Prof. Dr. Ingo Schlupp ( University of Oklahoma, USA) will give a lecture entitled “Instant speciation in a livebearing fish, the Amazon molly”.
About the Speaker:
Dr. Ingo Schlupp is a Professor of Biology at the University of Oklahoma and Director of the International Stock Center of Livebearing Fishes. His research focuses on evolutionary biology, behavioral ecology, sexual selection, and speciation, and he is particularly well known for his studies of the Amazon molly (Poecilia formosa) and other livebearing fishes. His work has made significant contributions to our understanding of the evolution of asexual reproduction, hybridization, and the mechanisms underlying speciation.
When/Where: 12th October 2026, 14h30, at Ispa – Instituto Universitário (Sala de Atos).
Abstract:
Speciation is one of the most fundamental processes in evolution. In livebearing fishes (Poeciliidae), alongside allopatric and sympatric speciation, instant speciation can also be observed. This is exemplified by the Amazon molly, Poecilia formosa. Amazon mollies originated from a single hybridization event, consist entirely of females, reproduce clonally, and have lost recombination. However, they still require sperm to trigger embryogenesis, although the male genetic material is not incorporated into the offspring.
This unusual reproductive system raises several fundamental questions: (1) how could so many evolutionary changes arise from a single event? (2) how does a genome evolve in the absence of recombination? and (3) why do males mate with heterospecific Amazon mollies?
These questions will be explored through the study of the Amazon molly, together with a case of sympatric speciation in cave mollies (Poecilia mexicana) and the only known radiation within the family, represented by the genus Limia from Haiti.
WJCR 