Chengmin Sun¹ , Rudi Mai²

1 Tropical Marine Fisheries Research Center, Hainan Institute of Tropical Agricultural Resources, Sanya, 572025, Hainan, China
2 Tropical Biological Resources Research Center, Hainan Institute of Tropical Agricultural Resources, Sanya, 572025, Hainan, China
Author    Correspondence author
Bioscience Methods, 2025, Vol. 16, No. 4   doi: 10.5376/bm.2025.16.0017
Received: 12 May, 2025    Accepted: 23 Jun., 2025    Published: 15 Jul., 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.

Sun C.M., and Mai R.D., 2025, Origin and evolutionary history of oysters based on comparative phylogenomics and fossil evidence, Bioscience Methods, 16(4): 183-191 (doi: 10.5376/bm.2025.16.0017)

 

Oysters represent a biologically and ecologically significant group of marine bivalves with a complex evolutionary history. This study integrates comparative phylogenomics and fossil evidence to explore the origin, diversification, and morphological evolution of oysters. We examined recent advances in phylogenomic methodologies, including high-throughput sequencing and ortholog identification, to resolve oyster lineages and their adaptive traits. In parallel, we assessed the rich fossil record of oysters to trace evolutionary trends and provide calibration points for molecular clocks. Through synthesis of these two complementary datasets, we addressed consistencies and discrepancies in evolutionary timelines, reconstructed key trait evolution, and analyzed biogeographical dispersal patterns. A focused case study on the genus Crassostrea highlights the power of integrated approaches in uncovering lineage-specific evolutionary events. This study underscores the importance of combining genomic and paleontological data to achieve a more comprehensive understanding of oyster evolution and provides a framework for future research leveraging multidisciplinary approaches and advanced analytical tools.

Oyster evolution; Phylogenomics; Fossil record; Crassostrea; Comparative genomics