Article
Biology
Cayleih E. Robertson, Grant B. McClelland
Summary: Mothers in high-altitude areas prioritize their own maintenance costs over investing heavily in offspring, while mothers in low-altitude areas focus more on offspring investment. Despite receiving less care, offspring of high-altitude mothers in cold hypoxia only experienced small growth restrictions and maintained body composition.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jay F. Storz, Graham R. Scott
Summary: Studies on high-altitude vertebrates have shown that physiological adaptation mechanisms involve both genetic assimilation and genetic compensation, which may either reduce plasticity to achieve genetic evolution or mitigate maladaptive plastic responses for genetic adaptation.
COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY A-MOLECULAR & INTEGRATIVE PHYSIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Yuting Ma, Wenyan Yang, Hongwei Zhang, Pingxi Wang, Qian Liu, Fenghai Li, Wanli Du
Summary: This research significantly advances our understanding of critical environmental factors influencing maize adaptation while simultaneously provides an invaluable gene resource for the development of climate-resilient maize hybrid varieties.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Yunqi Xiong, Ayub M. O. Oduor, Caiyun Zhao
Summary: This study investigated the relative contributions of phenotypic plasticity and local adaptation to the performance of the invasive plant Ambrosia artemisiifolia under different soil nitrogen levels. The results showed significant interpopulation genetic differentiation and plastic responses in various traits of A. artemisiifolia across nitrogen treatments. Additionally, individuals from higher latitudes exhibited different growth patterns regardless of nitrogen treatment, while other trait responses depended on the nitrogen levels. Overall, these findings suggest that rapid adaptive evolution and phenotypic plasticity may jointly contribute to invasiveness in A. artemisiifolia under varying nitrogen availability, supporting the idea that invasive plants can colonize diverse environmental conditions.
ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Andrew M. Scott, Janice L. Yan, Carling M. Baxter, Ian Dworkin, Reuven Dukas
Summary: Male sexual aggression towards females is a complex behavior influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. In this study, researchers used fruit flies as a model system to investigate the genetic contributions to variation in forced copulations (FCs). They found that hundreds of genes were associated with evolved and plastic variation in FC, but only a small proportion showed consistent differential expression in both modes of variation. Functional analysis revealed the enrichment of genes related to neuropeptide hormone activity and serotonin receptor activity. Knockdown experiments confirmed the role of four genes in FC behavior. Overall, this study provides valuable insights into the genetic architecture underlying natural variation in sexual aggression.
Article
Ecology
Zuxin Zhang, Jing Zheng, Yingjie Guang, Lijun Chen, Xinping Luo, Dali Chen, Xiaowen Hu
Summary: Phenotypic plasticity and genetic differentiation are important processes determining leaf nutrient resorption in plants. This study found that nutrient resorption efficiency in Stipa breviflora populations was positively related to latitude, indicating the dominant role of phenotypic plasticity. Moreover, latitude indirectly affected nutrient resorption by altering soil nutrients. These findings provide new insights into plant adaptations to geographic variations.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Osazee O. Oyanoghafo, Adam D. Miller, Madeline Toomey, Collin W. Ahrens, David T. Tissue, Paul D. Rymer
Summary: The increasing frequency and intensity of drought events caused by climate change pose a threat to biodiversity and terrestrial ecosystems worldwide. This study focuses on the adaptive capacity of a functionally important plant species, Banksia marginata, to water-limited environments in southeastern Australia. The findings suggest that populations from drier climate-origins exhibit greater growth in well-watered conditions and that environmental factors drive variations in physiological and structural traits. The study provides evidence for the adaptive capacity of B. marginata to drought conditions and contributes to predicting its response to climate change.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Xiaochuan Sun, Bo Zhang, Yaodong Jiang, Peidong Wu, Huamiao Wang
Summary: This study proposed an efficient method to partition parameters into different groups to reduce the time cost of automatic parameter calibration. Applying this method to calibrate mechanical behavior parameters of rare-earth magnesium alloys successfully reproduced mechanical behavior and textural evolution.
Article
Ecology
Guillaume Peron, Benjamin Vollot
Summary: The study shows that insular environments promote within-species phenotypic variance, and there is a positive correlation between the within-species variance in morphometrics and the colonization time on the island.
JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Christina Zakas, Matthew V. Rockman
Summary: The genetic architecture of early-life phenotypes in a species with dramatic variation in larval size and morphology was investigated using a four-generation experimental pedigree. It was found that larval anatomical structures are mainly controlled by the offspring genotype at a small number of large-effect loci, while larval size is influenced by both maternal and paternal genomes. Consequently, the overall phenotype of each larva is dependent on three separate genomes, highlighting the importance of interactions among them in response to selection on larval traits.
Review
Genetics & Heredity
Keiji Honda, Andrew J. Griffith
Summary: Mutations in SLC26A4 can cause Pendred syndrome and DFNB4, with the CEVA haplotype potentially influencing the phenotype in EVA patients.
Review
Genetics & Heredity
Xue Gao, Pu Dai, Yong-Yi Yuan
Summary: Deafness and onychodystrophy syndromes are a group of phenotypically overlapping syndromes, including various subtypes. Pathogenic variants in genes associated with these syndromes encode proteins involved in the regulation of membrane trafficking. Despite some overlapping clinical features, each subtype has distinct pathogenic mechanisms.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Katherine A. Inskeep, Yuri A. Zarate, Danielle Monteil, Jurgen Spranger, Dan Doherty, Rolf W. Stottmann, K. Nicole Weaver
Summary: Primary ciliopathies are disorders caused by disturbances in primary cilia form and/or function, with Joubert syndrome being a distinct example. This study demonstrates that biallelic pathogenic variants in the KIAA0753 gene result in abnormal primary ciliogenesis and SHH pathway activity, impacting cellular signaling pathways such as SHH and WNT.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF MEDICAL GENETICS PART A
(2022)
Article
Pediatrics
Meiying Cai, Min Lin, Nan Guo, Meimei Fu, Liangpu Xu, Na Lin, Hailong Huang
Summary: This study analyzed the prenatal ultrasound phenotypes of the 17q12 microduplication syndrome and found that the phenotypes were highly variable. The distinct association between duodenal obstruction and the 17q12 microduplication syndrome was highlighted. Understanding this relationship contributes to better genetic counseling for this syndrome.
FRONTIERS IN PEDIATRICS
(2022)
Article
Fisheries
Florian Berg, Hedda D. Ostgaard, Aril Slotte, Leif Andersson, Arild Folkvord
Summary: Atlantic herring exhibit complex population structure and dynamics, with diverse life histories and spawning times. Different methods, including genetic markers and otolith microstructure, can be used to determine the spawning season of herring, with most individuals showing consistency between genetic and otolith assignment with phenotypically assigned spawning season.
ICES JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Christophe Dufresnes, Alan Brelsford, Felix Baier, Nicolas Perrin
Summary: Sex chromosomes do not necessarily stop recombining, heterochiasmy does not necessarily constrain heterogamety, and the role of sex-antagonistic genes in the evolution of sex chromosomes may have been overemphasized.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Editorial Material
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Olivia S. Harringmeyer, Maya L. Woolfolk, Hopi E. Hoekstra
Summary: Timely migration is crucial for many species for survival and reproduction. A new study on salmon has identified a small genomic region associated with migration timing, which impacts other physiological traits, suggesting that a complex suite of migration traits is linked by one simple phenotype.
Review
Neurosciences
Nicholas Jourjine, Hopi E. Hoekstra
Summary: Neuroscientists advocate for a complementary approach to model clade development, integrating evolutionary comparative methods with neurobiological and behavioral experiments to capitalize on natural behavioral variation in model clades and invest in experimental tools for the next generation of neuroscience discovery.
Article
Zoology
Emily R. Hager, Hopi E. Hoekstra
Summary: The study found that the tail of deer mice affects body roll during arboreal locomotion, with different tail lengths resulting in differences in body rotation from tail motions. The shape of caudal vertebrae influences the curvature angle of the tail. Although forest and prairie mice have differences in caudal vertebrae length and number, this does not appear to be due to a functional trade-off related to tail curvature.
INTEGRATIVE AND COMPARATIVE BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Caroline K. Hu, Ryan A. York, Hillery C. Metz, Nicole L. Bedford, Hunter B. Fraser, Hopi E. Hoekstra
Summary: This study reveals the regulatory divergence of gene expression in response to behavioral context, and how this dynamic regulatory divergence between species contributes to behavioral evolution. The findings show that burrowing behavior-induced cis-regulatory changes are associated with species-level differential expression and allele-specific expression.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
T. Brock Wooldridge, Andreas F. Kautt, Jean-Marc Lassance, Sade McFadden, Vera S. Domingues, Ricardo Mallarino, Hopi E. Hoekstra
Summary: By studying the oldfield mouse, researchers have identified the genetic basis of color variation in their dorsal coats. A specific region upstream of the Agouti signaling protein coding region was strongly associated with pigment variation. The study also found that the light allele of this region has been maintained in mainland populations and has spread to and been selected in independent beach mouse lineages, facilitating their rapid and parallel evolution.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Nils Chr Stenseth, Leif Andersson, Hopi E. Hoekstra
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Emily R. Hager, Olivia S. Harringmeyer, T. Brock Wooldridge, Shunn Theingi, Jacob T. Gable, Sade McFadden, Beverly Neugeboren, Kyle M. Turner, Jeffrey D. Jensen, Hopi E. Hoekstra
Summary: This study characterized the genetic basis of trait variation in different ecotypes of deer mice and identified a chromosomal inversion linked to tail length and coat color. The frequency of the inversion was high in the forest ecotype, decreased across a habitat transition, and was absent in the prairie ecotype. Divergent selection was implicated in maintaining the inversion at observed frequencies despite high levels of gene flow, and the study explored the fitness benefits arising from suppressed recombination within the inversion.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Nicole L. Bedford, Jesse N. Weber, Wenfei Tong, Felix Baier, Ariana Kam, Rebecca A. Greenberg, Hopi E. Hoekstra
Summary: Animals vary in their behavioral flexibility depending on social context. By comparing three species of deer mice, researchers found that mice living in monogamous societies were more likely to cooperate in digging longer burrows. Additionally, opposite-sex pairs were more socially cohesive and efficient digging partners than same-sex pairs.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Mehdi Khadraoui, Jennifer R. Merritt, Hopi E. Hoekstra, Andres Bendesky
Summary: Parental behaviors vary among species in terms of magnitude, onset relative to reproduction, and sexual dimorphism. In deer mice, promiscuous species show low paternal care, while monogamous species exhibit biparental care. The timing of parental behaviors also differs, with some species showing behaviors before mating and others only after giving birth. These patterns align with the socioecology of the species.
Article
Ecology
Olivia S. Harringmeyer, Hopi E. Hoekstra
Summary: This study identified 21 large inversion polymorphisms in populations of deer mice, which are widespread and important for patterns of recombination and likely to be involved in local adaptation.
NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Nicholas Jourjine, Maya L. Woolfolk, Juan I. Sanguinetti-Scheck, John E. Sabatini, Sade McFadden, Anna K. Lindholm, Hopi E. Hoekstra
Summary: It has been found that cries play an important role in parental care during the early stages of neonatal development in deer mice, while ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) play a role in later stages. By comparing the vocalization characteristics of different species and laboratory mice, it was found that even within the same species, there are differences in vocalization features among different populations. Through genetic cross experiments, it was found that vocalization features are genetically controlled, with different degrees of genetic dominance for different features.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Landen Gozashti, Cedric Feschotte, Hopi E. Hoekstra
Summary: The genomic landscape of transposable elements in deer mice is different from that of other mammals, with long terminal repeat elements being more common than long interspersed nuclear element retrotransposons. Deer mouse endogenous retroviruses exhibit diverse origins and have impacted the evolutionary trajectory of LINEs. The expansion of Kruppel-associated box domain-containing zinc finger genes, likely controlled by ectopic recombination between ERVs, is also observed in the deer mouse genome.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Meeting Abstract
Zoology
E. R. Hager, E. P. Kingsley, O. S. Harringmeyer, H. E. Hoekstra
INTEGRATIVE AND COMPARATIVE BIOLOGY
(2021)