Searching for Sympatric Speciation in the Genomic Era
Sympatric speciation illustrates how natural and sexual selection may create new species in isolation without geographic barriers. However, recent genomic reanalyses of classic examples of sympatric speciation reveal complex histories of secondary gene flow from outgroups into the radiation. In cont...
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Published in | BioEssays Vol. 41; no. 7; pp. e1900047 - n/a |
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Main Authors | , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
United States
Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
01.07.2019
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Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | Sympatric speciation illustrates how natural and sexual selection may create new species in isolation without geographic barriers. However, recent genomic reanalyses of classic examples of sympatric speciation reveal complex histories of secondary gene flow from outgroups into the radiation. In contrast, the rich theoretical literature on this process distinguishes among a diverse range of models based on simple genetic histories and different types of reproductive isolating barriers. Thus, there is a need to revisit how to connect theoretical models of sympatric speciation and their predictions to empirical case studies in the face of widespread gene flow. Here, theoretical differences among different types of sympatric speciation and speciation‐with‐gene‐flow models are reviewed and summarized, and genomic analyses are proposed for distinguishing which models apply to case studies based on the timing and function of adaptive introgression. Investigating whether secondary gene flow contributed to reproductive isolation is necessary to test whether predictions of theory are ultimately borne out in nature.
Sympatric speciation means two different things to empirical and theoretical biologists. Recent genomic analyses of classic sympatric speciation examples reveal complex histories of secondary gene flow from outgroups. It is argued that reconciling diverse theoretical models with existing empirical examples requires investigating the role that gene flow played in the process. |
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Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-3 content type line 23 ObjectType-Review-2 Statement of Authorship: All authors contributed substantially to the ideas and writing of the manuscript. EJR wrote the first draft and all authors contributed to the revisions. |
ISSN: | 0265-9247 1521-1878 |
DOI: | 10.1002/bies.201900047 |