It is notable that the occurrence of multiple sex chromosomes differs significantly between major lineages of amniote vertebrates. In this respect, birds are especially conspicuous, as multiple sex chromosomes have not been observed in this lineage so far. On the other hand, in mammals, multiple sex chromosomes have evolved many times independently. We hypothesize that this contrast can be related to the different involvement of sex-specific sex chromosomes in female meiosis subjected to the female meiotic drive under male versus female heterogamety. Essentially, the male-specific Y chromosome is not involved in female meiosis and is therefore sheltered against the effects of the female meiotic drive affecting the X chromosome and autosomes. Conversely, the Z and W sex chromosomes are both present in female meiosis. Nonrandom segregation of these sex chromosomes as a consequence of their rearrangements connected with the emergence of multiple sex chromosomes would result in a biased sex ratio, which should be penalized by selection. Therefore, the emergence of multiple sex chromosomes should be less constrained in the lineages with male rather than female heterogamety. Our broader phylogenetic comparison across amniotes supports this prediction. We suggest that our results are consistent with the widespread occurrence of female meiotic drive in amniotes.

Faculty of Science Department of Ecology Charles University Prague Viničná 7 128 44 Praha 2 Czech Republic

Zobrazit více v PubMed

Chromosome Res. 2010 Nov;18(7):809-20 PubMed

Science. 2005 Jul 22;309(5734):613-7 PubMed

Chromosome Res. 2009;17(1):91-8 PubMed

Curr Opin Genet Dev. 2002 Dec;12(6):650-6 PubMed

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2013 Apr 23;110(17):6931-6 PubMed

Chromosome Res. 2008;16(4):587-93 PubMed

Chromosoma. 2011 Oct;120(5):455-68 PubMed

Heredity (Edinb). 2005 Aug;95(2):118-28 PubMed

Evolution. 2011 Jun;65(6):1808-13 PubMed

Cell. 2006 Mar 10;124(5):901-14 PubMed

Bioinformatics. 2006 Dec 1;22(23):2971-2 PubMed

BMC Genet. 2011 Oct 20;12:90 PubMed

Biol Lett. 2012 Aug 23;8(4):636-8 PubMed

Heredity (Edinb). 2012 Mar;108(3):264-72 PubMed

Biol Lett. 2014 Mar 05;10(3):20131093 PubMed

Genome Res. 2011 Aug;21(8):1306-12 PubMed

Trends Ecol Evol. 2010 May;25(5):283-91 PubMed

Nat Rev Genet. 2013 Feb;14(2):113-24 PubMed

Chromosome Res. 2005;13(6):601-15 PubMed

Genome Res. 2007 Sep;17(9):1254-65 PubMed

Cytogenet Genome Res. 2012;136(4):303-7 PubMed

Sex Dev. 2007;1(6):332-46 PubMed

Environ Biol Fishes. 2012;94(3):549-558 PubMed

Cytogenet Cell Genet. 1979;23(1-2):124-36 PubMed

Mamm Genome. 1997 Jun;8(6):418-22 PubMed

Chromosome Res. 2010 Nov;18(7):787-800 PubMed

J Hered. 2013 Nov-Dec;104(6):798-806 PubMed

Nat Rev Genet. 2007 Dec;8(12):950-62 PubMed

Evolution. 2012 Oct;66(10):3198-208 PubMed

Sex Dev. 2010;4(1-2):88-103 PubMed

Genetics. 2001 Nov;159(3):1179-89 PubMed

Cytogenet Genome Res. 2007;117(1-4):92-102 PubMed

J Hered. 2004 Sep-Oct;95(5):375-81 PubMed

Evolution. 2014 Jul;68(7):2079-85 PubMed

Chromosoma. 2012 Aug;121(4):409-18 PubMed

Cytogenet Genome Res. 2007;117(1-4):64-77 PubMed

Dev Biol. 2011 Jun 1;354(1):1-8 PubMed

Science. 2008 Dec 5;322(5907):1559-62 PubMed

Genetica. 2001;111(1-3):101-10 PubMed

Integr Comp Biol. 2008 Oct;48(4):486-93 PubMed

PLoS One. 2013;8(1):e45519 PubMed

PLoS Biol. 2013;11(8):e1001643 PubMed

Heredity (Edinb). 2010 Sep;105(3):290-8 PubMed

Genome Biol. 2007;8(11):R243 PubMed

Science. 1970 Jun 12;168(3937):1364-6 PubMed

Curr Biol. 2006 Sep 5;16(17):R736-43 PubMed

Sex-biased gene content is associated with sex chromosome turnover in Danaini butterflies

Satellite DNAs and the evolution of the multiple X1X2Y sex chromosomes in the wolf fish Hoplias malabaricus (Teleostei; Characiformes)

Heteromorphic ZZ/ZW sex chromosomes sharing gene content with mammalian XX/XY are conserved in Madagascan chameleons of the genus Furcifer

Fast satellite DNA evolution in Nothobranchius annual killifishes

Expanding the classical paradigm: what we have learnt from vertebrates about sex chromosome evolution

Sex chromosome evolution among amniotes: is the origin of sex chromosomes non-random?

Multiple sex chromosomes in teleost fishes from a cytogenetic perspective: state of the art and future challenges

A brief review of vertebrate sex evolution with a pledge for integrative research: towards 'sexomics'

Cross-Species BAC Mapping Highlights Conservation of Chromosome Synteny across Dragon Lizards (Squamata: Agamidae)

ZZ/ZW Sex Determination with Multiple Neo-Sex Chromosomes is Common in Madagascan Chameleons of the Genus Furcifer (Reptilia: Chamaeleonidae)

Little evidence for switches to environmental sex determination and turnover of sex chromosomes in lacertid lizards

Sex Chromosome Turnover in Moths of the Diverse Superfamily Gelechioidea

Sex Chromosome Evolution and Genomic Divergence in the Fish Hoplias malabaricus (Characiformes, Erythrinidae)

Evolution of Karyotypes in Chameleons

Chromosomal Evolution in Lower Vertebrates: Sex Chromosomes in Neotropical Fishes

Female heterogamety in Madagascar chameleons (Squamata: Chamaeleonidae: Furcifer): differentiation of sex and neo-sex chromosomes

Sex determination in Madagascar geckos of the genus Paroedura (Squamata: Gekkonidae): are differentiated sex chromosomes indeed so evolutionary stable?