Phenotypic novelty in experimental hybrids is predicted by the genetic distance between species of cichlid fish.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Transgressive segregation describes the occurrence of novel phenotypes in hybrids with extreme trait values not observed in either parental species. A previously experimentally untested prediction is that the amount of transgression increases with the genetic distance between hybridizing species. This follows from QTL studies suggesting that transgression is most commonly due to complementary gene action or epistasis, which become more frequent at larger genetic distances. This is because the number of QTLs fixed for alleles with opposing signs in different species should increase with time since speciation provided that speciation is not driven by disruptive selection. We measured the amount of transgression occurring in hybrids of cichlid fish bred from species pairs w

SUBMITTER: Stelkens RB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2796671 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature