A new analytical approach to landscape genetic modeling: least-cost transect analysis and linear mixed models

Landscape genetics aims to assess the effect of the landscape on intraspecific genetic structure. To quantify interdeme landscape structure, landscape genetics mostly uses landscape resistance surfaces and least-cost paths or straight-line transects. However, both approaches have drawbacks. Parameterization of resistance surfaces is a subjective process, and least-cost paths represent a single migration route. A transect-based approach might oversimplify migration patterns by assuming rectilinear migration. To overcome these limitations, we combined these two methods in a new landscape genetic approach: least-cost transect analysis (LCTA). Habitat-matrix resistance surfaces were used to create least-cost paths, which were subsequently buffered to form transects in which the abundance of several landscape elements was quantified. To maintain objectivity, this analysis was repeated so that each landscape element was in turn regarded as migration habitat. The relationship between landscape...