Montalvo Luis Daniel, Kimball Rebecca T, Austin James D, Robinson Scott K
Florida Museum of Natural History University of Florida Gainesville Florida USA.
Department of Biology University of Florida Gainesville Florida USA.
Ecol Evol. 2024 Jul 11;14(7):e11661. doi: 10.1002/ece3.11661. eCollection 2024 Jul.
Environmental gradients have the potential to influence genetic differentiation among populations ultimately leading to allopatric speciation. However, environmental gradients can also facilitate hybridization between closely related taxa. We investigated a putative hybrid zone in western Ecuador, involving two polytypic wren species (Aves: Troglodytidae), and . Our study addressed two primary questions: (1) Is there evidence of population structure and genetic admixture between these taxa in western Ecuador? and (2) What are the relative contributions of isolation by distance and isolation by the environment to the observed genetic differentiation along the environmental gradient in this region? We analyzed 4409 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from 112 blood samples sequenced using ddRadSeq and a assembly. The optimum number of genetic clusters ranged from 2 to 4, aligning with geographic origins, known phylogenetics, and physical or ecological constraints. We observed notable transitions in admixture proportions along the environmental gradient in western Ecuador between and the northern and southern genetic clusters of . Genetic differentiation between the two populations could be attributed to an unreported potential physical barrier in central western Ecuador, where the proximity of the Andes to the coastline restricts lowland habitats, limiting dispersal and gene flow, especially among dry-habitat specialists. The observed admixture in suggests that this subspecies may be a hybrid between and , with varying degrees of admixture in western Ecuador and northwestern Peru. We found evidence of isolation by distance, while isolation by the environment was less pronounced but still significant for annual mean precipitation and precipitation seasonality. This study enhances our understanding of avian population genomics in tropical regions.
环境梯度有可能影响种群间的遗传分化,最终导致异域物种形成。然而,环境梯度也可能促进近缘类群之间的杂交。我们调查了厄瓜多尔西部一个假定的杂交带,涉及两种多型鹪鹩物种(鸟纲:鹪鹩科)。我们的研究解决了两个主要问题:(1)在厄瓜多尔西部,这些类群之间是否存在种群结构和遗传混合的证据?(2)距离隔离和环境隔离对该地区沿环境梯度观察到的遗传分化的相对贡献是什么?我们分析了112份血液样本中的4409个单核苷酸多态性(SNP),这些样本使用ddRadSeq测序并进行了一个组装。遗传簇的最佳数量范围为2至4,与地理起源、已知系统发育以及物理或生态限制相一致。我们在厄瓜多尔西部的环境梯度上观察到,[此处原文缺失相关物种名]与[此处原文缺失相关物种名]的北部和南部遗传簇之间的混合比例有显著变化。两个[此处原文缺失相关物种名]种群之间的遗传分化可能归因于厄瓜多尔中西部一个未报告的潜在物理屏障,那里安第斯山脉靠近海岸线限制了低地栖息地,限制了扩散和基因流动,特别是在干旱栖息地特化物种之间。观察到的[此处原文缺失相关物种名]的混合表明,这个亚种可能是[此处原文缺失相关物种名]和[此处原文缺失相关物种名]之间的杂交种,在厄瓜多尔西部和秘鲁西北部有不同程度的混合。我们发现了距离隔离的证据,而环境隔离不太明显,但对年平均降水量和降水季节性仍然显著。这项研究增进了我们对热带地区鸟类种群基因组学的理解。