Failed sperm development as a reproductive isolating barrier between species

Wunsch, Lisa; Pfennig, Karin S.

doi:10.1111/ede.12054

Cited by 15 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…These species hybridize in the south‐western USA and northern Mexico (Pfennig et al ., ). Hybrids are viable; however, F 1 hybrid females produce half as many eggs as pure‐species females, whereas F 1 hybrid males are sterile (Simovich et al ., ; Wünsch & Pfennig, ). Hybrid males attempt to attract mates, but their calls are intermediate between those of pure‐species males (Pfennig, ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hybrid female mate choice as a species isolating mechanism: environment matters

Schmidt

Pfennig

2016

J of Evolutionary Biology

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A fundamental goal of biology is to understand how new species arise and are maintained. Female mate choice is potentially critical to the speciation process: mate choice can prevent hybridization and thereby generate reproductive isolation between potentially interbreeding groups. Yet, in systems where hybridization occurs, mate choice by hybrid females might also play a key role in reproductive isolation by affecting hybrid fitness and contributing to patterns of gene flow between species. We evaluated whether hybrid mate choice behavior could serve as such an isolating mechanism by using spadefoot toad hybrids of Spea multiplicata and S. bombifrons. We assessed the mate preferences of female hybrid spadefoot toads for sterile hybrid males versus pure-species males in two alternative habitat types in which spadefoots breed: deep or shallow water. We found that, in deep water, hybrid females preferred the calls of sterile hybrid males to those of S. multiplicata males. Thus, maladaptive hybrid mate preferences could serve as an isolating mechanism. However, in shallow water, the preference for hybrid male calls was not expressed. Moreover, hybrid females did not prefer hybrid calls to those of S. bombifrons in either environment. Because hybrid female mate choice was context-dependent, its efficacy as a reproductive isolating mechanism will depend on both the environment in which females choose their mates as well as the relative frequencies of males in a given population. Thus, reproductive isolation between species, as well as habitat specific patterns of gene flow between species, might depend critically on the nature of hybrid mate preferences and the way in which they vary across environments.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hybrid female mate choice as a species isolating mechanism: environment matters

Schmidt

Pfennig

2016

J of Evolutionary Biology

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“…In fact, male hybrids, characterized by the combination of two royalsocietypublishing.org/journal/rsob Open Biol. 11: 200322 different species, seem to produce significantly fewer mature spermatozoa due to incompatibilities in the last stages of sperm development [47]. The high and specific expression of fragile X mental retardation 1 gene (Fmr1) in brain and testis suggests that speciation recruits the same set of tissue-specific genes that are active in those organs that are important for speciation [44].…”

Section: Why Do Brain and Testis Appear To Have Similar Proteomes?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Brain and testis: more alike than previously thought?

et al. 2021

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Several strands of evidence indicate the presence of marked similarities between human brain and testis. Understanding these similarities and their implications has become a topic of interest among the scientific community. Indeed, an association of intelligence with some semen quality parameters has been reported and a relation between dysfunctions of the human brain and testis has also been evident. Numerous common molecular features are evident when these tissues are compared, which is reflected in the huge number of common proteins. At the functional level, human neurons and sperm share a number of characteristics, including the importance of the exocytotic process and the presence of similar receptors and signalling pathways. The common proteins are mainly involved in exocytosis, tissue development and neuron/brain-associated biological processes. With this analysis, we conclude that human brain and testis share several biochemical characteristics which, in addition to their involvement in the speciation process, could, at least in part, be responsible for the expression of a huge number of common proteins. Nonetheless, this is an underexplored topic, and the connection between these tissues needs to be clarified, which could help to understand the dysfunctions affecting brain and testis, as well as to develop improved therapeutic strategies.

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“…Where S. multiplicata and S. bombifrons co-occur, they potentially hybridize and produce viable offspring. Female hybrids can backcross to both parent species (hybrid males are sterile; [42,43]), thereby generating introgression between the two species [42,44]. Critically, hybrid tadpoles develop faster than pure S. bombifrons tadpoles, resulting in a fitness benefit for the expanding species to hybridize in a dry, desert environment [45].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genetic variation during range expansion: effects of habitat novelty and hybridization

Pierce¹,

Rafael²,

Rice³

et al. 2017

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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How species' ranges evolve remains an enduring problem in ecology and evolutionary biology. Species' range limits are potentially set by the inability of peripheral populations to adapt to range-edge habitat. Indeed, peripheral populations are often assumed to have reduced genetic diversity and population sizes, which limit evolvability. However, support for this assumption is mixed, possibly because the genetic effects of range expansion depend on two factors: the extent that habitat into which expansion occurs is novel and sources of gene flow. Here, we used spadefoot toads, , to contrast the population genetic effects of expansion into novel versus non-novel habitat. We further evaluated gene flow from conspecifics and from heterospecifics via hybridization with a resident species. We found that range expansion into novel habitat, relative to non-novel habitat, resulted in higher genetic differentiation, lower conspecific gene flow and bottlenecks. Moreover, we found that hybridizing with a resident species introduced genetic diversity in the novel habitat. Our results suggest the evolution of species' ranges can depend on the extent of differences in habitat between ancestral and newly occupied ranges. Furthermore, our results highlight the potential for hybridization with a resident species to enhance genetic diversity during expansions into novel habitat.

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Failed sperm development as a reproductive isolating barrier between species

Cited by 15 publications

References 28 publications

Hybrid female mate choice as a species isolating mechanism: environment matters

Hybrid female mate choice as a species isolating mechanism: environment matters

Brain and testis: more alike than previously thought?

Genetic variation during range expansion: effects of habitat novelty and hybridization

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