title: Reproductive isolation related to mimetic divergence in the poison frog Ranitomeya imitator.
abstract: In a mimetic radiation--when a single species evolves to resemble different model species--mimicry can drive within-species morphological diversification, and, potentially, speciation. While mimetic radiations have occurred in a variety of taxa, their role in speciation remains poorly understood. We study the Peruvian poison frog Ranitomeya imitator, a species that has undergone a mimetic radiation into four distinct morphs. Using a combination of colour-pattern analysis, landscape genetics and mate-choice experiments, we show that a mimetic shift in R. imitator is associated with a narrow phenotypic transition zone, neutral genetic divergence and assortative mating, suggesting that divergent selection to resemble different model species has led to a breakdown in gene flow between these two populations. These results extend the effects of mimicry on speciation into a vertebrate system and characterize an early stage of speciation where reproductive isolation between mimetic morphs is incomplete but evident.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina 27858, USA.
authors.forename: Evan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Twomey
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby 2800, Denmark.
authors.forename: Jacob S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Vestergaard
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina 27858, USA.
authors.forename: Kyle
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Summers
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001001:Anura / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D051456:Gene Flow; D005828:Genetics, Population; D008297:Male; D052586:Mating Preference, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats; D010568:Peru; D010858:Pigmentation / Q000235:genetics; D060047:Reproductive Isolation; D014828:Vocalization, Animal