4.6 Review

A decade of progress in marine evolutionary biology

Related references

Note: Only part of the references are listed.
Article Evolutionary Biology

Early mesodermal development in the patellogastropod Lottia goshimai

Dehui Sun et al.

Summary: Mesodermal development is crucial for understanding the interlineage variations in spiralians and the mechanisms of ectomesoderm cell internalization. Limited knowledge exists regarding the mesodermal development of non-model molluscan lineages. In this study, the early mesodermal development in the patellogastropod Lottia goshimai was investigated, revealing unique characteristics and gene expressions.

EVOLUTIONARY APPLICATIONS (2023)

Article Evolutionary Biology

Adaptive divergence and underlying mechanisms in response to salinity gradients between two Crassostrea oysters revealed by phenotypic and transcriptomic analyses

Ziyan Zhang et al.

Summary: Comparing the responses of closely related oyster species to different salinity conditions, this study revealed their evolutionary divergence in phenotypes and gene expression, and the contributions of species effect, environment effect, and their interaction to the adaptive divergence. Results showed that the two oyster species had different adaptability under high- and low-salinity conditions, and the transcriptional expression differences were primarily caused by the species effect. Furthermore, salinity-responsive pathways and solute carriers were found to play important roles in the adaptation of oysters.

EVOLUTIONARY APPLICATIONS (2023)

Article Evolutionary Biology

Differences by origin in methylome suggest eco-phenotypes in the kelp Saccharina latissima

Lydia Scheschonk et al.

Summary: Most kelp species are ecologically and economically important globally, but are susceptible to rising ocean temperatures. Epigenetic variation, specifically cytosine methylation, plays a crucial role in kelp's acclimation to environmental conditions. The effects of seaweed hatchery conditions and origin significantly influence the methylome and contribute to local adaptation.

EVOLUTIONARY APPLICATIONS (2023)

Article Evolutionary Biology

Ten years of marine evolutionary biology-Challenges and achievements of a multidisciplinary research initiative

Kerstin Johannesson et al.

Summary: The Centre for Marine Evolutionary Biology (CeMEB) at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, was founded in 2008 with a 10-year research grant of 8.7 million euros. Over the past decade, CeMEB has made significant contributions to scientific publications, PhD theses, and organized various meetings and courses. This article reviews CeMEB's achievements, compares the initial goals with the actual achievements, and discusses future prospects for marine evolutionary biology.

EVOLUTIONARY APPLICATIONS (2023)

Review Evolutionary Biology

Shell color polymorphism in marine gastropods

Juan Gefaell et al.

Summary: This review introduces previous studies on shell color polymorphism in marine gastropods and highlights potential avenues for future research. The review suggests that natural selection plays a crucial role in maintaining gastropod color polymorphism, while the contribution of neutral forces has been poorly studied. The relationship between shell color polymorphism and larval development mode is also discussed.

EVOLUTIONARY APPLICATIONS (2023)

Article Evolutionary Biology

Coral bleaching resistance variation is linked to differential mortality and skeletal growth during recovery

Nia S. Walker et al.

Summary: The prevalence of global coral bleaching has raised concerns about increasing heat resistance, but high heat resistance may have disadvantages for corals in other areas. A study in Palau investigated the heat resistance and recovery of Acropora hyacinthus colonies, finding a complex tradeoff between heat resistance and recovery during the coral's restoration process.

EVOLUTIONARY APPLICATIONS (2023)

Article Evolutionary Biology

Cryptic diversity and spatial genetic variation in the coral Acropora tenuis and its endosymbionts across the Great Barrier Reef

Ambrocio Melvin A. Matias et al.

Summary: Genomic studies have revealed extensive hidden diversity in reef-building corals, which is highly underestimated in terms of evolutionary and ecological relevance. Additionally, symbiotic algae within coral host species can provide adaptive responses to environmental stress and may contribute to coral genetic variation. This study examines the genetic variation of Acropora tenuis coral host and its associated symbiotic algae across the Great Barrier Reef. The results demonstrate three distinct genetic clusters of coral hosts, associated with latitude and inshore-offshore reef position, while symbiotic algae diversity is influenced by reef location relative to shore.

EVOLUTIONARY APPLICATIONS (2023)

Article Evolutionary Biology

Molecular, behavioural and morphological comparisons of sperm adaptations in a fish with alternative reproductive tactics

Charlotta Kvarnemo et al.

Summary: This study compared the sperm performance between breeding-coloured males and parasitic sneaker-morph males in sand gobies. The results showed a clear difference in testes gene expression, but only modest differences in sperm performance between the two male morphs. These findings suggest that increased sperm performance as an adaptation to sperm competition is not a primary target of evolution in this species.

EVOLUTIONARY APPLICATIONS (2023)

Article Evolutionary Biology

Urban rendezvous along the seashore: Ports as Darwinian field labs for studying marine evolution in the Anthropocene

Fanny Touchard et al.

Summary: Portuarization, the repeated evolution of marine species in port ecosystems under human-altered selective pressures, drives various evolutionary processes including establishment of new connectivity hubs, adaptive responses to new chemicals or biotic communities, and hybridization between lineages. However, there are still important knowledge gaps and further research is needed to understand this phenomenon better.

EVOLUTIONARY APPLICATIONS (2023)

Article Evolutionary Biology

Ten years of demographic modelling of divergence and speciation in the sea

Aurelien De Jode et al.

Summary: Understanding population divergence and speciation is crucial for evolutionary biology. High species diversity in the sea is considered a paradox due to the lack of geographical barriers. However, combining genome-wide data with demographic modelling has provided new insights. Studies show that barriers to gene flow exist in the sea but divergence can also occur without strict isolation.

EVOLUTIONARY APPLICATIONS (2023)

Article Evolutionary Biology

Local adaptation through countergradient selection in northern populations of Skeletonema marinoi

Josefin Sefbom et al.

Summary: This study examined whether multiple strains of the diatom Skeletonema marinoi from two genetically distinct Baltic Sea populations showed evidence of local adaptation to their respective environments. The results suggest that both estuarine and marine strains exhibit local adaptation strategies, with estuarine strains growing faster in high-salinity environments and marine strains outperforming estuarine strains in the marine environment.

EVOLUTIONARY APPLICATIONS (2023)

Article Evolutionary Biology

Invader at the edge - Genomic origins and physiological differences of round gobies across a steep urban salinity gradient

Leon Green et al.

Summary: This study investigates the genetic and phenotypic effects of a steep salinity gradient on the round goby. The results show that fish from the high-salinity environment have higher genetic diversity and metabolic rate, and salinity acclimation affects fish from both sites similarly. These findings suggest that species may exhibit genetic and phenotypic differences along salinity gradients, and seascape genomics and phenotypic characterization can provide important information for management strategies.

EVOLUTIONARY APPLICATIONS (2023)

Review Evolutionary Biology

Small RNAs in Cnidaria: A review

Yiqian Li et al.

Summary: Small RNA molecules are essential regulators of gene expression and genome stability in eukaryotes. Cnidarians, as early-branching animals, provide crucial insights into the evolution of small RNA pathways. However, the knowledge of small RNA regulation in cnidarians is limited. This review aims to enhance our understanding of small RNA pathway development in early-branch animals by presenting the current-known small RNA information in cnidarians.

EVOLUTIONARY APPLICATIONS (2023)

Article Evolutionary Biology

First insights into the gut microbiomes and the diet of the Littorina snail ecotypes, a recently emerged marine evolutionary model

Marina A. Z. Panova et al.

Summary: Microbes play a prominent role in the evolution of their hosts, facilitating ecological divergence. This study found differences in gut microbiome composition and biofilm composition between different Littorina snail ecotypes and their habitats, providing a promising marine system to study co-evolution of microbes and hosts.

EVOLUTIONARY APPLICATIONS (2023)

Article Evolutionary Biology

Identifying genes associated with genetic control of color polymorphism in the pearl oyster Pinctada margaritifera var. cumingii (Linnaeus 1758) using a comparative whole genome pool-sequencing approach

Pierre-Louis Stenger et al.

Summary: The genetic control of color expression in mollusk shells is still poorly understood. This study investigated color-associated genetic variants in pearl oysters using a pooled-sequencing approach. The results identified known and new genes involved in pigment-related pathways, as well as genes in novel pathways associated with shell coloration in P. margaritifera.

EVOLUTIONARY APPLICATIONS (2023)

Article Evolutionary Biology

Genetic parallelism between European flat oyster populations at the edge of their natural range

Sylvie Lapegue et al.

Summary: Oyster reefs have suffered the greatest losses among all marine ecosystems. Efforts have been made to restore these ecosystems, and a recent study focused on the genetic differentiation among oyster populations in Europe. The study detected genetic differentiation between Atlantic and Mediterranean populations, identified potential aquaculture-related translocations, and found a parallel pattern of differentiation between certain populations. This information will be useful for the selection of animals for translocation and restocking.

EVOLUTIONARY APPLICATIONS (2023)

Article Evolutionary Biology

An allozyme polymorphism is associated with a large chromosomal inversion in the marine snail Littorina fabalis

Alan Le Moan et al.

Summary: Understanding the genetic targets of natural selection is a challenging goal in population genetics. Using the marine snail as an example, this study explores the genomic architecture and adaptive significance of a candidate gene.

EVOLUTIONARY APPLICATIONS (2023)

Article Evolutionary Biology

Isolation-by-distance and isolation-by-oceanography in Maroon Anemonefish (Amphiprion biaculeatus)

Kyra S. Fitz et al.

Summary: This study combines genetic isolation-by-distance patterns and oceanographic simulations to generate fine-scale estimates of dispersal for coral reef fish in the central Philippines. The results demonstrate the influences of ocean currents and geographic distance on dispersal, where ocean currents play a stronger role at larger spatial extents and geographic distance remains the best explanation at smaller spatial extents.

EVOLUTIONARY APPLICATIONS (2023)

Article Evolutionary Biology

Evaluating the suitability of close-kin mark-recapture as a demographic modelling tool for a critically endangered elasmobranch population

Aurelien Delaval et al.

Summary: This study evaluates the suitability of close-kin mark-recapture (CKMR) as a demographic modelling tool and provides important ecological parameters for the critically endangered blue skate in the Celtic Sea. The study also identifies a potential critical habitat that may require protection.

EVOLUTIONARY APPLICATIONS (2023)

Review Evolutionary Biology

Hidden but revealed: After years of genetic studies behavioural monitoring combined with genomics uncover new insight into the population dynamics of Atlantic cod in Icelandic waters

Christophe Pampoulie et al.

Summary: Stock structure is crucial for sustainable management of exploited resources, and genetic markers have been used for decades to understand spatial structure and stock dynamics. This review focuses on genetic studies of Atlantic cod in Icelandic waters, highlighting the importance of genomic data and behavioral monitoring in understanding population structure and diversity.

EVOLUTIONARY APPLICATIONS (2023)

Article Evolutionary Biology

Adaptive, maladaptive, neutral, or absent plasticity: Hidden caveats of reaction norms

Martin Eriksson et al.

Summary: Adaptive phenotypic plasticity can improve individual response to new environmental conditions. However, interpretation of reaction norms depends on the nature of assessed traits. This study combines modeling and empirical data to show that the presence of plasticity cannot be determined solely based on reaction norms, but requires additional knowledge of assessed traits and species biology.

EVOLUTIONARY APPLICATIONS (2023)

Article Evolutionary Biology

Narrowly defined taxa on a global scale: The phylogeny and taxonomy of the genera Catriona and Tenellia (Nudibranchia, Trinchesiidae) favours fine-scale taxonomic differentiation and dissolution of the lumpers & splitters dilemma

Tatiana Korshunova et al.

Summary: By applying morphological and molecular data, this study demonstrates the importance of fine-scale taxonomic differentiation in integrating these data. The hidden species problem provides strong argument for keeping the genus as a narrowly-defined entity. The study also describes a new species of Tenellia and highlights the differences between Tenellia and the phylogenetically related genus Catriona.

EVOLUTIONARY APPLICATIONS (2023)

Article Evolutionary Biology

Carry-over effects and fitness trade-offs in marine life histories: The costs of complexity for adaptation

Dustin J. Marshall et al.

Summary: Most marine organisms have complex life histories, where the individual stages of a life cycle are often morphologically and ecologically distinct. The degree to which genetic and phenotypic links among stages hamper adaptation in any one stage remains unclear. This study explores the impact of carry-over effects and genetic links on fitness trade-offs between different life-history stages, and finds that evolutionary conflicts among stages can be ameliorated by carry-over effects. The results suggest that organisms with complex life histories may face greater constraints in adapting to global change.

EVOLUTIONARY APPLICATIONS (2023)

Article Evolutionary Biology

Population and seascape genomics of a critically endangered benthic elasmobranch, the blue skate Dipturus batis

Aurelien Delaval et al.

Summary: The study revealed genetic discontinuities in the population structure of blue skate in the North-East Atlantic, influenced by environmental variables such as temperature, salinity, and pH. Effective population sizes of blue skate were found to be low in sites like Scotland and the Faroe Islands, raising potential conservation concerns. The findings suggest that climate change could exert a strong selective force on remnant populations of blue skate.

EVOLUTIONARY APPLICATIONS (2022)

Review Biology

Biophysical models of dispersal contribute to seascape genetic analyses

Marlene Jahnke et al.

Summary: This article discusses the use of genetic markers and biophysical models to infer dispersal. The study finds that biophysical dispersal models can explain genetic differentiation, but the realism of the model and local geomorphology and species biology also play a role. The article supports the use of a combination of both methods and provides recommendations for future studies.

PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES (2022)

Article Evolutionary Biology

Marine animal evolutionary developmental biology – advances through technology development

Katharina Stracke et al.

Evolutionary Applications (2022)

Article Ecology

Post-glacial establishment of locally adapted fish populations over a steep salinity gradient

Erica H. Leder et al.

Summary: The study on the sand goby's colonization in varying salinity environments revealed the population's adaptation to local salinity traits and significant genetic differentiation across populations. Genes associated with adaptation were identified, but no overall evidence of functional enrichment was found. The origin of genetic differentiation was traced back to before the Baltic Sea, likely due to isolation of two lineages prior to the current contact over the North Sea-Baltic Sea transition zone.

JOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY (2021)

Article Ecology

Speciation in marine environments: Diving under the surface

Rui Faria et al.

Summary: Our understanding of speciation in marine environments is limited compared to terrestrial and freshwater environments, but recent technological advances are making it increasingly possible to study a wider range of taxa and ecosystems. By focusing on studying marine evolutionary processes, reproductive barriers, genomic architectures, evolutionary history, patterns of hybridization, and implementing interdisciplinary research programs, we hope to deepen our understanding of speciation in the marine realm.

JOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY (2021)

Review Biology

Empirical evidence for epigenetic inheritance driving evolutionary adaptation

Dragan Stajic et al.

Summary: Heritable gene expression can facilitate adaptation by increasing survival in new environments and enlarging beneficial mutational targets. Additionally, epigenetic control of gene expression allows for stochastic switching between different phenotypes in populations, potentially facilitating adaptation in rapidly fluctuating environments.

PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES (2021)

Review Ecology

A Darwinian Laboratory of Multiple Contact Zones

Kerstin Johannesson et al.

TRENDS IN ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION (2020)

Article Multidisciplinary Sciences

Regulatory changes in pterin and carotenoid genes underlie balanced color polymorphisms in the wall lizard

Pedro Andrade et al.

PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (2019)

Review Ecology

Evolving Inversions

Rui Faria et al.

TRENDS IN ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION (2019)

Article Evolutionary Biology

Stable coexistence of genetically divergent Atlantic cod ecotypes at multiple spatial scales

Halvor Knutsen et al.

EVOLUTIONARY APPLICATIONS (2018)

Article Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology

Integrating evo-devo with ecology for a better understanding of phenotypic evolution

M. Emilia Santos et al.

BRIEFINGS IN FUNCTIONAL GENOMICS (2015)

Article Environmental Sciences

Lessons learned from ocean acidification research

Ulf Riebesell et al.

Nature Climate Change (2014)

Article Biology

Growth or differentiation?: Adaptive regeneration in the brittlestar Amphiura filiformis

Samuel Dupont et al.

JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY (2006)

Article Multidisciplinary Sciences

Evolution of character displacement in Darwin's finches

Peter R. Grant et al.

SCIENCE (2006)

Review Ecology

Hybridization and adaptive radiation

O Seehausen

TRENDS IN ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION (2004)