Genetic structure of pelagic and littoral cichlid fishes from Lake Victoria.

ABSTRACT: The approximately 700 species of cichlids found in Lake Victoria in East Africa are thought to have evolved over a short period of time, and they represent one of the largest known examples of adaptive radiation. To understand the processes that are driving this spectacular radiation, we must determine the present genetic structure of these species and elucidate how this structure relates to the ecological conditions that caused their adaptation. We analyzed the genetic structure of two pelagic and seven littoral species sampled from the southeast area of Lake Victoria using sequences from the mtDNA control region and 12 microsatellite loci as markers. Using a Bayesian model-based clustering method to analyze the microsatellite data, we separated these nine species into four groups: one gr

SUBMITTER: Takeda M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3765259 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature