Data from: Experimental swap of Anopheles gambiae's assortative mating preferences demonstrates key role of X-chromosome divergence island in incipient sympatric speciation.

Aboagye-Antwi, Fred, Alhafez, Nahla, Weedall, Gareth D., Brothwood, Jessica, Kandola, Sharanjit, Paton, Doug, Fofana, Abrahamane, Olohan, Lisa, Pazmiño Betancourth, Mauro, Ekechukwu, Nkiru E., Baeshen, Rowida, Traorè, Sékou F., Diabate, Abdoulaye and Tripet, Frédéric (2016) Data from: Experimental swap of Anopheles gambiae's assortative mating preferences demonstrates key role of X-chromosome divergence island in incipient sympatric speciation. [Data Collection]

External DOI: 10.5061/dryad.1hc35

Description

Although many theoretical models of sympatric speciation propose that genes responsible for assortative mating amongst incipient species should be associated with genomic regions protected from recombination, there are few data to support this theory. The malaria mosquito, Anopheles gambiae, is known for its sympatric cryptic species maintained by pre-mating reproductive isolation and its putative genomic islands of speciation, and is therefore an ideal model system for studying the genomic signature associated with incipient sympatric speciation. Here we selectively introgressed the island of divergence located in the pericentric region of the X chromosome of An. gambiae s.s. into its sister taxon An. coluzzii through 5 generations of backcrossing followed by two generations of crosses within the introgressed strains that resulted in An. coluzzii-like recombinant strains fixed for the M and S marker in the X chromosome island. The mating preference of recombinant strains was then tested by giving virgin recombinant individuals a choice of mates with X-islands matching and non-matching their own island type. We show through genetic analyses of transferred sperm that recombinant females consistently mated with matching island-type males thereby associating assortative mating genes with the X-island of divergence. Furthermore, full-genome sequencing confirmed that protein-coding differences between recombinant strains were limited to the experimentally swapped pericentromeric region. Finally, targeted-genome comparisons showed that a number of these unique differences were conserved in sympatric field populations, thereby revealing candidate speciation genes. The functional demonstration of a close association between speciation genes and the X-island of differentiation lends unprecedented support to island-of-speciation models of sympatric speciation facilitated by pericentric recombination suppression.

Keywords: Dryad,Anopheles coluzzii,recombination suppression,assortative mating,Anopheles gambiae s.s.,islands of speciation,
Divisions: Faculty of Health and Life Sciences
Depositing User: Data Catalogue Admin
Date Deposited: 23 Nov 2022 15:29
Last Modified: 23 Nov 2022 15:29
DOI: 10.5061/dryad.1hc35
Original Record Link: https://datadryad.org/stash/share/TNInhfMMkJi5n631RcnQB0z6GzsffMW7osKWTKi4JPU
URI: https://datacat.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/1897

Available Files

No Files to display

Metadata Export