Parallel adaptive evolution of geographically distant herring populations on both sides of the North Atlantic Ocean.
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Lamichhaney S, Fuentes-Pardo AP, Rafati N, Ryman N, McCracken GR, Bourne C, Singh R, Ruzzante DE, Andersson L
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 114 (17) E3452-E3461 [2017-04-25; online 2017-04-07]
Atlantic herring is an excellent species for studying the genetic basis of adaptation in geographically distant populations because of its characteristically large population sizes and low genetic drift. In this study we compared whole-genome resequencing data of Atlantic herring populations from both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. An important finding was the very low degree of genetic differentiation among geographically distant populations (fixation index = 0.026), suggesting lack of reproductive isolation across the ocean. This feature of the Atlantic herring facilitates the detection of genetic factors affecting adaptation because of the sharp contrast between loci showing genetic differentiation resulting from natural selection and the low background noise resulting from genetic drift. We show that genetic factors associated with timing of reproduction are shared between genetically distinct and geographically distant populations. The genes for thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor (
PubMed 28389569
DOI 10.1073/pnas.1617728114
Crossref 10.1073/pnas.1617728114
pii: 1617728114
pmc: PMC5410801