Population size and genetic diversity in sand lizards (Lacerta agilis) and adders (Vipera berus)

Madsen, Thomas; Olsson, Mats; Wittzell, Håkan; Stille, Bo; Gullberg, Annica; Shine, Richard; Andersson, Stefan; Tegelström, Håkan

doi:10.1016/s0006-3207(99)00127-5

Cited by 65 publications

(56 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…Other studies on a range of species have shown similar results (e.g. Lewis & Crawford, 1995;Ge et al, 1999;Madsen et al, 2000). This lack of correlation may be a result of the complicated processes involved in determining genetic variation at specific loci (see Introduction, above), or because our sample of migrating GRWs represented populations from only a part of the European breeding range (thus, should be associated with a somewhat smaller population size; see Methods, above).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 64%

“…Godt, Walker & Hamrick, 1997;Groombridge et al, 2000;Ujvari et al, 2002), whereas others have found similar levels (e.g. Lewis & Crawford, 1995;Ge et al, 1999;Madsen et al, 2000).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…This is demonstrated clearly in studies of single data sets analysed using multiple types of loci (Yan et al, 1999;Madsen et al, 2000) and is likely to reflect the different mutationaldrift equilibria and patterns of selection at different loci (Frankham, 1996;Hedrick, 1999;Frankham et al, 2002). Consequently, care should be taken over selecting which loci to base assessments of diversity upon, especially when the results may have important ramifications for the conservation of a species (Reed & Frankham, 2001van Tienderen et al, 2002).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

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Genetic variation in two endangered Acrocephalus species compared to a widespread congener: estimates based on functional and random loci

Hansson

Richardson

2005

Animal Conservation

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Substantial genetic variation is hypothesised to be necessary for the long-term survival of species. Therefore, a major aim in conservation is to maintain and restore variation in small and endangered populations. However, in most populations the amount of genetic variation and, thus, the potential threats posed by limited variation are unknown. In the present study, we assess genetic variation, both at 10 microsatellite loci and at the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), in three closely related Acrocephalus warbler species with contrasting demographies. We found that the recently bottlenecked, island endemic, Seychelles warbler (A. sechellensis; SW) has substantially reduced microsatellite and MHC diversity compared to the widespread great reed warbler (A. arundinaceus; GRW). In contrast, another endangered species with a small breeding range, the Basra reed warbler (A. griseldis; BRW), harboured as much variation as did the GRW. This suggests that significant genetic variation and, therefore, adaptive potential, remains in the BRW -a situation that should hold as long as its habitat and numbers are maintained. Our study is one of the first to assess genetic variation at both 'non-critical' microsatellite markers and 'critical' MHC loci within endangered species. The two types of loci provided a similar picture of the genetic variation in the species we studied, but this has not been the case in studies of some other species. Using a combination of specific functional loci and genome-wide random markers appears to be the best way to assess the threat posed by reduced genetic diversity.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 64%

“…Godt, Walker & Hamrick, 1997;Groombridge et al, 2000;Ujvari et al, 2002), whereas others have found similar levels (e.g. Lewis & Crawford, 1995;Ge et al, 1999;Madsen et al, 2000).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

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Genetic variation in two endangered Acrocephalus species compared to a widespread congener: estimates based on functional and random loci

Hansson

Richardson

2005

Animal Conservation

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“…A blood sample was taken from v. angularis (upper jaw) and MHC class 1 haplotypes were determined by restriction fragment-length polymorphism (RFLP), using species-specific probes (Madsen et al 2000). Band sharing between the female and her two potential 'partners' was calculated using the similarity index (2N AB /(N A ϩ N B ) of Wetton et al (1987), where N AB represents the number of bands shared, and N A ϩN B the summed bands for the two individuals.…”

Section: (A) Laboratory Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Major histocompatibility complex and mate choice in sand lizards

Olsson

Madsen

Nordby

et al. 2003

Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B

Self Cite

228

197

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In mice and man, females prefer males with a major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genotype different to their own. We tested whether this phenomenon also occurs in the Swedish sand lizard (Lacerta agilis). Females in a laboratory experiment preferred to associate with odour samples obtained from more distantly related males at the MHC class 1 loci. Data on free-ranging lizards suggest that associations between males and females are nonrandom with respect to MHC genotype. However, male spatial distribution and mobility during the mating season suggest that the non-random pairing process in the wild may also be driven by corresponding genetic benefits to males pairing with less related females.

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“…In a pioneering paper, Grossberger and Parham (1992) isolated the MHC-I sequences from the Giant Ameiva (Ameiva ameiva) and Northern Water Snake (Nerodia sipedon), and revealed the conserved elements in reptilian class I structure. Recently, MHC-I evolution has been studied at the population level in some non-avian reptiles, such as sand lizard (Lacerta agilis) and Northern Viper (Vipera berus) (Madsen et al, 2000), tuatara (Miller et al, 2007), saltwater crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus) (Jaratlerdsiri et al, 2012), and loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) (Stiebens et al, 2013). Few studies of MHC-I have been performed among closely related species of non-avian reptiles and have been limited to six species of geckos (Radtkey et al, 1996) and three species of iguanas (Glaberman and Caccone, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

MHC Class I Exon 4 in the Multiocellated Racerunners (Eremias multiocellata): Polymorphism, Duplication and Selection

Yuan¹,

Zeng²,

Guo³

2014

AHR

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The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) is a dynamic genetic region with an essential role in the adaptive immunity of jawed vertebrates. The MHC polymorphism is affected by many processes such as birth-anddeath evolution, gene conversion, and concerted evolution. Studies investigating the evolution of MHC class I genes have been biased toward a few particular taxa and model species. However, the investigation of this region in nonavian reptiles is still in its infancy. We present the first characterization of MHC class I genes in a species from the family Lacertidae. We assessed genetic diversity and a role of selection in shaping the diversity of MHC class I exon 4 among 37 individuals of Eremias multiocellata from a population in Lanzhou, China. We generated 67 distinct DNA sequences using cloning and sequencing methods, and identified 36 putative functional variants as well as two putative pseudogene-variants. We found the number of variants within an individual varying between two and seven, indicating that there are at least four MHC class I loci in this species. Gene duplication plays a role in increasing copy numbers of MHC genes and allelic diversity in this species. The class I exon 4 sequences are characteristic of low nucleotide diversity. No signal of recombination is detected, but purifying selection is detected in β2-microglobulin interaction sites and some other silent sites outside of the function-constraint regions. Certain identical alleles are shared by Eremias multiocellata and E. przewalskii and E. brenchleyi, suggesting trans-species polymorphism. The data are compatible with a birth-and-death model of evolution.class II genes, have been the subjects of the majority of research in the fields of ecology and evolution (reviewed in Sommer, 2005; Milinski, 2006;Piertney and Oliver, 2006;Ujvari and Belov, 2011). This is because MHC includes the most polymorphic genes in vertebrate populations. Given the extraordinary richness and diversity of continuously evolving pathogens in the environment, it is not surprising that the MHC harbors the most polymorphic genes described thus far, with some loci, such as the human HLA-B locus, possessing more than 2000 alleles (de Bakker and Raychaudhuri, 2012). The number of genes in the MHC varies enormously between species, even between individuals of the same species (Malaga-Trillo et al., 1998;Figueroa et al., 2001). It has been noted that balancing selection is an evolutionary force that can maintain many haplotypes over long periods of evolutionary time. Genes that

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Population size and genetic diversity in sand lizards (Lacerta agilis) and adders (Vipera berus)

Cited by 65 publications

References 33 publications

Genetic variation in two endangered Acrocephalus species compared to a widespread congener: estimates based on functional and random loci

Genetic variation in two endangered Acrocephalus species compared to a widespread congener: estimates based on functional and random loci

Major histocompatibility complex and mate choice in sand lizards

MHC Class I Exon 4 in the Multiocellated Racerunners (Eremias multiocellata): Polymorphism, Duplication and Selection

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