2026-08-21 東京大学,東京情報大学,玉川大学,東京農業大学,岡山大学
本研究の背景と調査内容
＜関連情報＞
- https://www.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp/info/news/topics/20260821140000.html
- https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2610487123
実験的進化とトランスクリプトミクスを統合することで、生活ペース症候群の表現型と分子構造が明らかになる Integrating experimental evolution and transcriptomics reveals the phenotypic and molecular architecture of the pace-of-life syndrome
Kentarou Matsumura, Keisuke Tanaka, Ken Sasaki, +1 , and Takahisa Miyatake
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Published:August 11, 2026
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2610487123
Abstract
Phenotypic traits often covary through shared genetic and environmental influences, shaping the evolution of integrated life-history strategies. In particular, correlations between behavioral and life-history traits form the core of the pace-of-life syndrome (POLS) hypothesis, yet direct experimental tests of its evolutionary and molecular foundations remain limited. Here, we combined experimental evolution and transcriptomic analyses to investigate the phenotypic and molecular architecture of POLS in the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum. Using replicate lines artificially selected for increased or decreased locomotor activity, we quantified correlated responses in life-history traits and female reproductive performance and examined genome-wide divergence in gene expression. Lines evolving higher activity exhibited significantly reduced lifespan and elevated female reproductive output, whereas development time remained unchanged, revealing partial support for POLS predictions and a decoupling between activity and development. Transcriptomic analyses further identified multiple differentially expressed genes between activity-selected lines, suggesting the involvement of metabolic and regulatory pathways associated with behavioral and life-history divergence. By integrating phenotypic and molecular data under controlled experimental evolution, our study provides a robust experimental test of the POLS hypothesis. These findings reveal asymmetric and context-dependent evolution of pace-of-life traits and offer insights into how behavioral variation and life-history strategies are genetically integrated and maintained in natural populations.
