Sexual selection drives asymmetric introgression in wall lizards.
Author
Summary, in English
Hybridisation is increasingly recognised as an important cause of diversification and adaptation. Here, we show how divergence in male secondary sexual characters between two lineages of the common wall lizard (Podarcis muralis) gives rise to strong asymmetries in male competitive ability and mating success, resulting in asymmetric hybridisation upon secondary contact. Combined with no negative effects of hybridisation on survival or reproductive characters in F1-hybrids, these results suggest that introgression should be asymmetric, resulting in the displacement of sexual characters of the sub-dominant lineage. This prediction was confirmed in two types of secondary contact, across a natural contact zone and in two introduced populations. Our study illustrates how divergence in sexually selected traits via male competition can determine the direction and extent of introgression, contributing to geographic patterns of genetic and phenotypic diversity.
Department/s
Publishing year
2015
Language
English
Pages
1366-1375
Publication/Series
Ecology Letters
Volume
18
Issue
12
Document type
Journal article
Publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
Topic
- Evolutionary Biology
Status
Published
Research group
- Evolutionary Biology
ISBN/ISSN/Other
- ISSN: 1461-023X