The genetic consequence of differing ecological demands of a generalist and a specialist butterfly species |
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Authors: | Jan Christian Habel Marc Meyer Thomas Schmitt |
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Institution: | 1. Biogeographie, Fachbereich VI, Am Wissenschaftspark 25-27, Universit?t Trier, 54296, Trier, Germany 2. Musée National d’histoire Naturelle Luxembourg, 25, rue Münster, 2160, Luxembourg, Luxembourg
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Abstract: | Many studies aim at testing the impact of recent fragmentation on the genetic diversity and connectivity of populations, while
some species do exist naturally in fragmented landscapes because of their habitat requirements. Therefore, it is important
to look at the genetic signatures of species occurring in naturally fragmented landscapes in order to disentangle the effect
of fragmentation from the effect of habitat requirements. We selected two Nymphalid butterflies for this purpose. While Melanargia galathea is a common butterfly in flower-rich meadows, Melitaea aurelia is closely connected to calcareous grasslands, thus being historically fragmented due to its ecological demands. For the
analysis of the genetic response on these opposed patterns, we analysed 18 allozyme loci for 789 individuals (399 individuals
of M. galathea and 390 individuals of M. aurelia) in a western German study region with adjacent areas in Luxemburg and northeastern France. Both species showed similarly
low genetic differentiations among local populations (M. galathea: F
ST 3.3%; M. aurelia: F
ST 3.6%), both combined with a moderate level of inbreeding. Isolation-by-distance analysis revealed a significant correlation
for both species with similar amounts of explained variances (M. galathea: r
2 = 27.8%; M. aurelia: r
2 = 28.5%). Most parameters of genetic diversity were higher in M. galathea than in M. aurelia, but the latter species had a considerably higher amount of rare or locally restricted genes; the differing ecological demands
are thus reflected in these differences. Both species thus seem to be genetically well suited to their respective ecological
requirements. In the light of conservation genetics, we deduce that highly fragmented populations are not necessarily prone
to extinction. The extinction risk might be linked to the life history of an organism and its population genetic structure. |
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Keywords: | Fragmentation Adaptation Conservation genetics Genetic diversity Genetic differentiation Allozyme electrophoresis Nymphalidae Melanargia galathea Melitaea aurelia |
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