Eco-Geography and Phenology Are the Major Drivers of Reproductive Isolation in the Royal Irises, a Species Complex in the Course of Speciation
The continuous nature of speciation implies that different species are found at different stages of divergence, from no- to complete reproductive isolation. This process and its underlying mechanisms are best viewed in incipient species. Moreover, the species complex can offer unique insight into ho...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2022-11-01
|
| Series: | Plants |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/11/23/3306 |
| _version_ | 1797462320005251072 |
|---|---|
| author | Inna Osmolovsky Mariana Shifrin Inbal Gamliel Jonathan Belmaker Yuval Sapir |
| author_facet | Inna Osmolovsky Mariana Shifrin Inbal Gamliel Jonathan Belmaker Yuval Sapir |
| author_sort | Inna Osmolovsky |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The continuous nature of speciation implies that different species are found at different stages of divergence, from no- to complete reproductive isolation. This process and its underlying mechanisms are best viewed in incipient species. Moreover, the species complex can offer unique insight into how reproductive isolation (RI) has evolved. The royal irises (<i>Iris</i> section <i>Oncocyclus</i>) are a young group of species in the course of speciation, providing an ideal system for speciation study. We quantified pre- and post-zygotic reproductive barriers between the eight Israeli species of this complex and estimated the total RI among them. We tested for both pre-pollination and post-pollination reproductive barriers. Pre-pollination barriers, i.e., eco-geographic divergence and phenological differentiation were the major contributors to RI among the <i>Iris</i> species. On the other hand, post-pollination barriers, namely pollen–stigma interactions, fruit set, and seed viability had negligible contributions to total RI. The strength of RI was not uniform across the species complex, suggesting that species may have diverged at different rates. Overall, this study in a young, recently diverged group of species provides insight into the first steps of speciation, suggesting a crucial role of the pre-zygotic barriers. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T17:34:52Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-750152bac70b4601a92fe98e410abf67 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2223-7747 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T17:34:52Z |
| publishDate | 2022-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Plants |
| spelling | doaj.art-750152bac70b4601a92fe98e410abf672023-11-24T11:55:44ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472022-11-011123330610.3390/plants11233306Eco-Geography and Phenology Are the Major Drivers of Reproductive Isolation in the Royal Irises, a Species Complex in the Course of SpeciationInna Osmolovsky0Mariana Shifrin1Inbal Gamliel2Jonathan Belmaker3Yuval Sapir4The Botanical Garden, School of Plant Science and Food Security, The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, IsraelThe Botanical Garden, School of Plant Science and Food Security, The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, IsraelSchool of Zoology, The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, IsraelSchool of Zoology, The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, IsraelThe Botanical Garden, School of Plant Science and Food Security, The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, IsraelThe continuous nature of speciation implies that different species are found at different stages of divergence, from no- to complete reproductive isolation. This process and its underlying mechanisms are best viewed in incipient species. Moreover, the species complex can offer unique insight into how reproductive isolation (RI) has evolved. The royal irises (<i>Iris</i> section <i>Oncocyclus</i>) are a young group of species in the course of speciation, providing an ideal system for speciation study. We quantified pre- and post-zygotic reproductive barriers between the eight Israeli species of this complex and estimated the total RI among them. We tested for both pre-pollination and post-pollination reproductive barriers. Pre-pollination barriers, i.e., eco-geographic divergence and phenological differentiation were the major contributors to RI among the <i>Iris</i> species. On the other hand, post-pollination barriers, namely pollen–stigma interactions, fruit set, and seed viability had negligible contributions to total RI. The strength of RI was not uniform across the species complex, suggesting that species may have diverged at different rates. Overall, this study in a young, recently diverged group of species provides insight into the first steps of speciation, suggesting a crucial role of the pre-zygotic barriers.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/11/23/3306species complexecological speciationspeciation continuumreproductive isolation |
| spellingShingle | Inna Osmolovsky Mariana Shifrin Inbal Gamliel Jonathan Belmaker Yuval Sapir Eco-Geography and Phenology Are the Major Drivers of Reproductive Isolation in the Royal Irises, a Species Complex in the Course of Speciation Plants species complex ecological speciation speciation continuum reproductive isolation |
| title | Eco-Geography and Phenology Are the Major Drivers of Reproductive Isolation in the Royal Irises, a Species Complex in the Course of Speciation |
| title_full | Eco-Geography and Phenology Are the Major Drivers of Reproductive Isolation in the Royal Irises, a Species Complex in the Course of Speciation |
| title_fullStr | Eco-Geography and Phenology Are the Major Drivers of Reproductive Isolation in the Royal Irises, a Species Complex in the Course of Speciation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Eco-Geography and Phenology Are the Major Drivers of Reproductive Isolation in the Royal Irises, a Species Complex in the Course of Speciation |
| title_short | Eco-Geography and Phenology Are the Major Drivers of Reproductive Isolation in the Royal Irises, a Species Complex in the Course of Speciation |
| title_sort | eco geography and phenology are the major drivers of reproductive isolation in the royal irises a species complex in the course of speciation |
| topic | species complex ecological speciation speciation continuum reproductive isolation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/11/23/3306 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT innaosmolovsky ecogeographyandphenologyarethemajordriversofreproductiveisolationintheroyalirisesaspeciescomplexinthecourseofspeciation AT marianashifrin ecogeographyandphenologyarethemajordriversofreproductiveisolationintheroyalirisesaspeciescomplexinthecourseofspeciation AT inbalgamliel ecogeographyandphenologyarethemajordriversofreproductiveisolationintheroyalirisesaspeciescomplexinthecourseofspeciation AT jonathanbelmaker ecogeographyandphenologyarethemajordriversofreproductiveisolationintheroyalirisesaspeciescomplexinthecourseofspeciation AT yuvalsapir ecogeographyandphenologyarethemajordriversofreproductiveisolationintheroyalirisesaspeciescomplexinthecourseofspeciation |