Premium
Limited evidence of a genetic basis for sex determination in the common creek chub, Semotilus atromaculatus
Author(s) -
Meuser Amanda V.,
Pyne Cassandre B.,
Mandeville Elizabeth G.
Publication year - 2022
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/jeb.14006
Subject(s) - biology , evolutionary biology , sexual differentiation , reproductive isolation , zoology , genetics , gene , population , demography , sociology
Sexual reproduction is almost universal in vertebrates; therefore, each animal species which uses it must have a mechanism for designating sex as male or female. Fish, especially, have a wide range of sex determining systems. In the present study, we aimed to identify a genetic basis for sex determination in the common creek chub ( Semotilus atromaculatus ) using genotyping‐by‐sequencing data. No sex‐associated markers were found by RADSex or a GWAS using GEMMA; however, Weir and Cockerham locus‐specific F ST analysis and discriminant analysis of principal components revealed genetic differentiation between the sexes at several loci. While no explicit sex determination mechanism has been yet discovered in creek chub, these loci are potential candidates for future studies. Incompatible systems are thought to increase reproductive isolation but interspecific hybridization is common among groups such as cyprinid minnows; thus, studies such as ours can provide insight into hybridization and evolutionary diversification of this clade. We also highlight technical challenges involved in studying sex determination in evolutionary groups with extremely variable mechanisms and without heteromorphic sex chromosomes.