Linkage Map of Lissotriton Newts Provides Insight into the Genetic Basis of Reproductive Isolation

Linkage maps are widely used to investigate structure, function and evolution of genomes. In speciation research, maps facilitate the study of the genetic architecture of reproductive isolation by allowing identification of genomic regions underlying reduced fitness of hybrids. Here we present a linkage map for European newts of the Lissotriton vulgaris species complex, constructed using two families of F2 L. montandoni x L. vulgaris hybrids. The map consists of 1146 protein coding genes on 12 linkage groups, equal to the haploid chromosome number, with a total length of 1484 cM (1.29 cM/marker). It is notably shorter than two other maps available for salamanders, but the differences in map length are consistent with cytogenetic estimates of the number of chiasmata per chromosomal arm. Thus large salamander genomes do not necessarily, as previously suggested, translate into long linkage maps. Consequently, salamanders are an excellent model to study evolutionary consequences of recombination rate variation in taxa with large genomes and similar number of chromosomes. A complex pattern of transmission ratio distortion (TRD) was detected: TRD occurred mostly in one family, in one breeding season and clustered in two genomic segments. This is consistent with environment-dependent mortality of individuals carrying L. montandoni alleles in these two segments and suggests a role of TRD blocks in reproductive isolation. The reported linkage map will empower studies on the genomic architecture of divergence and interactions between the genomes of hybridizing newts.

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