2025 Hyper Recent •CC0 1.0 Universal

This work is dedicated to the public domain. No rights reserved.

Access Preprint From Server
July 5th, 2025
Version: 1
University of Wisconsin-Madison
evolutionary biology
biorxiv

Egg hatching in the cestode Schistocephalus solidus shows no evidence of quorum sensing

Kerns, E. V.Open in Google Scholar•Engel, S.Open in Google Scholar•Codner, P. A.Open in Google Scholar•Weber, J. N.Open in Google Scholar

Schistocephalus solidus is a parasitic cestode with a complex, multi-host life cycle. S. solidus reproduces in its terminal host either by exchanging gametes with similarly sized individuals or selfing. Fertilized eggs then pass through the feces of the host and hatch at the bottom of freshwater lakes. Previous work found that selfing greatly depresses egg hatching rates, presumably as a result of inbreeding depression. We predicted that S. solidus may have evolved quorum sensing (QS) during hatching as a mechanism to facilitate synchronized infection, thereby increasing the opportunity for outcrossing in its terminal host. We tested whether density-dependent hatch rates were present across three parasite populations, examining both outcrossed and selfed progeny. We predicted that if QS was present, it would be common across all populations, and that increasing egg density would result in higher hatching rates. We also expected that outcrossed eggs would hatch at higher rates than those produced via selfing. While we found different hatching rates between populations, there was no effect of egg density. Selfed eggs did hatch at significantly lower rates than outcrossed eggs, replicating previous findings. Although we failed to find density dependent hatching in our limited sample, we conclude by discussing the conditions in which QS may evolve in isolated S. solidus populations.

Similar Papers

biorxiv
Sat Jul 05 2025
Contemporary hybridization among Arabis floodplain species creates opportunities for adaptation
Hybridization between closely related species is increasingly recognized as a major source of biodiversity. Yet, whether it can create advantageous trait combinations while purging harmful alleles remains unknown. We studied Arabis nemorensis and A. sagittata, two endangered species that currently hybridize in a single hotspot. We measured 22 phenotypic traits and mapped their genetic basis in an ...
Rahnamae, N.
•
Metzger, L.
•
Hoerdemann, L.
•
Korfmann, K.
...•
de Meaux, J.
biorxiv
Sat Jul 05 2025
The Variability of Evolvability: Properties of Dynamic Fitness Landscapes Determine How Phenotypic Variability Evolves
The magnitude and shape of phenotypic variation depends on properties of the genotype-to-phenotype (GP) map, which itself can evolve over time. The evolution of GP maps is particularly interesting in variable environments, as GP maps can evolve to bias variation in the direction of past selection, increasing the evolvability of the population over time. However, the degree and manner in which envi...
Petak, C.
•
Frati, L.
•
Vroomans, R. M.
•
Pespeni, M.
•
Cheney, N.
biorxiv
Sat Jul 05 2025
Structural similarities reveal an expansive conotoxin family with a two-finger toxin fold
Venomous animals have evolved a diverse repertoire of toxins with considerable pharmaceutical potential. The rapid evolution of peptide toxins, such as the conotoxins produced by venomous marine cone snails, often complicates efforts to infer their evolutionary relationships based solely on sequence information. Structural bioinformatics, however, can provide robust support. Here, we first solve t...
Khilji, M. S.
•
Hackney, C. M.
•
Koch, T. L.
•
Hone, A. J.
...•
Ellgaard, L.
biorxiv
Sat Jul 05 2025
Improving Joint Estimation of Vital Rates in IPMs via Gaussian Processes and ABC
Developing population dynamic models that can flexibly adapt to different species remains a challenge due to the context-dependent nature of demographic studies. This work introduces ABC_GP IPM, a novel Integral Projection Model (IPM) framework, aimed at mitigating key limitations associated with traditional IPMs, including (i) reliance on predefined vital rate models with restrictive assumptions,...
Zhu, Z.
•
Christodoulou, M. D.
•
Steinsaltz, D.
biorxiv
Sat Jul 05 2025
Spread of a single superclone drives insecticide resistance in Acyrthosiphon kondoi across an invasive range
Populations under similar selection pressures may adapt via parallel evolution or dispersal of advantageous alleles. Here, we investigated insecticide resistance in the invasive blue-green aphid, Acyrthosiphon kondoi, which reproduces clonally in Australia and has rapidly developed resistance across geographic locations. Using genomic, transcriptomic, and experimental approaches, we explored the e...
Thia, J. A.
•
Hunt, B. J.
•
Wang, S.
•
Troczka, B. J.
...•
Hoffmann, A. A.
biorxiv
Sat Jul 05 2025
Establishment, conservation, and innovation of dorsal determination mechanisms during the evolution of vertebrate paired appendages
Limb function requires polarized anatomy across the dorsal-ventral (DV) axis, but it is unclear when the capacity for DV differentiation of paired appendages arose in evolution. Here we define ancestral DV patterning programs in the fins of fishes. We show that the orthologue of the limb dorsal determinant, Lmx1b, is required to establish dorsality in zebrafish pectoral fins and is regulated by a ...
Hawkins, M. B.
•
Zdral, S.
•
Naranjo, S.
•
Julia, M.
...•
Ros, M.
biorxiv
Sat Jul 05 2025
The complex interaction between megaherbivores, climate and fire has shaped the evolution and distribution of plant spinescence across biogeographical realms
The evolutionary arms race between plants and herbivores has led to numerous plant adaptations, including spinescence. However, whether spinescence evolved primarily in response to herbivory, or whether abiotic conditions also played a role, remains unknown. We integrated phylogenetic, geographic, and trait data for 2,686 species of an ecologically diverse and spiny pantropical lineage, mimosoid l...
Souza Ferreira, R.
•
Ringelberg, J.
•
Hughes, C.
•
Arle, E.
...•
Onstein, R.
biorxiv
Sat Jul 05 2025
A deep population stratification and ongoing local adaptations of the range-expanding lovebug Plecia longiforceps
Rapidly range-expanding species provide a superb opportunity to study dynamic demography and ongoing adaptations to novel environments. Plecia longiforceps, a species of lovebug flies native to southeast China and Taiwan, has recently been expanding in Okinawa in Japan and Seoul in South Korea, where massive outbreaks are garnering public attention. Here we analyzed whole-genome sequences of 150 i...
Kim, D.
•
Choi, J.
•
Kim, D.
•
Cossette, M.-L.
...•
Jeong, C.
biorxiv
Sat Jul 05 2025
Integrated landscape genomics reveals biogeography and climate-driven local adaptation in high-altitudes
High-elevation environments harbor unique species adapted to altitudinal and environmental extremes. However, due to logistical challenges of sampling such species throughout their distribution across steep and varied terrains, studies often lack comprehensive evidence to understand patterns of population divergence, local adaptation, and how current adaptations may influence future vulnerability....
Wang, N.
•
Ghimire, P.
•
Chhetri, P.
•
Ghimire, N.
...•
Lamichhaney, S.