Calcium and salinity as selective factors in plate morph evolution of the three‐spined stickleback (<i><scp>G</scp>asterosteus aculeatus</i>)

Spence, Rowena; Wootton, R. J.; Przybylski, Mirosław; Zięba, Grzegorz; MacDonald, Ken; Smith, Carl

doi:10.1111/j.1420-9101.2012.02585.x

Cited by 31 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…At low calcium concentrations, the growth of completely plated fish is inhibited, while the growth of unplated fish is unaffected (Spence et al . ). Consistent with this observation, stickleback morph distribution coincides with levels of dissolved calcium across a natural environmental calcium gradient (Spence et al .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Responses to simulated winter conditions differ between threespine stickleback ecotypes

2016

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Abiotic factors can act as barriers to colonization and drive local adaptation. During colonization, organisms may cope with changes in abiotic factors using existing phenotypic plasticity, but the role of phenotypic plasticity in assisting or hindering the process of local adaptation remains unclear. To address these questions, we explore the role of winter conditions in driving divergence during freshwater colonization and the effects of plasticity on local adaptation in ancestral marine and derived freshwater ecotypes of threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus). We found that freshwater-resident stickleback had greater tolerance of acute exposure to low temperatures than marine stickleback, but these differences were abolished after acclimation to simulated winter conditions (9L:15D photoperiod at 4 °C). Plasma chloride levels differed between the ecotypes, but showed a similar degree of plasticity between ecotypes. Gene expression of the epithelial calcium channel (ECaC) differed between ecotypes, with the freshwater ecotype demonstrating substantially greater expression than the marine ecotype, but there was no plasticity in this trait under these conditions in either ecotype. In contrast, growth (assessed as final mass) and the expression of an isoform of the electroneutral Na(+)/H(+) exchanger (NHE3) exhibited substantial change with temperature in the marine ecotype that was not observed in the freshwater ecotype under the conditions tested here, which is consistent with evolution of these traits by a process such as genetic assimilation. These data demonstrate substantial divergence in many of these traits between freshwater and marine stickleback, but also illustrate the complexity of possible relationships between plasticity and local adaptation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Responses to simulated winter conditions differ between threespine stickleback ecotypes

2016

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“…Calcium levels are likely to have been a selective factor during the colonization of fresh water by stickleback (Spence et al . , ), as low levels of environmental calcium have been shown to inhibit the growth of completely plated stickleback more than the growth of low plated stickleback (Spence et al . ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…, ), as low levels of environmental calcium have been shown to inhibit the growth of completely plated stickleback more than the growth of low plated stickleback (Spence et al . ). The NKA plays an important role in generating the electrochemical gradients that are necessary for uptake of ions in fresh water (Hwang et al .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gene expression plasticity in response to salinity acclimation in threespine stickleback ecotypes from different salinity habitats

et al. 2017

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Phenotypic plasticity is thought to facilitate the colonization of novel environments and shape the direction of evolution in colonizing populations. However, the relative prevalence of various predicted patterns of changes in phenotypic plasticity following colonization remains unclear. Here, we use a whole-transcriptome approach to characterize patterns of gene expression plasticity in the gills of a freshwater-adapted and a saltwater-adapted ecotype of threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) exposed to a range of salinities. The response of the gill transcriptome to environmental salinity had a large shared component common to both ecotypes (2159 genes) with significant enrichment of genes involved in transmembrane ion transport and the restructuring of the gill epithelium. This transcriptional response to freshwater acclimation is induced at salinities below two parts per thousand. There was also differentiation in gene expression patterns between ecotypes (2515 genes), particularly in processes important for changes in the gill structure and permeability. Only 508 genes that differed between ecotypes also responded to salinity and no specific processes were enriched among this gene set, and an even smaller number (87 genes) showed evidence of changes in the extent of the response to salinity acclimation between ecotypes. No pattern of relative expression dominated among these genes, suggesting that neither gains nor losses of plasticity dominated the changes in expression patterns between the ecotypes. These data demonstrate that multiple patterns of changes in gene expression plasticity can occur following colonization of novel habitats.

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“…This threshold would also explain why there were no polymorphic populations detected in North Uist, but rather a bimodal distribution of populations of low and minimal morphs. A central role of calcium in driving morphological selection is probably limited to exceptionally calcium poor environments, as adequate quantities of calcium can usually be obtained by sticklebacks in their diet or from the surrounding water (Spence et al 2012). …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecological causes of morphological evolution in the three‐spined stickleback

Spence

Wootton

Barber

et al. 2013

Ecology and Evolution

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The central assumption of evolutionary theory is that natural selection drives the adaptation of populations to local environmental conditions, resulting in the evolution of adaptive phenotypes. The three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) displays remarkable phenotypic variation, offering an unusually tractable model for understanding the ecological mechanisms underpinning adaptive evolutionary change. Using populations on North Uist, Scotland we investigated the role of predation pressure and calcium limitation on the adaptive evolution of stickleback morphology and behavior. Dissolved calcium was a significant predictor of plate and spine morph, while predator abundance was not. Stickleback latency to emerge from a refuge varied with morph, with populations with highly reduced plates and spines and high predation risk less bold. Our findings support strong directional selection in three-spined stickleback evolution, driven by multiple selective agents.

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Calcium and salinity as selective factors in plate morph evolution of the three‐spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus)

Cited by 31 publications

References 61 publications

Responses to simulated winter conditions differ between threespine stickleback ecotypes

Responses to simulated winter conditions differ between threespine stickleback ecotypes

Gene expression plasticity in response to salinity acclimation in threespine stickleback ecotypes from different salinity habitats

Ecological causes of morphological evolution in the three‐spined stickleback

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