Click here to close
Hello! We notice that you are using Internet Explorer, which is not supported by Xenbase and may cause the site to display incorrectly.
We suggest using a current version of Chrome,
FireFox, or Safari.
Oecologia
2022 Oct 01;2001-2:37-50. doi: 10.1007/s00442-022-05240-6.
Show Gene links
Show Anatomy links
Phenotypic variation in Xenopus laevis tadpoles from contrasting climatic regimes is the result of adaptation and plasticity.
Kruger N, Secondi J, du Preez L, Herrel A, Measey J.
???displayArticle.abstract???
Phenotypic variations between populations often correlate with climatic variables. Determining the presence of phenotypic plasticity and local adaptation of a species to different environments over a large spatial scale can provide insight on the persistence of a species across its range. Amphibians, and in particular their larvae, are good models for studies of phenotypic variation as they are especially sensitive to their immediate environment. Few studies have attempted to determine the mechanisms that drive phenotypic variation between populations of a single amphibian species over a large spatial scale especially across contrasting climatic regimes. The African clawed frog, Xenopus laevis, occurs in two regions with contrasting rainfall regimes in southern Africa. We hypothesised that the phenotypic variation of life-history traits of X. laevis tadpoles emerges from a combination of plastic and genetic responses. We predicted that plasticity would allow the development of tadpoles from both regions in each environment. We also predicted that local adaptation of larval traits would drive the differentiation of reaction norms between populations and lower survival in tadpoles reared away from their home environment. We measured growth, time to metamorphosis, and survival in a reciprocal transplant experiment using outdoor mesocosms. Supporting our prediction, we found that the measured variation of all traits was explained by both adaptation and plasticity. However, the reaction norms differed between populations suggesting adaptive and asymmetric plasticity. All tadpoles experienced lower survival when translocated, but only translocated tadpoles from the winter rainfall region matched survival of local tadpoles. This has implications for the dynamics of translocated X. laevis into novel environments, especially from the winter rainfall region. Our discovery of their asymmetric capacity to overcome novel environmental conditions by phenotypic plasticity alone provides insight into their invasion success.
Altwegg,
Patterns of natural selection on size at metamorphosis in water frogs.
2003, Pubmed
Altwegg,
Patterns of natural selection on size at metamorphosis in water frogs.
2003,
Pubmed Amarillo-Suárez,
Population differences in host use by a seed-beetle: local adaptation, phenotypic plasticity and maternal effects.
2006,
Pubmed Arrighi,
Daily temperature fluctuations unpredictably influence developmental rate and morphology at a critical early larval stage in a frog.
2013,
Pubmed Blanquart,
A practical guide to measuring local adaptation.
2013,
Pubmed Booth,
Influence of incubation temperature on hatchling phenotype in reptiles.
2006,
Pubmed Cabrera-Guzmán,
Larger body size at metamorphosis enhances survival, growth and performance of young cane toads (Rhinella marina).
2013,
Pubmed Chelgren,
Carryover aquatic effects on survival of metamorphic frogs during pond emigration.
2006,
Pubmed Chevin,
Adaptation to marginal habitats by evolution of increased phenotypic plasticity.
2011,
Pubmed De Busschere,
Unequal contribution of native South African phylogeographic lineages to the invasion of the African clawed frog, Xenopus laevis, in Europe.
2016,
Pubmed
,
Xenbase Dewitt,
Costs and limits of phenotypic plasticity.
1998,
Pubmed Du Preez,
Population-specific incidence of testicular ovarian follicles in Xenopus laevis from South Africa: a potential issue in endocrine testing.
2009,
Pubmed
,
Xenbase Ernande,
The evolution of phenotypic plasticity in spatially structured environments: implications of intraspecific competition, plasticity costs and environmental characteristics.
2004,
Pubmed Furman,
Pan-African phylogeography of a model organism, the African clawed frog 'Xenopus laevis'.
2015,
Pubmed
,
Xenbase Gomez-Mestre,
The shape of things to come: linking developmental plasticity to post-metamorphic morphology in anurans.
2010,
Pubmed
,
Xenbase Gomulkiewicz,
QUANTITATIVE GENETICS AND THE EVOLUTION OF REACTION NORMS.
1992,
Pubmed Hereford,
A quantitative survey of local adaptation and fitness trade-offs.
2009,
Pubmed Kellermann,
Very low additive genetic variance and evolutionary potential in multiple populations of two rainforest Drosophila species.
2006,
Pubmed Kulkarni,
Evolutionary reduction of developmental plasticity in desert spadefoot toads.
2011,
Pubmed Laugen,
Quantitative genetics of larval life-history traits in Rana temporaria in different environmental conditions.
2005,
Pubmed Levis,
Morphological novelty emerges from pre-existing phenotypic plasticity.
2018,
Pubmed Li,
Review and synthesis of the effects of climate change on amphibians.
2013,
Pubmed
,
Xenbase Lind,
Gene flow and selection on phenotypic plasticity in an island system of Rana temporaria.
2011,
Pubmed Lind,
The degree of adaptive phenotypic plasticity is correlated with the spatial environmental heterogeneity experienced by island populations of Rana temporaria.
2007,
Pubmed Merilä,
Climate change, adaptation, and phenotypic plasticity: the problem and the evidence.
2014,
Pubmed Niehaus,
Short- and long-term consequences of thermal variation in the larval environment of anurans.
2006,
Pubmed Nylin,
Plasticity in life-history traits.
1998,
Pubmed Orizaola,
Larval life history and anti-predator strategies are affected by breeding phenology in an amphibian.
2013,
Pubmed Parsons,
Does phenotypic plasticity initiate developmental bias?
2020,
Pubmed Perotti,
How sensitive are temperate tadpoles to climate change? The use of thermal physiology and niche model tools to assess vulnerability.
2018,
Pubmed Phillimore,
Differences in spawning date between populations of common frog reveal local adaptation.
2010,
Pubmed Radersma,
Plasticity leaves a phenotypic signature during local adaptation.
2020,
Pubmed Richardson,
Microgeographic adaptation and the spatial scale of evolution.
2014,
Pubmed Richter-Boix,
Local selection modifies phenotypic divergence among Rana temporaria populations in the presence of gene flow.
2010,
Pubmed Segerdell,
An ontology for Xenopus anatomy and development.
2008,
Pubmed
,
Xenbase Sultan,
Metapopulation structure favors plasticity over local adaptation.
2002,
Pubmed Thomas,
Extinction risk from climate change.
2004,
Pubmed Uller,
Variation in heritability of tadpole growth: an experimental analysis.
2002,
Pubmed Uller,
Developmental plasticity and evolutionary explanations.
2020,
Pubmed Urban,
Plasticity and genetic adaptation mediate amphibian and reptile responses to climate change.
2014,
Pubmed van Tienderen,
GENERALISTS, SPECIALISTS, AND THE EVOLUTION OF PHENOTYPIC PLASTICITY IN SYMPATRIC POPULATIONS OF DISTINCT SPECIES.
1997,
Pubmed Van Tienderen,
EVOLUTION OF GENERALISTS AND SPECIALISTS IN SPATIALLY HETEROGENEOUS ENVIRONMENTS.
1991,
Pubmed Via,
GENOTYPE-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTION AND THE EVOLUTION OF PHENOTYPIC PLASTICITY.
1985,
Pubmed Williams,
Towards an integrated framework for assessing the vulnerability of species to climate change.
2008,
Pubmed Wilson,
Thermal acclimation of locomotor performance in tadpoles and adults of the aquatic frog Xenopus laevis.
2000,
Pubmed
,
Xenbase
