The evolution of plasticity in brain morphology following colonization of an ecologically divergent habitat in Trinidadian guppies
Data files
Apr 10, 2024 version files 53.69 KB
Abstract
Natural environments are constantly changing. To survive, organisms will either need to rapidly adapt to new conditions or colonize new habitats. Colonization has been hypothesized to select for increased plasticity as well as increased brain size, though empirical tests of these effects have proven difficult to evaluate. In particular, the degree to which plasticity of brain morphology can evolve, and its subsequent ecological consequences have rarely been explored. Trinidadian guppies (Poecilia reticulata) are known for their repeated adaptation to ancestral high-predation (HP) and derived low-predation (LP) environments. We used this system to examine the evolution and plasticity of brain morphology. We exposed second-generation offspring of individuals collected from HP and LP sites to two different kinds of environmental treatments: predation cues and conspecific social environment. We found that guppies descended from a colonized LP habitat showed greater plasticity in brain morphology than descendants of their ancestral HP population, supporting the hypothesis that plasticity of brain morphology may increase fitness after colonization of a novel habitat. Additionally, we show sexual dimorphism in brain morphology plasticity. Overall, these results suggest the evolution of brain morphology plasticity as an important mechanism that allows for ecological diversification and colonization of novel habitats.
README
The evolution of plasticity in brain morphology following colonization of an ecologically divergent habitat in Trinidadian guppies: Data description.
This data describes results of a plasticity experiment testing development of brain form across high and low predation source populations of Trinidadian guppies as well as plasticity treatments.
ID: Non informative identification
IDD: Informative identification
**Family: **Mother identification
Sex
M: male, F: female
**Source: **Source population from which wild individuals were captured that were then reproduced to form F2 offspring used in the experiment.
LP: low-predation, HP: high-predation
**Pred: **Experimental predator treatment.
C: reared in the absence of predator cues, P: reared in the presence of predator cues.
**Group: **Experimental sociality treatment.
Solo: reared alone, **Same: **reared in the presence of conspecifics from the same source population, **Diff: **reared in the presence of conspecifics from the other source population.
BM: Brain mass, measured in grams.
**Cb: **Cerebellum volume, measured in cubic millimeters.
OT: Optic tectum volume, measured in cubic millimeters.
Tel: Telencephalon volume, measured in cubic millimeters.
OB: Olfactory bulb volume, measured in cubic millimeters.
Hyp: Hypothalamus volume, measured in cubic millimeters.
**Length: **Standard length, measured in millimeters.
**GL: **Oral jaw width, measured in millimeters.
**Age: **Measured in days.
**Mass: **Total body mass, measured in grams.
Methods
Data aquired via analysis of brain region volumes and brain mass of Trinidadian guppies raised in a plasticity experiment.