Parallel genetic basis for repeated evolution of armor loss in Alaskan threespine stickleback populations.

ABSTRACT: Most adaptation is thought to occur through the fixation of numerous alleles at many different loci. Consequently, the independent evolution of similar phenotypes is predicted to occur through different genetic mechanisms. The genetic basis of adaptation is still largely unknown, however, and it is unclear whether adaptation to new environments utilizes ubiquitous small-effect polygenic variation or large-effect alleles at a small number of loci. To address this question, we examined the genetic basis of bony armor loss in three freshwater populations of Alaskan threespine stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus, that evolved from fully armored anadromous populations in the last 14,000 years. Crosses between complete-armor and low-armor populations revealed that a single Mendelian factor gover

SUBMITTER: Cresko WA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC395921 | biostudies-literature | 2004 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature