Paper: Incipient allochronic speciation by climatic disruption of the reproductive period

Incipient allochronic speciation by climatic disruption of the reproductive
period
Satoshi Yamamoto and Teiji Sota

Department of Zoology, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University
Kitashirakawa-oiwake-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan
Abstract
Disruptive selection of life-cycle timing may cause temporal isolation
directly and, ultimately, allochronic speciation. Despite the fact that
segregation of the reproductive period among related species has been
broadly observed across taxa, it remains controversial whether temporal
isolation can function as the primary process of speciation. In the Japanese
winter geometrid moth Inurois punctigera, allochronic divergence has
resulted from climatic disruption of the reproductive period. In habitats
with severe midwinter, two sympatric groups of moth reproduce
allochronically in early and late winter. These groups are genetically
diverging sister lineages and now co-occur allochronically throughout Japan.
By contrast, in habitats with milder midwinter these lineages form a
continuous adult period and gene flow has been facilitated between the
lineages. These results, together with the fact that there is no difference
in larval host use, indicate that temporal isolation has been the sole
mechanism for allochronic isolation in colder habitats and that allochrony
is not a by-product of other adaptations. Thus, the allochronic divergence
of sympatric I. punctigera populations represents an incipient speciation
process driven by midwinter disruption of the reproductive period.

Source: The Royal Society
http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/early/2009/05/05/rspb.2009.0349.abstract?papetoc

Comment:
Allochronic=different time ie temporally isolated speciation.

Posted by
Robert Karl Stonjek


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