Host plant use drives genetic differentiation in syntopic populations of Maculinea alcon

Tartally, András and Kelager, Andreas and Fürst, Matthias A. and Nash, David R. (2016) Host plant use drives genetic differentiation in syntopic populations of Maculinea alcon. PeerJ, 4. No-e1865. ISSN 2167-8359

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Abstract

The rare socially parasitic butterfly Maculinea alcon occurs in two forms, which are characteristic of hygric or xeric habitats, and which exploit different host plants and host ants. The status of these two forms has been the subject of considerable controversy. Populations of the two forms are usually spatially distinct, but at Răscruci in Romania both forms occurs syntopically. We examined the genetic differentiation between the two forms using eight microsatellite markers, using samples from a nearby hygric site as out group. Our results showed that while the two forms are strongly differentiated at Răscruci, it is the xeric form there that is most similar to the hygric form at Şardu, and Bayesian clustering algorithms suggest that these two populations have exchanged genes relatively recently. We found strong evidence for population substructuring, caused by high withinnest relatedness, not association with host ants use, indicating very limited dispersal of most ovipositing females. Our results are consistent with the results of larger scale phylogeographic studies that suggest that the two forms represent local ecotypes specialising on different host plants, each with a distinct flowering phenology, and is an example of a genetic barrier operating on a temporal scale rather than spatial

Item Type:	Article
Subjects:	Q Science / természettudomány > QL Zoology / állattan
Depositing User:	dr András Tartally
Date Deposited:	03 Oct 2015 11:16
Last Modified:	01 Apr 2016 22:43
URI:	http://real.mtak.hu/id/eprint/29491

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• Host plant use drives genetic differentiation in syntopic populations of Maculinea alcon. (deposited 03 Oct 2015 11:16) [Currently Displayed]

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