Michael Fontaine: A phylogenomic portrait of radiation and introgression in the An. gambiae complex
- Date: Dec 8, 2016
- Time: 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
- Speaker: Michael Fontaine from the Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES) in The Netherlands
- More information on the speaker can be found here: https://michaelcfontaine.wordpress.com/
- Location: MPI Plön
- Room: Lecture hall
- Host: Julien Dutheil
Abstract:
Introgressive hybridization is now recognized as a widespread
phenomenon, but its role in evolution remains contested. Here, we
use newly available reference genome assemblies and re-sequencing
genome to investigate phylogenetic and population relationships and
introgression in a medically important group of Afrotropical
mosquito sibling species. We have identified the correct species
branching order to resolve a contentious phylogeny and show that
lineages leading to the principal vectors of human malaria
were among the first to split. Pervasive autosomal
introgression between these malaria vectors means that only a small
fraction of the genome, mainly on the X chromosome, has not crossed
species boundaries. Our results suggest that traits enhancing
vectorial capacity may be gained through interspecific gene
flow, including between nonsister species.