Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Marcin Nobis, Ewelina Klichowska, Lizaveta Vintsek, Anna Wrobel, Agnieszka Nobis, Joanna Zalewska-Galosz, Arkadiusz Nowak
Summary: The aim of this research is to explore the effect of climatic fluctuations on the evolutionary history, demography, and distribution of high-mountain bellflowers. The results show that glacial-interglacial cycles and contemporary island-like habitats distribution shape the genomic variation of high-mountain species. The study also highlights the urgent need for conservation action in alpine regions to preserve their biodiversity.
DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS
(2023)
Review
Plant Sciences
Elvira Hoerandl
Summary: The term Geographical parthenogenesis refers to the fact that asexual organisms usually occupy larger and more northern distribution areas than their sexual relatives and tend to colonize previously glaciated areas. While research in the last decade has shed some light on the question, the causal factors behind this phenomenon are still unclear. Uniparental reproduction and ecological factors like cold tolerance and epigenetic flexibility appear to play important roles in the success of apomictic plants, rather than genotypic diversity. Classical evolutionary theories like the Red Queen hypothesis have not been supported by studies on plants. The association of sexuality with abiotic stresses and the constraints on the origin of apomixis remain enigmatic. Future research directions are proposed.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Rui Xu, Tatjana N. Dujsebayeva, Dali Chen, Byambasuren Mijidsuren, Feng Xu, Xianguang Guo
Summary: The study utilized mitochondrial DNA genes and ecological niche modeling to explore the impact of geographical and historical climate changes on the genetic diversity and evolutionary history of the Alashan pit viper in Northwest China. The results revealed that the lineage diversification of the viper was related to desert expansions and early Pleistocene Yellow River integration. Contrary to expectations, there was no evidence of demographic and range contractions during the last glacial maximum, with predictions of a decrease in suitable habitat for the viper in the future.
Article
Ecology
Tatianne Piza Ferrari Abreu-Jardim, Natacia Evangelista de Lima, Lucas Jardim, Natan Medeiros Maciel, Rafael Felix de Magalhaes, Guarino Rinaldi Colli, Celio Fernando Baptista Haddad, Rosane Garcia Collevatti
Summary: This study investigates the genetic variation of a treefrog species in the Neotropics. The results show a significant phylogeographic break dating back to the Miocene, coinciding with the retraction of marine incursions in the Parana basin. The spatial pattern of genetic diversity is not related to geographical distance or environmental variables.
JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Megan L. Smith, Jessica Wallace, David C. Tank, Jack Sullivan, Bryan C. Carstens
Summary: This study examines the impact of Pleistocene glacial cycles on the distribution and genetic structure of endemic invertebrate species in the Pacific Northwest. The results show that glacial periods reduced habitat suitability and increased habitat fragmentation, leading to intraspecific divergence and secondary contact between populations. The findings suggest that refugial dynamics played a significant role in driving population structure and gene flow in these species.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
K. M. MacKenzie, C. Lydersen, T. Haug, H. Routti, J. Aars, C. M. Andvik, K. Borga, A. T. Fisk, S. Meier, M. Biuw, A. D. Lowther, U. Lindstrom, K. M. Kovacs
Summary: The Arctic is warming rapidly, posing a threat to marine mammals and their ecosystem. The study of stable isotopes and trophic webs reveals clear separation in trophic behavior and carbon sources among different species, indicating significant niche partitioning. This could have implications for the structure and connectivity of the Arctic ecosystem.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jiaqi Zhang, Bilin Liu, Song Hu, Yi Gong
Summary: Stable isotope analysis was used to study the trophic structure of marine micronekton in the Northwest Pacific Ocean. The results showed significant differences in carbon and nitrogen stable isotope values among different species, with average trophic levels of 3.3±0.3 for cephalopods, 3.7±0.6 for fishes, and 4.0±0.3 for shrimps.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Trevor T. Bringloe, David P. Wilkinson, Jesica Goldsmit, Amanda M. Savoie, Karen Filbee-Dexter, Kathleen A. Macgregor, Kimberly L. Howland, Christopher W. McKindsey, Heroen Verbruggen
Summary: The Arctic is experiencing rapid warming, and marine forests formed by seaweeds are predicted to expand northward. However, the expansion of northern habitat cannot compensate for the losses at the southern range edge, resulting in an overall loss of habitat. The extent of marine forests within the Arctic basin is expected to remain stable, with some exceptions in certain areas.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Christian Korner
Summary: The alpine life zone is a unique biome where mountains are high enough to host small stature plants with varying morphology, anatomy, and physiology. This article summarizes several principles that govern life in this cold and hostile environment, including the role of aerodynamic decoupling, the concepts of limitation and stress in an evolutionary context, and the importance of developmental flexibility and functional diversity.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Yu-Qun Du, Alexander Jueterbock, Muhammad Firdaus, Anicia Q. Hurtado, Delin Duan
Summary: This study investigated the niche differences between two species of Kappaphycus seaweed using ecological niche modeling, ordination, and hypervolume approaches. The results showed significant niche differences in both geographical and environmental space between the two species. The models predicted that rising sea surface temperature will lead to different range shifts for the two species, with one species suffering contraction while the other species expanding its distribution. This study enhances our understanding of Kappaphycus aquaculture and highlights the importance of conservation and investigation under climate change.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2023)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Rebekah A. Stein, Nathan D. Sheldon, Selena Y. Smith
Summary: Carbon isotope ecology can be used as a measure of plant water stress, which is influenced by atmospheric-oceanic controls, particularly those related to the Pacific. The study found oscillatory patterns in the carbon isotope discrimination values of Thuja plicata, indicating prolonged stress, while other species did not show clear patterns. These findings provide insight into the impact of Pacific teleconnections on coastal ecosystems and the potential for multiannual climate anomalies.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-ATMOSPHERES
(2021)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Jesus Antonio Rocamontes-Morales, Carla Gutierrez-Rodriguez, Oscar Rios-Cardenas, Pablo C. Hernandez-Romero
Summary: Genetic and morphological variation within Xiphophorus hellerii populations are influenced by geographic and environmental factors, with body shape variations possibly linked to temperature. The study suggests that X. hellerii from different basins and hydrological regions have followed independent evolutionary routes.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Megan Ruffley, Megan L. Smith, Anahi Espindola, Daniel F. Turck, Niels Mitchell, Bryan Carstens, Jack Sullivan, David C. Tank
Summary: The disjunct temperate rainforests in the Pacific Northwest of North America are characterized by two dominant tree species, western redcedar and western hemlock. The demographic histories of these species have been influenced by geological and climatic changes over the last 5 million years, including glaciations. Genomic data analysis reveals that both inland and coastal populations of these species diverged around 2.5 million years ago and experienced population size changes during glacial cycles. Importantly, there was evidence of gene flow between coastal and inland populations during the mid-Holocene.
Article
Ecology
Pattarapon Promnun, Nontivich Tandavanitj, Chalita Kongrit, Kritsayam Kongsatree, Phinit Kongpraphan, Wuttipong Dongkumfu, Detanan Kumsuan, Jenjit Khudamrongsawat
Summary: The evolutionary history of Leiolepis ocellata in northern Thailand was influenced by the Pleistocene period, with lineage divergences coinciding with the major rivers in the region, potentially due to vicariance in response to riverine barriers. Expansion of suitable habitats during the Last Glacial Maximum-like conditions facilitated dispersal among adjacent localities, leading to lineage diversification and genetic admixture.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Kyle E. Jaynes, Edward A. Myers, Vaclav Gvozdik, David C. Blackburn, Daniel M. Portik, Eli Greenbaum, Gregory F. M. Jongsma, Mark-Oliver Rodel, Gabriel Badjedjea, Abraham Bamba-Kaya, Ninda L. Baptista, Jeannot B. Akuboy, Raffael Ernst, Marcel T. Kouete, Chifundera Kusamba, Franck M. Masudi, Patrick J. McLaughlin, Lotanna M. Nneji, Abiodun B. Onadeko, Johannes Penner, Pedro Vaz Pinto, Bryan L. Stuart, Elie Tobi, Ange-Ghislain Zassi-Boulou, Adam D. Leache, Matthew K. Fujita, Rayna C. Bell
Summary: Secondary sympatry amongst sister lineages is closely associated with genetic and ecological divergence, suggesting that closely related species require differences in ecological and/or reproductive isolation traits to coexist in secondary sympatry. In this study, three giant tree frog species showed species-level divergence coinciding with a period of large-scale forest fragmentation during the late Pliocene. Environmental niche models revealed that the three species occupy distinct environmental niches and display modest morphological differentiation, particularly in tympanum diameter and male advertisement call. Additionally, climatic refugia, precipitation gradients, marine incursions, and potentially riverine barriers have generated phylogeographic structure at the intraspecific level throughout the Pleistocene and Holocene.
Review
Evolutionary Biology
Sarah P. Flanagan, Brenna R. Forester, Emily K. Latch, Sally N. Aitken, Sean Hoban
EVOLUTIONARY APPLICATIONS
(2018)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jesse R. Lasky, Brenna R. Forester, Matthew Reimherr
MOLECULAR ECOLOGY RESOURCES
(2018)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Orly Razgour, Brenna Forester, John B. Taggart, Michael Bekaert, Javier Juste, Carlos Ibanez, Sebastien J. Puechmaille, Roberto Novella-Fernandez, Antton Alberdi, Stephanie Manel
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2019)
Correction
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jesse R. Lasky, Brenna R. Forester, Matthew Reimherr
MOLECULAR ECOLOGY RESOURCES
(2019)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Erin L. Landguth, Brenna R. Forester, Andrew J. Eckert, Andrew J. Shirk, Mitra Menon, Amy Whipple, Casey C. Day, Samuel A. Cushman
MOLECULAR ECOLOGY RESOURCES
(2020)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Carolina S. Carvalho, Brenna R. Forester, Simone K. Mitre, Ronnie Alves, Vera L. Imperatriz-Fonseca, Silvio J. Ramos, Luciana C. Resende-Moreira, Jose O. Siqueira, Leonardo C. Trevelin, Cecilio F. Caldeira, Markus Gastauer, Rodolfo Jaffe
Summary: The study introduces a comprehensive landscape genomic approach for restoring moderately disturbed and highly degraded sites, using genomic data to identify adaptive genotypes for different plant populations. The research reveals that different restoration strategies should be adopted for sites with different degradation levels, helping to define site-specific provenancing strategies for restoration initiatives.
MOLECULAR ECOLOGY RESOURCES
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Phillip A. Morin, Brenna R. Forester, Karin A. Forney, Carla A. Crossman, Brittany L. Hancock-Hanser, Kelly M. Robertson, Lance G. Barrett-Lennard, Robin W. Baird, John Calambokidis, Pat Gearin, M. Bradley Hanson, Cassie Schumacher, Timothy Harkins, Michael C. Fontaine, Barbara L. Taylor, Kim M. Parsons
Summary: The study revealed a strong isolation-by-distance genetic structure among harbor porpoise populations in the North Pacific, indicating restricted dispersal among individuals. A unique genetic population was found in southern California, while the Strait of Georgia was identified as a potential biogeographical boundary. The association of microhaplotypes with environmental variables suggests potential local adaptation.
Article
Ecology
Hugo Cayuela, Yann Dorant, Brenna R. Forester, Dan L. Jeffries, Rebecca M. Mccaffery, Lisa A. Eby, Blake R. Hossack, Jerome M. W. Gippet, David S. Pilliod, W. Chris Funk
Summary: Temperature plays a crucial role in shaping ecological parameters and genomic characteristics of ectotherms, potentially impacting growth, longevity, and senescence. Thermal adaptation may be a key factor in driving life-history shifts in wild populations, highlighting the importance of further research on the underlying mechanisms.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Nicholas M. Fountain-Jones, Christopher P. Kozakiewicz, Brenna R. Forester, Erin L. Landguth, Scott Carver, Michael Charleston, Roderick B. Gagne, Brandon Greenwell, Simona Kraberger, Daryl R. Trumbo, Michael Mayer, Nicholas J. Clark, Gustavo Machado
Summary: MrIML is a new R package that provides a powerful and interpretable framework for quantifying genomic relationships, identifying loci of interest, and gaining new insights into adaptation. This package helps address challenges in traditional landscape genetic approaches and has broad functionality for recovering landscape relationships and analyzing empirical data. It has the potential to transform the modeling of thousands of loci and environmental drivers in various contexts beyond genetic variation.
MOLECULAR ECOLOGY RESOURCES
(2021)
Review
Ecology
Thibaut Capblancq, Brenna R. Forester
Summary: Landscape genomics uses landscape genomic analyses, including redundancy analysis (RDA), to model linear relationships between environmental predictors and genomic variation, effectively identifying covarying allele frequencies associated with the multivariate environment. RDA is a powerful and versatile tool for accommodating the genomic and environmental complexity found in nature, allowing for the identification, evaluation and forecasting of relationships between genetic and environmental variation.
METHODS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Rebecca G. Cheek, Brenna R. Forester, Patricia E. Salerno, Daryl R. Trumbo, Kathryn M. Langin, Nancy Chen, T. Scott Sillett, Scott A. Morrison, Cameron K. Ghalambor, W. Chris Funk
Summary: This study investigated the genetic divergence mechanism of a bird species endemic to a small island. The island scrub-jay on Santa Cruz Island showed genetic differentiation related to habitat type and bill length. Neutral landscape genomic analyses revealed that the genetic differentiation was primarily influenced by geographic distance and habitat composition. Putatively adaptive loci associated with habitat type were identified using multivariate redundancy analysis. Genome-wide association analyses revealed the polygenic basis of bill length variation. These findings support the hypothesis that divergent selection can lead to adaptive divergence at microgeographic scales in the presence of ongoing gene flow.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Brenna R. Forester, Melanie Murphy, Chad Mellison, Jeffrey Petersen, David S. Pilliod, Rachel Van Horne, Jim Harvey, W. Chris Funk
Summary: This study uses genomic data, landscape, dispersal, and occupancy data to inform CU delineation in populations of the Columbia spotted frog in Nevada. The study assesses support for ESUs, evaluates and revises current delineation of MUs, and evaluates genetic diversity and connectivity to inform management actions. The findings suggest potential revisions to MUs and the need for management interventions such as translocations and genetic rescue.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Brenna R. Forester, Casey C. Day, Kristen Ruegg, Erin L. Landguth
Summary: This study used an individual-based, spatially explicit, dynamic eco-evolutionary simulation model to evaluate the extinction risk of an endangered desert songbird, the southwestern willow flycatcher, in response to climate change. The results showed that incorporating evolutionary potential, population trajectories, and habitat changes can more comprehensively evaluate the extinction risk of threatened and endangered species and the effectiveness of conservation actions in promoting their recovery.
JOURNAL OF HEREDITY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
D. R. Trumbo, B. M. Hardy, H. J. Crockett, E. Muths, B. R. Forester, R. G. Cheek, S. J. Zimmerman, S. Corey-Rivas, L. L. Bailey, W. C. Funk
Summary: Wildlife diseases pose a major global threat to biodiversity. This study focuses on the endangered boreal toads in the southern Rocky Mountains, which suffer from lethal skin infections caused by the amphibian chytrid fungus. By using genomic analyses, researchers found low genetic diversity and population sizes, likely due to founder effects and population crashes caused by the fungus. The study also identified specific environmental factors that facilitate gene flow in the boreal toad population. Furthermore, the analysis revealed that the toads experienced stronger selection pressure from the disease than from broad-scale environmental variations.
Article
Ecology
Amanda S. Cicchino, Alisha A. Shah, Brenna R. Forester, Jason B. Dunham, N. LeRoy Poff, Cameron K. Ghalambor, W. Chris Funk
Summary: Adaptive plasticity in thermal tolerance traits can buffer organisms against changing temperatures, but there is significant variation among populations. Thus, considering population variation is crucial when assessing physiological vulnerability to future warming.