Transcriptomic and macroevolutionary evidence for phenotypic uncoupling between frog life history phases

Katharina C. Wollenberg Valero, Joan Garcia-Porta, Ariel Rodríguez, Mónica Arias, Abhijeet Shah, Roger Daniel Randrianiaina, Jason L. Brown, Frank Glaw, Felix Amat, Sven Künzel, Dirk Metzler, Raphael D. Isokpehi and Miguel Vences ()
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Katharina C. Wollenberg Valero: College of Science, Engineering and Mathematics, Bethune-Cookman University
Joan Garcia-Porta: Center for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (CREAF), Campus of the Autonomous University of Barcelona
Ariel Rodríguez: Zoological Institute, Technical University of Braunschweig
Mónica Arias: Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich, Faculty of Biology
Abhijeet Shah: Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich, Faculty of Biology
Roger Daniel Randrianiaina: Zoological Institute, Technical University of Braunschweig
Jason L. Brown: Cooperative Wildlife Research Lab, Southern Illinois University
Frank Glaw: Zoologische Staatssammlung München (ZSM-SNSB), Sektion Herpetologie
Felix Amat: Àrea d‘Herpetologia (BIBIO), Museu de Granollers-Ciències Naturals
Sven Künzel: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology
Dirk Metzler: Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich, Faculty of Biology
Raphael D. Isokpehi: College of Science, Engineering and Mathematics, Bethune-Cookman University
Miguel Vences: Zoological Institute, Technical University of Braunschweig

Nature Communications, 2017, vol. 8, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract Anuran amphibians undergo major morphological transitions during development, but the contribution of their markedly different life-history phases to macroevolution has rarely been analysed. Here we generate testable predictions for coupling versus uncoupling of phenotypic evolution of tadpole and adult life-history phases, and for the underlying expression of genes related to morphological feature formation. We test these predictions by combining evidence from gene expression in two distantly related frogs, Xenopus laevis and Mantidactylus betsileanus, with patterns of morphological evolution in the entire radiation of Madagascan mantellid frogs. Genes linked to morphological structure formation are expressed in a highly phase-specific pattern, suggesting uncoupling of phenotypic evolution across life-history phases. This gene expression pattern agrees with uncoupled rates of trait evolution among life-history phases in the mantellids, which we show to have undergone an adaptive radiation. Our results validate a prevalence of uncoupling in the evolution of tadpole and adult phenotypes of frogs.

Date: 2017
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms15213

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