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Clonal stability and mutation in the self-fertilizing hermaphroditic fish, Rivulus marmoratus
T F Laughlin1, B A Lubinski, E H Park
1Department of Biology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, USA.
The Journal of Heredity
|September 1, 1995
Summary
Mutation rates in the self-fertilizing fish Rivulus marmoratus are not high enough to explain genetic differences between clones. Field studies confirm clonal stability, suggesting other factors drive population diversity.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Genetics
- Ichthyology
Background:
- Natural populations of Rivulus marmoratus exhibit significant interclonal genetic differentiation.
- This differentiation was previously attributed to high migration, population extinction, and potentially high mutation rates at DNA fingerprint loci.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate mutation rates at hypervariable loci in Rivulus marmoratus.
- To assess the role of mutation versus other factors in generating observed interclonal genetic diversity.
Main Methods:
- Mutation rate estimation in laboratory lines of Rivulus marmoratus.
- Field transplantation experiments to assess clonal stability over generations.
Main Results:
- Mutation rates at unstable hypervariable loci were found to be below 3.52 x 10^-4, and likely lower for other loci.
- Field transplantation demonstrated complete clonal stability across several generations.
Conclusions:
- Observed mutation rates do not support the hypothesis that high mutation alone drives interclonal differentiation in natural populations.
- Clonal stability in transplantation suggests that factors other than mutation, such as selection or recombination, may be more significant in shaping population genetic structure.