Barriers as boundaries for metapopulations and demes of Peromyscus leucopus in farm landscapes

Abstract

Effects of potential barriers (roads and cultivated fields) on both demographic and genetic features of subpopulations of white-footed mice were studied near Ottawa, Canada. Live trapping, colored bait and track registry were used to study animal movements across roads on four 1.44 ha areas each within a small forest bisected by a narrow gravel road. The genetic study was done in 11 other forest fragments separated from each other by cultivated fields. Frequencies of three electrophoretic variants of salivary amylases were established for mice caught in each patch of wood and genetic similarity of subpopulations was calculated. Movements of mice across the roads were very infrequent (quantitative barrier), although movements adjacent to roads were frequent and long enough to cross the roads. Salivary amylase data showed that studied subpopulations were genetically very similar although the sample was intentionally biased toward demographic isolation. Results are discussed in terms of possible hierarchical relationships of metapopulations and genetic demes in the context of landscape ecology, management and conservation practice.

Field Identification of the Mice <em>Peromyscus leucopus noveboracensis</em> and <em>P. maniculatus gracilis</em> in Central New York

“…We found both species to be polymorphic at the amylase locus. The alleles found in our study (Amy-1 76 and Amy-1 85 for P. maniculatus, and Amy-1 94 and Amy-1 100 for P. leucopus) were consistent with those found in previous studies (Aquadro and Patton 1980;Feldhamer et al 1983;Merriam et al 1989;Palas et al 1992;Kilpatrick et al 1994;Rich et al 1996;Sternburg and Feldhamer 1997;Bruseo et al 1999). Aquadro and Patton (1980) reported only the Amy-1 76 and the Amy-1 100 in their New York P. maniculatus and P. leucopus, respectively, but had assayed only four individuals of each species.…”

“…Aquadro and Patton's (1980) approach has been employed successfully in various ecological studies of eastern Peromyscus to improve the accuracy of field identifications (Feldhamer et al 1983;Merriam et al 1989;Palas et al 1992;Garman et al 1994;Rand et al 1993;Kilpatrick et al 1994;Rich et al 1996;Sternburg and Feldhamer 1997;Bruseo et al 1999). Several researchers have concluded that identification of P. maniculatus and P. leucopus in northeastern North America can be reliably done only using molecular markers (Feldhamer et al 1983;Palas et al 1992;Kilpatrick et al 1994;Rich et al 1996;Sternburg and Feldhamer 1997).…”

Effect of road traffic on amphibian density

“…Roads have been shown to affect movement of a variety of species (e.g. Mader, 1984;Merriam et al, 1989, and references therein). However, very few studies have shown an effect of roads on population density (but see Rosen & Lowe, 1994, for snakes).…”

Road effects on habitat richness of the Greek Natura 2000 network

“…Merriam et al 1989;Vos and Chardon 1998), increased mortality (Rosen and Lowe 1994;Fahrig et al 1995;Barthelmess and Brooks 2010), habitat fragmentation and edge effects (Mader 1984;Andrews 1990;Soulé et al 1992;Thiollay 1993' Henjum et al 1994Wigley and Roberts 1994;Jaeger et al 2007;Roedenbeck et al 2007;Spellerberg 1998), invasion by exotic species (Lonsdale and Lane 1994), or increased human access to wildlife habitats (Graham et al 2010), all of which are expected to increase local extinction rates or decrease local recolonization rates.…”