Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

Past And Present Patterns Of Neutral And Adaptive Genetic Diversity In Wild Mandrills (Mandrillus Sphinx), Anna Weber

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Although primates have fascinated researchers and the public alike for generations, one species that has remained enigmatic is the mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx), a large Cercopithecine monkey endemic to Central Africa. Mandrills are currently in decline due to bushmeat hunting, urbanization, and habitat loss. Neutral and adaptive genetic diversity are important tools for understanding evolutionary history and future viability, since diversity influences a species’ ability to adapt to a changing environment. However, thus far, minimal genetic information has been available for wild mandrills. Because of the dense vegetation in their tropical forest habitat, studying wild mandrills has proven to …

Spatial And Temporal Patterns Of Neutral And Adaptive Genetic Variation In The Alpine Butterfly, Parnassius Smintheus, Maryam Jangjoo

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Understanding how much genetic diversity exists in populations, and the processes that maintain that diversity, has been a central focus of population genetics. The evolutionary processes that determine patterns of genetic diversity depend on underlying ecological processes such as dispersal and changes in population size. In this thesis, I examine the influence of dispersal and population dynamics on neutral and adaptive genetic variation in a naturally occurring network of populations of the alpine butterfly, Parnassius smintheus.

My first objective was to determine the combined consequences of demographic bottlenecks and dispersal on neutral genetic variation within and among populations. Using …

The Major Histocompatibility Complex In Song Sparrows: Immunity, Signals, And Mate Choice, Joel W.G. Slade

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In recent years, sexual selection theory has redefined genetic quality to consider not only additive genetic effects on fitness but also non-additive genetic effects, such as heterozygote advantage or disadvantage. In jawed vertebrates, the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) gene family has been shown to exhibit both additive and non-additive genetic effects on fitness. MHC gene products are involved in initiating adaptive immune responses, and MHC genotype determines the range of pathogens to which an individual can respond. Therefore, parasite-mediated selection at MHC may favour locally-adapted, rare, or particular combination of alleles. Because heterozygote advantage at MHC is widespread, sexual selection …

Evolutionary Genetic Aspects Of Host Association In Generalist Ectoparasites, Benoit Talbot

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Despite the use of the host for dispersal by most parasite species, the extremely loose relationship typical between highly mobile hosts and generalist ectoparasites may lead to very different gene flow patterns between the two, leading in turn to different spatial genetic structure, and potentially different demographic history. I examined how similar gene flow patterns are between Cimex adjunctus, a generalist ectoparasite of bats present throughout North America, and two of its key bat hosts. I first analyzed the continent-scale genetic structure and demographic history of C. adjunctus and compared it to that of two of its hosts, the …

Introduction And Spread Of Bromus Tectorum (Cheatgrass) Into Midwestern United States: Population Genetic And Evolutionary Consequences, Temsha D. Huttanus

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

High propagule pressure is correlated with invasion success, and has important implications for the genetic diversity and evolutionary potential of a species in its introduced range. Here, I examine an invasive annual grass Bromus tectorum and document the population genetic consequences that resulted from multiple introductions of genotypes native to different Eurasian regions into the North American Midwest. Herbarium collections showed that B. tectorum was first recorded near-contemporaneously throughout the Midwest in the late 1800s. Allozyme diversity data from 60 populations were used to assess the origin and frequency of introductions into the Midwest. Genetic variation and structure was compared …