Genome location, evolution and centromeric contribution of satellite DNAs shared between the two closely related species Drosophila serido and D. antonietae (repleta group, buzzatii cluster).

Satellite DNAs are highly repetitive, tandemly arranged sequences, typically making up large portions (> 20%) of the eukaryotic genome. Most satDNAs are fast evolving and changes in their abundance and nucleotide composition may be related to genetic incompatibilities between species. Here, we used Illumina paired-end sequencing raw data and graph-based read-clustering with the TAREAN bioinformatic tool to study the satDNAs in two cactophilic neotropical cryptic species of Drosophila from the buzzatii cluster (repleta group), D.

Phylogeography of Drosophila buzzatii (Diptera, Drosophilidae): responses of the species to Quaternary climates in tropical and subtropical South America.

Drosophila buzzatii (Diptera: Drosophilidae) is a fly that breeds exclusively on decaying tissues of cacti species widely distributed in tropical and subtropical areas of South America. This distribution includes biomes in distinct climatic regimes (e.g.

Evidences of differential methylation in the genome during development in the cactophilic Drosophila species.

DNA methylation with 5-methylcytosine (5mC) has been reported in the genome of several eukaryotes, with marked differences between vertebrates and invertebrates. DNA methylation is poorly understood as its role in evolution in insects. Drosophila gouveai (cluster Drosophila buzzatii) presents larvae that develop obligatorily in necrotic tissues of cacti in nature, with the distribution of populations in South America, and plasticity of phenotypes in insect-plant interaction.

A holocenic and dynamic hybrid zone between two cactophilic Drosophila species in a coastal lowland plain of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest.

Hybridization and introgression are processes that contribute to shaping biological diversity. The factors promoting the formation of these processes are multiples but poorly explored in a biogeographical and ecological context. In the southeast coastal plain of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, a hybrid zone was described between two closely related cactophilic species, Drosophila antonietae and D.

Plastic Variation in the Phyletic Lineages of Cactophilic Drosophila meridionalis and Relation to Hosts as Potential for Diversification.

The insect/plant interaction is known to be a trigger for diversification and even speciation. Experimental analyses on fitness traits and phenotypic variation using alternative host sites have been performed to understand the process of diversification relative to insect/plant interactions. For cactophilic species of Drosophila, the speciation process is considered an adaptive radiation in response to the exploration of species of the Cactaceae as breeding and feeding sites.

Genetics and Distribution Modeling: The Demographic History of the Cactophilic Drosophila buzzatii Species Cluster in Open Areas of South America.

Biodiversity is the result of historical and recurrent events acting on populations and species. The Drosophila buzzatii species cluster is distributed along a diagonal of open areas in South America. Combining genetic analyses with species distribution models we evaluated the influence of climatic changes in the demography history of this cluster.

Identification of differentially expressed genes in female Drosophila antonietae and Drosophila meridionalis in response to host cactus odor.

Background: Studies of insect-plant interactions have provided critical insights into the ecology and evolution of adaptive processes within and among species. Cactophilic Drosophila species have received much attention because larval development occurs in the necrotic tissues of cacti, and both larvae and adults feed on these tissues. Such Drosophila-cactus interactions include effects of the host plant on the physiology and behavior of the flies, especially so their nutritional status, mating condition and reproduction.

Variations on a theme: diversification of cuticular hydrocarbons in a clade of cactophilic Drosophila.

Background: We characterized variation and chemical composition of epicuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) in the seven species of the Drosophila buzzatii cluster with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Despite the critical role of CHCs in providing resistance to desiccation and involvement in communication, such as courtship behavior, mating, and aggregation, few studies have investigated how CHC profiles evolve within and between species in a phylogenetic context. We analyzed quantitative differences in CHC profiles in populations of the D.

Low satellite DNA variability in natural populations of Drosophila antonietae involved in different evolutionary events.

Drosophila antonietae is a cactophilic species that is found in the mesophilic forest of the Paraná-Paraguay river basin and in the dunes of the South Atlantic coast of Brazil. Although the genetic structure of the Paraná-Paraguay river basin populations has already been established, the relationship between these populations and those on the Atlantic coast is controversial. In this study, we compared 33 repetitive units of pBuM-2 satellite DNA isolated from individuals from 8 populations of D.

Phenotypic variation of the Aedeagus of Drosophila serido vilela & sene (Diptera: Drosophilidae).

Drosophila serido Vilela & Sene is a polytypic and cactophilic species with broad geographic distribution in Brazil. The morphology of the aedeagi of eight natural populations of D. serido was analyzed.

Low rates of homogenization of the DBC-150 satellite DNA family restricted to a single pair of microchromosomes in species from the Drosophila buzzatii cluster.

A satellite DNA family, termed DBC-150, comprises slightly GC-rich repeat units of approximately 150 bp that were isolated (by DNA digestions or PCR) from the genome of all seven Drosophila species from the buzzatii cluster (repleta group). The presence of subrepeats suggests that part of the extant DBC-150 monomer originated by the duplication of small sequence motifs. The DBC-150 family is compared to the previously described pBuM satDNA family, an abundant component of the genome of five species of the cluster.

Conservation of pBuM-2 satellite DNA sequences among geographically isolated Drosophila gouveai populations from Brazil.

In this study, we have compared 34 repetition units of pBuM-2 satellite DNA of individuals from six isolated populations of Drosophila gouveai, a cactophilic member of Drosophila buzzatii cluster (repleta group). In contrast to the results of previous morphological and molecular data, which suggest differentiation among the D. gouveai populations, the sequences and the cluster analysis of pBuM-2 monomers showed that this repetitive element is highly conserved among the six D.

Aedeagus morphology as a discriminant marker in two closely related cactophilic species of Drosophila (Diptera; Drosophilidae) in South America.

Drosophila serido and D. antonietae are sibling species belonging to the Drosophila buzzatii cluster. Morphologically, they can only be discriminated by quantitative traits.

Cactophilic Drosophila in South America: a model for evolutionary studies.

The Drosophila buzzatii cluster is composed of seven cactophilic species and their known geographical distribution encompasses the open vegetation diagonal, which includes the morphoclimatic Domains of the Caatinga, Chaco and Cerrado, which are situated between the Amazon and the Atlantic forests. Besides these areas, these cactophilic species are also found in a narrow strip along the Atlantic coast from northeastern Brazil to the southern tip of the country. The hypothesis of vicariant events, defining the core areas of each species, is proposed to explain the historical diversification for the cluster.

Molecular characterization and chromosomal distribution of Galileo, Kepler and Newton, three foldback transposable elements of the Drosophila buzzatii species complex.

Galileo is a foldback transposable element that has been implicated in the generation of two polymorphic chromosomal inversions in Drosophila buzzatii. Analysis of the inversion breakpoints led to the discovery of two additional elements, called Kepler and Newton, sharing sequence and structural similarities with Galileo. Here, we describe in detail the molecular structure of these three elements, on the basis of the 13 copies found at the inversion breakpoints plus 10 additional copies isolated during this work.

Nested cladistic analysis of Brazilian populations of Drosophila serido.

The effects of Quaternary climatic cycles were investigated in Drosophila serido, a Brazilian cactophilic fly widely distributed outside the Amazonian region. Previous studies have indicated this species displays remarkable karyotypic, male genitalia, and mtDNA variation, so much so that it has been described as a species complex, or superspecies. In the present study we expand the analysis of the mtDNA COI gene on D.