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Fragmentation of A tlantic F orest has not affected gene flow of a widespread seed‐dispersing bat
Author(s) -
McCulloch Eve S.,
Sebastián Tello J.,
Whitehead Andrew,
RolónMendoza Claudia M. J.,
MaldonadoRodríguez Mario C. D.,
Stevens Richard D.
Publication year - 2013
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 - 10.1111/mec.12418
Subject(s) - biological dispersal , habitat fragmentation , biology , fragmentation (computing) , ecology , generalist and specialist species , genetic structure , population , gene flow , seed dispersal , habitat destruction , habitat , extinction debt , isolation by distance , biodiversity , defaunation , population fragmentation , effective population size , genetic variation , gene , rumen , demography , food science , sociology , fermentation , biochemistry
Habitat loss and resultant fragmentation are major threats to biodiversity, particularly in tropical and subtropical ecosystems. It is increasingly urgent to understand fragmentation effects, which are often complex and vary across taxa, time and space. We determined whether recent fragmentation of A tlantic forest is causing population subdivision in a widespread and important N eotropical seed disperser: A rtibeus lituratus ( C hiroptera: P hyllostomidae). Genetic structure within highly fragmented forest in P araguay was compared to that in mostly contiguous forest in neighbouring M isiones, A rgentina. Further, observed genetic structure across the fragmented landscape was compared with expected levels of structure for similar time spans in realistic simulated landscapes under different degrees of reduction in gene flow. If fragmentation significantly reduced successful dispersal, greater population differentiation and stronger isolation by distance would be expected in the fragmented than in the continuous landscape, and genetic structure in the fragmented landscape should be similar to structure for simulated landscapes where dispersal had been substantially reduced. Instead, little genetic differentiation was observed, and no significant correlation was found between genetic and geographic distance in fragmented or continuous landscapes. Furthermore, comparison of empirical and simulated landscapes indicated empirical results were consistent with regular long‐distance dispersal and high migration rates. Our results suggest maintenance of high gene flow for this relatively mobile and generalist species, which could be preventing or significantly delaying reduction in population connectivity in fragmented habitat. Our conclusions apply to A . lituratus in I nterior A tlantic F orest, and do not contradict broad evidence that habitat fragmentation is contributing to extinction of populations and species, and poses a threat to biodiversity worldwide.