Faculty of Biology, Division of Evolutionary Biology, LMU Munich, 82152 Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia.
Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol. 2024 Feb 1;16(2):a041439. doi: 10.1101/cshperspect.a041439.
The significance of prezygotic isolation for speciation has been recognized at least since the Modern Synthesis. However, fundamental questions remain. For example, how are genetic associations between traits that contribute to prezygotic isolation maintained? What is the source of genetic variation underlying the evolution of these traits? And how do prezygotic barriers affect patterns of gene flow? We address these questions by reviewing genetic features shared across plants and animals that influence prezygotic isolation. Emerging technologies increasingly enable the identification and functional characterization of the genes involved, allowing us to test established theoretical expectations. Embedding these genes in their developmental context will allow further predictions about what constrains the evolution of prezygotic isolation. Ongoing improvements in statistical and computational tools will reveal how pre- and postzygotic isolation may differ in how they influence gene flow across the genome. Finally, we highlight opportunities for progress by combining theory with appropriate data.
自从现代综合理论提出以来，人们就已经认识到了合子前隔离对于物种形成的重要性。然而，一些基本问题仍然存在。例如，哪些因素会导致合子前隔离的遗传关联得以维持？这些性状进化的遗传变异来源是什么？合子前障碍又是如何影响基因流动模式的？我们通过回顾影响合子前隔离的植物和动物共有的遗传特征来回答这些问题。新兴技术越来越能够识别和功能表征这些相关基因，使我们能够检验已确立的理论预期。将这些基因嵌入到它们的发育背景中，将能够进一步预测是什么限制了合子前隔离的进化。不断改进的统计和计算工具将揭示合子前和合子后隔离在影响基因组内基因流动方面可能存在的差异。最后，我们通过将理论与适当的数据相结合，强调了取得进展的机会。
