Evolutionary sparse learning with paired species contrast reveals the shared genetic basis of convergent traits.

ABSTRACT: Cases abound in which nearly identical traits have appeared in distant species facing similar environments. These unmistakable examples of adaptive evolution offer opportunities to gain insight into their genetic origins and mechanisms through comparative analyses. Here, we present a novel comparative genomics approach to build genetic models that underlie the independent origins of convergent traits using evolutionary sparse learning. We test the hypothesis that common genes and sites are involved in the convergent evolution of two key traits: C4 photosynthesis in grasses and echolocation in mammals. Genetic models were highly predictive of independent cases of convergent evolution of C4 photosynthesis. These results support the involvement of sequence substitutions in many common genetic

SUBMITTER: Allard JB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11741315 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature