Stable species boundaries despite ten million years of hybridisation in tropical eels

Genomic evidence is increasingly underpinning that hybridization between taxa is commonplace, challenging our views on the mechanisms that maintain their boundaries. Here, we focus on seven catadromous eel species (genus Anguilla) and use genome-wide sequence data from more than 450 individuals sampled across the tropical Indo-Pacific, morphological information, and three newly assembled draft genomes to compare contemporary patterns of hybridization with signatures of past introgression across a time-calibrated phylogeny. We show that the seven species have remained distinct for up to 10 million years and find that the current frequencies of hybridization across species pairs contrast with genomic signatures of past introgression. Based on near-complete asymmetry in the directionality of hybridization and decreasing frequencies of later-generation hybrids, we suggest cytonuclear incompatibilities, hybrid breakdown, and purifying selection as mechanisms that can support species cohesion even when hybridization has been pervasive throughout the evolutionary history of clades

Ocean currents drive secondary contact between Anguilla marmorata populations in the Indian Ocean

International audienceUnderstanding the evolutionary processes underlying population structuring of freshwater eels is an essential step toward comprehending their exceptional life cycle. However, in order to infer evolutionary scenarios that account for the genetic structure of current populations, it is necessary to unravel the history of gene flow from the onset of population divergence to the present. We used a combination of population-genetics methods and Bayesian coalescent analyses, to search specifically for the gene flow history that could explain contemporary genetic patterns of 2 Anguilla marmorata populations previously identified in the Indian Ocean. The population structure of A. marmorata was analyzed by genotyping 444 eels sampled from both sides of the Indian Ocean. Using 2 mitochondrial 16S rRNA single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and 10 nuclear microsatellite loci, we first provided corroborative evidence of the existence of 2 genetic stocks: the Sumatran and the southwestern Indian Ocean (SWIO) populations (nuclear FST = 0.025 to 0.039). High frequencies of Sumatran haplotypes were found in SWIO localities (27 to 43%). Fitting the isolation-with-migration model to 16S rRNA sequence data led us to reject the hypotheses of inherited ancestral polymorphism and divergence with gene flow, but supported a recent secondary contact with unidirectional migration following a period of isolation. This scenario was confirmed by a cytonuclear disequilibrium found in SWIO, which also indicated that unidirectional migration was in progress. Finally, fitting simulated models of population composition to Bayesian assignments estimated from nuclear data suggested that Sumatran migrants are integrated in the SWIO breeding pool after their dispersal induced by the South Equatorial Current

Cochlear shape distinguishes southern African early hominin taxa with unique auditory ecologies

International audienceAbstract Insights into potential differences among the bony labyrinths of Plio-Pleistocene hominins may inform their evolutionary histories and sensory ecologies. We use four recently-discovered bony labyrinths from the site of Kromdraai to significantly expand the sample for Paranthropus robustus . Diffeomorphometry, which provides detailed information about cochlear shape, reveals size-independent differences in cochlear shape between P. robustus and Australopithecus africanus that exceed those among modern humans and the African apes. The cochlea of P. robustus is distinctive and relatively invariant, whereas cochlear shape in A. africanus is more variable, resembles that of early Homo , and shows a degree of morphological polymorphism comparable to that evinced by modern species. The curvature of the P. robustus cochlea is uniquely derived and is consistent with enhanced sensitivity to low-frequency sounds. Combined with evidence for selection, our findings suggest that sound perception shaped distinct ecological adaptations among southern African early hominins

Consensus on precision medicine for metastatic cancers:A report from the MAP conference

Recent advances in biotechnologies have led to the development of multiplex genomic and proteomic analyses for clinical use. Nevertheless, guidelines are currently lacking to determine which molecular assays should be implemented in metastatic cancers. The first MAP conference was dedicated to exploring the use of genomics to better select therapies in the treatment of metastatic cancers. Sixteen consensus items were covered. There was a consensus that new technologies like next-generation sequencing of tumors and ddPCR on circulating free DNA have convincing analytical validity. Further work needs to be undertaken to establish the clinical utility of liquid biopsies and the added clinical value of expanding from individual gene tests into large gene panels. Experts agreed that standardized bioinformatics methods for biological interpretation of genomic data are needed and that precision medicine trials should be stratified based on the level of evidence available for the genomic alterations identified

An Ecosystem-Based Approach to Assess the Status of a Mediterranean Ecosystem, the Posidonia oceanica Seagrass Meadow

17 páginas, 8 tablas, 3 figurasBiotic indices, which reflect the quality of the environment, are widely used in the marine realm. Sometimes, key species or ecosystem engineers are selected for this purpose. This is the case of the Mediterranean seagrass Posidonia oceanica, widely used as a biological quality element in the context of the European Union Water Framework Directive (WFD). The good quality of a water body and the apparent health of a species, whether or not an ecosystem engineer such as P. oceanica, is not always indicative of the good structure and functioning of the whole ecosystem. A key point of the recent Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) is the ecosystem-based approach. Here, on the basis of a simplified conceptual model of the P. oceanica ecosystem, we have proposed an ecosystem-based index of the quality of its functioning, compliant with the MSFD requirements. This index (EBQI) is based upon a set of representative functional compartments, the weighting of these compartments and the assessment of the quality of each compartment by comparison of a supposed baseline. The index well discriminated 17 sites in the north-western Mediterranean (French Riviera, Provence, Corsica, Catalonia and Balearic Islands) covering a wide range of human pressure levels. The strong points of the EBQI are that it is easy to implement, non-destructive, relatively robust, according to the selection of the compartments and to their weighting, and associated with confidence indices that indicate possible weakness and biases and therefore the need for further field data acquisition.Peer reviewe

Trophic position increases with thermocline depth in yellowfin and bigeye tuna across the Western and Central Pacific Ocean

Estimates of trophic position are used to validate ecosystem models and understand food web structure. A consumer's trophic position can be estimated by the stable nitrogen isotope values (delta N-15) of its tissue, once the baseline isotopic variability has been accounted for. Our study established the first data-driven baseline delta N-15 isoscape for the Western and Central Pacific Ocean using particulate organic matter. Bulk delta N-15 analysis on 1039 muscle tissue of bigeye and yellowfin tuna were conducted together with amino acid compound-specific delta N-15 analysis (AA-CSIA) on a subset of 21 samples. Both particulate organic matter and tuna bulk delta N-15 values varied by more than 10 parts per thousand across the study area. Fine-scaled trophic position maps were constructed and revealed higher tuna trophic position (by similar to 1) in the southern latitudes compared to the equator. AA-CSIA confirmed these spatial patterns for bigeye and, to a lesser extent, yellowfin tuna. Using generalized additive models, spatial variations of tuna trophic positions were mainly related to the depth of the 20 degrees C isotherm, a proxy for the thermocline behavior, with higher tuna trophic position estimates at greater thermocline depths. We hypothesized that a deeper thermocline would increase tuna vertical habitat and access to mesopelagic prey of higher trophic position. Archival tagging data further suggested that the vertical habitat of bigeye tuna was deeper in the southern latitudes than at the equator. These results suggest the importance of thermocline depth in influencing tropical tuna diet, which affects their vulnerability to fisheries, and may be altered by climate change