Abstract
We report the existence of postmating but prezygotic reproductive isolation within flour beetles of the genus Tribolium. Specifically, when a female of either T. castaneum or T. freemani is paired simultaneously with both a conspecific and a heterospecific male, virtually all of the offspring are sired by the conspecific male. In contrast, when a female of either species is paired only with a heterospecific male, she produces near normal numbers of offspring. Mate choice experiments rule out the possibility that premating reproductive isolation accounts for this phenomenon. A number of different mechanisms could explain this phenomenon of postmating but prezygotic reproductive isolation.
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Wade, M., Patterson, H., Chang, N. et al. Postcopulatory, prezygotic isolation in flour beetles. Heredity 72, 163–167 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1038/hdy.1994.23
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/hdy.1994.23
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