cometadata/datacite-titles-descriptions-related-identifiers huggingface dataset:
DOI: 10.5683/sp2/4ecwub
title: Data from: Increased growth in sunflower correlates with reduced defenses and altered gene expression in response to biotic and abiotic stress

description: AbstractCultivated plants have been selected by humans for increased yield in a relatively benign environment, where nutrient and water resources are often supplemented, and biotic enemy loads are kept artificially low. Agricultural weeds have adapted to this same benign environment as crops, and often have high growth and reproductive rates, even though they have not been specifically selected for yield. Considering the competing demands for resources in any plant, a key question is whether adaptation to agricultural environments has been accompanied by life-history trade-offs, in which resistance to (largely absent) stress has been lost in favor of growth and reproduction. The experiments reported here were designed to test for growth-defense trade-offs in agricultural weeds, crops, and native varieties of common sunflower (Helianthus annuus L., Asteraceae) by comparing their performance in the presence or absence of abiotic (drought and crowding) or biotic (simulated herbivory, insect herbivory, and fungal) stress. We found that growth, as well viability of crops and weeds, were reduced by abiotic drought stress. The weakened defense in the agricultural genotypes was further evident as increased susceptibility to fungal infection and higher level of insect palatability. To uncover molecular mechanisms underlying these trade-offs we monitored gene expression kinetics in drought-stressed plants. By correlating phenotypic observations with molecular analyses, we report the identification of several genes, including a protein phosphatase 2C and the HD-Zip transcription factor Athb-8, whose expression is associated with the observed phenotypic variation in common sunflower.
DOI: 10.5683/sp2/aviuyo
title: Data from: Indirect effects of predators control herbivore richness and abundance in a benthic eelgrass (Zostera marina) mesograzer community

description: Abstract1. Herbivore communities can be sensitive to changes in predator pressure (top-down effects) and resource availability (bottom-up effects) in a wide range of systems. However, it remains unclear whether such top-down and bottom-up effects reflect direct impacts of predators and/or resources on herbivores, or are indirect, reflecting altered interactions among herbivore species. 2. We quantified direct and indirect effects of bottom-up and top-down processes on an eelgrass (Zostera marina) herbivore assemblage. In a field experiment, we factorially manipulated water column nutrients (with Osmocote™ slow-release fertilizer) and predation pressure (with predator exclusion cages) and measured the effects on herbivore abundance, richness and beta diversity. We examined likely mechanisms of community responses by statistically exploring the response of individual herbivore species to trophic manipulations. 3. Predators increased herbivore richness and total abundance, in both cases through indirect shifts in community composition. Increases in richness occurred through predator suppression of common gammarid amphipod species (Monocorophium acherusicum and Photis brevipes), permitting the inclusion of rarer gammarid species (Aoroides columbiae and Pontogeneia rostrata). Increased total herbivore abundance reflected increased abundance of a caprellid amphipod species (Caprella sp.), concurrent with declines in the abundance of other common species. Furthermore, predators decreased beta diversity by decreasing variability in Caprella sp. abundance among habitat patches. 4. Osmocote™ fertilization increased nutrient concentrations locally, but nutrients dissipated to background levels within 3 m of the fertilizer. Nutrient addition weakly affected the herbivore assemblage, not affecting richness and increasing total abundance by increasing one herbivore species (Caprella sp.). Nutrient addition did not affect beta diversity. 5. We demonstrated that assemblage-level effects of trophic manipulations on community structure are the result of distinct and often indirect responses of herbivore species. These results underscore the importance of understanding herbivore–herbivore interactions in a system commonly subjected to both eutrophication and overfishing.
DOI: 10.5683/sp2/dnvz6c
title: Data from: Indirect genetic effects underlie oxygen-limited thermal tolerance within a coastal population of chinook salmon

description: AbstractWith global temperatures projected to surpass the limits of thermal tolerance for many species, evaluating the heritable variation underlying thermal tolerance is critical for understanding the potential for adaptation to climate change. We examined the evolutionary potential of thermal tolerance within a population of chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) by conducting a full-factorial breeding design and measuring the thermal performance of cardiac function and the critical thermal maximum (CTmax) of offspring from each family. Additive genetic variation in offspring phenotype was mostly negligible, although these direct genetic effects explained 53% of the variation in resting heart rate (fH). Conversely, maternal effects had a significant influence on resting fH, scope for fH, cardiac arrhythmia temperature and CTmax. These maternal effects were associated with egg size, as indicated by strong relationships between the mean egg diameter of mothers and offspring thermal tolerance. Because egg size can be highly heritable in chinook salmon, our finding indicates that the maternal effects of egg size constitute an indirect genetic effect contributing to thermal tolerance. Such indirect genetic effects could accelerate evolutionary responses to the selection imposed by rising temperatures and could contribute to the population-specific thermal tolerance that has recently been uncovered among Pacific salmon populations.
DOI: 10.5683/sp2/txs0u4
title: Data from: Individual dispersal decisions in a cooperative breeder: ecological constraints, the benefits of philopatry, and the social queue for dominance

description: Abstract1. Delayed dispersal is a key step in the evolution of familial animal societies and cooperative breeding. However, no consensus has been reached on the ecological and social circumstances driving delayed dispersal. 2. Here we test predictions from the ecological constraints and benefits of philopatry hypotheses as well as the recently-proposed dual benefits hypothesis to better understand the evolution of group-living and cooperative breeding. Furthermore, we consider how individual social circumstances within groups affect dispersal decisions. 3. We examine 11 years of life-history information on a wild population of cooperatively breeding southern pied babblers (Turdoides bicolor). We investigate the effects of ecological conditions, natal-group membership and individual social context on male and female dispersal delays, disperser survival and acquisition of dominance. 4. Female dispersal decisions are generally unconstrained by ecological or social circumstances. In contrast, males disperse in response to relaxed ecological constraints, decreases in nepotistic tolerance, or when low social rank in the queue for dominance decreases their likelihood of gaining a dominant breeding position. Early dispersal by end-of-queue males often leads to a head-of-queue subordinate position in a non-natal group, thereby increasing access to dominant breeding positions. However, males and females remaining in natal groups gain benefits of philopatry via increased survival and, for head-of-queue males, very high likelihood of acquisition of a breeding position. 5. Overall, predictions from the dual benefits hypothesis best describe these results, while some predictions from each of the ecological constraints and benefits of philopatry hypotheses were supported. The benefits of living and working together (collective action benefits) in large stable groups are of central importance in shaping dispersal delays in southern pied babbler societies. In addition, position in the subordinate social queue for dominance is key in determining access to reproduction, particularly for males. This research highlights the importance of considering the costs and benefits of individual social circumstances in dispersal decisions and illustrates how the dual benefits hypothesis offers new perspectives in understanding delayed dispersal.
DOI: 10.5683/sp2/uqox2y
title: Data from: Individual performance in relation to cytonuclear discordance in a northern contact zone between long-toed salamander (Ambystoma macrodactylum) lineages

description: AbstractCytonuclear discordance in contact zones between related lineages is common, with mitochondrial clines often being displaced from clines in nuclear allele frequency. Proposed explanations for such a pattern include adaptive introgression of mtDNA or a neutral wake of mtDNA being left behind following hybrid zone movement. However, studies investigating these hypotheses are rare. Our previous survey of genetic variation in the long-toed salamander (Ambystoma macrodactylum) highlighted a potential case of cytonuclear discordance between two lineages in western Canada. Here, we use additional markers and samples to clarify the extent of this discordance. We simultaneously assess the feeding performance of individuals in a common environment to test for an association between mitotype and individual performance. The genetic results confirm a general pattern of cytonuclear discordance in the focal region. However, we also observed more limited introgression of a diagnostic nuclear marker. Intriguingly, although there were differences in individual performance associated with the transition between mitotypes, these differences were not fully explained by mitotype. Instead, the lowest performance was observed in individuals demonstrating the greatest mismatch between mtDNA and all nuclear markers, suggesting the potential for cytonuclear incompatibilities to be acting. These results highlight the complexity of understanding the causes and consequences of mtDNA introgression and cytonuclear discordance in contact zones.
DOI: 10.5683/sp2/tchjsr
title: Data from: Induced defences alter the strength and direction of natural selection on reproductive traits in common milkweed

description: AbstractEvolutionary biologists have long sought to understand the ecological processes that generate plant reproductive diversity. Recent evidence indicates that constitutive antiherbivore defences can alter natural selection on reproductive traits, but it is unclear whether induced defences will have the same effect and whether reduced foliar damage in defended plants is the cause of this pattern. In a factorial field experiment using common milkweed, Asclepias syriaca L., we induced plant defences using jasmonic acid (JA) and imposed foliar damage using scissors. We found that JA-induced plants experienced selection for more inflorescences that were smaller in size (fewer flowers), whereas control plants only experienced a trend towards selection for larger inflorescences (more flowers); all effects were independent of foliar damage. Our results demonstrate that induced defences can alter both the strength and direction of selection on reproductive traits, and suggest that antiherbivore defences may promote the evolution of plant reproductive diversity.
DOI: 10.5683/sp2/l4fxd5
title: Data from: Insights into the roles of CMK-1 and OGT-1 in interstimulus interval-dependent habituation in Caenorhabditis elegans

description: AbstractHabituation is a ubiquitous form of non-associative learning observed as a decrement in responding to repeated stimulation that cannot be explained by sensory adaptation or motor fatigue. One of the defining characteristics of habituation is its sensitivity to the rate at which training stimuli are presented – animals habituate faster in response to more rapid stimulation. The molecular mechanisms underlying this interstimulus interval (ISI)-dependent characteristic of habituation remain unknown. In this article we use behavioral neurogenetic and bioinformatic analyses in the nematode Caenorhabiditis elegans to identify the first molecules that modulate habituation in an ISI-dependent manner. We show that the Caenorhabditis elegans orthologs of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent kinases CaMK1/4, CMK-1, and O-linked N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) transferase, OGT-1, both function in primary sensory neurons to inhibit habituation at short ISIs and promote it at long ISIs. In addition, both cmk-1 and ogt-1 mutants display a rare mechanosensory hyper-responsive phenotype, i.e. larger mechanosensory responses than wild-type. Overall, our work identifies two conserved genes that function in sensory neurons to modulate habituation in an ISI-dependent manner, providing the first insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the universally observed phenomenon that habituation has different properties when stimuli are delivered at different rates.
DOI: 10.5683/sp2/d9uuq3
title: Data from: Integrating morphological characters, molecular markers, and distribution patterns to assess the identity of Blepharis species from Jordan

description: AbstractBackground: Blepharis constitutes an important vegetative part of the Jordanian arid and semi-arid regions, yet whether one or more species occurs in this area is debatable. We addressed this question by assessing morphological characters and employing Inter-Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) markers on three populations of Blepharis: two Northern (lower slopes of Kufranjah valley and the Dead Sea region) and one Southern (Wadi al Yutm). Results: Shoots from 19 randomly chosen Blepharis plants per population were harvested for morphological and molecular analyses. Spikes were lax and bract width was considerably shorter than length of the longest lateral spine in the Northern populations compared to the Southern population (P &lt; 0.001). A multivariate linear discriminant analysis (LDA) distinguished the Northern populations from the Southern one largely by internode length, bract width, longest lateral spine length, and bract width to spine length ratio (P &lt; 0.001). The ISSR analysis revealed that 44 markers across eight primers were polymorphic with major allele frequency of 83.6% and an average of 5.5 polymorphic markers per primer. The genetic resemblance among individuals ranged from 0.27 to 0.96. The three Blepharis populations were accordingly clustered into two distinct groups, similar to the analysis of morphological differences. Conclusions: Our results strongly indicate the occurrence of two discrete Blepharis species in Jordan and the hypothesis that the genus is represented by only one species is not supported. The species in Jordan are B. attenutata Napper (represented by the Northern populations) and B. ciliaris [L.] B. L. Burtt (represented by the Southern population). These findings are important for informing floristic work within the region and an updated key has been included in our findings.
DOI: 10.5683/sp2/q3xiff
title: Data from: Interactive effects of climate change and biodiversity loss on ecosystem functioning

description: AbstractClimate change and biodiversity loss are expected to simultaneously affect ecosystems, however research on how each driver mediates the effect of the other has been limited in scope. The multiple stressor framework emphasizes non-additive effects, but biodiversity may also buffer the effects of climate change, and climate change may alter which mechanisms underlie biodiversity-function relationships. Here, we performed an experiment using tank bromeliad ecosystems to test the various ways that rainfall changes and litter diversity may jointly determine ecological processes. Litter diversity and rainfall changes interactively affected multiple functions, but how depended on the process measured. High litter diversity buffered the effects of altered rainfall on detritivore communities, evidence of insurance against impacts of climate change. Altered rainfall affected the mechanisms by which litter diversity influenced decomposition, reducing the importance of complementary attributes of species (“complementarity effects”), and resulting in an increasing dependence on the maintenance of specific species (“dominance effects”). Finally, altered rainfall conditions prevented litter diversity from fuelling methanogenesis, because such changes in rainfall reduced microbial activity by 58%. Together, these results demonstrate that the effects of climate change and biodiversity loss on ecosystems cannot be understood in isolation and interactions between these stressors can be multifaceted.
DOI: 10.5683/sp2/cd8d5p
title: Data from: Intraguild predation drives evolutionary niche shift in threespine stickleback

description: AbstractIntraguild predation – competition and predation by the same antagonist – is widespread, but its evolutionary consequences are unknown. Intraguild prey may evolve antipredator defenses, superior competitive ability on shared resources, or the ability to use an alternative resource, any of which may alter the structure of the food web. We tested for evolutionary responses by threespine stickleback to a benthic intraguild predator, prickly sculpin. We used a comparative morphometric analysis to show that stickleback sympatric with sculpin are more armored and have more limnetic-like body shapes than allopatric stickleback. To test the ecological implications of this shift we conducted a mesocosm experiment that varied sculpin presence and stickleback population of origin (from one sympatric and one allopatric lake). Predation by sculpin greatly increased the mortality of allopatric stickleback. In contrast, sculpin presence did not affect the mortality of sympatric stickleback, though they did have lower growth rates suggesting increased non-predatory effects of sculpin. Consistent with their morphology, sympatric stickleback included more pelagic prey in their diets, leading to depletion of zooplankton in the mesocosms. These findings suggest that intraguild prey evolution has altered food web structure by reducing both predation by the intraguild predator and diet overlap between species.
DOI: 10.5683/sp2/qwv9l6
title: Data from: Intraguild predation leads to genetically based character shifts in the threespine stickleback

description: AbstractIntraguild predation is a common ecological interaction that occurs when a species preys upon another species with which it competes. The interaction is potentially a mechanism of divergence between intraguild prey populations, but it is unknown if cases of character shifts in intraguild prey are an environmental or evolutionary response. We investigated the genetic basis and inducibility of character shifts in threespine stickleback from lakes with and without prickly sculpin, a benthic intraguild predator. Wild populations of stickleback sympatric with sculpin repeatedly show greater defensive armor and water column height preference. We lab-raised stickleback from lakes with and without sculpin, as well as marine stickleback, and found that differences between populations in armor, body shape, and behavior persisted in a common garden. Within the common garden, we raised stickleback half-families from multiple populations in the presence and absence of sculpin. Although the presence of sculpin induced trait changes in the marine stickleback, we did not observe an induced response in the freshwater stickleback. Behavioral and morphological trait differences between freshwater populations thus have a genetic basis and suggest an evolutionary response to intraguild predation.
DOI: 10.5683/sp2/ybmabl
title: Data from: Intruder colour and light environment jointly determine how nesting male stickleback respond to simulated territorial intrusions

description: AbstractVariation in male nuptial colour signals might be maintained by negative frequency-dependent selection. This can occur if males are more aggressive towards rivals with locally common colour phenotypes. To test this hypothesis, we introduced red or melanic three-dimensional printed-model males into the territories of nesting male stickleback from two optically distinct lakes with different coloured residents. Red-throated models were attacked more in the population with red males, while melanic models were attacked more in the melanic male lake. Aggression against red versus melanic models also varied across a depth gradient within each lake, implying that the local light environment also modulated the strength of negative frequency dependence acting on male nuptial colour.
DOI: 10.5683/sp2/gbbfrm
title: Data from: Ionome and elemental transport kinetics shaped by parallel evolution in threespine stickleback

description: AbstractEvidence that organisms evolve rapidly enough to alter ecological dynamics necessitates investigation of the reciprocal links between ecology and evolution. Data that link genotype to phenotype to ecology are needed to understand both the process and ecological consequences of rapid evolution. Here we quantified the suite of elements in individuals (i.e., ionome) and the fluxes of key nutrients across populations of threespine stickleback. We find that allelic variation associated with freshwater adaptation that controls bony plating is associated with changes in the ionome and nutrient recycling. More broadly, we find that adaptation of marine fish to freshwater conditions shifts the ionomes of natural populations and populations raised in common gardens. In both cases ionomic divergence between populations was primarily driven by differences in trace elements rather than elements typically associated with bone. These findings demonstrate the utility of ecological stoichiometry and the importance of ionome-wide data in understanding eco-evolutionary dynamics.
DOI: 10.5683/sp2/b7l5lc
title: Data from: Isotopic variation ccross the Audubon’s-myrtle warbler hybrid zone

description: AbstractDifferences in seasonal migratory behaviours are thought to be an important component of reproductive isolation in many organisms. Stable isotopes have been used with success in estimating the location and qualities of disjunct breeding and wintering areas. However, few studies have used isotopic data to estimate the movements of hybrid offspring in species that form hybrid zones. Here, we use stable hydrogen to estimate the wintering locations and migratory patterns of two common and widespread migratory birds, Audubon's (Setophaga auduboni) and myrtle (S. coronata) warblers, as well as their hybrids. These two species form a narrow hybrid zone with extensive interbreeding in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia and Alberta, Canada, which has been studied for over four decades. Isotopes in feathers grown on the wintering grounds or early on migration reveal three important patterns: (1) Audubon's and myrtle warblers from allopatric breeding populations winter in isotopically different environments, consistent with band recovery data and suggesting that there is a narrow migratory transition between the two species, (2) most hybrids appear to overwinter in the south-eastern USA, similar to where myrtle warblers are known to winter, and (3) some hybrid individuals, particularly those along the western edge of the hybrid zone, show Audubon's-like isotopic patterns. These data suggest there is a migratory divide between these two species, but that it is not directly coincident with the centre of the hybrid zone in the breeding range. We interpret these findings and discuss them within the context of previous research on hybrid zones, speciation and migratory divides.