Landscape connectivity influences gene flow in a roe deer population inhabiting a fragmented landscape: an individual-based approach.

Changes in agricultural practices and forest fragmentation can have a dramatic effect on landscape connectivity and the dispersal of animals, potentially reducing gene flow within populations. In this study, we assessed the influence of woodland connectivity on gene flow in a traditionally forest-dwelling species--the European roe deer--in a fragmented landscape. From a sample of 648 roe deer spatially referenced within a study area of 55 x 40 km, interindividual genetic distances were calculated from genotypes at 12 polymorphic microsatellite loci. We calculated two geographical distances between each pair of individuals: the Euclidean distance (straight line) and the 'least cost distance' (the trajectory that maximizes the use of wooded corridors). We tested the correlation between genetic pairwise distances and the two types of geographical pairwise distance using Mantel tests. The correlation was better using the least cost distance, which takes into account the distribution of wooded patches, especially for females (the correlation was stronger but not significant for males). These results suggest that in a fragmented woodland area roe deer dispersal is strongly linked to wooded structures and hence that gene flow within the roe deer population is influenced by the connectivity of the landscape.

Coulon A ，Cosson JF ，Angibault JM ，Cargnelutti B ，Galan M ，Morellet N ，Petit E ，Aulagnier S ，Hewison AJ ... -  《MOLECULAR ECOLOGY》

Streams over mountains: influence of riparian connectivity on gene flow in the Pacific jumping mouse (Zapus trinotatus).

In species affiliated with heterogeneous habitat, we expect gene flow to be restricted due to constraints placed on individual movement by habitat boundaries. This is likely to impact both individual dispersal and connectivity between populations. In this study, a GIS-based landscape genetics approach was used, in combination with fine-scale spatial autocorrelation analysis and the estimation of recent intersubpopulation migration rates, to infer patterns of dispersal and migration in the riparian-affiliated Pacific jumping mouse (Zapus trinotatus). A total of 228 individuals were sampled from nine subpopulations across a system of three rivers and genotyped at eight microsatellite loci. Significant spatial autocorrelation among individuals revealed a pattern of fine-scale spatial genetic structure indicative of limited dispersal. Geographical distances between pairwise subpopulations were defined following four criteria: (i) Euclidean distance, and three landscape-specific distances, (ii) river distance (distance travelled along the river only), (iii) overland distance (similar to Euclidean, but includes elevation), and (iv) habitat-path distance (a least-cost path distance that models movement along habitat pathways). Pairwise Mantel tests were used to test for a correlation between genetic distance and each of the geographical distances. Significant correlations were found between genetic distance and both the overland and habitat-path distances; however, the correlation with habitat-path distance was stronger. Lastly, estimates of recent migration rates revealed that migration occurs not only within drainages but also across large topographic barriers. These results suggest that patterns of dispersal and migration in Pacific jumping mice are largely determined by habitat connectivity.

Vignieri SN 《MOLECULAR ECOLOGY》

Landscape features affect gene flow of Scottish Highland red deer (Cervus elaphus).

Pérez-Espona S ，Pérez-Barbería FJ ，McLeod JE ，Jiggins CD ，Gordon IJ ，Pemberton JM ... -  《-》

Genetic structure is influenced by landscape features: empirical evidence from a roe deer population.

Coulon A ，Guillot G ，Cosson JF ，Angibault JM ，Aulagnier S ，Cargnelutti B ，Galan M ，Hewison AJ ... -  《MOLECULAR ECOLOGY》

Genetic effect of transportation infrastructure on roe deer populations (Capreolus capreolus).

Kuehn R ，Hindenlang KE ，Holzgang O ，Senn J ，Stoeckle B ，Sperisen C ... -  《JOURNAL OF HEREDITY》