Genetic consequences of forest fragmentation for a highly specialized arboreal mammal--the edible dormouse.

ABSTRACT: Habitat loss and fragmentation represent the most serious extinction threats for many species and have been demonstrated to be especially detrimental for mammals. Particularly, highly specialized species with low dispersal abilities will encounter a high risk of extinction in fragmented landscapes. Here we studied the edible dormouse (Glis glis), a small arboreal mammal that is distributed throughout Central Europe, where forests are mostly fragmented at different spatial scales. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of habitat fragmentation on genetic population structures using the example of edible dormouse populations inhabiting forest fragments in south western Germany. We genotyped 380 adult individuals captured between 2001 and 2009 in four different forest fragments a

SUBMITTER: Fietz J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3913767 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature