| 1. |
- Hagenblad, Jenny, et al.
(författare)
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Low genetic diversity despite multipleintroductions of the invasive plant species Impatiens glandulifera in Europe
- 2015
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Ingår i: BMC Genetics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1471-2156. ; 16:103
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Invasive species can be a major threat to native biodiversity and the number of invasive plant speciesis increasing across the globe. Population genetic studies of invasive species can provide key insights into theirinvasion history and ensuing evolution, but also for their control. Here we genetically characterise populations ofImpatiens glandulifera, an invasive plant in Europe that can have a major impact on native plant communities. Wecompared populations from the species’ native range in Kashmir, India, to those in its invaded range, along alatitudinal gradient in Europe. For comparison, the results from 39 other studies of genetic diversity in invasivespecies were collated.Results: Our results suggest that I. glandulifera was established in the wild in Europe at least twice, from an areaoutside of our Kashmir study area. Our results further revealed that the genetic diversity in invasive populations ofI. glandulifera is unusually low compared to native populations, in particular when compared to other invasivespecies. Genetic drift rather than mutation seems to have played a role in differentiating populations in Europe. Wefind evidence of limitations to local gene flow after introduction to Europe, but somewhat less restrictions in thenative range. I. glandulifera populations with significant inbreeding were only found in the species’ native rangeand invasive species in general showed no increase in inbreeding upon leaving their native ranges. In Europe wedetect cases of migration between distantly located populations. Human activities therefore seem to, at leastpartially, have facilitated not only introductions, but also further spread of I. glandulifera across Europe.Conclusions: Although multiple introductions will facilitate the retention of genetic diversity in invasive ranges,widespread invasive species can remain genetically relatively invariant also after multiple introductions. Phenotypicplasticity may therefore be an important component of the successful spread of Impatiens glandulifera across Europe.
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| 2. |
- Andersson, Martin O., et al.
(författare)
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Molecular detection of Babesia capreoli and Babesia venatorum in wild Swedish roe deer, Capreolus capreolus
- 2016
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Ingår i: Parasites & Vectors. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1756-3305. ; 9:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: The epidemiology of the zoonotic tick-transmitted parasite Babesia spp. and its occurrence in wild reservoir hosts in Sweden is unclear. In European deer, several parasite species, including Babesia capreoli and the zoonotic B. venatorum and B. divergens has been reported previously. The European roe deer, Capreolus capreolus, is an important and common part of the indigenous fauna in Europe, as well as an important host for Ixodes ricinus ticks, the vector of several Babesia spp. in Europe. Here, we aimed to investigate the occurrence of Babesia spp. in roe deer in Sweden. Findings: Roe deer (n = 77) were caught and sampled for blood. Babesia spp. was detected with a PCR assay targeting the 18S rRNA gene. The prevalence of Babesia spp. was 52 %, and two species were detected; B. capreoli and B. venatorum in 44 and 7.8 % of the individuals, respectively. Infection occurred both in summer and winter. Conclusions: We showed that roe deer in Sweden, close to the edge of their northern inland distributional range, are infected with Babesia spp. The occurrence of B. venatorum in roe deer imply that it is established in Sweden and the zoonotic implication of this finding should be regarded to a greater extent in future.
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| 3. |
- Blockhuys, Stephanie, 1983, et al.
(författare)
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Defining the human copper proteome and analysis of its expression variation in cancers.
- 2017
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Ingår i: Metallomics. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1756-5901 .- 1756-591X. ; 9:2, s. 112-123
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Copper (Cu) is essential for living organisms, and acts as a cofactor in many metabolic enzymes. To avoid the toxicity of free Cu, organisms have specific transport systems that 'chaperone' the metal to targets. Cancer progression is associated with increased cellular Cu concentrations, whereby proliferative immortality, angiogenesis and metastasis are cancer hallmarks with defined requirements for Cu. The aim of this study is to gather all known Cu-binding proteins and reveal their putative involvement in cancers using the available database resources of RNA transcript levels. Using the database along with manual curation, we identified a total of 54 Cu-binding proteins (named the human Cu proteome). Next, we retrieved RNA expression levels in cancer versus normal tissues from the TCGA database for the human Cu proteome in 18 cancer types, and noted an intricate pattern of up- and downregulation of the genes in different cancers. Hierarchical clustering in combination with bioinformatics and functional genomics analyses allowed for the prediction of cancer-related Cu-binding proteins; these were specifically inspected for the breast cancer data. Finally, for the Cu chaperone ATOX1, which is the only Cu-binding protein proposed to have transcription factor activities, we validated its predicted over-expression in patient breast cancer tissue at the protein level. This collection of Cu-binding proteins, with RNA expression patterns in different cancers, will serve as an excellent resource for mechanistic-molecular studies of Cu-dependent processes in cancer.
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| 4. |
- Bélteky, Johan
(författare)
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Chicken domestication : Effects of tameness on brain gene expression and DNA methylation
- 2016
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Domestication greatly increases phenotypic variation in a short time span, with selection for a single phenotype and a plethora of associated phenotypic changes as an outcome of the process. The domestication process influences the underlying genomic architecture of a species, and the success and speed of the process is likely influenced by it. The main aims of my thesis was to study how domestication affects the brain of chickens: specifically changes in morphology, gene expression, and DNA methylation. Differences in gene expression and DNA methylation between White Leghorn and Red Junglefowl chickens were mapped, and inheritance of these patterns were quantified, indicating a faithful transmission of breed-specific epigenetic markers. Selection on the behavioral trait fearfulness, generated high and low fearful lines of Red Junglefowl. Both the parental population and the fifth selected generation were used for the analyses in this thesis. One experiment studied morphological changes in the brain and other vital organs, and found that relative total brain size increased in high fearful birds, as a consequence of an increase in cerebral hemisphere size in high fearful birds and not in low fearful birds. Also, the relative heart, liver, spleen and testis size increased in high fearful birds, indicating correlated morphological changes with selection for fearfulness. Two additional experiments examined differential gene expression in the hypothalamus and the anterior cerebral hemisphere. The hypothalamus differed in expression of genes with reproductive and immunological functions, whilst the cerebral hemisphere differed in expression of genes related to social behaviors and neurological functions especially those upregulated in low fearful birds. These results indicate the occurrence of tissue- and species-specific changes in gene expression as overlap with other domestication events were nearly nonexistent. A fourth experiment sought to associate the change in fear levels and gene expression differences with DNA methylation. Chromosomal regions with differential DNA methylation between high and low fearful birds were identified, and genes in these regions had annotated functions relevant to phenotypic differences between the selection lines. This thesis is the first to study the genetic alterations of domestication using the wild ancestor of an already domesticated species to repeat the domestication process selecting against fear of humans. The findings corroborate results from previous comparisons of wild and domestic animals, and further support the theory that rigorous selection for a behavioral trait can cause a cascade of genetic and epigenetic changes facilitating the domestication of a population.
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| 5. |
- Ludewig, Kristin, et al.
(författare)
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Phenology and morphology of the invasive legume Lupinus polyphyllus along a latitudinal gradient in Europe
- 2022
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Ingår i: NeoBiota. - : Pensoft Publishers. - 1619-0033 .- 1314-2488. ; 78
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Plant phenology, i. e. the timing of life cycle events, is related to individual fitness and species distributionranges. Temperature is one of the most important drivers of plant phenology together with day length.The adaptation of their phenology may be important for the success of invasive plant species. The presentstudy aims at understanding how the performance and the phenology of the invasive legume Lupinuspolyphyllus vary with latitude. We sampled data across a >2000 km latitudinal gradient from Centralto Northern Europe. We quantified variation in phenology of flowering and fruiting of L. polyphyllususing >1600 digital photos of inflorescences from 220 individual plants observed weekly at 22 sites. Theday of the year at which different phenological phases were reached, increased 1.3–1.8 days per degreelatitude, whereas the growing degree days (gdd) required for these phenological phases decreased 5–16 gddper degree latitude. However, this difference disappeared, when the day length of each day included inthe calculation of gdd was considered. The day of the year of the earliest and the latest climatic zone toreach any of the three studied phenological phases differed by 23–30 days and temperature requirementsto reach these stages differed between 62 and 236 gdd. Probably, the invasion of this species will furtherincrease in the northern part of Europe over the next decades due to climate warming. For invasive speciescontrol, our results suggest that in countries with a large latitudinal extent, the mowing date should shiftby ca. one week per 500 km at sites with similar elevations.
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| 6. |
- Fallahshahroudi, Amir, 1981-
(författare)
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Domestication Effects on the Stress Response in Chickens : Genetics, Physiology, and Behaviour
- 2017
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Animal domestication, the process where animals become adapted to living in proximity to humans, is associated with the alteration of multiple traits, including decreased fearfulness and stress response. With an estimated population of 50 billion, the domesticated chicken is the most populous avian species in the world. Hundreds of chicken breeds have been developed for meat and egg production, hobby or research purposes. Multidirectional selection and the relaxation of natural selection in captivity have created immense phenotypic diversity amongst domesticates in a relatively short evolutionary time. The extensive phenotypic diversity, existence of the wild ancestor, and feasibility of intercrossing various breeds makes the chicken a suitable model animal for deciphering genetic determinants of complex traits such as stress response. We used chicken domestication as a model to gain insights about the mechanisms that regulate stress response in an avian species. We studied behavioural and physiological stress response in the ancestral Red Junglefowl and one of its domesticated progenies, White Leghorn. An advanced intercross between the aforementioned breeds was later used to map genetic loci underlying modification of stress response. The general pattern of the stress response in chickens was comparable with that reported in mammals, however we identified distinctive differences in the stress modulatory pathways in chickens. We showed that changes in the expression levels of several stress modulatory genes in the brain, the pituitary and the adrenal glands underlie the observed modified stress response in domesticated chickens. Using quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping, several QTL underlying stress induced corticosterone, aldosterone and baseline dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) levels were detected. As a next step, we combined QTL mapping with gene expression (eQTL) mapping and narrowed two QTL down to the putative causal genes, SERPINA10 and PDE1C. Both of these genes were differentially expressed in the adrenal glands of White Leghorn and the Red Junglefowl, had overlapping eQTL with hormonal QTL, and their expression levels in the adrenal glands were correlated with plasma levels of corticosterone and al-dosterone. These two genes thus serve as strong candidates for further functional investigation concerning modification of the stress response during domestication. This dissertation increase the knowledge about genetics and physiology of the stress response in an avian species and its modification during domestication. Our findings expand the basic knowledge about the stress response in chicken, which can potentially be used to improve welfare through appropriate genetic selection.
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| 7. |
- Kylin, Henrik
(författare)
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Finns det slemsvampar i havet?
- 2013
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Ingår i: Fauna och flora. - : Sveriges Lantbruksuniversitet. - 0014-8903. ; 108:1, s. 9-9
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Tidskriftsartikel (populärvet., debatt m.m.)
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| 8. |
- Sundman, Ann-Sofie, 1982-
(författare)
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Dog behaviour : Intricate picture of genetics, epigenetics, and human-dog relations
- 2019
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Dogs, Canis familiaris, share the lives of humans all over the world. That dogs, and the behavior of dogs, are of interest to many is therefore no surprise. In this thesis, the main aim has been to identify factors that affect dogs’ behaviours.The dog, Canis familiaris, is our first domesticated animal. Since domestication, various types of dogs have developed through adaptation to an environment shared with humans and through our selective breeding, resulting in a unique variation in morphology and behaviour. Although there is an individual variation in the behaviour of dogs, there is also a difference between breeds. Moreover, selection during the last decades has split some breeds into divergent types. Labrador and golden retrievers are divided into a common type, for show and companionship, and a field type, for hunting. By comparing the breed types, we can study the effects of recent selection. In Paper I, we investigate differences in general behavioural traits between Labrador and golden retriever and between common and field type within the two breeds by using results from the standardized behaviour test Dog Mentality Assessment. There were differences between breeds and types for all behavioural traits. However, there was also an interaction between breed and type. Thus, a common/field-type Labrador does not behave like a common/field-type golden retriever. Even though they have been selected for similar traits, the selection has affected the general behavioural traits differently in the two breeds.In paper II, we were interested in dogs’ human-directed social skills. Dogs have a high social competence when it comes to humans. Two experiments commonly used to study these skills are the problem-solving test, where dogs’ human-directed behaviours when faced with a problem are measured, and the pointing test, where dogs are tested on how well they understand human gestures. We compared the social skills of German shepherds and Labrador retrievers, and of common- and field-type Labradors. Labradors were more successful in the pointing test and German shepherds stayed closer to their owners during the problem solving. Among Labrador types, the field type had more human eye contact than the common type. Importantly, when comparing the two experiments, we found no positive correlations between the problem-solving test and the pointing test, suggesting that the two tests measure different aspects of human-directed social behaviour in dogs.A previous study has identified two suggestive genetic regions for human-directed social behaviours during the problem-solving test in beagles. In paper III, we show that these SNPs are also associated to social behaviours in Labrador and golden retrievers. Moreover, the Labrador breed types differed significantly in allele frequencies. This indicates that the two SNPs have been affected by recent selection and may have a part in the differences in sociability between common and field type.The behaviour of dogs cannot simply be explained by genetics, there is also an environmental component. In paper IV, we study which factors that affect long-term stress in dogs. Long-term cortisol can be measured by hair samples. We found a clear synchronization in hair cortisol concentrations between dogs and their owners. Neither dogs’ activity levels nor their behavioural traits affected the cortisol, however, the personality of the owners did. Therefore, we suggest that dogs mirror the stress level of their owners.The mediator between genes and the environment is epigenetics, and one epigenetic factor is DNA methylation. In paper V, we compared methylation patterns of wolves and dogs as well as dog breeds. Between both wolves and dogs and among dogs there were substantial differences in methylated DNA regions, suggesting that DNA methylation is likely to contribute to the vast variation among canines. We hypothesize that epigenetic factors have been important during domestication and in breed formation.In this thesis, I cover several aspects on how dogs’ behaviours can be affected, and paint an intricate picture on how genetics, epigenetics, and human-dog relations forms dog behaviour.
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| 9. |
- Sundman, Ann-Sofie, et al.
(författare)
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Similar recent selection criteria associated with different behavioural effects in two dog breeds
- 2016
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Ingår i: Genes, Brain and Behavior. - : Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Inc.. - 1601-1848 .- 1601-183X. ; 15:8, s. 750-756
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Selection during the last decades has split some established dog breeds into morphologically and behaviourally divergent types. These breed splits are interesting models for behaviour genetics since selection has often been for few and well-defined behavioural traits. The aim of this study was to explore behavioural differences between selection lines in golden and Labrador retriever, in both of which a split between a common type (pet and conformation) and a field type (hunting) has occurred. We hypothesized that the behavioural profiles of the types would be similar in both breeds. Pedigree data and results from a standardized behavioural test from 902 goldens (698 common and 204 field) and 1672 Labradors (1023 and 649) were analysed. Principal component analysis revealed six behavioural components: curiosity, play interest, chase proneness, social curiosity, social greeting and threat display. Breed and type affected all components, but interestingly there was an interaction between breed and type for most components. For example, in Labradors the common type had higher curiosity than the field type (F1,1668 = 18.359; P < 0.001), while the opposite was found in goldens (F1,897 = 65.201; P < 0.001). Heritability estimates showed considerable genetic contributions to the behavioural variations in both breeds, but different heritabilities between the types within breeds was also found, suggesting different selection pressures. In conclusion, in spite of similar genetic origin and similar recent selection criteria, types behave differently in the breeds. This suggests that the genetic architecture related to behaviour differs between the breeds.
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| 10. |
- Johansson, Victor, et al.
(författare)
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Release thresholds for moss spores : the importance of turbulence and sporophyte length
- 2014
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Ingår i: Journal of Ecology. - : Wiley. - 0022-0477 .- 1365-2745. ; 102:3, s. 721-729
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Adequately describing the dispersal mechanisms of a species is important for understanding and predicting its distribution dynamics in space and time. For wind-dispersed species, the transportation of airborne propagules is comparatively well studied, while the mechanisms triggering propagule release are poorly understood, especially for cryptogams. We investigated the effect of wind speed and turbulence on spore release in the moss Atrichum undulatum in a wind tunnel. Specifically, we measured the amount of spores released from sporophytes when exposed to different wind speeds, in high and low turbulence, using a particle counter. We also related spore release to variation in vibrations of the sporophyte and investigated how the vibrations were affected by wind speed, turbulence and sporophyte length (here including capsule, seta and the top part of the shoot). We show that in high turbulence, the amount of spores released increased with increasing wind speed, while in low turbulence, it did not, within the wind speed range 0.8-4.3ms(-1). However, there was a threshold in wind speed (similar to 2.5-3ms(-1)) before large amounts of spores started to be released in turbulent flow, which coincided with incipient vibrations of the sporophyte. Thresholds in wind variation, rather than average wind speed, seemed to initiate sporophyte vibrations. The vibration threshold increased with decreasing sporophyte length. The deposition of spores near the source decreased with increasing wind variation during the time of their release, based on simulated spore deposition from another study of moss dispersal. Synthesis. We suggest that vibration of moss sporophytes is an important mechanism to regulate spore release and that turbulence and sporophyte length regulate the onset of sporophyte vibration. Spore release thresholds affect dispersal distances and have implications for our understanding and predictions of species distribution patterns, population dynamics and persistence. The mechanisms of this phase of the dispersal process are also important to explore for other species, as there may be a substantial variation depending on the species' different traits.
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