Genetic response to climatic change: insights from ancient DNA and phylochronology.

ABSTRACT: Understanding how climatic change impacts biological diversity is critical to conservation. Yet despite demonstrated effects of climatic perturbation on geographic ranges and population persistence, surprisingly little is known of the genetic response of species. Even less is known over ecologically long time scales pertinent to understanding the interplay between microevolution and environmental change. Here, we present a study of population variation by directly tracking genetic change and population size in two geographically widespread mammal species (Microtus montanus and Thomomys talpoides) during late-Holocene climatic change. We use ancient DNA to compare two independent estimates of population size (ecological and genetic) and corroborate our results with gene diversity and serial

SUBMITTER: Hadly EA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC515369 | biostudies-literature | 2004 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature