The tight fit between form and function in organisms suggests the influence of adaptive evolution in biomechanics; however, the prevalence of adaptive traits, the mechanisms by which they arise and the corresponding responses to selection are subjects of extensive debate. We used three-dimensional microcomputed tomography and geometric morphometrics to characterize the structure of phenotypic covariance within the G. aculeatus trophic apparatus and its supporting structures in wild and controlled crosses of fish from two different localities. Our results reveal that while the structure of phenotypic covariance is conserved in marine and freshwater forms, it may be disrupted in the progeny of artificial crosses or during rapid adaptive divergence events. We discuss these results within the context of integrating covariance structure with quantitative genetics, toward establishing predictive links between genes, development, biomechanics, and the environment.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/icb/icv018 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Evolved and Plastic Gene Expression in Adaptation of a Specialist Fly to a Novel Niche.
Mol Ecol
January 2025
Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
How gene expression evolves to enable divergent ecological adaptation and how changes in gene expression relate to genomic architecture are pressing questions for understanding the mechanisms enabling adaptation and ecological speciation. Furthermore, how plasticity in gene expression can both contribute to and be affected by the process of ecological adaptation is crucial to understanding gene expression evolution, colonisation of novel niches and response to rapid environmental change. Here, we investigate the role of constitutive and plastic gene expression differences between host races, or host-specific ecotypes, of the peacock fly Tephritis conura, a thistle bud specialist.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPlio-Pleistocene Environmental Changes Drove the Settlement of Aotearoa New Zealand by Australian Open-Habitat Bird Lineages.
Mol Ecol
January 2025
Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
In a changing environment, vacant niches can be filled either by adaptation of local taxa or range-expanding invading species. The relative tempo of these patterns is of key interest in the modern age of climate change. Aotearoa New Zealand has been a hotspot of biogeographic research for decades due to its long-term isolation and dramatic geological history.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn this study, we performed a comparative analysis based on a total of 255 spider mitogenomes and four outgroups, of which the mitogenomes of 39 species were assembled de novo, to explore the phylogenetic relationships and the adaptive evolution of mitogenomes. Results showed that had the longest mitochondrial length and the most pronounced codon preference to be UUA, followed by CCU. Codon usage frequencies were similar between families and codon usage in the mitogenome of spiders was mainly influenced by natural selection pressures rather than G/C mutation bias.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTranscriptomic data reveal divergent paths of chitinase evolution underlying dietary convergence in anteaters and pangolins.
Genome Biol Evol
January 2025
ISEM, Univ. Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, Montpellier, France.
Ant-eating mammals represent a textbook example of convergent evolution. Among them, anteaters and pangolins exhibit the most extreme convergent phenotypes with complete tooth loss, elongated skulls, protruding tongues, and hypertrophied salivary glands producing large amounts of saliva. However, comparative genomic analyses have shown that anteaters and pangolins differ in their chitinase acidic gene (CHIA) repertoires, which potentially degrade the chitinous exoskeletons of ingested ants and termites.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMolecular Evolution of Paralogous Cold Shock Proteins in E. coli: A Study of Asymmetric Divergence and Protein Functional Networks.
Mol Biotechnol
January 2025
Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University, Kolkata, India.
Nine homologous Cold Shock Proteins (Csps) have been recognized in the E.coli Cold Shock Domain gene family. These Csps function as RNA chaperones.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!