Mortier Frederik, Bonte Dries
Terrestrial Ecology Unit Department of Biology Ghent University Ghent Belgium.
Evol Appl. 2020 Mar 28;13(8):1877-1887. doi: 10.1111/eva.12937. eCollection 2020 Sep.
Individuals moving in heterogeneous environments can improve their fitness considerably by habitat choice. Induction by past exposure, genetic preference alleles and comparison of local performances can all drive this decision-making process. Despite the importance of habitat choice mechanisms for eco-evolutionary dynamics in metapopulations, we lack insights on the connection of their cue with its effect on fitness optimization. We selected a laboratory population of Koch (two-spotted spider mite) according to three distinct host-choice selection treatments for ten generations. Additionally, we tested the presence of induced habitat choice mechanisms and quantified the adaptive value of a choice before and after ten generations of artificial selection in order to gather insight on the habitat choice mechanisms at play. Unexpectedly, we observed no evolution of habitat choice in our experimental system: the initial choice of cucumber over tomato remained. However, this choice became maladaptive as tomato ensured a higher fitness at the end of the experiment. Furthermore, a noteworthy proportion of induced habitat choice can modify this ecological trap depending on past environments. Despite abundant theory and applied relevance, we provide the first experimental evidence of an emerging trap. The maladaptive choice also illustrates the constraints habitat choice has in rescuing populations endangered by environmental challenges or in pest control.
在异质环境中移动的个体可以通过栖息地选择显著提高其适应性。过去的接触诱导、遗传偏好等位基因以及对当地表现的比较都可以驱动这一决策过程。尽管栖息地选择机制对于集合种群中的生态进化动态很重要，但我们缺乏对其线索与其对适应性优化的影响之间联系的见解。我们根据三种不同的宿主选择处理对实验室中的科赫（二斑叶螨）种群进行了十代的选择。此外，我们测试了诱导栖息地选择机制的存在，并量化了在十代人工选择前后选择的适应性价值，以便深入了解正在起作用的栖息地选择机制。出乎意料的是，我们在实验系统中未观察到栖息地选择的进化：最初选择黄瓜而非番茄的情况仍然存在。然而，这种选择在实验结束时变得不适应，因为番茄能确保更高的适应性。此外，根据过去的环境，相当一部分诱导栖息地选择可以改变这种生态陷阱。尽管有丰富的理论和应用相关性，但我们提供了第一个关于新兴陷阱的实验证据。这种不适应的选择也说明了栖息地选择在拯救受环境挑战威胁的种群或害虫控制方面所面临的限制。
