Microsatellite markers confirm extensive population fragmentation of the endangered Balkan palaeoendemic Martino s vole (Dinaromys bogdanovi)
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2010 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Conservation Genetics |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Field | Zoology |
| Keywords | Population structure; conservation management; spatial genetics; metapopulation |
| Description | The Martino s vole is an endangered rodent endemic to the western Balkan Peninsula. Its range is fragmented, and populations are small due to high habitat specificity. The level of genetic variation within such populations is often low, and genetic differentiation between patchily dispersed populations is high. By scoring eight microsatellite loci in 110 individual Martino's voles originating from 27 locations throughout the species range, we analysed genetic variation at both the intra- and interpopulation level. Factorial correspondence analysis, Bayesian analyses, and allele sharing distances divided individuals into three phylogroups (Northwestern, Central, and Southeastern), thus providing independent support for phylogeographic structuring, a pattern that has been described in previous studies based on mitochondrial DNA. Spatial genetic analyses showed that populations are highly fragmented, even in those areas with the highest population densities. |
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