Population genomics of finless porpoises reveal an incipient cetacean species adapted to freshwater

作者：Xuming Zhou, Xuanmin Guang, Di Sun, Shixia Xu, Mingzhou Li, Inge Seim, Wencai Jie, Linfeng Yang, Qianhua Zhu, Jiabao Xu, Qiang Gao, Alaattin Kaya, Qianhui Dou, Bingyao Chen, Wenhua Ren, Shuai Cheng Li, Kaiya Zhou, Vadim N. Gladyshev, Rasmus Nielsen, Xiaodong Fang, Guang Yang · 发表于：Nature Communications · 年份：2018 · DOI：10.1038/s41467-018-03722-x · 被引用次数：137 · 研究领域：Marine animal studies overview、Arctic and Antarctic ice dynamics、Indigenous Studies and Ecology

Cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises) are a group of mammals adapted to various aquatic habitats, from oceans to freshwater rivers. We report the sequencing, de novo assembly and analysis of a finless porpoise genome, and the re-sequencing of an additional 48 finless porpoise individuals. We use these data to reconstruct the demographic history of finless porpoises from their origin to the occupation into the Yangtze River. Analyses of selection between marine and freshwater porpoises identify genes associated with renal water homeostasis and urea cycle, such as urea transporter 2 and angiotensin I-converting enzyme 2, which are likely adaptations associated with the difference in osmotic stress between ocean and rivers. Our results strongly suggest that the critically endangered Yangtze finless porpoises are reproductively isolated from other porpoise populations and harbor unique genetic adaptations, supporting that they should be considered a unique incipient species.