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Population Genomics of Wall Lizards Reflects the Dynamic History of the Mediterranean Basin

Yang, Weizhao LU ; Feiner, Nathalie LU ; Salvi, Daniele ; Laakkonen, Hanna LU ; Jablonski, Daniel ; Pinho, Catarina ; Carretero, Miguel A. ; Sacchi, Roberto ; Zuffi, Marco A.L. and Scali, Stefano , et al. (2022) In Molecular biology and evolution 39(1).
Abstract

The Mediterranean Basin has experienced extensive change in geology and climate over the past six million years. Yet, the relative importance of key geological events for the distribution and genetic structure of the Mediterranean fauna remains poorly understood. Here, we use population genomic and phylogenomic analyses to establish the evolutionary history and genetic structure of common wall lizards (Podarcis muralis). This species is particularly informative because, in contrast to other Mediterranean lizards, it is widespread across the Iberian, Italian, and Balkan Peninsulas, and in extra-Mediterranean regions. We found strong support for six major lineages within P. muralis, which were largely discordant with the phylogenetic... (More)

The Mediterranean Basin has experienced extensive change in geology and climate over the past six million years. Yet, the relative importance of key geological events for the distribution and genetic structure of the Mediterranean fauna remains poorly understood. Here, we use population genomic and phylogenomic analyses to establish the evolutionary history and genetic structure of common wall lizards (Podarcis muralis). This species is particularly informative because, in contrast to other Mediterranean lizards, it is widespread across the Iberian, Italian, and Balkan Peninsulas, and in extra-Mediterranean regions. We found strong support for six major lineages within P. muralis, which were largely discordant with the phylogenetic relationship of mitochondrial DNA. The most recent common ancestor of extant P. muralis was likely distributed in the Italian Peninsula, and experienced an "Out-of-Italy" expansion following the Messinian salinity crisis (∼5 Mya), resulting in the differentiation into the extant lineages on the Iberian, Italian, and Balkan Peninsulas. Introgression analysis revealed that both inter- and intraspecific gene flows have been pervasive throughout the evolutionary history of P. muralis. For example, the Southern Italy lineage has a hybrid origin, formed through admixture between the Central Italy lineage and an ancient lineage that was the sister to all other P. muralis. More recent genetic differentiation is associated with the onset of the Quaternary glaciations, which influenced population dynamics and genetic diversity of contemporary lineages. These results demonstrate the pervasive role of Mediterranean geology and climate for the evolutionary history and population genetic structure of extant species.

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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
glaciation, introgression, Messinian salinity crisis, phylogenomics, phylogeography, refugia
in
Molecular biology and evolution
volume
39
issue
1
publisher
Oxford University Press
external identifiers
  • scopus:85123812590
  • pmid:34718699
ISSN
0737-4038
DOI
10.1093/molbev/msab311
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution.
id
a3b6033a-0ee9-4c5d-9243-e021ed1dc505
date added to LUP
2022-02-16 13:40:43
date last changed
2024-06-27 12:11:49
@article{a3b6033a-0ee9-4c5d-9243-e021ed1dc505,
  abstract     = {{<p>The Mediterranean Basin has experienced extensive change in geology and climate over the past six million years. Yet, the relative importance of key geological events for the distribution and genetic structure of the Mediterranean fauna remains poorly understood. Here, we use population genomic and phylogenomic analyses to establish the evolutionary history and genetic structure of common wall lizards (Podarcis muralis). This species is particularly informative because, in contrast to other Mediterranean lizards, it is widespread across the Iberian, Italian, and Balkan Peninsulas, and in extra-Mediterranean regions. We found strong support for six major lineages within P. muralis, which were largely discordant with the phylogenetic relationship of mitochondrial DNA. The most recent common ancestor of extant P. muralis was likely distributed in the Italian Peninsula, and experienced an "Out-of-Italy" expansion following the Messinian salinity crisis (∼5 Mya), resulting in the differentiation into the extant lineages on the Iberian, Italian, and Balkan Peninsulas. Introgression analysis revealed that both inter- and intraspecific gene flows have been pervasive throughout the evolutionary history of P. muralis. For example, the Southern Italy lineage has a hybrid origin, formed through admixture between the Central Italy lineage and an ancient lineage that was the sister to all other P. muralis. More recent genetic differentiation is associated with the onset of the Quaternary glaciations, which influenced population dynamics and genetic diversity of contemporary lineages. These results demonstrate the pervasive role of Mediterranean geology and climate for the evolutionary history and population genetic structure of extant species.</p>}},
  author       = {{Yang, Weizhao and Feiner, Nathalie and Salvi, Daniele and Laakkonen, Hanna and Jablonski, Daniel and Pinho, Catarina and Carretero, Miguel A. and Sacchi, Roberto and Zuffi, Marco A.L. and Scali, Stefano and Plavos, Konstantinos and Pafilis, Panayiotis and Poulakakis, Nikos and Lymberakis, Petros and Jandzik, David and Schulte, Ulrich and Aubret, Fabien and Badiane, Arnaud and Perez I de Lanuza, Guillem and Abalos, Javier and While, Geoffrey M. and Uller, Tobias}},
  issn         = {{0737-4038}},
  keywords     = {{glaciation; introgression; Messinian salinity crisis; phylogenomics; phylogeography; refugia}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{01}},
  number       = {{1}},
  publisher    = {{Oxford University Press}},
  series       = {{Molecular biology and evolution}},
  title        = {{Population Genomics of Wall Lizards Reflects the Dynamic History of the Mediterranean Basin}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msab311}},
  doi          = {{10.1093/molbev/msab311}},
  volume       = {{39}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}