scholarly journals A maladaptive combination of traits contributes to the maintenance of a stable hybrid zone between two divergent species of Drosophila

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brandon S. Cooper ◽  
Alisa Sedghifar ◽  
W. Thurston Nash ◽  
Aaron A. Comeault ◽  
Daniel R. Matute
Keyword(s):  
Gene Flow ◽  
Hybrid Zone ◽  
Hybrid Zones ◽  
Hybrid Male ◽  
Open Habitat ◽  
Preferred Habitat ◽  
Species Overlap ◽  
Agricultural Areas ◽  
Stable Hybrid ◽  
Advanced Generation

ABSTRACTGeographical areas where two species come into contact and hybridize serve as natural laboratories for assessing mechanisms that limit gene flow between species. The ranges of about half of all closely related Drosophila species overlap, and the genomes of several pairs reveal signatures of past introgression. However, only two contemporary hybrid zones have been characterized in the genus, and both are recently diverged sister species (D. simulans-D. sechellia, Ks = 0.05; D. yakuba-D. santomea, Ks = 0.048). Here we present evidence of a new hybrid zone, and the ecological mechanisms that maintain it, between two highly divergent Drosophila species (Ks = 0.11). On the island of Bioko in west Africa, D. teissieri occupies mostly forests, D. yakuba occupies mostly open agricultural areas, and recently, we discovered that hybrids between these species occur near the interface of these habitats. Genome sequencing revealed that all field-sampled hybrids are F1 progeny of D. yakuba females and D. teissieri males. We found no evidence for either advanced-generation hybrids or F1 hybrids produced by D. teissieri females and D.yakuba males. The lack of advanced-generation hybrids on Bioko is consistent with mark-recapture and laboratory experiments that we conducted, which indicate hybrids have a maladaptive combination of traits. Like D. yakuba, hybrids behaviorally prefer open habitat that is relatively warm and dry, but like D. teissieri, hybrids have low desiccation tolerance, which we predict leaves them physiologically ill-equipped to cope with their preferred habitat. These observations are consistent with recent findings of limited introgression in the D. yakuba clade and identify an ecological mechanism for limiting gene flow between D. yakuba and D. teissieri; namely, selection against hybrids that we have documented, in combination with hybrid male sterility, contributes to the maintenance of this narrow (~30m), stable hybrid zone centered on the forest-open habitat ecotone. Our results show how a deleterious combination of parental traits can result in unfit or maladapted hybrids.

scholarly journals Extensive introgression despite Haldane’s rule: insights from grasshopper hybrid zones

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda Hagberg ◽  
Enrique Celemin ◽  
Iker Irisarri ◽  
Oliver Hawlitschek ◽  
J L Bella ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Flow ◽  
Reproductive Isolation ◽  
Male Sterility ◽  
Secondary Contact ◽  
Hybrid Zones ◽  
Hybrid Male ◽  
Hybrid Male Sterility ◽  
Haldane’S Rule ◽  
Haldane's Rule ◽  
Species Formation

Although the process of species formation is notoriously idiosyncratic, the observation of pervasive patterns of reproductive isolation across species pairs suggests that generalities, or “rules”, underlie species formation in all animals. Haldane’s rule states that whenever a sex is absent, rare or sterile in a cross between two taxa, that sex is usually the heterogametic sex. Yet, understanding how Haldane’s rule first evolves and whether it is associated to genome wide barriers to gene flow remains a challenging task because this rule is usually studied in highly divergent taxa that no longer hybridize in nature. Here, we address these questions using the meadow grasshopper Pseudochorthippus parallelus where populations that readily hybridize in two natural hybrid zones show hybrid male sterility in laboratorial crosses. Using mitochondrial data, we infer that such populations have diverged some 100,000 years ago, surviving multiple glacial periods in isolated Pleistocenic refugia. Nuclear data shows that secondary contact has led to extensive introgression throughout the species range, including between populations showing hybrid male sterility. We find repeatable patterns of genomic differentiation across the two hybrid zones, yet such patterns are consistent with shared genomic constraints across taxa rather than their role in reproductive isolation. Together, our results suggest that Haldane’s rule can evolve relatively quickly within species, particularly when associated to strong demographic changes. At such early stages of species formation, hybrid male sterility still permits extensive gene flow, allowing future studies to identify genomic regions associated with reproductive barriers.

scholarly journals Estimates of selection and gene flow from measures of cline width and linkage disequilibrium in heliconius hybrid zones.

Genetics ◽  
1990 ◽  
Vol 124 (4) ◽  
pp. 921-936 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Mallet ◽  
N Barton ◽  
G Lamas ◽  
J Santisteban ◽  
M Muedas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Flow ◽  
Hybrid Zone ◽  
Color Pattern ◽  
Butterfly Species ◽  
Hybrid Zones ◽  
Square Root ◽  
Color Patterns ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Locus Selection ◽  
Cline Width

Abstract Hybrid zones can yield estimates of natural selection and gene flow. The width of a cline in gene frequency is approximately proportional to gene flow (sigma) divided by the square root of per-locus selection (square root of s). Gene flow also causes gametic correlations (linkage disequilibria) between genes that differ across hybrid zones. Correlations are stronger when the hybrid zone is narrow, and rise to a maximum roughly equal to s. Thus cline width and gametic correlations combine to give estimates of gene flow and selection. These indirect measures of sigma and s are especially useful because they can be made from collections, and require no field experiments. The method was applied to hybrid zones between color pattern races in a pair of Peruvian Heliconius butterfly species. The species are Müllerian mimics of one another, and both show the same changes in warning color pattern across their respective hybrid zones. The expectations of cline width and gametic correlation were generated using simulations of clines stabilized by strong frequency-dependent selection. In the hybrid zone in Heliconius erato, clines at three major color pattern loci were between 8.5 and 10.2 km wide, and the pairwise gametic correlations peaked at R approximately 0.35. These measures suggest that s approximately 0.23 per locus, and that sigma approximately 2.6 km. In erato, the shapes of the clines agreed with that expected on the basis of dominance. Heliconius melpomene has a nearly coincident hybrid zone. In this species, cline widths at four major color pattern loci varied between 11.7 and 13.4 km. Pairwise gametic correlations peaked near R approximately 1.00 for tightly linked genes, and at R approximately 0.40 for unlinked genes, giving s approximately 0.25 per locus and sigma approximately 3.7 km. In melpomene, cline shapes did not perfectly fit theoretical shapes based on dominance; this deviation might be explained by long-distance migration and/or strong epistasis. Compared with erato, sample sizes in melpomene are lower and the genetics of its color patterns are less well understood. In spite of these problems, selection and gene flow are clearly of the same order of magnitude in the two species. The relatively high per locus selection coefficients agree with "major gene" theories for the evolution of Müllerian mimicry, but the genetic architecture of the color patterns does not. These results show that the genetics and evolution of mimicry are still only sketchily understood.

scholarly journals Persistence of a Geographically-Stable Hybrid Zone in Puerto Rican Dwarf Geckos

2019 ◽  
Vol 110 (5) ◽  
pp. 523-534 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brendan J Pinto ◽  
James Titus-McQuillan ◽  
Juan D Daza ◽  
Tony Gamble
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Isolation ◽  
Hybrid Zone ◽  
Sequence Data ◽  
Strong Support ◽  
Climatic Variables ◽  
Putative Hybrid ◽  
Hybrid Zones ◽  
Intermediate Phenotypes ◽  
Genetic Mechanisms ◽  
Stable Hybrid

Abstract Determining the mechanisms that create and maintain biodiversity is a central question in ecology and evolution. Speciation is the process that creates biodiversity. Speciation is mediated by incompatibilities that lead to reproductive isolation between divergent populations and these incompatibilities can be observed in hybrid zones. Gecko lizards are a speciose clade possessing an impressive diversity of behavioral and morphological traits. In geckos, however, our understanding of the speciation process is negligible. To address this gap, we used genetic sequence data (both mitochondrial and nuclear markers) to revisit a putative hybrid zone between Sphaerodactylus nicholsi and Sphaerodactylus townsendi in Puerto Rico, initially described in 1984. First, we addressed discrepancies in the literature on the validity of both species. Second, we sampled a 10-km-wide transect across the putative hybrid zone and tested explicit predictions about its dynamics using cline models. Third, we investigated potential causes for the hybrid zone using species distribution modeling and simulations; namely, whether unique climatic variables within the hybrid zone might elicit selection for intermediate phenotypes. We find strong support for the species-level status of each species and no evidence of movement, or unique climatic variables near the hybrid zone. We suggest that this narrow hybrid zone is geographically stable and is maintained by a combination of dispersal and selection. Thus, this work has identified an extant model system within geckos that that can be used for future investigations detailing genetic mechanisms of reproductive isolation in an understudied vertebrate group.

scholarly journals Asymmetric Reproductive Barriers and Gene Flow Promote the Rise of a Stable Hybrid Zone in the Mediterranean High Mountain

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamed Abdelaziz ◽  
A. Jesús Muñoz-Pajares ◽  
Modesto Berbel ◽  
Ana García-Muñoz ◽  
José M. Gómez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Flow ◽  
Reproductive Isolation ◽  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
Hybrid Zone ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Secondary Contact ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
Hybrid Zones ◽  
Reproductive Barriers ◽  
Sierra Nevada Mountains

Hybrid zones have the potential to shed light on evolutionary processes driving adaptation and speciation. Secondary contact hybrid zones are particularly powerful natural systems for studying the interaction between divergent genomes to understand the mode and rate at which reproductive isolation accumulates during speciation. We have studied a total of 720 plants belonging to five populations from two Erysimum (Brassicaceae) species presenting a contact zone in the Sierra Nevada mountains (SE Spain). The plants were phenotyped in 2007 and 2017, and most of them were genotyped the first year using 10 microsatellite markers. Plants coming from natural populations were grown in a common garden to evaluate the reproductive barriers between both species by means of controlled crosses. All the plants used for the field and greenhouse study were characterized by measuring traits related to plant size and flower size. We estimated the genetic molecular variances, the genetic differentiation, and the genetic structure by means of the F-statistic and Bayesian inference. We also estimated the amount of recent gene flow between populations. We found a narrow unimodal hybrid zone where the hybrid genotypes appear to have been maintained by significant levels of a unidirectional gene flow coming from parental populations and from weak reproductive isolation between them. Hybrid plants exhibited intermediate or vigorous phenotypes depending on the analyzed trait. The phenotypic differences between the hybrid and the parental plants were highly coherent between the field and controlled cross experiments and through time. The highly coherent results obtained by combining field, experimental, and genetic data demonstrate the existence of a stable and narrow unimodal hybrid zone between Erysimum mediohispanicum and Erysimum nevadense at the high elevation of the Sierra Nevada mountains.

scholarly journals Spatial variation in introgression along a toad hybrid zone in France

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. van Riemsdijk ◽  
J.W. Arntzen ◽  
G. Bucciarelli ◽  
E. McCartney-Melstad ◽  
M. Rafajlović ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Flow ◽  
Reproductive Isolation ◽  
Hybrid Zone ◽  
Restriction Site ◽  
Bufo Bufo ◽  
Secondary Contact ◽  
Barrier Effect ◽  
Sequencing Data ◽  
Asymmetric Introgression ◽  
Stable Hybrid

AbstractThe barrier effect is a restriction of gene flow between diverged populations by barrier genes. Restriction of gene flow and asymmetric introgression over multiple transects indicates species wide (genetic) adaptations, whereas transect-specific barrier loci may indicate local adaptation to gene flow. Asymmetric introgression can be caused by selection, hybrid zone movement, asymmetric reproductive isolation, or a combination of these. We study two widely separated transects (northwest and southeast France) for the 900 km long hybrid zone between Bufo bufo and B. spinosus toads, using ~1200 markers from restriction-site associated DNA (RAD) sequencing data. Genomic and geographic clines were used to identify outlier markers which show restricted or elevated introgression. Twenty-six barrier markers are shared between transects (the union of 56 and 123 barrier markers identified in each transect), which is more than would be expected by chance. However, the number of barrier markers is twice as high in the southeast transect. In the northwest transect a high amount of (asymmetric) introgression from B. spinosus into B. bufo is consistent with hybrid zone movement or asymmetric reproductive isolation. In the southeast transect, introgression is symmetric and consistent with a stable hybrid zone. Differences between transects may be related to genetic sub-structure within B. bufo. A longer period of secondary contact in southeast France appears to result in a relatively stronger barrier effect than in the northwest. The Bufo hybrid zone provides an excellent opportunity to separate a general barrier to gene flow from local reductions in gene flow.

scholarly journals The high Andes, gene flow and a stable hybrid zone shape the genetic structure of a wide-ranging South American parrot

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan F Masello ◽  
Petra Quillfeldt ◽  
Gopi K Munimanda ◽  
Nadine Klauke ◽  
Gernot Segelbacher ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Flow ◽  
Genetic Structure ◽  
Hybrid Zone ◽  
South American ◽  
Stable Hybrid

scholarly journals Absence of heterosis in hybrid crested newts

PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e5317 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan W. Arntzen ◽  
Nazan Üzüm ◽  
Maja D. Ajduković ◽  
Ana Ivanović ◽  
Ben Wielstra
Keyword(s):  
Gene Flow ◽  
Hybrid Zone ◽  
Hybrid Sterility ◽  
Introgressive Hybridization ◽  
Growth Curves ◽  
Hybrid Zones ◽  
Population Demography ◽  
Interspecific Gene Flow ◽  
Fertile Hybrids ◽  
Intermediate Situation

Relationships between phylogenetic relatedness, hybrid zone spatial structure, the amount of interspecific gene flow and population demography were investigated, with the newt genusTriturusas a model system. In earlier work, a bimodal hybrid zone of two distantly related species combined low interspecific gene flow with hybrid sterility and heterosis was documented. Apart from that, a suite of unimodal hybrid zones in closely relatedTriturusshowed more or less extensive introgressive hybridization with no evidence for heterosis. We here report on population demography and interspecific gene flow in twoTriturusspecies (T. macedonicusandT. ivanbureschiin Serbia). These are two that are moderately related, engage in a heterogeneous uni-/bimodal hybrid zone and hence represent an intermediate situation. This study used 13 diagnostic nuclear genetic markers in a population at the species contact zone. This showed that all individuals were hybrids, with no parentals detected. Age, size and longevity and the estimated growth curves are not exceeding that of the parental species, so that we conclude the absence of heterosis inT. macedonicus–T. ivanbureschi. Observations across the genus support the hypothesis that fertile hybrids allocate resources to reproduction and infertile hybrids allocate resources to growth. SeveralTriturusspecies hybrid zones not yet studied allow the testing of this hypothesis.

An analysis of the causes of genetic isolation in two Pacific Coast iris hybrid zones

1996 ◽  
Vol 74 (12) ◽  
pp. 2006-2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nelson D. Young
Keyword(s):  
Gene Flow ◽  
Hybrid Zone ◽  
Pacific Coast ◽  
Habitat Associations ◽  
Tube Length ◽  
Reciprocal Transplant ◽  
Hybrid Zones ◽  
Genetic Isolation ◽  
Habitat Association ◽  
Perianth Tube

In: two Pacific Coast Iris hybrid zones, the causes of genetic isolation appear to differ substantially. The Iris douglasiana – Iris innominata hybrid zone follows an ecotone a few kilometres inland from the ocean, implying different habitat associations for the two species, perhaps because of climate. Reciprocal transplant experiments showed that habitat association plays a major role in isolation. Each species survives best in its own habitat. Additional differences in perianth-tube length and flowering time between the two species have not developed into significant genetic isolating factors. The second hybrid zone occurs where species with different perianth-tube lengths co-occur (Iris chrysophylla – Iris tenax). Crosses between long- and short-tubed species suggest that differences in perianth-tube length can limit gene flow. Gene flow is also limited in the other direction, because the long-tubed species, I. chrysophylla, blooms earlier (though the flowering periods overlap). Coupled with the fact that these irises are all protandrous (anthers mature about 3 days before stigmas), relatively few days will be available when the long-tubed species can pollinate the short-tubed species. This combination of factors is probably a major form of genetic isolation in the I. chrysophylla – I. tenax zone. Keywords: speciation, reciprocal transplant, habitat association, phenology.

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