Southern introgression increases adaptive immune gene variability in northern range margin populations of Fire-bellied toad.

ABSTRACT: Northern range margin populations of the European fire-bellied toad (Bombina bombina) have rapidly declined during recent decades. Extensive agricultural land use has fragmented the landscape, leading to habitat disruption and loss, as well as eutrophication of ponds. In Northern Germany (Schleswig-Holstein) and Southern Sweden (Skåne), this population decline resulted in decreased gene flow from surrounding populations, low genetic diversity, and a putative reduction in adaptive potential, leaving populations vulnerable to future environmental and climatic changes. Previous studies using mitochondrial control region and nuclear transcriptome-wide SNP data detected introgressive hybridization in multiple northern B. bombina populations after unreported release of toads from A

SUBMITTER: De Cahsan B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8293767 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature