Abstract
The mitochondrial DNA of species of land snails of the genus Partula from the Society Islands has been analysed by means of restriction enzymes to determine relationships within the genus. Seventeen variable restriction sites were mapped onto the 14.5 kb mtDNA. These sites are highly variable within species. In P. suturalis, those genotypes occurring within a population are usually separated by single-step changes, and the differences between populations are geographically coherent. There is no detectable association between the distribution of mitochondrial genotypes and the occurrence of dextral or sinistral populations, confirming that chirality does not constitute a genetic barrier in this species. P. taeniata also shows a coherent geographic pattern of genotype distribution within and between populations. The mitochondrial differences between morphologically similar populations in the northeast and northwest suggest that the similarity may be the result of convergence. Despite the regular patterns of distribution within species, some genotypes are widely shared among species. One pattern was found in four species on Moorea and two species on the neighbouring island of Tahiti. Shared genotypes may represent ancestral forms or they may have resulted from hybridization. However we believe that the most attractive hypothesis is that they are subject to selection. Studies of Partula demonstrate that the evolution of the morphological, electro-phoretic, and mitochondrial phenotypes occur at variable rates, independently of one another.
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