The population and landscape genetics of the European badger (Meles meles) in Ireland

Guerrero, Jimena and Byrne, Andrew W. and Lavery, John and Presho, Eleanor and Kelly, Gavin and Courcier, Emily A. and O'Keeffe, James and Fogarty, Ursula and O'Meara, Denise B. and Ensing, Dennis and McCormick, Carl and Biek, Roman and Skuce, Robin A. and Allen, Adrian R. (2018) The population and landscape genetics of the European badger (Meles meles) in Ireland. Ecology and Evolution, 8 (20). pp. 10233-10246. ISSN 2045-7758

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Abstract

The population genetic structure of free-ranging species is expected to reflect landscape-level effects. Quantifying the role of these factors and their relative contribution often has important implications for wildlife management. The population genetics of the European badger (Meles meles) have received considerable attention, not least because the species acts as a potential wildlife reservoir for bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in Britain and Ireland. Herein, we detail the most comprehensive population and landscape genetic study of the badger in Ireland to date—comprised of 454 Irish badger samples, genotyped at 14 microsatellite loci. Bayesian and multivariate clustering methods demonstrated continuous clinal variation across the island, with potentially distinct differentiation observed in Northern Ireland. Landscape genetic analyses identified geographic distance and elevation as the primary drivers of genetic differentiation, in keeping with badgers exhibiting high levels of philopatry. Other factors hypothesized to affect gene flow, including earth worm habitat suitability, land cover type, and the River Shannon, had little to no detectable effect. By providing a more accurate picture of badger population structure and the factors effecting it, these data can guide current efforts to manage the species in Ireland and to better understand its role in bTB.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	Funding Information: The authors extend their thanks to Dr Olaf Schmidt, University College Dublin for his advice on data—handling for EHS rasters. This research was funded by the Department of Agriculture Environment and Rural Affairs for Northern Ireland (DAERA-NI) and DAFM— Department of Food Agriculture and the Marine, Republic of Ireland. Funding Information: The authors extend their thanks to Dr Olaf Schmidt, University College Dublin for his advice on data?handling for EHS rasters. This research was funded by the Department of Agriculture Environment and Rural Affairs for Northern Ireland (DAERA-NI) and DAFM?Department of Food Agriculture and the Marine, Republic of Ireland. Publisher Copyright: © 2018 The Authors. Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Uncontrolled Keywords:	/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/1100/1105
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Depositing User:	Admin SSL
Date Deposited:	19 Oct 2022 23:11
Last Modified:	07 Jun 2023 18:46
URI:	http://repository-testing.wit.ie/id/eprint/4589

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