Where the "ruber" Meets the Road: Using the Genome of the Red Diamond Rattlesnake to Unravel the Evolutionary Processes Driving Venom Evolution.

ABSTRACT: Understanding the proximate and ultimate causes of phenotypic variation is fundamental in evolutionary research, as such variation provides the substrate for selection to act upon. Although trait variation can arise due to selection, the importance of neutral processes is sometimes understudied. We presented the first reference-quality genome of the Red Diamond Rattlesnake (Crotalus ruber) and used range-wide 'omic data to estimate the degree to which neutral and adaptive evolutionary processes shaped venom evolution. We characterized population structure and found substantial genetic differentiation across two populations, each with distinct demographic histories. We identified significant differentiation in venom expression across age classes with substantially reduced but discernible di

SUBMITTER: Hirst SR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11440179 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature