The phylogeographic history of the threatened Diana fritillary, Speyeria diana (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae): with implications for conservation

Geomorphic Morphometric Differences between Populations ofSpeyeria diana(Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae)

“…Mitochondrial DNA data support our findings of morphological differences between regions, as the eastern range of S. diana has been shown to harbor higher levels of genetic diversity among and between populations than those in the west (Wells et al 2015). If narrow, angular wings are characteristic of strong flight patterns, this indicates that S. diana males may be more mobile in their eastern distribution, traveling more frequently between populations in search of high quality nectar plants or mates.…”

“…The species now persists in 2 disjunct parts of its former range, the Southern Appalachian Mountains in the east, and the Interior Highlands of Oklahoma and Arkansas in the west, and is shifting to higher elevations at about 18 m per decade (Wells & Tonkyn 2014). Using mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase II DNA sequences from museum and field sampled specimens, Wells et al (2015) recently documented greater mtDNA diversity and more widespread genetic differentiation among eastern populations than western ones. In addition, using coalescent-based population divergence models, Wells et al (2015) dated the earliest splitting of eastern and western populations at least 20,000 yr ago, during the Last Glacial Maximum.…”

“…Using mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase II DNA sequences from museum and field sampled specimens, Wells et al (2015) recently documented greater mtDNA diversity and more widespread genetic differentiation among eastern populations than western ones. In addition, using coalescent-based population divergence models, Wells et al (2015) dated the earliest splitting of eastern and western populations at least 20,000 yr ago, during the Last Glacial Maximum. For this study, we photographed pinned S. diana specimens held by North American and European natural history museums in order to measure geomorphic morphometric variation in wings across the historical and current distribution of the species.…”

Changes in the Geographic Distribution of the Diana Fritillary (<em>Speyeria diana</em>: Nymphalidae) Under Forecasted Predictions of Climate Change

“…This range contraction is consistent with the predicted effects of a warming climate, and might represent the first such documented case in the southeastern US, though the region has experienced other environmental changes in recent decades as well [33]. Previous research using coalescent-based population divergence models dated the earliest splitting of the western population from the east at least 20,000 years ago, during the Last Glacial Maximum [34]. In addition, recent geometric morphometric evidence from the wings of S. diana further support this long-term spatial and genetic isolation [35].…”

“…Forecasts of large range reductions, or small overlap between current and future ranges, would suggest high vulnerability to climate change. Range reductions of any size in the western distribution would likely threaten those populations, that are genetically isolated and adapted to relatively low dispersal, with the negative effects of genetic drift [34,35].…”