Dispersal behaviour and riverine network connectivity shape the genetic diversity of freshwater amphipod metapopulations.

ABSTRACT: Theory predicts that the distribution of genetic diversity in a landscape is strongly dependent on the connectivity of the metapopulation and the dispersal of individuals between patches. However, the influence of explicit spatial configurations such as dendritic landscapes on the genetic diversity of metapopulations is still understudied, and theoretical corroborations of empirical patterns are largely lacking. Here, we used microsatellite data and stochastic simulations of two metapopulations of freshwater amphipods in a 28,000 km² riverine network to study the influence of spatial connectivity and dispersal strategies on the spatial distribution of their genetic diversity. We found a significant imprint of the effects of riverine network connectivity on the local and global g

SUBMITTER: Alther R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9293088 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature