Dwarfism in close continental amphibian populations despite lack of genetic isolation

Hyeun-Ji, Lee; Broggi, Juli; Sánchez‐Montes, Gregorio; Díaz‐Paniagua, Carmen; Gómez-Mestre, Iván

doi:10.1111/oik.07086

Cited by 6 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 85 publications

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“…Although they are not genetically isolated from other populations, the frogs in these arid areas are considerably smaller in body size (“dwarfs”) than the populations found in cooler and wetter areas of the Iberian peninsula. Hyeun‐Ji et al (2020) predicted that rTL would exhibit distinct developmental growth patterns, reaching sexual maturity at an earlier age due to their reduced growth rate. Although rTL was negatively related to body size and age across all populations, dwarfism and thus environment was not a predictor of telomere length (Hyeun‐Ji et al, 2020).…”

Section: Thermal Effects At the Level Of The Cell: Links To Telomere ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Hyeun‐Ji et al (2020) predicted that rTL would exhibit distinct developmental growth patterns, reaching sexual maturity at an earlier age due to their reduced growth rate. Although rTL was negatively related to body size and age across all populations, dwarfism and thus environment was not a predictor of telomere length (Hyeun‐Ji et al, 2020).…”

Section: Thermal Effects At the Level Of The Cell: Links To Telomere ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Of telomeres and temperature: Measuring thermal effects on telomeres in ectothermic animals

2021

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Ectotherms are classic models for understanding life‐history tradeoffs, including the reproduction–somatic maintenance tradeoffs that may be reflected in telomere length and their dynamics. Importantly, life‐history traits of ectotherms are tightly linked to their thermal environment, with diverse or synergistic mechanistic explanations underpinning the variation. Telomere dynamics potentially provide a mechanistic link that can be used to monitor thermal effects on individuals in response to climatic perturbations. Growth rate, age and developmental stage are all affected by temperature, which interacts with telomere dynamics in complex and intriguing ways. The physiological processes underpinning telomere dynamics can be visualized and understood using thermal performance curves (TPCs). TPCs reflect the evolutionary history and the thermal environment during an individual's ontogeny. Telomere maintenance should be enhanced at or near the thermal performance optimum of a species, population and individual. The thermal sensitivity of telomere dynamics should reflect the interacting TPCs of the processes underlying them. The key processes directly underpinning telomere dynamics are mitochondrial function (reactive oxygen production), antioxidant activity, telomerase activity and telomere endcap protein status. We argue that identifying TPCs for these processes will significantly help design robust, repeatable experiments and field studies of telomere dynamics in ectotherms. Conceptually, TPCs are a valuable framework to predict and interpret taxon‐ and population‐specific telomere dynamics across thermal regimes. The literature of thermal effects on telomeres in ectotherms is sparse and mostly limited to vertebrates, but our conclusions and recommendations are relevant across ectothermic animals.

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Section: Thermal Effects At the Level Of The Cell: Links To Telomere ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Thermal Effects At the Level Of The Cell: Links To Telomere ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Of telomeres and temperature: Measuring thermal effects on telomeres in ectothermic animals

2021

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“…high seasonal pond desiccation risk), showed shorter telomeres than populations under lower desiccation risk (Burraco et al 2017). In another amphibian, the natterjack toad Epidalea calamita , a study across a continental case of dwarfism in Southern Spain found telomere differences between populations, but these did not match population variation in body size or habitat type and occurred in the absence of genetic isolation (Hyeun‐Ji et al 2020). Finally, a one‐year longitudinal common‐garden experiment investigated whether telomere dynamics, in the Sardinian tree frog Hyla sarda , differ in populations with contrasting biogeographic history (Canestrelli et al 2021).…”

Section: Telomere Dynamics Across Spatial Scalesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Telomeres in a spatial context: a tool for understanding ageing pattern variation in wild populations

2021

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Ageing refers to the loss of organismal functionality with age, a process that is characterised by decreased reproduction and survival probability. In natural populations, it is expected that environmental conditions influence an individual's ageing trajectory. Understanding the role of environmental heterogeneity on ageing variation could provide critical insights into population resilience and species distribution but remains overlooked. Telomeres, the end cap of chromosomes, are a promising integrative physiological marker of an individual's health and a possible proxy to aid the understanding of variation in ageing trajectories. Here, we review the existing information on telomere length and its dynamics in wild populations distributed across spatial scales. Despite a relative scarcity of information, there is evidence for divergence in telomere length between populations facing contrasting environments. Nonetheless, a higher spatial resolution and temporal replication are needed to fully understand the role that environmental conditions play on telomere length variation. Since most of the existing studies are correlational, future field and laboratory experiments are required. For the first time, we demonstrate the use of population telomere data to predict species habitat suitability through species distribution models (SDMs). This represents a promising new research area in the study of ageing pattern variation in wild populations. Furthermore, the inclusion of telomere data in future physiological SDMs may improve our understanding of species distribution and population resilience. However, the use of telomeres within this context could be limited if no previous knowledge on the relevance of telomeres as markers of health and survival at the species level is available. Finally, we suggest some key practical and theoretical considerations that, ideally, future studies combining biogeographic and telomere data should pay attention.

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“…In Doñana, previous authors have reported a reduced body size in this and other amphibian species including Iberian newts Lissotriton boscai, spadefoot toads Pelobates cultripes and natterjack toads Epidalea calamita (e.g., Díaz-Paniagua et al 1996;Marangoni et al 2008). Local dwarfism seems to have evolved in response to environmental conditions (dry and warm environments) prevailing in this area (Hyeun-Ji et al 2020). In unfavorable or unpredictable environments, where adult mortality may be high, newts may increase their specific investment in reproduction at the expense of growth and mature at a younger age.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 55%

Population structure and genetic diversity of the threatened pygmy newt Triturus pygmaeus in a network of natural and artificial ponds

Albert

García‐Navas

2022

Conserv Genet

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Pond physical characteristics (connectivity, hydroperiod) have shown to be highly relevant in explaining species presence, reproductive success, and survival in breeding-pond amphibians. However, few studies have addressed the influence that these factors may have on the genetic variability of pond populations. We examined genetic variation at 11 microsatellite loci in Iberian endemic, the pygmy newt (Triturus pygmaeus), from 58 breeding ponds in the Doñana National Park (Andalusia), including both temporary ponds and artificially deepened ponds that remain wet during the whole year. Temporary ponds are located in the North part of the region where the surrounding habitat-wet meadows-facilitates the connectivity among populations, whereas the deepest ponds (‘zacallones’) are located in the southern edge embedded in a matrix of unsuitable habitat (thickets and dry underbrush). We investigated genetic diversity and structure within and among ponds. Our results show that both regions (Doñana-North and Doñana-South) are well-differentiated and form two main clusters. We found higher genetic diversity within ponds from the North region, which also exhibited a higher degree of genetic admixture in comparison with populations from the southern edge. Although we found an isolation-by-distance pattern within each cluster, it arose due to the effect of a few isolated ponds located on the edge of each zone, suggesting the existence of substantial gene flow between ponds in the core area. According to our findings, landscape’s permeability to movement (pond connectivity) may constitute a more important factor than hydroperiod length in determining the genetic diversity and viability of pygmy newt populations in this area. Although Doñana populations show a good state, more peripheral and isolated populations present a more worrisome condition as a result of fragmentation and thus, require conservation efforts. Our study provides key insights that could help guide management practices of this threatened and poorly-studied salamander.

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Dwarfism in close continental amphibian populations despite lack of genetic isolation

Cited by 6 publications

References 85 publications

Of telomeres and temperature: Measuring thermal effects on telomeres in ectothermic animals

Of telomeres and temperature: Measuring thermal effects on telomeres in ectothermic animals

Telomeres in a spatial context: a tool for understanding ageing pattern variation in wild populations

Population structure and genetic diversity of the threatened pygmy newt Triturus pygmaeus in a network of natural and artificial ponds

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