Article
Genetics & Heredity
Thomas H. Q. Powell, Glen Ray Hood, Meredith M. Doellman, Pheobe M. Deneen, James J. Smith, Stewart H. Berlocher, Jeffrey L. Feder
Summary: This study investigates the genetic variation and divergence in the Rhagoletis pomonella species group (RPSG) and finds that different taxa within the group are currently diverging under gene flow. The derived species are nested within the genetic variation of hawthorn-infesting populations of R. pomonella and show marked differences in genotype clustering and differentiation among sympatric populations.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Alfredo O. Barrera-Guzman, Alexandre Aleixo, Maya Faccio, Sidnei de Melo Dantas, Jason T. Weir
Summary: This study uses genome-wide data and detailed phylogeographical sampling to uncover the unique lineages and levels of reproductive isolation of three parapatric manakin species. The results show that gene flow and genomic homogenization decrease with increasing evolutionary age, with the oldest lineages exhibiting narrow hybrid zones. The study suggests that Pipra manakins took one million years or more to become reproductively isolated and proposes reclassifying the six lineages as two or three reproductively isolated species.
Editorial Material
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ricardo J. Pereira, Sonal Singhal
Summary: The study explores how lineages are products of evolutionary processes like genetic drift and selection. It shows that lineages are often ephemeral and do not always progress into fully reproductively isolated taxa, providing insights into the process of species formation.
Article
Ecology
Carlie B. Anderson, Oscar Ospina, Peter Beerli, Alan R. Lemmon, Sarah E. Banker, Alyssa Bigelow Hassinger, Mysia Dye, Michelle L. Kortyna, Emily Moriarty Lemmon
Summary: Species interactions can drive evolutionary outcomes, such as speciation by cascade reinforcement. This process occurs when mating traits diverge due to selection against hybridization, leading to reproductive isolation within the same species. In this study, the researchers investigated the population genetics of cascade reinforcement in North American chorus frogs and found evidence of hybridization among different taxa and unidirectional gene flow. They also discovered significant genetic structuring within the focal species, characterized by different clusters and sub-structuring between reinforced and nonreinforced populations. This research strengthens the understanding of cascade reinforcement and its contribution to species proliferation.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sonal Singhal, Guarino R. Colli, Maggie R. Grundler, Gabriel C. Costa, Ivan Prates, Daniel L. Rabosky
Summary: The rates of species formation vary across different taxa and are affected by both microevolutionary processes and macroevolutionary patterns. This study demonstrates that population isolation has little influence on speciation rates in lizards and snakes, suggesting that other stages of speciation may play larger roles.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Genis Garcia-Erill, Michael Munkholm Kjaer, Anders Albrechtsen, Hans Redlef Siegismund, Rasmus Heller
Summary: Grant's gazelles have been proposed to form a species complex with three divergent mtDNA lineages. Genomic data from 106 individuals revealed population subdivision, hybridization events, and signs of gene flow among the lineages. The species divergence was dated to 134,000 years ago, with evidence of selection shaping the outcomes of hybridization in certain populations.
Article
Microbiology
Jiao Wang, Yisong Li, Adrian A. Pinto-Tomas, Kun Cheng, Ying Huang
Summary: This study reveals the genetic isolation and divergent evolution of Streptomyces olivaceus strains into habitat-associated lineages, highlighting the significant role of habitat adaptation in microbial diversification. Physiological assays showed fitness trade-offs and substrate utilization differences between free-living and insect-associated isolates.
Article
Microbiology
Jiao Wang, Yisong Li, Adrian A. Pinto-Tomas, Kun Cheng, Ying Huang
Summary: Microbial diversification is influenced by both geographic and ecological factors. Streptomyces, a widespread bacterial genus, exhibits genetic differentiation based on habitat type rather than geographic distance. Habitat-specific genetic variations and physiological adaptations play significant roles in the divergence of streptomycetes populations.
Letter
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Wei-Ping Zhang, Lei Cao, Xin-Rui Lin, Ya-Mei Ding, Yu Liang, Da-Yong Zhang, Er-Li Pang, Susanne S. Renner, Wei-Ning Bai
Summary: The Chinese walnut, Juglans hopeiensis, is a first-generation hybrid resulting from the hybridization between Persian walnut and Asian butternuts. Despite the presence of strong postzygotic barriers preventing sexual reproduction in hybrids and unique traits, Juglans hopeiensis does not appear to be on the path to speciation.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Gregory L. Owens, Marco Todesco, Natalia Bercovich, Jean-Sebastien Legare, Nora Mitchell, Kenneth D. Whitney, Loren H. Rieseberg
Summary: The origins of the texanus subspecies of Helianthus annuus in Texas are likely not from introgression with the local congener H. debilis, but rather from introgression with the sister species H. argophyllus. Genomic differentiation in H. a. texanus is mainly driven by large segregating inversions, some of which show signs of natural selection based on haplotype frequencies.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Fern Spaulding, Jessica F. McLaughlin, Rebecca G. Cheek, Kevin G. McCracken, Travis C. Glenn, Kevin Winker
Summary: This study examines the divergence and speciation processes in a clade of ducks and reveals the uncertain relationships and species limits within the green-winged teal complex. By analyzing mitochondrial and genome-wide nuclear DNA, the researchers determined the phylogenetic relationships and gene flow among different lineages. The results showed that while nuclear DNA suggests three subspecies and a close relative from South America, the mitochondrial genomes revealed a different phylogeny. The study highlights the power of ultraconserved elements in studying systematics and population genomics in cases with uncertain relationships and species limits.
MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Swapnil Tichkule, Simone M. Caccio, Guy Robinson, Rachel M. Chalmers, Ivo Mueller, Samantha J. Emery-Corbin, Daniel Eibach, Kevin M. Tyler, Cock van Oosterhout, Aaron R. Jex
Summary: This study presents a whole-genome study of Cryptosporidium hominis, a major cause of diarrhea in low- and middle-income countries. The study identifies two distinct lineages of C. hominis, with one lineage predominantly found in low-income countries in Africa and Asia, and another lineage found in high-income countries in Europe, North America, and Oceania. The study also detects genomic regions of introgression between the lineages, leading to high diversity and divergence in potential virulence genes.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Grzegorz Migdalek, Marcin Zelawski
Summary: Hybridization is an important factor in plant evolution, and topological data analysis provides a new method for measuring gene flow. This study presents a novel graph-based approach to measure gene flow, which is applicable to ongoing speciation and hybridization processes in various mating systems. The results demonstrate a strong positive correlation between the parameter based on the first Betti number and the number of migrants. This method is suitable for various types of data.
ECOLOGICAL INFORMATICS
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
William W. Booker, H. Carl Gerhardt, Alan R. Lemmon, Margaret B. Ptacek, Alyssa T. B. Hassinger, Johannes Schul, Emily Moriarty Lemmon
Summary: Polyploid speciation is an important process in evolutionary history, but there is still much to be understood about how polyploid species form and persist. This study used advanced sequencing technology to investigate the evolutionary history of the North American gray treefrog complex, finding evidence that the tetraploid species likely formed through autopolyploidization from an extinct lineage of the diploid species. The study also uncovered significant hybridization between diploids and tetraploids in areas where they co-occur.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Matthew J. Christmas, Julia C. Jones, Anna Olsson, Ola Wallerman, Ignas Bunikis, Marcin Kierczak, Valentina Peona, Kaitlyn M. Whitley, Tuuli Larva, Alexander Suh, Nicole E. Miller-Struttmann, Jennifer C. Geib, Matthew T. Webster
Summary: Evidence suggests that gene flow commonly occurs between recently diverged species, despite barriers to gene flow. Genetic barriers to gene flow often accumulate in regions of low recombination and near centromeres.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)