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Wallis, G.P. and J.A. Beardmore, 1984. Genetic Variation and Environmental Heterogeneity in Some Closely Related Goby Species, University of Otago. Reprinted from Genetica (1984) 62(3): 223-237 with kind permission from Springer Science and Business Media Genetic Variation and Environmental Heterogeneity in Some Closely Related Goby SpeciesResults of an electrophoretic study of 31 loci in 9 species of gobiid fish (Potamatoschistus minutus, P. lozani, P. norvegicus, P. pictus, P. microps, P. marmoratus, P. canestrinii, Knipowitschia caucasica and Neogobius melanostomus) are reported. Rank order estimates of the degree of environmental heterogeneity experienced by the species were compared to genetic variation (mean heterozygosity, He) and correlations calculated. The most conservative rank correlation coefficient (r = 0.88) is highly significant (P < 0.01). The large differences in He values between neritic/offshore (0.044) and estuarine/shore (0.094) populations seem unlikely to be accounted for by factors such as population size or mutation rate. It was suggested that more variable environments are conducive to maintenance of higher levels of genetic variation at the enzyme loci in these goby populations. These results are consistent with those of laboratory studies examined. Contact: Graham Wallis, Department of Zoology, University of Otago, P.O. Box
56, Dunedin, New Zealand |