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Within‐population genetic effects of mt DNA on metabolic rate in D rosophila subobscura
Author(s) -
Kurbalija Novičić Z.,
Immonen E.,
Jelić M.,
AnÐelković M.,
StamenkovićRadak M.,
Arnqvist G.
Publication year - 2015
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/jeb.12565
Subject(s) - biology , haplotype , mitochondrial dna , genetics , nuclear dna , population , genetic variation , evolutionary biology , natural selection , sympatric speciation , gene , genotype , demography , sociology
Abstract A growing body of research supports the view that within‐species sequence variation in the mitochondrial genome (mt DNA ) is functional, in the sense that it has important phenotypic effects. However, most of this empirical foundation is based on comparisons across populations, and few studies have addressed the functional significance of mt DNA polymorphism within populations. Here, using mitonuclear introgression lines, we assess differences in whole‐organism metabolic rate of adult D rosophila subobscura fruit flies carrying either of three different sympatric mt DNA haplotypes. We document sizeable, up to 20%, differences in metabolic rate across these mt DNA haplotypes. Further, these mt DNA effects are to some extent sex specific. We found no significant nuclear or mitonuclear genetic effects on metabolic rate, consistent with a low degree of linkage disequilibrium between mitochondrial and nuclear genes within populations. The fact that mt DNA haplotype variation within a natural population affects metabolic rate, which is a key physiological trait with important effects on life‐history traits, adds weight to the emergent view that mt DNA haplotype variation is under natural selection and it revitalizes the question as to what processes act to maintain functional mt DNA polymorphism within populations.