selection at the y chromosome of the african buffalo driven by rainfall选择在非洲水牛的y染色体由降雨.pdfVIP

Selection at the Y Chromosome of the African Buffalo Driven by Rainfall 1,2 1¤ 2 1,3 4 1 Pim van Hooft *, Barend J. Greyling , Herbert H. T. Prins , Wayne M. Getz , Anna E. Jolles , Armanda D. S. Bastos 1 Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa, 2 Resource Ecology Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands, 3 Department of Environmental Science Policy and Management, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States of America, 4 College of Veterinary Medicine and Department of Zoology, Oregon State, University, Corvallis, Oregon, United States of America Selection coefficients at the mammalian Y chromosome typically do not deviate strongly from neutrality. Here we show that strong balancing selection, maintaining intermediate frequencies of DNA sequence variants, acts on the Y chromosome in two populations of African buffalo (Syncerus caffer). Significant correlations exist between sequence variant frequencies and annual rainfall in the years before conception, with five- to eightfold frequency changes over short time periods. Annual rainfall variation drives the balancing of sequence variant frequencies, probably by affecting parental condition. We conclude that sequence variants confer improved male reproductive success after either dry or wet years, making the population composition and dynamics very sensitive to climate change. The mammalian Y chromosome, interacting with ecological processes, may affect male reproductive success much more strongly than previously thought. Citation: van Hooft P, Greyling BJ, Prins HHT, Getz WM, Jolles AE, et al (2007) Selection at the Y Chromosome of