Inter-annual plasticity of squid life history and population structure: ecological and management implications

Population size and structure, as well as individual growth rates, condition, and reproductive output, respond to environmental factors, particularly in short-lived and fast-growing squid species. We need to understand the mechanisms through which populations respond to environmental conditions, to predict when or if established relationships, used as management tools to forecast recruitment strength, might break down completely. Identifying characteristics of successful recruits who have grown under different environmental scenarios may improve our understanding of the mechanistic connections between environmental conditions and the temporal variation in life history characteristics that ultimately affect recruitment. This 5-year study sought to determine the association between key life history characteristics of southern calamary Sepioteuthis australis (growth rate, body size, and patterns of repro-somatic energy allocation) and the environmental conditions experienced by individuals on the east coast of Tasmania, Australia. Among years, all population and individual parameters examined were highly variable, despite the environmental regime during the study not encompassing the extremes that may occur in this dynamic region. Temperature was not clearly associated with any of the individual or population differences observed. Populations of apparently similar abundance were composed of individuals with strikingly different biological characteristics, therefore seeking relationships between abundance and environmental parameters at gross levels did not shed light on the mechanisms responsible for population size. Importantly, inter-annual differences in squid size, condition, reproductive investment, and possibly growth rate, were sex-specific, indicating that males and females responded differently to similar factors. Among years differences in body size were extreme, both among the male component of the population and between genders. The relative importance of many size-based processes that contribute to population size and structure (e.g. predation, starvation, competition, and reproductive success) will therefore vary inter-annually.An erratum to this article can be found at     

Condition of Barbus sclateri from semi-arid aquatic systems: effects of habitat quality disturbances

This study investigated the relationships between fish condition and environmental variables in Barbus sclateri from semi-arid freshwater ecosystems in the south-eastern Iberian Peninsula. Two main habitats were studied: semi-arid streams characterized by strong seasonal fluctuations in flow level (droughts and floods) and reservoirs (artificial ecosystems characterised by waters of high conductivity). The mass–length relationships were used to test differences in fish condition between nine stream populations and five reservoir populations of B. sclateri from the Segura River basin. The relationships between seven ecosystem variables (conductivity, oxygen concentration, water temperature, pH, seasonal water flow, submerged vegetation and sub-basin location) and fish condition were analysed. The ecological variables that accounted for most of the variation in fish condition were seasonal water fluctuation and water conductivity. The condition of B. sclateri populations may be a good indicator of fish habitat quality in Mediterranean semi-arid freshwater ecosystems and should be considered when such populations are subjected to sports fishing regulations, recovery plans or any other management programme.     

Epidermal diseases in bottlenose dolphins: impacts of natural and anthropogenic factors.

Experimental studies have highlighted the potential influence of contaminants on marine mammal immune function and anthropogenic contaminants are commonly believed to influence the development of diseases observed in the wild. However, estimates of the impact of contaminants on wild populations are constrained by uncertainty over natural variation in disease patterns under different environmental conditions. We used photographic techniques to compare levels of epidermal disease in ten coastal populations of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) exposed to a wide range of natural and anthropogenic conditions. Epidermal lesions were common in all populations (affecting > 60% of individuals), but both the prevalence and severity of 15 lesion categories varied between populations. No relationships were found between epidermal disease and contaminant levels across the four populations for which toxicological data were available. In contrast, there were highly significant linear relationships with oceanographic variables. In particular, populations from areas of low water temperature and low salinity exhibited higher lesion prevalence and severity. Such conditions may impact on epidermal integrity or produce more general physiological stress, potentially making animals more vulnerable to natural infections or anthropogenic factors. These results show that variations in natural environmental factors must be accounted for when investigating the importance of anthropogenic impacts on disease in wild marine mammals.     

Intraspecific phenotypic variability of plant functional traits in contrasting mountain grasslands habitats

Empirical studies that link plants intraspecific variation to environmental conditions are almost lacking, despite their relevance in understanding mechanisms of plant adaptation, in predicting the outcome of environmental change and in conservation. Here, we investigate intraspecific trait variation of four grassland species along with abiotic environmental variation at high spatial resolution (n = 30 samples per species trait and environmental factor per site) in two contrasting grassland habitats in Central Apennines (Italy). We test for phenotypic adaptation between habitats, intraspecific trait-environment relationships within habitats, and the extent of trait and environmental variation. We considered whole plant, clonal, leaf, and seed traits. Differences between habitats were tested using ANOVA and ANCOVA. Trait-environment relationships were assessed using multiple regression models and hierarchical variance partitioning. The extent of variation was calculated using the coefficient of variation. Significant intraspecific differences in trait attributes between the contrasting habitats indicate phenotypic adaptation to in situ environmental conditions. Within habitats, light, soil temperature, and the availability of nitrate, ammonium, magnesium and potassium were the most important factors driving intraspecific trait-environment relationships. Leaf traits and height growth show lower variability than environment being probably more regulated by plants than clonal traits which show much higher variability. We show the adaptive significance of key plant traits leading to intraspecific adaptation of strategies providing insights for conservation of extant grassland communities. We argue that protecting habitats with considerable medium- and small-scale environmental heterogeneity is important to maintain large intraspecific variability within local populations that finally can buffer against uncertainty of future climate and land use scenarios.     

Effects of habitat conditions on the boldness and sociability of wild-caught fish (Zacco platypus) along a river

Journal of Ethology - Wild fish show consistent behavioral differences, e.g., personalities among populations, whereas the possible relationships between personality and environmental conditions...     

Seasonality determines patterns of growth and age structure over a geographic gradient in an ectothermic vertebrate

Environmental variation connected with seasonality is likely to affect the evolution of life-history strategies in ectotherms, but there is no consensus as to how important life-history traits like body size are influenced by environmental variation along seasonal gradients. We compared adult body size, skeletal growth, mean age, age at first reproduction and longevity among 11 common frog (Rana temporaria) populations sampled along a 1,600-km-long latitudinal gradient across Scandinavia. Mean age, age at first reproduction and longevity increased linearly with decreasing growth season length. Lifetime activity (i.e. the estimated number of active days during life-time) was highest at mid-latitudes and females had on average more active days throughout their lives than males. Variation in body size was due to differences in lifetime activity among populations??individuals (especially females) were largest where they had the longest cumulative activity period??as well as to differences between populations in skeletal growth rate as determined by skeletochronological analyses. Especially, males grew faster at intermediate latitudes. While life-history trait variation was strongly associated with latitude, the direction and shape of these relationships were sex- and trait-specific. These context-dependent relationships may be the result of life-history trade-offs enforced by differences in future reproductive opportunities and time constraints among the populations. Thus, seasonality appears to be an important environmental factor shaping life-history trait variation in common frogs.     

An experimental study of geographic variation in avian growth and development

Reciprocal transplant and “common garden” experiments were done to distinguish the genetic and environmental components of geographic variation in growth, development and morphological characters of Mallard Ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) from California, USA and Manitoba, Canada. Most of the variation in growth and development could be attributed to differences in nesting phenology and local environmental conditions. Differences in morphological characters typical of birds in the two wild populations could be induced by transplanting young between localities. All differences between populations disappeared in the F1 offspring from captive breeding crosses, reared in a common environment. These results suggest that population-level variation in growth, development and morphology of Mallards in the wild is environmentally induced.     

Variations in age and size at maturity of female Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus, populations from man-made lakes of Côte d'Ivoire

The reproductive characteristics of Oreochromis niloticus females were studied in two large hydroelectric dams and 6 small agropastoral reservoirs of Côte d'Ivoire, selected for their diversity of environmental conditions and sizes (6 to 80000 ha). Comparative analysis of age and size at maturity revealed large differences between the populations with early maturity, late maturity, and intermediate situations. All the populations matured in their first year, between 5.6 and 10 months. Age and size at maturity were positively correlated with the reservoir area. The range of variation in age at maturity between populations was far greater than that of size at maturity. However, size at maturity also appears to be very plastic as intra-population variations of 2 to 3 cm were found between consecutive years. A comparison of age at maturity for a population in 1994 and 1996 showed that this trait is also likely to vary significantly at the intra-population level. Environmental factors which could potentially affect age and size at maturity are discussed. Growth differences are the probable explanation for the observed patterns of variation between populations. Rapid changes in age and size at maturity at inter or intra-population levels suggest that the observed variations might be explained by differences in environmental variables (phenotypic plasticity) rather than by genetic differences.     

Intraspecific trait variation and trade‐offs within and across populations of a toxic dinoflagellate

Intraspecific trait diversity can promote the success of a species, as complementarity of functional traits within populations may enhance its competitive success and facilitates resilience to changing environmental conditions. Here, we experimentally determined the variation and relationships between traits in 15 strains of the toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrium ostenfeldii derived from two populations. Measured traits included growth rate, cell size, elemental composition, nitrogen uptake kinetics, toxin production and allelochemical potency. Our results demonstrate substantial variation in all analysed traits both within and across populations, particularly in nitrogen affinity, which was even comparable to interspecific variation across phytoplankton species. We found distinct trade‐offs between maximum nitrogen uptake rate and affinity, and between defensive and competitive traits. Furthermore, we identified differences in trait variation between the genetically similar populations. The observed high trait variation may facilitate development and resilience of harmful algal blooms under dynamic environmental conditions.     

Divergence of functional traits at early stages of development in Stipa tenacissima populations distributed along an environmental gradient of the Mediterranean

Assessing differences in plant functional traits (PFTs) along climatic gradients is potentially useful for understanding variation within and across populations, and for predicting their responses to climate change. This study investigates the intraspecific variability of several PFTs in Stipa tenacissima (Alpha grass) seedlings from different populations distributed across a climatic gradient. Seven populations from Tunisia to Spain within a 100–600 mm/year rainfall range were selected. Seedlings from each population were grown in a common garden. We expected the functional characteristics to differ among seedling populations according to their climatic gradient. The response patterns were helpful to predict acclimation and fitness under future climatic conditions in these populations. The seedling development analysis showed differences in PFTs among S. tenacissima populations. The biomass traits analysis revealed that higher above-ground biomass was related to higher below-ground development. The leaf traits proved that seedlings with longer leaf length would have less sclerophyllous leaves, a trade-off between productivity and drought resistance. The root traits analysis reflects seedling strategies to maximize resource uptake efficiency. PFTs showed several significant relationships with climatic conditions. The less rainfall, the higher plant allocation to root systems exploring soil. Higher mean temperatures were related to reduced root/plant development. The PFT analysis proves that species followed the ‘optimal partitioning theory’, in that plants preferentially allocate biomass to acquire the resource that most limits their development. However, both the environmental conditions and genetic diversity in S. tenacissima populations influenced seedling growth and behaviour to face ongoing climate change.

     

Leaf anatomy of Carex humilis does not correlate with orographic,geological and bioclimatic habitat conditions in C&SE Europe

This paper presents the results of a multivariate morphometric study of leaf anatomical characters in different, geographically very distant populations of taxon Carex humilis from Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro and Albania with the aim to reveal the trends of population differentiation. Analyses were performed on the cross-section of 173 leaves collected from 12 populations. In order to establish the overall morphological variation and relationships between individuals from all populations, principal component analyses (PCA) and canonical discriminant analysis (CDA) have been done. The UPGMA clustering analyses based on leaf anatomical characters and habitat climatic characteristics were carried out to explore whether the observed anatomical differences are a result of adaptive responses. Regression analysis (linear regression) was performed to identify the level of correlation between leaf anatomical characters and basic orographic, geological, and bioclimatic habitat characteristics. Quite unexpectedly, most of observed groups are formed of geographically very distant populations which are living in extremely different climatic and geological conditions, indicating that general anatomical differentiation in Carex humilis in C&SE Europe cannot be explained by the environmental impacts, and basically do not represent an adaptive response to different climatic or geological condition.     

Geographic variation in the essential oils and morphology of natural populations of Melaleuca alternifolia (Myrtaceae)

In recent decades, Melaleuca alternifolia has been grown in plantations for the commercial production of tea tree oil extracted from harvested leaf and stem material by steam distillation. Plantations are grown from seedlings raised from seeds collected from wild populations of this endemic Australian species. Considerable variation in morphology and leaf oil composition and yield has been observed and studies have demonstrated genetic and phenotypic heterozygosity between populations.Here we examine the variation in leaf oil chemical composition (chemotypes) between geographically defined locations of wild populations of M. alternifolia and investigate the relationships between tree size, chemotype and geographic location.Forty separate populations of M. alternifolia distributed amongst three river catchments (two in a warm moist coastal region and one in cool drier highlands) were studied. Total variation in tree size was significantly greater within individual sites than between them. However, the highland catchment populations exhibited significantly smaller mean tree size and a significantly different chemotype profile than the lowland populations. Contrary to the observation of lower genetic diversity, the highland catchment populations had greater chemotypic diversity. Furthermore, highly significant differences in population chemotypes were demonstrated between catchments.The possibilities that these differences could be ascribed to either genetic divergence or to environmental differences are discussed.     

Context-dependent resistance against butterfly herbivory in a polyploid herb

Spatial variation in biotic interactions and natural selection are fundamental parts of natural systems, and can be driven by differences in both trait distributions and the local environmental context of the interaction. Most studies of plant–animal interactions have been performed only in natural settings, making it difficult to disentangle the effects of traits and context. To assess the relative importance of trait differences and environmental context for among-population variation in plant resistance to herbivory, we compared oviposition by the butterfly Anthocharis cardamines on two ploidy types of the herb Cardamine pratensis under experimentally controlled conditions with oviposition in natural populations. Under controlled conditions, plants from octoploid populations were significantly more preferred than plants from tetraploid populations. This difference was largely mediated by differences in flower size. Among natural populations, there was no difference in oviposition rates between the two ploidy types. Our results suggest that differences in oviposition rates among populations of the two cytotypes in the field are caused mainly by differences in environmental context, and that the higher attractiveness of octoploids to herbivores observed under common environmental conditions is balanced by the fact that they occur in habitats which harbor lower densities of butterflies. This illustrates that spatial variation in biotic interactions is the net result of differences in trait distributions of the interacting organisms and differences in environmental context, and that variation in both traits and context are important in understanding species interactions.     

Genetic, geographic, and environmental correlates of human temporal bone variation

Temporal bone shape has been shown to reflect molecular phylogenetic relationships among hominoids and offers significant morphological detail for distinguishing taxa. Although it is generally accepted that temporal bone shape, like other aspects of morphology, has an underlying genetic component, the relative influence of genetic and environmental factors is unclear. To determine the impact of genetic differentiation and environmental variation on temporal bone morphology, we used three-dimensional geometric morphometric techniques to evaluate temporal bone variation in 11 modern human populations. Population differences were investigated by discriminant function analysis, and the strength of the relationships between morphology, neutral molecular distance, geographic distribution, and environmental variables were assessed by matrix correlation comparisons. Significant differences were found in temporal bone shape among all populations, and classification rates using cross-validation were relatively high. Comparisons of morphological distances to molecular distances based on short tandem repeats (STRs) revealed a significant correlation between temporal bone shape and neutral molecular distance among Old World populations, but not when Native Americans were included. Further analyses suggested a similar pattern for morphological variation and geographic distribution. No significant correlations were found between temporal bone shape and environmental variables: temperature, annual rainfall, latitude, or altitude. Significant correlations were found between temporal bone size and both temperature and latitude, presumably reflecting Bergmann's rule. Thus, temporal bone morphology appears to partially follow an isolation by distance model of evolution among human populations, although levels of correlation show that a substantial component of variation is unexplained by factors considered here.     

Allometric plasticity in a polyphenic beetle

Abstract 1. Environmental conditions, such as variation in nutrition, commonly contribute to morphological variation among individuals by affecting body size and the expression of certain morphological traits; however the scaling relationship between a morphological trait and body size over a range of body sizes is generally assumed not to change in response to environmental fluctuation (allometric plasticity), but instead to be constant and diagnostic for a particular trait and species or population. The work reported here examined diet‐induced allometric plasticity in the polyphenic beetle Onthophagus taurus Schreber (1759) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae). 2. Male O. taurus vary in body size depending on larval nutrition. Only males above a critical body size threshold express fully developed horns; males smaller than this threshold develop only rudimentary horns or no horns at all. 3. Field populations that naturally utilise two different resources for feeding larvae (horse dung vs. cow manure) exhibited significant differences in the average scaling relationship between body size and male horn length over the same range of body sizes. Males collected from cow manure populations expressed consistently longer horns for a given body size than males collected from horse dung populations. 4. Males reared in the laboratory on horse dung or cow manure also exhibited significant differences in the average scaling relationship between body size and horn length. Differences between laboratory populations reared on horse dung or cow manure were of the same kind and magnitude as differences between field populations that utilise these different resources naturally. 5. These findings suggest that between‐population differences in scaling relationships between horn length and body size can be the product of differences in the quality of resources available to developing larvae. Results are discussed in the context of onthophagine mating systems and recent insights in the developmental and endocrine control of horn polyphenisms.     

One Species or Several? Discordant Patterns of Geographic Variation between Allozymes and mtDNA Sequences among Spiders in the Genus Metepeira (Araneae: Araneidae)

Paradoxically, an allozyme study of Metepeira “spinipes” (sensu lato) demonstrated extensive gene flow among four populations whose members are nevertheless morphologically and behaviorally distinct. Initially, the authors tentatively concluded that the populations exhibited panmixis and suggested that local environmental effects accounted for the apparent morphological and behavioral differences. However, they later concluded that such differences were too great to be accounted for by the environment alone and that the four populations actually represented three different species. To confirm that the allozyme results were, in fact, artifactual, we reexamined the relationships among these populations by sequencing a portion of the 12S mtDNA ribosomal subunit. In contrast to the allozyme result, our results demonstrate good agreement between patterns of genetic and morphological/behavioral variation. We suggest (1) that the allozyme allele frequencies are homogenized by balancing selection, not gene flow as was previously concluded, and therefore (2) that this study provides another instance in which inferences about population structures from allozyme data are misleading.     

Phenotypic plasticity of primary thallus in selected Cladonia species (lichenized Ascomycota: Cladoniaceae)

The paper presents the results of comprehensive analyses concerning the phenotypic variability of the primary thallus in five chosen Cladonia species in relation to habitat conditions. Morphology and anatomy, as well as the cortex ultrasculpture, of primary squamules were examined in individual specimens from sunny and shady populations of each species. The Mann-Whitney U test and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) revealed several clear correlations between the type of habitat and the organisation of squamules. Significant differences refer mainly to anatomical features, especially to epinecral layer frequency and cortex thickness. On the contrary, examination of the surface ultrasculpture of squamules under SEM did not show any important differences between populations. Regardless of the habitat factors, a full range of cortical surface rugosity in samples from both habitats was noticed, and a high variability often refers to a singular squamule. The results indicate that some features are largely modified by environmental factors and/or depend on the development stage of individual specimens, and examination of these relationships should be the first step towards the evaluation of the taxonomic usefulness of the considered features.     

Morphological differentiation among local trout (Salmo trutta) populations

The trout (Salmo trutta) has been divided into three forms: sea-run trout, lake-run brown trout, and resident brown trout. They differ in their living environment, migratory behaviour, growth and appearance. As local trout populations are often isolated, and gene flow between them is minimal, differentiation between populations can be expected. The morphology of 1-year-old trout from ten populations representing all three forms was studied in a common-garden experiment. The fish were reared under similar environmental conditions, and 20 morphometric characters were measured from each individual fish. Marked morphological differentiation was found, and differences between populations were greater than differences between forms. The results suggest that the differences have a genetic basis, and they are likely to indicate adaptation to local environmental conditions in the native habitat of the trout.     

Limitations of trait‐based approaches for stressor assessment: The case of freshwater invertebrates and climate drivers

The appeal of trait‐based approaches for assessing environmental vulnerabilities arises from the potential insight they provide into the mechanisms underlying the changes in populations and community structure. Traits can provide ecologically based explanations for observed responses to environmental changes, along with predictive power gained by developing relationships between traits and environmental variables. Despite these potential benefits, questions remain regarding the utility and limitations of these approaches, which we explore focusing on the following questions: (a) How reliable are predictions of biotic responses to changing conditions based on single trait–environment relationships? (b) What factors constrain detection of single trait–environment relationships, and how can they be addressed? (c) Can we use information on meta‐community processes to reveal conditions when assumptions underlying trait‐based studies are not met? We address these questions by reviewing published literature on aquatic invertebrate communities from stream ecosystems. Our findings help to define factors that influence the successful application of trait‐based approaches in addressing the complex, multifaceted effects of changing climate conditions on hydrologic and thermal regimes in stream ecosystems. Key conclusions are that observed relationships between traits and environmental stressors are often inconsistent with predefined hypotheses derived from current trait‐based thinking, particularly related to single trait–environment relationships. Factors that can influence findings of trait‐based assessments include intercorrelations of among traits and among environmental variables, spatial scale, strength of biotic interactions, intensity of habitat disturbance, degree of abiotic stress, and methods of trait characterization. Several recommendations are made for practice and further study to address these concerns, including using phylogenetic relatedness to address intercorrelation. With proper consideration of these issues, trait‐based assessment of organismal vulnerability to environmental changes can become a useful tool to conserve threatened populations into the future.     

Uncoupled geographical variation between leaves and flowers in a South-Andean Proteaceae

Background and Aims

Geographical variation in foliar and floral traits and their degree of coupling can provide relevant information on the relative importance of abiotic, biotic and even neutral factors acting at geographical scales as generators of evolutionary novelty. Geographical variation was studied in leaves and flowers of Embothrium coccineum, a species that grows along abrupt environmental gradients and exhibits contrasting pollinator assemblages in the southern Andes.

Methods

Five foliar and eight floral morphological characters were considered from 32 populations, and their patterns of variation and covariation were analysed within and among populations, together with their relationship with environmental variables, using both univariate and multivariate methods. The relationships between foliar and floral morphological variation and geographical distance between populations were compared with Mantel permutation tests.

Key Results

Leaf and flower traits were clearly uncoupled within populations and weakly associated among populations. Whereas geographical variation in foliar traits was mostly related to differences in precipitation associated with geographical longitude, variation in floral traits was not.

Conclusions

These patterns suggest that leaves and flowers responded to different evolutionary forces, environmental (i.e. rainfall) in the case of leaves, and biotic (i.e. pollinators) or genetic drift in the case of flowers. This study supports the view that character divergence at a geographical scale can be moulded by different factors acting in an independent fashion.Key words: Embothrium coccineum, Proteaceae, geographical variation, foliar morphology, floral morphology, uncoupling, selective forces, environmental conditions, pollinators, south Andes