Bears are fascinating mammals because of their complex pattern of speciation and rapid evolution of distinct phenotypes. Interspecific hybridization has been common and has shaped the complex evolutionary history of bears. In this study, based on the largest population-level genomic dataset to date involving all Ursinae species and recently developed methods for detecting hybrid speciation, we provide explicit evidence for the hybrid origin of Asiatic black bears, which arose through historical hybridization between the ancestor of polar bear/brown bear/American black bears and the ancestor of sun bear/sloth bears. This was inferred to have occurred soon after the divergence of the two parental lineages in Eurasia due to climate-driven population expansion and dispersal. In addition, we found that the intermediate body size of this hybrid species arose from its combination of relevant genes derived from two parental lineages of contrasting sizes. This and alternate fixation of numerous other loci that had diverged between parental lineages may have initiated the reproductive isolation of the Asiatic black bear from its two parents. Our study sheds further light on the evolutionary history of bears and documents the importance of hybridization in new species formation and phenotypic evolution in mammals.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9351369 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2120307119 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Epidemiologic study on prostate cancer in Sudanese men across African ethnic groups.
Sci Rep
November 2024
Cancer Genomics, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Cape Town, South Africa.
This study sought to investigate the demographic and clinical characteristics of Sudanese men diagnosed with prostate cancer (PCa) to highlight differences in diagnosis among the three major ethnolinguistic groups. A total of 532 patients with confirmed PCa diagnosis through biopsy were enrolled from six medical centers in Sudan. The majority of patients, comprising 84.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEffective Survey Methods for the Elusive Data Deficient Black Flying Squirrel () in Sabah, Malaysia Facilitate First Vocalisation Record.
Animals (Basel)
November 2024
Night Spotting Project, Kota Kinabalu 88400, Sabah, Malaysia.
Flying squirrels are nocturnal, gliding relatives of tree and ground squirrels (order Sciuridae). Despite 49 species existing, literature on Asiatic flying squirrels is scarce, thus they are overlooked in conservation action plans. Recently, three species of giant flying squirrel (, and ) were observed during a nocturnal mammal survey at the Rainforest Discovery Centre (RDC), an Eco centre at the edge of the Kabili-Sepilok forest reserve in Sepilok, Sabah (Malaysia, Borneo).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInfection status of Baylisascaris transfuga in captive Asiatic black bears (Ursus thibetanus) from three bile farms in South Korea, with molecular analyses.
Parasitol Int
February 2025
Department of Parasitology, Parasite Research Center and School of Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 28644, Republic of Korea; Biomedical Research Institute, Chungbuk National University Hospital, Cheongju 28644, Republic of Korea. Electronic address:
Bears harbor various endoparasites that pose risks to humans and other animals. However, information on parasitic infections in Asiatic black bears in South Korea (Korea) is limited, and potential hazards still exist because of the close contact between bears and humans on bile farms. The present study was conducted to assess the gastrointestinal parasite infection status in captive Asiatic black bears (Ursus thibetanus) at bile farms in Korea.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBayesian accuracy estimates for diagnostic tests to detect tuberculosis in captive sun bears (Helarctos malayanus) and Asiatic black bears (Ursus thibetanus) in Cambodia and Vietnam.
PLoS One
November 2024
School of Veterinary Medicine, Murdoch University, Perth, WA, Australia.
Effective control of tuberculosis (TB) depends on early diagnosis of disease, yet available tests are unable to perfectly detect infected individuals. In novel hosts diagnostic testing methods for TB are extrapolated from other species, with unknown accuracy. The primary challenge to evaluating the accuracy of TB tests is the lack of a perfect reference test.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPredicting the potential habitat of bears under a changing climate in Nepal.
Environ Monit Assess
October 2024
Laboratory of Wildlife Biology and Medicine, Department of Environmental Veterinary Science, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan.
In Nepal, the distributions of three bear species vary: sloth bears (Melursus ursinus) in the lowlands, Asiatic black bears (Ursus thibetanus) in the mid-hills, and brown bears (Ursus arctos) in the high Himalayas. We utilized 179 occurrence points for sloth bears, 199 for Asiatic black bears, and 41 points for brown bears to construct a habitat model incorporating climate and topographic variables. Employing various species distribution modeling algorithms in BIOMOD2, the model predicts suitable habitats spanning 10,971.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!