Population divergence in chemical signals and the potential for premating isolation between islet- and mainland populations of the Skyros wall lizard (Podarcis gaigeae) - PubMed (original) (raw)

. 2011 Apr;24(4):795-809.

doi: 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2010.02214.x. Epub 2011 Jan 24.

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Population divergence in chemical signals and the potential for premating isolation between islet- and mainland populations of the Skyros wall lizard (Podarcis gaigeae)

A Runemark et al. J Evol Biol. 2011 Apr.

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Abstract

When sexually selected traits diverge because of different local selective environments, premating isolation might arise as a correlated response. However, sexually selected traits might also diverge by stochastic forces. Here, we show that odour-based mate preferences and scent composition have diverged between islet- and mainland populations of Skyros wall lizard, Podarcis gaigeae. We quantified the degree of scent-mediated premating isolation between populations. Islet lizards preferred scent from islet lizards, whereas the mainland populations were less discriminatory. The pheromone compositions differed more between islets than between islet- and mainland populations and did not differ significantly between mainland populations. There was a tendency for population divergence in pheromones to be positively correlated with neutral genetic divergence. This might indicate a role for genetic drift in evolutionary change in these signals and partial decoupling between signals and preferences. Our results suggest that chemical signals and associated mate preferences can diverge through stochastic and selective forces and influence premating isolation.

© 2011 The Authors. Journal of Evolutionary Biology © 2011 European Society For Evolutionary Biology.

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