Premating reproductive barriers between hybridising cricket species differing in their degree of polyandry.

Understanding speciation hinges on understanding how reproductive barriers arise between incompletely isolated populations. Despite their crucial role in speciation, prezygotic barriers are relatively poorly understood and hard to predict. We use two closely related cricket species, Gryllus bimacula...

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Main Authors: Thor Veen, Joseph Faulks, Rolando Rodríguez-Muñoz, Tom Tregenza
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2011-05-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3088677?pdf=render
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author Thor Veen
Joseph Faulks
Rolando Rodríguez-Muñoz
Tom Tregenza
author_facet Thor Veen
Joseph Faulks
Rolando Rodríguez-Muñoz
Tom Tregenza
author_sort Thor Veen
collection DOAJ
description Understanding speciation hinges on understanding how reproductive barriers arise between incompletely isolated populations. Despite their crucial role in speciation, prezygotic barriers are relatively poorly understood and hard to predict. We use two closely related cricket species, Gryllus bimaculatus and G. campestris, to experimentally investigate premating barriers during three sequential mate choice steps. Furthermore, we experimentally show a significant difference in polyandry levels between the two species and subsequently test the hypothesis that females of the more polyandrous species, G. bimaculatus, will be less discriminating against heterospecific males and hence hybridise more readily. During close-range mating behaviour experiments, males showed relatively weak species discrimination but females discriminated very strongly. In line with our predictions, this discrimination is asymmetric, with the more polyandrous G. bimaculatus mating heterospecifically and G. campestris females never mating heterospecifically. Our study shows clear differences in the strength of reproductive isolation during the mate choice process depending on sex and species, which may have important consequences for the evolution of reproductive barriers.
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spelling doaj.art-c1fb640c91ee48b4b29f11d8025de7002022-12-21T17:32:38ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032011-05-0165e1953110.1371/journal.pone.0019531Premating reproductive barriers between hybridising cricket species differing in their degree of polyandry.Thor VeenJoseph FaulksRolando Rodríguez-MuñozTom TregenzaUnderstanding speciation hinges on understanding how reproductive barriers arise between incompletely isolated populations. Despite their crucial role in speciation, prezygotic barriers are relatively poorly understood and hard to predict. We use two closely related cricket species, Gryllus bimaculatus and G. campestris, to experimentally investigate premating barriers during three sequential mate choice steps. Furthermore, we experimentally show a significant difference in polyandry levels between the two species and subsequently test the hypothesis that females of the more polyandrous species, G. bimaculatus, will be less discriminating against heterospecific males and hence hybridise more readily. During close-range mating behaviour experiments, males showed relatively weak species discrimination but females discriminated very strongly. In line with our predictions, this discrimination is asymmetric, with the more polyandrous G. bimaculatus mating heterospecifically and G. campestris females never mating heterospecifically. Our study shows clear differences in the strength of reproductive isolation during the mate choice process depending on sex and species, which may have important consequences for the evolution of reproductive barriers.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3088677?pdf=render
spellingShingle Thor Veen
Joseph Faulks
Rolando Rodríguez-Muñoz
Tom Tregenza
Premating reproductive barriers between hybridising cricket species differing in their degree of polyandry.
PLoS ONE
title Premating reproductive barriers between hybridising cricket species differing in their degree of polyandry.
title_full Premating reproductive barriers between hybridising cricket species differing in their degree of polyandry.
title_fullStr Premating reproductive barriers between hybridising cricket species differing in their degree of polyandry.
title_full_unstemmed Premating reproductive barriers between hybridising cricket species differing in their degree of polyandry.
title_short Premating reproductive barriers between hybridising cricket species differing in their degree of polyandry.
title_sort premating reproductive barriers between hybridising cricket species differing in their degree of polyandry
url http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3088677?pdf=render
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