Nuclear Microsatellite Data Research Articles

Genetic continuity of brood‐parasitic indigobird species

Speciation in brood-parasitic indigobirds (genus Vidua) is a consequence of behavioural imprinting in both males and females. Mimicry of host song by males and host fidelity in female egg laying result in reproductive isolation of indigobirds associated with a given host species. Colonization of new hosts and subsequent speciation require that females occasionally lay eggs in the nests of novel hosts but the same behaviour may lead to hybridization when females parasitize hosts already associated with other indigobird species. Thus, retained ancestral polymorphism and ongoing hybridization are two alternative explanations for the limited genetic differentiation among indigobird species. We tested for genetic continuity of indigobird species using mitochondrial sequences and nuclear microsatellite data. Within West Africa and southern Africa, allopatric populations of the same species are generally more similar to each other than to sympatric populations of different species. Likewise, a larger proportion of genetic variation is explained by differences between species than by differences between locations in alternative hierarchical AMOVAS, suggesting that the rate of hybridization is not high enough to homogenize sympatric populations of different species or prevent genetic differentiation between species. Broad sharing of genetic polymorphisms among species, however, suggests that some indigobird species trace to multiple host colonization events in space and time, each contributing to the formation of a single interbreeding population bound together by songs acquired from the host species.

MORPHOLOGICAL AND MOLECULAR ANALYSIS OF A CONTACT ZONE IN THE NEOTOMA FUSCIPES SPECIES COMPLEX

Abstract Neotoma fuscipes, the dusky-footed wood rat, is a morphologically diverse taxon with recognized intraspecific subdivisions that are based on both quantitative and qualitative morphology. Although there is substantial morphological variation within this taxon, intergradation among the various forms has been observed by previous workers. A recent survey of mitochondrial DNA revealed a high degree of molecular divergence within the taxon. Here, morphological, mitochondrial sequence, and nuclear microsatellite data are examined in a contact zone between 2 reciprocally monophyletic mitochondrial clades. On the basis of concordance of qualitative cranial, glans penes, and molecular characters, the 2 units appear to be genetically isolated from one another, leading to the elevation of N. macrotis to a species separate from N. fuscipes.

Assessing allelic dropout and genotype reliability using maximum likelihood.

A growing number of population genetic studies utilize nuclear DNA microsatellite data from museum specimens and noninvasive sources. Genotyping errors are elevated in these low quantity DNA sources, potentially compromising the power and accuracy of the data. The most conservative method for addressing this problem is effective, but requires extensive replication of individual genotypes. In search of a more efficient method, we developed a maximum-likelihood approach that minimizes errors by estimating genotype reliability and strategically directing replication at loci most likely to harbor errors. The model assumes that false and contaminant alleles can be removed from the dataset and that the allelic dropout rate is even across loci. Simulations demonstrate that the proposed method marks a vast improvement in efficiency while maintaining accuracy. When allelic dropout rates are low (0-30%), the reduction in the number of PCR replicates is typically 40-50%. The model is robust to moderate violations of the even dropout rate assumption. For datasets that contain false and contaminant alleles, a replication strategy is proposed. Our current model addresses only allelic dropout, the most prevalent source of genotyping error. However, the developed likelihood framework can incorporate additional error-generating processes as they become more clearly understood.

Estimating the probability of identity among genotypes in natural populations: cautions and guidelines

Individual identification using DNA fingerprinting methods is emerging as a critical tool in conservation genetics and molecular ecology. Statistical methods that estimate the probability of sampling identical genotypes using theoretical equations generally assume random associations between alleles within and among loci. These calculations are probably inaccurate for many animal and plant populations due to population substructure. We evaluated the accuracy of a probability of identity (P(ID)) estimation by comparing the observed and expected P(ID), using large nuclear DNA microsatellite data sets from three endangered species: the grey wolf (Canis lupus), the brown bear (Ursus arctos), and the Australian northern hairy-nosed wombat (Lasiorinyus krefftii). The theoretical estimates of P(ID) were consistently lower than the observed P(ID), and can differ by as much as three orders of magnitude. To help researchers and managers avoid potential problems associated with this bias, we introduce an equation for P(ID) between sibs. This equation provides an estimator that can be used as a conservative upper bound for the probability of observing identical multilocus genotypes between two individuals sampled from a population. We suggest computing the actual observed P(ID) when possible and give general guidelines for the number of codominant and dominant marker loci required to achieve a reasonably low P(ID) (e.g. 0.01-0.0001).

Cryptic genetic variation and paraphyly in ravens.

Widespread species that are morphologically uniform may be likely to harbour cryptic genetic variation. Common ravens (Corvus corax) have an extensive range covering nearly the entire Northern Hemisphere, but show little discrete phenotypic variation. We obtained tissue samples from throughout much of this range and collected mitochondrial sequence and nuclear microsatellite data. Our study revealed a deep genetic break between ravens from the western United States and ravens from throughout the rest of the world. These two groups, the 'California clade' and the 'Holarctic clade' are well supported and over 4% divergent in mitochondrial coding sequence. Microsatellites also reveal significant differentiation between these two groups. Ravens from Minnesota, Maine and Alaska are more similar to ravens from Asia and Europe than they are to ravens from California. The two clades come in contact over a huge area of the western United States, with mixtures of the two mitochondrial groups present in Washington, Idaho and California. In addition, the restricted range Chihuahuan raven (Corvus cryptoleucus) of the south-west United States and Mexico is genetically nested within the paraphyletic common raven. Our findings suggest that the common raven may have formerly consisted of two allopatric groups that may be in the process of remerging.

Genetic structure of harbour porpoise Phocoena phocoena populations in the northwest Atlantic based on mitochondrial and nuclear markers.

The harbour porpoise, Phocoena phocoena, experiences high levels of nonnatural mortality owing to interactions with commercial fisheries throughout its range. To accurately evaluate the significance of this bycatch, information on population structure is required. We have examined the population structure of this species in the northwest Atlantic Ocean using mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence and nuclear microsatellite data. Samples from four previously proposed summer breeding populations--the Gulf of Maine, eastern Newfoundland, the Gulf of St Lawrence and West Greenland--were analysed. Control-region sequences revealed a significant partitioning of genetic variation among most of these summer populations, indicating that northwest Atlantic harbour porpoises should not be considered one panmictic population. Analysis of females alone yielded the highest levels of population subdivision, suggesting that females are more philopatric than males. At least three management units may be defined for harbour porpoises in the northwest Atlantic based on these data. Analysis of six microsatellite loci failed to detect significant population subdivision. Male-mediated gene flow may maintain homogeneity among nuclear loci, while female philopatry is sufficient to produce a signal of population subdivision in the maternally inherited mtDNA genome. mtDNA analyses also indicate that winter aggregations of harbour porpoises along the US mid-Atlantic states comprise animals from more than one summer breeding population.