Varying genetic imprints of road networks and human density in North American mammal populations.

ABSTRACT: Road networks and human density are major factors contributing to habitat fragmentation and loss, isolation of wildlife populations, and reduced genetic diversity. Terrestrial mammals are particularly sensitive to road networks and encroachment by human populations. However, there are limited assessments of the impacts of road networks and human density on population-specific nuclear genetic diversity, and it remains unclear how these impacts are modulated by life-history traits. Using generalized linear mixed models and microsatellite data from 1444 North American terrestrial mammal populations, we show that taxa with large home range sizes, dense populations, and large body sizes had reduced nuclear genetic diversity with increasing road impacts and human density, but the overall influen

SUBMITTER: Habrich AK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8210797 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature