Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Cinnamon S. Mittan-Moreau, Crystal Kelehear, Luis Felipe Toledo, Jamie Bacon, Juan M. Guayasamin, Andrew Snyder, Kelly R. Zamudio
Summary: This study investigated the establishment success of cane toads across their introduced range by examining the roles of introduction history and genetic diversity. The researchers found that Florida populations were more closely related to native Central American lineages, and there were high levels of diversity and population structure in the native range, supporting the idea that cane toads are a species complex. The study also revealed that introduced populations have slightly lower genetic diversity compared to native populations.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Bruce M. Pavlik, Lisbeth A. Louderback, Kenneth B. Vernon, Peter M. Yaworsky, Cynthia Wilson, Arnold Clifford, Brian F. Codding
Summary: This study identified an ecological legacy in a semiarid ecosystem of western North America, showing a strong association between ethnographic plant species richness and archaeological complexity. The multivariate model including environmental and archaeological predictors explains 88% of the variation in ethnographic species richness.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Biology
Nico Fuhrmann, Celine Prakash, Tobias S. Kaiser
Summary: Genomic analysis confirms the recent establishment of different ecotypes in marine midges of the genus Clunio, which are characterized by variations in timing of adult emergence, oviposition behavior, and larval habitat. QTL mapping and genome screens reveal that polygenic adaptation from standing genetic variation, particularly involving circadian clock genes, sensory perception genes, and nervous system development genes, plays a central role in ecotype formation. These findings suggest that adaptive ecotype formation can occur rapidly through ongoing gene flow and the re-assortment of existing alleles.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sonja Kersten, Jiyang Chang, Christian D. Huber, Yoav Voichek, Christa Lanz, Timo Hagmaier, Patricia Lang, Ulrich Lutz, Insa Hirschberg, Jens Lerchl, Aimone Porri, Yves Van de Peer, Karl Schmid, Detlef Weigel, Fernando A. Rabanal
Summary: Repeated herbicide applications exert strong selection pressure on blackgrass, a major threat to temperate cereal crops, leading to rapid adaptation through target-site resistance (TSR) mutations and non-target-site resistance. We generated a reference genome for A. myosuroides and found that most populations with TSR mutations contained multiple TSR haplotypes, indicating soft sweeps as the norm. Simulation analysis suggested that TSR is primarily driven by standing genetic variation, with de novo mutations playing a minor role.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Francesco Dovana, Paolo Gonthier, Matteo Garbelotto
Summary: The study identified significant genetic differentiation among P. gigantea individuals from different regions, highlighting the importance of using local isolates in biocontrol to prevent the spread of genetically distinct exotic genotypes.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Kara Ryan, Ryan Greenway, Jake Landers, Lenin Arias-Rodriguez, Michael Tobler, Joanna L. Kelley
Summary: Hydrogen sulfide is a toxic gas that disrupts biological processes, yet fish in the Poecilia mexicana species complex have evolved sulfide tolerance multiple times. This study investigates whether the repeated evolution of tolerance is due to similar genomic changes, finding evidence of both convergence and divergence in gene variation associated with sulfide processes and toxicity.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Alan Alvarez-Holguin, Carlos Raul Morales-Nieto, Raul Corrales-Lerma, Jesus Alejandro Prieto-Amparan, Federico Villarreal-Guerrero, Ricardo Alonso Sanchez-Gutierrez
Summary: This study evaluated the genetic structure of 85 sideoats grama populations in Mexico and modeled the environmental niche of genetic clusters of this species over time. The genetic analysis revealed two genetically different clusters with different environmental niches at present time, which necessitate the use of local germplasm from each environmental niche for selection and restoration programs. Furthermore, the study highlighted the importance of considering climate change for genotypes selection and restoration programs as the environmental niche of genetic clusters will change in the future.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sandra Lorena Ament-Velasquez, Ciaran Gilchrist, Alexandre Rego, Devin P. Bendixsen, Claire Brice, Julie Michelle Grosse-Sommer, Nima Rafati, Rike Stelkens
Summary: This study investigates the dynamics of fitness and genomic changes in yeast populations adapting to different environments. The results show that populations rapidly increase in fitness in stressful environments, while allele frequencies exhibit diverse trajectories. The study also identifies parallel genomic changes within and between environments.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Anurag Chaturvedi, Jiarui Zhou, Joost A. M. Raeymaekers, Till Czypionka, Luisa Orsini, Craig E. Jackson, Katina I. Spanier, Joseph R. Shaw, John K. Colbourne, Luc De Meester
Summary: Our study shows that genetic variation carried by only five founding individuals from the regional genotype pool is enough to fuel rapid evolution in response to strong selection pressures with no evidence of genetic erosion. Standing genetic variation allows natural populations to evolve rapidly.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Min Lu, Huaishan Zhang, Huaming An
Summary: This study investigated the genetic diversity and phylogeography of Rosa roxburghii populations in China, finding high levels of genetic and nucleotide diversity, as well as a significant correlation between genetic divergence and geographic distance. The study indicated a phylogeographic structure and rapid range expansion in the population, suggesting potential processes shaping genetic patterns and highlighting the need for conservation efforts.
HORTICULTURAL PLANT JOURNAL
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Scott T. Small, Carlo Costantini, N'Fale Sagnon, Moussa W. Guelbeogo, Scott J. Emrich, Andrew D. Kern, Michael C. Fontaine, Nora J. Besansky
Summary: The two forms of the major African malaria mosquito Anopheles funestus, which are indistinguishable in morphology but different in their genetic makeup, show evidence of local adaptation to breeding in natural swamps and irrigated rice fields. This rapid adaptation is fueled by standing genetic variation predating the split between the two forms. Differences in inversion frequencies likely facilitated the adaptive divergence between the two forms by suppressing recombination.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Kimberley D. Lemmen, Koen J. F. Verhoeven, Steven A. J. Declerck
Summary: The study found that even in the absence of initial genetic diversity and recombination, small populations can rapidly exhibit adaptive genetic changes, indicating that de novo genetic variation or alternative sources of phenotypic variation may help in the establishment and persistence of low-diversity populations.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Agronomy
Licong Dai, Xiaowei Guo, Xun Ke, Yangong Du, Fawei Mang, Guangmin Cao
Summary: The study found that the higher the degradation degree of alpine shrub meadows, the higher the sand content and the lower the clay content in the soil. In areas with higher degrees of degradation, the organic matter content in the soil increased, soil bulk density decreased, leading to an increase in soil water retention capacity.
Article
Plant Sciences
Chengchuan Zhou, Yang Feng, Gengyun Li, Mengli Wang, Jinjing Jian, Yuguo Wang, Wenju Zhang, Zhiping Song, Linfeng Li, Baorong Lu, Ji Yang
Summary: The feralization of crop plants has attracted increasing interest due to its impact on crop production and the evolution of weedy forms. Weedy rice in eastern and northeastern China showed divergence in seed germination timing controlled by a temperature-sensing mechanism. An integrative analysis revealed extreme allele frequency differences and correlations between gene expression and feral phenotypes, indicating that weedy rice utilized pre-existing alleles for local adaptation and feralization. Activation of formerly silent alleles exposed cryptic phenotypes, promoting the evolution and persistence of weedy forms.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Quiterie Haenel, Laurent Guerard, Andrew D. C. MacColl, Daniel Berner
Summary: Adaptation to derived habitats can stem from standing genetic variation, with variants favored in new habitats potentially being neutral in ancestral populations. This suggests a potential mechanism for the maintenance of genetic variation that has been underappreciated.
Article
Plant Sciences
Rob Massatti, Matthew T. Belus, Shahed Dowlatshahi, Gerard J. Allan
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY
(2018)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Rob Massatti, Holly R. Prendeville, Steve Larson, Bryce A. Richardson, Blair Waldron, Francis F. Kilkenny
EVOLUTIONARY APPLICATIONS
(2018)
Article
Ecology
Rob Massatti, Robert K. Shriver, Daniel E. Winkler, Bryce A. Richardson, John B. Bradford
RESTORATION ECOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Ecology
Daniel E. Winkler, Rob Massatti
RESTORATION ECOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Ecology
Richard G. J. Hodel, Rob Massatti, Sasha G. D. Bishop, L. Lacey Knowles
Summary: This study examines the relative importance of range size and niche breadth in shaping genetic variation in co-distributed sedge species, finding that range size is related to spatial genetic covariation across these species. By isolating key attributes across multiple species, the study highlights their impact on processes driving intraspecific differentiation.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Matthew R. Jones, Daniel E. Winkler, Rob Massatti
Summary: The study found that in a small desert region in southeast Utah, demographic and ecological mechanisms promote diversification, endemism, and rarity in the threatened Astragalus species complex. High-throughput DNA sequencing revealed the impacts of demographic history, geographical and ecological distances on genetic differentiation, and identified potential adaptive loci.
DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Matthew R. Jones, Daniel E. Winkler, Rob Massatti
Summary: Functional connectivity is crucial for the maintenance of genetic variation and rare species, yet understanding the processes influencing it and translating this knowledge into management practice remains a challenge. In the study of Graham's beardtongue, population structure analyses revealed an isolation-by-distance pattern, but evidence of recent admixture suggests the importance of maintaining connectivity between previously isolated lineages.
CONSERVATION GENETICS
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Molly L. McCormick, Amanda N. Carr, Rob Massatti, Daniel E. Winkler, Patricia De Angelis, Peggy Olwell
Summary: The global movement of ecosystem restoration is gaining momentum, highlighting the importance of seed sourcing for successful restoration outcomes and ecosystem recovery. However, many restoration projects currently face challenges in obtaining suitable seeds of native species, requiring proactive planning and preparation of related steps years in advance.
RESTORATION ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Richard G. J. Hodel, Rob Massatti, L. Lacey Knowles
Summary: Hybridization can lead to the emergence of new lineages with unique combinations of adaptive genetic variation, allowing them to occupy distinct environmental niches compared to their parent species. By studying hybridization between two sedge species, researchers found that hybrid individuals displayed mixed ancestry and had a genomic background skewed towards one parent or the other. Analysis of these loci revealed significant environmental associations, indicating that the loci with skewed ancestry may have conferred an adaptive advantage to the hybrid lineage.
Article
Ecology
Bryce A. Richardson, Rob Massatti, Nurul Islam-Faridi, Skylar Johnson, Francis F. Kilkenny
Summary: Establishing an effective restoration program requires baseline genetic information. This study examines the genetic patterns and genome duplication in Erigeron speciosus, an important plant for pollinator diversity. The study found high population genetic differentiation and supported the division of collection sites into two populations based on geographic regions. The distribution of genetic structure also supports the taxonomic descriptions of two varieties. This assessment provides important genetic information for restoration programs.
RESTORATION ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Rob Massatti, Daniel E. Winkler
Summary: This article describes a workflow using the r package popmaps for population management, focusing on spatial interpolation of genetic differentiation patterns. The importance of ancestry probability surfaces and how this technology can be applied to support population management and decision-making is emphasized.
METHODS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Rob Massatti, Kyle D. Doherty, Troy E. Wood
CONSERVATION GENETICS
(2018)