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Mitogenome evolution in ladybirds: Potential association with dietary adaptation
Ming-Long Yuan1, Li-Jun Zhang1, Qi-Lin Zhang2
1State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-Ecosystems Key Laboratory of Grassland Livestock Industry Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Engineering Research Center of Grassland Industry, Ministry of Education College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology Lanzhou University Lanzhou China.
Ecology and Evolution
|February 5, 2020
Summary
Ladybird beetle diets drive mitochondrial genome evolution. Specific genes show adaptive changes, particularly in CO3, linked to metabolic shifts from dietary changes.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary Biology
- Genomics
- Metabolomics
Background:
- Dietary plasticity influences animal metabolic adaptation.
- Coccinellidae (ladybirds) offer a model for studying diet-driven evolutionary changes in mitogenomes.
- Mitogenomes encode proteins crucial for energy metabolism.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between diet and mitogenome evolution in Coccinellidae.
- To analyze phylogenetic relationships within Coccinellidae using mitogenomic data.
- To identify signatures of selection in mitochondrial protein-coding genes (PCGs) related to dietary adaptations.
Main Methods:
- Sequencing of three new coccinellid mitogenomes.
- Comparative analysis with ten existing coccinellid mitogenomes.
- Phylogenetic analysis and evolutionary selection pressure assessments on mitochondrial PCGs.
Main Results:
- Mitogenomic data successfully resolved Coccinellidae phylogeny.
- Codon usage bias in coccinellid mitogenomes is primarily driven by nucleotide composition.
- Mitochondrial PCGs evolved under negative constraints, with evidence of positive selection in six PCGs (nad3, nad4L, nad5, cox1, cox3, atp6).
Conclusions:
- Adaptive evolution in the CO3 gene may be linked to metabolic variations arising from dietary shifts in ladybirds.
- Coccinellid mitogenome evolution is shaped by dietary changes and other life history traits.
- Mitogenomic analysis provides insights into adaptation in Coccinellidae.
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