Genomic differentiation and patterns of gene flow between two long‐tailed tit species (Aegithalos) |
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Authors: | Bin Gao Yalin Cheng Yanhua Qu Shaoyuan Wu Shimiao Shao Yongjie Wu Per Alström Fumin Lei |
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Affiliation: | 1. Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China;2. College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China;3. School of Life Sciences, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou, China;4. Key Laboratory of Bio‐resources and Eco‐environment of Ministry of education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China;5. Department of Ecology and Genetics, Animal Ecology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden;6. Swedish Species Information Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden |
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Abstract: | Patterns of heterogeneous genomic differentiation have been well documented between closely related species, with some highly differentiated genomic regions (“genomic differentiation islands”) spread throughout the genome. Differential levels of gene flow are proposed to account for this pattern, as genomic differentiation islands are suggested to be resistant to gene flow. Recent studies have also suggested that genomic differentiation islands could be explained by linked selection acting on genomic regions with low recombination rates. Here, we investigate genomic differentiation and gene‐flow patterns for autosomes using RAD‐seq data between two closely related species of long‐tailed tits (Aegithalos bonvaloti and A. fuliginosus) in both allopatric and contact zone populations. The results confirm recent or ongoing gene flow between these two species. However, there is little evidence that the genomic regions that were found to be highly differentiated between the contact zone populations are resistant to gene flow, suggesting that differential levels of gene flow is not the cause of the heterogeneous genomic differentiation. Linked selection may be the cause of genomic differentiation islands between the allopatric populations with no or very limited gene flow, but this could not account for the heterogeneous genomic differentiation between the contact zone populations, which show evidence of recent or ongoing gene flow. |
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Keywords: |
Aegithalos
gene flow genomic differentiation population genomics speciation |
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