Genetic distance predicts trait differentiation at the subpopulation but not the individual level in eelgrass,Zostera marina |
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| Authors: | Jessica M Abbott Katherine DuBois Richard K Grosberg Susan L Williams John J Stachowicz |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Center for Population Biology, University of California, Davis, California;2. Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, California;3. Institute for Wildlife Studies, Arcata, California;4. Bodega Marine Laboratory, Bodega Bay, California |
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| Abstract: | Ecological studies often assume that genetically similar individuals will be more similar in phenotypic traits, such that genetic diversity can serve as a proxy for trait diversity. Here, we explicitly test the relationship between genetic relatedness and trait distance using 40 eelgrass (Zostera marina) genotypes from five sites within Bodega Harbor, CA. We measured traits related to nutrient uptake, morphology, biomass and growth, photosynthesis, and chemical deterrents for all genotypes. We used these trait measurements to calculate a multivariate pairwise trait distance for all possible genotype combinations. We then estimated pairwise relatedness from 11 microsatellite markers. We found significant trait variation among genotypes for nearly every measured trait; however, there was no evidence of a significant correlation between pairwise genetic relatedness and multivariate trait distance among individuals. However, at the subpopulation level (sites within a harbor), genetic (FST) and trait differentiation were positively correlated. Our work suggests that pairwise relatedness estimated from neutral marker loci is a poor proxy for trait differentiation between individual genotypes. It remains to be seen whether genomewide measures of genetic differentiation or easily measured “master” traits (like body size) might provide good predictions of overall trait differentiation. |
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| Keywords: | functional diversity genetic differentiation genetic relatedness phenotypic diversity trait differentiation |
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