North-facing slopes and elevation shape asymmetric genetic structure in the range-restricted salamander Plethodon shenandoah.

ABSTRACT: Species with narrow environmental tolerances are often distributed within fragmented patches of suitable habitat, and dispersal among these subpopulations can be difficult to directly observe. Genetic data can help quantify gene flow between localities, which is especially important for vulnerable species with a disjunct range. The Shenandoah salamander (Plethodon shenandoah) is a federally endangered species known only from three mountaintops in Virginia, USA. To reconstruct the evolutionary history and population connectivity of this species, we generated both mitochondrial and nuclear data using sequence capture from individuals collected across all three mountaintops. Applying population and landscape genetic methods, we found strong population structure that was independent of

SUBMITTER: Mulder KP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6509443 | biostudies-literature | 2019 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature