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- Title
Rapid phenotypic evolution with shallow genomic differentiation during early stages of high elevation adaptation in Eurasian Tree Sparrows.
- Authors
Qu, Yanhua; Chen, Chunhai; Xiong, Ying; She, Huishang; Zhang, Yong E; Cheng, Yalin; DuBay, Shane; Li, Dongming; Ericson, Per G P; Hao, Yan; Wang, Hongyuan; Zhao, Hongfeng; Song, Gang; Zhang, Hailin; Yang, Ting; Zhang, Chi; Liang, Liping; Wu, Tianyu; Zhao, Jinyang; Gao, Qiang
- Abstract
Known as the 'third polar region', the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau represents one of the harshest highland environments in the world and yet a number of organisms thrive there. Previous studies of birds, animals and humans have focused on well-differentiated populations in later stages of phenotypic divergence. The adaptive processes during the initial phase of highland adaptation remain poorly understood. We studied a human commensal, the Eurasian Tree Sparrow, which has followed human agriculture to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Despite strong phenotypic differentiation at multiple levels, in particular in muscle-related phenotypes, highland and lowland populations show shallow genomic divergence and the colonization event occurred within the past few thousand years. In a one-month acclimation experiment investigating phenotypic plasticity, we exposed adult lowland tree sparrows to a hypoxic environment and did not observe muscle changes. Through population genetic analyses, we identified a signature of polygenic adaptation, whereby shifts in allele frequencies are spread across multiple loci, many of which are associated with muscle-related processes. Our results reveal a case of positive selection in which polygenic adaptation appears to drive rapid phenotypic evolution, shedding light on early stages of adaptive evolution to a novel environment.
- Subjects
SPARROWS; ACCLIMATIZATION; PHYSIOLOGICAL adaptation; PHENOTYPIC plasticity; BIOLOGICAL evolution; ALTITUDES
- Publication
National Science Review, 2020, Vol 7, Issue 1, p113
- ISSN
2095-5138
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1093/nsr/nwz138