Mixed signals from hybrid genomes

Abstract

Admixture results from interbreeding between individuals from different populations or species that were previously genetically isolated from each other (Fig. ). Identifying admixture events in the genome is not always a straightforward task, because the genetic signature left behind fades with time as recombination events fragment the genomic segments introduced during the interbreeding event. Additionally, when the genetic architecture of populations or species that admix is not very different (e.g. they coalesce to a common ancestor recently), admixture signatures may be difficult to detect. Ignoring the effects of admixture can, however, pose severe problems for population genetic analyses that rely on the distribution of polymorphic markers across the genome. In this issue of Molecular Ecology, Bosse et al. () analyse genomic data from modern pigs to understand hybridization processes that occurred between domestic pigs from European and Asiatic origin, and between pigs and wild boars. Their results are interesting regarding the fine-scale distribution of admixture across the pig genome, and the way in which this admixture biases estimates of the effective population size in European domestic pigs. The implications of these results are significant, as they serve as a cautionary note on genomic analyses that depend on the distribution of polymorphic variants in potentially admixed populations.

Keywords: admixture; diversity; effective population size; genome sequencing; hybridization.