A new study led by the Doñana Biological Station – CSIC analyzes how natural selection has left specific marks on the genome of the four extant lynx species: the Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis), the bobcat (Lynx rufus), the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx), and the Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus). The study has been published in the journal Genome Biology and Evolution.

To carry out the study, researchers used whole-genome data from 80 individuals to identify recent signals of positive selection in each species. The results show that, although lynxes share a common evolutionary origin, each species presents its own genomic signals linked to its demographic history, ecology, and adaptive responses to environmental challenges.

Among the main findings, the study detected signals associated with olfactory functions and pigmentation in the Canada lynx; processes related to cardiac and neural development in the Eurasian lynx; immune responses in the Iberian lynx; and reproductive and metabolic functions in the bobcat.

The study also highlights the importance of population history in interpreting these patterns. For example, in the case of the Iberian lynx, which has undergone very severe population bottlenecks, genetic drift may have masked or altered the signals of natural selection.

This work provides a comparative view of adaptation mechanisms in highly specialized carnivores and shows that the recent adaptive evolution of the genus Lynx has followed different paths in each species due to differences in ecology and varying environmental pressures.