ORCID Profile
0000-0003-0359-8450
Current Organisation
University of York
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Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 04-11-2022
DOI: 10.1101/2022.11.03.515020
Abstract: Parallel evolution provides among the strongest evidence of the role of natural selection in shaping adaptation to the local environment. Yet, the chronology, mode and tempo of the process of parallel evolution remains broadly debated and discussed in the field of evolutionary biology. In this study, we harness the temporal resolution of paleogenomics to understand the tempo and independence of parallel coastal ecotype adaptation in common bottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops truncatus ). For this, we generated whole genome resequencing data from subfossil dolphins (8,610-5,626 years BP) originating from around the formation time of new coastal habitat and compared them with data from contemporary populations. Genomic data revealed a shift in genetic affinity, with the oldest ancient s le being closer to the pelagic populations, while the younger s les had intermediate ancestry that showed greater affinity with the local contemporary coastal populations. We found coastal-associated genotypes in the genome of our highest coverage ancient s le, SP1060, providing rare evidence of rapid adaptation from standing genetic variation. Lastly, using admixture graph analyses, we found a reticulate evolutionary history between pelagic and coastal populations. Ancestral gene flow from coastal populations was the probable source of standing genetic variation present in the pelagic populations that enabled rapid adaptation to newly emerged coastal habitat. The genetic response to past climatic warming provides an understanding of how bottlenose dolphins will respond to ongoing directional climate change and shifting coastlines.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 18-07-2023
DOI: 10.1038/S41467-023-39532-Z
Abstract: Parallel evolution provides strong evidence of adaptation by natural selection due to local environmental variation. Yet, the chronology, and mode of the process of parallel evolution remains debated. Here, we harness the temporal resolution of paleogenomics to address these long-standing questions, by comparing genomes originating from the mid-Holocene (8610-5626 years before present, BP) to contemporary pairs of coastal-pelagic ecotypes of bottlenose dolphin. We find that the affinity of ancient s les to coastal populations increases as the age of the s les decreases. We assess the youngest genome (5626 years BP) at sites previously inferred to be under parallel selection to coastal habitats and find it contained coastal-associated genotypes. Thus, coastal-associated variants rose to detectable frequencies close to the emergence of coastal habitat. Admixture graph analyses reveal a reticulate evolutionary history between pelagic and coastal populations, sharing standing genetic variation that facilitated rapid adaptation to newly emerged coastal habitats.
Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Date: 22-03-2019
Abstract: Myxomatosis is a viral infection that was deliberately introduced from American cottontail rabbits into European rabbit populations to control their population. Over the past 60 years or so, similar resistance variants have emerged in parallel in the United Kingdom, France, and Australia. Alves et al. discovered that the basis for this resistance is polygenic, with selection converging on several host immunity and proviral alleles (see the Perspective by Miller and Metcalf). Interestingly, it now seems that the virus is counterevolving immune suppressive traits. Science , this issue p. 1319 see also p. 1277
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 02-01-2020
DOI: 10.1111/MEC.15329
Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Date: 11-05-2018
Abstract: Species in the fungal genus Batrachochytrium are responsible for severe declines in the populations of hibians globally. The sources of these pathogens have been uncertain. O'Hanlon et al. used genomics on a panel of more than 200 isolates to trace the source of the frog pathogen B. dendrobatidis to a hyper erse hotspot in the Korean peninsula (see the Perspective by Lips). Over the past century, the trade in hibian species has accelerated, and now all lineages of B. dendrobatidis occur in traded hibians the fungus has become ubiquitous and is ersifying rapidly. Science , this issue p. 621 see also p. 604
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 10-10-2017
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 19-01-2015
Abstract: The past decade has witnessed a revolution in ancient DNA (aDNA) research. Although the field's focus was previously limited to mitochondrial DNA and a few nuclear markers, whole genome sequences from the deep past can now be retrieved. This breakthrough is tightly connected to the massive sequence throughput of next generation sequencing platforms and the ability to target short and degraded DNA molecules. Many ancient specimens previously unsuitable for DNA analyses because of extensive degradation can now successfully be used as source materials. Additionally, the analytical power obtained by increasing the number of sequence reads to billions effectively means that contamination issues that have haunted aDNA research for decades, particularly in human studies, can now be efficiently and confidently quantified. At present, whole genomes have been sequenced from ancient anatomically modern humans, archaic hominins, ancient pathogens and megafaunal species. Those have revealed important functional and phenotypic information, as well as unexpected adaptation, migration and admixture patterns. As such, the field of aDNA has entered the new era of genomics and has provided valuable information when testing specific hypotheses related to the past.
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 18-07-2018
DOI: 10.1101/370122
Abstract: Grey wolves ( Canis lupus ) are one of the few large terrestrial carnivores that maintained a wide geographic distribution across the Northern Hemisphere throughout the Pleistocene and Holocene. Recent genetic studies have suggested that, despite this continuous presence, major demographic changes occurred in wolf populations between the late Pleistocene and early Holocene, and that extant wolves trace their ancestry to a single late Pleistocene population. Both the geographic origin of this ancestral population and how it became widespread remain a mystery. Here we analyzed a large dataset of novel modern and ancient mitochondrial wolf genomes, spanning the last 50,000 years, using a spatially and temporally explicit modeling framework to show that contemporary wolf populations across the globe trace their ancestry to an expansion from Beringia at the end of the Last Glacial Maximum - a process most likely driven by the significant ecological changes that occurred across the Northern Hemisphere during this period. This study provides direct ancient genetic evidence that long-range migration has played an important role in the population history of a large carnivore and provides an insight into how wolves survived the wave of megafaunal extinctions at the end of the last glaciation. Moreover, because late Pleistocene grey wolves were the likely source from which all modern dogs trace their origins, the demographic history described in this study has fundamental implications for understanding the geographical origin of the dog.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 24-11-2016
DOI: 10.1038/SREP37347
Abstract: The majority of archaeological plant material is preserved in a charred state. Obtaining reliable ancient DNA data from these remains has presented challenges due to high rates of nucleotide damage, short DNA fragment lengths, low endogenous DNA content and the potential for modern contamination. It has been suggested that high-throughput sequencing (HTS) technologies coupled with DNA enrichment techniques may overcome some of these limitations. Here we report the findings of HTS and target enrichment on four important archaeological crops (barley, grape, maize and rice) performed in three different laboratories, presenting the largest HTS assessment of charred archaeobotanical specimens to date. Rigorous analysis of our data – excluding false-positives due to background contamination or incorrect index assignments – indicated a lack of endogenous DNA in nearly all s les, except for one lightly-charred maize cob. Even with target enrichment, this s le failed to yield adequate data required to address fundamental questions in archaeology and biology. We further reanalysed part of an existing dataset on charred plant material, and found all purported endogenous DNA sequences were likely to be spurious. We suggest these technologies are not suitable for use with charred archaeobotanicals and urge great caution when interpreting data obtained by HTS of these remains.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2021
Location: United States of America
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
No related grants have been discovered for Nathan Wales.