Genome of the early spider-orchid Ophrys sphegodes provides insights into sexual deception and pollinator adaptation

作者：Alessia Russo, Mattia Alessandrini, Moaïne El Baidouri, Daniel Frei, Teresa Rosa Galise, Lara Gaidusch, Hannah F. Oertel, Sara Morales, Giacomo Potente, Qin Tian, Dmitry Smetanin, Joris A. M. Bertrand, Renske E. Onstein, Olivier Panaud, Jürg E. Frey, Salvatore Cozzolino, Thomas Wicker, Shuqing Xu, Ueli Grossniklaus, Philipp M. Schlüter · 发表于：Nature Communications · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.1038/s41467-024-50622-4 · 被引用次数：20 · 研究领域：Plant and animal studies、Plant Parasitism and Resistance、Genetic diversity and population structure

Pollinator-driven evolution of floral traits is thought to be a major driver of angiosperm speciation and diversification. Ophrys orchids mimic female insects to lure male pollinators into pseudocopulation. This strategy, called sexual deception, is species-specific, thereby providing strong premating reproductive isolation. Identifying the genomic architecture underlying pollinator adaptation and speciation may shed light on the mechanisms of angiosperm diversification. Here, we report the 5.2 Gb chromosome-scale genome sequence of Ophrys sphegodes. We find evidence for transposable element expansion that preceded the radiation of the O. sphegodes group, and for gene duplication having contributed to the evolution of chemical mimicry. We report a highly differentiated genomic candidate region for pollinator-mediated evolution on chromosome 2. The Ophrys genome will prove useful for investigations into the repeated evolution of sexual deception, pollinator adaptation and the genomic architectures that facilitate evolutionary radiations.