Keyword: landscape genetics

Habitat fragmentation reduces genetic diversity and connectivity of the Mexican spotted owl: A simulation study using empirical resistance models

We evaluated how differences between two empirical resistance models for the same geographic area affected predictions of gene flow processes and genetic diversity for the Mexican spotted owl (Strix occidentalis lucida). The two resistance models represented the landscape under lowand high-fragmentation parameters.

A comparison of regression methods for model selection in individual-based landscape genetic analysis

Anthropogenic migration barriers fragment many populations and limit the ability of species to respond to climate-induced biome shifts. Conservation actions designed to conserve habitat connectivity and mitigate barriers are needed to unite fragmented populations into larger, more viable metapopulations, and to allow species to track their climate envelope over time.

A comparison of individual-based genetic distance metrics for landscape genetics

A major aim of landscape genetics is to understand how landscapes resist gene flow and thereby influence population genetic structure. An empirical understanding of this process provides a wealth of information that can be used to guide conservation and management of species in fragmented landscapes and also to predict how landscape change may affect population viability.

Conserving threatened riparian ecosystems in the American West: Precipitation gradients and river networks drive genetic connectivity and diversity in a foundation riparian tree (Populus angustifolia)

Gene flow is an evolutionary process that supports genetic connectivity and contributes to the capacity of species to adapt to environmental change. Yet, for most species, little is known about the specific environmental factors that influence genetic connectivity, or their effects on genetic diversity and differentiation.

Sex-biased dispersal and spatial heterogeneity affect landscape resistance to gene flow in fisher

Genetic connectivity results from the dispersal and reproduction of individuals across landscapes. Mammalian populations frequently exhibit sex-biased dispersal, but this factor has rarely been addressed in individual-based landscape genetics research. In this study, we evaluate the effects of sexbiased dispersal and landscape heterogeneity on genetic connectivity in a small and isolated population of fisher (Pekania pennanti).

Mediterranean scrubland and elevation drive gene flow of a Mediterranean carnivore, the Egyptian mongoose Herpestes ichneumon (Herpestidae)

Identifying the environmental features affecting gene flow across a species range is of extreme importance for conservation planning. We investigated the genetic structure of the Egyptian mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon) in Western Iberian Peninsula by analyzing the correlations between genetic distances and landscape resistance models.

Landscape genetics for the empirical assessment of resistance surfaces: The European pine marten (Martes martes) as a target-species of a regional ecological network

Coherent ecological networks (EN) composed of core areas linked by ecological corridors are being developed worldwide with the goal of promoting landscape connectivity and biodiversity conservation. However, empirical assessment of the performance of EN designs is critical to evaluate the utility of these networks to mitigate effects of habitat loss and fragmentation.

Genetic diversity and drivers of genetic differentiation of Reaumuria soongorica of the Inner Mongolia plateau in China

We quantified genetic diversity and gene flow among eight populations of Reaumuria soongorica in Inner Mongolia, China. Our results showed that genetic differentiation of R.

Isolation by distance, resistance and/or clusters? Lessons learned from a forest-dwelling carnivore inhabiting a heterogeneous landscape

Landscape genetics provides a valuable framework to understand how landscape features influence gene flow and to disentangle the factors that lead to discrete and/or clinal population structure. Here, we attempt to differentiate between these processes in a forest-dwelling small carnivore [European pine marten (Martes martes)].