Genetic Distance as a Function of Geographic Distance in Ohio Dusky Salamanders
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Date
2005-06
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Publisher
The Ohio State University
Abstract
Evolution typically begins as geographic separation, leading to genetic isolation, or speciation. 'Island examples' of geographic isolation are common, but situations less severe lead to evolution. Mobility and degree of ubiquity influence geographic separation. Northern dusky salamanders (Desmognathus fuscus) are neither mobile nor widespread. They remain within metres of streams because of moisture needs due to cutaneous respiration. Considering this, small amounts of geographic separation might drive evolution. The purpose of this study is to investigate the degree of genetic similarity between two populations of dusky salamander in Ohio. We expect greater differences between the sites, given their degree of geographic separation, than we do within the sites. We collected DNA from dusky salamanders in two Ohio locations. Analysis included veiwing of rehybridized DNA, and fragment length matching. We found small but significant genetic differences between the two populations.
Description
Denman Undergraduate Forum
This thesis was originally authored under a different name. The author's name was corrected in December 2022.
This thesis was originally authored under a different name. The author's name was corrected in December 2022.
Keywords
Desmognathus, genetics