How glaciation impacted evolutionary history and contemporary genetic diversity of flora and fauna in the British Isles

Fenton, Sam; Elmer, Kathryn R.; Bean, Colin W.; Adams, Colin E.

doi:10.1080/14702541.2023.2231407

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 77 publications

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“…The most credible scenarios for all groups analysed (Tyne, Wear, Hayle and Anglesey) indicated a shared ancestral bottleneck, prior to divergence of individual populations. However, DIYABC-RF did not deliver tight posteriors estimates (Table 1) for the ancestral population size and the timing of this event, though this is likely driven by recolonization after the last glacial maximum (Fenton et al, 2023). This finding is in accordance with previous studies, which have shown that while DIYABC is generally reliable in identifying the most credible scenario, it is less powerful for estimating tight posterior estimates of older events (Cabrera & Palsbøll, 2017).…”

Section: Metal-impacted Populations Repeatedly Exhibit Genetic Struct...supporting

confidence: 86%

Living in a post‐industrial landscape: repeated patterns of genetic divergence in brown trout (Salmo trutta L.) across the British Isles

Osmond,

King,

Russo

et al. 2024

Diversity and Distributions

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AimThe British Isles have been worked for millennia to extract metal ores to feed industrial development, leaving a legacy of mine water pollution that continues to impact freshwater communities in many regions. Brown trout (Salmo trutta L.) have long been observed to persist in these metal‐impacted systems as apex predators, with previous studies showing a small number of impacted populations to be highly genetically divergent. We sought to understand the scale of genetic diversity across regions and the repeatability of genetic divergence in trout populations affected by metal pollution.LocationWe examined four mine water‐impacted regions across the British Isles: west Wales, northeast England, southwest England and southeast Ireland.MethodsWe employed a panel of 95 SNP loci to screen 1236 individuals from 71 sites representing paired metal‐impacted and clean sites from across the four regions. From these, we obtained diversity statistics, assessed genetic structuring of populations and modelled historical demographic scenarios to understand which factors most credibly explain genetic variation in divergent populations.ResultsWe evidenced hierarchical population structure in the regions studied, in line with expectations from phylogeographic history. However, in a hierarchical analysis of genetic structuring the first level of differentiation was driven by the divergence of the metal‐impacted trout of Cornwall in southwest England. Within regions we observed reduced genetic diversity and repeated patterns of local genetic sub‐structuring between paired samples from metal‐impacted and relatively clean sites. Demographic history analyses suggested the timing of these splits to be relatively recent and to be associated with periods of peak mining activity.Main conclusionsOur findings demonstrate distinct patterns of genetic isolation and reduced diversity arising from legacy pollution in freshwater ecosystems, with impacts being most apparent where both chemical pollution and physical barriers are present. Management should focus on the amelioration of mine water wash‐out and the removal of barriers to fish movement to safeguard genetic diversity in impacted populations.

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Section: Metal-impacted Populations Repeatedly Exhibit Genetic Struct...supporting

confidence: 86%

Living in a post‐industrial landscape: repeated patterns of genetic divergence in brown trout (Salmo trutta L.) across the British Isles

Osmond,

King,

Russo

et al. 2024

Diversity and Distributions

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“…For both traits, Loch Tay and Dughaill showed notably higher trajectory lengths than Awe and na Sealga and more evolutionary divergence, also seen in the ecomorphs' genomic divergence (F ST ~ 1% between ecomorphs in Awe and na Sealga vs. 9% in Dughaill and Tay) (Table S8). This reflects likely what were previously inferred to be recent sympatric divergences of ecomorph pairs in Awe and na Sealga, while Tay and Dughaill each have complex histories of divergence and secondary contact between colonizing lineages (Fenton et al, 2023;Jacobs et al, 2020).…”

Section: Limited Parallelism In Head and Body Shape Divergences Acros...supporting

confidence: 70%

Genomic underpinnings of head and body shape in Arctic charr ecomorph pairs

Fenton,

Jacobs,

Bean

et al. 2024

Molecular Ecology

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Across its Holarctic range, Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) populations have diverged into distinct trophic specialists across independent replicate lakes. The major aspect of divergence between ecomorphs is in head shape and body shape, which are ecomorphological traits reflecting niche use. However, whether the genomic underpinnings of these parallel divergences are consistent across replicates was unknown but key for resolving the substrate of parallel evolution. We investigated the genomic basis of head shape and body shape morphology across four benthivore–planktivore ecomorph pairs of Arctic charr in Scotland. Through genome‐wide association analyses, we found genomic regions associated with head shape (89 SNPs) or body shape (180 SNPs) separately and 50 of these SNPs were strongly associated with both body and head shape morphology. For each trait separately, only a small number of SNPs were shared across all ecomorph pairs (3 SNPs for head shape and 10 SNPs for body shape). Signs of selection on the associated genomic regions varied across pairs, consistent with evolutionary demography differing considerably across lakes. Using a comprehensive database of salmonid QTLs newly augmented and mapped to a charr genome, we found several of the head‐ and body‐shape‐associated SNPs were within or near morphology QTLs from other salmonid species, reflecting a shared genetic basis for these phenotypes across species. Overall, our results demonstrate how parallel ecotype divergences can have both population‐specific and deeply shared genomic underpinnings across replicates, influenced by differences in their environments and demographic histories.

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“…Following the end of the last Ice Age, the retreating ice in the Northern Hemisphere left behind many isolated freshwater lakes of varying sizes (Fenton et al, 2023;Geirsdottir et al, 2009 Hijma, 2012). Fishes that colonized these lakes came mainly from the marine environment, with limited dispersal and gene flow between lakes following colonization (Wilson et al, 2004).…”

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confidence: 99%

Environmental correlates of adaptive diversification in postglacial freshwater fishes

Tiddy,

Schneider,

Elmer

2023

Journal of Fish Biology

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Determining how environmental conditions contribute to divergence among populations and drive speciation is fundamental to resolving mechanisms and understanding outcomes in evolutionary biology. Postglacial freshwater fish species in the Northern Hemisphere are ideal biological systems to explore the effects of environment on diversification in morphology, ecology, and genetics (ecomorph divergences) within lakes. To date, various environmental factors have been implicated in the presence of multiple ecomorphs within particular lakes or regions. However, concerted evidence for generalizable patterns in environmental variables associated with speciation across geographical regions and across species and genera has been lacking. Here, we aimed to identify key biotic and abiotic factors associated with ecological divergence of postglacial freshwater fish species into multiple sympatric ecomorphs, focusing on species in the well‐studied, widespread, and co‐distributed genera Gasterosteus, Salvelinus, and Coregonus (stickleback, charr, and whitefish, respectively). We found that the presence of multiple sympatric ecomorphs tended to be associated with increasing lake surface area, maximum depth, and nutrient availability. In addition, predation, competition, and prey availability were suggested to play a role in divergence into multiple ecomorphs, but the effects of biotic factors require further study. Although we identified several environmental factors correlated with the presence of multiple ecomorphs, there were substantial data gaps across species and regions. An improved understanding of these systems may provide insight into both generalizable environmental factors involved in speciation in other systems, and potential ecological and evolutionary responses of species complexes when these variables are altered by environmental change.

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How glaciation impacted evolutionary history and contemporary genetic diversity of flora and fauna in the British Isles

Cited by 4 publications

References 77 publications

Living in a post‐industrial landscape: repeated patterns of genetic divergence in brown trout (Salmo trutta L.) across the British Isles

Living in a post‐industrial landscape: repeated patterns of genetic divergence in brown trout (Salmo trutta L.) across the British Isles

Genomic underpinnings of head and body shape in Arctic charr ecomorph pairs

Environmental correlates of adaptive diversification in postglacial freshwater fishes

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