Outcrossing in Caenorhabditis elegans increases in response to food limitation
Abstract Theory predicts that organisms should diversify their offspring when faced with a stressful environment. This prediction has received empirical support across diverse groups of organisms and stressors. For example, when encountered by Caenorhabditis elegans during early development, food li...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2024-03-01
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| Series: | Ecology and Evolution |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.11166 |
| _version_ | 1797244919333519360 |
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| author | Samuel P. Slowinski Jennifer D. Gresham Eric R. Cui Katharine Haspel Curtis M. Lively Levi T. Morran |
| author_facet | Samuel P. Slowinski Jennifer D. Gresham Eric R. Cui Katharine Haspel Curtis M. Lively Levi T. Morran |
| author_sort | Samuel P. Slowinski |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Theory predicts that organisms should diversify their offspring when faced with a stressful environment. This prediction has received empirical support across diverse groups of organisms and stressors. For example, when encountered by Caenorhabditis elegans during early development, food limitation (a common environmental stressor) induces the nematodes to arrest in a developmental stage called dauer and to increase their propensity to outcross when they are subsequently provided with food and enabled to develop to maturity. Here we tested whether food limitation first encountered during late development/early adulthood can also induce increased outcrossing propensity in C. elegans. Previously well‐fed C. elegans increased their propensity to outcross when challenged with food limitation during the final larval stage of development and into early adulthood, relative to continuously well‐fed (control) nematodes. Our results thus support previous research demonstrating that the stress of food limitation can induce increased outcrossing propensity in C. elegans. Furthermore, our results expand on previous work by showing that food limitation can still increase outcrossing propensity even when it is not encountered until late development, and this can occur independently of the developmental and gene expression changes associated with dauer. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T19:18:39Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7f738737d18f46e7a91925889f7b7273 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-7758 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T19:18:39Z |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj.art-7f738737d18f46e7a91925889f7b72732024-03-26T04:26:58ZengWileyEcology and Evolution2045-77582024-03-01143n/an/a10.1002/ece3.11166Outcrossing in Caenorhabditis elegans increases in response to food limitationSamuel P. Slowinski0Jennifer D. Gresham1Eric R. Cui2Katharine Haspel3Curtis M. Lively4Levi T. Morran5Department of Biology Indiana University Bloomington Indiana USADepartment of Biology Emory University Atlanta Georgia USADepartment of Biology Indiana University Bloomington Indiana USADepartment of Biology Emory University Atlanta Georgia USADepartment of Biology Indiana University Bloomington Indiana USADepartment of Biology Emory University Atlanta Georgia USAAbstract Theory predicts that organisms should diversify their offspring when faced with a stressful environment. This prediction has received empirical support across diverse groups of organisms and stressors. For example, when encountered by Caenorhabditis elegans during early development, food limitation (a common environmental stressor) induces the nematodes to arrest in a developmental stage called dauer and to increase their propensity to outcross when they are subsequently provided with food and enabled to develop to maturity. Here we tested whether food limitation first encountered during late development/early adulthood can also induce increased outcrossing propensity in C. elegans. Previously well‐fed C. elegans increased their propensity to outcross when challenged with food limitation during the final larval stage of development and into early adulthood, relative to continuously well‐fed (control) nematodes. Our results thus support previous research demonstrating that the stress of food limitation can induce increased outcrossing propensity in C. elegans. Furthermore, our results expand on previous work by showing that food limitation can still increase outcrossing propensity even when it is not encountered until late development, and this can occur independently of the developmental and gene expression changes associated with dauer.https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.11166C. elegansdauerfood restrictionmating systemoffspring diversityoutcrossing |
| spellingShingle | Samuel P. Slowinski Jennifer D. Gresham Eric R. Cui Katharine Haspel Curtis M. Lively Levi T. Morran Outcrossing in Caenorhabditis elegans increases in response to food limitation Ecology and Evolution C. elegans dauer food restriction mating system offspring diversity outcrossing |
| title | Outcrossing in Caenorhabditis elegans increases in response to food limitation |
| title_full | Outcrossing in Caenorhabditis elegans increases in response to food limitation |
| title_fullStr | Outcrossing in Caenorhabditis elegans increases in response to food limitation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Outcrossing in Caenorhabditis elegans increases in response to food limitation |
| title_short | Outcrossing in Caenorhabditis elegans increases in response to food limitation |
| title_sort | outcrossing in caenorhabditis elegans increases in response to food limitation |
| topic | C. elegans dauer food restriction mating system offspring diversity outcrossing |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.11166 |
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