Redheaded pine sawfly species is characterized by
variations in color (yellow, white, and diverse spotting patterns), and
coloration phenotypes are often used as cryptic and / or aposematic mechanisms
to escape predators. To expand the existing sample of color loci, Linnen et al.
performed quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping analyses on two types of
larval pigmentation traits that vary among populations of the redheaded pine
sawfly, including carotenoid-based yellow body color and melanin-based spotting
pattern. The QTL models explained a good proportion of phenotypic variation for
both traits and suggested a defined genetic architecture that is neither
monogenic nor highly polygenic. Then, using linkage map, they were able to
identify promising candidate genes underlying the loss of yellow pigmentation
in populations in the Mid-Atlantic/northeastern, and a reduction in black
spotting in Great-Lakes populations
Sylvain
No comments:
Post a Comment