Support for faster and more adaptive Z chromosome evolution in two divergent lepidopteran lineages.

ABSTRACT: The rateof divergence for Z or X chromosomes is usually observed to be greater than autosomes, but the proposed evolutionary causes for this pattern vary, as do empirical results from diverse taxa. Even among moths and butterflies (Lepidoptera), which generally share a single-origin Z chromosome, the handful of available studies give mixed support for faster or more adaptive evolution of the Z chromosome, depending on the species assayed. Here, we examine the molecular evolution of Z chromosomes in two additional lepidopteran species: the Carolina sphinx moth and the monarch butterfly, the latter of which possesses a recent chromosomal fusion yielding a segment of newly Z-linked DNA. We find evidence for both faster and more adaptive Z chromosome evolution in both species, although this ef

SUBMITTER: Mongue AJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9291949 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature