Evidence for differential assortative female preference in association with refugial isolation of rainbow skinks in Australia's tropical rainforests.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Divergence driven by female preference can give rise to pre-mating isolation more rapidly than post-mating isolation can evolve through the accumulation of allelic incompatibilities. Moreover pre-mating isolation may be more effective at maintaining morphological differentiation between divergent populations. In the context of Australian rainforest endemic skinks that were historically subjected to refugial isolation, this study examined the following predictions: 1) that assortative female preference is associated with more recent divergence of southern C. rubrigularis (S-RED) and C. rhomboidalis (BLUE), but not with deeply divergent S-RED and northern C. rubrigularis (N-RED); and 2) that upon secondary contact, morphological differentiation is maintained between S-RED

SUBMITTER: Dolman G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2567034 | biostudies-literature | 2008

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature