The effect of sampling density and study area size on landscape genetic inferences for the Mississippi slimy salamander (Plethodon mississippi)

In the field of landscape genetics, it is largely unknown how choices regarding population sampling density and study area size impact inferences about which habitat features impede vs. facilitate gene flow. While it is commonly recommended that sampling locations be spaced no further apart than the average individual dispersal distance, for low mobility species, this could lead to a logistically challenging number of sampling locations, or a small and unrepresentative study area. We assessed the effects of sampling density and study area size on landscape genetics inferences for a dispersal-limited amphibian, the Mississippi slimy salamander (Plethodon mississippi), via comparative analysis of nested datasets. Microsatellite-based genetic distances among individuals were divided into three datasets representing either sparse sampling across a large study area, dense sampling across a small study area, or sparse sampling across the same small study area. These datasets were each used as...

在景观遗传学（landscape genetics）领域，有关种群采样密度（population sampling density）与研究区域规模（study area size）的选择会如何影响针对“哪些生境特征阻碍或促进基因流（gene flow）”的推断，这一问题迄今尚未得到充分解析。尽管学界普遍建议采样点间距不应超过物种的平均个体扩散距离（average individual dispersal distance），但对于扩散能力较弱的物种而言，遵循该准则可能会导致采样点数量在实际操作中难以布设，或是研究区域规模过小且缺乏代表性。本研究以扩散受限的两栖类物种密西西比黏螈（*Plethodon mississippi*）为研究对象，通过嵌套数据集（nested datasets）的比较分析，评估了采样密度与研究区域规模对景观遗传学推断的影响。研究基于微卫星标记（microsatellite）的个体遗传距离，将样本划分为三类数据集：分别对应大研究区域内的稀疏采样、小研究区域内的密集采样，以及同一小研究区域内的稀疏采样。上述三类数据集均被用于……