Gene flow, ancient polymorphism, and ecological adaptation shape the genomic landscape of divergence among Darwin's finches.

ABSTRACT: Genomic comparisons of closely related species have identified "islands" of locally elevated sequence divergence. Genomic islands may contain functional variants involved in local adaptation or reproductive isolation and may therefore play an important role in the speciation process. However, genomic islands can also arise through evolutionary processes unrelated to speciation, and examination of their properties can illuminate how new species evolve. Here, we performed scans for regions of high relative divergence (F_ST) in 12 species pairs of Darwin's finches at different genetic distances. In each pair, we identify genomic islands that are, on average, elevated in both relative divergence (F_ST) and absolute divergence (d_XY). This sign

SUBMITTER: Han F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5453315 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature