Ancestral Admixture Is the Main Determinant of Global Biodiversity in Fission Yeast

Mutation and recombination are key evolutionary processes governing phenotypic variation and reproductive isolation. We here demonstrate that biodiversity within all globally known strains of Schizosaccharomyces pombe arose through admixture between two divergent ancestral lineages. Initial hybridization was inferred to have occurred ∼20-60 sexual outcrossing generations ago consistent with recent, human-induced migration at the onset of intensified transcontinental trade. Species-wide heritable phenotypic variation was explained near-exclusively by strain-specific arrangements of alternating ancestry components with evidence for transgressive segregation. Reproductive compatibility between strains was likewise predicted by the degree of shared ancestry. To assess the genetic determinants of ancestry block distribution across the genome, we characterized the type, frequency, and position of structural genomic variation using nanopore and single-molecule real-time sequencing. Despite being associated with double-strand break initiation points, over 800 segregating structural variants exerted overall little influence on the introgression landscape or on reproductive compatibility between strains. In contrast, we found strong ancestry disequilibrium consistent with negative epistatic selection shaping genomic ancestry combinations during the course of hybridization. This study provides a detailed, experimentally tractable example that genomes of natural populations are mosaics reflecting different evolutionary histories. Exploiting genome-wide heterogeneity in the history of ancestral recombination and lineage-specific mutations sheds new light on the population history of S. pombe and highlights the importance of hybridization as a creative force in generating biodiversity

Discovery and population genomics of structural variation in a songbird genus

Structural variation (SV) constitutes an important type of genetic mutations providing the raw material for evolution. Here, we uncover the genome-wide spectrum of intra- and interspecific SV segregating in natural populations of seven songbird species in the genus Corvus. Combining short-read (N = 127) and long-read re-sequencing (N = 31), as well as optical mapping (N = 16), we apply both assembly- and read mapping approaches to detect SV and characterize a total of 220,452 insertions, deletions and inversions. We exploit sampling across wide phylogenetic timescales to validate SV genotypes and assess the contribution of SV to evolutionary processes in an avian model of incipient speciation. We reveal an evolutionary young (~530,000 years) cis-acting 2.25-kb LTR retrotransposon insertion reducing expression of the NDP gene with consequences for premating isolation. Our results attest to the wealth and evolutionary significance of SV segregating in natural populations and highlight the need for reliable SV genotyping

Killer whale genomes reveal a complex history of recurrent admixture and vicariance

Reconstruction of the demographic and evolutionary history of populations assuming a consensus tree‐like relationship can mask more complex scenarios, which are prevalent in nature. An emerging genomic toolset, which has been most comprehensively harnessed in the reconstruction of human evolutionary history, enables molecular ecologists to elucidate complex population histories. Killer whales have limited extrinsic barriers to dispersal and have radiated globally, and are therefore a good candidate model for the application of such tools. Here, we analyse a global data set of killer whale genomes in a rare attempt to elucidate global population structure in a nonhuman species. We identify a pattern of genetic homogenisation at lower latitudes and the greatest differentiation at high latitudes, even between currently sympatric lineages. The processes underlying the major axis of structure include high drift at the edge of species' range, likely associated with founder effects and allelic surfing during postglacial range expansion. Divergence between Antarctic and non‐Antarctic lineages is further driven by ancestry segments with up to fourfold older coalescence time than the genome‐wide average; relicts of a previous vicariance during an earlier glacial cycle. Our study further underpins that episodic gene flow is ubiquitous in natural populations, and can occur across great distances and after substantial periods of isolation between populations. Thus, understanding the evolutionary history of a species requires comprehensive geographic sampling and genome‐wide data to sample the variation in ancestry within individuals

Bioinformatic processing of RAD-seq data dramatically impacts downstream population genetic inference

1. Restriction site-associated DNA sequencing (RAD-seq) provides high-resolution population genomic data at low cost, and has become an important component in ecological and evolutionary studies. As with all high-throughput technologies, analytic strategies require critical validation to ensure precise and unbiased interpretation. 2. To test the impact of bioinformatic data processing on downstream population genetic inferences, we analysed mammalian RAD-seq data (>100 individuals) with 312 combinations of methodology (de novo vs. mapping to references of increasing divergence) and filtering criteria (missing data, HWE, F-IS, coverage, mapping and genotype quality). In an effort to identify commonalities and biases in all pipelines, we computed summary statistics (nr. loci, nr. SNP, pi, Het(obs), F-IS, F-ST, N-e and m) and compared the results to independent null expectations (isolation-by-distance correlation, expected transition-to-transversion ratio T-s/T-v and Mendelian mismatch rates of known parent-offspring trios). 3. We observed large differences between reference-based and de novo approaches, the former generally calling more SNPs and reducing F-IS and T-s/T-v. Data completion levels showed little impact on most summary statistics, and FST estimates were robust across all pipelines. The site frequency spectrum was highly sensitive to the chosen approach as reflected in large variance of parameter estimates across demographic scenarios (single-population bottlenecks and isolation-with-migration model). Null expectations were best met by reference-based approaches, although contingent on the specific criteria. 4. We recommend that RAD-seq studies employ reference-based approaches to a closely related genome, and due to the high stochasticity associated with the pipeline advocate the use of multiple pipelines to ensure robust population genetic and demographic inferences