Genetic population structure of the endangered fire salamander (Salamandra infraimmaculata) at the southernmost extreme of its distribution

Abstract

The negative effects of habitat fragmentation and population isolation on population viability, genetic variability and structuring are well documented, and conservation plans failing to take into account spatial population structure and connectivity can be ineffectual. Of special concern are populations at the periphery of the species range that might show reduced genetic diversity, thus affecting their adaptive potential at environmental margins. We investigated genetic variability and differentiation of the globally near threatened and locally endangered fire salamander Salamandra infraimmaculata in northern Israel, an area that represents the periphery of this species' distribution range. Analyses of variability in 15 microsatellite loci from 20 sites revealed substantial population structuring, most of which was due to a strong subdivision between two regions separated by a heavily urbanized valley. In addition, levels of genetic variability within populations were lowest in the peripheral, southernmost populations. These results suggest that the conservation plans for this species should recognize the lower diversity and increased divergence in the peripheral regions, and take into account the observed spatial population structure when devising strategies and measures to ensure the species persistence. bs_bs_banner Animal Conservation. Print ISSN 1367-9430 L. Blank et al. Population genetic structure of fire salamander Animal Conservation 16 (2013) 412-421

Increased genetic structuring of isolatedSalamandra salamandrapopulations (Caudata: Salamandridae) at the margins of the Carpathian Mountains

“…Peripheral populations often exhibit increased risk of inbreeding, genetic drift and natural selection (Lesica and Allendorf 1995;B€ ohme et al 2007). Blank et al (2013) investigated peripheral populations of the endangered salamander species, Salamandra infraimmaculata (Martens 1885) in Northern Israel, and found that genetic diversity was the lowest in populations at the southernmost edge of the distribution. Hoffman and Blouin (2004) found reduced levels of genetic variation in the peripheral populations of Rana pipiens (Schreber 1782) in the Pacific Northwest in the USA.…”

Intercohort size structure dynamics of fire salamander larvae in ephemeral habitats: a mesocosm experiment

“…All the larvae of the young cohort in each mesocosm originated from the same, randomly chosen group of larvae born to females from a different site than that of the old cohort. Previous mark-recapture work (Bar-David et al 2007) showed that adults can move between sites within that region, to which further support was lent by a population genetic survey (Blank et al 2013). Therefore, the mixing of cohorts from females that originate from different sites is a natural situation.…”

Diversity among peripheral populations: genetic and evolutionary differentiation ofSalamandra atraat the southern edge of the Alps

“…(Table 1) and four individuals previously sequenced from four of the same sites (Table S4). Maximum likelihood bootstrap values from 1,000 replications and Bayesian inference posterior probabilities are indicated, respectively, above and below the nodes when >0.5, otherwise the nodes are collapsed different species of Salamandra (Blank et al, 2013;Bani et al, 2015;Pereira, Mart ınez-Solano, & Buckley, 2016;V€ or€ os et al, 2017). The minimum number of substitutions between haplotypes is indicated along the branches.…”