Spatial population genetic structure and colony dynamics in Damaraland mole-rats (Fukomys damarensis) from the southern Kalahari

Abstract Background Non-random associations within and among groups of social animals can provide valuable insight into the function of group living and the evolution of social behaviour. Damaraland mole-rats (Fukomys damarensis) demonstrate extremely high levels of reproductive skew, and dispersal is considered to be male-biased in onset and frequency, although asymmetry in dispersal distance is yet to be investigated. Dispersal may be positively correlated with increasing favourable environmental conditions, such as rainfall, however, the effects of ecological constraints on dispersal and colony fission–fusion dynamics have not previously been demonstrated on a spatial scale. Here we provide the first spatial population genetic study for this species. We investigated genetic structure in a population of Damaraland mole-rats from the southern Kalahari in South Africa over 3 years, combining observational dispersal data from mark-recapture with population genetic data to evaluate (1) sex-bias in frequency and distance of dispersal in this species, and (2) the effect of rainfall on fission–fusion dynamics of colonies. Results Our results demonstrate (1) that both males and females favour local dispersal but on rare occasions may disperse over distances greater than 400 m, (2) that males may disperse over greater distances than females, and (3) that males more frequently immigrate into established neighbouring colonies than females, who predominantly disperse by colony fission, i.e. multiple individuals “budding” from their native colony into a neighbouring territory, thereby establishing new colonies. Furthermore, our results demonstrate (4) elevated dispersal and colony fission in association with increased rainfall, supporting the hypothesis that rainfall may play a significant role in the maintenance and/or disruption of reproductive skew in Damaraland mole-rat populations. Conclusion This study represents the first fine-scale spatial population genetic study in Damaraland mole-rats, and provides relevant insights into colony fission–fusion dynamics in a social and cooperatively breeding species.

Download Full-text

Population genetic study in Juglans regia L. (Persian walnut) and its taxonomic status within the genus Juglans L.

Phytotaxa ◽

10.11646/phytotaxa.376.4.1 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 376 (4) ◽

pp. 154 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

MEGHDAD MAGHSOODI ◽

MASOUD SHEIDAI ◽

FAHIMEH KOOHDAR

Keyword(s):

Molecular Markers ◽

Genetic Structure ◽

Genetic Variability ◽

Genetic Study ◽

Population Genetic ◽

Juglans Regia ◽

Its Sequences ◽

Population Genetic Study ◽

Nrdna Its ◽

Persian Walnut

Juglans regia commonly known as Persian walnut of the genus Juglans (Juglandaceae) is cultivated throughout the temperate regions of the world for its high quality wood and edible nuts. Though Persian walnut grows on 70,000 ha in Iran, we have no detailed information on genetic structure of walnut cultivars in the country. A detailed knowledge of genetic diversity and spatial genetic structure is essential for conservation and management of tree species. The species like Persian walnut, which has wide range of geographical distribution, should harbor extensive genetic variability to adapt to environmental fluctuations they face. Therefore, detailed population genetic study of local populations become important for conservation and breeding studies. The main aim of the present study was to investigate the population genetic structure of seven Persian walnut populations including 3 wild and 4 cultivated populations by using ISSR and SRAP molecular markers. We also aimed to compare the genetic variability revealed by ISSR neutral multilocus marker and nrDNA ITS sequences. Finally, we tried to investigate the species relationship within the genus Juglans L. by using molecular phylogeny methods based on nrDNA ITS sequences. The results showed that both multilocus molecular markers and ITS sequences can differentiate Persian walnut populations. The studied populations differed genetically and showed isolation by distance (IBD).

Download Full-text

Population genetic structure of a major reef-building coral species Acropora downingi in northeastern Arabian Peninsula

Coral Reefs ◽

10.1007/s00338-021-02158-y ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Felipe Torquato ◽

Jessica Bouwmeester ◽

Pedro Range ◽

Alyssa Marshell ◽

Mark A. Priest ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Population Structure ◽

Genetic Study ◽

Persian Gulf ◽

Population Genetic ◽

Coral Species ◽

Arabian Peninsula ◽

Ecological Speciation ◽

Population Genetic Study ◽

Sea Of Oman ◽

Neutral Markers

AbstractCurrent seawater temperatures around the northeastern Arabian Peninsula resemble future global forecasts as temperatures > 35 °C are commonly observed in summer. To provide a more fundamental aim of understanding the structure of wild populations in extreme environmental conditions, we conducted a population genetic study of a widespread, regional endemic table coral species, Acropora downingi, across the northeastern Arabian Peninsula. A total of 63 samples were collected in the southern Arabian/Persian Gulf (Abu Dhabi and Qatar) and the Sea of Oman (northeastern Oman). Using RAD-seq techniques, we described the population structure of A. downingi across the study area. Pairwise G’st and distance-based analyses using neutral markers displayed two distinct genetic clusters: one represented by Arabian/Persian Gulf individuals, and the other by Sea of Oman individuals. Nevertheless, a model-based method applied to the genetic data suggested a panmictic population encompassing both seas. Hypotheses to explain the distinctiveness of phylogeographic subregions in the northeastern Arabian Peninsula rely on either (1) bottleneck events due to successive mass coral bleaching, (2) recent founder effect, (3) ecological speciation due to the large spatial gradients in physical conditions, or (4) the combination of seascape features, ocean circulation and larval traits. Neutral markers indicated a slightly structured population of A. downingi, which exclude the ecological speciation hypothesis. Future studies across a broader range of organisms are required to furnish evidence for existing hypotheses explaining a population structure observed in the study area. Though this is the most thermally tolerant acroporid species worldwide, A. downingi corals in the Arabian/Persian Gulf have undergone major mortality events over the past three decades. Therefore, the present genetic study has important implications for understanding patterns and processes of differentiation in this group, whose populations may be pushed to extinction as the Arabian/Persian Gulf warms.

Download Full-text

Stirred but not shaken: population and recruitment genetics of the scallop (Pecten fumatus) in Bass Strait, Australia

ICES Journal of Marine Science ◽

10.1093/icesjms/fsw068 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 73 (9) ◽

pp. 2333-2341 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Jennifer R. Ovenden ◽

Bree J. Tillett ◽

Michael Macbeth ◽

Damien Broderick ◽

Fiona Filardo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Genetic Structure ◽

Population Genetic Structure ◽

Population Genetic ◽

Allelic Variation ◽

Open Water ◽

Marine Species ◽

Population Connectivity ◽

Valuable Insight ◽

Fine Scale ◽

Scale Population

Abstract We report population genetic structure and fine-scale recruitment processes for the scallop beds (Pecten fumatus) in Bass Strait and the eastern coastline of Tasmania in southern Australia. Conventional population pairwise FST analyses are compared with novel discriminant analysis of principal components (DAPC) to assess population genetic structure using allelic variation in 11 microsatellite loci. Fine-scale population connectivity was compared with oceanic features of the sampled area. Disjunct scallop beds were genetically distinct, but there was little population genetic structure between beds connected by tides and oceanic currents. To identify recruitment patterns among and within beds, pedigree analyses determined the distribution of parent–offspring and sibling relationships in the sampled populations. Beds in northeastern Bass Strait were genetically distinct to adjacent beds (FST 0.003–0.005) and may not contribute to wider recruitment based on biophysical models of larval movement. Unfortunately, pedigree analyses lacked power to further dissect fine-scale recruitment processes including self-recruitment. Our results support the management of disjunct populations as separate stocks and the protection of source populations among open water beds. The application of DAPC and parentage analyses in the current study provided valuable insight into their potential power to determine population connectivity in marine species with larval dispersal.

Download Full-text