Find research datasets worth reusing
Search datasets from major research repositories and use ShareScore to quickly assess how well each record supports discovery, access, and reuse.
6,234
datasets available to search
ShareScore release 0.9.0
Dataset results
6,234 results for “phenotypes”
Data from: Transgenerational effects in an ecological context: conditioning of adult sea urchins to upwelling conditions alters maternal provisioning and progeny phenotype
Transgenerational plasticity occurs when the conditions experienced by the parental generation influences the phenotype of their progeny. This may in turn affect progeny performance and physiological tolerance, providing a means by which organisms cope with rapid environmental change. We conditioned adult purple sea urchins, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, to combined pCO2 and temperature conditions reflective of in situ conditions of their natural habitat, the benthos in kelp forests of nearshore California, and then assessed the performance of their progeny raised under different pCO2 levels. Adults were conditioned during gametogenesis to treatments that reflected static non-upwelling (~650 μatm pCO2, ~17°C) and upwelling (~1300 μatm pCO2, ~13°C) conditions. Following approximately 4 months of conditioning, the adults were spawned and embryos were raised under low pCO2 (~450 μatm pCO2) or high pCO2 (~1050 μatm pCO2) treatments to determine if differential maternal conditioning impacted the progeny response to a single abiotic stressor: pCO2. We examined the size, protein content, and lipid content of eggs from both sets of conditioned female urchins. Offspring were sampled at four stages of early development: hatched blastula, gastrula, prism, and echinopluteus. This resulted in four sets of offspring: (1) progeny from non-upwelling-conditioned mothers raised under low pCO2, (2) progeny from non-upwelling-conditioned mothers raised under high pCO2, (3) progeny from upwelling-conditioned mothers raised under low pCO2, and (4) progeny from upwelling-conditioned mothers raised under high pCO2. We then assessed the effects of maternal conditioning along with the effects of developmental pCO2 levels on body size of the progeny. Our results showed that differential maternal conditioning had no impact on average egg size, although non-upwelling females produced eggs that were more variable in size. Maternal conditioning did not affect protein content but did have a modest impact on egg lipid content. Developing embryos whose mothers were conditioned to simulated upwelling conditions (~1300 μatm pCO2, ~13°C) were greater in body size, although this effect was no longer evident at the echinopluteus larval stage. Although maternal conditioning affected offspring body size, the pCO2 levels under which the embryos were raised did not. Overall, this laboratory study provides insight into how transgenerational effects may function in nature. The impacts of parental environmental history on progeny phenotype during early development have important implications regarding recruitment success and population-level effects.
Data from: Phenotypic evolution shaped by current enzyme function in the bioluminescent courtship signals of sea fireflies
Mating behaviours are diverse and noteworthy, especially within species radiations where they may contribute to speciation. Studying how differences in mating behaviours arise between species can help us understand how diversity is generated at multiple biological levels. The bioluminescent courtship displays of cypridinid ostracods (or sea fireflies) are an excellent system for this since amazing variety evolves while using a conserved biochemical mechanism. We find that the evolution of one aspect in this behavioural phenotype - the duration of bioluminescent courtship pulses - is shaped by biochemical function. First, by measuring light production from induced bioluminescence in 38 species, we discovered differences between species in their biochemical reactions. Then, for 16 species of which biochemical, phylogenetic, and behavioral data are all available, we used phylogenetic comparative models to show that differences in biochemical reaction are nonlinearly correlated with the duration of courtship pulses. This relationship indicates that changes to both enzyme (c-luciferase) function and usage have shaped the evolution of courtship displays, but that they differentially contribute to these phenotypic changes. This nonlinear dynamic may have consequences for the disparity of signaling phenotypes observed across species, and demonstrates how unappreciated diversity at the biochemical level can lead to inferences about behavioural evolution.
Data from: Phenotypic integration in an extended phenotype: among‐individual variation in nest‐building traits of the alfalfa leafcutting bee (Megachile rotundata)
Structures such as nests and burrows are an essential component of many organisms' life-cycle and requires a complex sequence of behaviors. Because behaviors can vary consistently among individuals and be correlated with one another, we hypothesized that these structures would 1) show evidence of among-individual variation, 2) be organized into distinct functional modules, and 3) show evidence of trade-offs among functional modules due to limits on energy budgets. We tested these hypotheses using the alfalfa leafcutting bee, Megachile rotundata, a solitary bee and important crop pollinator. M. rotundata constructs complex nests by gathering leaf materials to form a linear series of cells in pre-existing cavities. In this study, we examined variation in the following nest construction traits: reproduction (number of cells per nest and nest length), nest protection (cap length and number of leaves per cap), cell construction (cell size and number of leaves per cell), and cell provisioning (cell mass) from 60 nests. We found a general decline in investment in cell construction and provisioning with each new cell built. In addition, we found evidence for both repeatability and plasticity in cell provisioning with little evidence for trade-offs among traits. Instead, most traits were positively, albeit weakly, correlated (r ~ 0.15), and traits were loosely organized into covarying modules. Our results show that individual differences in nest construction are detectable at a level similar to that of other behavioral traits and that these traits are only weakly integrated. This suggests that nest components are capable of independent evolutionary trajectories.
Diet composition and social environment determine food consumption, phenotype and fitness in an omnivorous insect
Nutrition is the single most important factor for individual's growth and reproduction. Consequently, the inability to reach the nutritional optimum imposes severe consequences for animal fitness. Yet, under natural conditions organisms may face a mixture of stressors that can modulate the effects of nutritional asymmetry. For instance, stressful environments caused by intense interaction with conspecifics. Here, we subjected the house-cricket Acheta domesticus to i) either of two types of diet that have proven to affect cricket performance and ii) simultaneously manipulated their social environment throughout their complete lifecycle. We aimed to track sex-specific consequences for multiple traits during insect development throughout all life stages. Both factors affected critical life-history traits with potential population-level consequences: Diet composition induced strong effects on insect development time, lifespan and fitness, whilst the social environment affected the number of nymphs that completed development, food consumption and whole-body lipid content. Additionally, both factors interactively determined female body mass. Our results highlight that insects may acquire and invest resources in a different manner when subjected to an intense interaction with conspecifics or when isolated. Furthermore, while only diet composition affected individual reproductive output, the social environment would determine the number of reproductive females, thus indirectly influencing population performance.
Egg-induced changes to sperm phenotypes shape patterns of multivariate selection on ejaculates
<p class="MsoPlainText">Ejaculates exhibit extraordinary phenotypic diversity and rapid rates of evolution, yet the adaptive value of most sperm traits remains equivocal. Recent findings suggest that to understand how selection targets ejaculates we must recognize that female-imposed physiological conditions often alter ejaculate phenotypes. These phenotypic changes to ejaculates may influence the relationships among sperm traits and their association with fitness. Here, we show that chemical substances released by eggs (known to modify sperm physiology and behavior) alter patterns of selection on a suite of sperm traits in the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis. We use multivariate selection analyses to characterize linear and nonlinear selection acting on sperm traits in (a) seawater alone, and (b) seawater containing egg-derived chemicals (egg water). Our analyses revealed that nonlinear selection on canonical axes of multiple traits (notably sperm velocity, sperm linearity and percentage of motile sperm) was the most important form of selection overall, but importantly these patterns were only evident when sperm phenotypes were measured in egg water. These findings reveal the subtle way that females can alter patterns of selection, with the implication that overlooking environmentally-moderated changes to ejaculate phenotypes may result in erroneous interpretations of how selection targets phenotypic (co)variation in ejaculate traits.</p>
Habitat transitions alter the adaptive landscape and shape phenotypic evolution in needlefishes (Belonidae)
<p class="Normal1">Habitat occupancy can have a profound influence on macroevolutionary dynamics, and a switch in major habitat type may alter the evolutionary trajectory of a lineage. In this study we investigate how evolutionary transitions between marine and freshwater habitats affect macroevolutionary adaptive landscapes, using needlefishes (Belonidae) as a model system. We examined the evolution of body shape and size in marine and freshwater needlefishes and tested for phenotypic change in response to transitions between habitats. Using micro-computed tomographic (µCT) scanning and geometric morphometrics, we quantified body shape, size, and vertebral counts of 31 belonid species. We then examined the pattern and tempo of body shape and size evolution using phylogenetic comparative methods. Our results show that transitions from marine to freshwater habitats have altered the adaptive landscape for needlefishes and expanded morphospace relative to marine taxa. We provide further evidence that freshwater taxa attain reduced sizes either through dwarfism (as inferred from axial skeletal reduction) or developmental truncation (as inferred from axial skeletal loss). We propose that transitions to freshwater habitats produce morphological novelty in response to novel prey resources and changes in locomotor demands. We find that repeated invasions of different habitats have prompted predictable changes in morphology.</p>
Data from: Continent‐scale phenotype mapping using citizen scientists' photographs
Field investigations of phenotypic variation in free‐living organisms are often limited in scope owing to time and funding constraints. By collaborating with online communities of amateur naturalists, investigators can greatly increase the amount and diversity of phenotypic data in their analyses while simultaneously engaging with a public audience. Here, we present a method for quantifying phenotypes of individual organisms in citizen scientists' photographs. We then show that our protocol for measuring wing phenotypes from photographs yields accurate measurements in two species of Calopterygid damselflies. Next, we show that, while most observations of our target species were made by members of the large and established community of amateur naturalists at iNaturalist.org, our efforts to increase recruitment through various outreach initiatives were successful. Finally, we present results from two case studies: (1) an analysis of wing pigmentation in male smoky rubyspots (Hetaerina titia) showing previously undocumented geographical variation in a seasonal polyphenism, and (2) an analysis of variation in the relative size of the wing spots of male banded demoiselles (Calopteryx splendens) in Great Britain questioning previously documented evidence for character displacement. Our results demonstrate that our protocol can be used to create high quality phenotypic datasets using citizen scientists' photographs, and, when combined with metadata (e.g., date and location), can greatly broaden the scope of studies of geographical and temporal variation in phenotypes. Our analyses of the recruitment and engagement process also demonstrate that collaborating with an online community of amateur naturalists can be a powerful way to conduct hypothesis‐driven research aiming to elucidate the processes that impact trait evolution at landscape scales.
Data from: Pollen competition between morphs in a pollen-color dimorphic herb and the loss of phenotypic polymorphism within populations
Flower color polymorphism is relatively uncommon in natural flowering plants, suggesting that maintenance of different color morphs within populations is difficult. To address the selective mechanisms shaping pollen-color dimorphism, pollinator preferences and reproductive performance were studied over three years in Epimedium pubescens in which some populations had plants with either green or yellow pollen (and anthers). Visitation rate and pollen removal and receipt by the bee pollinator (Andrena emeishanica) did not differ between the two color morphs. Compared to the green morph, siring success of the yellow morph's pollen was lower, but that of mixtures of pollen from green and yellow morphs was lowest. This difference, corresponding to in and ex vivo experiments on pollen performance, indicated that pollen germination, rather than tube growth, of the green morph was higher than that of the yellow morph and was seriously constrained in both morphs if a pollen competitor was present. A rare green morph may invade a yellow-morph population, but the co-existence of pollen color variants is complicated by the reduced siring success of mixed pollinations. Potential pollen competition between morphs may have discouraged the maintenance of multiple phenotypes within populations, a cryptic mechanism of competitive exclusion.
Competition for resources can promote the divergence of social learning phenotypes
<p>Social learning occurs when animals acquire knowledge or skills by observing or interacting with others, and is the fundamental building block of culture. Within populations, some individuals use social learning more frequently than others, but why social learning phenotypes differ among individuals is poorly understood. We modelled the evolution of social learning frequency in a system where foragers compete for resources and there are many different foraging options to learn about. Social learning phenotypes diverged when some options offered much better rewards than others and expected rewards changed moderately quickly over time. When options offered similar rewards or when rewards changed slowly, a single social learning phenotype evolved. This held for fixed and simple conditional social learning rules. Sufficiently complex conditional social learning rules prevented the divergence of social learning phenotypes under all conditions. Our results explain how competition can promote the divergence of social learning phenotypes.</p>
Data from: Phenotypic plasticity facilitates initial colonization of a novel environment
Phenotypic plasticity can allow organisms to respond to environmental changes by producing better matching phenotypes without any genetic change. Because of this, plasticity is predicted to be a major mechanism by which a population can survive the initial stage of colonizing a novel environment. We tested this prediction by challenging wild Drosophila melanogaster with increasingly extreme larval environments and then examining expression of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and its relationship to larval survival in the first generation of encountering a novel environment. We found that most families responded in the adaptive direction of increased ADH activity in higher alcohol environments and families with higher plasticity were also more likely to survive in the highest alcohol environment. Thus, plasticity of ADH activity was positively selected in the most extreme environment and was a key trait influencing fitness. Furthermore, there was significant heritability of ADH plasticity which can allow plasticity to evolve in subsequent generations after initial colonization. The adaptive value of plasticity, however, was only evident in the most extreme environment and had little impact on fitness in less extreme environments. The results provide one of the first direct test of the adaptive role of phenotypic plasticity in colonizing a novel environment.
Data from: Multivariate phenotypic selection on a complex sexual signal
Animal signals are complex, comprising multiple components that receivers may use to inform their decisions. Components may carry information of differing value to receivers, and selection on one component could modulate or reverse selection on another, necessitating a multivariate approach to estimating selection gradients. However, surprisingly few empirical studies have estimated the strength of phenotypic selection on complex signals with appropriate design and adequate power to detect non-linear selection. We used phonotaxis assays to measure sexual selection on the advertisement signal of Cope's gray tree frog, Hyla chrysoscelis. Female preferences were assessed for five signal components using single-stimulus and two-stimulus behavioral assays. Linear, quadratic, and correlational selection gradients were estimated from the single-stimulus data. Significant directional selection is acting on call duration, call rate, pulse rate, and relative amplitude; stabilizing selection is acting on call duration and call rate. Under the two-stimulus paradigm, conclusions were qualitatively different, revealing non-linear selection on all components except call duration. For individual subjects, the outcomes of single-stimulus and two-stimulus trials were frequently discordant, suggesting that the choice of testing paradigm may affect conclusions drawn from experiments.
Data from: Sexual dimorphism, phenotypic integration, and the evolution of head structure in casque-headed lizards
Sexes can differ in features associated with differential reproduction, which can be used during courtship or aggressive encounters. Some traits tend to evolve independently between sexes and emerge as sexually dimorphic within the organismal phenotype. We characterize such a relationship by estimating the phenotypic integration of the head morphology and modularity of the crest in the casque-headed lizards (Corytophanidae). In this clade, some species show extreme sexual dimorphism (e.g., head crests in the genus Basiliscus) while in others, both sexes are monomorphic. To characterize these patterns, we define phenotypic integration at the interspecific level as a pattern or network of traits evidenced by phylogenetically adjusted correlations that persist among species. At this level, modularity is an increased connectedness (e.g., higher correlation) among sections of these networks that persist in a lineage during the evolution of complex phenotypes. To test both concepts, we used phylogenetic geomorphometrics to characterize the head structure of corytophanid lizards, based on a time-calibrated phylogeny that includes candidate fossil ancestors. We found evidence of an older diversification of corytophanids than previously reported (~67 vs. ~23.5 MYA) and show that this clade includes two morphological head architectures: (1) Sexually dimorphic crests present in males that are evolving independently from the rest of the head structure, and (2) full integration of the head morphology in monomorphic species. We propose that both architectures are optimal evolutionary trajectories of the parietal crest bones in the head of these lizards. In sexually dimorphic species, these bones are elongated and thinner, and gave rise to the extended crest used in male courtship displays. In monomorphic species, the parietal crest grew thicker in both sexes to allow for a better insertion of muscles associated with a stronger bite.
Offspring phenotype is shaped by the non-sperm fraction of semen
<p>In a large majority of animal species, the only contribution of males to the next generation has been assumed to be their genes (sperm). However, along with sperm, seminal plasma contains a wide array of extracellular factors that have many important functions in reproduction. Yet, the potential intergenerational effects of these factors are virtually unknown. We investigated these effects in European whitefish (<i>Coregonus lavaretus</i>) by experimentally manipulating the presence and identity of seminal plasma and by fertilizing the eggs of multiple females with the manipulated and unmanipulated semen of several males in a full-factorial breeding design. Presence of both own and foreign seminal plasma inhibited sperm motility and removal of own seminal plasma decreased embryo survival. Embryos hatched significantly earlier after both semen manipulations than in control fertilizations; foreign seminal plasma also increased offspring aerobic swimming performance. Given that our experimental design allowed us to control potentially confounding sperm-mediated (sire) effects and maternal effects, our results indicate that seminal plasma may have direct intergenerational consequences for offspring phenotype and performance. This novel source of offspring phenotypic variance may provide new insights into the evolution of polyandry and mechanisms that maintain heritable variation in fitness and associated female mating preferences.</p>
Genetic variation and phenotypic plasticity in circadian rhythms of an armed beetle, Gnatocerus cornutus (Tenebrionidae)
<p>Circadian rhythms, their free-running periods and strength of the rhythm are often used as indicators of biological clocks, and there is evidence that the free-running periods of circadian rhythm are not affected by environmental factors like temperature. However, there are few studies of environmental effects on the power of rhythms and it is not clear if temperature compensation is universal. Additionally, genetic variation and phenotypic plasticity in biological clocks are important for understanding the evolution of biological rhythm, but genetic and plastic effects are rarely investigated. Here, we used 18 isofemale lines (genotypes) of <i>Gnatocerus cornutus</i> to assess rhythms of locomotor activity, while also testing for temperature effects. We found that total activity and power of circadian rhythm were affected by interactions between sex and genotype or sex, genotype and temperature, so that while males tended to be more active and showed greater increases in activity, this effect varied across both genotypes and temperatures. The period of activity only varied by genotype and was thus independent of temperature. The complicated genotype-sex-environment interactions we recorded stress the importance of investigating circadian activity in more integrated ways.</p>
Phenotypic and genomic diversification with isolation by environment along elevational gradients in a neotropical treefrog
<p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Understanding how geographic and environmental heterogeneity drive local patterns of genetic variation is a major goal of ecological genomics and a key question in evolutionary biology. The tropical Andes and inter-Andean valleys are shaped by markedly heterogeneous landscapes, where species experience strong selective processes. We examined genome-wide SNP data together with behavioral and ecological traits (mating calls and body size) known to contribute to genetic isolation in anurans in the emerald-eyed treefrog, <i>Boana platanera</i>, distributed across an environmental gradient in Central Colombia (northern South America). We analyzed the relationships between environmentally (temperature and precipitation) associated genetic and phenotypic differentiation and the potential drivers of isolation by environment along an elevation gradient. We identified candidate SNPs associated with temperature and body size, which follow a clinal pattern of genome-wide differentiation tightly coupled with phenotypic variation: as elevation increases, <i>B. platanera </i>exhibits larger body size and longer call duration with more pulses but lower pulse rate and frequency. Thus, the environmental landscape has rendered a scenario where isolation by environment and candidate loci show phenotypic divergence in this tropical frog along an elevation gradient in the Colombian Andes. Our study sets the basis for evaluating the role of temperature in the genetic structure and local adaptation in tropical treefrogs and its putative effect on life cycle (embryos, tadpoles, adults) along elevation gradients.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
Learning‐induced switching costs in a parasitoid can maintain diversity of host aphid phenotypes although biocontrol is destabilized under abiotic stress
<p>Aphid populations frequently include phenotypes that are resistant to parasitism by hymenopterous parasitoid wasps, which is often attributed to the presence of 'protective' facultative endosymbionts residing in aphid tissues, particularly <em>Hamiltonella defensa</em>. In field conditions, under parasitoid pressure, the observed coexistence of aphids with and without protective symbionts cannot be explained by their difference in fitness alone.</p> <p>Using the cereal aphid <em>Rhopalosiphum padi</em> as a model, we propose an alternative mechanism whereby parasitoids are more efficient at finding common phenotypes of aphid and experience a fitness cost when switching to the less common phenotype.</p> <p>We construct a model based on delay differential equations and parameterise and validate the model with values within the ranges obtained from experimental studies. We then use it to explore possible effects on system dynamics under conditions of environmental stress, using our existing data on the effects of drought stress in crops as an example.</p> <p>We show the 'switching penalty' incurred by parasitoids leads to stable coexistence of aphids with and without <em>H. defensa</em> and provides a potential mechanism for maintaining phenotypic diversity amongst host organisms. We show that drought-induced reduction in aphid development time has little impact. However, greater reduction in fecundity on droughted plants of symbiont-protected aphids can cause insect population cycles when the system would be stable in the absence of drought stress.</p> <p>The stabilising effect of the increased efficiency in dealing with more commonly encountered host phenotypes is applicable to a broad range of consumer-resource systems and could explain stable coexistence in competitive environments. The loss of stable coexistence when drought has different effects on the competing aphid phenotypes highlights the importance of scenario testing when considering biocontrol for pest management.</p>
Repository Information PB260 x PB266 Molecular and Phenotypic
<p>This data refer to:</p> <p>Mendes-Moreira P, Alves ML, Satovic Z, Pacheco dos Santos J, Santos JN, Souza JC, Pêgo SE, Hallauer AR and Vaz Patto MC. 2015. <strong>Genetic Architecture of Ear Fasciation in Maize (<em>Zea mays</em>) under QTL Scrutiny. PLOS ONE.</strong></p> <p><strong>Files were used to obtain the results expressed in the paper refered above</strong></p> <p>Repository Information PB260 x PB266 Molecular.</p> <p>Repository Information PB260 x PB266 Phenotypic</p>
Data and software associated with PHENOstruct: Prediction of human phenotype ontology terms using heterogeneous data sources
<p>Data and software associated with the paper:</p> <p>PHENOstruct: Prediction of human phenotype ontology terms using heterogeneous data sources</p>
Dataset 1: All homozygous mutant embryo phenotypes from lethal and sub-viable lines scored by DMDD to date (Nov 2016)
<p>The table lists the annotation data from homozygous mutant embryos that is the basis of the study. For every annotation the gene symbol, MGI_ID, allele symbol, DMDD_ID, MP term, ID and name is listed. In some cases the same MP term is listed more than once for a specific embryo (DMDD_ID), indicating the phenotypic abnormality was observed more than once in that embryo.</p>
Supporting material: Improving the Identification of Phenotypic Abnormalities and Sexual Dimorphism in Mice
<p>Supporting material for the manuscript titled "<strong>Improving the Identification of Phenotypic Abnormalities and Sexual Dimorphism in Mice", </strong>accepted for publication in Genetics.</p> <p>This material enables a complete reproducible analysis of the results presented.</p>
ScienceDex guides
Understand access before you commit
These curated guides explain access requirements, typical timelines, costs, and reuse considerations for widely used research datasets.
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.