Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Convergent Evolution01:54

Convergent Evolution

27.6K
Evolution shapes the features of organisms over time, ensuring that they are suited for the environments in which they live. Sometimes, selection pressure leads to the rise of similar but unrelated adaptations in organisms with no recent common ancestors, a process known as convergent evolution.
27.6K
Multi-species Conserved Sequences02:51

Multi-species Conserved Sequences

3.9K
Next-generation sequencing technologies have created large genomic databases of a variety of animals and plants. Ever since the human genome project was completed, scientists studied the genome of primates, mammals, and other phylogenetically distant living beings. Such large-scale  studies have provided new insights into the evolutionary relationship between organisms.
Although the genome of each species varies greatly from each other, a few sequences are highly conserved. Such conserved...
3.9K
Synteny and Evolution02:31

Synteny and Evolution

3.2K
John H. Renwick first coined the term “synteny” in 1971, which refers to the genes present on the same chromosomes, even if they are not genetically linked. The species with common ancestry tend to show conserved syntenic regions. Therefore, the concept of synteny is nowadays used to describe the evolutionary relationship between species.
Around 80 million years ago, the human and mice lineages diverged from the common ancestor. During the course of evolution, the ancestral...
3.2K
Gene Evolution - Fast or Slow?02:05

Gene Evolution - Fast or Slow?

7.1K
The genomes of eukaryotes are punctuated by long stretches of sequence which do not code for proteins or RNAs. Although some of these regions do contain crucial regulatory sequences, the vast majority of this DNA serves no known function. Typically, these regions of the genome are the ones in which the fastest change, in evolutionary terms, is observed, because there is typically little to no selection pressure acting on these regions to preserve their sequences.
In contrast, regions which code...
7.1K
Gene Duplication and Divergence02:37

Gene Duplication and Divergence

6.1K
The seminal work of Ohno in 1970 popularized the idea of gene duplication and divergence. DNA sequence comparison studies reveal that a large portion of the genes in bacteria, archaebacteria, and eukaryotes was  generated by gene duplication and divergence, indicating its critical role in evolution.
The duplicated copies of the gene are called Paralogs. Paralogs with similar sequences and functions form a gene family. Across several species, a large number of gene families are...
6.1K
Gene Families01:57

Gene Families

8.8K
Gene families consist of groups of genes proposed to have originated from a common ancestor. Typically these arise through events in which a gene or genes are mistakenly duplicated during cell division. Unlike their parent genes (which are subject to selection pressure to maintain function), these gene copies do not need to preserve their sequences and may evolve at a relatively faster rate.
Occasionally these regions can be adapted to take on new roles within the organism, becoming novel genes...
8.8K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Accurate, comprehensive gene annotation and ortholog identification across thousands of vertebrate genomes with TOGA2.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

Diversity and disparity are decoupled in the most ecomorphologically diverse rodent radiation.

Evolution; international journal of organic evolution·2026
Same author

The Vertebrate Genomes Project Phase I: A global reference genome resource.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

The genome sequence of Nathusius' pipistrelle, <i>Pipistrellus nathusii</i> (Keyserling & Blasius, 1839) (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae).

Wellcome open research·2026
Same author

The genome sequence of Geoffroy's Bat, <i>Myotis emarginatus</i> (Geoffroy, 1806) (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae).

Wellcome open research·2026
Same author

The genomic basis of independent marine transitions in turtles: convergent episodic adaptation and demographic shifts.

Molecular biology and evolution·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 17, 2025

Tissue Collection of Bats for -Omics Analyses and Primary Cell Culture
15:31

Tissue Collection of Bats for -Omics Analyses and Primary Cell Culture

Published on: October 23, 2019

12.3K

Distinct Genes with Similar Functions Underlie Convergent Evolution in Myotis Bat Ecomorphs.

Ariadna E Morales1,2,3,4,5, Frank T Burbrink2, Marion Segall2,6,7

  • 1Department of Mammalogy, Division of Vertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA.

Molecular Biology and Evolution
|August 8, 2024
PubMed
Summary

Convergent evolution in bats shows that similar environments can drive predictable genomic changes. These changes impact sensory perception, development, and metabolism, even when different genes are involved.

Keywords:
batscomparative genomicsconvergent evolutionecomorphs

More Related Videos

Dissection of the Auditory Bulla in Postnatal Mice: Isolation of the Middle Ear Bones and Histological Analysis
07:40

Dissection of the Auditory Bulla in Postnatal Mice: Isolation of the Middle Ear Bones and Histological Analysis

Published on: January 4, 2017

30.1K
In Situ Hybridization Techniques for Paraffin-Embedded Adult Coral Samples
07:24

In Situ Hybridization Techniques for Paraffin-Embedded Adult Coral Samples

Published on: August 31, 2018

7.0K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 17, 2025

Tissue Collection of Bats for -Omics Analyses and Primary Cell Culture
15:31

Tissue Collection of Bats for -Omics Analyses and Primary Cell Culture

Published on: October 23, 2019

12.3K
Dissection of the Auditory Bulla in Postnatal Mice: Isolation of the Middle Ear Bones and Histological Analysis
07:40

Dissection of the Auditory Bulla in Postnatal Mice: Isolation of the Middle Ear Bones and Histological Analysis

Published on: January 4, 2017

30.1K
In Situ Hybridization Techniques for Paraffin-Embedded Adult Coral Samples
07:24

In Situ Hybridization Techniques for Paraffin-Embedded Adult Coral Samples

Published on: August 31, 2018

7.0K

Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Genomics
  • Mammalian Evolution

Background:

  • Convergent evolution allows studying predictability in evolutionary trajectories.
  • The bat genus Myotis provides a model for convergent evolution due to independent evolution of foraging strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the genomic underpinnings of convergent evolution in Myotis bats.
  • To identify functional genomic changes associated with ecomorphological convergence across different biogeographic regions.

Main Methods:

  • Sequencing and annotation of 17 new bat genomes.
  • Screening 16,426 genes for positive selection and evolutionary rate associations.
  • Comparative analysis across 30 Myotis species representing diverse foraging strategies and geographic origins.

Main Results:

  • Identified genomic changes correlating with both phylogenetic history and ecomorphological trends.
  • Inferred a sequence of genetic changes during environmental colonization: hearing, then fecundity/development, metabolism, and heme degradation.
  • Observed that repeated evolution of similar forms (ecomorphs) can involve different genes with similar molecular functions.

Conclusions:

  • Convergent evolution in Myotis bats is linked to specific sets of genes involved in sensory perception, development, and metabolism.
  • The study highlights how environmental pressures shape predictable evolutionary pathways at the genomic level.
  • Functional convergence, rather than strict gene conservation, appears to drive repeated ecomorph evolution in bats.