Data from: Genetic structure of little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) corresponds with spread of white-nose syndrome among hibernacula

Until recently, the little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus) was one of the most common bat species in North America. However, this species currently faces a significant threat from the emerging fungal disease white-nose syndrome (WNS). The aims of this study were to examine the population genetic structure of M. lucifugus hibernating colonies in Pennsylvania (PA) and West Virginia (WV), and to determine whether that population structure may have influenced the pattern of spread of WNS. Samples were obtained from 198 individuals from both uninfected and recently infected colonies located at the crest of the disease front. Both mitochondrial (636bp of cytochrome oxidase I) and nuclear (8 microsatellites) loci were examined. Although no substructure was evident from nuclear DNA, female-mediated gene flow was restricted between hibernacula in western PA and the remaining colonies in eastern and central PA and WV. This mitochondrial genetic structure mirrors topographic variation across the region: 3 hibernating colonies located on the western Appalachian plateau were significantly differentiated from colonies located in the central mountainous and eastern lowland regions, suggesting reduced gene flow between these clusters of colonies. Consistent with the hypothesis that WNS is transmitted primarily through bat-to-bat contact, these same 3 hibernating colonies in westernmost PA remained WNS-free for 1–2 years after the disease had swept through the rest of the state, suggesting that female migration patterns may influence the spread of WNS across the landscape.小棕蝠（Myotis lucifugus）曾是北美分布最广泛的蝙蝠物种之一。然而目前该物种正受到新兴真菌病害——白鼻综合征（WNS）的严重威胁。本研究旨在探究宾夕法尼亚州（PA）与西弗吉尼亚州（WV）内小棕蝠冬眠种群的群体遗传结构，并解析该群体结构是否对白鼻综合征的传播模式产生影响。研究采集了位于病害扩散前沿的未感染与新近感染冬眠种群共198只个体的样本，对线粒体基因（细胞色素氧化酶I片段，长度636bp）与核基因（8个微卫星位点）两类分子标记进行了检测。尽管核DNA未检测到明显的群体亚结构，但宾夕法尼亚州西部冬眠洞穴与宾州东部、中部以及西弗吉尼亚州的其余种群间，雌性介导的基因流存在显著限制。该线粒体遗传结构与区域地形变化高度吻合：位于阿巴拉契亚高原西部的3个冬眠种群，与中部山地及东部低地种群间存在显著遗传分化，提示两类种群集群间的基因交流受限。与“白鼻综合征主要通过蝙蝠个体间接触传播”的假说一致，当该病害在宾州其余区域快速扩散后，位于宾州最西部的上述3个冬眠种群仍有1至2年未出现WNS感染案例，这表明雌性蝙蝠的迁移模式或可影响白鼻综合征在区域内的传播格局。