Co-Evolution and Local Selection Shape Reproductive Gene Diversity and Divergence

Background

Drosophila melanogaster are common model organisms used to detect selective sweeps. Selective sweeps are when a favorable allele increases rapid across a population leading to a small genetic diversity. Two measures of diversity used in this project were Fst and pi. Fst is the genetic variation between two populations while pi is the genetic variation found within one population. The predicted pattern is high Fst and low pi however, some genes follow an unusual pattern when evaluating two species. For example, sex peptide, a gene found in males that produces post-mating responses, such as decreased metabolism, in females. Sex peptide presents with a high Fst and a high pi value which is abnormal. This unusual pattern suggests strong local selection that is frequency dependent.

Other Resources

Molecular Evolution

Swanson, W. J., & Vacquier, V. D. (2002). The rapid evolution of reproductive proteins. Nature reviews. Genetics, 3(2), 137–144. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrg733 

Population Genetics

Andrew D Kern, Corbin D Jones, David J Begun, Molecular Population Genetics of Male Accessory Gland Proteins in the Drosophila simulans Complex, Genetics, Volume 167, Issue 2, 1 June 2004, Pages 725–735, https://doi.org/10.1534/genetics.103.020883

Patlar, Bahar, et al. “A Predominant Role of Genotypic Variation in Both Expression of Sperm Competition Genes and Paternity Success inDrosophila Melanogaster.” Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences, vol. 290, no. 2007, Sept. 2023, https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2023.1715.

Adaptive Qualities

Dapper, A. L., & Wade, M. J. (2016). The evolution of sperm competition genes: The effect of mating system on levels of genetic variation within and between species. Evolution; international journal of organic evolution, 70(2), 502–511. https://doi.org/10.1111/evo.12848