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Genetic structure, diversity and distribution of a threatened lizard affected by widespread habitat fragmentation

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Abstract

Understanding the demographic consequences of habitat loss on populations is essential for the conservation of threatened species. The threatened swamp skink (Lissolepis coventryi) is restricted to fragmented wetland habitats in Victoria and southeast South Australia. It has experienced significant habitat loss in the last 150 years, particularly around the Melbourne metropolitan area, where several small and isolated populations remain. Using mtDNA and nuDNA SNPs, we examined distribution patterns and population structure to infer evolutionary history and genetic distinctiveness of populations throughout the species’ range. For populations in the Melbourne metropolitan area, we examined genetic diversity. We found the species to be highly divergent, separating into two distinct lineages to the east and west of Melbourne, likely due to geological and climate influences causing isolation of populations. Species’ detectability was low, particularly in the far east despite relatively intact habitat and presumed higher abundance. Melbourne populations showed signs of limited genetic diversity. We suggest that translocations to promote gene diversity amongst these populations, together with habitat restoration and protection, present an important management strategy for L. coventryi.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge the First Nations Australians upon whose land this research was undertaken. We thank the staff at Western Australia Museum, South Australia Museum and Museum Victoria for access to tissue samples. We thank the many land managers, researchers and volunteers who provided invaluable assistance bringing this project to completion, particularly Peter Robertson, Norman McKinlay, Catriona Campbell, Zak Atkins, Rob Hayes, Shannon Walsh, Jade Lee Ronke, Emily Drummond, Sally Sinclair, Jake Urlus, Maria Roitman, Yael Rodgers and Stephanie Falk.

Funding

This work was supported by the Holsworth Research Endowment (grant awarded to AFS), and an Australian Research Council Discovery Project Grant (DP150102900, grant to DGC, MMG and GMW).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia

    Anna F. Senior & David G. Chapple

  2. Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, PO Box 137, Heidelberg, VIC, Australia

    Nick Clemann & Katherine A. Harrisson

  3. College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, SA, Australia

    Michael G. Gardner

  4. Evolutionary Biology Unit South Australian Museum, North Terrace, Adelaide, SA, Australia

    Michael G. Gardner

  5. Department of Ecology, Environment and Evolution, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, 3086, Australia

    Katherine A. Harrisson

  6. Research Centre for Future Landscapes, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC, 3086, Australia

    Katherine A. Harrisson

  7. School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, 7005, Australia

    Geoffrey M. While

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  1. Anna F. Senior
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Correspondence to David G. Chapple.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

Research was conducted in accordance with appropriate collection and research permits (Victoria: 10007700) and was approved by the Monash University animal welfare committee (BSCI/2015/14).

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The data from this paper has been deposited in the Bridges data repository (https://doi.org/10.26180/16864549).

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The code from this paper has been deposited in the Bridges data repository (https://doi.org/10.26180/16864549).

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Senior, A.F., Clemann, N., Gardner, M.G. et al. Genetic structure, diversity and distribution of a threatened lizard affected by widespread habitat fragmentation. Conserv Genet 23, 151–165 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-021-01408-4

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