美国科罗拉多大学Drew R. Schield团队近期取得重要工作进展，他们研究提出，性选择促进了家燕的生殖隔离。相关研究成果2024年12月13日在线发表于《科学》杂志上。

据介绍，尽管性选择对表型有众所周知的影响，但这一演化过程与生殖隔离、基因组分化和物种形成之间的联系一直难以建立。

研究人员揭示了性选择羽毛特征的遗传基础，以研究它们对家燕繁殖隔离的影响。性特征的遗传结构以两个常染色体和Z染色体上的12个位点为特征。

性特征位点在地理隔离中表现出差异选择的特征，在二次接触中表现出基因流动的障碍。这些基因之间的连锁不平衡是通过杂交区的选择来维持的，这超出了单独混合的预期。

总之，这一研究结果表明，对耦合性特征位点的选择促进了生殖隔离，为性选择在物种形成中的作用提供了关键的经验证据。

附：英文原文

Title: Sexual selection promotes reproductive isolation in barn swallows

Author: Drew R. Schield, Javan K. Carter, Elizabeth S. C. Scordato, Iris I. Levin, Matthew R. Wilkins, Sarah A. Mueller, Zachariah Gompert, Patrik Nosil, Jochen B. W. Wolf, Rebecca J. Safran

Issue&Volume: 2024-12-13

Abstract: Despite the well-known effects of sexual selection on phenotypes, links between this evolutionary process and reproductive isolation, genomic divergence, and speciation have been difficult to establish. We unravel the genetic basis of sexually selected plumage traits to investigate their effects on reproductive isolation in barn swallows. The genetic architecture of sexual traits is characterized by 12 loci on two autosomes and the Z chromosome. Sexual trait loci exhibit signatures of divergent selection in geographic isolation and barriers to gene flow in secondary contact. Linkage disequilibrium between these genes has been maintained by selection in hybrid zones beyond what would be expected under admixture alone. Our findings reveal that selection on coupled sexual trait loci promotes reproductive isolation, providing key empirical evidence for the role of sexual selection in speciation.

DOI: adj8766

Source: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adj8766

来源：科学网  小柯机器人