Temporal variation in climatic factors influences phenotypic diversity of Trochulus land snails
Abstract Organisms with limited dispersal capabilities should show phenotypic plasticity in situ to keep pace with environmental changes. Therefore, to study the influence of environmental variation on the phenotypic diversity, we chose land snails, Trochulus hispidus and T. sericeus, characterized...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2022-07-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-16638-w |
| _version_ | 1811287592653553664 |
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| author | Małgorzata Proćków Elżbieta Kuźnik-Kowalska Aleksandra Żeromska Paweł Mackiewicz |
| author_facet | Małgorzata Proćków Elżbieta Kuźnik-Kowalska Aleksandra Żeromska Paweł Mackiewicz |
| author_sort | Małgorzata Proćków |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Organisms with limited dispersal capabilities should show phenotypic plasticity in situ to keep pace with environmental changes. Therefore, to study the influence of environmental variation on the phenotypic diversity, we chose land snails, Trochulus hispidus and T. sericeus, characterized by high population variability. We performed long-term field studies as well as laboratory and common garden experiments, which revealed that temporal environmental changes generate visible variation in shell size and shape of these snails. Many shell measurements of T. hispidus varied significantly with temperature and humidity in individual years. According to this, the first generation of T. hispidus, bred in controlled laboratory conditions, became significantly different in higher spire and narrower umbilicus from its wild parents. Interestingly, offspring produced by this generation and transplanted to wild conditions returned to the ‘wild’ flat and wide-umbilicated shell shape. Moreover, initially different species T. hispidus and T. sericeus transferred into common environment conditions revealed rapid and convergent shell modifications within one generation. Such morphological flexibility and high genetic variation can be evolutionarily favored, when the environment is heterogeneous in time. The impact of climate change on the shell morphometry can lead to incorrect taxonomic classification or delimitation of artificial taxa in land snails. These findings have also important implications in the context of changing climate and environment. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T03:20:48Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d89d0f8167104871a21764e60d7bb6a1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T03:20:48Z |
| publishDate | 2022-07-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-d89d0f8167104871a21764e60d7bb6a12022-12-22T03:04:47ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222022-07-0112111510.1038/s41598-022-16638-wTemporal variation in climatic factors influences phenotypic diversity of Trochulus land snailsMałgorzata Proćków0Elżbieta Kuźnik-Kowalska1Aleksandra Żeromska2Paweł Mackiewicz3Museum of Natural History, University of WrocławDepartment of Invertebrate Systematics and Ecology, Institute of Environmental Biology, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life SciencesDepartment of Bioinformatics and Genomics, Faculty of Biotechnology, University of WrocławDepartment of Bioinformatics and Genomics, Faculty of Biotechnology, University of WrocławAbstract Organisms with limited dispersal capabilities should show phenotypic plasticity in situ to keep pace with environmental changes. Therefore, to study the influence of environmental variation on the phenotypic diversity, we chose land snails, Trochulus hispidus and T. sericeus, characterized by high population variability. We performed long-term field studies as well as laboratory and common garden experiments, which revealed that temporal environmental changes generate visible variation in shell size and shape of these snails. Many shell measurements of T. hispidus varied significantly with temperature and humidity in individual years. According to this, the first generation of T. hispidus, bred in controlled laboratory conditions, became significantly different in higher spire and narrower umbilicus from its wild parents. Interestingly, offspring produced by this generation and transplanted to wild conditions returned to the ‘wild’ flat and wide-umbilicated shell shape. Moreover, initially different species T. hispidus and T. sericeus transferred into common environment conditions revealed rapid and convergent shell modifications within one generation. Such morphological flexibility and high genetic variation can be evolutionarily favored, when the environment is heterogeneous in time. The impact of climate change on the shell morphometry can lead to incorrect taxonomic classification or delimitation of artificial taxa in land snails. These findings have also important implications in the context of changing climate and environment.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-16638-w |
| spellingShingle | Małgorzata Proćków Elżbieta Kuźnik-Kowalska Aleksandra Żeromska Paweł Mackiewicz Temporal variation in climatic factors influences phenotypic diversity of Trochulus land snails Scientific Reports |
| title | Temporal variation in climatic factors influences phenotypic diversity of Trochulus land snails |
| title_full | Temporal variation in climatic factors influences phenotypic diversity of Trochulus land snails |
| title_fullStr | Temporal variation in climatic factors influences phenotypic diversity of Trochulus land snails |
| title_full_unstemmed | Temporal variation in climatic factors influences phenotypic diversity of Trochulus land snails |
| title_short | Temporal variation in climatic factors influences phenotypic diversity of Trochulus land snails |
| title_sort | temporal variation in climatic factors influences phenotypic diversity of trochulus land snails |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-16638-w |
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