Do genetic loci that cause reproductive isolation in the lab inhibit gene flow in nature?

ABSTRACT: The genetic dissection of reproductive barriers between diverging lineages provides enticing clues into the origin of species. One strategy uses linkage analysis in experimental crosses to identify genomic locations involved in phenotypes that mediate reproductive isolation. A second framework searches for genomic regions that show reduced rates of exchange across natural hybrid zones. It is often assumed that these approaches will point to the same loci, but this assumption is rarely tested. In this perspective, we discuss the factors that determine whether loci connected to postzygotic reproductive barriers in the laboratory are inferred to reduce gene flow in nature. We synthesize data on the genetics of postzygotic isolation in house mice, one of the most intensively studied systems in

SUBMITTER: Frayer ME 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11135621 | biostudies-literature | 2024 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature