Genetic change after colonization

Consideration is given to the case of a daughter population of a sexual species that becomes successfully established in an area previously lacking that species, as has occurred recently in the Krakataus. If the new area is isolated geographically and if the number of founder individuals is small, conventional wisdom foresees a reduction of genetic variability within the colony. This might obstruct genetic adjustment to new conditions. Recent studies of the genetics of such bottlenecked populations, however, show that, in some instances, genetic variability for quantitative traits may actually increase rather than decrease after a bottleneck event. Whereas loss of some quasi-neutral biochemical alleles may occur, the quantitative polygenic balances on which adaptation depends can be carried through the bottleneck into the new population. Novel phenotypes may result from natural selection during the generations that immediately follow the bottleneck. Growing shield volcanoes in particular show rapid turnover of their surfaces such that organisms surviving there must continually recolonize or become extinct. Such species, existing as metapopulations, should be prone to bottleneck effects that produce genetic shifts. Examples are given from Drosophila silvestris on the island of Hawaii. The relevance of such genetic shifts to population structure and evolutionary change in populations is discussed, emphasizing the probable role of metapopulation structure.