title: Genome-culture coevolution promotes rapid divergence of killer whale ecotypes.
abstract: Analysing population genomic data from killer whale ecotypes, which we estimate have globally radiated within less than 250,000 years, we show that genetic structuring including the segregation of potentially functional alleles is associated with socially inherited ecological niche. Reconstruction of ancestral demographic history revealed bottlenecks during founder events, likely promoting ecological divergence and genetic drift resulting in a wide range of genome-wide differentiation between pairs of allopatric and sympatric ecotypes. Functional enrichment analyses provided evidence for regional genomic divergence associated with habitat, dietary preferences and post-zygotic reproductive isolation. Our findings are consistent with expansion of small founder groups into novel niches by an initial plastic behavioural response, perpetuated by social learning imposing an altered natural selection regime. The study constitutes an important step towards an understanding of the complex interaction between demographic history, culture, ecological adaptation and evolution at the genomic level.
authors.affiliation: Department of Evolutionary Biology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18D, Uppsala SE-752 36, Sweden.|Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Øster Volgade 5-7, Copenhagen K 1350, Denmark.|Computational and Molecular Population Genetics Laboratory, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 6, Bern 3012, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Andrew D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Foote
authors.affiliation: Department of Evolutionary Biology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18D, Uppsala SE-752 36, Sweden.
authors.forename: Nagarjun
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Vijay
authors.affiliation: Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Øster Volgade 5-7, Copenhagen K 1350, Denmark.|Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA.
authors.forename: María C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Ávila-Arcos
authors.affiliation: Cascadia Research, 4th Avenue, Olympia, Washington 98501, USA.
authors.forename: Robin W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Baird
authors.affiliation: Marine Mammal and Turtle Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, 8901 La Jolla Shores Drive, La Jolla, California 92037, USA.
authors.forename: John W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Durban
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, Evolution, and Environment, UCL Genetics Institute, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fumagalli
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Human Genome Sequencing Center, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.
authors.forename: Richard A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Gibbs
authors.affiliation: Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2725 Montlake Boulevard East, Seattle, Washington 98112, USA.
authors.forename: M Bradley
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Hanson
authors.affiliation: Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Øster Volgade 5-7, Copenhagen K 1350, Denmark.
authors.forename: Thorfinn S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Korneliussen
authors.affiliation: Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Øster Volgade 5-7, Copenhagen K 1350, Denmark.
authors.forename: Michael D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.affiliation: Marine Mammal and Turtle Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, 8901 La Jolla Shores Drive, La Jolla, California 92037, USA.
authors.forename: Kelly M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Robertson
authors.affiliation: Computational and Molecular Population Genetics Laboratory, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 6, Bern 3012, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Vitor C
authors.initials: VC
authors.lastname: Sousa
authors.affiliation: Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Øster Volgade 5-7, Copenhagen K 1350, Denmark.
authors.forename: Filipe G
authors.initials: FG
authors.lastname: Vieira
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics, Comenius University, Mlynska Dolina, Bratislava 84248, Slovakia.
authors.forename: Tomáš
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Vinař
authors.affiliation: National Marine Mammal Laboratory, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 7600 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, Washington 98115, USA.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wade
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Human Genome Sequencing Center, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.
authors.forename: Kim C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Worley
authors.affiliation: Computational and Molecular Population Genetics Laboratory, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 6, Bern 3012, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Laurent
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7507-6494
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Excoffier
authors.affiliation: Marine Mammal and Turtle Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, 8901 La Jolla Shores Drive, La Jolla, California 92037, USA.
authors.forename: Phillip A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Morin
authors.affiliation: Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Øster Volgade 5-7, Copenhagen K 1350, Denmark.|Department of Environment and Agriculture, Trace and Environmental DNA Laboratory, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia 6102, Australia.
authors.forename: M Thomas P
authors.initials: MTP
authors.lastname: Gilbert
authors.affiliation: Department of Evolutionary Biology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18D, Uppsala SE-752 36, Sweden.|Department of Evolutionary Biology, Science for Life Laboratory, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala 75236, Sweden.|Section of Evolutionary Biology, Department of Biology II, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Großhaderner Strasse 2, Planegg-Martinsried 82152, Germany.
authors.forename: Jochen B W
authors.initials: JBW
authors.lastname: Wolf
mesh_terms: D000220:Adaptation, Biological / Q000235:genetics; D000818:Animals; D001706:Biopsy; D060146:Ecotype; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005260:Female; D059647:Gene-Environment Interaction; D040961:Genetic Drift; D049810:Genetic Speciation; D014644:Genetic Variation / Q000235:genetics; D005828:Genetics, Population / Q000379:methods; D016678:Genome; D023281:Genomics / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D010802:Phylogeny; D060047:Reproductive Isolation; D012641:Selection, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*; D012867:Skin; D061350:Sympatry / Q000235:genetics; D050685:Whale, Killer / Q000502:physiology*