Patterns of within and between-colony microsatellite variation in the endangered Vancouver Island marmot (Marmota vancouverensis): implications for conservation

Abstract

Among the 14 extant species of the genus Marmota the Vancouver Island marmot (Marmota vancouverensis) is the most endangered. In 2007 as few as 85 individuals were left in the wild, with an additional 162 individuals maintained in captivity. To facilitate genetic monitoring of both wild and captive populations, polymorphic genetic markers were identified. Thirty-three different microsatellite loci were tested for amplification and variability in ≥30 wild-born individuals. Only 11 of these loci proved to be polymorphic and were subsequently analysed in 105 samples collected from wild Vancouver Island marmots. The average number of alleles (A) at those 11 loci was only 2.1, and the intraspecific variation (HE between 8 and 23% within colonies) was low compared to other marmot species. Variation within the small and geographically isolated Mt. Washington colony was particularly low (A = 1.3, HE = 0.08). Genetic distances between the Mt. Washington colony (11 individuals) and those of the Nanaimo Lakes region (94 individuals) on southern Vancouver Island were large (D values ranging from 0.42 to 0.50), while genetic distances among colonies within the latter area were much smaller (D values from 0.01 to 0.13). Given the low within-population genetic variation, and the resulting risk of inbreeding depression at Mt. Washington, we support the decision to maximize overall genetic variation of the species by crossbreeding marmots from the two different areas despite the possibility of local adaptation.