Data from: Urban rat races: spatial population genomics of brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) compared across multiple cities

Urbanization often substantially influences animal movement and gene flow.
However, few studies to date have examined gene flow of the same species
across multiple cities. In this study, we examine brown rats (Rattus
norvegicus) to test hypotheses about the repeatability of neutral
evolution across four cities: Salvador, Brazil; New Orleans, USA;
Vancouver, Canada; New York City, USA. At least 150 rats were sampled from
each city and genotyped for a minimum of 15,000 genome-wide SNPs. Levels
of genome-wide diversity were similar across cities, but varied across
neighborhoods within cities. All four populations exhibited high spatial
autocorrelation at the shortest distance classes (< 500 m) due to
limited dispersal. Coancestry and evolutionary clustering analyses
identified genetic discontinuities within each city that coincided with a
resource desert in New York City, major waterways in New Orleans, and
roads in Salvador and Vancouver. Such replicated studies are crucial to
assessing the generality of predictions from urban evolution, and have
practical applications for pest management and public health. Future
studies should include a range of global cities in different biomes,
incorporate multiple species, and examine the impact of specific
characteristics of the built environment and human socioeconomics on gene
flow.