Community genetics

Last updated
Populus angustifolia leaves, and Solidago sp. flowers with associated arthropods. Members of these two plant genera are model systems in community genetics research. Solidago and Narrowleaf cottonwood, taken by Jamie Lamit, Uploaded Oct7, 2013.jpg
Populus angustifolia leaves, and Solidago sp. flowers with associated arthropods. Members of these two plant genera are model systems in community genetics research.

Community genetics is a recently emerged field in biology that fuses elements of community ecology, evolutionary biology, and molecular and quantitative genetics. Antonovics [1] first articulated the vision for such a field, and Whitham et al. [2] formalized its definition as "The study of the genetic interactions that occur between species and their abiotic environment in complex communities." The field aims to bridge the gaps in the study of evolution and ecology, within the multivariate community context in which ecological and evolutionary features are embedded. The documentary movie A Thousand Invisible Cords [3] provides an introduction to the field and its implications.

To date, the primary focus of most community genetics studies has been on the influences of genetic variation in plants on foliar arthropod communities. In a wide variety of ecosystems, different plant genotypes often support different compositions of associated foliar arthropod communities. [4] Such community phenotypes have been observed in natural hybrid complexes, [5] among genotypes and sibling families within a single species [6] [7] [8] and among different plant populations. [9] To understand the broader impacts of differences among plant genotypes on biodiversity as a whole, researchers have begun to examine the response of other organisms, such as foliar endophytes, [10] mycorrhizal fungi, [11] soil microbes, [12] litter-dwelling arthropods, [13] herbaceous plants [14] [15] and epiphytes. [13] These effects are frequently examined with foundation species [16] [17] in temperate ecosystems, who structure ecosystems by modulating and stabilizing resources and ecosystem processes. The emphasis on foundation species allows researchers to focus on the likely most important players in a system without becoming overwhelmed by the complexity of all the genetically variable interactions occurring at the same time. However, unique effects of plant genotypes have also been found with non-foundation species, [7] [9] and can occur in tropical, boreal and alpine systems. [10] [13] [15]

The vision for the field of community genetics extends beyond documentation of different communities on different genotypes of a focal species. Other aspects of this field include

Future progress in the field of community genetics is strongly dependent on breakthroughs in modern molecular DNA-based technology, such as genome sequencing. [23] The application of a community genetics approach to understanding how species and communities of interacting organisms are reacting to rapid changes in climate, as well as informing restoration, are two important applied aspects of community genetics.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of biology</span> Outline of subdisciplines within biology

Biology – The natural science that studies life. Areas of focus include structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herbivore</span> Organism that eats mostly or exclusively plant material

A herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example foliage or marine algae, for the main component of its diet. As a result of their plant diet, herbivorous animals typically have mouthparts adapted to rasping or grinding. Horses and other herbivores have wide flat teeth that are adapted to grinding grass, tree bark, and other tough plant material.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Genetic diversity</span> Total number of genetic characteristics in a species

Genetic diversity is the total number of genetic characteristics in the genetic makeup of a species, it ranges widely from the number of species to differences within species and can be attributed to the span of survival for a species. It is distinguished from genetic variability, which describes the tendency of genetic characteristics to vary.

Ecological genetics is the study of genetics in natural populations. Traits in a population can be observed and quantified to represent a species adapting to a changing environment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polymorphism (biology)</span> Occurrence of two or more clearly different morphs or forms in the population of a species

In biology, polymorphism is the occurrence of two or more clearly different morphs or forms, also referred to as alternative phenotypes, in the population of a species. To be classified as such, morphs must occupy the same habitat at the same time and belong to a panmictic population.

Backcrossing is a crossing of a hybrid with one of its parents or an individual genetically similar to its parent, to achieve offspring with a genetic identity closer to that of the parent. It is used in horticulture, animal breeding, and production of gene knockout organisms.

Genetic architecture is the underlying genetic basis of a phenotypic trait and its variational properties. Phenotypic variation for quantitative traits is, at the most basic level, the result of the segregation of alleles at quantitative trait loci (QTL). Environmental factors and other external influences can also play a role in phenotypic variation. Genetic architecture is a broad term that can be described for any given individual based on information regarding gene and allele number, the distribution of allelic and mutational effects, and patterns of pleiotropy, dominance, and epistasis.

Genetic load is the difference between the fitness of an average genotype in a population and the fitness of some reference genotype, which may be either the best present in a population, or may be the theoretically optimal genotype. The average individual taken from a population with a low genetic load will generally, when grown in the same conditions, have more surviving offspring than the average individual from a population with a high genetic load. Genetic load can also be seen as reduced fitness at the population level compared to what the population would have if all individuals had the reference high-fitness genotype. High genetic load may put a population in danger of extinction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ecosystem ecology</span> Study of living and non-living components of ecosystems and their interactions

Ecosystem ecology is the integrated study of living (biotic) and non-living (abiotic) components of ecosystems and their interactions within an ecosystem framework. This science examines how ecosystems work and relates this to their components such as chemicals, bedrock, soil, plants, and animals.

<i>Erythranthe guttata</i> Species of aquatic plant

Erythranthe guttata, with the common names seep monkeyflower and common yellow monkeyflower, is a yellow bee-pollinated annual or perennial plant. It was formerly known as Mimulus guttatus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Functional ecology</span>

Functional ecology is a branch of ecology that focuses on the roles, or functions, that species play in the community or ecosystem in which they occur. In this approach, physiological, anatomical, and life history characteristics of the species are emphasized. The term "function" is used to emphasize certain physiological processes rather than discrete properties, describe an organism's role in a trophic system, or illustrate the effects of natural selective processes on an organism. This sub-discipline of ecology represents the crossroads between ecological patterns and the processes and mechanisms that underlie them. It focuses on traits represented in large number of species and can be measured in two ways – the first being screening, which involves measuring a trait across a number of species, and the second being empiricism, which provides quantitative relationships for the traits measured in screening. Functional ecology often emphasizes an integrative approach, using organism traits and activities to understand community dynamics and ecosystem processes, particularly in response to the rapid global changes occurring in earth's environment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canalisation (genetics)</span> Measure of the ability of a population to produce the same phenotype

Canalisation is a measure of the ability of a population to produce the same phenotype regardless of variability of its environment or genotype. It is a form of evolutionary robustness. The term was coined in 1942 by C. H. Waddington to capture the fact that "developmental reactions, as they occur in organisms submitted to natural selection...are adjusted so as to bring about one definite end-result regardless of minor variations in conditions during the course of the reaction". He used this word rather than robustness to consider that biological systems are not robust in quite the same way as, for example, engineered systems.

<i>Avena barbata</i> Species of grass

Avena barbata is a species of wild oat known by the common name slender wild oat. It has edible seeds. It is a diploidized autotetraploid grass (2n=4x=28). Its diploid ancestors are A. hirtula Lag. and A. wiestii Steud (2n=2x=14), which are considered Mediterranean and desert ecotypes, respectively, comprising a single species. A westie and A. hirtula are widespread in the Mediterranean Basin, growing in mixed stands with A. barbata, though they are difficult to tell apart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ecological fitting</span> Biological process

Ecological fitting is "the process whereby organisms colonize and persist in novel environments, use novel resources or form novel associations with other species as a result of the suites of traits that they carry at the time they encounter the novel condition". It can be understood as a situation in which a species' interactions with its biotic and abiotic environment seem to indicate a history of coevolution, when in actuality the relevant traits evolved in response to a different set of biotic and abiotic conditions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plant use of endophytic fungi in defense</span>

Plant use of endophytic fungi in defense occurs when endophytic fungi, which live symbiotically with the majority of plants by entering their cells, are utilized as an indirect defense against herbivores. In exchange for carbohydrate energy resources, the fungus provides benefits to the plant which can include increased water or nutrient uptake and protection from phytophagous insects, birds or mammals. Once associated, the fungi alter nutrient content of the plant and enhance or begin production of secondary metabolites. The change in chemical composition acts to deter herbivory by insects, grazing by ungulates and/or oviposition by adult insects. Endophyte-mediated defense can also be effective against pathogens and non-herbivory damage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael J. Wade</span> American academic biologist

Michael J. Wade is a professor of biology at Indiana University Bloomington. Since 2009 he has been the Associate Vice Provost for Faculty and Academic Affairs at Indiana University. He is also affiliated faculty in the following departments and centers at Indiana University: Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior (CISAB), the Cognitive Science Program, and the Department of History and Philosophy of Science.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tritrophic interactions in plant defense</span> Ecological interactions

Tritrophic interactions in plant defense against herbivory describe the ecological impacts of three trophic levels on each other: the plant, the herbivore, and its natural enemies. They may also be called multitrophic interactions when further trophic levels, such as soil microbes, endophytes, or hyperparasitoids are considered. Tritrophic interactions join pollination and seed dispersal as vital biological functions which plants perform via cooperation with animals.

Genetic ecology is the study of the stability and expression of varying genetic material within abiotic mediums. Typically, genetic data is not thought of outside of any organism save for criminal forensics. However, genetic material has the ability to be taken up by various organisms that exist within an abiotic medium through natural transformations that may occur. Thus, this field of study focuses on interaction, exchange, and expression of genetic material that may not be shared by species had they not been in the same environment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gene-for-gene interactions in rust fungi</span>

The study of gene-for-gene interactions uncovers genetic components, evolutionary impacts, and ecological/economic implications between rust fungi and plants. Rust fungi utilize the gene-for-gene interaction to invade host plants. Conversely, host plants utilize the gene-for-gene interaction to prevent invasion of rust fungi.

Eco-evolutionary dynamics refers to the reciprocal effects that ecology and evolution have on each other. The effects of ecology on evolutionary processes are commonly observed in studies, but the realization that evolutionary changes can be rapid led to the emergence of eco-evolutionary dynamics. The idea that evolutionary processes can occur quickly and on one timescale with ecological processes led scientists to begin studying the influence evolution has on ecology along with the affects ecology has on evolution. Recent studies have documented eco-evolutionary dynamics and feedback, which is the cyclic interaction between evolution and ecology, in natural and laboratory systems at different levels of biological organization, such as populations, communities, and ecosystems.

References

  1. ↑ Antonovics, J. 1992. Toward community genetics. Pages 426-449 in R. S. Fritz and E. L. Simms, editors. Plant resistance to herbivores and pathogens: ecology, evolution, and genetics. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL, USA.
  2. ↑ Whitham, T.G., J.K. Bailey, J.A. Schweitzer, S.M. Shuster, R.K. Bangert, C.J. LeRoy, E.V. Lonsdorf, G.J. Allan, S.P. DiFazio, B.M. Potts, D.G. Fischer, C.A. Gehring, R.L. Lindroth, J.C. Marks, S.C. Hart, G.M. Wimp, S.C. Wooley. 2006. A framework for community and ecosystem genetics: from genes to ecosystems. Nature Reviews Genetics 7:510-523.
  3. ↑ Nau Idea Lab. "Home | A Thousand Invisible Cords | Connecting Genes to Ecosystems". A Thousand Invisible Cords. Retrieved 2013-10-16.
  4. ↑ Whitham, T.G., C.A. Gehring, L.J. Lamit, T. Wojtowicz, L.M. Evans, A.R. Keith, D.S. Smith. 2012. Community specificity: life and afterlife effects of genes. Trends in Plant Sciences 17:271-281.
  5. ↑ Wimp, G.M., S. Wooley, R.K. Bangert, W.P. Young, G.D. Martinsen, P. Keim, B. Rehill, R.L. Lindroth, T.G. Whitham. 2007. Plant genetics predicts intra-annual variation in phytochemistry and arthropod community structure. Molecular Ecology 16:5057-5069.
  6. ↑ Maddox, G.D., R.B. Root. 1987. Resistance to 16 diverse species of herbivorous insects within a population of goldenrod, Solidago altissima: Genetic variation and heritability. Oecologia 72:8-14.
  7. 1 2 Johnson, M.T.J., A.A. Agrawal. 2005. Plant genotype and environment interact to shape a diverse arthropod community on evening primrose ("Oenothera biennis"). Ecology 86: 874-885.
  8. ↑ Keith, A.R., J.K. Bailey, T.G. Whitham. 2010. A genetic basis to community repeatability and stability. Ecology 91:3398-3406.
  9. 1 2 Wise, M.J. 2007. Evolutionary ecology of resistance to herbivory: an investigation of potential genetic constraints in the multiple-herbivore community of Solanum carolinense. New Phytologist 175:773-784.
  10. 1 2 Elamo, P., M.L. Helander, I. Saloniemi, S. Neuvonen. 1999. Birch family and environmental conditions affect endophytic fungi in leaves. Oecologia 118:151-156.
  11. ↑ Sthultz, C.M., T.G. Whitham, K. Kennedy, R. Deckert, C.A. Gehring. 2009. Genetically based susceptibility to herbivory influences the ectomycorrhizal fungal communities of a foundation tree species. New Phytologist 184:657-667.
  12. ↑ Schweitzer, J.A., J.K. Bailey, D.G. Fischer, C.J. Leroy, E.V. Lonsdorf, T.G. Whitham, S.C. Hart. 2008. Plant-soil-microorganism interactions: Heritable relationship between plant genotype and associated soil microorganisms. Ecology 89:773-781.
  13. 1 2 3 Zytynska, S.E., M.F. Fay, D. Penny, R.F. Preziosi. 2011. Genetic variation in a tropical tree species influences the associated epiphytic plant and invertebrate communities in a complex forest ecosystem. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B 366:1329–1336.
  14. ↑ Lamit, L.J., T. Wojtowicz, Z. Kovacs, S.C. Wooley, M. Zinkgraf, T.G. Whitham, R.L. Lindroth, C.A. Gehring. 2011. Hybridization among foundation tree species influences the structure of associated understory plant communities. Botany 89:165-174.
  15. 1 2 Michalet, R., S. Xiao, B. Touzard, D.S. Smith, L.A. Cavieres, R.M. Callaway, T.G. Whitham. 2011. Phenotypic variation in nurse traits and community feedbacks define an alpine community. Ecology Letters 14:433-443.
  16. ↑ Dayton PK 1972. Toward an understanding of community resilience and the potential effects of enrichments to the benthos at McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. In Parker BC. Proceedings of the Colloquium on Conservation Problems Allen Press, Lawrence, Kansas. 81-96.
  17. ↑ Ellison, A.M., M.S. Bank, B.D. Clinton, E.A. Colburn, K. Elliott, C.R. Ford, D.R. Foster, B.D Kloeppel, J.D. Knoepp, G.M. Lovett, J. Mohan, D.A Orwig, N.L. Rodenhouse, W.V. Sobczak, K.A. Stinson, J.K. Stone, C.M. Swan, J. Thompson, B. Von Holle, J.R. Webster. 2005. Loss of foundation species: consequences for the structure and dynamics of forested ecosystems. Frontiers In Ecology And The Environment 3:479-486.
  18. ↑ Johnson, M.T. 2008. Bottom-up effects of plant genotype on aphids, ants and predators. Ecology 89:145-154.
  19. 1 2 Smith, D.S., J.K. Bailey, S.M. Shuster, T.G. Whitham. 2011. A geographic mosaic of trophic interactions and selection: trees, aphids and birds. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 24:422-429.
  20. ↑ Evans, L.M., G.J. Allan, S.M. Shuster, S.A. Woolbright, T.G. Whitham. 2008. Tree hybridization and genotypic variation drive cryptic speciation of a specialist mite herbivore. Evolution 62:3027-3040.
  21. ↑ Lankau, R.A., S.Y. Strauss 2007. Mutual feedbacks maintain both genetic and species diversity in a plant community. Science 317:1561-1563.
  22. ↑ Johnson, M.T.J., M. Vellend, J.R. Stinchcombe. 2009. Evolution in plant populations as a driver of ecological changes in arthropod communities. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society 364:1593-1605.
  23. ↑ Whitham, T.G., S.P. DiFazio, J.A. Schweitzer, S.M. Shuster, G.J. Allan, J.K. Bailey, S.A. Woolbright. 2008. Extending genomics to natural communities and ecosystems. Science 320:492-495.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.