Gen-Expression und postzygotische Isolation bei einem jungen Artenpaar von Coregonen (Coregonus spec.)

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The evolution of barriers to reproduction is a key step in speciation and the generation of biological diversity. Previous work on postzygotic Isolation has shown that pronounced sterility or inviability evolve slowly and occur among taxa that have been separated for long times. This project is designed to analyse the nature of postzygotic Isolation in young species pairs of whitefishes (Coregonus spec.) in order to learn about initial stages of reproductive barriers. Gene expression profiling will be used to screen for traits in which hybrids differ from their parents. Genes that display disproportionate misexpression or in which hybrids strongly diverge from their parents may be involved in postzygotic Isolation. The evolutionary significance of these candidates can be assessed in natural study Systems using population genetic analyses. The statistical approaches will reveal, whether divergence in gene expression is driven by natural selection and whether misexpression of genes contributes to postzygoticIsolation.