High genetic diversity of common toad (Bufo bufo)
populations under strong natural fragmentation
on a Northern archipelago

Roth, S; Jehle, R

Abstract

The last decades have shown a surge in studies focusing on the interplay
between fragmented habitats, genetic variation, and conservation. In the present
study, we consider the case of a temperate pond-breeding anuran (the common
toad Bufo bufo) inhabiting a naturally strongly fragmented habitat at the
Northern fringe of the species’ range: islands offshore the Norwegian coast. A
total of 475 individuals from 19 populations (three mainland populations and
16 populations on seven adjacent islands) were genetically characterized using
nine microsatellite markers. As expected for a highly fragmented habitat, genetic
distances between populations were high (pairwise Fst values ranging between
0.06 and 0.33), with however little differences between populations separated by
ocean and populations separated by terrestrial habitat (mainland and on
islands). Despite a distinct cline in genetic variation from mainland populations
to peripheral islands, the study populations were characterized by overall high
genetic variation, in line with effective population sizes derived from
single-sample estimators which were on average about 20 individuals. Taken
together, our results reinforce the notion that spatial and temporal scales of
fragmentation need to be considered when studying the interplay between
landscape fragmentation and genetic erosion.

Citation

on a Northern archipelago. Ecology and Evolution, 6(6), 1626-1636. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.1957

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Dec 16, 2015
• Online Publication Date: Feb 12, 2016
• Publication Date: Feb 12, 2016
• Deposit Date: Feb 15, 2016
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 5, 2016
• Journal: Ecology and Evolution
• Electronic ISSN: 2045-7758
• Publisher: Wiley
• Volume: 6
• Issue: 6
• Pages: 1626-1636
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.1957
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ece3.1957
• Additional Information: Funders : Environmental Department of the County Governor in Hordaland