Comparing microsatellites and single nucleotide polymorphisms to evaluate genetic structure and diversity in wolverines (<i>Gulo gulo</i>) across Alaska and western Canada.

ABSTRACT: The Wolverine (Gulo gulo) is a cold-adapted species of conservation interest because it is sensitive to human development, disturbance, exploitation, and climate warming. Wolverine populations have been studied across much of their distributional range to evaluate patterns of genetic diversity, genetic structure, and gene flow. Little population structure has been detected in northwestern North America with microsatellite loci, but low genomic diversity in wolverines may limit detection of genetic differences in this highly vagile species. Here, we genotyped a relatively large sample of wolverines from across Alaska (US) and adjacent Yukon (Canada) with 12 microsatellite loci (n = 501) and 4,222 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs; n = 201) identified using restriction-site

SUBMITTER: Stacy EM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12159531 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature