A key metabolic gene for recurrent freshwater colonization and radiation in fishes

Well prepared It is well known that species radiate into new niches by adapting to novel environments. But why do some species radiate in this way, while other, related, species do not. Ishikawa et al. looked across sticklebacks to determine why some, originally marine, lineages were able to colonize postglacial freshwater environments (see the Perspective by Weber and Tong). They found that a gene involved in fatty acid desaturation was duplicated in freshwater lineages. Transgenic manipulation of this gene allowed marine lineages to synthesize fatty acids and thus survive on fatty acid–deficient freshwater diets. Science , this issue p. 886 ; see also p. 831