Article
Biology
S. E. Evans, E. Zandona, J. Ribeiro Amaral, S. W. Fitzpatrick
Summary: This study investigated the changes in gut microbiomes of translocated fish populations. It found that changes in environmental conditions and phenotypic shifts in gut morphology were the main factors driving the shift in microbiome composition. After 30-60 years in new environments, the microbiome composition remained distinct from native populations, but the microbiome function did not change. Stream and drainage-specific signatures were observed for both composition and function. This study highlights the importance of considering environmental microbial colonization, host phenotypic plasticity, and realistic environmental conditions in understanding host-microbiome evolution in the wild.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Biology
Thomas M. Houslay, Ryan L. Earley, Stephen J. White, Wiebke Lammers, Andrew J. Grimmer, Laura M. Travers, Elizabeth L. Johnson, Andrew J. Young, Alastair Wilson
Summary: The vertebrate stress response, which comprises a suite of behavioural and physiological traits, is functionally integrated and genetically correlated. A study on Trinidadian guppies shows that the acute stress response components are heritable and integrated on a major axis of genetic covariation. This integration could either facilitate or constrain evolutionary responses to selection. Artificial selection on genetically correlated behavioural responses to stress may offer a non-invasive route to improve health and welfare in captive animal populations.
Article
Ecology
Mayuko Kawamoto, Yuu Ishii, Masakado Kawata
Summary: This study investigates the genetic basis of orange spot formation in guppies, a model organism for sexual selection research. Through RNA-seq analysis, it was found that orange spots in male guppies might be formed by secondary differentiation of xanthophores induced by specific signaling pathways. The study also identified candidate genes associated with the areas and saturation levels of orange spots, providing insights into the genetic and cellular regulatory mechanisms underlying sexual ornamentation.
BMC ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Karen Portilla, Elizabeth Velarde, Tania Ona, Ellen Decaestecker, Franco Teixeira de Mello, Koenraad Muylaert
Summary: This study investigated the behavioral response of the local Daphnia pulex in the high-elevation shallow Lake Yahuarcocha in Peru to an exotic submerged macrophyte and an exotic fish. The results showed that Daphnia pulex strongly avoided the macrophyte, indicating that it does not provide refuge from fish predation.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Sarah W. Fitzpatrick, Cinnamon Mittan-Moreau, Madison Miller, Jessica M. Judson
Summary: Restoring gene flow among fragmented populations through assisted migration can be a powerful strategy to reduce inbreeding depression and genetic rescue. However, the use of this strategy remains limited in conservation, highlighting the need for increased consideration in managing fragmented populations. Our evaluation of federally threatened or endangered vertebrate species in the United States determined that a majority of these species are good candidates for assisted migration for genetic rescue.
JOURNAL OF HEREDITY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Xiao-Dan Chen, Jia Yang, Yu-Fan Guo, Yue-Mei Zhao, Tao Zhou, Xiao Zhang, Miao-Miao Ju, Zhong-Hu Li, Gui-Fang Zhao
Summary: Oak trees in China show genetic differentiation influenced by geographical and climatic factors, resulting in two main genetic clusters. The study suggests that these genetic differences potentially originated in the late Pliocene and genetic admixture occurred around 53.76 thousand years ago.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Cassandra M. Miller-Butterworth, Duane R. Diefenbach, Jessie E. Edson, Leslie A. Hansen, James D. Jordan, Tess M. Gingery, Amy L. Russell
Summary: Among felids worldwide, only 6 out of 38 species have stable or increasing populations, with most felid species threatened by anthropogenic influences. A study comparing bobcat populations on Cumberland Island and Kiawah Island in the USA found that a reintroduced population experienced a decline in genetic diversity, leading to increased risk of extinction. Population viability analysis suggested that translocations could help stabilize genetic diversity and reduce extinction risk in the long term.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Pamela M. Prentice, Alex Thornton, Niclas Kolm, Alastair J. Wilson
Summary: Individual variation in cognitive traits is necessary for natural selection and may result from complex interactions between genetic and environmental factors.
JOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jingcheng Zhang, Nan Shen, Chuang Li, Xingjie Xiang, Gaolei Liu, Ying Gui, Sean Patev, David S. Hibbett, Kerrie Barry, William Andreopoulos, Anna Lipzen, Robert Riley, Guifen He, Mi Yan, Igor V. Grigoriev, Hoi Shan Kwan, Man Kit Cheung, Yinbing Bian, Yang Xiao
Summary: This study analyzed the population structure and demographic history of 133 Lentinula edodes strains, uncovered the genetic basis of adaptive evolution, and determined the involvement of genes related to fruiting body development in adaptive evolution.
JOURNAL OF ADVANCED RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Agronomy
Rui Yang, Xi Liang, Daniel G. Strawn
Summary: To reduce the transfer of cadmium to the food chain, it is important to select wheat germplasm with low cadmium accumulation and develop management practices that decrease cadmium uptake. This study investigated variations in cadmium accumulation, translocation, and distribution in two wheat cultivars in response to cadmium stress and supplemental silicon. The results showed that supplemental silicon reduced cadmium uptake and accumulation, and the differences in cadmium accumulation between the wheat cultivars were related to cadmium translocation and subcellular distribution.
Article
Biology
Himani Sachdeva, Oluwafunmilola Olusanya, Nick Barton
Summary: This study examines how migration from a mainland to an island influences genetic load and population numbers. The analysis reveals that the effects of migration depend on the total mutation target and fitness effects of deleterious variants. When variants are partially recessive, populations exhibit a genetic Allee effect, cycling between low-load and high-load states. Increased migration reduces load in the high-load state but inflates load in the low-load state.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Joseph P. Zilko, Dan Harley, Alexandra Pavlova, Paul Sunnucks
Summary: Genetic rescue can reduce the extinction risk of inbred populations, with the risk of genetic swamping. Simulation results suggest that translocating highland possums into lowland populations can rapidly increase population size, alleviate inbreeding depression, but may reduce the frequency of locally unique alleles.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
J. Wallen, K. Noren, A. Angerbjoern, N. E. Eide, A. Landa, O. Flagstad
Summary: Translocations are a widespread approach to conserve threatened populations. The success of translocations is dependent on factors such as demographic and genetic status, habitat quality, and animal behavior. This study examines the translocation of arctic foxes in Norway and finds that the effects of the translocation are context-dependent and pose challenges for small populations and unoccupied sites.
ANIMAL CONSERVATION
(2023)
Letter
Evolutionary Biology
Eva L. Koch, Hernan E. Morales, Jenny Larsson, Anja M. Westram, Rui Faria, Alan R. Lemmon, E. Moriarty Lemmon, Kerstin Johannesson, Roger K. Butlin
Summary: Chromosomal inversions play a key role in local adaptation by preserving coadapted gene complexes and protecting them from gene flow. The marine snail Littorina saxatilis is an ideal study system to investigate the associations between genomic regions and traits under divergent selection. Some inversions influence multiple traits, suggesting they contain multiple loci involved in adaptation.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Roxane Lassis, Marco Festa-Bianchet, Joanie Van de Walle, Fanie Pelletier
Summary: In terrestrial and marine ecosystems, migrants from protected areas may mitigate the evolutionary consequences of selective harvest in exploited populations. Understanding the mechanisms favoring genetic rescue through migration is important for sustainable harvest and conservation of genetic diversity.
EVOLUTIONARY APPLICATIONS
(2023)
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
Ecology
Isabela L. Borges, Jillian C. Dangerfield, Lisa M. Angeloni, W. Chris Funk, Sarah W. Fitzpatrick
Summary: This study used spatially explicit data from a multi-generational study of Trinidadian guppies along with pedigrees to investigate the relationship between dispersal and reproduction. The results showed a positive correlation between dispersal propensity and distance with number of mates and number of offspring, especially for males, and highlighted individual and environmental variation in dispersal influenced by factors such as sex, size, season, and stream.
Article
Ecology
Monica Paez-Vacas, Daryl R. Trumbo, W. Chris Funk
Summary: The study examined phenotypic and genetic divergence in 35 populations of Epipedobates anthonyi poison frogs along elevational gradients in the Ecuadorian Andes. Despite low genetic divergence, phenotypic divergence was observed and explained by landscape resistance and environmental differences, suggesting both isolation-by-resistance and isolation-by-environment mechanisms. Environmental variation has a dual effect on population divergence, affecting gene flow and selective pressures on phenotypic traits.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Maybellene P. Gamboa, Cameron K. Ghalambor, Terence Scott Sillett, Scott A. Morrison, William Chris Funk
Summary: This study investigated the effects of genetic isolation and environmental selection on thermoregulatory traits in song sparrows. By analyzing neutral and divergent SNPs, distinct population structure by island and strong support for local adaptation were found. The results suggest that divergent selection across an island archipelago results in genomic changes in traits associated with climate adaptation.
Article
Ecology
Nicholas M. Fountain-Jones, Simona Kraberger, Roderick B. Gagne, Marie L. J. Gilbertson, Daryl R. Trumbo, Michael Charleston, Patricia E. Salerno, W. Chris Funk, Kevin Crooks, Kenneth Logan, Mathew Alldredge, Simon Dellicour, Guy Baele, Xavier Didelot, Sue VandeWoude, Scott Carver, Meggan E. Craft
Summary: This study investigates the effects of hunting on the dynamics of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) in puma. The results show that stopping hunting disrupts male social structure and leads to changes in viral transmission and evolution. These findings highlight the importance of wildlife management in controlling pathogen dynamics.
NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2022)
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
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
John A. Kronenberger, Taylor M. Wilcox, Daniel H. Mason, Thomas W. Franklin, Kevin S. McKelvey, Michael K. Young, Michael K. Schwartz
Summary: Environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling is a sensitive and cost-effective technique for wildlife monitoring. This study used SYBR Green and TaqMan hydrolysis probes to test 10 qPCR assays and trained random forest classifiers to predict amplification. The models achieved high accuracy in cross-validation and independent tests, making it easier for practitioners to develop specific assays.
MOLECULAR ECOLOGY RESOURCES
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Bennett M. Hardy, Erin Muths, Bradley A. Lambert, Scott C. Schneider, W. Chris Funk, Larissa L. Bailey
Summary: Understanding the causes of population variation in host response to disease, and the mechanisms of persistence, can serve as vital information for species conservation. One such mechanism of population persistence that has gained support is the demographic process of compensatory recruitment. However, high-elevation populations may be limited in their ability to exhibit compensatory recruitment relative to lower elevation populations.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Sean Hoban, Michael W. Bruford, Jessica M. da Silva, W. Chris Funk, Richard Frankham, Michael J. Gill, Catherine E. Grueber, Myriam Heuertz, Margaret E. Hunter, Francine Kershaw, Robert C. Lacy, Caroline Lees, Margarida Lopes-Fernandes, Anna J. MacDonald, Alicia Mastretta-Yanes, Philip J. K. McGowan, Mariah H. Meek, Joachim Mergeay, Katie L. Millette, Cinnamon S. Mittan-Moreau, Laetitia M. Navarro, David O'Brien, Rob Ogden, Gernot Segelbacher, Ivan Paz-Vinas, Cristiano Vernesi, Linda Laikre
Summary: The goals and targets of the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) have evolved to include maintaining genetic diversity, restoring genetic connectivity, developing national conservation strategies, and reporting on these using feasible indicators.
CONSERVATION GENETICS
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Patricia E. Salerno, Lauren M. Chan, Gregory B. Pauly, W. Chris Funk, Jeanne M. Robertson
Summary: This study combines phylogenetic analyses with fossil data and historical specimen records to investigate the colonization histories and evolutionary processes of lizards inhabiting a near-shore island archipelago. The results suggest that the evolution of some lizard lineages has been influenced by ancient and contemporary human activity, while others are shaped by natural dispersal and vicariance caused by sea-level rise.
JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2023)
Review
Evolutionary Biology
Sheela P. Turbek, W. Chris Funk, Kristen C. Ruegg
Summary: Conservation units are essential for prioritizing areas for protection, but current methods often ignore the information contained in patterns of isolation by distance for continuously distributed species. This paper highlights potential problems and proposes a new framework for identifying conservation units in all organisms.
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
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
John A. Erwin, Kenneth A. Logan, Daryl R. Trumbo, W. Chris Funk, Melanie Culver
Summary: This study investigated the effects of hunting on reproduction and genetic diversity in a puma population. The presence of hunting reduced the age of male breeders and decreased the number of unique fathers siring litters. Hunting also increased relatedness among males and decreased relatedness among females in the population, as well as decreased genetic diversity.
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.