Data from: Genetic variation underlies temperature tolerance of embryos in the sea urchin Heliocidaris erythrogramma armigera

Ocean warming can alter natural selection on marine systems, and in many cases, the long-term persistence of affected populations will depend on genetic adaptation. In this study, we assess the potential for adaptation in the sea urchin Heliocidaris erythrogramma armigera, an Australian endemic, that is experiencing unprecedented increases in ocean temperatures. We used a factorial breeding design to assess the level of heritable variation in larval hatching success at two temperatures. Fertilized eggs from each full-sibling family were tested at 22 °C (current spawning temperature) and 25 °C (upper limit of predicted warming this century). Hatching success was significantly lower at higher temperatures, confirming that ocean warming is likely to exert selection on this life-history stage. Our analyses revealed significant additive genetic variance and genotype-by-environment interactions underlying hatching success. Consistent with prior work, we detected significant nonadditive (sire-by-dam) variance in hatching success, but additionally found that these interactions were modified by temperature. Although these findings suggest the potential for genetic adaptation, any evolutionary responses are likely to be influenced (and possibly constrained) by complex genotype-by-environment and sire-by-dam interactions and will additionally depend on patterns of genetic covariation with other fitness traits.

海洋变暖可改变海洋生态系统中的自然选择压力，在多数情形下，受影响种群的长期存续将依赖于遗传适应。本研究针对澳大利亚特有海胆（Heliocidaris erythrogramma armigera）展开评估，该物种正经历前所未有的海洋温度升高。我们采用析因育种设计，在两种温度条件下评估幼体孵化成功率的遗传变异水平：将每个全同胞家系的受精卵分别置于22℃（当前产卵温度）与25℃（本世纪预测变暖的上限温度）环境中进行测试。结果显示，高温环境下的孵化成功率显著更低，证实海洋变暖大概率会对该生活史阶段施加选择压力。我们的分析揭示，孵化成功率存在显著的加性遗传方差与基因型-环境互作效应。与此前研究结果一致，我们检测到孵化成功率存在显著的非加性（父本-母本）方差，但额外发现这类互作会受到温度的调控。尽管上述发现暗示了遗传适应的潜力，但任何进化响应都可能受到复杂的基因型-环境互作与父本-母本互作的影响（甚至可能受到制约），同时还将取决于与其他适合度性状的遗传协变模式。