CIBIO/InBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal; Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal.
CIBIO/InBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal; Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal; Department of Zoology, University of Johannesburg, PO Box 534, Auckland Park 2006, South Africa.
Trends Ecol Evol. 2021 Jul;36(7):637-650. doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2021.03.007. Epub 2021 Apr 13.
Deserts are among the harshest environments on Earth. The multiple ages of different deserts and their global distribution provide a unique opportunity to study repeated adaptation at different timescales. Here, we summarize recent genomic research on the genetic mechanisms underlying desert adaptations in mammals. Several studies on different desert mammals show large overlap in functional classes of genes and pathways, consistent with the complexity and variety of phenotypes associated with desert adaptation to water and food scarcity and extreme temperatures. However, studies of desert adaptation are also challenged by a lack of accurate genotype-phenotype-environment maps. We encourage development of systems that facilitate functional analyses, but also acknowledge the need for more studies on a wider variety of desert mammals.
沙漠是地球上最恶劣的环境之一。不同年代的多个沙漠及其在全球的分布为在不同时间尺度上研究反复适应提供了独特的机会。在这里，我们总结了最近关于哺乳动物适应沙漠的遗传机制的基因组研究。对不同沙漠哺乳动物的几项研究表明，功能类别基因和途径的大量重叠，与与水和食物匮乏以及极端温度相关的沙漠适应表型的复杂性和多样性一致。然而，对沙漠适应的研究也受到缺乏准确的基因型-表型-环境图谱的挑战。我们鼓励开发有助于功能分析的系统，但也认识到需要对更多种类的沙漠哺乳动物进行更多的研究。
