Manman Li

Hainan Institute of Biotechnology, Haikou, 570206, Hainan, China
Author    Correspondence author
International Journal of Molecular Ecology and Conservation, 2025, Vol. 15, No. 3   
Received: 18 Apr., 2025    Accepted: 26 May, 2025    Published: 15 Jun., 2025

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.

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.

Channa spp.; Phylogeny; Hypoxia adaptation; Immune evolution; Genomic comparison