Genetic panmixia within a narrow contact zone between chromosomally and ecologically distinct black fly sibling species (Diptera: Simuliidae).

Hybrid zones are windows into the speciation process, and their study can give clues into the maintenance and breakdown of species boundaries. Using both genetic and ecological tools, we investigate lineage diversification across a contact zone characterized by chromosome rearrangements. We show that black fly sibling species, Simulium arcticum sensu stricto (s.s.) and Simulium saxosum, lack genetic differentiation at both microsatellite and mtDNA loci in allopatry and sympatry, as well as exhibit high levels of gene flow and continuous chromosome variation in sympatry. Furthermore, hybrid frequencies at the contact zone are similar to those seen between races, rather than species. In contrast, S. arcticum s.s. and S. saxosum maintain ecological differences and distinct habitat associations - the contact zone situated at the margin of suitable habitat for each sibling species. Moreover, gene flow occurs only in a narrow band along an ecological transition. Except for the contact zone, S. arcticum s.s. and S. saxosum hybrids do not occur elsewhere within the sibling species' ranges. Although S. arcticum s.s. and S. saxosum maintain the potential to interbreed freely, we conclude that habitat associations and, perhaps, chromosome systems prevent expansion of ranges and assimilation of lineages.

Phylogeography of mitochondrial DNA variation in brown bears and polar bears.

We analyzed 286 nucleotides of the middle portion of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene of 61 brown bears from three locations in Alaska and 55 polar bears from Arctic Canada and Arctic Siberia to test our earlier observations of paraphyly between polar bears and brown bears as well as to test the extreme uniqueness of mitochondrial DNA types of brown bears on Admiralty, Baranof, and Chichagof (ABC) islands of southeastern Alaska. We also investigated the phylogeography of brown bears of Alaska's Kenai Peninsula in relation to other Alaskan brown bears because the former are being threatened by increased human development. We predicted that: (1) mtDNA paraphyly between brown bears and polar bears would be upheld, (2) the mtDNA uniqueness of brown bears of the ABC islands would be upheld, and (3) brown bears of the Kenai Peninsula would belong to either clade II or clade III of brown bears of our earlier studies of mtDNA. All of our predictions were upheld through the analysis of these additional samples.

Gene flow between insular, coastal and interior populations of brown bears in Alaska.

The brown bears of coastal Alaska have been recently regarded as comprising from one to three distinct genetic groups. We sampled brown bears from each of the regions for which hypotheses of genetic uniqueness have been made, including the bears of the Kodiak Archipelago and the bears of Admiralty, Baranof and Chichagof (ABC) Islands in southeast Alaska. These samples were analysed with a suite of nuclear microsatellite markers. The 'big brown bears' of coastal Alaska were found to be part of the continuous continental distribution of brown bears, and not genetically isolated from the physically smaller 'grizzly bears' of the interior. By contrast, Kodiak brown bears appear to have experienced little or no genetic exchange with continental populations in recent generations. The bears of the ABC Islands, which have previously been shown to undergo little or no female-mediated gene flow with mainland populations, were found not to be genetically isolated from mainland bears. The data from the four insular populations indicate that female and male dispersal can be reduced or eliminated by water barriers of 2-4 km and 7 km in width, respectively.

[Variability of mitochondrial DNA in three groups of indigenous inhabitants of Northern Asia]. / Izmenchivost' mitokhondrial'noi DNK v trekh gruppakh korennogo naseleniia severnoi Azii.

Sequence variants of the hypervariable region I of human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of 125 individuals from three aboriginal population groups of northern Asia (Yakuts, Evens, and Koryaks) were analyzed. Unique types of mtDNA (mitotypes) were discovered in 80% of Koryaks, 78% of Evens, and 59% of Yakuts. The mitotypes observed were clustered into nine phylogenetically related groups, two of which, according to the data on the comparative analysis of Siberian and east Asian populations, were Koryak-specific, and one was Even-specific. Koryaks and Evens exhibited mtDNAs that were highly frequent in Ainu. The results are discussed in terms of genetic differentiation and the ethnogenesis of ethnic groups of northern Asia.

Cytochrome B sequences suggest convergent evolution of the Asian takin and Arctic muskox.

Relationships of the takin (Budorcas taxicolor) and muskox (Ovibos moschatus) have been speculated upon for many years. Morphological and behavioral similarities between these species have led to suggestions that they are closely related. To test the hypothesis that characteristics shared by the takin and muskox stem from a recent common ancestor, we compared sequences of their mitochondrial cytochrome b genes with those of three other species of Caprinae. We present data that may support rejection of the hypothesis of recent common ancestry and suggest that similarities in behavior and morphology in these two species might be attributed to convergent evolution rather than shared phylogeny.

Phylogenetics of the Caprinae based on cytochrome b sequence.

Relationships within the subfamily Caprinae have never been fully resolved. Phylogenies have been proposed based on morphological, behavioral, ecological, and some molecular comparisons. Because of the relatively poor fossil record of the Caprinae, paleontological evidence has not been extensively used in phylogenetic reconstruction for this group. Traditionally, four tribes: Saigini, Ovibovini, Rupicaprini, and Caprini, have been recognized. We investigated relationships within the Caprinae by comparing sequences of the cytochrome b gene of mitochondrial DNA from 11 species of Caprinae and 1 Bovinae species. Our analyses suggest that revisions to previous phylogenies, including the dissolution of the Ovibovini, are warranted.

Phylogeography of brown bears (Ursus arctos) of Alaska and paraphyly within the Ursidae.

Complete nucleotide sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome b, tRNA(prolime), and tRNA(threonine) genes were described for 166 brown bears (Ursus arctos) from 10 geographic regions of Alaska to describe natural genetic variation, construct a molecular phylogeny, and evaluate classical taxonomies. DNA sequences of brown bears were compared to homologous sequences of the polar bear (maritimus) and of the sun bear (Helarctos malayanus), which was used as an outgroup. Parsimony and neighbor-joining methods each produced essentially identical phylogenetic trees that suggest two distinct clades of mtDNA for brown bears in Alaska: one composed only of bears that now reside on some of the islands of southeastern Alaska and the other which includes bears from all other regions of Alaska. The very close relationship of the polar bear to brown bears of the islands of southeastern Alaska as previously reported by us and the paraphyletic association of polar bears to brown bears reported by others have been reaffirmed with this much larger data set. A weak correlation is suggested between types of mtDNA and habitat preference by brown bears in Alaska. Our mtDNA data support some, but not all, of the currently designated subspecies of brown bears whose descriptions have been based essentially on morphology.

A phylogeny of the bears (Ursidae) inferred from complete sequences of three mitochondrial genes.

Complete sequences of DNA are described for the cytochrome b tRNA(Thr) and tRNA(Pro) genes of mitochondria of four extant species of ursids and compared to sequences of four other species of ursids previously studied by us. Phylogenetic analyses indicate that the giant panda and the spectacled bear are the basal taxa of the ursid radiation. The ursines, a group which includes the sun bear, sloth bear, American black bear, Asiatic black bear, brown bear, and polar bear, experienced a rapid radiation during the mid Pliocene to early Pleistocene. The Asiatic black bear and American black bear are sister taxa. The brown bear and polar bear are the most recently derived of the ursines, with the polar bear originating from within a clade of brown bears during the Pleistocene. This paraphyletic association suggests that the rate of morphological evolution may be accelerated relative to that of molecular evolution when a new ecological niche is occupied. Calibration of the corrected average number of nucleotide differences per site with the fossil record indicates that transitions at third positions of codons in the ursid cytochrome b gene occur at a rate of approximately 6% per million years, which is considerably slower than comparable values reported for other species of mammal.

Lack of geographic structure in mitochondrial DNA sequences of Bering Sea walleye pollock, Theragra chalcogramma.

We compared 511 nucleotides of mitochondrial DNA from 162 walleye pollock from 32 locations in the Bering Sea, the Shelikof Strait, and the Gulf of Alaska to learn about population structuring in this economically important species. Specifically, we tested for evidence of genetic heterogeneity among three sequence data sets: a 76-bp spacer, the control region, and spacers and control regions combined among six geographic regions: southwest Bering Sea, northern Bering Sea, western Aleutians, eastern Aleutians, the Donut Hole, and the Gulf of Alaska. No significant genetic heterogeneity was detected among spacer sequences or control regions, or spacers and control regions combined among areas of the Bering Sea. Slight genetic heterogeneity was detected when a "Western Bering" sample (southwest Bering and northern Bering) and an "Eastern Bering" sample (western Aleutians and eastern Aleutians) were compared. Presence of an abundant and widespread haplotype suggests recent establishment of the walleye pollock population in the Bering Sea. However, the ratio of nucleotide transitions to transversions in these pollock is extremely low, suggesting that the population may be old. Presence of a widespread and abundant haplotype, together with numerous rare ones, suggests a high variance in reproductive success for relatively few females, which may be disproportionately contributing to the survival of individual haplotypes. Sequencing of control regions in pollock may be less informative than conventional analysis of restriction fragment length polymorphisms or RFLP analysis of amplified variable sites.

[Restriction-deletion polymorphism of mitochondrial DNA region V in some populations of aboriginal residents of Siberia and the Far East]. / Restriktsionno-deletsionnyi polimorfizm V raiona mitokhondrial'noi DNK v nekotorykh populiatsiiakh korennykh zhitelei Sibiri i dal'nego vostoka.

The distribution of a deletion and of an Ava II site in region V of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) was studied in five populations of native inhabitants of the Asian part of Russia, including Chukchi, Asian Eskimos, Evenks, Buryats, and Northern Sel'kups. A deletion with a frequency of 6.3% was found only in Buryats, In Chukchi and Eskimos the AvaII site was not found. A maximal frequency of 11.3% was observed in the Evenks. A comparison with published data was conducted; it revealed a gradient of decreasing frequency of the deletion from Southeast Asia to the North, with its complete absence in the circumpolar regions. In the territory of northeast Asia, all three mitotypes are found, formed by a combination of two polymorphic markers of mtDNA region V, which were found earlier in humans in the New World. The data obtained necessitates a more detailed analysis of the population polymorphism of mtDNA in this region of Asia.

mtDNA sequences suggest a recent evolutionary divergence for Beringian and northern North American populations.

Conventional descriptions of the pattern and process of human entry into the New World from Asia are incomplete and controversial. In order to gain an evolutionary insight into this process, we have sequenced the control region of mtDNA in samples of contemporary tribal populations of eastern Siberia, Alaska, and Greenland and have compared them with those of Amerind speakers of the Pacific Northwest and with those of the Altai of central Siberia. Specifically, we have analyzed sequence diversity in 33 mitochondrial lineages identified in 90 individuals belonging to five Circumpolar populations of Beringia, North America, and Greenland: Chukchi from Siberia, Inupiaq Eskimos and Athapaskans from Alaska, Eskimos from West Greenland, and Haida from Canada. Hereafter, we refer to these five populations as "Circumarctic peoples." These data were then compared with the sequence diversity in 47 mitochondrial lineages identified in a sample of 145 individuals from three Amerind-speaking tribes (Bella Coola, Nuu-Chah-Nulth, and Yakima) of the Pacific Northwest, plus 16 mitochondrial lineages identified in a sample of 17 Altai from central Siberia. Sequence diversity within and among Circumarctic populations is considerably less than the sequence diversity observed within and among the three Amerind tribes. The similarity of sequences found among the geographically dispersed Circumarctic groups, plus the small values of mean pairwise sequence differences within Circumarctic populations, suggest a recent and rapid evolutionary radiation of these populations. In addition, Circumarctic populations lack the 9-bp deletion which has been used to trace various migrations out of Asia, while populations of southeastern Siberia possess this deletion. On the basis of these observations, while the evolutionary affinities of Native Americans extend west to the Circumarctic populations of eastern Siberia, they do not include the Altai of central Siberia.

Absence of the Asian-specific region V mitochondrial marker in Native Beringians.

The Asian-specific 9-bp deletion between the genes for mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase II and lysine transfer RNA has been used to trace aboriginal human movements out of Southeast Asia and into portions of the South Pacific. Although it has been used to estimate the number of independent lineages that occur in the New World, it has not been studied in native peoples of the Beringian region. Thus, we have used PCR to amplify and compare the lengths of DNA segments surrounding this deletion in native peoples of Beringia and the adjacent regions, as well as natives of the Altai Mountains of Southwestern Siberia. Of the 176 individuals analyzed here, the deletion was found in only 3 of 25 individuals from the Ust-Kan region of the Altai Mountains. We comment on the distribution of this marker and on potential relationships between Beringians and other Native American groups in which this marker has been surveyed. One Chukchi possessed three copies of the 9-bp sequence, which suggests (1) that the number of copies of this sequence in humans may be more variable than had been believed and (2) that a mechanism of replication based on tandem duplication may be a potential explanation for the origin of this length mutation in humans.

Calibration of mitochondrial DNA evolution in geese.

Mitochondrial DNA was purified from five American species of geese representing the genera Anser and Branta, which have fossil records. The results of electrophoretic comparisons of about 75 fragments per individual produced by 14 restriction enzymes imply that the mean extent of sequence divergence between species of Anser and Branta is about 9%. Fossil evidence suggests that these two groups of geese had a common ancestor 4-5 million years ago. Thus, the mean rate of sequence divergence in goose mitochondrial DNA is not far from 2% per million years, the value in mammals.

Meiotic evidence for pericentric inversion polymorphism in Junco (Aves).

Species of the genus Junco are polymorphic for chromosomes 2 and 5. Diplotene karyotypes of 61 adult male Dark-eyed Juncos, Junco hyemalis, were analyzed in order to determine the basis of the polymorphisms. Individuals carrying heterozygous bivalents of the polymorphic chromosomes have fewer chiasma than homozygous individuals. These data suggest that two separate pericentric inversions are at the basis of the polymorphisms.