Transcriptomics and Fitness Data Reveal Adaptive Plasticity of Thermal Tolerance in Oysters Inhabiting Different Tidal Zones

• DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2018.00825
• Publication Date: 2018-08-20T10:22:56Z
• Authors: Ao Li; Li Li; Wei Wang; Kai Song; Guofan Zhang
• Keywords: Pacific oyster

Fine-scale adaptive evolution is always constrained by strong gene flow at vertical level in marine organisms. Rapid environmental fluctuations and phenotypic plasticity through optimization of fitness-related traits organisms play important roles shaping intraspecific divergence. The coastal systems experience variations multiple abiotic factors, especially the temperature. We used a typical intertidal species, Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas), to investigate interaction between evolution. collected subtidal oysters from two ecological niches carried out common garden experiments for one generation. identified fine-scale divergence F1 progeny both sites, based on different hierarchical phenotypes, including morphological, physiological, molecular traits. further quantified global thermal stress transcriptomic analysis. exhibited slow growth rate. However, they showed high survival metabolic rates under heat stress, indicating vertically mechanisms evolutionary trade-offs tolerance. Transcriptomic analysis confirmed that have evolved plasticity. genes were classified into three types: evolutionarily divergent, concordantly plastic, plastic genes. these sets significant positive correlation with changes populations response Furthermore, delayed large-scale increase expressional than counterparts. same direction selection suggests This implies facilitates adapt severe zones. exposed variability are tolerant potential face current warming. Our findings will not only provide new insights role can be extended other invertebrates, but also basic information resources conservation reef reestablishment.