In this study, we report the development of a set of 15 polymorphic microsatellite markers for the box tree moth, Cydalima perspectalis (Walker), a highly invasive insect in Europe causing significant damage to natural and ornamental Buxus trees. The markers were characterized for four distant populations in both its native (China, two populations) and invasive ranges (Czech Republic and Turkey, one population each). The number of alleles ranged from 2 to 12. No marker significantly deviated from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium for all the populations sampled. These microsatellite markers are promising tools for further studies on the invasive pathways and dispersal pattern of the box tree moth in Europe., Audrey Bras, Laure Sauné, Alain Roques, Jérôme Rousselet, Marie-Anne Auger-Rozenberg., and Obsahuje bibliografii
This paper describes the characterization of a set of nine microsatellite markers for the pipe-organ mud-dauber wasp, Trypoxylon albitarse F. (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae), a common solitary wasp species in Brazil. Eight of the nine loci described were found to be polymorphic. The number of alleles ranged from three to 11. Observed and expected heterozygosity on the population level ranged from 0.135 to 0.891 and 0.177 to 0.865, respectively. Genotypic analyses revealed no deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium or linkage disequilibrium after sequential Bonferroni correction. Cross-species amplification was also tested for nine related species and positive amplifications were found in most of the assays. These markers will be useful in studies involving relatedness analysis and investigations of the population genetics of these wasps., Juliano Da Costa Almeida ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
The longhorn crazy ant, Paratrechina longicornis (Latreille), is a ubiquitous agricultural and urban pest that has invaded most tropical and subtropical regions. Although P. longicornis has been found worldwide for more than a century, the genetic structure, origin, and invasion history of this species have not yet been extensively studied, partially because of the limited number of genetic markers currently available. In the present study, we developed 36 polymorphic microsatellite markers for P. longicornis and characterized these markers by genotyping P. longicornis workers from 74 colonies in East and Southeast Asia. All loci were polymorphic, with the number of alleles per locus ranging from 3 to 18 (8.5 on average). Extremely high levels of heterozygosity were found in all populations, suggesting that workers are invariably produced from the mating of divergent queen and male lineages. Queens and males possess non-overlapping allele size ranges at 18 loci, indicating the potential resolving power of the subset of markers in inferring the history of queen and male lineages. Genetic differentiation among three studied populations was low yet significant and may likely reflect their close association with human activities. Overall, the new microsatellite markers developed in the present study serve as a practical tool to reconstruct routes of invasion and assess the population genetics of this invasive ant.
The Azorean bat (Nyctalus azoreum), the only endemic mammal of the Azores archipelago (Portugal), diverged recently from its mainland relative, the Leisler’s bat (N. leisleri). Although the two species are phenotypically very different, mtDNA studies detected very low genetic divergence between them, which could question the validity of the species status of N. azoreum. In order to assess the genetic variability in each species and check for present levels of gene flow between the two taxa, eight microsatellite loci were genotyped and analysed. The results indicated lower genetic diversity in the insular species. Many unshared alleles were found between the two species and no evidence of migrants, which provides strong support against any contemporary gene flow between them. The species status of the Azorean bat is discussed in the light of the cohesion species concept, and we conclude that it is an isolated species with a high conservation value.
To explore local adaptation in wild populations at a fine spatial scale we characterized the genetic variability of eight closely located populations of Drosophila subobscura and its associations with microhabitat environmental conditions. Three different genetic markers were assessed: chromosomal inversions, a SNP of mitochondrial ND5 gene and nuclear microsatellites. Population genetic analyses of chromosomal variability revealed significant genetic differentiation between these populations. Gene arrangement frequencies on the E chromosome contributed most to these differences. We also investigated role of mito-nuclear epistasis in mitochondrial genome differentiation and revealed weak linkage disequilibrium (LD) exclusively between O3+4 inversion arrangement and mitochondrial DNA haplotype I in two populations. In addition, the trend in the LD between OST chromosomal arrangement and haplotype II was general in the total sample. Microsatellite analysis revealed an absence of stochastic processes, like census reduction, upon population differentiation. Only a small amount of the genetic variation is related to geographic distance, while most (97%) is attributable to other factors and in some degree to microhabitat variables (temperature, humidity). The analysis of these factors revealed they effect inversion arrangement frequencies, especially E1+2+9, EST and OST. Even though this model organism is known for its high mobility and mostly large effective population size, the results presented here reveal that local adaptations can occur even at a small spatial scale. We propose that locally adapted alleles within chromosomal inversions, as well as joint selective pressures acting on mitochondrial and nuclear genomes, are responsible for the observed adaptation to microhabitat conditions.
A set of six polymorphic microsatellite markers was developed for the highly invasive horse chestnut leaf-mining moth, Cameraria ohridella. For 96 positive clones, six polymorphic microsatellites with conserved flanking regions were identified. The average number of alleles per locus was eight (range from three to 12). Two of these loci showed significant heterozygosity deficits due to null alleles. The remaining four loci did not depart from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. In addition, all six loci were amplified for 20 other gracillariid species belonging to eight different genera, including another invasive species Phyllonorycter platani. These are the first microsatellite markers described for a species within the lepidopteran family Gracillariidae.
Leucorrhinia caudalis is a dragonfly species threatened throughout Europe. Despite evidence of the recent extension of its distribution range, it is unknown whether L. caudalis regularly or hardly ever migrates among ponds. The contemporary migration patterns of the species were investigated using Bayesian assignment tests and the migration rates related to landscape structural and thematic variables (distance between ponds, forest area, area of water body, area of hedgerow). Migration rates of L. caudalis are independent of any landscape element. Thus, landscape structure is not a barrier or corridor for migration in this species. The tendency of L. caudalis to disperse is largely independent of the nature of the landscape, at least at the scale of the present study. and Janine Bolliger, Daniela Keller, Rolf Holderegger.