MERILÄ LAB

We have discovered that the range genetic diversities across ca 50 nine-spined stickleback populations span a range several orders of magnitude, the genetically most depaurate population having less nucleotide diversity than Gorillas, Channel Island Foxes and Cheetahs. Since the life history differences among different stickleback populations are small, we believe that the range of intraspecific variation in nucleotide diversity we see is strong testimony of population demography as a determinant of genetic diversity