Multilocus analysis of nucleotide variation inDrosophila madeirensis, an endemic species of the Laurisilva forest in Madeira

A multilocus analysis reveals that Drosophila madeirensis, an endemic species of Madeira's Laurisilva forest, exhibits nucleotide variation levels similar to those of its closely related Palearctic counterpart, Drosophila subobscura. Despite coexisting in Madeira, no significant introgression was detected between the two species. The study analyzed six genomic regions distributed along the O(3) inversion, which is monomorphic in D. madeirensis but extinct in D. subobscura due to the emergence of derived arrangements (O(ST) and O(3+4)). Notably, purifying selection against deleterious nonsynonymous mutations appears less effective in D. madeirensis, with a frequency spectrum skewed towards rare variants.

KHADEM, M., MUNTÉ, A., CAMACHO, R., AGUADÉ, M., & SEGARRA, C. (2012). Multilocus analysis of nucleotide variation inDrosophila madeirensis, an endemic species of the Laurisilva forest in Madeira. Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 25(4), 726–739. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1420-9101.2012.02467.x