In biological evolution, adaptations to one environment can in some cases reverse adaptations to another environment. To study this "reverse evolution" on a genotypic level, we measured the fitness of E. coli strains with each possible combination of five mutations in an antibiotic-resistance gene in two distinct antibiotic environments. While adaptations to one environment generally lower fitness in the other, we find that reverse evolution is rarely possible and falls as the complexity of adaptations increases, suggesting a probabilistic, molecular form of Dollo's law.
The evolution of adaptive phenotypic divergence requires heritable genetic variation. However, it is underappreciated that trait heritability is molded by developmental processes interacting with the environment. We hypothesized that the genetic architecture of divergent functional traits was dependent on age and foraging environment.
National Forestry and Grassland Administration Engineering Research Centre for Southwest Forest and Grassland Fire Ecological Prevention, College of Forestry, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China.
Franch. is a native species in southwestern China, characterized by high polymorphism. However, the environmental drivers of intraspecific variation in its functional traits remain poorly understood.
Wild birds are important hosts of influenza A viruses (IAVs) and play an important role in their ecology. The emergence of the A/goose/Guangdong/1/1996 H5N1 (Gs/GD) lineage marked a shift in IAV ecology, leading to recurrent outbreaks and mortality in wild birds from 2002 onwards. This lineage has evolved and diversified over time, with a recent important derivative being the 2.
Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies, University of Primorska, Koper, Slovenia Faculty of Environmental Protection, Velenje, Slovenia.
Red fox, Vulpes vulpes, is a globally distributed species characterized by its high adaptability to diverse habitats and a broad range of food resources. This remarkable adaptability has allowed the red fox to thrive in various environments, from urban areas to remote wilderness. In this study, we used a set of microsatellite markers for the comparative genetic analysis of red fox populations from two countries.
Lipids are indispensable components of living organisms and play pivotal roles in cell-membrane fluidity, energy provision, and neurotransmitter transmission and transport. Lipids can act as potential biomarkers of diseases given their abilities to indicate cell-growth status. For example, the lipid-metabolism processes of cancer cells are distinct from those of normal cells owing to their rapid proliferation and adaptation to ever-changing biological environments.
