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Is it worth eradicating the invasive pest Rattus norvegicus from Molène archipelago? Genetic structure as a decision-making tool

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Abstract

Genetic variability and structure were estimated by microsatellite analysis at 7 loci in brown rat populations (Rattus norvegicus) from the Iroise insular complex and neighbouring mainland (Brittany, France). Island genetic diversity is lower than on the mainland and a highly significant positive correlation was found between mean heterozygosity and the logarithm of island area, which is consistent with theoretical expectations. Rattus norvegicus populations are substructured at a kilometric scale, both on the islands and on the mainland. Intra-island structuration is extremely high, suggesting that no effective migration occurs between islands or with the mainland. Historical and genetical evidence suggest that R. norvegicus was introduced independently on Ouessant and Molène archipelago, with a low and a high founder effect respectively. These results are discussed in terms of recolonization probability of islands that have been cleared of R. norvegicus, which illustrates the usefulness of genetic markers in determining parameters of interest to the conservation biologist.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire Systématique et Evolution des Vertébrés Tetrapodes (MNHN EA 2586), Institut de Systématique (CNRS FR 1541), Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 43 rue Cuvier, 75005, Paris, France

    Claire Calmet

  2. Laboratoire Faune Sauvage, Campus de Beaulieu, INRA de Rennes, 35042, Rennes cedex, France

    Michel Pascal

  3. Laboratoire Biologie des Invertébrés Marins et Malacologie (CNRS ESA 8044), Institut de Systématique (CNRS FR 1541), Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 55 rue Buffon, 75005, Paris, France

    Sarah Samadi

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Calmet, C., Pascal, M. & Samadi, S. Is it worth eradicating the invasive pest Rattus norvegicus from Molène archipelago? Genetic structure as a decision-making tool. Biodiversity and Conservation 10, 911–928 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1016636512734

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