@article{14850, abstract = {Elaborate sexual signals are thought to have evolved and be maintained to serve as honest indicators of signaller quality. One measure of quality is health, which can be affected by parasite infection. Cnemaspis mysoriensis is a diurnal gecko that is often infested with ectoparasites in the wild, and males of this species express visual (coloured gular patches) and chemical (femoral gland secretions) traits that receivers could assess during social interactions. In this paper, we tested whether ectoparasites affect individual health, and whether signal quality is an indicator of ectoparasite levels. In wild lizards, we found that ectoparasite level was negatively correlated with body condition in both sexes. Moreover, some characteristics of both visual and chemical traits in males were strongly associated with ectoparasite levels. Specifically, males with higher ectoparasite levels had yellow gular patches with lower brightness and chroma, and chemical secretions with a lower proportion of aromatic compounds. We then determined whether ectoparasite levels in males influence female behaviour. Using sequential choice trials, wherein females were provided with either the visual or the chemical signals of wild-caught males that varied in ectoparasite level, we found that only chemical secretions evoked an elevated female response towards less parasitised males. Simultaneous choice trials in which females were exposed to the chemical secretions from males that varied in parasite level further confirmed a preference for males with lower parasites loads. Overall, we find that although health (body condition) or ectoparasite load can be honestly advertised through multiple modalities, the parasite-mediated female response is exclusively driven by chemical signals.}, author = {Pal, Arka and Joshi, Mihir and Thaker, Maria}, issn = {0022-0949}, journal = {Journal of Experimental Biology}, keywords = {Insect Science, Molecular Biology, Animal Science and Zoology, Aquatic Science, Physiology, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics}, number = {1}, publisher = {The Company of Biologists}, title = {{Too much information? Males convey parasite levels using more signal modalities than females utilise}}, doi = {10.1242/jeb.246217}, volume = {227}, year = {2024}, } @misc{14705, abstract = {Since the commercialization of brine shrimp (genus Artemia) in the 1950s, this lineage, and in particular the model species Artemia franciscana, has been the subject of extensive research. However, our understanding of the genetic mechanisms underlying various aspects of their reproductive biology, including sex determination, are still lacking. This is partly due to the scarcity of genomic resources for Artemia species and crustaceans in general. Here, we present a chromosome-level genome assembly of Artemia franciscana (Kellogg 1906), from the Great Salt Lake, USA. The genome is 1GB, and the majority of the genome (81%) is scaffolded into 21 linkage groups using a previously published high-density linkage map. We performed coverage and FST analyses using male and female genomic and transcriptomic reads to quantify the extent of differentiation between the Z and W chromosomes. Additionally, we quantified the expression levels in male and female heads and gonads and found further evidence for dosage compensation in this species.}, author = {Elkrewi, Marwan N}, keywords = {sex chromosome evolution, genome assembly, dosage compensation}, publisher = {Institute of Science and Technology Austria}, title = {{Data from "Chromosome-level assembly of Artemia franciscana sheds light on sex-chromosome differentiation"}}, doi = {10.15479/AT:ISTA:14705}, year = {2024}, } @phdthesis{15020, abstract = {This thesis consists of four distinct pieces of work within theoretical biology, with two themes in common: the concept of optimization in biological systems, and the use of information-theoretic tools to quantify biological stochasticity and statistical uncertainty. Chapter 2 develops a statistical framework for studying biological systems which we believe to be optimized for a particular utility function, such as retinal neurons conveying information about visual stimuli. We formalize such beliefs as maximum-entropy Bayesian priors, constrained by the expected utility. We explore how such priors aid inference of system parameters with limited data and enable optimality hypothesis testing: is the utility higher than by chance? Chapter 3 examines the ultimate biological optimization process: evolution by natural selection. As some individuals survive and reproduce more successfully than others, populations evolve towards fitter genotypes and phenotypes. We formalize this as accumulation of genetic information, and use population genetics theory to study how much such information can be accumulated per generation and maintained in the face of random mutation and genetic drift. We identify the population size and fitness variance as the key quantities that control information accumulation and maintenance. Chapter 4 reuses the concept of genetic information from Chapter 3, but from a different perspective: we ask how much genetic information organisms actually need, in particular in the context of gene regulation. For example, how much information is needed to bind transcription factors at correct locations within the genome? Population genetics provides us with a refined answer: with an increasing population size, populations achieve higher fitness by maintaining more genetic information. Moreover, regulatory parameters experience selection pressure to optimize the fitness-information trade-off, i.e. minimize the information needed for a given fitness. This provides an evolutionary derivation of the optimization priors introduced in Chapter 2. Chapter 5 proves an upper bound on mutual information between a signal and a communication channel output (such as neural activity). Mutual information is an important utility measure for biological systems, but its practical use can be difficult due to the large dimensionality of many biological channels. Sometimes, a lower bound on mutual information is computed by replacing the high-dimensional channel outputs with decodes (signal estimates). Our result provides a corresponding upper bound, provided that the decodes are the maximum posterior estimates of the signal.}, author = {Hledik, Michal}, issn = {2663 - 337X}, keywords = {Theoretical biology, Optimality, Evolution, Information}, pages = {158}, publisher = {Institute of Science and Technology Austria}, title = {{Genetic information and biological optimization}}, doi = {10.15479/at:ista:15020}, year = {2024}, } @article{12159, abstract = {The term “haplotype block” is commonly used in the developing field of haplotype-based inference methods. We argue that the term should be defined based on the structure of the Ancestral Recombination Graph (ARG), which contains complete information on the ancestry of a sample. We use simulated examples to demonstrate key features of the relationship between haplotype blocks and ancestral structure, emphasizing the stochasticity of the processes that generate them. Even the simplest cases of neutrality or of a “hard” selective sweep produce a rich structure, often missed by commonly used statistics. We highlight a number of novel methods for inferring haplotype structure, based on the full ARG, or on a sequence of trees, and illustrate how they can be used to define haplotype blocks using an empirical data set. While the advent of new, computationally efficient methods makes it possible to apply these concepts broadly, they (and additional new methods) could benefit from adding features to explore haplotype blocks, as we define them. Understanding and applying the concept of the haplotype block will be essential to fully exploit long and linked-read sequencing technologies.}, author = {Shipilina, Daria and Pal, Arka and Stankowski, Sean and Chan, Yingguang Frank and Barton, Nicholas H}, issn = {1365-294X}, journal = {Molecular Ecology}, keywords = {Genetics, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics}, number = {6}, pages = {1441--1457}, publisher = {Wiley}, title = {{On the origin and structure of haplotype blocks}}, doi = {10.1111/mec.16793}, volume = {32}, year = {2023}, } @article{12521, abstract = {Differentiated X chromosomes are expected to have higher rates of adaptive divergence than autosomes, if new beneficial mutations are recessive (the “faster-X effect”), largely because these mutations are immediately exposed to selection in males. The evolution of X chromosomes after they stop recombining in males, but before they become hemizygous, has not been well explored theoretically. We use the diffusion approximation to infer substitution rates of beneficial and deleterious mutations under such a scenario. Our results show that selection is less efficient on diploid X loci than on autosomal and hemizygous X loci under a wide range of parameters. This “slower-X” effect is stronger for genes affecting primarily (or only) male fitness, and for sexually antagonistic genes. These unusual dynamics suggest that some of the peculiar features of X chromosomes, such as the differential accumulation of genes with sex-specific functions, may start arising earlier than previously appreciated.}, author = {Mrnjavac, Andrea and Khudiakova, Kseniia and Barton, Nicholas H and Vicoso, Beatriz}, issn = {2056-3744}, journal = {Evolution Letters}, keywords = {Genetics, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics}, number = {1}, publisher = {Oxford University Press}, title = {{Slower-X: Reduced efficiency of selection in the early stages of X chromosome evolution}}, doi = {10.1093/evlett/qrac004}, volume = {7}, year = {2023}, } @article{14785, abstract = {Small cryptic plasmids have no clear effect on the host fitness and their functional repertoire remains obscure. The naturally competent cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 harbours several small cryptic plasmids; whether their evolution with this species is supported by horizontal transfer remains understudied. Here, we show that the small cryptic plasmid DNA is transferred in the population exclusively by natural transformation, where the transfer frequency of plasmid‐encoded genes is similar to that of chromosome‐encoded genes. Establishing a system to follow gene transfer, we compared the transfer frequency of genes encoded in cryptic plasmids pCA2.4 (2378 bp) and pCB2.4 (2345 bp) within and between populations of two Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 labtypes (termed Kiel and Sevilla). Our results reveal that plasmid gene transfer frequency depends on the recipient labtype. Furthermore, gene transfer via whole plasmid uptake in the Sevilla labtype ranged among the lowest detected transfer rates in our experiments. Our study indicates that horizontal DNA transfer via natural transformation is frequent in the evolution of small cryptic plasmids that reside in naturally competent organisms. Furthermore, we suggest that the contribution of natural transformation to cryptic plasmid persistence in Synechocystis is limited.}, author = {Nies, Fabian and Wein, Tanita and Hanke, Dustin M. and Springstein, Benjamin L and Alcorta, Jaime and Taubenheim, Claudia and Dagan, Tal}, issn = {1758-2229}, journal = {Environmental Microbiology Reports}, keywords = {Agricultural and Biological Sciences (miscellaneous), Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics}, number = {6}, pages = {656--668}, publisher = {Wiley}, title = {{Role of natural transformation in the evolution of small cryptic plasmids in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803}}, doi = {10.1111/1758-2229.13203}, volume = {15}, year = {2023}, } @article{14787, abstract = {Understanding the phenotypic and genetic architecture of reproductive isolation is a long‐standing goal of speciation research. In several systems, large‐effect loci contributing to barrier phenotypes have been characterized, but such causal connections are rarely known for more complex genetic architectures. In this study, we combine “top‐down” and “bottom‐up” approaches with demographic modelling toward an integrated understanding of speciation across a monkeyflower hybrid zone. Previous work suggests that pollinator visitation acts as a primary barrier to gene flow between two divergent red‐ and yellow‐flowered ecotypes ofMimulus aurantiacus. Several candidate isolating traits and anonymous single nucleotide polymorphism loci under divergent selection have been identified, but their genomic positions remain unknown. Here, we report findings from demographic analyses that indicate this hybrid zone formed by secondary contact, but that subsequent gene flow was restricted by widespread barrier loci across the genome. Using a novel, geographic cline‐based genome scan, we demonstrate that candidate barrier loci are broadly distributed across the genome, rather than mapping to one or a few “islands of speciation.” Quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping reveals that most floral traits are highly polygenic, with little evidence that QTL colocalize, indicating that most traits are genetically independent. Finally, we find little evidence that QTL and candidate barrier loci overlap, suggesting that some loci contribute to other forms of reproductive isolation. Our findings highlight the challenges of understanding the genetic architecture of reproductive isolation and reveal that barriers to gene flow other than pollinator isolation may play an important role in this system.}, author = {Stankowski, Sean and Chase, Madeline A. and McIntosh, Hanna and Streisfeld, Matthew A.}, issn = {1365-294X}, journal = {Molecular Ecology}, keywords = {Genetics, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics}, number = {8}, pages = {2041--2054}, publisher = {Wiley}, title = {{Integrating top‐down and bottom‐up approaches to understand the genetic architecture of speciation across a monkeyflower hybrid zone}}, doi = {10.1111/mec.16849}, volume = {32}, year = {2023}, } @article{14613, abstract = {Many insects carry an ancient X chromosome - the Drosophila Muller element F - that likely predates their origin. Interestingly, the X has undergone turnover in multiple fly species (Diptera) after being conserved for more than 450 MY. The long evolutionary distance between Diptera and other sequenced insect clades makes it difficult to infer what could have contributed to this sudden increase in rate of turnover. Here, we produce the first genome and transcriptome of a long overlooked sister-order to Diptera: Mecoptera. We compare the scorpionfly Panorpa cognata X-chromosome gene content, expression, and structure, to that of several dipteran species as well as more distantly-related insect orders (Orthoptera and Blattodea). We find high conservation of gene content between the mecopteran X and the dipteran Muller F element, as well as several shared biological features, such as the presence of dosage compensation and a low amount of genetic diversity, consistent with a low recombination rate. However, the two homologous X chromosomes differ strikingly in their size and number of genes they carry. Our results therefore support a common ancestry of the mecopteran and ancestral dipteran X chromosomes, and suggest that Muller element F shrank in size and gene content after the split of Diptera and Mecoptera, which may have contributed to its turnover in dipteran insects.}, author = {Lasne, Clementine and Elkrewi, Marwan N and Toups, Melissa A and Layana Franco, Lorena Alexandra and Macon, Ariana and Vicoso, Beatriz}, issn = {1537-1719}, journal = {Molecular Biology and Evolution}, keywords = {Genetics, Molecular Biology, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics}, number = {12}, publisher = {Oxford University Press}, title = {{The scorpionfly (Panorpa cognata) genome highlights conserved and derived features of the peculiar dipteran X chromosome}}, doi = {10.1093/molbev/msad245}, volume = {40}, year = {2023}, } @article{11488, abstract = {Hydrogen Lyα haloes (LAHs) are commonly used as a tracer of the circumgalactic medium (CGM) at high redshifts. In this work, we aim to explore the existence of Lyα haloes around individual UV-selected galaxies, rather than around Lyα emitters (LAEs), at high redshifts. Our sample was continuum-selected with F775W ≤ 27.5, and spectroscopic redshifts were assigned or constrained for all the sources thanks to the deepest (100- to 140-h) existing Very Large Telescope (VLT)/Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) data with adaptive optics. The final sample includes 21 galaxies that are purely F775W-magnitude selected within the redshift range z ≈ 2.9 − 4.4 and within a UV magnitude range −20 ≤ M1500 ≤ −18, thus avoiding any bias toward LAEs. We tested whether galaxy’s Lyα emission is significantly more extended than the MUSE PSF-convolved continuum component. We find 17 LAHs and four non-LAHs. We report the first individual detections of extended Lyα emission around non-LAEs. The Lyα halo fraction is thus as high as 81.0−11.2+10.3%, which is close to that for LAEs at z = 3 − 6 in the literature. This implies that UV-selected galaxies generally have a large amount of hydrogen in their CGM. We derived the mean surface brightness (SB) profile for our LAHs with cosmic dimming corrections and find that Lyα emission extends to 5.4 arcsec (≃40 physical kpc at the midpoint redshift z = 3.6) above the typical 1σ SB limit. The incidence rate of surrounding gas detected in Lyα per one-dimensional line of sight per unit redshift, dn/dz, is estimated to be 0.76−0.09+0.09 for galaxies with M1500 ≤ −18 mag at z ≃ 3.7. Assuming that Lyα emission and absorption arise in the same gas, this suggests, based on abundance matching, that LAHs trace the same gas as damped Lyα systems (DLAs) and sub-DLAs.}, author = {Kusakabe, Haruka and Verhamme, Anne and Blaizot, Jérémy and Garel, Thibault and Wisotzki, Lutz and Leclercq, Floriane and Bacon, Roland and Schaye, Joop and Gallego, Sofia G. and Kerutt, Josephine and Matthee, Jorryt J and Maseda, Michael and Nanayakkara, Themiya and Pelló, Roser and Richard, Johan and Tresse, Laurence and Urrutia, Tanya and Vitte, Eloïse}, issn = {1432-0746}, journal = {Astronomy & Astrophysics}, keywords = {Space and Planetary Science, Astronomy and Astrophysics, galaxies: high-redshift / galaxies: formation / galaxies: evolution / cosmology: observations}, publisher = {EDP Sciences}, title = {{The MUSE eXtremely Deep Field: Individual detections of Lyα haloes around rest-frame UV-selected galaxies at z ≃ 2.9–4.4}}, doi = {10.1051/0004-6361/202142302}, volume = {660}, year = {2022}, } @article{11497, abstract = {Context. The hydrogen Lyman α line is often the only measurable feature in optical spectra of high-redshift galaxies. Its shape and strength are influenced by radiative transfer processes and the properties of the underlying stellar population. High equivalent widths of several hundred Å are especially hard to explain by models and could point towards unusual stellar populations, for example with low metallicities, young stellar ages, and a top-heavy initial mass function. Other aspects influencing equivalent widths are the morphology of the galaxy and its gas properties. Aims. The aim of this study is to better understand the connection between the Lyman α rest-frame equivalent width (EW0) and spectral properties as well as ultraviolet (UV) continuum morphology by obtaining reliable EW0 histograms for a statistical sample of galaxies and by assessing the fraction of objects with large equivalent widths. Methods. We used integral field spectroscopy from the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) combined with broad-band data from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) to measure EW0. We analysed the emission lines of 1920 Lyman α emitters (LAEs) detected in the full MUSE-Wide (one hour exposure time) and MUSE-Deep (ten hour exposure time) surveys and found UV continuum counterparts in archival HST data. We fitted the UV continuum photometric images using the Galfit software to gain morphological information on the rest-UV emission and fitted the spectra obtained from MUSE to determine the double peak fraction, asymmetry, full-width at half maximum, and flux of the Lyman α line. Results. The two surveys show different histograms of Lyman α EW0. In MUSE-Wide, 20% of objects have EW0 > 240 Å, while this fraction is only 11% in MUSE-Deep and ≈16% for the full sample. This includes objects without HST continuum counterparts (one-third of our sample), for which we give lower limits for EW0. The object with the highest securely measured EW0 has EW0 = 589 ± 193 Å (the highest lower limit being EW0 = 4464 Å). We investigate the connection between EW0 and Lyman α spectral or UV continuum morphological properties. Conclusions. The survey depth has to be taken into account when studying EW0 distributions. We find that in general, high EW0 objects can have a wide range of spectral and UV morphological properties, which might reflect that the underlying causes for high EW0 values are equally varied.}, author = {Kerutt, J. and Wisotzki, L. and Verhamme, A. and Schmidt, K. B. and Leclercq, F. and Herenz, E. C. and Urrutia, T. and Garel, T. and Hashimoto, T. and Maseda, M. and Matthee, Jorryt J and Kusakabe, H. and Schaye, J. and Richard, J. and Guiderdoni, B. and Mauerhofer, V. and Nanayakkara, T. and Vitte, E.}, issn = {1432-0746}, journal = {Astronomy & Astrophysics}, keywords = {Space and Planetary Science, Astronomy and Astrophysics, galaxies: high-redshift / galaxies: formation / galaxies: evolution / cosmology: observations}, publisher = {EDP Sciences}, title = {{Equivalent widths of Lyman α emitters in MUSE-Wide and MUSE-Deep}}, doi = {10.1051/0004-6361/202141900}, volume = {659}, year = {2022}, } @article{10604, abstract = {Maternally inherited Wolbachia transinfections are being introduced into natural mosquito populations to reduce the transmission of dengue, Zika, and other arboviruses. Wolbachia-induced cytoplasmic incompatibility provides a frequency-dependent reproductive advantage to infected females that can spread transinfections within and among populations. However, because transinfections generally reduce host fitness, they tend to spread within populations only after their frequency exceeds a critical threshold. This produces bistability with stable equilibrium frequencies at both 0 and 1, analogous to the bistability produced by underdominance between alleles or karyotypes and by population dynamics under Allee effects. Here, we analyze how stochastic frequency variation produced by finite population size can facilitate the local spread of variants with bistable dynamics into areas where invasion is unexpected from deterministic models. Our exemplar is the establishment of wMel Wolbachia in the Aedes aegypti population of Pyramid Estates (PE), a small community in far north Queensland, Australia. In 2011, wMel was stably introduced into Gordonvale, separated from PE by barriers to A. aegypti dispersal. After nearly 6 years during which wMel was observed only at low frequencies in PE, corresponding to an apparent equilibrium between immigration and selection, wMel rose to fixation by 2018. Using analytic approximations and statistical analyses, we demonstrate that the observed fixation of wMel at PE is consistent with both stochastic transition past an unstable threshold frequency and deterministic transformation produced by steady immigration at a rate just above the threshold required for deterministic invasion. The indeterminacy results from a delicate balance of parameters needed to produce the delayed transition observed. Our analyses suggest that once Wolbachia transinfections are established locally through systematic introductions, stochastic “threshold crossing” is likely to only minimally enhance spatial spread, providing a local ratchet that slightly—but systematically—aids area-wide transformation of disease-vector populations in heterogeneous landscapes.}, author = {Turelli, Michael and Barton, Nicholas H}, issn = {2056-3744}, journal = {Evolution Letters}, keywords = {genetics, ecology, evolution, behavior and systematics}, number = {1}, pages = {92--105}, publisher = {Wiley}, title = {{Why did the Wolbachia transinfection cross the road? Drift, deterministic dynamics, and disease control}}, doi = {10.1002/evl3.270}, volume = {6}, year = {2022}, } @article{12152, abstract = {ESCRT-III filaments are composite cytoskeletal polymers that can constrict and cut cell membranes from the inside of the membrane neck. Membrane-bound ESCRT-III filaments undergo a series of dramatic composition and geometry changes in the presence of an ATP-consuming Vps4 enzyme, which causes stepwise changes in the membrane morphology. We set out to understand the physical mechanisms involved in translating the changes in ESCRT-III polymer composition into membrane deformation. We have built a coarse-grained model in which ESCRT-III polymers of different geometries and mechanical properties are allowed to copolymerise and bind to a deformable membrane. By modelling ATP-driven stepwise depolymerisation of specific polymers, we identify mechanical regimes in which changes in filament composition trigger the associated membrane transition from a flat to a buckled state, and then to a tubule state that eventually undergoes scission to release a small cargo-loaded vesicle. We then characterise how the location and kinetics of polymer loss affects the extent of membrane deformation and the efficiency of membrane neck scission. Our results identify the near-minimal mechanical conditions for the operation of shape-shifting composite polymers that sever membrane necks.}, author = {Jiang, Xiuyun and Harker-Kirschneck, Lena and Vanhille-Campos, Christian Eduardo and Pfitzner, Anna-Katharina and Lominadze, Elene and Roux, Aurélien and Baum, Buzz and Šarić, Anđela}, issn = {1553-7358}, journal = {PLOS Computational Biology}, keywords = {Computational Theory and Mathematics, Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience, Genetics, Molecular Biology, Ecology, Modeling and Simulation, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics}, number = {10}, publisher = {Public Library of Science}, title = {{Modelling membrane reshaping by staged polymerization of ESCRT-III filaments}}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010586}, volume = {18}, year = {2022}, } @article{12166, abstract = {Kerstin Johannesson is a marine ecologist and evolutionary biologist based at the Tjärnö Marine Laboratory of the University of Gothenburg, which is situated in the beautiful Kosterhavet National Park on the Swedish west coast. Her work, using marine periwinkles (especially Littorina saxatilis and L. fabalis) as main model systems, has made a remarkable contribution to marine evolutionary biology and our understanding of local adaptation and its genetic underpinnings.}, author = {Westram, Anja M and Butlin, Roger}, issn = {1365-294X}, journal = {Molecular Ecology}, keywords = {Genetics, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics}, number = {1}, pages = {26--29}, publisher = {Wiley}, title = {{Professor Kerstin Johannesson–winner of the 2022 Molecular Ecology Prize}}, doi = {10.1111/mec.16779}, volume = {32}, year = {2022}, } @article{12234, abstract = {Hybrid speciation—the origin of new species resulting from the hybridization of genetically divergent lineages—was once considered rare, but genomic data suggest that it may occur more often than once thought. In this study, Noguerales and Ortego found genomic evidence supporting the hybrid origin of a grasshopper that is able to exploit a broader range of host plants than either of its putative parents.}, author = {Stankowski, Sean}, issn = {1558-5646}, journal = {Evolution}, keywords = {General Agricultural and Biological Sciences, Genetics, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics}, number = {11}, pages = {2784--2785}, publisher = {Wiley}, title = {{Digest: On the origin of a possible hybrid species}}, doi = {10.1111/evo.14632}, volume = {76}, year = {2022}, } @article{12247, abstract = {Chromosomal inversions have been shown to play a major role in a local adaptation by suppressing recombination between alternative arrangements and maintaining beneficial allele combinations. However, so far, their importance relative to the remaining genome remains largely unknown. Understanding the genetic architecture of adaptation requires better estimates of how loci of different effect sizes contribute to phenotypic variation. Here, we used three Swedish islands where the marine snail Littorina saxatilis has repeatedly evolved into two distinct ecotypes along a habitat transition. We estimated the contribution of inversion polymorphisms to phenotypic divergence while controlling for polygenic effects in the remaining genome using a quantitative genetics framework. We confirmed the importance of inversions but showed that contributions of loci outside inversions are of similar magnitude, with variable proportions dependent on the trait and the population. Some inversions showed consistent effects across all sites, whereas others exhibited site-specific effects, indicating that the genomic basis for replicated phenotypic divergence is only partly shared. The contributions of sexual dimorphism as well as environmental factors to phenotypic variation were significant but minor compared to inversions and polygenic background. Overall, this integrated approach provides insight into the multiple mechanisms contributing to parallel phenotypic divergence.}, author = {Koch, Eva L. and Ravinet, Mark and Westram, Anja M and Johannesson, Kerstin and Butlin, Roger K.}, issn = {1558-5646}, journal = {Evolution}, keywords = {General Agricultural and Biological Sciences, Genetics, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics}, number = {10}, pages = {2332--2346}, publisher = {Wiley}, title = {{Genetic architecture of repeated phenotypic divergence in Littorina saxatilis evolution}}, doi = {10.1111/evo.14602}, volume = {76}, year = {2022}, } @article{12264, abstract = {Reproductive isolation (RI) is a core concept in evolutionary biology. It has been the central focus of speciation research since the modern synthesis and is the basis by which biological species are defined. Despite this, the term is used in seemingly different ways, and attempts to quantify RI have used very different approaches. After showing that the field lacks a clear definition of the term, we attempt to clarify key issues, including what RI is, how it can be quantified in principle, and how it can be measured in practice. Following other definitions with a genetic focus, we propose that RI is a quantitative measure of the effect that genetic differences between populations have on gene flow. Specifically, RI compares the flow of neutral alleles in the presence of these genetic differences to the flow without any such differences. RI is thus greater than zero when genetic differences between populations reduce the flow of neutral alleles between populations. We show how RI can be quantified in a range of scenarios. A key conclusion is that RI depends strongly on circumstances—including the spatial, temporal and genomic context—making it difficult to compare across systems. After reviewing methods for estimating RI from data, we conclude that it is difficult to measure in practice. We discuss our findings in light of the goals of speciation research and encourage the use of methods for estimating RI that integrate organismal and genetic approaches.}, author = {Westram, Anja M and Stankowski, Sean and Surendranadh, Parvathy and Barton, Nicholas H}, issn = {1420-9101}, journal = {Journal of Evolutionary Biology}, keywords = {Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics}, number = {9}, pages = {1143--1164}, publisher = {Wiley}, title = {{What is reproductive isolation?}}, doi = {10.1111/jeb.14005}, volume = {35}, year = {2022}, } @article{12265, author = {Westram, Anja M and Stankowski, Sean and Surendranadh, Parvathy and Barton, Nicholas H}, issn = {1420-9101}, journal = {Journal of Evolutionary Biology}, keywords = {Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics}, number = {9}, pages = {1200--1205}, publisher = {Wiley}, title = {{Reproductive isolation, speciation, and the value of disagreement: A reply to the commentaries on ‘What is reproductive isolation?’}}, doi = {10.1111/jeb.14082}, volume = {35}, year = {2022}, } @article{12280, abstract = {In repeated interactions, players can use strategies that respond to the outcome of previous rounds. Much of the existing literature on direct reciprocity assumes that all competing individuals use the same strategy space. Here, we study both learning and evolutionary dynamics of players that differ in the strategy space they explore. We focus on the infinitely repeated donation game and compare three natural strategy spaces: memory-1 strategies, which consider the last moves of both players, reactive strategies, which respond to the last move of the co-player, and unconditional strategies. These three strategy spaces differ in the memory capacity that is needed. We compute the long term average payoff that is achieved in a pairwise learning process. We find that smaller strategy spaces can dominate larger ones. For weak selection, unconditional players dominate both reactive and memory-1 players. For intermediate selection, reactive players dominate memory-1 players. Only for strong selection and low cost-to-benefit ratio, memory-1 players dominate the others. We observe that the supergame between strategy spaces can be a social dilemma: maximum payoff is achieved if both players explore a larger strategy space, but smaller strategy spaces dominate.}, author = {Schmid, Laura and Hilbe, Christian and Chatterjee, Krishnendu and Nowak, Martin}, issn = {1553-7358}, journal = {PLOS Computational Biology}, keywords = {Computational Theory and Mathematics, Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience, Genetics, Molecular Biology, Ecology, Modeling and Simulation, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics}, number = {6}, publisher = {Public Library of Science}, title = {{Direct reciprocity between individuals that use different strategy spaces}}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010149}, volume = {18}, year = {2022}, } @article{11524, abstract = {We measure the evolution of the rest-frame UV luminosity function (LF) and the stellar mass function (SMF) of Lyman-α (Ly α) emitters (LAEs) from z ∼ 2 to z ∼ 6 by exploring ∼4000 LAEs from the SC4K sample. We find a correlation between Ly α luminosity (LLy α) and rest-frame UV (MUV), with best fit MUV=−1.6+0.2−0.3log10(LLyα/ergs−1)+47+12−11 and a shallower relation between LLy α and stellar mass (M⋆), with best fit log10(M⋆/M⊙)=0.9+0.1−0.1log10(LLyα/ergs−1)−28+4.0−3.8⁠. An increasing LLy α cut predominantly lowers the number density of faint MUV and low M⋆ LAEs. We estimate a proxy for the full UV LFs and SMFs of LAEs with simple assumptions of the faint end slope. For the UV LF, we find a brightening of the characteristic UV luminosity (M∗UV⁠) with increasing redshift and a decrease of the characteristic number density (Φ*). For the SMF, we measure a characteristic stellar mass (⁠M∗⋆/M⊙⁠) increase with increasing redshift, and a Φ* decline. However, if we apply a uniform luminosity cut of log10(LLyα/ergs−1)≥43.0⁠, we find much milder to no evolution in the UV and SMF of LAEs. The UV luminosity density (ρUV) of the full sample of LAEs shows moderate evolution and the stellar mass density (ρM) decreases, with both being always lower than the total ρUV and ρM of more typical galaxies but slowly approaching them with increasing redshift. Overall, our results indicate that both ρUV and ρM of LAEs slowly approach the measurements of continuum-selected galaxies at z > 6, which suggests a key role of LAEs in the epoch of reionization.}, author = {Santos, S and Sobral, D and Butterworth, J and Paulino-Afonso, A and Ribeiro, B and da Cunha, E and Calhau, J and Khostovan, A A and Matthee, Jorryt J and Arrabal Haro, P}, issn = {1365-2966}, journal = {Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society}, keywords = {Space and Planetary Science, Astronomy and Astrophysics, galaxies: evolution, galaxies: high-redshift, galaxies: luminosity function, mass function}, number = {1}, pages = {1117--1134}, publisher = {Oxford University Press}, title = {{The evolution of the UV luminosity and stellar mass functions of Lyman-α emitters from z ∼ 2 to z ∼ 6}}, doi = {10.1093/mnras/stab1218}, volume = {505}, year = {2021}, } @article{11585, abstract = {Observations show that star-forming galaxies reside on a tight three-dimensional plane between mass, gas-phase metallicity and star formation rate (SFR), which can be explained by the interplay between metal-poor gas inflows, SFR and outflows. However, different metals are released on different time-scales, which may affect the slope of this relation. Here, we use central, star-forming galaxies with Mstar = 109.0−10.5 M from the EAGLE hydrodynamical simulation to examine three-dimensional relations between mass, SFR and chemical enrichment using absolute and relative C, N, O and Fe abundances. We show that the scatter is smaller when gas-phase α-enhancement is used rather than metallicity. A similar plane also exists for stellar α-enhancement, implying that present-day specific SFRs are correlated with long time-scale star formation histories. Between z = 0 and 1, the α-enhancement plane is even more insensitive to redshift than the plane using metallicity. However, it evolves at z > 1 due to lagging iron yields. At fixed mass, galaxies with higher SFRs have star formation histories shifted toward late times, are more α-enhanced and this α-enhancement increases with redshift as observed. These findings suggest that relations between physical properties inferred from observations may be affected by systematic variations in α-enhancements.}, author = {Matthee, Jorryt J}, issn = {2397-3366}, journal = {Nature Astronomy}, keywords = {Astronomy and Astrophysics, galaxies, formation - galaxies, evolution - galaxies, star formation - galaxies, abundances}, pages = {984--985}, publisher = {Springer Nature}, title = {{Differences in galaxy colours are not just about the mass}}, doi = {10.1038/s41550-021-01415-y}, volume = {5}, year = {2021}, }