Genomic divergence during in range expansion in the spider Argiope bruennichi
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
REPOSITORIES: ENA
Dataset's files
| Action | DRS | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ERR574428_1.fastq.gz | Fastqsanger.gz | |||
| ERR574428_2.fastq.gz | Fastqsanger.gz |
Items per page: 5 1 - 2 of 2 |
Similar Datasets
Project description:BackgroundArgiope bruennichi, the European wasp spider, has been investigated intensively as a focal species for studies on sexual selection, chemical communication, and the dynamics of rapid range expansion at a behavioral and genetic level. However, the lack of a reference genome has limited insights into the genetic basis for these phenomena. Therefore, we assembled a high-quality chromosome-level reference genome of the European wasp spider as a tool for more in-depth future studies.FindingsWe generated, de novo, a 1.67 Gb genome assembly of A. bruennichi using 21.8× Pacific Biosciences sequencing, polished with 19.8× Illumina paired-end sequencing data, and proximity ligation (Hi-C)-based scaffolding. This resulted in an N50 scaffold size of 124 Mb and an N50 contig size of 288 kb. We found 98.4% of the genome to be contained in 13 scaffolds, fitting the expected number of chromosomes (n = 13). Analyses showed the presence of 91.1% of complete arthropod BUSCOs, indicating a high-quality assembly.ConclusionsWe present the first chromosome-level genome assembly in the order Araneae. With this genomic resource, we open the door for more precise and informative studies on evolution and adaptation not only in A. bruennichi but also in arachnids overall, shedding light on questions such as the genomic architecture of traits, whole-genome duplication, and the genomic mechanisms behind silk and venom evolution.
| S-EPMC7788392 | biostudies-literature
Project description:There are two major competing explanations for the counter-intuitive presence of bright coloration in certain orb-web spiders. Bright coloration could lure insect prey to the web vicinity, increasing the spider's foraging success. Alternatively, the markings could function as disruptive camouflage, making it difficult for the insect prey to distinguish spiders from background colour variation. We measured the prey capture rates of wasp spiders, Argiope bruennichi, that were blacked out, shielded from view using a leaf fragment, or left naturally coloured. Naturally coloured spiders caught over twice the number of prey as did either blacked-out or leaf-shielded spiders, and almost three times as many orthopteran prey. Spectrophotometer measurements suggest that the bright yellow bands on the spider's abdomen are visible to insect prey, but not the banding on the legs, which could disguise the spider's outline. Thus, our results provide strong support for the hypothesis that bright coloration in the wasp spider acts as a visual lure for insect prey and weak support for the hypothesis that the arrangement of the banding pattern across the spider's body disguises the presence of the spider on the web.
| S-EPMC2602679 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Monogynous mating systems (low male mating rates) occur in various taxa and have evolved several times independently in spiders. Monogyny is associated with remarkable male mating strategies and predicted to evolve under a male-biased sex ratio. While male reproductive strategies are well documented and male mating rates are easy to quantify, especially in sexually cannibalistic species, female reproductive strategies, the optimal female mating rate, and the factors that affect the evolution of female mating rates are still unclear. In this study, we examined natural female mating rates and tested the assumption of a male-biased sex ratio and female polyandry in a natural population of Argiope bruennichi in which we controlled female mating status prior to observations. We predicted variation in female mating frequencies as a result of spatial and temporal heterogeneity in the distribution of mature females and males. Females had a low average mating rate of 1.3 and the majority copulated only once. Polyandry did not entirely result from a male-biased sex-ratio but closely matched the rate of male bigamy. Male activity and the probability of polyandry correlated with factors affecting pheromone presence such as virgin females' density. We conclude that a strong sex ratio bias and high female mating rates are not necessary components of monogynous mating systems as long as males protect their paternity effectively and certain frequencies of bigyny stabilise the mating system.
| S-EPMC3272030 | biostudies-literature
Project description:We present a genome assembly from an individual female Argiope bruennichi (the Wasp Spider; Arthropoda; Arachnida; Araneae; Araneidae). The genome sequence is 1,778.4 megabases in span. Most of the assembly is scaffolded into 13 chromosomal pseudomolecules, including the X 1 and X 2 sex chromosomes. The mitochondrial genome has also been assembled and is 14.06 kilobases in length.
| S-EPMC10904950 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Background:Sexual selection theory predicts that male investment in a current female should be a function of female density and male competition. While many studies have focused on male competition, the impact of female density on male mating investment has been widely neglected. Here, we aimed to close this gap and tested effects of mate density on male mating decisions in the orb-web spider Argiope bruennichi. Males of this species mutilate their genitalia during copulation, which reduces sperm competition and limits their mating rate to a maximum of two females (bigyny). The mating rate is frequently further reduced by female aggression and cannibalization. Males can reduce the risk of cannibalism if they jump off the female in time, but will then transfer fewer sperm. An alternative solution of this trade-off is to copulate longer, commit self-sacrifice and secure higher minimal paternity. The self-sacrificial strategy may be adaptive if prospective mating chances are uncertain. In A. bruennichi, this uncertainty may arise from quick changes in population dynamics. Therefore, we expected that males would immediately respond to information about low or high mate availability and opt for self-sacrifice after a single copulation under low mate availability. If male survival depends on information about prospective mating chances, we further predicted that under high mate availability, we would find a higher rate of males that leave the first mating partner to follow a bigynous mating strategy. Method:We used naïve males and compared their mating decisions among two treatments that differed in the number of signalling females. In the high mate availability treatment, males perceived pheromone signals from four adult, virgin females, while in the low mate availability treatment only one of four females was adult and virgin and the other three were penultimate and unreceptive. Results:Males took more time to start mate searching if mate availability was low. However, a self-sacrificial strategy was not more likely under low mate availability. We found no effects of treatment on the duration of copulation, the probability to survive the first copulation or the probability of bigyny. Interestingly, survival chances depended on male size and were higher in small males. Discussion:Our results do not support the hypothesis that mate density variation affects male mating investment, although they clearly perceived mate density, which they presumably assessed by pheromone quantity. One reason for the absence of male adjustments to mating tactics could be that adaptations to survive female attacks veil adaptations that facilitate mating decisions.
| S-EPMC6086085 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Reproduction often requires finding a mating partner. To this end, females of many arthropods advertise their presence to searching males via volatile chemical signals. Such pheromones are considered low-cost signals, although this notion is based on little evidence and has recently been challenged. Even when using comparatively low-cost signals, females should signal as little as possible to minimize costs while still ensuring mate attraction. Here, we test the strategic-signalling hypothesis using Argiope bruennichi. In this orb-weaving spider, egg maturation commences with adult moult, and females that do not attract a male in time will lay a large batch of unfertilized eggs approximately three weeks after maturation. Using GC-MS analyses, we show that virgin females enhance their signalling effort, i.e. pheromone quantity per unit body mass, with increasing age and approaching oviposition. We further demonstrate that pheromone release is condition dependent, suggesting the occurrence of physiological costs. Mate choice assays revealed that pheromone quantity is the only predictor of female attractiveness for males. In support of the strategic-signalling hypothesis, pheromone signals by female A. bruennichi become stronger with increased need as well as body condition, and might thus qualify as an honest signal of female quality.
| S-EPMC8767209 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Spiders are one of the most successful groups of venomous animals, but surprisingly few species have been examined in sufficient detail to determine the structure of their venom systems. To learn more about the venom system of the family Araneidae (orb-weavers), we selected the wasp spider (Argiope bruennichi) and examined the general structure and morphology of the venom apparatus by light microscopy. This revealed morphological features broadly similar to those reported in the small number of other spiders subject to similar investigations. However, detailed evaluation of the venom duct revealed the presence of four structurally distinct compartments. We propose that these subunits facilitate the expression and secretion of venom components, as previously reported for similar substructures in pit vipers and cone snails.
| S-EPMC8070055 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Many ecological and evolutionary processes in animals depend upon microbial symbioses. In spiders, the role of the microbiome in these processes remains mostly unknown. We compared the microbiome between populations, individuals, and tissue types of a range-expanding spider, using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Our study is one of the first to go beyond targeting known endosymbionts in spiders and characterizes the total microbiome across different body compartments (leg, prosoma, hemolymph, book lungs, ovaries, silk glands, midgut, and fecal pellets). Overall, the microbiome differed significantly between populations and individuals, but not between tissue types. The microbiome of the wasp spider Argiope bruennichi features a novel dominant bacterial symbiont, which is abundant in every tissue type in spiders from geographically distinct populations and that is also present in offspring. The novel symbiont is affiliated with the Tenericutes, but has low sequence identity (<85%) to all previously named taxa, suggesting that the novel symbiont represents a new bacterial clade. Its presence in offspring implies that it is vertically transmitted. Our results shed light on the processes that shape microbiome differentiation in this species and raise several questions about the implications of the novel dominant bacterial symbiont on the biology and evolution of its host.
| S-EPMC7023434 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The interplay between phenotypic plasticity and adaptive evolution has long been an important topic of evolutionary biology. This process is critical to our understanding of a species evolutionary potential in light of rapid climate changes. Despite recent theoretical work, empirical studies of natural populations, especially in marine invertebrates, are scarce. In this study, we investigated the relationship between adaptive divergence and plasticity by integrating genetic and phenotypic variation in Pacific oysters from its natural range in China. Genome resequencing of 371 oysters revealed unexpected fine-scale genetic structure that is largely consistent with phenotypic divergence in growth, physiology, thermal tolerance and gene expression across environmental gradient. These findings suggest that selection and local adaptation are pervasive and together with limited gene flow shape adaptive divergence. Plasticity in gene expression is positively correlated with evolved divergence, indicating that plasticity is adaptive and likely favored by selection in organisms facing dynamic environments such as oysters. Divergence in heat response and tolerance implies that the evolutionary potential to a warming climate differs among oyster populations. We suggest that trade-offs in energy allocation are important to adaptive divergence with acetylation playing a role in energy depression under thermal stress.
2018-07-27 | PXD008057 | Pride