Repeated genetic divergence plays a minor role in repeated phenotypic divergence of lake-stream stickleback

Recent studies have shown that the repeated evolution of similar phenotypes in response to similar ecological conditions (here "parallel evolution") often occurs through mutations in the same genes. However, many previous studies have focused on known candidate genes in a limited number of...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Evolution 2023-01, Vol.77 (1), p.110-122
Main Authors: Poore, Hilary A, Stuart, Yoel E, Rennison, Diana J, Roesti, Marius, Hendry, Andrew P, Bolnick, Daniel I, Peichel, Catherine L
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Genetic Drift
Lakes
Phenotype
Rivers
Smegmamorpha - genetics
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Recent studies have shown that the repeated evolution of similar phenotypes in response to similar ecological conditions (here "parallel evolution") often occurs through mutations in the same genes. However, many previous studies have focused on known candidate genes in a limited number of systems. Thus, the question of how often parallel phenotypic evolution is due to parallel genetic changes remains open. Here, we used quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping in F2 intercrosses between lake and stream threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) from four independent watersheds on Vancouver Island, Canada to determine whether the same QTL underlie divergence in the same phenotypes across, between, and within watersheds. We find few parallel QTL, even in independent crosses from the same watershed or for phenotypes that have diverged in parallel. These findings suggest that different mutations can lead to similar phenotypes. The low genetic repeatability observed in these lake-stream systems contrasts with the higher genetic repeatability observed in other stickleback systems. We speculate that differences in evolutionary history, gene flow, and/or the strength and direction of selection might explain these differences in genetic parallelism and emphasize that more work is needed to move beyond documenting genetic parallelism to identifying the underlying causes.
ISSN:0014-3820
1558-5646
DOI:10.1093/evolut/qpac025