Cardiocondyla elegans is a Mediterranean ant that nests on river banks. It rears only wingless (ergatoid) males that live peacefully in the same nest as opposed to other species of the same genus, which have both peaceful, winged and mutually aggressive 'ergatoid' males. Using microsatellite analysis, we investigated the genetic structure of 21 colonies from three different locations as well as...

Our objective was to estimate Bos primigenius taurus introgression in American Zebu cattle. One hundred and four American Zebu (Nellore) cattle were submitted to mtDNA, microsatellite and satellite analysis. Twenty-three alleles were detected in microsatellite analysis, averaging 4.6 ± 1.82/locus. Variance component comparisons of microsatellite allele sizes allowed the construction of tw...

To enhance their conservation value, several hundred islands worldwide have been cleared of invasive alien rats, Rattus spp. One of the largest projects yet undertaken was on 43 km(2) Henderson Island in the Pitcairn group, South Pacific, in August 2011. Following massive immediate mortality, a single R. exulans was observed in March 2012 and, subsequently, rat numbers have recovered. The survi...

We surveyed the genetic ancestry and recorded the occurrence of autogeny, the developmental times, and survival rates in families of Culex pipiens in Santa Clara County, CA, at 37°N latitude. Females in 95% of the families produced fertile egg rafts without access to blood (= autogeny) after mating in stenogamous conditions. Developmental time, survival, and egg raft production were closely cor...

In 1989, the world started to look much brighter for genome mappers and behavioral ecologists: the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and a type of sequence known as a microsatellite were brought together in the development of potentially powerful new methods for mapping genomes. Microsatellites seemed to have almost all the features required by those seeking a simple molecular way of tracking reg...

The black surfperch Embiotoca jacksoni and the striped surfperch E. lateralis (Embiotocidae, Perciformes) are livebearing temperate reef fishes that live sympatrically over a large portion of their distribution range, where they exhibit strong ecological competition. In order to assess whether mating strategies reflect competition, we investigated multiple paternity in these two species in an a...

Previous microsatellite analysis showed that two subpopulations of perch (Perca fluviatilis L) exist in Lake Constance. This raises questions of whether (i). Lake Constance was colonized by two populations that diverged in allopatry, or (ii). the two subpopulations diverged in sympatry. Sequence analysis of a 365 bp mtDNA fragment (5'-end of the D-loop) of perch from Lake Constance and adjacent...

According to kin selection theory, the location of an individual with respect to its relatives can have important ramifications for its fitness. Perhaps more than any other vertebrate group, anuran amphibian larvae have been the subject of many experiments on this topic. Some anuran species have been shown in the laboratory to recognize and associate with their siblings and half-siblings. Howev...

Mutual policing, where group members suppress each others' reproduction, is hypothesized to be important in the origin and stabilization of biological complexity. Mutual policing among workers in social insects can reduce within-colony conflict. However, there are few examples. We tested for worker policing in the common wasp Vespula vulgaris. Workers rapidly removed worker-laid eggs but left m...

Fifteen microsatellite loci were studied in Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila simulans, two closely related sibling species which split 2-3.5 MYA. Within-species variances in repeat number were found to differ up to 1,000-fold among individual microsatellite loci. A significant correlation of log variances between both species indicated a locus-specific mutation rate of microsatellites. He...