Identification of kin structure among Guam rail founders: a comparison of pedigrees and DNA profiles

Kin structure among founders can have a significant effect on subsequent population structure. Here we use the correlation between DNA profile similarity and relatedness calculated from pedigrees to test hypotheses regarding kin structure among founders to the captive Guam rail (Rallus owstoni) population. Five different pedigrees were generated under the following hypotheses: (i) founders are unrelated; (ii) founders are unrelated except for same-nest chicks; (iii) founders from the same major site are siblings; (iv) founders from the same local site are siblings; and (v) founders are related as defined by a UPGMA cluster analysis of DNA similarity data. Relatedness values from pedigrees 1, 2 and 5 had the highest correlation with DNA similarity but the correlation between relatedness and similarity were not significantly different among pedigrees. Pedigree 5 resulted in the highest correlation overall when using only relatedness values that changed as a result of different founder hypotheses. Thus, founders were assigned relatedness based on pedigree 5 because it had the highest correlations with DNA similarity, was the most conservative approach, and incorporated all field data. The analyses indicated that estimating relatedness using DNA profiles remains problematic, therefore we compared mean kinship, a measure of genetic importance, with mean DNA profile similarity to determine if genetic importance among individuals could be determined via use of DNA profiles alone. The significant correlation suggests this method may provide more information about population structure than was previously thought. Thus, DNA profiles can provide a reasonable explanation for founder relatedness and mean DNA profile similarity may be helpful in determining relative genetic importance of individuals when detailed pedigrees are absent.     

武汉东湖磷细菌种群结构的研究

对东湖磷细菌种群结构研究结果表明,至少有芽孢杆菌属,微球菌属,不动细菌属,气单胞菌属,产碱杆菌属,贝内克氏菌属,无色杆菌属,短杆菌属,肠杆菌属,黄杆菌尾,微杆菌 ,假单胞菌属,沙雷氏菌属,黄单胞菌属和发酵单胞菌属15个属的不同菌株以其对有机磷,无机磷化合物的分解能力推动着湖泊中磷的循环,其中以芽孢杆菌属和微球菌属居于明显的优势。磷细菌在湖泊中的分布随水质的污染程度和磷化合物含量的不同而表现有明显的判别：在数量上,湖泥高于湖水,污染较重的I站高于水质较好的II站,在调查期间,有机磷细菌数在多数情况下亦高于无机磷细菌,在种群结构上,1站湖水中种类最多,Ⅲ站次之,II站最少。     

新疆鹅喉羚的种群结构

１９９２年８～９月和１９９３年９月,作者在新疆北部鹅喉羚北疆亚种（ＧａｚｅｌｌａｓｕｂｇｕｔｔｒｏｓａＳａｉｒｅｎｓｉｓ）分布区（天山以北）设置１９条样带,总长８１８ｋｍ,观测点至动物的平均垂直距离２４８．３ｍ,面积４０５．８ｋｍ２的调查统计,见鹅喉羚６２群次,共２２１只。样带中动物的平均密度为０．７１±０．１７只／ｋｍ２。对能判别性别和成幼的１６条样带中的３７群次１１３只统计,雌：雄＝１：１．０５,成：幼＝２．４：１。对８条样带中的１６群次５０只统计,母：仔＝１：１．４。１９９３年２月和１０月,我们还在新疆南部鹅喉羚南疆亚种（Ｇ．ｓ．ｙａｒｋａｎｄｅｎｓｉｓ）分布区（天山以南）,设置８条样带,长２３０ｋｍ,平均垂直距离２９９ｍ,面积１１６ｋｍ２的调查统计,见鹅喉羚１７群次５１只,平均密度０．５７±０．２６只／ｋｍ２。     

POPULATION GENETICS OF A PARASITIC CHROMOSOME: EXPERIMENTAL ANALYSIS OF PSR IN SUBDIVIDED POPULATIONS

Nasonia vitripennis is a parasitoid wasp that harbors several non-Mendelian sex-ratio distorters. These include MSR (Maternal Sex Ratio), a cytoplasmic element that causes nearly all-female families, and PSR (Paternal Sex Ratio), a supernumerary chromosome that causes all-male families. As in other hymenoptera, N. vitripennis has haplodiploid sex determination. Normally, unfertilized (haploid) eggs develop into males and fertilized (diploid) eggs develop into females. The PSR chromosome violates this normal pattern; it is inherited through sperm, but then causes destruction of the paternal chromosomes (except itself), thus converting diploid fertilized eggs (normally females) into haploid eggs that develop into PSR-bearing males. PSR is an extreme example of “parasitic” or “selfish” DNA. Because N. vitripennis has a highly subdivided population structure in nature, population-level selection may be important in determining the dynamics of PSR in natural populations. A theoretical analysis shows that subdivided population structure reduces PSR frequency, whereas high fertilization proportion (such as produced by the MSR element) increases PSR frequency. Population experiments using two deme sizes (3- and 12-foundress groups) and strains producing two fertilization proportions [wild-type (LabII)–57–67% female, and MSR (MI)–90–93% female] confirm these predictions. PSR achieved frequencies over 0.90 in 12–foundress group MSR populations in contrast to 0.20–0.40 in wild-type 12–foundress populations. PSR was selected against in wild-type populations composed of three-foundress groups. In MSR populations with three-foundress groups, presence of PSR selected against the MSR cytoplasmic element, eventually leading to low frequencies of both PSR and MSR. Complicated dynamics may occur when these two sex-ratio distorters are both present in highly subdivided populations. The existence of PSR in natural populations may depend on the presence of MSR. Results indicate that population subdivision could be important in determining the frequency of sex ratio distorters in N. vitripennis.     

GENETIC VARIABILITY AND POPULATION DIFFERENTIATION INFERRED FROM DNA FINGERPRINTING IN SILVEREYES (AVES: ZOSTEROPIDAE)

This study evaluated DNA fingerprinting as a tool for estimating population genetic diversity and differentiation by comparing minisatellite variation in island and mainland populations of silvereyes (Aves: Zosterops lateralis). Three populations with different recent histories were compared: (1) Heron Island and neighboring islands, colonized 3000 to 4000 yr ago; (2) Lady Elliot Island, colonized within the past two decades; and (3) an adjacent mainland population, which presumably has existed for thousands of years. The degree of genetic variability within the three populations reflected both their size and the time since their colonization. Minisatellite diversity was highest in the mainland population, intermediate in the Capricorn Island group (which was shown to represent a single admixture), and lowest in the Lady Elliot Island population, possibly because of a recent population bottleneck during colonization. Mean band sharing between any two populations was less than the mean within either of those populations, and four fingerprint bands common to island birds were rare or absent in the fingerprints of mainland birds. In the absence of significant gene flow between the mainland and the islands, the populations have apparently become distinct at minisatellite loci, as evidenced by differences in both allelic diversity and in the frequencies of specific fragments. Within the Heron Island population, cohort analyses demonstrated the temporal stability of the fingerprint profile over 6 yr. This study demonstrates that length polymorphisms at minisatellite loci may be stable enough over time to retain information about recent historical and demographic effects on the relative genetic variability and differentiation of small, closely related populations.     

GENETIC VARIABILITY AND PARENTAGE IN MACROCYSTIS PYRZFERA (PHAEOPHYCEAE) USING MULTI-LOCUS DNA FINGERPRINTING1

Multi-locus DNA fingerprints using an M13 probe were obtained for two individuals of Macrocystis pyrifera (L.) C. Ag. collected from Monterey Bay, California, and their laboratory-reared offspring. DNA was extracted from each of two field-collected individuals (= parents), their self-fertilized diploid offspring (three and seven individuals), and one diploid individual resulting from spores of the two parents. A total of 20 bands (4–19 kb) was detected among all individuals, ranging from 7 to 14 bands for any one individual. Two bands were present in all individuals, and three bands were unique to one parent and its three progeny. Ten bands were observed in the out-crossed individual, of which three were inherited from one parent, two from the other parent, and five were present in both parents. Genetic similarity between each parent and their self-fertilized offspring was significantly higher than similarity between the two self-fertilized groups. The data show that multi-locus DNA fingerprints can be used to assess parentage in the giant kelp and that there is consistent agreement between genetic similarity and known genetic relatedness among parents and offspring.     

A LIFE-HISTORY BASED STUDY OF POPULATION GENETIC STRUCTURE: SEED BANK TO ADULTS IN PLANTAGO LANCEOLATA

We explored the extent to which the soil seed bank differed genetically and spatially in comparison to two actively growing stages in a natural population of Plantago lanceolata. All seed-bank seeds, seedlings, and adults of P. lanceolata within eight subunits in a larger population were mapped, subjected to starch gel electrophoresis, and allozyme analysis in 1988. Gel electrophoresis was also used to estimate the mating system in two years, 1986 and 1988. The spatial distributions of seeds, seedlings, and adults were highly coincident. Allele frequencies of the dormant seeds differed significantly from those of the adults for four of the five polymorphic loci. In addition, a comparison of the genotype frequencies of the three life-history stages indicated that the seed bank had an excess of homozygotes. Homozygosity, relative to Hardy-Weinberg expectations, decreased during the life cycle (for seed bank, seedlings, and adults respectively: F_it = 0.19, 0.09, 0.01; F_is = 0.14, 0.04, -0.12). Spatial genetic differentiation increased sixfold during the life cycle: (for seed bank, seedling and adults: F_s1??? = 0.02, 0.05, 0.12). The apparent selfing rate was 0.01 in 1986 and 0.09 in 1988. These selfing rates are not large enough to account for the elevated homozygosity of the seed bank. Inbreeding depression, overdominance for fitness, and a “temporal Wahlund's effect” are discussed as possible mechanisms that could generate high homozygosity in the seed bank, relative to later life-history stages. In Plantago lanceolata, the influence of the mating system and the “genetic memory” of the seed bank are obscured by the time plants reach the reproductive stage.     

岩羊不同种群细胞色素b基因序列差异的初步分析

测定了来自四川和宁夏两个种群的岩羊Pseudois nayaur共10个个体的线粒体DNA细胞色素b基因全序列(1140 bp),分析了碱基组成和变异情况以及核苷酸序列差异,计算了岩羊种群的核苷酸多样性,采用简约法和距离矩阵法构建了不同的分子系统树,得到了相似的拓扑结构,从分子水平初步探讨了岩羊不同种群的遗传结构.结果显示:岩羊整个群体的遗传多态性较高,四川种群的遗传变异水平较宁夏种群的高;同时,四川种群岩羊个体之间的平均序列差异为2.15,宁夏种群岩羊个体之间的平均序列差异为0.71,四川种群和宁夏种群之间的序列差异为2.61,这反映了四川种群和宁夏种群种群内的差异以及四川种群和宁夏种群种群间的差异都属于个体间的变化;然而四川种群的个体11(Si11)与该种群内的其它个体的平均序列差异和平均Kimura两参数距离远高于它与宁夏种群个体间的相应数值,存在着较为明显的分歧.形成这一现象的原因可能要涉及到岩羊在中国的地理演化和扩散问题.     

POPULATION STRUCTURE AND LEVELS OF GENE FLOW IN THE MEDITERRANEAN LAND SNAIL ALBINARIA CORRUGATA (PULMONATA: CLAUSILIIDAE)

The amount of gene flow among local populations partly determines the relative importance of genetic drift and natural selection in the differentiation of such populations. Land snails, because of their limited powers for dispersal, may be particularly likely to show such differentiation. In this study, we directly estimate gene flow in Albinaria corrugata, a sedentary, rock-dwelling gastropod from Crete, by mark-recapture studies. In the same area, 23 samples were taken and studied electrophoretically for six polymorphic enzyme loci. The field studies indicate that the population structure corresponds closely to the stepping-stone model: demes are present on limestone boulders that are a few meters apart, and dispersal takes place mainly between adjacent demes. Average deme size (N) is estimated at 29 breeding individuals and the proportion of migrants per generation at 0.195 (Nm = 5.7). We find no reason to assume long-distance dispersal, apart from dispersal along occasional stretches of suitable habitat. Genetic subdivision of the population, as derived from F_ST values, corresponds to the direct estimate only at the lowest spatial level (distance between sample sites < 10 m), where values for Nm of 5.4 and 17.6 were obtained. In contrast, at the larger spatial scales, F_ST values give gene-flow estimates that are incompatible with the expected amount of gene flow at these scales. We explain these discrepancies by arguing that gene flow is in fact extremely limited, making correct estimates of Nm from F_ST impossible at the larger spatial scales. In view of these low levels of gene flow, it is concluded that both genetic drift and natural selection may play important roles in the genetic differentiation of this species, even at the lowest spatial scales.     

THE EFFECT OF SERPENTINE ON THE POPULATION STRUCTURE OF SILENE DIOICA (CARYOPHYLLACEAE)

Serpentine soils are rich in heavy metals and have a distinctive flora. Silene dioica is a member of the Scandinavian serpentine plant community but is also widespread outside serpentine soils. To study the population genetic consequences of serpentine stress and the origin and evolution of serpentine populations we analyzed the isozyme genetic structure of S. dioica. Seventeen populations located in the mountains of Västerbotten and Jämtland, central Sweden, were investigated by starch gel enzyme electrophoresis. About one half of the populations grow in serpentine soils and the rest on adjacent non-serpentine sites. Analyses of allele frequencies show that both serpentine and non-serpentine populations in the northern part of the studied area (Västerbotten) are genetically similar. Evidently serpentine does not exert strong selection acting upon isozyme loci. In the south (Jämtland), however, the serpentine populations exhibit genetic differentiation. This allozyme divergence is probably not due to direct selection but rather represents the effects of isolation and genetic drift. The results suggest that S. dioica has colonized serpentine repeatedly and that the tolerant populations have a multiple origin.     

POPULATION STRUCTURE,LOCAL MATE COMPETITION,AND SEX-ALLOCATION PATTERN IN THE ANT MESSOR ACICULATUS

Population-genetic structure and sex-allocation ratios were investigated for the ant Messor aciculatus, a species that conducts mass nuptial flights. An electrophoretic survey on two polymorphic loci revealed excessive homozygosities in two populations. Because inbreeding inside nests does not occur, the heterozygote deficiency may result from population subdivision rather than assortative inbreeding during nuptial flights. Assuming no inbreeding, a simulation based on the observed genotype distribution in the study site suggested that, on average, a breeding swarm consists of alates from only 1.7 colonies. This population genetic structure seems to cause local mate competition (LMC), a factor that can shift population sex ratio toward females. The sex-allocation ratio to males in the population (0.166 ± 0.030; mean ± SE) was significantly female biased and lower than the expected optima for queens (0.5) and for workers (0.25) without LMC. Sex-ratio variability among colonies was explained by a pattern of constant male investment, which is predictable assuming LMC. Thus, the study provides the first evidence of LMC in ants with mass nuptial flights and contradicts previous assumptions about breeding structure in swarming ants. The results suggest that LMC can affect sex-allocation patterns for ant colonies and populations.     

我国黄羊种群结构及动态趋势的研究

随机抽取1988年12月猎于内蒙古西旗的1026只黄羊,对其种群结构的研究表明:1988年黄羊种群可划分成8个年龄组,当年出生的幼体比重较大,占39.7％;具繁殖能力的雌体数占24.95％;4.5岁以上年龄组个体数占12.7％;是典型的增长型年龄结构。种群全体、2.5、3.5、5.5岁以上年龄组的性比((?)/♀♀)与1:1差异显著(P<0.05),此结果与1979年差异较大。生命表和死亡率曲线表明:种群有3个死亡高峰,分别发生在0.5、3.5和6.5岁以上年龄组。1979年和1988年黄羊种群的净生殖率(R。)分别为1.1335和0.864;1988年雌性开始繁殖的年龄有比1979年提前的趋势。30年来黄羊种群数量明显减少,分布区迅速缩小。由于黄羊的繁殖能力强和增长型的年龄结构,只要加强保护和管理,恢复扩大种群是可能的。     

捕杀对高原鼢鼠种群年龄结构及繁殖的影响

捕杀高原鼢鼠后,残鼠种群与自然种群年龄结构相比较,５月差异性显著（Ｘ２＝９９７,Ｐ＜００５）;７月和１０月差异极显著（Ｘ２＝１５１３４,Ｘ２＝１５６１２,Ｐ＜００１）。５月,残鼠种群成年Ⅰ组占最大比例（５３４５％）;自然种群成年Ⅱ组占最大比例（４８４４％）。７月,残鼠种群幼年组和亚成年组所占比例之和（３５０６％）明显高于自然种群（２２００％）（Ｐ＜００５）。１０月,残鼠种群近老年组和老年组所占比例之和（９６２％）明显低于自然种群（２３０８％）（Ｐ＜００５）。残鼠种群成年Ⅰ组雌鼠怀孕率（８４６２％）明显高于自然种群（５８３３％）（Ｐ＜００５）;平均胎仔数（３３２）也高于自然种群（２８５）,但差异不显著（Ｐ＞００５）。     

中国人群遗传结构分析

本文根据红细胞血型基因频率,用Harpending和Jenkins(1973)方法计算了中国22个人群间的遗传距离,同时在国内首次运用主坐标分析及其排序方法展示了中华民族的遗传结构,反映出中国东西人群与南北人群间的基因流。     

COMPARATIVE POPULATION GENETIC STRUCTURE OF A PARASITE (FASCIOLOIDES MAGNA) AND ITS DEFINITIVE HOST

The population genetic structure of the American liver fluke, Fascioloides magna, and its definitive host the white-tailed deer, Odocoileus virginianus, was examined in South Carolina. Flukes were significantly more common in deer from river-swamp habitat than upland areas and prevalence increased with host age. The distribution of flukes among deer occurred as a negative binomial with the mean dispersion parameter, k, equal to 0.17 and the range from 0.10 to 1.11 within local areas. Significant spatial genetic differentiation was observed for flukes and deer. Patterns of genetic distance in flukes were not concordant with those of the definitive host nor were they related to geographic distance between sample locations. Spatial genetic differentiation among flukes reflected the tendency for individual hosts to harbor multiple individuals from a limited number of parasite clones. The large population size of the parasite and movements of the definitive host tend to counteract factors that lead to spatial differentiation.     

THE GEOGRAPHY OF MITOCHONDRIAL DNA VARIATION,POPULATION STRUCTURE,HYBRIDIZATION, AND SPECIES LIMITS IN THE FOX SPARROW (PASSERELLA ILIACA)

Geographic variation in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) restriction sites was studied in the fox sparrow (Passerella iliaca). Seventy-eight haplotypes were found. Haplotypes fall into four phylogeographic groups that correspond to groups defined by plumage characters. The geographic distribution of these four groups does not appear congruent with mtDNA patterns in other vertebrates. Within each group, there is little geographic variation in mtDNA restriction sites, although there is geographic variation in plumage coloration and body size. The evolution of mtDNA diversity in fox sparrows seems best explained by vicariant events rather than isolation by distance. The mtDNA evidence suggests that Passerella megarhyncha and Passerella schistacea, two nonsister taxa that occur in western North America, have independently undergone bottlenecks. Hybridization is limited between all pairs of taxa except P. megarhyncha and P. schistacea, where mtDNA evidence suggests a narrow contact zone along the interface of the Great Basin and Sierra Nevada/Cascades. Morphometric characters intergrade over a broader area, suggesting that different processes are responsible for the two gradients. The occurrence of limited backcrossing among taxa suggests that cytoplasmic-nuclear incompatibility is lacking. The number of biological species would range from one to four, depending on the degree of hybridization tolerated. The mtDNA and plumage characters suggest four phylogenetic species: P. iliaca, P. megarhyncha, P. unalaschcensis, and P. schistacea.