Genomic consequences of and demographic response to pervasive hybridization over time in climate-sensitive pikas
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Rare and geographically restricted species may be vulnerable to genetic effects from inbreeding depression in small populations or from genetic swamping through hybridization with common species, but a third possibility is that selective gene flow can restore fitness (genetic rescue). Climate-sensitive pikas (Ochotona spp.) of the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau (QHTP) and its vicinity have been reduced to residual populations through the movement of climatic zones during the Pleistocene and recent anthropogenic disturbance, whereas the plateau pika (O. curzoniae) remains common. Population-level whole-genome sequencing (n = 142) of six closely related species in the subgenus Ochotona revealed several phases of ancient introgression, lineage replacement, and bidirectional introgression. The strength of gene flow was the greatest from the dominant O. curzoniae to ecologically distinct species in areas peripheral to the QHTP. Genetic analyses were consistent with environmental reconstructions of past population movements. Recurrent periods of introgression throughout the Pleistocene revealed an increase in genetic variation at first but subsequent loss of genetic variation in later phases. Enhanced dispersion of introgressed genomic regions apparently contributed to demographic recovery in three peripheral species that underwent range shifts following climate oscillations on the QHTP, although it failed to drive recovery of northeastern O. dauurica and geographically isolated O. sikimaria. Our findings highlight differences in timescale and environmental background to determine the consequence of hybridization and the unique role of the QHTP in conserving key evolutionary processes of sky island species.
Date Issued
2023-01
Date Acceptance
2022-12-01
Citation
Molecular Biology and Evolution, 2023, 40 (1)
ISSN
0737-4038
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Journal / Book Title
Molecular Biology and Evolution
Volume
40
Issue
1
Copyright Statement
© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. For commercial re-use, please contact journals.permissions@oup.com
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. For commercial re-use, please contact journals.permissions@oup.com
License URL
Identifier
https://www.webofscience.com/api/gateway?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000917998600005&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=a2bf6146997ec60c407a63945d4e92bb
Subjects
adaptive introgression
AMERICAN PIKA
ANCIENT ADMIXTURE
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
DIVERSITY
Evolutionary Biology
GENE FLOW
Genetics & Heredity
hybridization
INFERENCE
Lagomorpha
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
OCHOTONA
phylogenomics
POPULATION HISTORY
R PACKAGE
REVEALS
Science & Technology
speciation
SPECIATION
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
msac274
Date Publish Online
2022-12-23