Inferences about speciation process in subobscura group of Drosophila- A population genetic approach

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Genetic exchange versus genetic differentiation in a medium-sized inversion of Drosophila: the A2/AST arrangements of Drosophila subobscura

Publication . Nóbrega, Clévio; Khadem, Mahnaz; Aguade, Montserrat; Segarra, Carmen

Chromosomal inversion polymorphism affects nucleotide variation at loci associated with inversions. In Drosophila subobscura, a species with a rich chromosomal inversion polymorphism and the largest recombinational map so far reported in the Drosophila genus, extensive genetic structure of nucleotide variation was detected in the segment affected by the O3 inversion, a moderately sized inversion at Muller’s element E. Indeed, a strong genetic differentiation all over O3 and no evidence of a higher genetic exchange in the center of the inversion than at breakpoints were detected. In order to ascertain, whether other polymorphic and differently sized inversions of D. subobscura also exhibited a strong genetic structure, nucleotide variation in 5 gene regions (P236, P275, P150, Sxl, and P125) located along the A2 inversion was analyzed in Ast and A2 chromosomes of D. subobscura. A2 is a medium-sized inversion at Muller’s element A and forms a single inversion loop in heterokaryotypes. The lower level of variation in A2 relative to Ast and the significant excess of low-frequency variants at polymorphic sites indicate that nucleotide variation at A2 is not at mutation–drift equilibrium. The closest region to an inversion breakpoint, P236, exhibits the highest level of genetic differentiation (FST) and of linkage disequilibrium (LD) between arrangements and variants at nucleotide polymorphic sites. The remaining 4 regions show a higher level of genetic exchange between A2 and Ast chromosomes than P236, as revealed by FST and LD estimates. However, significant genetic differentiation between the Ast and A2 arrangements was detected not only at P236 but also in the other 4 regions separated from the nearest breakpoint by 1.2–2.9 Mb. Therefore, the extent of genetic exchange between arrangements has not been high enough to homogenize nucleotide variation in the center of the A2 inversion. A2 can be considered a typical successful inversion of D. subobscura according to its relative length. Chromosomal inversion polymorphism of D. subobscura might thus cause the genome of this species to be highly structured and to harbor different gene pools that might contribute to maintain adaptations to particular environments.

2008Journal article

Open access

Multilocus analysis of nucleotide variation in Drosophila madeirensis, an endemic species of the Laurisilva forest in Madeira

Publication . Khadem, M.; Munté, A.; Camacho, R.; Aguadé, M.; Segarra, C.

Drosophila madeirensis is an endemic species of Madeira that inhabits the island Laurisilva forest. Nucleotide variation in D. madeirensis is analysed in six genomic regions and compared to that previously reported for the same regions in Drosophila subobscura, an abundant species in the Palearctic region that is closely related to D. madeirensis. The gene regions analysed are distributed along the O3 inversion. The O3 arrangement is monomorphic in D. madeirensis, and it was present in ancestral populations of D. subobscura but went extinct in this species after the origin of the derived OST and O3+4 arrangements. Levels of nucleotide polymorphism in D. madeirensis are similar to those present in the OST and O3+4 arrangements of D. subobscura, and the frequency spectrum is skewed towards rare variants. Purifying selection against deleterious nonsynonymous mutations is less effective in D. madeir ensis. Although D. madeirensis and D. subobscura coexist at present in Madeira, no clear evidence of introgression was detected in the studied regions.

2012Journal article

Open access