Using genome-wide sequence data and ecological niche modelling, it is found that Aspidoscelis tesselatus likely arose from a single hybrid speciation event between A. scalaris and A. marmoratus less than 500,000 years ago.
Abstract
Most vertebrate species reproduce sexually. The whiptail lizards (Aspidoscelis) are a notable exception; at least 11 of the 45 recognized species are parthenogenetic. Here, we focus on one such species (Aspidoscelis tesselatus) as a case study to understand how parthenogenetic species originate and evolve. Using genome-wide sequence data and ecological niche modelling, we find that A. tesselatus likely arose from a single hybrid speciation event between A. scalaris and A. marmoratus less than 500,000 years ago. The geographic ranges of A. tesselatus and its parental species overlap currently, and niche modelling shows this zone of sympatry was even broader during the period when A. tesselatus likely formed. We additionally show evidence that A. tesselatus has a dynamic genome post-formation, with de novo mutations, introgression, and double-strand break associated events all contributing to variation within the species. These results show that asexual lineages can continue to be shaped by ongoing genomic and ecological dynamics, illuminating the processes that influence transitions in reproductive mode.
Austrian dragonhead (Dracocephalum austriacum), a rare species of steppe and mountain steppe habitats, has a highly fragmented distribution across its entire range. Due to its narrow ecological requirements, it inhabits relict habitats that are increasingly threatened by climate change, human disturbance, and ongoing s...
Ľ. Majeský, L. Vaculná, L. Kobrlová et al.· Conservation Genetics· 1 citation
Abstract
Phenotypic traits and genetic variation are fundamental for understanding biological diversity and evolutionary processes. In natural populations, phenotypic novelties are generally expected to align with genetic differentiation, establishing phenotype–genotype relationships. This pattern is evident in...
F. A. Grisales-Martínez, J. M. Daza· Vertebrate zoology· 0 citations
Hybridization may have multiple impacts on speciation and adaptation. Yet the evidence of adaptive introgression events that have historically occurred between nonradiating or established species is still lacking. The oakleaf butterflies in the genus Kallima include multiple sympatric and incipient species with a kno...
Sheng Wang, Pei-Wen Yang, Wei-Fan Lv et al.· National Science Review· 0 citations
Abstract Premise The origin of endemic species in the European Alps is commonly attributed to the climatic oscillations of the Quaternary. Moehringia sect. Moehringia, with 12 of 15 species endemic to the Alps and mostly restricted to well‐known glacial refugia, is a prime system for investigating the diversification o...
Joachim W. Kadereit, Kirra McLeod, Audie M. Putra et al.· American-Eurasian journal of...· 1 citation
Parasitoid wasps develop in or on other arthropods and have evolved a wide range of strategies for exploiting their hosts. Ascogaster reticulata is a solitary egg–larval endoparasitoid wasp belonging to the subfamily Cheloninae of Braconidae. We constructed a genome assembly using long-read sequence data. The assembled...
K. Yokoi, Y. Kainoh, Miyuki Kanda et al.· bioRxiv· 0 citations
Megadiverse insect lineages often lack robust phylogenetic frameworks, limiting our ability to understand the processes underlying their diversification and morphological evolution. The rove beetle genus Lathrobium (Staphylinidae: Paederinae), with nearly 800 described species distributed primarily across the Holarctic...
A. Tokareva, A. K. Hansen, D. Żyła· Molecular Phylogenetics and...· 0 citations
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