Open AccessBirds in space and time: genetic changes accompanying anthropogenic habitat fragmentation in the endangered black‐capped vireo ( Vireo atricapilla )
Author(s) -
Athrey Giridhar,
Barr Kelly R.,
Lance Richard F.,
Leberg Paul L.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
evolutionary applications
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.776
H-Index - 68
ISSN - 1752-4571
DOI - 10.1111/j.1752-4571.2011.00233.x
Subject(s) - endangered species , threatened species , genetic monitoring , biology , habitat fragmentation , genetic diversity , habitat destruction , ecology , habitat , population , population size , conservation genetics , fragmentation (computing) , effective population size , population fragmentation , small population size , population bottleneck , approximate bayesian computation , microsatellite , demography , allele , biochemistry , gene , gene flow , sociology
Anthropogenic alterations in the natural environment can be a potent evolutionary force. For species that have specific habitat requirements, habitat loss can result in substantial genetic effects, potentially impeding future adaptability and evolution. The endangered black‐capped vireo ( Vireo atricapilla ) suffered a substantial contraction of breeding habitat and population size during much of the 20th century. In a previous study, we reported significant differentiation between remnant populations, but failed to recover a strong genetic signal of bottlenecks. In this study, we used a combination of historical and contemporary sampling from Oklahoma and Texas to (i) determine whether population structure and genetic diversity have changed over time and (ii) evaluate alternate demographic hypotheses using approximate Bayesian computation (ABC). We found lower genetic diversity and increased differentiation in contemporary samples compared to historical samples, indicating nontrivial impacts of fragmentation. ABC analysis suggests a bottleneck having occurred in the early part of the 20th century, resulting in a magnitude decline in effective population size. Genetic monitoring with temporally spaced samples, such as used in this study, can be highly informative for assessing the genetic impacts of anthropogenic fragmentation on threatened or endangered species, as well as revealing the dynamics of small populations over time.