Article
Cell Biology
Mirre J. P. Simons, Marion Sebire, Simon Verhulst, Ton G. G. Groothuis
Summary: The study suggests that androgens regulate investment in current and future reproduction, but the exact mechanisms are still unclear. Red coloration shows a quadratic relationship with life characteristics, while blue iris color has a negative correlation with survival, indicating the biological significance of different colors.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Isabel S. Magalhaes, James R. Whiting, Daniele D'Agostino, Paul A. Hohenlohe, Muayad Mahmud, Michael A. Bell, Skuli Skulason, Andrew D. C. MacColl
Summary: This study investigates the levels of genomic parallelism and the factors predicting parallelism in adaptive radiations of three-spined stickleback. The findings suggest that quantitative variation in phenotypes and environments can predict genomic parallelism, and similar environments are a better predictor of genome-wide parallelism than similar phenotypes. Overall, the study highlights the importance of major phenotypic and environmental factors in shaping common patterns of genomic divergence.
NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Zoology
Robert B. Mobley, Janette W. Boughman
Summary: This study used morphological metrics to investigate differences in sensory systems of three-spined stickleback, revealing variations in the relative size of sensory organs and correlations among sensory systems in fish from different environments. Even populations within the same habitat type showed differences in the direction and magnitude of sensory system correlations.
INTEGRATIVE AND COMPARATIVE BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Adrien Marchand, Cleo Tebby, Audrey Catteau, Cyril Turies, Jean-Marc Porcher, Anne Bado-Nilles
Summary: The study established immune reference ranges for field studies of three-spined stickleback based on laboratory data and one reference station. These reference ranges were compared to data from uncontaminated and contaminated sites to improve site variability evaluation and provide better discrimination of sites, with lysosomal presence and phagocytosis capacity in autumn identified as potentially relevant immunomarkers for contaminated site identification.
ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY
(2021)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Elisavet Kaitetzidou, Gregor D. Gilfillan, Efthimia Antonopoulou, Elena Sarropoulou
Summary: This study investigated sex-biased mRNA and small non-coding RNA (sncRNA) expression patterns in the brain, adipose tissues, and gonads of the three-spined stickleback. Tissue-specific expression comprising both mRNA and sncRNA between sexes was demonstrated, emphasizing the importance of mRNA-miRNA interactions as well as new presumed genes not yet identified to have gender-specific roles.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sin-Yeon Kim, Violette Chiara, Nayade Alvarez-Quintero, Alberto da Silva, Alberto Velando
Summary: Maternal effect senescence refers to a decline in offspring viability with maternal age, and its mechanisms in animals remain largely unknown. In this study, the researchers tested this phenomenon in stickleback fish and explored its molecular mechanisms. They found that old females transferred fewer mRNA transcripts of DNA repair genes to their eggs compared to young females, suggesting a reduced capacity of eggs to detect and repair DNA damages. However, maternal age did not influence egg mtDNA density. The offspring of old mothers showed higher rates of hatching, morphological deformity, and post-hatching mortality, indicating the negative impact of maternal effect senescence.
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Corentin Mit, Anne Bado-Nilles, Cyril Turies, Gaelle Daniele, Barbara Giroud, Remy Beaudouin
Summary: This study aimed to fill the knowledge gap between external exposure and effect dynamics by determining the impact of BPA on immune response and constructing a PBTK-TD model. The results showed a high induction of immunomarkers by BPA and different temporal dynamics. Therefore, a thorough characterization of biomarker response is important for further Environmental Biomonitoring.
AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Giovanna Mottola, Maria E. Lopez, Anti Vasemagi, Mikko Nikinmaa, Katja Anttila
Summary: This study investigated the thermal tolerance and phenotypic plasticity of three-spined sticklebacks from different thermal histories in response to heat waves. The results showed that the sticklebacks exhibited significant phenotypic plasticity in thermal tolerance, with heat waves increasing their upper thermal tolerance. The individual plasticity to respond to heat waves was negatively correlated with initial thermal tolerance. However, there were no differences in thermal tolerance or plastic responses between sticklebacks from nuclear power plant habitats and control areas, despite low levels of genome-wide divergence.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Corentin Mit, Remy Beaudouin, Olivier Palluel, Cyril Turies, Gaelle Daniele, Barbara Giroud, Anne Bado-Nilles
Summary: Due to the structural similarities of bisphenol substitutes, adverse effects on reproduction are observed in various organisms. The mode of action of these substitutes remains unclear, therefore it is necessary to explore their toxicokinetics. An experiment was conducted on sticklebacks to understand the impact of BPA, BPS, and BPF on immune responses and biomarkers of metabolic detoxification and oxidative stress. The study found that BPS affects oxidative stress and phagocytic activity in a similar way to BPA, despite having different toxicokinetics.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Biology
Agnes Piecyk, Megan A. Hahn, Olivia Roth, Nolwenn M. Dheilly, David C. Heins, Michael A. Bell, Martin Kalbe
Summary: The study revealed geographic differences in defense mechanisms, with qualitative resistance, quantitative resistance and tolerance being important concepts in studies of parasite infections.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Florent Sylvestre, Claire Merot, Eric Normandeau, Louis Bernatchez
Summary: Differences between sexes in trait fitness optima can contribute to genetic diversity through balancing selection, but detecting such conflicts is challenging. Recent studies have found that duplications on sexual chromosomes can create misleading signals of intralocus sexual conflicts. In this study, we investigated intralocus sexual conflicts in three-spined sticklebacks and found only two regions that showed potential conflicts and signals of balancing selection. These results suggest that most intralocus sexual conflicts are transient and do not drive long-term balancing selection.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Emmanuelle Lebeau-Roche, Gaelle Daniele, Aurelie Fildier, Cyril Turies, Odile Dedourge-Geffard, Jean-Marc Porcher, Alain Geffard, Emmanuelle Vulliet
Summary: Environmental metabolomics aims to comprehensively analyze the metabolites in organisms to reveal biochemical pathways influenced by stressors and potential biomarkers. This study introduces a methodology for untargeted metabolomics in the three-spined stickleback, evaluating differences and complementarities among brain, gills, liver, and whole fish matrices.
Article
Ecology
Britas Klemens Eriksson, Casey Yanos, Sarah J. Bourlat, Serena Donadi, Michael C. Fontaine, Joakim P. Hansen, Egle Jakubaviciute, Karine Kiragosyan, Martine E. Maan, Juha Merila, Asa N. Austin, Jens Olsson, Katrin Reiss, Goran Sundblad, Ulf Bergstrom, Johan S. Eklof
Summary: The study found that the rapid increase in three-spined stickleback population in the central Baltic Sea has reshaped food webs, increased algal blooms, and threatened coastal biodiversity. Different plate armor phenotypes of stickleback showed niche differentiation based on environmental factors, predator and prey abundances, nutrients, and benthic production. The distribution of plate phenotypes suggests that a lower predation regime promotes stickleback with less armor, potentially impacting food web dynamics and the persistence of stickleback in the Baltic Sea.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Federico C. F. Calboli, Vyshal Delahaut, Io Deflem, Pascal Hablutzel, Bart Hellemans, Anna Kordas, Joost A. M. Raeymaekers, Lieven Bervoets, Gudrun De Boeck, Filip A. M. Volckaert
Summary: Using the three-spined stickleback as a model, the study found that mercury pollution in Flanders causes a significant association with at least one locus on Chromosome 4 through sequencing and genome-wide association analysis.
EVOLUTIONARY APPLICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Nayade alvarez-Quintero, Alberto Velando, Jose C. Noguera, Sin-Yeon Kim
Summary: The study on three-spined stickleback revealed that changes in reproductive strategies in response to environmental cues can impact offspring's growth and survival. When females experience a late breeding photoperiod, they reduce investment in early clutches, while males increase investment in sexual signals.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Yingnan Wang, Yu Wang, Yahui Zhao, Alexandra Yu Kravchenko, Juha Merila, Baocheng Guo
Summary: Through whole-genome resequencing data, the phylogeography of Northeast Asian Pungitius sticklebacks was investigated, revealing three new Pungitius species in China and clarifying the colonization sequence and timing of different Pungitius species in Northeast Asia. This study expands our understanding of Pungitius sticklebacks' phylogeography by extending sampling to nearly half of their known distribution area in Northeast Asia.
DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Long Jin, Wen Bo Liao, Juha Merila
Summary: Amphibians require both terrestrial and aquatic environments to complete their life cycles. Genetic differentiation studies along geographical clines in Microhyla fissipes populations in China revealed significant differentiation related to temperature and precipitation variations.
DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Hugo Cayuela, Jean-Francois Lemaitre, Jean-Paul Lena, Victor Ronget, Inigo Martinez-Solano, Erin Muths, David S. Pilliod, Benedikt R. Schmidt, Gregorio Sanchez-Montes, Jorge Gutierrez-Rodriguez, Graham Pyke, Kurt Grossenbacher, Omar Lenzi, Jaime Bosch, Karen H. Beard, Lawrence L. Woolbright, Brad A. Lambert, David M. Green, Nathalie Jreidini, Justin M. Garwood, Robert N. Fisher, Kathleen Matthews, David Dudgeon, Anthony Lau, Jeroen Speybroeck, Rebecca Homan, Robert Jehle, Eyup Baskale, Emiliano Mori, Jan W. Arntzen, Pierre Joly, Rochelle M. Stiles, Michael J. Lannoo, John C. Maerz, Winsor H. Lowe, Andres Valenzuela-Sanchez, Ditte G. Christiansen, Claudio Angelini, Jean-Marc Thirion, Juha Merila, Guarino R. Colli, Mariana M. Vasconcellos, Taissa C. V. Boas, isis da C. Arantes, Pauline Levionnois, Beth A. Reinke, Cristina Vieira, Gabriel A. B. Marais, Jean-Michel Gaillard, David A. W. Miller
Summary: Sex-related differences in mortality are widespread in the animal kingdom. In this study, using amphibians as a model, the influence of sex chromosome systems (XY and ZW) on aging rates and lifespans was investigated. The results showed that the strength and direction of sex differences in aging rates differ between XY and ZW systems, with aging rates tending to be higher in the heterogametic sex. This suggests that specific mutations on the sex chromosomes may contribute to the acceleration of aging in certain vertebrate clades.
Article
Anatomy & Morphology
Sunandan Das, Jonathan Brecko, Olivier S. G. Pauwels, Juha Merila
Summary: Fossoriality evolved early in snakes and is evident in the cranial morphology of many extinct forms. Understanding the cranial osteology of extant snakes is crucial for identifying the lifestyle of extinct species, including fossorial taxa. This study provides a detailed description of the cranium of a fossorial snake, Hypoptophis wilsonii, and discusses its adaptations for burrowing.
JOURNAL OF MORPHOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Carolin Dahms, Petri Kemppainen, Linda N. Zanella, Davor Zanella, Antonella Carosi, Juha Merila, Paolo Momigliano
Summary: This study focuses on the genetic differentiation and parallel evolution of three-spined stickleback populations from the Adriatic Sea compared to populations from other regions. The findings suggest that Adriatic populations are highly differentiated, of low genetic diversity and likely stem from multiple independent colonizations during the Pleistocene, despite still showing some degree of genetic parallelism.
Article
Zoology
Wei Chen, Hongzhou Chen, Jiahong Liao, Min Tang, Haifen Qin, Zhenkun Zhao, Xueyan Liu, Yanfang Wu, Lichun Jiang, Lixia Zhang, Bohao Fang, Xueyun Feng, Baowei Zhang, Kerry Reid, Juha Merila
Summary: This study reports the genome assembly of Rana kukunoris, a high-altitude-adapted frog, providing valuable resources for studying life history evolution and adaptation to high-altitude environments.
FRONTIERS IN ZOOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Mikko Kivikoski, Pasi Rastas, Ari Loeytynoja, Juha Merilae
Summary: Map distance, a measure of the expected number of crossovers between two loci in genetics, is estimated using mapping functions based on observed recombination frequencies. Traditional mapping functions developed when the number of markers was low may underpredict recombination frequencies from map distance in high-density marker data. This study demonstrates that a piecewise function can provide more accurate predictions, highlighting the context-dependent association between map distance and recombination frequency.
Article
Ornithology
Chen-Yang Liu, Juha Merilae, Yang Liu, Lei Lv
Summary: Global climate change has had a widespread impact on the reproductive phenology of many wild organisms. In this study, the relationship between breeding timing and spring temperatures was explored using data from hair-crested drongos in the wild. It was found that low night temperatures delay breeding time, likely due to the physiological constraints on egg-laying caused by the need for thermoregulation. However, the timing of breeding showed no trend over the study period.
JOURNAL OF AVIAN BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yu Wang, Yingnan Wang, Xiaoqi Cheng, Yongli Ding, Chongnv Wang, Juha Merila, Baocheng Guo
Summary: New study shows that introgression contributes significantly to the diversification of Pungitius sticklebacks and plays a crucial role in phenotypic convergence. The analysis of genomic data reveals that introgression is more prevalent than previously thought, with asymmetric gene flow and unequal genomic signatures in hybridizing species. Introgression of genetic variants is accompanied by transitions in important diagnostic traits and adaptation in gene regulatory networks, highlighting its importance as a source of adaptive variation. This study provides insight into the long-standing challenges in the taxonomy and systematics of this highly diverse group of fish.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Mikko Kivikoski, Antoine Fraimout, Pasi Rastas, Ari Loytynoja, Juha Merila
Summary: Crossovers in meiosis play a crucial role in ensuring proper segregation and recombination of chromosomes in sexual reproduction. However, little is known about the heritability and repeatability of crossover rates in the wild. This study examined crossover rate variation in outbred stickleback populations and found that repeatability was moderate, with higher values in females than in males. Due to limitations in sample size and parental relatedness, heritability could not be confidently estimated. Overall, the evolvability of crossover rates appears to be low based on our results and comparisons with previous studies.
BIOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Antoine Fraimout, Pasi Rastas, Lei Lv, Juha Merila
Summary: Using experimental cross data and genome-wide identity-by-descent (IBD) relationships, this study finds a significant decrease in offspring survival probability with increasing parental IBD sharing in an outbred marine nine-spined stickleback population, indicating substantial inbreeding load. Interestingly, a positive effect of paternal inbreeding coefficient on offspring survival suggests that certain combinations of parental inbreeding and genetic relatedness among mates may promote offspring survival. These results demonstrate the potential for inbreeding depression in outbred populations and highlight the importance of considering fine-scale genetic relatedness in future studies.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sunandan Das, Eli Greenbaum, Shai Meiri, Aaron M. Bauer, Frank T. Burbrink, Christopher J. Raxworthy, Jeffrey L. Weinell, Rafe M. Brown, Jonathan Brecko, Olivier S. G. Pauwels, Nirhy Rabibisoa, Achille P. Raselimanana, Juha Merila
Summary: The snake superfamily Elapoidea is a classic example of ancient and rapid radiation. Previous studies have had difficulty resolving the phylogenetic relationships within this highly diverse group. This study sequenced over 4,500 ultraconserved element loci from representative taxa and used multiple methods to infer their phylogeny, resulting in largely congruent and well-supported topologies. Elapoidea originated in the early Eocene and rapidly diversified into major lineages during this epoch.
MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Review
Ecology
Mi Yoon Chung, Juha Merila, Yuseob Kim, Kangshan Mao, Jordi Lopez-Pujol, Myong Gi Chung
Summary: Increased access to genome-wide data provides new opportunities for plant conservation. However, information on neutral genetic diversity in a small number of marker loci can still be valuable. To bridge the gap between conservation science and practice, conservation practitioners should use population genetic information more efficiently. They can use estimates of genetic differentiation in quantitative traits (Q(ST)) and neutral markers (F(ST)) to capture both adaptive and neutral genetic variations.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Review
Ecology
Mi Yoon Chung, Juha Merilae, Jialiang Li, Kangshan Mao, Jordi Lopez-Pujol, Yoshihiko Tsumura, Myong Gi Chung
Summary: Genetic diversity is crucial for evolutionary change and the ability of populations to adapt to new environmental conditions. While the importance of incorporating genetic diversity into conservation measures is recognized, the distinction between neutral and adaptive genetic variation has received less attention. This review addresses the utility of neutral genetic variation in ecological and evolutionary inference, as well as conservation strategies for plant populations and species. It also discusses the identification and estimation of adaptive genetic variation and emphasizes the need for a better understanding of its role in climate change adaptation. Until more estimates of adaptive genetic variation are available, conservation researchers and practitioners should continue to utilize neutral genetic variation to develop relevant strategies for rare and endangered plant species.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Chaowei Zhang, Kerry Reid, Arthur F. Sands, Antoine Fraimout, Mikkel Heide Schierup, Juha Merila
Summary: Mutation rate is a critical parameter in population genetics, but accurate estimates for wild organisms are limited. This study estimated mutation rates in two marine populations of nine-spined stickleback using pedigrees, whole-genome resequencing, and a high-quality reference genome. The results showed high levels of parental mosaicism and increased estimated divergence times after recalibration with the mutation rate.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
