The population and landscape genetics of the European badger (Meles meles) in Ireland
| Autor: | Jimena Guerrero, Adrian R. Allen, Denise B. O’Meara, Gavin Kelly, E. A. Courcier, Andrew W. Byrne, Robin A. Skuce, John Lavery, Carl McCormick, Ursula Fogarty, Roman Biek, James O'Keeffe, Eleanor Presho, Dennis Ensing |
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| Rok vydání: | 2018 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
0301 basic medicine education.field_of_study Ecology biology Badger Population Wildlife Population genetics Meles biology.organism_classification 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences 03 medical and health sciences 030104 developmental biology Geography biology.animal Genetic structure Biological dispersal Wildlife management education Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics Nature and Landscape Conservation |
| Zdroj: | Ecology and Evolution. 8:10233-10246 |
| ISSN: | 2045-7758 |
| Popis: | The population genetic structure of free‐ranging species is expected to reflect landscape‐level effects. Quantifying the role of these factors and their relative contribution often has important implications for wildlife management. The population genetics of the European badger (Meles meles) have received considerable attention, not least because the species acts as a potential wildlife reservoir for bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in Britain and Ireland. Herein, we detail the most comprehensive population and landscape genetic study of the badger in Ireland to date—comprised of 454 Irish badger samples, genotyped at 14 microsatellite loci. Bayesian and multivariate clustering methods demonstrated continuous clinal variation across the island, with potentially distinct differentiation observed in Northern Ireland. Landscape genetic analyses identified geographic distance and elevation as the primary drivers of genetic differentiation, in keeping with badgers exhibiting high levels of philopatry. Other factors hypothesized to affect gene flow, including earth worm habitat suitability, land cover type, and the River Shannon, had little to no detectable effect. By providing a more accurate picture of badger population structure and the factors effecting it, these data can guide current efforts to manage the species in Ireland and to better understand its role in bTB. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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