Large chromosomal rearrangements are thought to facilitate adaptation to heterogeneous environments by limiting genomic recombination. Indeed, inversions have been implicated in adaptation along environmental clines and in ecotype specialization. Here, we combine classical ecological studies and population genetics to investigate an inversion polymorphism previously documented in Europe among natural populations of the seaweed fly Coelopa frigida along a latitudinal cline in North America. We test if the inversion is present in North America and polymorphic, assess which environmental conditions modulate the inversion karyotype frequencies, and document the relationship between inversion karyotype and adult size. We sampled nearly 2000 flies from 20 populations along several environmental gradients to quantify associations of inversion frequencies to heterogeneous environmental variables. Genotyping and phenotyping showed a widespread and conserved inversion polymorphism between Europe and America. Variation in inversion frequency was significantly associated with environmental factors, with parallel patterns between continents, indicating that the inversion may play a role in local adaptation. The three karyotypes of the inversion are differently favoured across micro-habitats and represent life-history strategies likely to be maintained by the collective action of several mechanisms of balancing selection. Our study adds to the mounting evidence that inversions are facilitators of adaptation and enhance within-species diversity.

The American Eel (Anguilla rostrata) has an exceptional life cycle characterized by panmictic reproduction at the species scale, random dispersal, and selection in a highly heterogeneous habitat extending from subtropical to subarctic latitudes. The genetic consequences of spatially-varying selection in this species have been investigated for decades, revealing subtle clines in allele frequency at a few loci that contrast with complete panmixia on the vast majority of the genome. Because reproduction homogenizes allele frequencies every generation, sampling size, and genomic coverage are critical to reach sufficient power to detect selected loci in this context. Here, we used a total of 710 individuals from 12 sites and 12,098 high-quality single nucleotide polymorphisms to re-evaluate the extent to which local selection affects the spatial distribution of genetic diversity in this species. We used environmental association methods to identify markers under spatially-varying selection, which indicated that selection affects ∼1.5% of the genome. We then evaluated the extent to which candidate markers collectively vary with environmental factors using additive polygenic scores. We found significant correlations between polygenic scores and latitude, longitude and temperature which are consistent with polygenic selection acting against maladapted genotypes in different habitats occupied by eels throughout their range of distribution. Gene functions associated with outlier markers were significantly enriched for the insulin signaling pathway, indicating that the trade-offs inherent to occupying such a large distribution range involve the regulation of metabolism. Overall, this study highlights the potential of the additive polygenic scores approach in detecting selective effects in a complex environment.

Despite the commercial importance of Greenland Halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides), important gaps still persist in our knowledge of this species, including its reproductive biology and sex determination mechanism. Here, we combined single-molecule sequencing of long reads (Pacific Sciences) with chromatin conformation capture sequencing (Hi-C) data to assemble the first chromosome-level reference genome for this species. The high-quality assembly encompassed more than 598 Megabases (Mb) assigned to 1594 scaffolds (scaffold N50 = 25 Mb) with 96% of its total length distributed among 24 chromosomes. Investigation of the syntenic relationship with other economically important flatfish species revealed a high conservation of synteny blocks among members of this phylogenetic clade. Sex determination analysis revealed that similar to other teleost fishes, flatfishes also exhibit a high level of plasticity and turnover in sex determination mechanisms. A low-coverage whole-genome sequence analysis of 198 individuals revealed that Greenland Halibut possesses a male heterogametic XY system and several putative candidate genes implied in the sex determination of this species. Our study also suggests for the first time in flatfishes that a putative Y-autosomal fusion could be associated with a reduction of recombination typical of the early steps of sex chromosome evolution.

Characterizing the extent of genetic differentiation among individuals and its distribution across the genome is increasingly important to inform both conservation and management of exploited species. The Greenland Halibut is one of the main demersal fish species to be commercially exploited in Eastern Canada, and accurate information on geographic population structure and local adaptation is required to ensure the long-term presence of this species. We generated high-quality whole-genome sequencing data for 1,297 Greenland Halibut sampled across 32 locations throughout the Northwest Atlantic (from Arctic Canadian and Greenlandic coasts to the Gulf of St Lawrence). Population genetic structure was analyzed, revealing an absence of population differentiation between Canada and west Greenland but significant genetic differentiation between the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the remainder of the Northwest Atlantic. Except for Gulf of Saint Lawrence, Greenland Halibut thus appear to be panmictic throughout the Northwest Atlantic. Environmental Association Analyses revealed that the environment explained up to 51 % might be replaced by 51% of the differentiation observed between the two stocks, with both ocean-bottom and surface variables (e.g., temperature and oxygen) involved in the observed genomic differentiation. Altogether, these results indicate that phenotypic differences previously observed between the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the Northwest Atlantic likely resulted from functional adaptive divergence to their respective environmental conditions. Using coalescent simulations, we also assessed how high levels of migration between the two stocks would allow Greenland Halibut to potentially escape unfavorable environmental conditions in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. In addition to supporting the management of this important exploited species, this work highlights the utility of using comprehensive genomic datasets to characterize the effects of climate change across a wider range of species.

Large chromosomal rearrangements are thought to facilitate adaptation to heterogeneous environments by limiting genomic recombination. Indeed, inversions have been implicated in adaptation along environmental clines and in ecotype specialisation. Here, we combine classical ecological studies and population genetics to investigate an inversion polymorphism previously documented in Europe among natural populations of the seaweed fly Coelopa frigida along a latitudinal cline in North America. We test if the inversion is present in North America and polymorphic, assess which environmental conditions modulate the inversion karyotype frequencies, and document the relationship between inversion karyotype and adult size. We sampled nearly 2,000 flies from 20 populations along several environmental gradients to quantify associations of inversion frequencies to heterogeneous environmental variables. Genotyping and phenotyping showed a widespread and conserved inversion polymorphism between Europe and America. Variation in inversion frequency was significantly associated with environmental factors, with parallel patterns between continents, indicating that the inversion may play a role in local adaptation. The three karyotypes of the inversion are differently favoured across micro-habitats and represent life-history strategies likely maintained by the collective action of several mechanisms of balancing selection. Our study adds to the mounting evidence that inversions are facilitators of adaptation and enhance within-species diversity.not peer-reviewed)