Publications by authors named "Liliana Farelo"
Article Synopsis
- Portugal has a lot of different plants and animals because of its unique geography and history, but these species are in danger from things like climate change and over-exploitation.
- Researchers in Portugal are working together through a project called Biogenome Portugal to study and document biodiversity, which means looking closely at the genes of different species.
- The goal is to create a library of genetic information to help protect endangered species and promote conservation efforts in Portugal, especially for unique plants and animals found only there.
Article Synopsis
- The Spotted-Wing Drosophila (Drosophila suzukii), an invasive pest causing harm to soft-skinned fruits, first appeared in Portugal in 2012, prompting this study on its genomic traits in relation to its global spread.
- Analysis of three Portuguese populations revealed connections to other Southern European populations, indicating a Mediterranean invasion path, while variations in genetic diversity suggest differing colonization histories.
- The study identified ten genes linked to the pest's invasive success and six genes showing local adaptation, including one related to insecticide resistance, highlighting the need for further research on adaptive traits in these Portuguese populations.
Article Synopsis
- - The study investigates how genetic variations in specific genes affect the seasonal color change in white-tailed jackrabbits, influencing their camouflage against changing snow cover.
- - Researchers found that the ability to adapt to diminished snow cover relies on different alleles of genes such as endothelin receptor type B, corin serine peptidase, and agouti signaling protein, which show evidence of selection.
- - The findings indicate that while reduced snow cover may threaten the rabbits' camouflage, populations with genetic diversity for darker pelage could adapt quickly, offering insights for conservation efforts in the face of climate change.
Article Synopsis
- * Researchers found that a split between hare populations occurred about 20,000 years ago, allowing for rapid local adaptations, with distinct genetic signatures linked to environmental traits like coat color and body size.
- * The findings indicate that adaptive genetic variants are mostly unique to mountain hares but can also result from hybridization with other hare species, highlighting the role of both standing genetic variation and introgression in their evolution since the last ice age.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates how genetic variation influences adaptive traits, focusing on the winter coat colors of least weasels (Mustela nivalis) that adapt for camouflage in different snowy environments.
- Researchers used whole-genome sequencing to analyze samples from two regions in Europe where the weasels show distinct white and brown winter coat morphs.
- An association was found between coat color and the MC1R pigmentation gene, with a specific amino acid change linked to the brown morph, indicating that single gene changes can significantly impact seasonal camouflage.
Article Synopsis
- Hybridization plays a key role in the adaptive evolution of hares (Lepus), with extensive gene flow observed across the 32 existing species, influencing their ecological adaptations.
- Researchers analyzed whole exome sequences from 15 hare species to understand the impact of introgression, uncovering significant allele sharing that indicates both ancient and recent hybridization events along the Lepus lineage.
- The findings suggest that ancient hybridization has created a genetic legacy, contributing to adaptations in response to seasonal environments, particularly in genes related to circadian rhythm, pigmentation, and thermoregulation.
Article Synopsis
- The study focuses on how the mountain hare changes its coat color from brown in summer to white in winter for better camouflage, analyzing skin transcription changes during this molt process.
- Researchers identified 632 different genes that are differentially expressed at three stages of the molt—brown, intermediate, and white—with significant changes occurring early in the process.
- The findings highlight similarities in gene regulation between mountain and snowshoe hares, emphasizing the evolutionary significance of coat color adaptation while also noting differences that may relate to seasonal and nutritional factors.
Article Synopsis
- Researchers have created the first de novo draft reference genome for the mountain hare (Lepus timidus), allowing for better understanding of hare-specific variations compared to previous studies that relied on the European rabbit genome.
- The genome assembly includes 32,294 scaffolds totaling 2.7 Gb, which were refined down to 4,205 scaffolds when aligned with rabbit chromosomes, showcasing a significant reduction in complexity.
- The study annotated 24,578 protein-coding genes and found similar genetic diversity metrics between the new hare genome and analyses using the rabbit genome, indicating that the hare reference genome is a valuable tool for future genetic studies on this species.
Introgression drives repeated evolution of winter coat color polymorphism in hares.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
November 2019
Article Synopsis
- Many species of mammals and birds adapt to seasonal changes by altering their fur or feather color, with some maintaining nonwhite winter morphs suited to less snowy environments.
- An introduction of mountain hares to the Faroe Islands in 1855 resulted in a rapid shift from winter-white to winter-gray coat color due to selective pressures, providing insight into the genetics behind this trait.
- Genomic analysis revealed that the winter-gray coloration is linked to introgression from a noncolor changing species and highlights the role of regulatory changes and positive selection in this adaptation.
We report the first mountain hare (Lepus timidus) transcriptome, produced by de novo assembly of RNA-sequencing reads. Data were obtained from eight specimens sampled in two localities, Alps and Ireland. The mountain hare tends to be replaced by the invading European hare (Lepus europaeus) in their numerous contact zones where the species hybridize, which affects their gene pool to a yet unquantified degree.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntrogressive hybridization is an important and widespread evolutionary process, but the relative roles of neutral demography and natural selection in promoting massive introgression are difficult to assess and an important matter of debate. Hares from the Iberian Peninsula provide an appropriate system to study this question. In its northern range, the Iberian hare, Lepus granatensis, shows a northwards gradient of increasing mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) introgression from the arctic/boreal L.
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