Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Melanie J. Wilkinson, Federico Roda, Greg M. Walter, Maddie E. James, Rick Nipper, Jessica Walsh, Scott L. Allen, Henry L. North, Christine A. Beveridge, Daniel Ortiz-Barrientos
Summary: Research has shown that adaptive divergence in shoot gravitropism of an Australian wildflower contributes to the evolution of hybrid sterility, suggesting that natural selection can drive the evolution of locally adaptive traits that create new species.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Adeola Oluwakemi Ayoola, Bao-Lin Zhang, Richard P. Meisel, Lotanna M. Nneji, Yong Shao, Olanrewaju B. Morenikeji, Adeniyi C. Adeola, Said Ng'ang'a, Babafemi G. Ogunjemite, Agboola O. Okeyoyin, Christian Roos, Dong-Dong Wu
Summary: This study provides insights into the genomic diversity, natural selection, and introgression in guenons, the most widely distributed nonhuman primate in the tropical forest belt of Africa. Differentiation between populations from East and West of the Niger River, potential introgression in the East population, and signals of positive natural selection in immunity and malaria resistance genes were observed. The study sheds light on the evolutionary processes shaping the genetic diversity of guenons.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Biology
Emilie J. Richards, Christopher H. Martin
Summary: This study reports the discovery of an intermediate ecological form in a radiation of Cyprinodon pupfishes, highlighting the transition from a generalist to a specialist. The intermediate form is genetically differentiated from the generalist and specialist, and shares genetic variation with other scale-eating species. This research provides a new framework for studying the microevolutionary processes of ecological transitions.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Richard Ian Bailey
Summary: Admixture is a widespread phenomenon and genomic studies can help us understand its impacts on evolution and speciation. Geographic and genomic cline analysis can provide evidence for reproductive isolation, selection, and adaptive introgression. The gghybrid package is a flexible Bayesian estimation tool for hybrid index and genomic clines, suitable for both small and large datasets. Simulations show that model comparison with waic is preferred, while the use of Bayesian posterior distributions and p values to select non-null loci should be avoided.
MOLECULAR ECOLOGY RESOURCES
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Irene Villa-Machio, Myriam Heuertz, Ines Alvarez, Gonzalo Nieto Feliner
Summary: The study analyzed the genetic structure, genomic clines, and demographic history of a hybrid zone involving two species of the Armeria syngameon. Bidirectional introgression was found to potentially help avoid reduced genetic diversity and increase survival advantages in specific environments.
Article
Plant Sciences
Xin-Feng Wang, Yu-Xin Zhang, Yu-Qian Niu, Yan Sha, Zhen-Hui Wang, Zhi-Bin Zhang, Ji Yang, Bao Liu, Lin-Feng Li
Summary: By comparing the genomes of five species, this study found that genetic introgression and natural selection have contributed to genetic divergence among the five S- and S*-genome diploid species of the Triticum/Aegilops species complex. These findings provide new insights into the evolutionary history of this complex.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Rhett M. Rautsaw, Tristan D. Schramer, Rachel Acuna, Lindsay N. Arick, Mark DiMeo, Kathryn P. Mercier, Michael Schrum, Andrew J. Mason, Mark J. Margres, Jason L. Strickland, Christopher L. Parkinson
Summary: The study reveals high intraspecific gene flow within the Nerodia fasciata-clarkii complex in Florida, but reduced gene flow is observed between inland and coastal lineages. The results demonstrate that ecological differences, particularly those caused by salinity, lead to divergent selection and promote species divergence despite significant gene flow.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Mitchell B. Cruzan, Pamela G. Thompson, Nicolas A. Diaz, Elizabeth C. Hendrickson, Katie R. Gerloff, Katie A. Kline, Hannah M. Machiorlete, Jessica M. Persinger
Summary: The study analyzed reproductive isolation and introgression between a range-limited and a widespread species, revealing an asymmetrical mating barrier due to cytonuclear incompatibility. The results indicate weak coupling among barrier loci and extensive introgression as secondary contact was initiated within the last 800 generations. Furthermore, the strength of selection required to account for observed levels of adaptive introgression was estimated.
Article
Cell Biology
Thomas J. Firneno Jr, Georgy Semenov, Erik B. Dopman, Scott A. Taylor, Erica L. Larson, Zachariah Gompert
Summary: This study characterizes the relationship between the coupling coefficient and genetic loci across hybrid zones, showing a smooth continuum from high variance and weak coupling to low variance and strong coupling. The results suggest low hybridization rates and a strong genome-wide barrier to gene flow when the coupling coefficient is much greater than 1.
COLD SPRING HARBOR PERSPECTIVES IN BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jae Young Choi, Xiaoguang Dai, Ornob Alam, Julie Z. Peng, Priyesh Rughani, Scott Hickey, Eoghan Harrington, Sissel Juul, Julien F. Ayroles, Michael D. Purugganan, Elizabeth A. Stacy
Summary: The study conducted an evolutionary genomics analysis of genus Metrosideros, a landscape-dominant adaptive radiation of woody plants in Hawaii. It was found that Hawaiian Metrosideros originated from a single colonization event and showed evidence of extensive reticulation and admixture between taxa. Divergent selection was identified as driving the formation of differentiation outliers in early stages of speciation/divergence.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Matthew Barnbrook, Mario Duran-Castillo, Jo Critchley, Yvette Wilson, Alex Twyford, Andrew Hudson
Summary: The study of speciation cases involving parallel adaptations can reveal adaptive characters and their underlying genes. By studying the parallel evolution of alpine morphology in the genus Antirrhinum, it was found that two later diverged sympatric species only differ by around 2% of nuclear loci, but still maintain morphological characters typical of earlier-diverged alpine or lowland lineages and correlate with local landscape features, as expected of ecological adaptations. The morphological differences involve multiple, unlinked genes that can be easily broken up by recombination in hybrids. There is little evidence of post-pollination barriers to gene flow or recombination, suggesting that genetic isolation related to ecological adaptation is important in maintaining character combinations and might have contributed to parallel speciation. Genes involved in the earlier alpine-lowland split were also reused in parallel evolution of alpine species, consistent with introgressive hybridization, and it is speculated that many non-ecological barriers to gene flow might have been purged during the process.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Bao-Lin Zhang, Wu Chen, Zefu Wang, Wei Pang, Meng -Ting Luo, Sheng Wang, Yong Shao, Wen-Qiang He, Yuan Deng, Long Zhou, Jiawei Chen, Min -Min Yang, Yajiang Wu, Lu Wang, Hugo Fernandez-Bellon, Sandra Molloy, Helene Meunler, Fanelie Wanert, Lukas Kuderna, Tomas Marques-Bonet, Christian Roos, Xiao-Guang Qi, Ming Li, Zhiji Liu, Mikkel Heide Schierup, David N. Cooper, Jianquan Liu, Yong-Tang Zheng, Guojie Zhang, Dong-Dong Wu
Summary: Through phylogenomic analysis of 12 macaque species, we discovered that the fascicularis group originated from an ancient hybridization event between the sinica and silenus groups around 3.45 to 3.56 million years ago. The X chromosomes and low-recombination regions showed equal contributions from each parental lineage, suggesting their importance in maintaining hybrid integrity. We also identified reproduction-associated genes and confirmed susceptibility to HIV-1 infection in all extant Western silenus species. Our study provides new insights into macaque evolution and highlights a rare hybrid speciation event in primates.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Joanna S. Griffiths, Yasmeen Kawji, Morgan W. Kelly
Summary: The study focuses on the potential of adaptive introgression to increase heat tolerance in copepods by hybridizing two populations with divergent heat tolerance limits. After subjecting hybrids to heat selection and whole-genome resequencing, it was found that heat tolerance improvement was polygenic and involved highly conserved genes between populations. The HER approach provides a unique solution to identify genetic variants contributing to polygenic traits that may be missed through other genomic approaches.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Review
Forestry
Desanka Lazic, Andrew L. Hipp, John E. Carlson, Oliver Gailing
Summary: Adaptive divergence is crucial for speciation and species integrity, but the mechanisms, genes, and traits involved in reproductive isolation and adaptation of wild species are still largely unknown. Oak trees have emerged as potential model organisms for studying these processes due to their genetic diversity and longevity in natural habitats. The genomic underpinnings of adaptive divergence and maintenance of species integrity in oak trees, as well as the role of hybridization and adaptive introgression in adaptation to climate change, are key areas of ongoing research.
Review
Ecology
Daniele Porretta, Daniele Canestrelli
Summary: Hybridization as an evolutionary process has been extensively studied, with a focus on reproductive barriers, adaptive value, and genomic consequences. However, our understanding of the ecological dimensions of hybridization is still limited, despite its significant impact on community structure and ecosystem functioning. Further research is needed to uncover the eco-evolutionary importance of hybridization.
TRENDS IN ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2023)