Abstract
Chromosomal rearrangements are often the only apparent difference between closely related species, although it is not clear whether they are a cause or a by-product of speciation. We suggest that changes in the pattern of recombination may provide a link between chromosomal rearrangements and speciation. In models of speciation by sexual selection and by reinforcement, recombination is a major barrier to the formation of new species, primarily because it opposes the establishment of linkage disequilibrium. Here we show that in both the Felsenstein (1981) and Kirkpatrick (1982) models, a recombination suppressor is able to enhance the processes leading to speciation and increase its own frequency in the population.
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Trickett, A., Butlin, R. Recombination suppressors and the evolution of new species. Heredity 73, 339–345 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1038/hdy.1994.180
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/hdy.1994.180
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