Pheromone Gene Diversification and the Evolution of Courtship Glands in Plethodontid Salamanders.

Proteinaceous pheromones that diversify through gene duplication can result in shifts in courtship cocktails that may serve as a mechanism for reproductive isolation. The molecular evolution of pheromones has been extensively studied in salamanders, but how these genes and associated novel courtship glands have codiversified has not been evaluated. In this study we used transcriptional analyses to examine the relationship between pheromone diversification and gland type in three divergent lineages of plethodontid salamanders.