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Deciphering life history transcriptomes in different environments
William J Etges1, Meredith V Trotter, Cássia C de Oliveira
1Program in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Dept. of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, 72701, USA.
Molecular Ecology
|December 3, 2014
Summary
Gene expression differences in Drosophila mojavensis influence life history variation across developmental stages and adult ages. Host plant and population significantly impact gene expression, revealing trade-offs between reproduction and somatic maintenance.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Genomics
- Developmental biology
Background:
- Life history variation is crucial for adaptation.
- Understanding gene expression's role in life history is key to evolutionary insights.
- Drosophila mojavensis, a cactophilic species, offers a model for studying adaptation to host plants.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how whole transcriptome variation influences life history variation in Drosophila mojavensis.
- To identify gene expression patterns across pre-adult and adult female stages.
- To assess the impact of host plant and population on gene expression.
Main Methods:
- Whole transcriptome sequencing across six pre-adult and seven adult female stages.
- Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) to identify major gene expression variation patterns.
- Pairwise comparisons of gene expression differences across life cycle stages, ages, populations, and host plants.
Main Results:
- Four significant components of transcriptional variation were identified, enriched for genes involved in growth, metabolism, sensory perception, neural function, translation, and aging.
- Host cactus significantly affected female gene expression in a population- and stage-specific manner, impacting larval metabolism, development, and adult courtship behavior.
- Upregulation of meiosis/oogenesis genes and downregulation of somatic maintenance genes were observed in young adult females, suggesting a life history trade-off.
Conclusions:
- Transcriptome analysis reveals core developmental transitions and genome-wide influences on life history variation in natural Drosophila populations.
- Gene expression dynamics are critical for understanding adaptation and life history evolution in response to environmental factors like host plants.
- The study highlights a trade-off between reproductive investment and somatic maintenance in adult female Drosophila mojavensis.
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