Conservation genetics of the grey wolf in Czech Republic and adjacent regions is studied in the present thesis. Analyses of twenty-one microsatellite loci, one sex-determining amelogenin gene and mitochodrial control region were used to verify species determination, identify individuals and estimate relationships between them, analyse population structure and estimate demographic trends based on samples collected between 2014 and 2021. Genetic detection of red fox and dog samples incorrectly assigned to wolves illustrates the hurdles of field monitoring of grey wolf. Direct evidence for the occurrence of F1 hybrids was not found. Wolves from Bohemia showed lower values of allelic richness in comparison to the ones from Western Carpathians, probably as a consequence of recent expansion. Geographic distances between detection sites of identical individuals were relatively small or moderate in this study, suggesting regular movements of animals within their home ranges. Only two long-distance dispersal events exceeding 300 km were detected. Results of parental analysis provided evidence of pack distribution within the studied area. Most relationships were detected between wolves in the northern region of Czech Republic where the first recolonizing wolf pack in 2014 was registered. Within the studied...

The aim of this work was to describe the spatial distribution of genetic variability of the northern white-breasted hedgehog (E. roumanicus), mainly within the Balkan Peninsula and Central Europe, as these areas are crucial for understanding the effects of Pleistocene climate oscillations on the genetic architecture of the species. Based on this spatial distribution, hypotheses about the possible structuring of the Balkan refugia were formulated. A total of 260 individuals and 9 microsatellite loci were used for the analysis. Using the approach of landscape and population genetics several possible isolated subpopulations within the area surveyed were identified. Unique status was proved for a population originating from Crete, probably influenced by mechanisms of island evolution. Differences from the rest of the range were ascertained also in population from the Czech Republic, located in a secondary contact zone with the E. europeaus. The role of interspecific interactions and possible introgression should be considered in this case. In the area of Romania and the area south of the Balkan Peninsula the highest genetic distances between individuals were identified, probably associated with the occurrence of geographical barriers and the possible presence of glacial subrefugia. Other identified...

The genus Rousettus has distributional pattern unique among fruitbats comprising both Asia and Africa and reaching northern distributional limits of the family in Persia, Arabia and Mediterranean basin. This could be ascribed to the ability of echolocation, consequent cave dwelling, and presumably other site-specific adaptations, which enabled dispersal independent of forest block and surviving in Mediterranean type of climate. Using fastly evolving mitochondrial marker, we aimed to assess genetic variability, its geographic distribution and demography of northern populations of the Egyptian fruitbat (Rousettus aegyptiacus). Mitochondrial network indicates deep genetic divergence between disjunct Mediterranean and eastern African parts of the range. Basal position of Sinaic and Jordanian haplotypes within northern clade indicate important role of these regions in colonization of eastern Mediterranean. Generally, the northern haplogroup is moderately diversified with partial geographic localization of particular haplotypes. Significant isolation by distance pattern suggests relatively pronounced site fidelity of particular colonies, at least in terms of maternal gene flow. Landscape genetics analyses indicate discontinuities in distribution of mitochondrial genetic variability, in some cases correlating with...

Population structure, biogeography and phylogenetic relationships of the fruit bat genus Rousettus have been studied in Africa and adjacent regions. The current population patterns of rousettine fruit bats in the Old World are influenced by several environmental attributes, namely the topography, climate and land cover. These variables are mirrored in fruit bat plesiomorphies related to the ecological niche of tropical flying frugivore, as well as apomorphies of rousettines including echolocation ability, roosting in caves and dispersal capacity in open landscapes with discontinuous tree cover. Phylogenetic relationships among species and subspecies of the genus have been indicated and confronted with the existing colonization scenarios. Insular populations (including habitat islands within desert oases) show frequent genetic differentiation from their mainland relatives suggesting successful founder events after traversing stretches of unsuitable habitats. Genetic differentiation evolving in less distant islands suggests involving behavioural mechanisms maintaining cohesion of isolated demes as site fidelity and natal habitat-biased dispersal. In sub-Saharan mainland Africa within the large range reaching from the southern border of Sahara to Cape Peninsula, Rousettus populations share a...

Landscape genetic approaches allow to study effects of landscape to population microevolution. Landscape can influence gene flow even in large carnivores with good dispersal ability. Understanding the influence of landscape to the gene flow between populations is crucial for species conservation, especially in the species with low population densities. Aim of the study was to describe genetic structure of the grey wolf (Canis lupus) and snow leopard (Panthera uncia) in selected areas and to determine the influence of the landscape features on observed structure. Non-invasive genetic samples of snow leopard from Nepal were analysed, as well as invasive and non-invasive samples of grey wolf from Central Europe. Population structure was determined a posteriori using Bayesian clustering approaches that integrate genetic and geographical data, and compared to landscape connectivity models. Population structure of snow leopards is mostly influenced by human presence and presence of frequented roads, which represent a substantial dispersal barrier. Habitat suitable for this species is greatly restricted by altitude, however, during dispersal they are able to overcome areas with higher elevation than what is optimal for them. Pronounced genetic difference was found between central European and Carpathian...

Population structure, biogeography and phylogenetic relationships of the fruit bat genus Rousettus have been studied in Africa and adjacent regions. The current population patterns of rousettine fruit bats in the Old World are influenced by several environmental attributes, namely the topography, climate and land cover. These variables are mirrored in fruit bat plesiomorphies related to the ecological niche of tropical flying frugivore, as well as apomorphies of rousettines including echolocation ability, roosting in caves and dispersal capacity in open landscapes with discontinuous tree cover. Phylogenetic relationships among species and subspecies of the genus have been indicated and confronted with the existing colonization scenarios. Insular populations (including habitat islands within desert oases) show frequent genetic differentiation from their mainland relatives suggesting successful founder events after traversing stretches of unsuitable habitats. Genetic differentiation evolving in less distant islands suggests involving behavioural mechanisms maintaining cohesion of isolated demes as site fidelity and natal habitat-biased dispersal. In sub-Saharan mainland Africa within the large range reaching from the southern border of Sahara to Cape Peninsula, Rousettus populations share a...

Global urbanization is rapidly expanding, leading to habitat degradation and fragmentation, which present strong challenges for native wildlife. At the same time, urbanization is often accompanied by the introduction of non-native species, which alter community and habitat structures. These changes may disrupt ecosystem functions upon which animals and humans rely. Therefore, it is essential to understand the impact of anthropogenic habitat modifications on urban animals. In this dissertation, I use three case studies to examine anthropogenic influences on 1) species dispersal in Caribbean lizards, 2) mammalian behavior along an urban-rural gradient, 3) tick-borne disease host and vector communities. In my first chapter, I examined the influence of urbanization and road networks on dispersal of three lizard species in the context of their development tolerance. I found that development tolerance is a key predictor of dispersal impact, with the least tolerant species experiencing dispersal restriction and the most tolerant species experiencing dispersal facilitation. In my second and third chapters, I investigated the influence of urbanization and invasive understory vegetation along an urban-rural gradient in southeastern Pennsylvania. The second chapter focused on behavioral responses of four urban-adapted mammal species to urbanization across temporal and spatial scales. I found that behavioral changes were not driven by landscape-scale development, but rather by temporal and local-scale variables, most importantly local vegetation structure. Finally, in my third chapter, I again examined the effects of landscape-scale urbanization and local-scale vegetation density, this time in relation to tick-borne disease dynamics. My results suggest that invasive vegetation influenced small mammal and tick habitat use at micro-habitat scales, with important ramifications for tick-borne disease infection. In combination, the results from my three disparate chapters add to our understanding of anthropogenic impacts on urban animals. / Biology

Le campagnol roussâtre Myodes glareolus est le réservoir principal de l'hantavirus Puumala (PUUV) responsable de la néphropathie épidémique (NE) en Europe. L'objectif de cette thèse est de décrire la variabilité de la résistance / tolérance de M. glareolus à PUUV et d'explorer son rôle dans la distribution et la transmission de ce virus. Nous émettons l'hypothèse que la tolérance à PUUV favorise sa persistance et sa transmission, ce qui devrait accroître le risque d'émergence de la NE. Nous avons développé une approche gène candidat pour déterminer le rôle de trois gènes de l'immunité dans la résistance / tolérance à PUUV. L'existence d'associations positives entre les allèles du gène Drb et l'infection par PUUV d'une part et les relations négatives détectées entre le niveau d'expression du gène Tnf-α et la prévalence en PUUV d'autre part corroborent l'évolution d'une tolérance en zones d'endémie de la NE. Elle pourrait être sélectionnée en réponse au coût de la réponse inflammatoire développée contre PUUV. L'approche de génétique des populations a démontré le rôle de la dynamique des réservoirs dans l'épidémiologie de PUUV. La comparaison du polymorphisme des gènes Drb et Tnf-α et des patrons génétiques neutres semble cependant indiquer une faible influence de la sélection dans le polymorphisme de ces gènes. Ce résultat suggère un effet potentiellement important de la plasticité phénotypique dans les niveaux de résistance/tolérance observés. L'étude de la communauté d'helminthes a confirmé cette hypothèse en révélant l'impact de certaines espèces sur le risque d'infection à PUUV. / The bank vole Myodes glareolus is the main reservoir of Puumala hantavirus (PUUV), the agent of nephropathia epidemica (NE) in Europe. This work aims at describing the variability of M. glareolus resistance / tolerance to PUUV and at exploring its role in the distribution and transmission of the virus. We hypothesized that tolerance to PUUV should favour its persistence and transmission, what could increase the risk of NE emergence.We developed a candidate gene approach to determine the role of three immune genes in the resistance / tolerance to PUUV. Both the detection of positive associations between Drb alleles and PUUV infection and the negative relationship observed between Tnf-α gene expression and PUUV prevalence corroborated the evolution of tolerance in NE endemic areas. The costly inflammatory response activated against PUUV infection could mediate this evolution.Using landscape population genetics, we revealed the role of M. glareolus population dynamics in PUUV epidemiology. The comparison of Drb and Tnf-α genetic differentiation with the neutral pattern detected at microsatellites indicated that selection weakly acted on these immune genes. This result suggested the potential effect of phenotypic plasticity in the balance of resistance/tolerance to PUUV. The study of helminth communities confirmed this hypothesis as it revealed the impact of two nematode species on the risk of PUUV infection

I examined the relationship between landscape attributes and population differentiation among lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) populations inhabiting a hierarchically structured dendritic freshwater system in northern Labrador, the Kogaluk River system. Samples were collected from a total of 10 lakes which differed in size, elevation, level of connectivity, and position within the system. STRUCTURE analysis provided evidence of significant population structure within the system likely attributed to a varying degree of asymmetric gene flow. Gene flow estimates were generally low and appear to be influenced by the presence of waterfalls as well as geographic distance. Isolation by distance tests coupled with decomposed pairwise regression analysis suggest a significant influence of geographic distance on population differentiation. Mantel testing also showed that population differentiation is significantly correlated with the position of waterfalls. Estimates of effective population size reveal significantly smaller population sizes in headwater lakes, a pattern not attributed to lake size.

South America and the Andes harbour a rich biodiversity. High levels of in-situ speciation, survival of relict lineages into modern times, and mixing of biotas (Gondwanian and North American), have been demonstrated to contribute to the extant biodiversity. Here I examined the four species in the shorebird family Thinocoridae (seedsnipes) as a test case of complementary hypotheses about the origins of this diversity: 1) that some lineages arose from cold-adapted Antarctic ancestors (post-Gondwana), and 2) that the Andes have promoted diversification through vicariance and via the creation of novel alpine niches. First, I reviewed the tectonic and environmental history of the Andes, and the major biogeographic patterns in South America. Second, I reviewed Antarctic and Southern Hemisphere paleoenvironments, putative refugia, colonisation routes, molecular and biogeographic studies, and found strong evidence supporting the role of Antarctica as a source of global cold-hardy biodiversity. Third, I developed universal protocols to purify mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Using these methods, I uncovered nuclear pseudogenes, true mtDNA heteroplasmy, and possible hybridisation between seedsnipe lineages. Fourth, I investigated geographic patterns in seedsnipe morphology in four species. I also investigated the relationships of ecogeographic variables related to cold on morphology. I found strong and significant regional differences particularly in the smaller Thinocorus species, including an effect of the high Central Andes. Altitude, latitude, and wind (the effect of cold) have shaped seedsnipe morphology; Thinocoridae as a group generally support Bergmann’s and Allen’s rules. Fifth, based on phylogeographic and phylogenetic analyses of mtDNA and hemoglobin sequences, a putative southern origin for seedsnipes was supported, and an early origin in alpine habitats is suggested. Sixth, I compared data on Andean uplift and glaciation in South America, and found concordance between seedsnipe diversity, known areas of endemism in other taxa, and paleoenvironmental history. Finally, I briefly examined molecular evolution in hemoglobins and mtDNA and found preliminary evidence of adaptations to high altitude (hemoglobins) and to cold (mtDNA and hemoglobins). In summary, an Antarctic ancestor for seedsnipes, pre-adapted for life in the Andes, is supported. Antarctica may have contributed a great proportion of cold-hardy biodiversity to the South and globally. / Thesis (Ph.D, Biology) -- Queen's University, 2011-08-17 23:30:31.324