Abstract
The Regal Fritillary butterfly, Speyeria idalia (Drury) (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae), has been described as a high gene flow species. Supporting this assertion, previous studies in the Great Plains, where it is still relatively widespread, have found evidence of gene flow across hundreds of kilometers. Using mitochondrial and microsatellite loci, we examined the spatial genetic structure of a very isolated Pennsylvania population of these butterflies that occupies three separate meadows located within ten kilometers of each other. We found restricted gene flow and a distinct structure, with each meadow having a unique genetic signature. Our findings indicate that even a species that normally exhibits high gene flow may show fine-scale genetic subdivision in areas where populations have been largely extirpated.
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Acknowledgments
The authors are indebted to Joseph Hovis from the Pennsylvania Department of Military Affairs, Betty Ferster and Pat McElhenny of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the Nature Conservancy, as well as Greg Cowper, Amy Diercks, Tim Nightengale, Mark Swartz, and Andrea Widdel for help catching and handling specimens. We thank John Fronko, Donald Azuma and Thomas O’Donnell for administrative support. We thank Julie Smith, Michael Matrone, Tapan Ganguly and the DNA Sequencing Facility, University of Pennsylvania, for technical assistance. We also are indebted to two anonymous reviewers and Dr. Alfried Vogler for improving the final manuscript considerably. This project was initiated and sponsored by the PA Army National Guard, and funded by MIPR#3KCORPPH216 from the Department of Defense, as well as by a NSERC postdoctoral fellowship to NK. The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the position or the policy of the United States Government, and no official endorsement should be inferred.
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Keyghobadi, N., Unger, K.P., Weintraub, J.D. et al. Remnant populations of the regal fritillary (Speyeria idalia) in Pennsylvania: Local genetic structure in a high gene flow species. Conserv Genet 7, 309–313 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-006-9127-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-006-9127-8