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Atzeni L, Cushman SA, Wang J, Riordan P, Shi K, Bauman D. Evidence of spatial genetic structure in a snow leopard population from Gansu, China. Heredity (Edinb) 2021; 127:522-534. [PMID: 34743188 PMCID: PMC8626472 DOI: 10.1038/s41437-021-00483-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2021] [Revised: 10/22/2021] [Accepted: 10/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the spatial structure of genetic diversity provides insights into a populations' genetic status and enables assessment of its capacity to counteract the effects of genetic drift. Such knowledge is particularly scarce for the snow leopard, a conservation flagship species of Central Asia mountains. Focusing on a snow leopard population in the Qilian mountains of Gansu Province, China, we characterised the spatial genetic patterns by incorporating spatially explicit indices of diversity and multivariate analyses, based on different inertia levels of Principal Component Analysis (PCA). We compared two datasets differing in the number of loci and individuals. We found that genetic patterns were significantly spatially structured and were characterised by a broad geographical division coupled with a fine-scale cline of differentiation. Genetic admixture was detected in two adjoining core areas characterised by higher effective population size and allelic diversity, compared to peripheral localities. The power to detect significant spatial relationships depended primarily on the number of loci, and secondarily on the number of PCA axes. Spatial patterns and indices of diversity highlighted the cryptic structure of snow leopard genetic diversity, likely driven by its ability to disperse over large distances. In combination, the species' low allelic richness and large dispersal ability result in weak genetic differentiation related to major geographical features and isolation by distance. This study illustrates how cryptic genetic patterns can be investigated and analysed at a fine spatial scale, providing insights into the spatially variable isolation effects of both geographic distance and landscape resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luciano Atzeni
- Wildlife Institute, School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
| | - Samuel A Cushman
- US Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
| | - Jun Wang
- Wildlife Institute, School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
- Department of Natural Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK
| | - Philip Riordan
- Wildlife Institute, School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
- Marwell Wildlife, Winchester, UK
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Kun Shi
- Wildlife Institute, School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China.
- Eco-Bridge Continental, Beijing, China.
| | - David Bauman
- Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Edgewater, MD, USA
- Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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Naaf T, Feigs JT, Huang S, Brunet J, Cousins SAO, Decocq G, De Frenne P, Diekmann M, Govaert S, Hedwall PO, Lenoir J, Liira J, Meeussen C, Plue J, Vangansbeke P, Vanneste T, Verheyen K, Holzhauer SIJ, Kramp K. Context matters: the landscape matrix determines the population genetic structure of temperate forest herbs across Europe. LANDSCAPE ECOLOGY 2021; 37:1365-1384. [PMID: 35571363 PMCID: PMC9085688 DOI: 10.1007/s10980-021-01376-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2021] [Accepted: 11/21/2021] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
CONTEXT Plant populations in agricultural landscapes are mostly fragmented and their functional connectivity often depends on seed and pollen dispersal by animals. However, little is known about how the interactions of seed and pollen dispersers with the agricultural matrix translate into gene flow among plant populations. OBJECTIVES We aimed to identify effects of the landscape structure on the genetic diversity within, and the genetic differentiation among, spatially isolated populations of three temperate forest herbs. We asked, whether different arable crops have different effects, and whether the orientation of linear landscape elements relative to the gene dispersal direction matters. METHODS We analysed the species' population genetic structures in seven agricultural landscapes across temperate Europe using microsatellite markers. These were modelled as a function of landscape composition and configuration, which we quantified in buffer zones around, and in rectangular landscape strips between, plant populations. RESULTS Landscape effects were diverse and often contrasting between species, reflecting their association with different pollen- or seed dispersal vectors. Differentiating crop types rather than lumping them together yielded higher proportions of explained variation. Some linear landscape elements had both a channelling and hampering effect on gene flow, depending on their orientation. CONCLUSIONS Landscape structure is a more important determinant of the species' population genetic structure than habitat loss and fragmentation per se. Landscape planning with the aim to enhance the functional connectivity among spatially isolated plant populations should consider that even species of the same ecological guild might show distinct responses to the landscape structure. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10980-021-01376-7.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Naaf
- Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Eberswalder Strasse 84, 15374 Müncheberg, Germany
| | - Jannis Till Feigs
- Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Eberswalder Strasse 84, 15374 Müncheberg, Germany
| | - Siyu Huang
- Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Eberswalder Strasse 84, 15374 Müncheberg, Germany
| | - Jörg Brunet
- Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 190, 234 22 Lomma, Sweden
| | - Sara A. O. Cousins
- Landscapes, Environment and Geomatics, Department of Physical Geography, Stockholm University, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Guillaume Decocq
- Ecologie et Dynamique des Systèmes Anthropisés (EDYSAN, UMR 7058 CNRS), Université de Picardie Jules Verne, 1 Rue des Louvels, 80037 Amiens, France
| | - Pieter De Frenne
- Forest and Nature Lab, Department of Environment, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Geraardsbergsesteenweg 267, 9090 Gontrode-Melle, Belgium
| | - Martin Diekmann
- Vegetation Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Ecology, FB2, University of Bremen, Leobener Str., 28359 Bremen, Germany
| | - Sanne Govaert
- Forest and Nature Lab, Department of Environment, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Geraardsbergsesteenweg 267, 9090 Gontrode-Melle, Belgium
| | - Per-Ola Hedwall
- Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 190, 234 22 Lomma, Sweden
| | - Jonathan Lenoir
- Ecologie et Dynamique des Systèmes Anthropisés (EDYSAN, UMR 7058 CNRS), Université de Picardie Jules Verne, 1 Rue des Louvels, 80037 Amiens, France
| | - Jaan Liira
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Lai 40, 51005 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Camille Meeussen
- Forest and Nature Lab, Department of Environment, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Geraardsbergsesteenweg 267, 9090 Gontrode-Melle, Belgium
| | - Jan Plue
- IVL Swedish Environmental Institute, Valhallavägen 81, 10031 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Pieter Vangansbeke
- Forest and Nature Lab, Department of Environment, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Geraardsbergsesteenweg 267, 9090 Gontrode-Melle, Belgium
| | - Thomas Vanneste
- Forest and Nature Lab, Department of Environment, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Geraardsbergsesteenweg 267, 9090 Gontrode-Melle, Belgium
| | - Kris Verheyen
- Forest and Nature Lab, Department of Environment, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Geraardsbergsesteenweg 267, 9090 Gontrode-Melle, Belgium
| | - Stephanie I. J. Holzhauer
- Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Eberswalder Strasse 84, 15374 Müncheberg, Germany
| | - Katja Kramp
- Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Eberswalder Strasse 84, 15374 Müncheberg, Germany
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Buzan E, Gerič U, Potušek S, Flajšman K, Pokorny B. First Insights into the Population Genetic Structure and Heterozygosity-Fitness Relationship in Roe Deer Inhabiting the Area between the Alps and Dinaric Mountains. Animals (Basel) 2020; 10:ani10122276. [PMID: 33276566 PMCID: PMC7761463 DOI: 10.3390/ani10122276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2020] [Revised: 11/25/2020] [Accepted: 11/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary We determined the genetic variability, population structure, and influence of genetic factors on two parameters of fitness (body mass and reproductive ability) in roe deer females in the contact zone between the Alps and the Dinaric Mountains by utilizing microsatellite variations in 214 individuals collected throughout Slovenia, Central Europe. Spatial differences in the genetic diversity of the species can be explained by population history, different approaches to population management and/or different connectivity among subpopulations. The population genetic structure confirms the high side fidelity of roe deer, but also shows the existence of admixtures of genes among different areas. We found evidence that genetic factors, including individual heterozygosity, influence body mass, confirming that heterozygosity positively affects fitness in wild populations. However, as the effect of genetic factors is usually masked or overruled by the influence of environmental factors, i.e., availability of resources, data on the joint influence of external and intrinsic factors on fitness and other life-history traits are needed to better predict the population dynamics of targeted species, which would enable sustainable, science-based population management. Abstract Across its pan-European distribution, the European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) faces a wide diversity of environmental and climatic conditions; therefore, several factors, including intrinsic ones, shape life-history traits and cause significant variability in parameters of fitness. By utilizing microsatellite variations in 214 roe deer females collected throughout Slovenia, Central Europe, we determined the genetic variability and population structure of this species in the contact zone between the Alps and the Dinaric Mountains, i.e., over a wider area where data on the genetic outlook for this—the most common and widespread European wild ungulate—have been completely lacking so far. Throughout the country, we found moderate microsatellite diversity (Ho = 0.57–0.65) in relation to the observed heterozygosity reported for other roe deer populations in Europe. Spatial differences in genetic diversity of the species in Slovenia can be explained by population history linked to varying approaches to population management and/or different connectivity among subpopulations in topographically differentiated habitats. A country-wide pattern of genetic structure is clearly defined by separation of the populations into three groups present in the following regions: (i) Southern sub-Mediterranean and Karst regions, (ii) Central Slovenia, and (iii) the Sub-Pannonian Region in the north-east. This is also confirmed by evidencing a moderate isolation by distance, especially by separating southern samples (coastal Slovenia) from others. Levels of genetic differentiation vary among populations, which can be explained by the effect of natural geographical barriers or the presence of anthropogenic barriers such as urban areas and highways. In the subset of 172 yearling females, we analyzed the influence of genetic advantage (individual heterozygosity) and other genetic data (reflected in the structuring of the population) on body mass and reproductive ability. We found evidence that genetic factors influence the body mass of roe deer yearling females (explaining altogether 18.8% of body mass variance), and the level of individual heterozygosity alone also positively affected body mass, which is in accordance with the theory that heterozygosity is commonly positively correlated with fitness in wild populations. However, we did not uncover any effect of heterozygosity on two parameters of reproductive ability (fertility and potential reproductive outcome), indicating that several other factors, especially environmental ones, have a predominant effect on the parameters of fitness in roe deer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Buzan
- Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies, University of Primorska, Glagoljaška 8, 6000 Koper, Slovenia; (E.B.); (U.G.); (S.P.)
- Environmental Protection College, Trg mladosti 7, 3320 Velenje, Slovenia
| | - Urška Gerič
- Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies, University of Primorska, Glagoljaška 8, 6000 Koper, Slovenia; (E.B.); (U.G.); (S.P.)
| | - Sandra Potušek
- Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies, University of Primorska, Glagoljaška 8, 6000 Koper, Slovenia; (E.B.); (U.G.); (S.P.)
| | - Katarina Flajšman
- Slovenian Forestry Institute, Večna pot 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia;
| | - Boštjan Pokorny
- Environmental Protection College, Trg mladosti 7, 3320 Velenje, Slovenia
- Slovenian Forestry Institute, Večna pot 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia;
- Correspondence:
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Waltert M, Grammes J, Schwenninger J, Roig-Boixeda P, Port M. A case of underestimation of density by direct line transect sampling in a hunted roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) population. MAMMAL RES 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s13364-019-00450-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Pasquale DD, Dondina O, Scancarello E, Meriggi A. Long-term viability of a reintroduced population of roe deer Capreolus capreolus, in a lowland area of northern Italy. FOLIA ZOOLOGICA 2019. [DOI: 10.25225/fozo.045.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Davide De Pasquale
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pavia, Via Adolfo Ferrata 1, 27100 Pavia, Italy; e-mail:
| | - Olivia Dondina
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza 1, 20126 Milano, Italy
| | - Elisa Scancarello
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pavia, Via Adolfo Ferrata 1, 27100 Pavia, Italy; e-mail:
| | - Alberto Meriggi
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pavia, Via Adolfo Ferrata 1, 27100 Pavia, Italy; e-mail:
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Steinbach P, Heddergott M, Weigand H, Weigand AM, Wilwert E, Stubbe M, Helm B, Campbell RE, Stubbe A, Frantz AC. Rare migrants suffice to maintain high genetic diversity in an introduced island population of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus): Evidence from molecular data and simulations. Mamm Biol 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mambio.2017.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Benestan L, Quinn BK, Maaroufi H, Laporte M, Clark FK, Greenwood SJ, Rochette R, Bernatchez L. Seascape genomics provides evidence for thermal adaptation and current-mediated population structure in American lobster (Homarus americanus). Mol Ecol 2016; 25:5073-5092. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.13811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 126] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2016] [Revised: 08/09/2016] [Accepted: 08/16/2016] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Laura Benestan
- Departement de Biologie; Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes (IBIS); Université Laval; Pavillon Charles-Eugène-Marchand 1030 Avenue de la Médecine Québec Québec Canada G1V 0A6
| | - Brady K. Quinn
- Department of Biological Sciences; University of New Brunswick; P.O. Box 5050 Saint John NB Canada E2L 4L5
| | - Halim Maaroufi
- Institut de Biologie Integrative et des Systemes (IBIS); Pavillon Charles-Eugène Marchand; 1030, Avenue de la Médecine Québec Québec Canada G1V 0A6
| | - Martin Laporte
- Departement de Biologie; Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes (IBIS); Université Laval; Pavillon Charles-Eugène-Marchand 1030 Avenue de la Médecine Québec Québec Canada G1V 0A6
| | - Fraser K. Clark
- Department of Biomedical Sciences; Atlantic Veterinary College; University of Prince Edward Island; Charlottetown Prince Edward Island Canada C1A 4P3
- AVC Lobster Science Centre; Atlantic Veterinary College; University of Prince Edward Island; Charlottetown Prince Edward Island Canada C1A 4P3
| | - Spencer J. Greenwood
- Department of Biomedical Sciences; Atlantic Veterinary College; University of Prince Edward Island; Charlottetown Prince Edward Island Canada C1A 4P3
- AVC Lobster Science Centre; Atlantic Veterinary College; University of Prince Edward Island; Charlottetown Prince Edward Island Canada C1A 4P3
| | - Rémy Rochette
- Department of Biological Sciences; University of New Brunswick; P.O. Box 5050 Saint John NB Canada E2L 4L5
| | - Louis Bernatchez
- Departement de Biologie; Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes (IBIS); Université Laval; Pavillon Charles-Eugène-Marchand 1030 Avenue de la Médecine Québec Québec Canada G1V 0A6
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