RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Genome-culture coevolution promotes rapid divergence in the killer whale
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 040295
DO 10.1101/040295
A1 Andrew D. Foote
A1 Nagarjun Vijay
A1 María C. Ávila-Arcos
A1 Robin W. Baird
A1 John W. Durban
A1 Matteo Fumagalli
A1 Richard A. Gibbs
A1 M. Bradley Hanson
A1 Thorfinn S. Korneliussen
A1 Michael D. Martin
A1 Kelly. M. Robertson
A1 Vitor C. Sousa
A1 Filipe. G. Vieira
A1 Tomáš Vinař
A1 Paul Wade
A1 Kim C. Worley
A1 Laurent Excoffier
A1 Phillip. A. Morin
A1 M. Thomas. P. Gilbert
A1 Jochen. B.W. Wolf
YR 2016
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2016/02/22/040295.abstract
AB The interaction between ecology, culture and genome evolution remains poorly understood. Analysing population genomic data from killer whale ecotypes, which we estimate have globally radiated within less than 250,000 years, we show that genetic structuring including the segregation of potentially functional alleles is associated with socially inherited ecological niche. Reconstruction of ancestral demographic history revealed bottlenecks during founder events, likely promoting ecological divergence and genetic drift resulting in a wide range of genome-wide differentiation between pairs of allopatric and sympatric ecotypes. Functional enrichment analyses provided evidence for regional genomic divergence associated with habitat, dietary preferences and postzygotic reproductive isolation. Our findings are consistent with expansion of small founder groups into novel niches by an initial plastic behavioural response, perpetuated by social learning imposing an altered natural selection regime. The study constitutes an important step toward an understanding of the complex interaction between demographic history, culture, ecological adaptation and evolution at the genomic level.