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Rapid and predictable genome evolution across three hybrid ant populations
Pierre Nouhaud1, Simon H Martin2, Beatriz Portinha1,3
1Organismal & Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
Plos Biology
|December 20, 2022
Summary
Hybridization in wild ants leads to predictable genetic changes. Selection rapidly sorts genetic variation, removing ancestry from smaller populations and favoring beneficial genetic variants within a short evolutionary timescale.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Population genetics
- Genomics
Background:
- Hybridization is a common evolutionary process in nature.
- The timescale and predictability of outcomes following admixture events remain poorly understood.
- Understanding post-admixture evolutionary dynamics is crucial for predicting species' responses to environmental changes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the predictability of genetic variation sorting after admixture.
- To determine the timescale over which evolutionary changes occur post-hybridization.
- To identify mechanisms driving genome evolution in hybrid populations.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of genetic variation in three natural hybrid ant populations (Formica aquilonia × F. polyctena).
- Assessment of ancestry proportions and selection signatures across the genome.
- Correlation of genetic changes with recombination rates and functional site density.
Main Results:
- Rapid, correlated sorting of genetic variation was observed post-admixture.
- Ancestry from the species with lower effective population size was preferentially removed, indicating purging of deleterious alleles.
- Haplotypes under positive selection in parental species were more likely to become fixed in hybrids.
- Genomes exhibited mosaic ancestry patterns, influenced by recombination and functional site density.
Conclusions:
- Evolutionary outcomes following natural admixture can be predictable over short timescales.
- Selection acts rapidly to shape hybrid genomes, purging deleterious variation and fixing advantageous alleles.
- Recombination rate and functional site density modulate the efficiency of selection in hybrid populations.
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