Molecular mechanisms of adaptive evolution in wild animals and plants

Abstract

Wild animals and plants have developed a variety of adaptive traits driven by adaptive evolution, an important strategy for species survival and persistence. Uncovering the molecular mechanisms of adaptive evolution is the key to understanding species diversification, phenotypic convergence, and inter-species interaction. As the genome sequences of more and more non-model organisms are becoming available, the focus of studies on molecular mechanisms of adaptive evolution has shifted from the candidate gene method to genetic mapping based on genome-wide scanning. In this study, we reviewed the latest research advances in wild animals and plants, focusing on adaptive traits, convergent evolution, and coevolution. Firstly, we focused on the adaptive evolution of morphological, behavioral, and physiological traits. Secondly, we reviewed the phenotypic convergences of life history traits and responding to environmental pressures, and the underlying molecular convergence mechanisms. Thirdly, we summarized the advances of coevolution, including the four main types: mutualism, parasitism, predation and competition. Overall, these latest advances greatly increase our understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms for diverse adaptive traits and species interaction, demonstrating that the development of evolutionary biology has been greatly accelerated by multi-omics technologies. Finally, we highlighted the emerging trends and future prospects around the above three aspects of adaptive evolution.

Chromosome-level genome assembly of the yellow boxfish (Ostracion cubicus) provides insights into the evolution of bone plates and ostracitoxin secretion

“…A high-quality genome is the key to understanding the molecular mechanisms of species adaptation (Hu et al, 2017;Fan et al, 2019;Hu et al, 2023). Due to the lack of genetic information, the genetic basis underlying the two remarkable anti-predator adaptation characteristic traits of the boxfish remains unknown.…”

Gut microbiome as a key monitoring indicator for reintroductions of captive animals

“…Among the 10 key posed to improve reintroduction biology (Armstrong & Seddon, 2008) is what is the genetic and parasite makeup of the target species. Little attention has been given to the gut symbionts of introduced individuals even though they play a critical role in host adaptive evolution, nutrition, disease resistance, and ecological fitness (Alberdi et al., 2016; Groussin et al., 2020; Hu et al., 2023; Zhu et al., 2011). A new dimension of conservation science, conservation metagenomics, may provide important insights that can inform animal conservation (Wei et al., 2019).…”