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Updated: Nov 19, 2025

Author Spotlight: Understanding Microbe Adaptation Using Innovative Techniques for Exploring Thermophilic Evolution
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Nonparallel transcriptional divergence during parallel adaptation.

Eva K Fischer1,2, Youngseok Song3, Kimberly A Hughes4

  • 1Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA.

Molecular Ecology
|February 1, 2021
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Evolutionary adaptation in guppies shows that gene expression changes can be predictable, but different genetic paths can lead to similar traits. This highlights transcriptional flexibility in rapid adaptation.

Keywords:
Poecilia reticulataadaptationparallel evolutionphenotypic plasticitytranscriptomics

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Genomics
  • Ecology

Background:

  • Understanding evolutionary predictability is key to understanding adaptation.
  • Phenotypic plasticity and parallel adaptation offer insights into evolutionary mechanisms.
  • Trinidadian guppies (Poecilia reticulata) provide a natural model for studying adaptation to varying predation pressures.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the predictability of gene expression evolution during parallel adaptation in guppies.
  • To differentiate the roles of genetic background and developmental plasticity in transcriptional variation.
  • To assess the extent of shared genetic mechanisms underlying parallel phenotypic evolution.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized natural variation in guppy populations from high- and low-predation environments.
  • Employed a laboratory breeding design to control for genetic and environmental factors.
  • Analyzed gene expression patterns to identify differences between populations and in response to predator cues.

Main Results:

  • Observed significant gene expression plasticity and evolution of plasticity across guppy populations.
  • Genes with expression plasticity were more likely to show population-specific expression differences.
  • While some overlap in differentially expressed genes was found between lineages, most were lineage-specific, suggesting alternative transcriptional solutions.

Conclusions:

  • Gene expression evolution during parallel adaptation in guppies is partially predictable but involves lineage-specific transcriptional changes.
  • Transcriptional flexibility plays a significant role in the parallel phenotypic evolution of guppies.
  • Alternative transcriptional configurations can underlie the evolution of similar phenotypes.