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Salinity is a key factor that structures biodiversity on the planet. With anthropogenic change, such as climate change and species invasions, many populations are facing rapid and dramatic changes in salinity throughout the globe. Studies on the copepod Eurytemora affinis species complex have implicated ion transporter gene families as major loci contributing to salinity adaptation during freshwater invasions. Laboratory experiments and population genomic surveys of wild populations have revealed evolutionary shifts in genome-wide gene expression and parallel genomic signatures of natural selection during independent salinity transitions. Our results suggest that balancing selection in the native range and epistatic interactions among specific ion transporter paralogs could contribute to parallel freshwater adaptation. Overall, these studies provide unprecedented insights into evolutionary mechanisms underlying physiological adaptation during rapid salinity change.
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Widespread gene flow following range expansion in Anna's Hummingbird
Abstract Anthropogenic changes have altered the historical distributions of many North American taxa. As environments shift, ecological and evolutionary processes can combine in complex ways to either stimulate or inhibit range expansion. Here, we examined the role of evolution in a rapid range expansion whose ecological context has been well‐documented, Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte anna). Previous studies have suggested that theC. annarange expansion is the result of an ecological release facilitated by human‐mediated environmental changes, where access to new food sources have allowed further filling of the abiotic niche. We examined the role of gene flow and adaptation during range expansion from their native California breeding range, north into Canada and east into New Mexico and Texas, USA. Using low coverage whole genome sequencing we found high genetic diversity, low divergence, and little evidence of selection on the northern and eastern expansion fronts. Additionally, there are no clear barriers to gene flow across the native and expanded range. The lack of selective signals between core and expanded ranges could reflect (i) an absence of novel selection pressure in the expanded range (supporting the ecological release hypothesis), (ii) swamping of adaptive variation due to high gene flow, or (iii) limitations of genome scans for detecting small shifts in allele frequencies across many loci. Nevertheless, our results provide an example where strong selection is not apparent during a rapid, contemporary range shift.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1837940
- PAR ID:
- 10420819
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley-Blackwell
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Molecular Ecology
- Volume:
- 32
- Issue:
- 12
- ISSN:
- 0962-1083
- Format(s):
- Medium: X Size: p. 3089-3101
- Size(s):
- p. 3089-3101
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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