Genomic divergence and the evolution of ecotypes in bottlenose dolphins (Genus Tursiops)

Eleanor A. L. Pratt, Luciano B. Beheregaray, Pedro Fruet, Gabriela Tezanos-Pinto, Kerstin Bilgmann, Nikki Zanardo, Fernando Diaz-Aguirre, Eduardo R. Secchi, Thales R. O. Freitas, Luciana M. Möller*

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    2 Citations (Scopus)
    34 Downloads (Pure)

    Abstract

    Climatic changes have caused major environmental restructuring throughout the world's oceans. Marine organisms have responded to novel conditions through various biological systems, including genomic adaptation. Growing accessibility of next-generation DNA sequencing methods to study nonmodel species has recently allowed genomic changes underlying environmental adaptations to be investigated. This study used double-digest restriction-site associated DNA (ddRAD) sequence data to investigate the genomic basis of ecotype formation across currently recognized species and subspecies of bottlenose dolphins (genus Tursiops) in the Southern Hemisphere. Subspecies-level genomic divergence was confirmed between the offshore common bottlenose dolphin (T. truncatus truncatus) and the inshore Lahille's bottlenose dolphin (T. t. gephyreus) from the southwestern Atlantic Ocean (SWAO). Similarly, subspecies-level divergence is suggested between inshore (eastern Australia) Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin (T. aduncus) and the proposed Burrunan dolphin (T. australis) from southern Australia. Inshore bottlenose dolphin lineages generally had lower genomic diversity than offshore lineages, a pattern particularly evident for T. t. gephyreus, which showed exceptionally low diversity. Genomic regions associated with cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, and energy production systems appear to have undergone repeated adaptive evolution in inshore lineages across the Southern Hemisphere. We hypothesize that comparable selective pressures in the inshore environment drove similar adaptive responses in each lineage, supporting parallel evolution of inshore bottlenose dolphins. With climate change altering marine ecosystems worldwide, it is crucial to gain an understanding of the adaptive capacity of local species and populations. Our study provides insights into key adaptive pathways that may be important for the long-term survival of cetaceans and other organisms in a changing marine environment.

    Original languageEnglish
    Article numberevad199
    Pages (from-to)1-19
    Number of pages19
    JournalGenome Biology and Evolution
    Volume15
    Issue number11
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Nov 2023

    Bibliographical note

    Copyright the Author(s) 2023. Version archived for private and non-commercial use with the permission of the author/s and according to publisher conditions. For further rights please contact the publisher.

    Keywords

    • adaptive radiation
    • comparative genomics
    • environmental adaptation
    • parallel evolution
    • phylogenomics
    • species divergence

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