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Temperature stress increases hybrid incompatibilities in the parasitic wasp genus Nasonia
Author(s) -
KOEVOETS T.,
Van De ZANDE L.,
BEUKEBOOM L. W.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
journal of evolutionary biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.289
H-Index - 128
eISSN - 1420-9101
pISSN - 1010-061X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2011.02424.x
Subject(s) - biology , sterility , reproductive isolation , genetics , hybrid , evolutionary biology , gene , epistasis , nasonia vitripennis , allele , population , botany , host (biology) , demography , sociology , parasitoid , pteromalidae
Hybrid incompatibilities, measured as mortality and sterility, are caused by the disruption of gene interactions. They are important post‐zygotic isolation barriers to species hybridization, and much effort is put into the discovery of the genes underlying these incompatibilities. In hybridization studies of the haplodiploid parasitic wasp genus Nasonia, genic incompatibilities have been shown to affect mortality and sterility. The genomic regions associated with mortality have been found to depend on the cytotype of the hybrids and thus suggest cytonuclear incompatibilities. As environmental conditions can affect gene expression and gene interaction, we here investigate the effect of developmental temperature on sterility and mortality in Nasonia hybrids. Results show that extreme temperatures strongly affect both hybrid sterility (mainly spermatogenic failure) and mortality. Molecular mapping revealed that extreme temperatures increase transmission ratio distortion of parental alleles at incompatible loci, and thus, cryptic incompatible loci surface under temperature stress that remain undiscovered under standard temperatures. Our results underline the sensitivity of hybrid incompatibilities to environmental factors and the effects of unstable epistasis.

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