scholarly journals An integrated model of population genetics and community ecology

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isaac Overcast ◽  
Brent C. Emerson ◽  
Michael J. Hickerson
Keyword(s):  
Population Genetics ◽  
Genetic Variation ◽  
Community Assembly ◽  
Genetic Data ◽  
Community Level ◽  
Parameter Estimates ◽  
Assembly Process ◽  
Abundance Distribution ◽  
Comparative Phylogeography ◽  
Mtdna Sequence

AbstractAimQuantifying abundance distributions is critical for understanding both how communities assemble, and how community structure varies through time and space, yet estimating abundances requires considerable investment in field work. Community-level population genetic data potentially offer a powerful way to indirectly infer richness, abundance, and the history of accumulation of biodiversity within a community. Here we introduce a joint model linking neutral community assembly and comparative phylogeography to generate both community-level richness, abundance and genetic variation under a neutral model, capturing both equilibrium and non-equilibrium dynamics.LocationGlobal.MethodsOur model combines a forward-time individual-based community assembly process with a rescaled backward-time neutral coalescent model of multi-taxa population genetics. We explore general dynamics of genetic and abundance-based summary statistics and use approximate Bayesian computation (ABC) to estimate parameters underlying the model of island community assembly. Finally, we demonstrate two applications of the model using community-scale mtDNA sequence data and densely sampled abundances of an arachnid community on La Réunion. First, we use genetic data alone to estimate a summary of the abundance distribution, ground-truthing this against the observed abundances. Then we jointly use the observed genetic data and abundances to estimate the proximity of the community to equilibrium.ResultsSimulation experiments of our ABC procedure demonstrate that coupling abundance with genetic data leads to improved accuracy and precision of model parameter estimates compared with using abundance-only data. We further demonstrate reasonable precision and accuracy in estimating a metric underlying the shape of the abundance distribution, temporal progress toward local equilibrium, and several key parameters of the community assembly process. For the insular arachnid assemblage, we find the joint distribution of genetic diversity and abundance approaches equilibrium expectations, and that the Shannon entropy of the observed abundances can be estimated using genetic data alone.Main ConclusionsThe framework that we present unifies neutral community assembly and comparative phylogeography to characterize the community-level distribution of both abundance and genetic variation through time, providing a resource that should greatly enhance understanding of both the processes structuring ecological communities and the associated aggregate demographic histories.

scholarly journals Spatial Population Genetics: It's About Time

2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 427-449 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gideon S. Bradburd ◽  
Peter L. Ralph
Keyword(s):  
Population Genetics ◽  
Genetic Variation ◽  
Evolutionary Process ◽  
Genetic Data ◽  
Space And Time ◽  
Spatial Population ◽  
Alive Today

Many important questions about the history and dynamics of organisms have a geographical component: How many are there, and where do they live? How do they move and interbreed across the landscape? How were they moving a thousand years ago, and where were the ancestors of a particular individual alive today? Answers to these questions can have profound consequences for our understanding of history, ecology, and the evolutionary process. In this review, we discuss how geographic aspects of the distribution, movement, and reproduction of organisms are reflected in their pedigree across space and time. Because the structure of the pedigree is what determines patterns of relatedness in modern genetic variation, our aim is to thus provide intuition for how these processes leave an imprint in genetic data. We also highlight some current methods and gaps in the statistical toolbox of spatial population genetics.

scholarly journals THE EVOLUTION OF SELECTIVELY SIMILAR ELECTRO-PHORETICALLY DETECTABLE ALLELES IN FINITE NATURAL POPULATIONS

Genetics ◽  
1975 ◽  
Vol 80 (2) ◽  
pp. 375-394
Author(s):  
C F Wehrhahn
Keyword(s):  
Population Genetics ◽  
Genetic Variation ◽  
Generating Functions ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Net Charge ◽  
Electrophoretic Variants ◽  
Allelic State ◽  
Competing Hypotheses ◽  
State Difference ◽  
General Method

Abstract Most of the models of population genetics are not realistic when applied to data on electrophoretic variants of proteins because the same net charge may result from any of several amino acid combinations. In the absence of realistic models they have, however, been widely used to test competing hypotheses about the origin and maintenance of genetic variation in populations. In this paper I present a general method for determining probability generating functions for electrophoretic state differences. Then I use the method to find allelic state difference distributions for selectively similar electrophoretically detectable alleles in finite natural populations. Predicted patterns of genetic variation, both within and among species, are in reasonable accord with those found in the Drosophila willistoni group by Ayala et al. (1972) and by Ayala and Tracey (1974).

scholarly journals Speciation in the Cladophorales species flock of ancient Lake Baikal

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Sergio Diaz Martinez
Keyword(s):  
Population Genetics ◽  
Genetic Variation ◽  
Reproductive Isolation ◽  
Lake Baikal ◽  
Species Delimitation ◽  
Sympatric Speciation ◽  
Species Flock ◽  
Ancient Lake ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Dispersal Abilities

<p>Understanding speciation is one of the great challenges in evolutionary biology as many of the processes involved in speciation, as well as the forces leading to morphological and genetic differentiation, are not fully understood. Three main modes of speciation have been described: allopatric, parapatric and sympatric. Sympatric speciation is the most enigmatic mode because in the absence of physical barriers, disruptive selection, assortative mating and hybridization play central roles in reproductive isolation. Although it is accepted that sympatric speciation is possible, only a few examples of this process exist to date. Another common method of speciation in plants and algae is via polyploidization. Recently, a promising system to study speciation in sympatry was discovered: the endemic Cladophorales species flock in ancient Lake Baikal, Russia. The flock consists of sixteen taxa grouped in four genera: Chaetocladiella, Chaetomorpha, Cladophora and Gemmiphora. In spite of their morphological diversity, recent molecular analyses have shown that this is a monophyletic group with low genetic variation and nested within the morphologically simple genus Rhizoclonium. Due to their high number of species, endemism and sympatric distribution, many interesting questions have arisen such as what processes are involved in speciation, and whether this group might be a novel example of sympatric speciation. In this study, we analysed the population genetics of the endemic Baikalian Cladophorales to infer the processes shaping the evolution of the group. First, a set of microsatellites was designed using high-throughput sequencing data. Second, species delimitation methods based on genetic clustering were performed. Third, the population genetics of three widely distributed species was analysed looking for evidence of panmixia, a common criteria to support sympatric speciation. A total of 11 microsatellites that mostly cross-amplify between most species were obtained. The genotyping revealed that most loci had more than two alleles per individual indicating polyploidy. As such, the analyses required a different approach which consisted in coding the genotypes as ‘allelic phenotypes’, allowing the use of individuals of different ploidy levels in the same data set. The species delimitation of 15 operative morphotaxa and 727 individuals supported reproductive isolation of five morphotaxa and two hypotheses of conspecificity. However, some morphotaxa showed unclear assignments revealing the need of further research to clarify their reproductive limits. Finally, the population genetics of Chaetomorpha moniliformis, Cladophora compacta and Cl. kursanovii revealed patterns of genetic variation and structure that suggest different reproductive strategies and dispersal abilities. This demonstrates that contrasting biological characteristics may arise in closely related lineages: Chaetomorpha moniliformis with dominant asexual reproduction and long dispersal abilities; Cladophora compacta with high genetic diversity, no population structure and likely to reproduce sexually; Cl. kursanovii with a structure congruent with geographic distribution and more restricted dispersal. The results suggest that polyploidy, rather than speciation with gene flow, is the force driving the reproductive isolation and evolution of this flock. Although many questions remain to be studied, this research provides the first insights into the diversification of this Cladophorales species flock and contributes to the understanding of speciation in freshwater algae.</p>

scholarly journals Genetic Variability and Taxonomic Status of the Nihoa and Laysan Millerbirds

The Condor ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 109 (4) ◽  
pp. 954-962
Author(s):  
Robert C. Fleischer ◽  
Beth Slikas ◽  
Jon Beadell ◽  
Colm Atkins ◽  
Carl E. McINTOSH ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Variation ◽  
Microsatellite Loci ◽  
Sequence Divergence ◽  
Taxonomic Status ◽  
Small Population ◽  
Base Pairs ◽  
Stochastic Effects ◽  
Mtdna Sequence ◽  
Species Pairs ◽  
Two Populations

Abstract The Millerbird (Acrocephalus familiaris) is an endemic Northwestern Hawaiian Islands reed warbler that existed until about 1923 on Laysan Island (A. f. familiaris) and currently occurs in a small population on Nihoa Island (A. f. kingi). The two populations are described as separate subspecies or species on the basis of size and plumage differences. We assessed genetic variation in blood samples from 15 individuals in the modern Nihoa population using approximately 3000 base pairs (bp) of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence and 14 microsatellite loci. We also obtained up to 1028 bp of mtDNA sequence from the fragmented DNA of museum specimens of three birds collected on Nihoa in 1923 and five birds collected on Laysan in 1902 and 1911 (ancient samples). Genetic variation in both marker types was extremely low in the modern Nihoa population (nucleotide diversity [π]  =  0.00005 for mtDNA sequences; observed heterozygosity was 7.2% for the microsatellite loci). In contrast, we found three mtDNA haplotypes among the five Laysan individuals (π  =  0.0023), indicating substantially greater genetic variation. The Nihoa and Laysan taxa differed by 1.7% uncorrected mtDNA sequence divergence, a magnitude that would support designation at the subspecies, and perhaps species, level relative to other closely related Acrocephalus species pairs. However, in light of strong ecological similarity between the two taxa, and a need to have additional populations to prevent extinction from stochastic effects and catastrophes, we believe these genetic differences should not deter a potential translocation of individuals from Nihoa to Laysan.

scholarly journals The Y Chromosome: A Complex Locus for Genetic Analyses of Complex Human Traits

Genes ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 1273
Author(s):  
Katherine Parker ◽  
A. Mesut Erzurumluoglu ◽  
Santiago Rodriguez
Keyword(s):  
Population Genetics ◽  
Genetic Variation ◽  
Y Chromosome ◽  
Complex Traits ◽  
Association Studies ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Complex Locus ◽  
Complex Human Traits ◽  
Human Complex ◽  
Human Y Chromosome

The Human Y chromosome (ChrY) has been demonstrated to be a powerful tool for phylogenetics, population genetics, genetic genealogy and forensics. However, the importance of ChrY genetic variation in relation to human complex traits is less clear. In this review, we summarise existing evidence about the inherent complexities of ChrY variation and their use in association studies of human complex traits. We present and discuss the specific particularities of ChrY genetic variation, including Y chromosomal haplogroups, that need to be considered in the design and interpretation of genetic epidemiological studies involving ChrY.

Population genetics and phylogenetic analysis of the vrs1 nucleotide sequence in wild and cultivated barley

Genome ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 57 (4) ◽  
pp. 239-244 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xifeng Ren ◽  
Yonggang Wang ◽  
Songxian Yan ◽  
Dongfa Sun ◽  
Genlou Sun
Keyword(s):  
Population Genetics ◽  
Phylogenetic Analysis ◽  
Genetic Variation ◽  
Hordeum Vulgare ◽  
Nucleotide Diversity ◽  
Wild Barley ◽  
Haplotype Diversity ◽  
Lateral Spikelet ◽  
Cultivated Barley ◽  
Barley Population

Spike morphology is a key characteristic in the study of barley genetics, breeding, and domestication. Variation at the six-rowed spike 1 (vrs1) locus is sufficient to control the development and fertility of the lateral spikelet of barley. To study the genetic variation of vrs1 in wild barley (Hordeum vulgare subsp. spontaneum) and cultivated barley (Hordeum vulgare subsp. vulgare), nucleotide sequences of vrs1 were examined in 84 wild barleys (including 10 six-rowed) and 20 cultivated barleys (including 10 six-rowed) from four populations. The length of the vrs1 sequence amplified was 1536 bp. A total of 40 haplotypes were identified in the four populations. The highest nucleotide diversity, haplotype diversity, and per-site nucleotide diversity were observed in the Southwest Asian wild barley population. The nucleotide diversity, number of haplotypes, haplotype diversity, and per-site nucleotide diversity in two-rowed barley were higher than those in six-rowed barley. The phylogenetic analysis of the vrs1 sequences partially separated the six-rowed and the two-rowed barley. The six-rowed barleys were divided into four groups.

scholarly journals Morphometric Variation as an Indicator of Genetic Interactions Between Black-Capped and Carolina Chickadees at a Contact Zone in the Appalachian Mountains

The Auk ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 117 (2) ◽  
pp. 427-444 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gene D. Sattler ◽  
Michael J. Braun
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Variation ◽  
Gene Flow ◽  
Genetic Markers ◽  
Hybrid Zone ◽  
Morphological Variation ◽  
Genetic Data ◽  
Mixed Ancestry ◽  
Morphometric Variation ◽  
Average Gene ◽  
Hybridization And Introgression

AbstractWe studied hybridization and introgression between Black-capped (Poecile atricapillus) and Carolina (P. carolinensis) chickadees along two transects in the Appalachians using four genetic markers and multivariate analysis of morphology. Genetic data revealed that at least 58% of the birds in the center of each transect were of mixed ancestry and that recombinant genotypes predominated among hybrids, demonstrating that hybridization is frequent and that many hybrids are fertile. Genetic clines generally were steep and coincident in position, but introgression was evident well beyond the range interface. Introgression was higher at the one autosomal locus surveyed than in mitochondrial DNA or in two sex-linked markers, suggesting that the hybrid zone is a conduit for gene flow between the two forms at some loci. On a broad scale, morphometric variation was concordant with genetic variation. Clines in morphological variation based on principal components (PC) scores were steep and coincident with genetic clines. Also, a strong correlation within a population between PC scores and an individual's genetic makeup suggested that a large amount of morphological variation was genetically determined. However, morphological analysis indicated that hybrids were uncommon on one transect, whereas genetic data clearly showed that they were common on both. In addition, patterns of morphological variation were equivocal regarding introgression across the hybrid zone. Thus, genetic data provided a complementary and more detailed assessment of hybridization, largely due to the discrete nature of genetic variation. Genetic markers are useful in understanding hybridization and introgression, but diagnostic markers may underestimate average gene flow if selection against hybrids maintains steep clines at diagnostic loci. To gain a clearer picture of the genome-wide effects of hybridization, a much larger number of loci must be assayed, including non-diagnostic ones.

scholarly journals Community trait overdispersion due to trophic interactions: concerns for assembly process inference

2016 ◽  
Vol 283 (1840) ◽  
pp. 20161729 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mikael Pontarp ◽  
Owen L. Petchey
Keyword(s):  
Trophic Interactions ◽  
Community Assembly ◽  
Competitive Exclusion ◽  
Ecological Model ◽  
Model Parameters ◽  
Theoretical Studies ◽  
Assembly Process ◽  
Habitat Filtering ◽  
Secondary Consumers ◽  
Trait Space

The expected link between competitive exclusion and community trait overdispersion has been used to infer competition in local communities, and trait clustering has been interpreted as habitat filtering. Such community assembly process inference has received criticism for ignoring trophic interactions, as competition and trophic interactions might create similar trait patterns. While other theoretical studies have generally demonstrated the importance of predation for coexistence, ours provides the first quantitative demonstration of such effects on assembly process inference, using a trait-based ecological model to simulate the assembly of a competitive primary consumer community with and without the influence of trophic interactions. We quantified and contrasted trait dispersion/clustering of the competitive communities with the absence and presence of secondary consumers. Trophic interactions most often decreased trait clustering (i.e. increased dispersion) in the competitive communities due to evenly distributed invasions of secondary consumers and subsequent competitor extinctions over trait space. Furthermore, effects of trophic interactions were somewhat dependent on model parameters and clustering metric. These effects create considerable problems for process inference from trait distributions; one potential solution is to use more process-based and inclusive models in inference.

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