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.
124
datasets available to search
ShareScore release 0.7.1
Dataset results
124 results for “niche evolution”
Data from: Macroevolutionary consequences of profound climate change on niche evolution in marine mollusks over the past three million years
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Data from: Are species’ responses to global change predicted by past niche evolution?
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Biogeography and ecological niche evolution in Diapensiaceae inferred from phylogenetic analysis
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Using niche centrality within the scope of the nearly neutral theory of evolution to predict genetic diversity in a tropical conifer species-pair
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Elevational niche-shift migration: Why the degree of elevational change matters for the ecology, evolution, and physiology of migratory birds
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Data from: Climatic-niche evolution follows similar rules in plants and animals
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Convergent evolution in lemur environmental niches
<p>Aim: To test the hypothesis that adaptive convergent evolution of climate niches occurred in multiple independent lemur lineages. </p> <p>Location: Madagascar</p> <p>Taxon: Lemurs</p> <p>Methods: I collected climate and altitude data from WorldClim and summarized the niches of almost all living lemurs (83 species) into phylogenetically-controlled principal components. To test for convergent evolution, I searched for multiple, similar climate optima using multi-peak Ornstein-Uhlenbeck models (surface, l1-ou, bayou). I compared the observed level of climate convergence to that simulated under neutral and single-optimum models. To test if behavioral or morphological traits were related to climate niches, I used phylogenetic regressions with activity pattern, diet, and body size.</p> <p>Results: From an ancestral niche with high rainfall and low seasonality, four lemur lineages independently converged on climate niche optima characterized by high temperatures and low rainfall, supporting adaptive evolution in southwest deciduous and arid habitats. The observed level of convergence was more frequent than expected under Brownian motion and single-optimum simulations, which illustrates that the results are likely not a result of stochastic evolution over long time periods. Nocturnal and cathemeral activity patterns were common among lineages in the arid climate niche. </p> <p>Conclusion: Lemur climate niche evolution demonstrated that convergence explains the distribution of four independent clades in hot, arid environments of southwest Madagascar. The timing of these convergent shifts coincided with the origination of modern arid-adapted plant genera, some of which are important lemur food sources. These communities have high endemicity and are especially threatened by habitat loss. Arid environments are arenas in which convergent evolution is predicted to occur frequently. </p>
The diversification and evolution of niche breadth across spatial scales in western North American monkeyflowers
<p><span>Species show remarkable variation in ecological niche breadth, but the directionality of niche breadth evolution remains a question for niche axes across spatial scales. Testing the association between niche breadth evolution and the process of diversification could shed light on the role of ecology in the formation and maintenance of biodiversity. Here we applied Cladogenetic State change Speciation and Extinction models in western North American monkeyflowers (</span><em>Mimulus</em><span> sensu lato), with two states of niche breadth (generalist and specialist). We aimed to estimate the effects of niche breadth along broad-scale bioclimatic and local-scale microhabitat axes on diversification rate, and the evolutionary trend and mode of niche breadth. We found opposite patterns across spatial scales, with higher speciation rates detected for generalists along broad-scale bioclimatic axes and for specialists along local-scale microhabitat axes. Furthermore, we found weak trends towards specialization for bioclimatic niche breadth, but generalization for microhabitat niche breadth. Both cladogenetic and anagenetic changes were comparable and thus important in the evolution of niche breadth in this group. Together, these findings suggest that the underlying mechanisms of niche breadth evolution might differ across spatial scales, and that change in niche breadth could be tightly associated with the diversification process.</span></p>
Supporting data to: Evolution of realized Eltonian niches across Rajidae species
<p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>The notion that closely related species resemble each other in ecological niche space (<i>i.e.</i>, phylogenetic dependence) has been a longstanding, contentious paradigm in evolutionary biology, the incidence of which is important for predicting the ecosystem-level effects of species loss. Despite being examined across a multitude of terrestrial taxa, many aspects of niche conservatism have yet to be explored in marine species, especially for characteristics related to resource use and trophic behavior (Eltonian niche characteristics, ENCs). We combined ENCs derived from stable isotope ratios at assemblage- and species-levels with phylogenetic comparative methods to test the hypotheses that benthic marine fishes: 1) will exhibit similar assemblage-wide ENCs regardless of geographic location, and 2) will display phylogenetically dependent ENCs at the species-level. We used a 12-species sub-set of the monophyletic group <i>Rajidae</i> sampled from three independent assemblages (Central California, Gulf of Alaska, and Northwest Atlantic), which span two ocean basins. Assemblage-level ENCs implied low trophic diversity and high evenness, suggesting that <i>Rajidae </i>assemblages may exhibit a well-defined trophic role, a trend consistent regardless of geographic location. At the species-level we found evidence for phylogenetic dependence of ENCs relating to trophic diversity (<i>i.e.,</i> isotopic niche width [SEAc]). Whether individuals can be considered functional equivalents across assemblages is hard to ascertain because we did not detect a significant phylogenetic signal for ENCs relating to trophic function (<i>e.g.,</i> trophic position). Thus, additional, complimentary approaches are required to further examine the phylogenetic dependence of species functionality. Our approach illustrates the potential of stable isotope derived niche characteristics to provide insight on macroecological processes occurring across evolutionary time, which could help predict how assemblages may respond to the effects of species loss. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
Data from: Thermal niche evolution across replicated Anolis lizard adaptive radiations
Elucidating how ecological and evolutionary mechanisms interact to produce and maintain biodiversity is a fundamental problem in evolutionary ecology. We investigate this issue by focusing on how physiological evolution affects performance and species coexistence along the thermal niche axis in replicated radiations of Anolis lizards, groups best known for resource partitioning based on morphological divergence. We find repeated divergence in thermal physiology within these radiations, and that this divergence significantly affects performance within natural thermal environments. Morphologically similar species that co-occur invariably differ in their thermal physiology, providing evidence that physiological divergence facilitates species co-existence within anole communities. Despite repeated divergence in traits of demonstrable ecological importance, phylogenetic comparative analyses indicate that physiological traits have evolved more slowly than key morphological traits related to the structural niche. Phylogenetic analyses also reveal that physiological divergence is correlated with divergence in broad-scale habitat climatic features commonly used to estimate thermal niche evolution, but that the latter incompletely predicts variation in the former. We provide comprehensive evidence for repeated adaptive evolution of physiological divergence within Anolis adaptive radiations, including the complementary roles of physiological and morphological divergence in promoting community-level diversity. We recommend greater integration of performance-based traits into analyses of climatic niche evolution, as they facilitate a more complete understanding of the phenotypic and ecological consequences of climatic divergence.
Data from: Functional niche partitioning in Therizinosauria provides new insights into the evolution of theropod herbivory
Dietary specialization is generally considered to be a crucial factor in driving morphological evolution across extant and extinct vertebrates. The ability to adapt to a specific diet and to exploit ecological niches is thereby influenced by functional morphology and biomechanical properties. Differences in functional behaviour and efficiency can therefore allow dietary diversification and the coexistence of similarly adapted taxa. Therizinosauria, a group of secondarily herbivorous theropod dinosaurs, is characterized by a suite of morphological traits thought to be indicative of adaptations to an herbivorous diet. Digital reconstruction, theoretical modelling and computer simulations of the mandibles of therizinosaur dinosaurs provides evidence for functional niche partitioning in adaptation to herbivory. Different mandibular morphologies present in therizinosaurians were found to correspond to different dietary strategies permitting coexistence of taxa. Morphological traits indicative of an herbivorous diet, such as a downturned tip of the lower jaw and an expanded postdentary region, were identified as having stress mitigating effects. The more widely distributed occurrence of these purported herbivorous traits across different dinosaur clades suggests that these features also could have played an important role in the evolution and acquisition of herbivory in other groups.
Data from: Climatic niche evolution is faster in sympatric than allopatric lineages of the butterfly genus Pyrgus
Understanding how speciation relates to ecological divergence has long fascinated biologists. It is assumed that ecological divergence is essential to sympatric speciation, as a mechanism to avoid competition and eventually lead to reproductive isolation, while divergence in allopatry is not necessarily associated with niche differentiation. The impact of the spatial context of divergence on the evolutionary rates of abiotic dimensions of the ecological niche has rarely been explored for an entire clade. Here, we compare the magnitude of climatic niche shifts between sympatric versus allopatric divergence of lineages in butterflies. By combining next-generation sequencing, parametric biogeography and ecological niche analyses applied to a genus-wide phylogeny of Palaearctic Pyrgus butterflies, we compare evolutionary rates along eight climatic dimensions across sister lineages that diverged in large-scale sympatry versus allopatry. In order to examine the possible effects of the spatial scale at which sympatry is defined, we considered three sets of biogeographic assignments, ranging from narrow to broad definition. Our findings suggest higher rates of niche evolution along all climatic dimensions for sister lineages that diverge in sympatry, when using a narrow delineation of biogeographic areas. This result contrasts with significantly lower rates of climatic niche evolution found in cases of allopatric speciation, despite the biogeographic regions defined here being characterized by significantly different climates. Higher rates in allopatry are retrieved when biogeographic areas are too widely defined—in such a case allopatric events may be recorded as sympatric. Our results reveal the macro-evolutionary significance of abiotic niche differentiation involved in speciation processes within biogeographic regions, and illustrate the importance of the spatial scale chosen to define areas when applying parametric biogeographic analyses.
Data from: Elucidating the functional evolution of heat sensors among Xenopus species adapted to different thermal niches by ancestral sequence reconstruction
Ambient temperature fluctuations are detected via the thermosensory system which allows animals to seek preferable thermal conditions or escape from harmful temperatures. Evolutionary changes in thermal perception have thus potentially played crucial roles in niche selection. The genus Xenopus (clawed frog) is suitable for investigating the relationship between thermal perception and niche selection due to their diverse latitudinal and altitudinal distributions. Here we performed comparative analyses of the neuronal heat sensors TRPV1 and TRPA1 among closely related Xenopus species (X. borealis, X. muelleri, X. laevis, and X. tropicalis) to elucidate their functional evolution and to assess whether their functional differences correlate with thermal niche selection among the species. Comparison of TRPV1 among four extant Xenopus species and reconstruction of the ancestral TRPV1 revealed that TRPV1 responses to repeated heat stimulation were specifically altered in the lineage leading to X. tropicalis which inhabits warmer niches. Moreover, the thermal sensitivity of TRPA1 was lower in X. tropicalis than the other species, although the thermal sensitivity of TRPV1 and TRPA1 was not always lower in species that inhabit warmer niches than the species inhabit cooler niches. However, a clear correlation was found in species differences in TRPA1 activity. Heat-evoked activity of TRPA1 in X. borealis and X. laevis, which are adapted to cooler niches, was significantly higher than in X. tropicalis and X. muelleri which are adapted to warmer niches. These findings suggest that the functional properties of heat sensors changed during Xenopus evolution, potentially altering the preferred temperature ranges among species.
Data from: Divergent evolution and niche differentiation within the common peatmoss Sphagnum magellanicum
PREMISE OF THE STUDY: Populations with phenotypic polymorphism in discrete characters may be good models for investigating genome evolution and speciation. Sphagnum magellanicum Brid. is found throughout the northern hemisphere, and despite considerable variation in morphological characters, it is considered one of the least taxonomically controversial peatmoss species. We have observed two main morphs of the species associated with different microhabitats. Here we investigated the genomic and environmental basis of this intraspecific morphological variation. METHODS: We conducted transplant and common garden experiments to test whether the two morphs are genetically differentiated. We then used RAD-sequencing to quantify the genomic divergence between the morphs and approximate Bayesian computation (ABC) to infer the most likely demographic scenario explaining the genome-wide differentiation of the two morphs. KEY RESULTS: We found that genomic differentiation between the two morphs is unexpectedly high and that several of the differentiated morphological characters have a genetic basis. Using simulation approaches, we found support for a scenario of ancient divergence followed by recent secondary contact. CONCLUSIONS: We show that the two morphs represent the two main genetic clusters previously found worldwide. Our results demonstrate that relatively minor morphological differentiation in a presumed phenotypically plastic peatmoss may be associated with massive divergence across the genome.
Data from: Widespread correlations between climatic niche evolution and species diversification in birds
The adaptability of species' climatic niches can influence the dynamics of colonisation and gene flow across climatic gradients, potentially increasing the likelihood of speciation, or reducing extinction in the face of environmental change. However, previous comparative studies have tested these ideas using geographically, taxonomically and ecologically restricted samples, yielding mixed results, and thus the processes linking climatic niche evolution with diversification remain poorly understood. Focusing on birds, the largest and most widespread class of terrestrial vertebrates, we test whether variation in species diversification among clades is correlated with rates of climatic niche evolution, and the extent to which these patterns are modified by underlying gradients in biogeography and species' ecology. We quantified climatic niches, latitudinal distribution and ecological traits for 7657 (~75%) bird species based on geographical range polygons, and then used Bayesian phylogenetic analyses to test whether niche evolution was related to species richness and rates of diversification across genus and family-level clades. We found that the rate of climatic niche evolution has a positive linear relationship with both species richness and diversification rate at two different taxonomic levels (genus and family). Furthermore, this positive association between labile climatic niches and diversification was detected regardless of variation in clade latitude or key ecological traits. Our findings suggest either that rapid adaptation to unoccupied areas of climatic niche space promotes avian diversification, or that diversification promotes adaptation. Either way, we propose that climatic niche evolution is a fundamental process regulating the link between climate and biodiversity at global scales, irrespective of the geographical and ecological context of speciation and extinction.
Data from: The dynamics of niche evolution upon abrupt environmental change
Abrupt environmental changes are of particular interest to understand how species can quickly evolve at the boundary of their current niche. In particular the 'sliding niche' model, wherein a niche shifts globally toward the new condition, has been utilized in understanding and modeling this process. Here, we investigate the dynamics of relative fitness change in four evolutionary replicates of Escherichia coli populations exposed to an extreme pH shift. We analyzed these changes at generations 500, 1000 and 2000 to determine, whether niche global deformations fully capture the temporal dynamics of niche evolution. Strikingly, this analysis reveals that fitness variations can indeed be attributed to simple and global deformation of an underlying simple niche template. Analysis from two experimental replicates displays a transient increase in niche width, consistent with recent theory considering plasticity evolution in the context of an abrupt environmental change. We term this scenario the 'sidestep niche model'.
The flooded habitat adaptation, niche differentiation and evolution of Myristicaceae trees in the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot in India
<p><span>Environmental heterogeneity is considered as one of the main drivers of habitat specialization and niche evolution among tropical plant lineages, and local scale habitat specialization promotes niche differentiation among sister taxa. In this study, we examined the degree to which habitat specialization lead to niche differentiation across the distribution range of a given species using five species of the family Myristicaceae native to Western Ghats, India as an example. In the Western Ghats, Myristicaceae species occur in two main habitat types, namely freshwater swamps (flooded habitat), and terra-firme forest (non-flooded habitat) distributed across a seasonal flooding gradient. First, we reconstructed the evolutionary history of flooded habitat specialization among global and Western Ghats Myristicaceae by mapping flooded habitat association and traits conferring flood tolerance (example: aerial roots) on a dated phylogeny. Then we investigated climatic niche differences among lineages occupying flooded and terra-firme habitats using occurrence data and environmental variables. Our analysis revealed swampy habitat occurrence as the probable ancestral state with subsequent speciation events leading to adaptation to non-swampy habitats. We also show that traits conferring flood tolerance have evolved independently several times during the evolution of Myristicaceae. Furthermore, phylogenetically distantly related Myristicaceae taxa occupying different habitats (flooded and terra-firme habitat) in Western Ghats show significant niche divergence. Overall, the repeated gain of swampy habitat specialization and associated morphological traits and evidence for habitat associated climatic niche divergence among Myristicaceae taxa suggest that seasonal flooding may have been an important driver of ecological diversification in this primitive plant family.</span></p>
Seed dispersal by wind decreases when plants are water-stressed, potentially counteracting species coexistence and niche evolution
<p>Hydrology is a major environmental factor determining plant fitness, and hydrological niche segregation (HNS) has been widely used to explain species coexistence. Nevertheless, the distribution of plant species along hydrological gradients does not only depend on their hydrological niches but also on their seed dispersal, with dispersal either weakening or reinforcing the effects of HNS on coexistence. However, it is poorly understood how seed dispersal responds to hydrological conditions. To close this gap, we conducted a common-garden experiment exposing five wind-dispersed plant species (Bellis perennis, Chenopodium album, Crepis sancta, Hypochaeris glabra, and H. radicata) to different hydrological conditions. We quantified the effects of hydrological conditions on seed production and dispersal traits, and simulated seed dispersal distances with a mechanistic dispersal model. We found species-specific responses of seed production, seed dispersal traits, and predicted dispersal distances to hydrological conditions. Despite these species-specific responses, there was a general positive relationship between seed production and dispersal distance: plants growing in favourable hydrological conditions not only produce more seeds but also disperse them over longer distances. This arises mostly because plants growing in favourable environments grow taller and thus disperse their seeds over longer distances. We postulate that the positive relationship between seed production and dispersal may reduce the concentration of each species to the environments favourable for it, thus counteracting species coexistence. Moreover, the resulting asymmetrical gene flow from favourable to stressful habitats may slow down the microevolution of hydrological niches, causing evolutionary niche conservatism. Accounting for context-dependent seed dispersal should thus improve ecological and evolutionary models for the spatial dynamics of plant populations and communities.</p>
Fig. 3 in Divergent evolution of mitogenomics in Cetartiodactyla niche adaptation
Fig. 3 Sequence identity plots based on 11 Cetartiodactyla species
Fig. 4 in Divergent evolution of mitogenomics in Cetartiodactyla niche adaptation
Fig. 4 The Bayesian inference tree of Cetartiodactyla based on 13 protein-coding gene datasets
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.