The Role of Alternative Splicing and Differential Gene Expression in Cichlid Adaptive Radiation.

ABSTRACT: Species diverge eco-morphologically through the continuous action of natural selection on functionally important structures, producing alternative adaptive morphologies. In cichlid fishes, the oral and pharyngeal jaws are such key structures. Adaptive variation in jaw morphology contributes to trophic specialization, which is hypothesized to fuel their rapid speciation in the East African Great Lakes. Much is known about the genes involved in cichlid jaw and craniofacial development. However, it is still unclear what salient sources of variation gave rise to trophic-niche specialization, facilitating adaptive radiation. Here, we explore two sources of transcriptional variation that may underlie species-specific disparities in jaw morphology. Using whole transcriptome RNA-sequencing, we ana

SUBMITTER: Singh P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5737861 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature