Parasite diversity,patterns of MHC II variation and olfactory based mate choice in diverging three-spined stickleback ecotypes |
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Authors: | Email author" target="_blank">Christophe?EizaguirreEmail author Tobias?L?Lenz Ralf?D?Sommerfeld Chris?Harrod Martin?Kalbe Manfred?Milinski |
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Institution: | (1) Evolutionary Ecology of Marine Fishes, Leibniz Institute for Marine Sciences (IFM-GEOMAR), Duesternbrooker Weg 20, 24105 Kiel, Germany;(2) Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, 24306 Ploen, Germany;(3) School of Biological Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast, BT9 7BL, UK |
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Abstract: | Ecological speciation has been the subject of intense research in evolutionary biology but the genetic basis of the actual
mechanism driving reproductive isolation has rarely been identified. The extreme polymorphism of the major histocompatibility
complex (MHC), probably maintained by parasite-mediated selection, has been proposed as a potential driver of population divergence.
We performed an integrative field and experimental study using three-spined stickleback river and lake ecotypes. We characterized
their parasite load and variation at MHC class II loci. Fish from lakes and rivers harbor contrasting parasite communities
and populations possess different MHC allele pools that could be the result of a combined action of genetic drift and parasite-mediated
selection. We show that individual MHC class II diversity varies among populations and is lower in river ecotypes. Our results
suggest the action of homogenizing selection within habitat type and diverging selection between habitat types. Finally, reproductive
isolation was suggested by experimental evidence: in a flow channel design females preferred assortatively the odor of their
sympatric male. This demonstrates the role of olfactory cues in maintaining reproductive isolation between diverging fish
ecotypes. |
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