Putting plasticity into practice for effective conservation actions under climate change

Donelson, Jennifer M.; Gaitán‐Espitía, Juan Diego; Hobday, AJ; Mokany, Karel; Andrew, Samuel C.; Boulter, Sarah; Cook, Carly N.; Dickson, Frederick S.; Macgregor, Nicholas A.; Mitchell, Nicola J.; Pickup, Melinda; Fox, Rebecca J.

doi:10.1038/s41558-023-01706-4

Cited by 8 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 110 publications

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“…Species such as the Atlantic stingray, epaulette shark, and blacktip reef shark might be ideal candidates for experimental ideas outlined in Table 1, as they are amenable to captivity and ecologically, differing capacities and types of plasticity would be expected (Figure 1). Ultimately, evolutionary insights require empowering future studies through integrative, multidisciplinary approaches that utilize modern technological advances in genetics to bridge this gap (Donelson et al, 2023). It should be noted that this perspective has been written largely from the viewpoint of beneficial plasticity to respond adaptively to environmental change, focusing on warming.…”

Section: Future Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sharks and their relatives: can their past help predict their future?

Hasenei,

Donelson,

Ravasi

et al. 2023

Front. Mar. Sci.

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Elasmobranchs (i.e., sharks, skates, and rays) have survived five mass extinction events and changed relatively little throughout their ~450-million-year evolutionary history. Therefore, elasmobranchs may provide critical evolutionary perspectives on how species and populations can elicit phenotypic plasticity and adaptation responses to climate change. Unfortunately, despite their roles as critical apex- and meso-predators, most elasmobranch species are considered to be highly vulnerable to the impacts of fisheries exploitation and climate change, which is compounded by their K-selected life history strategies. Furthermore, the future of elasmobranchs is uncertain at best in the face of anthropogenic climate change because there have only been a handful of studies that have directly investigated the effects of climate change related stressors. Phenotypic plasticity in response to climate change, specifically ocean warming, may be a species’ best chance of resilience given the expedited rate of environmental change. However, despite extensive research on plasticity within and across generations in teleost fishes, there remains a knowledge gap for elasmobranch species, owing to their extended life spans and delayed sexual maturity. Here, we present four case studies on different elasmobranch species to lend perspectives on the capacity for phenotypic plasticity within the context of ocean warming. Furthermore, we discuss potential research avenues and modern technologies that may enable future investigations to empirically explore the capacity for phenotypic plasticity in elasmobranchs.

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Section: Future Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sharks and their relatives: can their past help predict their future?

Hasenei,

Donelson,

Ravasi

et al. 2023

Front. Mar. Sci.

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“…Changes in mRNA expression are commonly used to evaluate the molecular response of organisms to stress (DeBiasse & Kelly, 2016;Rivera et al, 2021). Many genes known to be involved in heat stress responses are conserved (Zhu, 2016) and their responsiveness to stressful temperatures should have become adapted to local climates to improve the performance of plants (Calvo et al, 2020;Donelson et al, 2023).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…With this proposed method of Expression-Environment Associations (EEA), gene expression plasticity would be associated with climate metrics in the same way allele frequencies are associated with climate for GEA studies. Using comparative transcriptomics to quantify responses to standardised temperature exposures could help identify clinal variation in the magnitude of heat stress responses (DeBiasse & Kelly, 2016) and the aspects of transcriptomic stress responses that are most relevant for estimating adaptive capacity (Donelson et al, 2023).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Variation in transcriptomic responses could be a result of selection on genetic variation and/or adaptive plasticity regulated by epigenetic factors (Donelson et al, 2023). We expect clinal variation in responses, that is a potential signature of local adaptation, to be concentrated in gene families linked to transcriptomic heat stress responses (Nievola et al, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Expression–environment associations in transcriptomic heat stress responses for a global plant lineage

Andrew,

Simonsen,

Coppin

et al. 2024

Molecular Ecology

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The increasing frequency and severity of heatwaves will intensify stress on plants. Given regional variation in heatwave exposure and expected differences in thermal tolerance between species it is unlikely that all plant species will be affected equally by climate change. However, little is currently known about variation in the responses of plants to heat stress, or how those responses differ among closely related species adapted to different environments. Here we quantify the response of 17 Acacia species (175 RNA‐seq libraries), from across Australia's diverse biomes, to a multi‐day experimental heatwave treatment to identify variation in transcriptomic and physiological responses to heat stress. Genes with known heat response functions showed consistent responses across Acacia species. Up to 10% of all genes and over 100 gene families showed significant clinal variation in the magnitude of their expression plasticity across species. Specifically, gene families linked to the temperature stress response were overrepresented among significant relationships with home range temperature conditions. Gene expression responses seen on the first day of the heatwave were more frequently associated with home range climates, while expression responses by day four were more commonly related to photosystem II acclimation. Comparative transcriptomics on non‐model species has the potential to provide key information on stress response plasticity, especially when linked with our understanding of model species. Our study indicates that the pressing challenge to identifying potentially vulnerable species to climate change could be benefited by the further exploration of clinal variation in transcriptome plasticity.

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“…The severity of climate extremes is increasing, and recent and projected climate change is exceeding historical trends (Parmesan et al, 2022 ; Pörtner et al, 2022 ). This exceeds the potential for species to adapt, necessitating range shifts for many species to survive (Donelson et al, 2023 ; Scheffers et al, 2016 ). Many studies suggest that the migratory success of plant species under climate change may depend on their mycorrhizal fungal partners (Bennett & Classen, 2020 ; Wurzburger et al, 2017 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of the distribution pattern of the ectomycorrhizal fungus Cenococcum geophilum under climate change using the optimized MaxEnt model

Zheng,

Yuan,

Matsushita

et al. 2023

Ecology and Evolution

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Cenococcum geophilum (C. geophilum) is a widely distributed ectomycorrhizal fungus that plays a crucial role in forest ecosystems worldwide. However, the specific ecological factors influencing its global distribution and how climate change will affect its range are still relatively unknown. In this study, we used the MaxEnt model optimized with the kuenm package to simulate changes in the distribution pattern of C. geophilum from the Last Glacial Maximum to the future based on 164 global distribution records and 17 environmental variables and investigated the key environmental factors influencing its distribution. We employed the optimal parameter combination of RM = 4 and FC = QPH, resulting in a highly accurate predictive model. Our study clearly shows that the mean temperature of the coldest quarter and annual precipitation are the key environmental factors influencing the suitable habitats of C. geophilum. Currently, appropriate habitats of C. geophilum are mainly distributed in eastern Asia, west‐central Europe, the western seaboard and eastern regions of North America, and southeastern Australia, covering a total area of approximately 36,578,300 km2 globally. During the Last Glacial Maximum and the mid‐Holocene, C. geophilum had a much smaller distribution area, being mainly concentrated in the Qinling‐Huaihe Line region of China and eastern Peninsular Malaysia. As global warming continues, the future suitable habitat for C. geophilum is projected to shift northward, leading to an expected expansion of the suitable area from 9.21% to 21.02%. This study provides a theoretical foundation for global conservation efforts and biogeographic understanding of C. geophilum, offering new insights into its distribution patterns and evolutionary trends.

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Putting plasticity into practice for effective conservation actions under climate change

Cited by 8 publications

References 110 publications

Sharks and their relatives: can their past help predict their future?

Sharks and their relatives: can their past help predict their future?

Expression–environment associations in transcriptomic heat stress responses for a global plant lineage

Analysis of the distribution pattern of the ectomycorrhizal fungus Cenococcum geophilum under climate change using the optimized MaxEnt model

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