Distinct Genes with Similar Functions Underlie Convergent Evolution in Myotis Bat Ecomorphs.

ABSTRACT: Convergence offers an opportunity to explore to what extent evolution can be predictable when genomic composition and environmental triggers are similar. Here, we present an emergent model system to study convergent evolution in nature in a mammalian group, the bat genus Myotis. Three foraging strategies-gleaning, trawling, and aerial hawking, each characterized by different sets of phenotypic features-have evolved independently multiple times in different biogeographic regions in isolation for millions of years. To investigate the genomic basis of convergence and explore the functional genomic changes linked to ecomorphological convergence, we sequenced and annotated 17 new genomes and screened 16,426 genes for positive selection and associations between relative evolutionary rates and fo

SUBMITTER: Morales AE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11371419 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature