Reduced introgression of the Y chromosome between subspecies of the European rabbit ( Oryctolagus cuniculus ) in the Iberian Peninsula

Abstract

The role of the Y chromosome in speciation is unclear. Hybrid zones provide natural arenas for studying speciation, as differential introgression of markers may reveal selection acting against incompatibilities. Two subspecies of the European rabbit ( Oryctolagus cuniculus ) form a hybrid zone in the Iberian Peninsula. Previous work on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), Y‐ and X‐linked loci revealed the existence of two divergent lineages in the rabbit genome and that these lineages are largely subspecies‐specific for mtDNA and two X‐linked loci. Here we investigated the geographic distribution of the two Y chromosome lineages by genotyping two diagnostic single nucleotide polymorphisms in a sample of 353 male rabbits representing both subspecies, and found that Y chromosome lineages are also largely subspecies‐specific. We then sequenced three autosomal loci and discovered considerable variation in levels of differentiation at these loci. Finally, we compared estimates of population differentiation between rabbit subspecies at 26 markers and found a surprising bimodal distribution of F ST values. The vast majority of loci showed little or no differentiation between rabbit subspecies while a few loci, including the SRY gene, showed little or no introgression across the hybrid zone. Estimates of population differentiation for the Y chromosome were surprisingly high given that there is male‐biased dispersal in rabbits. Taken together, these data indicate that there is a clear dichotomy in the rabbit genome and that some loci remain highly differentiated despite extensive gene flow following secondary contact.

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