Evolution at steep elevational gradients: assessing the role of genetic and ecological factors in speciation process (2018–2020)

Endemic rodents of Ethiopian highlands, co-distributed on steep altitudinal gradients on both sides of the Rift Valley, represent an excellent group to study wide spectrum of evolutionary processes. The extant species, often markedly differentiated, are expected to possess complex genetic make-up, whose investigation can inform us about relative importance of disruptive selection, temporary geographic isolation and introgression in adaptive radiations. By using phylogenomic approaches, we will reconstruct phylogeographic structure in multiple taxa with reticulate evolution and given that information, we will test specific hypotheses on the role of variation in candidate genes (e.g. mitochondrial + nuclear counterparts of OXPHOS) and mitonuclear compatibility in speciation process and adaptations to high altitude. Ecological interpretation of the observed genetic patterns will be based on distribution of the species but also on a concurrent study of their physiological and morphological traits.