Unraveling the effects of selection and demography on immune gene variation in free-ranging plains zebra (Equus quagga) populations.

ABSTRACT: Demography, migration and natural selection are predominant processes affecting the distribution of genetic variation among natural populations. Many studies use neutral genetic markers to make inferences about population history. However, the investigation of functional coding loci, which directly reflect fitness, is critical to our understanding of species' ecology and evolution. Immune genes, such as those of the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC), play an important role in pathogen recognition and provide a potent model system for studying selection. We contrasted diversity patterns of neutral data with MHC loci, ELA-DRA and -DQA, in two southern African plains zebra (Equus quagga) populations: Etosha National Park, Namibia, and Kruger National Park, South Africa. Results from neut

SUBMITTER: Kamath PL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3522668 | biostudies-literature | 2012

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature