10.5061/DRYAD.V41NS1RT2
Hanson, Haley E
0000-0002-0513-5911
University of South Florida
Wang, Chengqi
University of South Florida
Schrey, Aaron W
Georgia Southern University Armstrong Campus
Liebl, Andrea L
University of South Dakota
Ravinet, Mark
University of Nottingham
Jiang, Rays H Y
University of South Florida
Martin, Lynn B
University of South Florida
Data from: Epigenetic potential and DNA methylation in an ongoing House
Sparrow (Passer domesticus) range expansion
Dryad
dataset
2020
FOS: Biological sciences
2022-04-04T00:00:00Z
2022-04-04T00:00:00Z
en
2539290 bytes
4
CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
During range expansions, organisms can use epigenetic mechanisms to adjust
to conditions in novel areas by altering gene expression and enabling
phenotypic plasticity. Here, we predicted that the number of CpG sites
within the genome, one form of epigenetic potential, would be important
for successful range expansions because DNA methylation can modulate gene
expression, and consequently plasticity. We asked how the number of CpG
sites and DNA methylation varied across five locations in the ~70 year-old
Kenyan house sparrow ( Passer domesticus ) range expansion. We found that
the number of CpG sites was highest towards the vanguard of the invasion
and decreased towards the range core. Analysis suggests that this pattern
may have been driven by selection, favoring birds with more CpG sites at
the range edge. However, we cannot rule out other processes including
non-random gene flow. Additionally, DNA methylation did not change across
the range expansion, nor was it more variable. We hypothesize that as new
areas are colonized, epigenetic potential may be selectively advantageous
early but eventually be replaced by less plastic and perhaps
genetically-canalized traits as populations adapt to local conditions.
While further work is needed on epigenetic potential, this form (CpG
number) appears to be a promising mechanism to investigate as a driver of
expansions via capacitated phenotypic plasticity in other natural and
anthropogenic range expansions.