Community-wide genome sequencing reveals 30 years of Darwin's finch evolution

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Enbody, Erik D.; Sendell-Price, Ashley T.; Sprehn, C. Grace; Rubin, Carl-Johan; Visscher, Peter M.; Grant, B. Rosemary; Grant, Peter R.; Andersson, Leif
• 署名单位: Uppsala University; University of Queensland; Princeton University; Texas A&M University System; Texas A&M University College Station; University of California System; University of California Santa Cruz; United States Department of Energy (DOE); Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
• 刊物名称: SCIENCE
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0036-12913
• DOI: 10.1126/science.adf6218
• 发表日期: 2023-09-29
• 页码: 1427-+
• 关键词: adaptive radiation; character displacement; natural-selection; beak morphology; adaptation; population; genetics; heritability; speciation; patterns

摘要

A fundamental goal in evolutionary biology is to understand the genetic architecture of adaptive traits. Using whole-genome data of 3955 of Darwin's finches on the Galapagos Island of Daphne Major, we identified six loci of large effect that explain 45% of the variation in the highly heritable beak size of Geospiza fortis, a key ecological trait. The major locus is a supergene comprising four genes. Abrupt changes in allele frequencies at the loci accompanied a strong change in beak size caused by natural selection during a drought. A gradual change in Geospiza scandens occurred across 30 years as a result of introgressive hybridization with G. fortis. This study shows how a few loci with large effect on a fitness-related trait contribute to the genetic potential for rapid adaptive radiation.