Molecular Ecology最新文献

{"title":"Understanding Dynamic Molecular Responses Is Key to Designing Environmental Stress Experiments: A Review of Gene and Protein Expression in Cnidaria Under Stress","authors":"Clarissa G. Molinari,&nbsp;Carmel McDougall,&nbsp;Kylie A. Pitt","doi":"10.1111/mec.17753","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mec.17753","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Gene and protein expression analyses are powerful tools to investigate the responses of cnidarians to stress, providing information on both genetic and functional variation and capturing dynamic shifts in organismal physiology. As the use of high throughput sequencing to understand responses of cnidarians to stressors is still relatively new, standard experimental protocols have not yet been established, which limits the ability to compare studies. We (1) systematically reviewed the literature of cnidarian gene and protein expression studies related to environmental stressors to determine how the laboratory experiments were designed and (2) investigated the consistency in responses of genes commonly used as biomarkers within stress experiments conducted on the five most-studied cnidarian genera. Duration of exposure to the stressor, acclimation period and intensity of stress varied greatly among experiments, and most studies did not sample during acclimation and recovery. Before designing experiments that aim to characterise molecular responses to a specific environmental stress, research efforts need to focus on understanding the plasticity of whole transcriptome responses, as gene expression can vary under different stress intensities and durations of exposure. Additionally, only seven genes that were tested in at least two different genera showed a consistent response under heat stress (CuZn-SOD, c-type lectin, FGFR1, MMP, Zn-MP, NF-κB and SLC26). These genes have the potential to standardise evaluations of temperature stress across experiments on cnidarians, and we suggest exploring their use as general cnidarian biomarkers of temperature stress (cBATS).</p>","PeriodicalId":210,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Ecology","volume":"34 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/mec.17753","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143762523","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Multiple Pathways to Red Carotenoid Coloration: House Finches (Haemorhous mexicanus) Do Not Use CYP2J19 to Produce Red Plumage","authors":"Rebecca E. Koch,&nbsp;Christy N. Truong,&nbsp;Hannah R. Reeb,&nbsp;Brooke H. Joski,&nbsp;Geoffrey E. Hill,&nbsp;Yufeng Zhang,&nbsp;Matthew B. Toomey","doi":"10.1111/mec.17744","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mec.17744","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The carotenoid-based colours of birds are a celebrated example of biological diversity and an important system for the study of evolution. Recently, a two-step mechanism, with the enzymes cytochrome P450 2J19 (CYP2J19) and 3-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase 1-like (BDH1L), was described for the biosynthesis of red ketocarotenoids from yellow dietary carotenoids in the retina and plumage of birds. A common assumption has been that all birds with ketocarotenoid-based plumage coloration used this CYP2J19/BDH1L mechanism to produce red feathers. We tested this assumption in house finches (<i>Haemorhous mexicanus</i>) by examining the catalytic function of the house finch homologues of these enzymes and tracking their expression in birds growing new feathers. We found that CYP2J19 and BDH1L did not catalyse the production of 3-hydroxy-echinenone (3-OH-echinenone), the primary red plumage pigment of house finches, when provided with common dietary carotenoid substrates. Moreover, gene expression analyses revealed little to no expression of <i>CYP2J19</i> in liver tissue or growing feather follicles, the putative sites of pigment metabolism in moulting house finches. Finally, although the hepatic mitochondria of house finches have high concentrations of 3-OH-echinenone, observations using fluorescent markers suggest that both CYP2J19 and BDH1L localise to the endomembrane system rather than the mitochondria. We propose that house finches and other birds that deposit 3-OH-echinenone as their primary red plumage pigment use an alternative enzymatic pathway to produce their characteristic red ketocarotenoid-based coloration.</p>","PeriodicalId":210,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Ecology","volume":"34 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/mec.17744","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143750344","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Temporal Dynamics of Genetic Diversity in Protected and Unprotected Wild Rice (Oryza rufipogon) Populations: Implications for Conservation","authors":"Zhi-Zhou He,&nbsp;Wen-Wen Shao,&nbsp;Olivier Honnay,&nbsp;Hui Liao,&nbsp;Hao Chen,&nbsp;Jing Liu,&nbsp;Shan-Shan Dong,&nbsp;Ding Li,&nbsp;Guo-Zhen Fan,&nbsp;Yao Zhao,&nbsp;Jun Rong,&nbsp;Yan Liu,&nbsp;Fan Lu,&nbsp;Xin-Hong Cui,&nbsp;Wen-Ju Zhang,&nbsp;Yu-Guo Wang,&nbsp;Lin-Feng Li,&nbsp;Ji Yang,&nbsp;Zhi-Ping Song","doi":"10.1111/mec.17750","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mec.17750","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Genetic diversity is vital for population survival, yet there is a paucity of studies focusing on the effectiveness of establishing protected areas for maintaining the population genetic diversity of threatened plant species. To evaluate the effectiveness of in situ conservation measures, we used simple sequence repeats (SSR) and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) markers to monitor temporal dynamics in genetic diversity of the threatened wild rice <i>Oryza rufipogon</i> in both protected and unprotected populations in China between 2001 and 2020. Unprotected populations tended to have decreased census population sizes (<i>Nc</i>) compared to protected populations, although they both showed a reduction in effective population size (<i>Ne</i>). While allele diversity and expected heterozygosity remained stable, several populations, especially those without protection, exhibited a significant decrease in observed heterozygosity (<i>Ho</i>) and an increase in inbreeding (<i>F</i>_IS). The level of genetic differentiation between populations did not change over time, but the number of private alleles increased and <i>Ne</i> varied in several populations, indicating the effects of genetic drift. Indicators for temporal trends in <i>Ho</i>, <i>F</i>_IS, and <i>Ne</i> revealed that both protected and unprotected populations are facing warnings of declining genetic diversity, although some protected populations remain resilient, reflecting the genetic lag behind <i>Nc</i> change. Overall, these findings highlight the effectiveness of in situ conservation efforts in maintaining population size and genetic diversity, yet we also show the necessity of lasting population dynamics monitoring, using different genetic indicators.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":210,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Ecology","volume":"34 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143741932","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Geographic Variation in Epigenetic Responses to Hypoxia in Deer Mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) Distributed Along an Elevational Gradient","authors":"Dhriti Tandon,&nbsp;Shane Campbell-Staton,&nbsp;Zachary Cheviron,&nbsp;Bridgett M. von Holdt","doi":"10.1111/mec.17752","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mec.17752","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Lowland and highland <i>Peromyscus maniculatus</i> populations display divergent, locally adapted physiological phenotypes shaped by altitudinal differences in oxygen availability. Many physiological responses to hypoxia seem to have evolved in lowland ancestors to offset episodic and localised bouts of low internal oxygen availability. However, upon chronic hypoxia exposure at high elevation, these responses can lead to physiological complications. Therefore, highland ancestry is often associated with evolved hypoxia responses, particularly traits promoting tolerance of constant hypoxia. Environmentally induced DNA methylation can dynamically alter gene expression patterns, providing a proximate basis for phenotypic plasticity. Given each population's differential reliance on plasticity for hypoxia tolerance, we hypothesised that lowland mice have a more robust epigenetic response to hypoxia exposure, driving trait plasticity, than highland mice. Using DNA methylation data of tissues from the heart's left ventricle, we show that upon hypoxia exposure, lowland mice chemically modulate the epigenetic landscape to a greater extent than highland mice, especially at key hypoxia-relevant genes such as <i>Egln3</i>. This gene is a regulator of the gene <i>Epas1</i> that is frequently targeted for positive selection at high elevation. We find higher methylation among wild highland mice at gene <i>Egln3</i> compared to wild lowland mice, suggesting a shared epigenetic ancestral response to episodic and chronic hypoxia. These findings highlight each population's distinct reliance on molecular plasticity driven by their unique evolutionary histories.</p>","PeriodicalId":210,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Ecology","volume":"34 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/mec.17752","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143741925","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Metagenomic Insights Into the Dietary Diversity of the Adaptive Radiation of Cichlid Fishes in Lake Tanganyika","authors":"Charlotte E. T. Huyghe,&nbsp;Antoine Fages,&nbsp;Fabrizia Ronco,&nbsp;Adrian Indermaur,&nbsp;Frederic D. B. Schedel,&nbsp;Ismael Kimirei,&nbsp;Lawrence Makasa,&nbsp;Patrick Tschopp,&nbsp;Walter Salzburger","doi":"10.1111/mec.17743","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mec.17743","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Diet specialisation is a main driver of diversification in many adaptive radiations. Therefore, identifying diet items is essential to characterise trophic specialisations and to understand the dynamics of dietary adaptations. In this study, we explored the trophic niches of 56 species from the adaptive radiation of cichlid fishes in Lake Tanganyika, encompassing all major phylogenetic lineages and feeding specialisations. We employed a metagenomic sequencing approach to identify the food sources of the investigated species at high taxonomic resolution, sequencing over 400 digestive content samples from wild-caught individuals at around 50 million paired-end read depth per sample. Our analyses revealed Arthropoda, Chordata (fishes), Bacillariophyta and Streptophyta as the primary diet phyla of the Tanganyikan cichlids. Moreover, we confirmed the presence of other food sources and identified taxa not previously documented to be part of the cichlids' diet. Based on their dietary compositions, the Tanganyikan cichlids can be grouped into herbivores, invertivores, piscivores and mixed feeders. Further, we showed that trophic disparity in the radiation is shaped by rapid divergence and documented cases of dietary niche convergence. Diet composition correlated with carbon and nitrogen stable isotope values, gut length, and body morphology. Differences in diet—such as the consumption of diatoms, streptophytes and chlorophytes versus fish and arthropods—were associated with changes in body, upper oral jaw and lower pharyngeal jaw shape. Collectively, this study presents a comprehensive and detailed diet classification of the Tanganyikan cichlids, highlighting the power of metagenomic approaches in delineating dietary adaptations.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":210,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Ecology","volume":"34 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143741928","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Genomic, Phenotypic and Environmental Correlates of Speciation in the Midwife Toads (Alytes)","authors":"Johanna Ambu,&nbsp;Spartak N. Litvinchuk,&nbsp;Carlos Caballero-Díaz,&nbsp;Alfredo Nicieza,&nbsp;Guillermo Velo-Antón,&nbsp;Helena Gonçalves,&nbsp;Fernando Martínez-Freiría,&nbsp;Helena Martínez-Gil,&nbsp;Juan Francisco Beltrán,&nbsp;David Donaire-Barroso,&nbsp;Axel Hernandez,&nbsp;Tomasz Suchan,&nbsp;Pierre-André Crochet,&nbsp;ĺñigo Martínez-Solano,&nbsp;Christophe Dufresnes","doi":"10.1111/mec.17736","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mec.17736","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Speciation, i.e., the formation of new species, implies that diverging populations evolve genetic, phenotypic or ecological factors that promote reproductive isolation (RI), but the relative contributions of these factors remain elusive. Here we test which of genomic, bioacoustic, morphological, and environmental differences best predicts RI across a continuum of divergence in the midwife toads (genus <i>Alytes</i>), a group of Western Mediterranean amphibians, using a total evidence approach. We found that, without strong geographic barriers to dispersal, the extent of introgression across hybrid zones between phylogeographic lineages, which should reflect the strength of RI, predominantly covaries with genomic divergence. Overall phenotypic differentiation becomes substantial only between well established, fully isolated species. These results suggest that speciation in midwife toads initially involve cryptic lineages, which probably evolve RI through intrinsic (genetic) hybrid incompatibilities. As they continue to diverge, these nascent species eventually differentiate externally, which potentially enforces pre-mating barriers and facilitates sympatry. This speciation scenario has practical implications for species delimitation, notably when using hybrid zones and divergence thresholds as proxies for reproductive isolation.</p>","PeriodicalId":210,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Ecology","volume":"34 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/mec.17736","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143699271","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Dynamic and Functional miRNA-Mediated Gene Regulations in Response to Recurrent Environmental Challenges During Biological Invasions.","authors":"Weijie Yan, Ruiying Fu, Xuena Huang, Aibin Zhan","doi":"10.1111/mec.17749","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.17749","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Biological invasions offer a valuable 'natural experiment' to investigate survival mechanisms, as invaders successfully endure substantial environmental changes during their geographical spread and settlement. Phenotypic plasticity enhances fitness by enabling rapid responses without requiring new genetic variations. Among numerous mechanisms involved in phenotypic plasticity, microRNAs (miRNAs) and their regulatory networks are believed to enable rapid responses by fine-tuning gene expression, though their roles remain poorly understood. By integrating miRNAomic and transcriptomic analyses in the model invasive ascidian Ciona robusta, we simulated recurring salinity stresses encountered during invasions to investigate the molecular mechanisms of miRNA-mediated gene regulation in response to recurrent environmental challenges. Multiple analyses demonstrated that miRNAs exhibited rapid, dynamic and reversible responses to recurrent stresses, displaying duration-dependent and stage-specific profiles. The upregulation of genes in the miRNA biogenesis process, rather than the decay pathway, primarily accounted for the increased expression abundance of miRNAs. Responsive miRNAs regulated target genes through an intricate regulatory network, demonstrated by both up and downregulatory relationships and diverse binding sites. Interestingly, miRNAs and their target genes exhibited a 'stress memory' effect, where miRNAs 'remembered' previous challenges and further mediated the enhanced response of target genes at later stresses. Functionally, miRNA-mediated salinity coping strategies and associated genes exhibited temporal variations depending on challenge duration and stage, and these strategies primarily involved the modulation and alternation of free amino acid metabolism and ion transport to maintain osmotic homeostasis. These findings highlight the importance of miRNA-mediated regulatory networks in shaping short-term phenotypic plasticity in response to environmental changes.</p>","PeriodicalId":210,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Ecology","volume":" ","pages":"e17749"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143699270","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Temporal Loss of Genome-Wide and Immunogenetic Diversity in a Near-Extinct Parrot","authors":"Luke W. Silver,&nbsp;Katherine A. Farquharson,&nbsp;Emma Peel,&nbsp;M. Thomas P. Gilbert,&nbsp;Katherine Belov,&nbsp;Hernán E. Morales,&nbsp;Carolyn J. Hogg","doi":"10.1111/mec.17746","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mec.17746","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Loss of genetic diversity threatens a species' adaptive potential and long-term resilience. Predicted to be extinct by 2038, the orange-bellied parrot (<i>Neophema chrysogaster</i>) is a critically endangered migratory bird threatened by numerous viral, bacterial and fungal diseases. The species has undergone multiple population crashes, reaching a low of three wild-born females and 13 males in 2016, and is now represented by only a single wild population and individuals in the captive breeding program. Here we used our high-quality long-read reference genome, and contemporary (<i>N</i> = 19) and historical (<i>N</i> = 16) resequenced genomes from as early as 1829, to track the long-term genomic erosion and immunogenetic diversity decline in this species. 62% of genomic diversity was lost between historical (mean autosomal heterozygosity = 0.00149 ± 0.000699 SD) and contemporary (0.00057 ± 0.000026) parrots. A greater number and length of runs of homozygosity in contemporary samples were also observed. A temporal reduction in the number of alleles at Toll-like receptor genes was found (historical average alleles = 5.78 ± 2.73; contemporary = 3.89 ± 2.10), potentially exacerbating disease susceptibility in the contemporary population. Of particular concern is the new threat of avian influenza strain (HPAI) to Australia. We discuss the conservation implications of our findings and propose that hybridisation and synthetic biology may be required to address the catastrophic loss of genetic diversity that has occurred in this species in order to prevent extinction.</p>","PeriodicalId":210,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Ecology","volume":"34 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/mec.17746","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143699272","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Food Quality and Life-History Genotype Influence Maturation and Reproductive Traits in Female Atlantic Salmon","authors":"Katja Susanna Maamela,&nbsp;Eirik Ryvoll Åsheim,&nbsp;Ronan James O'Sullivan,&nbsp;Paul Vincent Debes,&nbsp;Andrew Herbert House,&nbsp;Petra Liljeström,&nbsp;Jenni Maria Prokkola,&nbsp;Petri Toivo Niemelä,&nbsp;Jaakko Erkinaro,&nbsp;Kenyon Brice Mobley,&nbsp;Craig Robert Primmer","doi":"10.1111/mec.17735","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mec.17735","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Age at maturity is an important life-history trait, often showing sex-specific variation, contributing to life-history diversity in many species. Atlantic salmon (\u0000 <i>Salmo salar</i>\u0000 ) are an excellent model system to investigate genetic and environmental factors affecting sex-specific maturation, yet few laboratory studies have focused on females as they mature later than males, on average. Using a 4-year common-garden experiment of Atlantic salmon, we assessed the influence of diet (low-fat vs. control) and <i>vgll3</i> (a candidate gene influencing maturation age) on maturation and related phenotypic traits of female Atlantic salmon derived from two second-generation hatchery populations. We found the early-maturation associated E allele to be additively associated with a higher probability of maturation. Heritability of maturation was estimated to be 0.295, with <i>vgll3</i>'s contribution to phenotypic variance being ~2%. In addition, body condition measured in the spring prior to spawning influenced maturation. Body condition, in turn, was influenced by population and diet. The more northern Oulu population and the low-fat diet were associated with lower body condition compared to the more southern Neva population and the control diet. Moreover, there was an interaction between population and diet on body condition, suggesting that populations may respond differently to nutrient availability. These results broaden our understanding of the processes underlying sex- and population-specific maturation and demonstrate that genes and environment influence age at maturity in a species that displays sex-specific variation in maturation.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":210,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Ecology","volume":"34 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143690392","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Social Complexity During Early Development has Long-Term Effects on Neuroplasticity in the Social Decision-Making Network","authors":"Océane La Loggia,&nbsp;Diogo F. Antunes,&nbsp;Nadia Aubin-Horth,&nbsp;Barbara Taborsky","doi":"10.1111/mec.17738","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mec.17738","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>In social species, early social experience shapes the development of appropriate social behaviours during conspecific interactions referred to as social competence. However, the underlying neuronal mechanisms responsible for the acquisition of social competence are largely unknown. A key candidate to influence social competence is neuroplasticity, which functions to restructure neural networks in response to novel experiences or alterations of the environment. One important mediator of this restructuring is the neurotrophin BDNF, which is well conserved among vertebrates. We studied the highly social fish <i>Neolamprologus pulcher</i>, in which the impact of early social experience on social competence has been previously shown. We investigated experimentally how variation in the early social environment impacts markers of neuroplasticity by analysing the relative expression of the <i>bdnf</i> gene and its receptors <i>p75NTR</i> and <i>TrkB</i> across nodes of the social decision-making network. In fish raised in larger groups, <i>bdnf</i> and <i>TrkB</i> were upregulated in the anterior tuberal nucleus, compared to fish raised in smaller groups, while <i>TrkB</i> was downregulated and <i>bdnf</i> was upregulated in the lateral part of the dorsal telencephalon. In the preoptic area (POA), all three genes were upregulated in fish raised in large groups, suggesting that early social experiences might lead to changes of the neuronal connectivity in the POA. Our results highlight the importance of early social experience in programming the constitutive expression of neuroplasticity markers, suggesting that the effects of early social experience on social competence might be due to changes in neuroplasticity.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":210,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Ecology","volume":"34 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143668699","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}