scholarly journals A rainfall-manipulation experiment with 517 Arabidopsis thaliana accessions

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Moises Exposito-Alonso ◽  
Rocío Gámez Rodríguez ◽  
Cristina Barragán ◽  
Giovanna Capovilla ◽  
Eunyoung Chae ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Arabidopsis Thaliana ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Common Garden ◽  
Species Traits ◽  
Large Field ◽  
Model Species ◽  
Evolutionary Genetic ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Genetic Level ◽  
Manipulation Experiment

The gold standard for studying natural selection and adaptation in the wild is to quantify lifetime fitness of individuals from natural populations that have been grown together in a common garden, or that have been reciprocally transplanted. By combining fitness values with species traits and genome sequences, one can infer selection coefficients at the genetic level. Here we present a rainfall-manipulation experiment with 517 whole-genome sequenced natural accessions of the plant Arabidopsis thaliana spanning the global distribution of the species. The experiments were conducted in two field stations in contrasting climates, in the Mediterranean and in Central Europe, where we built rainout shelters and simulated high and low rainfall. Using custom image analysis we quantified fitness- and phenology-related traits for 23,154 pots, which contained about 14,500 plants growing independently, and over 310,000 plants growing in small populations (max. 30 plants). This large field experiment dataset, which associates fitness and ecologically-relevant traits with genomes, will provide an important resource to test eco-evolutionary genetic theories and to understand the potential evolutionary impacts of future climates on an important plant model species.

Phenotypic and phenological behaviours of clones of three natural populations of Atriplex halimus L. grown in a common garden

2003 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 179-188
Author(s):  
Abdelaziz Abbad ◽  
Abdelbasset El Hadrami ◽  
Abderrazzak Benchaabane
Keyword(s):  
Natural Populations ◽  
Common Garden ◽  
Atriplex Halimus

Sex ratio and life history traits at reaching sexual maturity in the dioecious shrub Fuchsia parviflora: field and common garden experiments

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Jessica S. Ambriz ◽  
Clementina González ◽  
Eduardo Cuevas
Keyword(s):  
Natural Population ◽  
Sexual Maturity ◽  
Sex Ratios ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Common Garden ◽  
Common Garden Experiment ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Reproductive Biomass ◽  
Common Garden Experiments ◽  
Growth And Reproduction

Abstract Fuchsia parviflora is a dioecious shrub that depends on biotic pollination for reproduction. Previous studies suggest that the male plants produce more flowers, and male-biased sex ratios have been found in some natural populations. To assess whether the biased sex ratios found between genders in natural populations are present at the point at which plants reach sexual maturity, and to identify possible trade-offs between growth and reproduction, we performed a common garden experiment. Finally, to complement the information of the common garden experiment, we estimated the reproductive biomass allocation between genders in one natural population. Sex ratios at reaching sexual maturity in F. parviflora did not differ from 0.5, except in one population, which was the smallest seedling population. We found no differences between genders in terms of the probability of germination or flowering. When flowering began, female plants were taller than males and the tallest plants of both genders required more time to reach sexual maturity. Males produced significantly more flowers than females, and the number of flowers increased with plant height in both genders. Finally, in the natural population studied, the investment in reproductive biomass was seven-fold greater in female plants than in male plants. Our results showed no evidence of possible trade-offs between growth and reproduction. Despite the fact that female plants invest more in reproductive biomass, they were taller than the males after flowering, possibly at the expense of herbivory defence.

scholarly journals Identification and Quantification of Coumarins by UHPLC-MS in Arabidopsis Thaliana Natural Populations

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 1804
Author(s):  
Izabela Perkowska ◽  
Joanna Siwinska ◽  
Alexandre Olry ◽  
Jérémy Grosjean ◽  
Alain Hehn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Arabidopsis Thaliana ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Biologically Active ◽  
Stress Factors ◽  
Mass Spectrometry Analysis ◽  
Engineering Research ◽  
Spectrometry Analysis ◽  
Model Plant Arabidopsis Thaliana

Coumarins are phytochemicals occurring in the plant kingdom, which biosynthesis is induced under various stress factors. They belong to the wide class of specialized metabolites well known for their beneficial properties. Due to their high and wide biological activities, coumarins are important not only for the survival of plants in changing environmental conditions, but are of great importance in the pharmaceutical industry and are an active source for drug development. The identification of coumarins from natural sources has been reported for different plant species including a model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. In our previous work, we demonstrated a presence of naturally occurring intraspecies variation in the concentrations of scopoletin and its glycoside, scopolin, the major coumarins accumulating in Arabidopsis roots. Here, we expanded this work by examining a larger group of 28 Arabidopsis natural populations (called accessions) and by extracting and analysing coumarins from two different types of tissues–roots and leaves. In the current work, by quantifying the coumarin content in plant extracts with ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a mass spectrometry analysis (UHPLC-MS), we detected a significant natural variation in the content of simple coumarins like scopoletin, umbelliferone and esculetin together with their glycosides: scopolin, skimmin and esculin, respectively. Increasing our knowledge of coumarin accumulation in Arabidopsis natural populations, might be beneficial for the future discovery of physiological mechanisms of action of various alleles involved in their biosynthesis. A better understanding of biosynthetic pathways of biologically active compounds is the prerequisite step in undertaking a metabolic engineering research.

Caffeoyl Shikimate Esterase (CSE) Is an Enzyme in the Lignin Biosynthetic Pathway in Arabidopsis

Science ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 341 (6150) ◽  
pp. 1103-1106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruben Vanholme ◽  
Igor Cesarino ◽  
Katarzyna Rataj ◽  
Yuguo Xiao ◽  
Lisa Sundin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Arabidopsis Thaliana ◽  
Cell Walls ◽  
Metabolite Profiling ◽  
Biosynthetic Pathway ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Secondary Cell Walls ◽  
Phenolic Metabolite ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Lignin Biosynthetic Pathway

Lignin is a major component of plant secondary cell walls. Here we describe caffeoyl shikimate esterase (CSE) as an enzyme central to the lignin biosynthetic pathway. Arabidopsis thaliana cse mutants deposit less lignin than do wild-type plants, and the remaining lignin is enriched in p-hydroxyphenyl units. Phenolic metabolite profiling identified accumulation of the lignin pathway intermediate caffeoyl shikimate in cse mutants as compared to caffeoyl shikimate levels in the wild type, suggesting caffeoyl shikimate as a substrate for CSE. Accordingly, recombinant CSE hydrolyzed caffeoyl shikimate into caffeate. Associated with the changes in lignin, the conversion of cellulose to glucose in cse mutants increased up to fourfold as compared to that in the wild type upon saccharification without pretreatment. Collectively, these data necessitate the revision of currently accepted models of the lignin biosynthetic pathway.

scholarly journals Host–parasitoid evolution in a metacommunity

2016 ◽  
Vol 283 (1831) ◽  
pp. 20160477 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denon Start ◽  
Benjamin Gilbert
Keyword(s):  
Natural Enemies ◽  
Patch Size ◽  
Common Garden ◽  
Species Traits ◽  
Dispersal Ability ◽  
Isolated Populations ◽  
Selection Gradient ◽  
Phenotypic Differences ◽  
Dispersal Abilities ◽  
Phenotypic Shift

Patch size and isolation are predicted to alter both species diversity and evolution; yet, there are few empirical examples of eco-evolutionary feedback in metacommunities. We tested three hypotheses about eco-evolutionary feedback in a gall-forming fly, Eurosta solidaginis and two of its natural enemies that select for opposite traits: (i) specialization and poor dispersal ability constrain a subset of natural enemies from occupying small and isolated patches, (ii) this constraint alters selection on the gall fly, causing phenotypic shifts towards traits resistant to generalist and dispersive enemies in small and isolated patches, and (iii) reduced dispersal evolves in small, isolated populations. We sampled patches in a natural metacommunity and found support for all hypotheses; Eurosta 's specialist wasp parasitoid attacked fewer galls in small and isolated patches, generating a selection gradient that favoured small galls resistant to predation by a dispersive and generalist bird predator. Phenotype distributions matched this selection gradient, and these phenotypic differences were maintained in a common garden experiment. Finally, we found lower dispersal abilities in small and isolated patches, a phenotypic shift that aids in the maintenance of local adaptation. We suggest that the trophic rank and the species traits of consumers are central to evolution in metacommunities.

An ecological explanation for hyperallometric scaling of reproduction

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomos Potter ◽  
Anja Felmy
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Reproductive Output ◽  
Resource Competition ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Scaling Exponent ◽  
Wild Populations ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Size Dependent ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractIn wild populations, large individuals have disproportionately higher reproductive output than smaller individuals. We suggest an ecological explanation for this observation: asymmetry within populations in rates of resource assimilation, where greater assimilation causes both increased reproduction and body size. We assessed how the relationship between size and reproduction differs between wild and lab-reared Trinidadian guppies. We show that (i) reproduction increased disproportionately with body size in the wild but not in the lab, where effects of resource competition were eliminated; (ii) in the wild, the scaling exponent was greatest during the wet season, when resource competition is strongest; and (iii) detection of hyperallometric scaling of reproduction is inevitable if individual differences in assimilation are ignored. We propose that variation among individuals in assimilation – caused by size-dependent resource competition, niche expansion, and chance – can explain patterns of hyperallometric scaling of reproduction in natural populations.

scholarly journals Evolutionary inference from QST-FST comparisons: disentangling local adaptation from altitudinal gradient selection in snapdragon plants

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Marin ◽  
Juliette Archambeau ◽  
Vincent Bonhomme ◽  
Mylène Lascoste ◽  
Benoit Pujol
Keyword(s):  
Local Adaptation ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Common Garden ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Structured Populations ◽  
Adaptive Divergence ◽  
Adaptation To Climate Change ◽  
Phenotypic Differentiation ◽  
Multiple Populations ◽  
Environmental Demand

ABSTRACTPhenotypic differentiation among natural populations can be explained by natural selection or by neutral processes such as drift. There are many examples in the literature where comparing the effects of these processes on multiple populations has allowed the detection of local adaptation. However, these studies rarely identify the agents of selection. Whether population adaptive divergence is caused by local features of the environment, or by the environmental demand emerging at a more global scale, for example along altitudinal gradients, is a question that remains poorly investigated. Here, we measured neutral genetic (FST) and quantitative genetic (QST) differentiation among 13 populations of snapdragon plants (Antirrhinum majus) in a common garden experiment. We found low but significant genetic differentiation at putatively neutral markers, which supports the hypothesis of either ongoing pervasive homogenisation via gene flow between diverged populations or reproductive isolation between disconnected populations. Our results also support the hypothesis of local adaptation involving phenological, morphological, reproductive and functional traits. They also showed that phenotypic differentiation increased with altitude for traits reflecting the reproduction and the phenology of plants, thereby confirming the role of such traits in their adaptation to environmental differences associated with altitude. Our approach allowed us to identify candidate traits for the adaptation to climate change in snapdragon plants. Our findings imply that environmental conditions changing with altitude, such as the climatic envelope, influenced the adaptation of multiple populations of snapdragon plants on the top of their adaptation to local environmental features. They also have implications for the study of adaptive evolution in structured populations because they highlight the need to disentangle the adaptation of plant populations to climate envelopes and altitude from the confounding effects of selective pressures acting specifically at the local scale of a population.

scholarly journals The sources of sex differences in aging in annual fishes

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Reichard ◽  
Radim Blažek ◽  
Jakub Žák ◽  
Petr Kačer ◽  
Oldřich Tomášek ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Social Environment ◽  
Social Factors ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Experimental Results ◽  
Survival Difference ◽  
Captive Populations ◽  
Baseline Mortality ◽  
In The Wild

AbstractSex differences in lifespan and aging are widespread among animals, with males usually the shorter-lived sex. Despite extensive research interest, it is unclear how lifespan differences between the sexes are modulated by genetic, environmental and social factors. We combined comparative data from natural populations of annual killifishes with experimental results on replicated captive populations, showing that females consistently outlived males in the wild. This sex-specific survival difference persisted in social environment only in two most aggressive species, and ceased completely when social and physical contacts were prevented. Demographically, neither an earlier start nor faster rate of aging accounted for shorter male lifespans, but increased baseline mortality and the lack of mortality deceleration in the oldest age shortened male lifespan. The sexes did not differ in any measure of functional aging we recorded. Overall, we demonstrate that sex differences in lifespan and aging may be ameliorated by modulating social and environmental conditions.

scholarly journals REPRODUCTION IN CAGE POPULATIONS OF A POLYMORPHISM REGULARLY OBSERVED IN THE NATURAL POPULATIONS OF DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER IN FRANCE

Genetics ◽  
1978 ◽  
Vol 88 (4) ◽  
pp. 755-759
Author(s):  
Annie Fleuriet
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Rate Of Return ◽  
Rapid Rate ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Co2 Sensitivity ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Strong Forces

ABSTRACT Polymorphism for both alleles of a gene ref(2)P, which is a usual trait of French natural populations of Drosophila melanogaster, can be reproduced in experimental conditions. ref(2)P is a gene for resistance to the hereditary, noncontagious Rhabdovirus α, responsible for CO2 sensitivity in Drosophila melanogaster. The equilibrium frequencies observed in cages are the same as in the wild, whether α virus is present or not. The rapid rate of return to these equilibrium frequencies indicates that strong forces, which remain to be determined, are responsible for the maintenance of this polymorphism.

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