Absence of population structure in black flies as revealed by enzyme electrophoresis
Analysis of allozyme variation by the FST-statistic in Simulium decorum and several other black fly species reveals very little genetic variation that could be attributed to genetic drift. This is consistent with what is known about the rates of migration of black flies and supports the idea that there is a lack of population subdivision in these insects. This picture of population structure is quite different from that presented by chromosome inversion polymorphisms. Chromosomal variation, however, can reasonably be attributed to selection and suggests that the role of inversions in black fly evolution is similar to population subdivision in the shifting balance process.Key words: black flies, allozymes, population structure, evolution.