Analysis of intraspecies polymorphism in the ribosomal DNA cluster of the cockroach Blattella germanica

HindIII restriction digests of the rDNA repeat unit of the German cockroach , Blattella germanica, reveal significant intraspecies sequence polymorphis m. This variability is probably caused by structural differences within the nontranscribed spacer regions (NTS) of the ribosomal repeat unit. HindIII rDNA fragment polymorphisms in three cockroach strains show that individual s from different populations may have different HindIII rDNA patterns, wher eas individuals within populations exhibit relatively similar rDNA patterns . We suggest that HindIII restriction fragment polymorphisms within cockroa ch ribosomal DNA will be a valuable tool for measuring population-level par ameters within and between natural cockroach populations.