Comparative landscape genetics of two river frog species occurring at different elevations on Mount Kilimanjaro.

Details

Serval ID
serval:BIB_8D32208FF08F
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
Comparative landscape genetics of two river frog species occurring at different elevations on Mount Kilimanjaro.
Journal
Molecular ecology
Author(s)
Zancolli G., Rödel M.O., Steffan-Dewenter I., Storfer A.
ISSN
1365-294X (Electronic)
ISSN-L
0962-1083
Publication state
Published
Issued date
10/2014
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Volume
23
Number
20
Pages
4989-5002
Language
english
Notes
Publication types: Journal Article ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Publication Status: ppublish
Abstract
Estimating population connectivity and species' abilities to disperse across the landscape is crucial for understanding the long-term persistence of species in changing environments. Surprisingly, few landscape genetic studies focused on tropical regions despite the alarming extinction rates within these ecosystems. Here, we compared the influence of landscape features on the distribution of genetic variation of an Afromontane frog, Amietia wittei, with that of its more broadly distributed lowland congener, Amietia angolensis, on Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. We predicted high gene flow in the montane species with movements enhanced through terrestrial habitats of the continuous rainforest. In contrast, dispersal might be restricted to aquatic corridors and reduced by anthropogenic disturbance in the lowland species. We found high gene flow in A. wittei relative to other montane amphibians. Nonetheless, gene flow was lower than in the lowland species which showed little population structure. Least-cost path analysis suggested that dispersal is facilitated by stream networks in both species, but different landscape features were identified to influence connectivity among populations. Contrary to a previous study, gene flow in the lowland species was negatively correlated with the presence of human settlements. Also, genetic subdivision in A. wittei did not coincide with specific physical barriers as in other landscape genetic studies, suggesting that factors other than topography may contribute to population divergence. Overall, these results highlight the importance of a comparative landscape genetic approach for assessing the influence of the landscape matrix on population connectivity, particularly because nonintuitive results can alter the course of conservation and management.
Keywords
Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism Analysis, Animals, DNA Barcoding, Taxonomic, Ecosystem, Gene Flow, Genetic Variation, Genetics, Population, Geography, Models, Genetic, Population Dynamics, Ranidae/classification, Ranidae/genetics, Rivers, Tanzania, amphibians, amplified fragment length polymorphism, anthropogenic disturbance, climate change, gene flow, tropical mountains
Pubmed
Web of science
Create date
09/06/2022 10:54
Last modification date
10/06/2022 6:37
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