Precipitation and vegetation shape patterns of genomic and craniometric variation in the central African rodent Praomys misonnei.

Predicting species' capacity to respond to climate change is an essential first step in developing effective conservation strategies. However, conservation prioritization schemes rarely take evolutionary potential into account. Ecotones provide important opportunities for diversifying selection and may thus constitute reservoirs of standing variation, increasing the capacity for future adaptation. Here, we map patterns of environmentally associated genomic and craniometric variation in the central African rodent Praomys misonnei to identify areas with the greatest turnover in genomic composition. We also project patterns of environmentally associated genomic variation under future climate change scenarios to determine where populations may be under the greatest pressure to adapt. While precipitation gradients influence both genomic and craniometric variation, vegetation structure is also an important determinant of craniometric variation. Areas of elevated environmentally associated genomic and craniometric variation overlap with zones of rapid ecological transition underlining their importance as reservoirs of evolutionary potential. We also find that populations in the Sanaga river basin, central Cameroon and coastal Gabon are likely to be under the greatest pressure from climate change. Lastly, we make specific conservation recommendations on how to protect zones of high evolutionary potential and identify areas where populations may be the most susceptible to climate change.

Growth factor gene IGF1 is associated with bill size in the black-bellied seedcracker Pyrenestes ostrinus.

Pyrenestes finches are unique among birds in showing a non-sex-determined polymorphism in bill size and are considered a textbook example of disruptive selection. Morphs breed randomly with respect to bill size, and differ in diet and feeding performance relative to seed hardness. Previous breeding experiments are consistent with the polymorphism being controlled by a single genetic factor. Here, we use genome-wide pooled sequencing to explore the underlying genetic basis of bill morphology and identify a single candidate region. Targeted resequencing reveals extensive linkage disequilibrium across a 300 Kb region containing the insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) gene, with a single 5-million-year-old haplotype associating with phenotypic dominance of the large-billed morph. We find no genetic similarities controlling bill size in the well-studied Darwin's finches (Geospiza). Our results show how a single genetic factor may control bill size and provide a foundation for future studies to examine this phenomenon within and among avian species.