コヨーテの遺伝子が都市の進化を示すかもしれない(Coyote genes may show urban evolution at work)

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2025-01-15 ワシントン大学セントルイス校

ワシントン大学の研究チームは、都市環境で適応進化するコヨーテの遺伝子に焦点を当て、都市部と農村部の個体間で異なる遺伝的特徴を明らかにしました。特に、都市部のコヨーテは糖やデンプン消化に関与する遺伝子(例: AMY2B)の増加が示唆され、食事の変化に適応している可能性が示されました。また、熱調節、行動、繁殖に関連する遺伝子も候補として挙げられました。この研究は、都市進化のメカニズム解明に貢献し、他の都市生物の研究モデルとしても活用が期待されます。

<関連情報>

路地における適応: 都市コヨーテの潜在的選択下にある候補遺伝子 Adaptation in the Alleyways: Candidate genes under potential selection in urban coyotes

Samantha E S Kreling, Summer E Vance, Elizabeth J Carlen
Genome Biology and Evolution  Published:30 December 2024
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evae279

Abstract

In the context of evolutionary time, cities are an extremely recent development. Although our understanding of how urbanization alters ecosystems is well-developed, empirical work examining the consequences of urbanization on adaptive evolution remains limited. To facilitate future work, we offer candidate genes for one of the most prominent urban carnivores across North America. The coyote (Canis latrans) is a highly adaptable carnivore distributed throughout urban and non-urban regions in North America. As such, the coyote can serve as a blueprint for understanding the various pathways by which urbanization can influence the genomes of wildlife via comparisons along urban-rural gradients, as well as between metropolitan areas. Given the close evolutionary relationship between coyotes and domestic dogs, we leverage the well-annotated dog genome and highly conserved mammalian genes from model species to outline how urbanization may alter coyote genotypes and shape coyote phenotypes. We identify variables that may alter selection pressure for urban coyotes and offer suggestions of candidate genes to explore. Specifically, we focus on pathways related to diet, health, behavior, cognition, and reproduction. In a rapidly urbanizing world understanding how species cope and adapt to anthropogenic change can facilitate the persistence of, and coexistence with, these species.

生物環境工学
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