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Schneemann H, De Sanctis B, Welch JJ. Fisher's Geometric Model as a Tool to Study Speciation. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol 2024; 16:a041442. [PMID: 38253415 PMCID: PMC11216183 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a041442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
Interactions between alleles and across environments play an important role in the fitness of hybrids and are at the heart of the speciation process. Fitness landscapes capture these interactions and can be used to model hybrid fitness, helping us to interpret empirical observations and clarify verbal models. Here, we review recent progress in understanding hybridization outcomes through Fisher's geometric model, an intuitive and analytically tractable fitness landscape that captures many fitness patterns observed across taxa. We use case studies to show how the model parameters can be estimated from different types of data and discuss how these estimates can be used to make inferences about the divergence history and genetic architecture. We also highlight some areas where the model's predictions differ from alternative incompatibility-based models, such as the snowball effect and outlier patterns in genome scans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hilde Schneemann
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EH, United Kingdom
| | - Bianca De Sanctis
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EH, United Kingdom
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, United Kingdom
| | - John J Welch
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EH, United Kingdom
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2
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Hsu SK, Lai WY, Novak J, Lehner F, Jakšić AM, Versace E, Schlötterer C. Reproductive isolation arises during laboratory adaptation to a novel hot environment. Genome Biol 2024; 25:141. [PMID: 38807159 PMCID: PMC11134630 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-024-03285-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/30/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Reproductive isolation can result from adaptive processes (e.g., ecological speciation and mutation-order speciation) or stochastic processes such as "system drift" model. Ecological speciation predicts barriers to gene flow between populations from different environments, but not among replicate populations from the same environment. In contrast, reproductive isolation among populations independently adapted to the same/similar environment can arise from both mutation-order speciation or system drift. RESULTS In experimentally evolved populations adapting to a hot environment for over 100 generations, we find evidence for pre- and postmating reproductive isolation. On one hand, an altered lipid metabolism and cuticular hydrocarbon composition pointed to possible premating barriers between the ancestral and replicate evolved populations. On the other hand, the pronounced gene expression differences in male reproductive genes may underlie the postmating isolation among replicate evolved populations adapting to the same environment with the same standing genetic variation. CONCLUSION Our study confirms that replicated evolution experiments provide valuable insights into the mechanisms of speciation. The rapid emergence of the premating reproductive isolation during temperature adaptation showcases incipient ecological speciation. The potential evidence of postmating reproductive isolation among replicates gave rise to two hypotheses: (1) mutation-order speciation through a common selection on early fecundity leading to an inherent inter-locus sexual conflict; (2) system drift with genetic drift along the neutral ridges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheng-Kai Hsu
- Institut für Populationsgenetik, Vetmeduni Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Vienna Graduate School of Population Genetics, Vetmeduni Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Wei-Yun Lai
- Institut für Populationsgenetik, Vetmeduni Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Vienna Graduate School of Population Genetics, Vetmeduni Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Johannes Novak
- Institute of Animal Nutrition and Functional Plant Compounds, Vetmeduni Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Felix Lehner
- Institut für Populationsgenetik, Vetmeduni Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ana Marija Jakšić
- Institut für Populationsgenetik, Vetmeduni Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Vienna Graduate School of Population Genetics, Vetmeduni Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Present Address: École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Elisabetta Versace
- Department of Biological and Experimental Psychology, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
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Runemark A, Moore EC, Larson EL. Hybridization and gene expression: Beyond differentially expressed genes. Mol Ecol 2024:e17303. [PMID: 38411307 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2023] [Revised: 02/06/2024] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024]
Abstract
Gene expression has a key role in reproductive isolation, and studies of hybrid gene expression have identified mechanisms causing hybrid sterility. Here, we review the evidence for altered gene expression following hybridization and outline the mechanisms shown to contribute to altered gene expression in hybrids. Transgressive gene expression, transcending that of both parental species, is pervasive in early generation sterile hybrids, but also frequently observed in viable, fertile hybrids. We highlight studies showing that hybridization can result in transgressive gene expression, also in established hybrid lineages or species. Such extreme patterns of gene expression in stabilized hybrid taxa suggest that altered hybrid gene expression may result in hybridization-derived evolutionary novelty. We also conclude that while patterns of misexpression in hybrids are well documented, the understanding of the mechanisms causing misexpression is lagging. We argue that jointly assessing differences in cell composition and cell-specific changes in gene expression in hybrids, in addition to assessing changes in chromatin and methylation, will significantly advance our understanding of the basis of altered gene expression. Moreover, uncovering to what extent evolution of gene expression results in altered expression for individual genes, or entire networks of genes, will advance our understanding of how selection moulds gene expression. Finally, we argue that jointly studying the dual roles of altered hybrid gene expression, serving both as a mechanism for reproductive isolation and as a substrate for hybrid ecological adaptation, will lead to significant advances in our understanding of the evolution of gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Runemark
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Emily C Moore
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Denver, Denver, Colorado, USA
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA
| | - Erica L Larson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Denver, Denver, Colorado, USA
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Cutter AD. Speciation and development. Evol Dev 2023; 25:289-327. [PMID: 37545126 DOI: 10.1111/ede.12454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Revised: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023]
Abstract
Understanding general principles about the origin of species remains one of the foundational challenges in evolutionary biology. The genomic divergence between groups of individuals can spawn hybrid inviability and hybrid sterility, which presents a tantalizing developmental problem. Divergent developmental programs may yield either conserved or divergent phenotypes relative to ancestral traits, both of which can be responsible for reproductive isolation during the speciation process. The genetic mechanisms of developmental evolution involve cis- and trans-acting gene regulatory change, protein-protein interactions, genetic network structures, dosage, and epigenetic regulation, all of which also have roots in population genetic and molecular evolutionary processes. Toward the goal of demystifying Darwin's "mystery of mysteries," this review integrates microevolutionary concepts of genetic change with principles of organismal development, establishing explicit links between population genetic process and developmental mechanisms in the production of macroevolutionary pattern. This integration aims to establish a more unified view of speciation that binds process and mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asher D Cutter
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Lollar MJ, Biewer-Heisler TJ, Danen CE, Pool JE. Hybrid breakdown in male reproduction between recently diverged Drosophila melanogaster populations has a complex and variable genetic architecture. Evolution 2023; 77:1550-1563. [PMID: 37071601 PMCID: PMC10309968 DOI: 10.1093/evolut/qpad060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2022] [Revised: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 04/19/2023]
Abstract
Secondary contact between formerly isolated populations may result in hybrid breakdown, in which untested allelic combinations in hybrids are maladaptive and limit genetic exchange. Studying early-stage reproductive isolation may yield key insights into the genetic architectures and evolutionary forces underlying the first steps toward speciation. Here, we leverage the recent worldwide expansion of Drosophila melanogaster to test for hybrid breakdown between populations that diverged within the last 13,000 years. We found clear evidence for hybrid breakdown in male reproduction, but not female reproduction or viability, supporting the prediction that hybrid breakdown affects the heterogametic sex first. The frequency of non-reproducing F2 males varied among different crosses involving the same southern African and European populations, as did the qualitative effect of cross direction, implying a genetically variable basis of hybrid breakdown and a role for uniparentally inherited factors. The levels of breakdown observed in F2 males were not recapitulated in backcrossed individuals, consistent with the existence of incompatibilities with at least three partners. Thus, some of the very first steps toward reproductive isolation could involve incompatibilities with complex and variable genetic architectures. Collectively, our findings emphasize this system's potential for future studies on the genetic and organismal basis of early-stage reproductive isolation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J Lollar
- Laboratory of Genetics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, United States
| | | | - Clarice E Danen
- Laboratory of Genetics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, United States
| | - John E Pool
- Laboratory of Genetics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, United States
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Baier F, Gauye F, Perez-Carrasco R, Payne JL, Schaerli Y. Environment-dependent epistasis increases phenotypic diversity in gene regulatory networks. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadf1773. [PMID: 37224262 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adf1773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2022] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Mutations to gene regulatory networks can be maladaptive or a source of evolutionary novelty. Epistasis confounds our understanding of how mutations affect the expression patterns of gene regulatory networks, a challenge exacerbated by the dependence of epistasis on the environment. We used the toolkit of synthetic biology to systematically assay the effects of pairwise and triplet combinations of mutant genotypes on the expression pattern of a gene regulatory network expressed in Escherichia coli that interprets an inducer gradient across a spatial domain. We uncovered a preponderance of epistasis that can switch in magnitude and sign across the inducer gradient to produce a greater diversity of expression pattern phenotypes than would be possible in the absence of such environment-dependent epistasis. We discuss our findings in the context of the evolution of hybrid incompatibilities and evolutionary novelties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian Baier
- Department of Fundamental Microbiology, University of Lausanne, Biophore Building, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Florence Gauye
- Department of Fundamental Microbiology, University of Lausanne, Biophore Building, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | | | - Joshua L Payne
- Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Yolanda Schaerli
- Department of Fundamental Microbiology, University of Lausanne, Biophore Building, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
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Anderson SAS, López-Fernández H, Weir JT. Ecology and the origin of non-ephemeral species. Am Nat 2022; 201:619-638. [PMID: 37130236 DOI: 10.1086/723763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
AbstractResearch over the past three decades has shown that ecology-based extrinsic reproductive barriers can rapidly arise to generate incipient species-but such barriers can also rapidly dissolve when environments change, resulting in incipient species collapse. Understanding the evolution of unconditional, "intrinsic" reproductive barriers is therefore important for understanding the longer-term buildup of biodiversity. In this article, we consider ecology's role in the evolution of intrinsic reproductive isolation. We suggest that this topic has fallen into a gap between disciplines: while evolutionary ecologists have traditionally focused on the rapid evolution of extrinsic isolation between co-occurring ecotypes, speciation geneticists studying intrinsic isolation in other taxa have devoted little attention to the ecological context in which it evolves. We argue that for evolutionary ecology to close this gap, the field will have to expand its focus beyond rapid adaptation and its traditional model systems. Synthesizing data from several subfields, we present circumstantial evidence for and against different forms of ecological adaptation as promoters of intrinsic isolation and discuss alternative forces that may be significant. We conclude by outlining complementary approaches that can better address the role of ecology in the evolution of nonephemeral reproductive barriers and, by extension, less ephemeral species.
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Schneemann H, Munzur AD, Thompson KA, Welch JJ. The diverse effects of phenotypic dominance on hybrid fitness. Evolution 2022; 76:2846-2863. [PMID: 36221216 PMCID: PMC10092378 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Accepted: 08/14/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
When divergent populations interbreed, their alleles are brought together in hybrids. In the initial F1 cross, most divergent loci are heterozygous. Therefore, F1 fitness can be influenced by dominance effects that could not have been selected to function well together. We present a systematic study of these F1 dominance effects by introducing variable phenotypic dominance into Fisher's geometric model. We show that dominance often reduces hybrid fitness, which can generate optimal outbreeding followed by a steady decline in F1 fitness, as is often observed. We also show that "lucky" beneficial effects sometimes arise by chance, which might be important when hybrids can access novel environments. We then show that dominance can lead to violations of Haldane's Rule (reduced fitness of the heterogametic F1) but strengthens Darwin's Corollary (F1 fitness differences between cross directions). Taken together, results show that the effects of dominance on hybrid fitness can be surprisingly difficult to isolate, because they often resemble the effects of uniparental inheritance or expression. Nevertheless, we identify a pattern of environment-dependent heterosis that only dominance can explain, and for which there is some suggestive evidence. Our results also show how existing data set upper bounds on the size of dominance effects. These bounds could explain why additive models often provide good predictions for later-generation recombinant hybrids, even when dominance qualitatively changes outcomes for the F1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hilde Schneemann
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, UK
| | - Aslı D Munzur
- Department of Zoology & Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Ken A Thompson
- Department of Zoology & Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.,Current address: Department of Biology, Stanford University & Department of Plant Biology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, USA
| | - John J Welch
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, UK
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Xiong T, Mallet J. On the impermanence of species: The collapse of genetic incompatibilities in hybridizing populations. Evolution 2022; 76:2498-2512. [PMID: 36097352 PMCID: PMC9827863 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2022] [Accepted: 07/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Species pairs often become genetically incompatible during divergence, which is an important source of reproductive isolation. An idealized picture is often painted where incompatibility alleles accumulate and fix between diverging species. However, recent studies have shown both that incompatibilities can collapse with ongoing hybridization, and that incompatibility loci can be polymorphic within species. This paper suggests some general rules for the behavior of incompatibilities under hybridization. In particular, we argue that redundancy of genetic pathways can strongly affect the dynamics of intrinsic incompatibilities. Since fitness in genetically redundant systems is unaffected by introducing a few foreign alleles, higher redundancy decreases the stability of incompatibilities during hybridization, but also increases tolerance of incompatibility polymorphism within species. We use simulations and theories to show that this principle leads to two types of collapse: in redundant systems, exemplified by classical Dobzhansky-Muller incompatibilities, collapse is continuous and approaches a quasi-neutral polymorphism between broadly sympatric species, often as a result of isolation-by-distance. In nonredundant systems, exemplified by co-evolution among genetic elements, incompatibilities are often stable, but can collapse abruptly with spatial traveling waves. As both types are common, the proposed principle may be useful in understanding the abundance of genetic incompatibilities in natural populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianzhu Xiong
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary BiologyHarvard UniversityCambridgeMA02138USA
| | - James Mallet
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary BiologyHarvard UniversityCambridgeMA02138USA
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