Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!shelby!snorkelwacker!usc!wuarchive!julius.cs.uiuc.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!ohstpy!miavx1!miamiu!jahayes
From: JAHAYES@MIAMIU.BITNET (Josh Hayes)
Newsgroups: bionet.population-bio
Subject: Estimation of Gene Flow (was re: true gene flow)
Message-ID: <90288.094237JAHAYES@MIAMIU.BITNET>
Date: 15 Oct 90 14:42:37 GMT
References: <9010131802.AA25850@genbank.bio.net>
Organization: Miami University - Academic Computer Service
Lines: 39

In a related question, I am planning to embark on a study that
the net might be able to discourage or encourage. Here's a brief
description:
 
The marine gastropod Coralliophila abbreviata feeds on stony
corals in the Western Atlantic. It's a sequential hermaphrodite
(protandrous), and produces planktonic larvae after brooding them
briefly in the mantle cavity.
 
It's a simple matter to develop a model to predict the adaptive
size/age at which an individual should switch from male to female
(I can supply references if anyone's interested -- heck, even a
manuscript rejected from American Naturalist!), within the constraints
of local size/age structure and known fecundity/size relationships.
My snails don't do it right; at four out of five sites they're way
off the predicted sex ratio. I hope to get some rough idea of gene
flow in the critters by using allozyme analysis a la Nei's stats
(pace Hillis, 1984).
 
The question is, is this a reasonable way to look for gene flow?
Obviously, there are possible results that would vitiate the study,
but is this at least a reasonable approach?
 
Planktonic larvae are a real bear to work with, for the simple reason
that they're planktonic. Once produced, they pretty much vanish.
Then when they recruit to some substrate, there's no way of knowing
whether they were PRODUCED there (and thus ought to exihibit locally
adaptive phenotypes) or elsewhere (and so might not be adaptive for
these local conditions).
 
We're having trouble getting resolution on the gels so far, but
I would appreciate any comments or questions about the study.
Thanks!
 
Josh Hayes, Zoology Department, Miami University, Oxford OH 45056
voice: 513-529-1679      fax: 513-529-6900
jahayes@miamiu.bitnet, or jahayes@miamiu.acs.muohio.edu
I'm back, I'm back! I've been to ancient Greece -- I have proof,
look at this grape!