Patterns of genetic divergence among populations of the common dormouse, Muscardinus avellanarius in the UK

摘要: Quantitative descriptions of population genetic structure allows the delineation units and is therefore primary importance in management wildlife conservation. Yet, predicting factors that influence gene flow patterns populations particularly at landscape scales remains a major challenge evolutionary biology. Here we report study common dormouse, Muscardinus avellanarius, species seriously threatened due to anthropogenic factors, two regions, Bontuchel (Denbighshire) Afonwen (Gwynedd), both Wales, UK. Ten microsatellite loci were used characterize diversity M. avellanarius within regions. While differentiation between regions apparent through geographical scale separating them, by using Bayesian clustering analyses, identified occurrence division among region, but no significant evidence Afonwen. We found strong isolation-by-distance (IBD) pattern fine-scale (less than 1 km) continuous habitat patches Overall, analyses suggest small-scale dispersal associated with social tendencies this reflected populations. These findings then provide useful baseline data for supporting local strategies.