Environmental stress correlates with increases in both genetic and residual variances: A meta-analysis of animal studies

Rowiński, Piotr K.; Rogell, Björn

doi:10.1111/evo.13201

Cited by 78 publications

(111 citation statements)

References 100 publications

(160 reference statements)

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“…An increase in the strength of additive genetic (co)variance in poorer environments might occur because stressful environments induce effects of alleles that are suppressed under normal conditions and increase the expression of cryptic genetic (co)variance (McGuigan and Sgro ; Paaby and Rockman ). Our results, which show opposite trends to those found in previous research, might also imply that the effect of stress on genetic covariances varies as a function of the trait type (e.g., Rowiński and Rogell ). As discussed above, we suggest that the strength of genetic covariances among traits subject to the asset protection principle (Clark ) can be stronger in a favorable environment.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

Protein deprivation facilitates the independent evolution of behavior and morphology

2019

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Ecological conditions such as nutrition can change genetic covariances between traits and accelerate or slow down trait evolution. As adaptive trait correlations can become maladaptive following rapid environmental change, poor or stressful environments are expected to weaken genetic covariances, thereby increasing the opportunity for independent evolution of traits. Here, we demonstrate the differences in genetic covariance among multiple behavioral and morphological traits (exploration, aggression, and body weight) between southern field crickets (Gryllus bimaculatus) raised in favorable (free‐choice) versus stressful (protein‐deprived) nutritional environments. We also quantify the extent to which differences in genetic covariance structures contribute to the potential for the independent evolution of these traits. We demonstrate that protein‐deprived environments tend to increase the potential for traits to evolve independently, which is caused by genetic covariances that are significantly weaker for crickets raised on protein‐deprived versus free‐choice diets. The weakening effects of stressful environments on genetic covariances tended to be stronger in males than in females. The weakening of the genetic covariance between traits under stressful nutritional environments was expected to facilitate the opportunity for adaptive evolution across generations. Therefore, the multivariate gene‐by‐environment interactions revealed here may facilitate behavioral and morphological adaptations to rapid environmental change.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

Protein deprivation facilitates the independent evolution of behavior and morphology

2019

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“…These less variable climate conditions contribute to low intraspecific variability of traits in a species’ environmental optimum (Albert et al, 2010). Accordingly, the lowland populations of A. montana with higher climate variability (e.g., with higher temperatures and a heterogeneous precipitation regime) showed a higher variability of traits than upland populations, triggered by phenotypic adjustments of these traits (Rowiński & Rogell, 2017⁠⁠; Woods et al, 1999). This stresses their hereby revealed adaptive capacity to buffer negative impacts of climate change (Luo et al, 2019; Wellstein et al, 2013).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Summer aridity rather than management shapes fitness‐related functional traits of the threatened mountain plant Arnica montana

Stanik

Lampei

Rosenthal

2020

Ecology and Evolution

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Semi‐natural mountain grasslands are increasingly exposed to environmental stress under climate change. However, which are the environmental factors that limit plants in these grasslands? Also, is the present management effective against these changes? Fitness‐related functional traits may offer a way to detect changes in performance and provide new insights into their vulnerability to climate change. We investigated changes in performance and variability of functional traits of the mountain grassland target species Arnica montana along a climate gradient in Central German low mountain ranges. This gradient represents at its lower end climate conditions that are expected at its upper end under future climate change. We measured vegetative, generative, and physiological traits to account for multiple ways of plant responses to the environment. Using mixed effects and multivariate models, we evaluated changes in trait values among individuals as well as the variability of their populations in order to assess performance under changing summer aridity and different management regimes. Fitness‐related performance of most traits showed strongly positive associations with reduced summer aridity at higher elevations, while only specific leaf area and leaf dry matter content showed no association. This suggests a higher performance level at less arid montane sites and that the physiological traits are less sensitive to this climate change factor. The coefficient of variation of almost all traits declined steadily with decreasing site aridity. We suggest that this reduced variability indicates a lower environmental stress level for A. montana toward its environmental optimum at montane elevations, especially because the trait performance increased simultaneously. Surprisingly, management factors and habitat characteristics had only low influence on both trait performance and variability. In summary, summer aridity had a stronger effect to shape the trait performance and variability of A. montana under increased environmental stress than management and other habitat characteristics.

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“…We thus think it credible to conclude that dietary macronutrient content alters biological heterogeneity in a way that affects among-individual variation in age at death. There is a large literature on extreme, or 'stressful', environments as a source of phenotypic variation [39]. The field has tended to focus on the role that the environment plays in releasing hidden genetic variation [40].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dietary macronutrient content, age-specific mortality and lifespan

et al. 2019

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Protein and calorie restrictions extend median lifespan in many organisms. However, studies suggest that among-individual variation in the age at death is also affected. Ultimately, both of these outcomes must be caused by effects of nutrition on underlying patterns of age-specific mortality (ASM). Using model life tables, we tested for effects of dietary macronutrients on ASM in mice (Mus musculus). High concentrations of protein and fat relative to carbohydrates were associated with low life expectancy and high variation in the age at death, a result caused predominantly by high mortality prior to middle age. A lifelong diet comprising the ratio of macronutrients self-selected by mouse (in early adulthood) was associated with low mortality up until middle age, but higher late-life mortality. This pattern results in reasonably high life expectancy, but very low variation in the age at death. Our analyses also indicate that it may be possible to minimize ASM across life by altering the ratio of dietary protein to carbohydrate in the approach to old age. Mortality in early and middle life was minimized at around one-part protein to two-parts carbohydrate, whereas in later life slightly greater than equal parts protein to carbohydrate reduced mortality.royalsocietypublishing.org/journal/rspb Proc. R. Soc. B 286: 20190393

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Environmental stress correlates with increases in both genetic and residual variances: A meta-analysis of animal studies

Cited by 78 publications

References 100 publications

Protein deprivation facilitates the independent evolution of behavior and morphology

Protein deprivation facilitates the independent evolution of behavior and morphology

Summer aridity rather than management shapes fitness‐related functional traits of the threatened mountain plant Arnica montana

Dietary macronutrient content, age-specific mortality and lifespan

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