The Ewens-Watterson test for neutrality at 7 microsatellite loci in Spodoptera exigua

The Ewens-Watterson test for neutrality of microsatellite markers showed that F-value (sum of square of allelic frequency) lied outside the lower and upper limit of 95% confidence region of expected F value in 3 loci (Spe08, Spe10, Spe12) . According to results of Ewens-Watterson test for neutrality for markers, some loci were not neutral and may be linked with some selection traits. If a neutral allele statistically associated with a selected allele at another locus or genes where selection is operating significantly may be carried along and alleles cannot be separated from their genetic background. This phenomenon is known as hitchhiking. Genetic hitchhiking can be potent force in changing allelic frequency and heterozygosity (Kumar et al. 2009).