Comparison of whole genome sequences of sibling Acanthaster spp. and evolution of fertilization-related gene

Compared with terrestrial organisms, speciation event seldom occurs in marine environment because there is almost no apparent physical barriers in the sea and mixture of gamete in the water column promote fertilization between sibling organisms and therefore such gene flow prevent speciation. The goal of this study is to compare the gamete recognition genes and population histories of closely related marine invertebrate species that are possibly experinced allopatric speciation.