Premium
Male mate choice via cuticular hydrocarbon pheromones drives reproductive isolation between Drosophila species
Author(s) -
Shahandeh Michael P.,
Pischedda Alison,
Turner Thomas L.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
evolution
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.84
H-Index - 199
eISSN - 1558-5646
pISSN - 0014-3820
DOI - 10.1111/evo.13389
Subject(s) - reproductive isolation , biology , courtship , mating , sex pheromone , mate choice , pheromone , genetic algorithm , zoology , gene flow , evolutionary biology , drosophila (subgenus) , ecology , genetics , gene , population , demography , genetic variation , sociology
Mate discrimination is a key mechanism restricting gene flow between species. While studied extensively with respect to female mate choice, mechanisms of male mate choice between species are far less studied. Thus, we have little knowledge of the relative frequency, importance, or overall contribution of male mate discrimination to reproductive isolation. In the present study, we estimated the relative contributions of male and female choice to reproductive isolation between Drosophila simulans and D. sechellia , and show that male mate discrimination accounts for the majority of the current isolation between these species. We further demonstrate that males discriminate based on female cuticular hydrocarbon pheromones, and collect evidence supporting the hypothesis that male mate discrimination may alleviate the costs associated with heterospecific courtship and mating. Our findings highlight the potentially significant contribution of male mate choice to the formation of reproductive isolating barriers, and thus the speciation process.