Large-scale natural disturbance alters genetic population structure of the sailfin molly, Poecilia latipinna

Many inferences about contemporary rates of gene flow are based on the assumption that the observed genetic structure among populations is stable. Recent studies have uncovered several cases in which this assumption is tenuous. Most of those studies have focused on the effects that regular environmental fluctuations can have on genetic structure and gene flow patterns. Occasional catastrophic disturbances could also alter either the distribution of habitat or the spatial distribution of organisms in a way that affects population structure. However, evidence of such effects is sparse in the literature because it is difficult to obtain. Hurricanes, in particular, have the potential to exert dramatic effects on population structure of organisms found on islands or coral reefs or in near shore and coastal habitats. Here we draw on a historic genetic data set and new data to suggest that the genetic structure of sailfin molly (Poecilia latipinna) populations in north Florida was altered dram...

当前诸多关于当代基因流速率的推论，均基于种群间观测到的遗传结构保持稳定这一前提假设。近期多项研究已发现，该假设在诸多案例中并不稳固。其中多数研究聚焦于规律性环境波动对遗传结构与基因流模式的影响。偶发性灾难性扰动同样可通过改变栖息地分布或生物空间分布的方式，对种群结构产生影响。然而，此类效应的相关证据在学术文献中较为匮乏，原因在于相关数据难以获取。其中，飓风尤其有可能对栖息于岛屿、珊瑚礁、近岸及海岸生境中的生物种群结构造成显著影响。本研究借助一套历史性遗传数据集与全新测序数据，提出佛罗里达州北部的帆鳍玛丽（Poecilia latipinna）种群遗传结构已发生显著改变——