Temperature-Dependent Fecundity Associates With Latitude in Caenorhabditis Briggsae

Prasad, Anisha; Croydon-Sugarman, Melanie J. F.; Murray, Rosalind L.; Cutter, Asher D.

doi:10.1111/j.1558-5646.2010.01110.x

Cited by 72 publications

(166 citation statements)

References 71 publications

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“…Moreover, hermaphrodites of a given strain appear to produce roughly equal numbers of sperm regardless of the temperature regime (Fig.3). These results mimic a similar recent observation in C. briggsae, for which a role of defective sperm fertility was implicated as a main cause of temperature-dependent variation in fecundity, rather than sperm abundance per se (Prasad et al, 2011); experiments in C. elegans by Harvey and Viney also are consistent with this (Harvey and Viney, 2007). When C. elegans are grown in soil and compost microcosms, hermaphrodite fecundity also is not sperm limited (Goranson et al, 2005).…”

Section: Genetic and Environmental Influences On Fecundity And Sperm supporting

confidence: 78%

“…However, some experimental evolution treatments did not conform to theoretical predictions, suggesting that existing theory on the evolution of sperm count in this system is incomplete and/or that alternative experimental approaches are required to fully test theoretical predictions. We also demonstrated that hermaphrodite fecundity is not sperm limited when individuals are reared at high and low temperatures, consistent with findings in C. briggsae (Prasad et al, 2011) and for other non-optimal growth conditions (Goranson et al, 2005). This suggests that environmental and ecological stress may generally lead to oocyte-limited reproduction in this organism, and conformity with Bateman's Principle (Bateman, 1948), rather than the sperm limitation observed under benign conditions.…”

Section: Experimental Evolution Of Sperm Numbersupporting

confidence: 75%

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Experimental evolution of sperm count in protandrous self-fertilizing hermaphrodites

Murray

Cutter

2011

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARYSperm count evolution is driven by sexual selection, with an added role of selection on gamete resource allocation for hermaphrodite spermatogenesis. However, self-fertilization by hermaphrodites retards sexual selection and results in the evolution of reduced investment in sperm or pollen. In contrast to reproduction limited by female gametes (Bateman's Principle), self-fertilizing Caenorhabditis elegans hermaphrodites exhibit sperm-limited reproduction. Caenorhabditis elegans hermaphrodites are thought to experience a fitness trade-off between lifetime fecundity and generation time: longer sperm production decreases the risk of self-sperm depletion, but at the same time delays the onset of selfing and thus increases egg-toegg generation time. Theory predicts that shorter larval development will favor lower sperm counts and longer development will favor more sperm. To investigate how developmental trajectories affect the evolution of sperm production, we performed experimental evolution by directly competing alleles controlling hermaphrodite sperm count, conducted under different environmental conditions that alter development time. Results are partially consistent with theory: rapid larval development generally favored alleles encoding production of few sperm. However, we identify some previously unrecognized simplifications of the theory and its application to our experimental system. In addition, we evaluated the generality of sperm limitation in C. elegans. Although optimal growth conditions yield sperm limitation, non-optimal conditions induce oocyte limitation, suggesting that this species might conform to Bateman's Principle under many natural settings. These findings demonstrate how developmental trajectories can shape the fitness landscape for the evolution of reproduction and sperm traits, even without sexual selection. Supplementary material available online at

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Section: Genetic and Environmental Influences On Fecundity And Sperm supporting

confidence: 78%

Section: Experimental Evolution Of Sperm Numbersupporting

confidence: 75%

Experimental evolution of sperm count in protandrous self-fertilizing hermaphrodites

Murray

Cutter

2011

Journal of Experimental Biology

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“…The fitness of different wild genetic backgrounds of C. briggsae is affected differentially by rearing temperature in accord with the strong phylogeographic patterning of this species in which genotype, phenotype and geographic distribution all are associated (Prasad et al, 2011). By contrast, C. elegans shows no comparable association between phenotypes and geographic origin, including differences in temperature-dependent fecundity (Hodgkin and Doniach, 1997;Rockman and Kruglyak, 2009;Anderson et al, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 87%

“…In particular, strains from the two most commonly isolated C. briggsae genetic groups suggest a latitudinal divide, and these two groups have been designated as 'temperate' and 'tropical' clades (Cutter et al, 2006). There is evidence of local adaptation for these groups, as strains from the 'tropical' clade have much higher fecundity at high temperatures (30°C) while 'temperate' clade strains have a higher fecundity at low temperatures (14°C) (Prasad et al, 2011). In both C. briggsae and C. elegans, sperm are sensitive to temperature, with sperm fertility negatively affected by high temperature during sperm development Prasad et al, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There is evidence of local adaptation for these groups, as strains from the 'tropical' clade have much higher fecundity at high temperatures (30°C) while 'temperate' clade strains have a higher fecundity at low temperatures (14°C) (Prasad et al, 2011). In both C. briggsae and C. elegans, sperm are sensitive to temperature, with sperm fertility negatively affected by high temperature during sperm development Prasad et al, 2011). Caenorhabditis briggsae is morphologically very similar to C. elegans, sharing a common life cycle and similar androdioecious sexual system (Nigon and Dougherty, 1949;Baird, 2001), but C. briggsae exhibits greater molecular differentiation among wild strains that might, in turn, underlie higher phenotypic variation (Cutter et al, 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Temperature-dependent behaviours are genetically variable in the nematode Caenorhabditis briggsae

Stegeman

Mesquita

Ryu

et al. 2012

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARY Temperature-dependent behaviours inCaenorhabditis elegans, such as thermotaxis and isothermal tracking, are complex behavioural responses that integrate sensation, foraging and learning, and have driven investigations to discover many essential genetic and neural pathways. The ease of manipulation of the Caenorhabditis model system also has encouraged its application to comparative analyses of phenotypic evolution, particularly contrasts of the classic model C. elegans with C. briggsae. And yet few studies have investigated natural genetic variation in behaviour in any nematode. Here we measure thermotaxis and isothermal tracking behaviour in genetically distinct strains of C. briggsae, further motivated by the latitudinal differentiation in C. briggsae that is associated with temperature-dependent fitness differences in this species. We demonstrate that C. briggsae performs thermotaxis and isothermal tracking largely similar to that of C. elegans, with a tendency to prefer its rearing temperature. Comparisons of these behaviours among strains reveal substantial heritable natural variation within each species that corresponds to three general patterns of behavioural response. However, intraspecific genetic differences in thermal behaviour often exceed interspecific differences. These patterns of temperature-dependent behaviour motivate further development of C. briggsae as a model system for dissecting the genetic underpinnings of complex behavioural traits. Supplementary material available online at

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Fifteen Years of Evolutionary Genomics inCaenorhabditis elegans

Jovelin

Dey

Cutter

2013

Encyclopedia of Life Sciences

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The nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans , introduced by Sydney Brenner for the genetic analysis of nervous system formation, is now a powerful model organism for studying nearly all aspects of biology, from development to diseases to evolution. Sequencing and analysis of the worm genome revealed intriguing nonrandom patterns of genome organisation and unusual features such as abundant operons. Surprising upon first discovery, worms and humans have a similar number of genes that are comprised of a similar proportion of transcription factors to regulate their genomes. However, differences in small ribonucleic acid content may contribute to differences in organismal complexity. In nature, the bacterivorous C. elegans is found primarily on rotting vegetation in temperate regions across the world. Natural selection, combined with the low effective recombination rate associated with selfing, strongly reduces nucleotide variation across the genome, yielding similarly low polymorphism to other selfing hermaphrodite species of Caenorhabditis . The genus Caenorhabditis provides a superb model system for ecological and evolutionary genetics, benefiting from C. elegans tools and information when applied to investigations of species with a higher polymorphism and better known ecological context. Key Concepts: The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans , introduced by Sydney Brenner for the genetic analysis of nervous system development, was the first metazoan to have a complete sequenced genome and is now a model organism for nearly all fields of biology. Many genomic features are not randomly distributed along C. elegans chromosomes and are prevalent either in the chromosome arms or in its centre. An unusually large fraction of protein‐coding genes is organised in operons, possibly optimising transcriptional resources during recovery from developmental arrest. Gene duplication and alternative splicing contribute to extensive diversification of gene function, with 10.5% of protein‐coding genes having paralogs and 25% of genes being alternatively spliced. The ratio of transcription factors to protein‐coding genes is similar in worms and humans but the two species differ greatly in their microRNA content. The differences in chromatin states contribute to phenotypic variation and the transgenerational epigenetic inheritance suggests a role for epigenetic information in evolution. The rate of duplication is two orders of magnitude greater than the nucleotide mutation rate, highlighting the role of gene duplication in the evolution of the C. elegans genome. Caenorhabditis is not a soil nematode but instead proliferates and feeds on bacteria in rotting vegetation. Population genetic variation is strongly affected by the mating system of Caenorhabditis , with very low polymorphism in selfing hermaphroditic species relative to outcrossing gonochoristic species.

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Temperature-Dependent Fecundity Associates With Latitude in Caenorhabditis Briggsae

Cited by 72 publications

References 71 publications

Experimental evolution of sperm count in protandrous self-fertilizing hermaphrodites

Experimental evolution of sperm count in protandrous self-fertilizing hermaphrodites

Temperature-dependent behaviours are genetically variable in the nematode Caenorhabditis briggsae

Fifteen Years of Evolutionary Genomics inCaenorhabditis elegans

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