Clustered warming tolerances and the nonlinear risks of biodiversity loss on a warming planet

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 380(1917)

Published: Jan. 9, 2025

Anthropogenic climate change is projected to become a major driver of biodiversity loss, destabilizing the ecosystems on which human society depends. As planet rapidly warms, disruption ecological interactions among populations, species and their environment, will likely drive positive feedback loops, accelerating pace magnitude losses. We propose that, even without invoking such amplifying feedback, loss should increase nonlinearly with warming because non-uniform distribution biodiversity. Whether these non-uniformities are uneven populations across species’ thermal niche, or niche limits within an community, we show that in both cases, resulting clustering population tolerances drives nonlinear increases risk discuss how fundamental constraints physiologies geographical distributions give rise clustered tolerances, responses changing climates could variously temper, delay intensify dynamics. argue risks be null expectation under warming, highlight empirical research needed understand causes, commonness consequences better predict where, when why losses occur. This article part discussion meeting issue ‘Bending curve towards nature recovery: building Georgina Mace’s legacy for biodiverse future’.

Language: Английский

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Impacts of limits to adaptation on population and community persistence in a changing environment

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 380(1917)

Published: Jan. 9, 2025

A key issue in predicting how ecosystems will respond to environmental change is understanding why populations and communities are able live reproduce some parts of ecological geographical space, but not others. The limits adaptation that cause niches vary position width across taxa contexts determine emerge from selection on phenotypes genomes. Ecological trade-offs mean can only be optimal environments unless these reshaped through evolution. However, the amount rate evolution limited by genetic architectures, developmental systems (including phenotypic plasticity) legacies recent evolutionary history. Here, we summarize adaptive their consequences time (evolutionary rescue) space (species’ range limits), relating theoretical predictions empirical tests. We then highlight avenues for future research this area, better connections between demography analysing genomic architecture adaptation, dynamics plasticity interactions biotic abiotic environment. Progress questions help us understand when where allow species persist face rapid change. This article part discussion meeting ‘Bending curve towards nature recovery: building Georgina Mace's legacy a biodiverse future’.

Language: Английский

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Understanding the biology of species' ranges: when and how does evolution change the rules of ecological engagement?

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences, Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: 377(1848)

Published: Feb. 21, 2022

Understanding processes that limit species' ranges has been a core issue in ecology and evolutionary biology for many decades, become increasingly important given the need to predict responses of biological communities rapid environmental change. However, we still have poor understanding evolution at range limits its capacity change ecological 'rules engagement' define these communities, as well time frame over which this occurs. Here link papers current volume some key concepts involved interactions between margins. In particular, separate hypotheses about margins focus on hard limits, determine how genotypes interact with their environment, from those concerned soft where when local adaptation can persist space time. We show theoretical models empirical studies highlight conditions under gene flow expand contain them. doing so, emphasize complex interplay selection, demography population structure throughout geographical determines persistence communities. despite impressively detailed particularly invertebrates plants, few generalizations emerged outline directions future work such considering impact structural genetic variants metapopulation interaction mating systems non-random dispersal. This article is part theme 'Species' face changing environments (Part II)'.

Language: Английский

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The role of phenotypic plasticity in the establishment of range margins

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences, Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: 377(1846)

Published: Jan. 24, 2022

It has been argued that adaptive phenotypic plasticity may facilitate range expansions over spatially and temporally variable environments. However, induce fitness costs. This hinder the evolution of plasticity. Earlier modelling studies examined role during populations with fixed genetic variance. variance evolves in natural populations. critically alter model outcomes. We ask: how does capacity for evolving margins without are expected to attain? answered this question using computer simulations analytical approximations. found a critical cost above which no impact on population. Below cost, by contrast, facilitates expansion, extending comparison further evolve buffer temporal environmental fluctuations, but only when is below cost. Thus, key factor involved potential express plastic response trait. article part theme issue ‘Species' ranges face changing environments (part I)’.

Language: Английский

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Environmental effects on genetic variance are likely to constrain adaptation in novel environments

Evolution Letters, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 8(3), P. 374 - 386

Published: Jan. 18, 2024

Abstract Adaptive plasticity allows populations to cope with environmental variation but is expected fail as conditions become unfamiliar. In novel conditions, may instead rely on rapid adaptation increase fitness and avoid extinction. Adaptation should be fastest when both selection occur in directions of the multivariate phenotype that contain abundant genetic variation. However, tests this prediction from field experiments are rare. Here, we quantify how additive variance a changes across an elevational gradient, test whether align We do so using two closely related, ecologically distinct, sister species Sicilian daisy (Senecio, Asteraceae) adapted high low elevations Mt. Etna. Using quantitative breeding design, generated then reciprocally planted c. 19,000 seeds species, gradient spanning each species’ native elevation, quantified mortality five leaf traits emergent seedlings. found changed more than between species. The high-elevation at lower showed distribution among traits, which reduced amount phenotype. By contrast, low-elevation mainly was concentrated direction For trait contained moderate variance. Together, these data suggest where adaptive, for initially plastic response could promote adaptation. large effects likely reduce adaptive potential environments.

Language: Английский

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Climate‐Mediated Hybridisation and the Future of Andean Forests

Journal of Biogeography, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: March 3, 2025

ABSTRACT The tropical Andes face unprecedented warming and shifting precipitation patterns due to climate change land‐use alteration, challenging the future of Andean forests. During Quaternary, many trees responded through upslope migrations but, while there is evidence such ongoing in species, they are at rates far below what needed remain equilibrium with current climate. Similarly, given number generations required for adaptation long lifespans trees, it unlikely that most species will be able adapt fast enough. This synthesis explores role migration‐induced secondary contact hybridisation as potential mechanisms accelerating adaptive response Hybridisation, historically underappreciated increasingly recognised an important driver speciation ecological diversity. It may facilitate gene flow introgression, providing novel genetic combinations enhance resilience change. process can generate new allelic diversity, allowing more rapidly than mutation or selection on standing variation alone. However, also lead negative outcomes like swamping outbreeding depression. Conservation strategies should consider benefits risks maintaining biodiversity under changing environmental conditions. As habitat fragmentation deforestation exacerbate challenges faced by these forests, preserving connectivity crucial migration flow, potentially aiding survival tree Anthropocene.

Language: Английский

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Adaptive divergence generates distinct plastic responses in two closely related Senecio species

Evolution, Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: 76(6), P. 1229 - 1245

Published: March 28, 2022

The evolution of plastic responses to external cues allows species maintain fitness in response the environmental variations they regularly experience. However, it remains unclear how plasticity evolves during adaptation. To test whether distinct patterns are associated with adaptive divergence, we quantified for two closely related but ecologically divergent Sicilian daisy (Senecio, Asteraceae). We sampled 40 representative genotypes each from their native range on Mt. Etna and then reciprocally transplanted multiple clones genotype into four field sites along an elevational gradient that included species, intermediate elevations. At elevation, survival measured leaf traits investment (specific area), morphology, chlorophyll fluorescence, pigment content, gene expression. Traits differentially expressed genes changed elevation one often showed little changes other or opposite direction. As evidence both performed better at site than habitat. Adaptive divergence is, therefore, variation, despite these sharing a recent common ancestor.

Language: Английский

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Plasticity and associated epigenetic mechanisms play a role in thermal evolution during range expansion

Evolution Letters, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 8(1), P. 76 - 88

Published: Jan. 31, 2023

Abstract Due to global change, many species are shifting their distribution and thereby confronted with novel thermal conditions at the moving range edges. Especially during initial phases of exposure a new environment, it has been hypothesized that plasticity associated epigenetic mechanisms enable cope environmental change. We tested this idea by capitalizing on well-documented southward expansion damselfly Ischnura elegans from France into Spain where invaded warmer regions in 1950s eastern (old edge region) 2010s central (new region). Using common garden experiment rearing temperatures matching ancestral regimes, we for evolutionary changes (thermal in) larval life history heat tolerance these zones. Through use de- hypermethylating agents, whether play role enabling expansion. used phenotype native sister Spain, I. graellsii, as proxy locally adapted phenotype. New populations converged toward through plastic responses while old (partly) constitutively evolved faster higher than core populations, species. Only increased significantly when exposed agent. This suggests DNA methylation machinery is more amenable perturbation shows able achieving tolerance. Our results show both (evolved) well initially important facing regimes but importance diminishes time.

Language: Английский

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Genome architecture and selective signals compensatorily shape plastic response to a new environment

The Innovation, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 4(4), P. 100464 - 100464

Published: June 21, 2023

Transcriptional plasticity interacts with natural selection in complex ways and is crucial for the survival of species under rapid climate change. How 3D genome architecture affects transcriptional its interaction genetic adaptation are unclear. We transplanted estuarine oysters to a new environment found that genes located active chromatin regions exhibited greater plasticity, changes these were negatively correlated selective signals. This indicates trade-off between signals shaping plastic responses environment. Specifically, mutation, lincRNA, accessibility distal enhancer potentially affect ManⅡa gene, which regulates muscle function oysters. Our findings reveal compensates role environmental response environments provide insights into synergetic epigenetic interactions critical fitness-related trait model marine species.

Language: Английский

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Environmental variation and biotic interactions limit adaptation at ecological margins: lessons from rainforestDrosophilaand European butterflies

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences, Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: 377(1848)

Published: Feb. 21, 2022

Models of local adaptation to spatially varying selection predict that maximum rates evolution are determined by the interaction between increased adaptive potential owing genetic variation, and cost variation brings reducing population fitness. We discuss existing new results from our laboratory assays field transplants rainforest

Language: Английский

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