International Journal of Molecular Ecology and Conservation, 2025, Vol.15, No.3, 111-122 http://ecoevopublisher.com/index.php/ijmec 111 Research Insight Open Access Advances in Scomberomorus Genome Evolution-Drivers of Adaptive Evolution and Environmental Selection Xuelian Jiang1, RudiMai 2 1 Institute of Life Sciences, Jiyang Colloge of Zhejiang A&F University, Zhuji, 311800, Zhejiang, China 2 Tropical Specialty Crops Research Center, Hainan Institute of Tropical Agricultural Resources, Sanya, 572026, Hainan, China Corresponding author: rudi.mai@hitar.org International Journal of Molecular Ecology and Conservation, 2025, Vol.15, No.3 doi: 10.5376/ijmec.2025.15.0012 Received: 22 Mar., 2025 Accepted: 27 Apr., 2025 Published: 15 May, 2025 Copyright © 2025 Jiang and Mai, This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: Jiang X.L., and Mai R.D., 2025, Advances in Scomberomorus genome evolution-drivers of adaptive evolution and environmental selection, International Journal of Molecular Ecology and Conservation, 15(3): 111-122 (doi: 10.5376/ijmec.2025.15.0012) Abstract This study systematically analyzes the research progress of Spanish mackerel genome evolution, focusing on its adaptive evolution mechanism and the driving role of environmental selection. Starting from the biological characteristics and ecological adaptation of the species, the current status of Spanish mackerel genome research is explained, and the molecular mechanism of Spanish mackerel adaptive evolution is explained, such as the molecular adaptation mechanism of Spanish mackerel to environmental factors such as temperature and salinity. The research progress of Spanish mackerel genome evolution driven by environmental selection is introduced, and the adaptive evolution examples at the genome level were analyzed with specific cases. Comparative genomics studies have shown that Spanish mackerel is unique in genome structure and function compared with other scombroid fish, which can help identify key genes and signaling pathways related to environmental adaptation. The progress of functional genomics research shows that stress resistance genes such as heat shock proteins are selected and expanded under environmental stresses such as salinity and temperature, while specific metabolic genes (such as FADS2 related to Omega-3 fatty acid synthesis) may participate in the adaptation process through epigenetic regulation. At the same time, this study also summarizes the challenges faced by current research and looked forward to future research directions and application prospects, in order to provide a reference for the sustainable utilization and ecological protection of Spanish mackerel resources. Keywords Spanish mackerel (Scomberomorus); Genome; Adaptive evolution; Environmental selection; Comparative genomics 1 Introduction The Spanish mackerel (commonly known as bā yú) belongs to the family Scombridae and holds significant importance in marine ecosystems and fisheries. The Scombridae family includes about 51 species of pelagic fish, which are widely distributed in coastal and oceanic waters in tropical, subtropical and temperate zones. As a branch of the Scombridae family, Spanish mackerel (genus Scomberomorus) has nearly 20 species, which are mainly distributed along the coasts of tropical to temperate waters around the world, such as the northwest Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean and parts of the Atlantic Ocean, and have long-distance migratory habits (Nesnas et al., 2022; Zeng et al., 2022). Spanish mackerel is of moderate size (generally 50 to 100 cm long for adult fish), has delicious meat, is rich in high-quality protein and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, and is an important source of nutrition in the human diet. Therefore, Spanish mackerel has always been an important economic fish species in coastal fisheries, and high-yield fisheries have been formed in East Asia, Southeast Asia, the Indian Ocean coast and other regions (Shang et al., 2022; Santana et al., 2024). Spanish mackerel is at a high trophic level in the food web and is a typical top predator, mainly preying on small and medium-sized fish and cephalopods. The rise and fall of its population is of great significance to maintaining the stability of the marine ecosystem and the sustainable use of fishery resources. However, Spanish mackerel resources have faced severe challenges in recent years. On the one hand, overfishing has caused a decline in the number of some populations and changes in life history parameters such as early maturity and miniaturization of individuals; on the other hand, climate warming and changes in the marine environment are affecting its spawning and habitat. For example, rising water temperatures in the northwest Pacific Ocean are believed to have reduced the hatching rate of Japanese Spanish mackerel eggs and the survival
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