Wolves at the crossroad: fission-fusion range biogeography in the Western Carpathians and Central Europe

Aim: Population fragmentation represents a leitmotif of conservation biology, but the impact of population reconnection is less well studied. The recent recolonization of large carnivores in Europe is a good model for studying this phenomenon. We aim to show novel data regarding distribution and population genetic structure of the grey wolf in Central Europe, a region considered a frequent crossroad and contact zone of different phylogeographic lineages, in a biogeographic context. Location: Western Carpathians, Central Europe. Methods: In concordance with the presumption of a highly mobile mammal, individual-based Bayesian clustering and a posteriori definition of populations were used. Integrating the frameworks of landscape genetics and biogeography enabled the identification of transitions in population architecture. These patterns could be ascribed to isolating factors based on historical knowledge about species demography. Results: Genetic differentiation mirrors population iso...研究目的：种群破碎化是保护生物学的核心研究主题，但种群连通恢复的影响却较少得到深入探讨。近期欧洲大型食肉动物的重新定居过程，为该现象的研究提供了绝佳的模型体系。本研究旨在揭示中欧地区灰狼（grey wolf）的分布格局与种群遗传结构的全新数据；该区域作为不同系统地理支系（phylogeographic lineage）频繁交汇与接触的地带，具备鲜明的生物地理学研究背景。 研究区域：中欧西喀尔巴阡山脉（Western Carpathians）。 研究方法：鉴于灰狼为高度移动性的哺乳动物，本研究采用基于个体的贝叶斯聚类（individual-based Bayesian clustering）方法，并结合后验种群界定策略。通过整合景观遗传学（landscape genetics）与生物地理学的研究框架，可有效识别种群结构的过渡特征。结合该物种种群历史动态的相关研究资料，可将上述格局归因于各类隔离因子的作用。 研究结果：遗传分化反映了种群异质性（原文此处未完成）