Patterns of gene flow and selection across multiple species of Acrocephalus warblers: footprints of parallel selection on the Z chromosome

0460182 - ÚBO 2017 RIV GB eng J - Journal Article
Reifová, R. - Majerová, V. - Reif, J. - Ahola, M. - Lindholm, A. - Procházka, Petr
Patterns of gene flow and selection across multiple species of Acrocephalus warblers: footprints of parallel selection on the Z chromosome.
BMC Evolutionary Biology. Roč. 16, č. 130 (2016), s. 130. ISSN 1471-2148. E-ISSN 1471-2148
Institutional support: RVO:68081766
Keywords : Adaptive radiation * Speciation * Gene flow * Parallel adaptive evolution * Z chromosome * Acrocephalus warblers
Subject RIV: EG - Zoology
Impact factor: 3.221, year: 2016

We analyzed nucleotide variation at eight nuclear loci in three hybridizing Acrocephalus species with overlapping breeding ranges in Europe. Using an isolation-with-migration model for multiple populations, we found evidence for unidirectional gene flow from A. scirpaceus to A. palustris and from A. palustris to A. dumetorum. Gene flow was higher between genetically more closely related A. scirpaceus and A. palustris than between ecologically more similar A. palustris and A. dumetorum, suggesting that gradual accumulation of intrinsic barriers rather than divergent ecological selection are more efficient in restricting interspecific gene flow in Acrocephalus warblers. Although levels of genetic differentiation between different species pairs were in general not correlated, we found signatures of apparently independent instances of positive selection at the same two Z-linked loci in multiple species. Our study brings the first evidence that gene flow occurred during Acrocephalus radiation and not only between sister species. Interspecific gene flow could thus be an important source of genetic variation in individual Acrocephalus species and could have accelerated adaptive evolution and speciation rate in this avian group by creating novel genetic combinations and new phenotypes. Independent instances of positive selection at the same loci in multiple species indicate an interesting possibility that the same loci might have contributed to reproductive isolation in several speciation events.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0260305