TY  - JOUR
A1  - Cornetti, Luca
A1  - Valente, Luis M.
A1  - Dunning, Luke T.
A1  - Quan, Xueping
A1  - Black, Richard A.
A1  - Hebert, Olivier
A1  - Savolainen, Vincent
T1  - The Genome of the "Great Speciator" Provides Insights into Bird Diversification
JF  - Genome biology and evolution
N2  - Among birds, white-eyes (genusZosterops) have diversified so extensively that Jared Diamond and Ernst Mayr referred to them as the 'great speciator." The Zosterops lineage exhibits some of the fastest rates of species diversification among vertebrates, and its members are the most prolific passerine island colonizers. We present a high-quality genome assembly for the silvereye (Zosterops lateralis), a white-eye species consisting of several subspecies distributed across multiple islands. We investigate the genetic basis of rapid diversification in white-eyes by conducting genomic analyses at varying taxonomic levels. First, we compare the silvereye genome with those of birds from different families and searched for genomic features that may be unique to Zosterops. Second, we compare the genomes of different species of white-eyes from Lifou island (South Pacific), using whole genome resequencing and restriction site associated DNA. Third, we contrast the genomes of two subspecies of silvereye that differ in plumage color. In accordance with theory, we show that white-eyes have high rates of substitutions, gene duplication, and positive selection relative to other birds. Below genus level, we find that genomic differentiation accumulates rapidly and reveals contrasting demographic histories between sympatric species on Lifou, indicative of past interspecific interactions. Finally, we highlight genes possibly involved in color polymorphism between the subspecies of silvereye. By providing the first whole-genome sequence resources for white-eyes and by conducting analyses at different taxonomic levels, we provide genomic evidence underpinning this extraordinary bird radiation.
KW  - genome evolution
KW  - positive selection
KW  - gene duplication
KW  - phylogenomics
KW  - demography
KW  - morphological divergence
Y1  - 2015
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evv168
SN  - 1759-6653
VL  - 7
IS  - 9
SP  - 2680
EP  - 2691
PB  - Oxford Univ. Press
CY  - Oxford
ER  -