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Genetic parallelism of protein polymorphism in nature: ecological test of the neutral theory of molecular evolution

Genetic parallelism of protein polymorphism in nature: ecological test of the neutral theory of... We have conducted an ecological test of protein polymorphism in 13 unrelated genera of plants, invertebrates and vertebrates, involving 21 species, 142 populations and 5474 individuals. Each was tested, on average, for 27 enzymatic gene loci. These species varied in population size and structure, life histories and biogeographical origins, but they largely share a geographically short (260 km) and ecologically stressful gradient of increasing aridity in Israel, both eastward and (mainly) southward. We found genetic parallelism across most taxa, and most loci. Observed average heterozygosity, H, and gene diversity, He, were positively and overall significantly correlated with rainfall variation. This result corroborates the environmental theory of genetic diversity, primarily the niche‐width variation hypothesis in both space and time. Our results are inconsistent with the neutral theory of molecular evolution and suggest that natural selection appears to be an important differentiating evolutionary force at the protein level. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Biological Journal of the Linnean Society Oxford University Press

Genetic parallelism of protein polymorphism in nature: ecological test of the neutral theory of molecular evolution

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References (80)

Publisher
Oxford University Press
Copyright
Copyright © 1988 Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company
ISSN
0024-4066
eISSN
1095-8312
DOI
10.1111/j.1095-8312.1988.tb00468.x
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

We have conducted an ecological test of protein polymorphism in 13 unrelated genera of plants, invertebrates and vertebrates, involving 21 species, 142 populations and 5474 individuals. Each was tested, on average, for 27 enzymatic gene loci. These species varied in population size and structure, life histories and biogeographical origins, but they largely share a geographically short (260 km) and ecologically stressful gradient of increasing aridity in Israel, both eastward and (mainly) southward. We found genetic parallelism across most taxa, and most loci. Observed average heterozygosity, H, and gene diversity, He, were positively and overall significantly correlated with rainfall variation. This result corroborates the environmental theory of genetic diversity, primarily the niche‐width variation hypothesis in both space and time. Our results are inconsistent with the neutral theory of molecular evolution and suggest that natural selection appears to be an important differentiating evolutionary force at the protein level.

Journal

Biological Journal of the Linnean SocietyOxford University Press

Published: Nov 1, 1988

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