REWIRED ─ The role of whole genome duplication in vertebrate adaptation

The premise for all natures magnificent variation in species, life strategies and adaptations is differences in the DNA code. These genetic differences can be traced back to the sequence of the code, how DNA is organized into chromosomes and, ultimately, how the code is used to produce proteins in each cell type. Hence, if we wish to understand how new adaptations and species arise, we need to understand how new DNA-variation arise through mutations and how these novel variations in the DNA-code gives rise to new functions. One spectacular way that the DNA can change from one generation to the next is through spontaneous doubling of all chromosomes – a whole genome duplication. Each gene gets a copy of itself on a different chromosome. This type of mutational event is of course rare, but can have large consequences for evolution of new traits and species. A central hypothesis within the field of evolutionary biology is that genome duplications spark evolution of novel adaptations. The idea is intuitive: one gene copy can maintain its original function while the other copy is free to accumulate mutations and change function. This speed up generation of novel genetic variants – the very basis for evolutionary change. However, the link between whole genome duplication and adaptation has so far not been empirically tested.