The determinants of genetic diversity in butterflies.

ABSTRACT: Under the neutral theory, genetic diversity is expected to increase with population size. While comparative analyses have consistently failed to find strong relationships between census population size and genetic diversity, a recent study across animals identified a strong correlation between propagule size and genetic diversity, suggesting that r-strategists that produce many small offspring, have greater long-term population sizes. Here we compare genome-wide genetic diversity across 38 species of European butterflies (Papilionoidea), a group that shows little variation in reproductive strategy. We show that genetic diversity across butterflies varies over an order of magnitude and that this variation cannot be explained by differences in current abundance, propagule size, host or geogr

SUBMITTER: Mackintosh A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6672018 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature