An island‐hopping bird reveals how founder events shape genome‐wide divergence

Sendell‐Price, Ashley T.; Ruegg, Kristen; Robertson, Bruce C.; Clegg, Sonya M.

doi:10.1111/mec.15898

Cited by 30 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 110 publications

(173 reference statements)

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“…The current size distribution of rodents on islands seems to be a result of multiple mechanisms (such as genetic adaptation and plasticity) that occurred since isolation, approximately 60 years ago. When populations colonize new habitats, both selection and drift can be experienced due to novel circumstances and founder events (Sendell‐Price et al., 2021). Populations that responded quickly to habitat changes, whether through evolution or phenotypic plasticity, may have a higher chance of survival in the face of rapid anthropogenic habitat fragmentation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rapid morphological change in a small mammal species after habitat fragmentation over the past half‐century

Dirzo

Wang

et al. 2021

Diversity and Distributions

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AimTo compare the rapid shifts in body size of mainland and island populations of a native rodent and examine the mechanisms underlying these changes.LocationThousand Island Lake, China, which was created in 1959 when the Xin'anjiang Dam was constructed for generating hydroelectricity.TaxonThe Chinese white‐bellied rat,Niviventer confucianus.MethodsField surveys were conducted from 2015 to 2018 to collect data on body size of the rodents from a set of islands and nearby mainland sites. We constructed multiple linear models to examine the relationships between body size (length and mass) of rodents and biological variables (predators, competitors and food availability). We also conducted structural equation modelling (SEM) by constructing models via confirmatory path analysis.ResultsAll island populations ofN.confucianushad significantly larger body size (both body mass and body length) than their mainland counterparts. Moreover, populations on small and more isolated islands had larger body size than their relatives on big islands. The relative absence of predators (large‐bodied mammals, snakes and raptors) on islands was most strongly associated with shifts in the body size of rodents. The documented changes occurred after only a half‐century of fragmentation.Main conclusionsThe observed rapid body enlargement of rodents after habitat fragmentation is consistent with a release from predation pressure. SEM indicated that island area, rather than island isolation, had positive effects on the abundance of predators, interspecific competitors and food resources, which then had an indirect impact on body size of the rodents. In this study, we report a remarkably rapid case of mammal morphological shifts in a small mammal in response to habitat fragmentation. Given the omnipresence of dams and other anthropogenic disturbances, our findings suggest that a wave of rapid phenotypic shifts in terrestrial vertebrates is taking place in the Anthropocene.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rapid morphological change in a small mammal species after habitat fragmentation over the past half‐century

Dirzo

Wang

et al. 2021

Diversity and Distributions

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Uncovering the ecological and evolutionary forces that drive variation in genetic diversity within and among populations across a species' range is important for understanding biological processes of basic and applied interest. Factors such as historical conditions (e.g., phylogeography and population structure), environmental conditions (e.g., adaptation to local climate), and stochastic processes (e.g., genetic drift and founder events) may contribute to patterns of genetic variation in a species (Bellis et al, 2020;Levicoy et al, 2021;Sendell-Price et al, 2021). For parasites, such studies take on an additional level of complexity, as parasite evolution is influenced by its dependence on the host and by issues such as host demography, parasite epidemiology, and coevolutionary interactions between hosts and parasites .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Demographic history shapes genomic variation in an intracellular parasite with a wide geographic distribution

Angst

Ebert

Fields

2021

Preprint

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Analyzing variation in a species’ genomic diversity can provide insights into its historical demography, biogeography and population structure, and thus, its ecology and evolution. Although such studies are rarely undertaken for parasites, they can be highly revealing because of the parasite’s coevolutionary relationships with hosts. Modes of reproduction and transmission are thought to be strong determinants of genomic diversity for parasites and vary widely among microsporidia (fungal-related intracellular parasites), which are known to have high intraspecific genetic diversity and interspecific variation in genome architecture. Here we explore genomic variation in the microsporidium Hamiltosporidium, a parasite of the freshwater crustacean Daphnia magna, looking especially at which factors contribute to nucleotide variation. Genomic samples from 18 Eurasian populations and a new, long-read based reference genome were used to determine the roles that reproduction mode, transmission mode and geography play in determining population structure and demographic history. We demonstrate two main H. tvaerminnensis lineages and a pattern of isolation-by-distance, but note an absence of congruence between these two parasite lineages and the two Eurasian host lineages. We suggest a comparatively recent parasite spread through Northern Eurasian host populations after a change from vertical to mixed-mode transmission and the loss of sexual reproduction. While gaining knowledge about the ecology and evolution of this focal parasite, we also identify common features that shape variation in genomic diversity for many parasites, e.g., distinct modes of reproduction and the intertwining of host–parasite demographies.

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“…Uncovering the ecological and evolutionary forces that drive variation in genetic diversity within and among populations across a species’ range is important for understanding biological processes of basic and applied interest. Factors such as historical conditions (e.g., phylogeography and population structure), environmental conditions (e.g., adaptation to local climate) and stochastic processes (e.g., genetic drift and founder events) may contribute to patterns of genetic variation in a species (Bellis et al, 2020; Levicoy et al, 2021; Sendell‐Price et al, 2021). For parasites, such studies take on an additional level of complexity, as parasite evolution is influenced by its dependence on the host and by issues such as host demography, parasite epidemiology, and co‐evolutionary interactions between hosts and parasites (Ebert & Fields, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Demographic history shapes genomic variation in an intracellular parasite with a wide geographical distribution

2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Analysing variation in a species’ genomic diversity can provide insights into its historical demography, biogeography and population structure, and thus its ecology and evolution. Although such studies are rarely undertaken for parasites, they can be highly revealing because of the parasite's co‐evolutionary relationships with hosts. Modes of reproduction and transmission are thought to be strong determinants of genomic diversity for parasites and vary widely among microsporidia (fungal‐related intracellular parasites), which are known to have high intraspecific genetic diversity and interspecific variation in genome architecture. Here we explore genomic variation in the microsporidium Hamiltosporidium, a parasite of the freshwater crustacean Daphnia magna, looking especially at which factors contribute to nucleotide variation. Genomic samples from 18 Eurasian populations and a new, long‐read‐based reference genome were used to determine the roles that reproduction mode, transmission mode and geography play in determining population structure and demographic history. We demonstrate two main Hamiltosporidium tvaerminnensis lineages and a pattern of isolation‐by‐distance, but note an absence of congruence between these two parasite lineages and the two Eurasian host lineages. We suggest a comparatively recent parasite spread through Northern Eurasian host populations after a change from vertical to mixed‐mode transmission and the loss of sexual reproduction. While gaining knowledge about the ecology and evolution of this focal parasite, we also identify common features that shape variation in genomic diversity for many parasites, such as distinct modes of reproduction and the intertwining of host–parasite demographies.

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An island‐hopping bird reveals how founder events shape genome‐wide divergence

Cited by 30 publications

References 110 publications

Rapid morphological change in a small mammal species after habitat fragmentation over the past half‐century

Rapid morphological change in a small mammal species after habitat fragmentation over the past half‐century

Demographic history shapes genomic variation in an intracellular parasite with a wide geographic distribution

Demographic history shapes genomic variation in an intracellular parasite with a wide geographical distribution

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