TY - JOUR A1 - Derežanin, Lorena A1 - Blažytė, Asta A1 - Dobrynin, Pavel A1 - Duchêne, David A. A1 - Grau, José Horacio A1 - Jeon, Sungwon A1 - Kliver, Sergei A1 - Koepfli, Klaus-Peter A1 - Meneghini, Dorina A1 - Preick, Michaela A1 - Tomarovsky, Andrey A1 - Totikov, Azamat A1 - Fickel, Jörns A1 - Förster, Daniel W. T1 - Multiple types of genomic variation contribute to adaptive traits in the mustelid subfamily Guloninae JF - Molecular ecology N2 - Species of the mustelid subfamily Guloninae inhabit diverse habitats on multiple continents, and occupy a variety of ecological niches. They differ in feeding ecologies, reproductive strategies and morphological adaptations. To identify candidate loci associated with adaptations to their respective environments, we generated a de novo assembly of the tayra (Eira barbara), the earliest diverging species in the subfamily, and compared this with the genomes available for the wolverine (Gulo gulo) and the sable (Martes zibellina). Our comparative genomic analyses included searching for signs of positive selection, examining changes in gene family sizes and searching for species-specific structural variants. Among candidate loci associated with phenotypic traits, we observed many related to diet, body condition and reproduction. For example, for the tayra, which has an atypical gulonine reproductive strategy of aseasonal breeding, we observed species-specific changes in many pregnancy-related genes. For the wolverine, a circumpolar hypercarnivore that must cope with seasonal food scarcity, we observed many changes in genes associated with diet and body condition. All types of genomic variation examined (single nucleotide polymorphisms, gene family expansions, structural variants) contributed substantially to the identification of candidate loci. This argues strongly for consideration of variation other than single nucleotide polymorphisms in comparative genomics studies aiming to identify loci of adaptive significance. KW - adaptation KW - gene family evolution KW - genomics KW - mustelids KW - positive KW - selection KW - structural variation Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.16443 SN - 0962-1083 SN - 1365-294X N1 - Corrigendum: Molecular ecology, Volume 32, Issue 3, Pages 752, February 2023 VL - 31 IS - 10 SP - 2898 EP - 2919 PB - Wiley CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Heffner, Christopher C. A1 - Fuhrmeister, Pamela A1 - Luthra, Sahil A1 - Mechtenberg, Hannah A1 - Saltzman, David A1 - Myers, Emily B. T1 - Reliability and validity for perceptual flexibility in speech JF - Brain and language : a journal of clinical, experimental and theoretical research N2 - The study of perceptual flexibility in speech depends on a variety of tasks that feature a large degree of variability between participants. Of critical interest is whether measures are consistent within an individual or across stimulus contexts. This is particularly key for individual difference designs that are deployed to examine the neural basis or clinical consequences of perceptual flexibility. In the present set of experiments, we assess the split-half reliability and construct validity of five measures of perceptual flexibility: three of learning in a native language context (e.g., understanding someone with a foreign accent) and two of learning in a non-native context (e.g., learning to categorize non-native speech sounds). We find that most of these tasks show an appreciable level of split-half reliability, although construct validity was sometimes weak. This provides good evidence for reliability for these tasks, while highlighting possible upper limits on expected effect sizes involving each measure. KW - Reliability KW - Construct validity KW - Individual differences KW - Speech KW - perception KW - Phonetic identification KW - Phonetic learning KW - Phonetic KW - adaptation Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bandl.2021.105070 SN - 0093-934X SN - 1090-2155 VL - 226 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam [u.a.] ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kreibich, Heidi A1 - Hudson, Paul A1 - Merz, Bruno T1 - Knowing what to do substantially improves the effectiveness of flood early warning JF - Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society N2 - Flood warning systems are longstanding success stories with respect to protecting human life, but monetary losses continue to grow. Knowledge on the effectiveness of flood early warning in reducing monetary losses is scarce, especially at the individual level. To gain more knowledge in this area, we analyze a dataset that is unique with respect to detailed information on warning reception and monetary losses at the property level and with respect to amount of data available. The dataset contains 4,468 loss cases from six flood events in Germany. These floods occurred between 2002 and 2013. The data from each event were collected by computer-aided telephone interviews in four surveys following a repeated cross-sectional design. We quantitatively reveal that flood early warning is only effective in reducing monetary losses when people know what to do when they receive the warning. We also show that particularly long-term preparedness is associated with people knowing what to do when they receive a warning. Thus, risk communication, training, and (financial) support for private preparedness are effective in mitigating flood losses in two ways: precautionary measures and more effective emergency responses. KW - adaptation KW - damage assessment KW - emergency preparedness KW - emergency KW - response KW - flood events Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-20-0262.1 SN - 0003-0007 SN - 1520-0477 VL - 102 IS - 7 SP - E1450 EP - E1463 PB - American Meteorological Soc. CY - Boston ER - TY - JOUR A1 - John, Sheeba A1 - Olas, Justyna Jadwiga A1 - Müller-Röber, Bernd T1 - Regulation of alternative splicing in response to temperature variation in plants JF - Journal of experimental botany N2 - Plants have evolved numerous molecular strategies to cope with perturbations in environmental temperature, and to adjust growth and physiology to limit the negative effects of extreme temperature. One of the strategies involves alternative splicing of primary transcripts to encode alternative protein products or transcript variants destined for degradation by nonsense-mediated decay. Here, we review how changes in environmental temperature-cold, heat, and moderate alterations in temperature-affect alternative splicing in plants, including crops. We present examples of the mode of action of various temperature-induced splice variants and discuss how these alternative splicing events enable favourable plant responses to altered temperatures. Finally, we point out unanswered questions that should be addressed to fully utilize the endogenous mechanisms in plants to adjust their growth to environmental temperature. We also indicate how this knowledge might be used to enhance crop productivity in the future. KW - alternative splicing KW - ambient temperature KW - cold KW - heat KW - plants KW - stress KW - adaptation Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erab232 SN - 0022-0957 SN - 1460-2431 VL - 72 IS - 18 SP - 6150 EP - 6163 PB - Oxford Univ. Press CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kruse, Stefan A1 - Kolmogorov, Aleksey I. A1 - Pestryakova, Luidmila Agafyevna A1 - Herzschuh, Ulrike T1 - Long-lived larch clones may conserve adaptations that could restrict treeline migration in northern Siberia JF - Ecology and evolution N2 - The occurrence of refugia beyond the arctic treeline and genetic adaptation therein play a crucial role of largely unknown effect size. While refugia have potential for rapidly colonizing the tundra under global warming, the taxa may be maladapted to the new environmental conditions. Understanding the genetic composition and age of refugia is thus crucial for predicting any migration response. Here, we genotype 194 larch individuals from an similar to 1.8 km(2)area in northcentral Siberia on the southern Taimyr Peninsula by applying an assay of 16 nuclear microsatellite markers. For estimating the age of clonal individuals, we counted tree rings at sections along branches to establish a lateral growth rate that was then combined with geographic distance. Findings reveal that the predominant reproduction type is clonal (58.76%) by short distance spreading of ramets. One outlier of clones 1 km apart could have been dispersed by reindeer. In clonal groups and within individuals, we find that somatic mutations accumulate with geographic distance. Clonal groups of two or more individuals are observed. Clonal age estimates regularly suggest individuals as old as 2,200 years, which coincides with a major environmental change that forced a treeline retreat in the region. We conclude that individuals with clonal growth mode were naturally selected as it lowers the likely risk of extinction under a harsh environment. We discuss this legacy from the past that might now be a maladaptation and hinder expansion under currently strongly increasing temperatures. KW - adaptation KW - clonal growth KW - growth rate KW - Larix KW - leading edge KW - treeline KW - migration Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.6660 SN - 2045-7758 VL - 10 IS - 18 SP - 10017 EP - 10030 PB - Wiley CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wagener, Thorsten A1 - Reinecke, Robert A1 - Pianosi, Francesca T1 - On the evaluation of climate change impact models JF - Wiley interdisciplinary reviews : Climate change N2 - In-depth understanding of the potential implications of climate change is required to guide decision- and policy-makers when developing adaptation strategies and designing infrastructure suitable for future conditions. Impact models that translate potential future climate conditions into variables of interest are needed to create the causal connection between a changing climate and its impact for different sectors. Recent surveys suggest that the primary strategy for validating such models (and hence for justifying their use) heavily relies on assessing the accuracy of model simulations by comparing them against historical observations. We argue that such a comparison is necessary and valuable, but not sufficient to achieve a comprehensive evaluation of climate change impact models. We believe that a complementary, largely observation-independent, step of model evaluation is needed to ensure more transparency of model behavior and greater robustness of scenario-based analyses. This step should address the following four questions: (1) Do modeled dominant process controls match our system perception? (2) Is my model's sensitivity to changing forcing as expected? (3) Do modeled decision levers show adequate influence? (4) Can we attribute uncertainty sources throughout the projection horizon? We believe that global sensitivity analysis, with its ability to investigate a model's response to joint variations of multiple inputs in a structured way, offers a coherent approach to address all four questions comprehensively. Such additional model evaluation would strengthen stakeholder confidence in model projections and, therefore, into the adaptation strategies derived with the help of impact models. This article is categorized under: Climate Models and Modeling > Knowledge Generation with Models Assessing Impacts of Climate Change > Evaluating Future Impacts of Climate Change KW - adaptation KW - sensitivity analysis KW - uncertainty KW - validation Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/wcc.772 SN - 1757-7780 SN - 1757-7799 VL - 13 IS - 3 PB - Wiley CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Henschke, Jakob A1 - Zecher, Mahli Megan A1 - Mayer, Frank A1 - Engel, Tilman T1 - Contralateral repeated bout effect following preconditioning exercises BT - a systematic review JF - Sport sciences for health N2 - Background Recent studies indicate the existence of a repeated bout effect on the contralateral untrained limb following eccentric and isometric contractions. Aims This review aims to summarize the evidence for magnitude, duration and differences of this effect following isometric and eccentric preconditioning exercises. Methods Medline, Cochrane, and Web of science were searched from January 1971 until September 2020. Randomized controlled trials, case-control studies and cross-sectional studies were identified by combining keywords and synonyms (e.g., "contralateral", "exercise", "preconditioning", "protective effect"). At least two of the following outcome parameters were mandatory for study inclusion: strength, muscle soreness, muscle swelling, limb circumference, inflammatory blood markers or protective index (relative change of aforementioned measures). Results After identifying 1979 articles, 13 studies were included. Most investigations examined elbow flexors and utilized eccentric isokinetic protocols to induce the contralateral repeated bout effect. The magnitude of protection was observed in four studies, smaller values of the contralateral when compared to the ipsilateral repeated bout effect were noted in three studies. The potential mechanism is thought to be of neural central nature since no differences in peripheral muscle activity were observed. Time course was examined in three investigations. One study showed a smaller protective effect following isometric preconditioning when compared to eccentric preconditioning exercises. Conclusions The contralateral repeated bout effect demonstrates a smaller magnitude and lasts shorter than the ipsilateral repeated bout effect. Future research should incorporate long-term controlled trials including larger populations to identify central mechanisms. This knowledge should be used in clinical practice to prepare immobilized limbs prospectively for an incremental load. KW - musculoskeletal physiological phenomena KW - muscle damage KW - adaptation KW - Crossover KW - muscle soreness KW - isometric contraction Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s11332-021-00804-0 SN - 1824-7490 SN - 1825-1234 VL - 18 IS - 1 SP - 1 EP - 10 PB - Soringer Italia CY - Milan ER - TY - THES A1 - Kiemel, Katrin T1 - Zooplankton adaptations and community dynamics in space and time N2 - In times of ongoing biodiversity loss, understanding how communities are structured and what mechanisms and local adaptations underlie the patterns we observe in nature is crucial for predicting how future ecological and anthropogenic changes might affect local and regional biodiversity. Aquatic zooplankton are a group of primary consumers that represent a critical link in the food chain, providing nutrients for the entire food web. Thus, understanding the adaptability and structure of zooplankton communities is essential. In this work, the genetic basis for the different temperature adaptations of two seasonally shifted (i.e., temperature-dependent) occurring freshwater rotifers of a formerly cryptic species complex (Brachionus calyciflorus) was investigated to understand the overall genetic diversity and evolutionary scenario for putative adaptations to different temperature regimes. Furthermore, this work aimed to clarify to what extent the different temperature adaptations may represent a niche partitioning process thus enabling co-existence. The findings were then embedded in a metacommunity context to understand how zooplankton communities assemble in a kettle hole metacommunity located in the northeastern German "Uckermark" and which underlying processes contribute to the biodiversity patterns we observe. Using a combined approach of newly generated mitochondrial resources (genomes/cds) and the analysis of a candidate gene (Heat Shock Protein 40kDa) for temperature adaptation, I showed that the global representatives of B. calyciflorus s.s.. are genetically more similar than B. fernandoi (average pairwise nucleotide diversity: 0.079 intraspecific vs. 0.257 interspecific) indicating that both species carry different standing genetic variation. In addition to differential expression in the thermotolerant B. calyciflorus s.s. and thermosensitive B. fernandoi, the HSP 40kDa also showed structural variation with eleven fixed and six positively selected sites, some of which are located in functional areas of the protein. The estimated divergence time of ~ 25-29 Myr combined with the fixed sites and a prevalence of ancestral amino acids in B. calyciflorus s.s. indicate that B. calyciflorus s.s. remained in the ancestral niche, while B. fernandoi partitioned into a new niche. The comparison of mitochondrial and nuclear markers (HPS 40kDa, ITS1, COI) revealed a hybridisation event between the two species. However, as hybridisation between the two species is rare, it can be concluded that the temporally isolated niches (i.e., seasonal-shifted occurrence) they inhabit based on their different temperature preferences most likely represent a pre-zygotic isolation mechanism that allows sympatric occurrence while maintaining species boundaries. To determine the processes underlying zooplankton community assembly, a zooplankton metacommunity comprising 24 kettle holes was sampled over a two-year period. Active (i.e., water samples) and dormant communities (i.e., dormant eggs hatched from sediment) were identified using a two-fragment DNA metabarcoding approach (COI and 18S). Species richness and diversity as well as community composition were analysed considering spatial, temporal and environmental parameters. The analysis revealed that environmental filtering based on parameters such as pH, size and location of the habitat patch (i.e., kettle hole) and surrounding field crops largely determined zooplankton community composition (explained variance: Bray-Curtis dissimilarities: 10.5%; Jaccard dissimilarities: 12.9%), indicating that adaptation to a particular habitat is a key feature of zooplankton species in this system. While the spatial configuration of the kettle holes played a minor role (explained variance: Bray-Curtis dissimilarities: 2.8% and Jaccard dissimilarities: 5.5%), the individual kettle hole sites had a significant influence on the community composition. This suggests monopolisation/priority effects (i.e., dormant communities) of certain species in individual kettle holes. As environmental filtering is the dominating process structuring zooplankton communities, this system could be significantly influenced by future land-use change, pollution and climate change. N2 - In Zeiten des fortschreitenden Verlusts biologischer Vielfalt ist es von entscheidender Bedeutung zu verstehen, wie natürliche Gemeinschaften strukturiert sind und welche Mechanismen und lokalen Anpassungen den beobachteten Biodiversitätsmustern zugrunde liegen, um eine wissenschaftliche Grundlage für die Vorhersage künftiger Veränderungen der lokalen und regionalen biologische Vielfalt zu schaffen. Aquatisches Zooplankton ist eine artenreiche Gruppe Primärkonsumenten, die ein entscheidendes Glied in der Nahrungskette darstellen, indem sie Nährstoffe für das gesamte Nahrungsnetz bereitstellen. Daher ist es von entscheidender Bedeutung, die Anpassungsfähigkeit und Struktur von Zooplanktongemeinschaften zu verstehen. In dieser Arbeit wurden die genetischen Grundlagen für die unterschiedliche Temperaturanpassung zweier saisonal-versetzt (d.h. temperaturabhängig) vorkommender limnischen Rädertierarten eines ehemals kryptischen Artenkomplexes (Brachionus calyciflorus) untersucht, um die genetische Variation und das evolutionäre Divergenz-Szenario sowie Grundlagen für die mutmaßliche Anpassungen an unterschiedliche Temperaturregime zu verstehen. Weiterhin sollte untersucht werden, ob die Temperaturanpassungen als Prozess der Nischenaufteilung verstanden werden können die die Koexistenz der Arten ermöglicht. Diese Ergebnisse wurden dann in einen Metagemeinschaftskontext eingebettet, um zu verstehen, wie sich Zooplanktongemeinschaften in einer Soll-Metagemeinschaft, welche sich in der nordostdeutschen Region "Uckermark" befindet, zusammensetzen und welche zugrundeliegenden Prozesse zu den beobachteten Biodiversitätsmustern führen. Eine Kombination aus neu generierten mitochondrialen Ressourcen (Genome/codierende Sequenzen) und der Analyse eines Kandidatengens (HSP 40kDa Gen) für die Temperaturanpassung ergab zum einen, dass die globalen Vertreter von B. calyciflorus s.s. einander genetisch ähnlicher sind als B. fernandoi (Nukleotiddiversität: 0,079 intraspezifisch vs. 0,257 interspezifisch) und beide Arten somit eine unterschiedliche genetische Variation besitzen. Zum anderen wird das HSP 40kDa wird nicht nur in dem wärmetoleranten B. calyciflorus s.s. und wärmeempfindlichen B. fernandoi unterschiedlich exprimiert, sondern weist auch strukturelle Variationen mit elf fixierten und sechs positiv selektierten Positionen auf, von denen einige in funktionellen Regionen des HSP 40kDa liegen. Die geschätzte Divergenzzeit von ca. 25-29 Millionen Jahren sowie die fixierten Positionen und die Dominanz anzestraler Aminosäuren in B. calyciflorus s.s. legen nahe, dass B. calyciflorus s.s. in der anzestralen Nische verblieb, während B. fernandoi eine neue Nische besetzte. Der Vergleich von mitochondrialen und nukleären Markern (HSP 40kDa, ITS1, COI) ergab ein Hybridisierungsereignis zwischen beiden Arten. Da Hybridisierung jedoch selten ist, können die zeitlich isolierten Nischen (d.h. saisonal-versetztes Auftreten), die sie aufgrund ihrer unterschiedlichen Temperaturpräferenzen bewohnen, als prä-zygotischer Isolationsmechanismus verstanden werden, der ein sympatrisches Vorkommen der Arten unter Aufrechterhaltung der Artgrenzen ermöglicht. Um die Prozesse zu bestimmen, die der Strukturierung von Zooplanktongemeinschaften zugrunde liegen, wurde über einen Zeitraum von zwei Jahren eine Zooplankton-Metagemeinschaft, bestehend aus 24 Söllen beprobt. Aktive (d.h. Wasserproben) und ruhende Gemeinschaften (d.h. aus dem Sediment geschlüpfte Gemeinschaften) wurden mit einem Zwei-Fragment-DNA-Metabarcoding-Ansatz (COI und 18S) bestimmt. Die Artenzahl und Abundanz sowie die Zusammensetzung der Gemeinschaften wurden unter Berücksichtigung räumlicher, zeitlicher und umweltbezogener Parameter analysiert. Die Analyse ergab, dass Umweltfilterung basierend auf Parametern wie pH-Wert, Größe, Lage und Typ des Habitats (d.h. des Solls) und der umgebenden Feldfrüchte die Zusammensetzung der Zooplanktongemeinschaft weitgehend bestimmt (erklärte Varianz: Bray-Curtis-Dissimilaritäten: 10,5%; Jaccard-Dissimilaritäten: 12,9%), was darauf hindeutet, dass die Anpassung an einen bestimmten Lebensraum ein wichtiges Merkmal der Zooplanktonarten in diesem System ist. Während die räumliche Struktur der Sölle eine geringe Rolle spielte (erklärte Varianz: Bray-Curtis-Dissimilaritäten: 2,8% und Jaccard-Dissimilaritäten: 5,5%), hatten die einzelnen Standorte einen erheblichen Einfluss auf die Zusammensetzung der Gemeinschaft. Dies deutet auf Monopolisierung/Prioritätseffekte (d.h. ruhende Gemeinschaften) bestimmter Arten in einzelnen Söllen hin. Da Umweltfilterung der dominierende Prozess für die Strukturierung der Zooplanktongemeinschaften ist, könnte dieses System durch künftige Landnutzungsänderungen, Verschmutzung und Klimawandel erheblich beeinflusst werden. KW - Zooplankton KW - Metacommunity KW - B. calyciflorus species complex KW - adaptation KW - hybridization KW - Metagemeinschaft KW - Anpassung KW - Hybridisierung Y1 - 2023 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Tesselaar, Max A1 - Botzen, W. J. Wouter A1 - Haer, Toon A1 - Hudson, Paul A1 - Tiggeloven, Timothy A1 - Aerts, Jeroen C. J. H. T1 - Regional inequalities in flood insurance affordability and uptake under climate change JF - Sustainability N2 - Flood insurance coverage can enhance financial resilience of households to changing flood risk caused by climate change. However, income inequalities imply that not all households can afford flood insurance. The uptake of flood insurance in voluntary markets may decline when flood risk increases as a result of climate change. This increase in flood risk may cause substantially higher risk-based insurance premiums, reduce the willingness to purchase flood insurance, and worsen problems with the unaffordability of coverage for low-income households. A socio-economic tipping-point can occur when the functioning of a formal flood insurance system is hampered by diminishing demand for coverage. In this study, we examine whether such a tipping-point can occur in Europe for current flood insurance systems under different trends in future flood risk caused by climate and socio-economic change. This analysis gives insights into regional inequalities concerning the ability to continue to use flood insurance as an instrument to adapt to changing flood risk. For this study, we adapt the "Dynamic Integrated Flood and Insurance" (DIFI) model by integrating new flood risk simulations in the model that enable examining impacts from various scenarios of climate and socio-economic change on flood insurance premiums and consumer demand. Our results show rising unaffordability and declining demand for flood insurance across scenarios towards 2080. Under a high climate change scenario, simulations show the occurrence of a socio-economic tipping-point in several regions, where insurance uptake almost disappears. A tipping-point and related inequalities in the ability to use flood insurance as an adaptation instrument can be mitigated by introducing reforms of flood insurance arrangements. KW - climate change KW - flood risk management KW - insurance KW - socio-economic KW - tipping-point KW - adaptation KW - partial equilibrium modeling Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/su12208734 SN - 2071-1050 VL - 12 IS - 20 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hodapp, Alice A1 - Rabovsky, Milena T1 - The N400 ERP component reflects an error-based implicit learning signal during language comprehension JF - European journal of neuroscience N2 - The functional significance of the N400 evoked-response component is still actively debated. An increasing amount of theoretical and computational modelling work is built on the interpretation of the N400 as a prediction error. In neural network modelling work, it was proposed that the N400 component can be interpreted as the change in a probabilistic representation of meaning that drives the continuous adaptation of an internal model of the statistics of the environment. These results imply that increased N400 amplitudes should correspond to greater adaptation, which can be measured via implicit memory. To investigate this model derived hypothesis, the current study manipulated expectancy in a sentence reading task to influence N400 amplitudes and subsequently presented the previously expected vs. unexpected words in a perceptual identification task to measure implicit memory. As predicted, reaction times in the perceptual identification task were significantly faster for previously unexpected words that induced larger N400 amplitudes in the previous sentence reading task. Additionally, it could be demonstrated that this adaptation seems to specifically depend on the process underlying N400 amplitudes, as participants with larger N400 differences during sentence reading also exhibited a larger implicit memory benefit in the perceptual identification task. These findings support the interpretation of the N400 as an implicit learning signal driving adaptation in language processing. KW - adaptation KW - EEG KW - expectancy KW - implicit learning KW - prediction error Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/ejn.15462 SN - 0953-816X SN - 1460-9568 VL - 54 IS - 9 SP - 7125 EP - 7140 PB - Wiley CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schwensow, Nina I. A1 - Detering, Harald A1 - Pederson, Stephen A1 - Mazzoni, Camila A1 - Sinclair, Ron A1 - Peacock, David A1 - Kovaliski, John A1 - Cooke, Brian A1 - Fickel, Jörns A1 - Sommer, Simone T1 - Resistance to RHD virus in wild Australian rabbits BT - comparison of susceptible and resistant individuals using a genomewide approach JF - Molecular ecology N2 - Deciphering the genes involved in disease resistance is essential if we are to understand host-pathogen coevolutionary processes. The rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV) was imported into Australia in 1995 as a biocontrol agent to manage one of the most successful and devastating invasive species, the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus). During the first outbreaks of the disease, RHDV caused mortality rates of up to 97%. Recently, however, increased genetic resistance to RHDV has been reported. Here, we have aimed to identify genomic differences between rabbits that survived a natural infection with RHDV and those that died in the field using a genomewide next-generation sequencing (NGS) approach. We detected 72 SNPs corresponding to 133 genes associated with survival of a RHD infection. Most of the identified genes have known functions in virus infections and replication, immune responses or apoptosis, or have previously been found to be regulated during RHD. Some of the genes identified in experimental studies, however, did not seem to play a role under natural selection regimes, highlighting the importance of field studies to complement the genomic background of wildlife diseases. Our study provides a set of candidate markers as a tool for the future scanning of wild rabbits for their resistance to RHDV. This is important both for wild rabbit populations in southern Europe where RHD is regarded as a serious problem decimating the prey of endangered predator species and for assessing the success of currently planned RHDV variant biocontrol releases in Australia. KW - adaptation KW - genetic resistance KW - host-pathogen coevolution KW - natural selection KW - rabbit KW - rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.14228 SN - 0962-1083 SN - 1365-294X VL - 26 SP - 4551 EP - 4561 PB - Wiley CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ndah, Hycenth Tim A1 - Schuler, Johannes A1 - Diehl, Katharina A1 - Bateki, Christian A1 - Sieber, Stefan A1 - Knierim, Andrea T1 - From dogmatic views on conservation agriculture adoption in Zambia towards adapting to context JF - International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability N2 - Conservation Agriculture (CA) has been widely promoted in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) as a sustainable agricultural practice, yet with debatable success. Most authors assume successful adoption, only if all three principles of CA are implemented: (1) minimum or zero tillage, (2) maintenance of a permanent soil cover, and (3) integration of crop rotations. Based on this strict definition, adoption has declined or remained stagnant. Presently, not much attention has been given to context-suited adaptation possibilities, and partial adoption has not been recognized as an entry point to full adoption. Furthermore, isolated success cases have not been analysed sufficiently. By applying the QAToCA approach based on focus group discussions complemented by semi-structured qualitative expert and farmer interviews, we assessed the reasons behind positive CA adaptation and adoption trends in Zambia. Main reasons behind Zambia’s emerging success are (1) a positive institutional influence, (2) a systematic approach towards CA promotion – encouraging a stepwise adaptation and adoption, and (3) mobilization of strong marketing dynamics around CA. These findings could help to eventually adjust or redesign CA promotion activities. We argue for a careful shift from the ‘dogmatic view’ on adoption of CA as a packaged technology, towards adapting its principles to the small-scale farming context of SSA. KW - Conservation agriculture KW - adaptation KW - partial adoption KW - QAToCA KW - Zambia Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1080/14735903.2018.1447227 SN - 1473-5903 SN - 1747-762X VL - 16 IS - 2 SP - 228 EP - 242 PB - Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group CY - Abingdon ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Weyrich, Alexandra A1 - Jeschek, Marie A1 - Schrapers, Katharina T. A1 - Lenz, Dorina A1 - Chung, Tzu Hung A1 - Ruebensam, Kathrin A1 - Yasar, Sermin A1 - Schneemann, Markus A1 - Ortmann, Sylvia A1 - Jewgenow, Katarina A1 - Fickel, Jörns T1 - Diet changes alter paternally inherited epigenetic pattern in male Wild guinea pigs JF - Environmental Epigenetics N2 - Epigenetic modifications, of which DNA methylation is the most stable, are a mechanism conveying environmental information to subsequent generations via parental germ lines. The paternal contribution to adaptive processes in the offspring might be crucial, but has been widely neglected in comparison to the maternal one. To address the paternal impact on the offspring’s adaptability to changes in diet composition, we investigated if low protein diet (LPD) in F0 males caused epigenetic alterations in their subsequently sired sons. We therefore fed F0 male Wild guinea pigs with a diet lowered in protein content (LPD) and investigated DNA methylation in sons sired before and after their father’s LPD treatment in both, liver and testis tissues. Our results point to a ‘heritable epigenetic response’ of the sons to the fathers’ dietary change. Because we detected methylation changes also in the testis tissue, they are likely to be transmitted to the F2 generation. Gene-network analyses of differentially methylated genes in liver identified main metabolic pathways indicating a metabolic reprogramming (‘metabolic shift’). Epigenetic mechanisms, allowing an immediate and inherited adaptation may thus be important for the survival of species in the context of a persistently changing environment, such as climate change. KW - DNA methylation KW - exposure KW - wild mammal species KW - inheritance KW - plasticity KW - adaptation Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1093/eep/dvy011 SN - 2058-5888 VL - 4 IS - 2 PB - Oxford Univ. Press CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kreibich, Heidi A1 - Di Baldassarre, Giuliano A1 - Vorogushyn, Sergiy A1 - Aerts, Jeroen C. J. H. A1 - Apel, Heiko A1 - Aronica, Giuseppe T. A1 - Arnbjerg-Nielsen, Karsten A1 - Bouwer, Laurens M. A1 - Bubeck, Philip A1 - Caloiero, Tommaso A1 - Chinh, Do T. A1 - Cortes, Maria A1 - Gain, Animesh K. A1 - Giampa, Vincenzo A1 - Kuhlicke, Christian A1 - Kundzewicz, Zbigniew W. A1 - Llasat, Maria Carmen A1 - Mard, Johanna A1 - Matczak, Piotr A1 - Mazzoleni, Maurizio A1 - Molinari, Daniela A1 - Dung, Nguyen V. A1 - Petrucci, Olga A1 - Schröter, Kai A1 - Slager, Kymo A1 - Thieken, Annegret A1 - Ward, Philip J. A1 - Merz, Bruno T1 - Adaptation to flood risk BT - Results of international paired flood event studies JF - Earth's Future N2 - As flood impacts are increasing in large parts of the world, understanding the primary drivers of changes in risk is essential for effective adaptation. To gain more knowledge on the basis of empirical case studies, we analyze eight paired floods, that is, consecutive flood events that occurred in the same region, with the second flood causing significantly lower damage. These success stories of risk reduction were selected across different socioeconomic and hydro-climatic contexts. The potential of societies to adapt is uncovered by describing triggered societal changes, as well as formal measures and spontaneous processes that reduced flood risk. This novel approach has the potential to build the basis for an international data collection and analysis effort to better understand and attribute changes in risk due to hydrological extremes in the framework of the IAHSs Panta Rhei initiative. Across all case studies, we find that lower damage caused by the second event was mainly due to significant reductions in vulnerability, for example, via raised risk awareness, preparedness, and improvements of organizational emergency management. Thus, vulnerability reduction plays an essential role for successful adaptation. Our work shows that there is a high potential to adapt, but there remains the challenge to stimulate measures that reduce vulnerability and risk in periods in which extreme events do not occur. KW - flooding KW - vulnerability KW - global environmental change KW - adaptation Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/2017EF000606 SN - 2328-4277 VL - 5 SP - 953 EP - 965 PB - Wiley CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Weyrich, Alexandra A1 - Lenz, Dorina A1 - Fickel, Jörns T1 - Environmental Change-Dependent Inherited Epigenetic Response JF - GENES N2 - Epigenetic modifications are a mechanism conveying environmental information to subsequent generations via parental germ lines. Research on epigenetic responses to environmental changes in wild mammals has been widely neglected, as well as studies that compare responses to changes in different environmental factors. Here, we focused on the transmission of DNA methylation changes to naive male offspring after paternal exposure to either diet (~40% less protein) or temperature increase (10 °C increased temperature). Because both experiments focused on the liver as the main metabolic and thermoregulation organ, we were able to decipher if epigenetic changes differed in response to different environmental changes. Reduced representation bisulfite sequencing (RRBS) revealed differentially methylated regions (DMRs) in annotated genomic regions in sons sired before (control) and after the fathers’ treatments. We detected both a highly specific epigenetic response dependent on the environmental factor that had changed that was reflected in genes involved in specific metabolic pathways, and a more general response to changes in outer stimuli reflected by epigenetic modifications in a small subset of genes shared between both responses. Our results indicated that fathers prepared their offspring for specific environmental changes by paternally inherited epigenetic modifications, suggesting a strong paternal contribution to adaptive processes. KW - DNA methylation KW - exposure KW - wild mammal species KW - inheritance KW - plasticity KW - adaptation KW - RRBS Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/genes10010004 SN - 2073-4425 VL - 10 IS - 1 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Sairam, Nivedita A1 - Schröter, Kai A1 - Lüdtke, Stefan A1 - Merz, Bruno A1 - Kreibich, Heidi T1 - Quantifying Flood Vulnerability Reduction via Private Precaution JF - Earth future N2 - Private precaution is an important component in contemporary flood risk management and climate adaptation. However, quantitative knowledge about vulnerability reduction via private precautionary measures is scarce and their effects are hardly considered in loss modeling and risk assessments. However, this is a prerequisite to enable temporally dynamic flood damage and risk modeling, and thus the evaluation of risk management and adaptation strategies. To quantify the average reduction in vulnerability of residential buildings via private precaution empirical vulnerability data (n = 948) is used. Households with and without precautionary measures undertaken before the flood event are classified into treatment and nontreatment groups and matched. Postmatching regression is used to quantify the treatment effect. Additionally, we test state-of-the-art flood loss models regarding their capability to capture this difference in vulnerability. The estimated average treatment effect of implementing private precaution is between 11 and 15 thousand EUR per household, confirming the significant effectiveness of private precautionary measures in reducing flood vulnerability. From all tested flood loss models, the expert Bayesian network-based model BN-FLEMOps and the rule-based loss model FLEMOps perform best in capturing the difference in vulnerability due to private precaution. Thus, the use of such loss models is suggested for flood risk assessments to effectively support evaluations and decision making for adaptable flood risk management. KW - flood loss KW - average treatment effect KW - matching methods KW - loss models KW - risk analysis KW - adaptation Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1029/2018EF000994 SN - 2328-4277 VL - 7 IS - 3 SP - 235 EP - 249 PB - American Geophysical Union CY - Washington ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Jehmlich, Caroline A1 - Hudson, Paul A1 - Thieken, Annegret T1 - Short contribution on adaptive behaviour of flood-prone companies BT - a pilot study of Dresden-Laubegast, Germany JF - Journal of Flood Risk Management N2 - Integrated flood management strategies consider property-level precautionary measures as a vital part. Whereas this is a well-researched topic for residents, little is known about the adaptive behaviour of flood-prone companies although they often settle on the ground floor of buildings and are thus among the first affected by flooding. This pilot study analyses flood responses of 64 businesses in a district of the city of Dresden, Germany that experienced major flooding in 2002 and 2013. Using standardised survey data and accompanying qualitative interviews, the analyses revealed that the largest driver of adaptive behaviour is experiencing flood events. Intangible factors such as tradition and a sense of community play a role for the decision to stay in the area, while lacking ownership might hamper property-level adaptation. Further research is also needed to understand the role of insurance and governmental aid for recovery and adaptation of businesses. KW - adaptation KW - disaster risk reduction KW - integrated flood risk management KW - risk perception Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/jfr3.12653 SN - 1753-318X VL - 13 PB - Wiley-Blackwell CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wenz, Leonie A1 - Levermann, Anders A1 - Auffhammer, Maximilian T1 - North-south polarization of European electricity consumption under future warming JF - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America N2 - There is growing empirical evidence that anthropogenic climate change will substantially affect the electric sector. Impacts will stem both from the supply sidethrough the mitigation of greenhouse gasesand from the demand sidethrough adaptive responses to a changing environment. Here we provide evidence of a polarization of both peak load and overall electricity consumption under future warming for the worlds third-largest electricity marketthe 35 countries of Europe. We statistically estimate country-level doseresponse functions between daily peak/total electricity load and ambient temperature for the period 2006-2012. After removing the impact of nontemperature confounders and normalizing the residual load data for each country, we estimate a common doseresponse function, which we use to compute national electricity loads for temperatures that lie outside each countrys currently observed temperature range. To this end, we impose end-of-century climate on todays European economies following three different greenhouse-gas concentration trajectories, ranging from ambitious climate-change mitigationin line with the Paris agreementto unabated climate change. We find significant increases in average daily peak load and overall electricity consumption in southern and western Europe (similar to 3 to similar to 7% for Portugal and Spain) and significant decreases in northern Europe (similar to-6 to similar to-2% for Sweden and Norway). While the projected effect on European total consumption is nearly zero, the significant polarization and seasonal shifts in peak demand and consumption have important ramifications for the location of costly peak-generating capacity, transmission infrastructure, and the design of energy-efficiency policy and storage capacity. KW - electricity consumption KW - peak load KW - climate change KW - adaptation Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1704339114 SN - 0027-8424 VL - 114 SP - E7910 EP - E7918 PB - National Acad. of Sciences CY - Washington ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Dellinger, Agnes S. A1 - Essl, Franz A1 - Hojsgaard, Diego A1 - Kirchheimer, Bernhard A1 - Klatt, Simone A1 - Dawson, Wayne A1 - Pergl, Jan A1 - Pysek, Petr A1 - van Kleunen, Mark A1 - Weber, Ewald A1 - Winter, Marten A1 - Hoerandl, Elvira A1 - Dullinger, Stefan T1 - Niche dynamics of alien species do not differ among sexual and apomictic flowering plants JF - New phytologist : international journal of plant science N2 - We compiled global occurrence data sets of 13 congeneric sexual and apomictic species pairs, and used principal components analysis (PCA) and kernel smoothers to compare changes in climatic niche optima, breadths and unfilling/expansion between native and alien ranges. Niche change metrics were compared between sexual and apomictic species. All 26 species showed changes in niche optima and/or breadth and 14 species significantly expanded their climatic niches. However, we found no effect of the reproductive system on niche dynamics. Instead, species with narrower native niches showed higher rates of niche expansion in the alien ranges. Our results suggest that niche shifts are frequent in plant invasions but evolutionary potential may not be of major importance for such shifts. Niche dynamics rather appear to be driven by changes of the realized niche without adaptive change of the fundamental climatic niche. KW - adaptation KW - asexual reproduction KW - niche shifts KW - plant invasion KW - reproductive system KW - species distribution modelling Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.13694 SN - 0028-646X SN - 1469-8137 VL - 209 SP - 1313 EP - 1323 PB - Wiley-Blackwell CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Weyrich, Alexandra A1 - Lenz, Dorina A1 - Jeschek, Marie A1 - Tzu Hung Chung, A1 - Ruebensam, Kathrin A1 - Goeritz, Frank A1 - Jewgenow, Katarina A1 - Fickel, Jörns T1 - Paternal intergenerational epigenetic response to heat exposure in male Wild guinea pigs JF - Molecular ecology N2 - Epigenetic modifications, of which DNA methylation is the best studied one, can convey environmental information through generations via parental germ lines. Past studies have focused on the maternal transmission of epigenetic information to the offspring of isogenic mice and rats in response to external changes, whereas heterogeneous wild mammals as well as paternal epigenetic effects have been widely neglected. In most wild mammal species, males are the dispersing sex and have to cope with differing habitats and thermal changes. As temperature is a major environmental factor we investigated if genetically heterogeneous Wild guinea pig (Cavia aperea) males can adapt epigenetically to an increase in temperature and if that response will be transmitted to the next generation(s). Five adult male guinea pigs (F0) were exposed to an increased ambient temperature for 2 months, i.e. the duration of spermatogenesis. We studied the liver (as the main thermoregulatory organ) of F0 fathers and F1 sons, and testes of F1 sons for paternal transmission of epigenetic modifications across generation(s). Reduced representation bisulphite sequencing revealed shared differentially methylated regions in annotated areas between F0 livers before and after heat treatment, and their sons’ livers and testes, which indicated a general response with ecological relevance. Thus, paternal exposure to a temporally limited increased ambient temperature led to an ‘immediate’ and ‘heritable’ epigenetic response that may even be transmitted to the F2 generation. In the context of globally rising temperatures epigenetic mechanisms may become increasingly relevant for the survival of species. KW - adaptation KW - Cavia aperea KW - DNA methylation KW - environmental factor KW - global change KW - plasticity KW - temperature increase Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.13494 SN - 0962-1083 SN - 1365-294X VL - 25 SP - 1729 EP - 1740 PB - Wiley-Blackwell CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Zancolli, Giulia A1 - Baker, Timothy G. A1 - Barlow, Axel A1 - Bradley, Rebecca K. A1 - Calvete, Juan J. A1 - Carter, Kimberley C. A1 - de Jager, Kaylah A1 - Owens, John Benjamin A1 - Price, Jenny Forrester A1 - Sanz, Libia A1 - Scholes-Higham, Amy A1 - Shier, Liam A1 - Wood, Liam A1 - Wüster, Catharine E. A1 - Wüster, Wolfgang T1 - Is Hybridization a Source of Adaptive Venom Variation in Rattlesnakes? A Test, Using a Crotalus scutulatus x viridis Hybrid Zone in Southwestern New Mexico JF - Toxins N2 - Venomous snakes often display extensive variation in venom composition both between and within species. However, the mechanisms underlying the distribution of different toxins and venom types among populations and taxa remain insufficiently known. Rattlesnakes (Crotalus, Sistrurus) display extreme inter-and intraspecific variation in venom composition, centered particularly on the presence or absence of presynaptically neurotoxic phospholipases A2 such as Mojave toxin (MTX). Interspecific hybridization has been invoked as a mechanism to explain the distribution of these toxins across rattlesnakes, with the implicit assumption that they are adaptively advantageous. Here, we test the potential of adaptive hybridization as a mechanism for venom evolution by assessing the distribution of genes encoding the acidic and basic subunits of Mojave toxin across a hybrid zone between MTX-positive Crotalus scutulatus and MTX-negative C. viridis in southwestern New Mexico, USA. Analyses of morphology, mitochondrial and single copy-nuclear genes document extensive admixture within a narrow hybrid zone. The genes encoding the two MTX subunits are strictly linked, and found in most hybrids and backcrossed individuals, but not in C. viridis away from the hybrid zone. Presence of the genes is invariably associated with presence of the corresponding toxin in the venom. We conclude that introgression of highly lethal neurotoxins through hybridization is not necessarily favored by natural selection in rattlesnakes, and that even extensive hybridization may not lead to introgression of these genes into another species. KW - adaptation KW - Crotalus KW - evolution KW - hybridization KW - introgression KW - Mojave toxin KW - molecular evolution KW - venom Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins8060188 SN - 2072-6651 VL - 8 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - THES A1 - Paraskevopoulou, Sofia T1 - Adaptive genetic variation and responses to thermal stress in brachionid rotifers N2 - The importance of cryptic diversity in rotifers is well understood regarding its ecological consequences, but there remains an in depth comprehension of the underlying molecular mechanisms and forces driving speciation. Temperature has been found several times to affect species spatio-temporal distribution and organisms’ performance, but we lack information on the mechanisms that provide thermal tolerance to rotifers. High cryptic diversity was found recently in the freshwater rotifer “Brachionus calyciflorus”, showing that the complex comprises at least four species: B. calyciflorus sensu stricto (s.s.), B. fernandoi, B. dorcas, and B. elevatus. The temporal succession among species which have been observed in sympatry led to the idea that temperature might play a crucial role in species differentiation. The central aim of this study was to unravel differences in thermal tolerance between species of the former B. calyciflorus species complex by comparing phenotypic and gene expression responses. More specifically, I used the critical maximum temperature as a proxy for inter-species differences in heat-tolerance; this was modeled as a bi-dimensional phenotypic trait taking into consideration the intention and the duration of heat stress. Significant differences on heat-tolerance between species were detected, with B. calyciflorus s.s. being able to tolerate higher temperatures than B. fernandoi. Based on evidence of within species neutral genetic variation, I further examined adaptive genetic variability within two different mtDNA lineages of the heat tolerant B. calyciflorus s.s. to identify SNPs and genes under selection that might reflect their adaptive history. These analyses did not reveal adaptive genetic variation related to heat, however, they show putatively adaptive genetic variation which may reflect local adaptation. Functional enrichment of putatively positively selected genes revealed signals of adaptation in genes related to “lipid metabolism”, “xenobiotics biodegradation and metabolism” and “sensory system”, comprising candidate genes which can be utilized in studies on local adaptation. An absence of genetically-based differences in thermal adaptation between the two mtDNA lineages, together with our knowledge that B. calyciflorus s.s. can withstand a broad range of temperatures, led to the idea to further investigate shared transcriptomic responses to long-term exposure to high and low temperatures regimes. With this, I identified candidate genes that are involved in the response to temperature imposed stress. Lastly, I used comparative transcriptomics to examine responses to imposed heat-stress in heat-tolerant and heat-sensitive Brachionus species. I found considerably different patterns of gene expression in the two species. Most striking are patterns of expression regarding the heat shock proteins (hsps) between the two species. In the heat-tolerant, B. calyciflorus s.s., significant up-regulation of hsps at low temperatures was indicative of a stress response at the cooler end of the temperature regimes tested here. In contrast, in the heat-sensitive B. fernandoi, hsps generally exhibited up-regulation of these genes along with rising temperatures. Overall, identification of differences in expression of genes suggests suppression of protein biosynthesis to be a mechanism to increase thermal tolerance. Observed patterns in population growth are correlated with the hsp gene expression differences, indicating that this physiological stress response is indeed related to phenotypic life history performance. N2 - Obwohl die kryptische Diversität von Rotatorien (Rädertierchen) und die daraus resultierenden ökologischen Konsequenzen inzwischen sehr gut verstanden sind, sind die zugrunde liegenden molekularen Mechanismen und die Artbildungsprozesse bisher weitgehend unbekannt. Bekannt ist, dass die Temperatur eine bedeutende Rolle in den raum-zeitlichen Verbreitungsmustern der Arten sowie der Leistungsfähigkeit der Organismen, spielt. Es fehlen jedoch konkrete Informationen über die der Thermotoleranz zugrundeliegenden Mechanismen bei Rotatorien. Vor kurzem wurde hohe kryptische Diversität in der unter anderem in Süßwasser vorkommenden Art „Brachionus calyciflorus“ gefunden, so dass diese nun in mindestens vier Arten (B. calyciflorus sensu stricto (s.s.), B. fernandoi, B. dorcas und B. elevatus) unterteilt wurde. Beobachtungen von in Sympatrie vorkommenden Arten haben gezeigt, dass eine zeitliche Suksession innerhalb dieser Arten existiert, was vermuten lässt, dass Temperatur eine entscheidende Rolle bei der Artbildung gespielt haben könnte. Ziel dieser Arbeit ist es, Thermotoleranzunterschiede zwischen Arten des früheren B. calyciflorus-Artenkomplexes durch den Vergleich von phänotypischen und molekularen (Genexpression) Reaktionen auf Temperatur festzustellen. Die in dieser Untersuchung ermittelte kritische Maximaltemperatur wurde als Schätzer für zwischenartliche Hitzetoleranz verwendet. Mit Hilfe eines zweidimensionalen Verfahrens, welches sowohl die Dauer als auch die Stärke des Hitzestresses detektiert, konnte festgestellt werden, dass B. calyciflorus s.s. im Vergleich zu B. fernandoi hitzetoleranter ist. Auf Basis der innerartlichen genetischen Variation erfolgte eine tiefergehende Untersuchung zweier unterschiedlicher maternaler (mtDNA) Evolutionslinien der hitzetoleranteren Art B. calyciflorus s.s mit dem Ziel, unter divergenter Selektion stehende SNPs und Gene zu identifizieren, welche die Anpassung an verschiedene Temperaturen widerspiegeln könnten. Mit Hilfe dieses Experimentes war es möglich, potentiell positiv selektiere Kandidatengene zu identifizieren, welche im Zusammenhang mit dem „Lipidmetabolismus“, dem „Metabolismus und Abbau von Xenobiotika“ sowie dem „Sensorischen System“ stehen. Diese Kandidatengene lassen Rückschlüsse auf lokale Anpassungen zu. Es konnten keine genetischen Unterschiede gefunden werden, die im Zusammenhang mit der Temperaturanpassung der beiden untersuchten Evolutionslinien stehen. Um molekulare Grundlagen für die Toleranz von B. calyciflorus s.s für einen großen Temperaturbereich zu identifizieren, wurde das Transkriptom untersucht. Mit Hilfe der erhobenen Daten konnten Kandidatengene identifiziert werden, die für die Temperaturtoleranz von Bedeutung sind. Der letzte Teil dieser Arbeit konzentrierte sich auf die Untersuchung der Hitzestressantwort in einer hitzetoleranten und einer hitzesensitiven Brachionus Art. Diese Untersuchung konnte erhebliche Unterschiede in den Genexpre-ssionsmustern der beiden Arten aufzeigen. Die deutlichsten Unterschiede der Genexpression wurden hierbei in der Expression von Genen detektiert, die für die sogenannten Hitze-Schock-Proteinen (Heat-shock-proteins: hsp) codieren. In der hitzetoleranten Art B. calyciflorus s.s wurde ein signifikanter Anstieg der hsp-Genexpression bei geringen Temperaturen festgestellt, während bei der hitzesensitiven Art B. fernandoi ein signifikanter Anstieg bei hohen Temperaturen detektiert wurde. Die in dieser Arbeit gefundenen Unterschiede in der Genexpression zeigen, dass Temperaturstress eine Hemmung der Proteinbiosynthese bewirken kann, was zu einer erhöhten Thermotoleranz führt. Darüber hinaus ist Populationswachstum mit der Expression von Hitze-Schock-Proteingenen korreliert. Dies deutet darauf hin, dass die hier beschriebene physiologische Temperaturstressantwort tatsächlich mit den beobachteten phänotypischen Fitnessparametern im Zusammenhang steht. KW - Brachionus KW - zooplankton KW - temperature KW - RNA-seq KW - transcriptome KW - adaptation Y1 - 2019 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schachner, Maja Katharina A1 - Juang, Linda P. A1 - Moffitt, Ursula Elinor A1 - van de Vijver, Fons J. R. T1 - Schools as acculturative and developmental contexts for youth of immigrant and refugee background JF - European psychologist : official organ of the European Federation of Psychologists' Associations (EFPA) N2 - Schools are important for the academic and socio-emotional development, as well as acculturation of immigrant-and refugee-background youth. We highlight individual differences which shape their unique experiences, while considering three levels of the school context in terms of how they may affect adaptation outcomes: (1) interindividual interactions in the classroom (such as peer relations, student-teacher relations, teacher beliefs, and teaching practices), (2) characteristics of the classroom or school (such as ethnic composition and diversity climate), and (3) relevant school-and nation-level policies (such as diversity policies and school tracking). Given the complexity of the topic, there is a need for more research taking an integrated and interdisciplinary perspective to address migration related issues in the school context. Teacher beliefs and the normative climate in schools seem particularly promising points for intervention, which may be easier to change than structural aspects of the school context. More inclusive schools are also an important step toward more peaceful interethnic relations in diverse societies. KW - youth of immigrant and refugee background KW - school KW - acculturation KW - adaptation Y1 - 2019 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-414101 SN - 1016-9040 SN - 1878-531X VL - 23 IS - 1 SP - 44 EP - 56 PB - Hogrefe Publ. CY - Göttingen ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Campbell, Kevin L. A1 - Hofreiter, Michael T1 - Resurrecting phenotypes from ancient DNA sequences: promises and perspectives JF - Canadian journal of zoology = Revue canadienne de zoologie N2 - Anatomical changes in extinct mammalian lineages over evolutionary time, such as the loss of fingers and teeth and the rapid increase in body size that accompanied the late Miocene dispersal of the progenitors of Steller's sea cows (Hydrodamalis gigas (Zimmermann, 1780)) into North Pacific waters and the convergent development of a thick pelage and accompanying reductions in ear and tail surface area of woolly mammoths (Mammuthus primigenius (Blumenbach, 1799)) and woolly rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis (Blumenbach, 1799)), are prime examples of adaptive evolution underlying the exploitation of new habitats. It is likely, however, that biochemical specializations adopted during these evolutionary transitions were of similar or even greater biological importance. As these "living" processes do not fossilize, direct information regarding the physiological attributes of extinct species has largely remained beyond the range of scientific inquiry. However, the ability to retrieve genomic sequences from ancient DNA samples, combined with ectopic expression systems, now permit the evolutionary origins and structural and functional properties of authentic prehistoric proteins to be examined in great detail. Exponential technical advances in ancient DNA retrieval, enrichment, and sequencing will soon permit targeted generation of complete genomes from hundreds of extinct species across the last one million years that, in combination with emerging in vitro expression, genome engineering, and cell differentiation techniques, promises to herald an exciting new trajectory of evolutionary research at the interface of biochemistry, genomics, palaeontology, and cell biology. KW - paleophysiology KW - ancient DNA KW - extinct species KW - adaptation KW - protein structure Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1139/cjz-2014-0337 SN - 0008-4301 SN - 1480-3283 VL - 93 IS - 9 SP - 701 EP - 710 PB - NRC Research Press CY - Ottawa ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schwensow, Nina I. A1 - Cooke, Brian A1 - Kovaliski, John A1 - Sinclair, Ron A1 - Peacock, David A1 - Fickel, Jörns A1 - Sommer, Simone T1 - Rabbit haemorrhagic disease: virus persistence and adaptation in Australia JF - Evolutionary applications N2 - In Australia, the rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV) has been used since 1996 to reduce numbers of introduced European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) which have a devastating impact on the native Australian environment. RHDV causes regular, short disease outbreaks, but little is known about how the virus persists and survives between epidemics. We examined the initial spread of RHDV to show that even upon its initial spread, the virus circulated continuously on a regional scale rather than persisting at a local population level and that Australian rabbit populations are highly interconnected by virus-carrying flying vectors. Sequencing data obtained from a single rabbit population showed that the viruses that caused an epidemic each year seldom bore close genetic resemblance to those present in previous years. Together, these data suggest that RHDV survives in the Australian environment through its ability to spread amongst rabbit subpopulations. This is consistent with modelling results that indicated that in a large interconnected rabbit meta-population, RHDV should maintain high virulence, cause short, strong disease outbreaks but show low persistence in any given subpopulation. This new epidemiological framework is important for understanding virus-host co-evolution and future disease management options of pest species to secure Australia's remaining natural biodiversity. KW - adaptation KW - calicivirus KW - Oryctolagus cuniculus KW - rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus epidemiology Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/eva.12195 SN - 1752-4571 VL - 7 IS - 9 SP - 1056 EP - 1067 PB - Wiley-Blackwell CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wiesner, Kerstin R. A1 - Loxdale, Hugh D. A1 - Köhler, Günter A1 - Schneider, Anja R. R. A1 - Tiedemann, Ralph A1 - Weisser, Wolfgang W. T1 - Patterns of local and regional genetic structuring in the meadow grasshopper, Chorthippus parallelus (Orthoptera: Acrididae), in Central Germany revealed using microsatellite markers JF - Biological journal of the Linnean Society : a journal of evolution N2 - The meadow grasshopper, Chorthippus parallelus (Zetterstedt), is common and widespread in Central Europe, with a low dispersal range per generation. A population study in Central Germany (Frankenwald and Thuringer Schiefergebirge) showed strong interpopulation differences in abundance and individual fitness. We examined genetic variability using microsatellite markers within and between 22 populations in a short-to long-distance sampling (19 populations, Frankenwald, Schiefergebirge, as well as a southern transect), and in the Erzgebirge region (three populations), with the latter aiming to check for effects as a result of historical forest cover. Of the 671 C. parallelus captured, none was macropterous (functionally winged). All populations showed a high level of expected and observed heterozygosity (mean 0.80-0.90 and 0.60-0.75, respectively), whereas there was evidence of inbreeding (F(IS) values all positive). Allelic richness for all locus-population combinations was high (mean 9.3-11.2), whereas alleles per locus ranged from 15-62. At a local level, genic and genotypic differences were significant. Pairwise F(ST) values were in the range 0.00-0.04, indicating little interpopulation genetic differentiation. Similarly, the calculated gene flow was very high, based on the respective F(ST) (19.5) and using private alleles (7.7). A Neighbour-joining tree using Nei's D(A) and principal coordinate analysis separated two populations that were collected in the Erzgebirge region. Populations from this region may have escaped the effects of the historical forest cover. The visualization of the spatial arrangement of genotypes revealed one geographical barrier to gene flow in the short-distance sampling. KW - adaptation KW - gene flow KW - diversity KW - landscape structure KW - wing polyphenism Y1 - 2011 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8312.2011.01698.x SN - 0024-4066 VL - 103 IS - 4 SP - 875 EP - 890 PB - Wiley-Blackwell CY - Malden ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Breitkopf, Hendrik A1 - Schlüter, P. M. A1 - Xu, S. A1 - Schiestl, Florian P. A1 - Cozzolino, S. A1 - Scopece, G. T1 - Pollinator shifts between Ophrys sphegodes populations: might adaptation to different pollinators drive population divergence? JF - Journal of evolutionary biology N2 - Local adaptation to different pollinators is considered one of the possible initial stages of ecological speciation as reproductive isolation is a by-product of the divergence in pollination systems. However, pollinator-mediated divergent selection will not necessarily result in complete reproductive isolation, because incipient speciation is often overcome by gene flow. We investigated the potential of pollinator shift in the sexually deceptive orchids Ophrys sphegodes and Ophrys exaltata and compared the levels of floral isolation vs. genetic distance among populations with contrasting predominant pollinators. We analysed floral hydrocarbons as a proxy for floral divergence between populations. Floral adoption of pollinators and their fidelity was tested using pollinator choice experiments. Interpopulation gene flow and population differentiation levels were estimated using AFLP markers. The Tyrrhenian O.sphegodes population preferentially attracted the pollinator bee Andrena bimaculata, whereas the Adriatic O.sphegodes population exclusively attracted A.nigroaenea. Significant differences in scent component proportions were identified in O.sphegodes populations that attracted different preferred pollinators. High interpopulation gene flow was detected, but populations were genetically structured at species level. The high interpopulation gene flow levels independent of preferred pollinators suggest that local adaptation to different pollinators has not (yet) generated detectable genome-wide separation. Alternatively, despite extensive gene flow, few genes underlying floral isolation remain differentiated as a consequence of divergent selection. Different pollination ecotypes in O.sphegodes might represent a local selective response imposed by temporal variation in a geographical mosaic of pollinators as a consequence of the frequent disturbance regimes typical of Ophrys habitats. KW - adaptation KW - ecotypes KW - floral scent KW - gene flow KW - Ophrys KW - orchids KW - pollinator shift KW - sexual deception KW - speciation Y1 - 2013 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/jeb.12216 SN - 1010-061X SN - 1420-9101 VL - 26 IS - 10 SP - 2197 EP - 2208 PB - Wiley-Blackwell CY - Hoboken ER -