Dear colleagues,

Biology Thursday seminar this week will be on site, room MA335, 6th Feb, 12:15,

with Dr. Ina Satokangas, Univ. Helsinki, Helsinki Institute of Life Science (HiLIFE), on: Hybridisation and introgression in Formica wood ants - a threat or a key to fast adaptation?

Studying how hybridisation and introgression shape closely related species increases our understanding of their persistence and adaptation possibilities. Hybridisation can be detrimental if the hybrids combine incompatible genetic material from their parents. For example, Formica wood ant hybrids suffer from male mortality. However, hybridisation can also facilitate fast adaptation, as populations may gain through it functional genes that allow coping with, e.g., novel thermal requirements. We have analysed whole-genome sequences from five hybridising, closely related species of Formica wood ants that are adapted to different climatic conditions. We show that the wood ant hybrids may harbour adaptive potential under warming climate: they live in warmer habitats than the parental species that is cold-adapted. Patterns of genomic variation suggest that hybrid male mortality may be partly environment-dependent, and that historically the gene exchange has actually been selected for in multiple genomic regions. Does hybridisation lead to exchange of adaptive genes among Formica, and what these are? In summary, I show that hybridisation and gene exchange may bring adaptive benefits. However, our work emphasises that these processes are complex and the evolutionary outcomes depend on many factors, including both intrinsic and environment-dependent selection.

See also: https://scholar.google.fi/citations?hl=fi&user=X5vOIiMAAAAJ&view_op=...

AND note that Ina will be around at the unit for the afternoon after the talk, if you want to talk her about your work, her work, genomics, evolution, ants, speciation, climate adaptation etc, please let me know and we'll put you together!

Cheers, Heikki