Sexual isolation of male moths explained by a single pheromone response QTL containing four receptor genes.

ABSTRACT: Long distance sexual communication in moths has fascinated biologists because of the complex, precise female pheromone signals and the extreme sensitivity of males to specific pheromone molecules. Progress has been made in identifying some genes involved in female pheromone production and in male response. However, we have lacked information on the genetic changes involved in evolutionary diversification of these mate-finding mechanisms that is critical to understanding speciation in moths and other taxa. We used a combined quantitative trait locus (QTL) and candidate gene approach to determine the genetic architecture of sexual isolation in males of two congeneric moths, Heliothis subflexa and Heliothis virescens. We report behavioral and neurophysiological evidence that differential male

SUBMITTER: Gould F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2889340 | biostudies-literature | 2010 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature