Population genomics of adaptive radiations: Exceptionally high levels of
genetic diversity and recombination in an endemic spider from the Canary
Islands
Abstract
The spider genus Dysdera has undergone a remarkable diversification in
the oceanic archipelago of the Canary Islands, ~60 endemic
species originated during the 20 million years since the origin of the
archipelago. This evolutionary radiation has been accompanied by
substantial dietary shifts, often characterized by phenotypic
modifications encompassing morphological, metabolic and behavioral
changes. Hence, these endemic spiders represent an excellent model for
understanding the evolutionary drivers and to pinpoint the genomic
determinants underlying adaptive radiations. Recently, we achieved the
first chromosome-level genome assembly of one of the endemic species, D.
silvatica, providing a high-quality reference sequence for evolutionary
genomics studies. Here, we conducted a low-coverage based resequencing
study of a natural population of D. silvatica from La Gomera island.
Taking advantage of the new high-quality genome, we characterized
genome-wide levels of nucleotide polymorphism, divergence, and linkage
disequilibrium, and inferred the demographic history of this population.
We also performed comprehensive genome-wide scans for recent positive
selection. Our findings uncovered exceptionally high levels of
nucleotide diversity and recombination in this geographically restricted
endemic species, indicative of large historical effective population
sizes. Furthermore, we identified genomic regions potentially under
positive selection, shedding light on relevant biological processes,
such as vision and nitrogen extraction as possible targets of adaptation
and eventually, as drivers of the species diversification. This
pioneering study in spiders endemic of an oceanic archipelago lays the
groundwork for broader population genomics investigations aimed at
understanding the genetic mechanisms driven adaptive radiations in
island ecosystems.