Pulses of movement across the sea ice: population connectivity and temporal genetic structure in the arctic fox |
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Authors: | Karin Norén Lindsey Carmichael Eva Fuglei Nina E Eide Pall Hersteinsson Anders Angerbjörn |
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Institution: | 1.Department of Zoology,Stockholm University,Stockholm,Sweden;2.Department of Biological Sciences,University of Alberta,Edmonton,Canada;3.Norwegian Polar Institute,Troms?,Norway;4.Norwegian Institute for Nature Research,Trondheim,Norway;5.Institute of Biology,University of Iceland,Reykjavik,Iceland |
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Abstract: | Lemmings are involved in several important functions in the Arctic ecosystem. The Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) can be divided into two discrete ecotypes: “lemming foxes” and “coastal foxes”. Crashes in lemming abundance can result
in pulses of “lemming fox” movement across the Arctic sea ice and immigration into coastal habitats in search for food. These
pulses can influence the genetic structure of the receiving population. We have tested the impact of immigration on the genetic
structure of the “coastal fox” population in Svalbard by recording microsatellite variation in seven loci for 162 Arctic foxes
sampled during the summer and winter over a 5-year period. Genetic heterogeneity and temporal genetic shifts, as inferred
by STRUCTURE simulations and deviations from Hardy–Weinberg proportions, respectively, were recorded. Maximum likelihood estimates
of movement as well as STRUCTURE simulations suggested that both immigration and genetic mixture are higher in Svalbard than
in the neighbouring “lemming fox” populations. The STRUCTURE simulations and AMOVA revealed there are differences in genetic
composition of the population between summer and winter seasons, indicating that immigrants are not present in the reproductive
portion of the Svalbard population. Based on these results, we conclude that Arctic fox population structure varies with time
and is influenced by immigration from neighbouring populations. The lemming cycle is likely an important factor shaping Arctic
fox movement across sea ice and the subsequent population genetic structure, but is also likely to influence local adaptation
to the coastal habitat and the prevalence of diseases. |
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