Evolutionary Applications最新文献

{"title":"Limited evidence for genetic differentiation or adaptation in two amphibian species across replicated rural–urban gradients","authors":"W. Babik,&nbsp;M. Marszałek,&nbsp;K. Dudek,&nbsp;B. Antunes,&nbsp;G. Palomar,&nbsp;B. Zając,&nbsp;A. Taugbøl,&nbsp;M. Pabijan","doi":"10.1111/eva.13700","DOIUrl":"10.1111/eva.13700","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Urbanization leads to complex environmental changes and poses multiple challenges to organisms. Amphibians are highly susceptible to the effects of urbanization, with land use conversion, habitat destruction, and degradation ranked as the most significant threats. Consequently, amphibians are declining in urban areas, in both population numbers and abundance, however, the effect of urbanization on population genetic parameters remains unclear. Here, we studied the genomic response to urbanization in two widespread European species, the common toad <i>Bufo bufo</i> (26 localities, 480 individuals), and the smooth newt <i>Lissotriton vulgaris</i> (30 localities, 516 individuals) in three geographic regions: southern and northern Poland and southern Norway. We assessed genome-wide SNP variation using RADseq (ca. 42 and 552 thousand SNPs in toads and newts, respectively) and adaptively relevant major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I and II genes. The results linked most of the genetic differentiation in both marker types to regional (latitudinal) effects, which also correspond to historical biogeography. Further, we did not find any association between genetic differentiation and level of urbanization at local scales for either species. However, urban smooth newts, but not toads, have lower levels of within-population genome-wide diversity, suggesting higher susceptibility to the negative effects of urbanization. A decreasing level of genetic diversity linked to increasing urbanization was also found for MHC II in smooth newts, while the relationship between MHC class I diversity and urbanization differed between geographic regions. We did not find any effects of urbanization on MHC diversity in the toad populations. Although two genetic environment association analyses of genome-wide data, LFMM and BayPass, revealed numerous (219 in <i>B. bufo</i> and 7040 in <i>L. vulgaris</i>) SNPs statistically associated with urbanization, we found a marked lack of repeatability between geographic regions, suggesting a complex and multifaceted response to natural selection elicited by life in the city.</p>","PeriodicalId":168,"journal":{"name":"Evolutionary Applications","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2024-06-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11146147/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141236635","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Genetic assessment of eight zoo populations of golden snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana) implication to the conservation management of captive populations","authors":"Jinxia Luo,&nbsp;Yansen Cai,&nbsp;Yuchen Xie,&nbsp;Xianlin Jin,&nbsp;Jianqiu Yu,&nbsp;Mei Xu,&nbsp;Xuanzhen Liu,&nbsp;Jing Li","doi":"10.1111/eva.13726","DOIUrl":"10.1111/eva.13726","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Captive breeding programs play an important role in preserving the genetic diversity of endangered species. It is of utmost importance to conduct genetic assessment for captive populations in order to develop scientific breeding plans and conservation management strategies. Here, we genotyped 10 microsatellite loci and sequenced 368 bp of mitochondrial DNA control region for the golden snub-nosed monkey (<i>Rhinopithecus roxellana</i>) from eight captive populations in China, and compared the genetic indices of captive populations with a wild population. Meanwhile, we performed paternity tests to verify the genealogical records and established genetic lineages. A total of 157 individuals were identified from 161 fecal samples, including 135 captive individuals (approximately 25% of captive individuals in China). Microsatellite analysis showed that the nine populations had moderate levels of genetic diversity, with polymorphism information content (PIC) ranging from 0.43 to 0.542; the genetic diversity of captive populations (average PIC: 0.503) was slightly higher than that of the wild population (PIC: 0.438). The Structure analysis indicated that individuals of the eight captive populations contained two different genetic components. We conducted either single-blind or double-blind paternity testing on 40 offspring of captive individuals and found that five offspring from two zoos (Nanjing Hongshan Forest Zoo and Shanghai Wild Animal Park) showed discrepant kinships from their pedigree records, probably due to the inaccuracies in pedigree records. By constructing genetic pedigrees, inbred offspring were found in Beijing Zoo, Shanghai Zoo, Hangzhou Zoo, and Chengdu Zoo. Analysis based on mitochondrial DNA showed a high level of genetic diversity in the eight captive populations (mean nucleotide diversity: 0.047). However, no nucleotide diversity was found in the wild population. This study conducted a genetic survey for captive golden snub-nosed monkeys and will significantly benefit the genetic conservation management for captive populations in the future.</p>","PeriodicalId":168,"journal":{"name":"Evolutionary Applications","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2024-06-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11146145/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141236563","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Genomics and 20 years of sampling reveal phenotypic differences between subpopulations of outmigrating Central Valley Chinook salmon","authors":"Tasha Q. Thompson,&nbsp;Shannon O'Leary,&nbsp;Sean O'Rourke,&nbsp;Charlene Tarsa,&nbsp;Melinda R. Baerwald,&nbsp;Pascale Goertler,&nbsp;Mariah H. Meek","doi":"10.1111/eva.13705","DOIUrl":"10.1111/eva.13705","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Intraspecific diversity plays a critical role in the resilience of Chinook salmon populations. California's Central Valley (CV) historically hosted one of the most diverse population complexes of Chinook salmon in the world. However, anthropogenic factors have dramatically decreased this diversity, with severe consequences for population resilience. Here we use next generation sequencing and an archive of thousands of tissue samples collected across two decades during the juvenile outmigration to evaluate phenotypic diversity between and within populations of CV Chinook salmon. To account for highly heterogeneous sample qualities in the archive dataset, we develop and test an approach for population and subpopulation assignments of CV Chinook salmon that allows inclusion of relatively low-quality samples while controlling error rates. We find significantly distinct outmigration timing and body size distributions for each population and subpopulation. Within the archive dataset, spring run individuals that assigned to the Mill and Deer Creeks subpopulation exhibited an earlier and broader outmigration distribution as well as larger body sizes than individuals that assigned to the Butte Creek subpopulation. Within the fall run population, individuals that assigned to the late-fall run subpopulation also exhibited an earlier and broader outmigration distribution and larger body sizes than other fall run fish in our dataset. These results highlight the importance of distinct subpopulations for maintaining remaining diversity in CV Chinook salmon, and demonstrates the power of genomics-based population assignments to aid the study and management of intraspecific diversity.</p>","PeriodicalId":168,"journal":{"name":"Evolutionary Applications","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2024-06-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11146144/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141236569","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An epigenetic toolbox for conservation biologists","authors":"Alice Balard,&nbsp;Miguel Baltazar-Soares,&nbsp;Christophe Eizaguirre,&nbsp;Melanie J. Heckwolf","doi":"10.1111/eva.13699","DOIUrl":"10.1111/eva.13699","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Ongoing climatic shifts and increasing anthropogenic pressures demand an efficient delineation of conservation units and accurate predictions of populations' resilience and adaptive potential. Molecular tools involving DNA sequencing are nowadays routinely used for these purposes. Yet, most of the existing tools focusing on sequence-level information have shortcomings in detecting signals of short-term ecological relevance. Epigenetic modifications carry valuable information to better link individuals, populations, and species to their environment. Here, we discuss a series of epigenetic monitoring tools that can be directly applied to various conservation contexts, complementing already existing molecular monitoring frameworks. Focusing on DNA sequence-based methods (e.g. DNA methylation, for which the applications are readily available), we demonstrate how (a) the identification of epi-biomarkers associated with age or infection can facilitate the determination of an individual's health status in wild populations; (b) whole epigenome analyses can identify signatures of selection linked to environmental conditions and facilitate estimating the adaptive potential of populations; and (c) epi-eDNA (epigenetic environmental DNA), an epigenetic-based conservation tool, presents a non-invasive sampling method to monitor biological information beyond the mere presence of individuals. Overall, our framework refines conservation strategies, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of species' adaptive potential and persistence on ecologically relevant timescales.</p>","PeriodicalId":168,"journal":{"name":"Evolutionary Applications","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2024-06-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11146150/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141236619","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Host preference patterns in domestic and wild settings: Insights into Anopheles feeding behavior","authors":"Lemonde Bouafou,&nbsp;Boris K. Makanga,&nbsp;Nil Rahola,&nbsp;Marilou Boddé,&nbsp;Marc F. Ngangué,&nbsp;Josquin Daron,&nbsp;Audric Berger,&nbsp;Theo Mouillaud,&nbsp;Alex Makunin,&nbsp;Petra Korlević,&nbsp;Joachim Nwezeobi,&nbsp;Pierre Kengne,&nbsp;Christophe Paupy,&nbsp;Mara K. N. Lawniczak,&nbsp;Diego Ayala","doi":"10.1111/eva.13693","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/eva.13693","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The adaptation of <i>Anopheles</i> malaria vectors to domestic settings is directly linked to their ability to feed on humans. The strength of this species–habitat association is unequal across the species within the genus, with the major vectors being particularly dependent on humans. However, our understanding of how blood-feeding behavior interacts with and adapts to environmental settings, including the presence of humans, remains limited. Using a field-based approach, we first investigated <i>Anopheles</i> community structure and feeding behavior patterns in domestic and sylvatic settings in La Lopé National Park in Gabon, Central Africa. We characterized the preference indices using a dual-host choice sampling approach across mosquito species, habitats, and seasons. We then quantified the plastic biting behavior of mosquito species in each habitat. We collected individuals from 16 <i>Anopheles</i> species that exhibited significant differences in species composition and abundance between sylvatic and domestic settings. The host-seeking behavior also varied among the seven most abundant species. The general attractiveness to each host, human or animal, remained relatively constant for each species, but with significant variations between habitats across species. These variations, to more generalist and to more anthropophilic behavior, were related to seasonal changes and distance from the village, respectively. Finally, we pointed out that the host choice of major malaria vectors changed in the absence of humans, revealing a plastic feeding behavior of these species. This study highlights the effect of humans on <i>Anopheles</i> distribution and feeding evolution. The characterization of feeding behavior in wild and domestic settings provides opportunities to better understand the interplay between genetic determinants of host preference and ecological factors. Our findings suggest that protected areas may offer alternative thriving conditions to major malaria vectors.</p>","PeriodicalId":168,"journal":{"name":"Evolutionary Applications","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2024-05-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/eva.13693","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141187515","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Consequences of domestication in eastern oyster: Insights from whole genomic analyses","authors":"Honggang Zhao,&nbsp;Ximing Guo,&nbsp;Wenlu Wang,&nbsp;Zhenwei Wang,&nbsp;Paul Rawson,&nbsp;Ami Wilbur,&nbsp;Matthew Hare","doi":"10.1111/eva.13710","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/eva.13710","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Selective breeding for production traits has yielded relatively rapid successes with high-fecundity aquaculture species. Discovering the genetic changes associated with selection is an important goal for understanding adaptation and can also facilitate better predictions about the likely fitness of selected strains if they escape aquaculture farms. Here, we hypothesize domestication as a genetic change induced by inadvertent selection in culture. Our premise is that standardized culture protocols generate parallel domestication effects across independent strains. Using eastern oyster as a model and a newly developed 600K SNP array, this study tested for parallel domestication effects in multiple independent selection lines compared with their progenitor wild populations. A single contrast was made between pooled selected strains (1–17 generations in culture) and all wild progenitor samples combined. Population structure analysis indicated rank order levels of differentiation as [wild − wild] &lt; [wild − cultured] &lt; [cultured − cultured]. A genome scan for parallel adaptation to the captive environment applied two methodologically distinct outlier tests to the wild versus selected strain contrast and identified a total of 1174 candidate SNPs. Contrasting wild versus selected strains revealed the early evolutionary consequences of domestication in terms of genomic differentiation, standing genetic diversity, effective population size, relatedness, runs of homozygosity profiles, and genome-wide linkage disequilibrium patterns. Random Forest was used to identify 37 outlier SNPs that had the greatest discriminatory power between bulked wild and selected oysters. The outlier SNPs were in genes enriched for cytoskeletal functions, hinting at possible traits under inadvertent selection during larval culture or pediveliger setting at high density. This study documents rapid genomic changes stemming from hatchery-based cultivation of eastern oysters, identifies candidate loci responding to domestication in parallel among independent aquaculture strains, and provides potentially useful genomic resources for monitoring interbreeding between farm and wild oysters.</p>","PeriodicalId":168,"journal":{"name":"Evolutionary Applications","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2024-05-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/eva.13710","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141164831","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Antimicrobial resistance in the wild: Insights from epigenetics","authors":"Mariana Villalba de la Peña,&nbsp;Ilkka Kronholm","doi":"10.1111/eva.13707","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/eva.13707","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Spreading of bacterial and fungal strains that are resistant to antimicrobials poses a serious threat to the well-being of humans, animals, and plants. Antimicrobial resistance has been mainly investigated in clinical settings. However, throughout their evolutionary history microorganisms in the wild have encountered antimicrobial substances, forcing them to evolve strategies to combat antimicrobial action. It is well known that many of these strategies are based on genetic mechanisms, but these do not fully explain important aspects of the antimicrobial response such as the rapid development of resistance, reversible phenotypes, and hetero-resistance. Consequently, attention has turned toward epigenetic pathways that may offer additional insights into antimicrobial mechanisms. The aim of this review is to explore the epigenetic mechanisms that confer antimicrobial resistance, focusing on those that might be relevant for resistance in the wild. First, we examine the presence of antimicrobials in natural settings. Then we describe the documented epigenetic mechanisms in bacteria and fungi associated with antimicrobial resistance and discuss innovative epigenetic editing techniques to establish causality in this context. Finally, we discuss the relevance of these epigenetic mechanisms on the evolutionary dynamics of antimicrobial resistance in the wild, emphasizing the critical role of priming in the adaptation process. We underscore the necessity of incorporating non-genetic mechanisms into our understanding of antimicrobial resistance evolution. These mechanisms offer invaluable insights into the dynamics of antimicrobial adaptation within natural ecosystems.</p>","PeriodicalId":168,"journal":{"name":"Evolutionary Applications","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2024-05-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/eva.13707","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141164830","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Can genetic rescue help save Arabia's last big cat?","authors":"Hadi Al Hikmani,&nbsp;Cock van Oosterhout,&nbsp;Thomas Birley,&nbsp;Jim Labisko,&nbsp;Hazel A. Jackson,&nbsp;Andrew Spalton,&nbsp;Simon Tollington,&nbsp;Jim J. Groombridge","doi":"10.1111/eva.13701","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/eva.13701","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Genetic diversity underpins evolutionary potential that is essential for the long-term viability of wildlife populations. Captive populations harbor genetic diversity potentially lost in the wild, which could be valuable for release programs and genetic rescue. The Critically Endangered Arabian leopard (<i>Panthera pardus nimr</i>) has disappeared from most of its former range across the Arabian Peninsula, with fewer than 120 individuals left in the wild, and an additional 64 leopards in captivity. We (i) examine genetic diversity in the wild and captive populations to identify global patterns of genetic diversity and structure; (ii) estimate the size of the remaining leopard population across the Dhofar mountains of Oman using spatially explicit capture–recapture models on DNA and camera trap data, and (iii) explore the impact of genetic rescue using three complementary computer modeling approaches. We estimated a population size of 51 (95% CI 32–79) in the Dhofar mountains and found that 8 out of 25 microsatellite alleles present in eight loci in captive leopards were undetected in the wild. This includes two alleles present only in captive founders known to have been wild-sourced from Yemen, which suggests that this captive population represents an important source for genetic rescue. We then assessed the benefits of reintroducing novel genetic diversity into the wild population as well as the risks of elevating the genetic load through the release of captive-bred individuals. Simulations indicate that genetic rescue can improve the long-term viability of the wild population by reducing its genetic load and realized load. The model also suggests that the genetic load has been partly purged in the captive population, potentially making it a valuable source population for genetic rescue. However, the greater loss of its genetic diversity could exacerbate genomic erosion of the wild population during a rescue program, and these risks and benefits should be carefully evaluated. An important next step in the recovery of the Arabian leopard is to empirically validate these conclusions, implement and monitor a genomics-informed management plan, and optimize a strategy for genetic rescue as a tool to recover Arabia's last big cat.</p>","PeriodicalId":168,"journal":{"name":"Evolutionary Applications","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2024-05-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/eva.13701","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141085026","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Unlocking the secret life of blue mussels: Exploring connectivity in the Skagerrak through biophysical modeling and population genomics","authors":"Malin Gustafsson,&nbsp;Åsa Strand,&nbsp;Ane T. Laugen,&nbsp;Jon Albretsen,&nbsp;Carl André,&nbsp;Göran Broström,&nbsp;Per Erik Jorde,&nbsp;Halvor Knutsen,&nbsp;Olga Ortega-Martinez,&nbsp;Marte Sodeland,&nbsp;Malin Waern,&nbsp;Anna-Lisa Wrange,&nbsp;Pierre De Wit","doi":"10.1111/eva.13704","DOIUrl":"10.1111/eva.13704","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Knowledge of functional dispersal barriers in the marine environment can be used to inform a wide variety of management actions, such as marine spatial planning, restoration efforts, fisheries regulations, and invasive species management. Locations and causes of dispersal barriers can be studied through various methods, including movement tracking, biophysical modeling, demographic models, and genetics. Combining methods illustrating potential dispersal, such as biophysical modeling, with realized dispersal through, e.g., genetic connectivity estimates, provides particularly useful information for teasing apart potential causes of observed barriers. In this study, we focus on blue mussels (<i>Mytilus edulis</i>) in the Skagerrak—a marginal sea connected to the North Sea in Northern Europe—and combine biophysical models of larval dispersal with genomic data to infer locations and causes of dispersal barriers in the area. Results from both methods agree; patterns of ocean currents are a major structuring factor in the area. We find a complex pattern of source-sink dynamics with several dispersal barriers and show that some areas can be isolated despite an overall high dispersal capability. Finally, we translate our finding into management advice that can be used to sustainably manage this ecologically and economically important species in the future.</p>","PeriodicalId":168,"journal":{"name":"Evolutionary Applications","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2024-05-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11104481/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141069931","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Virulence is associated with daily rhythms in the within-host replication of the malaria parasite Plasmodium chabaudi","authors":"Alíz T. Y. Owolabi,&nbsp;Petra Schneider,&nbsp;Sarah E. Reece","doi":"10.1111/eva.13696","DOIUrl":"10.1111/eva.13696","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Most malaria (<i>Plasmodium</i> spp.) parasite species undergo asexual replication synchronously within the red blood cells of their vertebrate host. Rhythmicity in this intraerythrocytic developmental cycle (IDC) enables parasites to maximise exploitation of the host and align transmission activities with the time of day that mosquito vectors blood feed. The IDC is also responsible for the major pathologies associated with malaria, and plasticity in the parasite's rhythm can confer tolerance to antimalarial drugs. Both the severity of infection (virulence) and synchrony of the IDC vary across species and between genotypes of <i>Plasmodium</i>; however, this variation is poorly understood. The theory predicts that virulence and IDC synchrony are negatively correlated, and we tested this hypothesis using two closely related genotypes of the rodent malaria model <i>Plasmodium chabaudi</i> that differ markedly in virulence. We also test the predictions that, in response to perturbations to the timing (phase) of the IDC schedule relative to the phase of host rhythms (misalignment), the virulent parasite genotype recovers the correct phase relationship faster, incurs less fitness losses and so hosts benefit less from misalignment when infected with a virulent genotype. Our predictions are partially supported by results suggesting that the virulent parasite genotype is less synchronous in some circumstances and recovers faster from misalignment. While hosts were less anaemic when infected by misaligned parasites, the extent of this benefit did not depend on parasite virulence. Overall, our results suggest that interventions to perturb the alignment between the IDC schedule, and host rhythms and increase synchrony between parasites within each IDC, could alleviate disease symptoms. However, virulent parasites, which are better at withstanding conventional antimalarial treatment, would also be intrinsically better able to tolerate such interventions.</p>","PeriodicalId":168,"journal":{"name":"Evolutionary Applications","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2024-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11078297/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140890716","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}