Connectivity in a pond system influences migration and genetic structure in threespine stickleback ...

• Main Authors: Seymour, Mathew, Räsänen, Katja, Holderegger, Rolf, Kristjánsson, Bjarni K.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: ETH Zurich 2013
• Subjects: Gasterosteus aculeatus; Iceland; Landscape genetics; Microsatellites; Periodic flooding
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000065024; http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11850/65024

Neutral genetic structure of natural populations is primarily influenced by migration (the movement of individuals and, subsequently, their genes) and drift (the statistical chance of losing genetic diversity over time). Migration between populations is influenced by several factors, including individual behavior, physical barriers, and environmental heterogeneity among populations. However, drift is expected to be stronger in populations with low immigration rate and small effective population size. With the technological advancement in geological information systems and spatial analysis tools, landscape genetics now allows the development of realistic migration models and increased insight to important processes influencing diversity of natural populations. In this study, we investigated the relationship between landscape connectivity and genetic distance of threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) inhabiting a pond complex in Belgjarskógur, Northeast Iceland. We used two landscape genetic ... : Ecology and Evolution, 3 (3) ...