Genetic evidence reveals male‐biased dispersal of the Omei tree frog

Abstract

Sex‐biased dispersal, which influences species’ social organization, genetic structure and evolution, is an important life‐history event. Although sex‐biased dispersal in mammals and birds has been thoroughly studied, little is known about it in amphibians. In this study, we used eight highly polymorphic microsatellite loci and two mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genes to infer patterns of dispersal of the Omei tree frog (Rhacophorus omeimontis). We found that the comparison between two types of markers showed higher FST values in mtDNA compared to microsatellites. Consistently, comparison of pairwise and overall FST values between the sexes revealed higher differentiation in females than in males. Furthermore, the inbreeding coefficient (FIS) and population gene diversity (HS) were lower in females than in males, whereas relatedness (r) was higher in females than in males. Females exhibited relatively higher correlation between genetic distance and geographical distance than males. Additionally, the mean assignment index (mAIC) was lower in males, whereas the variance of assignment index (vAIC) was higher in males. These evidences reflect higher genetic differentiation in females than in males, indicating male‐biased dispersal in the Omei tree frog. Considering the life history reported in this species, we discussed potential mechanisms driving the male‐biased dispersal in the Omei tree frog.

A new molecular method for the exploration of hybrid zones between two toad species of conservation interest

“…This suggests that most hybrids have B. variegata maternal origins, implying that hybridization arose from matings between B.variegata females and B. bombina males. This is consistent with the pattern in other frog species, where males disperse further than females[34], and that indiscriminate, coercive male frogs readily mate with heterospecific females both under experimental and natural conditions[35,36]. As hybrids occurred mostly alongside B. variegata individuals, it seems likely that B. bombina genes introgressed into these populations via occasional dispersal of B. bombina individuals.Climate change will alter (or most probably already is altering) the recent pattern of habitats and biotopes of Europe and the entire globe as it has become clear by the end of the 20 th century…”