Interspecific hybridization between Drosophila species group melanogaster sibling species: isozymic patterns and reproductive relationships (original) (raw)

A genetic basis for the inviability of hybrids between sibling species of Drosophila

Genetics, 1990

A mutation of Drosophila melanogaster whose only known effect is the rescue of otherwise lethal interspecific hybrids has been characterized. This mutation, Hmr, maps to 1-31.84 (9D1-9E4). Hmr may be the consequence of a P element insertion. It rescues hybrid males from the cross of D. melanogaster females to males of its three sibling species, D. simulans, D. mauritiana and D. sechellia. This rescue is recessive, since hybrid males that carry both Hmr and a duplication expected to be Hmr+ are not rescued. Hmr also rescues the otherwise inviable female hybrids from the cross of compound-X D. melanogaster females to males of its sibling species. This rescue is also recessive, since a compound-X heterozygous for Hmr does not rescue. Another mutation, discovered on the In(1)AB chromosome of D. melanogaster, is also found to rescue normally inviable species hybrids: unlike Hmr, however, In(1)AB rescues hybrid females from the cross of In(1)AB/Y males to sibling females, as well as hybri...

Hybrid lethal systems in the Drosophila melanogaster species complex. I. The maternal hybrid rescue (mhr) gene of Drosophila simulans

Genetics

Hybrid females from Drosophila simulans females X Drosophila melanogaster males die as embryos while hybrid males from the reciprocal cross die as late larvae. The other two classes are sterile adults. Letting C , X , and Y designate egg cytoplasm, X , and Y chromosomes, respectively, and subscripts m and s stand for melanogaster and simulans, C,X,,,Y, males are lethal in the larval stage and are rescued by the previously reported genes, Lhr (Lethal hybrid rescue) in simulans or Hmr (Hybrid male rescue) in melanogaster. We report here another rescue gene located on the second chromosome of simulans, mhr (maternal hybrid rescue) that, when present in the mother, rescues C,X,X, females from embryonic lethality. It has been postulated that the hybrids not carrying the X, like C,,,X,Y, males are larval lethal and that the hybrids carrying both the C, and the X, like CJ,,& females are embryonic lethal. According .to these postulates CX,,,Y, males (obtained by mating attached-X simulans females to melanogaster males) should be doubly lethal, at both embryo and larval stages. When both rescuing genes are present, Hmr in the father and mhr in the mother, males of this genotype are fully viable, as predicted. FIGURE 1 .-Four types of interspecific crosses between D. melanogaster and D. simulans. Since all hybrids have heterospecific autosomes, only cytoplasms (boxes), X chromosomes [bars (attached-X's are represented by attached bars)], and Y chromosomes (J shaped) are shown. V: viable; E: embryonic lethal; L: larval lethal; *: low viability at high temperature. Arrows mean that they are rescued by the genes shown ('WATANABE 1979; *TAKAMURA and WATANABE 1980; 'HUTTER and ASHBURNER 1987; d H~~~~~, KWTE and ASHBURNER 1990; present paper).

Interspecific Hybrids of Drosophila heteroneura and D. Silvestris I. Courtship Success

Evolution, 1989

Drosophila heteroneura and D. silvestris are well-defined, sympatric species of the planitibia subgroup of Hawaiian Drosophila. D. silvestris can be subdivided into two allopatric morphotypes that differ in the number of bristle rows on the front tibia (two rows versus three rows). We measured courtship success of intraspecific and interspecific hybrids as the proportion of females inseminated during a two-week period with a single sib male. Proportions were arcsin-transformed so that the values were asymptotically normal in distribution, and tests of homogeneity and of mean differences were performed. Of key importance is the discovery of genetic variation for the proportion of inseminated females within both D. heteroneura and D. silvestris. The interspecific crosses and the D. silvestris intraspecific crosses also provide evidence for a coadapted gene complex with some dominance or heterosis. This coadapted gene complex correlates with the morphotypes of these flies, rather than with the D. heteroneura/D. silvestris contrasts per se. This observation stresses the importance of recognizing both behavioral and morphological components of the materecognition system. The incompatible coadaptation that separates the two-row from the three-row forms also supports recent molecular studies which indicate that the three-row form split from the two-row form prior to the split between D. heteroneura and two-row D. silvestris. The observations of intraspecific variability and coadaptation support the predictions of a genetic-transilience model which explains the origin of a new mate-recognition system in terms of sexual selection in the context of a founder-flush event.

INTERSPECIFIC HYBRIDS OFDROSOPHILA HETERONEURAANDD. SILVESTRISI. COURTSHIP SUCCESS

Evolution, 1989

Drosophila heteroneura and D. silvestris are well-defined, sympatric species of the planitibia subgroup of Hawaiian Drosophila. D. silvestris can be subdivided into two allopatric morphotypes that differ in the number of bristle rows on the front tibia (two rows versus three rows). We measured courtship success of intraspecific and interspecific hybrids as the proportion of females inseminated during a two-week period with a single sib male. Proportions were arcsin-transformed so that the values were asymptotically normal in distribution, and tests of homogeneity and of mean differences were performed. Of key importance is the discovery of genetic variation for the proportion of inseminated females within both D. heteroneura and D. silvestris. The interspecific crosses and the D. silvestris intraspecific crosses also provide evidence for a coadapted gene complex with some dominance or heterosis. This coadapted gene complex correlates with the morphotypes of these flies, rather than with the D. heteroneura/D. silvestris contrasts per se. This observation stresses the importance of recognizing both behavioral and morphological components of the materecognition system. The incompatible coadaptation that separates the two-row from the three-row forms also supports recent molecular studies which indicate that the three-row form split from the two-row form prior to the split between D. heteroneura and two-row D. silvestris. The observations of intraspecific variability and coadaptation support the predictions of a genetic-transilience model which explains the origin of a new mate-recognition system in terms of sexual selection in the context of a founder-flush event.

Intraspecific hybridization, developmental stability and fitness in Drosophila mercatorum

One of the possible effects of intraspecific hybridization is outbreeding depression, due to a breakdown of coadapted gene complexes, which can lead to reduced fitness and decreased developmental stability in hybrids. Alternatively, increased fitness and increased developmental stability in hybrids (hybrid vigour) may be a result of hybridization, probably due to increased heterozygosity. Developmental stability is assumed to be correlated with fitness and is commonly measured as fluctuating asymmetry or phenotypic variance. Drosophila mercatorum is capable of reproducing sexually, but also parthenogenetically in the laboratory. When selecting for parthenogenesis, the flies become homozygous in one generation; strong selection, therefore, is acting on the genome of these flies for coadaptation among genes. Intraspecific hybridization is therefore expected to have an impact when coadaptation is disrupted. Intraspecific hybridization between a parthenogenetic and a sexually reproducing strain of Drosophila mercatorum resulted in significant changes in fecundity as well as fluctuating asymmetry and phenotypic variance for the number of sternopleural bristles and in the length of two wing traits over three generations after hybridization. We found a 'hybrid vigour effect' in F1 females with an increase in fecundity relative to their parental populations. The F2 and F3 females showed increased fluctuating asymmetry in several traits and reduced fecundity compared with the F1 females, probably due to a breakdown in coadapted gene complexes. The males followed the same pattern of fluctuating asymmetry for bristles but there was no increase in wing fluctuating asymmetry in the F2 and F3 generations. Trait differences in phenotypic variance were found between wings and bristles. We found an increase in phenotypic variance in the F1 generation for both sexes and all traits, which could be due to increased genetic variance after hybridization. The phenotypic variance increased further in generations F2 and F3 for bristle number. For the wings, phenotypic variance generally decreased in generations F2 and F3 when compared with F1, which we attribute to canalization and selection on the wings.

Species Hybrids in the Laboratory but Not in Nature: A Reanalysis of Premating Isolation Between Drosophila Arizonae and D. Mojavensis

Evolution, 2010

Understanding speciation relies critically on the identification of mechanisms responsible for maintaining species integrity (i.e., reproductive isolation) especially when closely related species are sympatric in nature. Studies of reproductive isolation in Drosophila often involve laboratory mating experiments that assume that patterns of mate choice in the laboratory are similar to those in the wild. Two sibling species, Drosophila arizonae and D. mojavensis, known to exhibit low levels of interspecific hybridization in the laboratory, but not in nature, were used in multiple-choice mating trials using various mating chamber designs as well as synthetic and natural media for developing larvae and courting adults. Sympatric populations were more sexually isolated than allopatric ones, consistent with past studies, and all experimental variables tested (chamber size, host plant presence and rearing substrates) had significant effects on levels of premating isolation between these species. Flies reared on cactus showed increased premating isolation versus those reared on synthetic laboratory food as did providing fermenting host plant tissue during mating trials. Also, surprisingly, smaller mating chambers led to an increase in premating isolation versus larger containers. The design of these types of mating trials is thus critical to understanding how mating behaviors in the laboratory are related to those in natural populations.

Developmental stability in hybrids between the sibling species pair, Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila simulans

Genetica, 1991

Drosophila melanogaster and its sibling species D.simulans were hybridized in the laboratory to test the hypothesis that developmental homeostasis in hybrids between two species having no prior gene flow would be significantly reduced. Developmental stability was assessed by measuring fluctuating asymmetry for three bilateral traits: sternopleural chaetae, wing length, and fronto-orbital plus frontal chaetae. Male F1 hybrids showed no decrease in developmental stability compared to males of parental species. Female hybrids showed significant fluctuating asymmetry compared to other flies. The results are discussed with respect to ideas about coadaptation and gene flow based upon previous studies of hybrid developmental stability.

The Drosophila melanogaster hybrid male rescue gene causes inviability in male and female species hybrids

Genetics, 2000

The Drosophila melanogaster mutation Hmr rescues inviable hybrid sons from the cross of D. melanogaster females to males of its sibling species D. mauritiana, D. simulans, and D. sechellia. We have extended previous observations that hybrid daughters from this cross are poorly viable at high temperatures and have shown that this female lethality is suppressed by Hmr and the rescue mutations In(1)AB and D. simulans Lhr. Deficiencies defined here as Hmr(-) also suppressed lethality, demonstrating that reducing Hmr(+) activity can rescue otherwise inviable hybrids. An Hmr(+) duplication had the opposite effect of reducing the viability of female and sibling X-male hybrid progeny. Similar dose-dependent viability effects of Hmr were observed in the reciprocal cross of D. simulans females to D. melanogaster males. Finally, Lhr and Hmr(+) were shown to have mutually antagonistic effects on hybrid viability. These data suggest a model where the interaction of sibling species Lhr(+) and D. ...

Evidence for Initiation of Post-Zygotic Reproductive Isolation between Drosophila ananassae and D. pallidosa as Indicated by Reduction in the Fertility of Hybrid Males

International Journal of Biology

There are several barriers to preclude the gene flow between diverging populations. On the basis of their temporal nature, these can be broadly categorized into two forms: pre- and post-zygotic. Post-zygotic reproductive isolation can manifest in the form of reductions in hybrid fertility. Keeping this fact in view, in the present study, we studied sterility in hybrids of D. ananassae and D. pallidosa. Surprisingly a distinguishable pattern of infertility was found in the hybrids. This pattern, referred to as Haldaneā€™s rule, is often observed in hybrids of recently diverged populations or species. Reduction in the fertility of hybrids provides the clue of incipient kind of post-zygotic reproductive isolation in these two sibling species. This is the first report of hybrid sterility in this species pair. However, hybrid sterility is not very prominent especially when compared to that of other species pairs with the similar divergence time. Thus, on the basis of our results, we conclu...

Hybrid Lethal Systems in the Drosophila melanogaster Species Complex. 11. The Zygotic hybrid rescue (Zhr) Gene of D. melanogaster

Genetics

Hybrid females from Drosophila simulans females X Drosophila melanogaster males die as embryos while hybrid males from the reciprocal cross die as larvae. We have recovered a mutation in melanogaster that rescues the former hybrid females. It was located on the X chromosome at a position close to the centromere, and it was a zygotically acting gene, in contrast with mhr (maternal hybrid rescue) in simulans that rescues the same hybrids maternally. We named it Zhr (Zygotic hybrid rescue). The gene also rescues hybrid females from embryonic lethals in crosses of Drosophila mauritiana females X D. melanogaster males and of Drosophila sechellia females X D. melanogaster males. Inde- pendence of the hybrid embryonic lethality and the hybrid larval lethality suggested in a companion study was confirmed by employing two rescue genes, Zhr and Hmr (Hybrid male rescue), in doubly lethal hybrids. A model is proposed to explain the genetic mechanisms of hybrid lethalities as well as the evoluti...