Genetics: Analysis and Principles 5th Edition by Robert Brooker

Exercise 20

Let's suppose that a species of mosquito has two different types of simple transposons that we will call X elements and Z elements. The X elements appear quite stable. When analyzing a population of 100 mosquitoes, every mosquito has six X elements, and they are always located in the same chromosomal locations among different individuals. In contrast, the Z elements seem to "move around" quite a bit. Within the same 100 mosquitoes, the number of Z elements ranges from 2-14, and the locations of the Z elements tend to vary considerably among different individuals. Explain how one simple transposon can be stable and another simple transposon can be mobile, within the same group of individuals.