Tandem duplications as targets of selection in local adaptation
Authors: Taylor Conway 1; Rebekah Rogers 2
Affiliations: 1) University of North Carolina at Charlotte; 2) University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Keywords: c. chromosome structural variation; m. adaptation
Tandem duplications are a source of genetic novelty that create new gene sequences, alter gene expression patterns, and modify existing genes. We have used computational and molecular methods to describe evolutionary impacts from recently diverged populations in Drosophila. We locate and compare tandem duplications in Drosophila yakuba populations from mainland Africa compared with Island populations on Sao Tome and the eastern island Mayotte. These two independent cases of island invasion clarify how tandem duplications respond during habitat shifts. We have identified 1,426 mutations in D. yakuba capturing 1,022 genes. New gene structures include whole gene duplication and chimeric constructs. We are exploring the role these play in population differentiation in island environments.