Université de Fribourg

Inference of natural selection from ancient DNA

Dehasque, Marianne ; Ávila‐Arcos, María C. ; Díez‐del‐Molino, David ; Fumagalli, Matteo ; Guschanski, Katerina ; Lorenzen, Eline D. ; Malaspinas, Anna‐Sapfo ; Marques‐Bonet, Tomas ; Martin, Michael D. ; Murray, Gemma G. R. ; Papadopulos, Alexander S. T. ; Therkildsen, Nina Overgaard ; Wegmann, Daniel ; Dalén, Love ; Foote, Andrew D.

In: Evolution Letters, 2020, vol. 4, no. 2, p. 94–108

Evolutionary processes, including selection, can be indirectly inferred based on patterns of genomic variation among contemporary populations or species. However, this often requires unrealistic assumptions of ancestral demography and selective regimes. Sequencing ancient DNA from temporally spaced samples can inform about past selection processes, as time series data allow direct...

Université de Fribourg

How sympatric is speciation in the Howea palms of Lord Howe Island?

Babik, Wiesław ; Butlin, Roger K. ; Baker, William J. ; Papadopulos, Alexander S. T. ; Boulesteix, Matthieu ; Anstett, Marie-Charlotte ; Lexer, Christian ; Hutton, Ian ; Savolainen, Vincent

In: Molecular Ecology, 2009, vol. 18, no. 7, p. 3629 - 3638

The two species of the palm genus Howea (Arecaceae) from Lord Howe Island, a minute volcanic island in the Tasman Sea, are now regarded as one of the most compelling examples of sympatric speciation, although this view is still disputed by some authors. Population genetic and ecological data are necessary to provide a more coherent and comprehensive understanding of this emerging model system....