Candidate genes under selection in song sparrows co-vary with climate and body mass in support of Bergmann’s Rule

Katherine Carbeck (), Peter Arcese, Irby Lovette, Christin Pruett, Kevin Winker and Jennifer Walsh
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Katherine Carbeck: University of British Columbia
Peter Arcese: University of British Columbia
Irby Lovette: Cornell University
Christin Pruett: Ouachita Baptist University
Kevin Winker: University of Alaska Museum, University of Alaska Fairbanks
Jennifer Walsh: Cornell University

Nature Communications, 2023, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Abstract Ecogeographic rules denote spatial patterns in phenotype and environment that may reflect local adaptation as well as a species’ capacity to adapt to change. To identify genes underlying Bergmann’s Rule, which posits that spatial correlations of body mass and temperature reflect natural selection and local adaptation in endotherms, we compare 79 genomes from nine song sparrow (Melospiza melodia) subspecies that vary ~300% in body mass (17 − 50 g). Comparing large- and smaller-bodied subspecies revealed 9 candidate genes in three genomic regions associated with body mass. Further comparisons to the five smallest subspecies endemic to California revealed eight SNPs within four of the candidate genes (GARNL3, RALGPS1, ANGPTL2, and COL15A1) associated with body mass and varying as predicted by Bergmann’s Rule. Our results support the hypothesis that co-variation in environment, body mass and genotype reflect the influence of natural selection on local adaptation and a capacity for contemporary evolution in this diverse species.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42786-2

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