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Effective number of breeding adults in Oregon spotted frogs (Rana pretiosa): genetic estimates at two life stages

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Abstract

We used genetic methods to estimate the effective number of breeders (N b) in a population of Rana pretiosa, an imperiled amphibian in western North America. Microsatellite data was gathered from large samples of adults, eggs, and juveniles collected in 2006. We wished to determine where in the life cycle the greatest reductions in N b occur, and to compare genetic estimates of N b to an egg mass count estimate of the number of breeding adults. We predicted that N b estimated at the metamorph stage would be reduced by increased variance in family size due to egg mass mortality. Contrary to our prediction, estimates of N b at the egg and metamorph stages were similar. Thus, we found no evidence of inflated variance in family size between the two stages. If our results for this population are typical for R. pretiosa, then increased variance in family size during the egg to metamorph stage may not be a strong factor in reducing the effective population sizes (N e) relative to the census sizes (N) in this species.

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Acknowledgments

This research was conducted as part of Ivan Phillipsen’s PhD dissertation. We would like to thank Patty Stenberg for help in tissue collection. Robin Waples provided suggestions on the methodology and helpful comments on an early draft of the manuscript. Two anonymous reviewers also provided useful input on the manuscript. We thank the Oregon State University Center for Genome Research and Biocomputing (CGRB) for assistance with microsatellite genotyping.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, Oregon State University, 3029 Cordley Hall, Corvallis, OR, 97331-2914, USA

    Ivan C. Phillipsen

  2. Sunriver Nature Center & Observatory, P.O. Box 3533, Sunriver, OR, 97707, USA

    Jay Bowerman

  3. Department of Zoology, Oregon State University, 3029 Cordley Hall, Corvallis, OR, 97331-2914, USA

    Michael Blouin

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  1. Ivan C. Phillipsen
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  2. Jay Bowerman
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  3. Michael Blouin
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Correspondence to Ivan C. Phillipsen.

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Phillipsen, I.C., Bowerman, J. & Blouin, M. Effective number of breeding adults in Oregon spotted frogs (Rana pretiosa): genetic estimates at two life stages. Conserv Genet 11, 737–745 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-009-9862-8

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