Pervasive Linked Selection and Intermediate-Frequency Alleles Are Implicated in an Evolve-and-Resequencing Experiment of Drosophila simulans

Abstract

Abstract Evolve-and-Resequence (E&R) experiments, where researchers allow populations to evolve within one or more controlled environments and then whole-genome sequence the resultant populations, are increasingly important in evolutionary genetics methodology. Here, Kelly... We develop analytical and simulation tools for evolve-and-resequencing experiments and apply them to a new study of rapid evolution in Drosophila simulans. Likelihood test statistics applied to pooled population sequencing data suggest parallel evolution of 138 SNPs across the genome. This number is reduced by orders of magnitude from previous studies (thousands or tens of thousands), owing to differences in both experimental design and statistical analysis. Whole genome simulations calibrated from Drosophila genetic data sets indicate that major features of the genome-wide response could be explained by as few as 30 loci under strong directional selection with a corresponding hitchhiking effect. Smaller effect loci are likely also responding, but are below the detection limit of the experiment. Finally, SNPs showing strong parallel evolution in the experiment are intermediate in frequency in the natural population (usually 30–70%) indicative of balancing selection in nature. These loci also exhibit elevated differentiation among natural populations of D. simulans, suggesting environmental heterogeneity as a potential balancing mechanism.