Does population size affect genetic diversity? A test with sympatric lizard species.

ABSTRACT: Genetic diversity is a fundamental requirement for evolution and adaptation. Nonetheless, the forces that maintain patterns of genetic variation in wild populations are not completely understood. Neutral theory posits that genetic diversity will increase with a larger effective population size and the decreasing effects of drift. However, the lack of compelling evidence for a relationship between genetic diversity and population size in comparative studies has generated some skepticism over the degree that neutral sequence evolution drives overall patterns of diversity. The goal of this study was to measure genetic diversity among sympatric populations of related lizard species that differ in population size and other ecological factors. By sampling related species from a single geographic

SUBMITTER: Hague MT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4675878 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature