Elevational divergence in the great tit complex revealed by major hemoglobin genes.

ABSTRACT: Gene flow and demographic history can play important roles in the adaptive genetic differentiation of species, which is rarely understood in the high-altitude adaptive evolution of birds. To elucidate genetic divergence of populations in the great tit complex (Parus major, P. minor and P. cinereus) at different elevations, we compared the genetic structure and gene flow in hemoglobin genes with neutral loci. Our results revealed the elevationally divergent structure of α ^A -globin gene, distinctive from that of the β ^A -globin gene and neutral loci. We further investigated gene flow patterns among the populations in the central-northern (> 1,000 m a.s.l.), south-eastern (< 1,000 m a.s.l.) regions and the Southwest Mountains (> 2,000

SUBMITTER: ZHu X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6084574 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature