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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Genomics
  • Ecology

Background:

  • Polygenic traits, influenced by many genes, are crucial for adaptation but are complex to study.
  • Snake venoms are ecologically vital and genetically tractable, making them ideal models for polygenic adaptation research.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the genetic basis of local adaptation in polygenic snake venom traits.
  • To construct a comprehensive genotype-phenotype-fitness map for rattlesnake venoms.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a venom transcriptome-proteome map, quantitative proteomics, and genomics.
  • Conducted reciprocal fitness experiments with sympatric prey.
  • Analyzed gene expression and coding-sequence variation between island and mainland populations.

Main Results:

  • Demonstrated local adaptation of rattlesnake venoms to sympatric prey.
  • Identified significant gene expression differentiation as the primary driver of adaptation.
  • Found minimal coding-sequence variation, indicating expression changes underlie adaptive evolution.

Conclusions:

  • Gene expression variation, not protein-coding changes, is the key genetic mechanism for rapid polygenic adaptation in snake venoms.
  • Challenges the bias towards studying protein-coding regions in adaptation research.
  • Emphasizes the need to explore diverse molecular mechanisms in adaptive evolution.