A Test for Gene Flow among Sympatric and Allopatric Hawaiian Picture-Winged Drosophila

• Published in: Journal of molecular evolution Vol. 84; no. 5-6; pp. 259 - 266
• Main Authors: Kang, Lin, Garner, Harold R., Price, Donald K., Michalak, Pawel
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.06.2017; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adaptive radiation; Animal Genetics and Genomics; Animals; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Cell Biology; Conservation; Drosophila; Drosophila - genetics; Endemic species; Evolutionary Biology; Gene flow; Gene Flow - genetics; Genes; Genetic Speciation; Genetics; Genetics, Population - methods; Genomes; Hawaii; Hybridization; Hybridization, Genetic - genetics; Infertility, Male - genetics; Infertility, Male - veterinary; Insects; Life Sciences; Male; Male sterility; Microbiology; Original Article; Phylogeny; Plant Genetics and Genomics; Plant Sciences; Population genetics; Reproductive Isolation; Sexual selection; Speciation; Species Specificity; Sympatric populations; Sympatry; Sympatry - genetics; Hawaii; United States > US; Hawaii; Reproductive isolation; Hybridization; Drosophila silvestris; Drosophila heteroneura
• ISSN: 0022-2844; 1432-1432
• DOI: 10.1007/s00239-017-9795-7

The Hawaiian Drosophila are one of the most species-rich endemic groups in Hawaii and a spectacular example of adaptive radiation. Drosophila silvestris and D. heteroneura are two closely related picture-winged Drosophila species that occur sympatrically on Hawaii Island and are known to hybridize in nature, yet exhibit highly divergent behavioral and morphological traits driven largely through sexual selection. Their closest-related allopatric species, D. planitibia from Maui, exhibits hybrid male sterility and reduced behavioral reproductive isolation when crossed experimentally with D. silvestris or D. heteroneura . A modified four-taxon test for gene flow was applied to recently obtained genomes of the three Hawaiian Drosophila species. The analysis indicates recent gene flow in sympatry, but also, although less extensive, between allopatric species. This study underscores the prevalence of gene flow, even in taxonomic groups considered classic examples of allopatric speciation on islands. The potential confounding effects of gene flow in phylogenetic and population genetics inference are discussed, as well as the implications for conservation.