Summary
The distribution of Myrmeleotettix maculatus B-chromosomes in part of East Anglia has been mapped twice, at an interval of 10 years. A cline in B-chromosome frequency is moving forward at c. 300 m y−1 and is about 3–5 km wide.
If the cline represents a simple wave of advance, the standard deviation in position of offspring around their parent must be of the order of 1000 m y−½. However, measurements suggest that this figure cannot be more than about 50 m y−½. Climatic change is also inadequate to explain the movement.
It is therefore suggested that geneflow through extinction and recolonisation of small populations may be more important than diffusion of individuals in genetically structuring this species.
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Shaw, M. Rapid movement of a B-chromosome frequency cline in Myrmeleotettix maculatus (Orthoptera: acrididae). Heredity 50, 1–14 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1038/hdy.1983.1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/hdy.1983.1
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