Desender Konjev, Backeljau Thierry, Delahaye Koen, De Meester Luc
Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Vautierstraat 29, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium Fax: (32)26274132; e-mail:
Laboratory of Animal Ecology, University of Gent, K.L. Ledeganckstraat 35, B-9000 Gent, Belgium, , , , , , BE.
Oecologia. 1998 May;114(4):503-513. doi: 10.1007/s004420050474.
Enzyme and dispersal polymorphisms of the saltmarsh carabid beetles Pogonus chalceus and Dicheirotrichus gustavii were studied in European populations varying in size and in isolation in space and time. D. gustavii, a constantly fullwinged species, has a larger genetic diversity and a smaller genetic differentiation between populations than the wing-polymorphic P. chalceus. Clear relationships between population or site characteristics and genetic structure were not observed, except for the special position taken by some small populations in both species. The dispersal power of P. chalceus in small populations is larger than in large populations, suggesting that these populations are unstable and/or young. Small populations, however, do not always show a lower genetic diversity than large populations, as would be expected from genetic drift. Dispersal power in P. chalceus declines with increasing age of the saltmarsh, probably due to continuous emigration of winged individuals. Age and size of saltmarshes, although difficult to study independently, both appear to be important in determining the genetic structure of saltmarsh beetles. Maximum diversity in both parameters is therefore recommended as an optimal nature conservation strategy.
在欧洲不同规模、在空间和时间上相互隔离的种群中，对盐沼步甲Pogonus chalceus和Dicheirotrichus gustavii的酶和扩散多态性进行了研究。D. gustavii是一种翅膀始终发育完全的物种，与翅膀具有多态性的P. chalceus相比，其遗传多样性更大，种群间的遗传分化更小。除了两个物种中的一些小种群所占据的特殊位置外，未观察到种群或地点特征与遗传结构之间存在明显关系。P. chalceus在小种群中的扩散能力大于大种群，这表明这些小种群不稳定和/或较为年轻。然而，小种群并不总是像遗传漂变所预期的那样，显示出比大种群更低的遗传多样性。P. chalceus的扩散能力随着盐沼年龄的增加而下降，这可能是由于有翅个体的持续迁出所致。盐沼的年龄和规模虽然难以独立研究，但在决定盐沼甲虫的遗传结构方面似乎都很重要。因此，建议将这两个参数的最大多样性作为一种最佳的自然保护策略。
