Kulig Emily N, Van Gunst Jane, Hernandez Michael J, Luong Yvonne, Villaseñor Monica, Crowhurst Rachel S, Epps Clinton W, Castillo Vardaro Jessica A
California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Genetics Research Laboratory, 1415 N Market Blvd, Suite 9, Sacramento, CA 95834, United States.
Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, 2701 SW Campus Way, Corvallis, OR 97331, United States.
J Mammal. 2025 Mar 26;106(4):933-943. doi: 10.1093/jmammal/gyaf021. eCollection 2025 Aug.
American pikas () are small, thermally sensitive mammals that primarily live in montane and alpine environments. The Sierra Nevada lineage () has experienced numerous local extinctions, most of which occurred in hotter, drier regions such as the Great Basin. Few genetic studies have assessed these at-risk populations. This study aims to fill that gap by conducting fine-scale genetic analyses on populations in low-elevation Great Basin habitat in northwestern Nevada. Specifically, we: (i) quantified genetic diversity and structure among populations within , with particular focus on northwestern Nevada; and (ii) assessed the influence of primary productivity and climate-related variables on genetic diversity within , as well as at the broader species level. Great Basin populations exhibited the lowest levels of genetic diversity. Within , population genetic diversity was positively correlated with annual precipitation-while at the species level temperature explained the most variation in genetic diversity. These results provide insight into climate-driven range contractions predicted for this species and inform conservation and management decisions.
美洲鼠兔是小型、对温度敏感的哺乳动物，主要生活在山地和高山环境中。内华达山脉种群经历了多次局部灭绝，其中大部分发生在大盆地等更炎热、干燥的地区。很少有基因研究评估这些濒危种群。本研究旨在通过对内华达州西北部低海拔大盆地栖息地的种群进行精细尺度的基因分析来填补这一空白。具体而言，我们：（i）量化了内华达山脉种群之间的遗传多样性和结构，特别关注内华达州西北部；（ii）评估了初级生产力和气候相关变量对内华达山脉种群以及更广泛物种水平上遗传多样性的影响。大盆地种群的遗传多样性水平最低。在内华达山脉种群中，种群遗传多样性与年降水量呈正相关——而在物种水平上，温度解释了遗传多样性的最大变异。这些结果为预测该物种因气候驱动的分布范围收缩提供了见解，并为保护和管理决策提供了依据。
