2008/05/20 by Jason J. Kolbe, Allan Larson, Jonathan B. Losos +1 · 1 citation
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Environmental Science · #Genetic diversity and population structure #Evolution and Genetic Dynamics #Species Distribution and Climate Change
paper · doi:10.1098/rsbl.2008.0205
openalex publication_date 2008/05/20 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
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.