Fast evolution from precast bricks: genomics of young freshwater populations of threespine stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus.

ABSTRACT: Adaptation is driven by natural selection; however, many adaptations are caused by weak selection acting over large timescales, complicating its study. Therefore, it is rarely possible to study selection comprehensively in natural environments. The threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) is a well-studied model organism with a short generation time, small genome size, and many genetic and genomic tools available. Within this originally marine species, populations have recurrently adapted to freshwater all over its range. This evolution involved extensive parallelism: pre-existing alleles that adapt sticklebacks to freshwater habitats, but are also present at low frequencies in marine populations, have been recruited repeatedly. While a number of genomic regions responsible for this

SUBMITTER: Terekhanova NV 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4191950 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature