| 1. |
- Dussex, Nicolas, et al.
(författare)
-
Integrating multi-taxon palaeogenomes and sedimentary ancient DNA to study past ecosystem dynamics
- 2021
-
Ingår i: Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Biological Sciences. - : The Royal Society. - 0962-8452 .- 1471-2954. ; 288:1957
-
Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Ancient DNA (aDNA) has played a major role in our understanding of the past. Important advances in the sequencing and analysis of aDNA from a range of organisms have enabled a detailed understanding of processes such as past demography, introgression, domestication, adaptation and speciation. However, to date and with the notable exception of microbiomes and sediments, most aDNA studies have focused on single taxa or taxonomic groups, making the study of changes at the community level challenging. This is rather surprising because current sequencing and analytical approaches allow us to obtain and analyse aDNA from multiple source materials. When combined, these data can enable the simultaneous study of multiple taxa through space and time, and could thus provide a more comprehensive understanding of ecosystem-wide changes. It is therefore timely to develop an integrative approach to aDNA studies by combining data from multiple taxa and substrates. In this review, we discuss the various applications, associated challenges and future prospects of such an approach.
|
|
| 2. |
- Norén, Karin, et al.
(författare)
-
Evolution, ecology and conservation—revisiting three decades of Arctic fox population genetic research
- 2017
-
Ingår i: Polar Research. - : Norwegian Polar Institute. - 0800-0395 .- 1751-8369. ; 36
-
Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Three decades have passed since the Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) was first put into a population genetic perspective. With the aim of addressing how microevolution operates on different biological levels, we here review genetic processes in the Arctic fox at the level of species, populations and individuals. Historical and present dispersal patterns, especially in the presence of sea ice, are the most powerful factors that create a highly homogeneous genetic structure across the circumpolar distribution, with low detectable divergence between the coastal and lemming ecotypes. With dispersal less pronounced or absent, other processes emerge; populations that are currently isolated, for example, because of the lack of sea ice, are genetically divergent. Moreover, small populations generally display signatures of genetic drift, inbreeding, inbreeding depression and, under specific situations, hybridization with domestic fox breeds. Mating system and social organization in the Arctic fox appear to be determined by the ecological context, with complex mating patterns and social groups being more common under resource-rich conditions. In isolated populations, complex social groups and inbreeding avoidance have been documented. We emphasize the value of genetic data to decipher many previously unknown aspects of Arctic fox biology, while these data also raise numerous questions that remain unanswered. Pronounced intra-specific ecological variation makes the Arctic fox an ideal study organism for population genetic processes and the emergence of functional genomics will generate an even deeper understanding of evolution, ecology and conservation issues for several species.
|
|
