Linking genetic diversity and temporal fluctuations in population abundance of the introduced feral cat (Felis silvestris catus) on the Kerguelen Archipelago.

Linking temporal variations of genetic diversity, including allelic richness and heterozygosity, and spatio-temporal fluctuations in population abundance has emerged as an important tool for understanding demographic and evolutionary processes in natural populations. This so-called ‘genetic monitoring’ was conducted across 12 consecutive years (1996-2007) at three sites for the feral cat, introduced onto the Kerguelen Archipelago fifty years ago. Temporal changes in allelic richness and heterozygosity at 18 microsatellite DNA loci were compared to temporal changes in the adult population abundance index, obtained by typical demographic monitoring. No association was found at the island spatial scale but we observed an association between genetic diversity and adult population indices from year to year within each study site. More particularly, the magnitude of successive increases or decreases in the adult population abundance index appeared to be the major factor linking the trajectori...将遗传多样性（包括等位基因丰富度（allelic richness）与杂合度（heterozygosity））的时间变化与种群丰度的时空波动相结合，已成为解析自然种群人口统计与进化过程的重要研究手段。这项被称为"遗传监测（genetic monitoring）"的研究，针对1950年代引入凯尔盖朗群岛（Kerguelen Archipelago）的野化家猫（feral cat）种群，于1996年至2007年间连续开展12年，覆盖三个采样站点。本研究对18个微卫星DNA（microsatellite DNA）位点的等位基因丰富度与杂合度的时间变化，与通过常规人口统计监测获得的成体种群丰度指数的时间变化进行了对比。在群岛空间尺度上未发现二者存在关联，但在每个研究站点内部，各年度间的遗传多样性与成体种群丰度指数存在关联。更为具体地说，成体种群丰度指数的连续增减幅度，似乎是关联其种群动态轨迹的核心因素——