Adaptation to sea level rise: does local adaptation influence the demography of coastal fish populations?

This study compared the growth of two western mosquitofish Gambusia affinis populations that were previously demonstrated to have genetic adaptations that increased survival under lethal salinity exposures. The objective was to evaluate how genetic adaptations to lethal salinity stress affect population demography when exposed to sublethal salinity stress. Results indicate that chronic salinity exposure had a generally negative impact on population size, but fish originating from one of the two populations established with fish from a brackish site exhibited an increase in population size. Saltwater intrusion seems to result in reduced population size for most populations. Some populations inhabiting more saline sites, however, may develop localized adaptations, mitigating the consequences of increased salinity on population productivity.     

Genetic and phenotypic changes in an Atlantic salmon population supplemented with non-local individuals: a longitudinal study over 21 years

While introductions and supplementations using non-native and potentially domesticated individuals may have dramatic evolutionary effects on wild populations, few studies documented the evolution of genetic diversity and life-history traits in supplemented populations. Here, we investigated year-to-year changes from 1989 to 2009 in genetic admixture at 15 microsatellite loci and in phenotypic traits in an Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) population stocked during the first decade of this period with two genetically and phenotypically distinct source populations. We detected a pattern of temporally increasing introgressive hybridization between the stocked population and both source populations. The proportion of fish returning to the river after a single winter at sea (versus several ones) was higher in fish assigned to the main source population than in local individuals. Moreover, during the first decade of the study, both single-sea-winter and multi-sea-winter (MSW) fish assigned to the main source population were smaller than local fish. During the second decade of the study, MSW fish defined as hybrids were lighter and smaller than fish from parental populations, suggesting outbreeding depression. Overall, this study suggests that supplementation with non-local individuals may alter not only the genetic diversity of wild populations but also life-history traits of adaptive significance.     

Genomic population structure of freshwater‐resident and anadromous ide (Leuciscus idus) in north‐western Europe

Climate change experts largely agree that future climate change and associated rises in oceanic water levels over the upcoming decades, will affect marine salinity levels. The subsequent effects on fish communities in estuarine ecosystems however, are less clear. One species that is likely to become increasingly affected by changes in salinity is the ide (Leuciscus idus). The ide is a stenohaline freshwater fish that primarily inhabits rivers, with frequent anadromous behavior when sea salinity does not exceed 15%. Unlike most other anadromous Baltic Sea fish species, the ide has yet to be subjected to large‐scale stocking programs, and thus provides an excellent opportunity for studying the natural population structure across the current salinity gradient in the Danish Belts. To explore this, we used Genotyping‐by‐Sequencing to determine genomic population structure of both freshwater resident and anadromous ide populations in the western Baltic Sea region, and relate the results to the current salinity gradient and the demographic history of ide in the region. The sample sites separate into four clusters, with all anadromous populations in one cluster and the freshwater resident populations in the remaining three. Results demonstrate high level of differentiation between sites hosting freshwater resident populations, but little differentiation among anadromous populations. Thus ide exhibit the genomic population structure of both a typical freshwater species, and a typical anadromous species. In addition to providing a first insight into the population structure of north‐western European ide, our data also (1) provide indications of a single illegal introduction by man; (2) suggest limited genetic effects of heavy pollution in the past; and (3) indicate possible historical anadromous behavior in a now isolated freshwater population.     

Genetic variation in resistance, but not tolerance, to a protozoan parasite in the monarch butterfly

Natural selection should strongly favour hosts that can protect themselves against parasites. Most studies on animals so far have focused on resistance, a series of mechanisms through which hosts prevent infection, reduce parasite growth or clear infection. However, animals may instead evolve tolerance, a defence mechanism by which hosts do not reduce parasite infection or growth, but instead alleviate the negative fitness consequences of such infection and growth. Here, we studied genetic variation in resistance and tolerance in the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) to its naturally occurring protozoan parasite, Ophryocystis elektroscirrha. We exposed 560 monarch larvae of 19 different family lines to one of five different parasite inoculation doses (0, 1, 5, 10 and 100 infective spores) to create a range of parasite loads in infected butterflies. We then used two proxies of host fitness (adult lifespan and body mass) to quantify: (i) qualitative resistance (the ability to prevent infection; also known as avoidance or anti-infection resistance); (ii) quantitative resistance (the ability to limit parasite growth upon infection; also known as control or anti-growth resistance); and (iii) tolerance (the ability to maintain fitness with increasing parasite infection intensity). We found significant differences among host families in qualitative and quantitative resistance, indicating genetic variation in resistance. However, we found no genetic variation in tolerance. This may indicate that all butterflies in our studied population have evolved maximum tolerance, as predicted by some theoretical models.     

Linking extinction-colonization dynamics to genetic structure in a salamander metapopulation

Theory predicts that founder effects have a primary role in determining metapopulation genetic structure. However, ecological factors that affect extinction-colonization dynamics may also create spatial variation in the strength of genetic drift and migration. We tested the hypothesis that ecological factors underlying extinction-colonization dynamics influenced the genetic structure of a tiger salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum) metapopulation. We used empirical data on metapopulation dynamics to make a priori predictions about the effects of population age and ecological factors on genetic diversity and divergence among 41 populations. Metapopulation dynamics of A. tigrinum depended on wetland area, connectivity and presence of predatory fish. We found that newly colonized populations were more genetically differentiated than established populations, suggesting that founder effects influenced genetic structure. However, ecological drivers of metapopulation dynamics were more important than age in predicting genetic structure. Consistent with demographic predictions from metapopulation theory, genetic diversity and divergence depended on wetland area and connectivity. Divergence was greatest in small, isolated wetlands where genetic diversity was low. Our results show that ecological factors underlying metapopulation dynamics can be key determinants of spatial genetic structure, and that habitat area and isolation may mediate the contributions of drift and migration to divergence and evolution in local populations.     

Sea lice as a density-dependent constraint to salmonid farming

Fisheries catches worldwide have shown no increase over the last two decades, while aquaculture has been booming. To cover the demand for fish in the growing human population, continued high growth rates in aquaculture are needed. A potential constraint to such growth is infectious diseases, as disease transmission rates are expected to increase with increasing densities of farmed fish. Using an extensive dataset from all farms growing salmonids along the Norwegian coast, we document that densities of farmed salmonids surrounding individual farms have a strong effect on farm levels of parasitic sea lice and efforts to control sea lice infections. Furthermore, increased intervention efforts have been unsuccessful in controlling elevated infection levels in high salmonid density areas in 2009-2010. Our results emphasize host density effects of farmed salmonids on the population dynamics of sea lice and suggest that parasitic sea lice represent a potent negative feedback mechanism that may limit sustainable spatial densities of farmed salmonids.     

Genetics of the Nematode Heterorhabditis bacteriophora Strain HP88: The Diversity of Beneficial Traits

Genotypic variation among infective juveniles of Heterorhabditis bacteriophora (strain HP88) in heat, desiccation, ultraviolet tolerance, and host-finding ability was assessed by comparing the performance of inbred lines of this entomopathogenic nematode in laboratory assays. Each line consisted of highly homozygous offspring originating from one individual obtained from a natural population. Considerable variation in all four traits was detected among the different inbred lines. The heritability values for heat or ultraviolet tolerance and for host-finding ability were high, indicating that selection should be an efficient way for improving these traits in the population. The results for desiccation tolerance varied considerably within each line. Heritability value was low, indicating that the results were influenced mainly by environmental variation and suggesting that selective breeding for higher desiccation tolerance would be inefficient. Improvement through induction of mutations may be a better alternative in this population.     

Infection deflection: hosts control parasite location with behaviour to improve tolerance

Anti-parasite behaviour can reduce parasitic infections, but little is known about how such behaviours affect infection location within the host''s body and whether parasite distribution ultimately affects tolerance of infection. To assess these questions, we exposed both anaesthetized (no behaviour) and non-anaesthetized Hyla femoralis tadpoles to plagiorchiid cercariae (larval trematodes), and quantified resistance, tolerance (relationship between mass change and infection intensity) and encystment location. Non-anaesthetized tadpoles had significantly more infections in their tail region than anaesthetized tadpoles, which had the majority of their infections in the head. This pattern indicates that parasites preferred to infect the head, but that hosts shunted infections to the tail when possible. Furthermore, there was a significant effect of encystment location on tolerance, with head-infected tadpoles having poorer tolerance to infection than tail-infected tadpoles. Variance partitioning suggests that, among infected tadpoles, behaviour contributed more to tolerance than resistance. These results suggest that, in addition to using behaviour to resist parasites, H. femoralis tadpoles also use behaviour to enhance infection tolerance by deflecting infections posteriorly, away from their vital sensory organs. These findings highlight the need to assess how widespread and important behaviour is to the tolerance of infections.     

Notonecta exhibit threat-sensitive,predator-induced dispersal

Dispersal is a central process determining community structure in heterogeneous landscapes, and species interactions within habitats may be a major determinant of dispersal. Although the effects of species interactions on dispersal within habitats have been well studied, how species interactions affect the movement of individuals between habitats in a landscape has received less attention. We conducted two experiments to assess the extent to which predation risk affects dispersal from an aquatic habitat by a flight-capable semi-aquatic insect (Notonecta undulata). Exposure to non-lethal (caged) fish fed conspecifics increased dispersal rates in N. undulata. Moreover, dispersal rate was positively correlated with the level of risk imposed by the fish; the greater the number of notonectids consumed by the caged fish, the greater the dispersal rate from the habitat. These results suggest that risk within a habitat can affect dispersal among habitats in a landscape and thus affect community structure on a much greater scale than the direct effect of predation itself.     

The Effects of Background and Interference Selection on Patterns of Genetic Variation in Subdivided Populations

It is well known that most new mutations that affect fitness exert deleterious effects and that natural populations are often composed of subpopulations (demes) connected by gene flow. To gain a better understanding of the joint effects of purifying selection and population structure, we focus on a scenario where an ancestral population splits into multiple demes and study neutral diversity patterns in regions linked to selected sites. In the background selection regime of strong selection, we first derive analytic equations for pairwise coalescent times and F_ST as a function of time after the ancestral population splits into two demes and then construct a flexible coalescent simulator that can generate samples under complex models such as those involving multiple demes or nonconservative migration. We have carried out extensive forward simulations to show that the new methods can accurately predict diversity patterns both in the nonequilibrium phase following the split of the ancestral population and in the equilibrium between mutation, migration, drift, and selection. In the interference selection regime of many tightly linked selected sites, forward simulations provide evidence that neutral diversity patterns obtained from both the nonequilibrium and equilibrium phases may be virtually indistinguishable for models that have identical variance in fitness, but are nonetheless different with respect to the number of selected sites and the strength of purifying selection. This equivalence in neutral diversity patterns suggests that data collected from subdivided populations may have limited power for differentiating among the selective pressures to which closely linked selected sites are subject.     

海南万泉河中发现外来有害种——马那瓜丽体鱼

2011年在海南琼海万泉河发现外来鱼种马那瓜丽体鱼(Parachromis managuensis)。该种为凶猛的肉食性鱼类,已在野外建立种群,可能会对本土鱼类产生不利影响。建议主管部门禁止人为放生。     

Population-related molecular responses on the effect of pesticides in Carassius auratus gibelio

The aim of this study was to evaluate population-related peculiarities of the adaptive responses of Carassius auratus gibelio. In order to do this, male specimens from polluted (B) and clean (Z) sites were exposed to commercial pesticides thiocarbamate Tatoo (9.1 μg·L(-1)and 91 μg·L(-1)) or tetrazine Apollo (2 μg·L(-1) and 10 μg·L(-1)) during fourteen days. The control fish from site B was distinguished by weakness of antioxidant defence (measured from superoxide dismutase and catalase activities, redox index of glutathione (GSH), superoxide anion (O(2)) and lipid peroxidation levels), imbalance of the concentrations of protein metallothionein (MT-SH) and MT-related metals (MT-Me) and neurotoxicity. Differences in glutathione-S-transferase activity in the liver and vitellogenin-like proteins in the serum were also showed between B and Z control groups. Common effects of pesticides were related to a decrease in GSH, an increase in O(2) production, ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase activity and hepatosomatic index. Apollo provoked particular elevation of MT-SH/MT-Me ratio. Population-related difference in the response was the activation of antioxidant defence in fish from site B and its inhibition in fish from site Z. The genotoxic effect of exposures was more expressed in fish from site B. Principal component analysis combine all exposed groups from site Z and control group from site B in one set, and separated each exposed group from site B. The main distinguishing index of each population selected by classification and regression tree analysis was MT-SH.     

Genetic structure of a native cyprinid in a reservoir‐altered stream network

1. Reservoirs modify riverine ecosystems worldwide, and often with deleterious impacts on native biota. The immediate effects of reservoirs on native fish species below dams and in impounded reaches have received considerable attention, but it is unclear how reservoirs may affect fish species at larger spatial and temporal scales. Documented declines of stream fish populations in direct tributaries of reservoirs suggest reservoir pools may reduce gene flow among historically connected populations. 2. Because of increased predator densities in reservoirs and the extent of habitat alteration in impounded reaches, I predicted reservoir habitats would reduce gene flow among small‐bodied fish populations separated by reservoir habitat. I used microsatellite markers to assess the spatial genetic structure of populations of the red shiner (Cyprinella lutrensis), in a reservoir‐fragmented stream network (Lake Texoma, U.S.A.). I also tested the prediction that populations in two direct tributaries that have experienced population declines would have low genetic diversity. Individuals were collected from six sites upstream of the reservoir, three sites in the reservoir and three sites in direct tributaries of the reservoir during 2008 and 2009. 3. Results indicate that most populations were isolated by distance with little divergence among populations. In one direct tributary population, however, there was substantial genetic divergence, and genetic diversity was significantly lower than in other populations. Gene flow also seemed to be lower in reservoir habitats than in intact stream habitats, suggesting reservoir habitats may be reducing gene flow among the reservoir‐separated populations. These results indicate that reservoirs may reduce gene flow among reservoir‐fragmented stream fish populations, altering the evolutionary trajectories of fragmented populations.     

Acute effects of sediments taken from an urban stream on physiological and biochemical parameters of the neotropical fish Prochilodus lineatus

Juveniles of Prochilodus lineatus were exposed to sediments collected from one of five sites along an urban stream into which various types of contaminants are discharged. After 24 or 96 h fish were examined and the results compared with those from control groups (fish exposed only to water, for the same period). Plasma ion levels varied significantly and fish exposed to site 5 sediment showed a transient increase in both sodium and chloride concentrations. Plasma glucose was significantly higher in fish exposed to sediment from sites 2 and 5. The higher liver glutathione-S-transferase activity registered in fish exposed to sediment from sites 1, 4 and 5 suggests the presence of organic contaminants at these sites and the enhancement of liver catalase activity in fish exposed to sediment from sites 3 and 4 may be due to contaminant-mediated oxyradical production. The overall results revealed that sites 4 and 5 are more severely contaminated, probably due to organic contaminants from agricultural sources and municipal landfill.     

Temperature effects on chemical signalling in a predator–prey system

SUMMARY 1. We investigated the effect of temperature on chemical signalling in a predator–prey model system (planktivorous fish and Daphnia galeata ). Life-history changes in Daphnia in response to chemical cues (kairomones) derived from fish have become a paradigm for chemically induced anti-predator defences.
2. As temperature can affect both predator and prey, we carried out two experiments to disentangle these effects. In order to test for temperature effects on the predator, we kept prey at a single temperature and exposed them to kairomones from fish exposed to two different temperatures. Daphnia exhibited a higher intrinsic rate of population increase ( r ) when exposed to fish kairomones produced at high rather than low temperature. Assuming a positive correlation between r (because of an earlier maturation and/or increased clutch sizes) and kairomone concentration, our results suggest that kairomone production increases with rising temperature.
3. In the second experiment, to study the influence of temperature on the prey, Daphnia were kept at two different temperatures and exposed to fish kairomones produced at one constant temperature. We found no interaction between the effects of fish kairomone and temperature on Daphnia life history, suggesting that temperature does not directly alter life-history responses to fish kairomones.
4. Our results suggest that temperature influences Daphnia life history through its effects on fish kairomone concentration, but that temperature does not affect the strength of the response of Daphnia to the presence of fish.     

Brain development and predation: plastic responses depend on evolutionary history

Although the brain is known to be a very plastic organ, the effects of common ecological interactions like predation or competition on brain development have remained largely unexplored. We reared nine-spined sticklebacks (Pungitius pungitius) from two coastal marine (predation-adapted) and two isolated pond (competition-adapted) populations in a factorial experiment, manipulating perceived predatory risk and food supply to see (i) if the treatments affected brain development and (ii) if there was population differentiation in the response to treatments. We detected differences in plasticity of the bulbus olfactorius (chemosensory centre) between habitats: marine fish were not plastic, whereas pond fish had larger bulbi olfactorii in the presence of perceived predation. Marine fish had larger bulbus olfactorius overall. Irrespective of population origin, the hypothalamus was smaller in the presence of perceived predatory risk. Our results demonstrate that perceived predation risk can influence brain development, and that the effect of an environmental factor on brain development may depend on the evolutionary history of a given population in respect to this environmental factor.     

Ecological effects of pharmaceuticals in aquatic systems—impacts through behavioural alterations

The study of animal behaviour is important for both ecology and ecotoxicology, yet research in these two fields is currently developing independently. Here, we synthesize the available knowledge on drug-induced behavioural alterations in fish, discuss potential ecological consequences and report results from an experiment in which we quantify both uptake and behavioural impact of a psychiatric drug on a predatory fish (Perca fluviatilis) and its invertebrate prey (Coenagrion hastulatum). We show that perch became more active while damselfly behaviour was unaffected, illustrating that behavioural effects of pharmaceuticals can differ between species. Furthermore, we demonstrate that prey consumption can be an important exposure route as on average 46% of the pharmaceutical in ingested prey accumulated in the predator. This suggests that investigations of exposure through bioconcentration, where trophic interactions and subsequent bioaccumulation of exposed individuals are ignored, underestimate exposure. Wildlife may therefore be exposed to higher levels of behaviourally altering pharmaceuticals than predictions based on commonly used exposure assays and pharmaceutical concentrations found in environmental monitoring programmes.     

Evidence of disassortative mating in a Tanganyikan cichlid fish and its role in the maintenance of intrapopulation dimorphism

Morphological dimorphism in the mouth-opening direction ('lefty' versus 'righty') has been documented in several fish species. It has been suggested that this deflection is heritable in a Mendelian one-locus, two-allele fashion. Several population models have demonstrated that lateral dimorphism is maintained by negative frequency-dependent selection, resulting from interactions between predator and prey species. However, other mechanisms for the maintenance of lateral dimorphism have not yet been tested. Here, we found that the scale-eating cichlid fish Perissodus microlepis exhibited disassortative mating, in which reproductive pairings between lefties and righties occurred at higher than expected frequency (p<0.001). A previous study reported that a lefty-righty pairing produces a 1:1 ratio of lefty:righty young, suggesting that disassortative mating contributes to the maintenance of lateral dimorphism. A combination of disassortative mating and negative frequency-dependent selection may stabilize lateral dimorphism more than would a single mechanism.     

Living on a volcano's edge: genetic isolation of an extremophile terrestrial metazoan

Communities of organisms inhabiting extreme terrestrial environments provide a unique opportunity to study evolutionary forces that drive population structure and genetic diversity under the combined challenges posed by multiple geogenic stressors. High abundance of an invasive pantropical earthworm (and the absence of indigenous lumbricid species) in the Furnas geothermal field (Sao Miguel Island, Azores) indicates its remarkable tolerance to high soil temperature, exceptionally high carbon dioxide and low oxygen levels, and elevated metal bioavailability, conditions which are lethal for the majority of terrestrial metazoans. Mitochondrial and nuclear markers were used to analyze the relationship between populations living inside and outside the geothermal field. Results showed that Pontoscolex corethrurus (Annelida, Oligochaeta, Glossoscolecidae) to be a genetically heterogeneous complex within the Sao Miguel landscape and is probably differentiated into cryptic species. The population exposed to the hostile soil conditions within the volcanic caldera possesses the lowest within-population mitochondrial diversity but an unexpectedly high degree of nuclear variability with several loci evidencing positive selection, parameters indicative of a genetically unique population only distantly related to conspecifics living outside the caldera. In conclusion, P. corethrurus inhabiting active volcanic soil is a discrete extremophile population that has evolved by tolerating a mixture of non-anthropogenic chemical and physical stressors.