Comparative analyses of effective population size within and among species: ranid frogs as a case study.

It has recently become practicable to estimate the effective sizes (N(e) ) of multiple populations within species. Such efforts are valuable for estimating N(e) in evolutionary modeling and conservation planning. We used microsatellite loci to estimate N(e) of 90 populations of four ranid frog species (20-26 populations per species, mean n per population = 29).

Cryptic gametic interactions confer both conspecific and heterospecific advantages in the Chrysochus (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) hybrid zone.

Most species pairs are isolated through the collective action of a suite of barriers. Recent work has shown that cryptic barriers such as conspecific sperm precedence can be quite strong, suggesting that they evolve quickly. However, because the strength of multiple barriers has been formally quantified in very few systems, the relative speed with which conspecific sperm precedence evolves remains unclear.

Cytonuclear disequilibrium in chrysochus hybrids is not due to patterns of mate choice.

We investigated patterns of cytonuclear disequilibrium between nuclear allozyme loci and partial mitochondrial COI and COII restriction fragment length polymorphism patterns within a population of hybridizing chrysomelid beetles and assessed to what degree the genotype frequencies of F1 hybrids were consistent with patterns of mate choice or endosymbiont infection. We document that in this population, > or = 50% of the heterospecific pairs at a given time are composed of Chrysochus auratus females and Chrysochus cobaltinus males, suggesting that at least half of the F1 hybrids should possess the C. auratus mitochondrial genotype.

Relative abundance and the species-specific reinforcement of male mating preference in the Chrysochus (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) hybrid zone.

Most studies of reinforcement have focused on the evolution of either female choice or male mating cues, following the long-held view in sexual selection theory that mating mistakes are typically more costly for females than for males. However, factors such as conspecific sperm precedence can buffer females against the cost of mating mistakes, suggesting that in some hybrid zones mating mistakes may be more costly for males than for females. Thus, the historical bias in reinforcement research may underestimate its frequency.

Genetic structure in a montane ranid frog: restricted gene flow and nuclear-mitochondrial discordance.

There is substantial debate over the criteria that should be used to group populations of a species into distinct units for conservation (e.g. evolutionarily significant units, management units, distinct population segments).