I asked whether there is female sterility in hybrid offspring of Mus musculus domesticus and M. m. musculus using two wild derived inbred strains representing each subspecies. I evaluated F1 hybrid female fertility by crossing F1 females to a tester male and comparing multiple reproductive parameters between intra-subspecific controls and inter-subspecific hybrids. Hybrid females had smaller litter size, reduced embryo survival, fewer ovulations, and fewer small follicles relative to controls. Significant variation in reproductive parameters was seen among different genotypes. Genes contributing to hybrid female infertility are polymorphic within subspecies. Differences in reproductive phenotypes in F1's of reciprocal crosses suggest that female subfertility may be due to either cyto-nuclear incompatibility or to imprinting. These findings suggest a greater complexity in hybrid sterility than has been previously appreciated and highlight the potential importance of hybrid female sterility in the early stages of speciation.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:arizona.edu/oai:arizona.openrepository.com:10150/202701 |
| Date | January 2011 |
| Creators | Suzuki, Taichi A. |
| Contributors | Nachman, Michael W., Hammer, Michael F., Whiteman, Noah |
| Publisher | The University of Arizona. |
| Source Sets | University of Arizona |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text, Electronic Thesis |
| Rights | Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. |
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