A genetic analysis of the contact zone between Atlantic Forest Fire-eyes (Pyriglena, Thamnophilidae) using cline models

• Grant number: 10/05445-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: September 01, 2010
• End date: August 31, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics - Animal Genetics
• Principal Investigator: Cristina Yumi Miyaki
• Grantee: Marcos Maldonado Coelho
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Hybrid zones are defined as the gene flow between populations or species genetically diferentiated. They are considered excellent laboratories to investigate evolutionary processes as they allow, for example, to assess the role of reproductive isolation, selection, dispersal, and the number of genes underlying differentiation. Previous studies have shown that distinct classes of DNA do exhibit diferential introgression patterns. For example, genes linked to the sexual chromosomes can present lower introgression levels than genes located in the autosomes. This pattern can be related to Haldane's rule (HR), which posits that, when hybridization occurs, it is the heterogametic sex that presents lower viability and fertility. In birds, females are the heterogametic sex (ZW), and it is expected that female hybrids present lower viability and fertility than hybrid males (ZZ). In this way, the HR predicts diferential introgression of sex-linked genes and autosomal genes in hybrid zones. Specifically, characteres linked to females such as the mitochondrial DNA are expected to exhibit reduced levels of introgression compared to autosomal genes and to characteres linked to males. The current project has three main goals: (i) to provide a genetic perspective on the contact zone between two fire-eye species from the Atlantic Forest (Pyriglena leucoptera e Pyriglena atra), which hybridize in the central region of the state of Bahia, in coastal Atlantic Forest; (ii) to test whether the tension model or the neutral diffusion model explain the pattern of hybridization; and (iii) to test specific predictions regarding levels of introgression for the different types of genetic markers and plumage characteres. The current analysis is based on three neutral autosomal genes developed from next-generation sequencing, on two Z-linked genes and one mtDNA gene based on primers described in the literature and on the geographical variation of males' plumage. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

MALDONADO-COELHO, MARCOS; MARINI, MIGUEL ANGELO; DO AMARAL, FABIO RAPOSO; RIBON, ROMULO. The invasive species rules: competitive exclusion in forest avian mixed-species flocks in a fragmented landscape. REVISTA BRASILEIRA DE ORNITOLOGIA, v. 25, n. 1, p. 54-59, MAR 2017. (11/50143-7, 13/50297-0, 10/05445-2, 15/18287-0, 11/23155-4)