Abstract
The evolutionary consequences of natural introgression provide a rare opportunity to retrospectively evaluate how the introduction of exotics or genetic rescue efforts may impact endemic faunas. Phylogeographic structure among mainland, endemic insular, and introduced North American marten (Martes americana and M. caurina) populations have been shaped by a complex history of natural, post-glacial population expansion followed by a series of anthropogenic introductions. In some cases, both natural colonization and translocations facilitated secondary contact, offering a series of replicated experiments that demonstrate how introgression, in these cases following isolation (insular and refugial), shapes genetic diversity. We test whether genetic exchange is occurring between North American marten species using mitochondrial genomes and ten nuclear loci. We present evidence of biased nuclear introgression from M. caurina into M. americana across two natural hybrid zones (insular and mainland) and found no remnant evidence of M. caurina on islands that received M. americana translocations, suggesting prior absence, potential extirpation, or genetic swamping of M. caurina from these islands. Our results highlight the importance of understanding phylogeographic variation prior to identifying source populations for wildlife translocations and caution the use of genetic rescue for North American marten populations. Although previously managed as a single species, these two species show substantial genetic divergence. When the two are placed into contact, they exhibit unidirectional, asymmetric introgression with potentially negative consequences for M. caurina, underscoring the value of mindful consideration of introgression in wildlife management.
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Acknowledgements
We thank Sarah Sonsthagen for streamlining MiSeq protocols at the U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center; Haven Shaginoff and Aaron Cde Baca for lab assistance; Travis Burkhard for computational support; Barbara Deshler for independent reviews; Alaska and British Columbia trappers, Nikolai Dokuchaev, Natalie Dawson, Melissa Fleming, and Anson Koehler for coordinating specimen acquisition; and our funding sources, including: the American Society of Mammalogists Grant-in-Aid, the UNM Biology Graduate Student Association, U.S. Geological Survey, and NSF-DEB 1258010 for support. This research used resources provided by the Center for Advanced Research Computing (CARC) at the University of New Mexico and the Core Science Analytics, Synthesis, and Libraries (CSASL) Advanced Research Computing (ARC) group at the U.S. Geological Survey. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U. S. Government.
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Colella, J.P., Wilson, R.E., Talbot, S.L. et al. Implications of introgression for wildlife translocations: the case of North American martens. Conserv Genet 20, 153–166 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-018-1120-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-018-1120-5