title: One perfect worm.
abstract: Recent studies show that local populations of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans possess nearly as much genetic variation as that seen in existing worldwide collections. This suggests either wide-ranging migration and intense natural selection or recent dispersal, perhaps by human association. Either way, the effective population size of this ubiquitous model organism is unexpectedly small.
authors.affiliation: Center for Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-5289, USA. pphil@uoregon.edu
authors.forename: Patrick C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Phillips
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002107:Caenorhabditis / Q000235:genetics*; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000235:genetics; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005828:Genetics, Population; D015810:Linkage Disequilibrium; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D034622:RNA Interference / Q000502:physiology