Speciation in Drosophila: from phenotypes to molecules

Study of the genetics of speciation—and especially of the genetics of intrinsic postzygotic isolation—has enjoyed remarkable progress over the last 2 decades. Indeed progress has been so rapid that one might be tempted to ask if the genetics of postzygotic isolation is now wrapped up. Here we argue that the genetics of speciation is far from complete. In particular, we review 2 topics where recent work has revealed major surprises: 1) the role of meiotic drive in hybrid sterility and 2) the role of gene transposition in speciation. These surprises, and others like them, suggest that evolutionary biologists may understand less about the genetic basis of speciation than seemed likely a few years ago. The 2006 Wilhelmine E. Key Lecturer There has, over the last 20 years, been an explosion of interest and progress in speciation (Coyne and Orr 2004). Perhaps the easiest way of parsing this progress is by the organism studied. One of the more satisfying aspects of the recent work in speciation is that it has not focused on one model system or even one kingdom. Instead, important advances in our understanding have followed from work in plants