Demographic decline and lineage-specific adaptations characterize New Zealand kiwi.

ABSTRACT: Small and fragmented populations may become rapidly differentiated due to genetic drift, making it difficult to distinguish whether neutral genetic structure is a signature of recent demographic events, or of long-term evolutionary processes that could have allowed populations to adaptively diverge. We sequenced 52 whole genomes to examine Holocene demographic history and patterns of adaptation in kiwi (Apteryx), and recovered 11 strongly differentiated genetic clusters corresponding to previously recognized lineages. Demographic models suggest that all 11 lineages experienced dramatic population crashes relative to early- or mid-Holocene levels. Small population size is associated with low genetic diversity and elevated genetic differentiation (F_ST), suggesting th

SUBMITTER: Bemmels JB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8670953 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature