Stickleback are fascinating models for evolution, with a clear and repeated genetic separation of freshwater and saltwater population. The genomic consequences of such habitat transitions are well-documented - but how did they arise? We explored how DNA methylation — a key epigenetic mark — varies across naturally diverging populations. We discovered that regions of the genome with different methylation patterns between populations also have higher genetic diversity. This suggests that epgenetic differences can help shape genetic changes as populations adapt and evolve. This also shows that to really understand evolution, we need to look at both genetics and epigenetics together.
Publication:
James Ord, Toni I Gossmann, Irene Adrian-Kalchhauser, High nucleotide diversity accompanies differential DNA methylation in naturally diverging populations, Molecular Biology and Evolution, 2023; msad068, https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msad068
Project team:
James Ord, Toni Gossmann, Irene Adrian-Kalchhauser
