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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Analysis of the variability of Drosophila azteca and D. athabasca populations revealed by randomly amplified polymorphic DNA

subject

description

The disribution ranges of Drosophila azteca and D. athabasca overlap in northen California and southern Oregon. Seven populations, four of which are located in this area, were studied. Large random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) variation was found within species; nevertheless, more than half the primers used in the study yielded greater diofference between than within species. A nested analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) showed that the variance between populations within species was significantly greater than zero for 55% of the oligonucleotides used, which provided evidence for an underlying geographical structure of these populations. Specimens of D. azteca and D. athabasca from Salem (OR), where both species were collected together, presented the highest similarity encountered between species.