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Molecular evidence to suggest the origin of a colonization: Drosophila subobscura in America

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Abstract

The recent colonization of America by Drosophila subobscura represents a great opportunity for evolutionary biology studies. Knowledge of the populations from which the colonization started would provide an understanding of how genetic composition changed during adaptation to the new environment. Thus, a 793 nucleotide fragment of the Odh (Octanol dehydrogenase) gene was sequenced in 66 chromosomal lines from Barcelona (western Mediterranean) and in 66 from Mt. Parnes (Greece, eastern Mediterranean). No sequence of Odh fragment in Barcelona or Mt. Parnes was identical to any of those previously detected in America. However, an Odh sequence from Barcelona differed in only one nucleotide from another found in American populations. In both cases, the chromosomal lines presented the same inversion: O7, and the Odh gene was located within this inversion. This evidence suggests a possible western Mediterranean origin for the colonization. Finally, the molecular and inversion data indicate that the colonization was not characterized by multiple reintroductions.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Mr. R. Rycroft and Mr. M. Bunn (S.A.L. Universitat de Barcelona) for corrections to the English text. This study was supported by the following grants: CGL2006-13423-C02-02 from the Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología (MCYT, Spain), BFU2009-07564 and BFU2009-12895-CO2-01 from the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (Spain) and 2009 SGR 636 from the Generalitat de Catalunya (Spain). FM is member of IRBio (Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departament de Genètica, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal, 643, 08071, Barcelona, Spain

    Pedro A. Araúz, Luís Serra & Francesc Mestres

  2. Centro Superior de Investigación en Salud Pública, CSISP Generalitat Valenciana, Valencia, Spain

    Francesc Peris-Bondia & Amparo Latorre

  3. Institut Cavanilles de Biodiversitat i Biologia Evolutiva, Universitat de València, Valencia, Spain

    Amparo Latorre

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  1. Pedro A. Araúz
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  2. Francesc Peris-Bondia
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  3. Amparo Latorre
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  4. Luís Serra
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  5. Francesc Mestres
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Correspondence to Francesc Mestres.

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Pedro A. Araúz and Francesc Peris-Bondia contributed equally to this work.

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10709_2012_9647_MOESM1_ESM.tif

Gene tree obtained using the Odh nucleotide sequences from Barcelona. Only bootstrap values over 70 are presented. Abbreviations are as follows: BC and FBC stand for chromosomal lines obtained from a wild male and from an individual son of a wild female offspring from Barcelona, respectively. The arrangement of each chromosomal line sequenced is also presented after its abbreviation (TIFF 2309 kb)

10709_2012_9647_MOESM2_ESM.tif

Gene tree obtained using the Odh nucleotide sequences from Mt. Parnes. Only bootstrap values over 70 are presented. Abbreviations are as follows: MP stands for chromosomal lines obtained from a wild male from Mt. Parnes. The arrangement of each chromosomal line sequenced is also presented after its abbreviation (TIFF 2308 kb)

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Araúz, P.A., Peris-Bondia, F., Latorre, A. et al. Molecular evidence to suggest the origin of a colonization: Drosophila subobscura in America. Genetica 139, 1477–1486 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10709-012-9647-8

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