Habitat distribution influences dispersal and fine-scale genetic population structure of eastern foxsnakes (Mintonius gloydi) across a fragmented landscape.

摘要: Dispersal is a fundamental attribute of species in nature and shapes population dynamics, evolutionary trajectories genetic variation across spatial temporal scales. It increasingly clear that landscape features have large impacts on dispersal patterns. Thus, understanding how individuals move through landscapes essential for predicting alterations. Information patterns, however, lacking many taxa, particularly reptiles. Eastern foxsnakes (Mintoinus gloydi) are marsh prairie specialists avoid agricultural fields, but they persisted fragmented region southwestern Ontario northern Ohio. Here, we combined habitat suitability modelling with analyses to infer disperse mosaic natural altered features. Boundary regions between the eight clusters, identified assignment tests, were comprised low (e.g. fields). Island populations grouped into single cluster, comparatively F(ST) values island mainland suggest open water presents less barrier than nonsuitable terrestrial habitat. Isolation by resistance least-cost path analysis produced similar results matrices pairwise individual distance significantly more correlated derived from models an undifferentiated landscape. Spatial autocorrelation matched better when incorporating rather straight-line distances. All used our study suggesting degradation limits foxsnakes, which has had strong effect structure this region.