Dissertation Research: The Genetic Basis of Reproductive Isolation: A Study of the European Mus Hybrid Zone

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0073090Nachman & PayseurThe genetic basis of the formation of new species is a fundamental problem in evolutionary biology. In this study, a European hybrid zone between two closely related species of house mice (Mus domesticus and M. musculus) will be used to locate genomic regions potentially involved in reproductive isolation. Fifteen DNA markers, equally spaced along the X chromosome, will be genotyped in 254 individuals. Patterns of variation at these markers will be used to identify chromosomal regions that cause reproductive isolation. The house mouse system features all the genetic tools of a model organism and provides one of the first opportunities to identify genes that may play a role in speciation using naturally hybridizing populations.This project promises to increase our understanding of the genetics of the speciation process. This goal is important for two reasons. First, speciation is a topic of intense theoretical and empirical interest among biologists. Because the reproductive isolation between natural populations must be genetic for speciation to occur, discovering the number and kind of genes involved is crucial. Second, speciation studies contribute to an understanding of the overall genesis of biodiversity. The genetic details of the speciation process provide information on the characteristics and timing of biological diversification.