A range‐wide genetic bottleneck overwhelms contemporary landscape factors and local abundance in shaping genetic patterns of an alpine butterfly (Lepidoptera: Pieridae: Colias behrii)

Abstract

Spatial and environmental heterogeneity are major factors in structuring species distributions in alpine landscapes. These landscapes have also been affected by glacial advances and retreats, causing alpine taxa to undergo range shifts and demographic changes. These nonequilibrium population dynamics have the potential to obscure the effects of environmental factors on the distribution of genetic variation. Here, we investigate how demographic change and environmental factors influence genetic variation in the alpine butterfly Colias behrii. Data from 14 microsatellite loci provide evidence of bottlenecks in all population samples. We test several alternative models of demography using approximate Bayesian computation (ABC), with the results favouring a model in which a recent bottleneck precedes rapid population growth. Applying independent calibrations to microsatellite loci and a nuclear gene, we estimate that this bottleneck affected both northern and southern populations 531-281 years ago, coinciding with a period of global cooling. Using regression approaches, we attempt to separate the effects of population structure, geographical distance and landscape on patterns of population genetic differentiation. Only 40% of the variation in F(ST) is explained by these models, with geographical distance and least-cost distance among meadow patches selected as the best predictors. Various measures of genetic diversity within populations are also decoupled from estimates of local abundance and habitat patch characteristics. Our results demonstrate that demographic change can have a disproportionate influence on genetic diversity in alpine species, contrasting with other studies that suggest landscape features control contemporary demographic processes in high-elevation environments.

Phylogeography of the Northern Alligator Lizard (Squamata, Anguidae): Hidden diversity in a western endemic

“…The isolation of the Southern Sierra Nevada due to glaciation (Gillespie & Zehfuss, ; Moore & Moring, ) and uniqueness of the fauna of this area is demonstrated by the distinct lineages seen across multiple groups, such as ice‐crawlers ( Grylloblatta sp. ; Schoville & Roderick, ), Alpine butterflies ( Colias behrii ; Schoville, Lam, & Roderick, ), Greya moths ( G. politella ; Rich, Thompson, & Fernandez, ), Yellow‐legged Frogs ( Rana mucosa ; Vredenburg et al, ), Slender Salamanders ( Batrachoseps sp. ; Jockusch, Yanev, & Wake, ), California Newts ( Taricha torosa; Kuchta & Tan, ; Tan & Wake, ), Sharp‐tailed Snakes ( Contia tenuis ; Feldman & Spicer, , ; Feldman & Hoyer, ), Southern Alligator Lizards ( Elgaria multicarinata ; Feldman & Spicer, ), Mountain Kingsnakes ( Lampropeltis zonata ; Rodriguez‐Robles, Denardo, & Staub, ) and Great Grey Owls ( Strix nebulosi ; Hull et al, ).…”

Population genetic characterization of the Japanese oak silkmoth, Antheraea yamamai (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae), using novel microsatellite markers and mitochondrial DNA gene sequences

“…In fact, the overall genetic variability for each population, represented by Shannon's information index, was rather high with an average of 1.122 (Figure 4). For example, a microsatellite analysis of an alpine butterfly, Colias behrii (Lepidoptera: Pieridae), collected from 18 sites in Nevada showed a Shannon's information index ranging from 0.521 to 0.763 (Schoville et al, 2012). The high value of Shannon's information index validates the effectiveness of microsatellite loci for performing studies of population genetic structure.…”

Population-level genetic variation and climate change in a biodiversity hotspot

“…Depending on dispersal ability, generation time and habitat specificity, genetic diversity is variable but often alpine organisms leave strong genetic signatures. Neoendemics in general are expected to exhibit a variety of patterns due to isolation, colonization of extreme environments, and strong selection that can result in rapid speciation (Schoville et al, 2010).…”