Wei Yunyang, Zhang Tao, Li Zifeng, Hua Qinyang, Yin Liduo, Lei Menglong, Zhao Shilei, Gu Shanshan, Zhang Xin, He Hao, Lu Xuemei
State Key Laboratory of Genetic Evolution & Animal Models, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650201, China; College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
State Key Laboratory of Genetic Evolution & Animal Models, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650201, China.
J Genet Genomics. 2025 Sep;52(9):1096-1108. doi: 10.1016/j.jgg.2025.04.019. Epub 2025 May 5.
Understanding how species diverge and adapt is fundamental to unraveling biodiversity. While environmental impacts on species evolution are well-documented, the roles of intrinsic life-history traits remain underexplored. The Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, with its harsh conditions and unique biodiversity, offers a natural laboratory for such investigations. Here, we examine two sympatric small mammals-the solitary, low-dispersal plateau zokor (Eospalax baileyi) and the social, high-dispersal plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae)-to elucidate how life-history traits shape population structures and adaptive strategies. Through whole-genome sequencing and cardiac-blood phenotype analyses, we reveal striking differences in their evolutionary trajectories. Despite enduring similar environmental pressures, plateau zokor populations exhibit pronounced genetic subdivisions, high inbreeding, and distinct local adaptations. In contrast, plateau pika populations display genetic panmixia, widespread diversity, and adaptive uniformity. Demographic inference highlights that plateau zokors experienced severe population bottlenecks and restricted gene flow during glacial periods, underscoring the impact of dispersal capacity on evolutionary outcomes. Our findings demonstrate that intrinsic biological traits, particularly dispersal ability, fundamentally influence genetic architecture, population connectivity, and local adaptation. This study not only provides empirical evidence of how life-history traits shape evolutionary dynamics but also offers a framework for integrating intrinsic and extrinsic factors in understanding biodiversity formation.
了解物种如何分化和适应是解开生物多样性之谜的基础。虽然环境对物种进化的影响已有充分记录，但内在生活史特征的作用仍未得到充分探索。青藏高原条件恶劣，生物多样性独特，为这类研究提供了一个天然实验室。在这里，我们研究了两种同域分布的小型哺乳动物——独居、扩散能力低的高原鼢鼠（Eospalax baileyi）和群居、扩散能力高的高原鼠兔（Ochotona curzoniae），以阐明生活史特征如何塑造种群结构和适应性策略。通过全基因组测序和心血表型分析，我们揭示了它们进化轨迹上的显著差异。尽管面临相似的环境压力，但高原鼢鼠种群表现出明显的遗传细分、高度近亲繁殖和独特的局部适应性。相比之下，高原鼠兔种群表现出遗传随机交配、广泛的多样性和适应性一致性。种群统计学推断突出表明，高原鼢鼠在冰川期经历了严重的种群瓶颈和受限的基因流动，强调了扩散能力对进化结果的影响。我们的研究结果表明，内在生物学特征，特别是扩散能力，从根本上影响遗传结构、种群连通性和局部适应性。这项研究不仅提供了生活史特征如何塑造进化动态的实证证据，还为在理解生物多样性形成过程中整合内在和外在因素提供了一个框架。
