Tracing Genomic Divergence of Vibrio Bacteria in the Harveyi Clade

Abstract

To investigate the mechanisms underlying speciation in the genus Vibrio , we provided a well-assembled reference of genomes and performed systematic genomic comparisons among three evolutionarily closely related species. We resolved taxonomic ambiguities and identified genomic features separating the three species. Based on the study results, we propose a hypothesis explaining how species in the Harveyi clade of Vibrio bacteria diversified.