Fine-scale population genetic structure of arctic foxes (Vulpes lagopus) in the High Arctic
Abstract Objective The arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) is a circumpolar species inhabiting all accessible Arctic tundra habitats. The species forms a panmictic population over areas connected by sea ice, but recently, kin clustering and population differentiation were detected even in regions where sea...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:80e955420ee442b2afbd9f4ed931e990 2023-05-15T14:31:11+02:00 Fine-scale population genetic structure of arctic foxes (Vulpes lagopus) in the High Arctic Sandra Lai Adrien Quiles Josie Lambourdière Dominique Berteaux Aude Lalis 2017-12-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1186/s13104-017-3002-1 https://doaj.org/article/80e955420ee442b2afbd9f4ed931e990 EN eng BMC http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13104-017-3002-1 https://doaj.org/toc/1756-0500 doi:10.1186/s13104-017-3002-1 1756-0500 https://doaj.org/article/80e955420ee442b2afbd9f4ed931e990 BMC Research Notes, Vol 10, Iss 1, Pp 1-6 (2017) Vulpes lagopus Microsatellite multiplex PCR Population genetics Fine-scale genetic structure Bylot Island Medicine R Biology (General) QH301-705.5 Science (General) Q1-390 article 2017 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1186/s13104-017-3002-1 2022-12-30T22:55:23Z Abstract Objective The arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) is a circumpolar species inhabiting all accessible Arctic tundra habitats. The species forms a panmictic population over areas connected by sea ice, but recently, kin clustering and population differentiation were detected even in regions where sea ice was present. The purpose of this study was to examine the genetic structure of a population in the High Arctic using a robust panel of highly polymorphic microsatellites. Results We analyzed the genotypes of 210 individuals from Bylot Island, Nunavut, Canada, using 15 microsatellite loci. No pattern of isolation-by-distance was detected, but a spatial principal component analysis (sPCA) revealed the presence of genetic subdivisions. Overall, the sPCA revealed two spatially distinct genetic clusters corresponding to the northern and southern parts of the study area, plus another subdivision within each of these two clusters. The north–south genetic differentiation partly matched the distribution of a snow goose colony, which could reflect a preference for settling into familiar ecological environments. Secondary clusters may result from higher-order social structures (neighbourhoods) that use landscape features to delimit their borders. The cryptic genetic subdivisions found in our population may highlight ecological processes deserving further investigations in arctic foxes at larger, regional spatial scales. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Fox Arctic Bylot Island Nunavut Sea ice Tundra Vulpes lagopus Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Arctic Nunavut Bylot Island Canada BMC Research Notes 10 1 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Vulpes lagopus Microsatellite multiplex PCR Population genetics Fine-scale genetic structure Bylot Island Medicine R Biology (General) QH301-705.5 Science (General) Q1-390 |
spellingShingle |
Vulpes lagopus Microsatellite multiplex PCR Population genetics Fine-scale genetic structure Bylot Island Medicine R Biology (General) QH301-705.5 Science (General) Q1-390 Sandra Lai Adrien Quiles Josie Lambourdière Dominique Berteaux Aude Lalis Fine-scale population genetic structure of arctic foxes (Vulpes lagopus) in the High Arctic |
topic_facet |
Vulpes lagopus Microsatellite multiplex PCR Population genetics Fine-scale genetic structure Bylot Island Medicine R Biology (General) QH301-705.5 Science (General) Q1-390 |
description |
Abstract Objective The arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) is a circumpolar species inhabiting all accessible Arctic tundra habitats. The species forms a panmictic population over areas connected by sea ice, but recently, kin clustering and population differentiation were detected even in regions where sea ice was present. The purpose of this study was to examine the genetic structure of a population in the High Arctic using a robust panel of highly polymorphic microsatellites. Results We analyzed the genotypes of 210 individuals from Bylot Island, Nunavut, Canada, using 15 microsatellite loci. No pattern of isolation-by-distance was detected, but a spatial principal component analysis (sPCA) revealed the presence of genetic subdivisions. Overall, the sPCA revealed two spatially distinct genetic clusters corresponding to the northern and southern parts of the study area, plus another subdivision within each of these two clusters. The north–south genetic differentiation partly matched the distribution of a snow goose colony, which could reflect a preference for settling into familiar ecological environments. Secondary clusters may result from higher-order social structures (neighbourhoods) that use landscape features to delimit their borders. The cryptic genetic subdivisions found in our population may highlight ecological processes deserving further investigations in arctic foxes at larger, regional spatial scales. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Sandra Lai Adrien Quiles Josie Lambourdière Dominique Berteaux Aude Lalis |
author_facet |
Sandra Lai Adrien Quiles Josie Lambourdière Dominique Berteaux Aude Lalis |
author_sort |
Sandra Lai |
title |
Fine-scale population genetic structure of arctic foxes (Vulpes lagopus) in the High Arctic |
title_short |
Fine-scale population genetic structure of arctic foxes (Vulpes lagopus) in the High Arctic |
title_full |
Fine-scale population genetic structure of arctic foxes (Vulpes lagopus) in the High Arctic |
title_fullStr |
Fine-scale population genetic structure of arctic foxes (Vulpes lagopus) in the High Arctic |
title_full_unstemmed |
Fine-scale population genetic structure of arctic foxes (Vulpes lagopus) in the High Arctic |
title_sort |
fine-scale population genetic structure of arctic foxes (vulpes lagopus) in the high arctic |
publisher |
BMC |
publishDate |
2017 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13104-017-3002-1 https://doaj.org/article/80e955420ee442b2afbd9f4ed931e990 |
geographic |
Arctic Nunavut Bylot Island Canada |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Nunavut Bylot Island Canada |
genre |
Arctic Fox Arctic Bylot Island Nunavut Sea ice Tundra Vulpes lagopus |
genre_facet |
Arctic Fox Arctic Bylot Island Nunavut Sea ice Tundra Vulpes lagopus |
op_source |
BMC Research Notes, Vol 10, Iss 1, Pp 1-6 (2017) |
op_relation |
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13104-017-3002-1 https://doaj.org/toc/1756-0500 doi:10.1186/s13104-017-3002-1 1756-0500 https://doaj.org/article/80e955420ee442b2afbd9f4ed931e990 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13104-017-3002-1 |
container_title |
BMC Research Notes |
container_volume |
10 |
container_issue |
1 |
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1766304880743415808 |