HYBRIDIZATION IN WESTERN ATLANTIC STONE CRABS (GENUS MENIPPE): EVOLUTIONARY HISTORY AND ECOLOGICAL CONTEXT INFLUENCE SPECIES INTERACTIONS.

Two distinct taxa of marine crabs (Menippe mercenaria and M. adina, sensu Williams and Felder [1986]) interbreed extensively in two disjunct areas of the coastal southeastern United States. We used variation in coloration and allele frequencies at three diagnostic loci to examine in detail the structure of the two zones of variation. A narrow hybrid zone in northwest Florida is situated at the junction of the present ranges of the two parental forms, in an area of strong ecological change and hydrological convergence. Despite extensive hybridization in this area, there is a significant deficiency of heterozygotes for the Alp-2 locus, nonrandom associations of alleles for two diagnostic loci, and an absence of certain combinations of phenotypes and genotypes. Along the Atlantic coast (east central Florida into South Carolina), a broad zone of increased variability exists within the range of M. mercenaria. Allele frequencies throughout this zone are similar to those of M. mercenaria but reflect apparent introgression from M. adina. In contrast, color patterns are quite variable, but only in the center of this zone. There is little evidence of a heterozygote deficiency, and the preferred habitat of M. mercenaria is not present. The Atlantic zone of variability is apparently expanding, with alleles at enzyme loci introgressing more rapidly than color characteristics. Despite these differences, certain features are common to both zones. These include 1) asymmetry in terms of the direction of introgression, 2) differential introgression of alleles, and 3) an almost complete absence of M. adina phenotypes that carry high proportions of M. mercenaria alleles. Differences between the two zones illustrate the influence that environmental setting, time of contact in relation to time of divergence, and location of the zone relative to the parental species ranges can have on hybridization events. However, observed similarities between the zones suggest that certain patterns of introgression and recombination may be independent of environmental setting. Thus, we suggest that factors inherent to the organism (intrinsic factors) and factors inherent to the environment (extrinsic factors) both act to structure and maintain the two hybrid zones.