An integrated approach to infer the mechanisms of mate choice for size

Size-assortative mating and sexual selection on size are common across species. Since both may be a result of mate choice, mate choice based on size should also be a widespread process. This behaviour is, however, rarely studied directly and thus the biological causes that determine size-based mate choice are poorly understood. To address this, we studied the size-based mate choice in an intertidal snail, Echinolittorina malaccana, that has been used as a model to understand this process. Previous studies, assuming a quantitative Gaussian mating preference function, have inferred that mate choice in this snail is caused by a size similarity mechanism (males prefer to mate with females slightly larger than themselves). To further test and quantify this proposed mechanism, we conducted mate choice experiments with alternative designs (single, male and multiple choice) in the laboratory and compared the results to mate choice data observed in natural populations. This integrated approach allowed us to elucidate the mechanism of mate choice by evaluating alternative mating models that best fitted the observed data of various designs. Results confirmed the similarity-based mechanism but showed deviations at extreme size classes. The single choice design indicated that mate choice was exercised during one-on-one maleefemale interactions, but the strength of mate choice increased with the presence of additional individuals (males in the male choice design, and both males and females in the multiplechoice design). Multiple-choice experiments are, therefore, the most valuable and useful design to infer how males choose mates in the wild, as they best mimic the natural scenario and the results are the most similar to those observed in natural populations. To elucidate the mechanisms causing this male choice for particular female sizes, the next steps are to identify the genetic basis as well as potential physiological benefits associated with choosing slightly larger females.Xunta de Galicia | Ref. ED431C 2020-05Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad | Ref. CGL2016-75482-

Acceptance and knowledge of evolutionary theory among third-year university students in Spain

The theory of evolution is one of the greatest scientific achievements in the intellectual history of humankind, yet it is still contentious within certain social groups. Despite being as robust and evidence-based as any other notable scientific theory, some people show a strong reluctance to accept it. In this study, we used the Measure of Acceptance of the Theory of Evolution (MATE) and Knowledge of Evolution Exam (KEE) questionnaires with university students from four academic degree programs (Chemistry, English, History, and Biology) of ten universities from Spain to measure, respectively, acceptance and knowledge of evolutionary theory among third-year undergraduate students (nMATE = 978; nKEE = 981). Results show that acceptance of evolution is relatively high (87.2%), whereas knowledge of the theory is moderate (5.4 out of 10) although there are differences across degrees (Biology>Chemistry>History>English), and even among various universities (ranging from 4.71 to 5.81). Statistical analysis reveals that knowledge of evolutionary theory among Biology students is partially explained by the relative weight of evolutionary themes within the curriculum, suggesting that an increase in the number of hours dedicated to this topic could have a direct influence on students’ knowledge of it. We also found that religion may have a significant—although relatively small—negative influence on evolutionary theory acceptance. The moderate knowledge of evolution in our undergraduate students, together with the potential problem of acceptance in certain groups, suggests the need for a revision of the evolutionary concepts in the teaching curricula of our students since primary school. © 2020 Gefaell et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.Xunta de Galicia ED431C 2016-037Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad CGL2016-75904-C2-1-

Population genomics of parallel evolution in gene expression and gene sequence during ecological adaptation

Natural selection often produces parallel phenotypic changes in response to a similar adaptive challenge. However, the extent to which parallel gene expression differences and genomic divergence underlie parallel phenotypic traits and whether they are decoupled or not remains largely unexplored. We performed a population genomic study of parallel ecological adaptation among replicate ecotype pairs of the rough periwinkle (Littorina saxatilis) at a regional geographical scale (NW Spain). We show that genomic changes underlying parallel phenotypic divergence followed a complex pattern of both repeatable differences and of differences unique to specific ecotype pairs, in which parallel changes in expression or sequence are restricted to a limited set of genes. Yet, the majority of divergent genes were divergent either for gene expression or coding sequence, but not for both simultaneously. Overall, our findings suggest that divergent selection significantly contributed to the process of parallel molecular differentiation among ecotype pairs, and that changes in expression and gene sequence underlying phenotypic divergence could, at least to a certain extent, be considered decoupled processesMinisterio de Economía y Competitividad | Ref. BFU2013- 44635-PMinisterio de Economía y Competitividad | Ref. CGL2016-75482-PMinisterio de Economía y Competitividad | Ref. CGL2016-75904-C2-1Xunta de Galicia | Ref. ED431C 2016-037Xunta de Galicia | Ref. INCITE09 310 006 PRSwedish Research Councils VR | Ref. Linnaeus grant Formas 217-2008-171

Acceptance and knowledge of evolutionary theory among third-year university students in Spain

The theory of evolution is one of the greatest scientific achievements in the intellectual history of humankind, yet it is still contentious within certain social groups. Despite being as robust and evidence-based as any other notable scientific theory, some people show a strong reluctance to accept it. In this study, we used the Measure of Acceptance of the Theory of Evolution (MATE) and Knowledge of Evolution Exam (KEE) questionnaires with university students from four academic degree programs (Chemistry, English, History, and Biology) of ten universities from Spain to measure, respectively, acceptance and knowledge of evolutionary theory among third-year undergraduate students (nMATE = 978; nKEE = 981). Results show that acceptance of evolution is relatively high (87.2%), whereas knowledge of the theory is moderate (5.4 out of 10) although there are differences across degrees (Biology>Chemistry>History>English), and even among various universities (ranging from 4.71 to 5.81). Statistical analysis reveals that knowledge of evolutionary theory among Biology students is partially explained by the relative weight of evolutionary themes within the curriculum, suggesting that an increase in the number of hours dedicated to this topic could have a direct influence on students’ knowledge of it. We also found that religion may have a significant—although relatively small—negative influence on evolutionary theory acceptance. The moderate knowledge of evolution in our undergraduate students, together with the potential problem of acceptance in certain groups, suggests the need for a revision of the evolutionary concepts in the teaching curricula of our students since primary school.This work was supported by Xunta de Galicia (ED431C 2016-037), FONDOS FEDER (“unha maneira de facer Europa”), and Spain’s Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad, Agencia Estatal de Investigación (CGL2016-75904-C2-1-P), Dr. Emilio Rolán-Alvarez

La evolución es un hecho tan indiscutible como que la Tierra no es plana

Reproducció del document publicat a: https://theconversation.com/la-evolucion-es-un-hecho-tan-indiscutible-como-que-la-tierra-no-es-plana-162135Nos ha sorprendido leer un artículo donde un conocido escritor niega la evolución biológica, ignorando la evidencia científica. No es nuestra intención antagonizar con dicho autor ni discutir uno por uno los muchos errores que contiene su text

Negative frequency‐dependent selection maintains shell banding polymorphisms in two marine snails ( Littorina fabalis and Littorina saxatilis )

The presence of shell bands is common in gastropods. Both the marine snails Littorina fabalis and Lttorina saxatilis are polymorphic for this trait. Such polymorphism would be expected to be lost by the action of genetic drift or directional selection, but it appears to be widespread at relatively constant frequencies. This suggests it is maintained by balancing selection on the trait or on a genetically linked trait. Using long time series of empirical data, we compared potential effects of genetic drift and negative frequency-dependent selection (NFDS) in the two species. The contribution of genetic drift to changes in the frequency of bands in L. fabalis was estimated using the effective population size estimated from microsatellite data, while the effect of genetic drift in L. saxatilis was derived from previously published study. Frequency-dependent selection was assessed by comparing the cross-product estimator of fitness with the frequency of the polymorphism across years using a regression analysis. Both studied species showed patterns of NFDS. In addition, in L. fabalis, contributions from genetic drift could explain some of the changes in banding frequency. Overdominance and heterogeneous selection did not fit well to our data. The possible biological explanations resulting in the maintenance of the banding polymorphism are discussed.Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad | Ref. CGL2016‐75904‐C2‐1‐PXunta de Galicia | Ref. ED431C 2016-03

A new species of the genus Moitessieria Bourguignat, 1863 (Gastropoda: Moitessieriidae) from Catalonia, Spain

Es descriu una espècie nova del gènere Moitessieria Bourguignat, 1863 per a Catalunya (Espanya), trobada en sediments procedents d'una font a Sant Joan les Fonts (Girona). L'espècie nova es diferencia de les altres espècies conegudes del gènere per diferents caràcters conquiliològics.A new species of the genus Moitessieria Bourguignat, 1863 from Catalonia (Spain) is described, found in sediments from a spring in Sant Joan les Fonts (Girona). The new species is compared with other congeneric species from which it conchologically differs

New species of the genus Spiralix Boeters, 1972 (Gastropoda: Moitessieriidae) from Spain

Es descriu una espècie nova del gènere Spiralix per a la província de Castelló (Espanya), la qual es diferencia conquiliològicament de les altres espècies del gènere conegudes. Aquesta zona geogràfica és un punt calent de diversitat del gènere, donada l’elevada quantitats de tàxons endèmics descritsA new species of the genus Spiralix is described for the province of Castelló (Spain), which differs conchologi-cally from other known species in this genus. This geographical area is a hotspot for this genus, given the high number of endemic taxa already describe

Limited proteomic response in the marine snail Melarhaphe neritoides after long-term emersion

Rocky intertidal organisms are commonly exposed to environmental gradients, promoting adaptations to these conditions. Emersion time varies along the intertidal range and in the supralittoral zone is frequently larger than a single tidal cycle, even lasting for weeks. The planktonic-dispersing gastropod Melarhaphe neritoides is a common species of the high shore, adapted to reduce water loss in order to survive during long-term emersion. In this study, we investigated the molecular response, at the proteome level, of M. neritoides collected in high-shore tide pools to a series of emersion periods, from 8 to 24 days, in laboratory conditions. We compared this response to individuals maintained submerged during this period, because this was their original habitat. We also included a reversion treatment in the study, in which emersed individuals were returned to the submerged conditions. Although we detected an increase in overall protein concentration with longer emersion periods, contrary to general expectation, the two dimensional electrophoresis (2DE)- based proteomic analysis did not show significant differences between the treatments at the level of individual protein spots, even after an emersion period of 24 days. Our results suggest that the metabolism remains unaltered independent of the treatment carried out or the changes are very subtle and therefore difficult to detect with our experimental design. We conclude that M. neritoides could be equally adapted to emersion and submersion without drastic physiological changes.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad | Ref. BFU2013-44635-PXunta de Galicia | Ref. GPC2013-01

Limited proteomic response in the marine snail Melarhaphe neritoides after long-term emersion

7 pages, 3 figures, 1 table.-- This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly citedRocky intertidal organisms are commonly exposed to environmental gradients, promoting adaptations to these conditions. Emersion time varies along the intertidal range and in the supralittoral zone is frequently larger than a single tidal cycle, even lasting for weeks. The planktonic-dispersing gastropod Melarhaphe neritoides is a common species of the high shore, adapted to reduce water loss in order to survive during long-term emersion. In this study, we investigated the molecular response, at the proteome level, of M. neritoides collected in high-shore tide pools to a series of emersion periods, from 8 to 24 days, in laboratory conditions. We compared this response to individuals maintained submerged during this period, because this was their original habitat. We also included a reversion treatment in the study, in which emersed individuals were returned to the submerged conditions. Although we detected an increase in overall protein concentration with longer emersion periods, contrary to general expectation, the two dimensional electrophoresis (2DE)-based proteomic analysis did not show significant differences between the treatments at the level of individual protein spots, even after an emersion period of 24 days. Our results suggest that the metabolism remains unaltered independent of the treatment carried out or the changes are very subtle and therefore difficult to detect with our experimental design. We conclude that M. neritoides could be equally adapted to emersion and submersion without drastic physiological changesThis work was partially funded by MEYC (BFU2013-44635-P) and Xunta de Galicia and Fondos FEDER: "Unha maneira de facer Europa" (Grupos con Potencial Crecimiento, GPC2013-011). J Galindo is currently supported by a postdoctoral fellowship from Xunta de Galicia (Modalidade B), M Álvarez-Rodríguez by an FPU fellowship (Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte), and MR Romero by a predoctoral fellowship from Xunta de Galicia (Campus do Mar)Peer reviewe