Heterogeneous Evolution of Sex Chromosomes in the Torrent Frog Genus Amolops

In sharp contrast to birds and mammals, in numerous cold-blooded vertebrates, sex chromosomes have been described as homomorphic. This sex chromosome homomorphy has been suggested to result from the high turnovers often observed across deeply diverged clades. However, little is known about the tempo and mode of sex chromosome evolution among the most closely related species. Here, we examined the evolution of sex chromosome among nine species of the torrent frog genus Amolops. We analyzed male and female GBS and RAD-seq from 182 individuals and performed PCR verification for 176 individuals. We identified signatures of sex chromosomes involving two pairs of chromosomes. We found that sex-chromosome homomorphy results from both turnover and X-Y recombination in the Amolops species, which simultaneously exhibits heterogeneous evolution on homologous and non-homologous sex chromosomes. A low turnover rate of non-homologous sex chromosomes exists in these torrent frogs. The ongoing X-Y recombination in homologous sex chromosomes will act as an indispensable force in preventing sex chromosomes from differentiating.

Automated summary

In contrast to birds and mammals, cold-blooded vertebrates often have homomorphic sex chromosomes. This study on the torrent frog genus Amolops revealed that the homomorphy of sex chromosomes in these frogs is a result of turnover and X-Y recombination. Furthermore, the sex chromosomes in Amolops show heterogeneous evolution, with both homologous and non-homologous chromosomes involved. The turnover rate of non-homologous sex chromosomes is low in these torrent frogs.