A macroevolutionary role for chromosomal fusion and fission in <i>Erebia</i> butterflies.

ABSTRACT: The impact of large-scale chromosomal rearrangements, such as fusions and fissions, on speciation is a long-standing conundrum. We assessed whether bursts of change in chromosome numbers resulting from chromosomal fusion or fission are related to increased speciation rates in Erebia, one of the most species-rich and karyotypically variable butterfly groups. We established a genome-based phylogeny and used state-dependent birth-death models to infer trajectories of karyotype evolution. We demonstrated that rates of anagenetic chromosomal changes (i.e., along phylogenetic branches) exceed cladogenetic changes (i.e., at speciation events), but, when cladogenetic changes occur, they are mostly associated with chromosomal fissions rather than fusions. We found that the relative importanc

SUBMITTER: Augustijnen H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11023530 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature