2b: Organismal evolution within an anthropogenic niche

2b:     Organismal evolution within an anthropogenic niche

Conveners:     Ruth Fawthrop (Netherlands Institute of Ecology / University of Groningen)

                       Melissah Rowe (Netherlands Institute of Ecology)

1. Evolutionary consequences of human-commensalism in Passer sparrows

Ruth Fawthrop, Mark Ravinet, Glenn-Peter Sætre, George Pacheco, and Melissah Rowe, Netherlands Institute of Ecology / University of Groningen

Humans have been modifying global environments since the Late Pleistocene. Whilst increased human activity is generally associated with huge biodiversity losses, a small number of populations have come to benefit from increased human association. In this general introduction to the session ‘Organismal evolution within an anthropogenic niche’, I will provide an overview of how anthropogenic selective pressures influence the evolutionary trajectories of non-human species, across different spatial and temporal scales. I will then describe how our own research on human-commensalism fits within this framework and how we use Passer sparrows to investigate the evolutionary consequences of a sustained dependence upon anthropogenic resources, with a focus on dietary adaptation to a human-commensal niche.

2. Climate warming enhances microclimatic conditions for synanthropic range-expanding spiders

Jeffrey Harvey, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam / Netherlands Institute of Ecology

Incipient (longer-term) climate warming (CW) and attendant climatic extremes (CE) such as heat waves and droughts are having a broadly negative effect on biodiversity. Ectotherms such as arthropods are highly sensitized to ambient temperature, and thus CW and CE are likely major contributors to recent observed declines in insects. However, thermophilic organisms can benefit from warming, at least transiently, if they are able to track shifting thermoclines and re-establish in new habitats that are buffered against CE (both high and low temperatures). Here, I describe how recent warming in northern Europe is benefitting three large spider species with ranges that originate in southern Europe or Micronesia. The three species exhibit whole or partial synanthropy and thus exploit urban habitats over all or part of the year. I describe ongoing experiments to better understand the thermal niches of the three species, and discuss possible ecological and societal implications of their establishment.

3. Effects of adaptation on evolutionary potential in multi-stressor environments: insights from sequential laboratory evolution experiments

Shuwen Han, Paul van den Brink, and Steven Declerck, Netherlands Institute of Ecology / KU Leuven

Populations are increasingly exposed to diverse stressors, often in novel combinations, which threaten their persistence and adaptive potential. Using sequential evolution experiments with populations of cyclic parthenogenetic rotifers, we investigated how prior adaptation to heat stress influences the evolutionary response to copper stress, and vice versa. Our results reveal asymmetric cross-tolerance: while heat adaptation conferred increased tolerance to copper, copper adaptation offered no protection against heat stress. Moreover, adaptation to heat was significantly impaired when preceded or followed by a multigenerational exposure to copper. In contrast, copper adaptation remained robust regardless of prior or subsequent multigenerational exposure to heat. These findings underscore the complex interplay between stressors in shaping the micro-evolutionary trajectories of populations. Understanding these dynamics may prove critical for predicting population persistence in dynamic, multi-stressor environments and has important implications for biodiversity management in the face of climate change and anthropogenic pollution.

4. Importance of traits to assess species compositions in urban-rural transects

Wouter van der Vegt, Joscha Beninde, Jacintha Ellers, and Matty Berg, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Habitat fragmentation, sensory and chemical pollution, and heat are some of the major stressors in urban environments. Species living in cities are expected to have adapted to these stressors or to avoid local stress by dispersing to more favourable conditions. Traits indirectly impact the fitness of individuals via an effect of growth, reproduction and survival. Given that cities often host unique species compared to rural sites, traits could help explain community composition in cities. Carabid beetles have a wide distribution, their ecology is well known and many functional traits related to their distribution have been measured. Here, based on pitfall trapping across four urban-rural transects, I show a shift in species composition between rural and urban areas and discuss how traits, such as timing of reproduction, phenology, overwintering strategy, fly capacity and wing development are used to explain compositional changes.

5. Adaptation to comprehensive environment based on genomics in European great tit (Parus major)

Zhengkai Zhang, Wageningen University & Research

The rapid pace of climate change underscores the need to understand adaptive mechanisms in natural populations. The European great tit (Parus major), distributed across diverse habitats, serves as an ideal model for investigating environmental adaptation at the genomic level. In this study, we conducted selective sweep analysis and genome-environment association analyses by integrating SNP genotype data from 24 European populations with comprehensive environmental variables, including climate, soil, and vegetation factors. We identified some candidate genes potentially linked to local adaptation, and GO/KEGG enrichment analyses highlighted significant biological processes and pathways associated with these genes, offering insights into the polygenic nature of adaptation. This work enhances our understanding of adaptive mechanisms in great tits and contributes to biodiversity conservation strategies in the face of climate change.