Biology subjects

Bybee, S.

Publications and source records attributed to Bybee, S..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

Metabolic ecology and habitat stability explain the disproportionately high species richness in standing waters

The Metabolic Theory of Ecology (MTE) conceptualizes that temperature is the primary driver of species richness, a pattern well supported in terrestrial taxa but less certain for freshwater organisms. Limited global-scale evidence and frequent violations of MTEs assumptions, particularly the stationarity of body size and abundance, further obscure its applicability. In freshwater systems, body size and abundance are tightly linked to dispersal and range size, which differ markedly between running-water (lotic) and standing-water (lentic) species, as proposed by the Habitat-Stability-Dispersal Hypothesis (HSDH). Adaptations to habitat stability may therefore generate distinct biogeographical trait patterns and modify richness-temperature relationships predicted by MTE. Utilizing comprehensive global functional, phylogenetic, and distributional data on dragonfly and damselfly species (83%) and habitat information (46%), we tested MTE predictions for lentic versus lotic species. Lotic species richness followed MTE expectations (slope: -0.469) more closely than lentic species richness (slope: -0.283). The proportion of lentic species in an assemblage was the strongest predictor of deviation in the species richness-temperature relationship (R2 = 38%). Assemblages dominated by lentic species clustered in climatically unstable regions and mainly including smaller-bodied species with larger ranges. Phylogenetic comparative analysis shows a strong phylogenetic signal in habitat preference, with the most species rich and northernly distributed families comprising predominately lentic species. Our findings suggest that adaptations to habitat stability facilitated the colonization and persistence of lentic species in harsh and fluctuating climates both past and present causing largely divergent species richness patterns of lentic and lotic odonates. Integrating HSDH-related traits (body and range size) not only substantially improves the explanatory power of the MTE, but also reveals a trait syndrome with broad implications for the biogeography and climate change responses of freshwater communities.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2023

Evolution of Opsin Genes in Caddisflies (Insecta: Trichoptera)

Insects have evolved complex and diverse visual systems in which light-sensing protein molecules called opsins couple with a chromophore to form photopigments. Insect photopigments group into three major gene families based on wavelength sensitivity: long wavelength (LW), short wavelength (SW), and ultraviolet wavelength (UV). Here, we identified 123 opsin sequences from whole genome assemblies across 25 caddisfly species (Insecta: Trichoptera). We discovered the LW opsins have the most diversity across species and form two separate clades in the opsin gene tree. Conversely, we observed a loss of the SW opsin in half of the trichopteran species in this study, which might be associated with the fact that caddisflies are active during low-light conditions. Lastly, we found a single copy of the UV opsin in all the species in this study, with one exception: Athripsodes cinereus has two copies of the UV opsin and resides within a clade of caddisflies with colorful wing patterns. SignificanceWhile opsin evolution in some insect groups has been well-characterized, it has never been studied across caddisflies. Our findings provide insight into the diversity of opsins in caddisflies and form a basis for further research into the evolutionary drivers and complex visual systems in Trichoptera.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2021

Boundary domain genes were recruited to suppress bract growth and promote branching in maize

Grass inflorescence development is diverse and complex and involves sophisticated but poorly understood interactions of genes regulating branch determinacy and leaf growth. Here, we use a combination of transcript profiling, genetic and phylogenetic analyses to investigate tasselsheath1 (tsh1) and tsh4, two maize genes that simultaneously suppress inflorescence leaf growth and inhibit branching. We identify a regulatory network of inflorescence leaf suppression that involves the phase change gene tsh4 upstream of tsh1 and the ligule identity gene liguleless2 (lg2). We also find that a series of duplications in the tsh1 gene lineage facilitated its shift from boundary domain in non-grasses to suppressed inflorescence leaves of grasses. Collectively, these results suggest that the boundary domain genes tsh1 and lg2 were recruited to inflorescence leaves where they suppress growth and regulate a non-autonomous signaling center that promotes inflorescence branching, an important component of yield in cereal grasses.

plant biology↗