Evolutionary Physiology and Genomics in the Highly Adaptable Killifish (<i>Fundulus heteroclitus</i>)

Crawford, Douglas L.; Schulte, Patricia M.; Whitehead, Andrew; Oleksiak, Marjorie F.

doi:10.1002/cphy.c190004

Cited by 21 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 189 publications

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“…Substantial phenotypic and genetic variation exists among F. heteroclitus populations in salt marshes and estuaries over their range from the St Lawrence estuary south to Florida, with relatively little gene flow from one habitat to another, providing conditions that are likely to promote local adaptation (Crawford et al ., 2020). At a larger scale, the two sub‐species differ in multiple aspects of tolerance to warming, with the southern sub‐species generally being more tolerant than the northern.…”

Section: Intraspecific Variation In Thermal Tolerance Among Populations: Detailed Case Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intraspecific variation in tolerance of warming in fishes

McKenzie

Zhang

Eliason

et al. 2020

Journal of Fish Biology

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Intraspecific variation in key traits such as tolerance of warming can have profound effects on ecological and evolutionary processes, notably responses to climate change. The empirical evidence for three primary elements of intraspecific variation in tolerance of warming in fishes is reviewed. The first is purely mechanistic that tolerance varies across life stages and as fishes become mature. The limited evidence indicates strongly that this is the case, possibly because of universal physiological principles. The second is intraspecific variation that is because of phenotypic plasticity, also a mechanistic phenomenon that buffers individuals' sensitivity to negative impacts of global warming in their lifetime, or to some extent through epigenetic effects over successive generations. Although the evidence for plasticity in tolerance to warming is extensive, more work is required to understand underlying mechanisms and to reveal whether there are general patterns. The third element is intraspecific variation based on heritable genetic differences in tolerance, which underlies local adaptation and may define long-term adaptability of a species in the face of ongoing global change. There is clear evidence of local adaptation and some evidence of heritability of tolerance to warming, but the knowledge base is limited with detailed information for only a few model or emblematic species. There is also strong evidence of structured variation in tolerance of warming within species, which may have ecological and evolutionary significance irrespective of whether it reflects plasticity or adaptation. Although the overwhelming consensus is that having broader intraspecific variation in tolerance should reduce species vulnerability to impacts of global warming, there are no sufficient data on fishes to provide insights into particular mechanisms by which this may occur.

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Section: Intraspecific Variation In Thermal Tolerance Among Populations: Detailed Case Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intraspecific variation in tolerance of warming in fishes

McKenzie

Zhang

Eliason

et al. 2020

Journal of Fish Biology

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“…Along the Atlantic coast of North America, Fundulus heteroclitus populations experience temperatures that differ by greater than 14°C, this small estuarine fish has been a focus of metabolic and biochemical studies investigating temperature responses [1,2]. Yet even within a single estuary, a F. heteroclitus population experiences high variability in multiple abiotic factors [1][2][3]: temperatures can increase daily to greater than 30°C in upper estuaries or plunge to 12-15°C with incoming cold tides [4]; salinity can vary from nearly freshwater due to heavy rains to salinities greater than seawater (greater than 30 ppt) in desiccating ponds [3,[5][6][7]; oxygen concentrations can vary from anoxic to supersaturated [7]. Seasonally, populations in the northern part of the range may additionally experience temperatures that vary by greater than 20°C from summer to winter with some populations probably experiencing freeze-thaw cycles during the winter months.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The ability to respond to changing temperature associated with climate change can include acclimation and evolved responses. Along the Atlantic coast of North America, Fundulus heteroclitus populations experience temperatures that differ by greater than 14°C, this small estuarine fish has been a focus of metabolic and biochemical studies investigating temperature responses [ 1 , 2 ]. Yet even within a single estuary, a F. heteroclitus population experiences high variability in multiple abiotic factors [ 1 – 3 ]: temperatures can increase daily to greater than 30°C in upper estuaries or plunge to 12–15°C with incoming cold tides [ 4 ]; salinity can vary from nearly freshwater due to heavy rains to salinities greater than seawater (greater than 30 ppt) in desiccating ponds [ 3 , 5 – 7 ]; oxygen concentrations can vary from anoxic to supersaturated [ 7 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Seasonally, populations in the northern part of the range may additionally experience temperatures that vary by greater than 20°C from summer to winter with some populations probably experiencing freeze-thaw cycles during the winter months. Fundulus heteroclitus' ability to mount physiological responses to tolerate these variable conditions is well documented [1,6,[8][9][10][11][12][13], and these variable conditions within and among F. heteroclitus populations are thought to drive resulting phenotypic differences via physiological plasticity and evolutionary adaptation [2].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Interindividual plasticity in metabolic and thermal tolerance traits from populations subjected to recent anthropogenic heating

et al. 2021

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To better understand temperature's role in the interaction between local evolutionary adaptation and physiological plasticity, we investigated acclimation effects on metabolic performance and thermal tolerance among natural Fundulus heteroclitus (small estuarine fish) populations from different thermal environments. Fundulus heteroclitus populations experience large daily and seasonal temperature variations, as well as local mean temperature differences across their large geographical cline. In this study, we use three populations: one locally heated (32°C) by thermal effluence (TE) from the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station, NJ, and two nearby reference populations that do not experience local heating (28°C). After acclimation to 12 or 28°C, we quantified whole-animal metabolic (WAM) rate, critical thermal maximum (CT max ) and substrate-specific cardiac metabolic rate (CaM, substrates: glucose, fatty acids, lactate plus ketones plus ethanol, and endogenous (i.e. no added substrates)) in approximately 160 individuals from these three populations. Populations showed few significant differences due to large interindividual variation within populations. In general, for WAM and CT max , the interindividual variation in acclimation response (log 2 ratio 28/12°C) was a function of performance at 12°C and order of acclimation (12–28°C versus 28–12°C). CT max and WAM were greater at 28°C than 12°C, although WAM had a small change (2.32-fold) compared with the expectation for a 16°C increase in temperature (expect 3- to 4.4-fold). By contrast, for CaM, the rates when acclimatized and assayed at 12 or 28°C were nearly identical. The small differences in CaM between 12 and 28°C temperature were partially explained by cardiac remodeling where individuals acclimatized to 12°C had larger hearts than individuals acclimatized to 28°C. Correlation among physiological traits was dependent on acclimation temperature. For example, WAM was negatively correlated with CT max at 12°C but positively correlated at 28°C. Additionally, glucose substrate supported higher CaM than fatty acid, and fatty acid supported higher CaM than lactate, ketones and alcohol (LKA) or endogenous. However, these responses were highly variable with some individuals using much more FA than glucose. These findings suggest interindividual variation in physiological responses to temperature acclimation and indicate that additional research investigating interindividual may be relevant for global climate change responses in many species.

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“…Overall, decades of studies have led to the conclusion that evolutionary adaptation related to the glycolytic enzyme lactate dehydrogenase B has involved small changes in the allele frequencies of many genes, and these changes are manifest at the levels of transcription, biochemistry, metabolism, osmoregulation, and whole‐organism physiology. [ 37 ]…”

Section: Three Well‐established Approaches In Modern Evolutionary Physiologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolutionary physiology at 30+: Has the promise been fulfilled?

2021

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Three decades ago, interactions between evolutionary biology and physiology gave rise to evolutionary physiology. This caused comparative physiologists to improve their research methods by incorporating evolutionary thinking. Simultaneously, evolutionary biologists began focusing more on physiological mechanisms that may help to explain constraints on and trade‐offs during microevolutionary processes, as well as macroevolutionary patterns in physiological diversity. Here we argue that evolutionary physiology has yet to reach its full potential, and propose new avenues that may lead to unexpected advances. Viewing physiological adaptations in wild animals as potential solutions to human diseases offers enormous possibilities for biomedicine. New evidence of epigenetic modifications as mechanisms of phenotypic plasticity that regulate physiological traits may also arise in coming years, which may also represent an overlooked enhancer of adaptation via natural selection to explain physiological evolution. Synergistic interactions at these intersections and other areas will lead to a novel understanding of organismal biology.

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Evolutionary Physiology and Genomics in the Highly Adaptable Killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus)

Cited by 21 publications

References 189 publications

Intraspecific variation in tolerance of warming in fishes

Intraspecific variation in tolerance of warming in fishes

Interindividual plasticity in metabolic and thermal tolerance traits from populations subjected to recent anthropogenic heating

Evolutionary physiology at 30+: Has the promise been fulfilled?

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