Cryptic hybridization between the ancient lineages of Natterer's bat (Myotis nattereri)

Josić, Darija and Çoraman, Emrah and Waurick, Isabelle and Franzenburg, Sören and Ancillotto, Leonardo and Bajić, Branka and Budinski, Ivana and Dietz, Christian and Görföl, Tamás and Bofill, Sofia I. Hayden and Presetnik, Primož and Russo, Danilo and Spada, Martina and Zrnčić, Vida and Blom, Mozes P. K. and Mayer, Frieder (2024) Cryptic hybridization between the ancient lineages of Natterer's bat (Myotis nattereri). MOLECULAR ECOLOGY, 33 (13). No.-17411. ISSN 0962-1083

Preview

Text Josic et al_2024_Cryptic hybridization between the ancient lineages of Natterer s bat Myotis nattereri.pdf - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives. Download (10MB) | Preview

Abstract

Studying hybrid zones that form between morphologically cryptic taxa offers valuable insights into the mechanisms of cryptic speciation and the evolution of reproductive barriers. Although hybrid zones have long been the focus of evolutionary studies, the awareness of cryptic hybrid zones increased recently due to rapidly growing evidence of biological diversity lacking obvious phenotypic differentiation. The characterization of cryptic hybrid zones with genome-wide analysis is in its early stages and offers new perspectives for studying population admixture and thus the impact of gene flow. In this study, we investigate the population genomics of the Myotis nattereri complex in one of its secondary contact zones, where a putative hybrid zone is formed between two of its cryptic lineages. By utilizing a whole-genome shotgun sequencing approach, we aim to characterize this cryptic hybrid zone in detail. Demographic analysis suggests that the cryptic lineages diverged during the Pliocene, c. 3.6 million years ago. Despite this ancient separation, the populations in the contact zone exhibit mitochondrial introgression and a considerable amount of mixing in nuclear genomes. The genomic structure of the populations corresponds to geographic locations and the genomic admixture changes along a geographic gradient. These findings suggest that there is no effective hybridization barrier between both lineages, nevertheless, their population structure is shaped by dispersal barriers. Our findings highlight how such deeply diverged cryptic lineages can still readily hybridize in secondary contact.

Actions (login required)

Edit Item