Mitochondrial DNA sequence variation in Drosophilid species (Diptera: Drosophilidae) along altitudinal gradient from Central Himalayan region of India

• Published in: Journal of genetics Vol. 95; no. 2; pp. 357 - 367
• Main Authors: SARSWAT, MANISHA, DEWAN, SAURABH, FARTYAL, RAJENDRA SINGH
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New Delhi Springer India 01.06.2016; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Altitude; Animal Genetics and Genomics; Animals; Base Sequence; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Cytochrome c; Cytochrome oxidase; Diptera; DNA sequencing; DNA, Mitochondrial - genetics; Drosophila; Drosophilidae; Drosophilidae - classification; Drosophilidae - genetics; Ecology; Ecosystem; Electron Transport Complex IV - genetics; Evolutionary Biology; Female; Genetic diversity; Genetic Speciation; Genetic Variation; Habitats; Haplotypes; India; Insect Proteins - genetics; Isoenzymes - genetics; Life Sciences; Lordiphosa; Male; Microbial Genetics and Genomics; Mitochondria - enzymology; Mitochondria - genetics; Mitochondrial DNA; Nucleotide sequencing; Phylogeny; Plant Genetics and Genomics; Research Article; RNA; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S - genetics; Scaptomyza; Stegana; India; genetic diversity; 16S rRNA; haplotypes; cytochrome c oxidase subunit II; Uttarakhand; cytochrome c oxidase subunit I
• ISSN: 0022-1333; 0973-7731
• DOI: 10.1007/s12041-016-0646-x

Central Himalayan region of India encompasses varied ecological habitats ranging from near tropics to the mid-elevation forests dominated by cool-temperate taxa. In past, we have reported several new records and novel species from Uttarakhand state of India. Here, we assessed genetic variations in three mitochondrial genes, namely, 16S rRNA, cytochrome c oxidase subunit I and cytochrome c oxidase subunit II ( COI and COII ) in 26 drosophilid species collected along altitudinal transect from 550 to 2700 m above mean sea level. In the present study, overall 543 sequences were generated, 82 for 16S rRNA, 238 for COI , 223 for COII with 21, 47 and 45 mitochondrial haplotypes for 16S rRNA, COI and COII genes, respectively. Almost all species were represented by 2–3 unique mitochondrial haplotypes, depicting a significant impact of environmental heterogeneity along altitudinal gradient on genetic diversity. Also for the first time, molecular data of some rare species like Drosophila mukteshwarensis , Liodrosophila nitida , Lordiphosa parantillaria , Lordiphosa ayarpathaensis , Scaptomyza himalayana , Scaptomyza tistai , Zaprionus grandis and Stegana minuta are provided to public domains through this study.