Adaptive microevolutionary responses to simulated global warming in Simocephalus vetulus: a mesocosm study

Although several studies suggest the occurrence of microevolutionary responses that may allow local persistence of populations under global warming, rigorous experimental proof is lacking. Here, we combined the realism and rigid, replicated experimental design of a large‐scale mesocosm study where populations of the zooplankter Simocephalus vetulus were exposed for 1 year to different global warming scenarios with a life table experiment under laboratory conditions at three temperatures that eliminated confounding, nongenetic factors. Our results provide solid proof for a rapid microevolutionary response to global warming in both survival and the subcomponents of individual performance (age at reproduction and number of offspring), which may allow populations of S. vetulus to persist locally under predicted scenarios of global warming. Such microevolutionary responses may buffer changes in community structure under global warming and help explain the outcome of previous mesocosm studies finding only marginal effects of global warming at the community level.     

Local adaptation to higher temperatures reduces immigration success of genotypes from a warmer region in the water flea Daphnia

There is growing awareness that microevolutionary dynamics may alter ecological processes. Rising temperatures under global change are expected to open windows for establishment of species and genotypes from warmer regions. Yet, microevolutionary tracking of temperature change by local populations may reduce establishment success of these immigrants. We exposed a UK population of the water flea, Daphnia magna , to two temperature regimes during a 1.5-year experimental evolution trial, and subsequently compared competitive strength of non-warm-adapted and warm-adapted D. magna in competition with French genotypes. Our results indicate that local microevolutionary responses to global warming may reduce establishment success of immigrant genotypes that are preadapted to warmer climate. Simulation modeling shows that microevolution results in a reduced likelihood and speed of displacement of local populations by immigrant genotypes under realistic immigrant/resident ratios. We conclude that local evolutionary dynamics may shift the relative impact of local and regional processes in response to global change.     

Thermal reaction norms in two Coenagrion damselfly species: contrasting embryonic and larval life-history traits

1. We studied the temperature‐dependence of important life‐history traits both at the embryonic (egg hatching success, embryonic development time and hatchling size) and the larval stage (larval growth rate, larval survival and larval size after 100 days) using full‐sib families of two congeneric damselflies, Coenagrion hastulatum and Coenagrion puella, that differ in latitudinal distribution. Larvae were reared in the laboratory from the egg stage at four temperatures (12, 17, 22 and 27 °C). 2. The observed patterns of thermal plasticity in embryonic traits showed that the northern species was more successful than the southern species at lower temperatures, in line with the pattern of temperature adaptation in thermal reaction norms. 3. At the larval stage, we found no consistent pattern of latitudinal compensation. The thermal family reaction norms indicate, however, the potential for latitudinal compensation to evolve. We observed an ontogenetic shift in thermal optima for larval growth rate, with a higher optimal temperature for growth rate during the first 2 weeks of the larval stage. 4. This is the first indication of the existence of latitudinal compensation at the interspecific level in an invertebrate; it is stage‐specific, being present only in the embryonic stage. We argue that compensation in the embryonic stage may be much more likely than in the larvae and stress the importance of including more then one life‐history stage when drawing conclusions about the adaptiveness of patterns in thermal reaction norms.