Past forest-cover explains current genetic differentiation in the Carpathian newt (Lissotriton montandoni), but not in the smooth newt (L. vulgaris)

Aim: Current genetic variation and differentiation are expected to reflect the effects of past rather than present landscapes due to time lags, i.e., the time necessary for genetic diversity to reach equilibrium and reflect demography. Time lags can affect our ability to infer landscape use and model connectivity, and also obscure the genetic consequences of recent landscape changes. In this work, we test if past forest-cover better explains contemporary patterns of genetic differentiation in two closely related but ecologically distinct newt species – Lissotriton montandoni and L. vulgaris.
Location: Carpathian Mountains and foothills.
Methods: Genetic differentiation between populations was related with landscape resistance optimized with tools from landscape genetics, for multiple timeframes, using forest-cover data from 1963 to 2015. Analyses were conducted for pairs of populations at distances from 1 to 50 km.
Results: We find evidence for a time lag in L. montandoni, with forest-...,
See associated publication for details.
, Workflow (R Project) for a landscape genetics project investigating time lags in patterns of genetic differentiation in Lissotriton newts.