TitleA reversal in sensory processing accompanies ongoing ecological divergence and speciation in .
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2021
AuthorsTait C, Kharva H, Schubert M, Kritsch D, Sombke A, Rybak J, Feder JL, Olsson SB
JournalProc Biol Sci
Volume288
Issue1947
Pagination20210192
Date Published2021 Mar 31
ISSN1471-2954
Abstract

Changes in behaviour often drive rapid adaptive evolution and speciation. However, the mechanistic basis for behavioural shifts is largely unknown. The tephritid fruit fly is an example of ecological specialization and speciation in action via a recent host plant shift from hawthorn to apple. These flies primarily use specific odours to locate fruit, and because they mate only on or near host fruit, changes in odour preference for apples versus hawthorns translate directly to prezygotic reproductive isolation, initiating speciation. Using a variety of techniques, we found a reversal between apple and hawthorn flies in the sensory processing of key odours associated with host fruit preference at the first olfactory synapse, linking changes in the antennal lobe of the brain with ongoing ecological divergence. Indeed, changes to specific neural pathways of any sensory modality may be a broad mechanism for changes in animal behaviour, catalysing the genesis of new biodiversity.

DOI10.1098/rspb.2021.0192
Alternate JournalProc Biol Sci
PubMed ID33757346