Genetic background and thermal regime influence adaptation to novel environment in the seed beetle, Callosobruchus maculatus

Ivimey-Cook, Edward R., Piani, Claudio, Hung, Wei Tse and Berg, Elena C. (2024) Genetic background and thermal regime influence adaptation to novel environment in the seed beetle, Callosobruchus maculatus. Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 37 (1). pp. 1-13. ISSN 1010-061X

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Abstract

Climate change is associated with the increase in both the mean and variability of thermal conditions. Therefore, the use of more realistic fluctuating thermal regimes is the most appropriate laboratory method for predicting population responses to thermal heterogeneity. However, the long- and short-term implications of evolving under such conditions are not well understood. Here, we examined differences in key life-history traits among populations of seed beetles (Callosobruchus maculatus) that evolved under either constant control conditions or in an environment with fluctuating daily temperatures. Specifically, individuals from two distinct genetic backgrounds were kept for 19 generations at one of two temperatures, a constant temperature (T = 29°C) or a fluctuating daily cycle (Tmean = 33°C, Tmax = 40°C, and Tmin = 26°C), and were assayed either in their evolved environment or in the other environment. We found that beetles that evolved in fluctuating environments but were then switched to constant 29°C conditions had far greater lifetime reproductive success compared with beetles that were kept in their evolved environments. This increase in reproductive success suggests that beetles raised in fluctuating environments may have evolved greater thermal breadth than control condition beetles. In addition, the degree of sexual dimorphism in body size and development varied as a function of genetic background, evolved thermal environment, and current temperature conditions. These results not only highlight the value of incorporating diel fluctuations into climate research but also suggest that populations that experience variability in temperature may be better able to respond to both short- and long-term changes in environmental conditions.

Item Type: Article
Additional Information: Data availability: Data have been uploaded to Dryad (https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.f1vhhmgz7). Code used to run the analysis and produce the graphs is located on Zenodo at https://zenodo.org/doi/10.5281/zenodo.10118422. Funding: This study was supported by The American University of Paris.
Uncontrolled Keywords: callosobruchus maculatus,climate change,fluctuating temperatures,thermal adaptation,thermal breadth,ecology, evolution, behavior and systematics,sdg 13 - climate action ,/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/1100/1105
Faculty \ School: Faculty of Science > School of Biological Sciences
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Depositing User: LivePure Connector
Date Deposited: 08 Sep 2025 10:30
Last Modified: 08 Sep 2025 10:30
URI: https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/100297
DOI: 10.1093/jeb/voad009

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