Horizontal Gene Transfer, Dispersal and Haloarchaeal Speciation
1
Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA
2
Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, University of Seville, 41004 Seville, Spain
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Academic Editors: Hans-Peter Klenk, Michael W. W. Adams and Roger A. Garrett
Life 2015, 5(2), 1405-1426; https://doi.org/10.3390/life5021405
Received: 7 April 2015 / Revised: 8 May 2015 / Accepted: 11 May 2015 / Published: 19 May 2015
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Archaea: Evolution, Physiology, and Molecular Biology)
The Halobacteria are a well-studied archaeal class and numerous investigations are showing how their diversity is distributed amongst genomes and geographic locations. Evidence indicates that recombination between species continuously facilitates the arrival of new genes, and within species, it is frequent enough to spread acquired genes amongst all individuals in the population. To create permanent independent diversity and generate new species, barriers to recombination are probably required. The data support an interpretation that rates of evolution (e.g., horizontal gene transfer and mutation) are faster at creating geographically localized variation than dispersal and invasion are at homogenizing genetic differences between locations. Therefore, we suggest that recurrent episodes of dispersal followed by variable periods of endemism break the homogenizing forces of intrapopulation recombination and that this process might be the principal stimulus leading to divergence and speciation in Halobacteria.
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Keywords:
Haloarchaea; speciation; biogeography; homologous recombination; horizontal gene transfer; population genetics
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited
MDPI and ACS Style
Papke, R.T.; Corral, P.; Ram-Mohan, N.; Haba, R.R.d.l.; Sánchez-Porro, C.; Makkay, A.; Ventosa, A. Horizontal Gene Transfer, Dispersal and Haloarchaeal Speciation. Life 2015, 5, 1405-1426. https://doi.org/10.3390/life5021405
AMA Style
Papke RT, Corral P, Ram-Mohan N, Haba RRdl, Sánchez-Porro C, Makkay A, Ventosa A. Horizontal Gene Transfer, Dispersal and Haloarchaeal Speciation. Life. 2015; 5(2):1405-1426. https://doi.org/10.3390/life5021405
Chicago/Turabian StylePapke, R. T.; Corral, Paulina; Ram-Mohan, Nikhil; Haba, Rafael R.d.l.; Sánchez-Porro, Cristina; Makkay, Andrea; Ventosa, Antonio. 2015. "Horizontal Gene Transfer, Dispersal and Haloarchaeal Speciation" Life 5, no. 2: 1405-1426. https://doi.org/10.3390/life5021405
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