Data from: Sex-specific graphs: relating group-specific topology to demographic and landscape data

Sex-specific genetic structure is a commonly observed pattern among vertebrate species. Facing differential selective pressures, individuals may adopt sex-specific life history traits that ultimately shape genetic variation among populations. Although differential dispersal dynamics are commonly detected in the literature, few studies have used genetic structure to investigate sex-specific functional connectivity. The recent use of graph theoretic approaches in landscape genetics has demonstrated network capacities to describe complex system behaviors where network topology represents genetic interaction among sub-units. Here we partition the overall genetic structure into sex-specific graphs, revealing different male and female dispersal dynamics of a fisher (Pekania [Martes] pennanti) metapopulation in southern Ontario. Our analyses based on network topologies supported the hypothesis of male-biased dispersal. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the effect of the landscape, identified at the population-level, could be partitioned among sex-specific strata. We found that female connectivity was negatively correlated with snow depth, whereas connectivity among males was not. Our findings underscore the potential of conducting sex-specific analysis by identifying landscape elements or configuration that differentially promote or impede functional connectivity between sexes, revealing processes that may otherwise remain cryptic. We propose that the sex-specific graph approach would be applicable to other vagile species where differential sex-specific processes are expected to occur.

性别特异性遗传结构是脊椎动物类群中普遍存在的分布模式。面对差异化的选择压力，不同性别的个体可能演化出针对性的生活史特征，最终塑造种群间的遗传变异格局。尽管学界已普遍观测到扩散动态存在性二态性，但鲜有研究借助遗传结构探究性别特异性功能连通性（functional connectivity）。近年来，景观遗传学（landscape genetics）领域对图论方法（graph theoretic approaches）的应用已证实，网络拓扑结构可用于刻画复杂系统的行为特征——此时网络拓扑可表征亚单元间的遗传互作关系。本研究将整体遗传结构拆分为性别特异性遗传网络，揭示了安大略南部地区渔貂（Pekania [Martes] pennanti）集合种群（metapopulation）的雌雄差异化扩散动态。基于网络拓扑结构的分析结果支持了雄性偏向扩散（male-biased dispersal）假说。此外，本研究证实，在种群水平上识别的景观效应可按性别分层拆解：雌性个体的连通性与积雪深度呈负相关，而雄性个体的连通性则无此关联。本研究结果凸显了开展性别特异性分析的重要价值：通过识别差异化促进或阻碍不同性别间功能连通性的景观要素与空间配置，可揭示原本难以被察觉的生态过程。我们认为，这种性别特异性遗传网络分析方法可推广应用于其他存在性别特异性分化过程的具有扩散能力的物种。