Sleep disruption as a potential mechanism contributing to post-zygotic reproductive isolation in hybrids

Hybridization occurs when different species mate and produce offspring. Although hybridization can have negative consequences for cognitive performance, the mechanisms underlying those effects are still poorly understood. A fundamental physiological process found in all animals studied to date that could be disrupted in hybrids is sleep. Given that mechanisms that occur within the brain during sleep may help maintain optimal cognitive performance, here we outline the potential impacts of hybridization on sleep and cognition. We suggest that sleep loss caused by hybridization could lead to negative impacts for neural and molecular mechanisms (e.g. neurogenesis, synaptic plasticity, and brain gene expression) associated with cognition, which may help explain some of the cognitive deficiency recently observed in hybrid birds. However, we acknowledge that these mechanisms may instead be directly impacted by hybridization, which in turn could also disrupt sleep with similar negative consequences for cognition. Limitations in sleep processes apparent in hybrids might influence hybrid fitness and therefore act as a post-zygotic isolating barrier.