Adaptive Divergence under Gene Flow along an Environmental Gradient in Two Coexisting Stickleback Species.

ABSTRACT: There is a general and solid theoretical framework to explain how the interplay between natural selection and gene flow affects local adaptation. Yet, to what extent coexisting closely related species evolve collectively or show distinctive evolutionary responses remains a fundamental question. To address this, we studied the population genetic structure and morphological differentiation of sympatric three-spined and nine-spined stickleback. We conducted genotyping-by-sequencing and morphological trait characterisation using 24 individuals of each species from four lowland brackish water (LBW), four lowland freshwater (LFW) and three upland freshwater (UFW) sites in Belgium and the Netherlands. This combination of sites allowed us to contrast populations from isolated but environmentally s

SUBMITTER: Bal TMP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8003309 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature