Population bottlenecks and sexual recombination shape diatom microevolution

Abstract

Diatoms are single‐celled organisms that contribute approximately 20% of the global primary production and play a crucial role in biogeochemical cycles and trophic chains. Despite their ecological importance, our knowledge of microevolution is limited. We developed a model using the SLiM evolutionary framework to address this knowledge gap. As a reference, we used the diatom Pseudo‐nitzschia multistriata, which has been extensively studied in the Gulf of Naples. Our model recapitulates what we observe in natural populations, with microevolutionary processes that occur annually during a three‐stage bloom phase. Interestingly, we found that non‐bloom phases allow the population to maintain sex‐generated diversity produced during blooms. This finding suggests that non‐bloom phases are critical to counteract bloom‐related pressures and mitigate genetic divergence at the species level. Moreover, our model showed that despite the consistent genetic differentiation during bloom phases, the population tends to return to pre‐bloom states. While our model is limited to neutral dynamics, our study provides valuable insights into diatoms' microevolution, paving the way to explore the ecological implications of the life history dynamics of these organisms.