Developmental effects of visual environment on species-assortative mating preferences in Lake Victoria cichlid fish

Local adaptation can be a potent force in speciation, with environmental heterogeneity leading to niche specialization and population divergence. However, local adaption often requires non-random mating in order to generate reproductive isolation. Population divergence in sensory properties can be particularly consequential in speciation, affecting both ecological adaptation and sexual communication. Pundamilia pundamila and Pundamilia nyererei are two closely related African cichlid species that differ in male coloration, blue vs. red. They co-occur at rocky islands in southern Lake Victoria, but inhabit different depth ranges with different light environments. The species differ in colour vision properties and females exert species-specific preferences for blue vs. red males. Here, we investigated the mechanistic link between colour vision and preference, which could provide a rapid route to reproductive isolation. We tested the behavioural components of this link by experimentally ma...

本地适应（local adaptation）是物种形成的强有力驱动力，环境异质性可推动生态位特化与种群分化。不过，本地适应通常需要借助非随机交配（non-random mating）才能建立生殖隔离（reproductive isolation）。感官性状的种群分化在物种形成过程中尤为关键，可同时影响生态适应与性通讯（sexual communication）。朴丽鱼（Pundamilia pundamila）与尼氏朴丽鱼（Pundamilia nyererei）是两种近缘非洲慈鲷（African cichlid），二者雄鱼体色存在显著差异，分别为蓝色与红色。二者共同栖息于维多利亚湖（Lake Victoria）南部的岩礁岛屿生境，但分别占据不同水深区域，所处光环境亦存在显著差异。这两个物种的色觉性状（colour vision properties）存在差异，且雌性会对蓝色或红色雄鱼表现出物种特异性的择偶偏好。本研究旨在探究色觉与择偶偏好之间的机制性关联，该关联或可成为快速建立生殖隔离的途径。我们通过实验手段对该关联的行为组分进行了检验……