Geographic variation in allele frequency of the gamete recognition protein M7 lysin throughout a mosaic blue mussel hybrid zone

Divergence at gamete recognition loci is hypothesized to result in speciation in broadcast spawning invertebrates. Many gamete recognition loci evolve quickly and show patterns of positive selection, yet the advantage of divergence is rarely known. M7 lysin is a sperm protein in the Mytilus edulis species complex that shows evidence of adaptive evolution. This locus is polymorphic with two distinct clades within Mytilus galloprovincialis , one of which, the D clade, shows the strongest signal of positive selection. We tested whether the geographic patterns in allele frequency were consistent with the hypothesis that positive selection on D clade alleles ( G D ) was due to reinforcement. Populations of M. edulis showed little evidence of introgression of G D alleles, but there was no consistent evidence of reproductive character displacement. The lack of consistent patterns expected of reinforcement suggests that another mechanism is likely responsible for the adaptive divergence of M7 lysin.