| 1. |
- Qu, Yanhua, 1974-, et al.
(författare)
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Genetic responses to seasonalvariation in altitudinal stress: whole-genome resequencing ofgreat tit in eastern Himalayas
- 2015
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Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2045-2322. ; 5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Species that undertake altitudinal migrations are exposed to a considerable seasonal variationin oxygen levels and temperature. How they cope with this was studied in a population of greattit (Parus major) that breeds at high elevations and winters at lower elevations in the easternHimalayas. Comparison of population genomics of high altitudinal great tits and those living inlowlands revealed an accelerated genetic selection for carbohydrate energy metabolism (aminosugar, nucleotide sugar metabolism and insulin signaling pathways) and hypoxia response (PI3K-akt,mTOR and MAPK signaling pathways) in the high altitudinal population. The PI3K-akt, mTOR andMAPK pathways modulate the hypoxia-inducible factors, HIF-1α and VEGF protein expression thusindirectly regulate hypoxia induced angiogenesis, erythropoiesis and vasodilatation. The strategiesobserved in high altitudinal great tits differ from those described in a closely related species onthe Tibetan Plateau, the sedentary ground tit (Parus humilis). This species has enhanced selectionin lipid-specific metabolic pathways and hypoxia-inducible factor pathway (HIF-1). Comparativepopulation genomics also revealed selection for larger body size in high altitudinal great tits.
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| 2. |
- Qu, Yanhua, 1974-, et al.
(författare)
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Ground tit genome reveals avian adaptation to living at high altitudes in the Tibetan plateau.
- 2013
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Ingår i: Nature communications. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2041-1723. ; 4, s. 2071-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The ground tit (Parus humilis) is endemic to the Tibetan plateau. It is a member of family Paridae but it was long thought to be related to the ground jays because of their morphological similarities. Here we present the ground tit's genome and re-sequence two tits and one ground jay, to clarify this controversially taxonomic status and uncover its genetic adaptations to the Tibetan plateau. Our results show that ground tit groups with two tits and it diverges from them between 7.7 and 9.9 Mya. Compared with other avian genomes, ground tit shows expansion in genes linked to energy metabolism and contractions in genes involved in immune and olfactory perception. We also found positively selected and rapidly evolving genes in hypoxia response and skeletal development. These results indicated that ground tit evolves basic strategies and 'tit-to-jay' change for coping with the life in an extreme environment.
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| 3. |
- Qu, Yanhua, 1974-, et al.
(författare)
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The evolution of ancestral and species-specific adaptations in snowfinches at the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau
- 2021
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. - : Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. - 0027-8424 .- 1091-6490. ; 10.1073/pnas.2012398118:13, s. e2012398118-e2012398118
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Species in a shared environment tend to evolve similar adaptations under the influence of their phylogenetic context. Using snowfinches, a monophyletic group of passerine birds (Passeridae), we study the relative roles of ancestral and species-specific adaptations to an extreme high-elevation environment, the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. Our ancestral trait reconstruction shows that the ancestral snowfinch occupied high elevations and had a larger body mass than most nonsnowfinches in Passeridae. Subsequently, this phenotypic adaptation diversified in the descendant species. By comparing high-quality genomes from representatives of the three phylogenetic lineages, we find that about 95% of genes under positive selection in the descendant species are different from those in the ancestor. Consistently, the biological functions enriched for these species differ from those of their ancestor to various degrees (semantic similarity values ranging from 0.27 to 0.5), suggesting that the three descendant species have evolved divergently from the initial adaptation in their common ancestor. Using a functional assay to a highly selective gene, DTL, we demonstrate that the nonsynonymous substitutions in the ancestor and descendant species have improved the repair capacity of ultraviolet-induced DNA damage. The repair kinetics of the DTL gene shows a twofold to fourfold variation across the ancestor and the descendants. Collectively, this study reveals an exceptional case of adaptive evolution to high-elevation environments, an evolutionary process with an initial adaptation in the common ancestor followed by adaptive diversification of the descendant species.
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| 4. |
- Song, Gang, et al.
(författare)
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A zoogeographical boundary between the Palaearctic and Sino-Japanese realms documented by consistent north/south phylogeographical divergences in three woodland birds in eastern China
- 2016
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Ingår i: Journal of Biogeography. - : Wiley. - 0305-0270 .- 1365-2699. ; 43:11, s. 2099-2112
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- AimThe location of zoogeographical boundaries in eastern China has long been the subject of debate. To identify any north/south genetic divergence between the Palaearctic and Sino-Japanese realms proposed by previous studies, we conducted a comparative phylogeographical study involving three passerine species with wide latitudinal distributions in eastern China.LocationEastern China.MethodsTwo mitochondrial genes and three nuclear introns were amplified and sequenced. Population structures were analysed using intra-specific phylogeny, tcs networks, AMOVA and structure inferences. We tested for evidence of genetic barriers based on pairwise differences. Lineage divergences, demographic dynamics and gene flow between lineages were estimated using Bayesian methods.ResultsA congruent north/south phylogeographical divergence was identified for three species. A geographical barrier was inferred at c. 40° N in eastern China. The population sizes of the northern and southern lineages have both been stable through the late Pleistocene, while multiple divergences were inferred during the early and middle Pleistocene.Main conclusionsOur results suggest a general phylogeographical break in north-eastern China, coinciding with the Palaearctic/Sino-Japanese boundary. Physical blocking of the Yan Mountains and fragmentation of suitable habitat during glacial stages between the north and south probably acted together to provide long-lasting barrier effects. Our comparative phylogeographical approach demonstrates that the Palaearctic/Sino-Japanese boundary may represent a gene-flow barrier even within widespread species.
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| 5. |
- Zhang, Ruiying, et al.
(författare)
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Comparative phylogeography of two widespread magpies : importance of habitat preference and breeding behavior on genetic structure in China.
- 2012
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Ingår i: Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. - : Elsevier BV. - 1055-7903 .- 1095-9513. ; 65:2, s. 562-72
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Historical geological events and climatic changes are believed to have played important roles in shaping the current distribution of species. However, sympatric species may have responded in different ways to such climatic fluctuations. Here we compared genetic structures of two corvid species, the Azure-winged Magpie Cyanopica cyanus and the Eurasian Magpie Pica pica, both widespread but with different habitat dependence and some aspects of breeding behavior. Three mitochondrial genes and two nuclear introns were used to examine their co-distributed populations in East China and the Iberian Peninsula. Both species showed deep divergences between these two regions that were dated to the late Pliocene/early Pleistocene. In the East Chinese clade of C. cyanus, populations were subdivided between Northeast China and Central China, probably since the early to mid-Pleistocene, and the Central subclade showed a significant pattern of isolation by distance. In contrast, no genetic structure was found in the East China populations of P. pica. We suggest that the different patterns in the two species are at least partly explained by ecological differences between them, especially in habitat preference and perhaps also breeding behavior. These dissimilarities in life history traits might have affected the dispersal and survival abilities of these two species differently during environmental fluctuations.
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