Traits of organisms are shaped by their living environments and also determined in part by their phylogenetic relationships. For example, phylogenetic relationships often affect the geographic distributions of animals...
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Traits of organisms are shaped by their living environments and also determined in part by their phylogenetic relationships. For example, phylogenetic relationships often affect the geographic distributions of animals and cause variation in their living environments, which usually play key roles in the life history and determine the functional traits of species. As an ancient family of mammals, bears widely distribute and have evolved some specific strategies for survival and reproduction during their long-term evolutionary histories. Many studies on the ecology of bears have been conducted in recent decades, but few have focused on the relationships between their geographic distributions and ecological adaptations. Here, using bears as a model system, we collected and reanalyzed data from the available literatures to explore how geographic distributions and phylogenetic relationships shape the functional traits of animals. We found a positive relationship between phylogenetic relatedness and geographic distributions, with bears distributed in adjacent areas applying more similar strategies to survive and reproduce: (a) Bears living at high latitudes consumed a higher proportion of vertebrates, which may provide more fat for adaptation to low temperatures, and (b) their reproduction rhythms follow fluctuations in seasonal forage availability and quality, in which bears reach mating status from March to May and give birth in approximately November or later.
Global biodiversity is undergoing dramatic loss,mostly due to anthropogenic actions and climate *** 2.3seed plants died out each year in the past 2.5 centuries(Humphreys et al.,2019).Current species extinction rates a...
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Global biodiversity is undergoing dramatic loss,mostly due to anthropogenic actions and climate *** 2.3seed plants died out each year in the past 2.5 centuries(Humphreys et al.,2019).Current species extinction rates are about 1,000 times the likely background rate of extinction(Pimm et al.,2014).
Contemporary biodiversity patterns are shaped by not only modern climate but also factors such as past climate fluctuations. Investigating the relative degree of paleoclimate legacy could help us understand the format...
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Contemporary biodiversity patterns are shaped by not only modern climate but also factors such as past climate fluctuations. Investigating the relative degree of paleoclimate legacy could help us understand the formation of current biodiversity patterns. However, an assessment of this issue in China is lacking. Here, we investigated the phylogenetic structure and functional diversity patterns of Chinese terrestrial vertebrates. We found that Southern China harbored higher functional richness, while Northern and Western China were more phylogenetically clustered with higher functional diver-gence and evenness, indicating environmental filtering effects. Moreover, we found that drastic Last Glacial Maximum climate changes were posi-tively related to phylogenetic clustering, lower functional richness, and higher functional divergence and evenness, although this effect varied among different taxonomic groups. We further found that mammal commu-nities experiencing more drastic Last Glacial Maximum temperature changes were characterized by "faster" life-history trait values. Our findings provide new evidence of the paleoclimate change legacies influencing contemporary biodiversity patterns that will help guide national-level con-servation plans.
CHINAS EVOLVING NATIONAL PARK DESIGNATIONS AND SINGLE LARGE PROTECTED AREA OR SEVERAL SMALL PROTECTED AREAS(SLOSS)DEBATE As of 2021,the International Union for Conservation of Nature estimated that there are over 6,00...
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CHINAS EVOLVING NATIONAL PARK DESIGNATIONS AND SINGLE LARGE PROTECTED AREA OR SEVERAL SMALL PROTECTED AREAS(SLOSS)DEBATE As of 2021,the International Union for Conservation of Nature estimated that there are over 6,000 national parks(NPs)in more than 100 countries,most of which are strongly focused on endangered species.1 Over the past 6 years,China has invested US$20million in developing the Giant Panda National Park(GPNP)and a furtherUS$16million in establishing theNortheast China Tiger and Leopard National Park(NCTLNP).
In this work, we discussed and counter-commented Paul J. Weldon's comments on our recent paper (Zhou et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 117:32493, 2020a), where we reported that BCP/BCPO (beta-caryophyllene/caryophylle...
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In this work, we discussed and counter-commented Paul J. Weldon's comments on our recent paper (Zhou et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 117:32493, 2020a), where we reported that BCP/BCPO (beta-caryophyllene/caryophyllene oxide) in fresh horse manure is sufficient to drive manure rolling behavior (HMR) in giant panda and attenuate the cold sensitivity of mice by directly targeting and inhibiting transient receptor potential melastatin 8 (TRPM8), an archetypical cold-activated ion channel of mammals. The main question we arise in this response is: "which is the reasonable target of BCP/BCPO? Parasites or TRPM8?" Based on the knowledge of TRPM8-mediated cooling sensation, interaction between BCP/BCPO and TRPM8, BCP/BCPO concentration in horse manure samples, correlation between HMR frequency and habitat temperature, insecticidal activity of BCP/BCPO and thermal ecology of parasites, we prefer a simple idea that BCP/BCPO-induced TRPM8 antagonism bestows the wild giant pandas with cold tolerance at low-ambient temperatures. Compared with the speculation of insecticidal activity induced by HMR behavior, our study provided a comprehensive mechanism to confirm a physiological target of BCP/BCPO during the highly cold-correlated behavior.
The orchid mantises achieve camouflage with morphological modifications in body color and pattern, providing an interesting model for understanding phenotypic innovation. However, a reference genome is lacking for the...
The orchid mantises achieve camouflage with morphological modifications in body color and pattern, providing an interesting model for understanding phenotypic innovation. However, a reference genome is lacking for the order Mantodea. To unveil the mechanisms of plant-mimicking body coloration and patterns, we performed de novo assembly of two chromosome-level genomes of the orchid mantis and its close relative, the dead leaf mantis. Comparative genomic analysis revealed that the Scarlet gene plays an important role in the synthesis of xanthommatin, an important pigment for mantis camouflage coloration. Combining developmental transcriptomic analysis and genetic engineering experiments, we found that the cuticle was an essential component of the 'petal-like' enlargement, and specific expression in the ventral femur was controlled by Wnt signaling. The prolonged expression of Ultrabithorax (Ubx) accompanied by femoral expansion suggested that Ubx determines leg remodeling in the early developmental stage. We also found evidence of evolution of the Trypsin gene family for insectivory adaptation and ecdysone-dependent sexual dimorphism in body size. Overall, our study presents new genome catalogs and reveals the genetic and evolutionary mechanisms underlying the unique camouflage of the praying mantis, providing evolutionary developmental insights into phenotypic innovation and adaptation. Camouflage is a widespread phenomenon in nature, and the orchid mantis is a particularly striking example. Here the authors use evolutionary genomics to uncover the genetic mechanisms behind the colour and morphology that produce innovative camouflage in the orchid mantis and dead leaf mantis.
Wild animals and plants have developed a variety of adaptive traits driven by adaptive evolution,an important strategy for species survival and *** the molecular mechanisms of adaptive evolution is the key to understa...
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Wild animals and plants have developed a variety of adaptive traits driven by adaptive evolution,an important strategy for species survival and *** the molecular mechanisms of adaptive evolution is the key to understanding species diversification,phenotypic convergence,and inter-species *** the genome sequences of more and more non-model organisms are becoming available,the focus of studies on molecular mechanisms of adaptive evolution has shifted from the candidate gene method to genetic mapping based on genome-wide *** this study,we reviewed the latest research advances in wild animals and plants,focusing on adaptive traits,convergent evolution,and ***,we focused on the adaptive evolution of morphological,behavioral,and physiological ***,we reviewed the phenotypic convergences of life history traits and responding to environmental pressures,and the underlying molecular convergence ***,we summarized the advances of coevolution,including the four main types:mutualism,parasitism,predation and ***,these latest advances greatly increase our understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms for diverse adaptive traits and species interaction,demonstrating that the development of evolutionary biology has been greatly accelerated by multi-omics ***,we highlighted the emerging trends and future prospects around the above three aspects of adaptive evolution.
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