Abstract
We have studied the population genetic structure of slightly admixed populations of crested newts (Triturus cristatus and T. carnifex) in a continuously fragmented landscape, located in northern Salzburg (Austria) and neighbouring Bavaria (Germany). Crested newts are listed as Critically Endangered in the provincial Red List of Salzburg and strictly protected by the EU Habitats Directive. We used seven polymorphic microsatellite loci to evaluate genetic diversity and processes that may determine the genetic architecture of populations. Genetic diversity was moderate, pairwise FST-values were comparatively high showing significant genetic differentiation and limited gene flow. Isolation by distance was significant for the whole data set, but not significant when calculated for T. cristatus- and T. carnifex-like populations separately. Bayesian analyses of population structure, using three different programs showed similar results. Spatial statistics reveal that the geographical isolation of populations is very high.
Highlights
Amphibians have attracted a considerable amount of interest from scientists as they undergo a steady worldwide decline [1,2,3,4]
The results show a bipartition between formerly known T. cristatuslike and T. carnifex-like populations with the two exceptions Irl and Som (Table 4)
The use of adult individuals is obviously reflected by limited sample sizes, reducing the power of statistics on genetic diversity and differentiation within and between populations
Summary
Amphibians have attracted a considerable amount of interest from scientists as they undergo a steady worldwide decline [1,2,3,4]. In central European countries this development largely is caused by destroyed, diminished or disrupted natural habitats, due to human land use during the last decades. Habitat loss continues in connection with growing amount of infrastructure, housing development or commercial areas in human dominated areas. As a consequence natural landscapes are fragmented and isolation of local populations in discrete habitat patches increases, while the surrounding areas are unfavourable and dispersal is limited. This issue has become of high importance for conservation biology at large [5,6] and for amphibian conservation in particular [7,8,9]
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