Experimental Populations Research Articles

Experimental evolution reveals evolutionary bias and its causes

BackgroundSpecies generally exhibits evolutionary bias, adapting towards a specific direction rather than others, yet the underlying causes remains unknown.ResultsHere, we investigated evolutionary bias and its causes by conducting experimental evolution on Escherichia coli. We introduced an E. coli strain (lac-), initially unable to utilize lactose due to a frameshift mutation, into two different culture media: one medium (L) containing ample sodium acetate and lactose as carbon sources, and the other medium (G) containing abundant glucose and lactose as carbon sources. After 20 days of experimental evolution, our findings revealed that all L-populations underwent parallel evolution through reverse mutation to utilize lactose (lac+), resulting in a relatively higher fitness gain compared to utilizing sodium acetate. In contrast, all G-populations did not transition towards lactose utilization but instead continued to utilize glucose, which provides a higher fitness gain than utilizing lactose. These results demonstrate that our experimental populations in L and G media respectively exhibit biased evolution towards utilizing different carbon sources, yet all trajectories converge towards higher fitness gains. When lac+ (lactose-eater) and lac- (acetate-eater) were co-cultured in L medium, all lac- individuals were eventually eliminated, while lac + individuals were consistently selected and retained.ConclusionsOur findings indicate that species tend to evolve with a bias towards directions that offer higher fitness gains, partly because high-fitness-gain directions competitively exclude low-fitness-gain directions.

The dynamics of adaptive evolution in microalgae in a high-CO2 ocean.

Marine microalgae demonstrate a notable capacity to adapt to high CO2 and warming in the context of global change. However, the dynamics of their evolutionary processes under simultaneous high CO₂ and warming conditions remain poorly understood. Here, we analyze the dynamics of evolution in experimental populations of a model marine diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum. We conducted whole-genome resequencing of populations under ambient, high-CO2, warming and high CO2 + warming at 2-yr intervals over a 4-yr adaptation period. The common genes selected between 2- and 4-yr adaptation were found to be involved in protein ubiquitination and degradation and the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, and were consistently selected regardless of the experimental conditions or adaptation duration. The unique genes selected only by 4-yr adaptation function in respiration, fatty acid, and amino acid metabolism, facilitating adaptation to prolonged high CO2 with warming conditions. Corresponding changes at the metabolomic level, with significant alterations in metabolites abundances involved in these pathways, support the genomic findings. Our study, integrating genomic and metabolomic data, demonstrates that long-term adaptation of microalgae to high CO2 and/or warming can be characterized by a complex and dynamic genetic process and may advance our understanding of microalgae adaptation to global change.

The Adaptability of Beet Webworm (Loxostege sticticalis) to Soybeans and Other Different Host Plants

The beet webworm Loxostege sticticalis has caused significant economic losses to the production of agriculture and animal husbandry in China. Preference testing of larva feeding and adult oviposition and flight capability tests were carried out on five host plants: soybean, pigweed, pea, broad bean, and alfalfa. An experimental population life table and population growth trends over the subsequent 200 days were constructed. The test results show that the larvae showed no significant preference among different plants. However, adults lay more eggs on soybeans. The pests failed to complete a generation when fed on broad beans and alfalfas. When fed on pigweed, they showed the shortest larvae development period, the heaviest pupal weight, the longest adult longevity, and the largest egg-laying amount. The net reproductive rate (R0), intrinsic rate of increase (r), finite rate of increase (λ), and simulated population growth trend of the pests fed on pigweed show the highest values, and those fed on peas showed the lowest values. The total flight distance and flight time of adults fed on pigweed and soybeans were significantly greater compared to those fed on peas. In summary, beet webworms fed on pigweed showed the fastest development and reproduction, the largest population, and the strongest flight capability.

The Potential for Experimental Evolution to Uncover Trade-Offs Associated With Anthropogenic and Climate Change Adaptation.

Evolutionary responses to climate change may incur trade-offs due to energetic constraints and mechanistic limitations, which are both influenced by environmental context. Adaptation to one stressor may result in life history trade-offs, canalization of phenotypic plasticity, and the inability to tolerate other stressors, among other potential costs. While trade-offs incurred during adaptation are difficult to detect in natural populations, experimental evolution can provide important insights by measuring correlated responses to selection as populations adapt to changing environments. However, studies testing for trade-offs have generally lagged behind the growth in the use of experimental evolution in climate change studies. We argue that the important insights generated by the few studies that have tested for trade-offs make a strong case for including these types of measurements in future studies of climate adaptation. For example, there is emerging consensus from experimental evolution studies that tolerance and tolerance plasticity trade-offs are an often-observed outcome of adaptation to anthropogenic change. In recent years, these types of studies have been strengthened by the use of sequencing of experimental populations, which provides promising new avenues for understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying observed phenotypic trade-offs.

Fisheries-induced life-history changes recover in experimentally harvested fish populations.

Overfishing is one of the greatest threats to fish populations. Size-selective harvesting favours faster juvenile growth, younger maturation, small adult body size and low reproductive output. Such changes might be slow to recover and ultimately threaten population fitness and survival. To study the recovery potential of exploited experimental populations, we compared life-history traits in three differently size-selected experimental lines (large-selected, small-selected and random-selected) after five generations of harvesting and 10 subsequent generations of recovery (i.e. cessation of harvesting). We show that after a recovery period twice as long as the harvesting period, the differences in adult body size among the selection lines have eroded. While there was still a significant body size difference among the selection lines, this did not translate to differences in reproductive success. Although size-selective harvesting causes phenotypic changes in exploited fish populations, we show that such changes are reversible if the recovery period is long enough.

Pervasive fitness trade-offs revealed by rapid adaptation in large experimental populations of Drosophila melanogaster.

Life-history trade-offs are an inherent feature of organismal biology that evolutionary theory posits play a key role in patterns of divergence within and between species. Efforts to quantify trade-offs are largely confined to phenotypic measurements and the identification of negative genetic-correlations among fitness-relevant traits. Here, we use time-series genomic data collected during experimental evolution in large, genetically diverse populations of Drosophila melanogaster to directly measure the manifestation of trade-offs in response to temporally fluctuating selection pressures on ecological timescales. Specifically, we quantify the genome-wide signal of antagonistic pleiotropy suggestive of trade-offs between reproduction and stress tolerance. We further identify a putative role of two cosmopolitan inversions in these trade-offs, and show that loci responding to selection during lab-based, reproduction selection exhibit signals of fluctuating selection in an outdoor mesocosm exposed to natural environmental conditions. Our results demonstrate the utility of time-series genomic data in revealing the presence and genomic architecture underlying fitness trade-offs, and add credence to models positing a role of generic life history trade-offs in the maintenance of variation in natural populations.

Associations of different genotypes with the meat productivity of sheep

Identification of the potential to increasthe agricultural production of farm animals has become possible through the use of genomic selection methods. It is advisable to improve breeding and pedigree qualities of local breeds, since these have the best adaptability to the features of the natural and geographical conditions in a given area. He controlled slaughter of animals with different genotypes allowed us to determine their meat qualities, such as biological value, slaughter yield and slaughter weight. The ratio of slaughter weight and pre‐slaughter weight gives the slaughter yield in percent.PCR (polyamino acid chain reaction) using specific synthesised sets of oligonucleotides in the genotyping of experimental sheep populations was carried out in order to study the allelic variants of the CAST and GH genes.When studying the indices characterising body weight in sheep which have different genotypes, significant increases in the indices could be observed before the periods of driving to summer pastures (17.2 kg) and during lambing (25.8 kg). The lowest indices were noted during driving both from winter pastures to summer pastures and from summer pastures to winter pastures (30.5 kg).In the period before driving, the live weight index was higher in the CASTMM genotype by 5.8 %; upon arrival in the mountains the difference was 6.1 %; during lambing — 4.7 %; before leaving for winter pastures — 8.4 % and upon arrival at winter pastures — 9.5 %.

Correlation and regression analysis of FA2H and ELOVL3 functional genes for cashmere fineness with production performance in Liaoning cashmere goat

Liaoning cashmere goat (LCG) is characterized by the highest individual cashmere yield, but its cashmere fineness tends to be coarse. Therefore, our research primarily focuses on reducing cashmere fineness. Through lipidomics screening and identification, we identified the crucial functional genes FA2H and ELOVL3 associated with cashmere fineness. Subsequently, using PCR-seq, we conducted gene typing and SNP analysis on the experimental population DNA, In the FA2H gene, a SNP locus T42443G was detected in LCG buck, with the TT genotype showing advantageous traits in cashmere fineness, meat quality, and body size, while the TG genotype demonstrated advantages in slaughter performance,In LCG doe, the TG genotype shows advantageous traits in cashmere fineness, milk production, and meat quality, while the TT genotype exhibits advantages in slaughter performance, lambing, and body size. In the ELOVL3 gene, a SNP locus C2133A was identified in LCG buck, where the CC genotype was advantageous for cashmere fineness, Only CA genotype was found in slaughter and meat quality. Additionally, and the CA genotype showed superiority in body size. On LCG doe, The CC genotype was the advantageous genotype in terms of cashmere fineness, milk production, slaughter performance, and meat quality. The CA genotype was the advantageous genotype in terms of lambing and body size. The dominant genotypes identified to influence both doe cashmere fineness and slaughter performance were TT and CC. The identified dominant haplotype combination for cashmere production performance in LCG was CCTG. The dominant haplotype combination for doe slaughter performance was the CCTT haplotype combination. The dominant haplotype combination for buck slaughter performance was the CATG haplotype combination. Therefore, the TT genotype of the FA2H gene and the CC genotype of the ELOVL3 gene in LCG buck, and the TG genotype of the FA2H gene and the CC genotype of the ELOVL3 gene in doe can be used as molecular markers for assisted selection of cashmere fineness. CCTG haplotype combination was the superior haplotype combinations for cashmere production performance. To provide a theoretical basis for the breeding and expansion of fine-fiber type new strains of LCG.

Sexual Selection on Non-Ornamental Traits Is Underpinned by Evidence of Genetic Constraints on Sex-Biased Expression in Dusky Pipefish.

Species lacking distinct secondary sex characteristics, such as differences in size or morphology, are often thought to experience lower levels of sex-specific selection in comparison to highly sexually dimorphic organisms. However, monomorphism in classic visible traits could be a result of genetic or physiological constraints that prevent the sexes from reaching divergent fitness optima. Additionally, biochemical and molecular work have revealed a variety of less easily observed phenotypes that nonetheless exhibit profound dimorphism. Sex-specific selection could act on these more subtle, less visible, traits. We investigate sex-specific selection in the polygynandrous dusky pipefish (Syngnathus floridae), which lacks distinct secondary sexual characteristics such as size, colour and morphological dimorphism. Using experimental breeding populations, we revealed that although males and females have similar opportunities for sexual selection, only males experience significant sexual selection pressures on body size. We also investigated patterns of sex-biased and sex-specific gene expression in gonads, livers and gills, and tested whether genes with highly divergent expression patterns between the sexes are more likely to be tissue-specific, and therefore relieved of genetic constraints. Sex bias in gene expression was widespread, although the reproductive organs had the most sex-biased and sex-specific genes. Sex-specific selection on gene expression in gills was primarily related to immune response, whereas the liver and gonads had a wide variety of cellular processes, as well as reproductive proteins, showing sex-biased expression. These sex-biased genes showed higher organ-specificity in their expression patterns, suggesting that pleiotropic constraints might have historically impacted the evolution of sex-specific expression patterns. Altogether, we find evidence for ongoing and historical sex-specific selection in the dusky pipefish.

Development and evaluation of a panel of newly screened Y chromosome InDels for inferring paternal ancestry information in Southwest China.

Y-InDels (insertions/deletions) are genetic markers which are extremely understudied. It is unknown whether this type of markers can be utilized for genetic ancestry inference. We have developed an innovative Y chromosome ancestry inference system tailored for forensic applications. This panel amplifies 21 Y chromosome loci, encompassing Y-InDels and Y-SNPs (Single Nucleotide Polymorphism), utilizing the capillary electrophoresis (CE) platform. The system performed well at DNA concentrations greater than 0.125 ng/ul and produced accurate results at a 1:100 mixing ratio of male and female DNA. The Cumulative probability of matching (CPM) was between 0.95 and 0.97 in the experimental population. The system's efficacy in inferring ancestral origins was demonstrated through intercontinental population discrimination, revealing high discrimination power between African and East Asian populations. Population genetic analyses conducted on Han, Qiang and Hui populations in Southwest China, where the smallest FST value was 0.0002 between Han Chinese in Beijing (from 1000 Genomes Project) and Qiang Chinese from Sichuan (CQSC). Phylogenetic tree construction further illuminated distinct haplotypes among populations, with ethnically unique haplotypes observed in 34.6% of Hui and 7.1% of Qiang populations. K-fold cross-validation show the system's inference abilities at the intercontinental level. In addition, our investigations identified potential associations between the Y-InDel locus Y: 15,385,547 (GRCh37) and haplogroup R1a1a1b2a2- Z2124, as well as locus Y: 13,990,180 (GRCh37) and haplogroup F-M89. In conclusion, we have established a Y-chromosome inference system tailored for grassroots-level application, underscoring the value of incorporating Y-InDel markers in forensic analyses.

PERBANDINGAN MODEL PEMBELAJARAN TGT DAN TGT MENGGUNAKAN PERMAINAN BINGO TERHADAP HASIL BELAJAR MATEMATIKA PESERTA DIDIK

The aim of this research is to compare the learning outcomes of students' mathematics learning models taught using the TGT learning model and the TGT learning model using the bingo game as media. This research conducted by quantitative experimental research. The subjects in this research were all class IV students at SD GMIT 01 Kalabahi, totaling 50 students, who were obtained using a saturated sampling technique. The students were divided into two population groups, namely the control and experimental class populations, each consisting of 25 students. The sampling technique used was saturated sampling. Data analysis used in this research is normality, homogeneity test and t test on two unpaired samples. The research results showed that the average value for the control class was 64.27, while for the experimental class it was 80.40. the results of hypothesis testing using the t test on two unpaired samples, obtained a value of t = 17.52 with t table = 1.64. Thus, it can be concluded that the TGT learning model using bingo game media is better than without using it.

Inheritance of summer patch disease tolerance in hard fescue (Festuca brevipila Tracey)

AbstractHard fescue (Festuca brevipila Tracey) is a cool‐season turfgrass known for exceptional performance under low‐maintenance conditions. However, it is susceptible to summer patch disease. Summer patch is a root disease caused by Magnaporthiopsis poae and Magnaporthiopsis meyeri‐festucae. The objective of this study was to investigate the inheritance of summer patch tolerance in controlled crosses of hard fescue. The experimental populations were full‐sib families created by crossing three tolerant and three susceptible parents in a diallel cross. One hundred progeny from each of the 15 crosses and reciprocals were established in a mowed spaced‐plant trial in 2017 (Trial 1) and 2019 (Trial 2). All progeny and selected parental genotypes were arranged in a randomized complete block design with four replications and inoculated with a mixture of an M. meyeri‐festucae isolate (SCR9) and an M. poae isolate (C11). The disease severity of hard fescue genotypes was assessed by visual rating during the summers of 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021. Variation in disease responses among progeny suggests that inheritance is controlled by a few major genes. The progeny phenotypes were correlated to the parental phenotypes. The estimate of narrow‐sense heritability was 0.20 (± 0.01), while the estimate of broad‐sense heritability was 0.67 (± 0.08). The heritability estimates are modest but indicate the potential for summer patch tolerance to be improved via selection and breeding. This is the first report of heritability estimates for summer patch tolerance in any turf species. This research will help to determine the most efficient selection procedures for summer patch tolerance in hard fescue.

Short day promotes gall swelling by a CONSTANS-FLOWERING LOCUS T pathway in Zizania latifolia.

"Jiaobai" is a symbiont of Zizania latifolia and Ustilago esculenta, producing fleshy galls as a popular vegetable in South and East Asia. Current "Jiaobai" cultivars exhibit abundant variation in their gall formation date; however, the underlying mechanism is not clear. In this study, a strict short-day (SD) "Jiaobai" line "YD-3" was used. Plants were treated with two day-length regimes [14 h/10 h (day/night) (control) and 8 h/16 h (day/night) (SD)] from 100 to 130 days after planting. The gall swelling rate of the two treatments and another early SD treatment (from 60 to 90 days after planting), together with the contingent flowering plants in the experiment population, revealed that SD can improve both gall enlargement and flowering of "Jiaobai" plants. Comparison of RNA sequencing data among control, SD swelling, and SD flowering treatments of leaves and meristems indicated that SD promotion of "Jiaobai" swelling is conducted by theCONSTANS (CO)-FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) pathway, similar but not identical to the SD-induced flowering pathway in Z latifolia and rice. "Virus-induced gene silencing", "Yeast one-hybrid assay" and "Dual-luciferase assay" showed that a FT gene, ZlGsd1, is critical in SD promotion of gall formation and is positively regulated by a CO gene, ZlCOL1. Our study elucidated how photoperiod affects the formation of a unique organ produced by plant-fungus symbiosis. The difference in SD response between "Jiaobai" and rice, as well as their potential applications in breeding of "Jiaobai" and rice, were also discussed.

Effects of periodic bottlenecks on the dynamics of adaptive evolution in microbial populations.

Population bottlenecks can impact the rate of adaptation in evolving populations. On the one hand, each bottleneck reduces the genetic variation that fuels adaptation. On the other hand, each founder that survives a bottleneck can undergo more generations and leave more descendants in a resource-limited environment, which allows surviving beneficial mutations to spread more quickly. A theoretical model predicted that the rate of fitness gains should be maximized using ~8-fold dilutions. Here we investigate the impact of repeated bottlenecks on the dynamics of adaptation using numerical simulations and experimental populations of Escherichia coli. Our simulations confirm the model's prediction when populations evolve in a regime where beneficial mutations are rare and waiting times between successful mutations are long. However, more extreme dilutions maximize fitness gains in simulations when beneficial mutations are common and clonal interference prevents most of them from fixing. To examine these predictions, we propagated 48 E. coli populations with 2-, 8-, 100-, and 1000-fold dilutions for 150 days. Adaptation began earlier and fitness gains were greater with 100- and 1000-fold dilutions than with 8-fold dilutions, consistent with the simulations when beneficial mutations are common. However, the selection pressures in the 2-fold treatment were qualitatively different from the other treatments, violating a critical assumption of the model and simulations. Thus, varying the dilution factor during periodic bottlenecks can have multiple effects on the dynamics of adaptation caused by differential losses of diversity, different numbers of generations, and altered selection.

Manipulation of natural transformation by AbaR-type islands promotes fixation of antibiotic resistance in Acinetobacter baumannii

The opportunistic pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii, carries variants of A. baumannii resistance islands (AbaR)-type genomic islands conferring multidrug resistance. Their pervasiveness in the species has remained enigmatic. The dissemination of AbaRs is intricately linked to their horizontal transfer via natural transformation, a process through which bacteria can import and recombine exogenous DNA, effecting allelic recombination, genetic acquisition, and deletion. In experimental populations of the closely related pathogenic Acinetobacter nosocomialis, we quantified the rates at which these natural transformation events occur between individuals. When integrated into a model of population dynamics, they lead to the swift removal of AbaRs from the population, contrasting with the high prevalence of AbaRs in genomes. Yet, genomic analyses show that nearly all AbaRs specifically disrupt comM, a gene encoding a helicase critical for natural transformation. We found that such disruption impedes gene acquisition, and deletion, while moderately impacting acquisition of single nucleotide polymorphism. A mathematical evolutionary model demonstrates that AbaRs inserted into comM gain a selective advantage over AbaRs inserted in sites that do not inhibit or completely inhibit transformation, in line with the genomic observations. The persistence of AbaRs can be ascribed to their integration into a specific gene, diminishing the likelihood of their removal from the bacterial genome. This integration preserves the acquisition and elimination of alleles, enabling the host bacterium-and thus its AbaR-to adapt to unpredictable environments and persist over the long term. This work underscores how manipulation of natural transformation by mobile genetic elements can drive the prevalence of multidrug resistance.

Effectiveness of psychoeducational intervention on quality of life among patients with affective disorders

An important psychological problem that has been connected to suicide, medical costs, fatalities, and morbidity is emotional distress. By contrasting the normal functioning of people with mental disorders in specialized medical settings, this paper seeks to bridge the gap. Living circumstances often deteriorate due to emotional factors, particularly during manic or hypomanic episodes. Methods: Our goal was to determine if a collective psychoeducational therapy might improve patients' quality of life (QOL). A total of 120 patients who met the inclusion requirements were chosen, and they were divided into control and experimental categories, respectively, with n = 60 each. Pre-testing was done on the control as well as the experimental populations using the WHO QoL Brief and sociodemographic data. In contrast to the control group, which got standard treatment, the group participating in the experiment underwent a seven-session, twice-weekly group psychoeducational therapy program over a period of three months. The follow-up evaluation was administered to both groups right away, six months after the intervention had concluded. With P significant at 0.05, data were analyzed using the two-way repeated measures analysis of variance (RM ANOVA) for one factor repetitions and the Bonferroni 't' test for post-hoc multiple comparisons. Results: We discovered a substantial variance between the control and experimental groups (P 0.001). Between the tests (baseline, immediately after, and six months later), a considerable change was seen (P 0.001). The group X test correlations showed a significant difference (P 0.001). Conclusions: The findings of the research demonstrated that psychoeducation of BD patients may enhance their standard of living in spite of consuming medicine.

Risk factors and prediction score for new-onset diabetes mellitus after liver transplantation.

New-onset diabetes mellitus is a frequent and severe complication arising after liver transplantation (LT). We aimed to identify the risk factors for new-onset diabetes mellitus after liver transplantation (NODALT) and to develop a risk prediction score system for relevant risks. We collected and analyzed data from all recipients who underwent liver transplantation at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University. The OR derived from a multiple logistic regression predicting the presence of NODALT was used to calculate the risk prediction score. The performance of the risk prediction score was externally validated in patients who were from the CLTR (China Liver Transplant Registry) database. A total of 468 patients met the outlined criteria and finished the follow-up. Overall, NODALT was diagnosed in 115 (24.6%) patients. Age, preoperative impaired fasting glucose (IFG), postoperative fasting plasma glucose (FPG), and the length of hospital stay were significantly associated with the presence of NODALT. The risk prediction score includes age, preoperative IFG, postoperative FPG, and the length of hospital stay. The risk prediction score of the area under the receiver operating curve was 0.785 (95% CI: 0.724-0.846) in the experimental population and 0.782 (95% CI: 0.708-0.856) in the validation population. Age at the time of transplantation, preoperative IFG, postoperative FPG, and length of hospital stay were independent predictive factors of NODALT. The use of a simple risk prediction score can identify the patients who have the highest risk of NODALT and interventions may start early.

Costs Saved by Visiting a Nurse-Led Primary Care Facility Comparison of Primary Care Models.

Nurse-led primary care is a relatively rare model for primary care, but given nurses more holistic approach to medicine, can prove effective in both reducing costs and disparities in access and outcomes. The present study compares cost adjusted quality of care between a nurse-led primary care facility and the standard primary care. To compare the cost adjusted quality of care between the standard primary care model and a nurse led primary care model the outcomes from a population of patients that visited each (control and experimental, respectively) are compared with respect to three complications of hypertension (stroke, heart attack, and coronary heart disease). The number of three complications (stroke, heart attack, and coronary artery disease) from hypertension for the experimental population is estimated using time-to-event distributions estimated from the control population. Costs are estimated using the control population data. It is found that the population that visited the nurse-led primary care facility had better cost adjusted outcomes than the population that visited the physician led facilities. We can attribute, at least, $3.7 million in costs not realized due to the quality of care provided by the nursing center. Nurse-led primary care is one way that the U.S. healthcare system could reduce costs while providing consistent quality of care.

Particulate matter hinders the development and reproduction of predatory mites of Euseius finlandicus (Acariformes: Phytoseiidae)

The foliage of the small-leaved lime (Tilia cordata) is characterised by the nerve axils being grown by non-glandular trichomes, which trait contributes to the enhanced retention of the particulate matter (PM). This fact may disturb the ecological service of T. cordata related to the structure of its leaves, which is to provide acarodomatia (micro-shelters) for the predatory mites of the Phytoseiidae family. Phytoseiids are natural enemies of a variety of plant pests, widely applied in integrated pest management (IPM). Their occurrence is largely related to acarodomatia in which these mites hide, feed, reproduce, and develop. For the first time, the influence of PM deposition within spaces typically occupied by phytoseiids is investigated. Experimental populations of Euseius finlandicus were reared on T. cordata leaves in the progressive PM-pollution. The results showed that the values of life table parameters of the predator depended significantly on the level of PM deposition on leaves. Contrary to clean leaves from the control, the medium and high contamination intensities significantly reduced the daily (by 47% and 70%, respectively) and the total fecundity (by 62% and 77%, respectively) of females which, in turn, resulted in a decreased net reproductive rate (by 67% and 81%, respectively), intrinsic rate of increase (by 40% and 55%, respectively) and finite rate of increase (by 8% and 10%, respectively) of E. finlandicus. The pre-ovipositional period was prolonged, while the oviposition duration was shortened and the mites matured longer. In high pollution level the mortality of phytoseiids was boosted by 19% and some females were observed with pollutant lumps adhered to the idiosoma. Also, significant shares of juvenile forms (13%) and adult females (25%) made attempts to escape from highly contaminated experimental arenas. The implications of PM retention on the shelter vegetation are discussed in the context of IPM and ecological services.

Phenotypic plasticity as the main driver of alien plant trait variation in urban versus rural microclimate for the model species Veronica persica.

Urban environments are warmer than the rural surroundings, impacting plant phenotypic traits. When plants are present over areas with contrasted conditions such as along urbanization gradients, their phenotypes may differ, and these differencesdepend on different processes, including phenotypic plasticity, maternal environmental effects and genetic differentiation (local adaptation and/or genetic drift). Successful establishment of alien species along environmental gradients has been linked to high phenotypic plasticity and rapid evolutionary responses, which are easier to track for species with a known residence time. The mechanisms explaining trait variation in plants in urban versus rural microclimatic conditions have received little attention. Using the alien Veronica persica as model species, we measured leaf traits in urban and rural populations and performed a reciprocal common-garden experiment to study how germination, leaf, growth, and flowering traits varied in response to experimental microclimate (rural or urban) and population origin environment (rural or urban). Veronica persica displayed phenotypic plasticity in all measured traits, with reduced germination, development, and flowering under urban microclimate which suggests more stressful growing conditions in the urban than in the rural microclimate. No significant effect of the rural or urban origin environment was detected, providing no evidence for local adaptation to urban or rural environments. Additionally, we found limited signs of maternal environmental effects. We noted the importance of the mother plant and the population identities suggesting genetically based differences. Our results indicate that urban environments are more hostile than rural ones, and that V. persica does not show any adaptation to urban environments despite genetic differences between populations.