Evolution of assortative mating following selective introgression of pigmentation genes between two Drosophila species. Issue 4 (13th April 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: David, Jean R.; Ferreira, Erina A.; Jabaud, Laure; Ogereau, David; Bastide, Héloïse; Yassin, Amir
• Is Part Of: Ecology and evolution. Volume 12:Issue 4(2022)
• Page Start: n/a
• Page End: n/a
• Publication Date: 2022-04-13
• Subjects: experimental speciation -- genome mapping -- hybridization -- mate choice -- pigmentation; Ecology -- Periodicals; Evolution -- Periodicals; 577.05
• DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8821
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2045-7758

Abstract

Abstract: Adaptive introgression is ubiquitous in animals, but experimental support for its role in driving speciation remains scarce. In the absence of conscious selection, admixed laboratory strains of Drosophila asymmetrically and progressively lose alleles from one parental species and reproductive isolation against the predominant parent ceases after 10 generations. Here, we selectively introgressed during 1 year light pigmentation genes of D . santomea into the genome of its dark sibling D . yakuba, and vice versa. We found that the pace of phenotypic change differed between the species and the sexes and identified through genome sequencing common as well as distinct introgressed loci in each species. Mating assays showed that assortative mating between introgressed flies and both parental species persisted even after 4 years (~60 generations) from the end of the selection. Those results indicate that selective introgression of as low as 0.5% of the genome can beget morphologically distinct and reproductively isolated strains, two prerequisites for the delimitation of new species. Our findings hence represent a significant step toward understanding the genome‐wide dynamics of speciation‐through‐introgression. Abstract : Adaptive introgression is widespread in nature, but its role in driving species remains contested. We showed that experimental introgression of 2–3 pigmentation loci between two Drosophila species with contrasting colors produced hybrid strains that were morphologically and behaviorally distinct from the parental species.