Genetic evidence of female kin clusters in a continuous population of a solitary carnivore, the Eurasian lynx.

Katja Holmala,Alexander Kopatz,Hans G Eiken,Julia Schregel,Annika Herrero,Snorre B Hagen

doi:10.1002/ece3.4562

Katja Holmala, Alexander Kopatz + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.4562

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Abstract

Large terrestrial carnivores can sometimes display strong family bonds affecting the spatial distribution of related individuals. We studied the spatial genetic relatedness and family structure of female Eurasian lynx, continuously distributed in southern Finland. We hypothesized that closely related females form matrilineal assemblages, clustering together with relatives living in the neighboring areas. We evaluated this hypothesis using tissue samples of 133 legally harvested female lynx (from year 2007 to 2015), genotyped with 23 microsatellite markers, and tested for possible spatial genetic family structure using a combination of Bayesian clustering, spatial autocorrelation, and forensic genetic parentage analysis. The study population had three potential family genetic clusters, with a high degree of admixture and geographic overlap, and showed a weak but significant negative relationship between pairwise genetic and geographic distance. Moreover, parentage analysis indicated that 64% of the females had one or more close relatives (sister, mother, or daughter) within the study population. Individuals identified as close kin consistently assigned to the same putative family genetic cluster. They also were sampled closer geographically than females on average, although variation was large. Our results support the possibility that Eurasian lynx forms matrilineal assemblages, and comparisons with males are now required to further assess this hypothesis.

Highlights

Large terrestrial carnivores with high rates of dispersal and long‐dis‐ tance movement usually have high rates of gene flow among populations if dispersing individuals succeed to reproduce (Wayne & Koepfli, 1996)
In continuous populations, unhampered by frag‐ mentation or isolation, dispersal and gene flow can be assumed to be less affected by geographic barriers, but rather by social, ecolog‐ ical, and evolutionary constraints (Rueness et al, 2003)
Several large carnivore species have re‐ colonized parts of their former distribution range and in some areas regained a continuous distribution over large unfragmented land‐ scapes (Chapron et al, 2014)

Summary

| INTRODUCTION

Large terrestrial carnivores with high rates of dispersal and long‐dis‐ tance movement usually have high rates of gene flow among populations if dispersing individuals succeed to reproduce (Wayne & Koepfli, 1996). Distribution area covers whole of Finland, with highest densities in south and central parts of the country (details in: Holmala, 2013)) In this continuously distributed population, we analyzed the genetic family structure using 23 autosomal microsatellite markers and tested for possible spatial genetic family structure using a combi‐ nation of Bayesian clustering, spatial autocorrelation, and forensic genetic parentage analysis. This allowed us to study how genetic re‐ latedness and family structure are organized in space in female lynx unconstrained by low population size, isolation or fragmentation

| MATERIALS AND METHODS

Findings

| DISCUSSION