Gene Flow in Volant Vertebrates: Species Biology, Ecology and Climate Change

Abstract

Gene flow, the exchange of genetic material between populations is an important biological process, which shapes and maintains biodiversity. The successful movement of individuals between populations depends on multiple factors determined by species biology and the environment. One of the most important factors regulating gene flow is the ability to move, and flight allows individuals to easily move across geographical barriers. Volant vertebrates are found on some of the remotest islands and contribute significantly to the biodiversity and ecosystem. The availability of next-generation sequencing data for non-model animals has substantially improved our understanding of gene flow and its consequences, allowing us to look at fine-scale patterns. However, most of our understanding regarding gene flow comes from the temperate regions and the Neotropics. The lack of studies from species-rich Asia is striking. In this review, we outline the importance of gene flow and the factors affecting gene flow, especially for volant vertebrates. We especially discuss research studies from tropical biomes of South and Southeast Asia, highlight the lacuna in literature and provide an outline for future studies in this species-rich region.

Development and application of simple sequence repeat markers based on whole-genome sequencing in Codonopsis lanceolata

“…Most importantly, gene flow is affected by many factors, such as the direction and speed of wind and water, individual survival time, climate and geographical obstacles, which affect the dispersion of the population. Some researchers believe that habitat fragmentation affects gene flow [39][40][41]. In our study, wild materials of C. lanceolata mainly relies on bees, wind and rain to spread pollen, and after being digested as food for animals, the fruit takes root and sprouts in the form of feces.…”

Systematics and biogeography of Anoura cultrata (Mammalia, Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae): a morphometric, niche modeling, and genetic perspective, with a taxonomic reappraisal of the genus

“…A. cultrata exemplifies this pattern, as indicated by the absence within most geographic groups of significant correlations between size measures and latitude or longitude. the concept of 'sky' island assumes that, similarly to the sea around real islands, lowlands around mountains hamper gene flow thus causing geographic variation and speciation (Garg & Chattopadhyay, 2021). this also appears to be the case of A. cultrata given that lowland barriers to dispersal have a greater influence than isolation by distance on the geographic variation in size of the species.…”

Next Generation Sequencing Revolutionizes Organismal Biology Research in Bats

“…Bats are the second largest group of mammals, with over 1,400 species identified till date (Simmons and Cirranello 2022 ). Being the only true volant mammals, they are found throughout the planet except for the polar regions (Teeling et al 2018 ), colonizing even some of the remotest islands (Garg and Chattopadhyay 2021 ; Simmons and Cirranello 2022 ). Bats possess numerous physiological adaptations like flight, echolocation, tempered immune response to pathogens, and long-life span among others, that have allowed them to successfully occupy multiple niches across the globe (Teeling et al 2018 ).…”

“…Bats are nocturnal and capable of true flight, both of which possibly helped them escape most predators. As a result, they have developed the extremely unusual vertebrate combination of long lives and small bodies (Garg and Chattopadhyay 2021 ; Teeling et al 2018 ). Ageing is a complex process and with the anticipated increase in the average human lifespan, model systems to understand the impacts of ageing are necessary (Austad 2010 ).…”

“…Urbanization and continuous land use change have increased the probability of interaction between bats and livestock, potentially increasing the transfer of pathogens across species (Fagre et al 2022 ). Further, the high dispersal ability of bats also increases the probability of transmission of diseases (Garg and Chattopadhyay 2021 ). Finally, anthropogenic activities like hunting and consumption of bats, collection and handling of bat excreta as a fertilizer (Dovih et al 2019 ; Wacharapluesadee et al 2013 ), recreational activities like camping in caves, indirect contact via bat excreta contaminated regional beverages like date palm juice or consumption of fruits contaminated with saliva from bats have increased the plausibility of bat borne spillovers to occur in nature (Luby and Gurley 2012 ).…”