Genomic Basis of Convergent Island Phenotypes in Boa Constrictors.

ABSTRACT: Convergent evolution is often documented in organisms inhabiting isolated environments with distinct ecological conditions and similar selective regimes. Several Central America islands harbor dwarf Boa populations that are characterized by distinct differences in growth, mass, and craniofacial morphology, which are linked to the shared arboreal and feast-famine ecology of these island populations. Using high-density RADseq data, we inferred three dwarf island populations with independent origins and demonstrate that selection, along with genetic drift, has produced both divergent and convergent molecular evolution across island populations. Leveraging whole-genome resequencing data for 20 individuals and a newly annotated Boa genome, we identify four genes with evidence of phenotypically

SUBMITTER: Card DC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6836717 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature