PEPS: Potentiel Evolutif en Populations Sauvages - Evolutionary Potential in Wild Populations
Aims
To date, although it is clear from both theoretical and empirical work that adaptation can influence the persistence of populations on short time scales, biodiversity scenarios are conspicuously lacking an evolutionary component. One major limitation to the implementation of scenarios including adaptation dynamics is that our knowledge of evolutionary potential and constraints is still too imperfect. In this project, we propose to improve our understanding of adaptive mechanisms in wild populations by integrating theoretical and empirical approaches in wild bird populations at different spatial and taxonomic scales.
Using state of the art molecular and quantitative genetics tools in combination with demographic analysis, we use several populations / species of birds studied in the long-term to identify i) forces of selection acting on natural populations, and especially forces driven by climate change, ii) environmental factors affecting dispersal rates, with a special interest for habitat structure and fragmentation, iii) ecological and phylogenetic factors shaping genetic architecture and affecting its stability, and iv) which regions of the genome show signatures of selection and are therefore likely to be partially responsible for adaptation to different environments. Using a comparative approach among populations and species will allow investigating evolutionary processes at different time and space scales and hence link micro and macroevolutionary patterns.
Main results
Monitoring programs of blue and great tits are ongoing throughout Europe (a). These programs are based on the monitoring of individually marked individuals (b) during the breeding season at their nest boxes (c). Data include: morphological measures (d), laying date and breeding success (e) and many more (e.g. behaviour, colouration, blood samples). Derived information from these data include pedigree and SNPs. In the case of mediteranean bleu tits, the genetic architecture (g) is highly conserved (Delahaie et al 2017). However, there is a strong case for local adaptation as demonstrated by the differentiation among populations at genomic level (i, Szlukin et al 2016), matching the differentiation of many phenotypic traits. Credits: a) S. Chantepie, b) S. Tillo, c,d) A. Charmantier, e) C. de Franceschi
First, we show that the force of natural selection is influenced by climate warming. In particular, a long-term study of blue tits reveals that extreme climatic events such as very warm springs can strongly increase the force of natural selection on timing of breeding. Second, we show a strong conservatism of genetic architecture for morphology and life history traits in blue tits at a small temporal scale (~ 20 years) and at a spatial scale of up to 400 km despite large habitat differences. Responses to selection could therefore be predicted at the temporal and geographic scales at which management decisions are made. However, the evolutionary potential varies among populations across Europe or between species depending on ecological conditions and the phylogenetic proximity of species. A more extensive report can be downloaded here.
Publications from all the people involved in the PEPS project
Evolutionary potential and constraints, estimation of selection
Temporal stability of the matrix G
Local adaptation and Signature of selection at the genomic level
Spatial scales of the stability of G
Macroevolutionary approach
Conservation applications: Adaptation to climate change & population viability
Promoting quantitative genetic studies
- Teplitsky, C., M. R. Robinson, and J. Merilä. 2014. "Evolutionary Potential and Constraints in Wild Populations." Chap. 12 In Quantitative Genetics in the Wild, edited by A. Charmantier, D. Garant and L. E. B. Kruuk. 190-208. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Teplitsky C, Tarka, M., Møller, A. P., Nakagawa, S., Balbontín, J., Burke, T. A., Doutrelant, C., Gregoire, A., Hansson, B., Hasselquist, D., Gustafsson, L., De Lope, F., Marzal, A., Mills, J. A., Wheelwright, N., Yarrall, J. W. & Charmantier, A. 2014. Assessing multivariate constraints to evolution across ten long-term avian studies. PLoS ONE 9(3): e90444. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0090444.
- Patrick SC, Charmantier A & Weimerskirch H, 2013. Differences in boldness are repeatable and heritable in a long-lived marine predator. Ecology and Evolution 3(13): 4291-4299.
- Marrot, P., Garant, D. & Charmantier, A. 2017. Multiple extreme climatic events strengthen selection for earlier breeding in a wild passerine. Philos. Trans. R. Soc. B Biol. Sci. In press.
- S Bonamour, C Teplitsky, A Charmantier, PA Crochet, LM Chevin. 2017. Selection on skewed characters and the paradox of stasis. Evolution. In press
- Chevin, L.-M., Visser, M. E. & Tufto, J. 2015. Estimating the variation, autocorrelation, and environmental sensitivity of phenotypic selection. Evolution. 69, 2319–2332.
- Marrot, P., Garant, D. & Charmantier, A. 2015. Spatial autocorrelation in fitness affects the estimation of natural selection in the wild. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 6, 1474–1483
Temporal stability of the matrix G
- S. Chantepie, A. Robert, G. Sorci, Y. Hingrat, A. Charmantier, G. Leveque, F. Lacroix, C. Teplitsky. 2015. Quantitative genetics of aging of reproductive traits in the houbara bustard. PLoS One 10(7):e0133140
- Charmantier, A., J. E. Brommer, and D. H. Nussey. 2014. "The Quantitative Genetics of Senescence in Wild Animals." Chap. 5 In Quantitative Genetics in the Wild, edited by A. Charmantier, D. Garant and L. E. B. Kruuk. 68-83. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Local adaptation and Signature of selection at the genomic level
- Dubuc-Messier, G., Réale, D., Perret, P. & Charmantier, A. 2017. Environmental heterogeneity and population differences in blue tits personality traits. Behavioral Ecology 28: 448–459.
- Szulkin, M., Gagnaire, P. A., Bierne, N. & Charmantier, A. 2016. Population genomic footprints of fine-scale differentiation between habitats in Mediterranean blue tits. Mol. Ecol. 25, 542–558.
- Charmantier A, Doutrelant C, Dubuc-Messier G, Fargevieille A & Szulkin M, 2015. Mediterranean blue tits as a case study of local adaptation. Evol. Appl. 9: 135-152
- Lambrechts M, Blondel J, Dubuc-Messier G, Marrot P, de Franceschi C, Perret P, Doutrelant C, Grégoire A & Charmantier A. 2015. Great Tits build shallower nests than Blue Tits in an insular oakdominated habitat mosaic. Avian Biol. Res. 8(2): 1-6
- Fargevieille A, Grégoire A, Charmantier A, del Rey Granado M & Doutrelant C. 2017. Assortative mating by colored ornaments in blue tits: space and time matter. Ecology and Evolution 7:2069–2078.
Spatial scales of the stability of G
- B. Delahaie, A. Charmantier, S.Chantepie, D. Garant, M. Porlier, & C. Teplitsky. 2017. Conserved G-matrices of morphological and life-history traits among continental and island blue tit populations. Heredity 119: 76-87.
Macroevolutionary approach
- Martinossi-Allibert I, Clavel J, Ducatez S, Le Viol I & Teplitsky C. 2017. Does habitat specialization shape the evolutionary potential of wild bird populations? J. Avian. Biol. 48: 1158-1165.
Conservation applications: Adaptation to climate change & population viability
- N. Dubos, I. Le Viol, A. Robert, C. Teplitsky, M. Ghislain, O. Dehorter, R. Julliard and P. Y. Henry. 2017. Disentangling the effects of spring anomalies of climate and net primary production on body size of temperate songbirds. Ecography. In press.
- Robert A, C. Fontaine, S. Veron, A.-C. Monnet, M. Legrand, J. Clavel, S. Chantepie, D. Couvet, F. Ducarme, B. Fontaine, F. Jiguet, I. le Viol, J. Rolland, F. Sarrazin, C. Teplitsky & M. Mouchet. 2017. Fixism and conservation science. Cons. Biol. 31(4): 781-788.
- S. Chantepie, C. Teplitsky, S. Pavard, F. Sarrazin, B. Descaves, P. Lecuyer, A. Robert. 2016. Age-related variation and temporal patterns in the survival of a long-lived scavenger. Oikos 125(2): 167-178
- Robert, A., S. Chantepie, S. Pavard, F. Sarrazin & Teplitsky C. 2015. Actuarial senescence can decrease the viability of mammal populations. Ecol. Appl. 25:116–124
- Robert, A, M Bolton, F Jiguet, and J Bried. 2015. The survival–reproduction association becomes stronger when conditions are good. Proc. R. Soc. B, vol. 282, no. 1818, p. 20151529.
- Chargé R, Teplitsky C, Sorci G & Low M. 2014. Can sexual selection theory inform genetic management of captive populations? Evol. Appl. 7(9): 1120-1133.
- Charmantier A & Gienapp P, 2014. Climate change and timing of avian breeding and migration: evolutionary versus plastic changes. Evol. Appl. 7 (1): 15-28.
- Teplitsky C & Millien V. 2014. Climate warming and Bergmann’s rule through time: is there any evidence? Evol. Appl. 7 (1): 156-168
Promoting quantitative genetic studies
- B. Pujol, S. Blanchet, A. Charmantier, A. Danchin, B. Facon, P. Marrot, F. Roux, I. Scotti, C. Teplitsky, C. E. Thomson, I. Winney. 2018. The missing response to selection in the wild. Trends Ecol. Evol. In press.
- M. B. Morrissey, M. J. Janeiro, A. M. Sparks, S. White, G. Pigeon, C. Teplitsky, D. Réale, E. Milot. Into the wild - WAMBAM goes to Canada. Mol. Ecol. In press
- Mills JA*, Teplitsky C*, Charmantier A, […], Réale D et al.. 2016. Archiving primary data: solutions for long-term studies. Reply to Whitlock et al. Trends Ecol. Evol. 31(2):85-87
- Mills JA*, Teplitsky C*, Charmantier A, […], Garant D, [….], Réale D et al. 2015. Archiving primary data: solutions for long-term studies. Trends Ecol Evol. 30 (10), 581-589
- Charmantier, D. Garant and L. E. B. Kruuk (Editors). 2014. Quantitative Genetics in the Wild. Oxford: Oxford University Press.