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Historical processes and landscape context influence genetic structure in peripheral populations of the collared lizard (Crotaphytus collaris)

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Abstract

Populations at the periphery of a species’ range often show reduced genetic variability within populations and increased genetic divergence among populations compared to those at the core, but the mechanisms that give rise to this core-periphery pattern in genetic structure can be multifaceted. Peripheral population characteristics may be a product of historical processes, such as founder effects or population expansion, or due to the contemporary influence of landscape context on gene flow. We sampled collared lizards (Crotaphytus collaris) at four locations within the northern Flint Hills of Kansas, which is at the northern periphery of their range, to determine the genetic variability and extent of genetic divergence among populations for ten microsatellite loci (n = 229). We found low genetic variability (average allelic richness = 3.37 ± 0.23 SE; average heterozygosity = 0.54 ± 0.05 SE) and moderate population divergence (average FST = 0.08 ± 0.01 SE) among our sample sites relative to estimates reported in the literature at the core of the species’ range in Texas. We also identified differences in dispersal rates among sampling locations. Gene flow within the Flint Hills was thus greater than for other peripheral populations of collared lizards, such as the Missouri glade system where most of the mesic grasslands have been converted to forest since the last glacial retreat, which appears to have greatly impeded gene flow among populations. Our findings signify the importance of considering landscape context when evaluating core-peripheral trends in genetic diversity and population structure.

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Acknowledgments

This project was supported by a grant awarded to K. A. With and S. M. Wisely by the Ecological Genomics Institute at Kansas State University, a University Small Research Grant awarded to K. A. With by Kansas State University, the Dean E. Metter Memorial Award from the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles awarded to E. Blevins, the Institute for Grassland Studies at Kansas State University, and the Konza Prairie NSF-LTER program. We thank the staff of Konza Prairie Biological Station for on-site assistance, E. Horne for project support and review of this manuscript, P. Klug for sample contributions and project assistance, the members of the Conservation Genetics and Molecular Ecology Lab at Kansas State University, and J. Whittier and A. Skibbe for technical assistance. We also thank members of the Kansas Herpetological Society and other volunteers who assisted with sample collection. Work was conducted in compliance with Kansas State University IACUC protocol #2297.

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  1. Laboratory for Landscape and Conservation Ecology, Division of Biology, Kansas State University, 116 Ackert Hall, Manhattan, KS, 66506, USA

    Emilie Blevins & Kimberly A. With

  2. Conservation Genetics and Molecular Ecology Laboratory, Division of Biology, Kansas State University, 116 Ackert Hall, Manhattan, KS, 66506, USA

    Samantha M. Wisely

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  1. Emilie Blevins
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Correspondence to Emilie Blevins.

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Blevins, E., Wisely, S.M. & With, K.A. Historical processes and landscape context influence genetic structure in peripheral populations of the collared lizard (Crotaphytus collaris). Landscape Ecol 26, 1125–1136 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-011-9631-1

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