In-Flights of Outbreak Populations of Mountain Pine Beetle Alter the Local Genetic Structure of Established Populations a Decade After Range Expansion

Thompson, K. M.; Huber, D. P. W.; Sperling, F. A. H.; Murray, B. W.

doi:10.1101/2024.04.02.586325

Home/Archive/bioRxiv

bioRxiv · 10.1101/2024.04.02.586325

In-Flights of Outbreak Populations of Mountain Pine Beetle Alter the Local Genetic Structure of Established Populations a Decade After Range Expansion

Thompson, K. M.·Huber, D. P. W.·Sperling, F. A. H.·Murray, B. W.

View original source ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

Mountain pine beetles began to appear at epidemic levels in Alberta, Canada, in 2006, following six years of extensive outbreaks in neighboring British Columbia. We assessed the effect of genetic MPB in-flights from the peak of the outbreak on the genetic structure of established populations of MPB and the change over time in novel regions colonized by these inflights. We used five locations sampled during the peak of the outbreak (2005/2007) and re-sampled in 2016. We performed a ddRADseq protocol to generate a SNP dataset via single-end Illumina sequencing. We detected a northern and southern genetic cluster in both sampling sets (2005/2007 and 2016) and a demographic shift in cluster assignment after [~]10 generations from south to north in two of the sites in the path of the northern outbreak. Fst values were significantly different between most sites in the same years and between the same sites at different years, with some exceptions for northern sites established by inflights. Overall, sites in the spreading path of the MPB outbreak have taken on the genetic structure of the contiguous northern outbreak except for an isolated site in Golden, BC, and in Mount Robson Provincial Park where populations are admixed between north and south. Our results suggest that range expansion during insect outbreaks can alter the genetic structure of established populations and lead to interbreeding between populations.

Explore related subjects

genomics Preprint

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeX RIS

Thompson, K. M., Huber, D. P. W., Sperling, F. A. H., Murray, B. W.. 2024-04-04. In-Flights of Outbreak Populations of Mountain Pine Beetle Alter the Local Genetic Structure of Established Populations a Decade After Range Expansion. https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.04.02.586325

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related preprints

bioRxiv2026

PfPHAST: Plasmodium falciparum Public Health Amplicon Sequencing Tool, a Streamlined Panel for Malaria Genomic Surveillance

Genomic tools can support malaria control policy through surveillance of Plasmodium falciparum populations, tracking antimalarial drug resistance, pfhrp2/3 deletions that compromise rapid diagnostic tests, and selection at the circumsporozoite protein (PfCSP) vaccine target, as well as through molecular correction of therapeutic efficacy studies (TES). Multiplex Amplicons for Drug, Diagnostic, Diversity, and Differentiation Haplotypes using Targeted Resequencing (MAD4HatTeR), a comprehensive amplicon sequencing panel covering up to 276 targets, supports these applications but is tailored to research rather than routine programmatic use. We developed P. falciparum Public Health Amplicon Sequencing Tool (PfPHAST), a 56-target derivative of MAD4HatTeR spanning drug resistance loci, pfhrp2/3 deletion, PfCSP genotyping, non-falciparum species identification, and 20 high-heterozygosity microhaplotype loci for TES classification. We compared PfPHAST and MAD4HatTeR using laboratory strain controls, including two-strain dilution series and a five-strain mixture, across parasite densities of 100 to 10,000 parasites/L. At matched per-target depth, PfPHAST achieved a higher quality-control pass rate than MAD4HatTeR (94.4% versus 90.0%) and distributed reads more evenly across targets. The panels showed comparable recall and precision for drug resistance codons and microhaplotypes, reaching near-complete recall above 40% within-sample allele frequency (WSAF) at all densities, with reduced sensitivity for minor alleles below 10% WSAF at low parasite density in both panels. Observed and expected WSAF correlated strongly for both panels, and both resolved a five-strain polyclonal mixture, including a 5% minor strain. By concentrating sequencing capacity on targets of greatest programmatic relevance, PfPHAST offers a scalable, lower-cost alternative to comprehensive research panels without sacrificing performance on shared targets, complementing MAD4HatTeR for routine molecular malaria surveillance.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2026

Structural variation in repeat elements is widespread in normal human tissues and in tumorigenesis

Somatic mosaicism contributes to genomic variation, yet postzygotic structural variants remain under-characterized. We performed long- and short-read WGS from multiple individuals (n=47 normal tissues; n=168 samples) and identified mosaic structural variants in all individuals and germ layers, impacting a median 285.2 kb/genome. Nearly half of breakpoints were independently validated, with tissue distributions reflecting both early and late developmental origins. Most mosaic variants were repeat-mediated and 8.3% overlapped functional elements, an enrichment compared to germline variants. To extend these analyses in samples where long-read sequencing is infeasible, we measured repeat alterations from short-read sequencing, recapitulating mosaic tissue-specific differences. We characterized tumor- and tissue- specific variation in repeats across 15 cancer types and found tumor-related repeat variation to be similar in scale to that of normal mosaic variation. Tracking repeat changes in cell-free DNA provided a noninvasive approach for tumor monitoring. Our analyses revealed widespread repeat-driven structural variation in health and disease.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2026

RNA isoform-resolved multiplexed sequencing with bioorthogonal barcoding

RNA isoform dysregulation drives disease pathogenesis and is the target of FDA-approved splice-switching therapeutics. However, multiplexed sequencing methods discard splice junction information because only 3' termini are barcoded and counted. Here, we repurpose acylation and click chemistries to conjugate bioorthogonal barcodes (bobcodes) directly onto multiple internal positions along cellular RNAs. Bobcoded RNAs from multiple samples are pooled for multiplexed cDNA synthesis, during which reverse transcriptase switches from each RNA template onto its tethered bobcode with greater than 99% accuracy in species mixing experiments. Bobcode attachment intervals set cDNA insert sizes without a library fragmentation step, and priming with poly(dT) or random hexamers selects between 3'-end counting and full-length isoform capture. A bioorthogonal barcode-sequencing (BOB-seq v0.1) drug screen identifies transcriptome-wide on- and off-target RNA splicing effects and outperforms existing multiplexing RNA sequencing methods in workflow simplicity, sample-to-sample variability, and barcoding accuracy. Bobcodes add isoform resolution to scalable multiplexed RNA sequencing.

genomics↗