Population genetic structure of the insular Ryukyu flying fox Pteropus dasymallus

Small isolated populations are vulnerable to both stochastic events and the negative consequences of genetic drift. For threatened species, the genetic management of such populations has therefore become a crucial aspect of conservation. Flying foxes (Pteropus spp, Chiroptera) are keystone species with essential roles in pollination and seed dispersal in tropical and subtropical ecosystems. However, many flying fox species are also threatened, having experienced dramatic population declines driven by habitat loss and hunting. The insular Ryukyu flying fox (Pteropus dasymallus) ranges from the Ryukyu Archipelago of Japan through Taiwan to the northern Philippines and has undergone precipitous population crashes on several islands in recent decades. To assess the population genetic structure and diversity in P. dasymallus, and its likely causes, we analyzed mitochondrial and microsatellite DNA. Both markers showed significant genetic differentiation among most island populations, with mit...

小型孤立种群极易受到随机事件与遗传漂变（genetic drift）带来的负面影响的威胁。因此，针对受威胁物种而言，这类种群的遗传管理已成为物种保护工作的核心环节之一。狐蝠（Pteropus spp.，翼手目Chiroptera）为关键种（keystone species），在热带与亚热带生态系统中发挥着传粉及种子传播的不可或缺的生态功能。然而，诸多狐蝠物种同样面临生存威胁，其种群因栖息地丧失与过度狩猎出现了急剧衰退。琉球狐蝠（Pteropus dasymallus）为岛屿栖息类群，分布范围从日本琉球群岛经中国台湾延伸至菲律宾北部，近数十年来其在多个岛屿的种群均发生了骤降。为评估琉球狐蝠的种群遗传结构、遗传多样性及其潜在成因，本研究对其线粒体DNA（mitochondrial DNA）与微卫星DNA（microsatellite DNA）进行了分析。两类分子标记均显示多数岛屿种群间存在显著的遗传分化，其线粒体……