Article
Microbiology
Clayton M. Small, Emily A. Beck, Mark C. Currey, Hannah F. Tavalire, Susan Bassham, William A. Cresko
Summary: This study demonstrates a positive association between host genetic dissimilarity and microbiome dissimilarity in stickleback fish. The findings provide insight into the genomic architecture of gut microbiome variation and highlight the influence of host genome on microbiome diversity.
Article
Biology
Jason Keagy, Whitley Lehto, Ross Minter, Sarah Machniak, Oynx Baird, Janette W. Boughman
Summary: Individuals can benefit from using social information to reduce sampling costs and increase foraging efficiency. The study investigated delayed local enhancement in two ecomorphs of stickleback fish from three lakes with independent evolutionary origins. The results showed that benthic fish in intact species-pair lakes were more likely to exhibit delayed local enhancement, despite their solitary behavior. Furthermore, the study found a reversal in social information use patterns in a hybrid swarm lake. These findings suggest parallel differentiation of social learning differences in recently evolved fish species.
Letter
Evolutionary Biology
Avneet K. Chhina, Ken A. Thompson, Dolph Schluter
Summary: This study used threespine stickleback fish to test the relationship between trait mismatch in hybrids and phenotypic divergence, and found that trait mismatch increases with greater phenotypic divergence.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ken Thompson, Catherine H. Peichel, Diana K. Rennison, Matthew R. McGee, Arianne Y. K. Albert, Timothy Vines, Anna Greenwood, Abigail Wark, Yaniv Brandvain, Molly Schumer, Dolph Schluter
Summary: This study provides evidence for the presence of environment-dependent hybrid incompatibility in stickleback fish, suggesting that extrinsic incompatibilities can evolve before intrinsic incompatibilities.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Juntao Hu, Rowan D. H. Barrett
Summary: Repeated phenotypic patterns support the role of natural selection. Epigenetic modifications can contribute to parallel adaptation. The role of epigenetic processes during parallel adaptation remains unclear.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Qiushi Li, Dorothea Lindtke, Carlos Rodriguez-Ramirez, Ryo Kakioka, Hiroshi Takahashi, Atsushi Toyoda, Jun Kitano, Rachel L. Ehrlich, Joshua Chang Mell, Sam Yeaman
Summary: Theory predicts that local adaptation should favor the evolution of a concentrated genetic architecture, where the alleles driving adaptive divergence are tightly clustered on chromosomes. This study used synteny analysis to identify rearrangements in the stickleback genome and found that small rearrangements, within-chromosome duplications, and lineage-specific genes were enriched around genomic islands. The study also found that large genomic islands have experienced macro-rearrangements and that duplicates and micro-rearrangements are more likely to involve genes differentially expressed between marine and freshwater genotypes.
GENOME BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Lauren E. Fuess, Stijn den Haan, Fei Ling, Jesse N. Weber, Natalie C. Steinel, Daniel Bolnick
Summary: This study explores the correlations between gene expression and microbiome composition in laboratory-raised fish, highlighting the strong positive associations between microbial alpha diversity and host immune gene expression. Additionally, 15 microbial families are found to be highly correlated with host gene expression, particularly with immune processes. These findings support the understanding of intimate links between host immunity and gut microbiome composition in nonmodel vertebrate species.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Zuyao Liu, Marius Roesti, David Marques, Melanie Hiltbrunner, Verena Saladin, Catherine L. Peichel
Summary: Chromosomal fusions play an important role in facilitating adaptation to different environments by enabling the linkage of adaptive alleles and creating regions of low recombination. Through the study of stickleback fish, researchers have found independent chromosomal fusion events in marine and freshwater lineages, which are associated with adaptive traits. Comparisons of the genomes of different stickleback populations also show enriched regions of divergent selection on these fused chromosomes. Gene flow between marine and freshwater populations can increase genetic diversity within these selection regions, supporting the formation of adaptive clusters. This study highlights the significance of chromosomal fusions in facilitating freshwater adaptation in stickleback fish.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Andreas Harer, Daniel Bolnick, Diana J. Rennison
Summary: The study investigated genomic signatures of divergence across populations of threespine stickleback that adapted to benthic or limnetic ecological niches. They found that the magnitude and repeatability of genomic signatures of ecological divergence highly depend on the geographic context, with some candidate regions identified to be important for adaptation to benthic and limnetic niches.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Carlos E. Rodriguez-Ramirez, Melanie Hiltbrunner, Verena Saladin, Stephanie Walker, Araxi Urrutia, Catherine L. Peichel
Summary: A main goal of evolutionary biology is to understand the genetic basis of adaptive evolution. In this study, researchers investigated the genetic and regulatory mechanisms underlying the effects of the Eda haplotype in stickleback fish populations. They found that the Eda haplotype affects gene expression and alternative splicing of genes related to bone development, neuronal development, and immunity. These findings provide valuable insights into the mechanisms mediating adaptive phenotypes.
Article
Ecology
Carl Smith, Grzegorz Zieba, Miroslaw Przybylski
Summary: This study provides evidence for an evolutionary adaptive response to elevated temperatures in freshwater populations of threespine stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus. By analyzing historical data and museum specimens, the researchers found a population-level decline in lateral bony plates, armor protection, due to selection for reduced body size in the last 91 years in Poland.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Alan Garcia-Elfring, Antoine Paccard, Timothy J. Thurman, Ben A. Wasserman, Eric P. Palkovacs, Andrew P. Hendry, Rowan D. H. Barrett
Summary: This study investigates parallel selection in six populations of threespine stickleback inhabiting bar-built estuaries undergoing seasonal environmental changes. Consistent allele frequency changes across estuaries indicate a potential role for parallel selection, with genomic changes related to osmoregulation and ion balance providing insight into early stages of adaptation in marine to freshwater transitions.
Article
Ecology
Rita L. Grunberg, Megan Braat, Daniel I. Bolnick
Summary: Parasite infections have widespread effects on hosts and could influence ecosystem processes. However, the stoichiometric traits of host-parasite associations are rarely quantified, and it is unclear whether parasites' elemental ratios resemble those of their host or if infection is related to host stoichiometry. In this study, the elemental content and molar ratios of parasitized and unparasitized stickleback fish and their cestode parasite were measured. The results showed distinct elemental compositions between hosts and parasites, and parasite stoichiometry was influenced by parasite body mass and density. These findings suggest that parasite infections may have important effects on host stoichiometry and nutrient cycling.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ainsley Lilias Fraser, Rana El-Sabaawi
Summary: The study aimed to assess morphological trait variation in marine stickleback populations in southern British Columbia and determine the associated oceanographic and habitat characteristics. The researchers found that marine sticklebacks varied morphologically among and between regions and habitats, but the variation did not appear to be related to environmental variation. Sexual dimorphism was the largest source of variation, but oceanographic and habitat variables influenced differences between sexes.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Quiterie Haenel, Krista B. Oke, Telma G. Laurentino, Andrew P. Hendry, Daniel Berner
Summary: This study investigates how ecological divergence leads to strong reproductive isolation between populations in close geographic contact, using whole-genome sequencing of stickleback fish populations adapted to neighboring lake and stream habitats. The findings highlight the efficacy of polygenic selection in maintaining reproductive isolation without physical isolation, emphasizing the importance of studying speciation at fine eco-geographic and genomic scales.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Diana J. Rennison, Catherine L. Peichel
Summary: Highly pleiotropic genes are less likely to be used during adaptation, but parallel genomic regions contain genes with higher pleiotropy. Pleiotropy only becomes constraining at high levels, and low or intermediate levels of pleiotropy may be beneficial for adaptation.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Gregory L. Owens, Thor Veen, Dylan R. Moxley, Lenin Arias-Rodriguez, Michael Tobler, Diana J. Rennison
Summary: Visual sensitivity and body pigmentation in Poecilia mexicana populations have shown significant parallel shifts towards greater medium-wavelength sensitivity and reflectance in sulphidic habitats, indicating the impact of environment on these traits. The changes may be attributed to differences in water's spectral properties and correlated ecological changes, showcasing the role of both natural and sexual selection in shaping these traits.
Article
Biology
Benjamin G. Freeman, Jonathan Rolland, Graham A. Montgomery, Dolph Schluter
Summary: This study investigates the relationship between bird song, a premating barrier, and speciation rates in birds. The researchers find that while song discrimination is an important reproductive barrier, the evolutionary rates of this barrier are not consistently associated with recent speciation rates.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Letter
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Andy Dobson, Grant Hopcraft, Simon Mduma, Joseph O. Ogutu, John Fryxell, T. Michael Anderson, Sally Archibald, Caroline Lehmann, Joyce Poole, Tim Caro, Monique Borgerhoff Mulder, Robert D. Holt, Joel Berger, Daniel I. Rubenstein, Paula Kahumbu, Emmanuel N. Chidumayo, E. J. Milner-Gulland, Dolph Schluter, Sarah Otto, Andrew Balmford, David Wilcove, Stuart Pimm, Joseph W. Veldman, Han Olff, Reed Noss, Ricardo Holdo, Colin Beale, Gareth Hempson, Yustina Kiwango, David Lindenmayer, William Bond, Mark Ritchie, Anthony R. E. Sinclair
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ken Thompson, Catherine H. Peichel, Diana K. Rennison, Matthew R. McGee, Arianne Y. K. Albert, Timothy Vines, Anna Greenwood, Abigail Wark, Yaniv Brandvain, Molly Schumer, Dolph Schluter
Summary: This study provides evidence for the presence of environment-dependent hybrid incompatibility in stickleback fish, suggesting that extrinsic incompatibilities can evolve before intrinsic incompatibilities.
Letter
Evolutionary Biology
Avneet K. Chhina, Ken A. Thompson, Dolph Schluter
Summary: This study used threespine stickleback fish to test the relationship between trait mismatch in hybrids and phenotypic divergence, and found that trait mismatch increases with greater phenotypic divergence.
Article
Ecology
Darren Irwin, Dolph Schluter
Summary: This study simulated the coexistence outcomes of two sympatric species that are ecologically differentiated but have incomplete reproductive isolation. The study found that the fitness of hybrid offspring plays a crucial role in species coexistence. High hybrid fitness can lead to species collapse into one, while low hybrid fitness can cause population declines and increase the risk of species extinction. High intrinsic growth rates can reduce the probability of extinction and increase the likelihood of stable coexistence at moderate levels of assortative mating and hybrid fitness. Very strong but incomplete assortative mating can induce low hybrid fitness via a mating disadvantage to rare genotypes, stabilizing the coexistence of two species at high but incomplete levels of assortative mating.
AMERICAN NATURALIST
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Benjamin G. Freeman, Thomas Weeks, Dolph Schluter, Joseph A. Tobias
Summary: This study analyzed the rates of beak evolution in avian sister species and found that the rates of beak size evolution were similar across latitudes, while beak shape evolved faster in the temperate zone.
Article
Biology
Ken A. Thompson, Dolph Schluter
Summary: In contrast to ecological speciation, speciation by parallel natural selection has been less studied. This study leveraged the repeated evolution of benthic and limnetic ecotypes of threespine stickleback fish to investigate the fitness consequences of hybridization in different environments. The results showed heterosis and hybrid breakdown in both ecotypes, with differences observed between pond and aquarium settings.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Stephanie A. Blain, Louise Chavarie, Mackenzie H. Kinney, Dolph Schluter
Summary: This study experimentally investigated the role of frequency-dependent selection on maintaining an intermediate phenotype in a population of sticklebacks. The results suggest that this force might be relatively weak, and the population might be maintained at an intermediate phenotype through stabilizing or fluctuating directional selection.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Biology
Anthony J. Geneva, Sungdae Park, Dan G. Bock, Pietro L. H. de Mello, Fatih Sarigol, Marc Tollis, Colin M. Donihue, R. Graham Reynolds, Nathalie Feiner, Ashley M. Rasys, James D. Lauderdale, Sergio G. Minchey, Aaron J. Alcala, Carlos R. Infante, Jason J. Kolbe, Dolph Schluter, Douglas B. Menke, Jonathan B. Losos
Summary: Rapid technological improvements have made high-quality genome assemblies more accessible, allowing non-traditional and emerging model species to be studied at the genome level. This study presents a complete chromosome-scale genome assembly for the brown anole lizard, Anolis sagrei, and proposes a hypothesis for the evolutionary history of its sex chromosomes.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Marius Roesti, Jeffrey S. Groh, Stephanie A. Blain, Magnus Huss, Peter Rassias, Daniel I. Bolnick, Yoel E. Stuart, Catherine L. Peichel, Dolph Schluter
Summary: Species competing for resources commonly share predators. However, the effects of shared predation are still not well understood. In this study, we compared antipredator and trophic phenotypes between sympatric and allopatric populations of threespine stickleback and prickly sculpin fish that are all exposed to a trout predator. Our findings show that there is divergence in antipredator traits between the species, with stickleback exhibiting increased antipredator adaptations in sympatry and sculpin exhibiting decreased adaptations. The changes in feeding morphology, diet, and habitat use were primarily driven by stickleback evolution. These results suggest that asymmetric ecological character displacement indirectly influenced the vulnerability of stickleback and sculpin to shared predation, leading to divergence in antipredator traits between sympatric species.
Article
Ecology
Andreas Harer, Diana J. Rennison
Summary: Parallel evolution of host organisms is often accompanied by parallel changes of their associated microbial communities. However, quantitative approaches to studying microbiota parallelism have been rarely used. This study advocates for the use of multivariate vector analysis to quantify microbiota changes and provides an analytical framework for comparing host lineages. The results show that parallelism estimates are consistent with other statistical methods and might be stronger for microbiota function compared to taxonomic composition.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Andreas Haerer, Alexander A. Mauro, Telma G. Laurentino, Erica B. Rosenblum, Diana J. Rennison
Summary: This study investigates the gut microbiota of three lizard species in their ancestral-like habitat and two colonized habitats. The findings suggest that both the host species and the environment can shape the gut microbiota composition, with the host effects being stronger overall. It is also observed that colonization of the same environment by independent host species leads to parallel changes in the gut microbiota, while colonization of two distinct environments by the same host species results in gut microbiota divergence. Some of the gut microbiota changes are associated with dietary shifts accompanying colonization.
Article
Microbiology
Andreas Harer, Diana J. Rennison
Summary: Gut microbiota plays a crucial role in biological function of hosts and changes in response to environment. Parallel shifts in host trophic ecology are associated with greater gut microbiota parallelism. Functional redundancy among bacterial lineages might obscure the signature of adaptive gut microbiota changes.
