Major patterns in the introgression history of Heliconius butterflies.

ABSTRACT: Gene flow between species, although usually deleterious, is an important evolutionary process that can facilitate adaptation and lead to species diversification. It also makes estimation of species relationships difficult. Here, we use the full-likelihood multispecies coalescent (MSC) approach to estimate species phylogeny and major introgression events in Heliconius butterflies from whole-genome sequence data. We obtain a robust estimate of species branching order among major clades in the genus, including the 'melpomene-silvaniform' group, which shows extensive historical and ongoing gene flow. We obtain chromosome-level estimates of key parameters in the species phylogeny, including species divergence times, present-day and ancestral population sizes, as well as the direction, ti

SUBMITTER: Thawornwattana Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10727504 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature