Admixture determines genetic diversity and population differentiation in the biological invasion of a lizard species.

Department of Biology, Washington University, St Louis, MO 63130, USA. kolbe@berkeley.edu

Molecular genetic analyses show that introduced populations undergoing biological invasions often bring together individuals from genetically disparate native-range source populations, which can elevate genotypic variation if these individuals interbreed. Differential admixture among multiple native-range sources explains mitochondrial haplotypic diversity within and differentiation among invasive populations of the lizard Anolis sagrei. Our examination of microsatellite variation supports the hypothesis that lizards from disparate native-range sources, identified using mtDNA haplotypes, form genetically admixed introduced populations. Furthermore, within-population genotypic diversity increases with the number of sources and among-population genotypic differentiation reflects disparity in their native-range sources. If adaptive genetic variation is similarly restructured, then the ability of invasive species to adapt to new conditions may be enhanced.

PMID: 18492644 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

PMCID: PMC2610154 [Available on 2009/08/23]