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Berv JS, Singhal S, Field DJ, Walker-Hale N, McHugh SW, Shipley JR, Miller ET, Kimball RT, Braun EL, Dornburg A, Parins-Fukuchi CT, Prum RO, Winger BM, Friedman M, Smith SA. Genome and life-history evolution link bird diversification to the end-Cretaceous mass extinction. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadp0114. [PMID: 39083615 PMCID: PMC11290531 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adp0114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2024] [Accepted: 06/28/2024] [Indexed: 08/02/2024]
Abstract
Complex patterns of genome evolution associated with the end-Cretaceous [Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg)] mass extinction limit our understanding of the early evolutionary history of modern birds. Here, we analyzed patterns of avian molecular evolution and identified distinct macroevolutionary regimes across exons, introns, untranslated regions, and mitochondrial genomes. Bird clades originating near the K-Pg boundary exhibited numerous shifts in the mode of molecular evolution, suggesting a burst of genomic heterogeneity at this point in Earth's history. These inferred shifts in substitution patterns were closely related to evolutionary shifts in developmental mode, adult body mass, and patterns of metabolic scaling. Our results suggest that the end-Cretaceous mass extinction triggered integrated patterns of evolution across avian genomes, physiology, and life history near the dawn of the modern bird radiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob S. Berv
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, 1105 North University Avenue, Biological Sciences Building, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Museum of Paleontology, University of Michigan, 1105 North University Avenue, Biological Sciences Building, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, 1105 North University Avenue, Biological Sciences Building, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Sonal Singhal
- Department of Biology, California State University, Dominguez Hills, Carson, CA 90747, USA
| | - Daniel J. Field
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EQ, UK
- Museum of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
| | - Nathanael Walker-Hale
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EA, UK
| | - Sean W. McHugh
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Population Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | - J. Ryan Shipley
- Department of Forest Dynamics, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow, and Landscape Research WSL, Zürcherstrasse 111 8903, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Eliot T. Miller
- Center for Avian Population Studies, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
| | - Rebecca T. Kimball
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Edward L. Braun
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Alex Dornburg
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA
| | - C. Tomomi Parins-Fukuchi
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3B2, Canada
| | - Richard O. Prum
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
- Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Benjamin M. Winger
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, 1105 North University Avenue, Biological Sciences Building, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, 1105 North University Avenue, Biological Sciences Building, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Matt Friedman
- Museum of Paleontology, University of Michigan, 1105 North University Avenue, Biological Sciences Building, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Michigan, 1100 North University Avenue, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Stephen A. Smith
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, 1105 North University Avenue, Biological Sciences Building, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
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2
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Ning Y, Liu D, Gu J, Zhang Y, Roberts NJ, Guskov VY, Sun J, Liu D, Gong M, Qi J, He Z, Shi C, Jiang G. The genetic status and rescue measure for a geographically isolated population of Amur tigers. Sci Rep 2024; 14:8088. [PMID: 38582794 PMCID: PMC10998829 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-58746-9] [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: 08/18/2023] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/08/2024] Open
Abstract
The Amur tiger is currently confronted with challenges of anthropogenic development, leading to its population becoming fragmented into two geographically isolated groups: smaller and larger ones. Small and isolated populations frequently face a greater extinction risk, yet the small tiger population's genetic status and survival potential have not been assessed. Here, a total of 210 samples of suspected Amur tiger feces were collected from this small population, and the genetic background and population survival potentials were assessed by using 14 microsatellite loci. Our results demonstrated that the mean number of alleles in all loci was 3.7 and expected heterozygosity was 0.6, indicating a comparatively lower level of population genetic diversity compared to previously reported studies on other subspecies. The genetic estimates of effective population size (Ne) and the Ne/N ratio were merely 7.6 and 0.152, respectively, representing lower values in comparison to the Amur tiger population in Sikhote-Alin (the larger group). However, multiple methods have indicated the possibility of genetic divergence within our isolated population under study. Meanwhile, the maximum kinship recorded was 0.441, and the mean inbreeding coefficient stood at 0.0868, both of which are higher than those observed in other endangered species, such as the African lion and the grey wolf. Additionally, we have identified a significant risk of future extinction if the lethal equivalents were to reach 6.26, which is higher than that of other large carnivores. Further, our simulation results indicated that an increase in the number of breeding females would enhance the prospects of this population. In summary, our findings provide a critical theoretical basis for further bailout strategies concerning Amur tigers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yao Ning
- College of Life Science, Jilin Agricultural University, 2888 Xincheng Street, Changchun, 130118, China
| | - Dongqi Liu
- Feline Research Center of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, College of Wildlife and Protected Area, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
| | - Jiayin Gu
- Feline Research Center of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, College of Wildlife and Protected Area, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
| | - Yifei Zhang
- College of Life Science, Jilin Agricultural University, 2888 Xincheng Street, Changchun, 130118, China
| | - Nathan James Roberts
- Feline Research Center of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, College of Wildlife and Protected Area, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
| | - Valentin Yu Guskov
- Federal Scientific Center of the East Asia Terrestrial Biodiversity, Far Eastern Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences (FSCEATB FEB RAS), Vladivostok, Russian Federation
| | - Jiale Sun
- Feline Research Center of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, College of Wildlife and Protected Area, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
| | - Dan Liu
- Siberian Tiger Park, Harbin, 150028, Heilongjiang, China
| | - Ming Gong
- Siberian Tiger Park, Harbin, 150028, Heilongjiang, China
| | - Jinzhe Qi
- Feline Research Center of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, College of Wildlife and Protected Area, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
| | - Zhijian He
- Feline Research Center of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, College of Wildlife and Protected Area, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
| | - Chunmei Shi
- College of Mathematics and Computer Science, Zhejiang Agriculture and Forestry University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Guangshun Jiang
- Feline Research Center of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, College of Wildlife and Protected Area, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China.
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Galtier N. Half a Century of Controversy: The Neutralist/Selectionist Debate in Molecular Evolution. Genome Biol Evol 2024; 16:evae003. [PMID: 38311843 PMCID: PMC10839204 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evae003] [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] [Accepted: 01/01/2024] [Indexed: 02/06/2024] Open
Abstract
The neutral and nearly neutral theories, introduced more than 50 yr ago, have raised and still raise passionate discussion regarding the forces governing molecular evolution and their relative importance. The debate, initially focused on the amount of within-species polymorphism and constancy of the substitution rate, has spread, matured, and now underlies a wide range of topics and questions. The neutralist/selectionist controversy has structured the field and influences the way molecular evolutionary scientists conceive their research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Galtier
- ISEM, CNRS, IRD, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
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Machado FA, Mongle CS, Slater G, Penna A, Wisniewski A, Soffin A, Dutra V, Uyeda JC. Rules of teeth development align microevolution with macroevolution in extant and extinct primates. Nat Ecol Evol 2023; 7:1729-1739. [PMID: 37652997 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-023-02167-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2022] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023]
Abstract
Macroevolutionary biologists have classically rejected the notion that higher-level patterns of divergence arise through microevolutionary processes acting within populations. For morphology, this consensus partly derives from the inability of quantitative genetics models to correctly predict the behaviour of evolutionary processes at the scale of millions of years. Developmental studies (evo-devo) have been proposed to reconcile micro- and macroevolution. However, there has been little progress in establishing a formal framework to apply evo-devo models of phenotypic diversification. Here we reframe this issue by asking whether using evo-devo models to quantify biological variation can improve the explanatory power of comparative models, thus helping us bridge the gap between micro- and macroevolution. We test this prediction by evaluating the evolution of primate lower molars in a comprehensive dataset densely sampled across living and extinct taxa. Our results suggest that biologically informed morphospaces alongside quantitative genetics models allow a seamless transition between the micro- and macroscales, whereas biologically uninformed spaces do not. We show that the adaptive landscape for primate teeth is corridor like, with changes in morphology within the corridor being nearly neutral. Overall, our framework provides a basis for integrating evo-devo into the modern synthesis, allowing an operational way to evaluate the ultimate causes of macroevolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabio A Machado
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA.
| | - Carrie S Mongle
- Department of Anthropology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
- Turkana Basin Institute, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Graham Slater
- Department of the Geophysical Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Anna Penna
- Department of Anthropology, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Anna Wisniewski
- Department of the Geophysical Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Anna Soffin
- Department of Biology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Vitor Dutra
- Department of Anthropology, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, USA
| | - Josef C Uyeda
- Department of Biology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
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Cervantes S, Kesälahti R, Kumpula TA, Mattila TM, Helanterä H, Pyhäjärvi T. Strong Purifying Selection in Haploid Tissue-Specific Genes of Scots Pine Supports the Masking Theory. Mol Biol Evol 2023; 40:msad183. [PMID: 37565532 PMCID: PMC10457172 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msad183] [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] [Received: 03/06/2023] [Revised: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The masking theory states that genes expressed in a haploid stage will be under more efficient selection. In contrast, selection will be less efficient in genes expressed in a diploid stage, where the fitness effects of recessive deleterious or beneficial mutations can be hidden from selection in heterozygous form. This difference can influence several evolutionary processes such as the maintenance of genetic variation, adaptation rate, and genetic load. Masking theory expectations have been confirmed in single-cell haploid and diploid organisms. However, in multicellular organisms, such as plants, the effects of haploid selection are not clear-cut. In plants, the great majority of studies indicating haploid selection have been carried out using male haploid tissues in angiosperms. Hence, evidence in these systems is confounded with the effects of sexual selection and intraspecific competition. Evidence from other plant groups is scarce, and results show no support for the masking theory. Here, we have used a gymnosperm Scots pine megagametophyte, a maternally derived seed haploid tissue, and four diploid tissues to test the strength of purifying selection on a set of genes with tissue-specific expression. By using targeted resequencing data of those genes, we obtained estimates of genetic diversity, the site frequency spectrum of 0-fold and 4-fold sites, and inferred the distribution of fitness effects of new mutations in haploid and diploid tissue-specific genes. Our results show that purifying selection is stronger for tissue-specific genes expressed in the haploid megagametophyte tissue and that this signal of strong selection is not an artifact driven by high expression levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Cervantes
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
- Biocenter Oulu, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Robert Kesälahti
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Timo A Kumpula
- Biocenter Oulu, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
- Laboratory of Cancer Genetics and Tumor Biology, Research Unit of Translational Medicine, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Tiina M Mattila
- Human Evolution, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Heikki Helanterä
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Tanja Pyhäjärvi
- Department of Forest Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
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Chen J, Bataillon T, Glémin S, Lascoux M. What does the distribution of fitness effects of new mutations reflect? Insights from plants. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2022; 233:1613-1619. [PMID: 34704271 DOI: 10.1111/nph.17826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The distribution of fitness effects (DFE) of new mutations plays a central role in molecular evolution. It is therefore crucial to be able to estimate it accurately from genomic data and to understand the factors that shape it. After a rapid overview of available methods to characterize the fitness effects of mutations, we review what is known on the factors affecting them in plants. Available data indicate that life history traits (e.g. mating system and longevity) have a major effect on the DFE. By contrast, the impact of demography within species appears to be more limited. These results remain to be confirmed, and methods to estimate the joint evolution of demography, life history traits, and the DFE need to be developed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Chen
- College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310058, China
| | - Thomas Bataillon
- Bioinformatics Research Centre, Aarhus University, C.F. Möllers Allé 8, Aarhus C, DK-8000, Denmark
| | - Sylvain Glémin
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), ECOBIO (Ecosystèmes, Biodiversité, Evolution) - Unité Mixte de Recherche (UMR) 6553, Université de Rennes, Rennes, F-35000, France
- Program in Plant Ecology and Evolution, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, 75236, Sweden
| | - Martin Lascoux
- Program in Plant Ecology and Evolution, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, 75236, Sweden
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7
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Abstract
The nearly neutral theory is a common framework to describe natural selection at the molecular level. This theory emphasizes the importance of slightly deleterious mutations by recognizing their ability to segregate and eventually get fixed due to genetic drift in spite of the presence of purifying selection. As genetic drift is stronger in smaller than in larger populations, a correlation between population size and molecular measures of natural selection is expected within the nearly neutral theory. However, this hypothesis was originally formulated under equilibrium conditions. As most natural populations are not in equilibrium, testing the relationship empirically may lead to confounded outcomes. Demographic nonequilibria, for instance following a change in population size, are common scenarios that are expected to push the selection–drift relationship off equilibrium. By explicitly modeling the effects of a change in population size on allele frequency trajectories in the Poisson random field framework, we obtain analytical solutions of the nonstationary allele frequency spectrum. This enables us to derive exact results of measures of natural selection and effective population size in a demographic nonequilibrium. The study of their time-dependent relationship reveals a substantial deviation from the equilibrium selection–drift balance after a change in population size. Moreover, we show that the deviation is sensitive to the combination of different measures. These results therefore constitute relevant tools for empirical studies to choose suitable measures for investigating the selection–drift relationship in natural populations. Additionally, our new modeling approach extends existing population genetics theory and can serve as foundation for methodological developments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebekka Müller
- Department of Mathematics, Uppsala University, 752 37 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Ingemar Kaj
- Department of Mathematics, Uppsala University, 752 37 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Carina F. Mugal
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, 752 36 Uppsala, Sweden
- Corresponding author: E-mail:
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Latrille T, Lartillot N. Quantifying the impact of changes in effective population size and expression level on the rate of coding sequence evolution. Theor Popul Biol 2021; 142:57-66. [PMID: 34563555 DOI: 10.1016/j.tpb.2021.09.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2021] [Revised: 09/08/2021] [Accepted: 09/11/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Molecular sequences are shaped by selection, where the strength of selection relative to drift is determined by effective population size (Ne). Populations with high Ne are expected to undergo stronger purifying selection, and consequently to show a lower substitution rate for selected mutations relative to the substitution rate for neutral mutations (ω). However, computational models based on biophysics of protein stability have suggested that ω can also be independent of Ne. Together, the response of ω to changes in Ne depends on the specific mapping from sequence to fitness. Importantly, an increase in protein expression level has been found empirically to result in decrease of ω, an observation predicted by theoretical models assuming selection for protein stability. Here, we derive a theoretical approximation for the response of ω to changes in Ne and expression level, under an explicit genotype-phenotype-fitness map. The method is generally valid for additive traits and log-concave fitness functions. We applied these results to protein undergoing selection for their conformational stability and corroborate out findings with simulations under more complex models. We predict a weak response of ω to changes in either Ne or expression level, which are interchangeable. Based on empirical data, we propose that fitness based on the conformational stability may not be a sufficient mechanism to explain the empirically observed variation in ω across species. Other aspects of protein biophysics might be explored, such as protein-protein interactions, which can lead to a stronger response of ω to changes in Ne.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Latrille
- Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Évolutive UMR 5558, F-69622 Villeurbanne, France; École Normale Supérieure de Lyon, Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1, Lyon, France.
| | - N Lartillot
- Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Évolutive UMR 5558, F-69622 Villeurbanne, France
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