Counteracting forces of introgressive hybridization and interspecific competition shape the morphological traits of cryptic Iberian Eptesicus bats.
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Horta P
PROVIDER: S-EPMC9270368 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Similar Datasets
Project description:Introgressive hybridization is an important and widespread evolutionary process, but the relative roles of neutral demography and natural selection in promoting massive introgression are difficult to assess and an important matter of debate. Hares from the Iberian Peninsula provide an appropriate system to study this question. In its northern range, the Iberian hare, Lepus granatensis, shows a northwards gradient of increasing mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) introgression from the arctic/boreal L. timidus, which it presumably replaced after the last glacial maximum. Here, we asked whether a south-north expansion wave of L. granatensis into L. timidus territory could underlie mtDNA introgression, and whether nuclear genes interacting with mitochondria ("mitonuc" genes) were affected. We extended previous RNA-sequencing and produced a comprehensive annotated transcriptome assembly for L. granatensis. We then genotyped 100 discovered nuclear SNPs in 317 specimens spanning the species range. The distribution of allele frequencies across populations suggests a northwards range expansion, particularly in the region of mtDNA introgression. We found no correlation between variants at 39 mitonuc genes and mtDNA introgression frequency. Whether the nuclear and mitochondrial genomes coevolved will need a thorough investigation of the hundreds of mitonuc genes, but range expansion and species replacement likely promoted massive mtDNA introgression.
| S-EPMC5264399 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Costly interactions between species that arise as a by-product of ancestral similarities in communication signals are expected to persist only under specific evolutionary circumstances. Territorial aggression between species, for instance, is widely assumed to persist only when extrinsic barriers prevent niche divergence or selection in sympatry is too weak to overcome gene flow from allopatry. However, recent theoretical and comparative studies have challenged this view. Here we present a large-scale, phylogenetic analysis of the distribution and determinants of interspecific territoriality. We find that interspecific territoriality is widespread in birds and strongly associated with hybridization and resource overlap during the breeding season. Contrary to the view that territoriality only persists between species that rarely breed in the same areas or where niche divergence is constrained by habitat structure, we find that interspecific territoriality is positively associated with breeding habitat overlap and unrelated to habitat structure. Furthermore, our results provide compelling evidence that ancestral similarities in territorial signals are maintained and reinforced by selection when interspecific territoriality is adaptive. The territorial signals linked to interspecific territoriality in birds depend on the evolutionary age of interacting species, plumage at shallow (within-family) timescales, and song at deeper (between-family) timescales. Evidently, territorial interactions between species have persisted and shaped phenotypic diversity on a macroevolutionary timescale.
| S-EPMC7293658 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Iberian wild goats (Capra pyrenaica, also known as Iberian ibex, Spanish ibex, and Spanish wild goat) underwent strong genetic bottlenecks during the 19th and 20th centuries due to overhunting and habitat destruction. From the 1970s to 1990s, augmentation translocations were frequently carried out to restock Iberian wild goat populations (very often with hunting purposes), but they were not systematically planned or recorded. On the other hand, recent data suggest the occurrence of hybridization events between Iberian wild goats and domestic goats (Capra hircus). Augmentation translocations and interspecific hybridization might have contributed to increase the diversity of Iberian wild goats. With the aim of investigating this issue, we have genotyped 118 Iberian wild goats from Tortosa-Beceite, Sierra Nevada, Muela de Cortes, Gredos, Batuecas, and Ordesa and Monte Perdido by using the Goat SNP50 BeadChip (Illumina). The analysis of genotypic data indicated that Iberian wild goat populations are strongly differentiated and display low diversity. Only three Iberian wild goats out from 118 show genomic signatures of mixed ancestry, a result consistent with a scenario in which past augmentation translocations have had a limited impact on the diversity of Iberian wild goats. Besides, we have detected eight Iberian wild goats from Tortosa-Beceite with signs of domestic goat introgression. Although rare, hybridization with domestic goats could become a potential threat to the genetic integrity of Iberian wild goats; hence, measures should be taken to avoid the presence of uncontrolled herds of domestic or feral goats in mountainous areas inhabited by this iconic wild ungulate.
| S-EPMC8591326 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Trophically polymorphic species could represent lineages that are rapidly diverging along an ecological axis or could phenotypically mark the collapse of species through introgressive hybridization. We investigated patterns of introgression between the trophically polymorphic cichlid fish Herichthys minckleyi and its relative H. cyanoguttatus using a combination of population genetics and species tree analyses. We first examined the distribution of mitochondrial haplotypes within the alternative H. minckleyi pharyngeal jaw morphotypes that are endemic to the small desert valley of Cuatro Ciénegas. We recovered two clusters of mitochondrial haplotypes. The first contained a number of slightly differentiated cytochrome b (cytb) haplotypes that showed some phylogeographic signal and were present in both jaw morphotypes. The other haplotype was monomorphic, highly differentiated from the other cluster, present in equal frequencies in the morphotypes, and identical to H. cyanoguttatus haplotypes found outside Cuatro Ciénegas. Then, we investigated whether H. minckleyi individuals with the H. cyanoguttatus cytb were more evolutionarily similar to H. cyanoguttatus or other H. minckleyi using a species tree analysis of 84 nuclear loci. Both H. minckleyi pharyngeal morphotypes, regardless of their cytb haplotype, were quite distinct from H. cyanoguttatus. However, hybridization could be blurring subdivision within H. minckleyi as the alternative jaw morphotypes were not genetically distinct from one another. Accounting for introgression from H. cyanoguttatus will be essential to understand the evolution of the trophically polymorphic cichlid H. minckleyi.
| S-EPMC3856752 | biostudies-literature
Project description:We report on a genome-wide scan for introgression in the house mouse (Mus musculus domesticus) involving the Algerian mouse (Mus spretus), using 20 samples from the ranges of sympatry and allopatry. Our analysis reveals significant variability in introgression signatures along the genomes, as well as across the samples. We find that fewer than half of the chromosomes in each genome harbor all detectable introgression. Further, a surprising result is that European mice carry more M. spretus alleles than the sympatric African ones. Using the length distribution and sharing patterns of introgressed genomic tracts across the samples, we propose three hypotheses. First, at least three distinct hybridization events involving M. spretus have occurred, one of which is ancient, and the other two are recent. Second, several of the inferred introgressed tracts contain genes that are likely to confer adaptive advantage. Third, introgressed tracts might contain driver genes that determine the evolutionary fate of those tracts. Further, our analysis revealed introgressed genes of functional importance, including the Vkorc1 gene, which is implicated in rodenticide resistance, and olfactory receptor genes. Our findings highlight the extent and role of introgression in nature, and call for careful analysis and interpretation of house mouse data in evolutionary and genetic studies.
2014-11-01 | GSE62906 | GEO
Project description:Different species of bat can be morphologically very similar. In order to estimate the amount of cryptic diversity among European bats we screened the intra- and interspecific genetic variation in 26 European vespertilionid bat species. We sequenced the DNA of subunit 1 of the mitochondrial protein NADH dehydrogenase (ND1) from several individuals of a species, which were sampled in a variety of geographical regions. A phylogeny based on the mitochondrial (mt) DNA data is in good agreement with the current classification in the family. Highly divergent mitochondrial lineages were found in two taxa, which differed in at least 11% of their ND1 sequence. The two mtDNA lineages in Plecotus austriacus correlated with the two subspecies Plecotus austriacus austriacus and Plecotus austriacus kolombatovici. The two mtDNA lineages in Myotis mystacinus were partitioned among two morphotypes. The evidence for two new bat species within Europe is discussed. Convergent adaptive evolution might have contributed to the morphological similarity among distantly related species if they occupy similar ecological niches. Closely related species may differ in their ecology but not necessarily in their morphology. On the other hand, two morphologically clearly different species (Eptesicus serotinus and Eptesicus nilssonii) were found to be genetically very similar. Neither morphological nor mitochondrial DNA sequence analysis alone can be guaranteed to identify species.
| S-EPMC1088815 | biostudies-other
Project description:We report on a genome-wide scan for introgression between the house mouse (Mus musculus domesticus) and the Algerian mouse (Mus spretus), using samples from the ranges of sympatry and allopatry in Africa and Europe. Our analysis reveals wide variability in introgression signatures along the genomes, as well as across the samples. We find that fewer than half of the autosomes in each genome harbor all detectable introgression, whereas the X chromosome has none. Further, European mice carry more M. spretus alleles than the sympatric African ones. Using the length distribution and sharing patterns of introgressed genomic tracts across the samples, we infer, first, that at least three distinct hybridization events involving M. spretus have occurred, one of which is ancient, and the other two are recent (one presumably due to warfarin rodenticide selection). Second, several of the inferred introgressed tracts contain genes that are likely to confer adaptive advantage. Third, introgressed tracts might contain driver genes that determine the evolutionary fate of those tracts. Further, functional analysis revealed introgressed genes that are essential to fitness, including the Vkorc1 gene, which is implicated in rodenticide resistance, and olfactory receptor genes. Our findings highlight the extent and role of introgression in nature and call for careful analysis and interpretation of house mouse data in evolutionary and genetic studies.
| S-EPMC4291675 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Big brown bats were trained in a two-choice task to locate a two-cylinder dipole object with a constant 5 cm spacing in the presence of either a one-cylinder monopole or another two-cylinder dipole with a shorter spacing. For the dipole versus monopole task, the objects were either stationary or in motion during each trial. The dipole and monopole objects varied from trial to trial in the left-right position while also roving in range (10-40 cm), cross range separation (15-40 cm), and dipole aspect angle (0 degrees -90 degrees ). These manipulations prevented any single feature of the acoustic stimuli from being a stable indicator of which object was the correct choice. After accounting for effects of masking between echoes from pairs of cylinders at similar distances, the bats discriminated the 5 cm dipole from both the monopole and dipole alternatives with performance independent of aspect angle, implying a distal, spatial object representation rather than a proximal, acoustic object representation.
| S-EPMC2809676 | biostudies-other
Project description:Bats are the reservoir for a large number of zoonotic viruses, including members of Coronaviridae (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus [SARS-CoV] and SARS-CoV-2), Paramyxoviridae (Hendra and Nipah viruses), Rhabdoviridae (rabies virus), and Filoviridae (Ebola virus) as exemplars. Many retroviruses, such as human immunodeficiency virus, are similarly zoonotic; however, only infectious exogenous gammaretroviruses have recently been identified in bats. Here, viral metagenomic sequencing of samples from bats submitted for rabies virus testing, largely due to human exposure, identified a novel, highly divergent exogenous Deltaretrovirus from a big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus) in South Dakota. The virus sequence, corresponding to Eptesicus fuscus deltaretrovirus (EfDRV), comprised a nearly complete coding region comprised of canonical 5'-gag-pro-pol-env-3' genes with 37% to 51% identity to human T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV), an infectious retrovirus that causes T-cell lymphoma. A putative tax gene with 27% identity to HTLV was located downstream of the pol gene along with a gene harbored in an alternative reading frame which possessed a conserved domain for an Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen involved in gene transactivation, suggesting a regulatory function similar to that of the deltaretrovirus rex gene. A TaqMan reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) targeting the pol gene identified 4/60 (6.7%) bats as positive for EfDRV, which, combined with a search of the E. fuscus genome that failed to identify sequences with homology to EfDRV, suggests that EfDRV is an infectious exogenous virus. As all known members of Deltaretrovirus can cause malignancies and E. fuscus is widely distributed in the Americas, often with a colonial roosting behavior in human dwellings, further studies are needed to investigate potential zoonosis.IMPORTANCE Bats host a large numbers of viruses, many of which are zoonotic. In the United States, the big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus) is widely distributed and lives in small colonies that roost in cavities, often in human dwellings, leading to frequent human interaction. Viral metagenomic sequencing of samples from an E. fuscus bat submitted for rabies testing identified the first exogenous bat Deltaretrovirus The E. fuscus deltaretrovirus (EfDRV) genome consists of the typical deltaretrovial 5'-gag-pro-pol-env-3' genes along with genes encoding two putative transcriptional transactivator proteins distantly related to the Tax protein of human T-cell lymphotrophic virus and nuclear antigen 3B of Epstein-Barr virus. Searches of the E. fuscus genome sequence failed to identify endogenous EfDRV. RT-PCR targeting the EfDRV pol gene identified 4/60 (6.7%) bats with positive results. Together, these results suggest that EfDRV is exogenous. As all members of Deltaretrovirus are associated with T- and B-cell malignancies or neurologic disease, further studies on possible zoonosis are warranted.
| S-EPMC7568648 | biostudies-literature
Project description:To better understand the epidemiology of European bat lyssavirus 1 (EBLV-1) in Europe, we phylogenetically characterized Lyssavirus from Eptesicus isabellinus bats in Spain. An independent cluster of EBLV-1 possibly resulted from geographic isolation and association with a different reservoir from other European strains. EBLV-1 phylogeny is complex and probably associated with host evolutionary history.
| S-EPMC3166003 | biostudies-literature