Phenotype-environment association of the oxygen transport system in trimorphic European whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus) populations

Replicated adaptive radiation events, typified by phenotypic divergence across resource axes, provide important insight into the eco-evolutionary dynamics that lead to the formation of new species. Here, we show that in trimorphic adaptive radiations of European whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus), divergence of the oxygen transport system has occurred across the pelagic/littoral (shallow)—profundal (deep) resource axis, and at multiple biological scales. Profundal whitefish exhibited significantly larger red blood cells (RBCs), a greater proportion of cathodic hemoglobin protein components, and higher hemoglobin transcript abundance in kidney compared to littoral and pelagic morphs. Hemoglobin transcript abundance in brain and gill, but not kidney, and anodic hemoglobin protein component diversity in blood were also linked to variation at an intronic single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP). As the whitefish morphs differ in population genetic structure at this SNP, hemoglobin transcript and p...

以跨资源轴的表型分化为典型特征的重复适应性辐射事件，可为解析驱动新物种形成的生态进化动力学提供重要见解。本研究表明，在欧洲白鲑（Coregonus lavaretus）的三态适应性辐射中，氧转运系统的分化沿远洋/沿岸（浅水环境）—深底（深水环境）资源轴发生，且涉及多个生物学尺度。与沿岸型和远洋型形态相比，深底型白鲑的红细胞（red blood cells, RBCs）体积显著更大，阴极血红蛋白蛋白组分占比更高，且肾脏内的血红蛋白转录本丰度也更高。此外，大脑与鳃（而非肾脏）中的血红蛋白转录本丰度，以及血液中的阳极血红蛋白蛋白组分多样性，均与一处内含子单核苷酸多态性（single nucleotide polymorphism, SNP）的变异相关。由于该SNP位点处的白鲑形态间存在种群遗传结构差异，血红蛋白转录本及p...