Fitness costs associated with low genetic variation are reduced in a harsher environment in amphibian island populations

Rogell, Björn; Thörngren, Hanna; Laurila, Anssi; Höglund, Jacob

doi:10.1007/s10592-009-0039-2

Cited by 8 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…polyschides in particular, in a context of future climate change where bottleneck events may prevail as a result of increasing environmental pressures [95]. In addition to the high conservation value of its genetically diverse and unique peripheral populations, which serve to halt local extinctions [96] and preserve the evolutionary potential of S . polyschides [14,97], the possible disappearance of these southern populations will also have direct ecological consequences.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High and Distinct Range-Edge Genetic Diversity despite Local Bottlenecks

et al. 2013

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The genetic consequences of living on the edge of distributional ranges have been the subject of a largely unresolved debate. Populations occurring along persistent low latitude ranges (rear-edge) are expected to retain high and unique genetic diversity. In contrast, currently less favourable environmental conditions limiting population size at such range-edges may have caused genetic erosion that prevails over past historical effects, with potential consequences on reducing future adaptive capacity. The present study provides an empirical test of whether population declines towards a peripheral range might be reflected on decreasing diversity and increasing population isolation and differentiation. We compare population genetic differentiation and diversity with trends in abundance along a latitudinal gradient towards the peripheral distribution range of Saccorhiza polyschides , a large brown seaweed that is the main structural species of kelp forests in SW Europe. Signatures of recent bottleneck events were also evaluated to determine whether the recently recorded distributional shifts had a negative influence on effective population size. Our findings show decreasing population density and increasing spatial fragmentation and local extinctions towards the southern edge. Genetic data revealed two well supported groups with a central contact zone. As predicted, higher differentiation and signs of bottlenecks were found at the southern edge region. However, a decrease in genetic diversity associated with this pattern was not verified. Surprisingly, genetic diversity increased towards the edge despite bottlenecks and much lower densities, suggesting that extinctions and recolonizations have not strongly reduced diversity or that diversity might have been even higher there in the past, a process of shifting genetic baselines.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High and Distinct Range-Edge Genetic Diversity despite Local Bottlenecks

et al. 2013

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“…Amphibian populations on nearby islands can further bear signatures of differential life‐histories and local adaptation, demonstrating long‐term effects of isolation (Lind and Johansson ; Rogell et al. ,b; Lind et al. ; Velo‐Antón et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High genetic diversity of common toad (Bufo bufo) populations under strong natural fragmentation on aNorthern archipelago

Roth

Jehle

2016

Ecology and Evolution

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The last decades have shown a surge in studies focusing on the interplay between fragmented habitats, genetic variation, and conservation. In the present study, we consider the case of a temperate pond‐breeding anuran (the common toad Bufo bufo) inhabiting a naturally strongly fragmented habitat at the Northern fringe of the species’ range: islands offshore the Norwegian coast. A total of 475 individuals from 19 populations (three mainland populations and 16 populations on seven adjacent islands) were genetically characterized using nine microsatellite markers. As expected for a highly fragmented habitat, genetic distances between populations were high (pairwise F st values ranging between 0.06 and 0.33), with however little differences between populations separated by ocean and populations separated by terrestrial habitat (mainland and on islands). Despite a distinct cline in genetic variation from mainland populations to peripheral islands, the study populations were characterized by overall high genetic variation, in line with effective population sizes derived from single‐sample estimators which were on average about 20 individuals. Taken together, our results reinforce the notion that spatial and temporal scales of fragmentation need to be considered when studying the interplay between landscape fragmentation and genetic erosion.

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“…), or survival rate in animals (Rogell et al. ). However, relatively little is known about the causal relationships between ecological variables and genetic diversity (Reed and Frankham ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental factors influence both abundance and genetic diversity in a widespread bird species

Liu

Webber

Bowgen

et al. 2013

Ecology and Evolution

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Genetic diversity is one of the key evolutionary variables that correlate with population size, being of critical importance for population viability and the persistence of species. Genetic diversity can also have important ecological consequences within populations, and in turn, ecological factors may drive patterns of genetic diversity. However, the relationship between the genetic diversity of a population and how this interacts with ecological processes has so far only been investigated in a few studies. Here, we investigate the link between ecological factors, local population size, and allelic diversity, using a field study of a common bird species, the house sparrow (Passer domesticus). We studied sparrows outside the breeding season in a confined small valley dominated by dispersed farms and small-scale agriculture in southern France. Population surveys at 36 locations revealed that sparrows were more abundant in locations with high food availability. We then captured and genotyped 891 house sparrows at 10 microsatellite loci from a subset of these locations (N = 12). Population genetic analyses revealed weak genetic structure, where each locality represented a distinct substructure within the study area. We found that food availability was the main factor among others tested to influence the genetic structure between locations. These results suggest that ecological factors can have strong impacts on both population size per se and intrapopulation genetic variation even at a small scale. On a more general level, our data indicate that a patchy environment and low dispersal rate can result in fine-scale patterns of genetic diversity. Given the importance of genetic diversity for population viability, combining ecological and genetic data can help to identify factors limiting population size and determine the conservation potential of populations.

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Fitness costs associated with low genetic variation are reduced in a harsher environment in amphibian island populations

Cited by 8 publications

References 38 publications

High and Distinct Range-Edge Genetic Diversity despite Local Bottlenecks

High and Distinct Range-Edge Genetic Diversity despite Local Bottlenecks

High genetic diversity of common toad (Bufo bufo) populations under strong natural fragmentation on aNorthern archipelago

Environmental factors influence both abundance and genetic diversity in a widespread bird species

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