Introgression dynamics of sex-linked chromosomal inversions shape the Malawi cichlid radiation
Chromosomal inversions can contribute to adaptive speciation by linking coadapted alleles. By querying 1375 genomes of the species-rich Malawi cichlid fish radiation, we discovered five large inversions segregating in the benthic subradiation that each suppress recombination over more than half a chromosome. Two inversions were transferred from deepwater pelagic <i>Diplotaxodon</i> through admixture, whereas the others established early in the deep benthic clade. Introgression of haplotypes from lineages inside and outside the Malawi radiation coincided with bursts of species diversification. Inversions show evidence for transient sex linkage, and a notable excess of protein changing substitutions points toward selection on neurosensory, physiological, and reproductive genes. These results indicate that repeated interplay between depth adaptation and sex-specific selection on large inversions has been central to the evolution of this iconic system.
Authors
- Fengtang Yang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3573-2354)
- Bettina Fischer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2821-6287)
- I. V. Artyushin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4911-3677)
- Sandra Louzada (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2245-8453)
- Eric A. Miska (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4450-576X)
- Chenxi Zhou (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1735-2630)
- Domino A. Joyce (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4253-5623)
- Yingguang Frank Chan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6292-9681)
- Astrid Böhne (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1284-3115)
- Sophie Gresham (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4124-7416)
- M. Emília Santos (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3158-7935)
- George F. Turner (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0099-7261)
- Iliana Bista (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6155-3093)
- Tyler Linderoth (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4231-6201)
- Wilson Sawasawa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4997-7237)
- Joel Elkin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2472-923X)
- Bosco Rusuwa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3730-2331)
- Grégoire Vernaz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8942-2370)
- Valentina Burskaia (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3287-3821)
- Hannes Svardal (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7866-7313)
- Richard Zatha (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7777-8027)
- Aaron Hickey (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-0360-6516)
- Natalie Van Houtte (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0296-452X)
- Moritz Blumer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5775-1767)
- Milan Malinsky (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1462-6317)
- Jaysmita Saha (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1721-5588)
- Maxon Ngochera (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7524-6019)
- Julia Camacho-Garcia (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4828-1492)
- Marek Kučka (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0928-4914)
- Richard Michael Durbin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9130-1006)
- Alexander Hooft van Huysduynen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3312-761X)
- Francisco Campuzano Jiménez (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8285-9318)
Institutions
- University of Bern (CH)
- Shandong University of Technology (CN)
- Naturalis Biodiversity Center (NL)
- University of Antwerp (BE)
- Max Planck Society (DE)
- University of Malawi (MW)
- Bangor University (GB)
- University of Groningen (NL)
- University of Hull (GB)
- University of Cambridge (GB)
- Wellcome Sanger Institute (GB)
- Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt/M (DE)
- Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig (DE)
- LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (DE)
- Friedrich Miescher Laboratory (DE)
- Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change (DE)
- Michigan State University (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Science
- Published
- 2025-06-12
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adr9961
- Citations
- 14
- Primary Topic
- Genetic diversity and population structure
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 25.44