Environmental variables, such as resource quality, shape growth in organisms, dictating body size, an important correlate of fitness. Variation in prey characteristics among populations is frequently associated with similar variation in predator body sizes. Anthropogenic alterations to prey landscapes impose novel ecological pressures on predators that may shift predator phenotypes. Research has focused on determining the adaptability of the phenotypic response by testing its genetic heritability. Here, we asked if anthropogenic shifts in prey size across the landscape correlate with juvenile growth rates among populations of watersnakes with divergent life-history phenotypes. We sought to determine if growth rate variation is the product of genetic adaptation or a non-heritable phenotypic response. Using a common-garden design, we measured growth of neonate snakes from fish farms varying in prey size. We found juvenile growth rates are faster for snakes with larger initial body sizes and from populations with larger average prey sizes. Our data suggest variability in juvenile grow rates within and among populations are not the product of genetic adaptation, but the indirect consequence of initial offspring size variation and prey consumption. We propose larger offspring sizes may favor increased juvenile growth rates, mediated through a larger morphological capacity to consume and process energy resources relative to smaller individuals. This experiment provides evidence supporting the growing body of literature that non-heritable responses may be significant drivers of rapid phenotypic divergence among populations across a landscape. This mechanism may explain the stability and colonization of populations in response to rapid, human-mediated, landscape changes.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00442-024-05623-x | DOI Listing |
Sci Rep
January 2025
Division of Microbiology, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, 110012, India.
Root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) are significant pests that cause considerable damage to crops, prompting a need for sustainable control methods. This study evaluated the nematicidal potential of fungal culture filtrates and botanicals as eco-friendly alternatives.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Fish Biol
January 2025
Department of Computational Biology, Saveetha School of Engineering, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, Chennai, India.
This study examined the effect of dietary selenium (Se) fortification on growth efficiency, antioxidant status, and liver gene expression in juvenile pangasius catfish. Sodium selenite was incorporated into a basal diet at incremental levels of 0-2.0 mg Se/kg.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFZhonghua Lao Dong Wei Sheng Zhi Ye Bing Za Zhi
December 2024
Laboratony of Occupational Protation cool Ergonomics Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Health and Poison Control, Beijing 100050, China.
To study aims to examine the current state and future trajectory of research on work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) both domestically and internationally. In February 2024, Using CiteSpace software and bibliometrics, a bibliometric analysis and knowledge map study were conducted on the Web of Science core journal collection and 3144 related documents from CNKI as of December 31, 2023. This study included a total of 3144 articles (723 in Chinese and 2421 in English).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInsect Biochem Mol Biol
December 2024
Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40546, USA. Electronic address:
Controlling Aedes aegypti mosquitoes is crucial for managing mosquito-transmitted diseases like dengue, zika, chikungunya, and yellow fever. One of the efficient methods to control mosquitoes is to block their progression from the larval to the adult stage. Juvenile hormones (JH) maintain the larval stage and ensure proper developmental timing for transitioning from larval-pupal-adult stages.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFScientificWorldJournal
January 2025
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Maroua, Maroua, Cameroon.
The land use/land cover in the Sudano-Sahelian area of Cameroon has been disturbed since these 3 decades resulting from the influence of anthropogenic factors. This study aimed to assess floristic diversity and the impacts of anthropogenic activities on the Pette forest massifs in the Pette Subdivision. The transect method (1000 × 20 m) was used for plant inventory, and Landsat images 5 TM (1990), 7 ETM+ (2005) and 8 OLI_TIRS (2020) were analysed to determine land cover.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!