Testing the ecological consequences of evolutionary change using elements

Understanding the ecological consequences of evolutionary change is a central challenge in contemporary biology. We propose a framework based on the ~25 elements represented in biology, which can serve as a conduit for a general exploration of poorly understood evolution-to-ecology links. In this framework, known as ecological stoichiometry, the quantity of elements in the inorganic realm is a fundamental environment, while the flow of elements from the abiotic to the biotic realm is due to the action of genomes, with the unused elements excreted back into the inorganic realm affecting ecological processes at higher levels of organization. Ecological stoichiometry purposefully assumes distinct elemental composition of species, enabling powerful predictions about the ecological functions of species. However, this assumption results in a simplified view of the evolutionary mechanisms underlying diversification in the elemental composition of species. Recent research indicates substantial intraspecific variation in elemental composition and associated ecological functions such as nutrient excretion. We posit that attention to intraspecific variation in elemental composition will facilitate a synthesis of stoichiometric information in light of population genetics theory for a rigorous exploration of the ecological consequences of evolutionary change.Peer reviewedZoolog

Mortality and Land Use

Pesticide Mortality and Land Use Data: this file includes mortality estimates for each population-by-pesticide combination and measures of agricultural land use

pool data

Mesocosm data: data includes several life history and behavioral responses to biological stressors (competition and predation) across populations that have different land use patterns around the pond of origin

wood tox

Lab toxicity data: mortality data for each population when exposed to roundup and chlorpyrifos

Family means tradeoff

Family means for tradeoff analysis. Family, P treatment (high P=HF, low P=LF), Predator cue (NP=no cue, P=predator cue), residual antenna size (regressed against head length), resid posterior gnathopod size (against head length), and growth rate (ln-transformed) are provided

male-male comp data

data collected for the mate competition experiment. Family, cup (id #), P treatment (high P=HF, low P=LF), predator cue (P=predator cue, NP=no cue), head length of focal male, posterior gnathopod width of focal male, ln(head length), ln(posterior gnathopod), residual gnathopod size (regressed against head length), z-score within treatments for head length, z-score within treatments for residual gnathopod size

Morphology Data

Collected from the experiment. Measurements were taken using an imaging system. The file was created using Numbers for Mac. LF=low phosphorus, HF=high phosphorus; P=predator cues, NP=no cues; head=head length, antenna= antenna length, a_gnath= anterior gnathopod width, p_gnath=posterior gnathopod width. Missing data are due to damaged traits

Female fecundity data

Female fecundity data. Family, Phosphorus treatment (high=high P, low=low P), predator cue (p=predator cue, np=no cue), cup (id#), head length, whether the female was cannibalized by males, fecundity trait (egg number, egg volume, or number of neonates[offsp_nu]), fecundity trait value, ln(head length), ln(fecund_value)

growth data

Growth rate data. ID (individual ID#), family, Phosphorus treatment (high P=HF, low P=LF), predator cue(np=no cue, p=predator cue), sex, age in days, growth (growth rate [head length/age]), head length (mm), ln(growth rate)

Data from: The contribution of phenotypic plasticity to the evolution of insecticide tolerance in amphibian populations

Understanding population responses to rapid environmental changes caused by anthropogenic activities, such as pesticides, is a research frontier. Genetic assimilation (GA), a process initiated by phenotypic plasticity, is one mechanism potentially influencing evolutionary responses to novel environments. While theoretical and laboratory research suggests that GA has the potential to influence evolutionary trajectories, few studies have assessed its role in the evolution of wild populations experiencing novel environments. Using the insecticide, carbaryl, and 15 wood frog populations distributed across an agricultural gradient, we tested whether GA contributed to the evolution of pesticide tolerance. First, we investigated the evidence for evolved tolerance to carbaryl and discovered that population-level patterns of tolerance were consistent with evolutionary responses to pesticides; wood frog populations living closer to agriculture were more tolerant than populations living far from agriculture. Next, we tested the potential role of GA in the evolution of pesticide tolerance by assessing whether patterns of tolerance were consistent with theoretical predictions. We found that populations close to agriculture displayed constitutive tolerance to carbaryl whereas populations far from agriculture had low naïve tolerance but high magnitudes of induced tolerance. These results suggest GA could play a role in evolutionary responses to novel environments in nature