Molecular analysis of the hybrid genome of an invasive lineage of Cottus (pisces)

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In the past we have studied the phylogeography of the Mühlkoppe (Cottus gobio) in Europe, a fish that can be considered to reflect a natural population distribution. Molecular analysis allowed us to trace a newly evolving species in the lower Rhine, which differs in morphology and habitat requirements from the species that occurs elsewhere in europe. This new species is currently expanding upstream and comes into contact with the established populations. This provides now the unique opportunity to study natural experiments in speciation at different time horizons. In particular, it will be possible to test differential predictions of allopatric versus sympatric speciation models, as well as the dynamics of newly formed versus long established hybrid zones. We plan to isolate genomic regions and genes that are specifically involved in differential adaptations between the new and the ancestral species. This will be done by two approaches, namely a systematic search for locus- and population-specific selective sweeps, as well as by microarray approach to identify genes with differential expression levels. The molecular studies will be complemented by controlled studies on mate choice between animals from different regions and contact situations. (p)