1
|
Tomotani BM, Strauß AFT, Kishkinev D, van de Haar H, Helm B. Circadian clock period length is not consistently linked to chronotype in a wild songbird. Eur J Neurosci 2024. [PMID: 39256897 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.16535] [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: 02/12/2024] [Revised: 08/06/2024] [Accepted: 08/29/2024] [Indexed: 09/12/2024]
Abstract
Circadian clock properties vary between individuals and relate to variation in entrained timing in captivity. How this variation translates into behavioural differences in natural settings, however, is poorly understood. Here, we tested in great tits whether variation in the free-running period length (tau) under constant dim light (LL) was linked to the phase angle of the entrained rhythm ("chronotype") in captivity and in the wild, as recently indicated in our study species. We also assessed links between tau and the timing of first activity onset and offset under LL relative to the last experienced light-dark (LD) cycle. We kept 66 great tits, caught in two winters, in LL for 14 days and subsequently released them with a radio transmitter back to the wild, where their activity and body temperature rhythms were tracked for 1 to 22 days. For a subset of birds, chronotype was also recorded in the lab before release. Neither wild nor lab chronotypes were related to tau. We also found no correlation between lab and wild chronotypes. However, the first onset in LL had a positive relationship with tau, but only in males. Our results demonstrate that links between tau and phase of entrainment, postulated on theoretical grounds, may not consistently hold under natural conditions, possibly due to strong masking. This calls for more holistic research on how the many components of the circadian system interact with the environment to shape timing in the wild. Wild birds showed chronotypes in the field that were unlinked to their circadian period length tau measured in captivity. In males only, the first onset of activity after exposure to constant dim light did correlate with tau. Our study emphasises the need to investigate clocks in the real world, including a need to better understand masking.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Barbara M Tomotani
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, AB, The Netherlands
- Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Aurelia F T Strauß
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, AB, The Netherlands
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | | | - Huib van de Haar
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, AB, The Netherlands
| | - Barbara Helm
- Swiss Ornithological Institute, Sempach, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Le Clercq LS, Bazzi G, Cecere JG, Gianfranceschi L, Grobler JP, Kotzé A, Rubolini D, Liedvogel M, Dalton DL. Time trees and clock genes: a systematic review and comparative analysis of contemporary avian migration genetics. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2023; 98:1051-1080. [PMID: 36879518 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2022] [Revised: 02/16/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/08/2023]
Abstract
Timing is a crucial aspect for survival and reproduction in seasonal environments leading to carefully scheduled annual programs of migration in many species. But what are the exact mechanisms through which birds (class: Aves) can keep track of time, anticipate seasonal changes, and adapt their behaviour? One proposed mechanism regulating annual behaviour is the circadian clock, controlled by a highly conserved set of genes, collectively called 'clock genes' which are well established in controlling the daily rhythmicity of physiology and behaviour. Due to diverse migration patterns observed within and among species, in a seemingly endogenously programmed manner, the field of migration genetics has sought and tested several candidate genes within the clock circuitry that may underlie the observed differences in breeding and migration behaviour. Among others, length polymorphisms within genes such as Clock and Adcyap1 have been hypothesised to play a putative role, although association and fitness studies in various species have yielded mixed results. To contextualise the existing body of data, here we conducted a systematic review of all published studies relating polymorphisms in clock genes to seasonality in a phylogenetically and taxonomically informed manner. This was complemented by a standardised comparative re-analysis of candidate gene polymorphisms of 76 bird species, of which 58 are migrants and 18 are residents, along with population genetics analyses for 40 species with available allele data. We tested genetic diversity estimates, used Mantel tests for spatial genetic analyses, and evaluated relationships between candidate gene allele length and population averages for geographic range (breeding- and non-breeding latitude), migration distance, timing of migration, taxonomic relationships, and divergence times. Our combined analysis provided evidence (i) of a putative association between Clock gene variation and autumn migration as well as a putative association between Adcyap1 gene variation and spring migration in migratory species; (ii) that these candidate genes are not diagnostic markers to distinguish migratory from sedentary birds; and (iii) of correlated variability in both genes with divergence time, potentially reflecting ancestrally inherited genotypes rather than contemporary changes driven by selection. These findings highlight a tentative association between these candidate genes and migration attributes as well as genetic constraints on evolutionary adaptation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Louis-Stéphane Le Clercq
- South African National Biodiversity Institute, P.O. Box 754, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa
- Department of Genetics, University of the Free State, PO Box 339, Bloemfontein, 9300, South Africa
| | - Gaia Bazzi
- Area Avifauna Migratrice, Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale, via Ca' Fornacetta 9, Ozzano Emilia (BO), I-40064, Italy
| | - Jacopo G Cecere
- Area Avifauna Migratrice, Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale, via Ca' Fornacetta 9, Ozzano Emilia (BO), I-40064, Italy
| | - Luca Gianfranceschi
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, via Celoria 26, Milan, I-20133, Italy
| | - Johannes Paul Grobler
- Department of Genetics, University of the Free State, PO Box 339, Bloemfontein, 9300, South Africa
| | - Antoinette Kotzé
- South African National Biodiversity Institute, P.O. Box 754, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa
- Department of Genetics, University of the Free State, PO Box 339, Bloemfontein, 9300, South Africa
| | - Diego Rubolini
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Politiche Ambientali, Università degli Studi di Milano, via Celoria 26, Milan, I-20133, Italy
- Istituto di Ricerca sulle Acque, IRSA-CNR, Via del Mulino 19, Brugherio (MB), I-20861, Italy
| | - Miriam Liedvogel
- Max Planck Research Group Behavioral Genomics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Plön, 24306, Germany
- Institute of Avian Research, An der Vogelwarte 21, Wilhelmshaven, 26386, Germany
| | - Desiré Lee Dalton
- School of Health and Life Sciences, Teesside University, Middlesbrough, TS1 3BA, UK
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Lee KD, Millar CD, Brekke P, Whibley A, Ewen JG, Hingston M, Zhu A, Santure AW. The design and application of a 50 K SNP chip for a threatened Aotearoa New Zealand passerine, the hihi. Mol Ecol Resour 2021; 22:415-429. [PMID: 34323011 DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.13480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2021] [Revised: 07/22/2021] [Accepted: 07/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Next-generation sequencing has transformed the fields of ecological and evolutionary genetics by allowing for cost-effective identification of genome-wide variation. Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays, or "SNP chips", enable very large numbers of individuals to be consistently genotyped at a selected set of these identified markers, and also offer the advantage of being able to analyse samples of variable DNA quality. We used reduced representation restriction-aided digest sequencing (RAD-seq) of 31 birds of the threatened hihi (Notiomystis cincta; stitchbird) and low-coverage whole genome sequencing (WGS) of 10 of these birds to develop an Affymetrix 50 K SNP chip. We overcame the limitations of having no hihi reference genome and a low quantity of sequence data by separate and pooled de novo assembly of each of the 10 WGS birds. Reads from all individuals were mapped back to these de novo assemblies to identify SNPs. A subset of RAD-seq and WGS SNPs were selected for inclusion on the chip, prioritising SNPs with the highest quality scores whose flanking sequence uniquely aligned to the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) genome. Of the 58,466 SNPs manufactured on the chip, 72% passed filtering metrics and were polymorphic. By genotyping 1,536 hihi on the array, we found that SNPs detected in multiple assemblies were more likely to successfully genotype, representing a cost-effective approach to identify SNPs for genotyping. Here, we demonstrate the utility of the SNP chip by describing the high rates of linkage disequilibrium in the hihi genome, reflecting the history of population bottlenecks in the species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kate D Lee
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Craig D Millar
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Patricia Brekke
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London, UK
| | - Annabel Whibley
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - John G Ewen
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London, UK
| | - Melanie Hingston
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Amy Zhu
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Anna W Santure
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Verhagen I, Gienapp P, Laine VN, Grevenhof EM, Mateman AC, Oers K, Visser ME. Genetic and phenotypic responses to genomic selection for timing of breeding in a wild songbird. Funct Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Irene Verhagen
- Department of Animal Ecology Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO‐KNAW) Wageningen The Netherlands
| | - Phillip Gienapp
- Department of Animal Ecology Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO‐KNAW) Wageningen The Netherlands
| | - Veronika N. Laine
- Department of Animal Ecology Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO‐KNAW) Wageningen The Netherlands
| | - Elizabeth M. Grevenhof
- Department of Animal Ecology Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO‐KNAW) Wageningen The Netherlands
| | - Andrea C. Mateman
- Department of Animal Ecology Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO‐KNAW) Wageningen The Netherlands
| | - Kees Oers
- Department of Animal Ecology Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO‐KNAW) Wageningen The Netherlands
| | - Marcel E. Visser
- Department of Animal Ecology Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO‐KNAW) Wageningen The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|