Microsatellite data reveals weak population substructuring in Copadichromis sp.'virginalis kajose', a demersal cichlid from Lake Malawi, Africa |
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Authors: | M. I. Taylor E. Verheyen |
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Affiliation: | Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Vautierstraat 29, Brussels 1000, Belgium |
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Abstract: | Small but significant differences were found in allele frequencies among five populations (overall F ST estimate (θ)=0·004, P=0·006; overall R ST estimate (RHO)=0·019, P <0·00001) of the demersal cichlid Copadichromis sp.'virginalis kajose', collected from five locations in Lake Malawi. Pairwise F ST estimates revealed significant differences between the most southerly population (Cape Maclear), and the three most northerly populations (Mbamba Bay, Metangula and Chilola). Pairwise R ST estimates also revealed significant differences between some populations, but no geographical pattern was discernible. There was no evidence of isolation by distance using either the shortest straight-line distance between samples, or the distance around the shoreline following a 50 m depth contour. F ST estimates were considerably lower than found in previous studies on the mbuna (rock-dwelling species), but higher than those found in a study of three pelagic cichlid species from Lake Malawi. Substructuring in C. sp.'virginalis kajose' appears to be on a similar scale to the Atlantic cod. |
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Keywords: | microsatellite DNA cichlid Lake Malawi Copadichromis population structure |
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