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Does linkage disequilibrium generate heterozygosity-fitness correlations in great reed warblers?

Hansson, Bengt LU orcid ; Westerdahl, Helena LU ; Hasselquist, Dennis LU ; Åkesson, Mikael LU and Bensch, Staffan LU (2004) In Evolution 58(4). p.870-879
Abstract
Heterozygosity-fitness correlations (HFCs) at noncoding genetic markers are commonly assumed to reflect fitness effects of heterozygosity at genomewide distributed genes in partially inbred populations. However, in populations with much linkage disequilibrium (LD), HFCs may arise also as a consequence of selection on fitness loci in the local chromosomal vicinity of the markers. Recent data suggest that relatively high levels of LD may prevail in many ecological situations. Consequently, LD may be an important factor, together with partial inbreeding, in causing HFCs in natural populations. In the present study, we evaluate whether LD can generate HFCs in a small and newly founded population of great reed warblers (Acrocephalus... (More)
Heterozygosity-fitness correlations (HFCs) at noncoding genetic markers are commonly assumed to reflect fitness effects of heterozygosity at genomewide distributed genes in partially inbred populations. However, in populations with much linkage disequilibrium (LD), HFCs may arise also as a consequence of selection on fitness loci in the local chromosomal vicinity of the markers. Recent data suggest that relatively high levels of LD may prevail in many ecological situations. Consequently, LD may be an important factor, together with partial inbreeding, in causing HFCs in natural populations. In the present study, we evaluate whether LD can generate HFCs in a small and newly founded population of great reed warblers (Acrocephalus arundinaceus). For this purpose dyads of full siblings of which only one individual survived to adult age (i.e., returned to breed at the study area) were scored at 19 microsatellite loci, and at a gene region of hypothesized importance for survival, the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). By examining siblings, we controlled for variation in the inbreeding coefficient and thus excluded genome-wide fitness effects in our analyses. We found that recruited individuals had significantly higher multilocus heterozygosity (MLH), and mean d(2) (a microsatellite-specific variable), than their nonrecruited siblings. There was a tendency for the survivors to have a more diverse MHC than the nonsurvivors. Single-locus analyses showed that the strength of the genotype-survival association was especially pronounced at four microsatellite loci. By using genotype data from the entire breeding population, we detected significant LD between five of 162 pairs of microsatellite loci after accounting for multiple tests. Our present finding of a significant within-family multilocus heterozygosity-survival association in a nonequilibrium population supports the view that LD generates HFCs in natural populations. (Less)
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author
; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Evolution
volume
58
issue
4
pages
870 - 879
publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
external identifiers
  • pmid:15154561
  • wos:000221234700018
  • scopus:2342456442
ISSN
1558-5646
project
Long-term study of great reed warblers
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
56223ebd-458a-46a4-9a2e-0f53d89977d1 (old id 137024)
alternative location
http://evol.allenpress.com/evolonline/?request=get-abstract&issn=0014-3820&volume=058&issue=04&page=0870
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 16:15:11
date last changed
2022-03-30 06:37:19
@article{56223ebd-458a-46a4-9a2e-0f53d89977d1,
  abstract     = {{Heterozygosity-fitness correlations (HFCs) at noncoding genetic markers are commonly assumed to reflect fitness effects of heterozygosity at genomewide distributed genes in partially inbred populations. However, in populations with much linkage disequilibrium (LD), HFCs may arise also as a consequence of selection on fitness loci in the local chromosomal vicinity of the markers. Recent data suggest that relatively high levels of LD may prevail in many ecological situations. Consequently, LD may be an important factor, together with partial inbreeding, in causing HFCs in natural populations. In the present study, we evaluate whether LD can generate HFCs in a small and newly founded population of great reed warblers (Acrocephalus arundinaceus). For this purpose dyads of full siblings of which only one individual survived to adult age (i.e., returned to breed at the study area) were scored at 19 microsatellite loci, and at a gene region of hypothesized importance for survival, the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). By examining siblings, we controlled for variation in the inbreeding coefficient and thus excluded genome-wide fitness effects in our analyses. We found that recruited individuals had significantly higher multilocus heterozygosity (MLH), and mean d(2) (a microsatellite-specific variable), than their nonrecruited siblings. There was a tendency for the survivors to have a more diverse MHC than the nonsurvivors. Single-locus analyses showed that the strength of the genotype-survival association was especially pronounced at four microsatellite loci. By using genotype data from the entire breeding population, we detected significant LD between five of 162 pairs of microsatellite loci after accounting for multiple tests. Our present finding of a significant within-family multilocus heterozygosity-survival association in a nonequilibrium population supports the view that LD generates HFCs in natural populations.}},
  author       = {{Hansson, Bengt and Westerdahl, Helena and Hasselquist, Dennis and Åkesson, Mikael and Bensch, Staffan}},
  issn         = {{1558-5646}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{4}},
  pages        = {{870--879}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
  series       = {{Evolution}},
  title        = {{Does linkage disequilibrium generate heterozygosity-fitness correlations in great reed warblers?}},
  url          = {{http://evol.allenpress.com/evolonline/?request=get-abstract&issn=0014-3820&volume=058&issue=04&page=0870}},
  volume       = {{58}},
  year         = {{2004}},
}