Allochronic differentiation among Daphnia species, hybrids and backcrosses:: the importance of sexual reproduction for population dynamics and genetic architecture

Seasonal dynamics of the abundance, sexual reproduction and genetic architecture in a Daphnia hyalina-galeata hybrid complex were studied in the large and deep Lake Constance. We found evidence for the occurrence of first and second order hybridization. Our study revealed strong differences between the parental species not only regarding their seasonal dynamics, genetic architecture and diversity, but also their sexual reproductive behaviour. The overwintering D. hyalina showed low genetic diversity, no genetic differentiation during the season, and reproduced sexually in autumn, whereas D. galeata reached higher levels of genetic diversity, reproduced sexually in early summer, and exhibited changes in genetic structure during the season, but was only present from spring to autumn. However, in both species sexual reproduction was a rare event, and daphnids, including hybrids, reproduced predominantly asexually. This allows long-term persistence of hybrids as well without continuing hybridization events. Within all variables studied, F1 and F2 hybrids showed an intermediate pattern, whereas proposed backcross hybrids were more similar to their respective parentals. These differences in phenotype as well as significant differences in pairwise F-st values between parentals suggest that gene flow seems to be relatively low in the Lake Constance hybrid system. We found evidence for unidirectional introgression by backcrossing from D. galeata to D. hyalina and found a decrease in at least one of the proposed introgressed alleles in the hyalina-backcross while the season progressed. Our findings suggest allochronic differentiation within this hybrid population and different microevolutionary trajectories of the parental species, which will be discussed in the light of the ongoing reoligotrophication process of Lake Constance.