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90 results for “fitness variation”
Genetic variation in early fitness traits across European populations of silver birch (Betula pendula)
<p>Early life phenotypic data from three <em>Betula pendula</em> common garden experiments spread across the species latitudinal range in Europe.</p>
Data from: Breeding phenology drives variation in reproductive output, reproductive costs and offspring fitness in a viviparous ectotherm
<p>Phenological advances are a widespread response to global warming and can contribute to determine the climate vulnerability of organisms, particularly in ectothermic species which are highly dependent on ambient temperatures to complete their life cycle. Yet, the relative contribution of breeding dates and temperature conditions during gestation on fitness of females and their offspring is poorly documented in reptiles. Here, we exposed females of the common lizard <em>Zootoca vivipara </em>to contrasting thermal scenarios (cold versus hot treatment) during gestation and quantified effects of parturition dates and thermal treatment on life-history traits of females and their offspring for one year. Overall, our results suggest that parturition date has a greater impact than thermal conditions during gestation on life history strategies. In particular, we found positive effects of an earlier parturition date on juvenile survival, growth and recruitment suggesting that environmental dependent selection and/or differences in parental quality between early and late breeders underlie seasonal changes in offspring fitness. Yet, an earlier parturition date compromised the energetic condition of gravid females, which suggests the existence of a mother-offspring conflict regarding the optimisation of parturition dates. While numerous studies focused on the direct effects of alterations in incubation temperatures on reptile life-history traits, our results highlight the importance of considering the role of breeding phenology in assessing the short- and long-term effects of thermal developmental plasticity.</p>
Data from: Microgeographic variation in early fitness traits of Pinus sylvestris from contrasting soils
<p>Seedling phenotypic data from two Iberian <em>Pinus sylvestris</em><em> </em>provenances from contrasting soils (calcareous vs. siliceous) grown in a 3-year greenhouse experiment on both types of natural local substrate. Each line in the file corresponds to a different seedling. Phenotypic variables as described in the original paper published in American Journal of Botany, doi <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/ajb2.16159">10.1002/ajb2.16159</a></p>
"I'm something of an untrained, unofficial cultural anthropologist myself. Ihave a business interviewing people to capture their personal histories. I'm always interested how people fit into their world and how they affect their world. I'm a graphic designer who works in the same building as the printing presses that I recorded. Iwalk past the presses every day on my way to talk to the folks in the prepress department. I'm on friendly but not drinking terms with the pressmen. I'm a friend with the prepress manager. Three Heidelberg presses are installed side by side in an open warehouse-like room. The presses are about twenty feet long and about five feet high. With their series of four humps or mounds where each printing cylinder is located, the presses remind one of giant, gray, mechanical caterpillars. Each press has a cyan cylinder, a magenta cylinder, a yellow cylinder and a black cylinder – so the humps are brightly colored. The presses are well lit by banks of fluorescent lights hanging from the ceiling over each press. When you walk into the press room you hear the sound of rock music blaring from a boom box radio mixed with the general din of the presses. It is only when you walk up to a press like Idid for the recordings that you really start to hear the individual strains of clicking, clacking and mechanical, syncopated chattering. When I made my recordings I was intrigued by the subtle variations in the sounds produced by these machines that aren't apparent when you first walk through the door. The pressmen were kind enough to allow me to walk right up to the presses and poke my microphone quite close to the rotating press cylinders. Iuse a Danish Pro Audio microphone about the size of a pencil eraser. An extremely sensitive mic with the capacity for capturing loud sounds such as the presses up close. Rotating the mic to one side or the other focused on the unique sounds coming from one cylinder or the other." [Kevin/KMerrell]18 in Collecting Sounds. Online Sharing of Field Recordings as Cultural Practice
"I'm something of an untrained, unofficial cultural anthropologist myself. Ihave a business interviewing people to capture their personal histories. I'm always interested how people fit into their world and how they affect their world. I'm a graphic designer who works in the same building as the printing presses that I recorded. Iwalk past the presses every day on my way to talk to the folks in the prepress department. I'm on friendly but not drinking terms with the pressmen. I'm a friend with the prepress manager. Three Heidelberg presses are installed side by side in an open warehouse-like room. The presses are about twenty feet long and about five feet high. With their series of four humps or mounds where each printing cylinder is located, the presses remind one of giant, gray, mechanical caterpillars. Each press has a cyan cylinder, a magenta cylinder, a yellow cylinder and a black cylinder – so the humps are brightly colored. The presses are well lit by banks of fluorescent lights hanging from the ceiling over each press. When you walk into the press room you hear the sound of rock music blaring from a boom box radio mixed with the general din of the presses. It is only when you walk up to a press like Idid for the recordings that you really start to hear the individual strains of clicking, clacking and mechanical, syncopated chattering. When I made my recordings I was intrigued by the subtle variations in the sounds produced by these machines that aren't apparent when you first walk through the door. The pressmen were kind enough to allow me to walk right up to the presses and poke my microphone quite close to the rotating press cylinders. Iuse a Danish Pro Audio microphone about the size of a pencil eraser. An extremely sensitive mic with the capacity for capturing loud sounds such as the presses up close. Rotating the mic to one side or the other focused on the unique sounds coming from one cylinder or the other." [Kevin/KMerrell]18
Genetic variation in parasite avoidance, yet no evidence for constitutive fitness costs
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Data from: Fitness outcomes in relation to individual variation in constitutive innate immune function
<p>Although crucial for host survival when facing persistent parasite pressure, costly immune functions will inevitably compete for resources with other energetically expensive traits such as reproduction. Optimising, but not necessarily maximising, immune function might therefore provide net benefit to overall host fitness. Evidence for associations between fitness and immune function is relatively rare, limiting our potential to understand ultimate fitness costs of immune investment. Here, we assess how measures of constitutive immune function (haptoglobin, natural antibodies, complement activity) relate to subsequent fitness outcomes (survival, reproductive success, dominance acquisition) in a wild passerine (<i>Malurus coronatus</i>). Surprisingly, survival probability was not positively linearly predicted by any immune index. Instead, both low and high values of complement activity (quadratic effect) were associated with higher survival, suggesting that different immune investment strategies might reflect a dynamic disease environment. Positive linear relationships between immune indices and reproductive success suggest that individual heterogeneity overrides potential resource reallocation trade-offs within individuals. Controlling for body condition (size-adjusted body mass) and chronic stress (heterophil-lymphocyte ratio) did not alter our findings in a sample subset with available data. Overall, our results suggest that constitutive immune components have limited net costs for fitness and that variation in immune maintenance relates to individual differences more closely.</p>
Data from: Carotenoid pigmentation in salmon: Variation in expression at BCO2-l locus controls a key fitness trait affecting red colouration
Carotenoids are primarily responsible for the characteristic red flesh colouration of salmon. Flesh colouration is an economically and evolutionarily significant trait that varies inter- and intra-specifically, yet the underlying genetic mechanism is unknown. Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) represent an ideal system to study carotenoid variation as, unlike other salmonids, they exhibit extreme differences in carotenoid utilization due to genetic polymorphisms. Here, we crossed populations of Chinook salmon with fixed differences in flesh colouration (red vs. white) for a genome-wide association study (GWAS) to identify loci associated with pigmentation. Here, the beta-carotene oxygenase 2-like (BCO2-l) gene was significantly associated with flesh colour, with the most significant SNP explaining 66% of the variation in colour. BCO2 gene disruption is linked to carotenoid accumulation in other taxa, therefore we hypothesize that an ancestral mutation partially disrupting BCO2-l activity (i.e., hypomorphic mutation) allowed the deposition and accumulation of carotenoids within Salmonidae. Indeed, we found elevated transcript levels of BCO2-l in white Chinook salmon relative to red. The long-standing mystery of why salmon are red, while no other fishes are, is thus likely explained by a hypomorphic mutation in the proto-salmonid at the time of divergence of red-fleshed salmonid genera (~30 MYA).
Data from: Age-related variation in non-breeding foraging behaviour and carry-over effects on fitness in an extremely long-lived bird
1. Senescence has been widely documented in wild vertebrate populations, yet the proximate drivers of age-related declines in breeding success, including allocation trade-offs and links with foraging performance, are poorly understood. For long-lived, migratory species, the non-breeding period represents a critical time for investment in self-maintenance and restoration of body condition, which in many species is linked to fitness. However, the relationships between age, non-breeding foraging behaviour and fitness remain largely unexplored. 2. We performed a cross-sectional study, investigating age-related variation in the foraging activity, distribution and diet of an extremely long-lived seabird, the wandering albatross Diomedea exulans during the non-breeding period, and its links with subsequent reproductive performance. 3. We tracked the distributions of 82 adults aged 8 – 33 years with geolocator-immersion loggers and found an age-related decline in the number of landings (a proxy of foraging effort) during daylight hours. There was a decrease in body feather δ13C values in older males but not females, yet this did not accompany an age-related shift in distributions. Males conducted fewer landings than females, and the sexes were spatially segregated, with males foraging further south, likely due to their differential utilization of winds. 4. While younger (< 20 years) birds had higher foraging activity, all individuals went on to breed successfully the following season. In contrast, among older (20+ years) birds, individuals that landed more often were more likely to defer breeding or fail during incubation, suggesting they have lower foraging success. 5. As far as we are aware, this is the first demonstration of an age-specific carry-over effect of foraging behaviour in the non-breeding period on subsequent reproductive performance. This link between foraging behaviour and fitness in late but not early adulthood indicates that the ability of individuals to forage efficiently outside the breeding period may be an important driver of fitness differences in old age.
Data from: Delusions of grandeur: seed count is not a good fitness proxy under individual variation in phenology
The concept of fitness is central to evolutionary biology, yet it is difficult to define and to measure. In plant biology, fitness is often measured as seed count. However, under an array of circumstances, seed count may be a biased proxy of fitness; for example, when individuals vary in allocation to sexual vs. asexual reproduction. A more subtle example, but also likely to be important in natural populations, is when interindividual variation in conditions during development results in variation in offspring quality among seed parents. In monocarpic (semelparous) plants, this is expected to result from variation in effective season length experienced among individuals that reach reproductive maturity at different times. Here, we manipulate growing season length to ask whether seed count is an accurate representation of parental fitness in the monocarpic herb Lobelia inflata. Simple seed count suggests a paradoxical fitness advantage under constrained season length. However, we find that the apparent fitness advantage of a constrained season length is overridden by low relative per-seed fitness. Furthermore, the fitness deficit in the constrained environment is associated primarily with an accelerating decrease in viability and seedling survival in seeds derived from fruits produced progressively later in the season. In this study, the overall fitness value of a seed under a constrained season is 0.774 of that observed under a long season.
Data from: Extreme copy number variation at a tRNA ligase gene affecting phenology and fitness in yellow monkeyflowers
Copy number variation (CNV) is a major part of the genetic diversity segregating within populations, but remains poorly understood relative to single nucleotide variation. Here, we report on a tRNA ligase gene (RLG1a) exhibiting unprecedented, and fitness-relevant, CNV within an annual population of the yellow monkeyflower Mimulus guttatus. Variation at RLG1a was associated with multiple traits in pooled population resequencing (PoolSeq) scans of phenotypic and phenological cohorts. Five of 35 (14%) of resequenced inbred lines carried three-copy variants of RLG1a (trip+), and trip+ lines exhibited elevated RLG1a expression. trip+ carriers, in addition to being over-represented in late-flowering and large-flowered PoolSeq populations, flowered later under stressful conditions in a greenhouse experiment (P < 0.05). In early-flowering wild cohorts, we discovered an additional rare variant (high+) that carries 250-300 copies of RLG1a totaling ~5.7Mb, equivalent to 20-40% of a chromosome. Mendelian segregation of diagnostic alleles and qPCR-based copy counts In the progeny of a high+ carrier, indicate that high+ is a single tandem array unlinked from the single copy RLG1a locus in the reference genome. In the wild, high+ carriers had highest fitness in two dry and/or hot years (2015 and 2017; both P < 0.01), while single copy individuals were twice as fecund as either CNV genotype in a lush year (2016: p < 0.005). Our results demonstrate fluctuating selection on CNVs affecting phenological traits in a wild population, suggest that plant tRNA ligases mediate stress-responsive life-history traits, and introduce a novel system for investigating the molecular mechanisms of gene amplification.
Mating and fitness consequences of variation in male allocation in a wind pollinated plant
<p>In hermaphrodites, the allocation of resources to each sex function can influence fitness through mating success. A prediction that arises from sex allocation theory is that in wind-pollinated plants, male fitness should increase linearly with investment of resources into male function but there have been few empirical tests of this prediction. In a field experiment we experimentally manipulated allocation to male function in Ambrosia artemisiifolia (common ragweed) and measured mating success in contrasting phenotypes using genetic markers. We investigated the effects of morphological traits and flowering phenology on male siring success, and on the diversity of mates. Our results provide evidence for a linear relation between allocation to male function, mating and fitness. We find earlier onset of male flowering time increases reproductive success, whereas later flowering increases the probability of mating with diverse individuals. Our study is among the first empirical studies testing the prediction of linear male fitness returns in wind pollinated plants and emphasize the importance of a large investment into male function by wind pollinated plants and mating consequences of temporal variation in sex allocation. </p>
Variation in reproduction and gene flow between cytotypes in a polyploid complex: one size does not fit all
<p>Whole-genome duplication is considered an important speciation mechanism in plants. However, its effect on reproductive isolation between higher cytotypes is not well understood. We used backcrosses between different ploidy levels and surveys of mixed-ploidy contact zones to determine how reproductive barriers differed with cytotype across a polyploid complex. We backcrossed F1 hybrids derived from 2X-4X and 4X-6X crosses in the Campanula rotundifolia autopolyploid complex, measured backcross fitness, and estimated backcross DNA cytotype. We then sampled four natural mixed-ploidy contact zones (two 2X-4X and two 4X-6X), estimated ploidy, and genotyped individuals across each contact zone. Reproductive success and capacity for gene flow was markedly lower for 2X-4X than 4X-6X hybrids. In fact, 3X hybrids could not backcross; all 2X-4X backcross progeny resulted from neotetraploid F1 hybrids. Further, no 3X individuals were found in 2X-4X contact zones, and 2X and 4X individuals were genetically distinct. By contrast, backcrosses of 5X hybrids were relatively successful, particularly when crossed to 6X individuals. In 4X-6X contact zones, 5X individuals and aneuploids were common and all cytotypes were largely genetically similar and spatially intermixed. Taken together, these results provide strong evidence that reproduction is low between 2X and 4X cytotypes, primarily occurring via unreduced gamete production, but that reproduction and gene flow are ongoing between 4X and 6X cytotypes. Further, it suggests whole genome duplication can result in speciation between diploids and polyploids, but is less likely to create reproductive barriers between different polyploid cytotypes, resulting in two fundamentally different potentials for speciation across polyploid complexes.</p>
Diurnal variation in Uchikomi fitness test performance: Influence of warm-up protocols
<table> <tbody> <tr> <td>group</td> <td>time</td> <td>total scores</td> <td>uft(a+b)</td> <td>heart rate</td> </tr> <tr> <td>NWU</td> <td>morning</td> <td>31</td> <td>11</td> <td>183.83</td> </tr> <tr> <td>NWU</td> <td>morning</td> <td>42</td> <td>14</td> <td>178.17</td> </tr> <tr> <td>NWU</td> <td>morning</td> <td>27</td> <td>9</td> <td>175.17</td> </tr> <tr> <td>NWU</td> <td>morning</td> <td>42</td> <td>14</td> <td>179.33</td> </tr> <tr> <td>NWU</td> <td>morning</td> <td>42</td> <td>14</td> <td>179.67</td> </tr> <tr> <td>NWU</td> <td>morning</td> <td>42</td> <td>15</td> <td>182.50</td> </tr> <tr> <td>NWU</td> <td>morning</td> <td>42</td> <td>14</td> <td>181.67</td> </tr> <tr> <td>NWU</td> <td>morning</td> <td>42</td> <td>15</td> <td>182.50</td> </tr> <tr> <td>NWU</td> <td>morning</td> <td>42</td> <td>14</td> <td>178.17</td> </tr> <tr> <td>NWU</td> <td>morning</td> <td>42</td> <td>14</td> <td>179.67</td> </tr> <tr> <td>NWU</td> <td>evening</td> <td>46</td> <td>16</td> <td>185.17</td> </tr> <tr> <td>NWU</td> <td>evening</td> <td>43</td> <td>15</td> <td>186.67</td> </tr> <tr> <td>NWU</td> <td>evening</td> <td>49</td> <td>17</td> <td>177.33</td> </tr> <tr> <td>NWU</td> <td>evening</td> <td>41</td> <td>14</td> <td>182.67</td> </tr> <tr> <td>NWU</td> <td>evening</td> <td>49</td> <td>17</td> <td>179.17</td> </tr> <tr> <td>NWU</td> <td>evening</td> <td>48</td> <td>16</td> <td>187.00</td> </tr> <tr> <td>NWU</td> <td>evening</td> <td>41</td> <td>14</td> <td>158.50</td> </tr> <tr> <td>NWU</td> <td>evening</td> <td>48</td> <td>16</td> <td>187.00</td> </tr> <tr> <td>NWU</td> <td>evening</td> <td>43</td> <td>15</td> <td>186.67</td> </tr> <tr> <td>NWU</td> <td>evening</td> <td>49</td> <td>17</td> <td>179.17</td> </tr> <tr> <td>FWU</td> <td>morning</td> <td>38</td> <td>14</td> <td>183.83</td> </tr> <tr> <td>FWU</td> <td>morning</td> <td>53</td> <td>22</td> <td>187.00</td> </tr> <tr> <td>FWU</td> <td>morning</td> <td>33</td> <td>12</td> <td>175.17</td> </tr> <tr> <td>FWU</td> <td>morning</td> <td>52</td> <td>19</td> <td>188.67</td> </tr> <tr> <td>FWU</td> <td>morning</td> <td>41</td> <td>14</td> <td>173.00</td> </tr> <tr> <td>FWU</td> <td>morning</td> <td>68</td> <td>30</td> <td>176.67</td> </tr> <tr> <td>FWU</td> <td>morning</td> <td>49</td> <td>18</td> <td>166.67</td> </tr> <tr> <td>FWU</td> <td>morning</td> <td>68</td> <td>30</td> <td>176.67</td> </tr> <tr> <td>FWU</td> <td>morning</td> <td>53</td> <td>22</td> <td>187.00</td> </tr> <tr> <td>FWU</td> <td>morning</td> <td>41</td> <td>14</td> <td>173.00</td> </tr> <tr> <td>FWU</td> <td>evening</td> <td>44</td> <td>16</td> <td>183.83</td> </tr> <tr> <td>FWU</td> <td>evening</td> <td>55</td> <td>20</td> <td>188.50</td> </tr> <tr> <td>FWU</td> <td>evening</td> <td>51</td> <td>16</td> <td>172.50</td> </tr> <tr> <td>FWU</td> <td>evening</td> <td>62</td> <td>27</td> <td>185.17</td> </tr> <tr> <td>FWU</td> <td>evening</td> <td>63</td> <td>27</td> <td>173.83</td> </tr> <tr> <td>FWU</td> <td>evening</td> <td>68</td> <td>25</td> <td>185.83</td> </tr> <tr> <td>FWU</td> <td>evening</td> <td>52</td> <td>21</td> <td>156.83</td> </tr> <tr> <td>FWU</td> <td>evening</td> <td>68</td> <td>25</td> <td>185.83</td> </tr> <tr> <td>FWU</td> <td>evening</td> <td>55</td> <td>20</td> <td>188.50</td> </tr> <tr> <td>FWU</td> <td>evening</td> <td>63</td> <td>27</td> <td>173.83</td> </tr> <tr> <td>SWU</td> <td>morning</td> <td>55</td> <td>19</td> <td>169.50</td> </tr> <tr> <td>SWU</td> <td>morning</td> <td>62</td> <td>23</td> <td>173.50</td> </tr> <tr> <td>SWU</td> <td>morning</td> <td>55</td> <td>19</td> <td>169.50</td> </tr> <tr> <td>SWU</td> <td>morning</td> <td>56</td> <td>19</td> <td>179.33</td> </tr> <tr> <td>SWU</td> <td>morning</td> <td>57</td> <td>20</td> <td>168.33</td> </tr> <tr> <td>SWU</td> <td>morning</td> <td>68</td> <td>24</td> <td>176.33</td> </tr> <tr> <td>SWU</td> <td>morning</td> <td>50</td> <td>18</td> <td>158.67</td> </tr> <tr> <td>SWU</td> <td>morning</td> <td>68</td> <td>24</td> <td>176.33</td> </tr> <tr> <td>SWU</td> <td>morning</td> <td>62</td> <td>23</td> <td>173.50</td> </tr> <tr> <td>SWU</td> <td>morning</td> <td>57</td> <td>20</td> <td>168.33</td> </tr> <tr> <td>SWU</td> <td>evening</td> <td>61</td> <td>21</td> <td>171.67</td> </tr> <tr> <td>SWU</td> <td>evening</td> <td>66</td> <td>24</td> <td>174.50</td> </tr> <tr> <td>SWU</td> <td>evening</td> <td>60</td> <td>20</td> <td>171.00</td> </tr> <tr> <td>SWU</td> <td>evening</td> <td>61</td> <td>22</td> <td>180.33</td> </tr> <tr> <td>SWU</td> <td>evening</td> <td>57</td> <td>20</td> <td>167.83</td> </tr> <tr> <td>SWU</td> <td>evening</td> <td>68</td> <td>23</td> <td>176.33</td> </tr> <tr> <td>SWU</td> <td>evening</td> <td>54</td> <td>18</td> <td>160.83</td> </tr> <tr> <td>SWU</td> <td>evening</td> <td>70</td> <td>24</td> <td>177.00</td> </tr> <tr> <td>SWU</td> <td>evening</td> <td>62</td> <td>23</td> <td>173.50</td> </tr> <tr> <td>SWU</td> <td>evening</td> <td>57</td> <td>20</td> <td>168.33</td> </tr> </tbody> </table>
Variation and plasticity in life-history traits and fitness of wild Arabidopsis thaliana populations are not related to their genotypic and ecological diversity
<p>Despite its implications for population dynamics and evolution, the relationship between genetic and phenotypic variation in wild populations remains unclear. Here, we estimated variation and plasticity in life-history traits and fitness of the annual plant <em>Arabidopsis thaliana</em> in two common garden experiments that differed in environmental conditions. We used up to 306 maternal inbred lines from six Iberian populations characterized by low and high genotypic (based on whole-genome sequences) and ecological (vegetation type) diversity. Low and high genotypic and ecological diversity was found in edge and core Iberian environments, respectively. Given that selection is expected to be stronger in edge environments and that ecological diversity may enhance both phenotypic variation and plasticity, we expected genotypic diversity to be positively associated with phenotypic variation and plasticity. However, maternal lines, irrespective of the genotypic and ecological diversity of their population of origin, exhibited a substantial amount of phenotypic variation and plasticity for all traits. Furthermore, all populations harbored maternal lines with canalization (robustness) or sensitivity in response to harsher environmental conditions in one of the two experiments. Overall, we conclude that the environmental attributes of each population probably determine their genotypic diversity, but all populations maintain substantial phenotypic variation and plasticity for all traits, which represents an asset to endure in changing environments.</p>
Spatial and temporal variation in phenotypes and fitness in response to developmental thermal environments
<p>1) Phenotypic variation within populations is influenced by the environment via plasticity and natural selection. How phenotypes respond to the environment can vary among traits, populations, and life stages in ways that can influence fitness.</p> <p>2) Plastic responses during early development are particularly important because they can affect components of fitness throughout an individual's life. Consequently, how natural selection shapes developmental plasticity could be influenced by fitness consequences across different life stages. Moreover, spatial variation in selection pressures could generate differences in plastic responses among populations.</p> <p>3) To gain insight into sources of variation in phenotypes and survival, we used a laboratory egg incubation experiment using brown anole lizards (Anolis sagrei) from mainland (ancestral) and island (descendent) populations, combined with a mark-release-recapture experiment in the field. Our study was designed to (i) quantify the effects developmental temperature on embryo development and offspring morphology, (ii) assess how developmental temperature influences offspring survival across different life stages, and (iii) quantify how thermal reaction norms vary among ancestral and descendant populations.</p> <p>4) Developmental temperature influenced offspring morphology, but thermal reaction norms of embryos showed little variation among populations. Developmental temperature influenced offspring survival, but the patterns differed between embryo and hatchling stages; the optimal temperature for embryos was about 5ºC lower than that for hatchlings. High temperatures were thermally stressful to embryos, but they reduced incubation duration and led to early hatching. In turn, earlier hatching increased the probability of survival to adulthood. Moreover, the effect of temperature on hatchling survival was most pronounced for offspring that hatched late in the season.</p> <p>5) The difference in optimal developmental temperatures between life stages may be driven by physiological tolerance for embryos and by ecological factors for hatchlings. Moreover, the fitness consequences of the developmental environment depend upon the phenology of hatching. Overall, these results highlight how the developmental environment can differentially effect fitness across life stages and show that temporal thermal heterogeneity can influence survival of embryos, but the consequences on post-hatching stages may vary at different times of the season.</p>
Parasitism shapes selection by drastically reducing host fitness and increasing host fitness variation
<p>Determining the effects of parasites on host reproduction is key to understanding how parasites affect the underpinnings of selection on hosts. Although infection is expected to be costly, reducing mean fitness, infection could also increase variation in fitness costs among hosts, both of which determine the potential for selection on hosts. To test these ideas, we used a phylogenetically informed meta-analysis of 118 studies to examine how changes in the mean and variance in the outcome of reproduction differed between parasitized and non-parasitized hosts. We found that parasites had severe negative effects on mean fitness, with parasitized hosts suffering reductions in fecundity, viability, and mating success. Parasite infection also increased variance in reproduction, particularly fecundity and offspring viability. Surprisingly, parasites had similar effects on viability when either the male or female was parasitized. These results not only provide the first synthetic, comparative, and quantitative summary of the strong deleterious effects of parasites on host reproductive fitness, but also reveal a consistent role for parasites in shaping the opportunity for selection.</p>
The role of environmental variation in mediating fitness tradeoffs for an amphibian polyphenism
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Fitness tradeoffs are a foundation of ecological and evolutionary theory because tradeoffs can explain life history variation, phenotypic plasticity, and the existence of polyphenisms. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>Using a 32-year mark-recapture dataset on lifetime fitness for 1,093 adult Arizona tiger salamanders (<em>Ambystoma mavortium nebulosum</em>) from a high elevation, polyphenic population, we evaluated the extent to which two life history morphs (aquatic paedomorphs vs terrestrial metamorphs) exhibited fitness tradeoffs in breeding and body condition with respect to environmental variation (e.g., climate) and internal state-based variables (e.g., age). </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>Both morphs displayed a similar response to higher probabilities of breeding during years of high spring precipitation (i.e., not indicative of a morph-specific fitness tradeoff). There were likely no climate-induced fitness tradeoffs on breeding state for the two life history morphs because precipitation and water availability are vital to amphibian reproduction. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>Body condition displayed a contrasting response for the two morphs that was indicative of a climate-induced fitness tradeoff. While metamorphs exhibited a positive relationship with summer snowpack conditions, paedomorphs were unaffected. Fitness tradeoffs from summer snowpack are likely due to extended hydroperiods in temporary ponds, where metamorphs gain a fitness advantage during the summer growing season by exploiting resources that are unavailable to paeodomorphs. However, paedomorphs appear to have the overwintering fitness advantage because they consistently had higher body condition than metamorphs at the start of the summer growing season. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>Our results reveal that climate and habitat type (metamorphs as predominately terrestrial, paedomorphs as fully aquatic) interact to confer different advantages for each morph. These results advance our current understanding of fitness tradeoffs in this well-studied polyphenic amphibian by integrating climate-based mechanisms. Our conclusions prompt future studies to explore how climatic variation can maintain polyphenisms and promote life history diversity, as well as the implications of climate change for polyphenisms. </span></p>
Data from: Delusions of grandeur: seed count is not a good fitness proxy under individual variation in phenology
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Data from: Interacting effects of genetic variation for seed dormancy and flowering time on phenology, life history, and fitness of experimental Arabidopsis thaliana populations over multiple generations in the field
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Data from: Fitness outcomes in relation to individual variation in constitutive innate immune function
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