Genomic Islands of Divergence Between Drosophila yakuba Subspecies are Predominantly Driven by Chromosomal Inversions and the Recombination Landscape.

During the early stages of local adaptation and speciation, genetic differences tend to accumulate at certain regions of the genome leading to the formation of genomic islands of divergence (GIDs). This pattern may be due to selection and/or difference in the rate of recombination. Here, we investigate the possible causes of GIDs in Drosophila yakuba mayottensis, and reconfirm using field collection its association with toxic noni (Morinda citrifolia) fruits on the Mayotte island.

Saltational Episodes of Reticulate Evolution in the Drosophila saltans Species Group.

Phylogenomics reveals reticulate evolution to be widespread across taxa, but whether reticulation is due to low statistical power or it is a true evolutionary pattern remains a field of study. Here, we investigate the phylogeny and quantify reticulation in the Drosophila saltans species group, a Neotropical clade of the subgenus Sophophora comprising 23 species whose relationships have long been problematic. Phylogenetic analyses revealed conflicting topologies between the X chromosome, autosomes and the mitochondria.

Evolution of assortative mating following selective introgression of pigmentation genes between two species.

Adaptive introgression is ubiquitous in animals, but experimental support for its role in driving speciation remains scarce. In the absence of conscious selection, admixed laboratory strains of asymmetrically and progressively lose alleles from one parental species and reproductive isolation against the predominant parent ceases after 10 generations. Here, we selectively introgressed during 1 year light pigmentation genes of .

Soft Selective Sweep on Chemosensory Genes Correlates with Ancestral Preference for Toxic Noni in a Specialist Population.

Understanding how organisms adapt to environmental changes is a major question in evolution and ecology. In particular, the role of ancestral variation in rapid adaptation remains unclear because its trace on genetic variation, known as soft selective sweep, is often hardly recognizable from genome-wide selection scans. Here, we investigate the evolution of chemosensory genes in , a specialist subspecies on toxic noni () fruits on the island of Mayotte.