring the genetic mechanisms underlying convergent evolution, in part due to the advent of genomic techniques. However, the current ‘genomics gold rush’ in studies of convergence has overshadowed the reality that most trait classifications are quite broadly defined, resulting in incomplete or potentially biased interpretations of results. Genomic studies of convergence would be greatly improved by integrating deep ‘vertical’, natural history knowledge with ‘horizontal’ knowledge focusing on the breadth of taxonomic diversity. Natural history collections have and continue to be best positioned for increasing our comprehensive understanding of phenotypic diversity, with modern practices of digitization and databasing of morphological traits providing exciting improvements in our ability to evaluate the degree of morphological convergence. Combining more detailed phenotypic data with the well-established field of genomics will enable scientists to make progress on an important goal in biology: to understand the degree to which genetic or molecular convergence is associated with phenotypic convergence. Although the fields of comparative biology or comparative genomics alone can separately reveal important insights into convergent evolution, here we suggest that the synergistic and complementary roles of natural history collection-derived phenomic data and comparative genomics methods can be particularly powerful in together elucidating the genomic basis of convergent evolution among higher taxa.

scholarly journals Integrating natural history collections and comparative genomics to study the genetic architecture of convergent evolution

2019 ◽  
Vol 374 (1777) ◽  
pp. 20180248 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sangeet Lamichhaney ◽  
Daren C. Card ◽  
Phil Grayson ◽  
João F. R. Tonini ◽  
Gustavo A. Bravo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Genomics ◽  
Natural History ◽  
Convergent Evolution ◽  
Phenotypic Diversity ◽  
Taxonomic Diversity ◽  
Gold Rush ◽  
Phenotypic Data ◽  
Natural History Collections ◽  
Natural History Collection ◽  
Genomic Studies

Evolutionary convergence has been long considered primary evidence of adaptation driven by natural selection and provides opportunities to explore evolutionary repeatability and predictability. In recent years, there has been increased interest in exploring the genetic mechanisms underlying convergent evolution, in part, owing to the advent of genomic techniques. However, the current ‘genomics gold rush’ in studies of convergence has overshadowed the reality that most trait classifications are quite broadly defined, resulting in incomplete or potentially biased interpretations of results. Genomic studies of convergence would be greatly improved by integrating deep ‘vertical’, natural history knowledge with ‘horizontal’ knowledge focusing on the breadth of taxonomic diversity. Natural history collections have and continue to be best positioned for increasing our comprehensive understanding of phenotypic diversity, with modern practices of digitization and databasing of morphological traits providing exciting improvements in our ability to evaluate the degree of morphological convergence. Combining more detailed phenotypic data with the well-established field of genomics will enable scientists to make progress on an important goal in biology: to understand the degree to which genetic or molecular convergence is associated with phenotypic convergence. Although the fields of comparative biology or comparative genomics alone can separately reveal important insights into convergent evolution, here we suggest that the synergistic and complementary roles of natural history collection-derived phenomic data and comparative genomics methods can be particularly powerful in together elucidating the genomic basis of convergent evolution among higher taxa. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Convergent evolution in the genomics era: new insights and directions’.

scholarly journals In vitro resynthesis of lichenization reveals the genetic background of symbiosis-specific fungal-algal interaction in Usnea hakonensis.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mieko Kono ◽  
Yoshiaki Kon ◽  
Yoshihito Ohmura ◽  
Yoko Satta ◽  
Yohey Terai
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Lichen Symbiosis ◽  
Fungal Partner ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Lichen Thallus ◽  
Genetic Mechanisms ◽  
Ecological Uniqueness ◽  
Diversity Of Life

Abstract Background Symbiosis is central to ecosystems and has been an important driving force of the diversity of life. Close and long-term interactions are known to develop cooperative molecular mechanisms between the symbiotic partners and have often given them new functions as symbiotic entities. In lichen symbiosis, mutualistic relationships between lichen-forming fungi and algae and/or cyanobacteria produce unique features that make lichens adaptive to a wide range of environments. Although the morphological, physiological, and ecological uniqueness of lichens has been described for more than a century, the genetic mechanisms underlying this symbiosis are still poorly known.Results This study investigated the fungal-algal interaction specific to the lichen symbiosis using Usnea hakonensis as a model system. The whole genome of U. hakonensis, the fungal partner, was sequenced by using a culture isolated from a natural lichen thallus. Isolated cultures of the fungal and the algal partners were co-cultured in vitro for three months, and thalli were successfully resynthesized as visible protrusions. Transcriptomes of resynthesized and natural thalli (symbiotic states) were compared to that of isolated cultures (non-symbiotic state). Sets of fungal and algal genes up-regulated in both symbiotic states were identified as symbiosis-related genes.Conclusion From predicted functions of these genes, we identified genetic association with two key features fundamental to the symbiotic lifestyle in lichens. The first is establishment of a fungal symbiotic interface: (a) modification of cell walls at fungal-algal contact sites; and (b) production of a hydrophobic layer that ensheaths fungal and algal cells;. The second is symbiosis-specific nutrient flow: (a) the algal supply of photosynthetic product to the fungus; and (b) the fungal supply of phosphorous and nitrogen compounds to the alga. Since both features are widespread among lichens, our result may indicate important facets of the genetic basis of the lichen symbiosis.

scholarly journals Introduction to ‘Homology and convergence in nervous system evolution’

2016 ◽  
Vol 371 (1685) ◽  
pp. 20150034 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas J. Strausfeld ◽  
Frank Hirth
Keyword(s):  
Nervous System ◽  
Convergent Evolution ◽  
Neural Circuit ◽  
Cambrian Explosion ◽  
Developmental Genetics ◽  
Society Meeting ◽  
Nervous Systems ◽  
System Evolution ◽  
Genetic Mechanisms ◽  
Nervous System Evolution

The origin of brains and central nervous systems (CNSs) is thought to have occurred before the Palaeozoic era 540 Ma. Yet in the absence of tangible evidence, there has been continued debate whether today's brains and nervous systems derive from one ancestral origin or whether similarities among them are due to convergent evolution. With the advent of molecular developmental genetics and genomics, it has become clear that homology is a concept that applies not only to morphologies, but also to genes, developmental processes, as well as to behaviours. Comparative studies in phyla ranging from annelids and arthropods to mammals are providing evidence that corresponding developmental genetic mechanisms act not only in dorso–ventral and anterior–posterior axis specification but also in segmentation, neurogenesis, axogenesis and eye/photoreceptor cell formation that appear to be conserved throughout the animal kingdom. These data are supported by recent studies which identified Mid-Cambrian fossils with preserved soft body parts that present segmental arrangements in brains typical of modern arthropods, and similarly organized brain centres and circuits across phyla that may reflect genealogical correspondence and control similar behavioural manifestations. Moreover, congruence between genetic and geological fossil records support the notion that by the ‘Cambrian explosion’ arthropods and chordates shared similarities in brain and nervous system organization. However, these similarities are strikingly absent in several sister- and outgroups of arthropods and chordates which raises several questions, foremost among them: what kind of natural laws and mechanisms underlie the convergent evolution of such similarities? And, vice versa: what are the selection pressures and genetic mechanisms underlying the possible loss or reduction of brains and CNSs in multiple lineages during the course of evolution? These questions were addressed at a Royal Society meeting to discuss homology and convergence in nervous system evolution. By integrating knowledge ranging from evolutionary theory and palaeontology to comparative developmental genetics and phylogenomics, the meeting covered disparities in nervous system origins as well as correspondences of neural circuit organization and behaviours, all of which allow evidence-based debates for and against the proposition that the nervous systems and brains of animals might derive from a common ancestor.

scholarly journals Anther cones increase pollen release in buzz-pollinated Solanum flowers

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mario Vallejo-Marín ◽  
Carlos Eduardo Pereira Nunes ◽  
Avery Leigh Russell
Keyword(s):  
Functional Significance ◽  
Convergent Evolution ◽  
Adaptive Significance ◽  
Buzz Pollination ◽  
Mechanical Connection ◽  
Genetic Mechanisms ◽  
Conical Structure ◽  
Pollen Release ◽  
Plant Families

AbstractThe widespread evolution of tube-like anthers releasing pollen from apical pores is associated with buzz pollination, in which bees vibrate flowers to remove pollen. The mechanical connection among anthers in buzz-pollinated species varies from loosely held conformations, to anthers tightly held together with trichomes or bio-adhesives forming a functionally joined conical structure (anther cone). Joined anther cones in buzz-pollinated species have evolved independently across plant families and via different genetic mechanisms, yet their functional significance remains mostly untested. We used experimental manipulations to compare vibrational and functional (pollen release) consequences of joined anther cones in three buzz-pollinated species of Solanum (Solanaceae). We applied bee-like vibrations to focal anthers in flowers with (“joined”) and without (“free”) experimentally created joined anther cones, and characterised vibrations transmitted to other anthers and the amount of pollen released. We found that joined anther architectures cause non-focal anthers to vibrate at higher amplitudes than free architectures. Moreover, in the two species with naturally loosely held anthers, anther fusion increases pollen release, while in the species with a free but naturally compact architecture it does not. We discuss hypotheses for the adaptive significance of the convergent evolution of joined anther cones.

scholarly journals Genomic Insights into the Adaptive Convergent Evolution

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 81-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Hao ◽  
Yanhua Qu ◽  
Gang Song ◽  
Fumin Lei
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Convergent Evolution ◽  
Biological Functions ◽  
Future Perspectives ◽  
Protein Coding ◽  
Selective Pressures ◽  
Genomic Technologies ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Genetic Mechanisms ◽  
Phenotypic Convergence

Adaptive convergent evolution, which refers to the same or similar phenotypes produced by species from independent lineages under similar selective pressures, has been widely examined for a long time. Accumulating studies on the adaptive convergent evolution have been reported from many different perspectives (cellular, anatomical, morphological, physiological, biochemical, and behavioral). Recent advances in the genomic technologies have demonstrated that adaptive convergence can arise from specific genetic mechanisms in different hierarchies, ranging from the same nucleotide or amino acid substitutions to the biological functions or pathways. Among these genetic mechanisms, the same amino acid changes in protein-coding genes play an important role in adaptive phenotypic convergence. Methods for detecting adaptive convergence at the protein sequence level have been constantly debated and developed. Here, we review recent progress on using genomic approaches to evaluate the genetic mechanisms of adaptive convergent evolution, summarize the research methods for identifying adaptive amino acid convergence, and discuss the future perspectives for researching adaptive convergent evolution.

scholarly journals rgenesconverged : An R Package for the Exploration of Molecular Convergent Evolution

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dina Issakova
Keyword(s):  
Convergent Evolution ◽  
Genetic Similarity ◽  
R Package ◽  
Genetic Mechanisms ◽  
Genetic Sequences

AbstractSequence convergence is a type of convergent evolution that results in similarity between orthologous genetic sequences. However, this can be difficult to evaluate statistically given classical paradigms for convergent evolution, which rest on the assumption that convergent phenotypes are achieved by unrelated genetic mechanisms. While sophisticated models exist to model this process and to evaluate the probability of this explanation of genetic similarity across two different species, no tool has currently been implemented in R to carry out these analyses. Here we present rgenesconverged, an R package allowing the exploration of sequence convergence hypotheses in a given phylogeny.

scholarly journals In vitro resynthesis of lichenization reveals the genetic background of symbiosis-specific fungal-algal interaction in Usnea hakonensis

BMC Genomics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mieko Kono ◽  
Yoshiaki Kon ◽  
Yoshihito Ohmura ◽  
Yoko Satta ◽  
Yohey Terai
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Lichen Symbiosis ◽  
Fungal Partner ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Lichen Thallus ◽  
Genetic Mechanisms ◽  
Ecological Uniqueness ◽  
Diversity Of Life

Abstract Background Symbiosis is central to ecosystems and has been an important driving force of the diversity of life. Close and long-term interactions are known to develop cooperative molecular mechanisms between the symbiotic partners and have often given them new functions as symbiotic entities. In lichen symbiosis, mutualistic relationships between lichen-forming fungi and algae and/or cyanobacteria produce unique features that make lichens adaptive to a wide range of environments. Although the morphological, physiological, and ecological uniqueness of lichens has been described for more than a century, the genetic mechanisms underlying this symbiosis are still poorly known. Results This study investigated the fungal-algal interaction specific to the lichen symbiosis using Usnea hakonensis as a model system. The whole genome of U. hakonensis, the fungal partner, was sequenced by using a culture isolated from a natural lichen thallus. Isolated cultures of the fungal and the algal partners were co-cultured in vitro for 3 months, and thalli were successfully resynthesized as visible protrusions. Transcriptomes of resynthesized and natural thalli (symbiotic states) were compared to that of isolated cultures (non-symbiotic state). Sets of fungal and algal genes up-regulated in both symbiotic states were identified as symbiosis-related genes. Conclusion From predicted functions of these genes, we identified genetic association with two key features fundamental to the symbiotic lifestyle in lichens. The first is establishment of a fungal symbiotic interface: (a) modification of cell walls at fungal-algal contact sites; and (b) production of a hydrophobic layer that ensheaths fungal and algal cells;. The second is symbiosis-specific nutrient flow: (a) the algal supply of photosynthetic product to the fungus; and (b) the fungal supply of phosphorous and nitrogen compounds to the alga. Since both features are widespread among lichens, our result may indicate important facets of the genetic basis of the lichen symbiosis.

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