Sexual selection promotes reproductive isolation in barn swallows
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.
Authors
- Sarah A. Mueller (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6294-0159)
- Patrik Nosil (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8271-9005)
- Zachariah Gompert (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2248-2488)
- Javan K. Carter (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5104-9283)
- Matthew R. Wilkins (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3162-6749)
- Drew R. Schield (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7854-9480)
- Elizabeth S. C. Scordato (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0224-8280)
- Iris I. Levin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8932-5773)
- Jochen B. W. Wolf (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2958-5183)
- Rebecca J. Safran (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4762-2638)
Institutions
- Utah State University (US)
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- École Pratique des Hautes Études (FR)
- Kenyon College (US)
- University of Colorado Boulder (US)
- Université de Montpellier (FR)
- Centre d'Écologie Fonctionnelle et Évolutive (FR)
- Polymath Research (United States) (US)
- Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (FR)
- University of Virginia (US)
- Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (DE)
- California State Polytechnic University (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Science
- Published
- 2024-12-12
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adj8766
- Citations
- 17
- Primary Topic
- Genetic diversity and population structure
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 9.36