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Abstract
Among terrestrial arthropods, the dragonfly species Pantala flavescens is remarkable due to their nearly global distribution and extensive migratory ranges; the largest of any known insect. Capable of migrating across oceans, the potential for high rates of gene flow among geographically distant populations is significant. It has been hypothesized that P. flavescens may be a global panmictic population but no sufficient genetic evidence has been collected thus far. Through a population genetic analysis of P. flavescens samples from North America, South America, and Asia, the current study aimed to examine the extent at which gene flow is occurring on a global scale and discusses the implications of the genetic patterns we uncovered on population structure and genetic diversity of the species. This was accomplished using PCR-amplified cytochrome oxidase one (CO1) mitochondrial DNA data to reconstruct phylogenetic trees, a haplotype network, and perform molecular variance analyses. Our results suggested high rates of gene flow are occurring among all included geographic regions; providing the first significant evidence that Pantala flavescens should be considered a global panmictic population.
Highlights
Populations vary greatly in size, range, and the movement of its individuals
In this study we aim to address these questions through a population genetic analysis using mitochondrial DNA data of geographically distinct populations of P. flavescens from North America, South America, and Asia (Fig 1)
A Global Population Genetic Study of Pantala flavescens over several decades [7,14,23]; yet this theory has not been adequately investigated far, and we have little genetic evidence for members of this genus
Summary
Populations vary greatly in size, range, and the movement of its individuals. The scale and timing of species movements, or migrations, are a key component in determining how populations are structured and the degree to which that structure is maintained [1]. Ecological, genetic, and evolutionary implications can be tied to the dispersal-timing and -capabilities of a species with the most profound impacts occurring at a population level [1]. The rate at which individuals are exchanged among geographically distant populations, linked through dispersal, is perhaps the most important factor when it comes to examining the overall impact that migrations have on a population level. Due to large or connected ranges, and/or high dispersal capabilities, populations are effectively one large grouping of individuals, with random mating occurring freely; this has been found in, for example, moose [2,3,4].
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