Search results for "APT"

Plant stress biology in epigenomic era.

2020

Recent progress in "omics" methodologies allow us to gain insight into the complex molecular regulatory networks underlying plant responses to environmental stresses. Among the different genome-wide analysis, epigenomics is the most under-investigated "omic" approach requiring more critical and speculative discussion about approaches, methods and experimental designs. Epigenomics allows us to gain insight into the molecular adaptation of plants in response to environmental stresses. The identification of epigenetic marks transmitted during filial generations enables new theories to be developed on the evolution of living organisms in relation to environmental changes. The molecular mechanis…

Ecological plant epigenetics: Evidence from model and non-model species, and the way forward

2017

Growing evidence shows that epigenetic mechanisms contribute to complex traits, with implications across many fields of biology. In plant ecology, recent studies have attempted to merge ecological experiments with epigenetic analyses to elucidate the contribution of epigenetics to plant phenotypes, stress responses, adaptation to habitat, and range distributions. While there has been some progress in revealing the role of epigenetics in ecological processes, studies with non-model species have so far been limited to describing broad patterns based on anonymous markers of DNA methylation. In contrast, studies with model species have benefited from powerful genomic resources, which contribute…

Understanding processes at the origin of species flocks with a focus on the marine Antarctic fauna

2017

Species flocks (SFs) fascinate evolutionary biologists who wonder whether such striking diversification can be driven by normal evolutionary processes. Multiple definitions of SFs have hindered the study of their origins. Previous studies identified a monophyletic taxon as a SF if it displays high speciosity in an area in which it is endemic (criterion 1), high ecological diversity among species (criterion 2), and if it dominates the habitat in terms of biomass (criterion 3); we used these criteria in our analyses. Our starting hypothesis is that normal evolutionary processes may provide a sufficient explanation for most SFs. We thus clearly separate each criterion and identify which biolog…

Microbial symbionts expanding or constraining abiotic niche space in insects

2020

In addition to their well-studied contributions to their host’s nutrition, digestion, and defense, microbial symbionts of insects are increasingly found to affect their host’s response toward abiotic stressors. In particular, symbiotic microbes can reduce or enhance tolerance to temperature extremes, improve desiccation resistance by aiding cuticle biosynthesis and sclerotization, and detoxify heavy metals. As such, individual symbionts or microbial communities can expand or constrain the abiotic niche space of their host and determine its adaptability to fluctuating environments. In light of the increasing impact of humans on climate and environment, a better understanding of host-microbe …

Evolutionary rescue at different rates of environmental change is affected by trade-offs between short-term performance and long-term survival.

2021

As climate change accelerates and habitats free from anthropogenic impacts diminish, populations are forced to migrate or to adapt quickly. Evolutionary rescue (ER) is a phenomenon, in which a population is able to avoid extinction through adaptation. ER is considered to be more likely at slower rates of environmental change. However, the effects of correlated characters on evolutionary rescue are seldom explored yet correlated characters could play a major role in ER. We tested how evolutionary background in different fluctuating environments and the rate of environmental change affect the probability of ER by exposing populations of the bacteria Serratia marcescens to two different rates …

Transcriptomic responses to environmental change in fishes: Insights from RNA sequencing

2017

The need to better understand how plasticity and evolution affect organismal responses to environmental variability is paramount in the face of global climate change. The potential for using RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to study complex responses by non-model organisms to the environment is evident in a rapidly growing body of literature. This is particularly true of fishes for which research has been motivated by their ecological importance, socioeconomic value, and increased use as model species for medical and genetic research. Here, we review studies that have used RNA-seq to study transcriptomic responses to continuous abiotic variables to which fishes have likely evolved a response and th…

2018

Rapid environmental fluctuations are ubiquitous in the wild, yet majority of experimental studies mostly consider effects of slow fluctuations on organism. To test the evolutionary consequences of fast fluctuations, we conducted nine independent experimental evolution experiments with bacteria. Experimental conditions were same for all species, and we allowed them to evolve either in fluctuating temperature alternating rapidly between 20°C and 40°C or at constant 30°C temperature. After experimental evolution, we tested the performance of the clones in both rapid fluctuation and in constant environments (20°C, 30°C and 40°C). Results from experiments on these nine species were combined meta…

Successive Losses of Central Immune Genes Characterize the Gadiformes' Alternate Immunity.

2016

Great genetic variability among teleost immunomes, with gene losses and expansions of central adaptive and innate components, has been discovered through genome sequencing over the last few years. Here, we demonstrate that the innate Myxovirus resistance gene (Mx) is lost from the ancestor of Gadiformes and the closely related Stylephorus chordatus, thus predating the loss of Major Histocompatibility Complex class II (MHCII) in Gadiformes. Although the functional implication of Mx loss is still unknown, we demonstrate that this loss is one of several ancient events appearing in successive order throughout the evolution of teleost immunity. In particular, we find that the loss of Toll-like r…

A roadmap for understanding the evolutionary significance of structural genomic variation

2020

Author's accepted manuscript Structural genomic variants (SVs) take diverse forms and are ubiquitous drivers of ecological and evolutionary processes. Most studies of SVs focus on the adaptive significance of gene duplications and large inversions. Future studies should catalog SVs of all types and sizes and systematically test their evolutionary implications. We propose a roadmap and definitions for the study of SVs in ecological and evolutionary genomics. Best practices for SV detection are needed to facilitate comparisons across studies. Integrating population genomic, theoretical, and experimental approaches to SVs will more comprehensively characterize genomic variation, uncover the ad…

Very high MHC Class IIB diversity without spatial differentiation in the mediterranean population of greater Flamingos.

2017

WOS: 000397335400001