GEPHE SUMMARY Print
Gephebase Gene
Entry Status
Published
GepheID
GP00002060
Main curator
Courtier
PHENOTYPIC CHANGE
Trait Category
Trait State in Taxon A
winter-white
Trait State in Taxon B
winter-brown
Ancestral State
Taxon A
Taxonomic Status
Taxon A
Common Name
snowshoe hare
Synonyms
snowshoe hare
Rank
species
Lineage
Show more ... ata; Gnathostomata; Teleostomi; Euteleostomi; Sarcopterygii; Dipnotetrapodomorpha; Tetrapoda; Amniota; Mammalia; Theria; Eutheria; Boreoeutheria; Euarchontoglires; Glires; Lagomorpha; Leporidae; Lepus
NCBI Taxonomy ID
is Taxon A an Infraspecies?
No
Taxon B
Common Name
snowshoe hare
Synonyms
snowshoe hare
Rank
species
Lineage
Show more ... ata; Gnathostomata; Teleostomi; Euteleostomi; Sarcopterygii; Dipnotetrapodomorpha; Tetrapoda; Amniota; Mammalia; Theria; Eutheria; Boreoeutheria; Euarchontoglires; Glires; Lagomorpha; Leporidae; Lepus
NCBI Taxonomy ID
is Taxon B an Infraspecies?
No
GENOTYPIC CHANGE
Presumptive Null
No
Molecular Type
Aberration Type
Molecular Details of the Mutation
exact mutation(s) unknown
Experimental Evidence
Authors
Jones MR; Mills LS; Alves PC; Callahan CM; Alves JM; Lafferty DJR; Jiggins FM; Jensen JD; et al. ... show more
Abstract
Snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus) maintain seasonal camouflage by molting to a white winter coat, but some hares remain brown during the winter in regions with low snow cover. We show that cis-regulatory variation controlling seasonal expression of the Agouti gene underlies this adaptive winter camouflage polymorphism. Genetic variation at Agouti clustered by winter coat color across multiple hare and jackrabbit species, revealing a history of recurrent interspecific gene flow. Brown winter coats in snowshoe hares likely originated from an introgressed black-tailed jackrabbit allele that has swept to high frequency in mild winter environments. These discoveries show that introgression of genetic variants that underlie key ecological traits can seed past and ongoing adaptation to rapidly changing environments.

Copyright © 2018 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works.
Additional References
RELATED GEPHE
Related Genes
No matches found.
Related Haplotypes
No matches found.
EXTERNAL LINKS
COMMENTS
@Introgression of the winter-brown allele from the neighboring black-tailed jackrabbit (Lepus californicus).
YOUR FEEDBACK is welcome!