Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Linda Hagberg, Enrique Celemin, Iker Irisarri, Oliver Hawlitschek, Jose L. Bella, Tami Mott, Ricardo J. Pereira
Summary: The process of species formation is characterized by the accumulation of multiple reproductive barriers, including hybrid male sterility. This study on the meadow grasshopper demonstrates that reproductive barriers can evolve relatively quickly, even in the presence of extensive gene flow. The findings suggest that strong demographic changes, such as contractions and expansions during glacial cycles, contribute to the evolution of reproductive barriers and the maintenance of genetic boundaries between emerging species.
Review
Genetics & Heredity
Daven C. Presgraves, Colin D. Meiklejohn
Summary: The three fruitfly species of the Drosophila simulans clade have been important models in speciation genetics for over 40 years. They exhibit reproductive isolation due to various factors and hybrid male sterility has been a key focus of genetic scrutiny. The genetic conflicts, polygenic nature, and role of gene flow in speciation have challenged classical views of speciation.
FRONTIERS IN GENETICS
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Neil Rosser, Nathaniel B. Edelman, Lucie M. Queste, Michaela Nelson, Fernando Seixas, Kanchon K. Dasmahapatra, James Mallet
Summary: The study analyzed the phenomenon of female hybrid sterility between two geographic subspecies of Heliconius pardalinus, revealing that the sterility is mainly influenced by the Z chromosome, with complex epistatic interactions involving multiple genes. This is the first study to characterize hybrid sterility in Lepidoptera using genome mapping, showing that it is produced by multiple complex epistatic interactions often involving the sex chromosome, in line with the dominance theory of Haldane's rule.
Article
Ecology
Linyi Zhang, Glen R. Hood, Isaac Carroo, James R. Ott, Scott P. Egan
Summary: Divergent selection between alternative environments plays a crucial role in reproductive isolation, but the importance of within-environment variation in differentiation between lineages has been overlooked. This study revealed weak hybrid inviability between host-associated lineages of B. treatae despite strong genomic differentiation, with great variation in hybrid fitness observed on individual trees. Considering the environmental context of hybridization is essential for predicting divergence under variable selection.
AMERICAN NATURALIST
(2021)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Lynna Kvistad, Stephanie Falk, Lana Austin
Summary: The Eastern Yellow Robin, a common passerine in Australia, exhibits divergence between its mitochondrial and nuclear genomes, potentially due to admixture and chromosomal inversion. Despite the absence of assortative mating, there is evidence of reproductive isolation between populations, with greater differentiation in females. This suggests that the species experiences postzygotic isolation, consistent with Haldane's Rule.
G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS
(2022)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Alex Van Huynh, Amber M. Rice
Summary: Preferences for mating cues, including odor signals, can impact speciation and reproductive isolation in natural hybrid zones. Hybrid individuals show varying preferences for parental species cues, with male hybrids showing overall no preference and female hybrids showing a preference for black-capped chickadee odor dependent on their black-capped ancestry. These preferences may play a role in reproductive isolation and the movement of hybrid zones.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ningning Wu, Elizabeth Evans, Bas van Schooten, Jesyka Melendez-Rosa, Yadira Ortiz, Silvia M. Planas Soto-Navarro, Steven M. Van Belleghem, Brian A. Counterman, Riccardo Papa, Wei Zhang
Summary: This study examines the gene expression profiles and genomic divergence of three sensory tissues between sexes and life stages in two hybridizing butterflies. The research found evidence of widespread gene expression divergence, supporting the crucial role of sensory tissues in the establishment of species barriers. The study also reveals that sensory diversification increases in a manner consistent with evolutionary divergence.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Review
Biology
Claudia Kohler, Katarzyna Dziasek, Gerardo Del Toro-De Leon
Summary: The endosperm is a developmental innovation of angiosperms that supports embryo growth and germination, while also preventing hybridization between different species to drive plant evolution. Current genetic approaches have revealed a significant role for epigenetic processes in establishing reproductive barriers in the endosperm.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
James M. Alfieri, Reina Hingoranee, Giridhar N. Athrey, Heath Blackmon
Summary: This study investigates the impact of divergence time, domestication, and mismatches in morphology, habitat, and clutch size on reproductive isolation in hybridizing bird species. The findings suggest that divergence time and clutch size are significant predictors of reproductive isolation. Interestingly, domestication is also found to be related to reproductive compatibility after considering phylogeny and addressing potential biases.
JOURNAL OF HEREDITY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Robert J. Driver, Valentina Ferretti, Emily S. Burton, Michael W. McCoy, Kerri L. Cornell L. Duerr, Robert L. Curry
Summary: This study analyzed 21 years of data from a hybrid zone between two chickadee species to examine the fitness costs of hybridization. The results showed that hatching success rates changed significantly as the hybrid zone moved across the landscape, and this reduction in hatching success was correlated with a decrease in the proportion of female offspring. The study provides evidence for the underlying mechanism of genetic admixture affecting offspring sex ratio through incompatibilities on the Z chromosome.
AMERICAN NATURALIST
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Thomas J. Firneno Jr, Georgy Semenov, Erik B. Dopman, Scott A. Taylor, Erica L. Larson, Zachariah Gompert
Summary: This study characterizes the relationship between the coupling coefficient and genetic loci across hybrid zones, showing a smooth continuum from high variance and weak coupling to low variance and strong coupling. The results suggest low hybridization rates and a strong genome-wide barrier to gene flow when the coupling coefficient is much greater than 1.
COLD SPRING HARBOR PERSPECTIVES IN BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Hong Wu, Zefu Wang, Yuxing Zhang, Laurent Frantz, Christian Roos, David M. Irwin, Chenglin Zhang, Xuefeng Liu, Dongdong Wu, Song Huang, Tongtong Gu, Jianquan Liu, Li Yu
Summary: It is discovered that historical hybridization occurred among a group of snub-nosed monkeys, leading to the origin of a hybrid species. The gray snub-nosed monkey has a stable mixed genomic ancestry derived from the golden snub-nosed monkey, the ancestor of black-white and black snub-nosed monkeys. Genes derived from the parental lineages have been identified, potentially contributing to the mosaic coat coloration of the hybrid and promoting reproductive isolation. This study highlights the underappreciated role of hybridization in generating species and phenotypic diversity in mammals.
Article
Ecology
Emily E. Bendall, Kayla M. Mattingly, Amanda J. Moehring, Catherine R. Linnen
Summary: Haldane’s rule is a widely observed pattern in nature, where hybrid sterility or inviability occurs in the heterogametic sex of interspecific crosses. This rule may also apply to haplodiploid taxa, where haploid male hybrids are predicted to evolve sterility or inviability before diploid female hybrids. However, there are genetic and evolutionary mechanisms that could reduce the tendency of haplodiploids to follow Haldane’s rule. To investigate this, we crossed two haplodiploid hymenopteran species and evaluated the viability and fertility of the resulting hybrids. Our findings suggest that hybrid sterility evolves slowly in haplodiploids, as there was no evidence of reduced fertility in the hybrids. Interestingly, we observed a pattern opposite to Haldane’s rule, where hybrid females had reduced viability but not hybrid males. This study highlights the need for more research on reproductive isolation in haplodiploids, which are abundant in nature but underrepresented in speciation literature.
AMERICAN NATURALIST
(2023)
Article
Entomology
Luiza Maria Grzyb Delgado, Jader de Oliveira, Amanda Ravazi, Fernanda Fernandez Madeira, Yago Visinho dos Reis, Heloisa Pinotti, Ana Beatriz Bortolozo de Oliveira, Isabella da Silva Masarin, Mauricio Lilioso, Elaine Folly-Ramos, Cleber Galvao, Maria Tercilia Vilela de Azeredo-Oliveira, Joao Aristeu da Rosa, Kaio Cesar Chaboli Alevi
Summary: The study demonstrated reproductive isolation between T. petrocchiae and T. b. brasiliensis and T. lenti, suggesting that T. petrocchiae is the most derived species within the T. brasiliensis complex.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Kate L. Ostevik, Joanna L. Rifkin, Hanhan Xia, Mark D. Rausher
Summary: Hybridization between two different morning glory species can affect the strength of reproductive barriers, with asymmetric effects on barrier strength and potential changes to within-species compatibility. The study found that changes in compatibility between sympatric populations of the morning glory species may be due to introgression of alleles from one species into the other. This suggests that hybridization can influence not only isolation between species, but also contribute to isolation within a species.
Article
Ecology
Christophe Dufresnes, Tomasz Suchan, Nazar A. Smirnov, Mathieu Denoel, Juriy M. Rosanov, Spartak N. Litvinchuk
Summary: The study found sharp but leaky transitions between parapatric populations in different geographical locations, indicating gene flow can occur despite selection pressure. Bombina populations exhibit permeability to gene flow, but their species integrity remains intact due to their wide geographical ranges and ecological differentiation.
JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Romain Feron, Qiaowei Pan, Ming Wen, Boudjema Imarazene, Elodie Jouanno, Jennifer Anderson, Amaury Herpin, Laurent Journot, Hugues Parrinello, Christophe Klopp, Verena A. Kottler, Alvaro S. Roco, Kang Du, Susanne Kneitz, Mateus Adolfi, Catherine A. Wilson, Braedan McCluskey, Angel Amores, Thomas Desvignes, Frederick W. Goetz, Ato Takanashi, Mari Kawaguchi, Harry William Detrich, Marcos A. Oliveira, Rafael H. Nobrega, Takashi Sakamoto, Masatoshi Nakamoto, Anna Wargelius, Orjan Karlsen, Zhongwei Wang, Matthias Stoeck, Robert M. Waterhouse, Ingo Braasch, John H. Postlethwait, Manfred Schartl, Yann Guiguen
Summary: RADSex is a computational analysis workflow designed to study the genetic basis of sex determination using RAD-Seq data, with visualization and identification of sex-specific markers. By applying RADSex, we uncovered Y chromosome polymorphism in Japanese medaka, identified sex determination systems and sex-specific markers in six out of 15 fish species.
MOLECULAR ECOLOGY RESOURCES
(2021)
Review
Fisheries
Christin Hoehne, Dmitry Prokopov, Heiner Kuhl, Kang Du, Christophe Klopp, Sven Wuertz, Vladimir Trifonov, Matthias Stoeck
Summary: Sturgeon immunity plays a crucial role in evolutionary and aquaculture research, but there are still many gaps in understanding the immune functions of specific tissues and organs. Sturgeons and teleosts share significant components of the adaptive immune system, but further research is needed on the ontogeny of immune genes in different organs. The identification of key immune genes in sturgeons after genome duplication opens up avenues for future evolutionary bioinformatics studies.
REVIEWS IN AQUACULTURE
(2021)
Article
Biology
Heiner Kuhl, Yann Guiguen, Christin Hoehne, Eva Kreuz, Kang Du, Christophe Klopp, Celine Lopez-Roques, Elena Santidrian Yebra-Pimentel, Mitica Ciorpac, Jorn Gessner, Daniela Holostenco, Wibke Kleiner, Klaus Kohlmann, Dunja K. Lamatsch, Dmitry Prokopov, Anastasia Bestin, Emmanuel Bonpunt, Bastien Debeuf, Pierrick Haffray, Romain Morvezen, Pierre Patrice, Radu Suciu, Ron Dirks, Sven Wuertz, Werner Kloas, Manfred Schartl, Matthias Stoeck
Summary: A female-specific sequence has been discovered in Russian sturgeon, which has been conserved for 180 million years of sturgeon evolution. PCR genotyping tests revealed female-specific products in six species, including the most divergent extant lineages.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Editorial Material
Biology
Lukas Kratochvil, Matthias Stock
Summary: This preface introduces a theme issue on vertebrate sex chromosome evolution, with 22 articles covering topics such as sex determination, differentiation of sex chromosomes, and evolution of sex chromosomes under male versus female heterogamety.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Review
Biology
Matthias Stoeck, Lukas Kratochvil, Heiner Kuhl, Michail Rovatsos, Ben J. Evans, Alexander Suh, Nicole Valenzuela, Frederic Veyrunes, Qi Zhou, Tony Gamble, Blanche Capel, Manfred Schartl, Yann Guiguen
Summary: The article reviews the evolution of sex in vertebrates, covering sex determination mechanisms, sexual development, and reproductive modes across different clades. With the latest research data, it demonstrates the diversity and complexity of vertebrate sex genomes, as well as the research prospects for the evolution of sex determination.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Review
Biology
Matthias Stoeck, Dmitrij Dedukh, Radka Reifova, Dunja K. Lamatsch, Zuzana Starostova, Karel Janko
Summary: The roles of sex chromosomes in vertebrate hybridization and speciation are dependent on the level of divergence, affecting the degree of reproductive isolation. Undifferentiated sex chromosomes are more susceptible to introgression and may give rise to new sex chromosome systems.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Review
Biology
Lukas Kratochvil, Matthias Stoeck, Michail Rovatsos, Monica Bullejos, Amaury Herpin, Daniel L. Jeffries, Catherine L. Peichel, Nicolas Perrin, Nicole Valenzuela, Martina Johnson Pokorna
Summary: This study challenges the traditional model of sex chromosome evolution, suggesting that the field is more complex than previously anticipated, forming a network interconnected with various factors that could lead to a variety of outcomes, including restarts, deletions, and additions of new genomic material.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Review
Zoology
Christophe Dufresnes, Spartak N. Litvinchuk
Summary: Biodiversity analyses benefit from clear species delimitation schemes and up-to-date distribution data. In this article, the authors attempted to delimit and map amphibian species in the Eastern Palaearctic region. They used a literature review, reproductive isolation and genetic divergence analysis, and occurrence data to identify 274 native species and 8 introduced species in the region. The study also found hotspots of species richness in southern Tibet, the Sichuan Basin, Taiwan, the Korean Peninsula, and the main Japanese islands. Phylogeographic breaks were identified as responsible for recent speciation events. The study provides valuable insights into species diversity patterns in the Eastern Palaearctic region.
ZOOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Tomasz Majtyka, Bartosz Borczyk, Maria Ogielska, Matthias Stoeck
Summary: This study investigates the morphological differences between two tree frog species and their hybrids. The results show that hybrid morphotypes are more similar to H. orientalis than H. arborea, suggesting that secondary contact does not lead to the evolution of intermediate or transgressive morphotypes.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Heiner Kuhl, Kang Du, Manfred Schartl, Lukas Kalous, Matthias Stoeck, Dunja K. Lamatsch
Summary: Understanding genome evolution of polyploids involves analyzing their similar subgenomes and haplotypes. In this study, the genome of the asexual Prussian carp was sequenced, resulting in a haplotype-resolved chromosome-scale assembly of a hexaploid animal. Comparisons with ancestral diploid cyprinids and goldfish revealed the genome structure, phylogeny, and genome duplication history.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Correction
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Heiner Kuhl, Kang Du, Manfred Schartl, Lukas Kalous, Matthias Stock, Dunja K. Lamatsch
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Katerina Guzman, Alvaro S. Roco, Matthias Stoeck, Adrian Ruiz-Garcia, Enrique Garcia-Munoz, Monica Bullejos
Summary: Amphibians have various genome sizes, and this study characterizes a new family of satellite DNA in the Bufonidae family. The satellite DNA is composed of 807 base pair monomers and is organized in tandem arrays. Phylogenetic analysis shows species-specific variations, suggesting concerted evolution. The repetitive DNA is localized in pericentromeric regions and may play a role in centromere function or heterochromatin formation.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Biology
Stefan Mueller, Kang Du, Yann Guiguen, Maria Pichler, Shinichi Nakagawa, Matthias Stoeck, Manfred Schartl, Dunja K. Lamatsch
Summary: The structure and differentiation of the W-chromosome in the Western mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) were analyzed using cytogenomics and bioinformatics. The long arm of the W-chromosome was found to be enriched in dispersed repetitive sequences and highly transcribed, while not being heterochromatic or silenced by hypermethylation. Female-specific SNPs and transposable elements were also identified, suggesting constrained recombination. The W-chromosome is actively differentiating through copy number expansion of transcribed elements, but not extensive sequence divergence or gene decay.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Axel Hernandez, Christophe Dufresnes, Jean Raffaelli, Emmanuel Jelsch, Sylvain Dubey, Ana Luisa Santiago-Perez, Veronica Carolina Rosas-Espinoza, Pablo Berea Nunez
Summary: This study reports the discovery of a population related to the Blunt-headed Salamander, a micro-endemic axolotl from Mexico that has been scientifically confirmed only once since 1940 and is now presumed to be extinct. The population was found in a cattle pond in Michoacan state, Mexico, similar to 60 km away from the type locality. Morphometric comparisons suggested high similarity with the type series of A. amblycephalum, while mitochondrial DNA barcoding revealed close matching to a reference sequence. The highly limited distribution and presumably low population density of this population pose a high risk of extinction, emphasizing the urgent need for conservation actions.
NEOTROPICAL BIODIVERSITY
(2022)