Genomic Differentiation Between Gossypium barbadense and G.hirsutum

Sea Island cotton(Gossypium barbadense L.) has superior fiber quality properties,while Upland cotton(G.hirsutum L.) is characterized by its high yield.Although these two species are

Comparative genomics of widespread and narrow-range white-bellied rats in the Niviventer niviventer species complex sheds light on invasive rodent success

Widespread species that inhabit diverse environments possess large population sizes and exhibit a high capacity for environmental adaptation,thus enabling range expansion.In contrast,narrow-range species are confined to restricted geographical areas and are ecologically adapted to narrow environmental conditions,thus limiting their ability to expand into novel environments.However,the genomic mechanisms underlying the differentiation between closely related species with varying distribution ranges remain poorly understood.The Niviventer niviventer species complex(NNSC),consisting of highly abundant wild rats in Southeast Asia and China,offers an excellent opportunity to investigate these questions due to the presence of both widespread and narrow-range species that are phylogenetically closely related.In the present study,we combined ecological niche modeling with phylogenetic analysis,which suggested that sister species cannot be both widespread and dominant within the same geographical region.Moreover,by assessing heterozygosity,linkage disequilibrium decay,and Tajima's D analysis,we found that widespread species exhibited higher genetic diversity than narrow-range species.In addition,by exploring the“genomic islands of speciation”,we identified 13 genes in highly divergent regions that were shared by the two widespread species,distinguishing them from their narrow-range counterparts.Functional annotation analysis indicated that these genes are involved in nervous system development and regulation.The adaptive evolution of these genes likely played an important role in the speciation of these widespread species.

The identification of presence/absence variants associated with the apparent differences of growth period structures between cultivated and wild soybeans

The cultivated soybean（Glycine max（L.） Merr.） was distinguished from its wild progenitor Glycine soja Sieb.＆ Zucc.in growth period structure,by a shorter vegetative phase（V）,a prolonged reproductive phase（R） and hence a larger R/V ratio.However,the genetic basis of the domestication of soybean from wild materials is unclear.Here,a panel of 123 cultivated and 97 wild accessions were genotyped using a set of 24 presence/absence variants（PAVs） while at the same time the materials were phenotyped with respect to flowering and maturity times at two trial sites located at very different latitudes.The major result of this study showed that variation at PAVs is informative for assessing patterns of genetic diversity in Glycine spp.The genotyping was largely consistent with the taxonomic status,although a few accessions were intermediate between the two major clades identified.Allelic diversity was much higher in the wild germplasm than in the cultivated materials.A significant domestication signal was detected at 11 of the PAVs at 0.01 level.In particular,this study has provided information for revealing the genetic basis of photoperiodism which was a prominent feature for the domestication of soybean.A significant marker-trait association with R/V ratio was detected at 14 of the PAVs,but stripping out population structure reduced this to three.These results will provide markers information for further finding of R/V related genes that can help to understand the domestication process and introgress novel genes in wild soybean to broaden the genetic base of modern soybean cultivars.

The allopolyploid B. juncea genome uncovered differential homoeolog gene expression influencing selection

With the long-term support by the National Natural Science Foundation of China,Ministry of Agriculture,and Science and Technology Department of Zhejiang Province,the research team led by Prof.Zhang Mingfang(张明方)at Zhejiang University,assembled an allopolyploid B.juncea genome and uncovered differential homoeolog gene expression influencing selection,which was published in Nature