Uncovering endemism in a lake of invasive species introgression.

Abstract

Species distributions are rapidly being altered by human globalisation and movement. As species are moved across biogeographic boundaries, human-mediated secondary contacts between historically allopatric taxa may promote hybridisation between closely related native and introduced species. The outcomes of hybridisation are diverse from strong reproductive barriers to gene flow to genome-wide admixture that may enhance (Fitzpatrick et al., 2010; Mesgaran et al., 2016; Valencia-Montoya et al., 2020) or impede (Kovach et al., 2016) invasive spread. For native species, introgressive hybridisation may disassemble locally adapted genomes, and in extreme cases, extensive asymmetric introgression may lead to the 'genomic extinction' of endemic diversity (Rhymer & Simberloff, 1996; Todesco et al., 2016). Undoubtedly, introgressive hybridisation can rapidly alter the evolution of introduced and endemic populations. This is a major conservation issue (Leitwein, Duranton, Rougemont, Gagnaire, & Bernatchez, 2020), with the greatest potential consequences on small, range-restricted native populations where introduced species may reach higher relative densities (Currat, Ruedi, Petit, & Excoffier, 2008). In this issue of Molecular Ecology, Blackwell et al. (2020) explore the history of divergence and admixture between the highly invasive Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus, and a recently discovered Oreochromis lineage that is endemic to the coastal lakes of southern Tanzania. Oreochromis tilapias belong to the African cichlids and the most diverse family of vertebrates (Cichlidae), with almost 2000 species inhabiting the Great Lakes and river environments of Eastern Africa (Kocher, 2004; McGee et al., 2020). By analysing previously unrecognised cichlid diversity from southern lakes, Blackwell et al. (2020) provide novel evidence for how introgressive hybridisation with introduced species can alter native genetic makeup, illustrating the potential susceptibility of Tanzania's endemic biodiversity to genetic threats from introduced taxa.