Clines in the colour polymorphism of Philaenus spumarius in Eastern Central Europe

Summary Populations of Philaenus spumarius (Homoptera) have been investigated in the Baltic States of the USSR, in Czechoslovakia and in Hungary. Colour morph frequencies in these highly polymorphic populations are compared with those reported earlier from northern Italy. Gradual changes in allele f...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Heredity 1975-12, Vol.35 (3), p.303-309
Main Authors: Halkka, O, Raatikainen, M, Vilbaste, J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alleles
Animals
Baltic States
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Biomedicine
Climate
Cytogenetics
Czechoslovakia
Ecology
Evolutionary Biology
Gene Frequency
Human Genetics
Hungary
Insecta - physiology
Italy
original-article
Pigmentation
Plant Genetics and Genomics
Polymorphism, Genetic
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Summary:Summary Populations of Philaenus spumarius (Homoptera) have been investigated in the Baltic States of the USSR, in Czechoslovakia and in Hungary. Colour morph frequencies in these highly polymorphic populations are compared with those reported earlier from northern Italy. Gradual changes in allele frequencies (clines) transect the study area, which lies in the most central part of the range of Philaenus in Europe. From north to south the allele p M increases, but p o decreases, in frequency. In their distribution, some of the other alleles also showed regional gradients. The possibility that visual selection varies regionally is dismissed on indirect grounds. Gradients in climatic severity, or in other environmental variables changing concomitantly with climate, are regarded as the primary cause of the observed clines and other differences between regions.
ISSN:0018-067X
1365-2540
DOI:10.1038/hdy.1975.101