Divergent Selection in Low Recombination Regions Shapes the Genomic Islands in Two Incipient Shorebird Species.
Mol Biol Evol
; 41(2)2024 Feb 01.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38225175
ABSTRACT
Speciation in the face of gene flow is usually associated with a heterogeneous genomic landscape of divergence in nascent species pairs. However, multiple factors, such as divergent selection and local recombination rate variation, can influence the formation of these genomic islands. Examination of the genomic landscapes of species pairs that are still in the early stages of speciation provides an insight into this conundrum. In this study, population genomic analyses were undertaken using a wide range of sampling and whole-genome resequencing data from 96 unrelated individuals of Kentish plover (Charadrius alexandrinus) and white-faced plover (Charadrius dealbatus). We suggest that the two species exhibit varying levels of population admixture along the Chinese coast and on the Taiwan Island. Genome-wide analyses for introgression indicate that ancient introgression had occurred in Taiwan population, and gene flow is still ongoing in mainland coastal populations. Furthermore, we identified a few genomic regions with significant levels of interspecific differentiation and local recombination suppression, which contain several genes potentially associated with disease resistance, coloration, and regulation of plumage molting and thus may be relevant to the phenotypic and ecological divergence of the two nascent species. Overall, our findings suggest that divergent selection in low recombination regions may be a main force in shaping the genomic islands in two incipient shorebird species.
Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Genomic Islands
/
Genome-Wide Association Study
Type of study:
Prognostic_studies
Limits:
Humans
Language:
En
Journal:
Mol Biol Evol
Journal subject:
BIOLOGIA MOLECULAR
Year:
2024
Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
China