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Rubio AO, Stuckert AMM, Geralds B, Nielsen R, MacManes MD, Summers K. What Makes a Mimic? Orange, Red, and Black Color Production in the Mimic Poison Frog (Ranitomeya imitator). Genome Biol Evol 2024; 16:evae123. [PMID: 38874406 PMCID: PMC11255871 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evae123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2023] [Revised: 05/08/2024] [Accepted: 06/03/2024] [Indexed: 06/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Aposematic organisms rely on their conspicuous appearance to signal that they are defended and unpalatable. Such phenotypes are strongly tied to survival and reproduction. Aposematic colors and patterns are highly variable; however, the genetic, biochemical, and physiological mechanisms producing this conspicuous coloration remain largely unidentified. Here, we identify genes potentially affecting color variation in two color morphs of Ranitomeya imitator: the orange-banded Sauce and the redheaded Varadero morphs. We examine gene expression in black and orange skin patches from the Sauce morph and black and red skin patches from the Varadero morph. We identified genes differentially expressed between skin patches, including those that are involved in melanin synthesis (e.g. mlana, pmel, tyrp1), iridophore development (e.g. paics, ppat, ak1), pteridine synthesis (e.g. gch1, pax3-a, xdh), and carotenoid metabolism (e.g. dgat2, rbp1, scarb2). In addition, using weighted correlation network analysis, we identified the top 50 genes with high connectivity from the most significant network associated with gene expression differences between color morphs. Of these 50 genes, 13 were known to be related to color production (gch1, gmps, gpr143, impdh1, mc1r, pax3-a, pax7, ppat, rab27a, rlbp1, tfec, trpm1, xdh).
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew O Rubio
- Department of Biology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858, USA
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA
| | - Adam M M Stuckert
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA
| | - BreAnn Geralds
- Department of Biology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858, USA
- School of Biological Sciences, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901, USA
| | - Rasmus Nielsen
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Matthew D MacManes
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824, USA
| | - Kyle Summers
- Department of Biology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858, USA
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2
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Lim H, Chan IZW, Monteiro A. Pattern Matters in the Aposematic Colouration of Papilio polytes Butterflies. INSECTS 2024; 15:465. [PMID: 39057198 PMCID: PMC11277510 DOI: 10.3390/insects15070465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2024] [Revised: 06/19/2024] [Accepted: 06/20/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024]
Abstract
Many toxic animals display bright colour patterns to warn predators about their toxicity. This sometimes leads other sympatric palatable organisms to evolve mimetic colour patterns to also evade predation. These mimics, however, are often imperfect, and it is unclear how much their colour patterns can vary away from the model before they become ineffective. In this study, we investigated how predation risk of the palatable Common Mormon butterfly (Papilio polytes) is affected by two alterations of its wing pattern that make it progressively more distinct from its model, the Common Rose (Pachliopta aristolochiae). We deployed butterfly paper models in the field, where all models displayed the same colours but had different patterns. In the first modification from the Wildtype pattern, we exchanged the position of the red and white colour patches but kept the overall pattern constant. In the second modification, we created an eyespot-like shape from the pre-existing pattern elements by moving their positions in the wing, altering the overall wing pattern. Both modifications increased attack risk from predators relative to Wildtype patterns, with the eyespot-like modification having the highest predation risk. Our results show that avian predators can distinguish between all three patterns tested, and that pattern is important in aposematic signals. Predators learn to avoid aposematic colours, not in isolation, but as part of specific patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ian Z. W. Chan
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 16 Science Drive 4, Singapore 117558, Singapore
| | - Antónia Monteiro
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 16 Science Drive 4, Singapore 117558, Singapore
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3
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Tarvin RD, Coleman JL, Donoso DA, Betancourth-Cundar M, López-Hervas K, Gleason KS, Sanders JR, Smith JM, Ron SR, Santos JC, Sedio BE, Cannatella DC, Fitch R. Passive accumulation of alkaloids in non-toxic frogs challenges paradigms of the origins of acquired chemical defenses. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.13.593697. [PMID: 38798461 PMCID: PMC11118485 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.13.593697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Understanding the origins of novel, complex phenotypes is a major goal in evolutionary biology. Poison frogs of the family Dendrobatidae have evolved the novel ability to acquire alkaloids from their diet for chemical defense at least three times. However, taxon sampling for alkaloids has been biased towards colorful species, without similar attention paid to inconspicuous ones that are often assumed to be undefended. As a result, our understanding of how chemical defense evolved in this group is incomplete. Here we provide new data showing that, in contrast to previous studies, species from each undefended poison frog clade have measurable yet low amounts of alkaloids. We confirm that undefended dendrobatids regularly consume mites and ants, which are known sources of alkaloids. Further, we confirm the presence of alkaloids in two putatively non-toxic frogs from other families. Our data suggest the existence of a phenotypic intermediate between toxin consumption and sequestration-passive accumulation-that differs from active sequestration in that it involves no derived forms of transport and storage mechanisms yet results in low levels of toxin accumulation. We discuss the concept of passive accumulation and its potential role in the origin of chemical defenses in poison frogs and other toxin-sequestering organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca D. Tarvin
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720 USA
| | - Jeffrey L. Coleman
- Department of Integrative Biology and Biodiversity Collections, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712 USA
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancón, Republic of Panama
| | - David A. Donoso
- Grupo de Investigación en Ecología Evolutiva en los Trópicos (EETROP), Universidad de las Américas, Quito, Ecuador
- Ecological Networks Lab, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
| | | | | | - Kimberly S. Gleason
- Department of Chemistry and Physics, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN 47809, USA
| | - J. Ryan Sanders
- Department of Chemistry and Physics, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN 47809, USA
| | - Jacqueline M. Smith
- Department of Chemistry and Physics, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN 47809, USA
| | - Santiago R. Ron
- Museo de Zoología, Escuela de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Juan C. Santos
- Department of Biological Sciences, St John’s University, NY, USA 11439
| | - Brian E. Sedio
- Department of Integrative Biology and Biodiversity Collections, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712 USA
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancón, Republic of Panama
| | - David C. Cannatella
- Department of Integrative Biology and Biodiversity Collections, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712 USA
| | - Richard Fitch
- Department of Chemistry and Physics, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN 47809, USA
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López-Hervas K, Santos JC, Ron SR, Betancourth-Cundar M, Cannatella DC, Tarvin RD. Deep divergences among inconspicuously colored clades of Epipedobates poison frogs. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2024; 195:108065. [PMID: 38531492 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2024.108065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Revised: 02/29/2024] [Accepted: 03/17/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024]
Abstract
Poison frogs (Dendrobatidae) are famous for their aposematic species, having a combination of diverse color patterns and defensive skin toxins, yet most species in this family are inconspicuously colored and considered non-aposematic. Epipedobates is among the youngest genus-level clades of Dendrobatidae that includes both aposematic and inconspicuous species. Using Sanger-sequenced mitochondrial and nuclear markers, we demonstrate deep genetic divergences among inconspicuous species of Epipedobates but relatively shallow genetic divergences among conspicuous species. Our phylogenetic analysis includes broad geographic sampling of the inconspicuous lineages typically identified as E. boulengeri and E. espinosai, which reveals two putative new species, one in west-central Colombia (E. sp. 1) and the other in north-central Ecuador (E. aff. espinosai). We conclude that E. darwinwallacei is a junior subjective synonym of E. espinosai. We also clarify the geographic distributions of inconspicuous Epipedobates species including the widespread E. boulengeri. We provide a qualitative assessment of the phenotypic diversity in each nominal species, with a focus on the color and pattern of inconspicuous species. We conclude that Epipedobates contains eight known valid species, six of which are inconspicuous. A relaxed molecular clock analysis suggests that the most recent common ancestor of Epipedobates is ∼11.1 million years old, which nearly doubles previous estimates. Last, genetic information points to a center of species diversity in the Chocó at the southwestern border of Colombia with Ecuador. A Spanish translation of this text is available in the supplementary materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karem López-Hervas
- Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Universidad Central del Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador; Museo de Zoología, Escuela de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Juan C Santos
- Department of Biological Sciences, St. John's University, Jamaica, NY 11439, USA
| | - Santiago R Ron
- Museo de Zoología, Escuela de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador
| | | | - David C Cannatella
- Department of Integrative Biology and Biodiversity Center, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Rebecca D Tarvin
- Department of Integrative Biology and Biodiversity Center, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712, USA; Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
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5
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Kojima Y, Ito RK, Fukuyama I, Ohkubo Y, Durso AM. Foraging predicts the evolution of warning coloration and mimicry in snakes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2318857121. [PMID: 38437547 PMCID: PMC10945821 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2318857121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 03/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Warning coloration and Batesian mimicry are classic examples of Darwinian evolution, but empirical evolutionary patterns are often paradoxical. We test whether foraging costs predict the evolution of striking coloration by integrating genetic and ecological data for aposematic and mimetic snakes (Elapidae and Dipsadidae). Our phylogenetic comparison on a total of 432 species demonstrated that dramatic changes in coloration were well predicted by foraging strategy. Multiple tests consistently indicated that warning coloration and conspicuous mimicry were more likely to evolve in species where foraging costs of conspicuous appearance were relaxed by poor vision of their prey, concealed habitat, or nocturnal activity. Reversion to crypsis was also well predicted by ecology for elapids but not for dipsadids. In contrast to a theoretical prediction and general trends, snakes' conspicuous coloration was correlated with secretive ecology, suggesting that a selection regime underlies evolutionary patterns. We also found evidence that mimicry of inconspicuous models (pitvipers) may have evolved in association with foraging demand for crypsis. These findings demonstrate that foraging is an important factor necessary to understand the evolution, persistence, and diversity of warning coloration and mimicry of snakes, highlighting the significance of additional selective factors in solving the warning coloration paradox.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yosuke Kojima
- Department of Biology, Toho University, Funabashi274-8510, Japan
| | - Ryosuke K. Ito
- Division of Forest & Biomaterials Science, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto606-8502, Japan
| | - Ibuki Fukuyama
- Division of Earth, Life and Environment, Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Kyoto606-8501, Japan
| | - Yusaku Ohkubo
- Department of Human Ecology, Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science, Okayama University, Okayama700-8530, Japan
| | - Andrew M. Durso
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Gulf Coast University, Ft. Myers, FL33965
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6
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Barrett LH, Fraga D, Lehtinen RM. The Genetic Basis of Melanism in Abert's Squirrel ( Sciurus aberti). Animals (Basel) 2024; 14:648. [PMID: 38396615 PMCID: PMC10885973 DOI: 10.3390/ani14040648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2024] [Revised: 02/14/2024] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Melanism is widespread in different taxa and has been hypothesized to provide adaptive benefits in certain environments. Melanism is typically caused by mutations in one of two regulatory genes: the Melanocortin 1 Receptor (MC1R) or the Agouti Signaling Protein (ASIP). Melanism has repeatedly evolved among tree squirrels and their relatives (tribe Sciurini) in at least 12 different species based on our review of the literature. The causal mutations for melanism have been characterized in two species so far. This study examines Abert's Squirrel (Sciurus aberti), which has a melanistic morph whose genetic basis has not yet been established. We sequenced the MC1R and ASIP genes for five wild-type and seven melanistic S. aberti individuals to search for melanism-associated mutations. A novel single base pair mutation in the ASIP gene, unique to S. aberti, was found to be associated with melanism in the species, indicating that melanism in S. aberti evolved independently from other tree squirrels and thus represents an example of convergent evolution. The independent evolution of melanism in this species suggests that there is an adaptive advantage to the melanistic phenotype. The geographic range and habitat of S. aberti suggest possible benefits associated with thermoregulation, post-forest-fire camouflage, or other untested hypotheses.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Richard M. Lehtinen
- Biology Department, 931 College Mall, The College of Wooster, Wooster, OH 44691, USA; (L.H.B.); (D.F.)
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7
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Alvarez-Buylla A, Fischer MT, Moya Garzon MD, Rangel AE, Tapia EE, Tanzo JT, Soh HT, Coloma LA, Long JZ, O'Connell LA. Binding and sequestration of poison frog alkaloids by a plasma globulin. eLife 2023; 12:e85096. [PMID: 38206862 PMCID: PMC10783871 DOI: 10.7554/elife.85096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Alkaloids are important bioactive molecules throughout the natural world, and in many animals they serve as a source of chemical defense against predation. Dendrobatid poison frogs bioaccumulate alkaloids from their diet to make themselves toxic or unpalatable to predators. Despite the proposed roles of plasma proteins as mediators of alkaloid trafficking and bioavailability, the responsible proteins have not been identified. We use chemical approaches to show that a ~50 kDa plasma protein is the principal alkaloid-binding molecule in blood of poison frogs. Proteomic and biochemical studies establish this plasma protein to be a liver-derived alkaloid-binding globulin (ABG) that is a member of the serine-protease inhibitor (serpin) family. In addition to alkaloid-binding activity, ABG sequesters and regulates the bioavailability of 'free' plasma alkaloids in vitro. Unexpectedly, ABG is not related to saxiphilin, albumin, or other known vitamin carriers, but instead exhibits sequence and structural homology to mammalian hormone carriers and amphibian biliverdin-binding proteins. ABG represents a new small molecule binding functionality in serpin proteins, a novel mechanism of plasma alkaloid transport in poison frogs, and more broadly points toward serpins acting as tunable scaffolds for small molecule binding and transport across different organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Maria Dolores Moya Garzon
- Sarafan ChEM-H, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
- Wu Tsai Institute for Neuroscience, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
- Department of Pathology, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
| | - Alexandra E Rangel
- Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
| | - Elicio E Tapia
- Department of Radiology, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
| | - Julia T Tanzo
- Sarafan ChEM-H, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
- Wu Tsai Institute for Neuroscience, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
| | - H Tom Soh
- Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
- Center for Taxonomy and Morphology, Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity ChangeHamburgGermany
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
| | | | - Jonathan Z Long
- Sarafan ChEM-H, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
- Wu Tsai Institute for Neuroscience, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
- Department of Pathology, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
- Centro Jambatu de Investigación y Conservación de Anfibios, Fundación JambatuSan RafaelEcuador
| | - Lauren A O'Connell
- Department of Biology, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
- Wu Tsai Institute for Neuroscience, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
- Stanford Diabetes Research Center, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
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8
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Wan YC, Navarrete Méndez MJ, O'Connell LA, Uricchio LH, Roland AB, Maan ME, Ron SR, Betancourth-Cundar M, Pie MR, Howell KA, Richards-Zawacki CL, Cummings ME, Cannatella DC, Santos JC, Tarvin RD. Selection on Visual Opsin Genes in Diurnal Neotropical Frogs and Loss of the SWS2 Opsin in Poison Frogs. Mol Biol Evol 2023; 40:msad206. [PMID: 37791477 PMCID: PMC10548314 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msad206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Amphibians are ideal for studying visual system evolution because their biphasic (aquatic and terrestrial) life history and ecological diversity expose them to a broad range of visual conditions. Here, we evaluate signatures of selection on visual opsin genes across Neotropical anurans and focus on three diurnal clades that are well-known for the concurrence of conspicuous colors and chemical defense (i.e., aposematism): poison frogs (Dendrobatidae), Harlequin toads (Bufonidae: Atelopus), and pumpkin toadlets (Brachycephalidae: Brachycephalus). We found evidence of positive selection on 44 amino acid sites in LWS, SWS1, SWS2, and RH1 opsin genes, of which one in LWS and two in RH1 have been previously identified as spectral tuning sites in other vertebrates. Given that anurans have mostly nocturnal habits, the patterns of selection revealed new sites that might be important in spectral tuning for frogs, potentially for adaptation to diurnal habits and for color-based intraspecific communication. Furthermore, we provide evidence that SWS2, normally expressed in rod cells in frogs and some salamanders, has likely been lost in the ancestor of Dendrobatidae, suggesting that under low-light levels, dendrobatids have inferior wavelength discrimination compared to other frogs. This loss might follow the origin of diurnal activity in dendrobatids and could have implications for their behavior. Our analyses show that assessments of opsin diversification in across taxa could expand our understanding of the role of sensory system evolution in ecological adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yin Chen Wan
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and Department of Integrative Biology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, Ireland
| | - María José Navarrete Méndez
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and Department of Integrative Biology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Museo de Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador
| | | | - Lawrence H Uricchio
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and Department of Integrative Biology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA
| | - Alexandre-Benoit Roland
- FAS Center for Systems Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Research Centre on Animal Cognition (CRCA), Centre for Integrative Biology (CBI), UMR5169 CNRS, Toulouse University, Toulouse, France
| | - Martine E Maan
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Santiago R Ron
- Museo de Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador
| | | | - Marcio R Pie
- Department of Zoology, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil
- Biology Department, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, United Kingdom
| | - Kimberly A Howell
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | | | - Molly E Cummings
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - David C Cannatella
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
- Biodiversity Center, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Juan C Santos
- Department of Biological Sciences, St. John's University, New York City, NY, USA
| | - Rebecca D Tarvin
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and Department of Integrative Biology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
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9
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Scaramangas A, Broom M, Ruxton GD, Rouviere A. Evolutionarily stable levels of aposematic defence in prey populations. Theor Popul Biol 2023; 153:15-36. [PMID: 37044181 DOI: 10.1016/j.tpb.2023.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2022] [Revised: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2023] [Indexed: 04/14/2023]
Abstract
Our understanding of aposematism (the conspicuous signalling of a defence for the deterrence of predators) has advanced notably since its first observation in the late nineteenth century. Indeed, it extends the scope of a well-established game-theoretical model of this very same process both from the analytical standpoint (by considering regimes of varying background mortality and colony size) and from the practical standpoint (by assessing its efficacy and limitations in predicting the evolution of prey traits in finite simulated populations). The nature of the manuscript at hand is more mathematical and its aim is two-fold: first, to determine the relationship between evolutionarily stable levels of defence and signal strength under various regimes of background mortality and colony size. Second, to compare these predictions with simulations of finite prey populations that are subject to random local mutation. We compare the roles of absolute resident fitness, mutant fitness and stochasticity in the evolution of prey traits and discuss the importance of population size in the above.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alan Scaramangas
- School of Mathematics, Computer Science and Engineering, City, University of London, EC1V, 0HB London, UK.
| | - Mark Broom
- School of Mathematics, Computer Science and Engineering, City, University of London, EC1V, 0HB London, UK
| | - Graeme D Ruxton
- School of Biology, University of St Andrews, KY16 9TH, St Andrews, UK
| | - Anna Rouviere
- School of Biology, University of St Andrews, KY16 9TH, St Andrews, UK
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10
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Kikuchi DW, Allen WL, Arbuckle K, Aubier TG, Briolat ES, Burdfield-Steel ER, Cheney KL, Daňková K, Elias M, Hämäläinen L, Herberstein ME, Hossie TJ, Joron M, Kunte K, Leavell BC, Lindstedt C, Lorioux-Chevalier U, McClure M, McLellan CF, Medina I, Nawge V, Páez E, Pal A, Pekár S, Penacchio O, Raška J, Reader T, Rojas B, Rönkä KH, Rößler DC, Rowe C, Rowland HM, Roy A, Schaal KA, Sherratt TN, Skelhorn J, Smart HR, Stankowich T, Stefan AM, Summers K, Taylor CH, Thorogood R, Umbers K, Winters AE, Yeager J, Exnerová A. The evolution and ecology of multiple antipredator defences. J Evol Biol 2023; 36:975-991. [PMID: 37363877 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Revised: 05/03/2023] [Accepted: 05/07/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023]
Abstract
Prey seldom rely on a single type of antipredator defence, often using multiple defences to avoid predation. In many cases, selection in different contexts may favour the evolution of multiple defences in a prey. However, a prey may use multiple defences to protect itself during a single predator encounter. Such "defence portfolios" that defend prey against a single instance of predation are distributed across and within successive stages of the predation sequence (encounter, detection, identification, approach (attack), subjugation and consumption). We contend that at present, our understanding of defence portfolio evolution is incomplete, and seen from the fragmentary perspective of specific sensory systems (e.g., visual) or specific types of defences (especially aposematism). In this review, we aim to build a comprehensive framework for conceptualizing the evolution of multiple prey defences, beginning with hypotheses for the evolution of multiple defences in general, and defence portfolios in particular. We then examine idealized models of resource trade-offs and functional interactions between traits, along with evidence supporting them. We find that defence portfolios are constrained by resource allocation to other aspects of life history, as well as functional incompatibilities between different defences. We also find that selection is likely to favour combinations of defences that have synergistic effects on predator behaviour and prey survival. Next, we examine specific aspects of prey ecology, genetics and development, and predator cognition that modify the predictions of current hypotheses or introduce competing hypotheses. We outline schema for gathering data on the distribution of prey defences across species and geography, determining how multiple defences are produced, and testing the proximate mechanisms by which multiple prey defences impact predator behaviour. Adopting these approaches will strengthen our understanding of multiple defensive strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- David W Kikuchi
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA
- Evolutionary Biology, Universität Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany
| | | | - Kevin Arbuckle
- Department of Biosciences, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - Thomas G Aubier
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
- Laboratoire Évolution & Diversité Biologique, Université Paul Sabatier Toulouse III, UMR 5174, CNRS/IRD, Toulouse, France
| | | | - Emily R Burdfield-Steel
- Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Karen L Cheney
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - Klára Daňková
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Marianne Elias
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité, CNRS, MNHN, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles, Paris, France
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Gamboa, Panama
| | - Liisa Hämäläinen
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Marie E Herberstein
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Thomas J Hossie
- Department of Biology, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
| | - Mathieu Joron
- CEFE, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Krushnamegh Kunte
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bengaluru, India
| | - Brian C Leavell
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
| | - Carita Lindstedt
- Department of Forest Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Ugo Lorioux-Chevalier
- Laboratoire Écologie, Évolution, Interactions des Systèmes Amazoniens (LEEISA), Université de Guyane, CNRS, IFREMER, Cayenne, France
| | - Melanie McClure
- Laboratoire Écologie, Évolution, Interactions des Systèmes Amazoniens (LEEISA), Université de Guyane, CNRS, IFREMER, Cayenne, France
| | | | - Iliana Medina
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Viraj Nawge
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bengaluru, India
| | - Erika Páez
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité, CNRS, MNHN, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles, Paris, France
| | - Arka Pal
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bengaluru, India
| | - Stano Pekár
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Olivier Penacchio
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
- Computer Vision Center, Computer Science Department, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jan Raška
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Tom Reader
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Bibiana Rojas
- Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
- Department of Biology and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Katja H Rönkä
- HiLIFE Helsinki Institute of Life Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Research Programme in Organismal & Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Daniela C Rößler
- Zukunftskolleg, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
- Department of Collective Behavior, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Candy Rowe
- Institute of Biosciences, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Hannah M Rowland
- Max Planck Research Group Predators and Toxic Prey, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
| | - Arlety Roy
- Laboratoire Écologie, Évolution, Interactions des Systèmes Amazoniens (LEEISA), Université de Guyane, CNRS, IFREMER, Cayenne, France
| | - Kaitlin A Schaal
- Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | - John Skelhorn
- Institute of Biosciences, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Hannah R Smart
- Hawkesbury Institute of the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Ted Stankowich
- Department of Biological Sciences, California State University, Long Beach, California, USA
| | - Amanda M Stefan
- Department of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Kyle Summers
- Department of Biology, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA
| | | | - Rose Thorogood
- HiLIFE Helsinki Institute of Life Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Research Programme in Organismal & Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Kate Umbers
- Hawkesbury Institute of the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, New South Wales, Australia
- School of Science Western Sydney University, Penrith, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Anne E Winters
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK
| | - Justin Yeager
- Grupo de Biodiversidad Medio Ambiente y Salud, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Alice Exnerová
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
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11
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York JM, Borghese CM, George AA, Cannatella DC, Zakon HH. A potential cost of evolving epibatidine resistance in poison frogs. BMC Biol 2023; 21:144. [PMID: 37370119 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-023-01637-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2022] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Some dendrobatid poison frogs sequester the toxin epibatidine as a defense against predators. We previously identified an amino acid substitution (S108C) at a highly conserved site in a nicotinic acetylcholine receptor β2 subunit of dendrobatid frogs that decreases sensitivity to epibatidine in the brain-expressing α4β2 receptor. Introduction of S108C to the orthologous high-sensitivity human receptor similarly decreased sensitivity to epibatidine but also decreased sensitivity to acetylcholine, a potential cost if this were to occur in dendrobatids. This decrease in the acetylcholine sensitivity manifested as a biphasic acetylcholine concentration-response curve consistent with the addition of low-sensitivity receptors. Surprisingly, the addition of the β2 S108C into the α4β2 receptor of the dendrobatid Epipedobates anthonyi did not change acetylcholine sensitivity, appearing cost-free. We proposed that toxin-bearing dendrobatids may have additional amino acid substitutions protecting their receptors from alterations in acetylcholine sensitivity. To test this, in the current study, we compared the dendrobatid receptor to its homologs from two non-dendrobatid frogs. RESULTS The introduction of S108C into the α4β2 receptors of two non-dendrobatid frogs also does not affect acetylcholine sensitivity suggesting no additional dendrobatid-specific substitutions. However, S108C decreased the magnitude of neurotransmitter-induced currents in Epipedobates and the non-dendrobatid frogs. We confirmed that decreased current resulted from fewer receptors in the plasma membrane in Epipedobates using radiolabeled antibodies against the receptors. To test whether S108C alteration of acetylcholine sensitivity in the human receptor was due to (1) adding low-sensitivity binding sites by changing stoichiometry or (2) converting existing high- to low-sensitivity binding sites with no stoichiometric alteration, we made concatenated α4β2 receptors in stoichiometry with only high-sensitivity sites. S108C substitutions decreased maximal current and number of immunolabeled receptors but no longer altered acetylcholine sensitivity. CONCLUSIONS The most parsimonious explanation of our current and previous work is that the S108C substitution renders the β2 subunit less efficient in assembling/trafficking, thereby decreasing the number of receptors in the plasma membrane. Thus, while β2 S108C protects dendrobatids against sequestered epibatidine, it incurs a potential physiological cost of disrupted α4β2 receptor function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia M York
- Department of Neuroscience, The University of Texas, Austin, TX, USA
- Department of Integrative Biology, and Biodiversity Center, The University of Texas, Austin, TX, USA
| | | | - Andrew A George
- Department of Neurobiology, The Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, AZ, USA
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - David C Cannatella
- Department of Integrative Biology, and Biodiversity Center, The University of Texas, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Harold H Zakon
- Department of Neuroscience, The University of Texas, Austin, TX, USA.
- Department of Integrative Biology, and Biodiversity Center, The University of Texas, Austin, TX, USA.
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12
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Lawrence JP, Rojas B, Blanchette A, Saporito RA, Mappes J, Fouquet A, Noonan BP. Linking Predator Responses to Alkaloid Variability in Poison Frogs. J Chem Ecol 2023; 49:195-204. [PMID: 36854928 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-023-01412-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Revised: 02/11/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/02/2023]
Abstract
Many chemically-defended/aposematic species rely on diet for sequestering the toxins with which they defend themselves. This dietary acquisition can lead to variable chemical defenses across space, as the community composition of chemical sources is likely to vary across the range of (an aposematic) species. We characterized the alkaloid content of two populations of the Dyeing Poison Frog (Dendrobates tinctorius) in northeastern French Guiana. Additionally, we conducted unpalatability experiments with naive predators, Blue Tits (Cyanistes caeruleus), using whole-skin secretion cocktails to assess how a model predator would respond to the defense of individuals from each population. While there was some overlap between the two D. tinctorius populations in terms of alkaloid content, our analysis revealed that these two populations are markedly distinct in terms of overall alkaloid profiles. Predator responses to skin secretions differed between the populations. We identified 15 candidate alkaloids (including three previously undescribed) in seven classes that are correlated with predator response in one frog population. We describe alkaloid profile differences between populations for D. tinctorius and provide a novel method for assessing unpalatability of skin secretions and identifying which toxins may contribute to the predator response. In one population, our results suggest 15 alkaloids that are implicated in predator aversive response. This method is the first step in identifying the causal link between alkaloids and behavioral responses of predators, and thus makes sense of how varying alkaloid combinations are capable of eliciting consistent behavioral responses, and eventually driving evolutionary change in aposematic characters (or characteristics).
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Affiliation(s)
- J P Lawrence
- Department of Biology, University of Mississippi, University, MS, 38677, USA. .,Lyman Briggs College, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48825, USA.
| | - Bibiana Rojas
- Department of Biology and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, 40014, Jyväskylä, Finland.,Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Savoyenstraße 1, 1160, Vienna, Austria
| | - Annelise Blanchette
- Department of Biology, John Carroll University, University Heights, OH, 44118, USA.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, 70118, USA
| | - Ralph A Saporito
- Department of Biology, John Carroll University, University Heights, OH, 44118, USA
| | - Johanna Mappes
- Department of Biology and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, 40014, Jyväskylä, Finland.,Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Helsinki University, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Antoine Fouquet
- Laboratoire Evolution et Diversité Biologique, UMR5174, Université Paul Sabatier, 31062, Toulouse Cedex 9, France
| | - Brice P Noonan
- Department of Biology, University of Mississippi, University, MS, 38677, USA
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13
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Hasegawa M. Macroevolutionary analysis of swallows revives the sight-line hypothesis. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-023-03294-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
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14
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Robinson ML, Weber MG, Freedman MG, Jordan E, Ashlock SR, Yonenaga J, Strauss SY. Macroevolution of protective coloration across caterpillars reflects relationships with host plants. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20222293. [PMID: 36651051 PMCID: PMC9845978 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.2293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
A critical function of animal coloration is avoiding attack, either by warning predators or reducing detectability. Evolution of these divergent strategies may depend on prey palatability and apparency to predators: conspicuous coloration may be favoured if species are distasteful, or habitats make hiding difficult; by contrast, camouflage may be effective if prey lack defences or environments are visually complex. For insect herbivores, host plants provide both chemical defence and the background against which they are detected or obscured; thus, plant traits may be key to coloration in these foundational terrestrial organisms. We use 1808 species of larval Lepidoptera to explore macroevolution of protective coloration strategy. We find that colour and pattern evolve jointly in caterpillars, similar to an array of species across the animal kingdom, while individual elements of coloration evolve closely with diet ecology. Consistent with key tenets of plant defence and plant-herbivore coevolutionary theory, conspicuous colours are associated with herbaceous host plants-thought to be defended by toxins-while camouflage colours and patterns are associated with woody plants and grasses. Contrary to theory, dietary specialization is not associated with conspicuous coloration. Our results add valuable insights into the evolutionary forces shaping colour and pattern in nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moria L. Robinson
- Center for Population Biology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA,Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, Utah 84322, USA
| | - Marjorie G. Weber
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Micah G. Freedman
- Center for Population Biology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA,Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Evan Jordan
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, CA 95616, USA
| | - Sarah R. Ashlock
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, CA 95616, USA
| | - Jenna Yonenaga
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, CA 95616, USA
| | - Sharon Y. Strauss
- Center for Population Biology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA,Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin, Berlin, 14193, Germany,Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, CA 95616, USA
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15
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Amézquita A, Mazariegos-H LA, Cañaveral S, Orejuela C, Barragán-Contreras LA, Daza JM. Species richness under a vertebral stripe: integrative taxonomy uncovers three additional species of Pholidobolus lizards (Sauria, Squamata, Gymnophthalmidae) from the north-western Colombian Andes. Zookeys 2023; 1141:119-148. [DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1141.94774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
The systematic study of biodiversity underlies appropriate inference in most other fields of biological research, yet it remains hampered by disagreements on both theoretical and empirical issues such as the species concept and the operational diagnosis of a species. Both become particularly challenging in those lineages where morphological traits are evolutionarily constrained by their adaptive value. For instance, cryptic organisms often conserve or converge in their external appearance, which hinders the recognition of species boundaries. An integrative approach has been adopted to study microgeographic variation in the leaf-litter lizard Pholidobolus vertebralis and test three predictions derived from the evolutionary species concept. Molecular data provided unambiguous evidence of divergence among the three recovered new clades and a common evolutionary history for each of them. The broadly sympatric clades were indeed diagnosable from externally visible traits, such as head scales, adult size, and sexually dimorphic ventral colouration. Also, they barely overlapped on the phenotypic space that summarised 39 morphometric and meristic traits. These clades are described as three species and an available name is suggested for a recovered fourth clade. The geographic distribution of the new and proximate species suggests a role for elevation on evolutionary divergence; it also raises interesting questions on the speciation pattern of an otherwise underestimated cryptic lineage.
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16
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York JM, Borghese CM, George AA, Cannatella DC, Zakon HH. A potential cost of evolving epibatidine resistance in poison frogs. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.01.04.522789. [PMID: 36711899 PMCID: PMC9882002 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.04.522789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Background Some poison arrow frogs sequester the toxin epibatidine as a defense against predators. We previously identified a single amino acid substitution (S108C) at a highly conserved site in a neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) ß2 subunit that prevents epibatidine from binding to this receptor. When placed in a homologous mammalian nAChR this substitution minimized epibatidine binding but also perturbed acetylcholine binding, a clear cost. However, in the nAChRs of poison arrow frogs, this substitution appeared to have no detrimental effect on acetylcholine binding and, thus, appeared cost-free. Results The introduction of S108C into the α4β2 nAChRs of non-dendrobatid frogs also does not affect ACh sensitivity, when these receptors are expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes. However, α4β2 nAChRs with C108 had a decreased magnitude of neurotransmitter-induced currents in all species tested ( Epipedobates anthonyi , non-dendrobatid frogs, as well as human), compared with α4β2 nAChRs with the conserved S108. Immunolabeling of frog or human α4β2 nAChRs in the plasma membrane using radiolabeled antibody against the β2 nAChR subunit shows that C108 significantly decreased the number of cell-surface α4β2 nAChRs, compared with S108. Conclusions While S108C protects these species against sequestered epibatidine, it incurs a potential physiological cost of disrupted α4β2 nAChR function. These results may explain the high conservation of a serine at this site in vertebrates, as well as provide an example of a tradeoff between beneficial and deleterious effects of an evolutionary change. They also provide important clues for future work on assembly and trafficking of this important neurotransmitter receptor.
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17
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Moskowitz NA, D’Agui R, Alvarez-Buylla A, Fiocca K, O’Connell LA. Poison frog dietary preference depends on prey type and alkaloid load. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0276331. [PMID: 36454945 PMCID: PMC9714857 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0276331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to acquire chemical defenses through the diet has evolved across several major taxa. Chemically defended organisms may need to balance chemical defense acquisition and nutritional quality of prey items. However, these dietary preferences and potential trade-offs are rarely considered in the framework of diet-derived defenses. Poison frogs (Family Dendrobatidae) acquire defensive alkaloids from their arthropod diet of ants and mites, although their dietary preferences have never been investigated. We conducted prey preference assays with the Dyeing Poison frog (Dendrobates tinctorius) to test the hypothesis that alkaloid load and prey traits influence frog dietary preferences. We tested size preferences (big versus small) within each of four prey groups (ants, beetles, flies, and fly larvae) and found that frogs preferred interacting with smaller prey items of the fly and beetle groups. Frog taxonomic prey preferences were also tested as we experimentally increased their chemical defense load by feeding frogs decahydroquinoline, an alkaloid compound similar to those naturally found in their diet. Contrary to our expectations, overall preferences did not change during alkaloid consumption, as frogs across groups preferred fly larvae over other prey. Finally, we assessed the protein and lipid content of prey items and found that small ants have the highest lipid content while large fly larvae have the highest protein content. Our results suggest that consideration of toxicity and prey nutritional value are important factors in understanding the evolution of acquired chemical defenses and niche partitioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nora A. Moskowitz
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States of America
| | - Rachel D’Agui
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States of America
| | | | - Katherine Fiocca
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States of America
| | - Lauren A. O’Connell
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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18
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Experimental evidence in a poison frog model suggests that tadpole transport on the dorsum may affects warning signal effectiveness in poison frogs. Evol Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10682-022-10219-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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19
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Roberts SM, Stuart‐Fox D, Medina I. The evolution of conspicuousness in frogs: When to signal toxicity? J Evol Biol 2022; 35:1455-1464. [PMID: 36129907 PMCID: PMC9825868 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2022] [Revised: 06/23/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Many organisms use conspicuous colour patterns to advertise their toxicity or unpalatability, a strategy known as aposematism. Despite the recognized benefits of this anti-predator tactic, not all chemically defended species exhibit warning coloration. Here, we use a comparative approach to investigate which factors predict the evolution of conspicuousness in frogs, a group in which conspicuous coloration and toxicity have evolved multiple times. We extracted colour information from dorsal and ventral photos of 594 frog species for which chemical defence information was available. Our results show that chemically defended and diurnal species have higher internal chromatic contrast, both ventrally and dorsally, than chemically undefended and/or nocturnal species. Among species that are chemically defended, conspicuous coloration is more likely to occur if species are diurnal. Our results also suggest that the evolution of conspicuous colour is more likely to occur in chemically defended prey with smaller body size. We discuss potential explanations for this association and suggest that prey profitability (related to body size) could be an important force driving the macroevolution of warning signals.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Devi Stuart‐Fox
- School of BioSciencesUniversity of MelbourneParkvilleVictoriaAustralia
| | - Iliana Medina
- School of BioSciencesUniversity of MelbourneParkvilleVictoriaAustralia
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20
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Scaramangas A, Broom M. Aposematic signalling in prey-predator systems: determining evolutionary stability when prey populations consist of a single species. J Math Biol 2022; 85:13. [PMID: 35870017 PMCID: PMC9308619 DOI: 10.1007/s00285-022-01762-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2021] [Revised: 05/11/2022] [Accepted: 05/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Aposematism is the signalling of a defence for the deterrence of predators. We presently focus on aposematic organisms that exhibit chemical defences, which are usually signalled by some type of brightly coloured skin pigmentation (as is the case with poison frog species of the Dendrobatidae family), although our treatment is likely transferable to other forms of secondary defence. This setup is not only a natural one to consider but also opens up the possibility for rich mathematical modelling: the strength of aposematic traits (signalling and defence) can be unambiguously realised using variables that are continuously quantifiable, independent from one another and which together define a two-dimensional strategy space wherein the aposematic behaviour of any one organism can be represented by a single point. We presently develop an extensive mathematical model in which we explore the joint co-evolution of aposematic traits within the context of evolutionary stability. Even though empirical and model-based studies are conflicting regarding how aposematic traits are related to one another in nature, the majority of works allude to a positive correlation. We presently suggest that both positively and negatively correlated combinations of traits can achieve evolutionarily stable outcomes and further, that for a given level of signal strength there can be more than one optimal level of defence. Our findings are novel and pertinent to a sizeable body of physical evidence, which we discuss.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mark Broom
- City University of London, London, EC1V 0HB, UK
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21
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Origins and diversity of spot-like aposematic and disruptive colorations among cockroaches. Biologia (Bratisl) 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s11756-022-01163-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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22
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Hasegawa M, Arai E. Extrapair mating opportunity explains the evolutionary transition between the presence and absence of tail ornamentation in swallows. Evol Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10682-022-10196-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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23
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Yuan ML, Jung C, Bell RC, Nelson JL. Aposematic patterns shift continuously throughout the life of poison frogs. J Zool (1987) 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- M. L. Yuan
- Center for Population Biology University of California Davis CA USA
- Department of Evolution and Ecology University of California Davis CA USA
| | - C. Jung
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management University of California Berkeley CA USA
| | - R. C. Bell
- Department of Herpetology California Academy of Sciences San Francisco CA USA
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24
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Phylogeographic structure suggests environmental gradient speciation in a montane frog from the northern Andes of Colombia. ORG DIVERS EVOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s13127-022-00549-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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25
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How Phylogenetics Can Elucidate the Chemical Ecology of Poison Frogs and Their Arthropod Prey. J Chem Ecol 2022; 48:384-400. [PMID: 35352271 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-022-01352-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2021] [Revised: 02/01/2022] [Accepted: 02/06/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
The sequestration by neotropical poison frogs (Dendrobatidae) of an amazing array of defensive alkaloids from oribatid soil mites has motivated an exciting research theme in chemical ecology, but the details of mite-to-frog transfer remain hidden. To address this, McGugan et al. (2016, Journal of Chemical Ecology 42:537-551) used the little devil poison frog (Oophaga sylvatica) and attempted to simultaneously characterize the prey mite alkaloids, the predator skin alkaloids, and identify the mites using DNA sequences. Heethoff et al. (2016, Journal of Chemical Ecology 42:841-844) argued that none of the mite families to which McGugan et al. allocated the prey was thought to possess alkaloids. Heethoff et al. concluded from analyses including additional sequences that the mite species were unlikely to be close relatives of the defended mites. We re-examine this by applying more appropriate phylogenetic methods to broader and denser taxonomic samples of mite sequences using the same gene (CO1). We found, over trees based on CO1 datasets, only weak support (except in one case) for branches critical to connecting the evolution of alkaloid sequestration with the phylogeny of mites. In contrast, a well-supported analysis of the 18S ribosomal gene suggests at least two independent evolutionary origins of oribatid alkaloids. We point out impediments in the promising research agenda, namely a paucity of genetic, chemical, and taxonomic information, and suggest how phylogenetics can elucidate at a broader level the evolution of chemical defense in prey arthropods, sequestration by predators, and the impact of alkaloids on higher-order trophic interactions.
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Alvarez-Buylla A, Payne CY, Vidoudez C, Trauger SA, O’Connell LA. Molecular physiology of pumiliotoxin sequestration in a poison frog. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0264540. [PMID: 35275922 PMCID: PMC8916643 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0264540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2021] [Accepted: 02/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Poison frogs bioaccumulate alkaloids for chemical defense from their arthropod diet. Although many alkaloids are accumulated without modification, some poison frog species can metabolize pumiliotoxin (PTX 251D) into the more potent allopumiliotoxin (aPTX 267A). Despite extensive research characterizing the chemical arsenal of poison frogs, the physiological mechanisms involved in the sequestration and metabolism of individual alkaloids remain unclear. We first performed a feeding experiment with the Dyeing poison frog (Dendrobates tinctorius) to ask if this species can metabolize PTX 251D into aPTX 267A and what gene expression changes are associated with PTX 251D exposure in the intestines, liver, and skin. We found that D. tinctorius can metabolize PTX 251D into aPTX 267A, and that PTX 251D exposure changed the expression level of genes involved in immune system function and small molecule metabolism and transport. To better understand the functional significance of these changes in gene expression, we then conducted a series of high-throughput screens to determine the molecular targets of PTX 251D and identify potential proteins responsible for metabolism of PTX 251D into aPTX 267A. Although screens of PTX 251D binding human voltage-gated ion channels and G-protein coupled receptors were inconclusive, we identified human CYP2D6 as a rapid metabolizer of PTX 251D in a cytochrome P450 screen. Furthermore, a CYP2D6-like gene had increased expression in the intestines of animals fed PTX, suggesting this protein may be involved in PTX metabolism. These results show that individual alkaloids can modify gene expression across tissues, including genes involved in alkaloid metabolism. More broadly, this work suggests that specific alkaloid classes in wild diets may induce physiological changes for targeted accumulation and metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurora Alvarez-Buylla
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
| | - Cheyenne Y. Payne
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
| | - Charles Vidoudez
- Harvard Center for Mass Spectrometry, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Sunia A. Trauger
- Harvard Center for Mass Spectrometry, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Lauren A. O’Connell
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Bucciarelli GM, Alsalek F, Kats LB, Green DB, Shaffer HB. Toxic Relationships and Arms-Race Coevolution Revisited. Annu Rev Anim Biosci 2022; 10:63-80. [PMID: 35167315 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-animal-013120-024716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Toxin evolution in animals is one of the most fascinating and complex subjects of scientific inquiry today. Gaining an understanding of toxins poses a multifaceted challenge given the diverse modes of acquisition, evolutionary adaptations, and abiotic components that affect toxin phenotypes. Here, we highlight some of the main genetic and ecological factors that influence toxin evolution and discuss the role of antagonistic interactions and coevolutionary dynamics in shaping the direction and extent of toxicity and resistance in animals. We focus on toxic Pacific newts (family Salamandridae, genus Taricha) as a system to investigate and better evaluate the widely distributed toxin they possess, tetrodotoxin (TTX), and the hypothesized model of arms-race coevolution with snake predators that is used to explain phenotypic patterns of newt toxicity. Finally, we propose an alternative coevolutionary model that incorporates TTX-producing bacteria and draws from an elicitor-receptor concept to explain TTX evolution and ecology.
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Affiliation(s)
- G M Bucciarelli
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA; , , .,La Kretz Center for California Conservation Science, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Farid Alsalek
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA; , ,
| | - L B Kats
- Natural Science Division, Pepperdine University, Malibu, California, USA; ,
| | - D B Green
- Natural Science Division, Pepperdine University, Malibu, California, USA; ,
| | - H B Shaffer
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA; , , .,La Kretz Center for California Conservation Science, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA
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PALACIOS-RODRÍGUEZ PABLO, DAZA JUANM, MAZARIEGOS-H. LUISA, RENDÓN UBIEL, AMÉZQUITA ADOLFO. A new species of Pristimantis (Anura: Strabomantidae) with a colourful venter from the cloud forests of Colombian western Andes. Zootaxa 2022; 5092:67-84. [DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5092.1.3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
The Terrarana frogs of the genus Pristimantis are acknowledged for their direct development into froglets and for their astonishing species richness, which renders it the anuran genus with the highest number of species. We describe a new species of Pristimantis from the northwestern Andes of Colombia. The species is distributed from an area between 2750-2900 m.a.s.l. in the Mesenia-Paramillo Nature Reserve. Pristimantis postducheminorum sp. nov. differs from other, phylogenetically related, or similar resembling Pristimantis taxa by a striking yellow coloration in the ventral area, dark grey coloration in the concealed surfaces of the thighs and groin, absence of nuptial pads, presence of lateral fringes on fingers, presence of vomerine odontophores triangular in shape from the ventral view, and absence of dorsolateral folds. Molecular phylogenetics place this new species close to P. satagius and therefore within the P. ridens species group. The new species is also phylogenetically close and sympatric with the recently described P. ferwerdai, which further indicates that the Pristimantis fauna has been notoriously underestimated in the Colombian western cloud forests, a fact that should be considered in assessments of environmental impact.
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Muell MR, Chávez G, Prates I, Guillory WX, Kahn TR, Twomey EM, Rodrigues MT, Brown JL. Phylogenomic analysis of evolutionary relationships in Ranitomeya poison frogs (Family Dendrobatidae) using ultraconserved elements. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2022; 168:107389. [PMID: 35026428 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2022.107389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2020] [Revised: 11/14/2021] [Accepted: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
The use of genome-scale data in phylogenetics has enabled recent strides in determining the relationships between taxa that are taxonomically problematic because of extensive morphological variation. Here, we employ a phylogenomic approach to infer evolutionary relationships within Ranitomeya (Anura: Dendrobatidae), an Amazonian lineage of poison frogs consisting of 16 species with remarkable diversity in color pattern, range size, and parental care behavior. We infer phylogenies with all described species of Ranitomeya from ultraconserved nuclear genomic elements (UCEs) and also estimate divergence times. Our results differ from previous analyses regarding interspecific relationships. Notably, we find that R. toraro and R. defleri are not sister species but rather distantly related, contrary to previous analyses based on smaller genetic datasets. We recover R. uakarii as paraphyletic, designate certain populations formerly assigned to R. fantastica from Peru as R. summersi, and transfer the French Guianan and eastern Brazilian R. amazonica populations to R. variabilis. By clarifying both inter- and intraspecific relationships within Ranitomeya, our study paves the way for future tests of hypotheses on color pattern evolution and historical biogeography.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgan R Muell
- School of Biological Sciences, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901, USA; Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA.
| | - Germán Chávez
- Instituto Peruano de Herpetología, Lima, Perú; División de Herpetología - CORBIDI, Lima, Perú
| | - Ivan Prates
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Wilson X Guillory
- School of Biological Sciences, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901, USA; Department of Biological Sciences, Rutgers University Newark, Newark, NJ, USA
| | - Ted R Kahn
- Species Survival Commission (SSC), International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Gland, Switzerland
| | - Evan M Twomey
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | | | - Jason L Brown
- School of Biological Sciences, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901, USA
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Acquisition of bioluminescent trait by non-luminous organisms from luminous organisms through various origins. Photochem Photobiol Sci 2021; 20:1547-1562. [PMID: 34714534 DOI: 10.1007/s43630-021-00124-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Accepted: 10/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Bioluminescence is a natural light emitting phenomenon that occurs due to a chemical reaction between luciferin and luciferase. It is primarily an innate and inherited trait in most terrestrial luminous organisms. However, most luminous organisms produce light in the ocean by acquiring luminous symbionts, luciferin (substrate), and/or luciferase (enzyme) through various transmission pathways. For instance, coelenterazine, a well-known luciferin, is obtained by cnidarians, crustaceans, and deep-sea fish through multi-level dietary linkages from coelenterazine producers such as ctenophores, decapods, and copepods. In contrast, some non-luminous Vibrio bacteria became bioluminescent by obtaining lux genes from luminous Vibrio species by horizontal gene transfer. Various examples detailed in this review show how non-luminescent organisms became luminescent by acquiring symbionts, dietary luciferins and luciferases, and genes. This review highlights three modes (symbiosis, ingestion, and horizontal gene transfer) that allow organisms lacking genes for autonomous bioluminescent systems to obtain the ability to produce light. In addition to bioluminescence, this manuscript discusses the acquisition of other traits such as pigments, fluorescence, toxins, and others, to infer the potential processes of acquisition.
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Carvajal-Castro JD, Vargas-Salinas F, Casas-Cardona S, Rojas B, Santos JC. Aposematism facilitates the diversification of parental care strategies in poison frogs. Sci Rep 2021; 11:19047. [PMID: 34561489 PMCID: PMC8463664 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-97206-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2020] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Many organisms have evolved adaptations to increase the odds of survival of their offspring. Parental care has evolved several times in animals including ectotherms. In amphibians, ~ 10% of species exhibit parental care. Among these, poison frogs (Dendrobatidae) are well-known for their extensive care, which includes egg guarding, larval transport, and specialized tadpole provisioning with trophic eggs. At least one third of dendrobatids displaying aposematism by exhibiting warning coloration that informs potential predators about the presence of defensive skin toxins. Aposematism has a central role in poison frog diversification, including diet specialization, and visual and acoustic communication; and it is thought to have impacted their reproductive biology as well. We tested the latter association using multivariate phylogenetic methods at the family level. Our results show complex relationships between aposematism and certain aspects of the reproductive biology in dendrobatids. In particular, aposematic species tend to use more specialized tadpole-deposition sites, such as phytotelmata, and ferry fewer tadpoles than non-aposematic species. We propose that aposematism may have facilitated the diversification of microhabitat use in dendrobatids in the context of reproduction. Furthermore, the use of resource-limited tadpole-deposition environments may have evolved in tandem with an optimal reproductive strategy characterized by few offspring, biparental care, and female provisioning of food in the form of unfertilized eggs. We also found that in phytotelm-breeders, the rate of transition from cryptic to aposematic phenotype is 17 to 19 times higher than vice versa. Therefore, we infer that the aposematism in dendrobatids might serve as an umbrella trait for the evolution and maintenance of their complex offspring-caring activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan D. Carvajal-Castro
- grid.264091.80000 0001 1954 7928Department of Biological Sciences, St. John’s University, Jamaica-Queens, NY USA ,grid.441861.e0000 0001 0690 6629Grupo de Evolución, Ecología y Conservación (EECO), Programa de Biología, Universidad del Quindío, Armenia, Colombia
| | - Fernando Vargas-Salinas
- grid.441861.e0000 0001 0690 6629Grupo de Evolución, Ecología y Conservación (EECO), Programa de Biología, Universidad del Quindío, Armenia, Colombia
| | - Santiago Casas-Cardona
- grid.441861.e0000 0001 0690 6629Grupo de Evolución, Ecología y Conservación (EECO), Programa de Biología, Universidad del Quindío, Armenia, Colombia
| | - Bibiana Rojas
- grid.9681.60000 0001 1013 7965Department of Biology and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland ,grid.6583.80000 0000 9686 6466Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Juan C. Santos
- grid.264091.80000 0001 1954 7928Department of Biological Sciences, St. John’s University, Jamaica-Queens, NY USA
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Blackburn DC, Nielsen SV, Ghose SL, Burger M, Gonwouo LN, Greenbaum E, Gvoždík V, Hirschfeld M, Kouete MT, Kusamba C, Lawson D, McLaughlin PJ, Zassi-Boulou AG, Rödel MO. Phylogeny of African Long-Fingered Frogs (Arthroleptidae: Cardioglossa) Reveals Recent Allopatric Divergences in Coloration. ICHTHYOLOGY & HERPETOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1643/h2020165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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Gordon SP, Burdfield-Steel E, Kirvesoja J, Mappes J. Safety in Numbers: How Color Morph Frequency Affects Predation Risk in an Aposematic Moth. Am Nat 2021; 198:128-141. [PMID: 34143722 DOI: 10.1086/714528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
AbstractPolymorphic warning signals in aposematic systems are enigmatic because predator learning should favor the most common form, creating positive frequency-dependent survival. However, many populations exhibit variation in warning signals. There are various selective mechanisms that can counter positive frequency-dependent selection and lead to temporal or spatial warning signal diversification. Examining these mechanisms and their effects requires first confirming whether the most common morphs are favored at both local and regional scales. Empirical examples of this are uncommon and often include potentially confounding factors, such as a lack of knowledge of predator identity and behavior. We tested how bird behavior influences the survival of three coexisting morphs of the aposematic wood tiger moth Arctia plantaginis offered to a sympatric predator (great tit Parus major) at different frequencies. We found that although positive frequency-dependent selection is present, its strength is affected by predator characteristics and varying prey profitability. These results highlight the need to understand predator foraging in natural communities with variable prey defenses in order to better examine how behavioral interactions shape evolutionary outcomes.
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Zardi GI, Monsinjon JR, McQuaid CD, Seuront L, Orostica M, Want A, Firth LB, Nicastro KR. Foul-weather friends: Modelling thermal stress mitigation by symbiotic endolithic microbes in a changing environment. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2021; 27:2549-2560. [PMID: 33772983 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Revised: 02/17/2021] [Accepted: 02/21/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Temperature extremes are predicted to intensify with climate change. These extremes are rapidly emerging as a powerful driver of species distributional changes with the capacity to disrupt the functioning and provision of services of entire ecosystems, particularly when they challenge ecosystem engineers. The subsequent search for a robust framework to forecast the consequences of these changes mostly ignores within-species variation in thermal sensitivity. Such variation can be intrinsic, but can also reflect species interactions. Intertidal mussels are important ecosystem engineers that host symbiotic endoliths in their shells. These endoliths unexpectedly act as conditionally beneficial parasites that enhance the host's resistance to intense heat stress. To understand how this relationship may be altered under environmental change, we examined the conditions under which it becomes advantageous by reducing body temperature. We deployed biomimetic sensors (robomussels), built using shells of mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) that were or were not infested by endoliths, at nine European locations spanning a temperature gradient across 22°of latitude (Orkney, Scotland to the Algarve, Portugal). Daily wind speed and solar radiation explained the maximum variation in the difference in temperature between infested and non-infested robomussels; the largest difference occurred under low wind speed and high solar radiation. From the robomussel data, we inferred body temperature differences between infested and non-infested mussels during known heatwaves that induced mass mortality of the mussel Mytilus edulis along the coast of the English Channel in summer 2018 to quantify the thermal advantage of endolith infestation during temperature extremes. Under these conditions, endoliths provided thermal buffering of between 1.7°C and 4.8°C. Our results strongly suggest that sustainability of intertidal mussel beds will increasingly depend on the thermal buffering provided by endoliths. More generally, this work shows that biomimetic models indicate that within-species thermal sensitivity to global warming can be modulated by species interactions, using an intertidal host-symbiont relationship as an example.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerardo I Zardi
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa
| | - Jonathan R Monsinjon
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa
| | | | - Laurent Seuront
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa
- UMR 8187 - LOG - Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences, Univ. Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Côte d'Opale, Lille, France
- Department of Marine Energy and Resources, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, Minato-ku, Japan
| | - Mauricio Orostica
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa
| | - Andrew Want
- International Centre for Island Technology, Heriot Watt University Orkney Campus, Stromness, UK
| | - Louise B Firth
- School of Biological and Marine Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK
| | - Katy R Nicastro
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa
- CCMAR, CIMAR Associated Laboratory, University of Algarve, Faro, Portugal
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Duarte-Marín S, González-Acosta CC, Santos Dias PH, Arias-Álvarez GA, Vargas-Salinas F. Advertisement call, tadpole morphology, and other natural history aspects of the threatened poison frog Andinobates daleswansoni (Dendrobatidae). J NAT HIST 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2021.1889068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sebastián Duarte-Marín
- Grupo de Evolución, Ecología y Conservación EECO, Programa de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Básicas y Tecnologías, Universidad del Quindío, Armenia, Colombia
| | - Cristian C. González-Acosta
- Grupo de Evolución, Ecología y Conservación EECO, Programa de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Básicas y Tecnologías, Universidad del Quindío, Armenia, Colombia
| | | | - Gustavo A. Arias-Álvarez
- Grupo de estudio de artrópodos (GEA), Programa de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Básicas y Tecnologías, Universidad del Quindío, Armenia, Colombia
| | - Fernando Vargas-Salinas
- Grupo de Evolución, Ecología y Conservación EECO, Programa de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Básicas y Tecnologías, Universidad del Quindío, Armenia, Colombia
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Anderson HM, Fisher DN, McEwen BL, Yeager J, Pruitt JN, Barnett JB. Episodic correlations in behavioural lateralization differ between a poison frog and its mimic. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.01.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Chatragadda R, Dufossé L. Ecological and Biotechnological Aspects of Pigmented Microbes: A Way Forward in Development of Food and Pharmaceutical Grade Pigments. Microorganisms 2021; 9:637. [PMID: 33803896 PMCID: PMC8003166 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9030637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Revised: 03/04/2021] [Accepted: 03/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Microbial pigments play multiple roles in the ecosystem construction, survival, and fitness of all kinds of organisms. Considerably, microbial (bacteria, fungi, yeast, and microalgae) pigments offer a wide array of food, drug, colorants, dyes, and imaging applications. In contrast to the natural pigments from microbes, synthetic colorants are widely used due to high production, high intensity, and low cost. Nevertheless, natural pigments are gaining more demand over synthetic pigments as synthetic pigments have demonstrated side effects on human health. Therefore, research on microbial pigments needs to be extended, explored, and exploited to find potential industrial applications. In this review, the evolutionary aspects, the spatial significance of important pigments, biomedical applications, research gaps, and future perspectives are detailed briefly. The pathogenic nature of some pigmented bacteria is also detailed for awareness and safe handling. In addition, pigments from macro-organisms are also discussed in some sections for comparison with microbes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramesh Chatragadda
- Biological Oceanography Division (BOD), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Institute of Oceanography (CSIR-NIO), Dona Paula 403004, Goa, India
| | - Laurent Dufossé
- Chemistry and Biotechnology of Natural Products (CHEMBIOPRO Lab), Ecole Supérieure d’Ingénieurs Réunion Océan Indien (ESIROI), Département Agroalimentaire, Université de La Réunion, F-97744 Saint-Denis, France
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Wang L, Cornell SJ, Speed MP, Arbuckle K. Coevolution of group-living and aposematism in caterpillars: warning colouration may facilitate the evolution from group-living to solitary habits. BMC Ecol Evol 2021; 21:25. [PMID: 33583398 PMCID: PMC7883577 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-020-01738-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2020] [Accepted: 12/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Animals use diverse antipredator mechanisms, including visual signalling of aversive chemical defence (aposematism). However, the initial evolution of aposematism poses the problem that the first aposematic individuals are conspicuous to predators who have not learned the significance of the warning colouration. In one scenario, aposematism evolves in group-living species and originally persisted due to kin selection or positive frequency-dependent selection in groups. Alternatively, group-living might evolve after aposematism because grouping can amplify the warning signal. However, our current understanding of the evolutionary dynamics of these traits is limited, leaving the relative merit of these scenarios unresolved. RESULTS We used a phylogenetic comparative approach to estimate phenotypic evolutionary models to enable inferences regarding ancestral states and trait dynamics of grouping and aposematic colouration in a classic model system (caterpillars). We find strong support for aposematism at the root of the clade, and some (but weaker) support for ancestral solitary habits. Transition rates between aposematism and crypsis are generally higher than those between group-living and solitary-living, suggesting that colouration is more evolutionarily labile than aggregation. We also find that the transition from group-living to solitary-living states can only happen in aposematic lineage, suggesting that aposematism facilitates the evolution of solitary caterpillars, perhaps due to the additional protection offered when the benefits of grouping are lost. We also find that the high frequency of solitary, cryptic caterpillars is because this state is particularly stable, in that the transition rates moving towards this state are substantially higher than those moving away from it, favouring its accumulation in the clade over evolutionary time. CONCLUSIONS Our results provide new insights into the coevolution of colour and aggregation in caterpillars. We find support for an aposematic caterpillar at the root of this major clade, and for the signal augmentation hypothesis as an explanation of the evolution of aposematic, group-living caterpillars. We find that colouration is more labile than aggregation behaviour, but that the combination of solitary and cryptic habits is particularly stable. Finally, our results reveal that the transitions from group-living to solitary-living could be facilitated by aposematism, providing a new link between these well-studied traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lingzi Wang
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, L69 7ZB, Liverpool, UK.
| | - Stephen J Cornell
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, L69 7ZB, Liverpool, UK
| | - Michael P Speed
- School of Life Science, University of Liverpool, L69 7ZB, Liverpool, UK
| | - Kevin Arbuckle
- Department of Biosciences, College of Science, Swansea University, SA2 8PP, Swansea, UK
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O'Connell LA, O'Connell JD, Paulo JA, Trauger SA, Gygi SP, Murray AW. Rapid toxin sequestration modifies poison frog physiology. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:jeb.230342. [PMID: 33408255 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.230342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2020] [Accepted: 12/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Poison frogs sequester chemical defenses from their diet of leaf litter arthropods for defense against predation. Little is known about the physiological adaptations that confer this unusual bioaccumulation ability. We conducted an alkaloid-feeding experiment with the Diablito poison frog (Oophaga sylvatica) to determine how quickly alkaloids are accumulated and how toxins modify frog physiology using quantitative proteomics. Diablito frogs rapidly accumulated the alkaloid decahydroquinoline within 4 days, and dietary alkaloid exposure altered protein abundance in the intestines, liver and skin. Many proteins that increased in abundance with decahydroquinoline accumulation are plasma glycoproteins, including the complement system and the toxin-binding protein saxiphilin. Other protein classes that change in abundance with decahydroquinoline accumulation are membrane proteins involved in small molecule transport and metabolism. Overall, this work shows that poison frogs can rapidly accumulate alkaloids, which alter carrier protein abundance, initiate an immune response, and alter small molecule transport and metabolism dynamics across tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren A O'Connell
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA .,Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | | | - Jeremy D O'Connell
- Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Joao A Paulo
- Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Sunia A Trauger
- Harvard Center for Mass Spectrometry, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Steven P Gygi
- Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Andrew W Murray
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.,Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
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Brito-Zapata D. First report of partial leucism in the poison frog Epipedobates anthonyi (Anura: Dendrobatidae) in El Oro, Ecuador. NEOTROPICAL BIODIVERSITY 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/23766808.2020.1870256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- David Brito-Zapata
- Museo De Zoología, Universidad San Francisco De Quito USFQ, Colegio De Ciencias Biológicas Y Ambientales, Quito, Ecuador
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41
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Ferraro DP, Pereyra MO, Topa PE, Faivovich J. Evolution of macroglands and defensive mechanisms in Leiuperinae (Anura: Leptodactylidae). Zool J Linn Soc 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaa149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Anurans show a wide variety of anti-predator mechanisms, and the species of the Neotropical clade Leiuperinae display several of them. Most species of Edalorhina, Physalaemus and Pleurodema show eyespots, hidden bright colours, macroglands in a inguinal/lumbar position, defensive behaviours and/or chemical defence. We conducted a histological analysis of dorsal and lumbar skin and revised the colour patterns, defensive behaviours and glandular secretions to study the diversity and evolution of anti-predator mechanisms associated with macroglands. We describe 17 characters and optimize these in a phylogenetic hypothesis of Leiuperinae. In the most recent common ancestor of Edalorhina + Engystomops + Physalaemus + Pleurodema, a particular type of serous gland (the main component of macroglands) evolved in the lumbar skin, along with the absence of the Eberth–Katschenko layer. A defensive behaviour observed in leiuperines with macroglands includes four displays (‘crouching down’ behaviour, rear elevation, body inflation and eye protection), all present in the same ancestor. The two elements associated with aposematism (hidden bright colours and eyespots) evolved independently in several species. Our results provide phylogenetic evidence for the startle-first hypothesis, which suggests that behavioural displays arise as sudden movements in camouflaged individuals to avoid predatory attacks, before the origin of bright coloration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daiana Paola Ferraro
- División Herpetología, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales ‘Bernardino Rivadavia’ (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Martín Oscar Pereyra
- Laboratorio de Genética Evolutiva ‘Claudio J. Bidau’, Instituto de Biología Subtropical (IBS, CONICET), Universidad Nacional de Misiones (UNaM), Posadas, Misiones, Argentina
| | - Pascual Emilio Topa
- Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores (CONICET), La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Julián Faivovich
- División Herpetología, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales ‘Bernardino Rivadavia’ (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
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42
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DE Meester G, Šunje E, Prinsen E, Verbruggen E, VAN Damme R. Toxin variation among salamander populations: discussing potential causes and future directions. Integr Zool 2020; 16:336-353. [PMID: 32965720 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Amphibians produce defensive chemicals which provide protection against both predators and infections. Within species, populations can differ considerably in the composition and amount of these chemical defenses. Studying intraspecific variation in toxins and linking it to environmental variables may help us to identify the selective drivers of toxin evolution, such as predation pressure and infection risk. Recently, there has been a renewed interest in the unique toxins produced by salamanders from the genus Salamandra: the samandarines. Despite this attention, intraspecific variation has largely been ignored within Salamandra-species. The aim of this study was to investigate whether geographic variation in profiles of samandarines exists, by sampling 4 populations of Salamandra atra over its range in the Dinaric Alps. In addition, we preliminary explored whether potential variation could be explained by predation (counting the number of snake species) and infection risk (cultivation and genomic analyses of collected soil samples). Salamanders from the 4 populations differed in toxin composition and in the size of their poison glands, although not in overall toxin quantity. Nor predation nor infection risk could explain this variation, as populations barely differed in these variables. Sampling over a much broader geographic range, using better estimators for predation and infection risk, will contribute to an improved understanding of how environment may shape variation in chemical defenses. Nevertheless, as the 4 populations of S. atra did differ in their toxin profiles, we propose that this species provides an interesting opportunity for further ecological and evolutionary studies on amphibian toxins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gilles DE Meester
- Department of Biology, Functional Morphology Group, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Emina Šunje
- Department of Biology, Functional Morphology Group, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium.,Department of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Sarajevo, Sarajevo, Bosnia-Hercegovina.,Herpetological Association in Bosnia and Herzegovina: BHHU: ATRA, Sarajevo, Bosnia-Hercegovina
| | - Els Prinsen
- Department of Biology, Impress, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Erik Verbruggen
- Department of Biology, Plant and Ecosystems, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Raoul VAN Damme
- Department of Biology, Functional Morphology Group, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
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43
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Fang JM, Vásquez-Restrepo JD, Daza JM. Filling the gaps in a highly diverse Neotropical lizard lineage: a new and endemic genus of Cercosaurinae (Squamata: Gymnophthalmidae) with the description of two new species from the Northern Andes of Colombia. SYST BIODIVERS 2020. [DOI: 10.1080/14772000.2020.1783714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- José M. Fang
- Grupo Herpetológico de Antioquia, Instituto de Biología, Universidad de Antioquia, calle 67 # 53-108, A.A. 1226, Medellín, Colombia
| | - Juan D. Vásquez-Restrepo
- Grupo Herpetológico de Antioquia, Instituto de Biología, Universidad de Antioquia, calle 67 # 53-108, A.A. 1226, Medellín, Colombia
| | - Juan M. Daza
- Grupo Herpetológico de Antioquia, Instituto de Biología, Universidad de Antioquia, calle 67 # 53-108, A.A. 1226, Medellín, Colombia
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44
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Twomey E, Johnson JD, Castroviejo-Fisher S, Van Bocxlaer I. A ketocarotenoid-based colour polymorphism in the Sira poison frog Ranitomeya sirensis indicates novel gene interactions underlying aposematic signal variation. Mol Ecol 2020; 29:2004-2015. [PMID: 32402099 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2020] [Revised: 04/30/2020] [Accepted: 05/04/2020] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
The accumulation of red ketocarotenoids is an important component of coloration in many organisms, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. In some organisms, ketocarotenoids are sequestered from the diet and can accumulate when enzymes responsible for carotenoid breakdown are disrupted. In other organisms, ketocarotenoids are formed endogenously from dietary precursors via oxidation reactions carried out by carotenoid ketolase enzymes. Here, we study the genetic basis of carotenoid coloration in an amphibian. We demonstrate that a red/yellow polymorphism in the dendrobatid poison frog Ranitomeya sirensis is due to the presence/absence of ketocarotenoids. Using whole-transcriptome sequencing of skins and livers, we found that a transcript encoding a cytochrome P450 enzyme (CYP3A80) is expressed 3.4-fold higher in livers of red frogs versus yellow. As CYP3A enzymes are known carotenoid ketolases in other organisms, our results point to CYP3A80 as a strong candidate for a carotenoid ketolase in amphibians. Furthermore, in red frogs, the transcript encoding the carotenoid cleavage enzyme BCO2 is expressed at a low level or as a splice variant lacking key catalytic amino acids. This suggests that BCO2 function may be disrupted in red frogs, providing a mechanism whereby the accumulation of ketocarotenoids and their dietary precursors may be enhanced.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evan Twomey
- Laboratorio de Sistemática de Vertebrados, Pontificia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Porto Alegre, Brazil.,Amphibian Evolution Laboratory, Biology Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - James D Johnson
- Department of Chemistry, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
| | - Santiago Castroviejo-Fisher
- Laboratorio de Sistemática de Vertebrados, Pontificia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Porto Alegre, Brazil.,Department of Herpetology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, USA
| | - Ines Van Bocxlaer
- Amphibian Evolution Laboratory, Biology Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
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45
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Moskowitz NA, Dorritie B, Fay T, Nieves OC, Vidoudez C, 2017 Biology Class CRL, 2017 Biotechnology Class M, Fischer EK, Trauger SA, Coloma LA, Donoso DA, O’Connell LA. Land use impacts poison frog chemical defenses through changes in leaf litter ant communities. NEOTROPICAL BIODIVERSITY 2020. [DOI: 10.1080/23766808.2020.1744957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Tammy Fay
- Masconomet Regional High School, Boxford, MA USA
| | | | - Charles Vidoudez
- Small Molecule Mass Spectrometry Facility, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | | | - Eva K. Fischer
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Sunia A. Trauger
- Small Molecule Mass Spectrometry Facility, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Luis A. Coloma
- Centro Jambatu De Investigación Y Conservación De Anfibios, Fundación Jambatu, San Rafael, Quito, Ecuador
| | - David A. Donoso
- Departamento De Biología, Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Quito, Ecuador
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46
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Twomey E, Kain M, Claeys M, Summers K, Castroviejo-Fisher S, Van Bocxlaer I. Mechanisms for Color Convergence in a Mimetic Radiation of Poison Frogs. Am Nat 2020; 195:E132-E149. [PMID: 32364784 DOI: 10.1086/708157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
In animals, bright colors often evolve to mimic other species when a resemblance is selectively favored. Understanding the proximate mechanisms underlying such color mimicry can give insights into how mimicry evolves-for example, whether color convergence evolves from a shared set of mechanisms or through the evolution of novel color production mechanisms. We studied color production mechanisms in poison frogs (Dendrobatidae), focusing on the mimicry complex of Ranitomeya imitator. Using reflectance spectrometry, skin pigment analysis, electron microscopy, and color modeling, we found that the bright colors of these frogs, both within and outside the mimicry complex, are largely structural and produced by iridophores but that color production depends crucially on interactions with pigments. Color variation and mimicry are regulated predominantly by iridophore platelet thickness and, to a lesser extent, concentration of the red pteridine pigment drosopterin. Compared with each of the four morphs of model species that it resembles, R. imitator displays greater variation in both structural and pigmentary mechanisms, which may have facilitated phenotypic divergence in this species. Analyses of nonmimetic dendrobatids in other genera demonstrate that these mechanisms are widespread within the family and that poison frogs share a complex physiological "color palette" that can produce diverse and highly reflective colors.
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47
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Yeager J, Baquero R LE, Zarling A. Mediating ethical considerations in the conservation and sustainable biocommerce of the jewels of the rainforest. J Nat Conserv 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jnc.2020.125803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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48
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Carvajal-Castro JD, López-Aguirre Y, Ospina-L AM, Santos JC, Rojas B, Vargas-Salinas F. Much more than a clasp: evolutionary patterns of amplexus diversity in anurans. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blaa009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
AbstractThe evolution and diversification of animal reproductive modes have been pivotal questions in behavioural ecology. Amphibians present the highest diversity of reproductive modes among vertebrates, involving various behavioural, physiological and morphological traits. One such feature is the amplexus, which is the clasp or embrace of males on females during reproduction and is found almost universally in anurans. Hypotheses about the origin of amplexus are limited and have not been tested thoroughly, nor have they taken into account evolutionary relationships in most comparative studies. However, these considerations are crucial to an understanding of the evolution of reproductive modes. Here, using an evolutionary framework, we reconstruct the ancestral state of amplexus in 685 anuran species. We investigate whether the type of amplexus has a strong phylogenetic signal and test whether sexual size dimorphism could have influenced amplexus type or male performance while clasping females. Overall, we found evidence of ≥34 evolutionary transitions in amplexus type across anurans. We found that amplexus type exhibits a high phylogenetic signal and that amplexus type does not evolve in association with sexual size dimorphism. We discuss the implications of our findings for the diversity of amplexus types across anurans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan D Carvajal-Castro
- Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt, Villa de Leyva and Bogotá DC, Colombia
- Grupo de Investigación en Evolución, Ecología y Conservación (EECO), Universidad del Quindío, Armenia, Colombia
| | - Yelenny López-Aguirre
- Grupo de Investigación en Evolución, Ecología y Conservación (EECO), Universidad del Quindío, Armenia, Colombia
| | - Ana María Ospina-L
- Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt, Villa de Leyva and Bogotá DC, Colombia
- Grupo de Investigación en Evolución, Ecología y Conservación (EECO), Universidad del Quindío, Armenia, Colombia
| | - Juan C Santos
- Department of Biological Sciences, St. John’s University, Queens, NY, USA
| | - Bibiana Rojas
- Department of Biology and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Fernando Vargas-Salinas
- Grupo de Investigación en Evolución, Ecología y Conservación (EECO), Universidad del Quindío, Armenia, Colombia
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49
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Abstract
Neuroscience has a long, rich history in embracing unusual animals for research. Over the past several decades, there has been a technology-driven bottleneck in the species used for neuroscience research. However, an oncoming wave of technologies applicable to many animals hold promise for enabling researchers to address challenging scientific questions that cannot be solved using traditional laboratory animals. Here, we discuss how leveraging the convergent evolution of physiological or behavioral phenotypes can empower research mapping genotype to phenotype interactions. We present two case studies using electric fish and poison frogs and discuss how comparative work can teach us about evolutionary constraint and flexibility at various levels of biological organization. We also offer advice on the potential and pitfalls of establishing novel model systems in neuroscience research. Finally, we end with a discussion on the use of charismatic animals in neuroscience research and their utility in public outreach. Overall, we argue that convergent evolution frameworks can help identify generalizable principles of neuroscience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason R Gallant
- Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
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50
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Bessho-Uehara M, Yamamoto N, Shigenobu S, Mori H, Kuwata K, Oba Y. Kleptoprotein bioluminescence: Parapriacanthus fish obtain luciferase from ostracod prey. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:eaax4942. [PMID: 31934625 PMCID: PMC6949039 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aax4942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2019] [Accepted: 11/11/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Through their diet, animals can obtain substances essential for imparting special characteristics, such as toxins in monarch butterflies and luminescent substances in jellyfishes. These substances are typically small molecules because they are less likely to be digested and may be hard for the consumer to biosynthesize. Here, we report that Parapriacanthus ransonneti, a bioluminescent fish, obtains not only its luciferin but also its luciferase enzyme from bioluminescent ostracod prey. The enzyme purified from the fish's light organs was identical to the luciferase of Cypridina noctiluca, a bioluminescent ostracod that they feed upon. Experiments where fish were fed with a related ostracod, Vargula hilgendorfii, demonstrated the specific uptake of the luciferase to the fish's light organs. This "kleptoprotein" system allows an organism to use novel functional proteins that are not encoded in its genome and provides an evolutionary alternative to DNA-based molecular evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manabu Bessho-Uehara
- Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, 7700 Sandholdt Road, Moss Landing, CA 95039, USA
- Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8601, Japan
- Department of Environmental Biology, Chubu University, Kasugai, Aichi 487-8501, Japan
| | - Naoyuki Yamamoto
- Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8601, Japan
| | - Shuji Shigenobu
- NIBB Core Research Facilities, National Institute for Basic Biology, Okazaki 444-8585, Japan
| | - Hitoshi Mori
- Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8601, Japan
| | - Keiko Kuwata
- Graduate School of Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8601, Japan
| | - Yuichi Oba
- Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8601, Japan
- Department of Environmental Biology, Chubu University, Kasugai, Aichi 487-8501, Japan
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