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562 results for “genetic divergences”
Data from: Altitude difference might contribute to the genetic divergence of giant panda' staple food Bamboo (Fargesia spathacea complex) based on 14 SSR markers
<p>The taxonomy in woody bamboo faces a lot of difficulties due to its long blooming intervals and complicated morphological variation. Whether the current taxonomy would reflect the genuine species divergence within woody bamboo is an intriguing question. <i>Fargesia spathacea</i> complex comprises fifteen closely related species with sympatric distribution in China. Their classification has long been controversy because of only a handful of vegetative traits available, thus providing a good opportunity to explore the evolutionary relationship and genetic differentiation in woody bamboo. Here we presented a study with 750 individuals from 39 representative populations in <i>Fargesia spathacea</i> complex using 14 SSR markers. We found varying degrees of genetic diversity across populations of the <i>Fargesia spathacea</i> complex (<i>He</i>=0.07-0.81) and largely negative <i>F</i> values at the population level, implying an excess of heterozygotes in the populations. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that all populations were divided into two major groups (cluster A and B), with the majority of fifteen species representing distinct genetic lineages. Based on the population genetic analysis along with morphological evidence, we confirmed the identity of three species (<i>F. decurvata</i>, <i>F. spathacea</i> and <i>F. murielae</i>) and suggested invalidation of four other species (<i>scabrida</i>, <i>F. robusta</i>, <i>F. denudata</i> and <i>F. nitida</i>). The delimitation of the rest eight species was yet to be explored. The ecological factor and spatial autocorrelation analysis supported that altitude difference might account for the distinct genetic divergence between two major groups.</p>
Data from: Adaptive landscape genetics and malaria across divergent island bird populations
Environmental conditions play a major role in shaping the spatial distributions of pathogens, which in turn can drive local adaptation and divergence in host genetic diversity. Haemosporidians, such as plasmodium (malaria) are a strong selective force, impacting survival and fitness of hosts, with geographic distributions largely determined by habitat suitability for their insect vectors. Here, we have tested whether patterns of fine-scale local adaptation to malaria are replicated across discrete, ecologically differing island populations of Berthelot's pipits Anthus berthelotii. We sequenced TLR4, an innate immunity gene that is potentially under positive selection in <i>Berthelot's pipits</i>, and two SNPs previously identified as being associated with malaria infection in a genome-wide association study (GWAS) in Berthelot's pipits in the Canary Islands. We determined the environmental predictors of malaria infection, using these to estimate variation in malaria risk on Porto Santo, and found some congruence with previously identified environmental risk factors on Tenerife. We also found a negative association between malaria infection and a TLR4 variant in Tenerife. In contrast, one of the GWAS SNPs showed an association with malaria risk in Porto Santo, but in the opposite direction to that found in the Canary Islands GWAS. Together, these findings suggest that disease-driven local adaptation may be an important factor in shaping variation among island populations.
Data from: Cropland connectivity affects genetic divergence of Colorado potato beetle along an invasion front
<p>The population genetic structure of invasive species can be strongly affected by environmental and landscape barriers to dispersal. Disentangling the relative contributions of these factors to genetic divergence among invading populations is a fundamental goal of landscape genetics with important implications for invasion management. Here, we relate patterns of genetic divergence in a global invasive agricultural pest, Colorado potato beetle (CPB; Leptinotarsa decemlineata), to environmental and landscape factors along an invasion front in Northwestern China. We first used microsatellite markers and spatial-temporal samples to assess broad patterns of genetic diversity as well as fine-scale changes in patterns of genetic divergence. We then distinguished the relative contributions of five factors to genetic divergence among front populations: geographic distance (isolation by distance), climate dissimilarity (isolation by environment), and least-cost distances (isolation by resistance) modelled with three factors: climate suitability, cropland cover, and road networks. Genetic diversity broadly decreased from West to East, with the exception being Eastern China. Low levels of genetic diversity and varying degrees of divergence were observed in Northwestern China, reflecting the potential effect of landscape heterogeneity. Least-cost distance across cropland cover was most positively correlated with genetic divergence, suggesting a role of croplands in facilitating gene flow. The contribution of climate to genetic divergence was secondary, whether modelled in terms of local adaptability or connectivity of the climatic landscape, suggesting that constraints to CPB gene flow imposed by a harsh climate may be ameliorated in agricultural landscapes. No evidence was found for an obvious effect of road networks on genetic divergence and population structuring. Our study provides an example of how agricultural landscape connectivity can facilitate the spread of invasive pests, even across a broad climatic gradient. More broadly, our findings can guide decisions about future land management for mitigating further spread.</p>
Data and Code: No support for the genetic hypothesis of the Black-white achievement gap using polygenic scores and tests for divergent selection
<p>Data and Code for article "No support for the genetic hypothesis of the Black-white achievement gap using polygenic scores and tests for divergent selection"</p>
Data from: Fine-scale genetic structure due to adaptive divergence among microhabitats
It has been suggested that adaptive evolution on ecological timescales shapes communities. However, adaptation among environments relies on isolation or large selection coefficients that exceed migration effects. This reliance is tempered if adaptation is polygenic—does not depend on one allele completely replacing another but instead requires small allele frequency changes at many loci. Thus, whether individuals can evolve adaptation to fine-scale habitat variation (for example, microhabitats) is not resolved. Here we analyze the genetic divergence of the teleost fish, Fundulus heteroclitus, among microhabitats that are <200 m apart in three separate saltmarshes using 4741 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Among these SNPs, 1.3–2.3% have large and highly significant differences among microhabitats (mean FST=0.15; false discovery rate less than or equal to1%). The divergence among microhabitats for these outlier SNPs is larger than that among populations, exceeds neutral expectation and indicates surprising population structure among microhabitats. Thus, we suggest that polygenic selection is surprisingly effective in altering allele frequencies among many different SNPs that share similar biological functions in response to environmental and ecological differences over very small geographic distances. We acknowledge the evolutionary difficulty of large genetic divergence among well-connected habitats. Therefore, these studies are only the first step to discern whether natural selection is responsible and capable of effecting genetic divergence on such a fine scale.
Data from: Behavioral response to song and genetic divergence in two subspecies of white-crowned sparrows (Zonotrichia leucophrys)
Divergence in sexual signals may drive reproductive isolation between lineages, but behavioral barriers can weaken in contact zones. Here, we investigate the role of song as a behavioral and genetic barrier in a contact zone between two subspecies of white-crowned sparrows (Zonotrichia leucophrys). We employed a reduced genomic dataset to assess population structure and infer the history underlying divergence, gene flow and hybridization. We also measured divergence in song and tested behavioral responses to song using playback experiments within and outside the contact zone. We found that the subspecies form distinct genetic clusters, and demographic inference supported a model of secondary contact. Song phenotype, particularly length of the first note (a whistle), was a significant predictor of genetic subspecies identity and genetic distance along the hybrid zone, suggesting a close link between song and genetic divergence in this system. Individuals from both parental and admixed localities responded significantly more strongly to their own song than to the other subspecies song, supporting song as a behavioral barrier. Putative parental and admixed individuals were not significantly different in their strength of discrimination between own and other songs; however, individuals from admixed localities tended to discriminate less strongly, and this difference in discrimination strength was explained by song dissimilarity as well as genetic distance. Therefore, we find that song acts as a reproductive isolating mechanism that is potentially weakening in a contact zone between the subspecies. Our findings also support the hypothesis that intra-specific song variation can reduce gene flow between populations.
Data from: How sea-level change mediates genetic divergence in coastal species across regions with varying tectonic and sediment processes
Plate tectonics and sediment processes control regional continental shelf topography. We examine the genetic consequences of how glacial-associated sea-level change interacted with variable near-shore topography since the last glaciation. We reconstructed the size and distribution of areas suitable for tidal estuary formation from the Last Glacial Maximum, ~20 thousand years ago, to present from San Francisco, California, USA (~38 °N) to Reforma, Sinaloa, Mexico (~25 °N). We assessed range-wide genetic structure and diversity of three co-distributed tidal estuarine fishes (California Killifish, Shadow Goby, Longjaw Mudsucker) along ~4,600 km using mitochondrial control region and cytB sequence, and 16–20 microsatellite loci from a total of 524 individuals. Results show that glacial-associated sea-level change limited estuarine habitat to few, widely separated refugia at glacial lowstand, and present-day genetic clades were sourced from specific refugia. Habitat increased during postglacial sea-level rise and refugial populations admixed in newly formed habitats. Continental shelves with active tectonics and/or low sediment supply were steep and hosted fewer, smaller refugia with more genetically differentiated populations than on broader shelves. Approximate Bayesian computation favored the refuge-recolonization scenarios from habitat models over isolation by distance and seaway alternatives, indicating isolation at lowstand is a major diversification mechanism among estuarine (and perhaps other) coastal species. Because sea-level change is a global phenomenon, we suggest this top-down physical control of extirpation-isolation-recolonization may be an important driver of genetic diversification in coastal taxa inhabiting other topographically complex coasts globally during the Mid- to Late Pleistocene and deeper timescales.
Data from: A coalescent-based estimator of genetic drift, and acoustic divergence in the Pteronotus parnellii species complex
Determining the processes responsible for phenotypic variation is one of the central tasks of evolutionary biology. While the importance of acoustic traits for foraging and communication in echolocating mammals suggests adaptation, the seldom-tested null hypothesis to explain trait divergence is genetic drift. Here we derive FST values from multi-locus coalescent isolation-with-migration models, and couple them with estimates of quantitative trait divergence, or PST, to test drift as the evolutionary process responsible for phenotypic divergence in island populations of the Pteronotus parnellii species complex. Compared to traditional comparisons of PST to FST, the migration-based estimates of FST are unidirectional instead of bidirectional, simultaneously integrate variation among loci and individuals, and posterior densities of PST and FST can be compared directly. We found the evolution of higher call frequencies is inconsistent with genetic drift for the Hispaniolan population, despite many generations of isolation from its Puerto Rican counterpart. While the Hispaniolan population displays dimorphism in call frequencies, the higher frequency of the females is incompatible with sexual selection. Instead, cultural drift toward higher frequencies among Hispaniolan females might explain the divergence. By integrating Bayesian coalescent and trait analyses, this study demonstrates a powerful approach to testing genetic drift as the default evolutionary mechanism of trait differentiation between populations.
Understudied regions and messy taxonomy: Geography, not taxonomy, is the best predictor for genetic divergence of the Poecilimon bosphoricus species group
<p>The complex and dynamic history of the Anatolian Peninsula during the Pleistocene set the stage for species diversification. However, the evolutionary history of biodiversity in the region is shrouded by the challenges of studying species divergence in the recent, dynamic past. Here we study the <em>Poecilimon bosphoricus </em>(PB) species group to understand how the bush crickets' diversification and the region's complex history are coupled. Specifically, using sequences of two mitochondrial and two nuclear gene segments from over 500 individuals for a comprehensive set of taxa with extensive geographic sampling, we infer the phylogenetic and geographic setting of species divergence. In addition, we use the molecular data to examine hypothesized species boundaries that were defined morphologically. Our analyses of the timing of divergence confirm the recent origin of the PB complex, indicating its diversification coincided with the dynamic geology and climate of the Pleistocene. Moreover, the geography of divergence suggests a history of fragmentation followed by admixture of populations, suggestive of a ring species. However, the evolutionary history based on genetic divergence conflicts with morphologically defined species boundaries, raising the prospect that incipient species divergences may be relatively ephemeral. As such, the morphological differences observed in the PB complex may not be sufficient to have prevented homogenizing gene flow in the past. Alternatively, with the recent origin of the complex, the lack of time for lineage sorting may underlie the discord between morphological species boundaries and genetic differentiation. Under either hypothesis, geography – not taxonomy – is the best predictor of genetic divergence. </p>
Phenotypic stasis despite genetic divergence and differentiation in Caenorhabditis elegans.
<p># Data for the manuscript : Phenotypic stasis despite genetic divergence and differentiation in Caenorhabditis elegans.</p><p>https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.05.28.493856</p><p> </p><p>The data directory contains:</p><p>- the raw transition rates in Final_merged_data_NGM.txt</p><p>- population male frequencies estimates : population_rep_male_freqs.txt</p><p>- fertility data from the Cemee: fertility.rda (from Noble et al. 2017)</p><p>- Mean state frequencies in the movies : State_freq_NGM.txt</p><p> </p><p>The Rcode directory contains all code to reproduce the analysis is available on github:</p><p>https://github.com/ExpEvolWormLab/Mallard_Stasis</p>
High sexual display trait diversity without measured genetic divergence in a montane hybrid zone involving young species (Habronattus americanus subgroup, Araneae, Salticidae)
<p>Genetic introgression, allele exchange across species boundaries, is a commonly recognized feature of animal evolution. Under such a paradigm contemporary contact zones provide first-hand and complementary insight into the geographic, phenotypic, and genetic details of introgression. Also, when mate choice phenotypes are conspicuous and variable in hybrids, contact zones provide potential insight into how sexual selection interacts with species boundary maintenance, particularly when postzygotic reproductive isolation is weak. The <em>Habronattus</em> <em>americanus</em> subgroup includes several recently evolved jumping spider species, with an estimated age of about 200,000 years, and substantial evidence for hybridization and introgression. We explored a contact zone involving <em>H. americanus</em> (Keyserling, 1885) and <em>H. kubai</em> (Griswold, 1979) on Mount Shasta, California, in alpine habitats that would have been unavailable (under ice) at the Last Glacial Maximum. We characterized morphological diversity within the contact zone, including the fine-scale geographic distribution of hybrid and parental individuals, and assessed genetic variation using ddRADseq data. Combined results indicate a lack of measured genomic differentiation between specimens with distinct morphologies, including individuals with phenotypes of the parental species. We identified a diverse array of hybrid morphologies, with phenotypic evidence for backcrossing, essentially forming a phenotypic bridge between parental taxa. The study area is characterized by more hybrid than parental individuals, with a significantly larger number of red-palped morphologies than white and/or yellow-palped morphologies; the novel, white-palped phenotype is perhaps transgressive. Overall, these results contribute to a better understanding of the expected ebb and flow of lineage interactions during the early stages of speciation.</p>
Data from: Axes of multivariate sexual signal divergence among incipient species: concordance with selection, genetic variation, and phenotypic plasticity
<p>Sexual signaling traits are often observed to diverge rapidly among populations, thereby playing a potentially key early role in the evolution of reproductive isolation. While often assumed to reflect divergent sexual selection among populations, patterns of sexual trait diversification might sometimes be biased along axes of standing additive genetic variation and covariation among trait components. Additionally, theory predicts that environmentally-induced phenotypic variation might facilitate rapid trait evolution, suggesting that patterns of divergence between populations should mirror phenotypic plasticity within populations. Here we evaluate the concordance between observed axes of multivariate sexual trait divergence and predicted divergence based on (1) interpopulation variation in sexual selection, (2) additive genetic variances, and (3) temperature-related phenotypic plasticity in male courtship song among geographically isolated populations of the Hawaiian swordtail cricket, Laupala cerasina, which exhibit sexual isolation due sexual signaling traits. The major axis of multivariate divergence, dmax, accounted for 76% of variation among population male song trait means, and was moderately correlated with interpopulation differences in directional sexual selection based on female preferences. However, the majority of additive genetic variance was largely oriented away from the direction of divergence, suggesting that standing genetic variation may not play a dominant role in the patterning of signal divergence. In contrast, the axis of phenotypic plasticity strongly mirrored patterns of interpopulation phenotypic divergence, which is consistent with a role for temperature-related plasticity in facilitating instead of inhibiting male song evolution and sexual isolation in these incipient species. We propose potential mechanisms by which sexual selection might interact with phenotypic plasticity to facilitate the rapid acoustic diversification observed in this species and clade.</p>
Genetic divergence and local adaptation of Liriodendron driven by heterogeneous environments
<p><span>Ecological adaptive differentiation alters both the species diversity and intraspecific genetic diversity in forests, thus affecting the stability of forest ecosystems. Therefore, knowledge of the genetic underpinnings of the ecological adaptive differentiation of forest species is critical for effective species conservation. In this study, single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from population transcriptomes were used to investigate the spatial distribution of genetic variation in <i>Liriodendron</i> to assess whether environmental variables can explain genetic divergence. We examined the contributions of environmental variables to population divergence and explored the genetic underpinnings of local adaptation using a landscape genomic approach. Niche models and statistical analyses showed significant niche divergence between <i>L. chinense</i> and <i>L. tulipifera</i>, suggesting that ecological adaptation may play a crucial role in driving interspecific divergence. We detected a new fine-scale genetic structure in <i>L. chinense</i>, and divergence of the six groups occurred during the late Pliocene to early Pleistocene. Redundancy analysis (RDA) revealed significant associations between genetic variation and multiple environmental variables. Environmental association analyses identified 67 environmental association loci (EALs; nonsynonymous SNPs) that underwent interspecific or intraspecific differentiation, 28 of which were associated with adaptive genes. These 28 candidate adaptive loci provide substantial evidence for local adaptation in <i>Liriodendron</i>. Our findings reveal ecological adaptive divergence pattern between <i>Liriodendron</i> species and provide novel insight into the role of heterogeneous environments in shaping genetic structure and driving local adaptation among populations, informing future <i>L. chinense</i> conservation efforts. </span></p>
Phenotype and QTL mapping data from: Genetic trade-offs underlie divergent life history strategies for local adaptation in white clover
<p>Local adaptation is common in plants, yet characterization of its underlying genetic basis is rare in herbaceous perennials. Moreover, while many plant species exhibit intraspecific chemical defense polymorphisms, their importance for local adaptation remains poorly understood. We examined the genetic architecture of local adaptation in a perennial, obligately-outcrossing herbaceous legume, white clover (<i>Trifolium repens</i>). This widespread species displays a well-studied chemical defense polymorphism for cyanogenesis (HCN release following tissue damage) and has evolved climate-associated cyanogenesis clines throughout its range. Two biparental F<sub>2</sub> mapping populations, derived from three parents collected in environments spanning the U.S. latitudinal species range (Duluth, MN, St. Louis, MO and Gainesville, FL), were grown in triplicate for two years in reciprocal common garden experiments in the parental environments (6,012 total plants). Vegetative growth and reproductive fitness traits displayed trade-offs across reciprocal environments, indicating local adaptation. Genetic mapping of fitness traits revealed a genetic architecture characterized by allelic trade-offs between environments, with 100% and 80% of fitness QTL in the two mapping populations showing significant QTL X E interactions, consistent with antagonistic pleiotropy. Across the genome there were three hotspots of QTL co-localization. Unexpectedly, we found little evidence that the cyanogenesis polymorphism contributes to local adaptation. Instead, divergent life history strategies in reciprocal environments were major fitness determinants: selection favored early investment in flowering at the cost of multi-year survival in the southernmost site vs. delayed flowering and multi-year persistence in the northern environments. Our findings demonstrate that multi-locus genetic tradeoffs contribute to contrasting life history characteristics that allow for local adaptation in this outcrossing herbaceous perennial.</p>
Investigating the morphological and genetic divergence of arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) populations in lakes of arctic Alaska
<p>Polymorphism facilitates coexistence of divergent morphs (e.g., phenotypes) of the same species by minimizing intraspecific competition, especially when resources are limiting. Arctic char (<i>Salvelinus</i> <i>sp</i>.) are a Holarctic fish often forming morphologically, and sometimes genetically, divergent morphs. In this study, we assessed the morphological and genetic diversity and divergence of 263 individuals from seven populations of arctic char with varying length-frequency distributions across two distinct groups of lakes in northern Alaska. Despite close geographic proximity, each lake group occurs on landscapes with different glacial ages and surface water connectivity, and thus were likely colonized by fishes at different times. Across lakes, a continuum of physical (e.g., lake area, maximum depth) and biological characteristics (e.g., primary productivity, fish density) exists, likely contributing to characteristics of present-day char populations. Although some lakes exhibit bimodal size distributions, using model-based clustering of morphometric traits corrected for allometry, we did not detect morphological differences within and across char populations. Genomic analyses using 15,934 SNPs obtained from genotyping-by-sequencing demonstrated differences among lake groups related to historical biogeography, but within lake groups and within individual lakes, genetic differentiation was not related to total body length. We used PERMANOVA to identify environmental and biological factors related to observed char size structure. Significant predictors included water transparency (i.e., a primary productivity proxy), char density (fish·ha<sup>-1</sup>), and lake group. Larger char occurred in lakes with greater primary production and lower char densities, suggesting less intraspecific competition and resource limitation. Thus, char populations in more productive and connected lakes may prove more stable to environmental changes, relative to food-limited and closed lakes, if lake productivity increases concomitantly. Our findings provide some of the first descriptions of genomic characteristics of char populations in arctic Alaska, and offer important consideration for the persistence of these populations for subsistence and conservation.</p>
Data from: Genetic diversity and divergence in the fountain darter (Etheostoma fonticola): implications for conservation of an endangered species
<p>The endangered fountain darter Etheostoma fonticola is found only in the Comal and San Marcos rivers in the Guadalupe River basin in central Texas, USA. Comal River fountain darters were believed to be extir- pated following a severe drought in the 1950s and were reintroduced in the early 1970s using 457 darters from the San Marcos River. In this study we used 23 microsatellite loci to describe and evaluate the genetic diversity, population structure and effective population size (Ne) of fountain darters. We also evaluated the genetic effect of the Comal River reintroduction and the influence of low-head dams (dams) on dispersal in both rivers. Bayesian analysis of individual genotypes and Analysis of Molecular Variation supported two distinct populations concordant with the two rivers. Estimates of Ne were much smaller (<10 %) than census size (Nc) in both rivers but did not indicate the populations are at risk of an immediate and rapid loss of genetic diversity. Coalescent-based estimates of the genetically effective number of founders (Nf) for the Comal River averaged about 49 darters and, together with the indices of genetic diversity and the bottleneck test (heterozygosity excess) results, were consistent with a founder event following the reintroduction in the Comal River. Finally, our results regarding the influence of dams on fountain darter dispersal were equivocal and did not support a conclusion. We recommend this issue be examined further as part of the fountain darter recovery program.</p>
Data from: Genetic architecture of repeated phenotypic divergence in Littorina saxatilis ecotype evolution
<p>Chromosomal inversions have been shown to play a major role in local adaptation by suppressing recombination between alternative arrangements and maintaining beneficial allele combinations. However, so far, their importance relative to the remaining genome remains largely unknown. Understanding the genetic architecture of adaptation requires better estimates of how loci of different effect sizes contribute to phenotypic variation. Here, we used three Swedish islands where the marine snail Littorina saxatilis has repeatedly evolved into two distinct ecotypes along a habitat transition. We estimated the contribution of inversion polymorphisms to phenotypic divergence while controlling for polygenic effects in the remaining genome using a quantitative genetics framework. We confirmed the importance of inversions but showed that contributions of loci outside inversions are of similar magnitude, with variable proportions dependent on the trait and the population. Some inversions showed consistent effects across all sites, whereas others exhibited site-specific effects, indicating that the genomic basis for replicated phenotypic divergence is only partly shared. The contributions of sexual dimorphism as well as environmental factors to phenotypic variation were significant but minor compared to inversions and polygenic background. Overall, this integrated approach provides insight into the multiple mechanisms contributing to parallel phenotypic divergence. </p>
Genetic confirmation of a hybrid between two highly divergent cardinalid species: A Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus) and a Scarlet Tanager (Piranga olivacea)
<p><span>Using low-coverage whole-genome sequencing, analysis of vocalizations, and inferences from natural history, we document a first-generation hybrid between </span><span>a rose-breasted grosbeak (<em>Pheucticus ludovicianus</em>) and a scarlet tanager (<em>Piranga olivacea</em>). These two species occur sympatrically throughout much of eastern North America, although were not previously known to interbreed. Following the field identification of a putative hybrid, we use genetic and bioacoustic data to show that a rose-breasted grosbeak was the maternal parent and a scarlet tanager was the paternal parent of the hybrid, whose song was similar to the latter species. These two species diverged >10 million years ago, and thus it is surprising to find a hybrid formed under natural conditions in the wild. Notably, the hybrid has an exceptionally heterozygous genome, with a conservative estimate of a heterozygous base every 100 bp. The observation that this hybrid of such highly divergent parental taxa has survived until adulthood serves as another example of the capacity for hybrid birds to survive with an exceptionally divergent genomic composition.</span></p>
Data and supplementary materials from: Large genetic divergence underpins cryptic local adaptation across ecological and evolutionary gradients
<p><span>Environmentally covarying local adaptation is a form of cryptic local adaptation in which the covariance of the genetic and environmental effects on a phenotype obscures the divergence between locally adapted genotypes. Here, we systematically document the magnitude and drivers of the genetic effect (V<sub>G</sub>) for two forms of environmentally covarying local adaptation: counter- and cogradient variation. Using a hierarchical Bayesian meta-analysis, we calculated the overall effect size of V<sub>G</sub> as 1.05 and 2.13 for populations exhibiting countergradient or cogradient variation, respectively. These results indicate that the genetic contribution to phenotypic variation represents a 1.05 to 2.13 standard deviation change in trait value between the most disparate populations depending on if populations are expressing counter- or cogradient variation. We also found that while there was substantial variance among abiotic and biotic covariates, the covariates with the largest mean effects were temperature (2.41) and gamete size (2.81). Our results demonstrate the pervasiveness and large genetic effects underlying environmentally covarying local adaptation in wild populations and highlights the importance of accounting for these effects in future studies.</span></p>
Ecological, genetic and geographical divergence explain differences in sunbird (Nectariniidae) colouration
<p>Bird plumages are among the most elaborate ornaments, displaying almost all colours of the rainbow. Why and how birds are so colourful remains an open question with multiple and sometimes competing hypotheses. Different colours in different patches might have different functions and thus result from different forms of selection (e.g., natural vs. sexual selection). Here we test three hypotheses that might explain colour differences: (1) species isolation, (2) light environment, and (3) Brownian motion. We show that both natural and sexual selection affect the evolution of sunbird colouration, but that their extent and direction differs between sexes, by species interactions, and for different patches across the body. Even though overlap in the light environment explains part of colour differences in species, no colour metric (brightness and chroma) correlates to the light environment. It is likely that these results, where multiple forms of selection influence colouration in different ways, are more general across birds, highlighting the need to investigate bird colouration as a network of individual but inter-connected colour patches.</p>
ScienceDex guides
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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.