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15,277 results for “GENETICS”
Data from: Is evolution predictable? quantitative genetics under complex genotype-phenotype maps
<p>A fundamental aim of post-genomic 21st century biology is to understand the genotype-phenotype map (GPM) or how specific genetic variation relates to specific phenotypic variation. Quantitative genetics approximates such maps using linear models, and has developed methods to predict the response to selection in a population. The other major field of research concerned with the GPM, developmental evolutionary biology or evo-devo, has found the GPM to be highly nonlinear and complex. Here we quantify how the predictions of quantitative genetics are affected by the complex, nonlinear maps found in developmental biology. We found that the disagreements between predicted and observed responses to selection are common, roughly in a third of generations, systematic and due to nonlinear nature of the genotype-phenotype map. They occur at all time scales, even from one generation to the next. Our results are a step towards integrating the fields studying the GPM.</p>
Data from: Grains of connectivity: analysis at multiple spatial scales in landscape genetics
Landscape genetic analyses are typically conducted at one spatial scale. Considering multiple scales may be essential for identifying landscape features influencing gene flow. We examined landscape connectivity for woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) at multiple spatial scales using a new approach based on landscape graphs that creates a Voronoi tessellation of the landscape. To illustrate the potential of the method, we generated five resistance surfaces to explain how landscape pattern may influence gene flow across the range of this population. We tested each resistance surface using a raster at the spatial grain of available landscape data (200 m grid squares). We then used our method to produce up to 127 additional grains for each resistance surface. We applied a causal modelling framework with partial Mantel tests, where evidence of landscape resistance is tested against an alternative hypothesis of isolation-by-distance, and found statistically significant support for landscape resistance to gene flow in 89 of the 507 spatial grains examined. We found evidence that major roads as well as the cumulative effects of natural and anthropogenic disturbance may be contributing to the genetic structure. Using only the original grid surface yielded no evidence for landscape resistance to gene flow. Our results show that using multiple spatial grains can reveal landscape influences on genetic structure that may be overlooked with a single grain, and suggest that coarsening the grain of landcover data may be appropriate for highly-mobile species. We discuss how grains of connectivity and related analyses have potential landscape genetic applications in a broad range of systems.
Data from: Extreme genetic structure in a social bird species despite high dispersal capacity
Social barriers have been shown to reduce gene flow and contribute to genetic structure among populations in species with high cognitive capacity and complex societies, such as cetaceans, apes and humans. In birds, high dispersal capacity is thought to prevent population divergence unless major geographic or habitat barriers induce isolation patterns by dispersal, colonization or adaptation limitation. We report that Iberian populations of the red-billed chough, a social, gregarious corvid with high dispersal capacity, show a striking degree of genetic structure composed of at least 15 distinct genetic units. Monitoring of marked individuals over 30 years revealed that long-distance movements over hundreds of kilometres are common, yet recruitment into breeding populations is infrequent and highly philopatric. Genetic differentiation is weakly related to geographic distance and habitat types used are overall qualitatively similar among regions and regularly shared by individuals of different populations, so that genetic structure is unlikely to be due solely to isolation by distance or isolation by adaptation. Moreover, most population nuclei showed relatively high levels of genetic diversity, suggesting a limited role for genetic drift in significantly differentiating populations. We propose that social mechanisms may underlie this unprecedented level of genetic structure in birds through a pattern of isolation by social barriers not yet described, which may have driven this remarkable population divergence in the absence of geographic and environmental barriers.
Data from: Populations at risk: conservation genetics of kangaroo mice (Microdipodops) of the Great Basin Desert
The Great Basin Desert of western North America has experienced frequent habitat alterations due to a complex biogeographic history and recent anthropogenic impacts, with the more recent alterations likely resulting in the decline of native fauna and flora. Dark (Microdipodops megacephalus) and pallid (M. pallidus) kangaroo mice are ecological specialists found within the Great Basin Desert and are potentially ideal organisms for assessing ecosystem health and inferring the biogeographic history of this vulnerable region. Herein, newly acquired nuclear-encoded microsatellite loci were utilized to assess patterns of variation within and among spatially discrete groups of kangaroo mice and to evaluate gene flow, demographic trends, and genetic integrity. Results confirm that there are at least three genetically distinct units within M. megacephalus and two such units within M. pallidus. The three units of M. megacephalus appear to have different demographic histories, with effectively no gene flow among them since their divergence. Similarly, the two units of M. pallidus also appear to have experienced different demographic histories, with effectively no gene exchange. Contemporary effective population sizes of all groups within Microdipodops appear to be low (<500), suggesting that each genetic lineage may have difficulty coping with changing environmental pressures and hence may be at risk of extirpation. Results of this study indicate that each Microdipodops group should be recognized, and therefore managed, as a separate unit in an effort to conserve these highly specialized taxa that contribute to the diversity of the Great Basin Desert ecosystem.
Data from: Effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on aboveground tri-trophic interactions are contingent upon plant genetic effects of cross type in the perennial herb Ruellia nudiflora
1.- Recent work has improved our understanding of the linkages between above- and below-ground interactions mediated by plants. However, relatively few of the studies conducted thus far have focused on muli-trophic interactions (i.e. beyond two trophic levels) and the influence of plant genetic intra-specific variation on these dynamics has rarely been addressed. 2.- We tested the effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) on above-ground tri-trophic interactions associated with the canopy of the perennial herb <i></i>Ruellia nudiflora<i></i>, and further determined whether genetic effects due to cross type (i.e. wether a plant originated from from self- or cross-pollination) influenced these interactions. 3.- We propagated plants originating from self- or cross-pollination, and within each category inoculated half of the plants with AMF. We subsequently established a common garden where plants were exposed to naturally occurring seed-eating caterpillars and their parasitoids. We measured plant growth, fruit output, calculated the proportion of attacked fruits by the caterpillar and the proportion of parasitized caterpillars, and also estimated the proportion of "rescued" seeds by parasitoids representing an indirect positive effect of the third trophic level on the plant by reducing caterpillar consumption. 4.- AMF drove 18% and 15% increases in plant growth and fruit output respectively, and drove a 25% reduction in caterpillar fruit attack, but did not influence parasitism or parasitoid seed "rescue". In contrast, cross type did not influence growth, fruit number, herbivore attack, parasitism, or seed rescue. More importantly, however, we found a significant AMF by cross type interaction on caterpillar attack where AMF significantly reduced fruit attack (by 30%) in progeny from cross-pollination but did not influence herbivory in progeny from self-pollination. 5.- Synthesis. Results indicate that AMF effects on above-ground interactions are contingent upon plant intra-specific variation originating from cross type, which is likely a common source of variation in associated interactions for plants with mixed mating systems. Further studies examining plant-mediated below- and aboveground interactions should consider the influence of specific sources of plant genetic variation, as well as address the consequences of such dynamics for interactions beyond two trophic levels.
Data from: Genome-wide SNP analysis unveils genetic structure and phylogeographic history of snow sheep (Ovis nivicola) populations inhabiting the Verkhoyansk Mountains and Momsky Ridge (northeastern Siberia)
Insights into the genetic characteristics of a species provide important information for wildlife conservation programs. Here, we used the OvineSNP50 BeadChip developed for domestic sheep to examine population structure and evaluate genetic diversity of snow sheep (Ovis nivicola) inhabiting Verkhoyansk Range and Momsky Ridge. A total of 1121 polymorphic SNPs were used to test 80 specimens representing five populations, including four populations of the Verkhoyansk Mountain chain: Kharaulakh Ridge–Tiksi Bay (TIK, n = 22), Orulgan Ridge (ORU, n = 22), the central part of Verkhoyansk Range (VER, n = 15), Suntar-Khayata Ridge (SKH, n = 13), and Momsky Ridge (MOM, n = 8). We showed that the studied populations were genetically structured according to a geographical pattern. Pairwise FST values ranged from 0.044 to 0.205. Admixture analysis identified K = 2 as the most likely number of ancestral populations. A Neighbor-Net tree showed that TIK was an isolated group related to the main network through ORU. TreeMix analysis revealed that TIK and MOM originated from two different ancestral populations and detected gene flow from MOM to ORU. This was supported by the f3 statistic, which showed that ORU is an admixed population with TIK and MOM/SKH heritage. Genetic diversity in the studied groups was increasing southward. Minimum values of observed (Ho) and expected (He) heterozygosity and allelic richness (Ar) were observed in the most northern population–TIK, and maximum values were observed in the most southern population–SKH. Thus, our results revealed clear genetic structure in the studied populations of snow sheep and showed that TIK has a different origin from MOM, SKH and VER even though they are conventionally considered a single subspecies known as Yakut snow sheep (Ovis nivicola lydekkeri). Most likely, TIK was an isolated group during the late Pleistocene glaciations of Verkhoyansk Range.
Data from: Shared genetic diversity across the global invasive range of the Monk parakeet suggests a common restricted geographic origin and the possibility of convergent selection
While genetic diversity is hypothesized to be an important factor explaining invasion success, there is no consensus yet on how variation in source populations or demographic processes affects invasiveness. We used mitochondrial DNA haplotypic and microsatellite genotypic data to investigate levels of genetic variation and reconstruct the history of replicate invasions on three continents in a globally invasive bird, the monk parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus). We evaluated whether genetic diversity at invasive sites could be explained by (i) the native source populations from which they were derived and (ii) demographic bottlenecks during introduction. Genetic data indicated a localized source area for most sampled invasive populations, with limited evidence for admixing of native source populations. This pattern largely coincides with historical data on pet trade exports. However, the invasive populations are genetically more similar than predicted from the export data alone. The extent of bottleneck effects varied among invasive populations. The observed low genetic diversity, evidence of demographic contraction and restricted source area do not support the hypothesis that invasion is favoured by the mixing and recombining of genetic variation from multiple source populations. Instead, they suggest that reduced genetic variation through random processes may not inhibit successful establishment and invasion in this species. However, convergent selection across invasive sites could also explain the observed patterns of reduction and similarity in genetic variation and/or the restricted source area. In general, the alternative explanation of intraspecific variation in invasive potential among genotypes or geographic areas is neglected, but warrants more attention as it could inform comparative studies and management of biological invaders.
Data from: Genetic pedigree analysis of the pilot breeding program for the rediscovered Galapagos giant tortoise from Floreana island
An aim of many captive breeding programs is to increase population sizes for reintroduction and establishment of self-sustaining wild populations. Genetic analyses play a critical role in these programs: monitoring genetic variation, identifying the origin of individuals, and assigning parentage to track family sizes. Here we use genetic pedigree analyses to examine three seasons of a pilot breeding program for the Floreana island Galapagos giant tortoise, C. niger, that had been declared extinct for ~150 years until individuals with mixed ancestry were recently discovered. We determined that eight of nine founding individuals were assigned parentage to at least one of 130 offspring produced, though there was considerable reproductive skew. In addition, we observed that genetic diversity of the progeny was lower than that of the founders. Despite the observed reproductive skew, we did not see evidence for assortative mating based on relatedness, but there was a trend towards reduced fitness when more related individuals bred. Finally, we found that the majority of progeny had ancestry assigned to the Floreana species (mean±SE = 0.51±0.02), though individual estimates varied. The success of these pilot seasons bodes well for a larger breeding program to help restore the previously extinct tortoise from Floreana island. Future efforts should continue to monitor for reproductive skew and assortative mating in order to maintain allelic diversity. We would also recommend forming smaller breeding groups and rotating individuals among them to prevent long-term reproductive skew among pairs.
Data from: Genetic control of contagious asexuality in the pea aphid
Although evolutionary transitions from sexual to asexual reproduction are frequent in eukaryotes, the genetic bases of such shifts toward asexuality remain largely unknown. We addressed this issue in an aphid species where both sexual and obligate asexual lineages coexist in natural populations. These sexual and asexual lineages may occasionally interbreed because some asexual lineages maintain a residual production of males potentially able to mate with the females produced by sexual lineages. Hence, this species is an ideal model to study the genetic basis of the loss of sexual reproduction with quantitative genetic and population genomic approaches. Our analysis of the co-segregation of ~300 molecular markers and reproductive phenotype in experimental crosses pinpointed an X-linked region controlling obligate asexuality, this state of character being recessive. A population genetic analysis (>400-marker genome scan) on wild sexual and asexual genotypes from geographically distant populations under divergent selection for reproductive strategies detected a strong signature of divergent selection in the genomic region identified by the experimental crosses. These population genetic data confirm the implication of the candidate region in the control of reproductive mode in wild populations originating from 700 km apart. Patterns of genetic differentiation along chromosomes suggest bidirectional gene flow between populations with distinct reproductive modes, supporting contagious asexuality as a prevailing route to permanent parthenogenesis in pea aphids. This genetic system provides new insights into the mechanisms of coexistence of sexual and asexual aphid lineages.
Data from: A new analytical approach to landscape genetic modeling: least-cost transect analysis and linear mixed models
Landscape genetics aims to assess the effect of the landscape on intraspecific genetic structure. To quantify interdeme landscape structure, landscape genetics mostly uses landscape resistance surfaces and least-cost paths or straight-line transects. However, both approaches have drawbacks. Parameterization of resistance surfaces is a subjective process, and least-cost paths represent a single migration route. A transect-based approach might oversimplify migration patterns by assuming rectilinear migration. To overcome these limitations, we combined these two methods in a new landscape genetic approach: least-cost transect analysis (LCTA). Habitat-matrix resistance surfaces were used to create least-cost paths, which were subsequently buffered to form transects in which the abundance of several landscape elements was quantified. To maintain objectivity, this analysis was repeated so that each landscape element was in turn regarded as migration habitat. The relationship between landscape predictor variables and genetic distances was then assessed following a mixed modeling approach to account for the non-independence of values in distance matrices. Subsequently, predictor variables were selected making use of the R_β^2 statistic. We applied LCTA and the mixed model approach to an empirical genetic dataset on the endangered damselfly, Coenagrion mercuriale. We compared the results to those obtained from traditional least-cost, effective and resistance distance analysis and showed that LCTA not only outperforms existing methods in a statistical way, but also provides more information about the migration ecology of the focal species. Although we believe the statistical approach to be an improvement for the analysis of distance matrices in landscape genetics, more stringent testing is needed.
Data from: Intercontinental genetic structure and gene flow in Dunlin (Calidris alpina), a potential vector of avian influenza
Waterfowl (Anseriformes) and shorebirds (Charadriiformes) are the most common wild vectors of influenza A viruses. Due to their migratory behavior, some may transmit disease over long distances. Migratory connectivity studies can link breeding and nonbreeding grounds while illustrating potential interactions among populations that may spread diseases. We investigated Dunlin (Calidris alpina), a shorebird with a subspecies (C. a. arcticola) that migrates from nonbreeding areas endemic to avian influenza in eastern Asia to breeding grounds in northern Alaska. Using microsatellites and mitochondrial DNA, we illustrate genetic structure among six subspecies: C. a. arcticola, C. a. pacifica, C. a. hudsonia, C. a. sakhalina, C. a. kistchinski, and C. a. actites. We demonstrate that mitochondrial DNA can help distinguish C. a. arcticola on the Asian nonbreeding grounds with >70% accuracy depending on their relative abundance, indicating that genetics can help determine if C. a. arcticola occurs where they may be exposed to highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) during outbreaks. Our data reveal asymmetric intercontinental gene flow, with some C. a. arcticola short-stopping migration to breed with C. a. pacifica in western Alaska. Because C. a. pacifica migrates along the Pacific Coast of North America, interactions between these subspecies and other taxa provides route for transmission of HPAI into other parts of North America.
Data from: Rapid, pervasive genetic differentiation of urban white-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) populations in New York City
We investigated genetic diversity and structure of urban white-footed mouse, Peromyscus leucopus, populations in New York City (NYC) using variation at 18 microsatellite loci. White-footed mice are "urban adapters" that occur at higher population densities as habitat fragments are reduced in area, but have a limited ability to disperse through urbanized areas. We hypothesized that this combination of traits has produced substantial genetic structure but minimal loss of genetic variation over the last century in NYC. Allelic diversity and heterozygosity in fourteen NYC populations were high, and nearly all of our NYC study sites contained genetically distinct populations of white-footed mice as measured by pairwise FST, assignment tests, and Bayesian clustering analyses performed by Structure and BAPS. Analysis of molecular variance revealed that genetic differences between populations separated by a few km are more significant than differences between prehistorically isolated landmasses (i.e. Bronx, Queens, and Manhattan). Allele size permutation tests and lack of isolation-by-distance indicated that mutation and migration are less important than drift as explanations for structure in urban, fragmented P. leucopus populations. Peromyscus often exhibit little genetic structure over even regional scales, prompting us to conclude that urbanization is a particularly potent driver of genetic differentiation compared to natural fragmentation.
Data from: Non-invasive genetic monitoring involving citizen science enables reconstruction of current pack dynamics in a re-establishing wolf population
Background: Carnivores are re-establishing in many human-populated areas, where their presence is often contentious. Reaching consensus over management decisions is often hampered by a dispute about the size of the local carnivore population. Understanding the reproductive dynamics and individual movements of the carnivores can provide support for management decisions, but individual-level information can be difficult to obtain from elusive, wide-ranging species. Non-invasive genetic sampling can yield such information, but makes subsequent reconstruction of population history challenging due to incomplete population coverage and error-prone data. Here, we combine a collaborative, volunteer-based sampling scheme with Bayesian pedigree reconstruction to describe the pack dynamics of an establishing grey wolf (Canis lupus) population in south-west Finland, where wolf breeding was recorded in 2006 for the first time in over a century. Results: Using DNA extracted mainly from faeces collected since 2008, we identified 81 individual wolves and assigned credible full parentages to 70 of these and partial parentages to a further 9, revealing 7 breeding pairs. Individuals used a range of strategies to obtain breeding opportunities, including dispersal to established or new packs, long-distance migration and inheriting breeding roles. Gene flow occurred between all packs but inbreeding events were rare. Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that characterizing ongoing pack dynamics can provide detailed, locally-relevant insight into the ecology of contentious species such as the wolf. Involving various stakeholders in data collection makes these results more likely to be accepted as unbiased and hence reliable grounds for management decisions.
Data from: The impacts of inbreeding, drift, and selection on genetic diversity in captive breeding populations
The goal of captive breeding programs is often to maintain genetic diversity until reintroductions can occur. However, due in part to changes that occur in captive populations, approximately one-third of reintroductions fail. We evaluated genetic changes in captive populations using microsatellites and mtDNA. We analyzed six populations of white-footed mice that were propagated for 20 generations using two replicates of three protocols: random mating (RAN), minimizing mean kinship (MK), and selection for docility (DOC). We found that MK resulted in the slowest loss of microsatellite genetic diversity compared to RAN and DOC. However, the loss of mtDNA haplotypes was not consistent among replicate lines. We compared our empirical data to simulated data and found no evidence of selection in the MK lines although some evidence of selection in the RAN lines was present. Our results suggest that although the effects of drift may not be fully mitigated, MK reduces the loss of alleles due to inbreeding more effectively than random mating or docility selection. Therefore, MK should be preferred for captive breeding. Furthermore, our simulations show that incorporating microsatellite data into the MK framework reduced the magnitude of drift, which may have applications in long-term or extremely genetically depauperate captive populations.
Data from: Fragmentation can increase spatial genetic structure without decreasing pollen-mediated gene flow in a wind-pollinated tree
Fragmentation reduces population sizes, increases isolation between habitats, and can result in restricted dispersal of pollen and seeds. Given that diploid seed dispersal contributes more to shaping fine-scale spatial genetic structure than haploid pollen flow, we tested whether fine-scale SGS can be sensitive to fragmentation even if extensive pollen dispersal is maintained. Castanopsis sclerophylla (Lindley & Paxton) Schottky (Fagaceae), a wind-pollinated and gravity seed-dispersed tree, was studied in an area of Southeast China where its populations have been fragmented to varying extents by human activity. Using different age classes of trees in areas subject to varying extents of fragmentation, we found no significant difference in genetic diversity between pre- and post-fragmentation C. sclerophylla subpopulations. Genetic differentiation among post-fragmentation subpopulations was also only slightly lower than among post-fragmentation subpopulations. In the most fragmented habitat, selfing rates were significantly higher than zero in pre-fragmentation, but not post-fragmentation, cohorts. These results suggest that fragmentation had not decreased gene flow among these populations and that pollen flow remains extensive. However, significantly greater fine-scale SGS was found in post-fragmentation subpopulations in the most fragmented habitat, but not in less fragmented habitats. This alteration in SGS reflected more restricted seed dispersal, induced by changes in the physical environments and the prevention of secondary seed dispersal by rodents. An increase in SGS can therefore result from more restricted seed dispersal, even in the face of extensive pollen flow, making it a sensitive indicator of the negative consequences of population fragmentation.
Data from: Habitat-linked population genetic differentiation in the Blue tit Cyanistes caeruleus
Although the recent emergence of the field of landscape genetics has led to several studies investigating the effects of habitat composition between populations on genetic differentiation, much less is known on the impact of within-habitat ecological characteristics on levels of gene flow and genetic differentiation among populations. Using data on 840 individuals sampled in 8 sites in Corsica and 1 in southern France and analyzed at 10 microsatellite loci, we assessed the spatial and temporal population genetic structure of blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) in Corsica and identified the ecological factors, both between- and within-sampling sites, responsible for the observed genetic structure. We found temporally stable fine-scale genetic structure within Corsica, with genetic differentiation values among populations corresponding to ~25% of levels observed between Corsica and the mainland. This structure was not explained by the geographic distance among populations or by the presence of physical barriers but was instead related to local habitat types (deciduous or evergreen oaks). Our results are thus consistent with previously documented phenotypic differences among habitats in morphological and reproductive traits. These findings suggest that although individuals have high dispersal ability, local adaptation might reduce gene flow among populations located in different habitats.
Data from: Inferring contemporary and historical genetic connectivity from juveniles
Measuring population connectivity is a critical task in conservation biology. While genetic markers can provide reliable long-term historical estimates of population connectivity, scientists are still limited in their ability to determine contemporary patterns of gene flow, the most practical time frame for management. Here, we tackled this issue by developing a new approach that only requires juvenile sampling at a single time period. To demonstrate the usefulness of our method, we used the Speartooth shark (Glyphis glyphis), a critically endangered species of river sharks found only in tropical northern Australia and southern Papua New Guinea. Contemporary adult and juvenile shark movements, estimated with the spatial distribution of kin pairs across and within three river systems, was contrasted with historical long-term connectivity patterns, estimated from mitogenomes and genome-wide SNP data. We found strong support for river fidelity in juveniles with the within-cohort relationship analysis. Male breeding movements were highlighted with the cross-cohort relationship analysis and female reproductive philopatry to the river systems was revealed by the mitogenomic analysis. We show that accounting for juvenile river fidelity and female philopatry is important in population structure analysis and that targeting sampling in nurseries and juveniles aggregation should be included in the genomic toolbox of threatened species management.
Data from: Extensive genetic diversity among populations of the malaria mosquito Anopheles moucheti revealed by population genomics
Malaria vectors are exposed to intense selective pressures due to large-scale intervention programs that are underway in most African countries. One of the current priorities is therefore to clearly assess the adaptive potential of Anopheline populations, which is critical to understand and anticipate the response mosquitoes can elicit against such adaptive challenges. The development of genomic resources that will empower robust examinations of evolutionary changes in all vectors including currently understudied species is an inevitable step toward this goal. Here we constructed double-digest Restriction Associated DNA (ddRAD) libraries and generated 6461 Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) that we used to explore the population structure and demographic history of wild-caught Anopheles moucheti from Cameroon. The genome-wide distribution of allelic frequencies among samples best fitted that of an old population at equilibrium, characterized by a weak genetic structure and extensive genetic diversity, presumably due to a large long term effective population size. Estimates of FST and Linkage Disequilibrium (LD) across SNPs reveal a very low genetic differentiation throughout the genome and the absence of segregating LD blocks among populations, suggesting an overall lack of local adaptation. Our study provides the first investigation of the genetic structure and diversity in An. moucheti at the genomic scale. We conclude that, despite a weak genetic structure, this species has the potential to challenge current vector control measures and other rapid anthropogenic and environmental changes thanks to its great genetic diversity.
Data from: Lack of genetic introgression between wild and selectively bred Sydney rock oysters Saccostrea glomerata
Sydney rock oysters Saccostrea glomerata are among the most important estuarine species on the eastern coast of Australia and also the basis of a major aquaculture industry. The industry now largely relies on Sydney rock oysters that have been selectively bred for fast growth and disease resistance. Selectively bred S. glomerata are currently farmed in estuaries that also sustain wild populations of Sydney rock oysters, providing the opportunity for interbreeding. This has led to concern that gene flow from farmed, selectively bred oysters could alter the genetic variability of wild oyster populations. Here, we use next-generation genotype-by-sequencing to test for genetic introgression between wild and farmed, selectively bred (B2 line) Sydney rock oysters from 2 sites in the Georges River, NSW. Strong genetic partitioning was identified between the wild and selectively bred populations. There was no evidence of gene flow in the form of introgression, even though selectively bred B2 oysters have been farmed in the Georges River since the early 1990s. Contrary to our expectations, we also found significantly higher levels of genetic diversity and heterozygosity in the selectively bred population relative to the wild population. The relatively low level of genetic diversity that we detected in wild oysters may be particularly relevant to the adaptive capacity of this species in the wild.
Data from: Genetic assignment with isotopes and habitat suitability (GAIAH), a migratory bird case study
1. Identifying migratory connections across the annual cycle is important for studies of migrant ecology, evolution, and conservation. While recent studies have demonstrated the utility of high-resolution SNP-based genetic markers for identifying population-specific migratory patterns, the accuracy of this approach relative to other intrinsic tagging techniques has not yet been assessed. 2. Here, using a straightforward application of Bayes' Rule, we develop a method for combining inferences from high-resolution genetic markers, stable isotopes, and habitat suitability models, to spatially infer the breeding origin of migrants captured anywhere along their migratory pathway. Using leave-one-out cross validation, we compare the accuracy of this combined approach with the accuracy attained using each source of data independently. 3. Our results indicate that when each method is considered in isolation, the accuracy of genetic assignments far exceeded that of assignments based on stable isotopes or habitat suitability models. However, our joint assignment method consistently resulted in small, but informative increases in accuracy and did help to correct misassignments based on genetic data alone. We demonstrate the utility of the combined method by identifying previously undetectable patterns in the timing of migration in a North American migratory songbird, the Wilson's warbler. 4. Overall, our results support the idea that while genetic data provides the most accurate method for tracking animals using intrinsic markers when each method is considered independently, there is value in combining all three methods. The resulting methods are provided as part of a new computationally-efficient R-package, GAIAH, allowing broad application of our statistical framework to other migratory animal systems.
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Allen Brain Atlas
Allen Brain Atlas is an Allen Institute collection of brain map atlases, datasets, APIs, and analysis tools covering mouse, human, and non-human primate brain resources.
Annotated Behaviour and Observability Dataset (ABODe)
ABODe is a University of Edinburgh DataShare dataset for behavior classification in group-housed mice using home-cage video, identities, bounding boxes, ground-plate positions, and annotator labels.
DANDI Archive for NWB datasets
DANDI is a BRAIN Initiative archive for publishing and sharing neurophysiology data, including electrophysiology, optophysiology, and behavioral data packaged as NWB and related standards.
International Brain Laboratory public data
The International Brain Laboratory public data releases expose standardized mouse decision-making experiments, including Neuropixels recordings, widefield calcium imaging, behavior, and session metadata accessed through the ONE API.
OpenNeuro
OpenNeuro is a free, open platform for sharing neuroimaging datasets, with public search, dataset pages, and download paths for web, S3, DataLad, and the OpenNeuro CLI.