Hybridization and speciation

Hybridization has many and varied impacts on the process of speciation. Hybridization may slow or reverse differentiation by allowing gene flow and recombination. It may accelerate speciation via adaptive introgression or cause near‐instantaneous speciation by allopolyploidization. It may have multiple effects at different stages and in different spatial contexts within a single speciation event. We offer a perspective on the context and evolutionary significance of hybridization during speciation, highlighting issues of current interest and debate. In secondary contact zones, it is uncertain if barriers to gene flow will be strengthened or broken down due to recombination and gene flow. Theory and empirical evidence suggest the latter is more likely, except within and around strongly selected genomic regions. Hybridization may contribute to speciation through the formation of new hybrid taxa, whereas introgression of a few loci may promote adaptive divergence and so facilitate speciation. Gene regulatory networks, epigenetic effects and the evolution of selfish genetic material in the genome suggest that the Dobzhansky–Muller model of hybrid incompatibilities requires a broader interpretation. Finally, although the incidence of reinforcement remains uncertain, this and other interactions in areas of sympatry may have knock‐on effects on speciation both within and outside regions of hybridization.     

Parasite‐mediated selection in a natural metapopulation of Daphnia magna

Parasite‐mediated selection varying across time and space in metapopulations is expected to result in host local adaptation and the maintenance of genetic diversity in disease‐related traits. However, nonadaptive processes like migration and extinction‐(re)colonization dynamics might interfere with adaptive evolution. Understanding how adaptive and nonadaptive processes interact to shape genetic variability in life‐history and disease‐related traits can provide important insights into their evolution in subdivided populations. Here we investigate signatures of spatially fluctuating, parasite‐mediated selection in a natural metapopulation of Daphnia magna. Host genotypes from infected and uninfected populations were genotyped at microsatellite markers, and phenotyped for life‐history and disease traits in common garden experiments. Combining phenotypic and genotypic data a Q_ST–F_ST‐like analysis was conducted to test for signatures of parasite mediated selection. We observed high variation within and among populations for phenotypic traits, but neither an indication of host local adaptation nor a cost of resistance. Infected populations have a higher gene diversity (Hs) than uninfected populations and Hs is strongly positively correlated with fitness. These results suggest a strong parasite effect on reducing population level inbreeding. We discuss how stochastic processes related to frequent extinction‐(re)colonization dynamics as well as host and parasite migration impede the evolution of resistance in the infected populations. We suggest that the genetic and phenotypic patterns of variation are a product of dynamic changes in the host gene pool caused by the interaction of colonization bottlenecks, inbreeding, immigration, hybrid vigor, rare host genotype advantage and parasitism. Our study highlights the effect of the parasite in ameliorating the negative fitness consequences caused by the high drift load in this metapopulation.     

海洋最小含氧带氮流失过程与机制

对全球大洋氮循环的研究发现,大洋输入和输出的氮存在严重的不平衡,所固定的氮中有相当一部分被还原为N₂或N₂O从大洋中流失,而海洋最小含氧带(OMZ)被认为是发生氮流失的最主要区域,通过反硝化作用和厌氧氨氧化作用,固定氮在OMZ海区内损失量可达40～450 Tg·a^-1.对不同海区OMZ内固定氮损失的两种主要作用总结发现,异养反硝化作用在热带太平洋东部、阿拉伯海的OMZ内以及海洋沉积物内占有显著优势,在智利、秘鲁沿岸海域及阿拉伯海域也已发现自养反硝化作用的存在;而在黑海、非洲西南部的本格拉上升流、智利北部沿岸等地,厌氧氨氧化作用强烈,且其在陆架区的作用强度和面积要大于大洋区.OMZ氮的流失除受氮流失过程自身影响外,固氮作用、硝化作用、硝酸盐异化还原作用等都可能对OMZ海区内氮收支不平衡造成影响.其中固氮作用的影响最不能忽视,其在全球OMZ内固定的氮的总量可达15～40 Tg·a^-1,是对OMZ氮流失量的重要补充.区分反硝化作用和厌氧氨氧化作用对OMZ氮流失的相对贡献,明确氮流失的另一产物N₂O的形成机制和定量评估方法是当前OMZ氮流失研究中存在的最主要问题.本文针对存在问题提出了相应的研究设想,以期为海洋最小含氧带的研究提供参考.     

鄱阳湖沙地蔓荆灌丛沙堆形态特征及空间分布格局

目前灌丛沙堆研究主要集中在干旱半干旱区的沙质草原和沙漠边缘,对亚热带湿润区灌丛沙堆的形成、演变过程并不清楚。以鄱阳湖沙地为研究区,通过样方调查和地统计学的方法,研究不同沙化程度下蔓荆灌丛沙堆的形态特征及分布格局。结果表明:鄱阳湖沙地蔓荆沙堆的形态以盾形为主,其冠幅变化幅度为1.2—18.2 m~2,固定和半固定沙地显著高于流动沙地;对灌丛沙堆的形态参数来说,其长轴与短轴在固定和半固定沙地上呈极显著的线性相关关系,流动沙地上呈二次函数关系;半固定和流动沙地上沙堆底面积与沙堆高度呈二次函数关系(r0.6);3种类型沙地上灌丛底面积与沙堆体积之间极显著线性相关,其中半固定沙地线性函数的斜率最大;除固定沙地的沙堆高度和半固定沙地的灌丛高度外,3种沙地上蔓荆灌丛与沙堆的其他形态参数间均极显著相关,说明随着沙地的固定,蔓荆灌丛有利于沙堆水平尺度的增长;3种沙地上蔓荆沙堆均呈随机分布。     

Contrasting responses of intertidal microphytobenthos and phytoplankton biomass and taxonomic composition to the nutrient loads in the Jiulong River Estuary

Microphytobenthos (MPB) and phytoplankton are important primary producers in the estuarial ecosystem, and their functions are critical to the ecosystem's biodiversity and environmental safety. The aim of this study was to compare the response of MPB and phytoplankton to the nutrient loads in a eutrophic estuary, which has seldom been studied. We used high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and CHEMTAX software to examine the biomass and taxonomic composition of both MPB and phytoplankton at Da‐yu Island (DYI) and Ji‐yu Island (JYI) in the Jiulong River Estuary from July 2010 to March 2012. The results showed that MPB chlorophyll a was low in the summer and high in the winter at both DYI and JYI, indicating a unimodal pattern. However, the phytoplankton chlorophyll a showed a mirrored pattern. Diatoms were the dominant class in both benthic and pelagic environments. Although redundancy analysis indicated that the effects of different environmental factors could not be easily separated, it is likely that phosphate and temperature were the most important factors regulating the seasonal patterns of MPB and phytoplankton diatoms, respectively. MPB and phytoplankton cyanobacteria was co‐limited by salinity and temperature. The high N/P ratio and low phosphate favored chlorophytes and cyanobacteria. Our study demonstrates the use of HPLC and CHEMTAX in an integrated survey of the spatial and temporal distribution patterns of MPB and phytoplankton in an estuarial ecosystem. The contrasting responses of MPB and phytoplankton to nutrient loads indicate the critical role of MPB in subtropical estuarial ecosystem function. The relationship between nutrients and MPB may indicate a significant contribution to carbon and nutrient cycling.     

Phytoplankton decline in the eastern North Pacific transition zone associated with atmospheric blocking

Global climate change can significantly influence oceanic phytoplankton dynamics, and thus biogeochemical cycles and marine food webs. However, associative explanations based on the correlation between chlorophyll‐a concentration (Chl‐a) and climatic indices is inadequate to describe the mechanism of the connection between climate change, large‐scale atmospheric dynamics, and phytoplankton variability. Here, by analyzing multiple satellite observations of Chl‐a and atmospheric conditions from National Center for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research reanalysis datasets, we show that high‐latitude atmospheric blocking events over Alaska are the primary drivers of the recent decline of Chl‐a in the eastern North Pacific transition zone. These blocking events were associated with the persistence of large‐scale atmosphere pressure fields that decreased westerly winds and southward Ekman transport over the subarctic ocean gyre. Reduced southward Ekman transport leads to reductions in nutrient availability to phytoplankton in the transition zone. The findings describe a previously unidentified climatic factor that contributed to the recent decline of phytoplankton in this region and propose a mechanism of the top‐down teleconnection between the high‐latitude atmospheric circulation anomalies and the subtropical oceanic primary productivity. The results also highlight the importance of understanding teleconnection among atmosphere–ocean interactions as a means to anticipate future climate change impacts on oceanic primary production.     

An integrated population model sheds light on the complex population dynamics of a unique colonial breeder

Climate models forecast increasing climatic variation and more extreme events, which could increase the variability in animal demographic rates. More variable demographic rates generally lead to lower population growth and can be detrimental to wild populations, especially if the particular demographic rates affected are those to which population growth is most sensitive. We investigated the population dynamics of a metapopulation of 25 colonies of a semi-arid bird species, the sociable weaver Philetairus socius, and how it was influenced by seasonal weather during 1993–2014. We constructed an integrated population model which estimated population sizes similar to observed population counts, and allowed us to estimate annual fecundity and recruitment. Variance in fecundity contributed most to variance in population growth, which showed no trend over time. No weather variables explained overall demographic variation at the population level. However, a separate analysis of the largest colony showed a clear decline with a high extinction probability (0.05 to 0.33) within 5 years after the study period. In this colony, juvenile survival was lower when summers were hot, and adult survival was lower when winters were cold. Rainfall was also negatively correlated with adult survival. These weather effects could be due to increased physiological demands of thermoregulation and rainfall-induced breeding activity. Our results suggest that the dynamics of the population on the whole are buffered against current weather variation, as individual colonies apparently react in different ways. However, if more and increasingly extreme weather events synchronize colony dynamics, they are likely to have negative effects.     

粤东亚热带森林群落树种组成对苔藓植物分布的影响

为探究森林群落树种组成对苔藓植物分布的影响,利用多元统计方法研究粤东亚热带地区苔藓植物的组成和分布对林分类型的响应。根据森林乔木层的树种组成划分为翻白叶树(Pterospermum heterophyllum)、木荷(Schima superba)+米锥(Castanopsis carlesii)和米锥3种森林类型。结果表明,3种森林类型中苔类(liverworts)和藓类(mosses)植物群落组成特征总体上存在显著差异;双齿裂萼苔(Chiloscyphus latifolius)和细指苔(Kurzia gonyotricha)在3种类型林分中的重要值变化指示了苔类植物群落的差异。3种类型林分中,均以东亚拟鳞叶藓(Pseudotaxiphyllum pohliaecarpum)为优势种。不同林分中藓类植物种类组成主要表现为亚优种分布的不同。这表明森林群落树种组成作为重要的生物因子,对林内苔藓植物的分布和种类组成有重要影响。