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Individual-plant selectivity by sheep in drylands scales-up at plant population level and controls the forage supply and its accessibility

Diet selectivity by domestic herbivores controls plant community structure and dynamics and may induce rangeland degradation, particularly in drylands. However, management decisions frequently ignore herbivore selectivity. Here, we studied how grass morphology controls sheep selectivity for individual plants, and how this selectivity interacts with grazing intensity to determine population plant-size distributions and the forage supply. In Patagonian steppes, we manipulated the plant morphology (size and standing-dead proportion) of three dominant grass species differentially preferred by sheep for four years. Then, we evaluated how these morphological alterations affected intra- and inter-specific preference patterns. We also evaluated how grazing intensity (ungrazed, moderate grazing, and intensive grazing) affected the plant-size distribution of the three species, the forage supply, and its accessibility. For the highly preferred species, herbivores selected plants that were either naturally or experimentally short, with low proportion of standing-dead biomass. In contrast, morphological changes did not alter the within-species selectivity of the least preferred species. Grazing intensity strongly changed the population plant-size distribution of preferred species in ways that resembled the experimental manipulations of morphology. Moderate grazing showed the greatest morphological heterogeneity among individuals. When integrating the green biomass of forage species' individuals at ecosystem level, we found that the forage supply was the highest in ungrazed sites and decreased as grazing intensity increased. However, considering the dissuading effect of the standing-dead proportion of plants, the accessible forage was the highest under moderate grazing. Synthesis and applications. Our findings (i) showed that, within preferred species, sheep selectivity at individual-plant level is controlled by morphological characteristics that determine accessibility to green high-quality biomass. This effect was as important as that of species identity; (ii) empirically proved plant-animal positive feedback at individual level; and (iii) revealed how the individual-plant selectivity scales-up at population level and controls the forage supply, but also its accessibility. Our complementary approach generates critical knowledge for developing management practices to control key forage species defoliation and to adjust the grazing pressure to the offer of accessible forage, avoiding the common carrying capacity overestimation. These aspects are essential for sustainable production in grazed drylands.

Does a history of population co-occurrence predict plant performance, community productivity, or invasion resistance?

A history of species co-occurrence in plant communities is hypothesized to lead to greater niche differentiation, more efficient resource partitioning, and more productive, resistant communities as a result of evolution in response to biotic interactions. A similar question can be asked of co-occurring populations: do individual species or community responses differ when communities are founded with plants sharing a history of population co-occurrence (sympatric) or originating from different locations (allopatric)? Using shrub, grass, and forb species from six locations in the western Great Basin, USA, we compared establishment, productivity, reproduction, phenology, and resistance to invaders for experimental communities with either sympatric or allopatric population associations. Each community type was planted with six taxa in outdoor mesocosms, measured over three growing seasons, and invaded with the annual grass Bromus tectorum in the final season. For most populations, the allopatric or sympatric status of neighbors was not important. However, in some cases, it was beneficial for some species from some locations to be planted with allopatric neighbors, while others benefited from sympatric neighbors, and some of these responses had large effects. For instance, the Elymus population that benefited the most from allopatry grew 50% larger with allopatric neighbors than in single origin mesocosms. This response affected invasion resistance, as B. tectorum biomass was strongly affected by productivity and phenology of Elymus spp., as well as Poa secunda. Our results demonstrate that while community composition can affect plant performance in semi-arid plant communities, assembling communities from sympatric populations is not sufficient to ensure high productivity and invasion resistance. Instead, we observed an idiosyncratic interaction between sampling effects and evolutionary history, with the potential for seed source of individual populations to have community-level effects.

Data from: Environmental and climate variability drive population size of annual penaeid shrimp in a large lagoonal estuary

Species with short life spans frequently show a close relationship between population abundance and environmental variation making these organisms potential indicator species of climatic variability. White (Penaeus setiferus), brown (P. aztecus), and pink (P. duorarum) penaeid shrimp typically have an annual life history and are of enormous ecological, cultural, and economic value to the southeastern United States and Gulf of Mexico. Within North Carolina, all three species rely on the Pamlico Sound, a large estuarine system that straddles Cape Hatteras, one of the most significant climate and biogeographic breaks in the world, as a nursery area. These characteristics make penaeid species within the Pamlico Sound a critical species-habitat complex for assessing climate impacts on fisheries. However, a comprehensive analysis of the influence of the environmental conditions that influence penaeid shrimp populations has been lacking in North Carolina. In this study, we used more than 30 years of data from two fishery-independent trawl surveys in the Pamlico Sound to examine the spatial distribution and abundance of adult brown, white, and pink shrimp and the environmental drivers associated with adult shrimp abundance and juvenile brown shrimp recruitment using numerical models. Brown shrimp recruitment models demonstrate that years with higher temperature, salinity, offshore windstress, and North Atlantic Oscillation phase predict increased abundance of juveniles. Additionally, models predicting adult brown, white, and pink shrimp abundance illustrate the importance of winter temperatures, windstress, salinity, the North Atlantic Oscillation index, and the abundance of spawning adult populations from the previous year on shrimp abundance. Our findings show a high degree of variability in shrimp abundance is explained by climate and environmental variation and indicate the importance of understanding these relationships in order to predict the impact of climate variability within ecosystems and develop climate-based adaptive management strategies for marine populations.

Monitoring the evolution of relative product populations at early times during a photochemical reaction

Identifying multiple rival reaction products and transient species formed during ultrafast photochemical reactions and determining their time-evolving relative populations are key steps towards understanding and predicting photochemical outcomes. Yet, most contemporary ultrafast studies struggle with clearly identifying and quantifying competing molecular structures/species amongst the emerging reaction products. Here, we show that mega-electronvolt ultrafast electron diffraction in combination with ab initio molecular dynamics calculations offers a unique route to determine time-resolved populations of the various isomeric products formed after UV (266 nm) excitation of the five-membered heterocyclic molecule thiophenone. This strategy reveals an unexpectedly high (~50%) yield of an episulfide isomer containing a strained 3-membered ring within ~1 ps at early times and rapid interconversions between the rival photoproducts.

Data from: Unique drought resistance strategies occur among monkeyflower populations spanning an aridity gradient

This data repository contains the metadata and data to produce all results found in the manuscript titled: "Unique drought resistance strategies occur among monkeyflower populations spanning an aridity gradient". This repository includes two different datasets as well as associated readme files. One dataset (fileA) contains phenotype data from an experimental manipulation experiment taking place in growth chambers at the University of Louisiana, Lafayette. The second dataset contains data from a common garden experiment that contained offspring from the well-watered treatment of the experimental manipulation from fileA. This dataset contains both offspring and midparent values for the same phenotypes measured in the experimental manipulation. Datasets are both uploaded as .csv files. Please read the readme files for descriptions of the data in each .csv file.

Genetic diversity and sperm characteristics are not associated in two bluethroat (Luscinia svecica) populations

Individual heterozygosity may influence the expression of fitness-related traits, via genome-wide or local genetic effects. Earlier studies have shown negative relationships between heterozygosity and sperm variation, predominantly in captive, highly inbred populations. Little is known about the possible influence of variation in heterozygosity on sperm traits in wild, outbred populations. We studied two populations of the bluethroat, one from the widely distributed northern subspecies (Luscinia. s. svecica) and the other from the smaller, more patchily distributed subspecies breeding along the French coast of Brittany (L. s. namnetum). The two subspecies differed significantly in body size, plumage colour, sperm traits and the degree of genetic diversity. However, there was no evidence that sperm traits (total length and motility) were influenced by the degree of heterozygosity at the individual level. In contrast, we found that male body size was positively related to heterozygosity across both populations, indicating a possible relationship between overall genetic diversity and general vigour or ability to obtain food. We conclude that sperm traits are unrelated to levels of heterozygosity in the studied outbred and weakly genetically depauperate bluethroat populations.

opencc-by-4.0May 2023View details →

Identifying the environmental drivers of corridors and predicting connectivity between seasonal ranges in multiple populations of Alpine ibex (Capra ibex) as tools for conserving migration

# GPS locations of Alpine ibex This dataset contains migratory tracks of Alpine ibex identified using the application Migration Mapper (https://migrationinitiative.org/content/migration-mapper) and used in the work Identifying the environmental drivers of corridors and predicting connectivity between seasonal ranges in multiple populations of Alpine ibex (Capra ibex) as tools for conserving migration # Dataset structure Each row of the dataset represents a GPS location with its coordinates contained in the x (longitude) and y(latitude) columns. Coordinates are given in wgs84 (epsg 4326). The column t1_ informs on the date and time the location was recorded. The id and pop columns provide information about the identity of the animal and the population to which it belongs.

opencc-by-4.0May 2023View details →

DATABASE OF THE SYSTEMATIC MAPPING OF SOCIAL SUPPORT ANS STIGMA IN POPULATION LIVING WITH HIV

DATABASE OF THE SYSTEMATIC MAPPING OF SOCIAL SUPPORT ANS STIGMA IN POPULATION LIVING WITH HIV. IT WAS USED THE PRISMA (2020) METHODOLOGY.

Quantifying the age-structure of free-ranging delphinid populations: testing the accuracy of Unoccupied Aerial System-photogrammetry

Understanding the population health status of long-lived and slow-reproducing species is critical for their management. However, it can take decades with traditional monitoring techniques to detect population-level changes in demographic parameters. Early detection of the effects of environmental and anthropogenic stressors on vital rates would aid in forecasting changes in population dynamics and therefore inform management efforts. Changes in vital rates strongly correlate with deviations in population growth, highlighting the need for novel approaches that can provide early warning signs of population decline (e.g., changes in age-structure). We tested a novel and frequentist approach, using Unoccupied Aerial System- (UAS) photogrammetry, to assess the population age-structure of small delphinids. First, we measured the precision and accuracy of UAS-photogrammetry in estimating total body length (TL) of trained bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Using a log-transformed linear model, we estimated TL using the blowhole-to-dorsal-fin-distance (BHDF) for surfacing animals. To test the performance of UAS-photogrammetry to age-classify individuals, we then used length measurements from a 35-year dataset from a free-ranging bottlenose dolphin community to simulate UAS-estimates of BHDF and TL. We tested five age-classifiers and determined where young individuals (<10 years) were assigned when misclassified. Finally, we tested whether UAS-simulated BHDF only or the associated TL estimates provided better classifications. TL of surfacing dolphins was overestimated by 3.3% ±3.1% based on UAS-estimated BHDF. Our age-classifiers performed best in predicting age-class when using broader and fewer (two and three) age-class bins with ~80% and ~72% assignment performance, respectively. Overall, 72.5-93% of the individuals were correctly classified within two years of their actual age-class bin. Similar classification performances were obtained using both proxies. UAS-photogrammetry is a non-invasive, inexpensive, and effective method to estimate TL and age-class of free-swimming dolphins. UAS-photogrammetry can facilitate the detection of early signs of population changes, which can provide important insights for timely management decisions.

opencc-by-4.0Nov 2020View details →

Figure 2 in Expanding Population Edge Craniometrics and Genetics Provide Insights into Dispersal of Commensal Rats through Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia

Figure 2. Sampling locations for skulls included in the craniometric analysis.

Social network and fitness data from age-structured populations of forked fungus beetles

We investigated the relationships between age, social behavior, and fitness at three levels of organization: the individual, the local social environment, and the population. Replicate groups of forked fungus beetles (Bolitotherus cornutus) were engineered to have either young- or old- biased age structures, and both social and reproductive behaviors were recorded.

opencc-by-4.0May 2023View details →

Pig population data complementing the annual report on the epidemiological analyses of African swine fever (ASF) in the European Union - Bulgaria

This dataset contains swine population data. Reporting authorities contributing to the data collection: <ul> <li>ASF2022_BG - Bulgarian Food Safety Agency (BFSA)</li> </ul>

Data from: Drought-induced relocation of ant colonies and its consequences for the long-term spatial ecology of a population under stress

<ol> <li>Maintaining a central refuge such as a nest or burrow can offer protection against environmental stressors but comes at the expense of the capacity to disperse to new locations. This trade-off with mobility can be detrimental when environmental conditions become adverse for extended periods, necessitating animals to relocate in order to track shifting niche envelopes.</li> <li>Long-lived ant colonies that invest in the construction of large nests are especially susceptible to changing environmental conditions. The Australian meat ant, Iridomyrmex purpureus, build large terrestrial nests at sites that balance shade and solar exposure.</li> <li>Long-term study of a population of meat ants showed low nest turnover and a stable spatial distribution of nests across typical rainfall years. With the onset of drought, a dramatic surge in the production of new nests occurred through a process of budding that far exceeded historic trends. This appears to have allowed colonies to relocate nests into areas with more favourable microclimate conditions in a strategy reminiscent of the production of runners in stressed plants. The consequence has also been the packing of nests into a narrow habitable zone that has resulted in an apparent increase in competition among large rival colonies. Following the break in drought and the thinning of some nests through abandonment, competition has progressively eased in later years.</li> <li>The surge in nest budding triggered by acute environmental stress in this population offers a possible strategy for long-lived colonies to effectively migrate across the landscape. With changes in environmental conditions becoming more frequent and severe with the climate crisis, any strategy available to central place foragers to track windows of preferred conditions are likely to become increasingly important.</li> </ol>

Polymorphisms in genes related to inflammation and endothelial function in the high-risk stroke population

Aim: To investigate incidence of ischemic stroke and other vascular events during a 4.7-year follow-up in the high-risk stroke population, and to identify the associations of the 19 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in genes related to inflammation and endothelial function and interaction among these SNPs with outcomes. Methods: According to the China National Stroke Screening Survey programme, we performed this multi-center community-based sectional survey and prospective cohort study in the Sichuan of southwestern China from May 2015 to January 2020. Eight communities were randomly selected in Sichuan, and the residents in each community volunteered to participate in a face-to-face survey. The 19 SNPs in genes related to endothelial function and inflammation were measured in the high-risk stroke population. All subjects in high-risk stroke populations were followed-up for 4.7 years after the face-to-face survey. The primary outcome was a new ischemic stroke; the secondary outcome was a composite of new vascular events. Results: A total of 2893 high-risk stroke population, 2698 (93.3%) completed a 4.7-year follow-up. Outcomes occurred in 192 (7.1%) subjects (118 [4.4%] new ischemic stroke, 24 [0.9%] hemorrhagic stroke, 53 [2.0%] myocardial infarction, and 33[1.2%] death) in the 2698 high-risk stroke population. There were significant differences in genotype distribution of TNF rs3093662, IL6R rs4845625 and TLR4 rs752998 between subjects with and without outcomes by univariate analyses. Generalized multifactor dimensionality reduction (GMDR) analysis showed that there was a significant gene-gene interaction among the 19 SNPs, the best model for outcomes was interaction among IL6R rs4845625, TLR4 rs1927911 and HABP2 rs932650 (P = 0.004). The high-risk interactive genotypes among the 3 SNPs were independently associated with a higher risk for new ischemic stroke (OR = 2.187, 95% CI: 1.256–5.374, P<0.001) and total vascular events (OR = 2.382, 95% CI: 1.423–5.894, P<0.001) after adjustment with covariates. Conclusion: The incidence of ischemic stroke and other vascular events was found to be very high in the high-risk stroke population. There were associations of specific SNPs in genes related to inflammation and endothelial function with outcomes. The high-risk interactive genotypes among IL6R rs4845625, TLR4 rs1927911 and HABP2 rs932650 were independently associated with a higher risk for new ischemic stroke and other vascular events. These findings are expected to provide new strategies for prevention of ischemic stroke and other vascular events.

Density dependence of seed dispersal and fecundity profoundly alters the spread dynamics of plant populations

<ol> <li>Plant population spread has fundamental ecological and evolutionary importance. Both determinants of plant population spread, fecundity and dispersal, can be density-dependent, which should cause feedback between population densities and spread dynamics. Yet it is poorly understood how density-dependence affects key characteristics of spread: spread rate at which the location of the furthest forward individual moves, edge depth (the geographical area over which individuals contribute to spread) and population continuity (occupancy of the spreading population).</li> <li>We present a general modelling framework for analysing the effects of density-dependent fecundity and dispersal on population spread and parameterize this framework with experimental data from a common-garden experiment using five wind-dispersed plant species grown at different densities. </li> <li>Our model shows that density-dependent fecundity and dispersal strongly affect all three population spread characteristics for both exponential and lognormal dispersal kernels. Spread rate and edge depth are strongly correlated but show weaker correlations with population continuity. Positive density-dependence of fecundity increases all three spread characteristics. Increasingly positive density-dependence of dispersal increases spread rate and edge depth but generally decreases population continuity. Density-dependent fecundity and dispersal are largely additive in their effect on spread characteristics. For population continuity, the joint effects of density-dependent fecundity and dispersal are somewhat contingent on the dispersal kernel.</li> <li>The common-garden experiment and the experimentally parameterized mechanistic dispersal model revealed density-dependent fecundity and dispersal across study species. All study species exhibited negative density-dependent fecundity, but they differed qualitatively in the density-dependence of dispersal distance and probability of long-distance dispersal. The negative density-dependence of fecundity and dispersal found for three species reinforced each other in reducing spread rate and edge depth. The positively density-dependent dispersal found for two species markedly increased spread rate and edge depth. Population continuity was hardly affected by population density in all study species except Crepis sancta in which it was strongly reduced by negatively density-dependent fecundity.</li> <li> Synthesis. Density-dependent fecundity and seed dispersal profoundly alter population spread. In particular, positively density-dependent dispersal should promote the spread and genetic diversity of plant populations migrating under climate change but also complicate the control of invasive species.</li> </ol>

The floral volatiles of Aquilegia coerulea for three populations grown at two water and temperature regimes, together with day and evening emission

Premise of the study: Shifts in abiotic factors can affect many plant traits, including floral volatiles. This study examines the response of floral volatiles to water availability, and whether phenotypic plasticity to water differs among populations. Furthermore, it investigates genetic differentiation in floral volatiles, determines the effect of temperature on phenotypic plasticity to water, and assesses temporal variation in floral scent emission between day and evening, since pollinator visitation differs at those times. Methods: Rocky Mountain columbine plants (Aquilegia coerulea), started from seeds collected in three wild populations in Colorado, Utah, and Arizona, were grown under two water treatments in a greenhouse in Madison, Wisconsin, USA. One population was also grown under the two water treatments, at two temperatures. Air samples were collected from enclosed flowers using dynamic headspace methods and floral volatiles were identified and quantified by gas chromatography (GC) with mass spectrometry (MS) detection. Key Results: Emission of three floral volatiles increased in the wetter environment, indicating phenotypic plasticity. The response of six floral volatiles to water differed among populations, suggesting genetic differentiation in phenotypic plasticity. Five floral volatiles varied among populations, and emission of most floral volatiles was greater during the day. Conclusions: Phenotypic plasticity to water permits a quick response of floral volatiles in changing environments. The genetic differentiation in phenotypic plasticity suggests that phenotypic plasticity can evolve but complicates predictions of the effects of environmental changes on a plant and its pollinators.

Axiom canine microarray data from Australian dingoes and domestic dogs for admixture and population structure analysis

Admixture between species is a cause for concern in wildlife management. Canids are particularly vulnerable to inter-specific hybridisation, and genetic admixture has shaped their evolutionary history. Microsatellite DNA testing, relying on a small number of genetic markers and geographically restricted reference populations, has identified extensive domestic dog admixture in Australian dingoes and driven conservation management policy. There has been concern that geographic variation in dingo genotypes could confound ancestry analyses that use a small number of genetic markers. Here we apply genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping to a set of 385 wild and captive dingoes from across Australia and then carry out comparisons to domestic dogs, and perform ancestry modelling and biogeographic analyses to characterize population structure in dingoes and investigate the extent of admixture between dingoes and dogs in different regions of the continent. We show that there are at least five distinct dingo populations across Australia. We observed limited evidence of dog admixture in wild dingoes, challenging previous reports regarding the occurrence and extent of dog admixture in dingoes, as our ancestry analyses show that previous assessments severely overestimate the degree of domestic dog admixture in dingo populations, particularly in southeastern Australia. These findings strongly support the use of genome-wide SNP genotyping as a refined method for wildlife managers and policy makers to assess and inform dingo management policy and legislation moving forwards.

opencc-by-nc-4.0Jun 2023View details →

The EmoHI Test stimuli: Measuring vocal emotion recognition in hearing-impaired populations

Before reading this file, make sure you have read the README.1.pdf file. That file also contains information about the license these materials are distributed under. Versions <ul> <li>Version 2: This is the current version. To cite this version specifically, use DOI 10.5281/zenodo.7997063. In this version we fixed some naming mistakes in the files (in 8 of the files the sentence was identified as <code>t2</code> instead of <code>s2</code>), and added two missing stimuli (<code>t5_neutral_t2_u04.wav</code> and <code>t5_sad_t1_u05.wav</code>).</li> <li>Version 1: This was the initial version. To cite that version specifically, use DOI 10.5281/zenodo.3689710.</li> </ul> The latest version of the EmoHI material can be downloaded from <a href="https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3689709">https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3689709</a>. Please always check that you have the latest version, and that you comply with the current license requirements. The EmoHI Test The EmoHI Test was developed to measure the accuracy at which participants can recognize vocal emotions based on pseudospeech sentences that were produced in a happy, angry sad, or neutral manner. The EmoHI Test recordings are particularly suitable for testing hearing-impaired populations due to their high sound quality. All recordings, including the ones that were used in Nagels et al. (2020, PeerJ, <a href="https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.8773">doi: 10.7717/peerj.8773</a>), are made available here. The stimuli were recorded in an anechoic room at a sampling rate of 44.1 kHz. The microphone was placed at a distance of approximately 30 cm (12 in) from the speaker. The recordings were made by connecting a standing Røde NT1 microphone to a Presonus TubePre V2 preamplifier and a TASCAM DR-100 portable digital recorder. The gain of the recordings was adjusted for each emotion production using the preamplifier to record the stimuli at an intensity level that was approximately the same across emotions to reduce large intensity differences between the recordings of different emotions. The files are not RMS equalized. Citation When using this repository in your research, please cite the repository itself. For this version: <blockquote> Nagels L., Gaudrain E., Hendriks P., & Başkent D. (2023, June 2). The EmoHI Test stimuli: Measuring vocal emotion recognition in hearing-impaired populations. Version 2. Zenodo. <a href="https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7997063">https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7997063</a> </blockquote> Also cite the PeerJ article that describes the material: <blockquote> Nagels L., Gaudrain E., Vickers D., Matos Lopes M., Hendriks P., Başkent D. (2020). Development of vocal emotion recognition in school-age children: The EmoHI test for hearing-impaired populations. PeerJ 8:e8773 <a href="https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.8773">https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.8773</a> </blockquote> Sound file name structure The sound files are named using the following convention: <code>t[1-6]_{emotion}_s{1,2}_u[01-18].wav</code> <ul> <li><code>t[1-6]</code> represents the talker who produced the stimulus: <code>t1</code>, <code>t2</code>, <code>t3</code>, <code>t4</code>, <code>t5</code>, or <code>t6</code></li> <li><code>{emotion}</code> is the label of the emotion that was produced: <code>neutral</code>, <code>happy</code>, <code>angry</code>, or <code>sad</code></li> <li><code>s{1,2}</code> is the pseudospeech sentence that was used: <code>s1</code> for "Koun se mina lod belam." <code>s2</code> for "Nekal ibam soud molen."</li> <li><code>u[01-18]</code> is the utterance number: Number ranging from <code>u01</code> to <code>u18</code></li> </ul> For instance, <code>t1_happy_s2_u01.wav</code> is utterance 1 of talker <code>t1</code> producing emotion "happy" using sentence 2. Talker demographic information The table below gives an overview of the voice characteristics from the talkers who produced the EmoHI test stimuli. <table> <thead> <tr> <th scope="col">Talker</th> <th scope="col">Age (years)</th> <th scope="col">Gender</th> <th scope="col">Height (m)</th> <th scope="col">Mean F0 (Hz)</th> <th scope="col">F0 range (Hz)</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td>t1</td> <td>48</td> <td>f</td> <td>1.72</td> <td>253.14</td> <td>179.97 – 421.81</td> </tr> <tr> <td>t2</td> <td>36</td> <td>f</td> <td>1.68</td> <td>302.23</td> <td>200.71 – 437.38</td> </tr> <tr> <td>t3</td> <td>27</td> <td>m</td> <td>1.85</td> <td>166.92</td> <td>100.99 – 296.47</td> </tr> <tr> <td>t4</td> <td>45</td> <td>m</td> <td>1.90</td> <td>149.41</td> <td>96.97 – 274.72</td> </tr> <tr> <td>t5</td> <td>25</td> <td>f</td> <td>1.63</td> <td>282.89</td> <td>199.49 – 429.38</td> </tr> <tr> <td>t6</td> <td>24</td> <td>m</td> <td>1.75</td> <td>167.76</td> <td>87.46 – 285.79</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> Supporting data The behavioural data from the PeerJ article is accessible at <a href="https://doi.org/10.34894/BDMX6D">https://doi.org/10.34894/BDMX6D</a>.

opencc-zeroDec 2022View details →

The genomics of adaptation to climate in European great tit (Parus major) populations

The recognition that climate change is occurring at an unprecedented rate means that there is increased urgency in understanding how organisms can adapt to a changing environment. Wild great tit (Parus major) populations represent an attractive ecological model system to understand the genomics of climate adaptation. They are widely distributed across Eurasia and they have been documented to respond to climate change. We performed a Bayesian genome-environment analysis, by combining local climate data with SNP genotype data from 20 European populations (broadly spanning the species' continental range). We found 36 unique putative climate adaptation genes that were associated with variation in climate. Following an enrichment analysis of biological process Gene Ontology (GO) terms, we identified over-represented terms and pathways among the genes putatively under selection for climate adaptation. Because many different genes and GO terms are associated with climate variables, it seems likely that climate adaptation is polygenic and genetically complex. Our findings also suggest that geographical climate adaptation has been occurring since great tits left their Southern European refugia at the end of the last ice age. Finally, we show that substantial climate-associated genetic variation remains, which will be essential for adaptation to future changes.