UC Berkeley

Genomic data has revealed complex histories of colonization and repeated gene flow previously unrecognized in some of the most celebrated examples of sympatric speciation and radiation. However, much of the evidence for secondary gene flow into these radiations comes from summary statistics calculated from sparse genomic sampling without knowledge of which specific genomic regions introgressed. This tells us little about how gene flow potentially influenced sympatric diversification. Here, we investigated whole genomes of Barombi Mbo crater lake cichlids for fine-scale patterns of introgression with neighboring riverine cichlid populations. We found evidence of secondary gene flow into the radiation scattered across <0.24% of the genome; however, from our analyses, it is not clear if the functional diversity in these regions contributed to the ecological, sexual, and morphological diversity found in the lake. Unlike similar studies, we found no obvious candidate genes for adaptive introgression and we cannot rule out that secondary gene flow was predominantly neutral with respect to the diversification process. We also found evidence for differential assortment of ancestral polymorphisms found in riverine populations between sympatric sister species, suggesting the presence of an ancestral hybrid swarm. Although the history of gene flow and colonization is more complicated than previously assumed, the lack of compelling evidence for secondary gene flow's role in species diversification suggests that we should not yet rule out one of the most celebrated examples of sympatric speciation in nature without a more thorough investigation of the timing and functional role of each introgressed region.