Prevalence of disruptive selection predicts extent of species differentiation in Lake Victoria cichlids.

ABSTRACT: Theory suggests that speciation with gene flow is most likely when both sexual and ecological selection are divergent or disruptive. Divergent sexual and natural selection on the visual system have been demonstrated before in sympatric, morphologically similar sister species of Lake Victoria cichlids, but this does not explain the subtle morphological differences between them. To investigate the significance of natural selection on morphology during speciation, we here ask whether the prevalence of disruptive ecological selection differs between sympatric sister species that are at different stages of speciation. Some of our species pairs do (Pundamilia) and others do not (Neochromis) differ distinctively in sexually selected male nuptial coloration. We find that (i) evidence

SUBMITTER: van Rijssel JC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5805951 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature