International Journal of Molecular Ecology and Conservation, 2025, Vol.15, No.3, 144-152 http://ecoevopublisher.com/index.php/ijmec 144 Research Report Open Access Phylogenetic Reconstruction and Genomic Adaptive Evolution Analysis of Channaspp. ManmanLi Hainan Institute of Biotechnology, Haikou, 570206, Hainan, China Corresponding email: manman.li@hitar.org International Journal of Molecular Ecology and Conservation, 2025, Vol.15, No.3 doi: 10.5376/ijmec.2025.15.0015 Received: 18 Apr., 2025 Accepted: 26 May, 2025 Published: 15 Jun., 2025 Copyright © 2025 Li, 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: Li M.M., 2025, Phylogenetic reconstruction and genomic adaptive evolution analysis of Channa spp., International Journal of Molecular Ecology and Conservation, 15(3): 144-152 (doi: 10.5376/ijmec.2025.15.0015) Abstract This study reviews recent advances in the phylogeny and genomic adaptive evolution of the genus Channa, including information on species diversity and taxonomic status, phylogenetic reconstruction, geographic evolutionary history inferred from molecular clocks, and genome-based analyses of hypoxic adaptation, immune mechanisms, and behavioral adaptations. The study found that Channa can be divided into several major clades, whose biogeographic distributions are closely correlated with geological events. Genomic analyses revealed the genetic basis of hypoxic respiration, immune defense, and behavioral regulation in Channa species, including adaptive changes in genes involved in the hemoglobin and hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) pathways, expansion of the innate immune receptor gene family, and differential evolutionary rates of genes related to neural development and circadian rhythms. Furthermore, genomic comparisons of Channa ecotypes (highland/lowland, and river/swamp environments) revealed convergent and divergent patterns of adaptive mutations. This study contributes to the construction of an evolutionary framework encompassing the "gene-environment-phenotype" perspective, providing new insights into the evolutionary history and environmental adaptation mechanisms of the genus Snakehead, and offering insights for the conservation and management of these species. Keywords Channaspp.; Phylogeny; Hypoxia adaptation; Immune evolution; Genomic comparison 1 Introduction Snakehead fish (Channa spp.), members of the order Perciformes and family Channaidae, are freshwater predatory fish named for their snake-like heads. Unlike most fish, they breathe air, a rare physiological trait. Their distribution range is extremely wide, extending from South Asia to several countries and regions in East Asia, including a closely related group, the Parachanna, in Africa (Huang et al., 2022). Currently, approximately 50 different species of snakehead fish have been documented, most of which are found in Asia (Britz et al., 2024). They can survive in various water types, tolerate low oxygen environments, and can crawl short distances on land. Some populations have become invasive in various regions after being introduced by humans into non-native habitats (Zhou et al., 2022). Snakehead fish are considered important top predators in freshwater ecosystems (Britz et al., 2020). Blackfish species have strong adaptability and can survive in extreme environments such as hypoxia, dry water bodies, high or low temperatures. For example, many Channa spp. have developed auxiliary respiratory organs (often referred to as suprabranchial organs or air-breathing structures) that can directly breathe air, allowing them to survive in polluted and hypoxic water bodies or even during short periods of drought or desiccation (Ou et al., 2021; Han et al., 2025). These special adaptations make Channa spp. one of the ideal models for studying the evolution of fish environmental adaptability. In recent years, with the development of molecular systematics and genomics, a large number of research results on the evolutionary biology of the blackfish genus have emerged continuously (Ou et al., 2021; Britz et al., 2024). Traditionally, the classification and evolutionary relationships of species in the genus Blackfish are mainly inferred based on morphological characteristics, but identification confusion and classification disputes caused by morphological similarities between different species have long existed (Praveenraj et al., 2020; Htoo et al., 2025).
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