L30&31 Climatic adaptations and Plasticity

Question 1

Plasticity vs Evolution

Answer 1

• climate change adaptation occurs by both adaptive plasticity and genetic change

Question 2

Plasticity

Answer 2

extent to which the same genotype produces different phenotypes when exposed to different environments

can occur within and between generations

under genetic control e.g. genetic variation in acclimation, genetic changes in migration direction

Question 3

Plasticity in Drosophila

Answer 3

see onenote

Question 4

Climatic adaptation

Answer 4

1. longitudinal studies of populations
2. spatial studies
3. laboratory and experimental studies

Question 5

Conservation

Answer 5

what do we conserve to ensure potential for adaptation

Question 6

Assessing adaptation through longitudinal studies

Answer 6

• Track population across time, is it adapting according to changes across climates

A longitudinal study is an observational research method in which data is gathered for the same subjects repeatedly over a period of time. Longitudinal research projects can extend over years or even decades. In a longitudinal cohort study, the same individuals are observed over the study period.

Question 7

Spatial studies

Answer 7

see onenote

• clines, “space for time”
• local adaptation => spatial variation
• invasive species can suggest rapid adaptation

Question 8

Cline

Answer 8

see onenote

Gradual changes in the phenotype/gene frequency across some gradient

Question 9

Grass adaptation

Answer 9

• Linked spatial difference to fitness
• These grass have the potential to adapt to climate change

Lower elevation => warmer temperature, more sunlight => higher density grass, needs longer leaves to get more sunlight

Higher elevation = strong winds, could shear grass => near shorter, wider leaves

Question 10

Population processes can cause apparent adaptive patterns

Answer 10

see onenote

Historical process that may produce non-adaptive cline e.g. 2 different invasions of birds in 2 different locations - one in Cairns are small and one in Melbourne are big (founders effect) => mixture between the two results in a cline (chance event produced this cline)

Question 11

Confidence in clines

Answer 11

see onenote

- look for parallel changes in unrelated species/populations

Question 12

Laboratory and experimental studies

Answer 12

Selection experiments and experimental evolution

• selection can indicate potential to respond, provide estimates of heritability, evolvability and genetic correlations
• trait changes as end point in experiments
• measure other traits as correlated responses

Question 13

Desiccation resistance selection

Answer 13

see onenote

Question 14

Experimental evolution experiments can have different endpoints

Answer 14

• extinction or other measure of population fitness as an endpoint
• genetic variation as endpoint (measured as % polymorphic loci, heterozygosity or other measure like genetic evenness)

Question 15

Genetic variation as end point

Answer 15

see onenote

Question 16

Genetic evenness

Answer 16

see onenote

reflects if multiple genotypes present at even frequency (high evenness) or a few dominant ones (low evenness)

Question 17

Genes underlying climatic adaptation can also show longitudinal shifts

Answer 17

see onenote

Question 18

What we know

Answer 18

see onenote