Abstract

We analyzed the transcriptomes of Romalea microptera grasshoppers after 8 years of artificial selection for either long or short thoraces. Evolution proceeded rapidly during the experiment, with a 13.3% increase and a 32.2% decrease in mean pronotum lengths (sexes combined) in the up- and down-selected colonies, respectively, after only 11 generations. At least 16 additional traits also diverged between the two colonies during the selection experiment. Transcriptomic analysis identified 693 differentially expressed genes, with 386 upregulated and 307 downregulated (55.7% vs. 44.3%), including cellular process, metabolic process, binding, general function prediction only, and signal transduction mechanisms. Many of the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) are known to influence animal body size.

Highlights

  • Artificial selection is a valuable tool for testing and understanding natural selection, evolution, and the genetics underlying these processes [1,2,3]

  • The only selection criterion was pronotum length, at least 16 additional traits had changed by the end of the selection experiment, including development rate, number of molts, number and size of ovarioles and eggs, behavior, body color, and numerous other morphological traits

  • These results suggest that artificial selection on a single trait influenced numerous genes, causing profound changes in multiple physiological processes across multiple systems, and induced multiple phenotypic changes

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Summary

Introduction

Artificial selection is a valuable tool for testing and understanding natural selection, evolution, and the genetics underlying these processes [1,2,3]. Knowledge of artificial selection was foundational for the cognitive development of Darwin’s evolutionary theory [4], as shown by the fact that he devoted his first chapter in On the Origin of Species by Natural Selection to domestication and selective breeding [5]. Domestication is a type of long-term artificial selection. The great value of artificial selection is that it represents applied evolution in real time. Given some background genetic variation in the experimental population, virtually any trait can be modified by artificial selection [8,9,10]. Artificial selection, domestication, and Insects 2020, 11, 176; doi:10.3390/insects11030176 www.mdpi.com/journal/insects

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