The genetic signature of ecologically different grassland Lepidopterans

Abstract

The level of genetic diversity found for species is strongly influenced by properties of the species' ecology, abundance and behaviour (as dispersal). To address this coherence, we selected twenty-two grassland butterfly and burnet moth species, which were previously analysed by allozyme electrophoresis (using 15-25 loci per species) over a study area in western Germany with adjoining areas of Luxembourg and north-eastern France. For this study area, we calculated the species' specific climatic niche breadths and derived various ecological parameters from literature and own field observations. The obtained parameters of genetic diversity (heterozygosity, number of alleles and percentage of polymorphic loci), genetic differentiation (D (est) as well as F (ST) and F (IS) values as proxis for genetic differentiation among populations and inbreeding within populations), as well as ecological and climatic niche dimensions did not show significant differences among the different Lepidoptera families; therefore taxonomic assignment apparently has a negligible influence on the genetic structure of taxa. Genetic diversity and differentiation showed a significant correlation with the ecological and climatic niche-breadth of species in many cases: generalistic species with rather unspecific ecological characteristics and climatic niche had higher genetic diversities and tend to have lower differentiation and inbreeding, whereas specialist taxa (i.e. with narrow ecological and climatic niches) have lower genetic diversities and higher differentiation and inbreeding. The results might reflect contrasting population structures of specialist species with lower abundances compared with the more common generalists. The more restricted and isolated occurrence of specialists might consequence a reduction in genetic diversity and an increase in genetic differentiation among local populations. In contrast, generalists with unspecific habitat requirements occur in higher abundances and in consequence show a more homogenous genetic structure with higher diversities

Comparative Landscape Genetics of Three Closely Related Sympatric Hesperid Butterflies with Diverging Ecological Traits

“…The amount of genetic diversity is typical for butterflies in this region (reviewed in [26]). Our analyses indicate that climate has a strong impact on the connectivity of T. sylvestris but that other variables (such as land use) might have become more influential in the most recent times.…”

European grassland ecosystems: threatened hotspots of biodiversity

“…A second review incorporating 28 studies (20 species, 224 traits, including genetic, vegetative and reproductive traits) showed that various grassland management regimes affect the selection pressure in plants differently (Pluess 2013). The third and last work highlights the effect of species' ecology on the genetics in grassland butterflies (Habel et al 2013a). The authors found that generalist species with wide distributions and high abundances show rather high genetic diversity accompanied by low genetic differentiation, while species with specific habitat demands are characterised by comparatively low genetic diversities and high genetic differentiation.…”

Conservation genetics of an endangered grassland butterfly (Oarisma poweshiek) reveals historically high gene flow despite recent and rapid range loss

“…Along the ecological continuum, specialist species typically require specific larval host plants or habitat structures and tolerate narrow, relatively stable, environmental conditions, whereas generalists typically have a broader ecological niche breadth (Dennis et al ., ). Dispersal behaviour has also been associated with niche breadth; specialists are relatively sedentary, whereas generalists are often better dispersers (Burke et al ., ; Habel et al ., ). This in turn may predict differential effects of anthropogenic habitat fragmentation on specialists and generalists, the former being more vulnerable to fragmentation due to their reduced dispersal abilities (Brückmann et al ., ).…”

“…This in turn may predict differential effects of anthropogenic habitat fragmentation on specialists and generalists, the former being more vulnerable to fragmentation due to their reduced dispersal abilities (Brückmann et al ., ). Multiple studies have considered dispersal abilities of lepidopterans and have shown that specialists possess higher inter‐population genetic differentiation and lower diversity than do generalist species (Schmitt et al ., ; Habel & Schmitt, ; Kadlec et al ., ; Habel et al ., ).…”

“…Habel et al . (, ) proposed that ecologically intermediate species may face unique conservation challenges. Intermediate species are less finely tuned to a particular niche than are specialists but may not be as adaptable as generalists.…”