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Effective number of breeding adults in Bufo bufo estimated from age‐specific variation at minisatellite loci
Author(s) -
Scribner K. T.,
Arntzen J. W.,
Burke T.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
molecular ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.619
H-Index - 225
eISSN - 1365-294X
pISSN - 0962-1083
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-294x.1997.00238.x
Subject(s) - biology , minisatellite , bufo , population , effective population size , genetic variation , allele frequency , allele , genetic variability , zoology , ecology , microsatellite , genetics , demography , toad , genotype , sociology , gene
Estimates of the effective number of breeding adults were derived for three semi‐isolated populations of the common toad Bufo bufo based on temporal (i.e. adult‐progeny) variance in allele frequency for three highly polymorphic minisatellite loci. Estimates of spatial variance in allele frequency among populations and of age‐specific measures of genetic variability are also described. Each population was characterized by a low effective adult breeding number ( N b ) based on a large age‐specific variance in mini‐satellite allele frequency. Estimates of N b (range 21–46 for population means across three loci) were ≊ 55–230‐fold lower than estimates of total adult census size. The implications of low effective breeding numbers for long‐term maintenance of genetic variability and population viability are discussed relative to the species' reproductive ecology, current land‐use practices, and present and historical habitat modification and loss. The utility of indirect measures of population parameters such as N b and N e based on time‐series data of minisatellite allele frequencies is discussed relative to similar measures estimated from commonly used genetic markers such as protein allozymes.