Genetic Variation in Clonal Vertebrates Detected by Simple-Sequence DNAFingerprinting

摘要

Measurement of clonal heterogeneity is central to understanding evolutionary andpopulation genetics of roughly 50 species of vertebrates lack effective genetic recombination. A simple-sequence DNA fingerprinting with oligonucleotide probes (CAG)5 and (GACA)4 was used to detect heterogeneity in natural populations of two clonal fishes, Poecilia formosa, an apomictic unisexual, and Rivulus marmoratus, a selfing hermaphrodite. The technique clearly differentiates allozymically identical laboratory lines of R. marmoratus that were previously distinguishable only by histocompatibility analysis. The technique also revealed the first documented cases of apparent clonal turnover in a natural population of each species.