Genetics, Vol. 166, 1303-1311, March 2004, Copyright © 2004

Do Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) for a Courtship Song Difference Between Drosophila simulans and D. sechellia Coincide With Candidate Genes and Intraspecific QTL?

Jennifer M. Gleasona and Michael G. Ritchiea
a School of Biology, University of Saint Andrews, Saint Andrews, Fife KY16 9TH, Scotland

Corresponding author: Jennifer M. Gleason, 1200 Sunnyside Ave., University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045., jgleason{at}ku.edu (E-mail)

Communicating editor: M. A. F. NOOR


*  ABSTRACT
*TOP
*ABSTRACT
*MATERIALS AND METHODS
*RESULTS
*DISCUSSION
*LITERATURE CITED

The genetic architecture of traits influencing sexual isolation can give insight into the evolution of reproductive isolation and hence speciation. Here we report a quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis of the difference in mean interpulse interval (IPI), an important component of the male courtship song, between Drosophila simulans and D. sechellia. Using a backcross analysis, we find six QTL that explain a total of 40.7% of the phenotypic variance. Three candidate genes are located in the intervals bounded by two of the QTL and there are no significant QTL on the X chromosome. The values of mean IPI for hybrid individuals imply the presence of dominant alleles or epistasis. Because unisexual hybrid sterility prevents an F2 analysis, we cannot distinguish dominant from additive genetic effects at the scale of QTL. A comparison with a study of QTL for intraspecific variation in D. melanogaster shows that, for these strains, the QTL we have identified for interspecific variation cannot be those that contribute to intraspecific variation. We find that the QTL have bidirectional effects, which indicates that the genetic architecture is compatible with divergence due to genetic drift, although other possibilities are discussed.


THE divergence of mating behaviors influencing sexual isolation plays a fundamental role in speciation. Understanding the genetic architecture of courtship is therefore essential for studying models of speciation (SHAW and PARSONS 2002 Down). The genetics underlying courtship behavior are poorly understood (RITCHIE and PHILLIPS 1998 Down), yet the evolution of premating isolation may be a primary cause of speciation in many taxa (BUTLIN and RITCHIE 1994 Down; PANHUIS et al. 2001 Down).

The relative importance of different genetic architectures in speciation has been debated but remains unresolved because of a lack of empirical evidence (BARTON and CHARLESWORTH 1984 Down; CARSON and TEMPLETON 1984 Down; BARTON and TURELLI 1989 Down; ORR and COYNE 1992 Down). Two extreme types of genetic architecture have been described. Type I architecture is characterized by many genes of small effect contributing to differences between species (TEMPLETON 1981 Down). In type II architecture, major gene effects underlie relevant traits. Both architectures depend on the magnitude and direction of allelic effects as well as interactions among loci. Both conventional crosses and advances in quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis allow us to address the relative importance of the two types for adaptive traits. Evidence for both type I and type II architectures has been found. For example, major gene effects have been reported for pheromonal communication, sexual isolation, and genitalic morphology differences in Drosophila (COYNE et al. 1994 Down; TRUE et al. 1997 Down; DOI et al. 2001 Down; TAKAHASHI et al. 2001 Down). In contrast, acoustical communication has been suggested to have a polygenic mode of inheritance (RITCHIE and PHILLIPS 1998 Down; SHAW and PARSONS 2002 Down; but see HENRY et al. 2002 Down).

In addition to the number, type, and genomic placement of genes affecting behavioral traits, QTL analysis allows assessment of the potential contribution of candidate genes to the trait. A candidate gene is a gene that is identified through mutational analyses as having an effect on the trait. QTL for quantitative traits, such as Drosophila bristle number, are often concordant with candidate loci (reviewed in MACKAY 1996 Down). However, mutational effects may not reflect the same kind of changes that contribute to important natural variation, although polymorphism at a bristle locus has been shown to affect naturally occurring variation (LAI et al. 1994 Down). In general, mutationally defined candidate genes have been implicated in explaining intraspecific variation, but for increasing phylogenetic distance, the candidate gene approach is less successful (reviewed in HAAG and TRUE 2001 Down).

An additional question that can be addressed through QTL analysis is whether the locations of genes affecting a trait difference between species are the same as those for polymorphisms within a species. If the locations are the same, then the same genetic loci may be responsible for trait variability both within and between species. Alternatively, intraspecific variants may be deleterious mutations that have not yet been removed by natural selection. In that case, intraspecific polymorphisms would not necessarily be responsible for generating interspecific trait differences (NUZHDIN and REIWITCH 2000 Down). In studies to date, QTL have been found that are shared within and between species (NUZHDIN and REIWITCH 2000 Down; KOPP et al. 2003 Down).

Courtship song in Drosophila provides opportunities to study the genetic architecture of species differences, to determine the direction of allelic effects, to examine the possible contribution of candidate genes, and to compare intra- and interspecific genetic architecture. Male Drosophila produce courtship song by wing vibration. Drosophila melanogaster males have two songs: pulse song and hum (or "sine") song. Pulse song consists of a series of low-frequency, short pulses that affect male and female mating behavior. The most important parameter of pulse song for species recognition in the D. melanogaster group is the interpulse interval (IPI), that is, the amount of time between each pulse (EWING and BENNET-CLARK 1968 Down; RITCHIE et al. 1999 Down). Mean IPI is species specific (KAWANISHI and WATANABE 1980 Down) and has been demonstrated to affect female mating propensity in a species-specific manner (VON SCHILCHER 1976B Down, VON SCHILCHER 1976C Down).

In a recent study (GLEASON et al. 2002 Down), we examined the genetic architecture of D. melanogaster mean IPI with QTL mapping using recombinant inbred lines derived from two laboratory strains. Three QTL accounted for 54% of the genetic variation in the trait. One of the QTL was located on the left arm of the second chromosome whereas the other two were on the left arm of the third chromosome. In another QTL study of mean IPI difference between D. pseudoobscura and D. persimilis, three QTL explained 95.8% of the genetic variation (WILLIAMS et al. 2001 Down). All three QTL in this latter case were associated with nonrecombining portions of the X and second chromosomes, so it is possible that many genes contribute to each QTL.

Twelve mutationally defined candidate genes are known to affect courtship song in D. melanogaster. Certain alleles of cacophony (cac), fruitless (fru), paralytic (para), maleless (mle), and slowpoke (slo) affect mean IPI (VON SCHILCHER 1976A Down, VON SCHILCHER 1977 Down; WHEELER et al. 1988 Down; VILLELLA et al. 1997 Down; PEIXOTO and HALL 1998 Down). The period (per) locus affects a species-specific cycle in mean IPI, but not the mean itself (KYRIACOU and HALL 1980 Down), whereas Cysteine string protein (Cys), temperature-induced-paralytic-E (tipE), and slo affect pulse amplitude (PEIXOTO and HALL 1998 Down). Song is completely eliminated with some mutants: doublesex (dsx) alleles eliminate sine song (VILLELLA and HALL 1996 Down), whereas some fru alleles eliminate pulse song (WHEELER et al. 1988 Down; VILLELLA et al. 1997 Down). Intrapulse frequency can be affected by alleles of slo, Cys, and tipE (PEIXOTO and HALL 1998 Down). The shape of intrapulse cycles is affected by alleles of cac, per, slo, Cys, croaker (cro), transformer (tra), and no-on-or-off-transientA (nonA; VON SCHILCHER 1976A Down, VON SCHILCHER 1977 Down; KULKARNI et al. 1988 Down; WHEELER et al. 1988 Down; BERNSTEIN et al. 1992 Down; YOKOKURA et al. 1995 Down; STANEWSKY et al. 1996 Down). Most of these genes were originally isolated because they affect other phenotypes, for example, circadian rhythm (per; KYRIACOU and HALL 1980 Down), sex determination pathways (fru, dsx, tra; KULKARNI et al. 1988 Down; WHEELER et al. 1988 Down; BERNSTEIN et al. 1992 Down; VILLELLA and HALL 1996 Down; VILLELLA et al. 1997 Down), and locomotion (para, slo; PEIXOTO and HALL 1998 Down).

The genes identified through mutational analyses serve as possible candidate genes for QTL studies of natural variation in the same traits. In the D. melanogaster study (GLEASON et al. 2002 Down), only tipE fell within a QTL. This does not necessarily mean that tipE is the gene affecting the trait at this QTL because many genes may underlie each QTL. The absence of candidate genes from most QTL regions does suggest that the candidate gene approach has not been successful in identifying the genes underlying natural variation in courtship song within these strains of D. melanogaster.

In this study, we examine the genetic architecture of the difference in mean IPI between D. simulans and D. sechellia. These closely related species differ significantly in their courtship song and form fertile hybrid females. Thus, through QTL backcross analyses we can assess the genetic architecture of an important behavioral trait in species discrimination (RITCHIE et al. 1999 Down), determine if candidate genes colocalize with QTL for the trait, identify directional effects to infer the possible role of drift vs. selection, and determine whether or not QTL responsible for intraspecific variability and interspecific differences fall in locations similar to those found in the D. melanogaster study.


*  MATERIALS AND METHODS
*TOP
*ABSTRACT
*MATERIALS AND METHODS
*RESULTS
*DISCUSSION
*LITERATURE CITED

Strains and crosses:
One strain each of two species was used in this study. The D. sechellia strain was kindly provided by Jean David. This strain, although probably already inbred, was inbred for a further 18 generations of brother-sister mating to produce the line used in the subsequent crosses. The inbred D. simulans line was kindly provided by Jerry Coyne and had five morphological markers, one per chromosome arm (Table 1). Previous studies had shown that this strain sings with the same mean IPI as wild-type strains (PUGH and RITCHIE 1996 Down).


 
View this table:
In this window
In a new window

 
Table 1. Markers used and their resulting map order

All fly culturing was at 25° and a 12 hr light:12 hr dark cycle using standard techniques. Female D. simulans flies were crossed to male D. sechellia flies and the female progeny were backcrossed to D. simulans males. For each cross, one female was paired with a single male in a vial (95 x 16.5 mm) for 7 days. Multiple crosses were performed to produce 554 males whose songs were subsequently recorded. In total, 58 crosses and 99 backcrosses were used. Using the five morphological markers, we attempted to record songs for all of the 32 backcross phenotypes so that we did not study only the most frequent intraspecific chromosomal combinations.

Courtship song recordings and analysis:
Males were collected on the day of eclosion, genotyped for the five morphological markers, and isolated in another vial (95 x 16.5 mm) until recording. Males were recorded 8–10 days posteclosion using a custom-built "insectavox" microphone (GORCZYCA and HALL 1987 Down) and a Marantz CP430 cassette tape recorder. The male to be recorded, along with a wingless D. simulans or D. sechellia female (the female courted does not influence song parameters, M. G. RITCHIE, unpublished observation), was introduced by aspiration into a mating chamber and recordings were made for ~5 min from the first burst of pulse song. Temperature was recorded as the average of that at the beginning and the end of each recording. Recordings were made between 24.0° and 28.1° with a mean of 26.4°. Song was digitized using a Cambridge Electronic Design 1401 A/D converter (at 2 kHz after bandpass filtering at ~100 Hz–1 kHz). Individual pulses of song were detected using an automatic procedure, with subsequent manual monitoring of data points and song pattern by the experimenter. All analysis used custom-written scripts in the "Spike2" language (Cambridge Electronic Design). Histograms of the IPIs detected in each recording were examined and the mean IPI value of each male entered into the analysis. These procedures have been shown to be accurate for determining mean IPI (RITCHIE and KYRIACOU 1994 Down).

The number of IPIs obtained for each male recorded ranged from 4 to 770. By randomly resampling a selection of songs, we determined that at least 30 IPI values were necessary to accurately estimate mean IPI for an individual. Thus, subsequent analyses were performed only on individuals for which we had at least 30 IPI values. Mean IPI is strongly influenced by temperature (SHOREY 1962 Down). All mean IPI values were corrected to common temperature of 25° using the formula –1.6(25-T) + I, where T is the mean temperature of the recording and I is the mean IPI of the recording. The coefficient of 1.6 was empirically derived from other studies (RITCHIE et al. 1994 Down; RITCHIE and KYRIACOU 1996 Down). After temperature correction, four outliers were removed and the data were log transformed to remove a right skew. Variance components reflect the transformed data (i.e., they have not been back transformed). Both untransformed and backtransformed effects are presented (see below). The final sample size for the quantitative trait was 429 individuals.

Marker scoring:
After recording, males were frozen at –20°. DNA was isolated from frozen individual males (N = 433) using the method of GLOOR and ENGELS 1992 Down. Forty molecular markers were scored for each individual (Table 1). These markers were all PCR amplified and had different-sized fragments for D. sechellia and D. simulans on 2% agarose, 4% Metaphor agarose (Cambrex), or acrylamide gels. Size differences were caused by natural variation in sequence length (indels or microsatellites) or by differences in restriction enzyme sites (Table 1). Hybrids were easily distinguished from homozygotes.

Genetic mapping and QTL analysis:
Together with the morphological markers (see above), 45 markers were scored on 433 individuals. These markers were mapped using MAPMAKER (LANDER et al. 1987 Down). The map obtained was subsequently used in QTL analyses using QTL Cartographer version 1.16c (BASTEN et al. 1997 Down) to map QTL.

Calculation of effects in milliseconds:
Because our data were transformed by natural logs, the resulting effect of each QTL is dimensionless. The effect, as calculated, is the difference between the mean of the logs for the group (MLG) and the mean of the logs for the traits of all backcross individuals (MLT). This difference is equivalent to the log of ratios of the geometric mean for the group (GMG) and the grand geometric mean (GMT), that is, MLG – MLT = log(GMG/GMT). Therefore, if exp(effect) is multiplied by GMG, the result is GMT. Subtracting GMT from GMG yields the effect in milliseconds.


*  RESULTS
*TOP
*ABSTRACT
*MATERIALS AND METHODS
*RESULTS
*DISCUSSION
*LITERATURE CITED

Marker mapping:
The markers were chosen to have an average spacing of ~6 cM on the basis of the D. melanogaster map. The average spacing realized between markers was 19.06 cM, because of segregation distortion and our selection for recombinants. Most markers mapped in the same linear order (Table 1) as in D. melanogaster with the exception of a marker pair on the end of the left arm of each chromosome (sc and Pgd on the X chromosome, ex and nt on the second chromosome, and ve and Cdc37 on the third chromosome). In a companion study of cuticular hydrocarbon QTL in the females derived from these crosses, the map order for the X and third chromosomes is the same as for D. melanogaster, although the order for the second chromosome is reversed as it is here (J. M. GLEASON, J.-M. JALLON, J. ROUAULT and M. G. RITCHIE, unpublished results). The reversals are most likely artifacts of being at the end of chromosomes, and as they are not near QTL, the order does not affect the results. On the right arm of the third chromosome, there is an inversion in D. simulans and D. sechellia relative to D. melanogaster and five markers (Mtn, pros, gl, nos, and e) show this inversion.

The length of the genetic map found in this study is quite long. Studies of backcross hybrids between D. simulans and D. mauritiana have resulted in maps longer than those of the original species (e.g., LIU et al. 1996 Down; TRUE et al. 1997 Down). Our long map length may be derived in part from selection for recombinant individuals and also from epistatic inviability interactions among loci. Genetic incompatibilities leading to inviability have been found in interactions between the X chromosome of D. sechellia and the autosomes of D. simulans (JOLY et al. 1997 Down; our personal observation). In addition, there was a reduction in viability when the third chromosome was recombinant (JOLY et al. 1997 Down). Such interactions will affect observed map lengths in interspecific studies.

Mean IPI:
The strain of D. simulans had a mean IPI of 56.15 ± 1.699 msec and D. sechellia had a value of 67.06 ± 1.789 msec. F1 hybrid males had a mean IPI value of 50.53 ± 1.090 msec. The final data set, of 429 individual, backcrossed males, had a mean IPI value of 50.78 ± 6.331 msec. Evidently, the trait displays dominance for low values of IPI or there are hybrid incompatibility influences on the trait. Using a backcross design, we cannot distinguish dominant from additive genetic effects, but because of the sterility of F1 males, backcross analysis is the only crossing scheme possible with these species.

QTL analysis:
The marker on the fourth chromosome (ey) was not significantly associated with the trait, and results for this chromosome, which comprises only ~1% of the genome, are not shown. Composite interval mapping (CIM) was performed for the rest of the genome. CIM (JANSEN and STAM 1994 Down; ZENG 1994 Down) combines interval mapping (LANDER et al. 1987 Down) with multiple regression. Each interval flanked by adjacent markers is tested for the presence of a QTL affecting the trait while statistically accounting for the effects of additional segregating QTL outside the interval. The significance level of P = 0.05 was calculated from 1000 permutations of the trait data among marker classes (CHURCHILL and DOERGE 1994 Down) and corresponds to a likelihood ratio of 14.029.

Parameters potentially affecting the detection of QTL using CIM include both the number of background markers used and the size of the window around the tested interval, within which linked markers are excluded from multiple regression. We tested a range of window sizes from 2.5 to 20 cM and found that the window size did not influence the results. Forward/backward stepwise regression resulted in seven significant markers (Table 1) that could be used in CIM. Results varied slightly with the addition of markers. Fig 1 depicts the results using a backcross design, the Kosambi map function, seven background markers, and a window size of 5 cM. This analysis provides support for the presence of six QTL that affect mean IPI, four on the right arm of the second chromosome and two on the right arm of the third chromosome. The two peaks farthest right on the second chromosome (QTL 3 and QTL 4, Fig 1) were present in all analyses but were significant only when four or more markers were included in the CIM. QTL 1 and QTL 2 were present in all analyses but were much more significant (likelihood ratio of >50) in analyses using just one or two markers than in analyses with more markers. The third significant marker (Table 1) is located between QTL 3 and QTL 4 and thus has a large effect on the size of these two QTL on the second chromosome.



View larger version (21K):
In this window
In a new window
Download PPT slide
 
Figure 1. Composite interval mapping of the difference in mean IPI between D. simulans and D. sechellia for the three major chromosomes. The positions of the markers are denoted by solid circles along the x-axis. The identity of each marker is given in Table 1. Solid triangles at the top of the graphs indicate the positions of each QTL and are numbered for reference to the text. The significance level at P = 0.05 was determined by 1000 permutations of the data set. The locations of candidate genes are indicated by shaded vertical lines along the x-axis. Abbreviations for candidate genes are given in Table 1.

The two QTL on the third chromosome (QTL 5 and QTL 6) were present in all analyses and the addition of markers increased the likelihood score from ~30, with one marker, to >40, with seven markers. The addition of each marker increased the score. There were no other significant QTL except in the analysis using just one marker. In this case, there were two more QTL, one adjacent to QTL 5 and one adjacent to QTL 6. Because the second significant marker, nanos (Table 1), is positioned between QTL 5 and 6, adding this marker had a large effect on the resolution of QTL 5 and 6. For the X chromosome, the analysis with five markers produced a barely significant QTL at ~0.85 M. Adding in the sixth significant marker, located on the far left of the X chromosome, dropped this QTL below significance. Therefore, by using all of the significant markers in the analysis, we are giving a conservative estimate of the number of QTL.

Twelve song candidate genes have been identified in previous studies. Markers were made for five of these genes and the positions of the others have been inferred by their location relative to the markers used (Table 2). Three candidate genes fall within the QTL of this study: mle, cro, and fru. In a previous QTL study of the mean IPI of D. melanogaster, a different candidate gene, tipE, fell within a QTL (GLEASON et al. 2002 Down). None of the six QTL from this study overlaps with the three QTL of the previous study.


 
View this table:
In this window
In a new window

 
Table 2. Song candidate genes

All the QTL on the second chromosome had a negative additive effect whereas those on the third chromosome had a positive additive effect, with respect to D. simulans (Table 3). In total, the QTL explain 40.66% of the phenotypic variance and range individually from 3.44 to 9.38%. The magnitude of the QTL ranged from 22.1 to 36.8% of the phenotypic difference between the parents. If a threshold of >25% of the phenotypic variance explained is used to designate a major QTL (BRADSHAW et al. 1995 Down, BRADSHAW et al. 1998 Down), then the trait here is not influenced by major QTL.


 
View this table:
In this window
In a new window

 
Table 3. QTL locations and effects


*  DISCUSSION
*TOP
*ABSTRACT
*MATERIALS AND METHODS
*RESULTS
*DISCUSSION
*LITERATURE CITED

QTL studies of interspecific differences in adaptive quantitative traits have found QTL with both large (LAURIE et al. 1997 Down; MACDONALD and GOLDSTEIN 1999 Down) and minor effects (e.g., FISHMAN et al. 2002 Down). Many interspecific trait differences have been shown to be polygenic (e.g., KIM and RIESEBERG 1999 Down; ZENG et al. 2000 Down) and it has been hypothesized that the time since species divergence is positively correlated with the number of QTL found (KIM and RIESEBERG 1999 Down). In the present study, none of the QTL for mean IPI identified has a major effect and the majority of the phenotypic variation is not explained, indicating that the study lacked sufficient resolution to detect additional small-effect QTL that also influence this trait difference. This is in contrast to the study of D. melanogaster in which major QTL were found for the same trait (GLEASON et al. 2002 Down). Overall, the difference in QTL effect between the studies follows the KIM and RIESEBERG 1999 Down hypothesis, because the divergence between species (D. simulans and D. sechellia) is greater than that between D. melanogaster strains. The parental lines for the intraspecific study did not differ significantly for mean IPI, and the QTL reflect transgressive segregation (GLEASON et al. 2002 Down). Differences in the time scales of within vs. between species comparisons will confound conclusions concerning the nature of genotypic differences within species and those contributing to speciation (WU and HOLLOCHER 1998 Down). Our data are compatible with the suggestion that the large-effect QTL of the within-species study reflect recent mutations at deleterious genes that have not yet been fixed, whereas between-species differences arise over a much longer timescale and are therefore more likely to reflect numerous QTL of more minor effect (ORR 1998A Down).

The greater absolute trait values for between-species divergence than for within-species variation could mean that genes of similar absolute effect on the trait would appear as major-effect genes in one study and as minor-effect genes in another. In this study, effects range from 2.41 to 4.02 msec, whereas for the D. melanogaster study (GLEASON et al. 2002 Down) effects ranged from 0.56 to 0.826 msec. The nature of the genes involved is thus not conclusively different within and between species, because our minor-effect genes explain a greater absolute value of the trait than do the major-effect genes found within species.

Our interspecific QTL are different from the intraspecific QTL of D. melanogaster. For D. melanogaster, one QTL was on the left arm of the second chromosome and two were on the left arm of the third chromosome. In the present study, all QTL are on the right arms of the second and third chromosomes (Fig 1, Table 3). Thus, the QTL for intraspecific variation and intraspecific differences for mean IPI are located on different chromosome arms. This result differs from others for morphological traits (NUZHDIN and REIWITCH 2000 Down; KOPP et al. 2003 Down) in which intraspecific and interspecific traits are sometimes affected by overlapping QTL. Because the study of D. melanogaster QTL is only for a single pair of strains, many other QTL might be implicated in other crosses of different populations, but our results do confirm that there are many loci with the potential to influence IPI.

Comparisons of these QTL locations to other quantitative genetics studies of song loci are difficult. PUGH and RITCHIE 1996 Down, in a low-resolution study of the difference in IPI between D. simulans and D. mauritiana, found contributions of all of the chromosome arms. For the D. pseudoobscura and D. persimilis comparison (WILLIAMS et al. 2001 Down), QTL were found in the inverted regions of the X chromosome (equivalent to the D. melanogaster X and 3L; POWELL 1997 Down) and the second chromosome (equivalent to D. melanogaster 3R). There is potential overlap between our QTL 5 and 6 with the D. pseudoobscura and D. persimilis X chromosome QTL; however, lack of common markers between the two studies precludes exact comparisons. In addition, the large bias in interspecies gene flow between these two species in uninverted areas of the genome (MACHADO and HEY 2003 Down) makes the comparison between species groups uninformative. YAMADA et al. 2002 Down found a large effect of the second chromosome on song differences between D. anannassae and D. pallidosa. Although the D. anannassae second chromosome is equivalent to the third chromosome of D. melanogaster (POWELL 1997 Down), the resolution of those loci is not sufficient to determine whether the same genes might be involved in this study.

Three candidate loci for song fall within the interspecific QTL. Two of these candidate genes, mle and fru, have alleles that affect mean IPI in D. melanogaster (VILLELLA et al. 1997 Down; PEIXOTO and HALL 1998 Down). The third gene, croaker, causes polycyclic pulses (YOKOKURA et al. 1995 Down). Presence within a QTL interval does not confirm that the candidate gene is involved in the trait because many genes underlie the QTL regions, but finding that a candidate gene underlies a QTL indicates that these genes are worth examining further for interspecific differentiation. Four of the six QTL detected do not contain candidate genes.

In the study of QTL for D. melanogaster mean IPI (GLEASON et al. 2002 Down), a different candidate gene was implicated; the gene, tipE, influences song amplitude and intrapulse frequency (PEIXOTO and HALL 1998 Down). The other two QTL did not coincide with candidate genes. Thus, at one level, the candidate gene approach has not been successful for identifying genes affecting natural variation in mean IPI within or between species. If candidate genes influence genetic variability in natural populations, we would expect them to be equally likely to contribute to within- and between-species differences, unless variability was transient due to selection, in which case they would be more likely to be detected in interspecific analyses. Other studies have clearly demonstrated that candidate genes can influence natural variation between species (e.g., SUCENA and STERN 2000 Down; HAAG and TRUE 2001 Down), including studies of Drosophila song (KYRIACOU 2002 Down). Interestingly, the nonA gene has been shown to influence interspecific differences in courtship song when introgressed from D. melanogaster to D. virilis (CAMPESAN et al. 2001 Down), but natural variation at this locus within and among D. virilis group species does not correlate with song variation (HUTTENEN et al. 2002 Down). Most mutants at such genes might be rapidly eliminated by strong selection.

The genetic architecture of species differences may give insights into the speciation process. We have found that a type I genetic architecture (many small-effect genes) underlies the mean IPI species difference. Combined with the bidirectional allelic effects, our data are most compatible with a history of gradual divergence without strong selection, possibly by drift (ORR 1998B Down; SHAW and PARSONS 2002 Down). Directional selection might be expected, given that the trait is sexually dimorphic, is under selection from female mating preferences, and contributes to sexual isolation (RITCHIE et al. 1998 Down). However, if preferences were stabilizing or often changed direction (under an unstable Fisherian scenario, for example), drift might still predominate in the long term. In addition, as these species have a long history of allopatry (although D. simulans has recently been introduced to the Seychelles), character displacement is unlikely to have generated consistent directional selection.


*  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

For technical help with scoring markers, we thank Tanya Hamill and Carrie Adamson. Rosemary Bevan assisted with Drosophila culturing and Terry Gleason provided statistical advice. We thank Maria Orive, Anne Danielson-François, Tara Marriage, John Kelly, members of the Kelly Lab, Mohamed Noor, and two anonymous reviewers for comments on the manuscript. This work was supported by a grant (GR3/10786) from the Natural Environment Research Council (UK) to M.G.R.

Manuscript received October 1, 2003; Accepted for publication December 6, 2003.


*  LITERATURE CITED
*TOP
*ABSTRACT
*MATERIALS AND METHODS
*RESULTS
*DISCUSSION
*LITERATURE CITED

BARTON, N. H. and B. CHARLESWORTH, 1984  Genetic revolutions, founder effects and speciation. Annu. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 15:133-164.[CrossRef]

BARTON, N. H. and M. TURELLI, 1989  Evolutionary quantitative genetics: How little do we know? Annu. Rev. Genet. 23:337-370.[Medline]

BASTEN, C. J., B. S. WEIR and Z-B. ZENG, 1997 QTL Cartographer: A Reference Manual and Tutorial for QTL Mapping. Department of Statistics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC.

BERNSTEIN, A. S., E. K. NEUMANN, and J. C. HALL, 1992  Temporal analysis of tone pulses within the courtship songs of two sibling Drosophila species, their interspecific hybrid, and behavioral mutants of D. melanogaster (Diptera: Drosophilidae). J. Insect Behav. 5:15-36.

BRADSHAW, H. D. J., S. M. WILBERT, K. G. OTTO, and D. W. SCHEMSKE, 1995  Genetic mapping of floral traits associated with reproductive isolation in monkeyflowers (Mimulus). Nature 376:762-765.[CrossRef]

BRADSHAW, H. D. J., K. G. OTTO, B. E. FREWEN, J. K. MCKAY, and D. W. SCHEMSKE, 1998  Quantitative trait loci affecting differences in floral morphology between two species of monkeyflower (Mimulus). Genetics 149:367-382.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

BUTLIN, R. K., and M. G. RITCHIE, 1994 Mating behaviour and speciation, pp. 43–79 in Behaviour and Evolution, edited by P. B. J. SLATER and T. R. HALLIDAY. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.

CAMPESAN, S., Y. DUBROVA, J. C. HALL, and C. P. KYRIACOU, 2001  The nonA gene in Drosophila conveys species-specific behavioral characteristics. Genetics 158:1535-1543.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

CARSON, H. L. and A. R. TEMPLETON, 1984  Genetic revolutions in relation to speciation phenomena: the foundings of new populations. Annu. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 15:97-131.[CrossRef]

CHURCHILL, G. A. and R. W. DOERGE, 1994  Empirical threshold values for quantitative trait mapping. Genetics 138:963-971.[Abstract]

COLSON, I. and D. B. GOLDSTEIN, 1999  Evidence for complex mutations at microsatellite loci in Drosophila. Genetics 152:617-627.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

COLSON, I., S. J. MACDONALD, and D. B. GOLDSTEIN, 1999  Microsatellite markers for interspecific mapping of Drosophila simulans and D. sechellia.. Mol. Ecol. 8:1951-1955.[CrossRef][Medline]

COYNE, J. A., A. P. CRITTENDEN, and K. MAH, 1994  Genetics of a pheromonal difference contributing to reproductive isolation in Drosophila.. Science 265:1461-1464.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

DOI, M., M. MATSUDA, M. TOMARU, H. MATSUBAYASHI, and Y. OGUMA, 2001  A locus for female discrimination behavior causing sexual isolation in Drosophila.. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 98:6714-6719.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

EWING, A. W. and H. C. BENNET-CLARK, 1968  The courtship songs of Drosophila.. Behaviour 31:288-301.

FISHMAN, L., A. J. KELLY, and J. H. WILLIS, 2002  Minor quantitative trait loci underlie floral taits associated with mating system divergence in Mimulus.. Evolution 56:2138-2155.[CrossRef][Medline]

GLEASON, J. M., S. V. NUZHDIN, and M. G. RITCHIE, 2002  Quantitative trait loci affecting a courtship signal in Drosophila melanogaster.. Heredity 89:1-6.[CrossRef][Medline]

GLOOR, G. and W. ENGELS, 1992  Single-fly DNA preps for PCR. Dros. Inf. Serv. 71:148-149.

GOLDSTEIN, D. B. and A. G. CLARK, 1995  Microsatellite variation in North American populations of Drosophila melanogaster.. Nucleic Acids Res. 23:3882-3886.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

GORCZYCA, M. and J. C. HALL, 1987  The Insectavox, an integrated device for recording and amplifying courtship songs of Drosophila. Dros. Inf. Serv. 66:157-160.

HAAG, E. S. and J. R. TRUE, 2001  Perspective: From mutants to mechanisms? Assessing the candidate gene paradigm in evolutionary biology. Evolution 55:1077-1084.[CrossRef][Medline]

HENRY, C. S., M. L. M. WELL, and K. E. HOLSINGER, 2002  The inheritance of mating songs in two cryptic, sibling lacewing species (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae: Chrysoperla). Genetica 116:269-289.[CrossRef][Medline]

HUTTENEN, S., C. VIERA, and A. HOIKKALA, 2002  Nucleotide and repeat length variation at the nonA gene of the Drosophila virilis group species and its effects on male courtship song. Genetica 115:159-167.[CrossRef][Medline]

JANSEN, R. C. and P. STAM, 1994  High resolution of quantitative traits into multiple loci via interval mapping. Genetics 136:1447-1455.[Abstract]

JOLY, D., M. C. BAZIN, L.-W. ZENG, and R. S. SINGH, 1997  Genetic basis of sperm and testis length differences and epistatic effect on hybrid inviability and sperm motility between Drosophila simulans and D. sechellia.. Heredity 78:354-362.

KAWANISHI, M. and T. K. WATANABE, 1980  Genetic variations of courtship song of Drosophila melanogaster and D. simulans.. Jpn. J. Genet. 55:235-240.

KIM, S.-C. and L. H. RIESEBERG, 1999  Genetic architecture of species differences in annual sunflowers: implications for adaptive trait introgression. Genetics 153:965-977.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

KOPP, A., R. M. GRAZE, S. XU, S. B. CARROLL, and S. V. NUZHDIN, 2003  Quantitative trait loci responsible for variation in sexually dimorphic traits in Drosophila melanogaster. Genetics 163:771-787.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

KULKARNI, S. J., A. F. STEINLAUF, and J. C. HALL, 1988  The dissonance mutant of courtship song in Drosophila melanogaster: isolation, behavior and cytogenetics. Genetics 118:267-285.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

KYRIACOU, C. P., 2002  Single gene mutations in Drosophila: What can they tell us about the evolution of sexual behaviour? Genetica 116:197-203.[CrossRef][Medline]

KYRIACOU, C. P. and J. C. HALL, 1980  Circadian rhythm mutations in Drosophila melanogaster affect short-term fluctuations in the male's courtship song. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 77:6729-6733.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

LAI, C. G., R. F. LYMAN, A. D. LONG, C. H. LANGLEY, and T. F. C. MACKAY, 1994  Naturally occurring variation in bristle number and DNA polymorphisms at the scabrous locus of Drosophila melanogaster.. Science 266:1697-1702.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

LANDER, E. S., P. GREEN, J. ABRAHAMSON, A. BARLOW, and M. J. DALY et al., 1987  MAPMAKER: an interactive computer package for constructing primary genetic linkage maps of experimental and natural populations. Genomics 1:174-181.[CrossRef][Medline]

LAURIE, C. C., J. R. TRUE, J. J. LIU, and J. M. MERCER, 1997  An introgression analysis of quantitative trait loci that contribute to a morphological difference between Drosophila simulans and D. mauritiana. Genetics 145:339-348.[Abstract]

LIU, J., J. M. MERCER, L. F. STAM, G. C. GIBSON, and G. C. GIBSONZ-B. ZENG ET AL., 1996  Genetic analysis of a morphological shape difference in the male genitalia of Drosophila simulans and D. mauritiana. Genetics 142:1129-1145.[Abstract]

MACDONALD, S. J. and D. B. GOLDSTEIN, 1999  A quantitative genetic analysis of male sexual traits distinguishing the sibling species Drosophila simulans and D. sechellia.. Genetics 153:1683-1699.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

MACHADO, C. A. and J. HEY, 2003  The causes of phylogenetic conflict in a classic Drosophila species group. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B Biol. Sci. 270:1193-1202.[Medline]

MACKAY, T. F. C., 1996  The nature of quantitative genetic variation revisited: lessons from Drosophila bristles. BioEssays 18:113-121.[CrossRef][Medline]

MICHALAKIS, Y. and M. VEUILLE, 1996  Length variation of CAG/CAA trinucleotide repeats in natural populations of Drosophila melanogaster and its relation to the recombination rate. Genetics 143:1713-1725.[Abstract]

NUZHDIN, S. V. and S. G. REIWITCH, 2000  Are the same genes responsible for intra- and interspecific variability for sex comb tooth number in Drosophila?. Heredity 84:87-102.

ORR, H. A., 1998a  The population genetics of adaptation: the distribution of factors fixed during adaptive evolution. Evolution 52:935-949.[CrossRef]

ORR, H. A., 1998b  Testing natural selection vs. genetic drift in phenotypic evolution using quantitative trait locus data. Genetics 149:2099-2104.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

ORR, H. A. and J. A. COYNE, 1992  The genetics of adaptation—a reassesment. Am. Nat. 140:725-742.[CrossRef]

PANHUIS, T. M., R. BUTLIN, M. ZUK, and T. TREGENZA, 2001  Sexual selection and speciation. Trends Ecol. Evol. 16:364-371.[CrossRef][Medline]

PEIXOTO, A. A. and J. C. HALL, 1998  Analysis of temperature-sensitive mutants reveals new genes involved in the courtship song of Drosophila. Genetics 148:827-838.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

POWELL, J. R., 1997 Progress and Prospects in Evolutionary Biology: The Drosophila Model. Oxford University Press, Oxford.

PUGH, A. G. and M. G. RITCHIE, 1996  Polygenic control of a mating signal in Drosophila.. Heredity 77:378-382.

RITCHIE, M. G. and C. P. KYRIACOU, 1994  Reproductive isolation and the period gene of Drosophila.. Mol. Ecol. 3:595-599.[Medline]

RITCHIE, M. G. and C. P. KYRIACOU, 1996  Artificial selection for a courtship signal in Drosophila melanogaster.. Anim. Behav. 52:603-611.[CrossRef]

RITCHIE, M. G., and S. D. F. PHILLIPS, 1998 The genetics of sexual isolation, pp. 291–308 in Endless Forms: Species and Speciation, edited by D. J. HOWARD and S. H. BERLOCHER. Oxford University Press, New York.

RITCHIE, M. G., V. H. YATE, and C. P. KYRIACOU, 1994  Genetic variability of the interpulse interval of courtship song among some European populations of Drosophila melanogaster.. Heredity 72:459-464.

RITCHIE, M. G., R. M. TOWNHILL, and A. HOIKKALA, 1998  Female preference for fly song: playback experiments confirm the targets of sexual selection. Anim. Behav. 56:713-717.[CrossRef][Medline]

RITCHIE, M. G., E. J. HALSEY, and J. M. GLEASON, 1999  Drosophila song as a species-specific mating signal and the behavioural importance of Kyriacou & Hall cycles in D. melanogaster song. Anim. Behav. 58:649-657.[CrossRef][Medline]

SCHUG, M. D., T. F. C. MACKAY, and C. F. AQUADRO, 1997  Low mutation rates of microsatellite loci in Drosophila melanogaster.. Nat. Genet. 15:99-102.[CrossRef][Medline]

SCHUG, M. D., K. A. WETTERSTRAND, M. S. GAUDETTE, R. H. LIM, and C. M. HUTTER et al., 1998  The distribution and frequency of microsatellite loci in Drosophila melanogaster. Mol. Ecol. 7:57-70.[CrossRef][Medline]

SHAW, K. L. and Y. M. PARSONS, 2002  Divergence of mate recognition behavior and its consequences for genetic architectures of speciation. Am. Nat. 159:S61-S75.[CrossRef][Medline]

SHOREY, H. H., 1962  The nature of the sound produced by Drosophila melanogaster during courtship. Science 137:677.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

STANEWSKY, R., T. A. FRY, I. REIM, H. HAUMWEBER, and J. C. HALL, 1996  Bioassaying putative RNA-binding motifs in a protein encoded by a gene that influences courtship and visually mediated behavior in Drosophila: in vitro mutagenesis of nonA.. Genetics 143:259-275.[Abstract]

SUCENA, E. and D. L. STERN, 2000  Divergence of larval morphology between Drosophila sechellia and its sibling species caused by cis-regulatory evolution of ovo/shaven-baby. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 97:4530-4534.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

TAKAHASHI, A., S. TSAUR, J. A. COYNE, and C.-I WU, 2001  The nucleotide changes governing cuticular hydrocarbon variation and their evolution in Drosophila melanogaster.. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 98:3920-3925.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

TEMPLETON, A. R., 1981  Mechanisms of speciation—a population genetic approach. Annu. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 12:23-48.[CrossRef]

TRUE, J. R., J. LIU, L. F. STAM, Z.-B. ZENG, and C. C. LAURIE, 1997  Quantitative genetic analysis of divergence in male secondary sexual traits between Drosophila simulans and Drosophila mauritiana.. Evolution 51:816-832.[CrossRef]

VILLELLA, A. and J. C. HALL, 1996  Courtship anomalies caused by doublesex mutations in Drosophila melanogaster.. Genetics 143:331-344.[Abstract]

VILLELLA, A., D. A. GAILEY, B. BERWALD, S. OHSHIMA, and P. T. BARNES et al., 1997  Extended reproductive roles of the fruitless gene in Drosophila melanogaster revealed by behavioral analysis of new fru mutants. Genetics 147:1107-1130.[Abstract]

VON SCHILCHER, F., 1976a  The behavior of cacophony, a courtship song mutant in Drosophila melanogaster.. Behav. Biol. 17:187-196.[CrossRef][Medline]

VON SCHILCHER, F., 1976b  The function of pulse song and sine song in the courtship of Drosophila melanogaster.. Anim. Behav. 24:622-625.[CrossRef]

VON SCHILCHER, F., 1976c  The role of auditory stimuli in the courtship of Drosophila melanogaster.. Anim. Behav. 24:18-26.[CrossRef]

VON SCHILCHER, F., 1977  A mutation which changes courtship song in Drosophila melanogaster.. Behav. Genet. 7:251-259.[CrossRef][Medline]

WHEELER, C. J., W. L. FIELDS, and J. C. HALL, 1988  Spectral analysis of Drosophila courtship songs: D. melanogaster, D. simulans, and their interspecific hybrid. Behav. Genet. 18:675-703.[CrossRef][Medline]

WILLIAMS, M. A., A. G. BLOUIN, and M. A. F. NOOR, 2001  Courtship songs of Drosophila pseudoobscura and D. persimilis II. Genetics of species differences. Heredity 86:68-77.[CrossRef][Medline]

WU, C.-I, and H. HOLLOCHER, 1998 Subtle is nature: the genetics of species differentiation and speciation, pp. 339–351 in Endless Forms: Species and Speciation, edited by D. J. HOWARD and S. H. BERLOCHER. Oxford University Press, New York.

YAMADA, H., M. MATSUDA, and Y. OGUMA, 2002  Genetics of sexual isolation based on courtship song between two sympatric species: Drosophila ananassae and D. pallidosa. Genetica 116:225-237.[CrossRef][Medline]

YOKOKURA, T., R. UEDA, and D. YAMAMOTO, 1995  Phenotypic and molecular characterization of croaker, a new mating-behavior mutant of Drosophila melanogaster.. Jpn. J. Genet. 70:103-117.[CrossRef][Medline]

ZENG, Z-B., 1994  Precision mapping of quantitative trait loci. Genetics 136:1457-1468.[Abstract]

ZENG, Z-B., J. LIU, L. F. STAM, C.-H. KAO, and J. M. MERCER et al., 2000  Genetic architecture of a morphological shape difference between two Drosophila species. Genetics 154:299-310.[Abstract/Free Full Text]




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
GeneticsHome page
N. H. Martin, A. C. Bouck, and M. L. Arnold
The Genetic Architecture of Reproductive Isolation in Louisiana Irises: Flowering Phenology
Genetics, April 1, 2007; 175(4): 1803 - 1812.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Am. J. PsychiatryHome page
K. S. Kendler and R. J. Greenspan
The Nature of Genetic Influences on Behavior: Lessons From "Simpler" Organisms
Am J Psychiatry, October 1, 2006; 163(10): 1683 - 1694.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
GeneticsHome page
A. J. Moehring, A. Llopart, S. Elwyn, J. A. Coyne, and T. F. C. Mackay
The Genetic Basis of Prezygotic Reproductive Isolation Between Drosophila santomea and D. yakuba Due to Mating Preference
Genetics, May 1, 2006; 173(1): 215 - 223.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USAHome page
A. T. Groot, J. L. Horovitz, J. Hamilton, R. G. Santangelo, C. Schal, and F. Gould
Experimental evidence for interspecific directional selection on moth pheromone communication
PNAS, April 11, 2006; 103(15): 5858 - 5863.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
GeneticsHome page
J. M. Gleason, J.-M. Jallon, J.-D. Rouault, and M. G. Ritchie
Quantitative Trait Loci for Cuticular Hydrocarbons Associated With Sexual Isolation Between Drosophila simulans and D. sechellia
Genetics, December 1, 2005; 171(4): 1789 - 1798.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]




<