Search results for "VARIATION"
showing 10 items of 2124 documents
Highly asymmetric fine-scale genetic structure between sexes of African striped mice and indication for condition dependent alternative male dispersa…
2011
Sex-biased dispersal is observed in many taxa, but few studies have compared sex-biased dispersal among and within populations. We addressed the magnitude and habitat dependency of sex-biased dispersal in social African striped mice by separating group-related from population-related genetic variance to understand the contribution of each sex to deme structure. As dispersal over unoccupied habitat is likely to be more costly than dispersal within a population, we predicted that individuals leaving the natal population have a lower body condition, being inferior to heavier territorial individuals. Fine-scale genetic structure was detected in both sexes. Female relatedness decreased continuou…
Why are defensive toxins so variable? An evolutionary perspective
2012
Defensive toxins are widely used by animals, plants and micro-organisms to deter natural enemies. An important characteristic of such defences is diversity both in the quantity of toxins and the profile of specific defensive chemicals present. Here we evaluate evolutionary and ecological explanations for the persistence of toxin diversity within prey populations, drawing together a range of explanations from the literature, and adding new hypotheses. We consider toxin diversity in three ways: (1) the absence of toxicity in a proportion of individuals in an otherwise toxic prey population (automimicry); (2) broad variation in quantities of toxin within individuals in the same population; (3)…
Sex and population variation in ultraviolet reflectance of colour patches in Gallotia galloti (Fam. Lacertidae) from Tenerife (Canary Islands)
2005
Sex and population differences in the ultraviolet (UV) reflectance patterns of two phenotypically divergent lacertids from Tenerife, Gallotia galloti eisentrauti and G. g. galloti, are described. Adults in both populations have rows of lateral and ventro-lateral blue patches on either side of the trunk that show a single peak of reflectance in the near UV. The lateral patches of males are more intensely reflective than those of females, but females have more chromatic and UV-shifted lateral patches than males. Most G. g. eisentrauti and some G. g. galloti also have blue cheek patches on either side of the gular area. Male cheek patches have reflectance peaks in the near UV, whereas those of…
The voyage of an invasive species across continents: genetic diversity of North American and European Colorado potato beetle populations
2005
The paradox of successful invading species is that they are likely to be genetically depauperate compared to their source population. This study on Colorado potato beetles is one of the few studies of the genetic consequences of continent-scale invasion in an insect pest. Understanding gene flow, population structure and the potential for rapid evolution in native and invasive populations offers insights both into the dynamics of small populations that become successful invaders and for their management as pests. We used this approach to investigate the invasion of the Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata) from North America to Europe. The beetles invaded Europe at the beginnin…
Population structure of a parasitic plant and its perennial host
2002
Characterization of host and parasite population genetic structure and estimation of gene flow among populations are essential for the understanding of parasite local adaptation and coevolutionary interactions between hosts and parasites. We examined two aspects of population structure in a parasitic plant, the greater dodder (Cuscuta europaea) and its host plant, the stinging nettle (Urtica dioica), using allozyme data from 12 host and eight parasite populations. First, we examined whether hosts exposed to parasitism in the past contain higher levels of genetic variation. Second, we examined whether host and parasite populations differ in terms of population structure and if their populati…
Analysis of gene flow and habitat patch network for Chazara briseis (Lepidoptera: Satyridae) in an agricultural landscape
1997
Abstract A fine geographic-scale population genetic structure analysis was performed for the endangered butterfly species Chazara briseis in the region of Halle an der Saale, Germany, for the investigation of gene flow and possible effects of habitat fragmentation on genetic variability. Patterns of genetic variance were estimated by allozyme electrophoresis and quantified with F -statistics. Levels of genetic variation were high, expected heterozygosity H e = 0.20, and mean number of alleles per locus, A = 1.93, indicating large population sizes. Butterflies inhabiting the study area probably constituted just one population and the fragmented nature of the habitat patches did not substanti…
Genetic differentiation and structure of Hippocrepis valentina (Leguminosae) populations
2000
We present an analysis of isozyme variability in natural populations of the plant species Hippocrepis valentina (Leguminosae), which is endemic to the eastern Mediterranean coast of Spain and currently has endangered species status. Our results, obtained by starch-gel electrophoresis of 15 loci, show normal levels of variability for species with similar biology. The comparison with the patterns of genetic variability of two closely related species, H. balearica and H. grosii, confirms the taxonomic status of H. valentina as a proper species, independent of H. balearica, as previously suggested. The analysis of population subdivision shows that substantial variation among populations is pres…
Allozyme variation in populations of scallops, Pecten jacobaeus (L.) and P. maximus (L.) (Bivalvia: Pectinidae), across the Almeria–Oran front
2002
Abstract The scallops Pecten jacobaeus and P. maximus have been traditionally considered as different species which shared a common ancestor some 5 Ma ago. This view has been challenged by recent reports of genetic distances based on allozymes and mitochondrial DNA which are incompatible with such a long period of isolation and are more typical of conspecific populations. To explain the slight allozyme differentiation opposed to a clear morphological distinctiveness, two main hypotheses have been proposed. One hypothesis views interpopulation allozyme differentiation as an outcome of simple population genetic processes such isolation by distance. The other considers that the intertaxa alloz…
RAPD evidence for a sister group relationship of the presumed progenitor-derivative species pairSenecio nebrodensis andS. viscosus (Asteraceae)
1998
The phylogenetic and phenetic analysis of 109 RAPD polymorphisms inS. nebrodensis, a perennial and self-incompatible endemic of four mountain ranges in Spain, andS. viscosus, a self-compatible annual widespread in Europe, as well asS. lividus, S. sylvaticus andS. vulgaris revealed a sister group relationship between the first two species. This result contrasts sharply with the earlier hypothesis based on isozyme variation thatS. viscosus originated from within a paraphyleticS. nebrodensis and that the two species represent a progenitor-derivative pair. After considering possible reasons for the sister group relationship found, including the possibility of rooting artefacts, it is concluded …
The significance of relatedness and gene flow on population genetic structure in the subsocial spider Eresus cinnaberinus (Araneae: Eresidae)
1998
Interdemic selection, inbreeding and highly structured populations have been invoked to explain the evolution of cooperative social behaviour in the otherwise solitary and cannibalistic spiders. The family Eresidae consists of species ranging from solitary and intermediate subsocial to species exhibiting fully cooperative social behaviour. In this study we, in a hierarchical analysis, investigated relatedness of putative family clusters, inbreeding and population genetic structure of the subsocial spider Eresus cinnaberinus. Five hierarchical levels of investigation ranging from large scale genetic structure (distances of 250 and 50 km level 1 and 2) over microgeographic structure (20 km 2 …