Abstract
The near-neutral model of B chromosome evolution predicts that the invasion of a new population should last some tens of generations, but the details on how it proceeds in real populations are mostly unknown. Trying to fill this gap, we analyze here a natural population of the grasshopper Eyprepocnemis plorans at three time points during the last 35 years. Our results show that B chromosome frequency increased significantly during this period and that a cline observed in 1992 had disappeared in 2012 once B chromosome frequency reached an upper limit at all sites sampled. This indicates that, during B chromosome invasion, transient clines for B chromo-some frequency are formed at the invasion front on a microgeographic scale. Computer simulation experiments showed that the pattern of change observed for genotypic frequencies is consistent with the existence of B chromosome drive through females and selection against individuals with a high number of B chromosomes.
Original language | English (US) |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 675-681 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | American Naturalist |
Volume | 186 |
Issue number | 5 |
DOIs |
|
State | Published - 2015 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2015 by The University of Chicago.
Keywords
- Cline
- Computer simulation
- Eyprepocnemis plorans
- Nearneutral model
- Parasitic model