Genetic differentiation among northern and southern populations of the moor frog Rana arvalis Nilsson in central Europe

Abstract

Starch gel electrophoresis and morphometric characters were used to assess the geographical variation between 14 populations of the moor frog, Rana arvalis, from northern and southern areas in Central Europe. Six of the 13 screened allozyme loci were polymorphic (95% criterion). No fixed differences in allele composition between the two regions were found. Some of the alleles were region specific. Genetic variability as measured by expected heterozygosity ( He) and number of alleles per locus was significantly lower in the southern samples than in northern ones ( He=0.104 and He=0.156, alleles/locus=1.6 and 1.8 respectively). This is interpreted as a consequence of the different past history of these two groups during the Pleistocene. Population subdivision, as measured by FST, was substantial (0.124 and 0.078 for the southern and northern group, respectively); 59.9% of the between‐locality variation is attributed to this division into two geographical groups. Isolation‐by‐distance was detected by significant negative correlation between the estimate of gene flow (log M^) and log(geographical distance) only for the southern population groups. This indicates that the northern populations have recently recolonized their contemporary distribution area. The mean genetic distance between the northern and southern group of populations was DN=0.062. Despite the relatively low genetic distance between them, the two population groups form two distinct clusters in the maximum likelihood (ML) tree. Discriminant analysis on 11 size adjusted body measurements showed considerable overlap between populations from different geographical areas. An isolated Romanian Reci population which genetically belongs to the southern group of populations was morphologically situated in an intermediate position between northern and other southern populations.

Morphological and Genetic Variation in Three Populations of <i>Hoplobatrachus tigerinus</i> from Bangladesh

“…The observed heterozygosity (H o ) ranged from 0.08 to 0.14 (average 0.11) was higher than that (0.10) reported by Raginski and Babik (2000) in R. arvalis. The expected heterozygosity (H e ) was found to be 0.16 in the present study, which was similar to those obtained by Rafiniski and Babik (2000) and Khan et al (2002).…”

Going west—invasion genetics of the alien raccoon dog Nyctereutes procynoides in Europe

“…Such influence of time since colonisation was often found in empirical studies of IBD (e.g. Rafinski and Babik 2000;Castric and Bernatchez 2003).…”

The postglacial recolonization of Northern Europe by Rana arvalis as revealed by microsatellite and mitochondrial DNA analyses

“…For several terrestrial and aquatic organisms, suture zones in Central (for example Taberlet et al, 1995) (Figure 3a; Babik et al, 2004), and even though the haplotype lineages in many parts overlap each other, a slight east-west separation can be identified. Thus, given a phylogenetic structuring like this, it has been suggested that the moor frog survived the last glacial period in multiple refugial areas (Rafiń ski and Babik, 2000;Babik et al, 2004 from clade AI can also be found in the west, but they are more widespread in the eastern parts. Therefore, a refugium situated in south-eastern Russia-or even further east in Siberia or Kazakhstan-has been suggested (Rafiń ski and Babik, 2000;Babik et al, 2004).…”

“…Thus, given a phylogenetic structuring like this, it has been suggested that the moor frog survived the last glacial period in multiple refugial areas (Rafiń ski and Babik, 2000;Babik et al, 2004 from clade AI can also be found in the west, but they are more widespread in the eastern parts. Therefore, a refugium situated in south-eastern Russia-or even further east in Siberia or Kazakhstan-has been suggested (Rafiń ski and Babik, 2000;Babik et al, 2004).…”

“…Together with Rana temporaria, it is the only frog species inhabiting the northern parts of Fennoscandia (Fog et al, 1997). Owing to its highly variable morphology and coloration, R. arvalis has often been the subject of studies of geographic variation and phylogeography (Stugren, 1966;Fog et al, 1997;Rafiń ski and Babik, 2000;Babik et al, 2004;Knopp et al, 2007). On the basis of morphological data Stugren (1966) concluded that the Scandinavian moor frogs most likely originate from the East, whereas the distribution of color morphs led Fog et al (1997) to suggest a bidirectional recolonization of Fennoscandia.…”