Genome-wide evidence for speciation with gene flow in Heliconius butterflies
University of Cambridge · University College London · +5 more institutions
Abstract
Most speciation events probably occur gradually, without complete and immediate reproductive isolation, but the full extent of gene flow between diverging species has rarely been characterized on a genome-wide scale. Documenting the extent and timing of admixture between diverging species can clarify the role of geographic isolation in speciation. Here we use new methodology to quantify admixture at different stages of divergence in Heliconius butterflies, based on whole-genome sequences of 31 individuals. Comparisons between sympatric and allopatric populations of H. melpomene, H. cydno, and H. timareta revealed a genome-wide trend of increased shared variation in sympatry, indicative of pervasive…
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Authors
10Topics & keywords
- Biology
- Allopatric speciation
- Sympatric speciation
- Heliconius
- Sympatry
- Gene flow
- Evolutionary biology
- Reproductive isolation
- Life in Land