scholarly journals Genetic Structure of Sympatric Sexually and Parthenogenetically Reproducing Population of Chara canescens (Charophyta)

ISRN Ecology ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ralf Schaible ◽  
Ingo Bergmann ◽  
Hendrik Schubert
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Structure ◽  
Population Genetic ◽  
Genotypic Variation ◽  
Clonal Diversity ◽  
Female Offspring ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Assignment Method ◽  
Nuclear Species ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Bayesian Assignment

Individuals that reproduce parthenogenetically do not have to produce males and can therefore produce twice as many female offspring. With this twofold reproduction advantage of asexual reproduction, the question of how sex persists in the short term remains unresolved. In the dioecious charophyte Chara canescens, both parthenogenetically reproducing females and sexually reproducing females and males occur sympatrically at only one site in Europe: Neusiedler See-Seewinkel (Austria). By means of four nuclear species-specific microsatellite loci, we examined the interaction between coexisting sexuals and parthenogens by analysing the population structure and gene flow between both reproduction systems. Using a Bayesian assignment method, we found that the sites encompassed two genetically distinct clusters of individuals. The first cluster included genotypes of sexual individuals, which are genetically distinct from a second cluster which included parthenogenetic individuals and few sexually reproducing males, which are genetically identical to the parthenogenetic individuals. However, an analysis of the population genetic structure found no differences with respect to genotypic variation, clonal diversity, and population differentiation between the sympatric parthenogenetically and the sexually reproducing populations. The results indicated that the parthenogenetic individuals cannot outcompete the sexually reproducing individuals.

Population Genetic Structure and Breeding Pattern of Higher Group Termite Globitermes sulphureus (Haviland) (Blattodea:Termitidae)

Sociobiology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nur Aizatul Nathasha Khizam ◽  
Abdul Hafiz Ab Majid
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Structure ◽  
Population Genetic Structure ◽  
Population Genetic ◽  
National Park ◽  
Geographical Location ◽  
Fixation Index ◽  
Tropical Regions ◽  
Mixed Family ◽  
Hardy Weinberg Equilibrium ◽  
Species Specific

The subterranean termite Globitermes sulphureus (Blattodea: Termitidae) can be found in tropical regions. We chose seven novel species-specific microsatellite markers to infer the breeding pattern of G. sulphureus based on its colony and population genetic structure in eight selected populations (natural-n = 4 and metropolitan-n = 4) in Kedah and Penang, Malaysia. A strong correlation with their geographical location is shown by the acquired genetic gap for all studied populations from this study. The breeding pattern of family structure and comparisons of estimated F-statistics among G. sulphureus workers suggests 60% of all colonies are mixed families, whereas the remaining are simple families. Average relatedness values within simple and mixed family colonies are similar (r = 0.121). Positive fixation index FST values (FST = 0.086) indicate all eight populations (>500 m apart) have a significantly moderate genetic differentiation and low levels of inbreeding based on the low overall inbreeding coefficient FIT value of 0.391. Furthermore, four populations; Palapes USM (PU), Tmn Astana (TA), Kg Teluk (KT), and Penang National Park (NP), deviate from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium (HWE, all p = 0.000) and five studied polymorphic loci (GS1, GS10, GS15, GS27 and GS29) are possibly under selection. The findings also reveal signs of a bottleneck effect in two populations: Tikam Batu (TB) and Penang National Park (NP), indicating genetic drift.

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