Integrating ecology with genetics to explain gene reuse during repeated evolution
5 affiliations
- 1Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station, National Centre for Scientific Research CNRS, Moulis 09200, France
- 2Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322
- 3Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556
- 4Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106
- 5Division of Evolutionary Ecology, Institute for Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Bern 3012, Switzerland
Abstract
The role of determinism and chance in the evolutionary history of life is often analyzed through the lens of the repeatability of evolution. Although it is now clear that evolution often repeats itself, we are only beginning to understand why this varies in degree. For example, the probability of gene reuse during repeated bouts of adaptation often declines with time since divergence, but the causes of this pattern remain unclear. Here, we explore two core hypotheses for time-dependent variation in the repeatability of gene reuse during adaptation. Specifically, gene reuse depends on the extent to which lineages have 1) similar genomes such that they have similar genetic architectures, mutations, and mutational effects (i.e., a fairly well-appreciated “shared genetics” hypothesis), and 2) similar ecologies such that they have similar environments and patterns of natural selection (i.e., a mostly unexplored “shared ecology” hypothesis). The latter hypothesis emphasizes ecology’s role in gene reuse and has received little explicit attention. In particular, testing the shared ecology hypothesis requires moving beyond a simple dichotomous characterization of ecology to embracing ecological divergence as a multivariate and continuous phenomenon. Although such tests are only beginning to emerge, they already illustrate how integration of ecological factors can help explain variation in gene reuse. Here, we advocate a framework that integrates the influence of both genetic and ecological factors in the repeatability of evolution and can be applied to a range of organisms to better understand the role of determinism and chance in biological diversification.
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BibTeX
@article{nosil2026integrating,
title = {{Integrating ecology with genetics to explain gene reuse during repeated evolution}},
author = {Patrik Nosil and Zachariah Gompert and Jose M. Montoya and Jeffrey L. Feder and Todd H. Oakley and Catherine L. Peichel},
journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1073/pnas.2422481123},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2422481123},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Integrating ecology with genetics to explain gene reuse during repeated evolution
AU - Patrik Nosil
AU - Zachariah Gompert
AU - Jose M. Montoya
AU - Jeffrey L. Feder
AU - Todd H. Oakley
AU - Catherine L. Peichel
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/23
JO - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
DO - 10.1073/pnas.2422481123
UR - https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2422481123
AB - The role of determinism and chance in the evolutionary history of life is often analyzed through the lens of the repeatability of evolution. Although it is now clear that evolution often repeats itself, we are only beginning to understand why this varies in degree. For example, the probability of gene reuse during repeated bouts of adaptation often declines with time since divergence, but the causes of this pattern remain unclear. Here, we explore two core hypotheses for time-dependent variation in the repeatability of gene reuse during adaptation. Specifically, gene reuse depends on the extent to which lineages have 1) similar genomes such that they have similar genetic architectures, mutations, and mutational effects (i.e., a fairly well-appreciated “shared genetics” hypothesis), and 2) similar ecologies such that they have similar environments and patterns of natural selection (i.e., a mostly unexplored “shared ecology” hypothesis). The latter hypothesis emphasizes ecology’s role in gene reuse and has received little explicit attention. In particular, testing the shared ecology hypothesis requires moving beyond a simple dichotomous characterization of ecology to embracing ecological divergence as a multivariate and continuous phenomenon. Although such tests are only beginning to emerge, they already illustrate how integration of ecological factors can help explain variation in gene reuse. Here, we advocate a framework that integrates the influence of both genetic and ecological factors in the repeatability of evolution and can be applied to a range of organisms to better understand the role of determinism and chance in biological diversification.
SN - 0027-8424
SN - 1091-6490
ER -