Collaborative Research: Genetic and Divergence Mapping of Barriers to Gene Flow Across a Butterfly Hybrid Zone

了解新物种如何形成(物种形成)的过程是现代生物学的核心。物种通常被认为是在生殖上与其他类似群体隔绝的动物群体。这个合作项目将使用两个燕尾蝴蝶物种Papilio Glaucus和P.candensis，以及这两个物种可以找到杂交后代的离散区域(杂交区)作为研究生殖隔离的遗传基础的模式系统。这两个物种在几个生态上重要的特征上有所不同，这些特征与它们的性染色体有关，但仍有部分能力形成可育的杂交后代。这些特征使得在这些生态差异的背景下研究这些物种之间的生殖隔离的遗传学。这项研究将绘制Papilio X染色体的遗传图谱，并识别与生态重要特征相关的X染色体区域。杂交区的自然选择在多大程度上阻止了与这些特征密切相关的遗传物质的物种间交换将得到测试。凤蝶燕尾是北美一种常见且容易识别的蝴蝶，将成为研究物种形成的公开工具。这项工作将对蝴蝶和蛾类研究人员的遗传资源做出重大贡献。拟议的研究获得的见解将广泛适用于理解各种植物和动物群体的物种形成。此外，还将开发和提供公开可用的软件，以便利其他研究人员研究物种形成。

Understanding the process of how new species form (speciation) is central to modern biology. Species are most commonly identified as groups of animals that are reproductively isolated from other such groups. This collaborative project will use two swallowtail butterfly species, Papilio glaucus and P. canadensis, and a discrete zone where hybrids of these two species can be found (a hybrid zone), as a model system to study the genetic basis of reproductive isolation. These two species differ in several ecologically important traits that are linked to their sex chromosomes, yet are still partly capable of forming fertile hybrids. These features allow study of the genetics of reproductive isolation between these species in the context of these ecological differences. The research will produce a genetic map of the Papilio X-chromosome and will identify regions of the X-chromosome that are linked to ecologically important traits. The degree to which natural selection in the hybrid zone prevents between-species exchanges of genetic material that is closely linked to these traits will be tested.Papilio swallowtails are a common and easily recognizable butterfly in North America, and will serve as a publicly accessible tool for the study of speciation. This work will significantly contribute to genetic resources for butterfly and moth researchers. Insights gained by the proposed research will be broadly applicable to understanding speciation in a wide variety of plant and animal groups. In addition, publicly available software will be developed and made available to facilitate the study of speciation by other researchers.