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Original Article
Exposure to an environmental estrogen breaks down sexual isolation between native and invasive species
Article first published online: 10 JUL 2012
DOI: 10.1111/j.1752-4571.2012.00283.x
© 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes.
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Additional Information
How to Cite
Ward, J. L. and Blum, M. J. (2012), Exposure to an environmental estrogen breaks down sexual isolation between native and invasive species. Evolutionary Applications, 5: 901–912. doi: 10.1111/j.1752-4571.2012.00283.x
Publication History
- Issue published online: 24 DEC 2012
- Article first published online: 10 JUL 2012
- Manuscript Accepted: 15 MAY 2012
- Manuscript Received: 30 NOV 2011
Keywords:
- bisphenol A;
- hybridization;
- mate choice;
- environmental change;
- fish;
- xenoestrogen;
- communication;
- visual signals
Abstract
Environmental change can increase the likelihood of interspecific hybridization by altering properties of mate recognition and discrimination between sympatric congeners. We examined how exposure to an environmentally widespread endocrine-disrupting chemical (EDC), bisphenol A (BPA), affected visual communication signals and behavioral isolation between an introduced freshwater fish and a native congener (genus: Cyprinella). Exposure to BPA induced changes in the expression of male secondary traits as well as male and female mate choice, leading to an overall reduction in prezygotic isolation between congeners. Changes in female mate discrimination were not tightly linked to changes in male phenotypic traits, suggesting that EDC exposure may alter female choice thresholds independently of the effects of exposure on males. These findings indicate that environmental exposure to EDCs can lead to population declines via the erosion of species boundaries and by promoting the establishment and spread of non-native species via hybridization.