The effects of unidirectional incompatibility on cytonuclear disequilibria in a hybrid zone.

Abstract

Unidirectional incompatibility selection is examined as an alternate mechanism of natural selection to cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) for generating cytonuclear disequilibria. Differences in the dynamics and equilibrium behavior of cytonuclear disequilibria between these two cytonuclear selection models may allow for statistical tests of CMS vs. unidirectional incompatibility between mating cytotypes. Unlike CMS without migration, unidirectional incompatibility causes the cytoplasmic allele frequency to change over time rather than remain constant, and the nuclear allele frequencies hitchhike on the cytoplasmic frequencies. The decay of disequilibria is also distinctive in the absence of migration. Furthermore, in comparing both models with migration it is seen that the opportunity for internal equilibrium can be two or three times higher in a unidirectional incompatibility vs. CMS model. An example is presented that shows how unidirectional incompatibility can be statistically eliminated as a possible mechanism of cytonuclear selection.