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44 results for “trait covariance”
Changes in trait covariance along an orographic moisture gradient reveal the relative importance of light- and moisture-driven trade-offs in subtropical rainforest communities
<p>•<span> </span>A range of functional trait-based approaches have been developed to investigate community assembly processes, but most ignore how traits covary within communities. </p> <p>•<span> </span>We combined existing approaches (community-weighted means [CWMs] and functional dispersion [FDis]) with a metric of trait covariance to examine assembly processes in five angiosperm assemblages along a moisture gradient in Australia's subtropics. In addition to testing hypotheses about habitat filtering along the gradient, we hypothesised that trait covariance would be strongest at both ends of the moisture gradient and weakest in the middle, reflecting trade-offs associated with light capture in productive sites and moisture stress in dry sites.</p> <p>•<span> </span>CWMs revealed evidence of climatic filtering, but FDis patterns were less clear. As hypothesised, trait covariance was weakest in the middle of the gradient, but unexpectedly peaked at the second driest site due to the emergence of a clear drought tolerance – drought avoidance spectrum. At the driest site, the same spectrum was truncated at the 'avoider' end, revealing important information about habitat filtering in this system.</p> <p>•<span> </span>Our focus on trait covariance revealed the nature and strength of trade-offs imposed by light and moisture availability, and complemented insights gained about community assembly from existing trait-based approaches. </p>
Changes in trait covariance along an orographic moisture gradient reveal the relative importance of light- and moisture-driven trade-offs in subtropical rainforest communities
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Data from: Asymmetry in cross-sex cross-trait genetic covariances and the evolvability of sexual dimorphism
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Data from: Metabolic rate shapes phenotypic covariance among physiological, behavioural, and life history traits in honeybees
<p>Metabolic rate is often cited as the fundamental rate that determines the rate of all biological processes by shaping energetic availability for the various behavioral and life history traits that contribute to performance. It has therefore been suggested that metabolic rate drives the widely observed covariance among these different levels of phenotypic traits. However, much of the work on this topic has relied on pairwise correlational analysis, thereby leaving an important gap in our understanding regarding the functional links that shape this phenotypic covariance, often referred to as pace-of-life. Using honeybees as an experimental model, we measured a large number of behavioural, life history and physiological traits in individual bees and used a structural equation model to characterize the phenotypic covariance structure among these traits. Following this with a path analysis, we demonstrate that variation in metabolic rate plays a fundamental proximate role in driving this phenotypic covariance structure in honeybees. We discuss the importance of these findings in the context of how interindividual variation in terms of slow-fast phenotypes may drive the phenotype of a group and the functional role metabolic rate might play in shaping division of labour and social evolution.</p>
Weak genetic signal for phenotypic integration implicates developmental processes as major regulators of trait covariation
<p>Phenotypic integration is an important metric that describes the degree of covariation among traits in a population, and is hypothesized to arise due to selection for shared functional processes. Our ability to identify the genetic and/or developmental underpinnings of integration is marred by temporally overlapping cell-, tissue-, and structure-level processes that serve to continually 'overwrite' the structure of covariation among traits through ontogeny. Here we examine whether traits that are integrated at the phenotypic level, also exhibit a shared genetic basis (e.g., pleiotropy). We micro-CT scanned two hard tissue traits, and two soft tissue traits (mandible, pectoral girdle, atrium, and ventricle respectively) from an F<sub>5</sub> hybrid population of Lake Malawi cichlids, and used geometric morphometrics to extract 3D shape information from each trait. Given the large degree of asymmetric variation that may reflect developmental instability, we separated symmetric- from asymmetric-components of shape variation. We then performed quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis to determine the degree of genetic overlap between shapes. While we found ubiquitous associations among traits at the phenotypic level, except for a handful of notable exceptions, our QTL analysis revealed few overlapping genetic regions. Taken together, this indicates developmental interactions can play a large role in determining the degree of phenotypic integration among traits, and likely obfuscate the genotype to phenotype map, limiting our ability to gain a comprehensive picture of the genetic contributors responsible for phenotypic divergence.</p>
Leaf trait covariation and controls on leaf mass per area (LMA) following cotton domestication
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>The process of domestication has driven dramatic shifts in plant functional traits including leaf mass per area (LMA). It remains unclear whether domestication has produced concerted shifts in the lower-level anatomical traits that underpin LMA and how these traits in turn affect photosynthesis. </span><span>In this study, we investigated controls of LMA and leaf gas exchange by leaf anatomical properties at the cellular, tissue and whole leaf levels, comparing 26 wild and 31 domesticated genotypes of cotton </span><span>(<em>Gossypium</em>). </span><span>As expected, domesticated plants expressed lower LMA, higher photosynthesis and stomatal conductance</span><span>, suggesting a shift towards the 'faster' end of the leaf economics spectrum. At whole-leaf level, variation in LMA was predominantly determined by leaf density (LD) both in wild and domesticated genotypes. At tissue level, higher leaf volume per area (<em>V</em><sub>leaf</sub>) in domesticated genotypes was driven by a simultaneous increase in the volume of epidermal, mesophyll and vascular bundle tissue and airspace, while lower LD resulted from a dilution effect of lower increased volume of palisade tissue and vascular bundle of high mass density by higher increased volume of epidermis and airspace of low mass density. The volume of spongy mesophyll exerted direct control on photosynthesis in domesticated genotypes but only indirect control in wild genotypes. At cellular level, a shift to larger but less numerous cells with thinner cell walls underpinned a lower proportion of cell wall mass, and thus a reduction in LD. </span><span>Taken together, cotton domestication has triggered synergistic shifts in the underlying determinants of LMA but also photosynthesis, at cell, tissue and whole-leaf level, resulting in a marked shift in plant ecological strategy.</span></p>
Altered trait covariances between invasive and native ranges of a global plant invader
<p>Increasing evidence suggests that invasive populations adapt to novel environments rapidly, and the ability to rapidly adapt depends on genetically-based trait variation and covariation. However, few studies have investigated the trait covariance in the native and invasive ranges. Such investigation will give a more comprehensive picture of how historical contingency and adaptation shape invasiveness, contributing to the prediction of future invasion dynamics.</p> <p>Here, we collected seven and nine populations alongside latitudes from invasive and native ranges of a global invasive plant, <em>Spartina alterniflora</em>, and planted them in two common gardens at the southernmost and northernmost sites of the invasive range. We measured plant traits, including the first flowering time, plant height, and seed set, and analyzed how these traits varied with garden sites and populations' origin latitudes and how their covariance changed between ranges.</p> <p>We found that plants flowered later, grew taller, and set more seeds in the high-latitude garden than in the low-latitude one. The growth and expression of genetic variation of traits appeared to be limited by high ambient temperature in the low-latitude garden. In the high-latitude garden, the flowering time of populations showed clinal variation for both invasive and native populations, whereas the plant height and seed set showed clinal variation only for native or invasive populations. From the native to the invasive range, the flowering time and seed set developed negative genetic covariance, and flowering time and plant height changed from negative genetically correlated to uncorrelated.</p> <p>Our results suggested that <em>S. alterniflora</em> has experienced rapid adaptation to clinal and local conditions over the 40-year invasion. Such geographic-scale rapid adaptation appeared to have benefited from previously identified genetic admixture that has released the trait covariance. Our study highlights the importance of integrating full-range geographical surveys with introduction history to understand the potential and mechanisms of trait evolution during invasion.</p>
Data from: Does sexual dimorphism reflect sexual antagonism? Covariation of female fitness with brothers’ sexual traits and their female homologues in neriid flies
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Weak genetic signal for phenotypic integration implicates developmental processes as major regulators of trait covariation
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Data from: Metabolic rate shapes phenotypic covariance among physiological, behavioural, and life history traits in honeybees
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Altered trait covariances between invasive and native ranges of a global plant invader
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Leaf trait covariation and controls on leaf mass per area (LMA) following cotton domestication
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Rapid reversal of a potentially constraining genetic covariance between leaf and flower traits in Silene latifolia
Genetic covariance between two traits generates correlated responses to selection, and may either enhance or constrain adaptation. Silene latifolia exhibits potentially constraining genetic covariance between specific leaf area and flower number in males. Flower number is likely to increase via fecundity selection but the correlated increase in specific leaf area increases mortality, and specific leaf area is under selection to decrease in dry habitats. We selected on trait combinations in two selection lines for four generations to test whether genetic covariance could be reduced without significantly altering trait means. In one selection line, the genetic covariance changed sign and eigenstructure changed significantly, while in the other selection line eigenstructure remained similar to the control line. Changes in genetic variance-covariance structure are therefore possible without the introduction of new alleles, and the responses we observed suggest that founder effects and changes in frequency of alleles of major effect may be acting to produce the changes.
Metabolic rate shapes phenotypic covariance among physiological, behavioral, and life history traits in honeybees
<p><span>Metabolic rate is often cited as the fundamental rate that determines the rate of all biological processes by shaping energetic availability for the various behavioral and life history traits that contribute to performance. It has therefore been suggested that metabolic rate drives the widely observed covariance among these different levels of phenotypic traits. However, much of the work on this topic has relied on pairwise correlational analysis, thereby leaving an important gap in our understanding regarding the functional links that shape this phenotypic covariance, often referred to as pace-of-life. Using honeybees as an experimental model, we measured a large number of behavioral, life history and physiological traits in individual bees and used a structural equation model to characterize the phenotypic covariance structure among these traits. Following this with a path analysis, we demonstrate that variation in metabolic rate plays a fundamental proximate role in driving this phenotypic covariance structure in honeybees. We discuss the importance of these findings in the context of how interindividual variation in terms of slow-fast phenotypes may drive the phenotype of a group and the functional role metabolic rate might play in shaping division of labor and social evolution.</span></p>
Data from: Life-history and behavioral trait covariation across 3 years in Temnothorax ants
Consistent among- individual differences in behavior have been described in numerous taxa. More recently, the hypothesis that such behavioral variation may also correlate to life-history traits, such as investment in current or future reproduction, has been proposed as a potential explanation for why variation is maintained among and within populations. A continual challenge in measuring the integration of these traits, or the Pace – of – Life Syndrome, is to find a reliable and quantifiable proxy for energy allocation between reproduction and self-maintenance. Here, I address this challenge using the eusocial insects, Temnothorax ants, in a common garden experiment to directly quantify energy allocation by tracking the number of sterile workers (somatic effort) and winged reproductive ants (reproductive effort) produced across years. I use colonies collected from populations previously demonstrated to show significant differences in a risk-tolerance behavioral syndrome. I provide an empirical test of the Pace – Of – Life Syndrome hypothesis between two populations of Temnothorax ants over three years. I find strong evidence for a Pace – Of – Life Syndrome between populations and weaker, but present support for a within population POLS. More risk-tolerant populations also allocate more energy towards reproduction and grow faster across years. This study then emphasizes the value of a more holistic study of among-individual variation. Additionally, it suggests more research is needed on understanding how and why traits may correlate in some populations, but remain independent in others.
Data from: Evolution of asexual Daphnia pulex in Japan: variations and covariations of the digestive, morphological and life history traits
Background Several genetic lineages of obligate parthenogenetic Daphnia pulex, a common zooplankton species, have invaded Japan from North America. Among these, a lineage named JPN1 is thought to have started colonization from a single genotype several hundred to thousand years ago and subsequently produced many genotypes in Japan. To examine the phenotypic variations due to ecological drivers diverging the genotypes in new habitats, we measured heritability and variation in 17 traits, including life history, morphology and digestive traits, and the genetic distance among the D. pulex JPN1 genotypes in Japan. Results We found that most of the traits measured varied significantly among the genotypes and that heritability was highest in the morphological traits, followed by the digestive and life history traits. In addition, 93% of the variation in these traits was explained by the first three components in the principal component analysis, implying that variations of these heritable traits are not random but rather converged into a few directions. These relations among traits revealed the potential importance of predation pressures and food conditions as factors for diverging and selecting different genotypes. However, the magnitude of the difference in any single trait group did not correlate with the genetic distance. Conclusions Our findings show that the divergent traits evolved within D. pulex JPN1 without genetic recombination since their ancestral clone invaded Japan. Large variations and covariations of the phenotypic traits, irrespective of the genetic distance among the genotypes, support the view that the invasive success of D. pulex JPN1 was promoted by a genetic architecture that allowed for large phenotypic variations with a limited number of functionally important mutations without recombination.
Data and code for: Partitioning variance in a signaling trade-off under sexual selection reveals among-individual covariance in trait allocation
<p>Understanding the evolution of traits subject to trade-offs is challenging because phenotypes can (co)vary at both the among- and within-individual levels. Among-individual covariation indicates consistent, possibly genetic, differences in how individuals resolve the trade-off, while within-individual covariation indicates trait plasticity. There is also the potential for consistent among-individual differences in behavioral plasticity, although this has rarely been investigated. We studied the sources of (co)variance in two characteristics of an acoustic advertisement signal that trade off with one another and are under sexual selection in the gray treefrog, <em>Hyla chrysoscelis</em>: call duration and call rate. We recorded males on multiple nights calling spontaneously and in response to playbacks simulating different competition levels. Call duration, call rate, and their product, call effort, were all repeatable both within and across social contexts. Call duration and call rate covaried negatively, and the largest covariance was at the among-individual level. There was extensive plasticity in calling with changes in social competition, and we found some evidence for among-individual variance in call rate plasticity. The significant negative among-individual covariance in trait values is perpendicular to the primary direction of sexual selection in this species, indicating potential limits on the response to selection.</p>
Data from: The genetic variance but not the genetic covariance of life-history traits changes towards the north in a time-constrained insect
Seasonal time constraints are usually stronger at higher than lower latitudes and can exert strong selection on life history traits and the correlations among these traits. To predict the response of life history traits to environmental change along a latitudinal gradient, information must be obtained about genetic variance in traits and also genetic correlation between traits, i.e., the genetic variance-covariance matrix, G. Here, we estimated G for key life history traits in an obligate univoltine damselfly that faces seasonal time constraints. We exposed populations to simulated native temperatures and photoperiods and common garden environmental conditions in a laboratory setup. Despite differences in genetic variance in these traits between populations (lower variance at northern latitudes), there was no evidence for latitude-specific covariance of the life history traits. At simulated native conditions, all populations showed strong genetic and phenotypic correlations between traits that shaped growth and development. The variance-covariance matrix changed considerably when populations were exposed to common garden conditions compared with the simulated natural conditions, showing the importance of environmentally induced changes in multivariate genetic structure. Our results highlight the importance of estimating variance-covariance matrixes in environments that mimic selection pressures and not only trait variances or mean trait values in common garden conditions for understanding the trait evolution across populations and environments.
Data from: The evolutionary stability of cross-sex, cross-trait genetic covariances
Although knowledge of the selective agents behind the evolution of sexual dimorphism has advanced considerably in recent years, we still lack a clear understanding of the evolutionary durability of cross-sex genetic covariances that often constrain its evolution. We tested the relative stability of cross-sex genetic covariances for a suite of homologous contact pheromones of the fruit fly Drosophila serrata, along a latitudinal gradient that these traits have diverged in mean. Using a Bayesian framework, which allowed us to account for uncertainty in all parameter estimates, we compared divergence in the total amounts and orientations of genetic variance across populations, finding divergence in orientation but not total variance. We then statistically compared orientation divergence of within-sex (G) to cross-sex (B) covariance matrices. In line with a previous theoretical prediction, we find that the cross-sex covariance matrix, B, is more variable than either male or female within-sex covariance matrix. Decomposition of B matrices into their symmetrical and non-symmetrical components revealed that instability is linked to the degree of asymmetry. We also find that the degree of asymmetry correlates with latitude suggesting a role for spatially varying natural selection in shaping genetic constraints on the evolution of sexual dimorphism.
Data from: The genetic variance but not the genetic covariance of life-history traits changes towards the north in a time-constrained insect
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