Joint effects of population size and isolation on genetic erosion in fragmented populations: finding fragmentation thresholds for management

Méndez, María; Vögeli, Matthias; Tella, José Luis; Godoy, José A.

doi:10.1111/eva.12154

Cited by 45 publications

(49 citation statements)

References 68 publications

(148 reference statements)

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“…; Méndez et al. ). Further, genetic diversity was negatively correlated with average genetic differentiation with all other populations, indicating that isolation and limited gene flow have also contributed to erode genetic variability in some populations (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

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Consequences of extensive habitat fragmentation in landscape‐level patterns of genetic diversity and structure in the Mediterranean esparto grasshopper

Ortego

Aguirre

Noguerales

et al. 2015

Evolutionary Applications

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Anthropogenic habitat fragmentation has altered the distribution and population sizes in many organisms worldwide. For this reason, understanding the demographic and genetic consequences of this process is necessary to predict the fate of populations and establish management practices aimed to ensure their viability. In this study, we analyse whether the spatial configuration of remnant semi-natural habitat patches within a chronically fragmented landscape has shaped the patterns of genetic diversity and structure in the habitat-specialist esparto grasshopper (Ramburiella hispanica). In particular, we predict that agricultural lands constitute barriers to gene flow and hypothesize that fragmentation has restricted interpopulation dispersal and reduced local levels of genetic diversity. Our results confirmed the expectation that isolation and habitat fragmentation have reduced the genetic diversity of local populations. Landscape genetic analyses based on circuit theory showed that agricultural land offers ∽1000 times more resistance to gene flow than semi-natural habitats, indicating that patterns of dispersal are constrained by the spatial configuration of remnant patches of suitable habitat. Overall, this study shows that semi-natural habitat patches act as corridors for interpopulation gene flow and should be preserved due to the disproportionately large ecological function that they provide considering their insignificant area within these human-modified landscapes.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…; Méndez et al. ) and, ultimately, compromise the viability of populations and lead to local extinctions (Frankham ; e.g. Saccheri et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Consequences of extensive habitat fragmentation in landscape‐level patterns of genetic diversity and structure in the Mediterranean esparto grasshopper

Ortego

Aguirre

Noguerales

et al. 2015

Evolutionary Applications

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show abstract

“…The particular case study of the Dupont's lark suggests that other important concomitant factors could be underlying the overall declining trends (9% average decline). Land‐use changes, agriculture intensification and habitat quality loss due to abandonment of traditional extensive livestock systems (Garza & Traba, ; Íñigo et al., ; Suárez, ) seem to be the main drivers of a generalized decline in population trends (Garza & Traba, ; Pérez‐Granados & López‐Iborra, ; Tella et al., ), aggravated by genetic processes (Méndez et al., , ). Future research should focus on disentangling the mechanisms underlying the detected turbine impacts in order to correctly design wind energy projects.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wind farms affect the occurrence, abundance and population trends of small passerine birds: The case of the Dupont's lark

Gómez‐Catasús

Garza

Traba

2018

Journal of Applied Ecology

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The assessment of the effects of wind farms on bird populations is commonly based on collision fatality records. This could undervalue the effect of wind farms on small‐sized birds. We evaluate the effect of wind turbines on occurrence, abundance and population trends of a threatened small passerine species, the Dupont's lark Chersophilus duponti. To our knowledge, this is one of the first studies addressing the effect of wind farms on population trends using time‐series data from multiple wind farms. We estimated population trends by fitting a switching linear trend model with the software trim (Trend & Indices for Monitoring data). We used multiannual data surveys of five populations in the presence of wind farms and nine in their absence (2008–2016 period). Furthermore, we fitted a logistic and a negative binomial regression model to test the effect of wind farm proximity on species occurrence and abundance in 2016, respectively. We incorporated local connectivity and habitat availability estimates in both models as predictors. Results showed a negative trend overall, but that was significantly more regressive in the presence of wind farms: 21.0% vs. 5.8% average annual decline in the absence of wind farms. Dupont's lark occurrence and abundance in 2016 were negatively affected by measures of population isolation and positively affected by the distance to wind farms. These results highlight the negative effect of isolation and wind farm proximity on Dupont's lark population parameters. Taking into account the metapopulation structure exhibited by the species in the study area, this work established a 4.5‐km threshold distance from wind farms, beyond which Dupont's lark populations should be unaffected. Synthesis and applications. This work highlights the negative impact of wind farms on small‐sized birds and provides a 4.5‐km threshold distance that should be taken into account in the design of future wind energy projects. Moreover, we suggest an analytical approach based on population trends, species abundance and occurrence variation in relation to wind farms, useful for the assessment of wind farm impacts on small‐sized birds.

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“…; Mendez et al. ). Whether corridors can reduce these negative genetic effects remains largely untested.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Habitat corridors facilitate genetic resilience irrespective of species dispersal abilities or population sizes

Christie

Knowles

2015

Evolutionary Applications

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Corridors are frequently proposed to connect patches of habitat that have become isolated due to human-mediated alterations to the landscape. While it is understood that corridors can facilitate dispersal between patches, it remains unknown whether corridors can mitigate the negative genetic effects for entire communities modified by habitat fragmentation. These negative genetic effects, which include reduced genetic diversity, limit the potential for populations to respond to selective agents such as disease epidemics and global climate change. We provide clear evidence from a forward-time, agent-based model (ABM) that corridors can facilitate genetic resilience in fragmented habitats across a broad range of species dispersal abilities and population sizes. Our results demonstrate that even modest increases in corridor width decreased the genetic differentiation between patches and increased the genetic diversity and effective population size within patches. Furthermore, we document a trade-off between corridor quality and corridor design whereby populations connected by high-quality habitat (i.e., low corridor mortality) are more resilient to suboptimal corridor design (e.g., long and narrow corridors). The ABM also revealed that species interactions can play a greater role than corridor design in shaping the genetic responses of populations to corridors. These results demonstrate how corridors can provide long-term conservation benefits that extend beyond targeted taxa and scale up to entire communities irrespective of species dispersal abilities or population sizes.

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Joint effects of population size and isolation on genetic erosion in fragmented populations: finding fragmentation thresholds for management

Cited by 45 publications

References 68 publications

Consequences of extensive habitat fragmentation in landscape‐level patterns of genetic diversity and structure in the Mediterranean esparto grasshopper

Consequences of extensive habitat fragmentation in landscape‐level patterns of genetic diversity and structure in the Mediterranean esparto grasshopper

Wind farms affect the occurrence, abundance and population trends of small passerine birds: The case of the Dupont's lark

Habitat corridors facilitate genetic resilience irrespective of species dispersal abilities or population sizes

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