GENETIC CORRELATION BETWEEN A FEMALE MATING PREFERENCE AND THE PREFERRED MALE CHARACTER IN SEAWEED FLIES (COELOPA FRIGIDA)

The mating preferences of female seaweed flies Coelopa frigida were determined by observing their acceptance or rejection of males of known size. The inversion karyotype of both males and females was also determined. Females exhibited a preference to mate with large males, and evidence is presented that a genetic correlation exists between the female preference and the preferred trait. Females carrying the inversion karyotype associated with large male size showed a strong preference for large males; females carrying the inversion associated with small male size also exhibited a preference for large males, but it was significantly less strong. This finding suggests that a Fisherian process may be operating.     

The genetic effects of competition in seaweed flies

In spite of abundant evidence that intra- and inter-specific competition occurs in natural communities, there is surprisingly little to suggest it is a major force promoting genetic change. This report assesses the genetic effects of competition in two species of seaweed fly, Coelopa frigida and C. pilipes. In laboratory cultures of C. frigida the relative survival of heterozygotes at the Adh locus, which was being used as a marker for the large αβ chromosomal inversion, was greater than that of homozygotes. In monocultures of C. frigida this competitive superiority was dependent on larval density. At low densities facilitation was seen, whereas at high larval densities there was competition. In mixed cultures of the two species, interspecific competition contributed to the differential mortality of C. frigida , and observations of natural populations suggested that competition may have similar effects to those described in laboratory culture. A possible mechanism involving the supply of nutritive microorganisms is proposed to underly both intra- and inter-specific competition. In seaweed flies, competition and the consequent differential mortality appear to be forces maintaining rather than reducing genetic variation.     

Genetics of drought adaptation in Arabidopsis thaliana: I. Pleiotropy contributes to genetic correlations among ecological traits

We examined patterns of genetic variance and covariance in two traits (i) carbon stable isotope ratio delta13C (dehydration avoidance) and (ii) time to flowering (drought escape), both of which are putative adaptations to local water availability. Greenhouse screening of 39 genotypes of Arabidopsis thaliana native to habitats spanning a wide range of climatic conditions, revealed a highly significant positive genetic correlation between delta13C and flowering time. Studies in a range of C3 annuals have also reported large positive correlations, suggesting the presence of a genetically based trade-off between mechanisms of dehydration avoidance (delta13C) and drought escape (early flowering). We examined the contribution of pleiotropy by using a combination of mutant and near-isogenic lines to test for positive mutational covariance between delta13C and flowering time. Ecophysiological mutants generally showed variation in delta13C but not flowering time. However, flowering time mutants generally demonstrated pleiotropic effects consistent with natural variation. Mutations that caused later flowering also typically resulted in less negative delta13C and thus probably higher water use efficiency. We found strong evidence for pleiotropy using near-isogenic lines of Frigida and Flowering locus C, cloned loci known to be responsible for natural variation in flowering time. These data suggest the correlated evolution of delta13C and flowering time is explained in part by the fixation of pleiotropic alleles that alter both delta13C and time to flowering.     

The effects of exposure to seaweed on willingness to mate, oviposition, and longevity in seaweed flies

Abstract  1. Large male seaweed flies (Diptera: Coelopidae) are more likely to mate than smaller males. This is due to sexual conflict over mating, by which females physically resist male attempts to copulate. In some species, large males are simply more efficient at overpowering female resistance.
2. Female reluctance to mate is likely to have evolved due to the costs of mating to females. In many dipterans, males manipulate female behaviour through seminal proteins that have evolved through sperm competition. This behavioural manipulation can be costly to females, for example forcing females to oviposit in sub-optimal conditions and increasing their mortality.
3. Previous work has failed to identify any ubiquitous costs of mating to female coelopids. The work reported here was designed to investigate the effects of exposure to oviposition sites ( Fucus algae) on the reproductive behaviour of four species of coelopid. Algae deposition in nature is stochastic and females mate with multiple males in and around oviposition sites. Spermatogenesis is restricted to the pupal stage and there is last-male sperm precedence. It was predicted that males would avoid wasting sperm and would be more willing to mate, and to remain paired with females for longer, when exposed to oviposition material compared with control males. Females were predicted to incur longevity costs of mating if mating increased their rate of oviposition, especially in the presence of algae.
4. The behaviour of males of all four species concurred with the predictions; however mating did not affect female receptivity, oviposition behaviour, or longevity. Exposure to algae induced oviposition and increased female mortality in all species independently of mating and egg production. The evolutionary ecology of potential costs of mating to female coelopids are discussed in the light of these findings.     

Local adaptation along an environmental cline in a species with an inversion polymorphism

Polymorphic inversions are ubiquitous across the animal kingdom and are frequently associated with clines in inversion frequencies across environmental gradients. Such clines are thought to result from selection favouring local adaptation; however, empirical tests are scarce. The seaweed fly Coelopa frigida has an α/β inversion polymorphism, and previous work demonstrated that the α inversion frequency declines from the North Sea to the Baltic Sea and is correlated with changes in tidal range, salinity, algal composition and wrackbed stability. Here, we explicitly test the hypothesis that populations of C. frigida along this cline are locally adapted by conducting a reciprocal transplant experiment of four populations along this cline to quantify survival. We found that survival varied significantly across treatments and detected a significant Location x Substrate interaction, indicating local adaptation. Survival models showed that flies from locations at both extremes had highest survival on their native substrates, demonstrating that local adaptation is present at the extremes of the cline. Survival at the two intermediate locations was, however, not elevated at the native substrates, suggesting that gene flow in intermediate habitats may override selection. Together, our results support the notion that population extremes of species with polymorphic inversions are often locally adapted, even when spatially close, consistent with the growing view that inversions can have direct and strong effects on the fitness of species.     

内蒙古科尔沁沙地两种沙生植物冷蒿和差不嘎蒿竞争策略的生理生态学依据

研究了中国内蒙古科尔沁沙地两种优势灌木冷蒿(Artemisiafrigida Willd)和差不嘎蒿(Artemisia halodendronTurcz.ex Bess)在不同土壤水分状况条件下的气体交换、水分关系和叶片的化学特性.测定设置了5个土壤水分梯度:土壤最大含水量(体积含水量,30%)、田间持水量(对照,20%)、轻度水分胁迫(10%)、极端干旱(＜4%)和旱后复水(20%).冷蒿的净光合速率(Pn)、蒸腾速率(TR)和水势(ψw低于差不嘎蒿,相对水分亏缺(RWD)、束缚水含量(BWC)、束缚水与自由水的比值(BWC/FWC)和综合抗旱性指数(DI)高于差不嘎蒿.两种灌木对不同土壤含水量的响应不同,随着土壤含水量的逐渐下降,差不嘎蒿的ψw、BWC和BWC/FWC出现大幅度的波动,波动幅度远远的大于冷蒿,冷蒿则显示了一个较差不嘎蒿高的持水能力和抗旱能力.冷蒿和差不嘎蒿的脯氨酸和总可溶性糖含量随土壤含水量的降低均呈增加的趋势,冷蒿增加的幅度大于差不嘎蒿,说明冷蒿的渗透调节能力在干旱过程中有较大提高.在长期极端干旱条件下,两种灌木的ψw,RWD,BWC和BWC/FWC的终极值相近;有机物、脯氨酸和总可溶性糖含量大量累积;冷蒿的脯氨酸和总可溶性糖含量增加的幅度和可溶性蛋白质降解的幅度远远超过差不嘎蒿;我们认为此时累积的物质主要作为营养物质,以供植物的旱后恢复,此时冷蒿的恢复能力超过差不嘎蒿,这是极端干旱条件下差不嘎蒿死亡而冷蒿存活的主要原因之一.我们的研究结果显示,相对于差不嘎蒿而言,冷蒿在水分胁迫条件下的生理生态学特性更有利于其在固定沙地的生长,差不嘎蒿则由于对水资源微弱的竞争丧失了生存优势,是引起科尔沁沙地植被演替过程中冷蒿替代差不嘎蒿的主要原因.     

损伤冷蒿挥发性有机化合物(VOCs)成分分析及其对牧草根系生长发育的影响

采用GC-MS测定损伤冷蒿VOCs的主要成分,并通过生物测定的方法研究损伤冷蒿VOCs对牧草幼苗根系生长发育的影响。结果表明:损伤冷蒿释放30种VOCs,包含萜烯类、醇类、酯类、醛类和酮类等5类化合物,其中相对含量高于1%的化合物共占VOCs总量的97.37%,桉树脑含量最高(22.43%)。损伤冷蒿释放的VOCs极显著(P0.01)的抑制草木樨、苏丹草、披碱草和冰草幼根的伸长,以及苏丹草侧根与冰草须根的发育,抑制率分别为51.55%、55.34%、37.57%、48.68%、93.04%和25.00%;同时也极显著抑制4种牧草幼根生物量的积累(P0.01)。损伤冷蒿VOCs影响牧草根部中柱组织结构的分化,使草木樨中柱内木质部、韧皮部与形成层不能正常分化;苏丹草、披碱草和冰草的凯氏带发育不完整。由此可见,损伤冷蒿VOCs对牧草根系生长发育具有明显的抑制作用。     

科尔沁草原主要牧草冷蒿和差不嘎蒿的生理生态学特性与竞争机制

一日内冷蒿和差不嘎蒿的光合速率（Pn）、蒸腾速率（E）和水分利用效率（WUE）在早或晚出现了最高值,而其余时间则变化低缓,原因归结于沙地环境因子和植物内部因子的共同作用。冷蒿的Pn和WUE日均值高于差不嘎蒿,E的日均值却低于差不嘎蒿,说明冷蒿在干旱环境下具有较高的物质生产量和节约用水的能力。自然状态下冷蒿各生长季的水势（ψω）和充分膨胀时的渗透势（ψπ^100）远低于差不嘎蒿,水分相对亏缺（RWD）、束缚水含量（BWC)、缚水与自由水的比值（BWC／FWC）元高于差不嘎蒿,表明其具有更强的抗旱性;干旱和旱后复水条件下差不嘎蒿的RWD、BWC和BEW／FWC产生大幅度波动;长期极端干旱条件下两才RWD、EWC和ψω终极植相近;长期淹水对冷蒿生理过程的影响更大些。干旱使两种牧草蛋白质发生分解,脯氨酸和可溶性糖大量累,其中冷蒿的累积量远远超过差不嘎蒿,这种累积特征可能正是两种牧草竞争机制的本质所在。