Data from: The walk is never random: subtle landscape effects shape gene flow in a continuous white-tailed deer population in the Midwestern United States

One of the pervasive challenges in landscape genetics is detecting gene flow patterns within continuous populations of highly mobile wildlife. Understanding population genetic structure within a continuous population can give insights into social structure, movement across the landscape and contact between populations, which influence ecological interactions, reproductive dynamics, or pathogen transmission. We investigated the genetic structure of a large population of deer spanning the area of Wisconsin and Illinois, USA, affected by chronic wasting disease. We combined multi-scale investigation, landscape genetic techniques and spatial statistical modeling to address the complex questions of landscape factors influencing population structure. We sampled over 2,000 deer and used spatial autocorrelation and a spatial principal components analysis to describe the population genetic structure. We evaluated landscape effects on this pattern using a spatial auto-regressive model within a model selection framework to test alternative hypotheses about gene flow. We found high levels of genetic connectivity, with gradients of variation across the large continuous population of white-tailed deer. At the fine scale, spatial clustering of related animals was correlated with the amount and arrangement of forested habitat. At the broader scale, impediments to dispersal were important to shaping genetic connectivity within the population. We found significant barrier effects of individual state and interstate highways and rivers. Our results offer an important understanding of deer biology and movement that will help inform the management of this species in an area where over-abundance and disease spread are primary concerns.

景观遗传学领域普遍面临的核心挑战之一，是在高度移动野生动物的连续种群中检测基因流（gene flow）模式。解析连续种群内的种群遗传结构，能够为揭示社会结构、跨景观扩散以及种群间接触等机制提供洞见，而这些因素会直接影响生态相互作用、繁殖动态与病原体传播。本研究聚焦美国威斯康星州与伊利诺伊州境内受慢性消耗病（chronic wasting disease）威胁的大型鹿类种群，对其遗传结构展开探究。我们整合多尺度调查、景观遗传学技术与空间统计建模方法，以解析驱动种群结构形成的景观因子这一复杂科学问题。研究共采集超过2000份鹿类样本，通过空间自相关分析与空间主成分分析（spatial principal components analysis）刻画种群遗传结构。随后，我们在模型选择框架内采用空间自回归模型（spatial auto-regressive model）评估各类景观因子对该遗传格局的影响，以此检验关于基因流的多项备选假说。研究结果表明，该大型连续白尾鹿（white-tailed deer）种群具备高度的遗传连通性，全研究区域内存在明显的遗传变异梯度。在精细尺度下，亲缘个体的空间聚集格局与森林栖息地的面积及空间配置呈显著相关；在宏观尺度上，扩散障碍是塑造种群内遗传连通性的关键因素。本研究还发现，州内高速公路、州际公路与河流等地理要素对基因流存在显著的屏障效应。本研究成果深化了我们对鹿类生物学特性与移动模式的理解，可为当前面临种群过剩与疾病传播双重管控难题的区域，提供该物种种群管理的重要科学参考。