Assessments of population genetic structure have become an increasing focus as they can provide valuable insight into patterns of migration and gene flow. STRUC-TURE, the most highly cited of several clustering-based methods, was developed to provide robust estimates without the need for populations to be determined a priori. STRUCTURE introduces the problem of selecting the optimal number of clusters, and as a result, the DK method was proposed to assist in the identification of the "true" number of clusters. In our review of 1,264 studies using STRUCTURE to explore population subdivision, studies that used DK were more likely to identify K = 2 (54%, 443/822) than studies that did not use DK (21%, 82/386). A troubling finding was that very few studies performed the hierarchical analysis recommended by the authors of both DK and STRUCTURE to fully explore population subdivision. Furthermore, extensions of earlier simulations indicate that, with a representative number of markers, DK frequently identifies K = 2 as the top level of hierarchical structure, even when more subpopulations are present. This review suggests that many studies may have been over-or underestimating population genetic structure; both scenarios have serious consequences, particularly with respect to conservation and management. We recommend publication standards for population structure results so that readers can assess the implications of the results given their own understanding of the species biology.

Despite taxonomy's 250-year history, the past 20 years have borne witness to remarkable advances in technology and techniques, as well as debate. DNA barcoding has generated a substantial proportion of this debate, with its proposition that a single mitochondrial sequence will consistently identify and delimit species, replacing more evidence-rich and time-intensive methods. Although mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) has since been the focus of voluminous discussion and case studies, little effort has been made to comprehensively evaluate its success in delimiting closely related species. We have conducted the first broadly comparative literature review addressing the efficacy of molecular markers for delimiting such species over a broad taxonomic range. By considering only closely related species, we sought to avoid confusion of success rates with those due to deeply divergent taxa. We also address whether increased populationlevel or geographic sampling affects delimitation success. Based on the results from 101 studies, we found that all marker groups had approximately equal success rates ( 70%) in delimiting closely related species and that the use of additional loci increased average delimitation success. We also found no relationship between increased sampling of intraspecific variability and delimitation success. Ultimately, our results support a multilocus integrative approach to species delimitation and taxonomy.

Populations delineated based on genetic data are commonly used for wildlife conservation and management. Many studies use the program structure combined with the ΔK method to identify the most probable number of populations (K). We recently found K = 2 was identified more often when studies used ΔK compared to studies that did not. We suggested two reasons for this: hierarchical population structure leads to underestimation, or the ΔK method does not evaluate K = 1 causing an overestimation. The present contribution aims to develop a better understanding of the limits of the method using one, two and three population simulations across migration scenarios. From these simulations we identified the “best K” using model likelihood and ΔK. Our findings show that mean probability plots and ΔK are unable to resolve the correct number of populations once migration rate exceeds 0.005. We also found a strong bias towards selecting K = 2 using the ΔK method. We used these data to identify the range of values where the ΔK statistic identifies a value of K that is not well supported. Finally, using the simulations and a review of empirical data, we found that the magnitude of ΔK corresponds to the level of divergence between populations. Based on our findings, we suggest researchers should use the ΔK method cautiously; they need to report all relevant data, including the magnitude of ΔK, and an estimate of connectivity for the research community to assess whether meaningful genetic structure exists within the context of management and conservation.

A new species, Contarinia brassicola Sinclair (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), which induces flower galls on canola (Brassica napus Linnaeus and Brassica rapa Linnaeus (Brassicaceae)), is described from Saskatchewan and Alberta, Canada. Larvae develop in the flowers of canola, which causes swelling and prevents opening, pod formation, and seed set. Mature larvae exit the galls, fall to the soil, and form cocoons. Depending on conditions, larvae will either pupate and eclose in the same calendar year or enter facultative diapause and emerge the following year. At least two generations of C. brassicola occur each year. Adults emerge from overwintering cocoons in the spring and lay eggs on developing canola flower buds. The galls produced by C. brassicola were previously attributed to the swede midge, Contarinia nasturtii (Kieffer) in Saskatchewan; here, we compare and list several characters to differentiate the two species.