Does size matter? Comparative population genetics of two butterflies with different wingspans

Sekar, Sandhya and Karanth, Praveen K (2015) Does size matter? Comparative population genetics of two butterflies with different wingspans. In: ORGANISMS DIVERSITY & EVOLUTION, 15 (3). pp. 567-575.

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Abstract

The dispersal ability of a species is central to its biology, affecting other processes like local adaptation, population and community dynamics, and genetic structure. Among the intrinsic, species-specific factors that affect dispersal ability in butterflies, wingspan was recently shown to explain a high amount of variance in dispersal ability. In this study, a comparative approach was adopted to test whether a difference in wingspan translates into a difference in population genetic structure. Two closely related butterfly species from subfamily Satyrinae, family Nymphalidae, which are similar with respect to all traits that affect dispersal ability except for wingspan, were studied. Melanitis leda (wingspan 60-80 mm) and Ypthima baldus (wingspan 30-40 mm) were collected from the same areas along the Western Ghats of southern India. Amplified fragment length polymorphisms were used to test whether the species with a higher wingspan (M. leda) exhibited a more homogenous population genetic structure, as compared to a species with a shorter wingspan (Y. baldus). In all analyses, Y. baldus exhibited greater degree of population genetic structuring. This study is one of the few adopting a comparative approach to establish the relationship between traits that affect dispersal ability and population genetic structure.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Publication:	ORGANISMS DIVERSITY & EVOLUTION
Publisher:	SPRINGER HEIDELBERG
Additional Information:	Copy right for this article belongs to the SPRINGER HEIDELBERG, TIERGARTENSTRASSE 17, D-69121 HEIDELBERG, GERMANY
Keywords:	Amplified fragment length polymorphisms; Butterflies; Dispersal ability; Population genetic structure; Western Ghats; Wingspan
Department/Centre:	Division of Biological Sciences > Centre for Ecological Sciences
Date Deposited:	09 Oct 2015 04:35
Last Modified:	09 Oct 2015 04:35
URI:	http://eprints.iisc.ac.in/id/eprint/52510

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