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Genetic structure and diversity of a rare woodland bat, Myotis bechsteinii: comparison of continental Europe and Britain

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posted on 2023-06-09, 17:47 authored by Patrick G R Wright, Patrick B Hamilton, Henry Schofield, Anita Glover, Christopher Damant, Ian Davidson-Watts, Fiona MathewsFiona Mathews
The Bechstein’s bat (Myotis bechsteinii) is a rare sedentary bat considered to be highly reliant on the presence of ancient woodland. Understanding the genetic connectivity and population structure of such elusive mammals is important for assessing their conservation status. In this study, we report the genetic diversity and structure of M. bechsteinii across Britain and Europe. Assessments were made using 14 microsatellite markers and a 747 bp region of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. Nuclear DNA (microsatellites) showed high levels of genetic diversity and little inbreeding across the species range, though genetic diversity was slightly lower in Britain than in mainland Europe. Bayesian and spatial PCA analysis showed a clear separation between the British and European sites. Within Europe, the Italian population south of the Alps was isolated from the other sites. In Britain, there was genetic structuring between the northern and southern part of the geographical range. Despite there being little genetic divergence in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences throughout most of Europe, the mtDNA patterns in Britain confirmed this separation of northern and southern populations. Such genetic structuring within Britain—in the absence of any obvious physical barriers—suggests that other factors such as land-use may limit gene-flow.

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Publication status

  • Published

File Version

  • Published version

Journal

Conservation Genetics

ISSN

1566-0621

Publisher

Springer

Issue

4

Volume

19

Page range

777-787

Department affiliated with

  • Evolution, Behaviour and Environment Publications

Full text available

  • Yes

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2019-05-15

First Open Access (FOA) Date

2019-05-15

First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date

2019-05-15

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