scholarly journals Allocation trade‐offs impact organ size and muscle architecture in an invasive population of Xenopus laevis in Western France

2019 ◽  
Vol 235 (6) ◽  
pp. 1057-1064 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pablo Padilla ◽  
Julien Courant ◽  
Anthony Herrel
2020 ◽  
Vol 312 (3) ◽  
pp. 193-204
Author(s):  
T. C. Neptune ◽  
S. S. Bouchard
Keyword(s):  

Author(s):  
Natasha Kruger ◽  
John Measey ◽  
Giovanni Vimercati ◽  
Anthony Herrel ◽  
Jean Secondi

Abstract In amphibians, spatial sorting progressively enhances the dispersal capacities of dispersing stages in expanding populations but may enhance or limit the performance of the earlier non-dispersing stages. Phenotypic traits of non-dispersing tadpoles and metamorphs can be coupled, through carry-over effects and trade-offs, or decoupled to dispersal traits in adults. We used the globally invasive amphibian, Xenopus laevis, to examine whether spatial sorting of adult phenotypes affects the phenotype of larval stages to metamorphosis in the core and at the periphery of an invasive population in France. We combined common garden laboratory and outdoor experiments to test the effect of parental pond location (core or periphery) on morphology, development and survival to metamorphosis and found no differences between tadpoles. After metamorphosis, the only difference observed in either of the experiments was the larger body size of metamorphs from the periphery, and then only when reared in the laboratory. Differences in metamorph size may indicate that a shift of dispersal traits occur after metamorphosis in X. laevis. Thus, our findings illustrate that decoupled evolution through spatial sorting can lead to changes of X. laevis adult phenotypes that would enhance dispersal without affecting the phenotype of tadpoles before metamorphosis.


2020 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
pp. 456-466 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurie Araspin ◽  
Anna Serra Martinez ◽  
Carla Wagener ◽  
Julien Courant ◽  
Vivien Louppe ◽  
...  

Abstract Temperature is a critical abiotic factor impacting all aspects of the biology of organisms, especially in ectotherms. As such, it is an important determinant of the potential invasive ability of organisms and may limit population expansion unless organisms can physiologically respond to changes in temperature either through plasticity or by adapting to their novel environment. Here, we studied the African clawed frog, Xenopus laevis, which has become invasive on a global scale. We compared adults from an invasive population of western France with individuals from two populations in the native range in South Africa. We measured the thermal dependence of locomotor performance in adults given its relevance to dispersal, predator escape, and prey capture. Our results show significant differences in the limits of the 80% performance breadth interval for endurance with the French population showing a left shift in its limits congruent with the colder climate experienced in France. The French invasive population was introduced only about 40 years ago suggesting a rapid shift in the thermal physiology. Given that all individuals were acclimated under laboratory conditions at 23°C for 2 months this suggests that the invasive frogs have adapted to their new environment. These data may allow the refinement of physiologically informed species distribution models permitting better estimates of future ranges at risk of invasion.


Author(s):  
Darcy B. Kelley ◽  
Martha L. Tobias ◽  
Mark Ellisman

Brain and muscle are sexually differentiated tissues in which masculinization is controlled by the secretion of androgens from the testes. Sensitivity to androgen is conferred by the expression of an intracellular protein, the androgen receptor. A central problem of sexual differentiation is thus to understand the cellular and molecular basis of androgen action. We do not understand how hormone occupancy of a receptor translates into an alteration in the developmental program of the target cell. Our studies on sexual differentiation of brain and muscle in Xenopus laevis are designed to explore the molecular basis of androgen induced sexual differentiation by examining how this hormone controls the masculinization of brain and muscle targets.Our approach to this problem has focused on a highly androgen sensitive, sexually dimorphic neuromuscular system: laryngeal muscles and motor neurons of the clawed frog, Xenopus laevis. We have been studying sex differences at a synapse, the laryngeal neuromuscular junction, which mediates sexually dimorphic vocal behavior in Xenopus laevis frogs.


2015 ◽  
Vol 58 ◽  
pp. 83-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Selena Gimenez-Ibanez ◽  
Marta Boter ◽  
Roberto Solano

Jasmonates (JAs) are essential signalling molecules that co-ordinate the plant response to biotic and abiotic challenges, as well as co-ordinating several developmental processes. Huge progress has been made over the last decade in understanding the components and mechanisms that govern JA perception and signalling. The bioactive form of the hormone, (+)-7-iso-jasmonyl-l-isoleucine (JA-Ile), is perceived by the COI1–JAZ co-receptor complex. JASMONATE ZIM DOMAIN (JAZ) proteins also act as direct repressors of transcriptional activators such as MYC2. In the emerging picture of JA-Ile perception and signalling, COI1 operates as an E3 ubiquitin ligase that upon binding of JA-Ile targets JAZ repressors for degradation by the 26S proteasome, thereby derepressing transcription factors such as MYC2, which in turn activate JA-Ile-dependent transcriptional reprogramming. It is noteworthy that MYCs and different spliced variants of the JAZ proteins are involved in a negative regulatory feedback loop, which suggests a model that rapidly turns the transcriptional JA-Ile responses on and off and thereby avoids a detrimental overactivation of the pathway. This chapter highlights the most recent advances in our understanding of JA-Ile signalling, focusing on the latest repertoire of new targets of JAZ proteins to control different sets of JA-Ile-mediated responses, novel mechanisms of negative regulation of JA-Ile signalling, and hormonal cross-talk at the molecular level that ultimately determines plant adaptability and survival.


2012 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 118-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olive Emil Wetter ◽  
Jürgen Wegge ◽  
Klaus Jonas ◽  
Klaus-Helmut Schmidt

In most work contexts, several performance goals coexist, and conflicts between them and trade-offs can occur. Our paper is the first to contrast a dual goal for speed and accuracy with a single goal for speed on the same task. The Sternberg paradigm (Experiment 1, n = 57) and the d2 test (Experiment 2, n = 19) were used as performance tasks. Speed measures and errors revealed in both experiments that dual as well as single goals increase performance by enhancing memory scanning. However, the single speed goal triggered a speed-accuracy trade-off, favoring speed over accuracy, whereas this was not the case with the dual goal. In difficult trials, dual goals slowed down scanning processes again so that errors could be prevented. This new finding is particularly relevant for security domains, where both aspects have to be managed simultaneously.


2007 ◽  
Vol 62 (9) ◽  
pp. 1073-1074 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kennon M. Sheldon ◽  
Melanie S. Sheldon ◽  
Charles P. Nichols

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