Premium
Distance, elevation and environment as drivers of diversity and divergence in bumble bees across latitude and altitude
Author(s) -
Jackson Jason M.,
Pimsler Meaghan L.,
Oyen Kennan Jeannet,
KochUhuad Jonathan B.,
Herndon James D.,
Strange James P.,
Dillon Michael E.,
Lozier Jeffrey D.
Publication year - 2018
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.14735
Subject(s) - ecology , biology , biological dispersal , range (aeronautics) , population , genetic diversity , niche , habitat , altitude (triangle) , bumblebee , ecological niche , latitude , geography , pollination , pollinator , materials science , demography , geometry , mathematics , geodesy , sociology , composite material , pollen
Identifying drivers of dispersal limitation and genetic differentiation is a key goal in biogeography. We examine patterns of population connectivity and genetic diversity using restriction site‐associated DNA sequencing ( RAD seq) in two bumble bee species, Bombus vosnesenskii and Bombus bifarius, across latitude and altitude in mountain ranges from California, Oregon and Washington, U.S.A. Bombus vosnesenskii , which occurs across a broader elevational range at most latitudes, exhibits little population structure while B. bifarius , which occupies a relatively narrow higher elevation niche across most latitudes, exhibits much stronger population differentiation, although gene flow in both species is best explained by isolation with environmental niche resistance. A relationship between elevational habitat breadth and genetic diversity is also apparent, with B. vosnesenskii exhibiting relatively consistent levels of genetic diversity across its range, while B. bifarius has reduced genetic diversity at low latitudes, where it is restricted to high‐elevation habitat. The results of this study highlight the importance of the intersect between elevational range and habitat suitability in influencing population connectivity and suggest that future climate warming will have a fragmenting effect even on populations that are presently well connected, as they track their thermal niches upward in montane systems.