Genetic variation and differentiation at microsatellite loci in Drosophila simulans: evidence for founder effects in New World populations

Drosophila simulans isofemale lines from Africa, South America, and two locations in North America were surveyed for variation at 16 microsatellite loci on the X, second, and third chromosomes, and 18 microsatellites, which are unmapped. D. simulans is thought to have colonized New World habitats on...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Genetics (Austin) 1998-10, Vol.150 (2), p.777-790
Main Authors: Irvin, S.D. (Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.), Wetterstrand, K.A, Hutter, C.M, Aquadro, C.F
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
ALLELES
ALLOENZYMES
ALLOZYMES
Animal populations
Animals
CALIFORNIA
Drosophila - genetics
DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER
DROSOPHILA SIMULANS
ECUADOR
EVOLUTION
Female
FLORIDA
Founder Effect
GENES
GENETIC DIVERSITY
GENETIC VARIATION
Genetic Variation - genetics
Genetics
GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION
HETEROZYGOSITY
HETEROZYGOTES
Insects
LOCI
Microsatellite Repeats - genetics
MICROSATELLITES
ZIMBABWE
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Summary:Drosophila simulans isofemale lines from Africa, South America, and two locations in North America were surveyed for variation at 16 microsatellite loci on the X, second, and third chromosomes, and 18 microsatellites, which are unmapped. D. simulans is thought to have colonized New World habitats only relatively recently (within the last few hundred years). Consistent with a founder effect occurring as colonizers moved into these New World habitats, we find less microsatellite variability in North and South American D. simulans populations than for an African population. Population subdivision as measured at microsatellites is moderate when averaged across all loci (FST = 0.136), but contrasts sharply with previous studies of allozyme variation, which have showed significantly less differentiation in D. simulans than in D. melanogaster. There are substantially fewer private alleles observed in New World populations of D. simulans than seen in a similar survey of D. melanogaster. In addition to possible differences in population size during their evolutionary histories, varying colonization histories or other demographic events may be necessary to explain discrepancies in the patterns of variation observed at various genetic markers between these closely related species.
ISSN:0016-6731
1943-2631
1943-2631
DOI:10.1093/genetics/150.2.777