An Endangered Arboreal Specialist, the Western Ringtail Possum (Pseudocheirus occidentalis), Shows a Greater Genetic Divergence across a Narrow Artificial Waterway than a Major Road

PloS One
Kaori YokochiRoberta Bencini

Abstract

The fragmentation of habitats by roads and other artificial linear structures can have a profound effect on the movement of arboreal species due to their strong fidelity to canopies. Here, we used 12 microsatellite DNA loci to investigate the fine-scale spatial genetic structure and the effects of a major road and a narrow artificial waterway on a population of the endangered western ringtail possum (Pseudocheirus occidentalis) in Busselton, Western Australia. Using spatial autocorrelation analysis, we found positive genetic structure in continuous habitat over distances up to 600 m. These patterns are consistent with the sedentary nature of P. occidentalis and highlight their vulnerability to the effects of habitat fragmentation. Pairwise relatedness values and Bayesian cluster analysis also revealed significant genetic divergences across an artificial waterway, suggesting that it was a barrier to gene flow. By contrast, no genetic divergences were detected across the major road. While studies often focus on roads when assessing the effects of artificial linear structures on wildlife, this study provides an example of an often overlooked artificial linear structure other than a road that has a significant impact on wildlife di...Continue Reading

References

Mar 8, 2000·Nature·N MyersJ Kent
Jul 3, 2003·Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution·Rod PeakallDavid B Lindenmayer
Apr 25, 2006·Molecular Ecology·T BroquetJ M Fryxell
Apr 4, 2008·Molecular Ecology·Faith M WalkerAndrea C Taylor
Feb 16, 2010·Conservation Biology : the Journal of the Society for Conservation Biology·Rulon W ClarkKelly R Zamudio
Jan 5, 2014·PloS One·Ross L GoldingayBrendan D Taylor

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BETA
PCR

Software Mentioned

GenAlEx
Distruct
Microchecker
Clumpp
2DLSA
Fstat
R
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