Abstract
Simple SummaryAn urban environment holds many barriers for mammals with limited mobility such as hedgehogs. These barriers appear often unsurmountable (e.g., rivers, highways, fences) and thus hinder contact between hedgehogs, leading to genetic isolation. In our study we tested whether these barriers affect the hedgehog population of urban Berlin, Germany. As Berlin has many of these barriers, we were expecting a strong genetic differentiation among hedgehog populations. However, when we looked at unrelated individuals, we did not see genetic differentiation among populations. The latter was only detected when we included related individuals too, a ‘family clan’ structure that is referred to as gamodemes. We conclude that the high percentage of greenery in Berlin provides sufficient habitat for hedgehogs to maintain connectivity across the city.We use the European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus), a mammal with limited mobility, as a model species to study whether the structural matrix of the urban environment has an influence on population genetic structure of such species in the city of Berlin (Germany). Using ten established microsatellite loci we genotyped 143 hedgehogs from numerous sites throughout Berlin. Inclusion of all individuals in the cluster analysis yielded three genetic clusters, likely reflecting spatial associations of kin (larger family groups, known as gamodemes). To examine the potential bias in the cluster analysis caused by closely related individuals, we determined all pairwise relationships and excluded close relatives before repeating the cluster analysis. For this data subset (N = 65) both clustering algorithms applied (Structure, Baps) indicated the presence of a single genetic cluster. These results suggest that the high proportion of green patches in the city of Berlin provides numerous steppingstone habitats potentially linking local subpopulations. Alternatively, translocation of individuals across the city by hedgehog rescue facilities may also explain the existence of only a single cluster. We therefore propose that information about management activities such as releases by animal rescue centres should include location data (as exactly as possible) regarding both the collection and the release site, which can then be used in population genetic studies.
Highlights
Urbanisation involves some of the most rapid and intense human-induced transformation processes
Such a lack of genetic population structure was surprising in light of the presence of many potential barriers, and it contrasts with results from a genetic study on 149 urban hedgehogs in the city of Zurich (Switzerland), where a strong differentiation had been observed across an area of ~10,000 ha [60]
As the genetic structure in Berlin hedgehogs only appeared if related individuals were included in the cluster analysis, we suggest the differentiation detected here to be a reflection of an underlying kinship network of gamodemes rather than to be a reflection of allele frequencies of three ancestral populations
Summary
Urbanisation involves some of the most rapid and intense human-induced transformation processes. Structures such as impervious surfaces, roads and buildings have fragmented the environment for many species. In order to gain access to adequate resources, animals living in such patches often have to cross these barriers to move between patches. Some species benefit from structures in urban spaces that mimic their original habitat (e.g., common swift Apus apus; [4]). For behaviourally flexible wildlife species urban habitats may provide a novel living environment with the opportunity to exploit novel resources [2,5,6]
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