Clinal variation in fitness related traits in tropical drosophilids of the Indian subcontinent

Rajpurohit, Subhash; Nedvěd, Oldřich

doi:10.1016/j.jtherbio.2013.04.004

Cited by 23 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 65 publications

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“…Geographic clines in fitness traits and their interactions with climatic variables are well known (e.g., Rajpurohit & Nedved, ). To explore these interactions, we examined the relationship between desiccation tolerance and various climatic parameters (temperature and relative humidity) associated with the origin of the sampled populations.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatiotemporal dynamics and genome‐wide association analysis of desiccation tolerance in Drosophila melanogaster

et al. 2018

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Water availability is a major environmental challenge to a variety of terrestrial organisms. In insects, desiccation tolerance varies predictably over spatial and temporal scales and is an important physiological determinant of fitness in natural populations. Here, we examine the dynamics of desiccation tolerance in North American populations of Drosophila melanogaster using: (a) natural populations sampled across latitudes and seasons; (b) experimental evolution in field mesocosms over seasonal time; (c) genome-wide associations to identify SNPs/genes associated with variation for desiccation tolerance; and (d) subsequent analysis of patterns of clinal/seasonal enrichment in existing pooled sequencing data of populations sampled in both North America and Australia. A cline in desiccation tolerance was observed, for which tolerance exhibited a positive association with latitude; tolerance also varied predictably with culture temperature, demonstrating a significant degree of thermal plasticity. Desiccation tolerance evolved rapidly in field mesocosms, although only males showed differences in desiccation tolerance between spring and autumn collections from natural populations. Water loss rates did not vary significantly among latitudinal or seasonal populations; however, changes in metabolic rates during prolonged exposure to dry conditions are consistent with increased tolerance in higher latitude populations. Genome-wide associations in a panel of inbred lines identified twenty-five SNPs in twenty-one loci associated with sex-averaged desiccation tolerance, but there is no robust signal of spatially varying selection on genes associated with desiccation tolerance. Together, our results suggest that desiccation tolerance is a complex and important fitness component that evolves rapidly and predictably in natural populations.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatiotemporal dynamics and genome‐wide association analysis of desiccation tolerance in Drosophila melanogaster

et al. 2018

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“…1,2 Variation in fitness traits across these scales (clines) are often correlated with covarying environmental factors. [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] Many of these clines reflect evolutionary adaptive differentiation in response to different climates, while others reflect simple to complex aspects of demography. [17][18][19][20][21][22] The mechanistic basis of many clines remains elusive, and a major emphasis in the dissection of clines has been to understand how the observed variation in fitness-associated traits reflects the adaptive response to specific environmental conditions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Measuring thermal behavior in smaller insects: A case study in Drosophila melanogaster demonstrates effects of sex, geographic origin, and rearing temperature on adult behavior

Rajpurohit

Schmidt

2016

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Measuring thermal behavior in smaller insects is particularly challenging. In this study, we describe a new horizontal thermal gradient apparatus designed to study adult thermal behavior in small insects and apply it using D. melanogaster as a model and case study. Specifically, we used this apparatus and associated methodology to examine the effects of sex, geographic origin, and developmental rearing temperature on temperature preferences exhibited by adults in a controlled laboratory environment. The thermal gradient established by the apparatus was stable over diurnal and calendar time. Furthermore, the distribution of adult flies across thermal habitats within the apparatus remained stable following the period of acclimation, as evidenced by the high degree of repeatability across both biological and technical replicates. Our data demonstrate significant and predictable variation in temperature preference for all 3 assayed variables. Behaviorally, females were more sensitive than males to higher temperatures. Flies originating from high latitude, temperate populations exhibited a greater preference for cooler temperatures; conversely, flies originating from low latitude, tropical habitats demonstrated a relative preference for higher temperatures. Similarly, larval rearing temperature was positively associated with adult thermal behavior: low culture temperatures increased the relative adult preference for cooler temperatures, and this response was distinct between the sexes and for flies from the temperate and subtropical geographic regions. Together, these results demonstrate that the temperature chamber apparatus elicits robust, predictable, and quantifiable thermal preference behavior that could readily be applied to other taxa to examine the role of temperature-mediated behavior in a variety of contexts.

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“…The association between starvation resistance and pigmentation has been observed among populations in India (Parkash and Munjal, 2000), where many traits are reported to correlate with latitude (reviewed in Rajpurohit and Nedved, 2013). Body darkness and latitude show a positive correlation, whereas starvation resistance and Miyagi et al (2015).…”

Section: Physiological Traits Associated With Pigmentationmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Also, the "thermal budget (melanism) hypothesis" suggests a relationship between body color and thermoregulation (reviewed in Clusella Trullas et al, 2007). Although Drosophila may be too small to effectively control body temperature by its color (Willmer and Unwin, 1981), recent studies suggest that temperature is a significant predictor of body pigmentation differences (Rajpurohit and Nedved, 2013;Bastide et al, 2014). Since these environmental factors fluctuate seasonally and annually, the phenotype with the highest fitness may vary to a large extent.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors underlying natural variation in body pigmentation of <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i>

et al. 2016

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Molecular mechanisms underlying standing genetic variation of an ecologically relevant trait such as pigmentation trait variation in a model insect, Drosophila melanogaster, are relevant to our understanding of different kinds of intergenomic interactions. In this study, we focused on the association between body pigmentation and stress resistance, and on genotype-by-environment interaction, both of which are likely to contribute to the persistence of phenotypic variation in a natural population. First, we detected a significant association between pigmentation traits in females and starvation resistance (darker strains were weaker) and a weak association between pigmentation and chill coma recovery time (darker strains showed shorter recovery time) among 20 inbred strains from the Drosophila melanogaster Genetic Reference Panel (DGRP), which originated from a natural population in North America. These associations revealed a complex relationship between body pigmentation and physiological traits that may give rise to balanced selective forces acting on the traits under fluctuating environmental conditions. Second, using four of the DGRP strains, a substantial degree of genotype (strain) × environment (rearing temperature) interaction was detected among expression levels of the genes encoding effector enzymes in the melanin biosynthesis pathway. These interactions can potentially reduce the efficiency of purifying selection on the pigmentation traits over a wide range of temperature conditions. Finally, we discuss possible mechanisms that contribute to the maintenance of the standing pigmentation variation in this species.

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Clinal variation in fitness related traits in tropical drosophilids of the Indian subcontinent

Cited by 23 publications

References 65 publications

Spatiotemporal dynamics and genome‐wide association analysis of desiccation tolerance in Drosophila melanogaster

Spatiotemporal dynamics and genome‐wide association analysis of desiccation tolerance in Drosophila melanogaster

Measuring thermal behavior in smaller insects: A case study in Drosophila melanogaster demonstrates effects of sex, geographic origin, and rearing temperature on adult behavior

Factors underlying natural variation in body pigmentation of <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i>

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