Ecological opportunity and the adaptive diversification of lineages

The tenet that ecological opportunity drives adaptive diversification has been central to theories of speciation since Darwin, yet no widely accepted definition or mechanistic framework for the concept currently exists. We propose a definition for ecological opportunity that provides an explicit mechanism for its action. In our formulation, ecological opportunity refers to environmental conditions that both permit the persistence of a lineage within a community, as well as generate divergent natural selection within that lineage. Thus, ecological opportunity arises from two fundamental elements: (1) niche availability, the ability of a population with a phenotype previously absent from a community to persist within that community and (2) niche discordance, the diversifying selection generated by the adaptive mismatch between a population's niche‐related traits and the newly encountered ecological conditions. Evolutionary response to ecological opportunity is primarily governed by (1) spatiotemporal structure of ecological opportunity, which influences dynamics of selection and development of reproductive isolation and (2) diversification potential, the biological properties of a lineage that determine its capacity to diversify. Diversification under ecological opportunity proceeds as an increase in niche breadth, development of intraspecific ecotypes, speciation, and additional cycles of diversification that may themselves be triggered by speciation. Extensive ecological opportunity may exist in depauperate communities, but it is unclear whether ecological opportunity abates in species‐rich communities. Because ecological opportunity should generally increase during times of rapid and multifarious environmental change, human activities may currently be generating elevated ecological opportunity – but so far little work has directly addressed this topic. Our framework highlights the need for greater synthesis of community ecology and evolutionary biology, unifying the four major components of the concept of ecological opportunity.     

东海浮游枝角类和涟虫类生态适应性

根据1997-2000年东海23°30′-33°00′N、118°30′-128°00′E海域4个季节海洋综合调查资料,以及2002-2003年长江口外海29°00′-32°00′N、122°00′-123°30′E海域4个季节资料,对浮游枝角类、涟虫类丰度和同步的表层温、盐度数据进行曲线拟合,构造数学模型,计算各物种分布的最适温度和盐度,分析其地理分布和生态特征,确定物种的生态类型。结果表明:鸟喙尖头溞(Penilia avirostris)、肥胖三角溞(Evadne tergestina)是亚热带近海种,具有广温广盐的生态特征;诺氏三角溞(Evadne nordmanni)、萨氏异涟虫(Heterocumasarst)和细长涟虫(Iphinoe tenera)是亚热带外海种,其中诺氏三角溞具有暖温种的特征,后两种涟虫(Bodotria ovalis)是典型的亚热带外海种;卵圆涟虫仅仅在长江口近海出现,是亚热带近海种。东海浮游枝角类大多数物种最适盐度偏低,尤其是鸟喙尖头溞和肥胖三角溞,它们的高丰度分布区是沿岸水团的标志。     

Temperature as a determinant factor for increased and reproducible in vitro pollen germination in Arabidopsis thaliana

Despite much effort, a robust protocol for in vitro germination of Arabidopsis thaliana pollen has been elusive. Here we show that controlled temperatures, a largely disregarded factor in previous studies, and a simple optimized medium, solidified or liquid, yielded pollen germination rates above 80% and pollen tube lengths of hundreds of microns, with both Columbia and Landsberg erecta (Ler) ecotypes. We found that pollen germination and tube growth were dependent on pollen density in both liquid and solid medium. Pollen germination rates were not substantially affected by flower or plant age. The quartet1 mutation negatively affected pollen germination, especially in the Ler ecotype. This protocol will facilitate functional analyses of insertional mutants affecting male gametophyte function, and should allow detailed gene expression analyses during pollen tube growth. Arabidopsis thaliana can now be included on the list of plant species that are suitable models for physiological studies of pollen tube elongation and tip growth.     

天山野果林的发生、演变与气候因素的关系

通过对天山伊犁河谷地野果林的分布状况调查,并结合多年气象资料,对天山伊犁河谷地野果林的发生、演替与气候因素的关系进行了分析。结果表明,天山伊犁河谷地野果林是在干旱荒漠地带山地中出现的由西风气流营造的“地中海性”阔叶落叶林类型。它的发生、演变和分布与当地丰富的降水量、鲜明的冬季逆温层以及免于寒潮侵袭的地形等特殊的生态因子密切相关。它是珍稀的山地“孑遗”群落,是天山山地第三纪古温带阔叶落叶林成分与北方森林草甸成分相结合的产物。与中亚西天山野果林有明显区别。该河谷地是世界栽培落叶果树的重要起源地之一,也是世界上稀有的生物多样性天然基因库。     

Phenotypic plasticity of stem elongation in two ecotypes of Stellaria longipes: the role of ethylene and response to wind

Using two ecotypes of Stellaria longipes an alpine form with low plasticity and a prairie form with high plasticity, we investigated whether ethylene was involved in the response to wind stress and might be important in controlling plasticity of stem elongation. Stem growth inhibition was positively correlated with concentration of ethephon application and elevation in ambient ethylene in alpine ecotypes, whereas stem growth in prairie plants was stimulated by low ethephon concentrations. When treated with high AVG, the effects were reversed: alpine plant growth was promoted and prairie plant growth was inhibited. Prairie plants exhibited a daily rhythm in ethylene evolution which increased and peaked at 1500 h, and which was absent in alpine plants. Ethylene evolution did not change significantly during the first 2 weeks of growth in alpine plants, whereas ethylene in prairie plants increased significantly during periods of rapid stem elongation. Wind treatment inhibited growth in both ecotypes, but only alpine plants showed a recovery of growth to control levels when wind stressed plants were pretreated with STS. In addition, only alpine plants showed an increase in ethylene evolution in response to wind simulation, whereas prairie plant ethylene evolution did not deviate from rhythms observed in unstressed plants. We concluded that ethylene dwarfs stems in alpine S. longipes in response to wind stress. However, low levels of ethylene may stimulate growth in prairie ecotypes and act independently of wind stress intensity. The contrasting ability to synthesize and respond to ethylene can account for part of the difference in plasticity documented between the two ecotypes.     

芦苇生态型划分指标的主分量及模糊聚类分析

运用主分量分析及模糊聚类的方法首次对包括群落、形态,解剖,生理生化及遗传代谢等４５个指标的不同生态芦苇进行了分析,结果表明,生物量、单株干重、株高,可溶性蛋白质含量、ＲＮＡ含量、ＤＮａａｓｅ和ＲＮａｓｅ活性、Ｋｒａｎｚ结构的有无及土壤ｐＨ值等差异最为显著。４种生态型芦苇中,盐化草甸芦苇与盐化草甸－沙丘过渡带芦苇最相近,其次为沙丘芦苇,沼泽芦苇与其它３种生态相似程度最低。     

GENETIC ANALYSIS OF KILLER WHALE (ORCINUS ORCA) HISTORICAL BONE AND TOOTH SAMPLES TO IDENTIFY WESTERN U.S. ECOTYPES

Little is known about the historical range of killer whale ecotypes in the eastern North Pacific (ENP). It is possible that ranges have shifted in the last few decades because of changes in availability of food. In particular, the southern resident ecotype, currently found primarily in the inland waters of Washington State, is known to prey extensively on salmon, which have declined in recent decades along the outer coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California. To investigate historical distributions of this and the other ENP ecotypes, samples of teeth and bones were obtained from NMFS and museum collections. We amplified a short section of the mitochondrial DNA control region that contains four diagnostic sites that differentiate between haplotypes found in ecotypes of ENP killer whales. Results did not show any southern resident haplotypes in samples from south of the Washington State inland waterways. One whale genetically identified as a northern resident extends the known southernmost distribution of the population from Oregon to California. Items of diet identified from stomach contents of six of the whales genetically identified to ecotype conformed with what is known of the feeding habits of the various ecotypes.     

Host environment and local genetic adaptation determine phenotype in parasitic Rhinanthus angustifolius

Plants have a remarkable capacity to adapt to local environmental conditions, which can result in ecotypic differentiation. Patterns of differentiation can, however, also be influenced by the extensive phenotypic plasticity exhibited by many plant species. In this study, we evaluated the distinctness of two putative ecotypes of the parasitic herb Rhinanthus angustifolius. We compared population means of characters commonly used to distinguish between the putative ecotypes after growing individuals of R. angustifolius with a variety of host species in a common garden. Resulting data were also pooled over environments to study how phenotypic plasticity affects the distinctness of ecotypes and individual populations. Except for node number, most of the characters were plastic. The pattern of differentiation was consistent with the existence of two, or possibly three, habitat‐related groups of populations; however, we observed considerable overlap in flowering time and morphological characters after pooling data across host environments. The results show that the complex phenological and morphological variation in R. angustifolius is caused by a combination of genetically determined ecotypic differentiation and plastic responses to the host environment and other factors. © 2015 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2016, 180 , 89–103.     

Genomic signatures of fine‐scale local selection in Atlantic salmon suggest involvement of sexual maturation,energy homeostasis and immune defence‐related genes

Elucidating the genetic basis of adaptation to the local environment can improve our understanding of how the diversity of life has evolved. In this study, we used a dense SNP array to identify candidate loci potentially underlying fine‐scale local adaptation within a large Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) population. By combining outlier, gene–environment association and haplotype homozygosity analyses, we identified multiple regions of the genome with strong evidence for diversifying selection. Several of these candidate regions had previously been identified in other studies, demonstrating that the same loci could be adaptively important in Atlantic salmon at subdrainage, regional and continental scales. Notably, we identified signals consistent with local selection around genes associated with variation in sexual maturation, energy homeostasis and immune defence. These included the large‐effect age‐at‐maturity gene vgll3, the known obesity gene mc4r, and major histocompatibility complex II. Most strikingly, we confirmed a genomic region on Ssa09 that was extremely differentiated among subpopulations and that is also a candidate for local selection over the global range of Atlantic salmon. This region colocalized with a haplotype strongly associated with spawning ecotype in sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka), with circumstantial evidence that the same gene (six6) may be the selective target in both cases. The phenotypic effect of this region in Atlantic salmon remains cryptic, although allelic variation is related to upstream catchment area and covaries with timing of the return spawning migration. Our results further inform management of Atlantic salmon and open multiple avenues for future research.     

Effect of rootstock on photoperiodic control of elongation growth in grafted ecotypes of Salix

Scions of a southern (59° 40'N Lat.) and a northern (69° 39'N Lat.) ecotype of Salix pentandra L. were grafted on clonal rootstocks of the same ecotypes. Effects of photoperiod on elongation growth of the 4 combinations (south/south, south/north, north/south and north/north) were studied in a phytotron at 18° and 15°C. The photoperiodic response was primarily dependent on the ecotype of the scion, but this response was significantly modified by the rootstock. Cessation of apical growth was advanced by a northern clone and delayed by a southern clone as a rootstock. The results indicate that the critical photoperiod for cessation of apical growth could be slightly decreased by a northern and increased by a southern rootstock.