title: Recombination suppressors and the evolution of new species.
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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, University of Leeds, U.K.
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Trickett
authors.forename: R K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Butlin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D007446:Chromosome Inversion; D003198:Computer Simulation; D015321:Gene Rearrangement; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D008957:Models, Genetic; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D012641:Selection, Genetic; D013489:Suppression, Genetic