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Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations
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Finding genes and lineages under selection in speciation.

Michael W Hart1, Vanessa Guerra1

  • 1Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada.

Molecular Ecology
|July 5, 2017
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers identified specific genes, particularly those for ion channels in sperm, under positive selection that drive speciation in brittle stars. This study highlights key molecular targets contributing to reproductive isolation in marine invertebrates.

Keywords:
RNAseqfertilizationpositive selectionspeciation

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Genomics
  • Marine Biology

Background:

  • Identifying genes responsible for reproductive isolation during speciation is challenging due to large genomes and scattered targets of selection.
  • Previous studies suggest different genes can respond to similar selective pressures across populations, complicating the search for speciation genes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify genes and traits under positive selection that contribute to prezygotic reproductive isolation between closely related brittle star species.
  • To investigate the role of transcriptomics in uncovering targets of selection in non-model organisms within the Ophioderma longicauda species complex.

Main Methods:

  • Employed a comparative transcriptomic approach using RNA sequencing (RNAseq) to analyze gene expression and identify signatures of positive selection.
  • Focused on the Ophioderma longicauda species complex, comparing two distinct species (C3 and C5) with different reproductive strategies.

Main Results:

  • Found significant evidence of positive or diversifying selection acting on two genes encoding ion channels involved in sperm signal transduction in response to pheromones.
  • Selection signatures were predominantly observed in one species (C5), which exhibits internal fertilization and parental care, but not in the other (C3) with broadcast spawning.

Conclusions:

  • The study identifies specific ion channel genes as key molecular players in the speciation process, contributing to reproductive isolation via sperm-pheromone interactions.
  • This research expands the understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying speciation across diverse taxa and life histories, particularly in marine environments, and demonstrates the utility of RNAseq in non-model organisms.