Assessing population structure and gene flow in Montana wolverines ( Gulo gulo) using assignment‐based approaches
Abstract In North America, wolverines once occupied a continuous range from Alaska southward to New Mexico. In the lower 48 states, small remnant populations remain only in the northwestern United States. Among these remnant populations, the Montana population has the highest probability of long‐ter...
Published in: | Molecular Ecology |
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Main Authors: | , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Wiley
2003
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Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-294x.2003.01969.x https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1046%2Fj.1365-294X.2003.01969.x https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1046/j.1365-294X.2003.01969.x https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full-xml/10.1046/j.1365-294X.2003.01969.x |
Summary: | Abstract In North America, wolverines once occupied a continuous range from Alaska southward to New Mexico. In the lower 48 states, small remnant populations remain only in the northwestern United States. Among these remnant populations, the Montana population has the highest probability of long‐term persistence given its size and proximity to healthy populations in Canada. In this study, we evaluate population genetic structure and gene flow among Montana wolverines using 10 polymorphic microsatellite loci. Bayesian and frequency‐based assignment tests revealed significant population substructure and provide support for at least three subpopulations in Montana. F ST values between subpopulations ranged from 0.08 to 0.10 and provide evidence for male‐biased dispersal. The high degree of population substructure and low levels of gene flow contrast results from wolverine population genetic studies in less fragmented landscapes of Alaska and Canada. This study provides additional support for the hypothesis that large carnivore populations of Montana are becoming increasingly fragmented due to human development and disturbance. |
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