The genetic basis of a recent transition to live-bearing in marine snails

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Sean Stankowski - , University of Sussex (Author)
  • Zuzanna B Zagrodzka - , University of Sheffield (Author)
  • Martin D Garlovsky - , Chair of Applied Zoology (Author)
  • Arka Pal - , Institute of Science and Technology Austria (Author)
  • Daria Shipilina - , Uppsala University (Author)
  • Diego Garcia Castillo - , Institute of Science and Technology Austria (Author)
  • Hila Lifchitz - , Institute of Science and Technology Austria (Author)
  • Alan Le Moan - , University of Gothenburg (Author)
  • Erica Leder - , University of Oslo (Author)
  • James Reeve - , University of Gothenburg (Author)
  • Kerstin Johannesson - , University of Gothenburg (Author)
  • Anja M Westram - , Nord University (Author)
  • Roger K Butlin - , University of Gothenburg (Author)

Abstract

Key innovations are fundamental to biological diversification, but their genetic basis is poorly understood. A recent transition from egg-laying to live-bearing in marine snails (Littorina spp.) provides the opportunity to study the genetic architecture of an innovation that has evolved repeatedly across animals. Individuals do not cluster by reproductive mode in a genome-wide phylogeny, but local genealogical analysis revealed numerous small genomic regions where all live-bearers carry the same core haplotype. Candidate regions show evidence for live-bearer-specific positive selection and are enriched for genes that are differentially expressed between egg-laying and live-bearing reproductive systems. Ages of selective sweeps suggest that live-bearer-specific alleles accumulated over more than 200,000 generations. Our results suggest that new functions evolve through the recruitment of many alleles rather than in a single evolutionary step.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)114-119
Number of pages6
JournalScience
Volume383
Issue number6678
Publication statusPublished - 5 Jan 2024
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

Scopus 85181852493

Keywords

Sustainable Development Goals

Keywords

  • Animals, Biological Evolution, Haplotypes, Phylogeny, Reproduction/genetics, Selection, Genetic, Snails/genetics, Viviparity, Nonmammalian/genetics