TY - JOUR
T1 - Extensive gene flow in a threatened bat (Rhinonicteris aurantia) in an arid landscape
AU - Umbrello, Linette
AU - Bullen, Robert
AU - Shaw, Robyn
AU - McArthur, Shelley
AU - Byrne, Margaret
AU - van Leeuwen, Stephen
AU - Ottewell, Kym
N1 - Funding Information:
This research received funding from Atlas Iron, Rio Tinto, and BHP, with additional in-kind support from Australian Premium Iron, Rio Tinto, BHP, Fortescue Metals Group and BatCall WA. All samples were collected under the Research Collaboration Agreement “Pilbara leaf-nosed bat project, Schedule 1” 2018 and DBCA Regulation 17 licence 08–001673-1. Robyn Shaw was supported by funding from the Australian Research Council (LP170100061). We would like to acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the Pilbara and their representative body the Yamatji Marlpa Aboriginal Corporation from whose Country the samples were collected, and the Whadjuk Noongar people on whose country the research was carried out. We also thank Lesley Gibson for providing helpful comments on the manuscript.
Funding Information:
This work was supported by industry funding from Atlas Iron , Rio Tinto , and BHP . Robyn Shaw was supported by funding from the Australian Research Council ( LP170100061 ).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Authors
PY - 2022/9
Y1 - 2022/9
N2 - The bat fauna of Australia comprises some 25% of all terrestrial species, yet we know very little of the demography, dispersal, and movement dynamics of most bat species. The Pilbara leaf-nosed bat (Rhinonicteris aurantia Pilbara form) is a threatened microbat that roosts exclusively in caves that occur in mineral rich deposits in the Pilbara region. Due to their specific roost microclimate requirements these bats cannot survive for long without a suitable roost and are sensitive to roost disturbance. Understanding the connectivity of roosts throughout the Pilbara is crucial for informed decisions to mitigate potential impacts to persistence of this species in areas under economic development. Along with mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) markers, we used reduced representation genomic sequencing of over 150 individuals from eight roost sites throughout the Pilbara and tested for landscape-scale population differentiation associated with the two major subregions — the Hamersley and Chichester, as well as finer-scale among roost variation. We found evidence of high rates of dispersal and low population structure within the Pilbara, indicating one panmictic population, with mtDNA results suggesting evidence of some female philopatry. Our results highlight the ongoing need for detailed genetic studies to provide critical insight to species dispersal, particularly in multi-use landscapes. We discuss the importance of identifying and retaining connectivity of key habitat to maintain genetic diversity and gene flow throughout panmictic populations.
AB - The bat fauna of Australia comprises some 25% of all terrestrial species, yet we know very little of the demography, dispersal, and movement dynamics of most bat species. The Pilbara leaf-nosed bat (Rhinonicteris aurantia Pilbara form) is a threatened microbat that roosts exclusively in caves that occur in mineral rich deposits in the Pilbara region. Due to their specific roost microclimate requirements these bats cannot survive for long without a suitable roost and are sensitive to roost disturbance. Understanding the connectivity of roosts throughout the Pilbara is crucial for informed decisions to mitigate potential impacts to persistence of this species in areas under economic development. Along with mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) markers, we used reduced representation genomic sequencing of over 150 individuals from eight roost sites throughout the Pilbara and tested for landscape-scale population differentiation associated with the two major subregions — the Hamersley and Chichester, as well as finer-scale among roost variation. We found evidence of high rates of dispersal and low population structure within the Pilbara, indicating one panmictic population, with mtDNA results suggesting evidence of some female philopatry. Our results highlight the ongoing need for detailed genetic studies to provide critical insight to species dispersal, particularly in multi-use landscapes. We discuss the importance of identifying and retaining connectivity of key habitat to maintain genetic diversity and gene flow throughout panmictic populations.
KW - Chiroptera
KW - D-Loop
KW - Gene flow
KW - Population genetics
KW - ddRADseq
UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/0e4cbfd2-2b51-3ab6-a30e-64724bed3aea/
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85132377353&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.gecco.2022.e02154
DO - 10.1016/j.gecco.2022.e02154
M3 - Article
SN - 2351-9894
VL - 37
SP - 1
EP - 15
JO - Global Ecology and Conservation
JF - Global Ecology and Conservation
M1 - e02154
ER -
