eLife Assessment: The population genetics of convergent adaptation in maize and teosinte is not locally restricted
Year: 2025
Type: peer-review
Abstract: This useful study examines patterns of diversity and divergence in two closely related sub-species of Zea mays, patterns that have bearings on local adaptation in maize and teosinte at intermediate geographic scales.The authors suggest that convergent evolution has been facilitated by both standing variation and gene flow, with independent selective sweeps in the two species.While the data themselves are solid, there are limitations concerning population sampling, false positive rates in sweep detection and integration of phenotypic data, which make it difficult to draw definitive conclusions.The work should in principle be of broad interest to colleagues studying the relationship between domesticated species and their progenitors, as well as those studying instances of parallel evolution.
Source: eLife
Author: Detlef Weigel
Institution: Max Planck Institute for Biology
Language: English
Subfield: Genetics
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,500
OpenAlex ID: W4407550769