Cegelski C C, Waits L P, Anderson N J
Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, University of Idaho, Moscow ID 83844-1136, USA.
Mol Ecol. 2003 Nov;12(11):2907-18. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-294x.2003.01969.x.
In North America, wolverines once occupied a continuous range from Alaska southward to New Mexico. In the lower 48 states, small remnant populations remain only in the northwestern United States. Among these remnant populations, the Montana population has the highest probability of long-term persistence given its size and proximity to healthy populations in Canada. In this study, we evaluate population genetic structure and gene flow among Montana wolverines using 10 polymorphic microsatellite loci. Bayesian and frequency-based assignment tests revealed significant population substructure and provide support for at least three subpopulations in Montana. FST values between subpopulations ranged from 0.08 to 0.10 and provide evidence for male-biased dispersal. The high degree of population substructure and low levels of gene flow contrast results from wolverine population genetic studies in less fragmented landscapes of Alaska and Canada. This study provides additional support for the hypothesis that large carnivore populations of Montana are becoming increasingly fragmented due to human development and disturbance.
在北美洲，狼獾曾经占据从阿拉斯加向南至新墨西哥的连续分布范围。在美国本土48个州，仅在美国西北部存在少量残余种群。在这些残余种群中，蒙大拿州的种群鉴于其规模以及与加拿大健康种群的接近程度，具有最高的长期存续概率。在本研究中，我们使用10个多态微卫星位点评估蒙大拿州狼獾的种群遗传结构和基因流。贝叶斯和基于频率的分配测试揭示了显著的种群亚结构，并为蒙大拿州至少三个亚种群提供了支持。亚种群之间的FST值范围为0.08至0.10，为雄性偏向的扩散提供了证据。种群亚结构程度高和基因流水平低与阿拉斯加和加拿大破碎化程度较低地区的狼獾种群遗传研究结果形成对比。本研究为以下假设提供了更多支持：由于人类发展和干扰，蒙大拿州的大型食肉动物种群正变得日益破碎化。
