Biology subjects

Kingsolver, J.

Publications and source records attributed to Kingsolver, J..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

Climate change induced selection on and evolution of insect thermal sensitivity

How have recent changes in temperature means and variability altered selection on and evolution of the thermal sensitivity of insect growth? We address this question for cabbage white butterflies, Pieris rapae, by repeating a 1999 study that linked lab measurements of the temperature sensitivity of short-term growth rates to fitness components (survival, development time, final body size, and fecundity) in the field. In 1999, selection favored increased growth at low temperatures at the expense of decreased growth at high temperatures. We document evolution consistent with this past selection: caterpillars now grow faster at low temperatures but slower at warm temperatures in 2024 compared to 1999. However, temperatures have changed rapidly, with increasing incidence of high temperatures such that selection in 2024 has reversed to favor increased growth at the highest temperature assayed. Over the 25 years, phenotypic variation has increased at warm temperatures and a tradeoff between growth at intermediate and warm temperatures has strengthened, consistent with evolutionary constraints that may restrict evolution to grow faster at rare, high temperatures. Our study demonstrates the potential for rapid evolution of thermal sensitivity in response to climate change in an agricultural pest. However, selection to initially capitalize on warming temperatures can ultimately decrease fitness as warming temperatures move into a stressful range, driving reversals in the direction of selection.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2025

Functional resurveys and models reveal the interplay of plasticity and evolution of Pierid butterflies in response to recent climate change

The extent of contemporary evolution, which is mediated by interactions with plasticity, will be an important determinant of biological responses to climate change. We synthesize two functional resurvey projects that, coupled with mechanistic models, evaluate the interplay of plasticity and evolution of Pierid butterfly larval (thermal sensitivity of feeding) and adult (wing melanization) traits over recent decades. We characterize thermal environments over the resurvey periods, which we interface with developmental and (historical, current, and hypothetical) thermal sensitivity traits to examine the implications of evolutionary changes. We find that the evolution of photoperiod-cued plasticity of wing melanization in California Colias is consistent with avoiding thermal stress during warming springs. Plasticity has not evolved for Colorado Colias populations, which have experienced stronger increases in climate means relative to extremes in recent decades. Evolution in Colorado Colias larvae has improved tolerance to warm extremes, whereas evolution in California Colias larvae has broadened thermal sensitivity consistent with capitalizing on expanded seasonal thermal opportunity. Our models predict that Washington Pieris larvae have experienced shifts in the direction of selection to increase performance at warm temperatures. The research highlights the importance of evaluating changes in climate change exposure and sensitivity to understand interacting organismal responses.

evolutionary biology↗

bioRxiv2017

A butterfly chromonome reveals selection dynamics during extensive and cryptic chromosomal reshuffling

Chromosome evolution, an important component of mico- and macroevolutionary dynamics 1-5, presents an enigma in the mega-diverse Lepidoptera6. While most species exhibit constrained chromosome evolution, with nearly identical haploid chromosome counts and chromosome-level shared gene content and collinearity among species despite more than 140 Million years of divergence7, a small fraction of species independently exhibit dramatic changes in chromosomal count due to extensive fission and fusion events that are facilitated by their holocentric chromosomes7-9. Here we address this enigma of simultaneous conservation and dynamism in chromosome evolution in our analysis of the chromonome (chromosome level assembly10) of the green-veined white butterfly, Pieris napi (Pieridae, Linnaeus, 1758). We report an unprecedented reorganization of the standard Lepidopteran chromosome structure via more than 90 fission and fusion events that are cryptic at other scales, as the haploid chromosome number is identical to related genera and gene collinearity within the large rearranged segments matches other Lepidoptera. Furthermore, these rearranged segments are significantly enriched for clusters of functionally related genes and the maintenance of ancient telomeric ends. These results suggest an unexpected role for selection in shaping chromosomal evolution when the structural constraints of monocentricq chromosomes are relaxed.

evolutionary biology↗