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J B Mitton

Publications and source records attributed to J B Mitton.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Cytonuclear disequilibrium and genetic drift in a natural population of ponderosa pine.

We measured the cytonuclear disequilibrium between 11 nuclear allozyme loci and both mitochondrial and chloroplast DNA haplotypes in a natural population of ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa, Laws). Three allozyme loci showed significant associations with mtDNA variation, while two other loci showed significant association with cpDNA. However, the absolute number of individuals involved in any of the associations was small, such that in none of the nuclear-organellar combinations was the difference between observed and expected numbers >11 individuals. Patterns of association were not consistent across loci or organellar genomes, suggesting that they are not the result of mating patterns, which would act uniformly on all loci. This pattern of disequilibria is consistent with the action of genetic drift and with existing knowledge of the structure of this population and thus does not imply the action of other evolutionary processes. The overall magnitude (normalized disequilibrium) of associations was greater for maternally inherited mtDNA than for paternally inherited cpDNA, though this difference was neither large nor significant. Such significant disequilibria involving the paternally inherited organelle indicate that not only are there a limited number of seed parents, but the effective number of pollen parents is also limited.

Cell Nucleus↗
PubMed2001

Phylogeography of the plains killifish, Fundulus zebrinus.

Drainage systems of the Great Plains and western Gulf Slope underwent substantial changes through diversions and stream captures during the Pleistocene, either as the result of the glacial advances or through independent geologic processes. The distributions of a variety of fishes that range across west-central North America, such as the plains killifish (Fundulus zebrinus), are thought to be the product of this Pleistocene influence. We examined the geographic pattern of genetic variation in F. zebrinus using three allozyme loci (n = 793), mitochondrial DNA restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs, n = 352), and sequencing of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI, n = 23) in an attempt to understand the roles of dispersal and vicariance. The phylogeographic patterns were concordant between the allozyme and mitochondrial data with the exception of the population in the North Canadian River. The populations fell into three geographic assemblages, which we designated as northern, central, and southern. A large phylogenetic break (average Roger's D = 0.702; average sequence divergence in RFLPs = 4.6%; average sequence divergence in COI = 5.5%) separated the northern/central and southern assemblages. The northern region was likely colonized sometime during the mid-Pleistocene. Fish in the Brazos and Pecos Rivers probably reached these drainages through stream captures of the Red River. The large phylogenetic break between the northern/central and southern clades supports previous attempts to recognize two species of plains killifish: F. zebrinus and F. kansae.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Effects of specialization on genetic differentiation in sister species of bark beetles.

We investigated the relative importance of resource use and geography on genetic differentiation in the sister-species pair of generalist and specialist bark beetles: Dendroctonus ponderosae and D. jeffreyi (Coleoptera: Scolytidae). In two regions, where the distributions of these species overlap, we collected specimens of the generalist from multiple host species and specimens of the specialist from its single host species. Using allozyme techniques, we uncovered genetic differentiation between generalist populations on different host species in the same region (one locus in each region). However, a much stronger pattern of differentiation was found between specialist populations in the two distantly separated regions (three loci). With mtDNA, we found no significant differentiation between regions in the specialist, or among host species in the generalist, although there was some differentiation between regions in the generalist (AMOVA, P < 0.05). Overall, the generalist populations maintained approximately 10 times the genetic variation in mtDNA as the specialist populations, which suggests that the specialist either has generally smaller population sizes than the generalist, or has experienced a historical population bottleneck.

Alleles↗
PubMed2000

Paternity and gene dispersal in limber pine (Pinus flexilis James).

This study provides empirical information on intrapopulation gene dispersal via pollen, the size of genetic 'neighbourhoods', and interpopulation gene flow in a long-lived conifer, limber pine (Pinus flexilis). We used allozyme loci for a paternity analysis of 518 seeds produced in an isolated population of limber pine located in north-eastern Colorado, U.S.A., separated by 2 km from the nearest conspecific trees and nearly 100 km from populations in the Rocky Mountains. We also used indirect techniques (FST analyses) to estimate gene flow rates among subdivisions of the study population and among five widely separated populations. Within the main study population limber pine exhibited a polymorphism level of 50%, observed heterozygosity of 0.159, and 2.36 alleles per polymorphic locus. Mountain populations were slightly more variable. The main study population showed significant differentiation in allozymes among neighbouring subpopulations. The mean FST was 0.031 and the gene flow rate among subpopulations was estimated as 7.8 migrants per generation. Among widely separated populations the mean FST was 0.035 and the gene flow rate was estimated as 6.9 migrants per generation. The paternity analysis indicated a best estimate of 6.5% pollen immigration (minimum 1.1%) from populations 2 km to 100+ km away. For 4% of the seeds examined, paternity could be ascribed to a single tree in the study population. Fractional paternity and likelihood methods were used to estimate pollen dispersal distances for the remainder of the seeds. Mean pollen dispersal distance was estimated at 140 m using the fractional method, similar to results from the other techniques. This compares with a mean distance of 172 m between potential mates. These results suggest near-panmictic pollen dispersal over this population, which covers about 15 ha. The observed allozyme differences and surprisingly low estimates of among-subpopulation gene flow are ascribed to a probable restriction of gene dispersal by seeds.

Alleles↗
PubMed2000

Glacial refugia of limber pine (Pinus flexilis James) inferred from the population structure of mitochondrial DNA.

To make inferences about the glacial refugia that harboured the limber pine, Pinus flexilis James, we examined the range-wide population structure of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) with eight size variants in the second intron of nad1. The data consisted of haplotypes from 704 trees collected from 40 localities. The value of FST for these populations was 0.80, which is a much larger value than has been reported for allozymes and chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) in limber pine, and it suggests that the number of seeds moving among localities per generation is approximately 0.12. Gene flow of this magnitude would allow mutation and subsequent genetic drift to have a substantial impact on the population structure of mtDNA. The majority of the mtDNA haplotypes are restricted to minor portions of the geographical range. The data are consistent with mtDNA differentiation in seven glacial refugia, followed by dispersal out of those refugia.

Alberta↗
PubMed2000

Population and subspecific genetic differentiation in the foxtail pine (Pinus balfouriana).

We performed an allozyme survey of genetic differentiation in Pinus balfouriana, a subalpine conifer endemic to California that is comprised of two allopatric subspecies, one in the Klamath Mountains and the other in the southern Sierra Nevada. Although the two subspecies are morphologically distinct and gene flow between them is virtually nonexistent, we observed much higher levels of differentiation among populations within a subspecies than between the two subspecies. Differentiation is particularly strong in the Klamath populations (multilocus FST = 0.242), which are small, isolated, and ecologically marginal. We attribute this strong differentiation to the mountain island effect, in which populations restricted to high elevations become isolated from each other on different mountains separated by unsuitable intervening habitat, with consequent reduced gene flow allowing populations to evolve independently. Populations of P. balfouriana in the Klamath region only exist scattered on the few highest ridges and peaks that rise above 2,000 m, which defines the lower limit of the species elevational distribution. This pattern of distribution has allowed genetic drift and allelic sorting through historical events to produce strong population-level differentiation, which was likely in place before the two subspecies were geographically separated. Because P. balfouriana occurs on both serpentine soils and nonserpentine soils in the Klamath Mountains, we tested for genetic differentiation between populations growing on serpentine versus nonserpentine soils and our results were equivocal. Our data, combined with several other studies of conifers, show that the mountain island effect can produce significant genetic differentiation in conifers whose life-history traits of widely dispersed pollen, long generation times, and high outcrossing rates would lead us to predict a more homogenous population genetic structure.

Altitude↗
PubMed1997

A comparison of population differentiation across four classes of gene marker in limber pine (Pinus flexilis James).

We examined genetic differentiation among seven populations of limber pine using four classes of gene marker. Among-population differentiation was much higher for maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA polymorphisms than for paternally inherited chloroplast DNA, indicating that wind-dispersed pollen is the main agent of gene flow. Chloroplast DNA differentiation is consistent with gene flow estimated in a prior paternity analysis. Using the estimates of seed and pollen flow derived from mtDNA and cpDNA differentiation, we predicted the value of Fst expected at nuclear loci. Allelic frequency differentiation at seven allozyme loci was relatively homogeneous across loci and consistent with the level of differentiation predicted from the organellar haplotypes. By contrast four of the nine randomly applied polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers we examined were more strongly differentiated than this prediction, suggesting the action of diversifying selection. However, the differentiated RAPDs and mtDNA were concordant in dividing the populations into two groups, suggesting some historical division. Simulations show that such historical division can increase the interlocus variance in Fst, but neither a historical nor an equilibrium model could account for the joint distribution of Fst estimates across both allozyme and RAPD loci. Thus at least one group of loci appears to be experiencing natural selection.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Selection of breeding stock in pigs favours 6PGD heterozygotes.

Associations between genetic variation at four enzyme polymorphisms and growth rate, feed conversion and economic index were studied in commercial lines of pigs. These lines were also tested for the fit of observed genotypic frequencies to expected genotypic frequencies at the four polymorphic loci. Genotypic distribution fit Hardy-Weinberg expectations in four pure-breeding lines but crosses among lines produced excesses in heterozygosity at the locus coding for 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (6PGD) due to differences in allelic frequencies among lines. Selection of breeding individuals further enhanced the heterozygosity at 6PGD to 73-93 per cent but it had no impact on a linked locus that was sometimes in linkage disequilibrium with 6PGD. The relationship between feed conversion and individual heterozygosity was examined in one population sample; feed conversion increased with individual heterozygosity.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Correlation between the individual heterozygosity of parents and their offspring.

Specific formulations are derived for the correlation between the heterozygosity of a randomly mating parent and its offspring for a diallelic locus, and for the correlation when multiple loci are considered. The expected correlation is maximal, approaching r = 0.50, when allelic frequencies are highly asymmetric, and it is zero when the allelic frequencies are equal to 0.50. Parent-offspring correlations, up to a maximum of 0.50 for diallelic loci, indicate that levels of heterozygosity can respond to selection. Multilocus allozyme data from limber pine, Pinus flexilis, and from horses of standardbred and thoroughbred breeds are used to demonstrate correlations between a parent and its offspring. The Spearman rank correlation between the heterozygosity of a limber pine and the mean heterozygosity of her offspring is r = 0.45. Correlations in the horses range from r = 0.16 to 0.32.

Animals↗
PubMed1976

Morphological adaptation to thermal stress in a marine fish, Fundulus heteroclitus.

Populations of Fundulus heteroclitus (Cyprinodontidae), a coastal marine fish, were studied in control and artificially heated environments on the north shore of Long Island to determine patterns of variation in morphology and the extent to which this variation reflected adaptation to environmental characteristics. Principal components and discriminant function analyses were used to analyze variation in and among seventeen morphological characters. Fishes living in water artificially heated by a power plant exhibited marked divergence from control populations in head morphology, and convergence with a population sampled at more southern latitudes. Hence, these differences were interpreted as adaptations to warm environments. Greater morphological variation is detected at the heated locality than at control localities, and this may be partially due to a breakdown in developmental homeostasis, and partially due to selection favoring phenotypes that are rare in this environment.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed1975

Genetic organization and adaptive response of allozymes to ecological variables in Fundulus heteroclitus.

Populations of Fundulus heteroclitus, (Cyprinodontidae) a widespread coastal marine fish, were studied in control and artificially heated environments on the North Shore of Long Island, New York to determine (1) patterns of variation in biochemical phenotypes and (2) the extent to which this variation reflected adaptation to environmental characteristics. Variation at three of twelve polymorphic isoenzyme loci from the warm water population was beyond the range of variation among control populations, and resembled those determined for populations living at more southern latitudes. Hence, these differences were interpreted as adaptations to warm environments. Significant differences in allele frequencies and zygotic proportions at ten of twelve isoenzyme loci were found associated with differences in environments, sexes, and/or age classes. These data strongly support the view that protein polymorphisms are adaptive. Several observations suggested that selection acts upon multilocus phenotypes rather than upon those of single loci. Several di-locus phenotypic distributions were demonstrated to be nonrandom, and those that exhibited similar patterns of dependence over years were postulated to be maintained by selection. Highly heterozygous fish exhibited superior viability when cohorts were compared over successive years. The consequences of the polygynous mating system in this species for maintaining genetic variation and for allowing rapid evolutionary response to a variable environment are discussed.

Alleles↗
PubMed1974

Multivariate analysis of genetic variation.

Multiple factor analysis was used to interpret geographical variation of gene frequencies. Allelic frequencies at three loci (two esterase loci, Esr and Esh, and a malic dehydrogenase locus) from ants (Pogonomyrmex barbatus) collected throughout Texas and reported by Johnsonet al. (1969) were reexamined for patterns of correlation with five environmental measurements: mean January temperature, mean July temperature, mean annual precipitation, elevation, and annual growing season. These measurements and the associated gene frequencies at each sampling location were subjected to factor analysis. Variables highly correlated with the same factor were hypothesized to be causally related. Both orthogonal and oblique rotations of the factor solution provided four factors with essentially the same interpretation. Variation at the Esh locus was associated with a continuum from cold-wet to hot-dry. Variation at the Mdh locus and some of that at the Esr locus was related to the severity of winter months. Other allelic frequencies at the Esr locus had high correlations with a third factor which seemed to be independent of the environmental measurements. None of the allelic frequencies had high correlations with the fourth factor which was interpretable as an altitudinal gradient.

Alleles↗
PubMed1973

Population genetics of marine pelecypods. 3. Epistasis between functionally related isoenzymes of Mytilus edulis.

The distribution of interlocus genotypic combinations was examined in Mytilus edulis for interdependence between two loci synthesizing functionally related isoenzymes. There is significant dependence between the Leucine Aminopeptidase and Aminopeptidase loci, which we attribute to epistasis, since the magnitude of dependency varies with age. Furthermore, dependency varies in magnitude with position in the intertidal zone from which samples were taken, suggesting that epistasis is a function of the combination of certain non-homologous alleles as well as of the environmental circumstance in which the combinations occur.

Alleles↗