Data from: Multiple types of genomic variation contribute to adaptive traits in the mustelid subfamily Guloninae

Species of the mustelid subfamily Guloninae inhabit diverse habitats on
multiple continents, and occupy a variety of ecological niches. They
differ in feeding ecologies, reproductive strategies and morphological
adaptations. To identify candidate loci associated with adaptations to
their respective environments, we generated a de novo assembly of the
tayra (Eira barbara), the earliest diverging species in the subfamily, and
compared this with the genomes available for the wolverine (Gulo gulo) and
the sable (Martes zibellina). Our comparative genomic analyses included
searching for signs of positive selection, examining changes in gene
family sizes, as well as searching for species-specific structural
variants (SVs). Among candidate loci associated with phenotypic traits, we
observed many related to diet, body condition and reproduction. For
example, for the tayra, which has an atypical gulonine reproductive
strategy of aseasonal breeding, we observe species-specific changes in
many pregnancy-related genes. For the wolverine, a circumpolar
hypercarnivore that must cope with seasonal food scarcity, we observed
many changes in genes associated with diet and body condition. All types
of genomic variation examined (single nucleotide polymorphisms, gene
family expansions, structural variants) contributed substantially to the
identification of candidate loci. This strongly argues for consideration
of variation other than single nucleotide polymorphisms in comparative
genomics studies aiming to identify loci of adaptive significance.