No recombination suppression in asexually produced males of Daphnia pulex

Obligate parthenogenesis (OP) is often thought to evolve by disruption of reductional meiosis and suppression of crossover recombination. In the crustacean Daphnia pulex, OP lineages, which have evolved from cyclical parthenogenetic (CP) ancestors, occasionally produce males that are capable of reductional meiosis. Here, by constructing high-density linkage maps, we find that these males show only slightly and nonsignificantly reduced recombination rates compared to CP males and females. Both meiosis disruption and recombination suppression are therefore sex-limited (or partly so), which speaks against the evolution of OP by disruption of a gene that is essential for meiosis or recombination in both sexes. The findings may be explained by female-limited action of genes that suppress recombination, but previously identified candidate genes are known to be expressed in both sexes. Alternatively, and equally consistent with the data, OP might have evolved through a reuse of the parthenogenesis pathways already present in CP and through their extension to all events of oogenesis. The causal mutations for the CP to OP transition may therefore include mutations in genes involved in oogenesis regulation and may not necessarily be restricted to genes of the "meiosis toolkit." More generally, our study emphasizes that there are many ways to achieve asexuality, and elucidating the possible mechanisms is key to ultimately identify the genes and traits involved.

Crossover interference mechanism: New lessons from plants

Plants are the source of our understanding of several fundamental biological principles. It is well known that Gregor Mendel discovered the laws of Genetics in peas and that maize was used for the discovery of transposons by Barbara McClintock. Plant models are still useful for the understanding of general key biological concepts. In this article, we will focus on discussing the recent plant studies that have shed new light on the mysterious mechanisms of meiotic crossover (CO) interference, heterochiasmy, obligatory CO, and CO homeostasis. Obligatory CO is necessary for the equilibrated segregation of homologous chromosomes during meiosis. The tight control of the different male and female CO rates (heterochiasmy) enables both the maximization and minimization of genome shuffling. An integrative model can now predict these observed aspects of CO patterning in plants. The mechanism proposed considers the Synaptonemal Complex as a canalizing structure that allows the diffusion of a class I CO limiting factor linearly on synapsed bivalents. The coarsening of this limiting factor along the SC explains the interfering spacing between COs. The model explains the observed coordinated processes between synapsis, CO interference, CO insurance, and CO homeostasis. It also easily explains heterochiasmy just considering the different male and female SC lengths. This mechanism is expected to be conserved in other species.

High-resolution mapping reveals hotspots and sex-biased recombination in Populus trichocarpa

Fine-scale meiotic recombination is fundamental to the outcome of natural and artificial selection. Here, dense genetic mapping and haplotype reconstruction were used to estimate recombination for a full factorial Populus trichocarpa cross of 7 males and 7 females. Genomes of the resulting 49 full-sib families (N = 829 offspring) were resequenced, and high-fidelity biallelic SNP/INDELs and pedigree information were used to ascertain allelic phase and impute progeny genotypes to recover gametic haplotypes. The 14 parental genetic maps contained 1,820 SNP/INDELs on average that covered 376.7 Mb of physical length across 19 chromosomes. Comparison of parental and progeny haplotypes allowed fine-scale demarcation of cross-over regions, where 38,846 cross-over events in 1,658 gametes were observed. Cross-over events were positively associated with gene density and negatively associated with GC content and long-terminal repeats. One of the most striking findings was higher rates of cross-overs in males in 8 out of 19 chromosomes. Regions with elevated male cross-over rates had lower gene density and GC content than windows showing no sex bias. High-resolution analysis identified 67 candidate cross-over hotspots spread throughout the genome. DNA sequence motifs enriched in these regions showed striking similarity to those of maize, Arabidopsis, and wheat. These findings, and recombination estimates, will be useful for ongoing efforts to accelerate domestication of this and other biomass feedstocks, as well as future studies investigating broader questions related to evolutionary history, perennial development, phenology, wood formation, vegetative propagation, and dioecy that cannot be studied using annual plant model systems.

Recombination landscape dimorphism and sex chromosome evolution in the dioecious plant Rumex hastatulus

There is growing evidence from diverse taxa for sex differences in the genomic landscape of recombination, but the causes and consequences of these differences remain poorly understood. Strong recombination landscape dimorphism between the sexes could have important implications for the dynamics of sex chromosome evolution because low recombination in the heterogametic sex can favour the spread of sexually antagonistic alleles. Here, we present a sex-specific linkage map and revised genome assembly of Rumex hastatulus and provide the first evidence and characterization of sex differences in recombination landscape in a dioecious plant. We present data on significant sex differences in recombination, with regions of very low recombination in males covering over half of the genome. This pattern is evident on both sex chromosomes and autosomes, suggesting that pre-existing differences in recombination may have contributed to sex chromosome formation and divergence. Our analysis of segregation distortion suggests that haploid selection due to pollen competition occurs disproportionately in regions with low male recombination. We hypothesize that sex differences in the recombination landscape have contributed to the formation of a large heteromorphic pair of sex chromosomes in R. hastatulus, but more comparative analyses of recombination will be important to investigate this hypothesis further. This article is part of the theme issue 'Sex determination and sex chromosome evolution in land plants'.

Evolution of the canonical sex chromosomes of the guppy and its relatives

The sex chromosomes of the guppy, Poecilia reticulata, and its close relatives are of particular interest: they are much younger than the highly degenerate sex chromosomes of model systems such as humans and Drosophila melanogaster, and they carry many of the genes responsible for the males' dramatic coloration. Over the last decade, several studies have analyzed these sex chromosomes using a variety of approaches including sequencing genomes and transcriptomes, cytology, and linkage mapping. Conflicting conclusions have emerged, in particular concerning the history of the sex chromosomes and the evolution of suppressed recombination between the X and Y. Here, we address these controversies by reviewing the evidence and reanalyzing data. We find no evidence of a nonrecombining sex-determining region or evolutionary strata in P. reticulata. Furthermore, we find that the data most strongly support the hypothesis that the sex-determining regions of 2 close relatives of the guppy, Poecilia wingei and Micropoecilia picta, evolved independently after their lineages diverged. We identify possible causes of conflicting results in previous studies and suggest best practices going forward.

Sexual dimorphism and the effect of wild introgressions on recombination in cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) breeding germplasm

Recombination has essential functions in meiosis, evolution, and breeding. The frequency and distribution of crossovers dictate the generation of new allele combinations and can vary across species and between sexes. Here, we examine recombination landscapes across the 18 chromosomes of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) with respect to male and female meioses and known introgressions from the wild relative Manihot glaziovii. We used SHAPEIT2 and duoHMM to infer crossovers from genotyping-by-sequencing data and a validated multigenerational pedigree from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture cassava breeding germplasm consisting of 7020 informative meioses. We then constructed new genetic maps and compared them to an existing map previously constructed by the International Cassava Genetic Map Consortium. We observed higher recombination rates in females compared to males, and lower recombination rates in M. glaziovii introgression segments on chromosomes 1 and 4, with suppressed recombination along the entire length of the chromosome in the case of the chromosome 4 introgression. Finally, we discuss hypothesized mechanisms underlying our observations of heterochiasmy and crossover suppression and discuss the broader implications for plant breeding.

Constraint and divergence in the evolution of male and female recombination rates in fishes

Recombination is a fundamental feature of sexual reproduction across eukaryotes, yet recombination rates are highly variable both within and between species. In particular, sex differences in recombination rate between males and females (heterochiasmy) are more often the rule than the exception, but despite the prevalence of heterochiasmy the ultimate causes of global patterns of heterochiasmy remain unclear. Here, we assemble a comprehensive dataset of sex-specific recombination rate estimates for 61 fish species, and combine this with information on sex determination, fertilization mode, and sexual dimorphism to test competing theories for the causes and evolution of heterochiasmy. We find that sex differences in recombination rate are evolutionary labile, with frequent shifts in the direction and magnitude of heterochiasmy. This rapid turnover does not appear to be driven by simple neutral processes and is inconsistent with nonadaptive explanations for heterochiasmy, including biological sex differences in meiosis. Although patterns of heterochiasmy across the phylogeny indicate a potential role for adaptive processes, we are unable to directly link variation in heterochiasmy with proxies for sexual selection or sexual conflict across species, indicating that these effects-if present-are either subtle or complex. Finally, we show evidence for correlated rates of recombination rate evolution between males and females, indicating the potential for genetic constraints and sexual conflict over the recombination landscape.

The Formation of Bivalents and the Control of Plant Meiotic Recombination

During the first meiotic division, the segregation of homologous chromosomes depends on the physical association of the recombined homologous DNA molecules. The physical tension due to the sites of crossing-overs (COs) is essential for the meiotic spindle to segregate the connected homologous chromosomes to the opposite poles of the cell. This equilibrated partition of homologous chromosomes allows the first meiotic reductional division. Thus, the segregation of homologous chromosomes is dependent on their recombination. In this review, we will detail the recent advances in the knowledge of the mechanisms of recombination and bivalent formation in plants. In plants, the absence of meiotic checkpoints allows observation of subsequent meiotic events in absence of meiotic recombination or defective meiotic chromosomal axis formation such as univalent formation instead of bivalents. Recent discoveries, mainly made in Arabidopsis, rice, and maize, have highlighted the link between the machinery of double-strand break (DSB) formation and elements of the chromosomal axis. We will also discuss the implications of what we know about the mechanisms regulating the number and spacing of COs (obligate CO, CO homeostasis, and interference) in model and crop plants.

The synaptonemal complex imposes crossover interference and heterochiasmy in Arabidopsis

Meiotic recombination promotes genetic diversity by shuffling parental chromosomes. As observed by the very first geneticists, crossovers inhibit the formation of another crossover nearby, an elusive phenomenon called crossover interference. Another intriguing observation is heterochiasmy, the marked difference in male and female crossover rates observed in many species. Here, we show that the synaptonemal complex, a structure that zips homologous chromosomes together during meiosis, is essential for crossover interference in Arabidopsis. This suggests that a signal that inhibits crossover formation nearby a first crossover propagates along this specific structure. Furthermore, in the absence of the synaptonemal complex, crossover frequencies become identical in both sexes, suggesting that heterochiasmy is due to variation of crossover interference imposed by the synaptonemal complex.

Meiotic crossovers (COs) have intriguing patterning properties, including CO interference, the tendency of COs to be well-spaced along chromosomes, and heterochiasmy, the marked difference in male and female CO rates. During meiosis, transverse filaments transiently associate the axes of homologous chromosomes, a process called synapsis that is essential for CO formation in many eukaryotes. Here, we describe the spatial organization of the transverse filaments in Arabidopsis (ZYP1) and show it to be evolutionary conserved. We show that in the absence of ZYP1 (zyp1a zyp1b null mutants), chromosomes associate in pairs but do not synapse. Unexpectedly, in absence of ZYP1, CO formation is not prevented but increased. Furthermore, genome-wide analysis of recombination revealed that CO interference is abolished, with the frequent observation of close COs. In addition, heterochiasmy was erased, with identical CO rates in males and females. This shows that the tripartite synaptonemal complex is dispensable for CO formation and has a key role in regulating their number and distribution, imposing CO interference and heterochiasmy.

Sex-specific variation in the genome-wide recombination rate

In most species that reproduce sexually, successful gametogenesis requires recombination during meiosis. The number and placement of crossovers (COs) vary among individuals, with females and males often presenting the most striking contrasts. Despite the recognition that the sexes recombine at different rates (heterochiasmy), existing data fail to answer the question of whether patterns of genetic variation in recombination rate are similar in the two sexes. To fill this gap, we measured the genome-wide recombination rate in both sexes from a panel of wild-derived inbred strains from multiple subspecies of house mice (Mus musculus) and from a few additional species of Mus. To directly compare recombination rates in females and males from the same genetic backgrounds, we applied established methods based on immunolocalization of recombination proteins to inbred strains. Our results reveal discordant patterns of genetic variation in the two sexes. Whereas male genome-wide recombination rates vary substantially among strains, female recombination rates measured in the same strains are more static. The direction of heterochiasmy varies within two subspecies, Mus musculus molossinus and Mus musculus musculus. The direction of sex differences in the length of the synaptonemal complex and CO positions is consistent across strains and does not track sex differences in genome-wide recombination rate. In males, contrasts between strains with high recombination rate and strains with low recombination rate suggest more recombination is associated with stronger CO interference and more double-strand breaks. The sex-specific patterns of genetic variation we report underscore the importance of incorporating sex differences into recombination research.

Heterochiasmy and Sexual Dimorphism: The Case of the Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica, Hirundinidae, Aves)

Heterochiasmy, a sex-based difference in recombination rate, has been detected in many species of animals and plants. Several hypotheses about evolutionary causes of heterochiasmy were proposed. However, there is a shortage of empirical data. In this paper, we compared recombination related traits in females and males of the barn swallow Hirundo rustica (Linnaeus, 1758), the species under strong sexual selection, with those in the pale martin Riparia diluta (Sharpe and Wyatt, 1893), a related and ecologically similar species with the same karyotype (2N = 78), but without obvious sexual dimorphism. Recombination traits were examined in pachytene chromosome spreads prepared from spermatocytes and oocytes. Synaptonemal complexes and mature recombination nodules were visualized with antibodies to SYCP3 and MLH1 proteins, correspondingly. Recombination rate was significantly higher (p = 0.0001) in barn swallow females (55.6 ± 6.3 recombination nodules per autosomal genome), caused by the higher number of nodules at the macrochromosomes, than in males (49.0 ± 4.5). They also showed more even distribution of recombination nodules along the macrochromosomes. At the same time, in the pale martin, sexual differences in recombination rate and distributions were rather small. We speculate that an elevated recombination rate in the female barn swallows might have evolved as a compensatory reaction to runaway sexual selection in males.

Levels of Heterochiasmy During Arabidopsis Development as Reported by Fluorescent Tagged Lines

Crossing over, the exchange of DNA between the chromosomes during meiosis, contributes significantly to genetic variation. The rate of crossovers (CO) varies depending upon the taxon, population, age, external conditions, and also, sometimes, between the sexes, a phenomenon called heterochiasmy. In the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, the male rate of all crossover events (mCO) is typically nearly double the female rate (fCO). A previous, PCR-based genotyping study has reported that the disparity decreases with increasing parental age, because fCO rises while mCO remains stable. We revisited this topic using a fluorescent tagged lines approach to examine how heterochiasmy responded to parental age in eight genomic intervals distributed across the organism’s five chromosomes. We determined recombination frequency for, on average, more than 2000 seeds, for each interval, for each of four age groups, to estimate sex-specific CO rates. mCO did not change with age, as reported previously, but, here, fCO did not rise, and thus the levels of heterochiasmy were unchanged. We can see no methodological reason to doubt that our results reflect the underlying biology of the accessions we studied. The lack of response to age could perhaps be due to previously reported variation in CO rate among accessions of Arabidopsis.

Sex Differences in the Recombination Landscape

Sex differences in overall recombination rates are well known, but little theoretical or empirical attention has been given to how and why sexes differ in their recombination landscapes: the patterns of recombination along chromosomes. In the first scientific review of this phenomenon, we find that recombination is biased toward telomeres in males and more uniformly distributed in females in most vertebrates and many other eukaryotes. Notable exceptions to this pattern exist, however. Fine-scale recombination patterns also frequently differ between males and females. The molecular mechanisms responsible for sex differences remain unclear, but chromatin landscapes play a role. Why these sex differences evolve also is unclear. Hypotheses suggest that they may result from sexually antagonistic selection acting on coding genes and their regulatory elements, meiotic drive in females, selection during the haploid phase of the life cycle, selection against aneuploidy, or mechanistic constraints. No single hypothesis, however, can adequately explain the evolution of sex differences in all cases. Sex-specific recombination landscapes have important consequences for population differentiation and sex chromosome evolution.

Sex Differences in Recombination in Sticklebacks

Recombination often differs markedly between males and females. Here we present the first analysis of sex-specific recombination in Gasterosteus sticklebacks. Using whole-genome sequencing of 15 crosses between G. aculeatus and G. nipponicus, we localized 698 crossovers with a median resolution of 2.3 kb. We also used a bioinformatic approach to infer historical sex-averaged recombination patterns for both species. Recombination is greater in females than males on all chromosomes, and overall map length is 1.64 times longer in females. The locations of crossovers differ strikingly between sexes. Crossovers cluster toward chromosome ends in males, but are distributed more evenly across chromosomes in females. Suppression of recombination near the centromeres in males causes crossovers to cluster at the ends of long arms in acrocentric chromosomes, and greatly reduces crossing over on short arms. The effect of centromeres on recombination is much weaker in females. Genomic differentiation between G. aculeatus and G. nipponicus is strongly correlated with recombination rate, and patterns of differentiation along chromosomes are strongly influenced by male-specific telomere and centromere effects. We found no evidence for fine-scale correlations between recombination and local gene content in either sex. We discuss hypotheses for the origin of sexual dimorphism in recombination and its consequences for sexually antagonistic selection and sex chromosome evolution.

Recombination in the eggs and sperm in a simultaneously hermaphroditic vertebrate

When there is no recombination (achiasmy) in one sex, it is in the heterogametic one. This observation is so consistent that it constitutes one of the few patterns in biology that may be regarded as a 'rule' and Haldane (Haldane 1922 J. Genet. 12, 101-109. (doi:10.1007/BF02983075)) proposed that it might be driven by selection against recombination in the sex chromosomes. Yet differences in recombination rates between the sexes (heterochiasmy) have also been reported in hermaphroditic species that lack sex chromosomes. In plants-the vast majority of which are hermaphroditic-selection at the haploid stage has been proposed to drive heterochiasmy. Yet few data are available for hermaphroditic animals, and barely any for hermaphroditic vertebrates. Here, we leverage reciprocal crosses between two black hamlets (Hypoplectrus nigricans, Serranidae), simultaneously hermaphroditic reef fishes from the wider Caribbean, to generate high-density egg- and sperm-specific linkage maps for each parent. We find globally higher recombination rates in the eggs, with dramatically pronounced heterochiasmy at the chromosome peripheries. We suggest that this pattern may be due to female meiotic drive, and that this process may be an important source of heterochiasmy in animals. We also identify a large non-recombining region that may play a role in speciation and local adaptation in Hypoplectrus.

Sex Chromosome Evolution, Heterochiasmy, and Physiological QTL in the Salmonid Brook Charr Salvelinus fontinalis

Whole-genome duplication (WGD) can have large impacts on genome evolution, and much remains unknown about these impacts. This includes the mechanisms of coping with a duplicated sex determination system and whether this has an impact on increasing the diversity of sex determination mechanisms. Other impacts include sexual conflict, where alleles having different optimums in each sex can result in sequestration of genes into nonrecombining sex chromosomes. Sex chromosome development itself may involve sex-specific recombination rate (i.e., heterochiasmy), which is also poorly understood. The family Salmonidae is a model system for these phenomena, having undergone autotetraploidization and subsequent rediploidization in most of the genome at the base of the lineage. The salmonid master sex determining gene is known, and many species have nonhomologous sex chromosomes, putatively due to transposition of this gene. In this study, we identify the sex chromosome of Brook Charr Salvelinus fontinalis and compare sex chromosome identities across the lineage (eight species and four genera). Although nonhomology is frequent, homologous sex chromosomes and other consistencies are present in distantly related species, indicating probable convergence on specific sex and neo-sex chromosomes. We also characterize strong heterochiasmy with 2.7-fold more crossovers in maternal than paternal haplotypes with paternal crossovers biased to chromosome ends. When considering only rediploidized chromosomes, the overall heterochiasmy trend remains, although with only 1.9-fold more recombination in the female than the male. Y chromosome crossovers are restricted to a single end of the chromosome, and this chromosome contains a large interspecific inversion, although its status between males and females remains unknown. Finally, we identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) for 21 unique growth, reproductive, and stress-related phenotypes to improve knowledge of the genetic architecture of these traits important to aquaculture and evolution.

A High-Density Linkage Map Reveals Sexual Dimorphism in Recombination Landscapes in Red Deer (Cervus elaphus)

High-density linkage maps are an important tool to gain insight into the genetic architecture of traits of evolutionary and economic interest, and provide a resource to characterize variation in recombination landscapes. Here, we used information from the cattle genome and the 50 K Cervine Illumina BeadChip to inform and refine a high-density linkage map in a wild population of red deer (Cervus elaphus). We constructed a predicted linkage map of 38,038 SNPs and a skeleton map of 10,835 SNPs across 34 linkage groups. We identified several chromosomal rearrangements in the deer lineage relative to sheep and cattle, including six chromosome fissions, one fusion, and two large inversions. Otherwise, our findings showed strong concordance with map orders in the cattle genome. The sex-averaged linkage map length was 2739.7 cM and the genome-wide autosomal recombination rate was 1.04 cM/Mb. The female autosomal map length was 1.21 longer than that of males (2767.4 cM vs. 2280.8 cM, respectively). Sex differences in map length were driven by high female recombination rates in peri-centromeric regions, a pattern that is unusual relative to other mammal species. This effect was more pronounced in fission chromosomes that would have had to produce new centromeres. We propose two hypotheses to explain this effect: (1) that this mechanism may have evolved to counteract centromeric drive associated with meiotic asymmetry in oocyte production; and/or (2) that sequence and structural characteristics suppressing recombination in close proximity to the centromere may not have evolved at neo-centromeres. Our study provides insight into how recombination landscapes vary and evolve in mammals, and will provide a valuable resource for studies of evolution, genetic improvement, and population management in red deer and related species.

Comparative High-Density Linkage Mapping Reveals Conserved Genome Structure but Variation in Levels of Heterochiasmy and Location of Recombination Cold Spots in the Common Frog

By combining 7077 SNPs and 61 microsatellites, we present the first linkage map for some of the early diverged lineages of the common frog, Rana temporaria, and the densest linkage map to date for this species. We found high homology with the published linkage maps of the Eastern and Western lineages but with differences in the order of some markers. Homology was also strong with the genome of the Tibetan frog Nanorana parkeri and we found high synteny with the clawed frog Xenopus tropicalis. We confirmed marked heterochiasmy between sexes and detected nonrecombining regions in several groups of the male linkage map. Contrary to the expectations set by the male heterogamety of the common frog, we did not find male heterozygosity excess in the chromosome previously shown to be linked to sex determination. Finally, we found blocks of loci showing strong transmission ratio distortion. These distorted genomic regions might be related to genetic incompatibilities between the parental populations, and are promising candidates for further investigation into the genetic basis of speciation and adaptation in the common frog.

The effect of temperature on the male and female recombination landscape of barley

Barley (Hordeum vulgare) is a crop of global significance. However, a third of the genes of barley are largely inaccessible to conventional breeding programmes as crossovers are localised to the ends of the chromosomes. This work examines whether crossovers can be shifted to more proximal regions simply by elevating growth temperature. We utilised a genome-wide marker set for linkage analysis combined with cytological mapping of crossover events to examine the recombination landscape of plants grown at different temperatures. We found that barley shows heterochiasmy, that is, differences between female and male recombination frequencies. In addition, we found that elevated temperature significantly changes patterns of recombination in male meiosis only, with a repositioning of Class I crossovers determined by cytological mapping of HvMLH3 foci. We show that the length of synaptonemal complexes in male meiocytes increases in response to temperature. The results demonstrate that the distribution of crossover events are malleable and can be shifted to proximal regions by altering the growth temperature. The shift in recombination is the result of altering the distribution of Class I crossovers, but the higher recombination at elevated temperatures is potentially not the result of an increase in Class I events.

High-density linkage maps fail to detect any genetic component to sex determination in a Rana temporaria family

Sex chromosome differentiation in Rana temporaria varies strikingly among populations or families: whereas some males display well-differentiated Y haplotypes at microsatellite markers on linkage group 2 (LG2), others are genetically undistinguishable from females. We analysed with RADseq markers one family from a Swiss lowland population with no differentiated sex chromosomes, and where sibship analyses had failed to detect any association between the phenotypic sex of progeny and parental haplotypes. Offspring were reared in a common tank in outdoor conditions and sexed at the froglet stage. We could map a total of 2177 SNPs (1123 in the mother, 1054 in the father), recovering in both adults 13 linkage groups (= chromosome pairs) that were strongly syntenic to Xenopus tropicalis despite > 200 My divergence. Sexes differed strikingly in the localization of crossovers, which were uniformly distributed in the female but limited to chromosome ends in the male. None of the 2177 markers showed significant association with offspring sex. Considering the very high power of our analysis, we conclude that sex determination was not genetic in this family; which factors determined sex remain to be investigated.

A microsatellite-based linkage map for song sparrows (Melospiza melodia)

Although linkage maps are important tools in evolutionary biology, their availability for wild populations is limited. The population of song sparrows (Melospiza melodia) on Mandarte Island, Canada, is among the more intensively studied wild animal populations. Its long-term pedigree data, together with extensive genetic sampling, have allowed the study of a range of questions in evolutionary biology and ecology. However, the availability of genetic markers has been limited. We here describe 191 new microsatellite loci, including 160 high-quality polymorphic autosomal, 7 Z-linked and 1 W-linked markers. We used these markers to construct a linkage map for song sparrows with a total sex-averaged map length of 1731 cM and covering 35 linkage groups, and hence, these markers cover most of the 38-40 chromosomes. Female and male map lengths did not differ significantly. We then bioinformatically mapped these loci to the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) genome and found that linkage groups were conserved between song sparrows and zebra finches. Compared to the zebra finch, marker order within small linkage groups was well conserved, whereas the larger linkage groups showed some intrachromosomal rearrangements. Finally, we show that as expected, recombination frequency between linked loci explained the majority of variation in gametic phase disequilibrium. Yet, there was substantial overlap in gametic phase disequilibrium between pairs of linked and unlinked loci. Given that the microsatellites described here lie on 35 of the 38-40 chromosomes, these markers will be useful for studies in this species, as well as for comparative genomics studies with other species.

Replicated high-density genetic maps of two great tit populations reveal fine-scale genomic departures from sex-equal recombination rates

Linking variation in quantitative traits to variation in the genome is an important, but challenging task in the study of life-history evolution. Linkage maps provide a valuable tool for the unravelling of such trait-gene associations. Moreover, they give insight into recombination landscapes and between-species karyotype evolution. Here we used genotype data, generated from a 10k single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) chip, of over 2000 individuals to produce high-density linkage maps of the great tit (Parus major), a passerine bird that serves as a model species for ecological and evolutionary questions. We created independent maps from two distinct populations: a captive F2-cross from The Netherlands (NL) and a wild population from the United Kingdom (UK). The two maps contained 6554 SNPs in 32 linkage groups, spanning 2010 cM and 1917 cM for the NL and UK populations, respectively, and were similar in size and marker order. Subtle levels of heterochiasmy within and between chromosomes were remarkably consistent between the populations, suggesting that the local departures from sex-equal recombination rates have evolved. This key and surprising result would have been impossible to detect if only one population was mapped. A comparison with zebra finch Taeniopygia guttata, chicken Gallus gallus and the green anole lizard Anolis carolinensis genomes provided further insight into the evolution of avian karyotypes.

Sex-specific recombination rates and allele frequencies affect the invasion of sexually antagonistic variation on autosomes

The introduction and persistence of novel, sexually antagonistic alleles can depend upon factors that differ between males and females. Understanding the conditions for invasion in a two-locus model can elucidate these processes. For instance, selection can act differently upon the sexes, or sex linkage can facilitate the invasion of genetic variation with opposing fitness effects between the sexes. Two factors that deserve further attention are recombination rates and allele frequencies - both of which can vary substantially between the sexes. We find that sex-specific recombination rates in a two-locus diploid model can affect the invasion outcome of sexually antagonistic alleles and that the sex-averaged recombination rate is not necessarily sufficient to predict invasion. We confirm that the range of permissible recombination rates is smaller in the sex benefitting from invasion and larger in the sex harmed by invasion. However, within the invasion space, male recombination rate can be greater than, equal to or less than female recombination rate in order for a male-benefit, female-detriment allele to invade (and similarly for a female-benefit, male-detriment allele). We further show that a novel, sexually antagonistic allele that is also associated with a lowered recombination rate can invade more easily when present in the double heterozygote genotype. Finally, we find that sexual dimorphism in resident allele frequencies can impact the invasion of new sexually antagonistic alleles at a second locus. Our results suggest that accounting for sex-specific recombination rates and allele frequencies can determine the difference between invasion and non-invasion of novel, sexually antagonistic alleles in a two-locus model.

Within-population polymorphism of sex-determination systems in the common frog (Rana temporaria)

In sharp contrast with birds and mammals, the sex chromosomes of ectothermic vertebrates are often undifferentiated, for reasons that remain debated. A linkage map was recently published for Rana temporaria (Linnaeus, 1758) from Fennoscandia (Eastern European lineage), with a proposed sex-determining role for linkage group 2 (LG2). We analysed linkage patterns in lowland and highland populations from Switzerland (Western European lineage), with special focus on LG2. Sibship analyses showed large differences from the Fennoscandian map in terms of recombination rates and loci order, pointing to large-scale inversions or translocations. All linkage groups displayed extreme heterochiasmy (total map length was 12.2 cM in males, versus 869.8 cM in females). Sex determination was polymorphic within populations: a majority of families (with equal sex ratios) showed a strong correlation between offspring phenotypic sex and LG2 paternal haplotypes, whereas other families (some of which with female-biased sex ratios) did not show any correlation. The factors determining sex in the latter could not be identified. This coexistence of several sex-determination systems should induce frequent recombination of X and Y haplotypes, even in the absence of male recombination. Accordingly, we found no sex differences in allelic frequencies on LG2 markers among wild-caught male and female adults, except in one high-altitude population, where nonrecombinant Y haplotypes suggest sex to be entirely determined by LG2. Multifactorial sex determination certainly contributes to the lack of sex-chromosome differentiation in amphibians.