Post-zygotic hybrid viability in sympatric species pairs: a case study from European lampreys

Hume, J.B., Adams, C.E. , Mable, B. and Bean, C. (2012) Post-zygotic hybrid viability in sympatric species pairs: a case study from European lampreys. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 108(2), pp. 378-383. (doi: 10.1111/j.1095-8312.2012.02007.x)

Abstract

Ecological speciation mechanisms are widely assumed to play an important role in the early stages of divergence between incipient species, and this especially true of fishes. In the present study, we tested explicitly for post-zygotic barriers to gene flow between a sympatric, recently diverged lamprey species pair that likely arose through ecological divergence. Experimental in vitro hybridization between anadromous parasitic Lampetra fluviatilis and resident nonparasitic Lampetra planeri resulted in a high proportion of embryos capable of attaining the burrowing pro-larval stage, strongly indicating no post-zygotic barriers to gene flow between these species. A sympatric, locally-adapted resident parasitic form of L. fluviatilis was also found to successfully hybridize with both members of this species pair. The consequences of these findings are discussed in the context of lamprey speciation.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Bean, Professor Colin and Mable, Professor Barbara and Adams, Professor Colin
• Authors: Hume, J.B., Adams, C.E., Mable, B., and Bean, C.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine
• Journal Name: Biological Journal of the Linnean Society
• ISSN: 0024-4066
• Published Online: 14 November 2012