Biology subjects

Cordellier, M.

Publications and source records attributed to Cordellier, M..

5 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2021

Hybridization dynamics and extensive introgression in the Daphnia longispina species complex: new insights from a high-quality Daphnia galeata reference genome

Hybridization and introgression are recognized as an important source of variation that influence adaptive processes; both phenomena are frequent in the genus Daphnia, a keystone zooplankton taxon in freshwater ecosystems that comprises several species complexes. To investigate genome-wide consequences of introgression between species, we provide here the first high-quality genome assembly for a member of the Daphnia longispina species complex, Daphnia galeata. We further re-sequenced 49 whole genomes of three species of the complex and their interspecific hybrids both from genotypes sampled in the water column and from single resting eggs extracted from sediment cores. Populations from habitats with diverse ecological conditions offered an opportunity to study the dynamics of hybridization linked to ecological changes and revealed a high prevalence of hybrids. Using phylogenetic and population genomic approaches, we provide first insights into the intra- and interspecific genome-wide variability in this species complex and identify regions of high divergence. Finally, we assess the length of ancestry tracts in hybrids to characterize introgression patterns across the genome. Our analyses uncover a complex history of hybridization and introgression reflecting multiple generations of hybridization and backcrossing in the Daphnia longispina species complex. Overall, this study and the new resources presented here pave the way for a better understanding of ancient and contemporary gene flow in the species complex and facilitate future studies on resting egg banks accumulating in lake sediment.

evolutionary biology↗

bioRxiv2020

Spontaneous rate of clonal mutations in Daphnia galeata

Mutations are the ultimate source of heritable variation and therefore the fuel for evolution, but direct estimates exist only for few species. We estimated the spontaneous nucleotide mutation rate among clonal generations in the waterflea Daphnia galeata with a short term mutation accumulation approach. Individuals from eighteen mutation accumulation lines over five generations were deep genome sequenced to count de novo mutations that were not present in a pool of F1 individuals, representing the parental genotype. We identified 12 new nucleotide mutations in 90 clonal generational passages. This resulted in an estimated haploid mutation rate of 0.745 x 10-9 (95% c.f. 0.39 x 10-9 - 1.26 x 10-9), which is slightly lower than recent estimates for other Daphnia species. We discuss the implications for the population genetics of Cladocerans.

evolutionary biology↗

bioRxiv2018

Reproduction associated gene expression under predation risk in Daphnia - a comparative transcriptomic approach

Phenotypic plastic responses allow organisms to rapidly adjust when facing environmental challenges - these responses comprise morphological, behavioral but also life-history changes. Alteration of life-history traits when exposed to predation risk have been reported often in the ecological and genomic model organism Daphnia. However, the molecular basis of this response is not well understood, especially in the context of fish predation. Here, we characterized the transcriptional profiles of two Daphnia galeata clonal lines with opposed life histories when exposed to fish kairomones. First, we conducted a differential gene expression, identifying a total of 125 candidate transcripts involved in the predator-induced response, uncovering substantial intra-specific variation. Second, we applied a gene co-expression network analysis to find clusters of tightly linked transcripts revealing the functional relations of transcripts underlying the predator-induced response. Our results showed that transcripts involved in remodeling of the cuticle, growth and digestion correlated with the response to environmental change in D. galeata. Furthermore, we used an orthology-based approach to gain functional information for transcripts lacking gene ontology (GO) information, as well as insights into the evolutionary conservation of transcripts. We could show that our candidate transcripts have orthologs in other Daphnia species but almost none in other arthropods. The unique combination of methods allowed us to identify candidate transcripts, their putative functions and evolutionary history associated with predator-induced responses in Daphnia. Our study opens up to the question as to whether the same molecular signature is associated fish kairomones-mediated life-history changes in other Daphnia species.

zoology↗

bioRxiv2018

Daphnia stressor database: Taking advantage of a decade of Daphnia ‘-omics’ data for gene annotation

Gene expression patterns help to measure and characterize the effect of environmental perturbations at the cellular and organism-level. Complicating interpretation is the presence of uncharacterized or \"hypothetical\" gene functions for a large percentage of genomes. This is particularly evident in Daphnia genomes, which contains many regions coding for \"hypothetical proteins\" and are significantly divergent from many of the available arthropod model species, but might be ecologically important. In the present study, we developed a gene expression database, the Daphnia stressor database (http://www.daphnia-stressordb.uni-hamburg.de/dsdbstart.php), built from 90 published studies on Daphnia gene expression. Using a comparative genomics approach, we used the database to annotate D. galeata transcripts. The extensive body of literature available for Daphnia species allowed to associate stressors with gene expression patterns. We believe that our stressor based annotation strategy allows for better understanding and interpretation of the functional role of the understudied hypothetical or uncharacterized Daphnia genes, thereby increasing our understanding of Daphnias genetic and phenotypic variability.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2018

Contrasting patterns of divergence at the regulatory and sequence level in European Daphnia galeata natural populations

Understanding the genetic basis of local adaptation has long been a focus of evolutionary biology. Recently there has been increased interest in deciphering the evolutionary role of Daphnias plasticity and the molecular mechanisms of local adaptation. Using transcriptome data, we assessed the differences in gene expression profiles and sequences in four European Daphnia galeata populations. In total, ~33% of 32,903 transcripts were differentially expressed between populations. Among 10,280 differentially expressed transcripts, 5,209 transcripts deviated from neutral expectations and their population-specific expression pattern is likely the result of local adaptation processes. Furthermore, a SNP analysis allowed inferring population structure and distribution of genetic variation. The population divergence at the sequence-level was comparatively higher than the gene expression level by several orders of magnitude and consistent with strong founder effects and lack of gene flow between populations. Using sequence information, the candidate transcripts were annotated using a comparative genomics approach. Thus, we identified candidate transcriptomic regions for local adaptation in a key species of aquatic ecosystems in the absence of any laboratory induced stressor.

evolutionary biology↗