High-altitude adaptation is accompanied by strong signatures of purifying selection in the mitochondrial genomes of three Andean waterfowl.
Evidence from a variety of organisms points to convergent evolution on the mitochondria associated with a physiological response to oxygen deprivation or temperature stress, including mechanisms for high-altitude adaptation. Here, we examine whether demography and/or selection explains standing mito...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2024-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0294842&type=printable |
| _version_ | 1797361222281068544 |
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| author | Allie M Graham Philip Lavretsky Robert E Wilson Kevin G McCracken |
| author_facet | Allie M Graham Philip Lavretsky Robert E Wilson Kevin G McCracken |
| author_sort | Allie M Graham |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Evidence from a variety of organisms points to convergent evolution on the mitochondria associated with a physiological response to oxygen deprivation or temperature stress, including mechanisms for high-altitude adaptation. Here, we examine whether demography and/or selection explains standing mitogenome nucleotide diversity in high-altitude adapted populations of three Andean waterfowl species: yellow-billed pintail (Anas georgica), speckled teal (Anas flavirostris), and cinnamon teal (Spatula cyanoptera). We compared a total of 60 mitogenomes from each of these three duck species (n = 20 per species) across low and high altitudes and tested whether part(s) or all of the mitogenome exhibited expected signatures of purifying selection within the high-altitude populations of these species. Historical effective population sizes (Ne) were inferred to be similar between high- and low-altitude populations of each species, suggesting that selection rather than genetic drift best explains the reduced genetic variation found in mitochondrial genes of high-altitude populations compared to low-altitude populations of the same species. Specifically, we provide evidence that establishment of these three Andean waterfowl species in the high-altitude environment, coincided at least in part with a persistent pattern of negative purifying selection acting on oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) function of the mitochondria. Our results further reveal that the extent of gene-specific purifying selection has been greatest in the speckled teal, the species with the longest history of high-altitude occupancy. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T15:50:48Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7986452e831a4582ac89e1c1d0781ba0 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T15:50:48Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-7986452e831a4582ac89e1c1d0781ba02024-01-09T05:31:09ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032024-01-01191e029484210.1371/journal.pone.0294842High-altitude adaptation is accompanied by strong signatures of purifying selection in the mitochondrial genomes of three Andean waterfowl.Allie M GrahamPhilip LavretskyRobert E WilsonKevin G McCrackenEvidence from a variety of organisms points to convergent evolution on the mitochondria associated with a physiological response to oxygen deprivation or temperature stress, including mechanisms for high-altitude adaptation. Here, we examine whether demography and/or selection explains standing mitogenome nucleotide diversity in high-altitude adapted populations of three Andean waterfowl species: yellow-billed pintail (Anas georgica), speckled teal (Anas flavirostris), and cinnamon teal (Spatula cyanoptera). We compared a total of 60 mitogenomes from each of these three duck species (n = 20 per species) across low and high altitudes and tested whether part(s) or all of the mitogenome exhibited expected signatures of purifying selection within the high-altitude populations of these species. Historical effective population sizes (Ne) were inferred to be similar between high- and low-altitude populations of each species, suggesting that selection rather than genetic drift best explains the reduced genetic variation found in mitochondrial genes of high-altitude populations compared to low-altitude populations of the same species. Specifically, we provide evidence that establishment of these three Andean waterfowl species in the high-altitude environment, coincided at least in part with a persistent pattern of negative purifying selection acting on oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) function of the mitochondria. Our results further reveal that the extent of gene-specific purifying selection has been greatest in the speckled teal, the species with the longest history of high-altitude occupancy.https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0294842&type=printable |
| spellingShingle | Allie M Graham Philip Lavretsky Robert E Wilson Kevin G McCracken High-altitude adaptation is accompanied by strong signatures of purifying selection in the mitochondrial genomes of three Andean waterfowl. PLoS ONE |
| title | High-altitude adaptation is accompanied by strong signatures of purifying selection in the mitochondrial genomes of three Andean waterfowl. |
| title_full | High-altitude adaptation is accompanied by strong signatures of purifying selection in the mitochondrial genomes of three Andean waterfowl. |
| title_fullStr | High-altitude adaptation is accompanied by strong signatures of purifying selection in the mitochondrial genomes of three Andean waterfowl. |
| title_full_unstemmed | High-altitude adaptation is accompanied by strong signatures of purifying selection in the mitochondrial genomes of three Andean waterfowl. |
| title_short | High-altitude adaptation is accompanied by strong signatures of purifying selection in the mitochondrial genomes of three Andean waterfowl. |
| title_sort | high altitude adaptation is accompanied by strong signatures of purifying selection in the mitochondrial genomes of three andean waterfowl |
| url | https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0294842&type=printable |
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