Lukas Schrader
,
Institut für Zoologie, Universität Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
Jay W. Kim
,
Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California at Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA
Daniel D. Ence
,
Eccles Institute of Human Genetics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
Aleksey Zimin
,
Institute for Physical Science and Technology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
Antonia Klein
,
Institut für Zoologie, Universität Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
Katharina Wyschetzki
,
Institut für Zoologie, Universität Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
Tobias Weichselgartner
,
Institut für Zoologie, Universität Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
Carsten Kemena
,
Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, Westfällische Wilhelms-Universität, Munster, Germany
Johannes Stökl
,
Institut für Zoologie, Universität Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
Eva Schultner
,
Department of Biosciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
Yannick Wurm
,
School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
Christopher D. Smith
,
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA
Mark Yandell
,
Eccles Institute of Human Genetics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
Jürgen Heinze
,
Institut für Zoologie, Universität Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
Jürgen Gadau
,
Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
Jan Oettler
,
Institut für Zoologie, Universität Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
Ants have been a target for several next-generation sequencing projects, which have shed light on phenotypic plasticity, adaptations for symbiotic lifestyles and reproductive division of labor. To date, no study has characterized variation within an ant species to explore the genetics of local adaptation. Here, we present work on
Cardiocondyla obscurior which is a globally invasive ant. How exactly this inbreeding species generates the genetic diversity needed to adapt to new environments is a topic of general interest for evolutionary biology and in particular invasive species biology.
By annotating the reference genome of C. obscuriorand examining genetic variants from two phenotypically disparate populations, we identify 18 transposable element rich regions (TE islands) comprising ~7 % of the genomic sequence. These TE islands have more TE’s and more active TE’s than the rest of the genome and contain genes that are evolving faster than other non-TE rich regions. Genes in these TE islands are also differentially regulated relative to genes in the rest of the genome, as evidenced by CpG depletion and gene expression data. Genes contained in TE islands are also enriched for functions proposed to be important for an invasive species to adapt to new environments.
This work reveals the important role that transposable elements can play in allowing invasive species to establish populations and adapt to new environments in spite of the reduced genetic diversity in founder populations.
This study demonstrates an important interplay between transposable elements and life history strategies in adaptive evolution of invasive species.
