Search results for "evolution"
showing 10 items of 11096 documents
Data from: Virus epidemics can lead to a population-wide spread of intragenomic parasites in a previously parasite-free asexual population
2014
In a recent issue of Molecular Ecology the role of intragenomic parasites in maintaining sexual reproduction was both experimentally evaluated by Kraaijeveld et al. and discussed by Crespi and Schwander. The prevalence of sex is difficult to explain, due to its costs when compared with asexual reproduction. Yet, as reviewed by Crespi and Schwander, sex can be favorable in the presence of proliferating transposons. Transposons are similar to mutations, in that their integration to non-neutral loci is likely to have deleterious effects, and sexual recombination provides a potential mechanism to confine their accumulation.
Data from: Highly asymmetric fine-scale genetic structure between sexes of African striped mice and indication for condition dependent alternative ma…
2011
Sex-biased dispersal is observed in many taxa, but few studies have compared sex-biased dispersal among and within populations. We addressed the magnitude and habitat dependency of sex-biased dispersal in social African striped mice by separating group-related from population-related genetic variance to understand the contribution of each sex to deme structure. As dispersal over unoccupied habitat is likely to be more costly than dispersal within a population, we predicted that individuals leaving the natal population have a lower body condition, being inferior to heavier territorial individuals. Fine-scale genetic structure was detected in both sexes. Female relatedness decreased continuou…
Data from: Reciprocal interaction matrix reveals complex genetic and dose-dependent specificity among coinfecting parasites
2012
Understanding genetic specificity in factors determining the outcome of host-parasite interactions is especially important as it contributes to parasite epidemiology, virulence, and maintenance of genetic variation. Such specificity, however, is still generally poorly understood. We examined genetic specificity in interactions among coinfecting parasites. In natural populations, individual hosts are often simultaneously infected by multiple parasite species and genotypes that interact. Such interactions could maintain genetic variation in parasite populations if they are genetically specific so that the relative fitness of parasite genotypes varies across host individuals depending on (1) t…
Data from: Gene expression patterns associated with caste and reproductive status in ants: worker-specific genes are more derived than queen-specific…
2013
Variation in gene expression leads to phenotypic diversity and plays a central role in caste differentiation of eusocial insect species. In social Hymenoptera, females with the same genetic background can develop into queens or workers, which are characterized by divergent morphologies, behaviors and lifespan. Moreover, many social insects exhibit behaviorally distinct worker castes, such as brood-tenders and foragers. Researchers have just started to explore which genes are differentially expressed to achieve this remarkable phenotypic plasticity. Although the queen is normally the only reproductive individual in the nest, following her removal, young brood-tending workers often develop ov…
Data from: The joint evolution of the Myxozoa and their alternate hosts: a cnidarian recipe for success and vast biodiversity
2018
The relationships between parasites and their hosts are intimate, dynamic and complex; the evolution of one is inevitably linked to the other. Despite multiple origins of parasitism in the Cnidaria, only parasites belonging to the Myxozoa are characterized by a complex life cycle, alternating between fish and invertebrate hosts, as well as by exceptionally high species diversity. This inspired us to examine the history of reciprocal interactions and adaptive radiations in myxozoans and their hosts by determining the degree of congruence between their phylogenies and by timing the emergence of myxozoan lineages in relation to their hosts. Recent genomic analyses suggested a common origin of …
Data from: Sex in an uncertain world: environmental stochasticity helps restore competitive balance between sexually and asexually reproducing popula…
2014
Like many organisms, individuals of the freshwater ostracod species Eucypris virens can have either obligate sexual or asexual reproductive modes. Both types of individual routinely co-occur, including in the same temporary freshwater pond (their natural habitat in which they undergo seasonal diapause). Given the well-known two-fold cost of sex, this begs the question of how sexually reproducing individuals are able to co-exist with their asexual counterparts in spite of such overwhelming costs. Environmental stochasticity in the form of “false dawn” inundations (where the first hydration is ephemeral and causes loss of early hatching individuals) may provide an advantage to the sexual subp…
Data from: Sex allocation theory for facultatively sexual organisms inhabiting seasonal environments: the importance of bet-hedging
2018
Adaptive explanations for dormancy often invoke bet-hedging, where reduced mean fitness can be adaptive if it associates with reduced fitness variance. Sex allocation theory typically ignores variance effects and focuses on mean fitness. For many cyclical parthenogens, these themes become linked, as only sexually produced eggs undergo dormancy needed to survive harsh conditions. We ask how sex allocation and the timing of sex evolve when this constraint exists in the form of a trade-off between asexual reproduction and sexual production of dormant eggs — the former being crucial for within-season success, the latter for survival across seasons. We show that male production can be temporally…
Data from: Stable coexistence of genetically divergent Atlantic cod ecotypes at multiple spatial scales
2018
Coexistence in the same habitat of closely related yet genetically different populations is a phenomenon that challenges our understanding of local population structure and adaptation. Identifying the underlying mechanisms for such coexistence can yield new insight into adaptive evolution, diversification, and the potential for organisms to adapt and persist in response to a changing environment. Recent studies have documented cryptic, sympatric populations of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) in coastal areas. We analyzed genetic origin of 6483 individual cod sampled annually over 14 years from 125 locations along the Norwegian Skagerrak coast and document stable coexistence of two genetically d…
Data from: Black Queen evolution and trophic interactions determine plasmid survival after the disruption of conjugation network
2019
Mobile genetic elements such as conjugative plasmids are responsible for antibiotic resistant phenotypes in many bacterial pathogens. The ability to conjugate, the presence of antibiotics and ecological interactions all have a notable role in the persistence of plasmids in bacterial populations. Here, we set out to investigate the contribution of these factors when the conjugation network was disturbed by a plasmid-dependent bacteriophage. Phage alone effectively caused the population to lose plasmids, thus rendering them susceptible to antibiotics. Leakiness of the antibiotic resistance mechanism allowing Black Queen evolution (i.e. race to the bottom) was a more significant factor over an…
Data from: Do island plant populations really have lower genetic variation than mainland populations? Effects of selection and distribution range on …
2015
Ecological and evolutionary studies largely assume that island populations display low levels of neutral genetic variation. However, this notion has only been formally tested in a few cases involving plant taxa, and the confounding effect of selection on genetic diversity (GD) estimates based on putatively neutral markers has typically been overlooked. Here, we generated nuclear microsatellite and plastid DNA sequence data in Periploca laevigata, a plant taxon with an island-mainland distribution area, to (i) investigate whether selection affects GD estimates of populations across contrasting habitats and (ii) test the long-standing idea that island populations have lower GD than their main…