Microspatial Structure of Population Gene Pool in the Land Snail Helicopsis striata (Pulmonata, Hygromiidae) in the Conditions of the Southern Mid-Russian Upland

Abstract

Microspatial differentiation of the population gene pools of the terrestrial mollusk Helicopsis striata (Muller, 1774) is revealed for various conditions of the Southern Mid-Russian Upland, which is caused by the fragmentation of habitats and differences in the intensity of the gene flow between demes. The spatial differ entiation of H. striata, due to the special features of its biology, is the highest among other terrestrial mollusks of the studied region. Populations with a low variability and weak gene pool differentiation are demonstrated to be the most vulnerable. The methodological importance of the intrapopulation structure of the species is specifically noted for the works on estimating the state of the population's gene pools, since the single datasets of individual demes cannot demonstrate the true nature of the genetic structure of the populations.