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Ladegaard Stougaard posted an update 3 months, 2 weeks ago
The mechanisms driving insect speciation, a captivating subject in evolutionary biology, continue to elude understanding. The fragmentation of habitats, often a consequence of climatic oscillations during glacial periods, is a key factor in the occurrence of allopatric speciation. This fragmentation leads to the geographical separation and isolation of populations. Nevertheless, the supporting evidence for allopatric speciation in East Asian insects during the Pleistocene ice age is still absent. The Pleistocene glaciation’s impact on the diversification and evolutionary history of hemipteran insects will be examined. Using the spinous assassin bug genus *Sclomina* (Hemiptera: Reduviidae), a widespread genus in southern China, our study will test the hypothesis of species stability during this period, uncovering significant cryptic diversity within the group. This study utilized the complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) and nuclear ribosomal RNA genes to examine the diversification patterns of spinous assassin bugs, both between and within species. To gain insight into the diversification process and its underlying causes, approximate Bayesian computation, ecological niche modeling, and demographic history analyses were also employed. The five Sclomina species, according to our data, exhibit substantial divergence, although three currently remain cryptic. The Pleistocene, an era of possible habitat fragmentation, may have contributed to speciation. Six phylogeographic groups were identified in the type species *S. erinacea*, two of which expanded during the initial portion of the Last Glacial Period and after the culmination of the Last Glacial Maximum. Climate-related habitat fragmentation and subsequent post-glacial expansion of this genus during the Pleistocene, according to our analyses, is hypothesized to have spurred allopatric speciation and intraspecific diversity. Our study’s results expose the previously underestimated species diversity in a small insect category, providing a compelling example of allopatric speciation among East Asian insects, a result of Pleistocene climate fluctuations. Crucial knowledge regarding speciation processes and insect species diversity conservation is offered by these findings.
Malaria control hinges on the deployment of insecticides to kill the Anopheles mosquito population. With increasing insecticide resistance, recent advances in malaria control are threatened, making insecticide resistance management strategies crucial for addressing this issue. Alternative IRM strategies are often evaluated through mathematical modeling, a process necessitated by the exorbitant cost and lengthy duration of field trials. Models of immunity to infection (IR) previously used in malaria control often oversimplified IR as a single-gene trait (monogenic). In contrast, natural populations exhibit IR as a complex polygenic trait, defined by multiple interacting genetic factors. Researchers developed a quantitative genetic model that accounts for the polygenic nature of IR. Sequences of insecticide deployment, continuing until a predefined withdrawal threshold (insecticide lifespan) determined by resistance diagnosis from bioassays, are permitted by the model, alongside rotations of insecticides and full-dose mixtures containing two insecticides in a single formulation. The comparison of these IRM strategies considered their duration, with a ceiling of 500 generations. To ascertain and quantify the parameters propelling resistance development, generalized linear modeling and partial rank correlation were utilized. To pinpoint parameters valuable for decision-making, random forest models were employed. Employing insecticides in sequences or rotations often produced a minimal impact on their long-term effectiveness, however, rotational strategies showed a lower average resistance and a lower peak resistance. The concurrent application of two insecticides, at full dosage, resulted in a longer-lasting strategy compared to sequential or alternating deployments. e3ligase signaling This observed pattern was unaffected by the levels of cross-resistance found in insecticides, nor by the starting resistance levels. Statistical insights emphasized the necessity of considering insecticide coverage, cross-resistance, heritability, and fitness costs when choosing a suitable strategy for Integrated Pest Management. Full-dose mixtures, judged to be the most promising of the evaluated strategies, boast the longest overall lifespans. These outcomes are broadly consistent with preceding results from single-gene-based models.
The movement of genetic material between domesticated plants and their related weeds presents a double-edged sword for both agriculture and the environment, particularly concerning the potential for herbicide resistance genes to spread. Among important crops, grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) possesses the unique ability to hybridize interspecifically with its weedy relative, johnsongrass (Sorghum halepense). Earlier studies on S. bicolor and S. halepense hybrids have shown that triploid progenies typically experience developmental failure, with limited individuals reaching full seed maturity, in sharp contrast to the typical successful development observed in tetraploid progeny. This experiment focused on quantifying the consequences of S. bicolor genotype and pollen competition on the rate at which hybridization occurred between S. bicolor and S. halepense. To gauge the frequency of hybridization and seed yield, 12 unique cytoplasmic male sterile S. bicolor genotypes were compared against their respective fertile counterparts over two years, with S. halepense serving as the pollen source. Differences in the occurrence of interspecific hybridization are apparent among various S. bicolor genotypes, and pollen fertility within S. bicolor substantially curtails this interspecific hybridization, reducing it by up to two orders of magnitude. Furthermore, the rates of hybridization differed considerably in the two study locations. Developing gene flow mitigation methods is supported by the helpful results, which demonstrate that gene flow can be reduced through the selection of suitable seed parents for the production of sorghum hybrids.
The impact of human activity on wild animal populations is evident through intertwined eco-evolutionary and demographic processes, affecting their survival and evolutionary potential; therefore, this data provides a valuable resource for improving conservation strategies based on genetics. For an understanding of the extant patterns in population structure of *Prochilodus costatus*, a Neotropical migratory fish that has been threatened since the 1960s by habitat loss and fragmentation due to hydroelectric power plant construction programs, the life-history and eco-evolutionary processes of the species must be studied. The study explored the eco-evolutionary mechanisms impacting the demographic and structural oscillations within P. costatus populations. A comprehensive strategy, encompassing temporal and spatial sampling, next-generation sequencing of eight microsatellite loci, multivariate genetic analysis, and demographic life-history reconstruction, was implemented. Human-induced impacts and ecological-evolutionary processes demonstrated by the results have a complex effect on the life history of this species in the upper basin. In particular, the wave-like nature of reproduction could be tied to ecological cues, causing an overlap of genetically distinct generations, and the emergence of separate migratory and non-migratory genetic lineages in the same area. The Tres Marias hydropower dam’s construction during the period of 1960-1980 is strongly implicated in the abrupt decrease in the effective population size of P. costatus, as habitat fragmentation was a likely consequence. Despite active stocking programs, the low allelic diversity inherited from the past event remains evident today, proving their ineffectiveness in increasing the genetic diversity of this species within the river basin. The concluding point of this study is that mixed methods research is vital for understanding the multifaceted influence of spatial and temporal factors on genetic variation within threatened species, crucial for crafting effective conservation and mitigation programs.
Whilst the demonstrable ecological effects of mass-flowering crops on pollinator populations and species richness in neighbouring habitats are established, the potential evolutionary impacts remain uncertain. We investigated the interplay of proximity to a massively flowering crop and its consequences on the pollination of nearby co-blooming plant species, and the adjustments to selection pressures on a pollination-versatile plant in the Tibetan Plateau. Our research included evaluating pollinator visitation rates and community composition differences at various distances (near and far) from oilseed rape (Brassica napus) fields in two distinct habitat types, further quantifying pollinator-mediated selection acting on the attractive characteristics of Trollius ranunculoides. Neighboring alpine meadows saw an increase in pollinator visits from the nearby oilseed rape, leading to a change in the species present in nearby shrub meadows. The presence of oilseed rape crops in the alpine meadow influenced pollinator visits to Trollius ranunculoides, which increased threefold, mainly from bees, leading to a 165% growth in seed production and a modest increase in the acceptance of heterospecific pollen per stigma. In comparison to other areas, pollinator visits to T. ranunculoides in the shrub meadow near oilseed rape were three times lower, primarily attributed to flies. This resulted in a considerably lower seed production rate, by 107%, although pollen deposition remained unaffected. The proximity of the oilseed rape field affected selection pressures on T. ranunculoides flower characteristics differently in the alpine and shrub meadows. Pollinator-driven selection for flower size intensified in the alpine meadow, while selection for height weakened. Phenotypic selection for both traits remained constant in the shrub meadow. The plant-pollinator interplay exhibits contextual differences close to mass-flowering oilseed rape crops, suggesting the potential of altered pollinator-mediated selection to influence the evolutionary trajectory of native plant floral traits.