Influence of landscape features on the microgeographic genetic structure of a resident songbird.

ABSTRACT: Landscape features influence individual dispersal and as a result can affect both gene flow and genetic variation within and between populations. The landscape of British Columbia, Canada, is already highly heterogeneous because of natural ecological and geological transitions, but disturbance from human-mediated processes has further fragmented continuous habitat, particularly in the central plateau region. In this study, we evaluated the effects of landscape heterogeneity on the genetic structure of a common resident songbird, the black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus). Previous work revealed significant population structuring in British Columbia that could not be explained by physical barriers, so our aim was to assess the pattern of genetic structure at a microgeographic scale a

SUBMITTER: Adams RV 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4949724 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature