Reproductive character displacement: insights from genital morphometrics in damselfly hybrid zones.

ABSTRACT: Reproductive Character Displacement (RCD) refers to the phenomenon of greater differences in reproductive characters between two species when they occur in sympatry compared to when they occur in allopatry to prevent maladaptive hybridization. We explored whether reinforcement of a mechanical barrier involved in the first contact point between male and female genital traits during copulation in the cross between Ischnura graellsii males and Ischnura elegans females has led to RCD, and whether it supports the lock-and-key hypothesis of genital evolution. We employed geometric morphometrics to analyze the shape and size of male and female genital traits, controlling for environmental and geographic factors. Consistent with an increase in mechanical isolation via reinforcement, we detected la

SUBMITTER: Ballen-Guapacha AV 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11528104 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature