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Defaunation precipitates the extinction of evolutionarily distinct interactions in the Anthropocene.

ABSTRACT: Species on Earth are interconnected with each other through ecological interactions. Defaunation can erode those connections, yet we lack evolutionary predictions about the consequences of losing interactions in human-modified ecosystems. We quantified the fate of the evolutionary history of avian-seed dispersal interactions across tropical forest fragments by combining the evolutionary distinctness of the pairwise-partner species, a proxy to their unique functional features. Both large-seeded plant and large-bodied bird species showed the highest evolutionary distinctness. We estimate a loss of 3.5 to 4.7 × 104 million years of cumulative evolutionary history of interactions due to defaunation. Bird-driven local extinctions mainly erode the most evolutionarily distinct interactions. However, the persistence of less evolutionarily distinct bird species in defaunated areas exerts a phylogenetic rescue effect through seed dispersal of evolutionarily distinct plant species.

SUBMITTER: Emer C

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6584213 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Defaunation precipitates the extinction of evolutionarily distinct interactions in the Anthropocene.

Emer Carine C Galetti Mauro M Pizo Marco A MA Jordano Pedro P Verdú Miguel M

Science advances 20190619 6

Species on Earth are interconnected with each other through ecological interactions. Defaunation can erode those connections, yet we lack evolutionary predictions about the consequences of losing interactions in human-modified ecosystems. We quantified the fate of the evolutionary history of avian-seed dispersal interactions across tropical forest fragments by combining the evolutionary distinctness of the pairwise-partner species, a proxy to their unique functional features. Both large-seeded p ...[more]

PMID: 31223648

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Project description:ABSTRACT Distinct lineages of avian influenza viruses (AIVs) are harbored by spatially segregated birds, yet significant surveillance gaps exist around the globe. Virtually nothing is known from the Antarctic. Using virus culture, molecular analysis, full genome sequencing, and serology of samples from Adélie penguins in Antarctica, we confirmed infection by H11N2 subtype AIVs. Their genetic segments were distinct from all known contemporary influenza viruses, including South American AIVs, suggesting spatial separation from other lineages. Only in the matrix and polymerase acidic gene phylogenies did the Antarctic sequences form a sister relationship to South American AIVs, whereas distant phylogenetic relationships were evident in all other gene segments. Interestingly, their neuraminidase genes formed a distant relationship to all avian and human influenza lineages, and the polymerase basic 1 and polymerase acidic formed a sister relationship to the equine H3N8 influenza virus lineage that emerged during 1963 and whose avian origins were previously unknown. We also estimated that each gene segment had diverged for 49 to 80 years from its most closely related sequences, highlighting a significant gap in our AIV knowledge in the region. We also show that the receptor binding properties of the H11N2 viruses are predominantly avian and that they were unable to replicate efficiently in experimentally inoculated ferrets, suggesting their continuous evolution in avian hosts. These findings add substantially to our understanding of both the ecology and the intra- and intercontinental movement of Antarctic AIVs and highlight the potential risk of an incursion of highly pathogenic AIVs into this fragile environment. IMPORTANCE Avian influenza viruses (AIVs) are typically maintained and spread by migratory birds, resulting in the existence of distinctly different viruses around the world. However, AIVs have not previously been detected in Antarctica. In this study, we characterized H11N2 viruses sampled from Adélie penguins from two geographically different sites in Antarctica and show that the segmented AIV genome diverged between 49 and 80 years ago from other AIVs, with several genes showing similarity and shared ancestry with H3N8 equine influenza viruses. This study provides the first insight into the ecology of AIVs in Antarctica and highlights the potential risk of an introduction of highly pathogenic AIVs into the continent.

Project description:Members of the Ets family of proto-oncogenes encode sequence-specific transcription factors that bind to a purine-rich motif centered around a conserved GGA trinucleotide. Ets binding sites have been identified in the transcriptional regulatory regions of multiple T cell genes including the T cell receptor alpha and beta (TCR-alpha and -beta) enhancers and the IL-2 enhancer, as well as in the enhancers of several T cell-trophic viruses including Maloney sarcoma virus, human leukemia virus type 1, and human immunodeficiency virus-2. T cells express multiple members of the Ets gene family including Ets-1, Ets-2, GABP alpha, Elf-1, and Fli-1. The different patterns of expression and protein-protein interactions of these different Ets family members undoubtedly contribute to their ability to specifically regulate distinct sets of T cell genes. However, previous studies have suggested that different Ets family members might also display distinct DNA binding specificities. In this report, we have examined the DNA binding characteristics of two Ets family members, Ets-1 and Elf-1, that are highly expressed in T cells. The results demonstrate that the minimal DNA binding domain of these proteins consists of adjacent basic and putative alpha-helical regions that are conserved in all of the known Ets family members. Both regions are required for DNA binding activity. In vitro binding studies demonstrated that Ets-1 and Elf-1 display distinct DNA binding specificities, and, thereby interact preferentially with different naturally occurring Ets binding sites. A comparison of known Ets binding sites identified three nucleotides at the 3' end of these sequences that control the differential binding of the Ets-1 and Elf-1 proteins. These results are consistent with a model in which different Ets family members regulate the expression of different T cell genes by binding preferentially to purine-rich sequences that share a GGA core motif, but contain distinct flanking sequences.

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Defaunation precipitates the extinction of evolutionarily distinct interactions in the Anthropocene.

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Defaunation precipitates the extinction of evolutionarily distinct interactions in the Anthropocene.

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