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Cityscape genetics: structural vs. functional connectivity of an urban lizard population
Author(s) -
Beninde Joscha,
Feldmeier Stephan,
Werner Maike,
Peroverde Daniel,
Schulte Ulrich,
Hochkirch Axel,
Veith Michael
Publication year - 2016
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.13810
Subject(s) - cityscape , landscape connectivity , biology , ecology , habitat , genetic diversity , population , gene flow , biological dispersal , evolutionary biology , genetic variation , gene , genetics , art , demography , sociology , visual arts
Functional connectivity is essential for the long‐term persistence of populations. However, many studies assess connectivity with a focus on structural connectivity only. Cityscapes, namely urban landscapes, are particularly dynamic and include numerous potential anthropogenic barriers to animal movements, such as roads, traffic or buildings. To assess and compare structural connectivity of habitats and functional connectivity of gene flow of an urban lizard, we here combined species distribution models ( SDM s) with an individual‐based landscape genetic optimization procedure. The most important environmental factors of the SDM s are structural diversity and substrate type, with high and medium levels of structural diversity as well as open and rocky/gravel substrates contributing most to structural connectivity. By contrast, water cover was the best model of all environmental factors following landscape genetic optimization. The river is thus a major barrier to gene flow, while of the typical anthropogenic factors only buildings showed an effect. Nonetheless, using SDM s as a basis for landscape genetic optimization provided the highest ranked model for functional connectivity. Optimizing SDM s in this way can provide a sound basis for models of gene flow of the cityscape, and elsewhere, while presence‐only and presence–absence modelling approaches showed differences in performance. Additionally, interpretation of results based on SDM factor importance can be misleading, dictating more thorough analyses following optimization of SDM s. Such approaches can be adopted for management strategies, for example aiming to connect native common wall lizard populations or disconnect them from non‐native introduced populations, which are currently spreading in many cities in Central Europe.