Increased genetic diversity in mitochondrial genes is correlated with the evolution of parasitism in the Hymenoptera |
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Authors: | Mark Dowton Andrew D. Austin |
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Affiliation: | (1) Department of Crop Protection, Waite Campus, The University of Adelaide, 5064 Glen Osmond, S.A., Australia;(2) Present address: Department of Biology, The University of Wollongong, 2500 Wollongong, N.S.W., Australia |
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Abstract: | A higher AT content and rate of mtDNA sequence divergence was found in parasitic wasps (Apocrita) compared with nonparasitic wasps (Symphyta). The compositional bias was reflected in extreme codon bias for a cytochrome oxidase I protein coding gene fragment as well as in the types of amino acid substitutions that have occurred during the evolution of this gene fragment. In some instances, compositional bias influenced the definition of a conservative amino acid change. The increased rate of mtDNA sequence evolution probably arose during the early Jurassic, coincident with the first appearance of parasitic wasps in the fossil record. Our results suggest a causal link between the rate of sequence divergence and the parasitic lifestyle.Abbreviations AT adenosine-thymine - CO-1 cytochrome oxidase 1 - mtDNA mitochondrial DNA - Myr million yearsCorrespondence to: M. Dowton |
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Keywords: | Genetic distance Parasitism Genetic diversity Cytochrome oxidase I 16S rRNA |
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