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Nemesházi E, Sramkó G, Laczkó L, Balogh E, Szatmári L, Vili N, Ujhegyi N, Üveges B, Bókony V. Novel genetic sex markers reveal unexpected lack of, and similar susceptibility to, sex reversal in free-living common toads in both natural and anthropogenic habitats. Mol Ecol 2022; 31:2032-2043. [PMID: 35146823 PMCID: PMC9544883 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2021] [Revised: 01/27/2022] [Accepted: 02/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Anthropogenic environmental changes are affecting biodiversity and microevolution worldwide. Ectothermic vertebrates are especially vulnerable, since environmental changes can disrupt their sexual development and cause sex reversal, a mismatch between genetic and phenotypic sex. This can potentially lead to sex-ratio distortion and population decline. Despite these implications, we have scarce empirical knowledge on the incidence of sex reversal in nature. Populations in anthropogenic environments may be exposed to sex-reversing stimuli more frequently, which may lead to higher sex-reversal rate, or alternatively, these populations may adapt to resist sex reversal. We developed PCR-based genetic sex markers for the common toad (Bufo bufo) to assess the prevalence of sex reversal in wild populations living in natural, agricultural and urban habitats, and the susceptibility of the same populations to two ubiquitous estrogenic pollutants in a common-garden experiment. We found negligible sex-reversal frequency in free-living adults despite the presence of various endocrine-disrupting pollutants in their breeding ponds. Individuals from different habitat types showed similar susceptibility to sex reversal in the laboratory: all genetic males developed female phenotype when exposed to 1 µg/L 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2) during larval development, whereas no sex reversal occurred in response to 1 ng/L EE2 and a glyphosate-based herbicide with 3 µg/L or 3 mg/L glyphosate. The latter results do not support that populations in anthropogenic habitats would have either increased propensity for or higher tolerance to chemically induced sex reversal. Thus, the extremely low sex-reversal frequency in wild toads compared to other ectothermic vertebrates studied before might indicate idiosyncratic, potentially species-specific resistance to sex reversal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edina Nemesházi
- Conservation Genetics Research Group, Department of Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, István u. 2, 1078, Budapest, Hungary.,Lendület Evolutionary Ecology Research Group, Plant Protection Institute, Centre for Agricultural Research, Eötvös Loránd Research Network, Herman Ottó u. 15, 1022, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Gábor Sramkó
- MTA-DE Lendület Evolutionary Phylogenomics Research Group, Egyetem tér 1, 4032, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Levente Laczkó
- MTA-DE Lendület Evolutionary Phylogenomics Research Group, Egyetem tér 1, 4032, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Emese Balogh
- Conservation Genetics Research Group, Department of Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, István u. 2, 1078, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Lajos Szatmári
- MTA-DE Lendület Evolutionary Phylogenomics Research Group, Egyetem tér 1, 4032, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Nóra Vili
- Conservation Genetics Research Group, Department of Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, István u. 2, 1078, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Nikolett Ujhegyi
- Lendület Evolutionary Ecology Research Group, Plant Protection Institute, Centre for Agricultural Research, Eötvös Loránd Research Network, Herman Ottó u. 15, 1022, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Bálint Üveges
- Lendület Evolutionary Ecology Research Group, Plant Protection Institute, Centre for Agricultural Research, Eötvös Loránd Research Network, Herman Ottó u. 15, 1022, Budapest, Hungary.,Molecular Ecology and Evolution at Bangor, School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor LL57 2UW, Wales, United Kingdom
| | - Veronika Bókony
- Conservation Genetics Research Group, Department of Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, István u. 2, 1078, Budapest, Hungary.,Lendület Evolutionary Ecology Research Group, Plant Protection Institute, Centre for Agricultural Research, Eötvös Loránd Research Network, Herman Ottó u. 15, 1022, Budapest, Hungary
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Nusbaumer D, Garaud L, Ançay L, Wedekind C. Sex-Specific Stress Tolerance in Embryos of Lake Char (Salvelinus umbla). Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.768263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Salmonid fish have become important models in evolution and ecology, but possible effects of embryo or larval sex are mostly ignored, probably because morphological gonad formation starts only months after hatching and sexual maturation years later. However, recent gene expression studies and first observations in domestic strains suggest that sex-specific life histories could already start at an embryonic stage. Here we test this hypothesis in embryos and larvae of lake char (Salvelinus umbla). We sampled wild char and used their gametes to produce embryos of 40 different families. Embryos were raised singly in a stress or a non-stress environment until a late larval stage (stress was induced by allowing remainders of ovarian fluids to support microbial growth). Genetic markers were then used to sex the fish and reconstruct paternity (N = 1,463, including dead embryos). Primary sex ratio did not differ among families and was about 1:1. Female embryos hatched on average later and showed lower stress tolerance than male embryos. There were significant parental effects on offspring growth and mortality, but the sex differences in embryo performance were not family specific. We conclude that the sexes differ in their life history and susceptibilities to environmental stress already at embryonic stages. Environmental stress during incubation can therefore affect population sex ratio and hence population growth and genetics.
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Mikó Z, Nemesházi E, Ujhegyi N, Verebélyi V, Ujszegi J, Kásler A, Bertalan R, Vili N, Gál Z, Hoffmann OI, Hettyey A, Bókony V. Sex reversal and ontogeny under climate change and chemical pollution: are there interactions between the effects of elevated temperature and a xenoestrogen on early development in agile frogs? ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2021; 285:117464. [PMID: 34380212 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.117464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2021] [Revised: 04/21/2021] [Accepted: 05/23/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Anthropogenic environmental change poses a special threat to species in which genetic sex determination can be overwritten by the thermal and chemical environment. Endocrine disrupting chemicals as well as extreme temperatures can induce sex reversal in such species, with potentially wide-ranging consequences for fitness, demography, population viability and evolution. Despite accumulating evidence suggesting that chemical and thermal effects may interact in ecological contexts, little is known about their combined effects on sex reversal. Here we assessed the simultaneous effects of high temperature (female-to-male sex-reversing agent) and 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2), a widespread xenoestrogen (male-to-female sex-reversing agent), on sexual development and fitness-related traits in agile frogs (Rana dalmatina). We exposed tadpoles to a six-days heat wave (30 °C) and/or an ecologically relevant concentration of EE2 (30 ng/L) in one of three consecutive larval periods, and diagnosed sex reversals two months after metamorphosis using species-specific markers for genetic sexing. We found that high temperature induced female-to-male sex reversal, decreased survival, delayed metamorphosis, decreased body mass at metamorphosis, and increased the proportion of animals that had no fat bodies, while EE2 had no effect on these traits. Simultaneous exposure to heat and EE2 had non-additive effects on juvenile body mass, which were dependent on treatment timing and further complicated by a negative effect of sex reversal on body mass. These results show that environmentally relevant exposure to EE2 does not diminish the female-to-male sex-reversing effects of high temperature. Instead, our findings on growth suggest that climate change and chemical pollution may have complex consequences for individual fitness and population persistence in species with environment-sensitive sex determination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zsanett Mikó
- Lendület Evolutionary Ecology Research Group, Plant Protection Institute, Centre for Agricultural Research, Eötvös Loránd Research Network, Herman Ottó u. 15, H-1022, Budapest, Hungary.
| | - Edina Nemesházi
- Lendület Evolutionary Ecology Research Group, Plant Protection Institute, Centre for Agricultural Research, Eötvös Loránd Research Network, Herman Ottó u. 15, H-1022, Budapest, Hungary; Conservation Genetics Research Group, Department of Ecology Institute for Biology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Budapest, István utca 2, H-1078, Budapest, Hungary; Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine, Savoyenstr. 1a, A-1160, Vienna, Austria
| | - Nikolett Ujhegyi
- Lendület Evolutionary Ecology Research Group, Plant Protection Institute, Centre for Agricultural Research, Eötvös Loránd Research Network, Herman Ottó u. 15, H-1022, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Viktória Verebélyi
- Lendület Evolutionary Ecology Research Group, Plant Protection Institute, Centre for Agricultural Research, Eötvös Loránd Research Network, Herman Ottó u. 15, H-1022, Budapest, Hungary; Fish Parasitology Research Team, Veterinary Medical Research Institute, Eötvös Loránd Research Network, Hungária körút 21, H-1143, Budapest, Hungary
| | - János Ujszegi
- Lendület Evolutionary Ecology Research Group, Plant Protection Institute, Centre for Agricultural Research, Eötvös Loránd Research Network, Herman Ottó u. 15, H-1022, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Andrea Kásler
- Lendület Evolutionary Ecology Research Group, Plant Protection Institute, Centre for Agricultural Research, Eötvös Loránd Research Network, Herman Ottó u. 15, H-1022, Budapest, Hungary; Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology, Institute of Biology, Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter Sétány 1/c, H-1117, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Réka Bertalan
- Lendület Evolutionary Ecology Research Group, Plant Protection Institute, Centre for Agricultural Research, Eötvös Loránd Research Network, Herman Ottó u. 15, H-1022, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Nóra Vili
- Conservation Genetics Research Group, Department of Ecology Institute for Biology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Budapest, István utca 2, H-1078, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Zoltán Gál
- Animal Biotechnology Department, Institute of Genetics and Biotechnology, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Science, Szent-Györgyi Albert u. 4, H-2100, Gödöllő, Hungary
| | - Orsolya I Hoffmann
- Animal Biotechnology Department, Institute of Genetics and Biotechnology, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Science, Szent-Györgyi Albert u. 4, H-2100, Gödöllő, Hungary
| | - Attila Hettyey
- Lendület Evolutionary Ecology Research Group, Plant Protection Institute, Centre for Agricultural Research, Eötvös Loránd Research Network, Herman Ottó u. 15, H-1022, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Veronika Bókony
- Lendület Evolutionary Ecology Research Group, Plant Protection Institute, Centre for Agricultural Research, Eötvös Loránd Research Network, Herman Ottó u. 15, H-1022, Budapest, Hungary; Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology, Institute of Biology, Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter Sétány 1/c, H-1117, Budapest, Hungary
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Tinguely SM, David A, Lange A, Tyler CR. Effects of maternal exposure to environmentally relevant concentrations of 17α-ethinyloestradiol in a live bearing freshwater fish, Xenotoca eiseni (Cyprinodontiformes, Goodeidae). AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY (AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS) 2021; 232:105746. [PMID: 33515925 DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2021.105746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2020] [Revised: 12/11/2020] [Accepted: 01/10/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The viviparous teleost Redtail Splitfin (Xenotoca eiseni) is a live bearing fish that presents a novel freshwater model for investigating the effects of maternally derived micropollutants on vulnerable early developmental life stages. Here, adult female X. eiseni were exposed to 17α-ethinyloestradiol (EE2), a potent contraceptive oestrogen, at environmentally relevant concentrations, to investigate for effects on sex partitioning and development. Pregnant and non-pregnant females were exposed for four weeks to EE2 at measured concentrations of 0.9 and 3.4 ng/L EE2 and offspring from gravid females were kept in clean water for a further four weeks. Only pregnant females were seen to respond to 3.4 ng/L EE2 with an increase in the transcription of hepatic vitellogenins (vtgA, vtgB and vtgC). Offspring of exposed mothers showed no obvious effects on somatic growth, gonadal development, sex partitioning or development. However, there was a higher rate of deformities and developmental abnormalities in offspring of EE2-exposed females. The work presented provides the foundation for the development of X. eiseni as a new freshwater model for studies on maternal transfer of chemical pollutants in live bearing animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone M Tinguely
- University of Exeter, Biosciences, College of Life & Environmental Sciences, Exeter EX4 4QD, United Kingdom.
| | - Arthur David
- University of Sussex, School of Life Sciences, Brighton BN1 9QJ, United Kingdom.
| | - Anke Lange
- University of Exeter, Biosciences, College of Life & Environmental Sciences, Exeter EX4 4QD, United Kingdom.
| | - Charles R Tyler
- University of Exeter, Biosciences, College of Life & Environmental Sciences, Exeter EX4 4QD, United Kingdom.
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