Permeability of the landscape matrix between amphibian breeding sites.

ABSTRACT: For organisms that reproduce in discrete habitat patches, land cover between patches (known as the matrix) is important for dispersal among breeding sites. Models of patchy populations often incorporate information on the permeability of the matrix to dispersal, sometimes based on expert opinion. I estimated the relative resistance to gene flow of land cover types and barriers using F(ST) calculated from microsatellite markers in two amphibians, within an 800-km(2) area in northern Switzerland. The species included a frog (Rana temporaria: 996 individuals, 48 populations, seven markers) and a newt (Triturus alpestris: 816 individuals, 41 populations, seven markers). Open fields and urban areas were more resistant to gene flow than forested land; roads and highways also reduced permeability

SUBMITTER: Buskirk J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3539008 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature