Alessandra Giacomini, Maklarin B. Lakim, Fred Y. Y. Tuh, Matthew Hitchings, Sofia Consuegra, Tamsyn Uren Webster, Konstans Wells
{"title":"Host-Microbiome Associations of Native and Invasive Small Mammals Across a Tropical Urban–Rural Ecotone","authors":"Alessandra Giacomini, Maklarin B. Lakim, Fred Y. Y. Tuh, Matthew Hitchings, Sofia Consuegra, Tamsyn Uren Webster, Konstans Wells","doi":"10.1111/mec.17782","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mec.17782","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Global change and urbanisation profoundly alter wildlife habitats, driving native animals into novel habitats while increasing the co-occurrence between native and invasive species. Host-microbiome associations are shaped by host traits and environmental features, but little is known about their plasticity in co-occurring native and invasive species across urban–rural gradients. Here, we explored gut microbiomes of four sympatric small mammal species along an urban–rural ecotone in Borneo, one of the planet's oldest rainforest regions experiencing recent urban expansion. Host species identity was the strongest determinant of microbiome composition, while land use and spatial proximity shaped microbiome similarity within and among the three rat species. The urban-dwelling rat <i>Rattus rattus</i> had a microbiome composition more similar to that of the native, urban-adapted rat <i>Sundamys muelleri</i> (<i>R. rattus</i>' strongest environmental niche overlap), than to the closely related urban-dwelling <i>R. norvegicus</i>. The urban-dwelling shrew <i>Suncus murinus</i> presented the most distinct microbiome. The microbiome of <i>R. norvegicus</i> was the most sensitive to land use intensity, exhibiting significant alterations in composition and bacterial abundance across the ecotone. Our findings suggest that environmental niche overlap among native and invasive species promotes similar gut microbiomes. Even for omnivorous urban-dwellers with a worldwide distribution like <i>R. norvegicus</i>, gut microbiomes may change across fine-scale environmental gradients. Future research needs to confirm whether land use intensity can be a strong selective force on mammalian gut microbiomes, influencing the way in which native and invasive species are able to exploit novel environments.</p>","PeriodicalId":210,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Ecology","volume":"34 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/mec.17782","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143961878","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Disentangling Complex Histories of Hybridisation: The Genomic Consequences of Ancient and Recent Introgression in Channel Island Monkeyflowers.","authors":"Aidan W Short, Matthew A Streisfeld","doi":"10.1111/mec.17778","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.17778","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Hybridisation is a common feature of evolutionary radiations, but its genomic consequences vary depending on when it occurs. Since reproductive isolation takes time to accumulate, hybridisation can occur at multiple points during divergence. Previous studies suggested that the taxonomic diversity in evolutionary radiations can help infer the timing of past gene flow events. Here, we assess the power of these approaches for revealing when gene flow occurred between two monkeyflower taxa (Mimulus aurantiacus) endemic to the Channel Islands of California. Coalescent simulations reveal that conventional four-taxon tests may not be capable of fully distinguishing between recent and ancient introgression, but genome-wide patterns of phylogenetic discordance vary predictably with different histories of hybridisation. Using whole-genome sequencing and phylogenetic tests for introgression across the M. aurantiacus radiation, we identify signals of both ancient and recent hybridisation that occurred between the island taxa and their ancestors. In addition, we find widespread selection against introgressed ancestry, consistent with polygenic barriers to gene flow. However, we also identify localised signals across the genome that may indicate adaptive introgression. This study highlights the power and challenges of trying to disentangle complex histories of hybridisation. More broadly, our results illustrate the multiple roles that gene flow can play in evolutionary radiations: hybridisation can expose genetic incompatibilities that contribute to reproductive isolation while also likely facilitating adaptation by transferring beneficial alleles between taxa. These findings underscore the dynamic interplay between the timing of hybridisation and natural selection in shaping evolutionary trajectories within radiations.</p>","PeriodicalId":210,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Ecology","volume":" ","pages":"e17778"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143961876","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Xavier Dallaire, Eric Normandeau, Thomas Brazier, Les Harris, Michael M. Hansen, Claire Mérot, Jean-Sébastien Moore
{"title":"Leveraging Whole Genomes, Mitochondrial DNA and Haploblocks to Decipher Complex Demographic Histories: An Example From a Broadly Admixed Arctic Fish","authors":"Xavier Dallaire, Eric Normandeau, Thomas Brazier, Les Harris, Michael M. Hansen, Claire Mérot, Jean-Sébastien Moore","doi":"10.1111/mec.17772","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.17772","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The study of phylogeography has transitioned from mitochondrial haplotypes to genome-wide analyses, borrowing from population genomics methods along the way. Whole-genome sequencing allows the study of both mitochondrial and nuclear DNA and provides the density of markers to investigate recombination along the genome. This level of resolution could unravel complex histories of admixture between lineages, which are commonly observed in species evolving in recently deglaciated habitats. In this study, we sequenced 1120 Arctic Char genomes from 33 populations across Canada and Greenland to characterise patterns of genetic variation and diversity, and how they are shaped by hybridisation between the Arctic and Atlantic glacial lineages. Mitochondrial genomes across the study area were predominantly of Arctic origin, except in Greenland, where we observed some Atlantic descent. Through admixture analyses and demographic inferences on nuclear markers, we identified that all Canadian populations under the 66th parallel showed introgression from the Atlantic lineage, leading to higher genetic diversity. By scanning the genome using local principal component analyses, we identified putative large low-recombining haploblocks as local ancestry tracts from either lineage. Since haplotypes might retain different signatures of postglacial histories by sheltering sequences from recombination, we attempted to infer origins of recolonisation using whole genomes vs. ancestry tracts for the Arctic lineage. Despite limitations, we unveiled clues suggesting a complex postglacial history in Arctic Char. Overall, our study demonstrates that, even at low depth, making the most of whole-genome sequencing by analysing several genomic compartments provides a versatile and powerful way to address phylogeographic dynamics.</p>","PeriodicalId":210,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Ecology","volume":"34 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/mec.17772","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143909504","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Caio A. Brunharo, Aidan W. Short, Lucas K. Bobadilla, Matthew A. Streisfeld
{"title":"The Genome of Lolium multiflorum Reveals the Genetic Architecture of Paraquat Resistance","authors":"Caio A. Brunharo, Aidan W. Short, Lucas K. Bobadilla, Matthew A. Streisfeld","doi":"10.1111/mec.17775","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.17775","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Herbicide resistance in agricultural weeds has become one of the greatest challenges for sustainable crop production. The repeated evolution of herbicide resistance provides an excellent opportunity to study the genetic and physiological basis of the resistance phenotype and the evolutionary responses to human-mediated selection pressures. <i>Lolium multiflorum</i> is a ubiquitous weed that has evolved herbicide resistance repeatedly around the world in various cropping systems. We assembled and annotated a chromosome-scale genome for <i>L. multiflorum</i> and elucidated the genetic architecture of paraquat resistance by performing quantitative trait locus analysis, genome-wide association studies, genetic divergence analysis and transcriptome analyses from paraquat-resistant and -susceptible <i>L. multiflorum</i> plants. We identified two regions on chromosome 5 that were associated with paraquat resistance. These regions both showed evidence for positive selection among the resistant populations we sampled, but the effects of this selection on the genome differed, implying a complex evolutionary history. In addition, these regions contained candidate genes that encoded cellular transport functions, including a novel multidrug and toxin extrusion (MATE) protein and a cation transporter previously shown to interact with polyamines. Given that <i>L. multiflorum</i> is a weed and a cultivated crop species, the genomic resources generated will prove valuable to a wide spectrum of the plant science community. Our work contributes to a growing body of knowledge on the underlying evolutionary and ecological dynamics of rapid adaptation to strong anthropogenic selection pressure that could help initiate efforts to improve weed management practices in the long term for a more sustainable agriculture.</p>","PeriodicalId":210,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Ecology","volume":"34 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/mec.17775","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143909573","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Integrative Taxonomy for Species Delimitation: A Case Study in Two Widely Accepted Yet Morphologically Confounding Rosa Species Within Sect. Pimpinellifoliae (Rosaceae).","authors":"Yumei Yuan, Yu Feng, Jingbo Wang, Fazal Ulah, Meng Yuan, Yundong Gao","doi":"10.1111/mec.17779","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.17779","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The use of morphological traits as a practical approach for delimiting taxa at various ranks has long been regarded as a reliable basis for taxonomy. However, its efficacy has been increasingly called into question in many taxonomic groups due to its inherent limitations, such as failing to account for phenotypic plasticity, ecologically driven variation (e.g., ecotypes), and parallel evolution. These factors often introduce ambiguity or misleading similarities, thereby obscuring the true evolutionary relationships among taxa, particularly in the context of species delimitation. In the present study, we employ an integrated methodology that combines quantitative morphological analyses, whole-genome data, and ecological measurements to resolve the species boundaries of two morphologically similar roses, Rosa sericea and Rosa hugonis, which have long been considered as two distinct species but lack clear morphological boundaries. Our findings reveal that the unbiased analysis of morphological data based on a large and representative sample size was insufficient to identify effective diagnostic traits. However, when complemented with genome-wide population-level sequencing data or integrated with geographic and ecological niche assessments, the delineation of species boundaries was significantly improved. Furthermore, ecological data provide additional insight into the abiotic factors driving interspecific and intraspecific divergence. By integrating multiple lines of evidence-spanning genomic (intrinsic) and phenotypic (extrinsic) traits-and incorporating the interaction between species and their environments, species boundaries can be delineated with greater confidence. A well-defined species can thus be established through the mutual corroboration of diverse datasets, thereby ensuring a more rigorous and comprehensive taxonomic framework.</p>","PeriodicalId":210,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Ecology","volume":" ","pages":"e17779"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143961815","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Janay A. Fox, Simon M. Reader, Rowan D. H. Barrett
{"title":"Rapid Neural DNA Methylation Responses to Predation Stress in Trinidadian Guppies","authors":"Janay A. Fox, Simon M. Reader, Rowan D. H. Barrett","doi":"10.1111/mec.17774","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.17774","url":null,"abstract":"<p>DNA methylation (DNAm) is a well-studied epigenetic mechanism implicated in environmentally induced phenotypes and phenotypic plasticity. However, few studies investigate the timescale of DNAm shifts. Thus, it is uncertain whether DNAm can change on timescales relevant for rapid phenotypic shifts, such as during the expression of short-term behavioural plasticity. DNAm could be especially reactive in the brain, potentially increasing its relevance for behavioural plasticity. Most research investigating neural changes in methylation has been conducted in mammalian systems, on isolated individuals, and using stressors that are less ecologically relevant, reducing their generalisability to other natural systems. We exposed pairs of male and female Trinidadian guppies (<i>Poecilia reticulata</i>) to alarm cue, conspecific skin extract that reliably induces anti-predator behaviour, or a control cue. Whole-genome bisulphite sequencing on whole brains at various time points following cue exposure (0.5, 1, 4, 24, and 72 h) allowed us to uncover the timescale of neural DNAm responses. Males and females both showed rapid shifts in DNAm in as little as 0.5 h. However, males and females differed in the time course of their responses: both sexes showed a peak in the number of loci showing significant responses at 4 h, but males showed an additional peak at 72 h. We suggest that this finding could be due to the differing longer-term plastic responses between the sexes. This study shows that DNAm can be rapidly induced by an ecologically relevant stressor in fish and suggests that DNAm could be involved in short-term behavioural plasticity.</p>","PeriodicalId":210,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Ecology","volume":"34 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/mec.17774","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143909472","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Dajana Radujković, Erik Verbruggen, Jan Clavel, Aníbal Pauchard, Eduardo Fuentes-Lillo, Agustina Barros, Valeria Aschero, Sylvia Haider, Amanda Ratier Backes, Jan Pergl, Michaela Vítková, Anna Lučanová, Martin A Nuñez, Jonathan Lenoir, Ivan Nijs, Jonas J Lembrechts
{"title":"Road Disturbance Shifts Root Fungal Symbiont Types and Reduces the Connectivity of Plant-Fungal Co-Occurrence Networks in Mountains.","authors":"Dajana Radujković, Erik Verbruggen, Jan Clavel, Aníbal Pauchard, Eduardo Fuentes-Lillo, Agustina Barros, Valeria Aschero, Sylvia Haider, Amanda Ratier Backes, Jan Pergl, Michaela Vítková, Anna Lučanová, Martin A Nuñez, Jonathan Lenoir, Ivan Nijs, Jonas J Lembrechts","doi":"10.1111/mec.17771","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.17771","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Roads are currently one of the most disruptive anthropogenic disturbances to mountain ecosystems worldwide. These disturbances can have a profound effect on roadside soil properties and vegetation, typically favouring fast-growing and ruderal species. However, their effect on plant-associated fungal communities and plant-fungal interactions remains largely unknown. In this study, we examined the changes in root-associated fungal communities as well as plant-fungal and fungal-fungal co-occurrence networks along mountain roads from four biogeographical regions. We found that roadsides consistently altered plant and fungal community composition, generally favouring arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and putative plant pathogens at the expense of ectomycorrhizal fungi. Moreover, roadsides consistently reduced the complexity of plant-fungal and fungal-fungal co-occurrence networks (with 66%-95% and 40%-94% reduction in total edge density, respectively), even though the richness of fungal communities was not reduced and many of the naturally occurring highly connected taxa were still present. Our findings suggest that altered and transient conditions in the roadsides may favour more generalist symbionts like AMF and pathogens with low fidelity for particular hosts as opposed to surrounding natural vegetation which is dominated by symbionts with higher specificity for the host (like ectomycorrhizal fungi). We conclude that road disturbance may have a consistent negative imprint on connectivity between plants and fungi; a consequence that deserves attention as it could render mountain roadside systems unstable and vulnerable to further pressures such as climate change and invasive species.</p>","PeriodicalId":210,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Ecology","volume":" ","pages":"e17771"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143960414","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Alexandra McElwee-Adame, Raya Esplin-Stout, Trevor Mugoya, George Vourlitis, Nautica Welch, John Henning, Kayser Afram, Maryam Ahmadi Jeshvaghane, Nathan Bingham, Alexis Dockter, Jacob Eslava, Giovanni Gil, Joshua Mergens, Amran Mohamed, Tram Nguyen, Fatum Noor, Nathan Salcedo, Arun Sethuraman
{"title":"Evolutionary History and Rhizosphere Microbial Community Composition in Domesticated Hops (Humulus lupulus L.).","authors":"Alexandra McElwee-Adame, Raya Esplin-Stout, Trevor Mugoya, George Vourlitis, Nautica Welch, John Henning, Kayser Afram, Maryam Ahmadi Jeshvaghane, Nathan Bingham, Alexis Dockter, Jacob Eslava, Giovanni Gil, Joshua Mergens, Amran Mohamed, Tram Nguyen, Fatum Noor, Nathan Salcedo, Arun Sethuraman","doi":"10.1111/mec.17769","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.17769","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Humulus lupulus L., commonly known as hop, is a perennial crop grown worldwide and is well known for its pharmacological, commercial, and most importantly brewing applications. For hundreds of years, hop has undergone intense artificial selection, with over 250 cultivated varieties being developed worldwide, all displaying differences in key characteristics such as bitter acid concentrations, flavour and aroma profiles, changes in photoperiod, growth, and pathogen/pest resistances. Previous studies have individually explored differences between cultivars, aiming to identify markers that can quickly and cost-effectively differentiate between cultivars. However, little is known about their evolutionary history and the variability in their associated rhizospheric microbial communities. Coupling phenotypic, genomic, and soil metagenomic data, our study explores the global population structure and domestication history of 98 hop cultivars. We assessed differences in growth rates, rates of viral infection, usage of dissolvable nitrogen, and soil microbial community compositions between US and non-US based cultivars. Our study revealed that worldwide hop cultivars cluster into four subpopulations: Central European, English, and American ancestry as previously reported, and one new group, the Nobles, revealing further substructure amongst Central European cultivars. Modelling the evolutionary history of domesticated hop reveals divergence of the common ancestors of modern US cultivars around 2800 years before present (ybp), and more recent divergences with gene flow across English, Central European, and Noble cultivars, reconciled with key events in human history and migrations. Furthermore, cultivars of US origin were shown to overall outperform non-US cultivars in both growth rates and usage of dissolvable nitrogen and display novel microbial composition under common-garden settings in the United States.</p>","PeriodicalId":210,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Ecology","volume":" ","pages":"e17769"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143952990","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Madeline Bursell, Manav Rohilla, Lucia Ramirez, Yuhuan Cheng, Enrique J Schwarzkopf, Rafael F Guerrero, Caiti Smukowski Heil
{"title":"Mixed Outcomes in Recombination Rates After Domestication: Revisiting Theory and Data.","authors":"Madeline Bursell, Manav Rohilla, Lucia Ramirez, Yuhuan Cheng, Enrique J Schwarzkopf, Rafael F Guerrero, Caiti Smukowski Heil","doi":"10.1111/mec.17773","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.17773","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The process of domestication has altered many phenotypes. Selection on these phenotypes has long been hypothesised to indirectly select for increases in the genome-wide recombination rate. This hypothesis is potentially consistent with theory on the evolution of the recombination rate, but empirical support has been unclear. We review relevant theory, lab-based experiments, and data comparing recombination rates in wild progenitors and their domesticated counterparts. We utilise population sequencing data and a deep learning method to infer genome-wide recombination rates for new comparisons of chicken/red junglefowl, sheep/mouflon, and goat/bezoar. We find evidence of increased recombination in domesticated goats compared to bezoars but more mixed results in chicken and generally decreased recombination in domesticated sheep compared to mouflon. Our results add to a growing body of literature in plants and animals that finds no consistent evidence of an increase in genome-wide recombination with domestication.</p>","PeriodicalId":210,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Ecology","volume":" ","pages":"e17773"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143959299","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Bridget O. Ogolowa, Alan Brelsford, Jon Fjeldså, Andrea Fulgione, Louis Hadjioannou, Elisa C. Henderson, Robert G. Moyle, Michaella Moysi, Emmanuel C. Nwankwo, Loïs Rancilhac, Thomas B. Smith, Bridgett M. von Holdt, Alexander N. G. Kirschel
{"title":"Plio-Pleistocene Climatic Fluctuations and Divergence With Gene Flow Drive Continent-Wide Diversification in an African Bird","authors":"Bridget O. Ogolowa, Alan Brelsford, Jon Fjeldså, Andrea Fulgione, Louis Hadjioannou, Elisa C. Henderson, Robert G. Moyle, Michaella Moysi, Emmanuel C. Nwankwo, Loïs Rancilhac, Thomas B. Smith, Bridgett M. von Holdt, Alexander N. G. Kirschel","doi":"10.1111/mec.17770","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.17770","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Diversification mechanisms in Sub-Saharan Africa have long attracted research interest, with varying support for either allopatric or parapatric models of speciation. However, studies have seldom been performed across the entire continent, a scale which could elucidate the relative importance of allopatric and parapatric models of divergence. To shed light on continental-scale patterns of African biogeography and diversification, we investigated the historical demography of a bird with a continent-wide distribution in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Yellow-Rumped Tinkerbird, <i>Pogoniulus bilineatus</i>. We sampled populations from across the continent and, using genomic data, assessed genetic diversity, structure, and differentiation, reconstructed the phylogeny, and performed alternative demographic model selection between neighbouring clade pairs. We uncovered substantial genetic structure and differentiation patterns which corroborated the phylogenetic topology. Structure was chiefly influenced by the arid corridor, a postulated biogeographical barrier in Sub-Saharan Africa. Moreover, peak genetic diversities coincided with postulated refugial areas while demographic reconstructions between genetic lineages supported allopatric models consistent with the Pleistocene Forest Refuge hypothesis. However, within lineages, divergence with gene flow was supported. Continent-wide patterns of diversification involve an integration of both allopatric and parapatric mechanisms, with a role for both periods of divergence in isolation and across ecological gradients. Furthermore, our study emphasises the importance of the arid corridor as a primary biogeographical feature across which diversification occurs, yet one that has hitherto received scant attention regarding its importance in avian diversification in Sub-Saharan Africa.</p>","PeriodicalId":210,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Ecology","volume":"34 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/mec.17770","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143909466","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}