Bazin et al. (Reports, 28 April, 2006, p. 570) found no relationship between mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) diversity and population size when comparing across large groups of animals. We show empirically that species with smaller populations, as represented by eutherian mammals, exhibit a positive correlation between mtDNA and allozyme variation, suggesting that mtDNA diversity may correlate with p...

Earlier studies of the A and B allozymes at the G6pd locus show a differential ability of the genotypes to suppress the loss of viability associated with a low activity 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase mutation, 6Pgdlo1. This observation indicates a relatively lower activity for the A allozyme genotype, but it is not known if this level of suppression required a large difference in in vivo acti...

Variation in the DNA restriction map of a 13-kb region of chromosome II including the alcohol dehydrogenase structural gene (Adh) was examined in Drosophila melanogaster from natural populations. Detailed analysis of 48 D. melanogaster lines representing four eastern United States populations revealed extensive DNA sequence variation due to base substitutions, insertions and deletions. Cloning ...

There is increasing awareness of the need to evaluate the effects of contaminants at the population level. Genetic techniques offer a powerful approach to assess contaminant-induced changes in populations. Yet studies to date are relatively few and not always carefully designed to maximize the utility inherent in this approach. We present a summary of contemporary genetic assessment methods and...

Ice ages within Europe forced many species to retreat to refugia, of which three major biogeographic basic types can be distinguished: "Mediterranean", "Continental" and "Alpine / Arctic" species. However, this classification often fails to explain the complex phylogeography of European species with a wide range of latitudinal and altitudinal distribution. Hence, we tested for the possibility t...

We have obtained 15 sequences of Est-6 from a natural population of Drosophila melanogaster to test whether linkage disequilibrium exists between Est-6 and the closely linked Sod, and whether natural selection may be involved. An early experiment with allozymes had shown linkage disequilibrium between these two loci, while none was detected between other gene pairs. The Sod sequences for the sa...

We have compared mouse embryos of three heterozygous, congenic genotypes (with high, medium and low levels of oocyte-coded glucose phosphate isomerase (GPI-1) activity respectively) to test whether 1) the survival time of oocyte-coded GPI-1 activity in the early embryo is affected by its activity level in the oocyte and 2) whether embryo-coded GPI-1 is detected earlier in embryos that inherit l...