Dataset Information

DNA Methylation Patterns in the Round Goby Hypothalamus Support an On-The-Spot Decision Scenario for Territorial Behavior.

ABSTRACT: The question as to how early life experiences are stored on a molecular level and affect traits later in life is highly topical in ecology, medicine, and epigenetics. In this study, we use a fish model to investigate whether DNA methylation mediates early life experiences and predetermines a territorial male reproductive phenotype. In fish, adult reproductive phenotypes frequently depend on previous life experiences and are often associated with distinct morphological traits. DNA methylation is an epigenetic mechanism which is both sensitive to environmental conditions and stably inherited across cell divisions. We therefore investigate early life predisposition in the round goby Neogobius melanostomus by growth back-calculations and then study DNA methylation by MBD-Seq in the brain region controlling vertebrate reproductive behavior, the hypothalamus. We find a link between the territorial reproductive phenotype and high growth rates in the first year of life. However, hypothalamic DNA methylation patterns reflect the current behavioral status independently of early life experiences. Together, our data suggest a non-predetermination scenario in the round goby, in which indeterminate males progress to a non-territorial status in the spawning season, and in which some males then assume a specialized territorial phenotype if current conditions are favorable.

SUBMITTER: Somerville V

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6471186 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

DNA Methylation Patterns in the Round Goby Hypothalamus Support an On-The-Spot Decision Scenario for Territorial Behavior.

Somerville Vincent V Schwaiger Michaela M Hirsch Philipp E PE Walser Jean-Claude JC Bussmann Karen K Weyrich Alexandra A Burkhardt-Holm Patricia P Adrian-Kalchhauser Irene I

Genes 20190314 3

The question as to how early life experiences are stored on a molecular level and affect traits later in life is highly topical in ecology, medicine, and epigenetics. In this study, we use a fish model to investigate whether DNA methylation mediates early life experiences and predetermines a territorial male reproductive phenotype<i>.</i> In fish, adult reproductive phenotypes frequently depend on previous life experiences and are often associated with distinct morphological traits. DNA methylat ...[more]

PMID: 30875862

Similar Datasets

Project description:Abstract During male–male competition, evolution can favor alternative reproductive tactics. This often results in a dominant morph that holds a resource, such as a nest for egg laying, which competes with a smaller sneaker morph that reproduces by stealing fertilizations. The salinity environment can influence male growth rates, for example, via osmoregulatory costs, which in turn may influence the use of sneaker tactics for small males competing for mating opportunities. Salinity can also affect sperm directly; however, little is known of how salinity influences sneaker tactics through sperm performance. We sampled males of the invasive round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) from two environments, a freshwater river and a brackish estuary. This fish has two male morphs: nest?holding dark males and non?nest?holding light males. We examined the role of water salinity of 0, 8, and 16 on sperm performance and found that for estuarine males, a salinity of 0 reduced sperm velocity compared to a salinity of 8 and 16. Riverine males had low velocity in all salinities. Sperm viability also decreased by over 30% in 0 salinity, compared to 8 and 16, for fish from both environments. Gobies produce ejaculate contents in specialized glands that could in theory shield sperm in an adverse environment. However, gland contents did not improve sperm performance in our tests. Body mass and age estimates indicate that riverine males invested more in somatic growth compared to estuarine males. Estuarine light morph males had a high enough gonadosomatic index to indicate sneaker tactics. We propose that when sperm performance is low, such as for the riverine males, sneaker tactics are ineffective and will be selected against or phenotypically suppressed. Instead, we interpret the increased investment in somatic growth found in riverine males as a life?history decision that is advantageous when defending a nest in the next reproductive season. For a male fish too small to defend mating resources such as a female or her eggs, siring offspring can be achieved by sneaking into another male's nest and ejaculating there. In the invasive round goby, this alternative tactic requires sperm to function long enough to fertilize the eggs. This fish has spread into a range of salinities, but for some populations, fresh water decreases sperm velocity and lifespan, and severely limits the use of these alternative reproductive tactics to the point where they may disappear from use.

Project description:The establishment and spread of aquatic invasive species are ecologically and economically harmful and a source of conservation concern internationally. Processes of species invasion have traditionally been inferred from observational data of species presence/absence and relative abundance. However, genetic-based approaches can provide valuable sources of inference. Restriction site-associated DNA sequencing was used to identify and genotype single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) loci for Round Gobies (Neogobius melanostomus) (N = 440) from 18 sampling locations in the Great Lakes and in three Michigan, USA, drainages (Flint, Au Sable, and Cheboygan River basins). Sampled rivers differed in size, accessibility, and physical characteristics including man-made dispersal barriers. Population levels of genetic diversity and interpopulation variance in SNP allele frequency were used in coalescence-based approximate Bayesian computation (ABC) to statistically compare models representing competing hypotheses regarding source population, postcolonization dispersal, and demographic history in the Great Lakes and inland waters. Results indicate different patterns of colonization across the three drainages. In the Flint River, models indicate a strong population bottleneck (<3% of contemporary effective population size) and a single founding event from Saginaw Bay led to the colonization of inland river segments. In the Au Sable River, analyses could not distinguish potential source populations, but supported models indicated multiple introductions from one source population. In the Cheboygan River, supported models indicated that colonization likely proceeded from east (Lake Huron source) to west among inland locales sampled in the system. Despite the recent occupancy of Great Lakes and inland habitats, large numbers of loci analyzed in an ABC framework enable statistically supported identification of source populations and reconstruction of the direction of inland spread and demographic history following establishment. Information from analyses can direct management actions to limit the spread of invasive species from identified sources and most probable vectors into additional inland aquatic habitats.

Dataset Information

DNA Methylation Patterns in the Round Goby Hypothalamus Support an On-The-Spot Decision Scenario for Territorial Behavior.

Publications

DNA Methylation Patterns in the Round Goby Hypothalamus Support an On-The-Spot Decision Scenario for Territorial Behavior.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets