4. Discussion
Comparative transcriptomics has been widely used in the study of the
phenotypic adaptability (Mason and Taylor,
2015; Mitterboeck et al., 2017;
Morandin et al., 2016;
Pespeni et al., 2017). Comparative
analysis of auditory perception can help to elucidate the molecular
basis that underpins different auditory capabilities
(Dong et al., 2016). In this study, we
sequenced the transcriptome of six rhinolophids, including five species
in the macrotis group and one closely related species R.
pusillus , and identified some important genes relevant toRhinolophus species adaptation. The results showed that species
within the macrotis group had
physiological
adaptations in the process of evolution.
Here,
we found evidence that some hearing-related genes, visual-related genes,
and energy metabolism-related genes have undergone Darwin selection
associated with the evolution of special echolocation frequency.
Positive selection acting on hearing-related genes in rhinolophids might
result from the extreme selectivity used in auditory processing by these
species.