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152 results for “variation and change”
Independent variation of avian sensitivity to climate change and trait-based adaptive capacity along a tropical elevational gradient
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Human mediated land use change drives intraspecific plant trait variation
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Data from: Contrasting support for alternative models of genomic variation based on microhabitat preference: species-specific effects of climate change in alpine sedges
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Analysis of within-individual variation in extrapair paternity in blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) shows low repeatability and little effect of changes in neighborhood
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Data from: Temporal patterns of genetic variation in a salmon population undergoing rapid change in migration timing
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Data from: Widespread parallel population adaptation to climate variation across a radiation: implications for adaptation to climate change.
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Data from: Radial changes in wood specific gravity of tropical trees: inter- and intra-specific variation during secondary succession
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Impact of landscape fragmentation and climate change on body size variation of bumblebees during the last century
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Changing environments and genetic variation: natural variation in inbreeding does not compromise short-term physiological responses
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Species responses to changing precipitation depends on trait plasticity rather than trait means and intraspecific variation
<p>1. Trait-based approaches are key to develop mechanistic understanding of differences in plant species performance under environmental change. While mean trait values have been widely used to link functional traits to species performance, the contribution of intraspecific trait variation and trait plasticity remains unclear. Moreover, environmentally induced changes in species biomass is caused by changes in the number of individuals and individual growth rate, both of which should be influenced by trait differences and plasticity. Our goal in this study is to use trait-based information to explain species performance via changes in species abundance and individual weight.</p> <p>2. We measured the mean, intraspecific variation and plasticity of nine aboveground plant traits, and a further three mean root traits of ten common species in a precipitation manipulation experiment in semiarid grassland. We used this trait information to explain differences in the responses of species biomass, abundance and mean individual weight to changing precipitation. Species responses were calculated as the normalized slopes of the regressions between species biomass, abundance and individual weight with the manipulated precipitation amount.</p> <p>3. We found strong differences in species responses to changing precipitation for species biomass, abundance and mean individual weight. Reduced precipitation decreased biomass, abundance and mean individual weight for some species, but increased them for others. Biomass and mean individual weight of species with resource-acquisitive traits, such as shallow rooted species, showed stronger positive responses to changing precipitation compared to resource-conservative traits, like those with deep roots. For aboveground traits, trait plasticity was the strongest predictor of species responses compared to mean traits and intraspecific trait variation. In addition, trait plasticity regulated changes in species biomass more via changes in species abundance than mean individual weight.</p> <p>4. These results indicate that trait plasticity is a key driver for determining species specific responses to changing precipitation and needs more consideration for understanding and predicting ecosystem structure and functioning in future climate scenarios.</p>
Ancestral genetic variation in phenotypic plasticity underlies rapid evolutionary changes in resurrected populations of waterfleas
<p>The role that phenotypic plasticity plays in adaptive evolution has been debated for decades. This is because the strength of natural selection is dependent upon the direction and magnitude of phenotypic responses to environmental signals. Therefore, the connection between plasticity and adaptation will depend on the patterns of plasticity harbored by ancestral populations prior to a change in the environment. Yet, few studies have directly assessed ancestral variation in plasticity and tracked phenotypic changes over time. Here we resurrected historic propagules of <i>Daphnia</i> spanning multiple species and lakes in Wisconsin following the invasion and proliferation of a novel predator (spiny waterflea, <i>Bythotrephes</i> <i>longimanus</i>)<i>. </i>This approach revealed extensive genetic variation in predator-induced plasticity in ancestral populations of <i>Daphnia</i>. It is unlikely that the standing patterns of plasticity shielded <i>Daphnia</i> from selection to permit long-term coexistence with a novel predator. Instead, this variation in plasticity provided the raw materials for <i>Bythotrephes</i>-mediated selection to drive rapid shifts in <i>Daphnia</i> behavior and life history. Surprisingly, there was little evidence for the evolution of trait plasticity as genetic variation in plasticity was maintained in the face of a novel predator. Such results provide new insights into the link between plasticity and adaptation and highlight the importance of quantifying genetic variation in plasticity when evaluating the drivers of evolutionary change in the wild. </p>
Data from: Species' range dynamics affect the evolution of spatial variation in plasticity under environmental change
While clines in environmental tolerance and phenotypic plasticity along a single species' range have been reported repeatedly and are of special interest in the context of adaptation to environmental changes, we know little about their evolution. Recent empirical findings in ectotherms suggest that processes underlying dynamic species' ranges can give rise to spatial differences in environmental tolerance and phenotypic plasticity within species. We used individual-based simulations to investigate how plasticity and tolerance evolve in the course of three scenarios of species' range shifts and range expansions on environmental gradients. We found that regions of a species' range which experienced a longer history or larger extent of environmental change generally exhibited increased plasticity or tolerance. Such regions may be at the trailing edge when a species is tracking its ecological niche in space (e.g., in a climate change scenario) or at the front edge when a species expands into a new habitat (e.g., in an expansion/invasion scenario). Elevated tolerance and plasticity in the distribution center was detected when asymmetric environmental change (e.g., polar amplification) led to a range expansion. However, tolerance and plasticity clines were transient and slowly flattened out after range dynamics because of genetic assimilation.
Data from: Adaptive genetic potential and plasticity of trait variation in the foundation prairie grass Andropogon gerardii across the US Great Plains' climate gradient: Implications for climate change and restoration
<p>Plant response to climate depends on a species' adaptive potential. To address this, we used reciprocal gardens to detect genetic and environmental plasticity effects on phenotypic variation and combined with genetic analyses. Four reciprocal garden sites were planted with three regional ecotypes of <i>Andropogon gerardii</i>, a dominant Great Plains prairie grass, using dry, mesic, wet ecotypes originating from western KS to Illinois that span 500 to 1,200 mm rainfall year<sup>-1</sup>. We aimed to answer: (1) What is the relative role of genetic constraints and phenotypic plasticity in controlling phenotypes? 2) When planted in the home site, is there a trait syndrome for each ecotype? 3) How are genotypes and phenotypes structured by climate? (4) What are implications of these results for response to climate change and use of ecotypes for restoration? Surprisingly, we did not detect consistent local adaptation. Rather, we detected co-gradient variation primarily for most vegetative responses. All ecotypes were stunted in western KS. Eastward, the wet ecotype was increasingly robust relative to other ecotypes. In contrast, fitness showed evidence for local adaptation in wet and dry ecotypes with wet and mesic ecotypes producing little seed in western KS. Earlier flowering time in the dry ecotype suggests adaptation to end of season drought. Considering ecotype traits in home site, the dry ecotype was characterized by reduced canopy area and diameter, short plants, and low vegetative biomass and putatively adapted to water limitation. The wet ecotype was robust, tall with high biomass and wide leaves putatively adapted for the highly competitive, light-limited Eastern Great Plains. Ecotype differentiation was supported by random forest classification and PCA. We detected genetic differentiation and outlier genes associated primarily with precipitation. We identified candidate gene GA1 for which allele frequency associated with plant height. Sourcing of climate adapted ecotypes should be considered for restoration.</p>
Data from: Mainland size variation informs predictive models of exceptional insular body size change in rodents
The tendency for island populations of mammalian taxa to diverge in body size from their mainland counterparts consistently in particular directions is both impressive for its regularity and, especially among rodents, troublesome for its exceptions. However, previous studies have largely ignored mainland body size variation, treating size differences of any magnitude as equally noteworthy. Here, we use distributions of mainland population body sizes to identify island populations as 'extremely' big or small, and we compare traits of extreme populations and their islands with those of island populations more typical in body size. We find that although insular rodents vary in the directions of body size change, 'extreme' populations tend towards gigantism. With classification tree methods, we develop a predictive model, which points to resource limitations as major drivers in the few cases of insular dwarfism. Highly successful in classifying our dataset, our model also successfully predicts change in untested cases.
Data from: Rate of evolutionary change in cranial morphology of the marsupial genus Monodelphis is constrained by the availability of additive genetic variation
We tested the hypothesis that the rate of marsupial cranial evolution is dependent on the distribution of genetic variation in multivariate space. To do so, we carried out a genetic analysis of cranial morphological variation in laboratory strains of Monodelphis domestica and used estimates of genetic covariation to analyze the morphological diversification of the Monodelphis brevicaudata species group. We found that within-species genetic variation is concentrated in only a few axes of the morphospace and that this strong genetic covariation influenced the rate of morphological diversification of the brevicaudata group, with between-species divergence occurring fastest when occurring along the genetic line of least resistance. Accounting for the geometric distribution of genetic variation also increased our ability to detect the selective regimen underlying species diversification, with several instances of selection only being detected when genetic covariances were taken into account. Therefore, this work directly links patterns of genetic covariation among traits to macroevolutionary patterns of morphological divergence. Our findings also suggest that the limited distribution of Monodelphis species in morphospace is the result of a complex interplay between the limited dimensionality of available genetic variation and strong stabilizing selection along two major axes of genetic variation.
Data from: It takes two: seasonal variation in sexually dimorphic weaponry results from divergent changes in males and females
Sexually dimorphic weaponry often results from intrasexual selection, and weapon size can vary seasonally when costs of bearing the weapon exceed the benefits outside of the reproductive season. Weapons can also be favored in competition over nonreproductive resources such as food or shelter, and if such nonreproductive competition occurs year‐round, weapons may be less likely to vary seasonally. In snapping shrimp (Alpheus angulosus), both sexes have an enlarged snapping claw (a potentially deadly weapon), and males of many species have larger claws than females, although females are more aggressive. This contrasting sexual dimorphism (larger weaponry in males, higher aggression in females) raises the question of whether weaponry and aggression are favored by the same mechanisms in males and females. We used field data to determine whether either sex shows seasonal variation in claw size such as described above. We found sexual dimorphism increased during the reproductive season due to opposing changes in both male and female claw size. Males had larger claws during the reproductive season than during the nonreproductive season, a pattern consistent with sexual selection. Females, however, had larger claws during the nonreproductive season than during the reproductive season—a previously unknown pattern of variation in weapon size. The observed changes in female weapon size suggest a trade‐off between claw growth and reproduction in the reproductive season, with investment in claw growth primarily in the nonreproductive season. Sexually dimorphic weaponry in snapping shrimp, then, varies seasonally due to sex differences in seasonal patterns of investment in claw growth, suggesting claws may be advantageous for both sexes but in different contexts. Thus, understanding sexual dimorphisms through the lens of one sex yields an incomplete understanding of the factors favoring their evolution.
Data from: Seasonal variation in the biocontrol efficiency of bacterial wilt is driven by temperature-mediated changes in bacterial competitive interactions
1. Microbe-based biocontrol applications hold the potential to become an efficient way to control plant pathogen disease outbreaks in the future. However, their efficiency is still very variable, which could be due to their sensitivity to the abiotic environmental conditions. 2. Here we assessed how environmental temperature variation correlates with the Ralstonia pickettii, an endophytic bacterial biocontrol agent, ability to suppress Ralstonia solanacearum pathogen during different tomato crop seasons in China. 3. We found that the pathogen suppression was highest when the seasonal mean temperatures were around 20 °C and rapidly decreased with increasing mean crop season temperatures. Interestingly, low levels of disease incidence did not correlate with low pathogen or high biocontrol agent absolute densities. Instead, the biocontrol to pathogen density ratio was more important predictor of disease incidence levels between different crop season. To understand this mechanistically, we measured the growth and strength of competition between the biocontrol agent and the pathogen over a naturally occurring temperature gradient in vitro. We found that the biocontrol strain grew relatively faster at low, and the pathogen at high temperature ranges, and that similar to field experiments, pathogen suppression peaked at 20° C. 4. Together our results suggest that temperature-mediated changes in the strength of bacterial competition could potentially explain the variable R. solanacearum biocontrol outcomes between different crop seasons in China. 5. Synthesis and applications. Bacterial strains that can retain their functionality regardless of the environmental conditions (i.e. have flat reaction norms), could be good candidate species for developing more consistent biocontrol applications.
Data from: Age-dependent trait variation: the relative contribution of within-individual change, selective appearance and disappearance in a long-lived seabird
1. Within populations, the expression of phenotypic traits typically varies with age. Such age-dependent trait variation can be caused by within-individual change (improvement, senescence, terminal effects) and/or selective (dis)appearance of certain phenotypes among older age classes. 2. In this study we applied two methods (decomposition and mixed-modelling) to attribute age-dependent variation in seven phenological and reproductive traits to within-individual change and selective (dis)appearance, in a long-lived seabird, the common tern (Sterna hirundo). 3. At the population level, all traits, except the probability to breed, improved with age (i.e., phenology advanced and reproductive output increased). Both methods identified within-individual change as the main responsible process, and within individuals, performance improved until age 6-13, before levelling off. In contrast, within individuals, breeding probability decreased to age 10, then levelled off. 4. Effects of selective appearance and disappearance were small, but showed that longer-lived individuals had a higher breeding probability and bred earlier, and that younger recruits performed better throughout life than older recruits in terms of both phenology and reproductive performance. In the year prior to death, individuals advanced reproduction, suggesting terminal investment. 5. The decomposition method attributed more age-dependent trait variation to selective disappearance than the mixed-modelling method: 14-36% versus 0-8%, respectively, which we identify to be due to covariance between rates of within-individual change and selective (dis)appearance leading to biased results from the decomposition method. 6. We conclude that the decomposition method is ideal for visualising processes underlying population change in performance from one age class to the next, but that a mixed-modelling method is required to investigate the significance and relative contribution of age-effects. 7. Considerable variation in the contribution of the different age-processes between the seven phenotypic traits studied, as well as notable differences between species in patterns of age-dependent trait expression, calls for better predictions regarding optimal allocation strategies with age.
Data from: Lowland biotic attrition revisited: body size and variation among climate change 'winners' and 'losers'
The responses of lowland tropical communities to climate change will critically influence global biodiversity but remain poorly understood. If species in these systems are unable to tolerate warming, the communities—currently the most diverse on Earth—may become depauperate ('biotic attrition'). In response to temperature changes, animals can adjust their distribution in space or their activity in time, but these two components of the niche are seldom considered together. We assessed the spatio-temporal niches of rainforest mammal species in Borneo across gradients in elevation and temperature. Most species are not predicted to experience changes in spatio-temporal niche availability, even under pessimistic warming scenarios. Responses to temperature are not predictable by phylogeny but do appear to be trait-based, being much more variable in smaller-bodied taxa. General circulation models and weather station data suggest unprecedentedly high midday temperatures later in the century; predicted responses to this warming among small-bodied species range from 9% losses to 6% gains in spatio-temporal niche availability, while larger species have close to 0% predicted change. Body mass may therefore be a key ecological trait influencing the identity of climate change winners and losers. Mammal species composition will probably change in some areas as temperatures rise, but full-scale biotic attrition this century appears unlikely.
Fig. 3 in First Specimen-based Record of Ammolabrus dicrus (Perciformes: Labridae) from Japanese Waters, with Notes on Morphological Ontogenetic Changes and Geographic Variation
Fig. 3. Specimen-based distributional records of Ammolabrus dicrus. Open and closed symbols indicate previously published and new records, respectively.
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.