Functional divergence and population replacement in British bank voles

KOTLÍK, Petr, Silvia MARKOVÁ, Libor VOJTEK, Mateusz KONCZAL, Pavel HYRŠL and Jeremy SAERLE. Functional divergence and population replacement in British bank voles. In 14th Rodens et Spatium. 2014.

Basic information

• Original name: Functional divergence and population replacement in British bank voles
• Name in Czech: Functional divergence and population replacement in British bank voles
• Authors: KOTLÍK, Petr (203 Czech Republic, guarantor), Silvia MARKOVÁ (203 Czech Republic), Libor VOJTEK (203 Czech Republic, belonging to the institution), Mateusz KONCZAL (616 Poland), Pavel HYRŠL (203 Czech Republic) and Jeremy SAERLE (826 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland).
• Edition: 14th Rodens et Spatium, 2014.

Other information

• Original language: English
• Type of outcome: Conference abstract
• Field of Study: 30105 Physiology
• Country of publisher: Czech Republic
• Confidentiality degree: is not subject to a state or trade secret
• RIV identification code: RIV/00216224:14310/14:00076162
• Organization unit: Faculty of Science
• Keywords (in Czech): bank vole; haemoglobin; Clethrionomys glareolus; oxidative stress; colonization
• Keywords in English: bank vole; haemoglobin; Clethrionomys glareolus; oxidative stress; colonization
• Tags: International impact, Reviewed

Abstract

We describe the functional consequences of haemoglobin divergence between two British populations of the bank vole (Clethrionomys$glareolus), one that partially replaced the other during endVglacial colonization from mainland, to examine the possibility of adaptive processes in explaining the replacement. We determine the amino acid substitution of serine for cysteine in the beta haemoglobin chain as the mutation underlying the divergence between the two populations. We demonstrate that this mutation increases the tolerance of bank vole blood cells to oxidative stress. Because levels of oxidative stress correlate with a variety of physiological and pathological states, we argue that the mutation may have conveyed a competitive advantage over the first colonists, promoting the replacement. Our study thus provides striking evidence for physiological differences between populations that spread at the expense of one another during colonization of an area from different glacial refugia, and suggests that selection may have had an important role in endVglacial colonization history and, thus, in establishing the current distributions of species.

Abstract (in Czech)

We describe the functional consequences of haemoglobin divergence between two British populations of the bank vole (Clethrionomys$glareolus), one that partially replaced the other during endVglacial colonization from mainland, to examine the possibility of adaptive processes in explaining the replacement. We determine the amino acid substitution of serine for cysteine in the beta haemoglobin chain as the mutation underlying the divergence between the two populations. We demonstrate that this mutation increases the tolerance of bank vole blood cells to oxidative stress. Because levels of oxidative stress correlate with a variety of physiological and pathological states, we argue that the mutation may have conveyed a competitive advantage over the first colonists, promoting the replacement. Our study thus provides striking evidence for physiological differences between populations that spread at the expense of one another during colonization of an area from different glacial refugia, and suggests that selection may have had an important role in endVglacial colonization history and, thus, in establishing the current distributions of species.