Origins of adaptive genomic variation in a wild rodent
- 1Sam Noble Museum, University of Oklahoma
- 2Laboratory of Molecular Ecology, Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences
- 3Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University
Abstract
Population history is a key yet underexplored determinant of local adaptation. Here, we assess its role by inferring the geographic origin of alleles at climate-associated loci. Using whole-genome data from 151 bank voles (Clethrionomys glareolus) sampled in Britain and four mainland European source populations with ancestry representing the Carpathian and Western refugia, we evaluate the origins of SNPs linked to climate adaptation at 1074 candidate loci. Most SNPs at adaptive loci represent widespread polymorphisms, shared across both European refugia and Britain. However, the larger and older Carpathian refugium contributed more unique SNPs associated with climate adaptation, which are more positively correlated with high temperatures, compared to the smaller contribution of uniquely Western alleles. Together, these results demonstrate that local adaptation is shaped not only by shared ancestral variation but also the distinct evolutionary legacies of individual refugia.
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BibTeX
@article{cruz2026origins,
title = {{Origins of adaptive genomic variation in a wild rodent}},
author = {Marcos O. R. da Cruz and Silvia Marková and Marco A. Escalante and Jeremy B. Searle and Petr Kotlík and Hayley C. Lanier},
journal = {Communications Biology},
year = {2026},
month = jun,
doi = {10.1038/s42003-026-10511-6},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-026-10511-6},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Origins of adaptive genomic variation in a wild rodent
AU - Marcos O. R. da Cruz
AU - Silvia Marková
AU - Marco A. Escalante
AU - Jeremy B. Searle
AU - Petr Kotlík
AU - Hayley C. Lanier
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/06/01
JO - Communications Biology
DO - 10.1038/s42003-026-10511-6
UR - https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-026-10511-6
AB - Population history is a key yet underexplored determinant of local adaptation. Here, we assess its role by inferring the geographic origin of alleles at climate-associated loci. Using whole-genome data from 151 bank voles (Clethrionomys glareolus) sampled in Britain and four mainland European source populations with ancestry representing the Carpathian and Western refugia, we evaluate the origins of SNPs linked to climate adaptation at 1074 candidate loci. Most SNPs at adaptive loci represent widespread polymorphisms, shared across both European refugia and Britain. However, the larger and older Carpathian refugium contributed more unique SNPs associated with climate adaptation, which are more positively correlated with high temperatures, compared to the smaller contribution of uniquely Western alleles. Together, these results demonstrate that local adaptation is shaped not only by shared ancestral variation but also the distinct evolutionary legacies of individual refugia.
SN - 2399-3642
ER -