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Transmission mode affects the population genetic structure of Daphnia parasites
Author(s) -
WOLINSKA J.,
SPAAK P.,
KOERNER H.,
PETRUSEK A.,
SEDA J.,
GIESSLER S.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
journal of evolutionary biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.289
H-Index - 128
eISSN - 1420-9101
pISSN - 1010-061X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2010.02163.x
Subject(s) - biology , gene flow , daphnia , population , genetic variation , parasite hosting , zoology , genetic structure , population genetics , evolutionary biology , ecology , genetics , gene , crustacean , demography , sociology , world wide web , computer science
Parasite life cycle variation can shape parasite evolution, by predisposing them towards different population genetic structures. We compared the population genetic structure of two co‐occurring parasite species of Daphnia , to collect evidence for their expected transmission modes. The ichthyosporean Caullerya mesnili has a direct life cycle, whereas the microsporidian Berwaldia schaefernai is hypothesized to require passage through a secondary host. The parasites were collected from three geographically isolated Daphnia populations. The nucleotide variation in the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region was assessed at the within‐individual, within‐population and among‐population levels, using amova . We detected significant partitioning at all levels, except for a lack of among‐population variation in Berwaldia . This was confirmed by neighbour‐joining and principal component analyses; Caullerya populations were distinct from each other, while there was much overlap among parasite isolates representing different populations of Berwaldia . This all implies a higher amount of gene flow for Berwaldia , consistent with the hypothesized transmission mode.