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Genus-Wide Characterization of Bumblebee Genomes Provides Insights into Their Evolution and Variation in Ecological and Behavioral Traits

Authors :
Sun, Cheng
Huang, Jiaxing
Wang, Yun
Zhao, Xiaomeng
Su, Long
Thomas, Gregg W. C.
Zhao, Mengya
Zhang, Xingtan
Jungreis, Irwin
Kellis, Manolis
Vicario, Saverio
Sharakhov, Igor V.
Bondarenko, Semen M.
Hasselmann, Martin
Kim, Chang N.
Paten, Benedict
Penso-Dolfin, Luca
Wang, Li
Chang, Yuxiao
Gao, Qiang
Ma, Ling
Ma, Lina
Zhang, Zhang
Zhang, Hongbo
Zhang, Huahao
Ruzzante, Livio
Robertson, Hugh M.
Zhu, Yihui
Liu, Yanjie
Yang, Huipeng
Ding, Lele
Wang, Quangui
Ma, Dongna
Xu, Weilin
Liang, Cheng
Itgen, Michael W.
Mee, Lauren
Cao, Gang
Zhang, Ze
Sadd, Ben M.
Hahn, Matthew W.
Schaack, Sarah
Barribeau, Seth M.
Williams, Paul H.
Waterhouse, Robert M.
Mueller, Rachel Lockridge
Sun, Cheng
Huang, Jiaxing
Wang, Yun
Zhao, Xiaomeng
Su, Long
Thomas, Gregg W. C.
Zhao, Mengya
Zhang, Xingtan
Jungreis, Irwin
Kellis, Manolis
Vicario, Saverio
Sharakhov, Igor V.
Bondarenko, Semen M.
Hasselmann, Martin
Kim, Chang N.
Paten, Benedict
Penso-Dolfin, Luca
Wang, Li
Chang, Yuxiao
Gao, Qiang
Ma, Ling
Ma, Lina
Zhang, Zhang
Zhang, Hongbo
Zhang, Huahao
Ruzzante, Livio
Robertson, Hugh M.
Zhu, Yihui
Liu, Yanjie
Yang, Huipeng
Ding, Lele
Wang, Quangui
Ma, Dongna
Xu, Weilin
Liang, Cheng
Itgen, Michael W.
Mee, Lauren
Cao, Gang
Zhang, Ze
Sadd, Ben M.
Hahn, Matthew W.
Schaack, Sarah
Barribeau, Seth M.
Williams, Paul H.
Waterhouse, Robert M.
Mueller, Rachel Lockridge
Publication Year :
2021

Abstract

Bumblebees are a diverse group of globally important pollinators in natural ecosystems and for agricultural food production. With both eusocial and solitary life-cycle phases, and some social parasite species, they are especially interesting models to understand social evolution, behavior, and ecology. Reports of many species in decline point to pathogen transmission, habitat loss, pesticide usage, and global climate change, as interconnected causes. These threats to bumblebee diversity make our reliance on a handful of well-studied species for agricultural pollination particularly precarious. To broadly sample bumblebee genomic and phenotypic diversity, we de novo sequenced and assembled the genomes of 17 species, representing all 15 subgenera, producing the first genus-wide quantification of genetic and genomic variation potentially underlying key ecological and behavioral traits. The species phylogeny resolves subgenera relationships, whereas incomplete lineage sorting likely drives high levels of gene tree discordance. Five chromosome-level assemblies show a stable 18-chromosome karyotype, with major rearrangements creating 25 chromosomes in social parasites. Differential transposable element activity drives changes in genome sizes, with putative domestications of repetitive sequences influencing gene coding and regulatory potential. Dynamically evolving gene families and signatures of positive selection point to genus-wide variation in processes linked to foraging, diet and metabolism, immunity and detoxification, as well as adaptations for life at high altitudes. Our study reveals how bumblebee genes and genomes have evolved across the Bombus phylogeny and identifies variations potentially linked to key ecological and behavioral traits of these important pollinators.

Details

Database :
OAIster
Notes :
English
Publication Type :
Electronic Resource
Accession number :
edsoai.on1274122885
Document Type :
Electronic Resource
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1093.molbev.msaa240