Extensive transgressive gene expression in testis but not ovary in the homoploid hybrid Italian sparrow

Documenting homoploid hybrid speciation

Homoploid hybrid speciation is challenging to document because hybridization can lead to outcomes other than speciation. Thus, some authors have argued that establishment of homoploid hybrid speciation should include evidence that reproductive barriers isolating the hybrid neo-species from its parental species were derived from hybridization. While this criterion is difficult to satisfy, several recent papers have successfully employed a common pipeline to identify candidate genes underlying such barriers and (in one case) to validate their function. We describe this pipeline, its application to several plant and animal species and what we have learned about homoploid hybrid speciation as a consequence. We argue that - given the ubiquity of admixture and the polygenic basis of reproductive isolation - homoploid hybrid speciation could be much more common and more protracted than suggested by earlier conceptual arguments and theoretical studies.

Transgressive gene expression and expression plasticity under thermal stress in a stable hybrid zone

Interspecific hybridization can lead to myriad outcomes, including transgressive phenotypes in which the hybrids are more fit than either parent species. Such hybrids may display important traits in the context of climate change, able to respond to novel environmental conditions not previously experienced by the parent populations. While this has been evaluated in an agricultural context, the role of transgressive hybrids under changing conditions in the wild remains largely unexplored; this is especially true regarding transgressive gene expression. Using the blue mussel species complex (genus Mytilus) as a model system, we investigated the effects of hybridization on temperature induced gene expression plasticity by comparing expression profiles in parental species and their hybrids following a 2-week thermal challenge. Hybrid expression plasticity was most often like one parent or the other (50%). However, a large fraction of genes (26%) showed transgressive expression plasticity (i.e. the change in gene expression was either greater or lesser than that of both parent species), while only 2% were intermediately plastic in hybrids. Despite their close phylogenetic relationship, there was limited overlap in the differentially expressed genes responding to temperature, indicating interspecific differences in the responses to high temperature in which responses from hybrids are distinct from both parent species. We also identified differentially expressed long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), which we suggest may contribute to species-specific differences in thermal tolerance. Our findings provide important insight into the impact of hybridization on gene expression under warming. We propose transgressive hybrids may play an important role in population persistence under future warming conditions.

Hybridization and gene expression: Beyond differentially expressed genes

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.

Gene regulation and speciation in a migratory divide between songbirds

Behavioral variation abounds in nature. This variation is important for adaptation and speciation, but its molecular basis remains elusive. Here, we use a hybrid zone between two subspecies of songbirds that differ in migration - an ecologically important and taxonomically widespread behavior---to gain insight into this topic. We measure gene expression in five brain regions. Differential expression between migratory states was dominated by circadian genes in all brain regions. The remaining patterns were largely brain-region specific. For example, expression differences between the subspecies that interact with migratory state likely help maintain reproductive isolation in this system and were documented in only three brain regions. Contrary to existing work on regulatory mechanisms underlying species-specific traits, two lines of evidence suggest that trans- (vs. cis) regulatory changes underlie these patterns - no evidence for allele-specific expression in hybrids and minimal associations between genomic differentiation and expression differences. Additional work with hybrids shows expression levels were often distinct (transgressive) from parental forms. Behavioral contrasts and functional enrichment analyses allowed us to connect these patterns to mitonuclear incompatibilities and compensatory responses to stress that could exacerbate selection on hybrids and contribute to speciation.

Comparative transcriptomics and gene expression divergence associated with homoploid hybrid speciation in Argyranthemum

Ecological isolation is increasingly thought to play an important role in speciation, especially for the origin and reproductive isolation of homoploid hybrid species. However, the extent to which divergent and/or transgressive gene expression changes are involved in speciation is not well studied. In this study, we employ comparative transcriptomics to investigate gene expression changes associated with the origin and evolution of two homoploid hybrid plant species, Argyranthemum sundingii and A. lemsii (Asteraceae). As there is no standard methodology for comparative transcriptomics, we examined five different pipelines for data assembly and analysing gene expression across the four species (two hybrid and two parental). We note biases and problems with all pipelines, and the approach used affected the biological interpretation of the data. Using the approach that we found to be optimal, we identify transcripts showing DE between the parental taxa and between the homoploid hybrid species and their parents; in several cases, putative functions of these DE transcripts have a plausible role in ecological adaptation and could be the cause or consequence of ecological speciation. Although independently derived, the homoploid hybrid species have converged on similar expression phenotypes, likely due to adaptation to similar habitats.

Evolutionary and Ecological Processes Underlying Geographic Variation in Innate Bird Songs

AbstractEcological and evolutionary processes underlying spatial variation in signals involved in mate recognition and reproductive isolation are crucial to understanding the causes of population divergence and speciation. Here, to test hypotheses concerning the causes of song divergence, we examine how songs of two sister species of Atlantic Forest suboscine birds with innate songs, the Pyriglena fire-eye antbirds, vary across their ranges. Specifically, we evaluated the influence of isolation by distance and introgressive hybridization, as well as morphological and environmental variation, on geographic variation in male songs. Analyses based on 496 male vocalizations from 63 locations across a 2,200-km latitudinal transect revealed clinal changes in the structure of songs and showed that introgressive hybridization increases both the variability and the homogenization of songs in the contact zone between the two species. We also found that isolation by distance, morphological constraints, the environment, and genetic introgression independently predicted song variation across geographic space. Our study shows the importance of an integrative approach that investigates the roles of distinct ecological and evolutionary processes that influence acoustic signal evolution.