Systemic racism alters wildlife genetic diversity.

ABSTRACT: In the United States, systemic racism has had lasting effects on the structure of cities, specifically due to government-mandated redlining policies that produced racially segregated neighborhoods that persist today. However, it is not known whether varying habitat structures and natural resource availability associated with racial segregation affect the demographics and evolution of urban wildlife populations. To address this question, we repurposed and reanalyzed publicly archived nuclear genetic data from 7,698 individuals spanning 39 terrestrial vertebrate species sampled in 268 urban locations throughout the United States. We found generally consistent patterns of reduced genetic diversity and decreased connectivity in neighborhoods with fewer White residents, likely because of enviro

SUBMITTER: Schmidt C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9618126 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature