Journal of Molecular Evolution (2008) 67, 397-411

James E. Bower, Mark Dowton, Robert D. Cooper and Nigel W. Beebe (2008)
Intraspecific concerted evolution of the rDNA ITS1 in Anopheles farauti sensu stricto (Diptera: Culicidae) reveals recent patterns of population structure
Journal of Molecular Evolution 67 (4), 397-411
Abstract: We examined the intraindividual variation present in the first ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS1) of Anopheles farauti to determine the level of divergence among populations for this important malarial vector. We isolated 187 clones from 70 individuals and found regional variation among four internal tandem repeats. The data were partitioned prior to analysis given the presence of a paralogous ITS2 sequence, called the 5'-subrepeat, inserted in the ITS1 of most clones. A high level of homogenization and population differentiation was observed for this repeat, which indicates a higher rate of turnover relative to the adjacent 'core' region. Bayesian analysis was performed using several substitutional models on both a combined and a partitioned data set. On the whole, the ITS1 phylogeny and geographic origin of the samples appear to be congruent. Some interesting exceptions indicate the spread of variant repeats between populations and the retention of ancestral polymorphism. Our data clearly demonstrate concerted evolution at the intraspecific level despite intraindividual variation and a complex internal repeat structure from a species that occupies a continuous coastal distribution. A high rate of genomic turnover in combination with a high level of sequence divergence appears to be a major factor leading to its concerted evolution within these populations.
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Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Nigel W. Beebe

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
molecular biology - genes

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Anopheles farauti		Papua New Guinea
	Anopheles farauti		Solomon Islands
	Anopheles farauti		Vanuatu
	Anopheles farauti		Australia (NT+QLD)