Phylogeography of two parthenogenetic sawfly species (Hymenoptera: Tenthredinidae): relationship of population genetic differentiation to host plant distribution

This study compares the population genetic structure of two obligate parthenogenetic sawfly species, Aneugmenus padi (L.) Zhelochovtsev and Eurhadinoceraea ventralis (Panzer) Enslin (Hymenoptera: Tenthredinidae). Allozymes were used to detect genetic differences in larvae collected at different sites in six European countries. For A. padi , scoring six polymorphic enzymes revealed the existence of five dominant, widely distributed clones and several more with only very few individuals occurring locally. The clonal diversity and identity differed across collection sites, with up to at maximum eight clones coexisting at a single locality. In contrast, in E. ventralis , individuals from different localities were all monomorphic for at least six different enzymes and are therefore assumed to belong to the same clone. Differences in population genetic structure of these sawfly species can be related to the differing distributions of their host plants: the fern, Pteridium aquilinum , the host of A. padi , has been an invasive species for more than two hundred years. Spread of clones of A. padi is likely to have closely followed the complex invasive pattern of spread of the plant. Larvae of E. ventralis were collected from local, horticultural plantings of Clematis spp. of recent origin probably with gardeners having traded plants infested with the sawfly.  © 2004 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2004, 83 , 219–227.     

INSULIN PRODUCES A BIPHASIC RESPONSE INTETRAHYMENA THERMOPHILABY STIMULATING CELL SURVIVAL AND ACTIVATING PROLIFERATION IN TWO SEPARATE CONCENTRATION INTERVALS

Cells ofTetrahymenamay produce autocrine signal molecules with effects on survival and proliferation. Here we have tested the effects of human recombinant and bovine insulin, and the B22–B30 fragment of bovine insulin over a wide range of concentrations (10^?5–10^?18m ) on cell survival and proliferation in a synthetic nutrient medium. The cells were grown in conical flasks at low initial cell densities (40 and 400cells/ml). Insulin prevented rapid cell death and/or promoted cell proliferation over two separate concentration ranges: down to nanomolar levels and again in the low pico- and femtomolar range. At an initial population density of 400cells/ml the cells multiplied at both concentration intervals. At 40 or fewer organisms/ml the cells multiplied in the high concentration interval, whereas in the low interval they survived for about four times longer than those in the control cultures. B22–B30 added to cultures of 40 initial cells/ml produced a stimulation of cell survival in the low pico- and high femtomolar range. In the presence of hemin (50nm ) cells at 400 initial organisms/ml multiplied at insulin concentrations down to about 3nm and again from 300am to 10pm . In some cases, hemin plus insulin activated cell proliferation between the two concentration intervals as well. At 40cells/ml the cells not only survived but proliferated in the femtomolar range. Cells in cultures supplemented with both hemin and B22–B30 multiplied at the low concentration interval (from about 100fm to 10pm ).     

INFLUENCE OF NON-TARGET MOLLUSCS ON THE GROWTH OF BIOMPHALARIA GLABRATA INFECTED WITH SCHISTOSOMA MANSONI: CORRELATION BETWEEN GROWTH AND CERCARIAL PRODUCTION

The presence of non-target molluscs (nine species tested) resultedin a significant enhancement of the growth of Biomphalaria glabratainfected with Schistosoma mansoni. A positive significant correlationwas found between the mean final shell diameter of B. glabrataand the total cercarial production of S. mansoni. Two hypotheseson the mechanisms implied in these interactions are proposed. (Received 6 October 1989; accepted 5 December 1989)     

BEHAVIOURAL RESPONSE TO SONG PLAYBACK BY MALE AND FEMALE WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS OF TWO SUBSPECIES

ABSTRACT

Nuttall's white-crowned sparrow Zonotrichia leucophrys nuttalli and the Puget Sound white-crowned sparrow Z. i. pugetensis intergrade through a zone of hybridization in northern California. The songs of the two differ in the sequence of syllable types and in the phonology of the complex syllables. We did a playback experiment to males of both subspecies in the field and to females of both subspecies in the laboratory to determine their response to the two subspecies songs. By making alterations of features of the songs, we also attempted to identify characteristics that account for subspecific recognition. Males of both subspecies were more responsive to their own subspecies song than to that of the other subspecies. Substitution of Puget Sound complex syllables into the Nuttall's song caused a reduction in response by male Nuttall's, but alteration of a Nuttall's song to a Puget Sound sequence of syllables had no effect. Females of both subspecies gave more sexual displays when played a song of their own subspecies than when played that of the other subspecies. Female Nuttall's gave an intermediate response when played Nuttall's songs with Puget Sound complex syllables or when played Nuttall's songs altered to a Puget Sound sequence. Puget Sound females did not discriminate between their own subspecies song and either of the altered stimulus songs separately. They did respond less to a song that combined both alterations than to their own subspecies song.     

Thermal phenotypic plasticity of body size in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Drosophila melanogaster</Emphasis>: sexual dimorphism and genetic correlations

Thirty isofemale lines collected in three different years from the same wild French population were grown at seven different temperatures (12–31°C). Two linear measures, wing and thorax length, were taken on 10 females and 10 males of each line at each temperature, also enabling the calculation of the wing/thorax (W/T) ratio, a shape index related to wing loading. Genetic correlations were calculated using family means. The W–T correlation was independent of temperature and on average, 0.75. For each line, characteristic values of the temperature reaction norm were calculated, i.e. maximum value, temperature of maximum value and curvature. Significant negative correlations were found between curvature and maximum value or temperature of maximum value. Sexual dimorphism was analysed by considering either the correlation between sexes or the female/male ratio. Female–male correlation was on average 0.75 at the within line, within temperature level but increased up to 0.90 when all temperatures were averaged for each line. The female/male ratio was genetically variable among lines but without any temperature effect. For the female/male ratio, heritability (intraclass correlation) was about 0.20 and evolvability (genetic coefficient of variation) close to 1. Although significant, these values are much less than for the traits themselves. Phenotypic plasticity of sexual dimorphism revealed very similar reaction norms for wing and thorax length, i.e. a monotonically increasing sigmoid curve from about 1.11 up to 1.17. This shows that the males are more sensitive to a thermal increase than females. In contrast, the W/T ratio was almost identical in both sexes, with only a very slight temperature effect.     

Effects of sample size,number of markers,and allelic richness on the detection of spatial genetic pattern

The influence of study design on the ability to detect the effects of landscape pattern on gene flow is one of the most pressing methodological gaps in landscape genetic research. To investigate the effect of study design on landscape genetics inference, we used a spatially‐explicit, individual‐based program to simulate gene flow in a spatially continuous population inhabiting a landscape with gradual spatial changes in resistance to movement. We simulated a wide range of combinations of number of loci, number of alleles per locus and number of individuals sampled from the population. We assessed how these three aspects of study design influenced the statistical power to successfully identify the generating process among competing hypotheses of isolation‐by‐distance, isolation‐by‐barrier, and isolation‐by‐landscape resistance using a causal modelling approach with partial Mantel tests. We modelled the statistical power to identify the generating process as a response surface for equilibrium and non‐equilibrium conditions after introduction of isolation‐by‐landscape resistance. All three variables (loci, alleles and sampled individuals) affect the power of causal modelling, but to different degrees. Stronger partial Mantel r correlations between landscape distances and genetic distances were found when more loci were used and when loci were more variable, which makes comparisons of effect size between studies difficult. Number of individuals did not affect the accuracy through mean equilibrium partial Mantel r, but larger samples decreased the uncertainty (increasing the precision) of equilibrium partial Mantel r estimates. We conclude that amplifying more (and more variable) loci is likely to increase the power of landscape genetic inferences more than increasing number of individuals.