PgmNr P2005:
Evolutionary implications of recombination rate variation among populations of Drosophila melanogaster .

Authors:
J. Cruz Corchado 1 ; J. Comeron 1,2


Institutes
1) Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Genetics, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA; 2) Department of Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA.


Abstract:

Recombination is a crucial biological process and one of the most fundamental parameters in evolution. Under most conditions, meiotic recombination is essential for ensuring that organisms adapt to ever changing biotic and abiotic conditions and, as such, it shapes evolutionary change within and between species. Yet, and despite its importance, recombination rates are fast evolving and vary between closely related species. In this study, we estimate and compare recombination rates in five Drosophila melanogaster populations (Zambia, Rwanda, Cameroon, France and USA). We observe that recombination rates not only change in total magnitude but also in their relative distribution within chromosomes (recombination landscapes).  We also show that differences in recombination landscapes among populations play a significant role explaining population-specific differences in nucleotide diversity without requiring adaptive events (local adaptation).  Our results suggest that inter-population differences in local recombination rates and the corresponding differences in local Background Selection (BGS) need to be considered as a possible explanation for population-specific differences in nucleotide diversity at specific genomic regions.