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Population genomics of adaptive radiations: Exceptionally high levels of genetic diversity and recombination in an endemic spider from the Canary Islands
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  • Paula Escuer,
  • Sara Guirao-Rico,
  • Miquel Arnedo,
  • Alejandro Sánchez-Gracia,
  • Julio Rozas
Paula Escuer
Universitat de Barcelona
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Sara Guirao-Rico
Universitat de Barcelona
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Miquel Arnedo
Universitat de Barcelona
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Alejandro Sánchez-Gracia
Universitat de Barcelona
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Julio Rozas
Universitat de Barcelona

Corresponding Author:jrozas@ub.edu

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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.
16 Apr 2024Submitted to Molecular Ecology
23 Apr 2024Reviewer(s) Assigned
23 Jun 2024Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
12 Aug 2024Editorial Decision: Revise Minor
26 Aug 20242nd Revision Received
27 Aug 2024Assigned to Editor
27 Aug 2024Submission Checks Completed
27 Aug 2024Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
02 Sep 2024Reviewer(s) Assigned
24 Sep 2024Editorial Decision: Accept