Comparative and population genomics approaches reveal the basis of adaptation to deserts in a small rodent.

ABSTRACT: Organisms that live in deserts offer the opportunity to investigate how species adapt to environmental conditions that are lethal to most plants and animals. In the hot deserts of North America, high temperatures and lack of water are conspicuous challenges for organisms living there. The cactus mouse (Peromyscus eremicus) displays several adaptations to these conditions, including low metabolic rate, heat tolerance, and the ability to maintain homeostasis under extreme dehydration. To investigate the genomic basis of desert adaptation in cactus mice, we built a chromosome-level genome assembly and resequenced 26 additional cactus mouse genomes from two locations in southern California (USA). Using these data, we integrated comparative, population, and functional genomic approaches. We ide

SUBMITTER: Tigano A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7204510 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature