Convergent genome evolution shaped the emergence of terrestrial animals.

ABSTRACT: The challenges associated with the transition of life from water to land are profound¹, yet they have been met in many distinct animal lineages^2-5. These constitute a series of independent evolutionary experiments from which we can decipher the role of contingency versus convergence in the adaptation of animal genomes. Here we compare 154 genomes from 21 animal phyla and their outgroups to reconstruct the protein-coding content of the ancestral genomes linked to 11 animal terrestrialization events, and to produce a timescale of terrestrialization. We uncover distinct patterns of gene gain and loss underlying each transition to land, but similar biological functions emerged recurrently pointing to specific adaptations as key to life on land. We show that semi-terrestri

SUBMITTER: Wei J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12804077 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature