The Genetic Structure of a relict population of wood frogs

Abstract/Summary

Habitat fragmentation and the associated reduction in connectivity between habitat patches are commonly cited causes of genetic differentiation and reduced genetic variation in animal populations. We used eight microsatellite markers to investigate genetic structure and levels of genetic diversity in a relict population of wood frogs (Lithobates sylvatica) in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. We also estimated migration rates among subpopulations, tested for a pattern of isolation-by-distance, and looked for evidence of a recent population bottleneck. The results from the clustering algorithm in Program STRUCTURE indicated the population is partitioned into two genetic clusters (subpopulations), and an estimate of FST (FST = 0.0675, P-value < 0.0001) also supports the genetic differentiation of the two clusters. Migration rates among the two subpopulations were small. Though we found support for a pattern of genetic isolation-by-distance, other processes also may have affected levels of genetic differentiation. Genetic variability in the population is low relative to other studies. However, we found no evidence that a recent bottleneck was responsible for the low variation. Conservation of the population of wood frogs would be improved by increasing the spatial distribution of the population and improving gene flow between the subpopulations. Construction or restoration of wetlands in the landscape between the clusters has the potential to address each of these objectives.