Meeting Abstract

S3.7  Tuesday, Jan. 4  Pairing dynamics and the origin of species PUEBLA, Oscar*; GUICHARD, Frédéric; BERMINGHAM, Eldredge; Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute ; McGill University; Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute oscar.puebla@mail.mcgill.ca

All species are the end-product of speciation, the evolution of reproductive isolation between previously interbreeding populations. In the presence of gene flow between diverging populations (in sympatry or parapatry), the evolution of assortative mating constitutes a key component of this process. One overlooked theoretical situation leading to the evolution of assortative mating in the presence of gene flow is provided by pairing dynamics in a context of mutual mate choice. Here, we use a combination of behavioural observations, individual-based simulations and population genetic analyses to document this scenario in natural populations of coral reef fish in the genus Hypoplectrus (Serranidae), and propose that it may operate in other taxa as well. When mate choice is mutual and the stability of mating pairs confers a reproductive advantage, the evolution of assortative mating in the presence of gene flow is not only possible, but constitutes a quite robust outcome.