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Do rivers and human-induced habitat fragmentation affect genetic diversity and population structure of the European ground squirrel at the edge of its Pannonian range?

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Abstract

The European ground squirrel (EGS) (Spermophilus citellus) populations of Vojvodina (Serbia) represent the southernmost part of its distribution in the Pannonian lowland. For species with low dispersal abilities a presence of even weak barriers can have significant influence on genetic structure among adjacent populations. We examined here the effects of habitat fragmentation and river barriers on the genetic structure of the EGS based on 12 microsatellite loci. Bayesian clustering methods were used as additions to classical population genetic approaches. We found that EGS populations in Vojvodina are highly fragmented, but their genetic variation is still higher than in peripheral populations in Central Europe. Populations in Vojvodina consistently grouped into three genetic clusters. The Danube, but not the Tisza River, represents an important barrier to gene flow. EGS populations in the studied area did not show the signs of recent genetic bottlenecks, as would be expected from observations of recent population declines. Conservation strategy should be focused on maintenance of remained suitable habitats and optimal population sizes.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the grant from Grant Agency of the Academy of Science, Czech Republic (KJB601410816), European Science Foundation grant (ConGen SV/2159), institutional support RVO: 68081766 and Grant from Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Serbia (Contract TR 31009). JB was also partially supported by Ministry of Education CR (Biodiversity Research Centre no. LC06073 and Long-term research plan MSM 0021622416). We would like to thank the two anonymous referees for useful comments on the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Biological Reasearch Siniša Stanković, University of Belgrade, Bulevar despota Stefana 142, 11000, Belgrade, Serbia

    Nada Ćosić

  2. Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 31, 370 05, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic

    Štěpánka Říčanová

  3. Department of Population Biology, Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Květná 8, 603 65, Brno, Czech Republic

    Štěpánka Říčanová & Josef Bryja

  4. Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, 611 37, Brno, Czech Republic

    Josef Bryja

  5. Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, Studentski trg 16, 11000, Belgrade, Serbia

    Aleksandra Penezić & Duško Ćirović

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  1. Nada Ćosić
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  2. Štěpánka Říčanová
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Correspondence to Duško Ćirović.

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Ćosić, N., Říčanová, Š., Bryja, J. et al. Do rivers and human-induced habitat fragmentation affect genetic diversity and population structure of the European ground squirrel at the edge of its Pannonian range?. Conserv Genet 14, 345–354 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-013-0466-y

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