Sensory systems are attractive evolutionary models to address how organisms adapt to local environments that can cause ecological speciation. However, tests of these evolutionary models have focused on visual, auditory, and olfactory senses. Here, we show local adaptation of bitter taste receptor genes in two neighboring populations of a wild mammal-the blind mole rat Spalax galili-that show ecological speciation in divergent soil environments. We found that basalt-type bitter receptors showed higher response intensity and sensitivity compared with chalk-type ones using both genetic and cell-based functional analyses. Such functional changes could help animals adapted to basalt soil select plants with less bitterness from diverse local foods, whereas a weaker reception to bitter taste may allow consumption of a greater range of plants for animals inhabiting chalk soil with a scarcity of food supply. Our study shows divergent selection on food resources through local adaptation of bitter receptors, and suggests that taste plays an important yet underappreciated role in speciation.

• Klíčová slova
• bitter taste, ecological speciation, functional assay, local adaptation,
• MeSH
• chuť genetika   MeSH
• fyziologická adaptace genetika   MeSH
• savci MeSH
• Spalax * genetika   MeSH
• vznik druhů (genetika) MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural MeSH

Speciation mechanisms remain controversial. Two speciation models occur in Israeli subterranean mole rats, genus Spalax: a regional speciation cline southward of four peripatric climatic chromosomal species and a local, geologic-edaphic, genic, and sympatric speciation. Here we highlight their genome evolution. The five species were separated into five genetic clusters by single nucleotide polymorphisms, copy number variations (CNVs), repeatome, and methylome in sympatry. The regional interspecific divergence correspond to Pleistocene climatic cycles. Climate warmings caused chromosomal speciation. Triple effective population size, Ne , declines match glacial cold cycles. Adaptive genes evolved under positive selection to underground stresses and to divergent climates, involving interspecies reproductive isolation. Genomic islands evolved mainly due to adaptive evolution involving ancient polymorphisms. Repeatome, including both CNV and LINE1 repetitive elements, separated the five species. Methylation in sympatry identified geologically chalk-basalt species that differentially affect thermoregulation, hypoxia, DNA repair, P53, and other pathways. Genome adaptive evolution highlights climatic and geologic-edaphic stress evolution and the two speciation models, peripatric and sympatric.

• Klíčová slova
• genomic sequencing, methylation, repeatome, speciation models, subterranean rodents,
• MeSH
• biologická adaptace MeSH
• biologická evoluce * MeSH
• epigeneze genetická MeSH
• genetická variace MeSH
• genom MeSH
• jednonukleotidový polymorfismus MeSH
• molekulární evoluce MeSH
• populační genetika MeSH
• reprodukční izolace MeSH
• Spalax genetika   fyziologie   MeSH
• sympatrie * MeSH
• tok genů MeSH
• variabilita počtu kopií segmentů DNA MeSH
• vazebná nerovnováha MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Izrael MeSH