Synthesis and Scope of the Role of Postmating Prezygotic Isolation in Speciation
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Academic Unit
College of Arts and Sciences
Publication Date
10-2023
Document Type
Article
Abstract
How barriers to gene flow arise and are maintained are key questions in evolutionary biology. Speciation research has mainly focused on barriers that occur either before mating or after zygote formation. In comparison, postmating prezygotic (PMPZ) isolation—a barrier that acts after gamete release but before zygote formation—is less frequently investigated but may hold a unique role in generating biodiversity. Here we discuss the distinctive features of PMPZ isolation, including the primary drivers and molecular mechanisms underpinning PMPZ isolation. We then present the first comprehensive survey of PMPZ isolation research, revealing that it is a widespread form of prezygotic isolation across eukaryotes. The survey also exposes obstacles in studying PMPZ isolation, in part attributable to the challenges involved in directly measuring PMPZ isolation and uncovering its causal mechanisms. Finally, we identify outstanding knowledge gaps and provide recommendations for improving future research on PMPZ isolation. This will allow us to better understand the nature of this often-neglected reproductive barrier and its contribution to speciation.
Publisher
Cold Spring Harbor
Journal Title
Perspectives in Biology
Volume
16
Issue
10
DOI
doi: 10.1101/cshperspect.a041429
Recommended Citation
Garlovsky, Martin D.; Whittington, Emma; Albrecht, Tomas; Areans-Castro, Henry; Castillo, Dean M.; Keais, Graeme L.; Larson, Erica L.; Moyle, Leonie C.; Plakke, Melissa; Reifová, Radka; Snook, Rhonda R.; Ålund, Murielle; and Weber, Alexandra A-T., "Synthesis and Scope of the Role of Postmating Prezygotic Isolation in Speciation" (2023). Faculty Authors and Creators Reception. 186.
https://opus.govst.edu/fac/186