Divergent evolution between sister species of European green lizards and implications for speciation

European green lizards are terrestrial lizards spread across Europe occupying areas with dense vegetation. Their populations are currently declining due to habitat loss, some regions have legislated protection laws for their conservation. L. viridis (eastern green lizard) and L. bilineata (western green lizard) are sister-species which were until recently were grouped together as the L. viridis complex (European green lizards). These two species occupy distinct geographical niches and are known to have recently diverged. We sequenced, assembled and compared their genomes to understand the main factors contributing to the divergent evolution of European green lizards.

欧洲绿蜥蜴（European green lizard）为陆栖蜥蜴类群，广泛分布于欧洲全境植被茂密的生境中。目前其种群因栖息地丧失而呈现衰退趋势，部分地区已出台相关保护法规以开展物种保育工作。绿蜥蜴属的L. viridis（东部绿蜥蜴，eastern green lizard）与L. bilineata（西部绿蜥蜴，western green lizard）为姊妹物种（sister-species），直至近期二者均被一同归入L. viridis复合群（L. viridis complex，欧洲绿蜥蜴复合群）。这两个物种占据截然不同的地理生态位，且被证实为近期分化形成的类群。本研究通过对二者的基因组进行测序、组装与比较分析，旨在阐明驱动欧洲绿蜥蜴分化演化的核心影响因素。