Standing genetic variation as the predominant source for adaptation of a songbird

What kind of genetic variation contributes the most to adaptation is a fundamental question in evolutionary biology. By resequencing genomes of 80 individuals, we inferred the origin of genomic variants associated with a complex adaptive syndrome involving multiple quantitative traits, namely, adapt...

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Published inProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS Vol. 116; no. 6; pp. 2152 - 2157
Main Authors Lai, Yu-Ting, Yeung, Carol K. L., Omland, Kevin E., Pang, Er-Li, Hao, Yu, Liao, Ben-Yang, Cao, Hui-Fen, Zhang, Bo-Wen, Yeh, Chia-Fen, Hung, Chih-Ming, Hung, Hsin-Yi, Yang, Ming-Yu, Liang, Wei, Hsu, Yu-Cheng, Yao, Cheng-Te, Dong, Lu, Lin, Kui, Li, Shou-Hsien
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States National Academy of Sciences 05.02.2019
Subjects
Adaptation
Adaptation, Biological
Animals
Anthropocene
Biological Evolution
Biological Sciences
Environment
Environmental stress
Evolution
Genetic diversity
Genetic Variation
Genetics, Population
Genome
Genomes
Genomics - methods
Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide
RNA, Untranslated
Selection, Genetic
Songbirds
Songbirds - genetics
Taiwan
Wildlife conservation
Taiwan
population genomics
postglacial expansion
adaptation
standing variation
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Summary:What kind of genetic variation contributes the most to adaptation is a fundamental question in evolutionary biology. By resequencing genomes of 80 individuals, we inferred the origin of genomic variants associated with a complex adaptive syndrome involving multiple quantitative traits, namely, adaptation between high and low altitudes, in the vinous-throated parrotbill (Sinosuthora webbiana) in Taiwan. By comparing these variants with those in the Asian mainland population, we revealed standing variation in 24 noncoding genomic regions to be the predominant genetic source of adaptation. Parrotbills at both high and low altitudes exhibited signatures of recent selection, suggesting that not only the front but also the trailing edges of postglacial expanding populations could be subjected to environmental stresses. This study verifies and quantifies the importance of standing variation in adaptation in a cohort of genes, illustrating that the evolutionary potential of a population depends significantly on its preexisting genetic diversity. These findings provide important context for understanding adaptation and conservation of species in the Anthropocene.
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Author contributions: K.L. and S.-H.L. designed research; Y.-T.L., W.L., Y.-C.H., C.-T.Y., and L.D. performed research; W.L., Y.-C.H., C.-T.Y., and L.D. contributed new reagents/analytic tools; Y.-T.L., E.-L.P., Y.H., B.-Y.L., H.-F.C., B.-W.Z., C.-F.Y., C.-M.H., and M.-Y.Y. analyzed data; and Y.-T.L., C.K.L.Y., K.E.O., B.-Y.L., B.-W.Z., C.-M.H., H.-Y.H., M.-Y.Y., and S.-H.L. wrote the paper.
Edited by Scott V. Edwards, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, and approved December 17, 2018 (received for review August 7, 2018)
ISSN:0027-8424
1091-6490
1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/pnas.1813597116