Evolution for Ecology. The Importance of Evolution in Ecology Ecologists study proximate or...
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Transcript of Evolution for Ecology. The Importance of Evolution in Ecology Ecologists study proximate or...
Evolution for Ecology
The Importance of Evolution in Ecology Ecologists study proximate or “how”
questions: How nutrients flow through ecosystems
Evolutionary biologists study ultimate or “why” questions: Why does a stickleback fish have armor in
one lake but not another?
The Importance of Evolution in Ecology Evolutionary processes can work
surprisingly fast. This is increasingly important in
agriculture and medicine.
Pink Bollworms Farmers
consistently had to spray their crops with insecticides to control the pests.
Pink Bollworms Transgenic cotton
incorporates a gene from a bacterium that causes the caterpillars to die when they eat the plant. Few applications of
insecticide needed.
Resistance The problem with
pesticides is that pests evolve resistance to them and they become less effective over time. Would this happen
with transgenic cotton?
Pink Bollworm Experiment Did the Pink Bollworms evolve
resistance to the Bt toxin in the transgenic cotton?
Pink Bollworm Experiment Yes, in just one
generation! Evolution can be fast!
So, is transgenic cotton useful? How can we prevent resistance from becoming established?
Rapid Evolution in Sticklebacks Armor plates
protect the fish from predators.
But there is a cost to plates – slower growth, breed later, and have lower winter survival rates.
Rapid Evolution in Sticklebacks Cutthroat trout are predators of
sticklebacks. Use vision to find prey – easiest to find
sticklebacks in clear water.
Rapid Evolution in Sticklebacks So, if a murky lake is cleaned up and is
now clear, what would you expect to happen to the plate count on the fish? Plate count will increase? Plate count will decrease? Plate count will stay the same?
Rapid Evolution in Sticklebacks As the lake
cleared, predation became more of a problem and plate number increased.
Rapid Evolution of Invasive Species
The snowy campion is native to Europe, introduced to North America 200 years ago. No enemies
Smut (fungus) Hadena bicruris
caterpillars Now a common
agricultural weed.
Rapid Evolution of Invasive Species Two possible ways
to allocate resources.
Which is best will depend on levels of predation, infection etc.
Rapid Evolution of Invasive Species Europe – more
enemies so bigger investment in defense.
North America – fewer enemies so more invested in reproduction & growth.
The Logic of Evolution by Natural Selection
Sticklebacks Plating in
sticklebacks is determined genetically. Set at birth &
can’t change.
Natural Selection Variation is essential for natural selection
to occur. Populations of sticklebacks contain a variety of
plate counts.
Natural Selection Heredity is also
essential for natural selection to occur. Traits are passed
genetically from parents to offspring.
Natural Selection Survival and
reproduction are selective
In a lake with high predation, sticklebacks with more plates survive better & reproduce more.
Natural Selection in the Medium Ground Finch
Daphne Major – Galapagos
No fresh water source – rely on short spring rains.
Medium ground finches eat seeds.
Natural Selection in the Medium Ground Finch
The finch population contains: Variation Heritibility
Natural Selection in the Medium Ground Finch
1977 drought – birds had to rely on seeds from previous year.
Small soft seeds eaten first, larger tougher seeds left.
Many birds starved. After drought,
average beak size was larger.
Natural Selection in the Medium Ground Finch
When the survivors reproduced, their offspring also had larger beaks.
Genetics and Evolution
Some terms Assertions: 1. Populations vary in their phenotype
What they look like 2. Differences in the phenotype are due at
least in part to difference in genotype. Which alleles are present
Alleles are different versions of a gene 3. Some phenotypes and thus some
genotypes survive better & reproduce more.
Some terms Consequence: The beneficial trait will
spread through the population. The alleles for the beneficial trait will
increase in the population. Alleles associated with failure will disappear.
Total reproductive contribution is an individual’s fitness.
Evolution involves changes in the frequencies of alleles in the population.
Genetics of Plating in Sticklebacks Plating is
controlled by a gene called Eda. There are two
versions, or alleles c for complete
plating l for light or low
plating Codiminant
Genetics of Plating in Sticklebacks Tradeoff between fast growth &
overwinter survival vs protection from predators.
Different phenotypes (& therefore genotypes) will be selected for in different situations. Different environmental pressures.
Genetics of Plating in Sticklebacks You can see
here how the population varied over time as the lake cleared.
Adaptation Over time, natural selection leads to
adaptation to the environment. Traits beneficial in a particular
environment have accumulated in the population. Move the organisms to a different habitat
and the tight fit may be gone.
Genetic Drift Genetic drift is another mechanism of
evolution. Does NOT result in adaptation. Due to random chance. Does result in a change in the frequency
of alleles in the population. Migration can also change the
frequency of alleles in the population.
Managing the Evolution of Resistance
Pink Bollworms Recall that pink bollworms can evolve
resistance to the Bt toxin in the transgenic cotton. Resistance is recessive.
rr are resistant sr and ss are susceptible
There are several different resistance alleles
Pink Bollworms Tradeoff:
Susceptible worms grow faster and mature sooner, but are killed by Bt toxin.
Pink Bollworms Resistant worms have a much higher
fitness on transgenic (Bollgard) cotton, while susceptible worms have a somewhat higher fitness on normal cotton. The latter means that resistance alleles
will be rare where Bollgard has never been used.
Goal: delay evolution of resistance
Integrated Pest Management IPM involves the use of a variety of
techniques to battle pests. Use two different types of Bt toxin. Parasitic nematodes – more lethal to
resistant bollworms.
Managing a Bollworm Infestation High dose / refuge strategy
Part of a field planted with Bollgard cotton, part with normal cotton.
The refuge (normal cotton) allows some of the susceptible worms to survive which decreases the fitness advantages associated with resistance.