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Inversion frequencies and phenotypic effects are modulated by the environment : insights from a reciprocal transplant study in Coelopa frigida

Berdan, Emma ; Rosenquist, Hanna ; Larson, Keith and Wellenreuther, Maren LU (2018) In Evolutionary Ecology 32(6). p.683-698
Abstract

Understanding how environmental variation drives phenotypic diversification within species is a major objective in evolutionary biology. The seaweed fly Coelopa frigida provides an excellent model for the study of genetically driven phenotypes because it carries an α/β inversion polymorphism that affects body size. Coelopa frigida inhabits highly variable beds of decomposing seaweed on the coast in Scandinavia thus providing a suitable test ground to investigate the genetic effects of substrate on both the frequency of the inversion (directional selection) and on the phenotype (genotype × environment effects). Here we use a reciprocal transplant experiment to test the effect of the α/β inversion on body size traits and development time... (More)

Understanding how environmental variation drives phenotypic diversification within species is a major objective in evolutionary biology. The seaweed fly Coelopa frigida provides an excellent model for the study of genetically driven phenotypes because it carries an α/β inversion polymorphism that affects body size. Coelopa frigida inhabits highly variable beds of decomposing seaweed on the coast in Scandinavia thus providing a suitable test ground to investigate the genetic effects of substrate on both the frequency of the inversion (directional selection) and on the phenotype (genotype × environment effects). Here we use a reciprocal transplant experiment to test the effect of the α/β inversion on body size traits and development time across four suitable natural breeding substrates from the clinal distribution. We show that while development time is unaffected by G × E effects, both the frequency of the inversion and the relative phenotypic effects of the inversion on body size differ between population × substrate combinations. This indicates that the environment modulates the fitness as well as the phenotypic effects of the inversion karyotypes. It further suggests that the inversion may have accumulated qualitatively different mutations in different populations that interact with the environment. Together our results are consistent with the idea that the inversion in C. frigida likely evolves via a combination of local mutation, G × E effects, and differential fitness of inversion karyotypes in heterogeneous environments.

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author
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publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Adaptation, Coelopa frigida, Frequency effects, G × E interactions, Inversion polymorphism
in
Evolutionary Ecology
volume
32
issue
6
pages
16 pages
publisher
Springer
external identifiers
  • scopus:85055518395
ISSN
0269-7653
DOI
10.1007/s10682-018-9960-5
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
c7224f31-41b3-43b9-b83d-99285d9a15f8
date added to LUP
2018-12-07 11:53:26
date last changed
2022-04-02 04:56:36
@article{c7224f31-41b3-43b9-b83d-99285d9a15f8,
  abstract     = {{<p>Understanding how environmental variation drives phenotypic diversification within species is a major objective in evolutionary biology. The seaweed fly Coelopa frigida provides an excellent model for the study of genetically driven phenotypes because it carries an α/β inversion polymorphism that affects body size. Coelopa frigida inhabits highly variable beds of decomposing seaweed on the coast in Scandinavia thus providing a suitable test ground to investigate the genetic effects of substrate on both the frequency of the inversion (directional selection) and on the phenotype (genotype × environment effects). Here we use a reciprocal transplant experiment to test the effect of the α/β inversion on body size traits and development time across four suitable natural breeding substrates from the clinal distribution. We show that while development time is unaffected by G × E effects, both the frequency of the inversion and the relative phenotypic effects of the inversion on body size differ between population × substrate combinations. This indicates that the environment modulates the fitness as well as the phenotypic effects of the inversion karyotypes. It further suggests that the inversion may have accumulated qualitatively different mutations in different populations that interact with the environment. Together our results are consistent with the idea that the inversion in C. frigida likely evolves via a combination of local mutation, G × E effects, and differential fitness of inversion karyotypes in heterogeneous environments.</p>}},
  author       = {{Berdan, Emma and Rosenquist, Hanna and Larson, Keith and Wellenreuther, Maren}},
  issn         = {{0269-7653}},
  keywords     = {{Adaptation; Coelopa frigida; Frequency effects; G × E interactions; Inversion polymorphism}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{6}},
  pages        = {{683--698}},
  publisher    = {{Springer}},
  series       = {{Evolutionary Ecology}},
  title        = {{Inversion frequencies and phenotypic effects are modulated by the environment : insights from a reciprocal transplant study in Coelopa frigida}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10682-018-9960-5}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/s10682-018-9960-5}},
  volume       = {{32}},
  year         = {{2018}},
}