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Fine-scale refuges can buffer demographic and genetic processes against short-term climatic variation and disturbance: a 22-year case study of an arboreal marsupial.
Banks, Sam C; Lorin, Thibault; Shaw, Robyn E; McBurney, Lachlan; Blair, David; Blyton, Michaela D J; Smith, Annabel L; Pierson, Jennifer C; Lindenmayer, David B.
Affiliation
  • Banks SC; The Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia.
  • Lorin T; The Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia.
  • Shaw RE; The Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia.
  • McBurney L; The Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia.
  • Blair D; The Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia.
  • Blyton MD; The Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia.
  • Smith AL; Evolution, Ecology and Genetics, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia.
  • Pierson JC; The Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia.
  • Lindenmayer DB; The Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia.
Mol Ecol ; 24(15): 3831-45, 2015 Aug.
Article in En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-26089175
ABSTRACT
Ecological disturbance and climate are key drivers of temporal dynamics in the demography and genetic diversity of natural populations. Microscale refuges are known to buffer species' persistence against environmental change, but the effects of such refuges on demographic and genetic patterns in response to short-term environmental variation are poorly understood. We quantified demographic and genetic responses of mountain brushtail possums (Trichosurus cunninghami) to rainfall variability (1992-2013) and to a major wildfire. We hypothesized that there would be underlying differences in demographic and genetic processes between an unburnt mesic refuge and a topographically exposed zone that was burnt in 2009. Fire caused a 2-year decrease in survival in the burnt zone, but the population grew after the fire due to immigration, leading to increased expected heterozygosity. We documented a fire-related behavioural shift, where the rate of movement by individuals in the unburnt refuge to the burnt zone decreased after fire. Irrespective of the fire, there were long-term differences in demographic and genetic parameters between the mesic/unburnt refuge and the nonmesic/burnt zone. Survival was high and unaffected by rainfall in the refuge, but lower and rainfall-dependent in the nonmesic zone. Net movement of individuals was directional, from the mesic refuge to the nonmesic zone, suggesting fine-scale source-sink dynamics. There were higher expected heterozygosity (HE ) and temporal genetic stability in the refuge, but lower HE and marked temporal genetic structure in the exposed habitat, consistent with reduced generational overlap caused by elevated mortality and immigration. Thus, fine-scale refuges can mediate the short-term demographic and genetic effects of climate and ecological disturbance.
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Full text: 1 Collection: 01-internacional Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Climate / Ecosystem / Trichosurus Limits: Animals Country/Region as subject: Oceania Language: En Journal: Mol Ecol Journal subject: BIOLOGIA MOLECULAR / SAUDE AMBIENTAL Year: 2015 Document type: Article Affiliation country:

Full text: 1 Collection: 01-internacional Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Climate / Ecosystem / Trichosurus Limits: Animals Country/Region as subject: Oceania Language: En Journal: Mol Ecol Journal subject: BIOLOGIA MOLECULAR / SAUDE AMBIENTAL Year: 2015 Document type: Article Affiliation country:
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