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Natural Selection and Adaptation01:15

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Natural selection, a fundamental concept in evolutionary biology, is the mechanism by which evolution is driven, favoring organisms that are best adapted to their environments. This process enhances their chances of survival and reproduction. Adaptation, a key outcome of this process, involves genetic modifications that optimize an organism's functionality under specific environmental challenges, such as extreme cold or thinner air at high altitudes.
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When the fitness of a trait is influenced by how common it is (i.e., its frequency) relative to different traits within a population, this is referred to as frequency-dependent selection. Frequency-dependent selection may occur between species or within a single species. This type of selection can either be positive—with more common phenotypes having higher fitness—or negative, with rarer phenotypes conferring increased fitness.
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Local adaptation in trait-mediated trophic cascades.

James J Corbett1, Geoffrey C Trussell1

  • 1Department of Marine and Environmental Sciences and Coastal Sustainability Institute, Northeastern University, Nahant, MA 01908, USA.

Proceedings. Biological Sciences
|January 10, 2024
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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Predator avoidance by snails (Nucella lapillus) varies with local food availability, impacting marine food webs. Resource scarcity may drive snails to prioritize survival over foraging, altering trophic cascades.

Keywords:
foragingplasticitypredation risktemperaturetrait-mediatedtrophic level

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Area of Science:

  • Marine ecology
  • Trophic dynamics
  • Eco-evolutionary processes

Background:

  • Predator-induced prey behavior influences community structure through trait-mediated trophic cascades.
  • The role of basal resource availability in shaping these cascades is understudied.
  • Eco-evolutionary dynamics between predators and prey can modify cascade strength.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how basal resource availability influences predator-prey interactions and trait-mediated trophic cascades.
  • To test if prey adaptation to resource scarcity affects their response to predation risk.
  • To examine geographical variation in snail (Nucella lapillus) foraging behavior.

Main Methods:

  • Field and laboratory experiments using Nucella lapillus from two Gulf of Maine regions with differing mussel abundance.
  • Assessing snail foraging behavior on mussels in the presence and absence of predator (Carcinus maenas) risk cues.
  • Measuring snail foraging and growth rates under varying predation risk and environmental conditions.

Main Results:

  • Northern Gulf of Maine snails, with scarce mussels, showed reduced response to predator cues and increased response to temperature in field studies.
  • In laboratory settings, northern snails exhibited higher foraging and growth rates when exposed to predator risk compared to southern snails.
  • Foraging and growth rates were similar between northern and southern snails when predator risk was absent.

Conclusions:

  • Geographical variation in basal resource availability may drive adaptive differences in prey behavior.
  • Adaptation to resource scarcity can alter the strength and nature of trait-mediated trophic cascades.
  • Understanding prey-resource dynamics is crucial for predicting marine community responses to environmental change.