---
title: "Genomic and multi-omic changes linked to extreme sexual size dimorphism in spiders"
id: "biorxiv-16-evolutionary-and-multi-omic-divergences-associated-with-the-extreme-sexual-size"
canonical_url: "https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/biorxiv-16-evolutionary-and-multi-omic-divergences-associated-with-the-extreme-sexual-size"
content_type: "clinical_feed_article"
specialty: "General"
source_name: "bioRxiv (Biomedical Preprints)"
source_url: "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.17.752500v1?rss=1"
published_at: "2026-09-18T12:00:00.000Z"
evidence_level: "Verified Feed"
license: "CC-BY-NC-4.0 / Informational Use"
---
# Genomic and multi-omic changes linked to extreme sexual size dimorphism in spiders
## Provenance & Clinical Metadata
- **Canonical URL:** https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/biorxiv-16-evolutionary-and-multi-omic-divergences-associated-with-the-extreme-sexual-size
- **Specialty:** [General](https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/general.md)
- **Primary Source:** bioRxiv (Biomedical Preprints)
- **Source URL:** [Original Journal Publication](https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.17.752500v1?rss=1)
- **Published At:** 2026-09-18T12:00:00.000Z
- **Evidence Rating:** Verified Feed
## Executive GIST (TL;DR)
- The study investigated the genomic basis of extreme female-biased **sexual size dimorphism (SSD)** using orb-weaving spiders, which show some of the largest female-biased SSD among terrestrial arthropods. - Researchers combined comparative genomics across 51 spider species with sex-resolved transcriptomics and chromatin profiling in the highly dimorphic Joro spider, **Trichonephila clavata**. - Across the 51-species comparison, they detected SSD-associated evolutionary-rate shifts in genes tied to **chromatin regulation**, growth pathways, and cuticle structural organization. - A significant positive association was found between copy number of the juvenile hormone acid O-methyltransferase gene (**JHAMT**) and the degree of SSD; lineages with more extreme SSD had larger JHAMT repertoires. - In T. clavata, expanded **JHAMT** paralogs exhibited sex- and tissue-biased expression patterns alongside sex-specific differences in chromatin accessibility and local chromatin interactions. - Integrated multi-omic analyses in T. clavata revealed coordinated sex-specific differences across transcription, chromatin accessibility, and chromatin interactions for genes involved in **ecdysteroid signaling**, insulin and growth regulation, and epidermal/cuticular processes. - The combined comparative and multi-omic evidence links evolutionary changes and regulatory divergence to the emergence and maintenance of extreme female-biased SSD in spiders. - The authors declare no competing interests; details on sample numbers, statistical estimates, and specific gene lists were reported in the source but are not reproduced here beyond the summarized findings.
## Clinical Analysis & Structured Key Points
Evolutionary and multi-omic divergences associated with the extreme sexual size dimorphism in spiders | bioRxiv Skip to main content New Results Evolutionary and multi-omic divergences associated with the extreme sexual size dimorphism in spiders View ORCID Profile Zheng Fan , View ORCID Profile Lu-Yu Wang , View ORCID Profile Jia-Xin Gao , View ORCID Profile Tian-Yu Ren , View ORCID Profile Wen-Hui Wu , View ORCID Profile Wei Pu , View ORCID Profile Jin-Xia Kong , View ORCID Profile Yong-Gang Hu , View ORCID Profile Zhi-Sheng Zhang , View ORCID Profile Chao Tong doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.09.17.752500 Zheng Fan Southwest University Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site ORCID record for Zheng Fan Lu-Yu Wang Southwest University Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site ORCID record for Lu-Yu Wang Jia-Xin Gao Southwest University Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site ORCID record for Jia-Xin Gao Tian-Yu Ren Southwest University Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site ORCID record for Tian-Yu Ren Wen-Hui Wu Southwest University Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site ORCID record for Wen-Hui Wu Wei Pu Southwest University Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site ORCID record for Wei Pu Jin-Xia Kong Southwest University Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site ORCID record for Jin-Xia Kong Yong-Gang Hu Southwest University Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site ORCID record for Yong-Gang Hu Zhi-Sheng Zhang Southwest University Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site ORCID record for Zhi-Sheng Zhang For correspondence: zhangzs327{at}qq.com Chao Tong Southwest University Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site ORCID record for Chao Tong Abstract Info/History Metrics Supplementary material Preview PDF Abstract Extreme sexual size dimorphism (SSD) represents one of the most striking forms of phenotypic divergence between the sexes, yet the genomic basis of extreme body-size dimorphism remains poorly understood. Orb-weaving spiders exhibit some of the most pronounced female-biased SSD among terrestrial arthropods, providing an exceptional system for investigating the evolutionary and genomic changes associated with extreme SSD. Here, we combined comparative genomics across 51 spider species with sex-resolved transcriptomic and chromatin profiling in the highly dimorphic Joro spider, Trichonephila clavata. Across spiders, we identified SSD-associated evolutionary-rate shifts in genes involved in chromatin regulation, growth, and cuticle structural organization. We further found a significant positive association between JHAMT copy number and SSD, with larger gene repertoires occurring in more extremely dimorphic lineages. In T. clavata, expanded JHAMT paralogs showed sex- and tissue-biased expression together with sex-specific differences in chromatin accessibility and local chromatin interactions. Integrated multi-omic analyses further revealed coordinated sex-specific differences in transcription, chromatin accessibility, and chromatin interactions across genes involved in ecdysteroid signaling, insulin and growth regulation, and epidermal and cuticular processes. Altogether, these findings provide insight into the evolutionary and regulatory changes associated with extreme female-biased SSD in spiders. Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. Copyright The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license . Back to top Previous Next Posted September 18, 2026. Download PDF Supplementary Material Email Thank you for your interest in spreading the word about bioRxiv. NOTE: Your email address is requested solely to identify you as the sender of this article. Your Email * Your Name * Send To * Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas. You are going to email the following Evolutionary and multi-omic divergences associated with the extreme sexual size dimorphism in spiders Message Subject (Your Name) has forwarded a page to you from bioRxiv Message Body (Your Name) thought you would like to see this page from the bioRxiv website. Your Personal Message CAPTCHA This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions. Share Evolutionary and multi-omic divergences associated with the extreme sexual size dimorphism in spiders Zheng Fan , Lu-Yu Wang , Jia-Xin Gao , Tian-Yu Ren , Wen-Hui Wu , Wei Pu , Jin-Xia Kong , Yong-Gang Hu , Zhi-Sheng Zhang , Chao Tong bioRxiv 2026.09.17.752500; doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.09.17.752500 Share This Article: Copy Citation Tools Evolutionary and multi-omic divergences associated with the extreme sexual size dimorphism in spiders Zheng Fan , Lu-Yu Wang , Jia-Xin Gao , Tian-Yu Ren , Wen-Hui Wu , Wei Pu , Jin-Xia Kong , Yong-Gang Hu , Zhi-Sheng Zhang , Chao Tong bioRxiv 2026.09.17.752500; doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.09.17.752500 Citation Manager Formats BibTeX Bookends EasyBib EndNote (tagged) EndNote 8 (xml) Medlars Mendeley Papers RefWorks Tagged Ref Manager RIS Zotero Tweet Widget Facebook Like Google Plus One Subject Areas All Articles Animal Behavior and Cognition (8010) Biochemistry (18733) Bioengineering (14876) Bioinformatics (44392) Biophysics (22588) Cancer Biology (19713) Cell Biology (26896) Clinical Trials (138) Developmental Biology (13961) Ecology (21001) Epidemiology (2067) Evolutionary Biology (25436) Genetics (16162) Genomics (23498) Immunology (18693) Microbiology (42451) Molecular Biology (18054) Neuroscience (93419) Paleontology (700) Pathology (2977) Pharmacology and Toxicology (5092) Physiology (8111) Plant Biology (15997) Scientific Communication and Education (2095) Synthetic Biology (4559) Systems Biology (10233) Zoology (2389)
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