A1 Journal article (refereed)
Cold adaptation drives population genomic divergence in the ecological specialist, Drosophila montana (2021)

Wiberg, R. A. W., Tyukmaeva, V., Hoikkala, A., Ritchie, M. G., & Kankare, M. (2021). Cold adaptation drives population genomic divergence in the ecological specialist, Drosophila montana. Molecular Ecology, 30(15), 3783-3796. https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.16003

JYU authors or editors

Publication details

All authors or editors: Wiberg, R. A. W.; Tyukmaeva, V.; Hoikkala, A.; Ritchie, M. G.; Kankare, M.

Journal or series: Molecular Ecology

ISSN: 0962-1083

eISSN: 1365-294X

Publication year: 2021

Publication date: 28/05/2021

Volume: 30

Issue number: 15

Pages range: 3783-3796

Publisher: Wiley

Publication country: United Kingdom

Publication language: English

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.16003

Publication open access: Openly available

Publication channel open access: Partially open access channel

Publication is parallel published (JYX): https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/77307

Abstract

Detecting signatures of ecological adaptation in comparative genomics is challenging, but analysing population samples with characterised geographic distributions, such as clinal variation, can help identify genes showing covariation with important ecological variation. Here we analysed patterns of geographic variation in the cold-adapted species Drosophila montana across phenotypes, genotypes and environmental conditions and tested for signatures of cold adaptation in population genomic divergence. We first derived the climatic variables associated with the geographic distribution of 24 populations across two continents to trace the scale of environmental variation experienced by the species, and measured variation in the cold tolerance of the flies of six populations from different geographic contexts. We then performed pooled whole genome sequencing of these six populations, and used Bayesian methods to identify SNPs where genetic differentiation is associated with both climatic variables and the population phenotypic measurements, while controlling for effects of demography and population structure. The top candidate SNPs were enriched on the X and 4th chromosomes, and they also lay near genes implicated in other studies of cold tolerance and population divergence in this species and its close relatives. We conclude that ecological adaptation has contributed to the divergence of D. montana populations throughout the genome and in particular on the X and 4th chromosomes, which also showed highest interpopulation FST. This study demonstrates that ecological selection can drive genomic divergence at different scales, from candidate genes to chromosome-wide effects.

Keywords: adaptation (change); variation (biology); genetic variation; cold resistance; genomics; population genetics; Drosophilidae

Free keywords: CCRT; cline populations; cold tolerance; CTmin; D. montana; environmental adaptation; genomic divergence

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Ministry reporting: Yes

Reporting Year: 2021

JUFO rating: 3