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Sex-specific clines support incipient speciation in a common European mammal
A Sutter1, M Beysard, G Heckel
1Computational and Molecular Population Genetics (CMPG), Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Heredity
|January 24, 2013
Summary
In European common voles, genetic markers reveal narrower paternal than maternal clines in hybrid zones. This suggests partial reproductive isolation is already established, challenging neutral evolutionary models.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary Biology
- Speciation Research
- Population Genetics
Background:
- Hybrid zones are crucial for understanding reproductive isolation and speciation.
- The European common vole (Microtus arvalis) exhibits cryptic morphology but significant genetic divergence between lineages.
- Male-biased dispersal is a known characteristic of the common vole.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate sex-specific genetic clines in European common vole hybrid zones.
- To analyze secondary contact zones using maternally (mtDNA) and paternally (Y-chromosome) inherited markers.
- To determine if observed clines align with neutral evolutionary processes or selective mechanisms like Haldane's rule.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of four secondary contact zones across three transects in the Alps.
- Utilizing mitochondrial DNA (maternal) and Y-chromosome (paternal) genetic markers.
- Employing maximum likelihood cline-fitting to assess marker positions and widths.
Main Results:
- Paternal genetic clines were consistently narrower than or equal in width to maternal clines.
- A significant shift in paternal relative to maternal clines was detected in three out of four contact zones.
- These findings deviate from expectations for selectively neutral secondary contact with male-biased dispersal.
Conclusions:
- Patterns observed in common vole hybrid zones suggest non-neutral evolutionary processes.
- Partial reproductive isolation is evident between these distinct evolutionary lineages.
- Hybrid zone dynamics, sexual selection, and genetic incompatibilities likely contribute to a unidirectional Haldane's rule manifestation.
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