Natural selection on mitochondrial DNA in Parus and its relevance for phylogeographic studies.

ABSTRACT: I examined mitochondrial ND2 sequences in species of tits (genus Parus) to determine whether substitutions were neutral or under selection. Haplotype trees in these species are shallow and geographically unstructured, which could be a signature of recent demographic expansion or purifying selection. McDonald-Kreitman tests revealed a pattern of excess replacement polymorphisms for closely related taxa. Replacement substitutions tended to be less common in the basal parts of haplotype trees, suggesting that they are selected against over evolutionary time. Thus, the pattern of selection is consistent with a model of mildly deleterious haplotypes. To investigate the significance of this selection, the ND2 gene was subdivided into surface and transmembrane portions, and synonymous-non-synonym

SUBMITTER: Zink RM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1634939 | biostudies-literature | 2005 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature