SREL Reprint #3730

Population subdivision in the gopher frog (Rana capito) across the fragmented longleaf pine-wiregrass savanna of the southeastern USA

Thomas J. Devitt1, Kevin M. Enge2, Anna L. Farmer2,3, Peter Beerli4, Stephen C. Richter5,
Jeffrey G. Hall6, and Stacey L. Lance7

1Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
2Lovett E.Williams Jr. Wildlife Research Laboratory, Fish andWildlife Research Institute,
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Gainesville, FL 32601, USA
3Department of Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
4Department of Scientific Computing, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA
5Division of Natural Areas and Department of Biological Sciences,
Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, KY 40475, USA
6North CarolinaWildlife Resources Commission, Raleigh, NC 27699, USA
7Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Aiken, SC 29802, USA

Abstract: Delineating genetically distinct population segments of threatened species and quantifying population connectivity are important steps in developing effective conservation and management strategies aimed at preventing extinction. The gopher frog (Rana capito) is a xeric-adapted, pond-breeding species endemic to the Gulf and Atlantic coastal plains of the southeastern United States. This species has experienced extensive habitat loss and fragmentation in the formerly widespread longleaf pine-wiregrass savanna where it lives, resulting in individual abundance declines and population extinctions throughout its range. We used individual-based clustering methods along with Bayesian inference of historical migration based on almost 1500 multilocus microsatellite genotypes to examine genetic structure in this taxon. Clustering analyses identified panhandle and peninsular populations in Florida as distinct genetic clusters separated by the Aucilla River, consistent with the division between the Coastal Plain and peninsular mitochondrial lineages, respectively. Analysis of historical migration indicated an east–west population divergence event followed by immigration to the east. Together, our results indicate that the genetically distinct Coastal Plain and peninsular Florida lineages should be considered separately for conservation and management purposes.

Keywords: conservation genetics; habitat fragmentation; inbreeding; microsatellite; migration; phylogeography; population structure

SREL Reprint #3730

Devitt, T. J., K. M. Enge, A. L. Farmer, P. Beerli, S. C. Richter, J. G. Hall, and S. L. Lance. 2023. Population subdivision in the gopher frog (Rana capito) across the fragmented longleaf pine-wiregrass savanna of the southeastern USA. Diversity 15: 93.

This information was provided by the University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (srel.uga.edu).