1
|
Martin CA, Sheppard EC, Ali HAA, Illera JC, Suh A, Spurgin LG, Richardson DS. Genomic landscapes of divergence among island bird populations: Evidence of parallel adaptation but at different loci? Mol Ecol 2024; 33:e17365. [PMID: 38733214 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024]
Abstract
When populations colonise new environments, they may be exposed to novel selection pressures but also suffer from extensive genetic drift due to founder effects, small population sizes and limited interpopulation gene flow. Genomic approaches enable us to study how these factors drive divergence, and disentangle neutral effects from differentiation at specific loci due to selection. Here, we investigate patterns of genetic diversity and divergence using whole-genome resequencing (>22× coverage) in Berthelot's pipit (Anthus berthelotii), a passerine endemic to the islands of three north Atlantic archipelagos. Strong environmental gradients, including in pathogen pressure, across populations in the species range, make it an excellent system in which to explore traits important in adaptation and/or incipient speciation. First, we quantify how genomic divergence accumulates across the speciation continuum, that is, among Berthelot's pipit populations, between sub species across archipelagos, and between Berthelot's pipit and its mainland ancestor, the tawny pipit (Anthus campestris). Across these colonisation timeframes (2.1 million-ca. 8000 years ago), we identify highly differentiated loci within genomic islands of divergence and conclude that the observed distributions align with expectations for non-neutral divergence. Characteristic signatures of selection are identified in loci associated with craniofacial/bone and eye development, metabolism and immune response between population comparisons. Interestingly, we find limited evidence for repeated divergence of the same loci across the colonisation range but do identify different loci putatively associated with the same biological traits in different populations, likely due to parallel adaptation. Incipient speciation across these island populations, in which founder effects and selective pressures are strong, may therefore be repeatedly associated with morphology, metabolism and immune defence.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Claudia A Martin
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norfolk, UK
- Terrestrial Ecology Unit, Biology Department, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | | | - Hisham A A Ali
- Department of Biology, Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Juan Carlos Illera
- Biodiversity Research Institute (CSIC-Oviedo University-Principality of Asturias), University of Oviedo, Mieres, Asturias, Spain
| | - Alexander Suh
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norfolk, UK
- Department of Organismal Biology - Systematic Biology, Evolutionary Biology Centre (EBC), Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Lewis G Spurgin
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norfolk, UK
| | | |
Collapse
|
2
|
Benham PM, Cicero C, Escalona M, Beraut E, Fairbairn C, Marimuthu MPA, Nguyen O, Sahasrabudhe R, King BL, Thomas WK, Kovach AI, Nachman MW, Bowie RCK. Remarkably High Repeat Content in the Genomes of Sparrows: The Importance of Genome Assembly Completeness for Transposable Element Discovery. Genome Biol Evol 2024; 16:evae067. [PMID: 38566597 PMCID: PMC11088854 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evae067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2023] [Revised: 03/01/2024] [Accepted: 03/23/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Transposable elements (TE) play critical roles in shaping genome evolution. Highly repetitive TE sequences are also a major source of assembly gaps making it difficult to fully understand the impact of these elements on host genomes. The increased capacity of long-read sequencing technologies to span highly repetitive regions promises to provide new insights into patterns of TE activity across diverse taxa. Here we report the generation of highly contiguous reference genomes using PacBio long-read and Omni-C technologies for three species of Passerellidae sparrow. We compared these assemblies to three chromosome-level sparrow assemblies and nine other sparrow assemblies generated using a variety of short- and long-read technologies. All long-read based assemblies were longer (range: 1.12 to 1.41 Gb) than short-read assemblies (0.91 to 1.08 Gb) and assembly length was strongly correlated with the amount of repeat content. Repeat content for Bell's sparrow (31.2% of genome) was the highest level ever reported within the order Passeriformes, which comprises over half of avian diversity. The highest levels of repeat content (79.2% to 93.7%) were found on the W chromosome relative to other regions of the genome. Finally, we show that proliferation of different TE classes varied even among species with similar levels of repeat content. These patterns support a dynamic model of TE expansion and contraction even in a clade where TEs were once thought to be fairly depauperate and static. Our work highlights how the resolution of difficult-to-assemble regions of the genome with new sequencing technologies promises to transform our understanding of avian genome evolution.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Phred M Benham
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Carla Cicero
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Merly Escalona
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Eric Beraut
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Colin Fairbairn
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Mohan P A Marimuthu
- DNA Technologies and Expression Analysis Core Laboratory, Genome Center, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Oanh Nguyen
- DNA Technologies and Expression Analysis Core Laboratory, Genome Center, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Ruta Sahasrabudhe
- DNA Technologies and Expression Analysis Core Laboratory, Genome Center, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Benjamin L King
- Department of Molecular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469, USA
| | - W Kelley Thomas
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824, USA
| | - Adrienne I Kovach
- Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824, USA
| | - Michael W Nachman
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Rauri C K Bowie
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Chiu CC, Yao CT, Liao BY, Li SH. Convergent evolution of kidney sizes and supraorbital salt glands for birds living in saline habitats. iScience 2024; 27:109169. [PMID: 38433889 PMCID: PMC10904986 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2022] [Revised: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Only a small number of avian species inhabit salty environments. To understand how they adapted, we examined the evolution of kidney sizes, supraorbital salt glands (SSGs), and the utilization of salty habitats across 230 species spanning 25 avian orders. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that SSGs, large kidneys, and thriving in salty habitats emerged convergently in birds. Transition rate analysis reveals that species possessing SSGs and large kidneys tended to move from low-to high-salinity environments, while others moved in the opposite direction. However, habitat salinity also influenced kidney evolution; lineages residing in high-salinity environments tended to develop larger kidneys than those in low-salinity environments. Our findings suggest that SSGs and large kidneys may have evolved through adaptation to high salinity. Overall, habitat conditions and physiological traits influenced avian adaptation to salty environments in a reciprocal manner. These results shed the new light on the evolutionary mechanisms underlying functional diversity in birds.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chi-Cheng Chiu
- School of Life Science, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei 11677, Taiwan
| | - Cheng-Te Yao
- High altitude research station, Taiwan Endemic Species Research Institute, Nantou 55244, Taiwan
| | - Ben-Yang Liao
- Institute of Population Health Sciences, National Health Research Institutes, Zhunan 350, Taiwan
| | - Shou-Hsien Li
- School of Life Science, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei 11677, Taiwan
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Dickel L, Arcese P, Keller LF, Nietlisbach P, Goedert D, Jensen H, Reid JM. Multigenerational Fitness Effects of Natural Immigration Indicate Strong Heterosis and Epistatic Breakdown in a Wild Bird Population. Am Nat 2024; 203:411-431. [PMID: 38358807 DOI: 10.1086/728669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
AbstractThe fitness of immigrants and their descendants produced within recipient populations fundamentally underpins the genetic and population dynamic consequences of immigration. Immigrants can in principle induce contrasting genetic effects on fitness across generations, reflecting multifaceted additive, dominance, and epistatic effects. Yet full multigenerational and sex-specific fitness effects of regular immigration have not been quantified within naturally structured systems, precluding inference on underlying genetic architectures and population outcomes. We used four decades of song sparrow (Melospiza melodia) life history and pedigree data to quantify fitness of natural immigrants, natives, and their F1, F2, and backcross descendants and test for evidence of nonadditive genetic effects. Values of key fitness components (including adult lifetime reproductive success and zygote survival) of F1 offspring of immigrant-native matings substantially exceeded their parent mean, indicating strong heterosis. Meanwhile, F2 offspring of F1-F1 matings had notably low values, indicating surprisingly strong epistatic breakdown. Furthermore, magnitudes of effects varied among fitness components and differed between female and male descendants. These results demonstrate that strong nonadditive genetic effects on fitness can arise within weakly structured and fragmented populations experiencing frequent natural immigration. Such effects will substantially affect the net degree of effective gene flow and resulting local genetic introgression and adaptation.
Collapse
|
5
|
Benham PM, Walsh J, Bowie RCK. Spatial variation in population genomic responses to over a century of anthropogenic change within a tidal marsh songbird. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2024; 30:e17126. [PMID: 38273486 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.17126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2023] [Revised: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2024]
Abstract
Combating the current biodiversity crisis requires the accurate documentation of population responses to human-induced ecological change. However, our ability to pinpoint population responses to human activities is often limited to the analysis of populations studied well after the fact. Museum collections preserve a record of population responses to anthropogenic change that can provide critical baseline data on patterns of genetic diversity, connectivity, and population structure prior to the onset of human perturbation. Here, we leverage a spatially replicated time series of specimens to document population genomic responses to the destruction of nearly 90% of coastal habitats occupied by the Savannah sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis) in California. We sequenced 219 sparrows collected from 1889 to 2017 across the state of California using an exome capture approach. Spatial-temporal analyses of genetic diversity found that the amount of habitat lost was not predictive of genetic diversity loss. Sparrow populations from southern California historically exhibited lower levels of genetic diversity and experienced the most significant temporal declines in genetic diversity. Despite experiencing the greatest levels of habitat loss, we found that genetic diversity in the San Francisco Bay area remained relatively high. This was potentially related to an observed increase in gene flow into the Bay Area from other populations. While gene flow may have minimized genetic diversity declines, we also found that immigration from inland freshwater-adapted populations into tidal marsh populations led to the erosion of divergence at loci associated with tidal marsh adaptation. Shifting patterns of gene flow through time in response to habitat loss may thus contribute to negative fitness consequences and outbreeding depression. Together, our results underscore the importance of tracing the genomic trajectories of multiple populations over time to address issues of fundamental conservation concern.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Phred M Benham
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Jennifer Walsh
- Fuller Evolutionary Biology Program, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Rauri C K Bowie
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Carbeck K, Arcese P, Lovette I, Pruett C, Winker K, Walsh J. Candidate genes under selection in song sparrows co-vary with climate and body mass in support of Bergmann's Rule. Nat Commun 2023; 14:6974. [PMID: 37935683 PMCID: PMC10630373 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42786-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 10/19/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Ecogeographic rules denote spatial patterns in phenotype and environment that may reflect local adaptation as well as a species' capacity to adapt to change. To identify genes underlying Bergmann's Rule, which posits that spatial correlations of body mass and temperature reflect natural selection and local adaptation in endotherms, we compare 79 genomes from nine song sparrow (Melospiza melodia) subspecies that vary ~300% in body mass (17 - 50 g). Comparing large- and smaller-bodied subspecies revealed 9 candidate genes in three genomic regions associated with body mass. Further comparisons to the five smallest subspecies endemic to California revealed eight SNPs within four of the candidate genes (GARNL3, RALGPS1, ANGPTL2, and COL15A1) associated with body mass and varying as predicted by Bergmann's Rule. Our results support the hypothesis that co-variation in environment, body mass and genotype reflect the influence of natural selection on local adaptation and a capacity for contemporary evolution in this diverse species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Katherine Carbeck
- Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, T6T 1Z4, Canada.
| | - Peter Arcese
- Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, T6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Irby Lovette
- Fuller Evolutionary Biology Program, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14850, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14850, USA
| | - Christin Pruett
- Department of Biology, Ouachita Baptist University, Arkadelphia, AR, 71998, USA
| | - Kevin Winker
- University of Alaska Museum, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA
| | - Jennifer Walsh
- Fuller Evolutionary Biology Program, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14850, USA
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Elizondo EC, Faircloth BC, Brumfield RT, Shakya SB, Ellis VA, Schmidt CJ, Kovach AI, Gregory Shriver W. A high-quality de novo genome assembly for clapper rail (Rallus crepitans). G3 (BETHESDA, MD.) 2023; 13:jkad097. [PMID: 37130071 PMCID: PMC10484055 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkad097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2022] [Revised: 03/26/2022] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
The clapper rail (Rallus crepitans), of the family Rallidae, is a secretive marsh bird species that is adapted for high salinity habitats. They are very similar in appearance to the closely related king rail (R. elegans), but while king rails are limited primarily to freshwater marshes, clapper rails are highly adapted to tolerate salt marshes. Both species can be found in brackish marshes where they freely hybridize, but the distribution of their respective habitats precludes the formation of a continuous hybrid zone and secondary contact can occur repeatedly. This system, thus, provides unique opportunities to investigate the underlying mechanisms driving their differential salinity tolerance as well as the maintenance of the species boundary between the 2 species. To facilitate these studies, we assembled a de novo reference genome assembly for a female clapper rail. Chicago and HiC libraries were prepared as input for the Dovetail HiRise pipeline to scaffold the genome. The pipeline, however, did not recover the Z chromosome so a custom script was used to assemble the Z chromosome. We generated a near chromosome level assembly with a total length of 994.8 Mb comprising 13,226 scaffolds. The assembly had a scaffold N50 was 82.7 Mb, L50 of four, and had a BUSCO completeness score of 92%. This assembly is among the most contiguous genomes among the species in the family Rallidae. It will serve as an important tool in future studies on avian salinity tolerance, interspecific hybridization, and speciation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elisa C Elizondo
- Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - Brant C Faircloth
- Museum of Natural Science and Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
| | - Robb T Brumfield
- Museum of Natural Science and Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
| | - Subir B Shakya
- Museum of Natural Science and Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
| | - Vincenzo A Ellis
- Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - Carl J Schmidt
- Department of Animal and Food Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - Adrienne I Kovach
- Department of Natural Resources, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824, USA
| | - W Gregory Shriver
- Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Moreira LR, Smith BT. Convergent genomic signatures of local adaptation across a continental-scale environmental gradient. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadd0560. [PMID: 37205757 PMCID: PMC10198635 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.add0560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2022] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Convergent local adaptation offers a glimpse into the role of constraint and stochasticity in adaptive evolution, in particular the extent to which similar genetic mechanisms drive adaptation to common selective forces. Here, we investigated the genomics of local adaptation in two nonsister woodpeckers that are codistributed across an entire continent and exhibit remarkably convergent patterns of geographic variation. We sequenced the genomes of 140 individuals of Downy (Dryobates pubescens) and Hairy (Dryobates villosus) woodpeckers and used a suite of genomic approaches to identify loci under selection. We showed evidence that convergent genes have been targeted by selection in response to shared environmental pressures, such as temperature and precipitation. Among candidates, we found multiple genes putatively linked to key phenotypic adaptations to climate, including differences in body size (e.g., IGFPB) and plumage (e.g., MREG). These results are consistent with genetic constraints limiting the pathways of adaptation to broad climatic gradients, even after genetic backgrounds diverge.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lucas R. Moreira
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, NY, USA
- Department of Ornithology, American Museum of Natural History, New York City, NY, USA
- Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Brian Tilston Smith
- Department of Ornithology, American Museum of Natural History, New York City, NY, USA
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Campagna L, Toews DP. The genomics of adaptation in birds. Curr Biol 2022; 32:R1173-R1186. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.07.076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
|
10
|
Clark JD, Benham PM, Maldonado JE, Luther DA, Lim HC. Maintenance of local adaptation despite gene flow in a coastal songbird. Evolution 2022; 76:1481-1494. [PMID: 35700208 PMCID: PMC9545442 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2021] [Revised: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 03/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Adaptation to local environments is common in widespread species and the basis of ecological speciation. The song sparrow (Melospiza melodia) is a widespread, polytypic passerine that occurs in shrubland habitats throughout North America. We examined the population structure of two parapatric subspecies that inhabit different environments: the Atlantic song sparrow (M. m. atlantica), a coastal specialist, and the eastern song sparrow (M. m. melodia), a shrubland generalist. These populations lacked clear mitochondrial population structure, yet coastal birds formed a distinct nuclear genetic cluster. We found weak overall genomic differentiation between these subspecies, suggesting either recent divergence, extensive gene flow, or a combination thereof. There was a steep genetic cline at the transition to coastal habitats, consistent with isolation by environment, not isolation by distance. A phenotype under divergent selection, bill size, varied with the amount of coastal ancestry in transitional areas, but larger bill size was maintained in coastal habitats regardless of ancestry, further supporting a role for selection in the maintenance of these subspecies. Demographic modeling suggested a divergence history of limited gene flow followed by secondary contact, which has emerged as a common theme in adaptive divergence across taxa.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan D. Clark
- Department of Environmental Science and PolicyGeorge Mason UniversityFairfaxVirginia22030,Current Address: Department of Natural Resources and the EnvironmentUniversity of New HampshireDurhamNew Hampshire03824
| | - Phred M. Benham
- Museum of Vertebrate ZoologyUniversity of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyCalifornia94720
| | - Jesus E. Maldonado
- Department of Environmental Science and PolicyGeorge Mason UniversityFairfaxVirginia22030,Center for Conservation GenomicsSmithsonian Conservation Biology InstituteWashingtonD.C.20013
| | - David A. Luther
- Department of BiologyGeorge Mason UniversityFairfaxVirginia22030
| | - Haw Chuan Lim
- Center for Conservation GenomicsSmithsonian Conservation Biology InstituteWashingtonD.C.20013,Department of BiologyGeorge Mason UniversityFairfaxVirginia22030
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Carbeck K, Wang T, Reid JM, Arcese P. Adaptation to climate change through seasonal migration revealed by climatic versus demographic niche models. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2022; 28:4260-4275. [PMID: 35366358 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2021] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Predicting the geographic range of species and their response to climatic variation and change are entwined goals in conservation and evolutionary ecology. Species distribution models (SDMs) are foundational in this effort and used to visualize the geographic range of species as the spatial representation of its realized niche. SDMs are also used to forecast range shifts under climate change, but often in the absence of empirical evidence that climate limits population growth. We explored the influence of climate on demography, seasonal migration, and the extent of the geographic range in song sparrows (Melospiza melodia), a species thought to display marked local adaptation to regional climate. To do so, we developed SDMs to predict the demographic and climate niches of migratory and resident song sparrows across our study area in western North America from California to Alaska, using 48 years of demographic data from a focal population in British Columbia and 1.2 million continental-scale citizen science observations. Spatial agreement of our demographic and climate niche models in the region of our focal population was strong (76%), supporting the hypothesis that demographic performance and the occurrence of seasonal migration varied predictably with climatic conditions. In contrast, agreement at the northern (58%) and southern (40%) extents of our study area was lower, as expected if the factors limiting population growth vary regionally. Our results support the hypothesis that local climate drives spatial variation in the occurrence of seasonal migration in song sparrows by limiting the fitness of year-round residents, and suggest that climate warming has favored range expansions and facilitated an upward shift in elevational range song sparrows that forgo seasonal migration. Our work highlights the potential role of seasonal migration in climate adaptation and limits on the reliability of climate niche models not validated with demographic data.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Katherine Carbeck
- Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Tongli Wang
- Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Jane M Reid
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics, Institutt for Biologi, NTNU, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Peter Arcese
- Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Skaien CL, Arcese P. On the capacity for rapid adaptation and plastic responses to herbivory and intraspecific competition in insular populations of
Plectritis congesta. Evol Appl 2022; 15:804-816. [PMID: 35603029 PMCID: PMC9108306 DOI: 10.1111/eva.13371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2021] [Revised: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 03/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
A capacity for rapid adaptation should enhance the persistence of populations subject to temporal and spatial heterogeneity in natural selection, but examples from nature remain scarce. Plectritis congesta (Caprifoliaceae) is a winter annual that exhibits local adaptation to browsing by ungulates and hypothesized to show context‐dependent trade‐offs in traits affecting success in competition versus resistance or tolerance to browsing. We grew P. congesta from 44 insular populations historically exposed or naïve to ungulates in common gardens to (1) quantify genetic, plastic and competitive effects on phenotype; (2) estimate a capacity for rapid adaptation (evolvability); and (3) test whether traits favoured by selection with ungulates present were selected against in their absence. Plants from browsed populations bolted and flowered later, had smaller inflorescences, were less fecund and half as tall as plants from naïve populations on average, replicating patterns in nature. Estimated evolvabilities (3–36%) and narrow‐sense heritabilities (h2; 0.13–0.32) imply that differences in trait values as large as reported here can arise in 2–18 generations in an average population. Phenotypic plasticity was substantial, varied by browsing history and fruit phenotype and increased with competition. Fecundity increased with plasticity in flowering height given competition (0.47 ± 0.02 florets/cm, β ± se), but 23–77% faster in naïve plants bearing winged fruits (0.53 ± 0.04) than exposed‐wingless plants (0.43 ± 0.03) or exposed‐winged and naïve‐wingless plants (0.30 ± 0.03, each case). Our results support the hypothesis that context‐dependent variation in natural selection in P. congesta populations has conferred a substantial capacity for adaptation in response to selection in traits affecting success in competition versus resistance or tolerance to browsing in the absence versus presence of ungulates, respectively. Theory suggests that conserving adaptive capacity in P. congesta will require land managers to maintain spatial heterogeneity in natural selection, prevent local extinctions and maintain gene flow.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cora L. Skaien
- University of British Columbia Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences Faculty of Forestry 2424 Main Mall Vancouver BC V6T 1Z4 Canada
| | - Peter Arcese
- University of British Columbia Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences Faculty of Forestry 2424 Main Mall Vancouver BC V6T 1Z4 Canada
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Bravo GA, Schmitt CJ, Edwards SV. What Have We Learned from the First 500 Avian Genomes? ANNUAL REVIEW OF ECOLOGY, EVOLUTION, AND SYSTEMATICS 2021. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-012121-085928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The increased capacity of DNA sequencing has significantly advanced our understanding of the phylogeny of birds and the proximate and ultimate mechanisms molding their genomic diversity. In less than a decade, the number of available avian reference genomes has increased to over 500—approximately 5% of bird diversity—placing birds in a privileged position to advance the fields of phylogenomics and comparative, functional, and population genomics. Whole-genome sequence data, as well as indels and rare genomic changes, are further resolving the avian tree of life. The accumulation of bird genomes, increasingly with long-read sequence data, greatly improves the resolution of genomic features such as germline-restricted chromosomes and the W chromosome, and is facilitating the comparative integration of genotypes and phenotypes. Community-based initiatives such as the Bird 10,000 Genomes Project and Vertebrate Genome Project are playing a fundamental role in amplifying and coalescing a vibrant international program in avian comparative genomics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gustavo A. Bravo
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA;, ,
| | - C. Jonathan Schmitt
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA;, ,
| | - Scott V. Edwards
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA;, ,
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Gamboa MP, Ghalambor CK, Scott Sillett T, Morrison SA, Chris Funk W. Adaptive divergence in bill morphology and other thermoregulatory traits is facilitated by restricted gene flow in song sparrows on the California Channel Islands. Mol Ecol 2021; 31:603-619. [PMID: 34704295 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2021] [Revised: 09/20/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Disentangling the effects of neutral and adaptive processes in maintaining phenotypic variation across environmental gradients is challenging in natural populations. Song sparrows (Melospiza melodia) on the California Channel Islands occupy a pronounced east-west climate gradient within a small spatial scale, providing a unique opportunity to examine the interaction of genetic isolation (reduced gene flow) and the environment (selection) in driving variation. We used reduced representation genomic libraries to infer the role of neutral processes (drift and restricted gene flow) and divergent selection in driving variation in thermoregulatory traits with an emphasis on the mechanisms that maintain bill divergence among islands. Analyses of 22,029 neutral SNPs confirm distinct population structure by island with restricted gene flow and relatively large effective population sizes, suggesting bill differences are probably not a product of genetic drift. Instead, we found strong support for local adaptation using 3294 SNPs in differentiation-based and environmental association analyses coupled with genome-wide association tests. Specifically, we identified several putatively adaptive and candidate loci in or near genes involved in bill development pathways (e.g., BMP, CaM, Wnt), confirming the highly complex and polygenic architecture underlying bill morphology. Furthermore, we found divergence in genes associated with other thermoregulatory traits (i.e., feather structure, plumage colour, and physiology). Collectively, these results suggest strong divergent selection across an island archipelago results in genomic changes in a suite of traits associated with climate adaptation over small spatial scales. Future research should move beyond studying univariate traits to better understand multidimensional responses to complex environmental conditions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maybellene P Gamboa
- Department of Organismal Biology and Ecology, Colorado College, Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
| | - Cameron K Ghalambor
- Department of Biology, Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA.,Department of Biology, Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics (CBD), Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway
| | - T Scott Sillett
- Migratory Bird Center, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | | | - W Chris Funk
- Department of Biology, Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Fruciano C, Franchini P, Jones JC. Capturing the rapidly evolving study of adaptation. J Evol Biol 2021; 34:856-865. [PMID: 34145685 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2021] [Revised: 05/12/2021] [Accepted: 05/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Research on the genomics of adaptation is rapidly changing. In the last few decades, progress in this area has been driven by methodological advances, not only in the way increasingly large amounts of molecular data are generated (e.g. with high-throughput sequencing), but also in the way these data are analysed. This includes a growing appreciation and quantitative treatment of covariation among units within the same data type (e.g. genes) or across data types (e.g. genes and phenotypes). The development and adoption of more and more integrative tools have resulted in richer and more interesting empirical work. This special issue - comprising methodological, empirical, and review papers - aims to capture a 'snapshot' of this rapidly evolving field. We discuss in particular three important themes in the study of adaptation: the genetic architecture of adaptive variation, protein-coding and regulatory changes, and parallel evolution. We highlight how more traditional key themes in the study of genetic architecture (e.g. the number of loci underlying adaptive traits and the distribution of their effects) are now being complemented by other factors (e.g. how patterns of linkage and number of loci interact to affect the ability to adapt). Similarly, apart from addressing the relative importance of protein-coding and regulatory changes, we now have the tools to look in-depth at specific types of regulatory variation to gain a clearer picture of regulatory networks. Finally, parallel evolution has always been central to the study of adaptation, but now we are often able to address the question of whether - and to what extent - parallelism at the organismal or phenotypic level is matched by parallelism at the genetic level. Perhaps most importantly, we can now determine what mechanisms are driving parallelism (or lack thereof) across levels of biological organization. All these recent methodological developments open up new directions for future studies of adaptive changes across traits, levels of biological organization, demographic contexts and time scales.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Carmelo Fruciano
- National Research Council - Institute of Marine Biological Resources and Biotechnologies, Messina, Italy.,Institut de biologie de l'Ecole normale supérieure (IBENS), Ecole normale supérieure, CNRS, PSL Université Paris, Paris, France.,School of Biological Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK
| | - Paolo Franchini
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Julia C Jones
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Benham PM, Bowie RCK. The influence of spatially heterogeneous anthropogenic change on bill size evolution in a coastal songbird. Evol Appl 2021; 14:607-624. [PMID: 33664798 PMCID: PMC7896719 DOI: 10.1111/eva.13144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2020] [Revised: 09/27/2020] [Accepted: 09/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural history collections provide an unparalleled resource for documenting population responses to past anthropogenic change. However, in many cases, traits measured on specimens may vary temporally in response to a number of different anthropogenic pressures or demographic processes. While teasing apart these different drivers is challenging, approaches that integrate analyses of spatial and temporal series of specimens can provide a robust framework for examining whether traits exhibit common responses to ecological variation in space and time. We applied this approach to analyze bill morphology variation in California Savannah Sparrows (Passerculus sandwichensis). We found that bill surface area increased in birds from higher salinity tidal marshes that are hotter and drier. Only the coastal subspecies, alaudinus, exhibited a significant increase in bill size through time. As with patterns of spatial variation, alaudinus populations occupying higher salinity tidal marshes that have become warmer and drier over the past century exhibited the greatest increases in bill surface area. We also found a significant negative correlation between bill surface area and total evaporative water loss (TEWL) and estimated that observed increases in bill size could result in a reduction of up to 16.2% in daily water losses. Together, these patterns of spatial and temporal variation in bill size were consistent with the hypothesis that larger bills are favored in freshwater-limited environments as a mechanism of dissipating heat, reducing reliance on evaporative cooling, and increasing water conservation. With museum collections increasingly being leveraged to understand past responses to global change, this work highlights the importance of considering the influence of many different axes of anthropogenic change and of integrating spatial and temporal analyses to better understand the influence of specific human impacts on population change over time.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Phred M. Benham
- Museum of Vertebrate ZoologyUniversity of CaliforniaBerkeley, BerkeleyCAUSA
| | - Rauri C. K. Bowie
- Museum of Vertebrate ZoologyUniversity of CaliforniaBerkeley, BerkeleyCAUSA
- Department of Integrative BiologyUniversity of CaliforniaBerkeley, BerkeleyCAUSA
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Reid JM, Arcese P, Nietlisbach P, Wolak ME, Muff S, Dickel L, Keller LF. Immigration counter-acts local micro-evolution of a major fitness component: Migration-selection balance in free-living song sparrows. Evol Lett 2021; 5:48-60. [PMID: 33552535 PMCID: PMC7857281 DOI: 10.1002/evl3.214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2020] [Revised: 11/28/2020] [Accepted: 12/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Ongoing adaptive evolution, and resulting “evolutionary rescue” of declining populations, requires additive genetic variation in fitness. Such variation can be increased by gene flow resulting from immigration, potentially facilitating evolution. But, gene flow could in fact constrain rather than facilitate local adaptive evolution if immigrants have low additive genetic values for local fitness. Local migration‐selection balance and micro‐evolutionary stasis could then result. However, key quantitative genetic effects of natural immigration, comprising the degrees to which gene flow increases the total local additive genetic variance yet counteracts local adaptive evolutionary change, have not been explicitly quantified in wild populations. Key implications of gene flow for population and evolutionary dynamics consequently remain unclear. Our quantitative genetic analyses of long‐term data from free‐living song sparrows (Melospiza melodia) show that mean breeding value for local juvenile survival to adulthood, a major component of fitness, increased across cohorts more than expected solely due to drift. Such micro‐evolutionary change should be expected given nonzero additive genetic variance and consistent directional selection. However, this evolutionary increase was counteracted by negative additive genetic effects of recent immigrants, which increased total additive genetic variance but prevented a net directional evolutionary increase in total additive genetic value. These analyses imply an approximate quantitative genetic migration‐selection balance in a major fitness component, and hence demonstrate a key mechanism by which substantial additive genetic variation can be maintained yet decoupled from local adaptive evolutionary change.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jane M Reid
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics NTNU Trondheim Norway.,School of Biological Sciences University of Aberdeen Aberdeen UK
| | - Peter Arcese
- Forest & Conservation Sciences University of British Columbia Vancouver British Columbia Canada
| | - Pirmin Nietlisbach
- School of Biological Sciences Illinois State University Normal Illinois USA
| | - Matthew E Wolak
- Department of Biological Sciences Auburn University Auburn Alaska USA
| | - Stefanie Muff
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics NTNU Trondheim Norway.,Department of Mathematical Sciences NTNU Trondheim Norway
| | - Lisa Dickel
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics NTNU Trondheim Norway
| | - Lukas F Keller
- Department of Evolutionary Biology & Environmental Studies University of Zurich Zurich Switzerland.,Zoological Museum University of Zurich Zurich Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Treberg JR, Martyniuk CJ, Moyes CD. Getting the most out of reductionist approaches in comparative biochemistry and physiology. Comp Biochem Physiol B Biochem Mol Biol 2020; 250:110483. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpb.2020.110483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2020] [Revised: 07/06/2020] [Accepted: 07/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
|
19
|
Mikles CS, Aguillon SM, Chan YL, Arcese P, Benham PM, Lovette IJ, Walsh J. Genomic differentiation and local adaptation on a microgeographic scale in a resident songbird. Mol Ecol 2020; 29:4295-4307. [PMID: 32978972 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2019] [Revised: 08/24/2020] [Accepted: 09/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Elucidating forces capable of driving species diversification in the face of gene flow remains a key goal in evolutionary biology. Song sparrows, Melospiza melodia, occur as 25 subspecies in diverse habitats across North America, are among the continent's most widespread vertebrate species, and are exemplary of many highly variable species for which the conservation of locally adapted populations may be critical to their range-wide persistence. We focus here on six morphologically distinct subspecies resident in the San Francisco Bay region, including three salt-marsh endemics and three residents in upland and riparian habitats adjacent to the Bay. We used reduced-representation sequencing to generate 2,773 SNPs to explore genetic differentiation, spatial population structure, and demographic history. Clustering separated individuals from each of the six subspecies, indicating subtle differentiation at microgeographic scales. Evidence of limited gene flow and low nucleotide diversity across all six subspecies further supports a hypothesis of isolation among locally adapted populations. We suggest that natural selection for genotypes adapted to salt marsh environments and changes in demography over the past century have acted in concert to drive the patterns of diversification reported here. Our results offer evidence of microgeographic specialization in a highly polytypic bird species long discussed as a model of sympatric speciation and rapid adaptation, and they support the hypothesis that conserving locally adapted populations may be critical to the range-wide persistence of similarly highly variable species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chloe S Mikles
- Fuller Evolutionary Biology Program, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Stepfanie M Aguillon
- Fuller Evolutionary Biology Program, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | | | - Peter Arcese
- Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Phred M Benham
- The Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Irby J Lovette
- Fuller Evolutionary Biology Program, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Jennifer Walsh
- Fuller Evolutionary Biology Program, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Wagner DN, Curry RL, Chen N, Lovette IJ, Taylor SA. Genomic regions underlying metabolic and neuronal signaling pathways are temporally consistent in a moving avian hybrid zone. Evolution 2020; 74:1498-1513. [PMID: 32243568 DOI: 10.1111/evo.13970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2019] [Revised: 03/25/2020] [Accepted: 03/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The study of hybrid zones can provide insight into the genetic basis of species differences that are relevant for the maintenance of reproductive isolation. Hybrid zones can also provide insight into climate change, species distributions, and evolution. The hybrid zone between black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) and Carolina chickadees (Poecile carolinensis) is shifting northward in response to increasing winter temperatures but is not increasing in width. This pattern indicates strong selection against chickadees with admixed genomes. Using high-resolution genomic data, we identified regions of the genomes that are outliers in both time points and do not introgress between the species; these regions may be involved in the maintenance of reproductive isolation. Genes involved in metabolic regulation processes were overrepresented in this dataset. Several gene ontology categories were also temporally consistent-including glutamate signaling, synaptic transmission, and catabolic processes-but the nucleotide variants leading to this pattern were not. Our results support recent findings that hybrids between black-capped and Carolina chickadees have higher basal metabolic rates than either parental species and suffer spatial memory and problem-solving deficits. Metabolic breakdown, as well as spatial memory and problem-solving, in hybrid chickadees may act as strong postzygotic isolation mechanisms in this moving hybrid zone.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dominique N Wagner
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, 80309
| | - Robert L Curry
- Department of Biology, Villanova University, Villanova, Pennsylvania, 19085
| | - Nancy Chen
- Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, 14627
| | - Irby J Lovette
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 14850
| | - Scott A Taylor
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, 80309
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Tusiime FM, Gizaw A, Gussarova G, Nemomissa S, Popp M, Masao CA, Wondimu T, Abdi AA, Mirré V, Muwanika V, Eilu G, Brochmann C. Afro-alpine flagships revisited: Parallel adaptation, intermountain admixture and shallow genetic structuring in the giant senecios (Dendrosenecio). PLoS One 2020; 15:e0228979. [PMID: 32187202 PMCID: PMC7080232 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0228979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2019] [Accepted: 01/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Distantly related lineages of the enigmatic giant rosette plants of tropical alpine environments provide classical examples of convergent adaptation. For the giant senecios (Dendrosenecio), the endemic landmarks of the East African sky islands, it has also been suggested that parallel adaptation has been important for within-lineage differentiation. To test this hypothesis and to address potential gene flow and hybridization among the isolated sky islands, we organized field expeditions to all major mountains. We sampled all currently accepted species and all but one subspecies and genotyped 460 plants representing 109 populations. We tested whether genetic structuring corresponds to geography, as predicted by a parallel adaptation hypothesis, or to altitudinal belt and habitat rather than mountains, as predicted by a hypothesis of a single origin of adaptations. Bayesian and Neighbor-Net analyses showed that the main genetic structure is shallow and largely corresponds to geography, supporting a hypothesis of recent, rapid radiation via parallel altitude/habitat adaptation on different mountains. We also found evidence for intermountain admixture, suggesting several long-distance dispersals by wind across vast areas of unsuitable habitat. The combination of parallel adaptation, secondary contact, and hybridization may explain the complex patterns of morphological variation and the contradicting taxonomic treatments of these rare enigmatic giants, supporting the use of wide taxonomic concepts. Notably, the within-population genetic diversity was very low and calls for increased conservation efforts.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Felly Mugizi Tusiime
- Department of Forestry, Biodiversity and Tourism, School of Forestry, Environmental and Geographical Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
- Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Blindern, Oslo, Norway
| | - Abel Gizaw
- Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Blindern, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Plant Biology and Biodiversity Management, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- * E-mail: ,
| | - Galina Gussarova
- Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Blindern, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Botany, St Petersburg State University, St Petersburg, Russia
- UiT – The Arctic University of Norway, UMAK, The Arctic University Museum of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Sileshi Nemomissa
- Department of Plant Biology and Biodiversity Management, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Magnus Popp
- Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Blindern, Oslo, Norway
| | - Catherine Aloyce Masao
- Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Blindern, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Forest Biology, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania
| | - Tigist Wondimu
- Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Blindern, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Plant Biology and Biodiversity Management, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Ahmed Abdikadir Abdi
- Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Blindern, Oslo, Norway
- Botany Department, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Virginia Mirré
- Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Blindern, Oslo, Norway
| | - Vincent Muwanika
- Department of Forestry, Biodiversity and Tourism, School of Forestry, Environmental and Geographical Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Gerald Eilu
- Department of Forestry, Biodiversity and Tourism, School of Forestry, Environmental and Geographical Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
| | | |
Collapse
|
22
|
Walsh J, Clucas GV, MacManes MD, Thomas WK, Kovach AI. Divergent selection and drift shape the genomes of two avian sister species spanning a saline-freshwater ecotone. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:13477-13494. [PMID: 31871659 PMCID: PMC6912898 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2019] [Accepted: 08/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The role of species divergence due to ecologically based divergent selection-or ecological speciation-in generating and maintaining biodiversity is a central question in evolutionary biology. Comparison of the genomes of phylogenetically related taxa spanning a selective habitat gradient enables discovery of divergent signatures of selection and thereby provides valuable insight into the role of divergent ecological selection in speciation. Tidal marsh ecosystems provide tractable opportunities for studying organisms' adaptations to selective pressures that underlie ecological divergence. Sharp environmental gradients across the saline-freshwater ecotone within tidal marshes present extreme adaptive challenges to terrestrial vertebrates. Here, we sequence 20 whole genomes of two avian sister species endemic to tidal marshes-the saltmarsh sparrow (Ammospiza caudacutus) and Nelson's sparrow (A. nelsoni)-to evaluate the influence of selective and demographic processes in shaping genome-wide patterns of divergence. Genome-wide divergence between these two recently diverged sister species was notably high (genome-wide F ST = 0.32). Against a background of high genome-wide divergence, regions of elevated divergence were widespread throughout the genome, as opposed to focused within islands of differentiation. These patterns may be the result of genetic drift resulting from past tidal march colonization events in conjunction with divergent selection to different environments. We identified several candidate genes that exhibited elevated divergence between saltmarsh and Nelson's sparrows, including genes linked to osmotic regulation, circadian rhythm, and plumage melanism-all putative candidates linked to adaptation to tidal marsh environments. These findings provide new insights into the roles of divergent selection and genetic drift in generating and maintaining biodiversity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Walsh
- Department of Natural Resources and the EnvironmentUniversity of New HampshireDurhamNHUSA
- Fuller Evolutionary Biology ProgramCornell Laboratory of OrnithologyCornell UniversityIthacaNYUSA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyCornell UniversityIthacaNYUSA
| | - Gemma V. Clucas
- Department of Natural Resources and the EnvironmentUniversity of New HampshireDurhamNHUSA
- Present address:
Cornell Lab of OrnithologyIthacaNYUSA
| | - Matthew D. MacManes
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Biomedical SciencesUniversity of New HampshireDurhamNHUSA
- Hubbard Center for Genome StudiesDurhamNHUSA
| | - W. Kelley Thomas
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Biomedical SciencesUniversity of New HampshireDurhamNHUSA
- Hubbard Center for Genome StudiesDurhamNHUSA
| | - Adrienne I. Kovach
- Department of Natural Resources and the EnvironmentUniversity of New HampshireDurhamNHUSA
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Benham PM, Cheviron ZA. Population history and the selective landscape shape patterns of osmoregulatory trait divergence in tidal marsh Savannah sparrows (Passerculus sandwichensis). Evolution 2019; 74:57-72. [DOI: 10.1111/evo.13886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2019] [Revised: 10/12/2019] [Accepted: 11/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Phred M. Benham
- Division of Biological SciencesUniversity of Montana Missoula Montana 59812
- Current Address: Museum of Vertebrate ZoologyUniversity of California Berkeley 3101 Valley Life Sciences Building Berkeley CA 94720‐3160
| | | |
Collapse
|