Genetic structuring of boll weevil populations in the US based on RAPD markers.

Abstract Randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis was performed to infer the magnitude and pattern of genetic differentiation among boll weevil populations from eighteen locations across eight US states and north-east Mexico. Sixty-seven reproducible bands from six random primers were analysed for genetic variation within and between weevil populations. Genetic and geographical distances among all populations were positively correlated, reflecting a pattern of isolation by distance within a larger metapopulation. Gene flow between south-central, western and eastern regions is limited, but migration between locations within regions appears to be relatively frequent up to distances of approximately 300-400 km. However, estimates of effective migration were much lower than those estimated from mtDNA-RFLP data reported previously.