scholarly journals Geographic structure of genetic variation in the widespread woodland grass Milium effusum L. A comparison between two regions with contrasting history and geomorphology

Genome ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 45 (6) ◽  
pp. 1248-1256 ◽  
Author(s):  
Torbjörn Tyler

Allozyme variation in the forest grass Milium effusum L. was studied in 21–23 populations within each of two equally sized densely sampled areas in northern and southern Sweden. In addition, 25 populations from other parts of Eurasia were studied for comparison. The structure of variation was analysed with both diversity statistics and measures based on allelic richness at a standardised sample size. The species was found to be highly variable, but no clear geographic patterns in the distribution of alleles or in overall genetic differentiation were found, either within the two regions or within the whole sample. Thus, no inferences about the direction of postglacial migration could be made. Obviously, migration and gene flow must have taken place in a manner capable of randomising the distribution of alleles. However, there were clear differences in levels and structuring of the variation between the two regions. Levels of variation, both in terms of genetic diversity and allelic richness, were lower in northern Sweden as compared with southern Sweden. In contrast, different measures of geographic structure all showed higher levels of population differentiation in the northern region. This is interpreted as due to different geomorphological conditions in the two regions, creating a relatively continuous habitat and gene flow in the southern region as compared with the northern region where the species, although common, is confined to narrow and mutually isolated corridors in the landscape.Key words: Milium effusum, allozymes, geographic differentiation, population fragmentation, allelic richness.

1997 ◽  
Vol 75 (11) ◽  
pp. 1868-1886 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helena Runyeon ◽  
Honor C. Prentice

Seed morphology (testa ornamentation and seed shape) and allozyme variation were investigated in three closely related and partially sympatric taxa of Silene in the Nordic region. Within this region, Silene vulgaris is a widespread weed of anthropogenic habitats. The two subspecies of Silene uniflora are restricted to naturally open habitats; ssp. uniflora has a coastal distribution, whereas the Swedish endemic, ssp. petraea, is restricted to limestone habitats on the islands of Öland and Gotland. All three taxa show a seed ornamentation polymorphism, with individuals producing either tubercled or smooth ("armadillo") seeds. Both seed morphology and allozymes show a separation between the two species Silene vulgaris and Silene uniflora and support the present taxonomic treatment of the endemic "petraea" as a subspecies of Silene uniflora. Tubercled seeds predominate in Silene vulgaris and armadillo seeds predominate in Silene uniflora. However, there is considerable between-population variation in seed morph frequencies within taxa. In contrast to the other two taxa, populations of Silene uniflora ssp. petraea consistently show intermediate frequencies of both seed morphs. Silene uniflora ssp. petraea has the lowest between-population component of diversity in both seed shape (18–46%) and allozymes (0.8%) and shows no significant geographic structure in any of the character sets. Both Silene uniflora ssp. uniflora and Silene vulgaris show significant geographic differentiation in allozymes and seed morphology. The highest between-population component of diversity was found in Silene uniflora ssp. uniflora, where 17% of the total allozyme diversity and 39–82% of the seed shape diversity are accounted for by differences between populations. Key words: allozymes, geographic differentiation, diversity, seed shape, elliptic Fourier coefficients, Landmark characters.


Author(s):  
Richard Frankham ◽  
Jonathan D. Ballou ◽  
Katherine Ralls ◽  
Mark D. B. Eldridge ◽  
Michele R. Dudash ◽  
...  

Most species now have fragmented distributions, often with adverse genetic consequences. The genetic impacts of population fragmentation depend critically upon gene flow among fragments and their effective sizes. Fragmentation with cessation of gene flow is highly harmful in the long term, leading to greater inbreeding, increased loss of genetic diversity, decreased likelihood of evolutionary adaptation and elevated extinction risk, when compared to a single population of the same total size. The consequences of fragmentation with limited gene flow typically lie between those for a large population with random mating and isolated population fragments with no gene flow.


2009 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 519-525 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chang-Yi Xie ◽  
Cheng C. Ying ◽  
Alvin D. Yanchuk ◽  
Diane L. Holowachuk

Genetic differentiation of black cottonwood ( Populus balsamifera subsp. trichocarpa (Torr. & A. Gray ex Hook) Brayshaw) across a “no-cottonwood” belt on the coast of central British Columbia (BC), Canada, was examined using data on 3 year height, severity of infection by Valsa sordida Nitschke and Melampsora occidentalis H. Jacks., and abnormality of leaf flushing. The data were collected in a common-garden test consisting of 180 provenances of 36 drainages ranging from northern BC to Oregon, USA. The results demonstrated an ecotypic mode, north–south regional differentiation. Valsa sordida and M. occidentalis infected 41% and 89%, respectively, of the trees from the northern region, while 66% showed flushing abnormality. In contrast, only 1% and 27% of their southern counterparts were infected by the same diseases, and 1% had abnormal flushing. Trees from the northern region averaged 87% shorter than those from the south. Regional differentiation accounted for the highest amount of variation observed in all traits, with 60% in 3 year height, 34% in V. sordida, 76% in M. occidentalis, and 50% in abnormal leaf flushing. Regression analysis revealed geographic patterns that essentially reflected regional differentiation along the no-cottonwood belt. The species’ distribution biography, ecological characteristics, and life history suggest that restricted gene migration was the main factor responsible for the observed geographic patterns of genetic differentiation.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arjun Biddanda ◽  
Daniel P. Rice ◽  
John Novembre

AbstractA key challenge in human genetics is to describe and understand the distribution of human genetic variation. Often genetic variation is described by showing relationships among populations or individuals, in each case drawing inferences over a large number of variants. Here, we present an alternative representation of human genetic variation that reveals the relative abundance of different allele frequency patterns across populations. This approach allows viewers to easily see several features of human genetic structure: (1) most variants are rare and geographically localized, (2) variants that are common in a single geographic region are more likely to be shared across the globe than to be private to that region, and (3) where two individuals differ, it is most often due to variants that are common globally, regardless of whether the individuals are from the same region or different regions. To guide interpretation of the results, we also apply the visualization to contrasting theoretical scenarios with varying levels of divergence and gene flow. Our variant-centric visualization clarifies the major geographic patterns of human variation and can be used to help correct potential misconceptions about the extent and nature of genetic differentiation among populations.


1996 ◽  
Vol 74 (2) ◽  
pp. 222-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher T. Cole ◽  
Martin I. Voskuil

Allozyme variation in 11 Minnesota populations of Lemna minor L. was studied, using 11 enzyme systems, resolving 16 putative loci from 285 plants. Significant deviations from Hardy–Weinberg frequencies occurred in several populations that had excesses of heterozygotes at several loci. While genotypic diversity and evenness measures are similar to other vegetatively reproducing plants (D = 0.541, E = 0.607), very few multilocus genotypes per population were found (mean = 4.0). Substantial population structure was evident (FST = 0.407), apparently reflecting low levels of gene flow (Nm = 0.30) despite the capacity of this species for dispersal of plantlets. This low level of gene flow and apparent low frequency of sexual reproduction has produced substantial levels of genetic divergence among populations, despite an absence of morphological differentiation. Keywords: allozymes, genetic structure, hydrophily, Lemna, vegetative dispersal, vegetative reproduction.


2017 ◽  
Vol 95 (6) ◽  
pp. 443-451 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeff Bowman ◽  
Kaela Beauclerc ◽  
A. Hossain Farid ◽  
Heather Fenton ◽  
Cornelya F.C. Klütsch ◽  
...  

Farmed American mink (Neovison vison (Schreber, 1777)) pose a risk to biodiversity owing to escape and release from farms. Feral mink may affect native species in locations where American mink are not endemic, such as Europe. In contrast, escaping domestic mink may hybridize with wild mink in North America, leading to introgression of domestic traits via hybrid-mediated gene flow. We tested this idea in eastern Canada, which has a history of mink farming. We sampled known domestic and free-ranging mink, and profiled 508 individuals at 15 microsatellite loci. We found that 33% of free-ranging mink were either escaped domestic individuals, domestic–wild hybrids, or were introgressed to domestic or wild parental groups. The greatest prevalence of free-ranging domestic, hybrid, or introgressed mink (59%) occurred in Nova Scotia, which also had the most mink farms. Historic (1980s or earlier) mink sampled from museums had higher allelic richness and private allelic richness than contemporary wild mink. Domestic mink are artificially selected for traits desired by farmers, and as such, introgression with wild mink may lead to a loss of local adaptation. Our findings demonstrate that continued escape and release of mink could pose risks to the maintenance of genetic integrity in wild mink.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
María Eugenia Barrandeguy ◽  
María Victoria García

Genetic diversity comprises the total of genetic variability contained in a population and it represents the fundamental component of changes since it determines the microevolutionary potential of populations. There are several measures for quantifying the genetic diversity, most notably measures based on heterozygosity and measures based on allelic richness, i.e. the expected number of alleles in populations of same size. These measures differ in their theoretical background and, in consequence, they differ in their ecological and evolutionary interpretations. Therefore, in the present chapter these measures of genetic diversity were jointly analyzed, highlighting the changes expected as consequence of gene flow and genetic drift. To develop this analysis, computational simulations of extreme scenarios combining changes in the levels of gene flow and population size were performed.


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