Sex chromosome evolution in treehoppers (Membracidae)

Sexual reproduction is ubiquitous across animals and plants and is one of the primary ways in which biological variation is generated and maintained. In many species, sexual development is triggered by specialized chromosomes called sex chromosomes. Despite the fundamental nature of sex chromosomes for proper sexual development and function, the genetic makeup and identity of sex chromosomes can undergo rapid evolution in some groups of species. Understanding the evolutionary forces that drive such turnover, versus those forces that promote sex chromosome stability, is a major unresolved question in evolutionary genomics with key implications for sexual dimorphism, adaptation, and speciation. We conducted comparative genomic analyses of sex chromosomes in a group of insects in the family Membracidae to investigate the forces driving sex chromosome turnover and genome evolution.