✳flâneur — a map of the web's best reading

Imbalanced segregation of recombinant haplotypes in hybrid populations reveals inter- and intrachromosomal Dobzhansky-Muller incompatibilities | PLOS Genetics

journals.plos.org · 19,648 words · saved by 1 readers

Author summary Genetic incompatibility in the form of (Bateson-)Dobzhansky-Muller incompatibilities (DMIs) is an important component of reproductive isolation between species. However, the evolutionary role of DMIs during the process of speciation is contentious. DMIs occur when two or more genetic variants interact to reduce their carrier’s fitness. Once recombination combines incompatible variants in hybrids, selection acts to remove these variants from the population. One step towards addressing the evolutionary role of DMIs is to quantify the prevalence of DMIs in incipient and hybridizing species. Here, we present statistics that are sensitive to the resulting recombinant imbalance and that can indicate the location of DMIs in hybrid genomes in various demographic scenarios. We use simulations to show that the time window during which a DMI is detectable depends on its genomic location, the severity of the DMI, and the population’s demography. Importantly, our statistic distinguishes genetic associations arising due to physical linkage from those arising due to gene interactions, which allows for the inference of both inter- and intrachromosomal DMIs. Applying our statistics to three hybrid populations of swordtail fish, we confirm previously known DMIs and identify new candidate incompatibilities.

Imbalanced segregation of recombinant haplotypes in hybrid populations reveals inter- and intrachromosomal Dobzhansky-Muller incompatibilities | PLOS Genetics Article Authors Metrics Comments Media Coverage Peer Review Reader Comments Figures Figures Abstract Dobzhansky-Muller incompatibilities (DMIs) are a major component of reproductive isolation between species. DMIs imply negative epistasis and are exposed when two diverged populations hybridize. Mapping the locations of DMIs has largely relied on classical genetic mapping. Approaches to date are hampered by low power and the challenge of

Explore this link on the map →

related reading