Gene flow and population structure in the Mexican blind cavefish complex (Astyanax mexicanus).

ABSTRACT:

Background

Cave animals converge evolutionarily on a suite of troglomorphic traits, the best known of which are eyelessness and depigmentation. We studied 11 cave and 10 surface populations of Astyanax mexicanus in order to better understand the evolutionary origins of the cave forms, the basic genetic structuring of both cave and surface populations, and the degree to which present day migration among them affects their genetic divergence.

Results

To assess the genetic structure within populations and the relationships among them we genotyped individuals at 26 microsatellite loci. We found that surface populations are similar to one another, despite their relatively large geographic separation, whereas the cave populations are better differentiated. The cave populations we

SUBMITTER: Bradic M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3282648 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature