Genetic differentiation among Sardinian villages.

The present study reports an analysis of genetic differentiation among 14 Sardinian villages located mainly in the center of the island. Chi-square tests show significant genetic heterogeneity among villages, and analyses by F- and R- statistics indicate an essentially random pattern of differentiation for all alleles. Using the kinship methods of Morton, a matrix, R, with elements rij describing the correlations between the gene frequencies of villages i and j is obtained. Use of Malécot's formula relating the rij to the geographic distances between villages shows a rapid decline of kinship with increasing distance but reveals essentially no relationship for distances over 40 km. Rotation of a two-dimensional reduction of the kinship matrix to maximum congruence with the geographic distances indicates that about 25% of the genetic distances can be accounted for by the geographic location of the villages. Isolation due in part to cultural factors, genetic drift, and special local or regional patterns of villages associations appear to be involved in the pattern of genetic variation.     

Genetic kinship among an isolated Adi tribe of Arunachal Pradesh: isonymy in the Adi Panggi

Isolated tribes in remote areas are important for genetic studies, and one such little known subtribe of the Adi tribe, namely, the Adi Panggi (Pangi) of the Upper Siang District of Arunachal Pradesh, India, was studied for surname distribution to deduce the deviation from random mating and genetic kinship between villages. The estimates of homonymy (homozygosity) vary between villages; husbands show wider variation (0.009 to 0.23) than wives (0.005 to 0.054). The remote villages of Sumsing and Sibum and Geku Town show lower entropy among husbands' surnames than among Panggi wives. The highest equivalent surname number was found among Sibum husbands (9.9), Panggi wives (12.6), and Panggi and non-Panggi wives (13.5). The estimates of unbiased random isonymy among husbands and wives together show the smallest values in Sibum (0.05) and the highest values in Sumsing and Ramku (0.16). The random and nonrandom components of the inbreeding coefficient show avoidance of inbreeding among the Panggi villages (-0.012 to -0.27) except in Sibum (0.012). Genetic kinship between villages based on the Mij distance shows different clusters of villages among husbands and wives. Both the Panggi wives and the Panggi and non-Panggi wives show a similar pattern of clustering between villages. The wide homonymy variation between villages among the patrilocal Adi Panggi indicates differential genetic kinetics among husbands and wives, avoidance of inbreeding, and female-oriented differential gene flow with little effect on the overall intervillage genetic kinship.     

Breeding system and population genetic structure in philomycid slugs (Mollusca: Pulmonata)

Four species of philomycid slugs were collected at 13 sites in Tennessee and one site in Virginia. A total of 361 individuals were examined electrophoretically at 11 allozyme loci. Outcrossing was the primary breeding in all populations of all four species. Genetic similarities among demes, among species and among genera are similar to values obtained in studies of other animals with similar vagility and demography and are in good agreement with systematics based on morphological characters. In the species examined in greatest detail, Philomycus carolinianus , there was substantial genetic differentiation among demes. This differentiation appears to result from genetic drift and restricted gene flow. Genetic similarity between P. carolinianus demes did not correlate with the geographic distance between demes and hierarchical F-statistic analysis showed more than half of the differentiation among demes to result from differentiation at the smallest geographic scale. The Tennessee River system also appears to be a major barrier to gene flow among the P. carolinianus demes sampled.     

Migration and genetic structure in Northumberland

To understand the genetic variation that occurs among regions of northern England, we estimated migration from places of birth and residence in the last two generations for a sample of 1367 families in Northumberland. There has been an increase in kinship among regions, compatible with the increased mobility of recent decades, but the kinship patterns suggest that any regional gene frequency differences have remained relatively undiluted. Comparison of kinship and geographic distance between regions indicates that geographic location is an important determinant of genetic structure.     

Population structure in the Connecticut Valley. I. Marital migration

This study reports on an analysis of marital migration among 12 communities in the Connecticut River Valley of Massachusetts during the years 1790-1849. Genetic inferences are drawn, and the requisite assumptions considered. The effect of geographic distance on genetic kinship is predicted using Malécot's isolation-by-distance model. The resulting estimates are discussed in terms of geographic and historical factors. The configuration of communities as predicted by kinship values approximates closely their actual geographic locations. Estimated genetic heterogeneity was low for the historical Connecticut Valley population, and community isolation breaks down rapidly over time. The region thus assumes its place among a number of sedentary, agricultural populations for which the isolation-by-distance model provides an adequate representation. A regression analysis which includes variables in addition to distance indicates that historical and economic factors contribute some additional explanatory power to the distribution of mating frequencies.     

Population genetics in the province of Ferrara. I. Genetic distances and geographic distances.

The ABO and Rh systems of the population in 26 residential units in the province of Ferrara were studied to detect the effect of genetic drift on the differentiation of gene frequencies. Results obtained from principal components analysis and dendrograms were similar. A significant correlation between genetic and geographic distance was found. It was therefore hypothesized that in the area of Ferrara children born to parents originating from different communes were heterozygous at more loci than children born to parents originating from the same commune. It was also thought that it may be possible to use geographic distance between birthplaces of parents as an indicator of hybridity in their children.     

Genetically distinct populations of northern shrimp,Pandalus borealis,in the North Atlantic: adaptation to different temperatures as an isolation factor

The large‐scale population genetic structure of northern shrimp, Pandalus borealis, was investigated over the species’ range in the North Atlantic, identifying multiple genetically distinct groups. Genetic divergence among sample localities varied among 10 microsatellite loci (range: F_ST = ?0.0002 to 0.0475) with a highly significant average (F_ST = 0.0149; P < 0.0001). In contrast, little or no genetic differences were observed among temporal replicates from the same localities (F_ST = 0.0004; P = 0.33). Spatial genetic patterns were compared to geographic distances, patterns of larval drift obtained through oceanographic modelling, and temperature differences, within a multiple linear regression framework. The best‐fit model included all three factors and explained approximately 29% of all spatial genetic divergence. However, geographic distance and larval drift alone had only minor effects (2.5–4.7%) on large‐scale genetic differentiation patterns, whereas bottom temperature differences explained most (26%). Larval drift was found to promote genetic homogeneity in parts of the study area with strong currents, but appeared ineffective across large temperature gradients. These findings highlight the breakdown of gene flow in a species with a long pelagic larval phase (up to 3 months) and indicate a role for local adaptation to temperature conditions in promoting evolutionary diversification and speciation in the marine environment.     

欧洲中部刺槐种源群体等位酶变异研究

从欧洲中部及美国收集了18个刺槐种源种子,以2年生苗木为材料,采用水平切片淀粉凝胶电泳和聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳对11个酶系统进行了检测,共发现20个酶位点,其中14个为多态位点,多态性位点百分数为70％。在参加计算的7个酶系统的12个多态性位点中,平均每个位点的等位基因数(A)和平均每位点等位基因有效数(Ae)为2.733和1．794,平均每个位点的实际杂合度(Ho)和预期杂合度(He)为0．368和0．400,固定指数(F)为0．080,绝大多数位点固定指数为正值。各基因位点遗传参数与12个位点平均值进行相关分析表明,Fe-6和Lap-a的大部分群体遗传参数(A、Ae、Ho、He等)与平均值存在紧密的相关关系,其他位点各项遗传参数和总平均值相关不明显,这些位点的重要性可能比相关性较好的位点更大。德国8个种源群体间遗传距离变化在0．09-0．26之间,来自匈牙利的6个种源之间遗传距离很小,绝大部分均在0．11以下;德国的8个种源与匈牙利和斯洛伐克的8个种源之间的遗传距离变化在0．09-0．24之间;来自美国的2个种源,与欧洲的种源间的遗传距离在0．09-0．23之间,这一距离没有超出欧洲种源之间的差异。匈牙利和斯洛伐克的8个种源群体的各项遗传参数均高于德国种源,表明这两个国家的遗传多样性水平较高。同时来自这两个国家的种源群体间变异系数变化在2．92％-9．97％,说明群体之间的遗传差别很小。德国的8个种源群体各项遗传参数相对较低,但群体间变异系数较高,群体间遗传差别较大。以各个国家为群体单位,4个群体间各项遗传参数的变异均较小,变异系数变化在3．861％-5．139％,表明刺槐种源间地理变异模式不明显。     

野古草种群克隆的遗传变异和遗传结构

用酶电泳法和同工酶分析对东北松嫩草原西北部野古草种群克隆遗传变异性和种群遗传结构做了探讨。讨论了遗传多样性、地理距离和遗传距离之间的关系、大种群和小种群的遗传变异性和种群间的基因流 ;种群间 ,包括大种群和小种群间基因流、遗传和地理距离对遗传多样性的影响、昆虫和风传粉、种群籽苗的补充、遗传多样性的发生和保持 ,自交不亲和性和无性繁殖及体细胞突变     

Invasion genetics of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Senecio vulgaris</Emphasis>: loss of genetic diversity characterizes the invasion of a selfing annual,despite multiple introductions

Genetic variation in invasive populations is affected by a variety of processes including stochastic forces, multiple introductions, population dynamics and mating system. Here, we compare genetic diversity between native and invasive populations of the selfing, annual plant Senecio vulgaris to infer the relative importance of genetic bottlenecks, multiple introductions, post-introduction genetic drift and gene flow to genetic diversity in invasive populations. We scored multilocus genotypes at eight microsatellite loci from nine native European and 19 Chinese introduced populations and compared heterozygosity and number of alleles between continents. We inferred possible source populations for introduced populations by performing assignment analyses and evaluated the relative contributions of gene flow and genetic drift to genetic diversity based on correlations of pairwise genetic and geographic distance. Genetic diversity within Chinese populations was significantly reduced compared to European populations indicating genetic bottlenecks accompanying invasion. Assignment tests provided support for multiple introductions with populations from Central China and southwestern China descended from genotypes matching those from Switzerland and the UK, respectively. Genetic differentiation among populations in China and Europe was not correlated with geographic distance. However, European populations exhibited less variation in the relation between G _ST and geographical distance than populations in China. These results suggest that gene flow probably plays a more significant role in structuring genetic diversity in native populations, whereas genetic drift appears to predominate in introduced populations. High rates of selfing in Chinese populations may restrict opportunities for pollen-mediated gene flow. Repeated colonization-extinction cycles associated with ongoing invasion is likely to maintain low genetic diversity in Chinese populations.     

Historical fragmentation of islands and genetic drift in populations of Galápagos lava lizards (Microlophus albemarlensis complex)

The formation of islands following a rise in sea level at the end of Pleistocene is expected to disrupt the equilibrium between genetic drift and gene flow in species with limited ability to disperse. Here, we test the hypothesis that genetic drift in isolation has caused the differentiation of Galápagos lava lizards ( Microlophus albemarlensis complex) found on 12 islets that are likely to have been connected to a larger island, Isla Santa Cruz, during the late Pleistocene. Using 11 microsatellite loci, screened on 524 individuals from 17 localities distributed among and within 15 islands, we found marked differences in allelic richness and heterozygosity. Genetic differentiation was strong (global F _ST = 0.44), with pairwise differences found among populations on islets being larger than differences among three localities sampled within Isla Santa Cruz. As expected under a scenario of drift in isolation, there was a positive correlation of genetic diversity with island size, no relationship between genetic and geographical distance and a strong negative correlation between heterozygosity and measures of genetic differentiation. We conclude that seawater is a significant barrier to gene flow in lava lizards on this timescale. Our results suggest that the shallow diversification of the M. albemarlensis complex is not due to recent gene flow and that genetic drift may have played a substantial role in observed patterns of phenotypic variation among islands.     

四种松毛虫不同地理种群遗传多样性的等位酶分析

【目的】采用等位酶电泳技术对中国松毛虫属Dendrolimus 4种共9个地理种群进行遗传多样性和遗传分化研究。【方法】对6种等位酶系统乳酸脱氢酶（LDH）、苹果酸脱氢酶（MDH）、苹果酸酶（ME）、乙醇脱氢酶（ADH）、甲酸脱氢酶（FDH）、谷氨酸脱氢酶（GDH）进行聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳分析。【结果】在4种松毛虫9个地理居群中共检测到10个基因位点,其中4个位点为多态位点,检测到17个等位基因; 种群总体水平多态位点比率P=40%,平均有效基因数A=1.700,平均期望杂合度He=0.151,种群平均遗传距离为0.001～0.285; 其中马尾松毛虫指名亚种Dendrolimu punctatus Walker 6个居群的遗传分化度Fst=0.265,基因流Nm=0.692。4种松毛虫之间遗传关系最近的是落叶松毛虫D. superans Butler和马尾松毛虫的地理亚种赤松毛虫D. punctatus spectabilis Butler,遗传关系最远的是落叶松毛虫D. superans Butler和云南松毛虫D. houi Lajonquiere。【结论】 马尾松毛虫居群间遗传分化程度较大,基因交流较少,遗传漂变已经成为导致该物种种群分化的主要原因之一;遗传距离与地理距离存在一定相关性。     

Heterosis is common and inbreeding depression absent in natural populations of Arabidopsis thaliana

The importance of genetic drift in shaping patterns of adaptive genetic variation in nature is poorly known. Genetic drift should drive partially recessive deleterious mutations to high frequency, and inter‐population crosses may therefore exhibit heterosis (increased fitness relative to intra‐population crosses). Low genetic diversity and greater genetic distance between populations should increase the magnitude of heterosis. Moreover, drift and selection should remove strongly deleterious recessive alleles from individual populations, resulting in reduced inbreeding depression. To estimate heterosis, we crossed 90 independent line pairs of Arabidopsis thaliana from 15 pairs of natural populations sampled across Fennoscandia and crossed an additional 41 line pairs from a subset of four of these populations to estimate inbreeding depression. We measured lifetime fitness of crosses relative to parents in a large outdoor common garden (8,448 plants in total) in central Sweden. To examine the effects of genetic diversity and genetic distance on heterosis, we genotyped parental lines for 869 SNPs. Overall, genetic variation within populations was low (median expected heterozygosity = 0.02), and genetic differentiation was high (median F_ST = 0.82). Crosses between 10 of 15 population pairs exhibited significant heterosis, with magnitudes of heterosis as high as 117%. We found no significant inbreeding depression, suggesting that the observed heterosis is due to fixation of mildly deleterious alleles within populations. Widespread and substantial heterosis indicates an important role for drift in shaping genetic variation, but there was no significant relationship between fitness of crosses relative to parents and genetic diversity or genetic distance between populations.     

Genetic differentiation in Philippine bats of the genera Cynopterus and Haplonycteris

Genetic variation and differentiation in six island populations of two species ( Cynopterus brachyotis Müller and Haplonycteris fischeri Lawrence) of Philippine fruit bats (Chiroptera, Pteropodidae) were analysed using allozyme electrophoresis. Cynopterus is eurytopic and widespread in southeast Asia; Haplonycteris is stenotopic and endemic to the Philippines. Genetic variability within populations is consistently higher in Cynopterus , but differentiation between populations is much more pronounced in Haplonycteris. Genetic variation is not significantly correlated with island size in either species, but a positive trend is present in both. Levels of gene flow are sufficiently low to allow differentiation by genetic drift alone in Haplonycteris ( Nm = 0.05), but not in Cynopterus ( Nm = 7.5). There is no significant association between genetic distance and distance between sampling sites; however, between-population differentiation is positively related to degree of geographic isolation during Pleistocene periods of low sea level and to vagility and consequent levels of gene flow among populations. Significant effects of population size on genetic differentiation were not found. Genetic distance matrices for the two species share a common structure that is similar to patterns of mammalian faunal similarity for the Philippines as a whole, suggesting similar effects of geographic and/or environmental factors.     

Genetic variation and its evolutionary implications in a Mediterranean island endemic lizard

The peculiar bioclimatic and geographic features of Corso–Sardinian islands may provide an ideal scenario for investigating microevolutionary processes, given their large heterogeneity of environments, which could affect dispersal and gene flow among populations, as well as processes of local adaptation. The genetic variation and differentiation among populations of the endemic lizard Archaeolacerta bedriagae were studied by allozyme electrophoresis at 20 presumptive loci. The genetic structure of this species is characterized by relatively high levels of polymorphism and low differentiation among populations. The pattern of genetic differentiation cannot be explained by genetic drift as a function of geographic distance. Genetic distance data show that genetic variation is distributed into three geographically coherent population groups and suggest a recent (Late Pleistocene) origin for the observed geographic fragmentation. The analysis of environmental correlates of allozymic variation indicates a strong correlation of the Idh-1 locus with climatic variables. The frequency of the Idh-1¹⁰⁶ allele is negatively correlated with annual temperature, and positively correlated with annual precipitation. In addition, the observed heterozygosity at this locus decreases towards more arid climatic regimes. The results obtained support the assumption of differential selection acting on Idh-1 allozymes under diverse climates. An association between Idh-1 allozymes and local bioclimatic regimes was also observed for the sympatric lizard Podarcis tiliguerta , suggesting a key role for such selective agents on Idh-1 polymorphism in these two Corso–Sardinian lacertids.  © 2009 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2009, 98 , 661–676.     

Do genetic structure and landscape heterogeneity impact color morph frequency in a polymorphic salamander?

Landscape heterogeneity plays an important role in population structure and divergence, particularly for species with limited vagility. Here, we used a landscape genetic approach to identify how landscape and environmental variables affect genetic structure and color morph frequency in a polymorphic salamander. The eastern red‐backed salamander, Plethodon cinereus, is widely distributed in northeastern North America and contains two common color morphs, striped and unstriped, that are divergent in ecology, behavior, and physiology. To quantify population structure, rates of gene flow, and genetic drift, we amplified 10 microsatellite loci from 648 individuals across 28 sampling localities. This study was conducted in northern Ohio, where populations of P. cinereus exhibit an unusually wide range of morph frequency variation. To test whether genetic distance was more correlated with morph frequency, elevation, canopy cover, waterways, ecological niche or geographic distance, we used resistance distance and least cost path analyses. We then examined whether landscape and environmental variables, genetic distance or geographic distance were correlated with variation in morph frequency. Tests for population structure revealed three genetic clusters across our sampling range, with one cluster monomorphic for the striped morph. Rates of gene flow and genetic drift were low to moderate across sites. Genetic distance was most correlated with ecological niche, elevation and a combination of landscape and environmental variables. In contrast, morph frequency variation was correlated with waterways and geographic distance. Thus, our results suggest that selection is also an important evolutionary force across our sites, and a balance between gene flow, genetic drift and selection interact to maintain the two color morphs.     

Molecular Genetic Variation in a Clonal Plant Population of Leymus chinensis (Trin.) Tzvel.

Randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis was used to investigate the genetic variation among populations, between populations, and within populations, relationships between genetic distance and geographic distance, and the molecular variation and population size. The effects of geographic and genetic distances, as well as of genetic differentiation and population size, on genetic variations of Leymus chinensis (Trin.) Tzvel. are discussed. The present study showed that there was significant RAPD variation between the Baicheng region population and the Daqing region population, with a molecular variance of 6.35% (P ＜ 0.04), and for differentiation among area populations of the Daqing region, with a molecular variance of 8.78% (P ＜ 0.002). A 21.06% RAPD variation among all 16 populations among two regions was found (P ＜ 0.001), as well as 72.59% variation within populations (P ＜ 0.001). Molecular variation within populations was significantly different among 16 populations.     

Regional structuring of genetic variation in short-lived rock pool populations of Branchipodopsis wolfi (Crustacea: Anostraca)

The genetic structure of three metapopulations of the southern African anostracan Branchipodopsis wolfi was compared by analysing allozyme variation at four loci (PGM, GPI, APK, AAT). In total, 17 local populations from three sites (metapopulations) were analysed from rock pools in south-eastern Botswana ranging from 0.2 to 21 m² in surface area. In three populations we found significant deviations from Hardy-Weinberg (H-W) equilibrium at one or more loci due to heterozygote deficiencies. Genetic variability at one site was significantly lower than at the other sites, which may be linked to a greater incidence of extinction and recolonisation, as the basins at this site are shallower and have shorter hydrocycles. Across all local populations, a significant level of population differentiation was revealed. More than 90% of this variation was explained by differentiation among sites (metapopulations), although this differentiation did not correlate with geographic distance, or with environmental variables. Genetic differentiation among populations within metapopulations was low, but significant at all sites. At only one of the sites was a significantly positive association measured between genetic and geographic distance among local populations. Our data suggest that persistent stochastic events and limited effective long-range dispersal appear to dominate genetic differentiation among populations of B. wolfi inhabiting desert rock pools. The lack of association between geographic distance and genetic or ecological differences between rock pool sites is indicative of historical stochastic events. Low heterozygosity, the significant deviations from H-W equilibrium, and the large inter- but low intra-site differentiation are suggestive of the importance of short-range dispersal. Gene flow between metapopulations of B. wolfi appears to be seriously constrained by distances of 2 km or even less. Received: 28 June 1999 / Accepted: 10 January 2000     

内蒙古中东部不同草原地带羊草种群遗传分化

运用 RAPD技术对内蒙古不同草原地带分布的 5个羊草种群 (共 10 0个个体 )的遗传多样性进行分析。 31个随机引物(10 nt)在 5个羊草种群中共检测到 4 96个扩增片断 ,其中多态性片断 4 89个 ,总的多态位点百分率达 98.6 %。利用 Nei指数和Shannon指数估算了 5个种群的遗传多样性 ,并计算种群相似系数和遗传距离运用 UPGMA法进行聚类分析。结果表明 :无论是种群内还是种群间 ,羊草均存在较高的遗传变异 ,大部分的遗传变异存在于种群内 (Nei指数和 Shannon指数估算结果分别为 85 .4 %和 72 .5 % ) ,只有少部分的遗传变异存在于种群间 ;不同种群的遗传多样性存在差异 ,各种群的遗传多样性与其所处的地理位置具有显著的相关性 ;5个种群的平均遗传距离为 0 .5 0 95 ,变异范围为 0 .4 6 84～ 0 .5 4 76 ;聚类分析结果显示地理距离较近的种群遗传距离较小 ,首先聚在一起 ,而地理距离较远的种群遗传距离较大 ,说明羊草种群间的遗传分化与地理距离存在一定相关性 ;但地理距离最近的两个种群并未最先聚集 ,说明羊草种群间的分化还与其生境的异质性有关     

Genetic structure among and within peripheral and central populations of three endangered floodplain violets

Understanding the partitioning of genetic variance in peripheral and central populations may shed more light on the effects of genetic drift and gene flow on population genetic structure and, thereby, improve attempts to conserve genetic diversity. We analysed genetic structure of peripheral and central populations of three insect-pollinated violets (Viola elatior, Viola pumila, Viola stagnina) to evaluate to what extent these patterns can be explained by gene flow and genetic drift. Amplified fragment length polymorphism was used to analyse 930 individuals of 50 populations. Consistent with theoretical predictions, peripheral populations were smaller and more isolated, differentiation was stronger, and genetic diversity and gene flow lower in peripheral populations of V. pumila and V. stagnina. In V. elatior, probably historic fragmentation effects linked to its specific habitat type were superimposed on the plant geographic (peripheral-central) patterns, resulting in lower relative importance of gene flow in central populations. Genetic variation between regions (3-6%), among (30-37%) and within populations (60-64%) was significant. Peripheral populations lacked markers that were rare and localized in central populations. Loss of widespread markers in peripheral V. stagnina populations indicated genetic erosion. Autocorrelation within populations was statistically significant up to a distance of 10-20 m. Higher average genetic similarity in peripheral populations than in central ones indicated higher local gene flow, probably owing to management practices. Peripheral populations contributed significantly to genetic variation and contained unique markers, which made them valuable for the conservation of genetic diversity.