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Landscape and Conservation Genetics of Amphibians and Reptiles in California

2019
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Release : 2019
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Book Synopsis Landscape and Conservation Genetics of Amphibians and Reptiles in California by : Erin Maurine Toffelmier

Download or read book Landscape and Conservation Genetics of Amphibians and Reptiles in California written by Erin Maurine Toffelmier. This book was released on 2019. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Examining patterns of diversity at fine and global spatial scales is an important component of to inferring underlying evolutionary mechanisms, understanding species distributional patterns, and informing conservation. Globally, amphibians and reptiles are among the fastest declining taxonomic groups, and now more than ever, it is necessary to quantify diversity and its spatial drivers in order to most effectively conserve species. In this dissertation, I examine the population, landscape, and conservation genomics of several species along a continuum of endangerment, from highly endangered and on the brink of extinction to widespread and abundant. Throughout, I use large-scale molecular data sets coupled with spatial analyses to examine spatial genetic diversity in these varied species. My goals were to contribute to our understanding of how genetic diversity is distributed across a multitude of landscapes and to provide genetic context for the conservation of these species. In Chapters 1 and 2, I examined how genetic diversity is spread across the limited ranges of two ecologically disparate species, California tiger salamanders, Ambystoma californiense, in Santa Barbara County, and the Panamint alligator lizard, Elgaria panamintina, found only in the isolated desert mountain ranges of eastern California, and found surprising parallels. In both, I found populations with exceedingly low levels of genetic diversity and genetic effective population sizes. For tiger salamanders, genetic diversity and divergence is strongly correlated with the number of suitable breeding habitats in regional neighborhoods and presence of natural vernal pools, while divergence across the range of E. panamintina is primarily mediated by geographic distance. In both cases, our findings have important implications for how management and mitigation efforts may more effectively assist the recovery and/or protection of these groups. In Chapter 3, I examined the drivers of spatial genetic structure in the widespread southern alligator lizard, Elgaria multicarinata. I found that patterns of genetic isolation are driven primarily by geographic distances, but that regional ecological niches have also diverged. Collectively, my work demonstrates the utility of integrating genetic and spatial analyses across spatial scales to help elucidate how genetic diversity is distributed across variable landscapes.

California Amphibian and Reptile Species of Special Concern

2016-06-21 Science
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Release : 2016-06-21
Genre : Science
Kind : eBook
Book Rating : 837/5 ( reviews)

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Book Synopsis California Amphibian and Reptile Species of Special Concern by : Robert C. Thomson

Download or read book California Amphibian and Reptile Species of Special Concern written by Robert C. Thomson. This book was released on 2016-06-21. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One of the most important hotspots of herpetological biodiversity in the United States, California is home to many endemic amphibians and reptiles found nowhere else on earth. Many of these taxa have unique ecological and morphological specializations, and their management is an important conservation challenge. Increasing climate change impacts, human development, and extreme drought mean many of these species face an ever-greater risk of extinction. California Amphibian and Reptile Species of Special Concern provides an up-to-date synthesis of the current state of knowledge regarding the biology and conservation risks faced by 45 of California’s most sensitive amphibian and reptile species. With the goal of enhancing management based on the best available science, the authors developed a novel set of risk metrics to identify special concern species and the threats they face, including population declines, range size and restrictions, and ecological specializations and niche restrictions. In addition to detailed species accounts, this book provides a quantitative analysis of the conservation status and pressing management issues facing individual species and the state’s amphibian and reptile fauna as a whole. The volume focuses on identifying threats, concrete recommendations for management and recovery, and future research needs. The text is complemented by detailed distribution maps, color photos, and graphs. Written in nontechnical language, California Amphibian and Reptile Species of Special Concern will be a valuable resource to a broad range of users from resource managers, field biologists, and academic herpetologists to students and recreational naturalists. Published in association with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Comparative Conservation Genetics of Two Sympatric Lizard Species Across Multiple Landscapes in San Diego County

2015 Electronic books
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Release : 2015
Genre : Electronic books
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Book Synopsis Comparative Conservation Genetics of Two Sympatric Lizard Species Across Multiple Landscapes in San Diego County by :

Download or read book Comparative Conservation Genetics of Two Sympatric Lizard Species Across Multiple Landscapes in San Diego County written by . This book was released on 2015. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Physical features of the landscape as well as taxa-specific characteristics of an organism may shape population genetic patterns by affecting dispersal and gene flow. Understanding what affects population genetic patterns is critical for developing conservation management strategies. This is especially true in the changing landscape of anthropogenic habitat modification and global climate change. However, most conservation genetic studies focus on a single species in a particular landscape, thereby limiting the ability to attribute patterns to particular aspects of the species or landscape. To assess how landscape features may impact population genetic patterns in different species, I compared genetic diversity, divergence and landscape genetic patterns of two sympatric lizard species in multiple replicate sites. The western fence lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis) and the orange-throated whiptail (Aspidoscelis hyperythra, California Species of Special Concern) are small lizards that are abundant in the coastal sage scrub and chaparral habitats of coastal southern California. Lizard tissue samples were collected from five sites throughout San Diego County, California. A total of 325 samples of S. occidentalis were genotyped at 11 microsatellite loci, and 222 samples of A. hyperythra were genotyped at 10 microsatellite loci. Results suggest little fine-scale population genetic structure in these two lizard species. Analyses of the effect of roads on population genetic patterns vary by landscape site for both species. In particular, both lizard species at the site LOM show low genetic diversity and are susceptible to a barrier effect of the road. Analysis of pairs of first-order relatives reveals longer-distance dispersal events than previously reported for both species of lizard. Overall, the results presented here emphasize the importance of landscape features as well as taxa-specific ecological characteristics in shaping population genetic patterns. Both speciesand site-specific approaches should be considered for future conservation genetic studies.

Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of California

2012-09-04 Nature
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Release : 2012-09-04
Genre : Nature
Kind : eBook
Book Rating : 978/5 ( reviews)

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Book Synopsis Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of California by : Robert C. Stebbins

Download or read book Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of California written by Robert C. Stebbins. This book was released on 2012-09-04. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: ". . . encourage[s] hope and resilience in times of devastating damage."—New York Review of Books This user-friendly guide is the only complete resource that identifies and describes all the amphibians and reptiles—salamanders, frogs and toads, lizards, snakes, and tortoises and turtles—that live in California. The species are described in richly detailed accounts that include range maps, lifelike color paintings by Robert C. Stebbins, clear drawings of various life stages including eggs, notes on natural history, and conservation status. Easy-to-use keys for every order help identify species, and informative chapters cover more general topics including evolution, habitat loss, and photography. Throughout, anecdotes and observations reveal new insights into the lives of California’s abundant but often hidden amphibians and reptiles.

An Integrative Population and Landscape Genomic Approach to Conservation of a Threatened California Amphibian at Multiple Spatial Scales

2019
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Release : 2019
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Book Synopsis An Integrative Population and Landscape Genomic Approach to Conservation of a Threatened California Amphibian at Multiple Spatial Scales by : Kevin M. Neal

Download or read book An Integrative Population and Landscape Genomic Approach to Conservation of a Threatened California Amphibian at Multiple Spatial Scales written by Kevin M. Neal. This book was released on 2019. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Amphibians are threatened world-wide, and due to the elusive, seasonal, and often nocturnal habits of adults, biological assessments of amphibian species are often best conducted via genetic analysis of easily-sampled pond-dwelling larvae. Genetic analysis of amphibian species can benefit their conservation in several ways, including identification of evolutionary lineages and subpopulations as fundamental units of conservation, genetic assessment of demography and diversity, and inference of patterns of gene flow among populations and how patterns are affected by environmental variation. In this dissertation I elucidated the evolutionary relationships and population genetic status of a threatened California amphibian (Spea hammondii) at multiple spatial scales using a combination of genetic, genomic, and environmental data. Chapter one utilized limited genetic data to determine phylogenetic relationships of Spea species and used environmental niche modeling to examine ecological differentiation between two allopatric lineages identified within S. hammondii. Chapter two took advantage of a newer genomic-scale dataset of thousands of SNP markers to look at fine-scale patterns of genetic variation among natural and artificial S. hammondii ponds in a highly urbanized region of Southern California. Chapter three also made use of thousands of markers to validate species-level relationships in Spea and used the added genomic resolution to examine relationships within and among genetic clusters and quantified the potential impacts of urbanization on functional genetic connectivity. Broadly, I found that the nominal taxon S. hammondii likely comprises two species. Populations within each species were highly differentiated from one another and had exceptionally low effective population sizes, such that each species lacks sufficient adaptive potential to thrive without intervention. Overall, this dissertation applied a suite of phylogenetic, population genomic, and landscape genomic tools to analyze patterns of genetic variation in S. hammondii to guide ongoing and future conservation efforts.

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