Evolutionary genomics of oceanic island radiations

A recurring feature of oceanic archipelagos is the presence of adaptive radia-tions that generate endemic, species-rich clades that can offer outstanding insight into the links between ecology and evolution. Recent developments in evolutionary genomics have contributed towards solving long-standing questions at this interface. Using a comprehensive literature search, we identify studies spanning 19 oceanic archipelagos and 110 putative adaptive radiations, but find that most of these radiations have not yet been investigated from an evolutionary genomics perspective. Our review reveals different gaps in knowledge related to the lack of implementation of genomic approaches, as well as undersampled taxonomic and geographic areas. Filling those gaps with the required data will help to deepen our understanding of adaptation, speciation, and other evolutionary processes.

Automated summary

A recurring feature of oceanic archipelagos is the presence of adaptive radiations that generate endemic, species-rich clades. Recent developments in evolutionary genomics have contributed towards solving questions at this interface. However, most of these radiations have not yet been investigated from an evolutionary genomics perspective, revealing gaps in knowledge related to implementation of genomic approaches, as well as undersampled taxonomic and geographic areas.